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Who is Monique Ammons?
Each week, the Defender highlights a member of the community who is ‘Fit & Fine’ and has the body that reflects high healthcare standards and a healthy lifestyle. Each fitness enthusiast shares his or her keys to fitness success to help raise the quality of self-care in our community on a physical, mental and spiritual level. This week, we feature fitness instructor Monique Ammons.
Age: 34
Occupation: Fitness Instructor
Education: Texas Southern University
Major: Criminal Justice
Motto: “Life is exactly what you make of it.”
Unknown facts: “I love reading romance books.”
Fitness start: “Aerobics was something I did with my mom growing up. Every Monday and Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., we would go to the Judson Robinson Community Center to Mrs. Gretchen’s class. That was our weekly routine.
“My mom was murdered in 2014. At that time, I lost my better half. I didn’t want to work out. I didn’t want to do anything! I locked myself in my house and isolated myself from friends and family. Mrs. Gretchen called me one day and told me I needed to get up and pull myself together because my mom wouldn’t want that for me. She said I needed to start back coming to class. I didn’t listen. I stayed in my room and cried. I asked God why I still needed my mom even though I was an adult.
“Then, my daughter came and asked me, ‘Are you going to die too?’ That opened my eyes! The following week, I went to Mrs. Gretchen’s aerobics class. I had a different excitement when I was stepping! I felt like my mom was right there with me. Mrs. Gretchen encouraged me to get my certification to teach. At the time, I was training with Antanique Landry (Joe) I asked her whether I could teach at her gym. She welcomed me with open arms!”
Fitness advice: “Love yourself and never give up on you.”
Top 3 fitness tips:
- Stay motivated.
- Protect your energy.
- Eat the right foods. No matter how badly your stomach tells you to go for candy over healthy food, try to avoid sweets.
Social Media:
IG: @moshantell32
Facebook: @Monique Ammons
Nutrition: Eat healthy. Avoid sweets.
“For breakfast, I always enjoy a bowl of oatmeal and a banana. It’s my favorite. For lunch, I love tuna. I generally snack on a bowl of fruit; kiwi is my favorite. For dinner, I’ll have a balanced meal of a protein, green veggie and a carb.”
Physical: I do strength training every day.
“I do strength training every day with Coach Rockie at 6 a.m., and on Wednesdays and Fridays with Coach Naz at Fennix Fit. On Saturday mornings, I train with the beast herself, Antanique! For cardio, I step six days per week.
“My top fitness goals are to never give up on myself, and to be clear with the universe about what I want to achieve with fitness.”
Mental: I love inspiring women.
“Mentally, I am motivated daily by inspiring women worldwide through my step class instruction.” 
Spiritual: I encourage others.
“I make prayer and meditation a habit. Also, every day, I spend time encouraging others.”