Perfect Fit

Cam used to work at the 92Y so we get a lot of mail from them.  He happened to get a postcard from them about an event: Perfect Fit.  For 2 days, the 92Y opened its doors to the public for a free fitness event. This included lots of free classes, access to their equipment and my favorite part: free frozen yogurt from 16 Handles.
Well, its free, so this fits my requirement for keeping it cheap in the city.  Did I feel bad because this was an event aimed at getting new members? No, not really.  They wouldn't be so open if they didn't expect people who were just looking for a free workout.
To back up a few minutes... or weeks... Cameron and I made a deal that if he went to a yoga class with me, I'd try a spin class with him. (See "Oops!  I did it again")  He has taken 2 yoga classes with me, so I definitely owe him a spin class.  We've been trying for weeks to get into the SoulCycle Community Class on Fridays, but you have to sign up as soon as the class opens up, and right now I haven't figured out when that is! Regular classes at SoulCycle are $32 for a single class, and FlyWheel is $30 for a single class, so those are definitely cost prohibitive.  No one really offers a Spinning to the People class with accessible rates probably because it is expensive to have spin equipment!
Cameron's latest suggestion was for me to rent a bike and go bike riding with him along the Hudson River.  I think that sounds like a great idea, except I actually have a fear of bicycles.  To be honest, I did learn to ride a bike later than most children, but I was fine riding bikes as a kid/teenager.  Then when I was about 20... Cameron and I went for a bike ride around my parent's neighborhood and I had a panic attack.  An actual panic attack - this isn't like when most people say they nearly had a panic attack or freaked out.  I had Panic Attack Disorder at the time, and suffered from poorly timed panic attacks.  One was on a bicycle.  I haven't been back on a bicycle since.  Honestly, it doesn't bother me like 95% of the time, except that cycling is one of my fiancee's favorite hobbies and I cannot participate in that with him. When he presented that as an option, I was suddenly very determined to find a spin class!  I am most definitely not ready to get back on a bicycle in the middle of NYC where cars, people and other bicycles will get in my way and make me nervous.
Fortunately, that suggestion coincided with viewing the schedule for the 92Y event.  They offered spin classes!  Yay! I can stay on a safe indoor bike.
I got to the Y first because I also took an Absolute Ab class before hand.  I kind of loved the Y.  It reminded me of the Montclair Y I used to go to with my friends in high school (back when it costs $135 for a year if you were a student) for Tae-bo classes.  I loved that there was a track overlooking the gym and that there was a pool.  It all felt very oddly suburban in the middle of the UES.

The 92nd Street Y Mack Gym - looks like a high school gym!!

The Absolute Abs class was okay.  The instructor was a male trainer, and I was surprised that I liked him.  At first it felt like he was a drill sergeant, but I warmed up to him quickly as I felt like he knew what he was doing.  We did some great lower ab exercises - raising and lifting your legs with control, which was very very hard for me.  Clearly my lower abs are weaker than I thought, so I really pushed myself through these exercises because I really need them.  The class was in the middle of what looked like a high school gym (with a track above it) which was nostalgic also.
After that, I met up with Cameron and we went to the spinning class.  It was me, Cameron and about 6 other people total.  The instructor spent 15 minutes teaching us how to set up our bikes and taking us through terms you'd normally hear during a spin class.  After that, she conducted a 30 minute spin class.  It was hard! I have to say that I mostly feel cycling in my legs, which indicates to me that I have weak legs, but I'm not entirely sure.
The instructor apparently studied music, so she kept getting distracted and would play songs to see if we recognized them.  She was peppy and energetic, but after a while, the music thing got a little old.  Although, looking back, it did distract me from cycling because I was listening to see what the next song would be.
I have never taken a spin class, so I really have nothing to compare it to, but as an exercise class... I think I'd try spin again.  I liked that you control the resistance so while we're all doing the same thing, we can adjust it for our own levels.
When we got out of the spin class, I was pumped for my free 16 Handles... only to discover they had cleaned that up and finished!!  Considering they still had classes going on at the time, shouldn't they have continue the 16 Handles until all the classes had finished?  Who wants ice cream before they go exercise?!


Have you tried spinning?  Do you prefer cycling or running?

