WANTED: Fabulous Gym!

 Hey everyone!

Just a quick post for you today. Despite the AMAZING weather we've been having here in the City for the past few days, I'm well aware that it is going to very cold very soon and having a gym to resort to will be necessary as my runs and workouts outside stop looking so dang appealing. So I find myself pondering what is the most important thing to me when committing to a gym (ahem, and a monthly fee!)

Gym memberships in Manhattan can become astronomical in price and that's just for the barebones minimum. Toss in private trainers and classes at some of the elite gyms and it's more than many pay for rent in some cities! I'm not interested in that. Here's the top three most important aspects when I look for a gym to join:

1. PRICE
K, let's just start out here. As I said, gym memberships can be crazy high here. Perhaps it's worth the money for some because the high cost incentivizes them to use the gym or they really need a posh place to get their sweat on or maybe their company includes a discounted price for membership to a swanky place (I'm so jealous. There, I said it.). Me? I'm a pretty simple gal (and a freelancer so no company discount to speak of! Wah.). As long as my gym is a safe, well- maintained environment, I'm happy. $100 is the absolute most I'd pay for a gym membership.

2. PROXIMITY: 
It has to be convenient for me to go. Again, when the weather is freezing, it's a feat to leave the apartment for anything other than what's totally necessary. I need a gym that is close by, leaving no room whatsoever to justify not going. (Gosh, I'm already grieving the gym I had IN my building last year... Sigh.) Luckily, there is no shortage of gyms in NYC so this aspect is easily covered!

3. CLASSES
This is definitely a new phenomenon for me. I never was a "class" type before. In fact, I think that's one reason I'm having so much fun with LaFemmeFITalle- Trying out new classes is totally outside the box for me and I've learned that I actually have a lot of fun! I still love zoning out on my own, too, but I want to know that whichever gym I go with has plenty of options for those days when I'm feeling a bit more sociable.

So what do you think? Have I covered all of the bases? What do YOU look for when considering joining a gym?                                                                                                 

 
                                               


                                               

A Little Bit of Yoga, A Pinch of Pilates, and a Dash of Dance= Gyrotonics!

I bought a five-package class deal using LivingSocial and have waited until I attended all five classes to report back to you. This post is broken down by describing what Gyrotonics is, the format of the class, and my final thoughts on it as a workout. 


GYROTONICS:
"Are you ready for a new home in your body?"- That's what the website for Body Evolutions states straight off the bat. Pretty big talk.

I arrived at Body Evolutions studio located in Manhattan's Lower East Side neighborhood this morning for my one-hour group Gyrotonics Tower class. Per their directions, I arrived a little early to fill out  some paperwork, apply my LivingSocial voucher, and settle in.

The studio is one large room with a small reception area in the front and filled with Pilates and Gyrotonics Towers throughout the rest of it. Owner/trainer, Bill Macagnone, greeted me as I entered and told me a little more about gyrotonics. Before seeing it on LivingSocial, I'd never even heard of it- Bill didn't seem surprised by that. First he asked me if I did any other type of workout- I said yes of course and he told me that was great because Gyrotonics is a mixture of Pilates, yoga, and dance. Using the term "workout" loosely, Bill explained that Gyrotonics isn't like a normal workout but, rather, an activity to warm up your joints and that it will further enhance all of your other workouts and even your everyday posture. Cool- I like to sit up straight.

Though Bill is a well-known Gyrotonics trainer, he didn't create the program. In the 1970's, a ballet dancer named Juliu Horath designed the program to rehabilitate himself after injuring his Achilles tendon. According to Wikipedia: "The exercises are intended to be fluid and rhythmic, using specific breathing patterns that Horvath claims cleanse, detoxify, and rejuvenate the entire body."

THE CLASS: 
We usually had a full class (four or five people) and our teacher, Mor, a perfectly toned Israeli woman, led us to the back and set each of us up at our own Gyrotonic Tower. Me, being the total newbie in the first class, had no idea what I was doing and had to be told which direction to sit. Luckily, everyone was very helpful. Mor first led us in breathing and stretching exercises. I felt... like a fool. Everyone else was into it, though, so I tried to be. We sat up straight, our shoulders relaxed, with each leg on either side of the bench of our tower and moved our upper body in big circles to stretch out. Is it just me or does it always feel weird to be in a class and hear people exhaling dramatically?

After breathing and stretching, we got started but to be honest, the "workout" felt like one prolonged stretching session for the most part. We used the machine first by sitting with our back to the wall and placing our hands directly in front of us on the dials of the Gyrotonic Tower. We then performed these very exaggerated rotations of the dials with an emphasis on keeping our spine long and our breathing deep. I honestly felt nothing except a little bit bored. I don't know, this just wasn't the "workout" I was expecting. I was encouraged when we were told to put the Gyrotonic Tower straps on our arms and feet because I knew we'd be working with some resistance at least. The real challenge came in controlling the straps with your limbs. The moves themselves (lots of circles- big, medium, and small) are not complicated or difficult... until you slow down and really control them, rather than just swinging your arms or legs (whichever you're working out at the moment) around. We never went above controlling 20 pounds and I think working with about 30 or 35 pounds would've suited me better. I don't want to bulk up (just tone up!) but 20 really did feel a bit light.

