Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Long Time No Blog

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Forgive me Lord, for it has been 10 months since my last blog entry.

A lot has happened since August 2009 – I got certified to teach Zumba, and have subbed a few classes in the burbs and I got my AFAA Group Exercise certification.  Some of my friends joke about how many certifications it will take for me to actually teach something (I was also certified in Budokon back in the day).  Getting those certifications, then actually putting together classes and teaching gave me a new perspective on how difficult it is to be up there in front of a room full of people who are cranky because you’re not their favorite teacher (karmic retribution anyone?)  And because my teacher (Marc McDonald at Om Warrior) is going to be running Pure Yoga teacher training at Equinox starting this fall, odds are I’m going to be getting my certification to teach real yoga (instead of a hybrid).  If you’re interested in a yoga teacher training, you can get more information here.

In terms of new fun classes I’ve tried, here’s a cheatsheet:

My New Favorite Thing – Aerial Arts

This is one of the most amazing workouts I’ve ever done – climbing silks and ropes and trapezes and doing fun tricks in mid-air.  It takes a ton of core and leg strength, and after 5 sessions, I can feel my upper body strength increasing (it’s much easier to climb now and hold myself up).  Aircraft Aerial Arts in Boston is located in the new Crossfit in the Fenway (on Boylston across from Basho, in the old Goodyear building that they share with Marshall’s Farm Stand).  There are a max of 5 people per class, and classes are mostly sold in packages ($25/class).  You can also arrange with Jill to have a private ($60/hour) or duet ($30/each per hour), or set up a special 75-minute class with 3-5 people for $25 per person.

Yoga Teachers and Classes

If you’re looking for a great yoga class, you won’t be sorry if you attend any of the following teachers’ classes:

Kate Greer’s “Rock Your Asana” class at Back Bay Yoga on Sunday at 4pm – Kate is one of the best teachers in Boston, she has a very zen way about her and has a gift for actually TEACHING how to get into the more advanced postures.  Unfortunately, rumor has it that she is moving to Florida soon, so that will be the end of that.  If you are someone who enjoys a physically challenging class while still reaping the spiritual benefits of yoga, you NEED to go take Kate’s class before she leaves.  She also teaches “Rock Your Asana” at BBY on Wednesday at 5:50pm and is on the schedule at Equinox (both Franklin Street and Back Bay).

Lynne Beiger’s “Hip Hop Yoga” class at Back Bay Yoga on Friday at 10am.  Lynne is the owner of BBY, and this class is a challenging, sweaty flow to really fun and funky music.  Nothing like being upside down to the strains of Tupac Shakur, Will Smith or other old school/new school hiphop artists.  Guaranteed to get your toes tapping in standing poses, and you’ll want to sing along as you get your yoga groove on.  She also teaches Hip Hop Yoga on Saturday at noon.  Drop-in rate at BBY is $15, or new students can get 2 weeks of yoga for $25 (an excellent deal).

Sarah Sturges at Exhale Spa.  I’ve known Sarah for a LONG time, but had never had the chance to take her yoga class until a recent holiday Monday.  Not surprisingly, her class was amazing.  Sarah just has a very peaceful way about her, and a couple of years ago, went to India and immersed herself in yoga for a few months.  She is also an amazing Core Fusion teacher.  What I really loved about her yoga class was that it was challenging while still being peaceful, which is a really hard thing to achieve.   Her regular yoga class times are Monday and Friday at 9:30am.  Sarah also teaches at both Equinox locations in Boston.

Adena Muncey’s “Max Power” at Sports Club/LA on Tuesday at 10am.   I have seriously been trying to take Adena’s class for two years (we have a mutual friend in Renee Leblanc, who runs Yoga Power in Waltham and is an amazing teacher herself), but unfortunately for me, the only time she teaches at SCLA is mid-morning on Tuesday.  On an off-day, I moseyed over there excitedly and was NOT disappointed.  She teaches an intense class filled with advanced postures that MOVES – by the time you get to the floor at the end of the 75 minute class, probably 60+ minutes into class, you are DYING (in a good way).  Hands down, the best yoga class at SCLA – it’s a shame she doesn’t have the opportunity to teach a prime-time advanced class so more members would get the chance to experience her.  Adena also teaches at Equinox and the aforementioned Yoga Power in Waltham (at much more user friendly class times).