Core Fusion

Sometimes it's hard for me to write a post if I haven't been to a new class or done something major.  So I apologize that sometimes the blog is a little sparse... I'll keep fine tuning my writing skills so I can write about other things.
Anyway, today one my friends and I tried a class at Exhale Spa.  Exhale has locations in NYC, Boston, Dallas, Miami, LA, etc.  We bought a discount on Lifebooker for 3 classes.  Exhale offers their version of barre classes - Core Fusion, as well as some variations (Core Cardio, Core Sculpt or Core Sport) as well as Yoga classes.
We took a Core Fusion Basics class at the Upper East Side location.  The actual building the spa is located in was very nice.  The entrance was welcoming and the spa had a great lobby.  Lots of brown and earthy tones.  Then... we went to the studio, which involved exiting the actual spa and going through what looked like maintenance doors to a small studio.
The studio had 1 large window and 2 smaller windows, but it felt dark and small.  It had tan carpet and there were bars on one of the windows.  There were no mirrors, which bummed me out because I like to use mirrors to adjust myself and also to see what other people are doing and follow along.  It's a lot more distracting to have scan around the room instead of just looking at a different point in the mirror.
My friend and I observed what other people had done, and got ourselves mats, light weights (2lbs), slightly heavier weights (3lbs), and a strap. It's always great to go to a class with a friend because I feel like I'm not alone in being the new person.  As much as I've adjusted to that feeling, it is always great to have company and not feel alone.
The class started pretty slow, but we did these reverse pushups (see below) that really irritated my triceps:

Reverse Plank - we did an adaptation where our feet were planted on the floor and our knees were bent

My triceps were really tight after doing these, which made the other arm exercises a little painful, but still manageable.  The rest of the arm exercises were very similar to what I do in the gym on my own, but instead of using 7.5-10lb weights, I was using 3lb weights. The leg workouts were REALLY intense and I'm getting really bummed out that I live on the 5th floor and I'm going to have to go up and down stairs tomorrow.  The ab exercises were pretty good - there was a lot of balancing which hurts my back, whereas traditional crunches and similar exercises don't as much. Which means I don't get quite as much of an ab workout as I normally do because my back can't handle the work out.
Overall, the workout was a full body workout, but I can't help feeling like it was an hour of little movements that added up to 15 minutes of bigger, quicker, more effective movements.
I was not a huge fan of the instructor (Karen), but my friend was.  I just thought that the instructor kind of lacked personality, but my friend pointed out how directed the class was and how quickly we moved through everything.  Clearly that was just a personal preference.
Pros:
1) I definitely got a workout and the class was different from other barre classes I've taken
2) The spa itself was gorgeous
3) I didn't feel like the class was too cardio oriented - I'm learning that I like to feel out of breath in classes, but not to the same level as when I run.  I'm not taking the class to improve my running, I'm taking it to strengthen, tone or increase flexibility

Cons:
1) I didn't love the instructor - I like instructors with personality and more energy
2) I do feel like most of the effects I could have gotten on my own in shorter time
3) I didn't like the room!

Oh and also, they offer a $40 introductory week, but after that, each class is $37/class!!!  $37!  That's way too much for me.

Have you tried Core Fusion? What qualities do you look for in class instructors?

Kettlebell Kickboxing

Finally got into that Kettlebell Kickboxing class I mentioned a couple weeks back (see this post).
Went down to Soho, which was pretty cool because I don't go to Soho much, other than for shopping, and this wasn't in the shopping part, so it was cool to be in a different part of the city.
The building is a little difficult to find - its nestled between a shoe store and some other random store and there are no signs that indicate it's in that building.  But go in, it's there.
The entry way is very nice.  You walk in and there are chairs and magazine and lots of inspirational photos and quotes.  It had very nice hardwood floors and looked very clean.  I checked in and filled out the obligatory paperwork.
The locker room was TINY and the bathroom is through the studio.  While I was in the locker room, I met another girl who has taken many kettlebell kickboxing classes so she gave me lots of information.  And then we go into the room to go to the bathroom, and it turns out she's taken a class to become a certified Kettlebell Kickboxing instructor!  Crazy, I chatted up the A+++ student in the class.  Score.
We went in and she set me up with a 12lb and a 15lb kettlebell.  Then when the class started, she led the warmups.  Overachiever!  No, but seriously, she was super nice and very supportive and helpful.  It was nice to have someone watching my back and checking on me during the class.
The class was really good.  We did a lot of different movements and the instructor (who owns the studio by the way) didn't get stuck on any one exercise for a long time.  She kept it interesting and was up front about how long we'd do each movement for etc.  She also gave me a little extra attention as it was my first class and worked with me through some things that are difficult for me.  So for instance, I'm naturally very uncoordinated and cannot follow multiple directions, so she would do the movements directly in front of me so I could see exactly what she was doing.  She was very encouraging and specific with her corrections.  Also, referring back to my post about the Yoga instructor from Crunch, she did not need to be hands on because her verbal directions or models were clear when I needed the extra support.
There were times where I was confused.  Like I said before, I don't follow multiple directions well, so when we have to do 10 swings then 1 high squat then 1 low squat then a jab with the left then a jab with the right then a left kick, then jump three times... I get a little confused.  My A+++ classmate told me after that it gets easier because the instructor always does the same basic movements, but she'll combine them in different ways, so its really only 7-8 different units to learn.
The workout was great.  The 12lb kettlebells might have been too heavy for me for when I was only using 1 hand, but I did the best I could.  Cardiowise, my heartrate was up, but it wasn't like the Crunch Bosu class where I ran out of steam in 15 minutes because we did non-stop cardio.  I felt like there was a solid balance of aerobic activity and weightlifting with some stability and balance work in there too.  My quads and glutes are already sore and I'm pretty sure the rest of my body is going to feel it tomorrow too.

