I know your first question, and it was Hefeweizen! (My choices were: light, med, dark or hef) Only $20 for beer and yoga.
This was a fabulous day out on the weekend for a 1st…a workout with coctails! A perfect mom date too, I grabbed my girlfriend Ashley (also mom to a 3 yr old and in need of a fun, self indulgent break) and we headed to the Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas and had a beautiful vinyasa yoga flow set to music in the beer garden with a delicious beer. We sipped slowly and honored our practice by keeping it light and fun. I aked Ashley what she thought of the class, “Talk about a balanced lifestyle, yoga and beer! I look forward to the next event! ‘Namastay Wild'” says Ashley. Bring a friend who has a beautiful energy to share in this with like I did.
We giggled holding our warrior 2 poses while taking a swig…
Be on the lookout for this once a month event at Hofbrauhaus, great for 1st time dates, meeting like minded yoga and beer enthusiasts and even for 1st timers, I think giving them a beer helps take the seriousness out of the stigma people unfamiliar with yoga can have. It was super chill and I look forward to the next event.
I want to first thank LVAC for profiling me as the ‘Success Story” & allowing me to share my prenatal fitness journey in their magazine this fall!
So I’m 7 ½ months along with my 2nd pregnancy and I will admit, this one is slowing me down a bit more than my first…but I remind myself not to give up and just go home after work and curl up on the couch. I get more tired everyday & the weeks fluctuate my energy levels. So on Saturday (after a week off from the gym) I told myself before I went to bed on Friday night, I would get up early and try a CYCLE class down at LVAC, after all my daughter loves to run around and play in their childcare room, so I never feel guilty working out (only when she asks to go to the gym and I just aint feeling it that day!)
It took me a good 10 minutes to adjust all the settings on the bike (handlebars & seat height) but I felt ready to go & told myself to stick it out for just 30 minutes, being I have not taken a cycle class in years. Well, proud to say, I rocked the full hour and it flew by, much thanks to the rock star in charge leading the cycle class Julie Russell! I would recommend cycle to anyone at any level, yes even pregnancy, especially if you are looking for something fun with a full body cardio blast! You can modify your pace to your needs, so if you have been thinking about it…JUST DO IT! I even told my husband, how much energy I had later that day & how much stronger I felt after the workout. It carried onto the next day as well, even waking up looking a bit ‘tighter’ all over, I was pleased!
MJ 7 1/2 mos pregnant with Julie after class, looking flushed & feeling accomplished!
I love classes, because after a week off, I just couldn’t self motivate myself through the gym for my usual weight and cardio session, I needed someone to push me & that’s exactly what Julie did! Some instructors just stand out & are such superstar motivators, you can’t wait to come back to their class & feed off their energy again! I thanked Julie after class for her encouraging words & great music playlist to keep us riding through the whole hour. She was such a delight and shared with me, she too taught cycle up to her 8th month of pregnancy & how it kept her feeling strong throughout, and she also knew what a positive role model she was being for her class. She also mentioned what a great recovery she had after having her baby & I can attest to how well I recovered after my first being so active throughout pregnancy.
We did it! I can’t wait to go back, Thanks Julie!
She said something in class that really stood out to me, and made me mindful of “be thankful, you have your health & you have your strength & you brought it with you today”… that is so true. We tend to feel tired, overwhelmed with so many priorities in life and often don’t find the time to prioritize self love and care. But remember, to appreciate your health & your strength, by nurturing it & pushing yourself so you can continue to be healthy and strong.
I’ve been teaching spin class since 2005. I was initially hooked myself by the music and simplicity of the movement. My philosophy as an instructor is to create Extreme-Positive-Energy.
The cycle class has a reputation of being very challenging and quite intimidating to new riders. I like to squash that theory by congratulating folks who walk through the door and ride the warm up. It’s truly a class for everyone.
I realized that my 60 minute influence during a class was more than just music, hills, and sprints when members continue to thank me for…..
