Club H is Kicking My Butt Into High Gear!

Hope you're all well and ready for a great weekend! I am psyched to be back in NYC- I've got the quintessential NYC weekend planned (you know, brunches in the afternoons, dancing all night, shopping and a spa trip with a friend, and sleeping in late!) but I also plan to visit my gym at least a couple times. Everything's about balance plus I've just really missed it while traveling! You may remember that this little blog all started last summer because I was moving from a building with a gym to one without. For awhile, I was just taking various classes around Manhattan and working out outside but I soon learned I prefer a "home base" so to speak to work out on my own. I need a place that I am familiar with, don't have to talk to talk to anyone in and can zone out for a bit, and where I have a routine. I found that fairly easy in a great NOHO gym called Blink Fitness but I know that it sometimes takes a little longer to find that perfect fitness home. 

With her energy and focus, it does not surprise me in the least that my good friend Rachael wanted to find just the right place to work on her health and fitness in 2012.  As you read in her last guest post, "A Detox for the Entrepreneur... Or Just a Super Busy Person Always On the Go!", Rachael first tackled the "nutrition" side of getting healthy and now she's ready to share her experience on the "fitness" aspect of the big picture. La Femme FITalle-ers, please enjoy another helpful blog post from Rachael.

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FACT: Living in NYC when you are constantly on the go and you love food + chocolate with your entire heart doesn’t help when you are trying to get your body in shape. 


FACT: My body type is average; my metabolism is okay, and my motivation is poor. I literally keep a carton of rocky road ice cream in the freezer because I always get the craving for it. My husband has really had enough of me whining about my desperate need for chocolate and having to step out into the cold to get me some. I think it’s putting quite the strain on our marriage. ;)

Well, since I can’t kick my love of food and chocolate, and I can’t help that my work requires me to run around the city attending charity events for Lifestyle + Charity Magazine, it was time to face these "facts" and accept that I needed to work out.

So, I joined a gym. But here’s a little bit of history. Every time I join a gym, I am 150% in for about a week... and then I fall off the map. So, I’m paying X amount of dollars each month for no results. Great. I could use that money on clothes, but when I don’t feel good, then I don’t look good in the new clothes that I just bought. 


You know how that goes.

So Body 2.0 in 2012 is all about achieving a healthier and fit lifestyle. To kick it off, I joined Club H. It’s kind of a luxury gym, but so far after 2 weeks, I’m still going. Instead of being the loner that I usually am at the gym, I started taking some classes. What’s great about Club H’s classes is that they are really hard, fun, and you feel results right away. The second great aspect is that the class instructors cater to you; they talk to you during the workout, and they know what you are going through, while they push you. The third thing is that they blast the music. Since I love to dance and I love that high-energy scene, the louder the better because it pumps me up!Not to be left out, the thing I really LOVE about Club H is its commitment to the community. They support over 30 charities in the NYC area. How's that for mind and body goodness?!


That’s just my experience at Club H, but here are some of the classes that are giving my body results:

SHOCK&AWE: 45 Nonstop minutes of 50% Core, 50% challenging pump. No lightweights allowed! Instructor Courtney Paul leaves no stone unturned when it comes to whipping your body back into shape in this class. Trust me.
Rebounding: An easy to follow, fun, flowing, non-impact (absorbing 80%) of the shock) cardio workout on mini-trampolines.
Kardio Kick: Kick and punch your way to a new physique with this fast paced, high energy class. Combines martial arts, boxing, and cardiovascular training to elevate your heart rate and boost metabolism.
LUNCH HOUR YOGA: Break up your day with a vibrant yoga hour crated to nourish your body & fill up your spirit. All levels.
PURE STRENGTH: Head to toe toning and body sculpting. Get ready to sweat and punish yourself to a stronger you.

Some tips before you go: wear a t-shirt (not a long-sleeved tee), bring Gatorade, and eat a healthy snack - banana, oatmeal, nuts, an egg - you’ll need it.

You can chat with me on Facebook (Facebook.com/RachaelLechliter) or Twitter (@Rach_Lechliter) for what I went through during the class. Some of it is quite hilarious. I leave you with #StrongerThanYesterday

“Socialize with those that make your heart sing.”
Rachael Lechliter
Co-Founder + Creative Director Lifestyle + Charity Magazine
@Rach_Lechliter
Facebook.com/RachaelLechliter

Do You Blink?

I Blinked this week and it felt AMAZING!

Mind you, I gave up my gym over a month ago and it’s tough to go cold turkey, am I right or am I right?

So WTH am I talking about with this “blink” talk? Lemmie explain:

Blink is a newish gym located in NoHo, Paramus, and Yonkers. The message they declare is that everyone deserves to work out because, like blinking, it is only natural. Their super affordable rates ($20/month) allow even the most broke to work up a sweat within the confines of a clean, spacious gym with great equipment!

I was so excited to get started on my workout routine for the first time in months (seriously felt like I was on my way to visit with an old friend) as I walked the five or so blocks from my apartment to Blink. Before I could hop on the treadmill, however, I made a quick stop by the front desk to sign up for the month. I was using a Groupon deal I’d bought in July so my first month’s dues were just 10 bucks! Sweet. The attendants at the front desk were not only efficient but also incredibly friendly and cleared me to use their gym in a few short minutes. 

I took a look around the large, open room and saw that most of the free weights and machines are located on the left side of the gym and most of the cardio equipment is located on the right. I made a quick pit stop in the women’s locker room (Note to Self: Bring a lock next time!) and headed out to one of the many rows of treadmills. The treadmills, like the rest of Blink, are new models and equipped to allow you to plug in your headphones to watch tv (there are about 15 tvs hanging from the ceiling) or to hook your iPod up. I picked one closest to the window because I wanted a bird’s eye view of the street (Blink is on the second floor of the building) as I clocked my miles (…. Ok, my 1.5 mile…).

Following my run, I jumped on an elliptical and continued my cardio conditioning for another 20 minutes. By then, glistening and loving it, I was ready for the weights! Blink has a TON of weight machines, all obviously well-maintained. I tried out the thigh abductor machines and then grabbed a couple of free weights to work on my arms. Then it was time for (drumroll, please……..) my core session! You KNOW how obsessed I am. Unfortunately for me, a gym employee was mopping the padded area designated for floor workouts so I had to wait a bit before I could begin (I’m glad they keep it so clean, though!) The gym offers plenty of exercise balls so I grabbed one and got started on my 30 minutes of ab bliss (I know- I’m a weirdo for loving it). You know what’s funny? Despite all of the classes I’ve taken and physical activity I’ve been doing lately, after completing my own ab routine on the exercise ball, I could DEFINITELY feel myself working muscles I guess I’ve been missing. This led me to purchase my own exercise ball for my apartment on the way home.

So,

Would I do it again? Yep, after finishing up my workout and stretching all my muscles out, I left Blink one happy camper. I have my one-month membership and at $20/month, who wouldn’t sign up?

PROS: Obviously, the price. Also, for me, the location works. It’s right at Broadway and West 4^th. The facilities are nice and the employees are even nicer.

CONS: The gym is a bare-bones gym; there are no classes offered and I didn’t notice personal trainers standing around (though, again, the staff was super helpful and friendly).

I also have a sneaking suspicion that, due to the affordability, this place gets PACKED during peak hours (weekends & before and after work). I’m not the most patient person so I don’t think it’d work for me if I couldn’t go during non-peak hours.

I’d definitely recommend this place to most people who need little to no guidance when working out. 

                                      Hey, maybe I’ll see you around!