About the Instructor
Elizabeth Lopez Harlow has been teaching group exercise for 14 years. She is a New Hampshire native, who graduated from Manchester West High School and also earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Communications at the University of New Hampshire, in Durham. After college, she continued her career in fitness, as a group exercise director in Boston, MA for 4 major facilities teaching an average of 4 to 5 classes a day! She is Strollerjize certified, and also AFAA certified in group exercise and personal training. In addition, Elizabeth is certified by the American Red Cross in adult, child and infant CPR. More recently, she received certifications in Zumba and Turbokick, and also teaches at the Executive Health Sports Center.
Elizabeth was a New England Patriots Cheerleader in the NFL for 6 years, where she cheered on the sidelines for 2 Super Bowls (2001 and 2003). She was selected as a captain and the cheerleader of the year, representing the New England Patriots Cheerleaders in the 2002 Pro Bowl in Hawaii. As a selected cheerleader, she had the opportunity to travel nationally, and overseas to visit and perform for the U.S. Military Men and Women in the Air Force and Army. She visited Military bases in places such as, Florida, Texas, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, and Germany. After the second Super Bowl victory, Elizabeth retired from Cheerleading to start a family with her high school sweetheart and husband, Scott.
Over the years, Elizabeth has taught group exercise all over New England, and has even taught overseas in the Philippines. Moreover, she worked for the Boston College Athletics department; was a Preschool Director and teacher for gymnastics; taught ballet, tap and hip hop; and was a K thru 8 Physical Education teacher.
Since the birth of her daughter, Kianna Rose, in July 2005, she retired from teaching Physical Education, and has been a stay at home mom. When she's not busy teaching Mommy & Me Fitness classes, she works at a local hospital, as an Electroencephalagraph Technician. In her free time, she enjoys walking or jogging with Kianna in the stroller, and also does gymnastics, dance and yoga with her.
Although Elizabeth enjoys working out, she discovered that there were not enough fitness programs for parents with babies in this area. Her passion has always been in the fitness industry, so Elizabeth thought that she would be doing the community a great disservice if she did not offer a Mommy and Me Fitness program. The Mommy and Me Fitness program is such a great way to bond with your baby/child, meet other parents, AND get an incredible workout all in only one hour!
On a personal note, my daughter, Kianna, has been taking Mommy & Me Fitness classes since she was 6 months old, which is the age that she began doing all of the hand signals to all the songs that we sing/learn in class. And since the age of 14 months old, she was counting to 10, singing her ABC's, and singing all the other songs and hand movements that are sung throughout class. Now that she is 21 months old, Kianna participates in class, by doing squats, push ups and band work with all the moms-- she also helps me count when I'm out of breath. My daughter is proof that you can have such a strong influence on your child at the youngest of ages. Not only do you lead by example, about the benefits and importance of exercise to a young child, but most importantly you, as a parent, benefit with so much more!!--- You will bond with your child & other families; resculpt your body, by toning & stengthening your muscles with strength training; increase your cardiovascular endurance, while also decreasing the risk of heart disease; feel energized both emotionally and physically; and you'll also learn a healthier way of life that will stay with you for years to come. I know that I've certainly benefited in every way-- plus, I've lost over 40 lbs doing the Mommy & Me Fitness program!