Photo courtesy of Body Evolutions. That's not me but that is Bill!


MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Ok, so Gyrotonics doesn't suit me. Let's just put that out there. I like more intesity when I'm working out and tend to get a bit bored if the class lacks it. In fact, I waited weeks to finish this post because I just wasn't very inspired.

There is, however, one effect I credit to Gyrotonics that I whole- heartedly miss about the class and that is the huge difference it made in my posture. Friends and random people were commenting on it during the five weeks I took the class, even asking if I was a yoga or pilates instructor! I think that the emphasis on keeping a straight spine during the hour- long class carried over into my daily life which is just awesome! Obviously, I can work on my posture on my own time without taking a Gyrotonics class every week but it came effortlessly while attending them so if you're someone who has trouble with that, Gyrotonics might be for you! Also, in a similar vein to yoga, I definitely felt very zen during my time there. The instructors, Bill, and most of the other students were all positive, upbeat people who were there to focus on their mind and body... making it that much easier for me to feel comfortable doing the same!

I doubt I'll take another Gyrotonics class again anytime soon but if I did, I'd check out Body Evolutions again in a heartbeat!

A Short Story Called "Dinner"

Once upon a time, there was a very hungry young woman. She'd worked ALLLLLLL day and while she was happy to have been so productive, she was tired and NOT in the mood to make dinner. 

Luckily for her, she'd fully stocked her kitchen the day before and had nothing to worry about! She decided a light but filling meal was just the thing she needed and pulled out all the ingredients.

- A fresh veggie mix 
- Extra firm tofu
- Some extra veggies (squash and mushrooms) to toss in
- Rosemary
-Thyme
- Black peppercorns
- Garlic powder
- Extra virgin olive oil for sauteing

        She threw it all in a pan and let it cook on high.

Did you know that cinnamon is said to be good for your heart AND your brain?
Food for thought. 

Meanwhile, on a table nearby, she cut up a fresh peach and grabbed a handful of blueberries to add to a bowl of Greek yogurt, all sprinkled with cinnamon, of course!

And.... Voila! Dinner. 










                               And she lived happily (and healthfully) ever after!

                                                   - THE END - 

How Groovy!

Hey everyone!

I have been missing in action a bit if you haven't noticed! I've been home visiting with family and friends and have started a new job so I've been busy. Of course, working out sort've fell by the way side. Don't get me wrong, I squeezed it in here and there but none of my workouts was worth writing about. Until last night, that is.

Back in the City I love for the past five days, I finally managed to get back into the groove of bringing my (slightly larger) behind to a gym for a proper workout. Well, "proper" may be stretching it...

Introducing, GROOVE HOOPS! My local YMCA (on 14th between 1st and 2nd for those of you in NYC) offers this class on Mondays at 8 PM, directly after their Punk Rope class. You remember when I took that one, right? I enjoyed it but it kicked my butt and I was reminded just how horrible my coordination can be! This time around, I definitely experienced deja vu as I tried to keep my arms and legs in some sort of semblance as our class progressed. But let me start at the beginning.

Here's the entrance of the 14th Street Y.

Groove Hoops was led by Stefan, an adorable curly haired blond with awesome capris. I actually arrived at the Y a couple of hours early because I wanted to get in a regular workout (some cardio, a bit more work on my legs, and a bunch of core work) before the class. As I worked out on my own, I grew pretty excited about the class.

Here, I must tell you something not many people know about me. I happen to be AWESOME at hula hooping. No really I've, like, won contests and everything! During the summer between second and third grade, when I attended a day- camp around the corner from my home, there was a hula hooping contest and, after no less than an hour and eleven minutes of non-stop hooping, I was named the champ. It is definitely a top ten moment from my childhood... 



So again, I was really looking forward to Groove Hoops- I just knew I'd be in my element. That said, I didn't really know what to expect- Have you ever heard of a class like this?

Well, in a nutshell, the class wasn't what I thought it might be. That's not to say it wasn't fun (it was!) but rather than break the class down by focusing working on specific muscles, Stefan taught us a bunch of tricks. While we were still "active", it wasn't nearly as intense as I think it could have been.

Luckily, we established rather quickly that we could all hula hoop decently (i.e. keep the hula hoop swinging around our waists for several minutes at a time). The first few tricks that he taught us involved turns. Typically, when a person hula hoops, she naturally throws the hoop either to the left or right, often without noticing her preference. For example, I always use my right hand to throw the hoop to the left to get started; I don't think about this before I do it, I just do it. Stefan explained that whichever way you throw the hoop, an easy (but cool looking!) trick is to turn your body within the hoop in that same direction. If you do this just right, the hoop actually stops moving as you turn then continues on its way as you stop back in your original position. I mastered it.

