Even women who worked out on a regular basis before giving birth will discover their bodies are not quite the same after the big event. Most women stop exercising altogether, whereas others take a break and then dabble in new fitness regimens. Still others start exercising for the first time after giving birth - to tone and strengthen their new postpartum bodies.

While these women do not attend fitness classes at local gyms, the results are noticeable. They primarily take to the streets to train in the fresh air, pushing their babies in strollers or carrying them in slings. In the early morning hours - in Modi'in, Jerusalem, Ra'anana, Tel Aviv and other cities - flocks of new mothers can be seen power-walking with their loaded strollers, lifting babies into the air to strengthen their arm muscles and stretching while joyfully singing songs to their offspring.

Baby Shape, Stroller Jogging and similar "classes" combine aerobic activity and strength training. Infants are either passive participants or "weights," and give often lonely, new mothers an opportunity to meet one another. They quickly discover that their mood vastly improves after an hour of physical activity. Moreover, these sessions typically provide an additional hour of social interaction with women of similar age and in similar circumstances.