‘Losing 20 pounds and lower my blood pressure’ ‘Getting through a really bad day’ ‘My child is very sick and this is the only outlet I have for an hour to breathe’ ‘I’m so excited to get married and look great in my dress’ ‘I work in the ER and see bad things all day but your music lifts my spirit’ ‘This was my first cycle class and I can’t wait to come back’
I’ve heard stories from my riders over the last twelve years and it constantly reminds me to:
1. Encourage – never discourage people by telling them to work harder or stand in front of their bike or touch their resistance. Riders (especially the new ones) will naturally want to work harder by building confidence slowly and achieving small goals by themselves.
2. I do not know what circumstances any of my riders were in before they came into my room (issues with work, relationships, kids, finances, sick, injured, or pregnant). My job for one hour is to make them forget all of that, and with exercise allow them to walk out of the room stronger, rejuvenated, and with a clear mind.
Thank you Julie for being a light in this world – MJ
Mom Rocks Fitness with MJ photo credit TSLClick.com
After having my first child, a little over 2 years ago,
Vivian Monroe 2yrs
I like many new moms, was determined to Do It All and not let an excuse of having a child hold me back on anything I aspired to…because Moms can do it all, right! That included getting my body back! I think it’s an honest and real fear for many women, wondering how your body will respond to pregnancy…so many horror stories! But I tried to focus on all the success stories to keep me inspired to do the best I can! 2 years later, I still have work to do, but I am proud of my progress & feeling stronger, healthier and more confident in my skin than ever. I’ve spoken to many friends and moms about what worked for me & I wanted to share the workout that really made a huge difference in my body. I tried all kinds of fun classes after baby, some with my daughter and some just for me and you can click on these links to find some other fun fitness classes to try:
The biggest change I saw in my body is when I began takingBODY PUMPclasses atLVAC(which has childcare playroom, so I never feel guilty!)
Body Pump Instructor Hayley Fife & MJ
A full body workout, incorporating light weights set to music, working through all the muscle groups in the body. I was always been into kickboxing, pole, dance cardio, yoga etc… But always shied away from weights…in the fear of getting “too bulky” which I realized is a myth! To really change the ‘shape’ of your body, grab some weights! THIS IS A GREAT WORKOUT IF YOU ARE PREGNANT TOO, you can modify along the way, it will help you stay strong throughout your pregnancy and also help with recovery. This is the perfect class for beginners too, because it teaches you proper form and teaches you how to break down muscle groups and understand what workouts you can do to focus on them.
The reason I love taking classes so much, is because they push you, they motivate you not to give up and help you push past your boundaries…and “who” that is, is the incredible instructors! My favorite,Hayley Fife!
About to rock some Body Pump at LVAC – Hayley Fife with MJ
I’ve been taking her classes for over a year and she continues to kick my ass! I love her no nonsense with a smile motivation! She always mixes things up, with great music and killer workouts, so you never know what to expect..but it’s her energy she shares with us, that keeps us from falling over and giving up! I was so inspired bythis class and the teachers, I myself, have started my process towards my Body Pump 100 certification, in hopes of leading and inspiring through teaching this class to others as well. I encourage you to give it a shot!Check out Haley’s classes at LVAC, she also teachesH.E.A.T by LVACorSandbag Expressor see if your gym offers Body Pump and give it a shot…it just might become your new thang too. Xo MJ
7 months post partum now, and feeling fabulous! Getting back to my old tricks, not quite where I would like to be yet, but taking my time losing the baby weight by enjoying the journey and getting stronger every week.
Working out used to be my #1 focus, but now family and my little Vivian come first, and I’m ok with not being like those celebs who are back in rock hard shape after 1 month! I know what comittment like that takes and my precious time with my little one can never be regained. So if you are a new mom, my best advice, take your time and don’t compare yourself to anyone else and do what works best for YOU!
I have always loved teaching dance and pole fitness, but have taken a hiatus shortly after I became pregnant and now raising a baby girl. I still find time to workout and do the things I love and today I went to my favorite pole dance studio Shine Alternative Fitnessand took a pole dance lesson with Talia Marino …she’s a bad ass and an awesome instructor!