It’s interesting, since Marc left SCLA, I don’t do much yoga there anymore – they used to have a really diverse schedule, but now the same people teach all the classes.  And while their teachers are good, I feel like they should be bringing in the Kate Greer’s and Sarah Sturges’ of the world (both of whom are elite enough teachers to work at Exhale and Equinox) to mix things up and add a little variety.

Best “New” Class – Helixing at Revolution Fitness

What is a Helix, you ask?  It’s a cardio machine that moves laterally (and gives your hips, glutes and legs an amazing workout) instead of back and forth.  Rev Fit, one of the more underrated gyms in the city, is the only gym in the area (that I’m aware of) that has classes on the machine (the Helixes live in their spinning room).  They feature 30-minute classes on Monday at 6:30pm, Wednesday at 6:15am and 6:00 pm, and Thursday at noon.  You can check out the Helix website here to see a video and get more info on the machine.  There is seriously nothing else out there like this (photo below from SNEWS)

Abduction (it also does adduction)

Abduction (it also does adduction)

I know I’ve said it before, but I’m really going to try to be better at keeping up the blog.  I feel like I attend SO many classes both here and in other cities that I should be writing more.  I may also sprinkle the blog with fun personal anecdotes and nutrition/food bytes just so I don’t lapse into not having anything to write about.  Peace out for now!  :)

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Injuries = Not Good Times

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

Nothing much to report from my trip to Tennessee last week – I was exhausted the day after flying/driving, so I didn’t get to check out the Sports Barn in Chattanooga – next time!  I’m heading to Miami over Labor Day weekend to visit my friend Kim (who moved down there to open/run the new Exhale in Miami).  I’m excited about checking out the SCLA in Miami while I’m there, and any other fun gyms/classes I can find  :)

A lot of people ask me how I work out so much without getting seriously injured.  While not immune to injuries (I’ve had minor problems with knees, hip flexors, IT bands and my back in the not so distant past), I think one of the most important things I’ve learned is “if it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it”.  That, and “don’t throw your body around” – if you move slowly and with purpose, you’re more likely to stop a movement before you go too far and get hurt.  I am a believer in modifying movement to fit your body and any lingering issues you may be dealing with.

I’m definitely in the camp that hates taking time off from the gym – I’d rather exercise comfortably at a lower intensity if I’m nursing an injury than not do anything.  I think that is actually one of the reasons I haven’t (knock on wood) suffered from a completely debilitating injury – I’ve conditioned my muscles to be able to work through trouble and heal.  Important to note that I’m talking about relatively minor issues here – no broken bones, tears, sprains – those are injuries that you can’t recover from without rest/taking time off.

Recently, I’ve been dealing with a very tight right hamstring.  The left hamstring has always been noticeably more flexible (in things like the splits, single leg stretching and forward folds) – but the right one was never painful, until about a month ago.  So I’ve had to modify quite a bit of my routine recently – adding in a lot more stretching before/after working out (with the foam roller and myofascial release rolling pin), less Expresso bike (which isn’t that unfortunate, since they’ve sadly been offline for the last 2 weeks and nobody at SCLA seems to know how to get them connected to the internet again – so no tracking workouts or using the Premium routes I’m paying $9.99/month for), no more EasyTone shoes (I walk so much where I think my hamstrings were being over-activated) and not giving into my ego in certain yoga postures (I really miss being able to do sundial pose on the right side)

Photo credit - Barry Stone, About.com

Photo credit - Barry Stone, About.com

I also had a great deep tissue massage (from my friend Guerda Victor at Exhale Spa – she is AMAZING – and I am not typically a fan of female massage therapists because I prefer stronger/man hands and a lot of pressure).  That and all the stretching have been helping, but I’m still not 100%.  I’m still fully functional and it’s definitely getting better, but it’s a slow recovery.  I figure it’s good for me to work on being patient though (it’s never been one of my strong suits).