Pros:
1) Instructor (owner!) was fantastic  - thorough, motivating, provided support/broke instructions down as needed
2) The workout was nicely balanced and was difficult but not impossible
3) I really liked getting to know someone else there and loved how friendly people were

Cons:
1) There were a lot of people in the room, so I had to crane my neck for some demonstrations, which is why I was lost sometimes
2) I was confused by long lists of directions, but I think that might get easier the more you get used to the class.
3) There are no single class options for purchasing - it's all membership based.  I'd like to take more classes, but not as frequently as a membership.

I would 110% go back to Kettlebell Kickboxing.  Especially if my classmate was teaching classes. They have an open house this weekend that everyone should check out.  I really enjoyed the class - the more I think about it, the more I felt I got out of the class and the more I liked it.

Have you taken a class that exceeded your expectations? Have you tried Kettlebell Kickboxing, or maybe just Kettlebells, or just Kickboxing?

Crunch! Bosu

So Crunch, day 2... decided to step it up and take an unfamiliar class - Bosu Body.
The Crunch class schedule describes it: Integrate balance with strength in this deep body defining class.
Straightforward, no nonsense description.
You can google "Crunch gym Bosu ball" and get this video:

It's actually really cool that Crunch has videos online of their classes.  The video is a decent representation of the actual class.  Except there was a lot more sweating, some stepping (ok falling) off the Bosu ball and we didn't all move perfectly at the same time! Some of the movements were different, some were similar - that might vary based on instructor/class, so I can't really judge that.

The class was pretty good overall.  The first 15 minutes focused on a lot of squats and leg workouts.  I'm very uncoordinated, and I thought it was pretty easy to follow.  That was definitely the toughest 15 minutes - my heart rate was up pretty high and I don't do leg workouts outside of classes, so it's not as familiar to me.  After that, we did some arm workouts, including planks on the Bosu Ball, bicep curls, lunges with shoulder lifts etc.  I used 5lb weights and for most of it, those felt a little too light, but by the end, my arms were very tired.  When I do arms at the gym, I use 7.5 or 10lb weights, but its a lot less repetition, so I didn't want to burn myself out too fast.  In general, the first time you take a class with weights, I think its better to use lighter weights until you get a feel for the class.  Which is a disadvantage of my ADD; I can't push myself as much because I don't know what to expect.

Anyway, we did about 10-15 minutes of abs, which was also really hard for me on the bosu ball.  Most of what was hard was the balancing, and I also think I was running out of steam. And lying down makes me want to stay lying down!  I was able to do most of it, but I had to take some breaks to just watch what she was doing or find my balance.  A second time around, I'd be able to do this better. But thats not the purpose of my experiment here.

Summary of the class:

Pros:
1) The instructor made it really easy to follow
2) The class wasn't too fast or too slow - sometimes in Yoga, I feel like I'm just hanging out in downward facing dog for 15 minutes while they continue to explain things.
3) I got a nice leg workout, which can only help my running

Cons:
1) I should have been able to do better with the ab workouts, but I was just out of steam
2) There is this very weird brick structure in the middle of the studio which made it difficult for me to see the instructor at times
3) Other than the Bosu Ball, it wasn't actually that different from any other exercise class I've done - some legs, some arms, some abs, etc etc... the gimmick was the ball, but you can get the same effect without it.

I did really like the instructor, and thought she was pretty easy to follow even when she was demonstrating multi-step movements.  She also demonstrated more challenging things a couple of times which always helps.

Overall, I thought the class was a good workout, but not as original as I expected.  I would take it again if I could, but I wasn't in love with it either.  We'll see how sore I feel tomorrow!

