CLASSPASS MONTH IN REVIEW: FEBRUARY AND MARCH

classpass feb mar

It’s time for another installment of the ClassPass Month in Review.  There has been a lot of change with ClassPass recently, especially in New York City.  Instead of having a one size fits all membership, they now have three membership tiers in most cities.

  • Unlimited  – $200 per month – unlimited classes – Can visit a studio up to 3 times per month. Available in all cities.  (Click the link to save $30 on your first month)
  • Core – $135 per month – 10 total classes – Can visit a studio up to 3 times per month. Available in all cities except London.  (Click the link to save $25 on your first month)
  • Base $75 per month – 5 total classes – Can visit a studio up to 2 times per month. Available in NYC, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas and Toronto. (Click the link to save $20 on your first month)

You can read more about the plans offered in each individual city by following this link.

As an ambassador, I’ve received lots of questions from readers and friends alike.

Yes, I’m still a ClassPass ambassador.

Personally, I am going to try the CORE membership during the June billing cycle as I tend to spend more time sweating outdoors than in classes during the Summer months so I think 10 classes will be perfect. 

At the same time that all these changes were announced, I took my 100th class. It seemed only appropriate to take my 100th class at the same studio as my 1st class – Tangerine Hot Power Yoga.  My goal for the next 100 classes is to try at least two new studios per month and continue scheduling workouts with friends a few times per month as these are often my favorite workouts!

100 classes

But, before I recap my 100th class which I took in April, I have to bring you guys up to speed on my February and March workouts. As promised, each month I will provide a brief recap of our experience including the number of classes taken, average cost per class and a brief recap of the studios where we sweat that month. In addition, if you’re on CLASSPASS feel free to follow my fitness schedule here. I love meeting readers so if you see me in a class, please say hello! If you want to check out my previous monthly recaps, click herehere,  here , here and here.

Month 5: February 21st – March 20th

Number of classes taken: 11

Number of studios visited: 5

Number of classes missed or late cancelled: 0

Number of cities: 1 (NYC)

Average cost per workout based on NYC rate of $125 per month: $11.36

Last Month’s Classes

High 45 at Mile High Run Club (2)

I’ve professed my love of Mile High multiple times (full review here). Their High 45 class is a great class for runners of all abilities. As you can guess from the class name, the workout includes 45-minutes of running. The running includes a five minute warm-up and five minute cool down. In between that you’ll sweat through 35 minutes of tempo work. A typical class includes half hills and half speed with most intervals ranging from three to six minutes! My favorite teachers are Jes Woods and Deborah Woods!

The Distance at Mile High Run Club 

I’ve professed my love of Mile High multiple times (full review here) but only recently did I begin taking their distance classes. The distance class is 60 minutes of running, and is therefore designed specifically for the advanced runner or athlete who is looking for a challenge. The 60 minute class isn’t for the feign of heart as it includes 50 minutes of non-stop running including hills and speed work. During the three classes I covered an average of 5.5 miles per class, which included race simulations, sprints and hill work. I highly recommend class with Luke or Michael who each teach a handful of distance classes per week. If you are new to Mile High or running, the Dash 28 class with Andia Wilson is also a great option!

Row House Full Body 45 at Row House Chelsea 

Rowing is a wonderful, low-impact workout which can supplement any workout plan. While I’ve taken classes at CityRow, Row House is the first rowing workout in NYC that truly reminded me of the rowing practices Bo and I sweat through in high school. The Full Body 45 class is a 45-minute class which includes a 5 minutes of rowing drills to warm-up, 15 minutes of rowing intervals and sprints, 5-10 minutes of strength work, another 15 minutes of rowing intervals and sprints, followed by a short cooldown. The class is perfect for people of all abilities as each person controls the speed or intensity at which they row. Scott and Hector are our favorite instructors as they are both great motivators while also kicking our butts! For those who need to sweat and then dash to work, the Row House Chelsea location includes a small, but nice locker room featuring two showers, blow dryers and toiletries where you can get ready for work or date night.