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Random Musings

Sunday, August 9th, 2009

Interesting week this past week, as my favorite teacher was away for most of it. I actually had to (gasp!) branch out and take classes from new instructors. I find that most of the teachers at SCLA are very good – and I can appreciate that it has to be really hard to step in for an extremely popular teacher – but I don’t get why some of them feel the need to force energy in a class.

I went to a class I sometimes attend that had a sub this week – very nice girl – but I should’ve known when she announced at least three times before class that she was “not Teacher X and we should all feel free to leave if that’s what we were expecting – she wouldn’t be offended” that it probably wasn’t going to be the best experience. I don’t mind teachers that try to talk/engage with the class – I usually am pretty vocal back because I feel bad when nobody answers and I can’t imagine being up in front of 30 people and feeling ignored. However, this girl would not shut up. I’m not kidding. Whether it was asking “is everybody ready” before a drill, not being satisfied with the 3-4 people who answered, and asking again (this happened at least 3 different times in the class) – or assigning “row captains” to cheer and motivate (???!!!) other riders – I almost felt like I was back in kindergarten. The thing is – the class was actually a really good workout – but she was so annoying that for the last 10 minutes I tuned her out and did my own thing (a friend of mine thought the same thing and left early).

What I also found weird was that 45 minutes into class, she said “just want to let everyone know, it’s 6:30 – so feel free to leave if there are other classes you want to go to”. Who does that?!!! I have to think this is a self confidence issue – which hopefully she gets over because she has the potential to be a solid teacher if she would just stop trying to force her brand of energy/interaction onto people. And no, I’m not naming names. My philosophy has always been that if I don’t like a class, I don’t need to complain to anyone – nobody’s forcing me to go to it and there are plenty of other classes I can take.

In other news – took an AMAZING spin class on Wednesday at lunch at SCLA with Kelly C – who IMO is one of the best spinning instructors in the city – and whose class I wish I could go to more often. She also teaches at Equinox. Great music, great energy and a workout so intense that I had to wring out my top halfway through the class because I was sweating so much.

I also went to Life in Synergy on Friday night for “Bollywood Dance Party” – again, LiS delivers a fabulously fun event on a Friday night (they did this a few weeks ago with “Thriller”). We learned the dance to Jai-Ho this Friday – which actually has much simpler choreography than Thriller (a lot of the Jai-Ho stuff repeats itself). I think they’re planning more of these Friday night dance party type events – definitely worth attending (with or without pre-gaming at Vinny T’s downstairs) if you’re looking for a fun class. LiS has no memberships – strictly pay per class ($15 for 1, or you can buy a 10-pack for $120) – and an amazing schedule.  Their two Zumba teachers (Lauren and Katie, both of whom led Friday’s event) are really good.  Eventually I am going to make it to that Cheer Fit class that I’ve been dying to try (taught by a former Patriots cheerleader)!

(Broken record alert!)  My primary yoga teacher, Marc McDonald, opened up his new studio Om Warrior this week.  SUCH an amazing space.  Marc is one of the best teachers in the city – if you’ve never taken his class you should head over to 133 Pearl Street sooner rather than later – the space has a very zen and comfortable feel to it.  I took 6 classes there this week and haven’t had that much fun doing yoga in a long time.

This week will involve squeezing classes in when I can with the Sox back at home (going Tuesday and Wednesday nights – so gotta rearrange the gym sched).  At the end of next week, I’ll be visiting the Reebok HQ to be a guinea pig for a new class they’re developing – which I likely won’t be able to talk about (assuming I’ll have to sign an NDA).  I live for doing stuff like that though – always fun to give honest feedback about fitness.

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I heart Jukari (and Reebok!!!)

Friday, July 31st, 2009

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to take Jukari at the Reebok Headquarters in Canton for the second time on Wednesday night (the first time I went was when they were developing the class and seeking feedback from instructor-types and workout fiends like myself).

Promotional image of woman with Jukari flyset

Promotional image of woman with Jukari flyset

SUCH an amazing workout – you can do a lot of exercises on the flyset (which is a contraption that hangs from the ceiling into which you can secure a 4lb weighted bar (to make a trapeze) or one loop on each side of the bottom for suspension training). Jukari combines suspension training with core/strength training and gives it a Cirque du Soleil twist. Some of the moves will really make you feel like you’re flying.