Talia Marino, pole instrucotr at Shine
She was incredible with breaking down the moves and kicked off the class with a fun warm-up too. She taught me a move called the Alegra I have been trying to nail since long before I was preggers…and I did it!WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
All I need to do now, is learn to ‘HOLD IT’, but not bad for a new mama getting back in the grove! Long before we had a nursery…it was my pole dance room, so needless to say, we kept the pole in there and the other day, Vivian crawled over to it and pulled herself up on it! Hey, it’s Vegas Baby! MJ
As a new mom, one thing on all of our minds is… will I ever get my body back?! So like many others, I was very excited to jump back into the fitness game when the DR gave me the OK, and never look back. They say, with a solid workout and nutrition plan, you can transform your body in 3 weeks, no problem right!? Well, I tried lots of classes, from stretching, dancing, yoga, Pilates… I even enlisted a trainer, nothing was gonna stop me…Until reality set in, my daughter Vivian will be 5 months tomorrow and by now I should have been back in rock hard shape and I realized trying to stay consistent and structure a new routine with a new baby ain’t easy! My fitness goals are important to me, but my little one comes first! So I wondered, how do you do it all? Make time for your health and fitness goals and quality time with baby? This got me to change my focus from my own practice, to incorporating it with my daughter.
I was inspired by my friend Chelsi Rae, she is also a proud new mommy to her son Blaine, who is 8 weeks old. We met years ago, working the biggest pool party event in Las Vegas, Ditch Friday at the Palms Casino, I broadcasted my show and she lead the sexy promotion model team, so I know fitness is important to her as well. She posted a snap of her taking her son to Mommy and Me Yoga at Belly Bliss inside Desert Perinatal Spa. (Click for schedule and more details on classes). I knew then, this was a great class to start for Vivi and me to do some working out together (and I wondered why I hadn’t thought of this sooner!)
Plank Baby Kisses
We had a wonderful instructor, Mary Luty, she lead the class, with patience, smiles, laughter, singing. And not to mention, her beautiful English accent that I know the babies loved as much as we did! The yoga flow was very good and had options to make it challenging, so I feel I got a great full body workout and got to play with my baby the whole time, my favorite part was learning the baby massage at the end. The class was full of babies and children of ages ranging from 2 weeks to 2 years old. Anything goes, from a feeding, to a diaper change (which I had to attend to) it’s just such a welcome environment for a new mom and I would suggest her class to anyone! Here are some snaps of Chelsi and I from this morning, I will be back for sure and you can always message me on FB, if you would like to join us! – MJ
Down Dog / Tickle Baby with Hair..you can see Vivs pulling mine!
And finnish with a big stretch and play!
Butterfly Stretch and Baby Play
the next day, Vivian was practicing her baby yoga moves!
I’m now 13 weeks postpartum and I have been taking my time getting to know my body again. I’m not rushing anything, right now what is important is building healthy habits for myself and my daughter and taking steps toward getting stronger and healthier everyday, while enjoying life with my little one and not taking it so serious when it comes to fitness. Click here to read more on my “body after baby” journey. Here’s me and Vivs today #TutuTuesday, she’s 13 weeks.
I love taking fun classes around Vegas, this week I was in the mood for a good cardio dance session, so I went to The Z Spot Las Vegas to take Debbie’s Bellydance class. What I love about this class is it awakens your sensuality, and another cool thing is, it’s safe for anyone at any level…I danced all throughout my pregnancy and even at 40 weeks to help get this baby moving out!
MJ 40weeks pregnant..belly dancing! Baby came 4 days later
Plus, there is even guys in there dancing and having a blast…so like I said, it’s for anyone!Debbie Cazares is an amazing dance instructor, her energy and sensual moves just draw you in, she is the moist laid back, fun loving girl ever! I have been taking her classes for years, she inspires by taking bellydance and modernizing it with the latest, hottest music and turns it into a heart pumping full body workout! I reccomend you take a class, and check out the schedule at Z Spot, they have tons of awesome classes to dance too! Get your ‘dance’ on Vegas.