 

 

45 Minute Metrics at Peloton

We love when our schedules allow us to squeeze in a ride at Peloton before work as their classes are always challenging and they feature one of the nicest locker rooms for post workout showers! This month’s 6 AM class did not disappoint as the music was an awesome mix of throwback tunes and the class was packed! The Peloton classes are all streamed live so Peloton bike owners can follow along at home. This creates a different dynamic as the instructor is at times motivating and coaching the class while other times she’s giving props to the riders at home. Regardless, we both agreed that we’d return to this studio because the bikes were the best we’ve ridden on – smooth, easy to read computers and easily adjusted. The studio greets clients with complimentary spin shoes, water and towels which make things easy!

Prana Power Yoga in Brooklyn 

While I really like hot yoga and any studio that is walking distance from our apartment gets extra points, I just don’t love Prana Power Yoga. I’ve taken six classes here and have yet to have a teacher that I adore. In fact, two of the teachers never provided adjustments or walk around the class.  For me, Prana is the studio that I go to when I decide last minute that I want to squeeze in a yoga class. I took this class on a whim, one morning when I woke up early and couldn’t go back to sleep. Since the studio is less than 10 minutes from our apartment, I was able to roll out of bed at 5:45 and get there in time for the 6 AM class. Unfortunately, it didn’t start my day in the best way and I think I’ve all but broken up with Prana at this point. There are too many options within a mile of our apartment to keep going back there. The studio is clean, and doesn’t have that “hot, steamy, sweaty smell” that you get at some hot or Bikram yoga studios. There aren’t showers but they have two bathrooms which are large enough to do a quick wet wipe bath and change. They offer five to six classes per day so regardless the hour, there is probably a class that meets your schedule.

Barre3 West Village (2)

Rachel convinced me to join her for her favorite workout twice this month. This 60-minute barre workout promises to give you the length of a dancer and the strength of an athlete. After two classes with the studio manager and teacher extraordinaire, Dino Malvone, I have to say that I am a convert. The class consists of a yoga inspired warm-up, barre section then floor section.  I leave each class sweating and shaking as they do a great job of challenging my muscles more than the average class due to the extended time spent on the lower body and the time that each pose is held – especially those killer squats!

Gym Time at David Barton

I love that ClassPass provides you access to gyms as this is a great option for showers after outdoor runs. Theodora and I ran along the West Side Highway before work and the Limelight David Barton location is within blocks of her apartment. Talk about convenient! This full-service gym is located in a restored church which means there are multiple levels of weights, cardio and studios amidst windy staircases and stained glass windows. Their locker room, the feature I used this month, is huge and provides ample space to shower and get ready even during peak hours. They even supply flat irons, blow dryers, towels, shampoo and conditioner!

Fly 45 at Flywheel 

Historically, I’ve had a love hate relationship with Flywheel. I love that the studio provides water, spin shoes, towels and healthy snacks with the cost of every class. But, I have had one too many sub-par teachers who don’t inspire or push me during class. Luckily, last month, Bo discovered two teachers (Josh Arden and Johnny De Triquet) who merged challenging classes with awesome, upbeat playlists. Now that we’ve discovered these teachers, we’ll more than likely use our 3 classes per month allowance since they have 5:30 or  6 AM classes daily.

Your turn: If you’re a NYC local, what are your favorite studios? Where should I sweat next? 

This post is not compensated nor requested of me via CLASSPASS. While it does contain affiliate links, as a CLASSPASS affiliate, I only receive a small compensation if you choose to purchase a CLASSPASS membership.

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Listening to My Body and Realizing It’s Okay to Say No

say no

Happy Sunday!

I rarely blog on a Sunday but I wanted to stop by with a quick post as I think it’s a relevant topic for many readers.

So often, we push ourselves harder than we realize. Whether it’s through work, exercise, volunteering, or personal commitments, we find ourselves exhausted on a daily basis.