For those people who may not think it is a “serious” workout – I seriously got my sweat on doing this – some of the pull-up and bicep variations were extremely difficult – definitely felt it in the shoulders the next day. And the seemingly endless sequence of squats was killing me after my thighs had been toasted in a lunchtime spin class. Our instructor was Jeff, who incidentally brought Cardio Striptease and Pole Dancing to Crunch Fitness back in the day.  Needless to say, he was awesome!

The only unfortunate thing about this is that neither of the city’s “premier” gyms (SCLA or Equinox) have ceilings that can accommodate the flyset fixtures (which require the ceilings to be able to support 2,000 lbs of weight). . .so it’s TBD where Bostonians are going to be able to go to get their Jukari fix.  It is in Equinox gyms in several major cities (New York and LA for sure), so if an Equinox near you has it, you should definitely check it out.

Another awesome part about attending this class at the Reebok HQ? The Reebok concept store!!! Got a few new pairs of sneakers (I heart EasyTone sneakers for non-gym use!) and a Reebok black running skirt (we’ll see how it compares to Lulu – who apparently is sold out of all black running skirts in my size – very sad). And of course, more Reebok socks (I love their workout socks – I actually think they’re better than Thorlos – the Reebok socks hold up much better through the laundry).

I would be remiss to not mention the following – for any readers who may be in Miami – Exhale Miami opens tomorrow – being run by my good friend Kim Welby (she is a phenomenal teacher and person).

And my favorite yoga teacher Marc’s new studio Om Warrior opens on Monday (8/3) at 133 Pearl Street in the Financial District (the space formerly occupied by Yoga Power’s Boston location). You can get more information by visiting http://www.omwarrior.com (site not live yet), becoming a fan of Om Warrior on Facebook, or following @omwarrior on Twitter.

Happy exercising! :)

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My new favorite workout gear

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

So as someone who is at the gym as much as I am, I have a ton of workout clothes. . .what I’m into varies based on what activities I’m doing most.  For Zumba, I like Ion Actif scoop tank tops with a Lululemon sports bra – I really like the way the Ion fabric wicks moisture and doesn’t leave me feeling like I jumped into a swimming pool fully clothed after I get my sweat on.  For Core Fusion, I usually do Ion/Lulu or just a Lulu tank (from my vast collection before all their tops became constricting, low cut and uncomfortable – I miss the Spark tank!)  For weight training, I have shorts or Be Good pants that I’ll pair with tank tops (gotta be able to check out the guns in the mirror!)  And for yoga, it’s always Lululemon.

So with the aforementioned issues with the evolution of Lululemon’s tank tops, I don’t shop in there nearly as much as I used to (another big pet peeve about them is that they tweak their fits/designs ever so slightly all the time – so you could buy a top from one shipment in a color you love, decide you love the top and go back to get it in more colors – and it fits completely differently – MADDENING for people who like to be in and out of a store without having to try stuff on).  But I love the girls who work there and they have a lot of fun events at their store, so I get all their newsletters and Facebook updates.  A few weeks ago, I noticed a new product – a “running skirt”.  As an aside – I love skirts.  LOVE them.  Could live in them.  I don’t like wearing shorts in the summer – only skirts.  Not to sound egotistical, but I also have really nice legs.  So “skirts + me” work well together.

I was still a little skeptical, but when I saw one of the Lululemon girls at Zumba wearing said skirt, I knew I needed to go at least try one on.  So I did – and let me tell you, this is the best athletic invention since wicking fabric (this is only a slight exaggeration).  The Lululemon “Speed” skirt is one of the most comfortable pieces of athletic wear I have ever worked out in.  It’s a fitted spandex-y skirt that stretches really nicely (the way it fits, you might not guess this).  It’s got a moisture wicking band on the top, and cute little spandex shorts underneath that are shorter than the skirt and have a special seam that keeps them in place.  It’s shorter on me than it might be on others – I have a very short torso and long legs.  I have no problem with short though.  Not only is it super comfortable, it looks adorable.  Got a lot of compliments at the gym from friends in class.  Naturally, I purchased the 3 skirts they had in stock in my size, in 3 different colors.  I’m hoping they don’t tweak it too much, because I need to have more of these.