MJ Bellydance at ZSpotDebbie Cazares leading the bellydance class at Z Spot
My little Diva, Vivian Monroe will be 3 months this week, and that means “go time” for mama! Time to go back to work and back to “werk” on this body. Gone are the days of lounging around with the baby all day on Dr orders of no exercising for 8 weeeks… that was a nice break! But it’s cool, I’m ready and I feel like I have a new start with my body to retrain it and build new habits. I’ve done everything from weights, to pole, to yoga, to dance, to kickboxing… so where to start. #1 priority for my body is stretching. I encourage you to start as well, even if you have been working out, you should stretch everyday, give yourself a 3 day goal or a week. If you need a little guidence or encouragement, like I do, try a class!
back bow stretch
I went to Shine Alternative Fitness last night for a stretch/flexibility class with Delphine Galliard. First off, I absolutely LOVE this studio, it offers so many fun and different classes, like anti-gravity yoga, pole dance, ballet, aerial silks, lyra and more, plus the instructors are amazing cirque performers. I started going here a few years ago when it opened, but this time I wanted to start with the roots, flexibility and stretching. Delphine was such skilled instructor, and her personality and assisted stretches made the class so much fun! She was such an inspiration, and mentioned that alot of folks are intimidated of the the studio, because of all the different cirque style classes and alot of performers train there, but made clear, that ANYONE AT ANY LEVEL is welcome and should not be afraid to try something different, there is a place for everyone to learn! I’m just getting back in the swing of things, but soon, I will be taking my pole dance, anti-gravity and aerial silk classes!! Here are some pics from our stretch class, and to read more on my journey to get my body back after baby, click here – MJ
MJ one leg back bowMJ standing split stretch against wall/mirror
Stretching! Yep, it’s nothing new, but often something pushed aside from your own fitness routine. You should always begin and end your workout with stretching, matter of fact you should stretch EVERYDAY! It’s not like a workout, where you may need to have a day between to rest, but daily stretching is great to increase flexibility, range of motion and it get’s oxygen flowing through the blood and awakens the body. Recently having a baby, I’m getting my body back, so I looked into a good stretch class in Vegas, and found Loracle, a beautiful gymnastics/cirque style gymnasium with tons of fun classes and with incredibly talented instructors, like Ivan,a cirque performer im KA who taught the stretch class.
MJ back, shoulder, chest stretch with Ivan at Loracle
If you don’t pay attention in class, he will twist you into a pretzel!
MJ shoulder stretch with Ivan at Loracle
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but boy did I get an amazing deep assisted stretch, soemthing you just can’t acheive on your own. He also encouraged and pushed me to try things I havn’t in a long time, like splits and back bends! This is 11 weeks after my ceserean I had with my first child, Vivian Monroe. I have been getting back into working out slowly since 8 weeks post partum, light weights, yoga, sensual dance…but most improtant when getting back to fitness after baby, for the first time or just getting back into into it period is STRETCHING! Maybe you are a habitual exerciser, but need to bring stretching back to your routine. I feel like I am retraining my body, so trying to build new fitness habits, like the best suggestion Ivan gave me…to stretch everyday! So, that’s my goal for the next week, until I see him again. (I plan to teach hubby some of these assisted stretch tequniques) so we can play together!
MJ at Loracle, Ivan made her stretch her split!
People have asked me how my recovery was after baby, and honestly I can say it wasn’t so bad, even going through surgery. I stayed very active throughout my pregnancy from weight training, yoga and dance and continued my same activities, but with odvious modifications. So I would reccomend practicing fitness throughout pregnancy! I never thought my tummy or back could handle a backbend stretch so soon after! I’d reccomend a class for any level at Loracle!Click here for schedule, they have tons of fun classes to try!
MJ stretching backbend..after 1 year!
Here’s a fun one at 38 weeks pregnant after a weight training session attempting the “running man” yoga pose.
MJ 38 weeks pregnant- Yoga running man pose
And belly dancing just 4 days before I gave birth..40 weeks and 1 day!
MJ 40weeks pregnant..belly dancing! Baby came 4 days later
an here’s my adorable Vivian Monroe at 11 weeks old
