Everyone knows that I teach Stroller Strides classes as part of the wonderful offerings of FIT4MOM Fruita.
These classes are high energy, stroller integrated and generally outdoors. A lot of instructors teach without music but after spending almost 10 years in the fitness industry, I’ve learned that having music keeps people engaged and motivated. Without music, there’s silence and silence can be AWKWARD.
I recently found myself teaching outside on a beautiful, crisp, Colorado spring morning and started digging around in my bag for my usual Bluetooth speaker. My hand felt blindly around in the usual spot and felt nothing but empty space. Horror set in as I realized that I HAD LEFT MY SPEAKER AT HOME. My mind raced…how on earth was I supposed to teach a high energy class without my beloved Stroller Strides playlist!?
I started to think…. I didn’t have time to go home and get the speaker. I couldn’t call my husband to bring it. I have a terrible singing voice and there was NO WAY I could belt out any of the songs on that list. The first cars pulled up, full of moms and their beautiful babies…all expecting to hear some music.
At this point I’m frantically digging in my diaper bag. I pull out a diaper, a pair of socks, and oddly, a tiny plastic aardvark. NONE of these things could play music…
And then it happened, I remembered that I had the most amazing thing of all. A tiny speaker, tucked inside the recesses of my giant bag. A tiny BLUETOOTH speaker that could connect to my phone and play my music. A tiny Bluetooth speaker called the Buckshot Pro from Outdoor Tech. It may as well have been called the Buckshot Pro…Lindsay’s Salvation.
I whip it out and turn it on. As it’s pairing with my phone, I take a minute to look it over and admire it’s cleverness. This little speaker can pair with and play music from pretty much anything.
Visually, the Buckshot Pro is cylindrical, with a textured diamond pattern on the surface of its rubberized frame. It safe from shocks, and is rated for water resistance, which is SUPER handy when the inevitable spill happens in my bag. Playback controls, including track navigation buttons that double as volume controls are located along the outer, cylindrical panel, along with a microphone for phone calls.
It has a super handy flashlight and even more importantly, the Pro doubles as port for charging other devices.
The flashlight accessory is awesome, to say the least. The LED emits a powerful, white light that can illuminate even the darkest crevices of any bag or room. (My son can practically blind the monsters in his closet with this little baby.) Combining this light with the included rubber handlebar mount allows for a secure listening and lighting experience while you stroll around town.
Outdoor Technology rates the speaker’s battery life at roughly 10 hours on a full charge, but your results will vary depending on how loud you play your tunes, and how much you use the flashlight function.
It pairs with my phone and I push play. The sweet sounds of my Stroller Strides playlist start playing with surprisingly awesome clarity, bass and volume considering the size of my speaker. I mount the Buckshot Pro on my stroller and my group and I start our stride.
Thank you Outdoor Tech for making the Buckshot Pro. You saved my day!
Lindsay Maurer