Just what I need, a renewed love of a Lululemon product and a reason to spend more money on gym stuff!

Big week on tap – Marc McDonald’s last class at the SCLA is tomorrow at noon (end of an era) – he departs to open his new studio at a location TBA where I will surely be spending a lot of time.  Jukari class at the Reebok HQ on Wednesday (for the second time – I was lucky enough to be a Jukari guinea pig a few months ago, I’m very excited to try it again!!!)  And I am going to need to figure out what yoga classes I’m going to take this week since my primary yoga teacher (Marc) is not going to be teaching anything (new studio won’t open for another couple of weeks).

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Long time, no post!

Friday, July 17th, 2009

OK, it’s been awhile. . .due to the urging of friends and some outstanding classes I’ve been to lately, I’m going to try and post at least once a week from here on out.

A lot of changes on the Boston fitness scene in the last few months: Equinox opened up their Franklin Street location (I tried it out with a week-long pass – it’s a beautiful club), one of my favorite teachers (George Dossas) left the SCLA to be “exclusive” to Equinox, one of his replacements (Christine Holmes) is one of my new favorite teachers (more on this later – she teaches Tuesday night at SCLA and has been filling in on Saturday mornings), I paid $25 to work out at BSC on July 4 because SCLA was not open (doh!), and I took one of the most fun classes of my life last Friday night at Life in Synergy.

So when Michael Jackson passed away, everyone seemed to remember that he actually made really good music.  We heard it more on the radio, it was all over the internet, and it was all the rage in exercise classes.  The most creative use of MJ was Life in Synergy’s special “event” last Friday night.  Promoted via Facebook, it was advertised as “learn the dance from the Thriller video”.  But it was much more fun than that.  The class sold out – 40 people – and LiS divided us into 2 groups (1 for each of their studios).  We learned the dance for an hour and a half (SO fun) and then had a dance-off.  I was there with some of my friends from Exhale, and all of us had a blast (the post-workout sangrias at Vinny T’s definitely enhanced the evening).  Who would have thought that an MJ-themed dance class at 7pm on a Friday night (and on a Friday where we actually had nice weather for the first time in awhile) would be packed to capacity?!  Thanks to LiS for a great time!  If you haven’t been over there, it’s at 867 Boylston Street – no memberships, strictly pay per class (and they have some great classes).  Check it out at http://www.lifeinsynergy.com. 

Anyhow, I am going to make a more concerted effort to post.  One of my friends calls me “the fitness bible”, and I should be putting my gym whorish ways to good use!  :)   Until next time. . .

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Welcome to the Jungle. . .

Monday, January 12th, 2009

So after the 942nd person told me I should blog about my experiences attending group exercise and yoga classes all over the city of Boston, I decided to pull the trigger.  Some ground rules. . .

  • I’ll keep my identity anonymous (since I am a fan of privacy).
  • Since I think that group exercise is highly subjective (what I think is a great class might not be someone else’s idea of fun, and vice versa), I’m going to try and not rip any instructors (I’m not about screwing with other people’s livelihoods, not that I have that kind of influence, but whatever) – unless they’re evil and must be stopped  ;-)
  • I’m thinking that when I write about a particular class, I’ll classify it as cardio, strength or mind/body and give my feedback accordingly.
  • For cardio/strength classes, I typically will wear a heart rate monitor.  I’ll post average heart rates/calories burned, but remember that those are a general guideline (heart rate/calories burned will vary depending on age, weight, VO2Max and other factors).
  • And lastly, I am not a fitness professional.  I’m going to use this forum to share what classes I find and enjoy.  Nothing I write should be construed as gospel – I don’t do this for a living, it’s just a hobby.  If you know of classes you think I’d enjoy based on what I write, please feel free to send recommendations – I don’t mind traveling and/or paying for a good class.

So there it is. . .my first ever entry into the blogosphere. . .I look forward to connecting with fellow fitness enthusiasts (and non enthusiast friends I guilt into reading this)  :)

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