Are you constantly thinking about the baby weight you’d love to lose, but you don’t want to join a gym (because you know you’ll never go), and most importantly you don’t have anyone to mind the babe(s)? Well, after putting on a whopping 70lbs during my first pregnancy I was in that very same frame of mind.

I’m one of those people that loves classes, but doing a yoga class with my baby was not what I had in mind. Sadly, none of the yoga studios I liked offered babysitting. I whined to every mom I knew. A few told me their gyms had babysitting, but they also confessed that the yoga classes ‘kind of sucked’. I kept whining. Finally, one beautiful fall day, I bumped into a fellow yoga lover/Beaches area mom who asked me where I was doing yoga. She stopped me mid-whine to tell me that her gym, Main St. Cardio, offered a huge variety of yoga styles AND inexpensive babysitting.

I adore yoga, so the very next day I went to check out the babysitting facility and get a hold of their schedule. Main St. Cardio is a former church turned cardio/yoga studio. Classes are held on the main floor, and babysitting is offered in the bright, clean, free drop-in centre in the basement. While you’re in your one hour class, your babe(s) is with a babysitter who can run up and get you if baby needs you. Cost: $3.50 for the hour! YES, you read right, less than the cost of a latte!!

Within a week I’d used up a 5 pass ($40). I know this is going to sound very shallow, but deep down I wanted to become a yummy mummy. I wanted to prove to the world that you don’t need to be a millionaire and have a private chef and a full time nanny so be a fit mom. So I invested in a one year pass, $481.50, and tried class after class after class, until I got into a groove with their babysitting schedule, and my baby’s nursing needs.

Did I lose the weight? YES!
Was my son in good hands? YES!
Is the quality of instruction at par with other studios? YES!
Am I going back to lose the weight from my 2nd child? YES!
Did people notice me getting fitter and fitter? YES!
Was my positive self-image good for my son? YES! I was always high off the yoga endorphins.
Do I have a favourite class? No, there’s just too many good ones.
Main St. Cardio offer an amazing variety of yoga classes including Hatha, Restorative, Power, Spoga, and Therapy. Cardio classes include Urban Cardio, Mixed Cardio: Boot Camp, and Kickboxing. As well there’s Pilates, Nia, Hoops, Family Yoga, Meditation, Stability Ball, Bosu and much more. Personal and group training is available, as well as the occasional nutrition workshop.

Charlene and Gudrun the owners/instructors are lovely, inspirational, and very fit people. Drop by and speak with them, or any of their awesome instructors.
WEE LOVE Main St. Cardio, Toronto
By Susana Molinolo