This morning, when the alarm went off at 6:30 AM Bo and I both stepped out of bed in a state of exhaustion. Our muscles hurt from seven hours of yard work yesterday which included laying sod, shoveling rocks and moving large pavers. Our eyes were heavy with sleep as the night unexpectedly didn’t end until midnight after a spontaneous grilled dinner and movie night with Russell and Meg.

japan day

Instead of forcing ourselves to get ready and head to the Upper East Side for the 8 AM New York Road Runners race, I turned off the alarm and we each slept for four more hours until the sun woke us up at 10:40. When I woke up, I was in a state of shock as I rarely sleep this late even when sick. I immediately felt a pang of guilt for missing the race we signed up for and shared with blog readers that we were doing. As I scrolled Instagram and Facebook I saw friends finishing long runs, half marathons and workouts.  Luckily, I took a step back and put things in perspective:

  • The money that we paid for the race still went to a good cause.
  • I’ve worked out for the past eight days straight including last Sunday’s half marathon.
  • If I want a chance to run the NYRR Brooklyn Half Marathon in two weeks, I need to give my hamstring a rest from running.
  • Some days, spending hours in your back yard enjoying the fresh air and sunshine is more gratifying than any race or workout.
  • Our bodies often know best if we can take the time to listen.

I don’t write this post to make excuses for why we slept through this morning’s race. Instead, I want to share with you all that like each of you, I am human and I rarely pause to listen to my body and I constantly over commit. This Summer, in an effort to ensure I have time to enjoy lazy Summer evenings with friends, sunny days at the beach and quality time doing the things I love, I am going to think twice before saying yes to things.

Humorously enough, I wrote a blog post similar to this almost a year ago. I guess it was time to have a little reminder today.

 

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Friday Favorites – May 6, 2016

ready set friday
Ready, set, let’s run into the weekend!

Who else is ready to sprint towards the bar? Oh wait, just me? I’m ready for a glass of wine or two or three. After a busy week I’m ready to stay put here in Brooklyn this weekend.  Tonight we are meeting a few friends for happy hour drinks followed by dinner. Tomorrow, if the rain in New York ever ends, we are going to lay sod and plant more flowers. If the rain continues, we will head to the movie theater for popcorn and a matinee date. On the fitness front, we are going to run both Saturday and Sunday though they will be shorter runs due to a hamstring strain. Anyone else running the NYRR Japan Day run on Sunday?  Oh, and since I am flying to Cincinnati for work first thing Monday morning before flying directly to Savannah on Wednesday night for the wedding festivities, I need to plan all my outfits for the four days of festivities and pack.

So since there is very little time between now and happy hour, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

  • Thankfully, I haven’t had many injuries during my ten years of running. But, once again, the team at Finish Line Physical Therapy are basically angels for runners and other athletes who are injured or looking for preventative care. I’ve been in twice so far and am amazed with their facility, the technology that reminds me to do my exercises each day and the one on one attention I receive from Alison during each session.
  • This candle has filled my home office with a hint of Spring this week even though the weather has been nothing but gloomy, cold rain.
  • Any weekend that I’m not traveling I have this innate desire to bake. These healthier blueberry muffins are topping this weekend’s list though I think I may have to balance things out by also baking these Levain Bakery copy cat cookies.
  •  Two days later I am still dreaming about the delicious, healthy Indian food I enjoyed with Zoe at Inday. The flavor combination that they brought together in one simple bowl was unlike anything I’ve had before – pineapple cilantro chutney, cauliflower rice, bok choy and turkey masala. Unlike other healthy hot spots in the city, the restaurant is large enough to sit and enjoy dinner or lunch with a friend but service is fast and the food is reasonably priced.
  •  I love the science and research behind The Biggest Loser article but I sure as hell hope it doesn’t deter people from getting healthy. Yes things changed for these people after the show but let’s not forget that they were in extreme conditions. Most people don’t exercise for hours per day unless they are professional athletes.
  • Did you see this great 5-minute workout video that one of my favorite Fhitting Room trainers, Emily Cook Harris collaborated on with Well+Good and Athleta? Talk about a power team! This workout is perfect for all fitness levels and can be done anywhere! I pinned this to my workout board on Pinterest so I can reference it this week when I’m traveling!
  • My new favorite snack this week is an update on an old favorite. Instead of just dipping apple slices into almond butter, I core the apple, fan the slices on a plate, drizzle some melted almond butter on top, sprinkle with a bit of granola and then eat with a knife and fork. Something about using a knife and fork allows me to slow down, even if just for a few minutes, and enjoy the late afternoon snack while sipping a cup of green tea.
  • Based on every race I’ve done lately and the thousands of runners surrounding me, I certainly didn’t think the running boom ” died .

How about you? What are you loving this week?

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!

 

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