Total Body Conditioning at NYSC

Yesterday I took a total body conditioning at my New York Sports Club.  Already a member, so it's free - that's a plus!
This was only my second class at the NYSC, which was a little nervewracking because the last class was a Hatha Yoga class that I was not a huge fan of.  When I got there, everyone else knew what equipment to get and how to setup.  While this can be intimidating because I'm clearly the only newbie, I decided to play it cool (after all, I'm going to have to get used to being the newbie in lots of classes) and follow everyone else's lead.
So the class began simply enough with some stretches.  The instructor gave pretty good directions and demonstrated everything. I'm a very uncoordinated person and I was able to do most of the movements after just watching 1-2 reps.
With the exception of Figure Four and yoga, this is the first exercise class I have taken since Tae-bo when I was in high school.  It was reminiscent of Tae-bo to me - obviously we were not kickboxing or doing any of those movements, but it was a similar pace and exercised similar muscles (theoretically my whole body based on the name)
Most of what we did was challenging, but honestly, I could do it, which surprised me. I am so used to not being able to follow exercise classes either because I'm not coordinated enough to follow that many movements or because I'm not strong enough.
The instructor does one part that she calls "cardio commercials" which are 4 30second intervals of different cardio work outs.  Basically, you don't stop moving as fast as you can for 2 minutes.  That was very difficult!
Overall, I enjoyed the class, but I did not feel as pushed as I expected.  I came to realize that I might get more out of a class if I do it a second time because I will be able to follow the class a little more fluidly.

Some pros:
1) There are some ways to customize the class - by using different size weights and occasionally the instructor gave different tips to make it harder or easier
2) My thighs and triceps are sore today so they clearly got a good work out.
3) It's at my gym, so it's free!!

Some cons:
1) I felt the ab portion of the class was not challenging enough.  I really want to focus on my abdominals and increasing my core strength, so that was a bummer for me.
2) I would have liked more feedback during the class about how I was doing specifically.  I used to hate when people corrected me, but now I've learned that it is very helpful and willingly look for feedback to help make me stronger.
3) I could see myself getting bored in this class very easily.  The instructor told me she does the same routine each week, which to me is very rote and uninteresting.

I would go back again, but probably not very many times or too often.  It's a good fall back if I want to get in a full body workout without the sweaty weightroom or traveling too far.

On another note, the instructor and I talked for a little bit after the class and I told her all about my blog and my goals.  She seemed interested and then gave me her business card and expressed interest in providing me with personal training to help.  While I think personal training can be a very useful tool and people rave about having personal trainers, I'd like to hold off for now because I want to try this my way to see how effective it actually is.  I appreciate the offer and effort, but if I start doing personal training sessions, it changes my little experiment here - of course I'm going to get into shape if I have a 1:1!!  Also, it's not going to be cheap, so that would negate that aspect as well.

Off to Florida to see one of my wonderful bridesmaids and then go to some spring training games (go Yankees!) So I will be taking the weekend off from exercising, and most likely from any sort of healthy diet.  What's a ballgame without a hot dog, some beer and a soft pretzel??

Exercise in the City

I am a lazy person. At least I used to be. When I moved to NY from Boston a year and a half ago, I was super stressed about not having a car, and having to walk everywhere, and especially having to carry things!! Carry cat litter home with me? All 14 lbs? How many blocks??

The idea of exercising never even entered my mind. I’m walking everywhere! Why would I need to dedicate time to exercising?? In Boston, I did hot yoga a couple times a week at a fantastic studio called Inner Strength (I highly recommend it). But the whole experience was “easy” - I kept my yoga mat in my car, drove to and from the studio and that was that. In NY, if I wanted to even do something as relaxing as yoga, I would have to face crowds, subways, bring my yoga mat to work, lug things around etc. etc. whine whine whine. No way, not happening.

Then... I got engaged. What is it about a wedding that changes your outlook on things? I started thinking about exercise, which for me was a big step. In August 2011, I officially joined the New York Sports Club near me and started running. Er... using a treadmill. I have been consistently exercising for about 6 months. But the thing is, running on the treadmill every time is really boring.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that I can watch TV and run at the same time (I’m kind of a TV-aholic). Part of the reason I haven’t kept up with an exercise routine EVER is that I get bored and stop wanting to do the same thing over and over again. So I tried to switch it up a little. I went to a yoga class, I tried the bike, and most importantly, I started running home from work (which is a 5 mile trek). But... I wanted to do something different. Oh and, I want to get my arms and abs into better shape, and cardio doesn’t really do that.

My wonderful fiancee suggested the weight room, but I really can’t get over the stereotype that a weight room is full of meaty guys and I’m just this tiny little girl who has no idea what she is doing. Also, I don’t like people helping me with things (I’m a little OCD as you will learn) and I feel like when you look like you have no idea what is happening, people want to help you.

I found the Pure Yoga website and saw that they offer 1 complementary class at their studio, and decided I’d like to try it. I went with a couple of friends and did a hot yoga class reminiscent of my Inner Strength days in Boston. Loved it. Unfortunately, Pure Yoga’s prices and my teacher’s salary do not agree with each other, and I will not become a member there anytime soon. However, I hatched an idea... what if I take trial classes at lots of different places? It would fulfill my desire to do something different all the time, keep me out of the meaty weight room (no offense to those who like the weight room) and hopefully get me into better shape without breaking the bank.

So here is my experiment... will I reach my fitness goals by taking classes at different places across the city?