Feeling pretty dang awesome, I welcomed the next lesson. ... And it's fair to say I failed miserably at it. It involved tossing the hoop around our hand. Now, to be fair, I have a pretty severe nerve damage from an accident I had back in 2007 so having the hula hoop pressing against it over and over again as it swings around isn't the most comfortable thing in the world. Still, I can't use that as an excuse- I just plain stunk. If there is more than two steps in a move and at least one of them is done behind my back, it will take me awhile to get the hang of it. I did eventually improve but I still couldn't twist the way Stefan showed us. Oh, and I have bruises forming already on the backs of my hand and up my arm from the hula hoop pressing against my skin.

One of the last tricks Stefan showed us was allowing the hula hoop to gradually drop from spinning around your waist to spinning around your knees. This is TOUGH and I never quite got it. The best I could do was keeping it around my knees for about six seconds before it clattered to the floor. Dangit. My almost third grade hula hoop pride declined a bit every time dropped it.

Stefan showed us a few more tricks but they were so advanced that, unless you had all of the other tricks down, it was impossible to even attempt. I happily spun my hula hoop around my waist (two at a time, even!) for the last fifteen minutes of class, dignity (back) intact. Some people, like this girl to the left, were pros and could do a bunch of tricks!

Also, check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIeuA81cv1Q
The woman in it wasn't in my class but that's definitely the same gym we were in- Would've been cool to see her live!


Bottom Line: I probably wouldn't take the class again. I love hula hooping and I'll be the first one to give it a go when I see a hoop sitting around but the class didn't blow me away, despite Stefan's enthusiasm and genuine friendliness.

Pros: The class is held inside the 14th Street Y which means I get a lot of bang for my buck. I was able to get in a great workout in their main gym and, though I didn't take advantage of them, I could've enjoyed their sauna and pool for no additional cost if I'd wanted. The staff at the 14th Street Y is very nice and helpful- I spoke to three of them during my visit there and I found them all incredibly helpful and polite. This must rub off on the clientele- Everyone's very chill and NOT pretentious at all, unlike some gyms. It's definitely a kid- friendly gym. Not that they're out on the main floor but you do see parents picking their kids up from swim practice; actually, there were even these two adorable little boys- no more than four years old- who brought their own miniature- sized hoops to class and participated on the side as their mother took the class. It really added to the class ambience (and I'm not "kid- friendly", per say).

Cons: Like I said, the class format wasn't what I expected. While I enjoyed learning new tricks, I didn't feel like I targeted any area of my body in particular and that's not what you want when you "work out". Or, I don't at least. Secondly, the time of the class could be better. Eight o'clock at night on a Monday is tough for most of us. Even an hour earlier would have been a lot better.

So what do you think? Would you have been tempted to try Groove Hoops like I was? Should I give it another shot sometime? (Or just buy my own hoop and spin to my hearts content on my own?!)

A Straightforward Question

We all work out for different, varying reasons. Most of us do have a primary reason in mind: To lose weight, because it's healthy habit we're cultivating, because it's our only time that is truly time spent alone, with our own thoughts.

I fall in the last category. The first two categories, particularly the second, certainly come into play but I know what keeps me going back to the gym, hitting the pavement, and signing up for some crazy classes, all really boils down to my "Me Time".


So, what do you think about?

Me? I think about a lot of things, most easily broken down into "the past", "the present", and (of course) "the future".

"The Past": Whew. In my short (allll-most) twenty-six years, there's a lot there. Good childhood memories like time spent with my cousins or causing ruckus with my friends while we rode around on our bikes for 6+ hours a day (talk about a great workout!) Sometimes, though, as I push past my mile or a particularly high rep, my mind begins to wander to... somewhat darker periods. I definitely reflect on those at times when I felt my weakest, mentally and emotionally. Usually, though, I'm thinking about it from a good, strong place as I pound the pavement or count off my last reps. I don't know if it has to do with feeling physically in control in the moment or what but... it's actually a really good way for me to work through some of my most confusing and difficult feelings. What about you? Surely we've all had some trying times in the past that we still think about from time to time... often when we work out and are, for the most part, alone, with those thoughts.

"The Present": As a woman front and center in her mid-twenties, the "present" represents A LOT, to say the least. Talk about having a plateful! For the most part, I LOVE IT. I'd much rather have a a lot going on in my life than not but it can be almost too much to handle at times and my workouts are often the only time I really and truly step back and just... BE. That's actually always been the case- My refuge/sanctuary absolutely is any place I can go, work out and sweat with no one in my face (unless it's a trainer or instructor I'm paying to be there, of course). Career options, romance options, family/friends both near and far, travel plans, my spirituality, my short-term goals... the list goes on and on. It's a lot of thinking and  it's so nice to do it on my own time.
Let's be honest, we haven't had the life experience it really takes to make some of the important decisions we find ourselves facing as we mature and a lot of it is guess work based on intuition and advice from others.... Becoming focused and centered is KEY to making smart decisions today to make an even better tomorrow.

"The Future": Ahhhhh.... "Future". I definitely do not have the details hammered out but "the future" to me is more of an amorphous plan where I'm happy and healthy and so are the people around me. As someone who is your typical  Type- A list-maker, with at least four calendars going at the same time, this may come as a surprise to some who know me. I certainly have goals in life and a blueprint of sorts (flexible as it may be!) that I mostly stick to but I've mellowed out in the past few years to realize that at the end of the day, me and my loved ones being happy and healthy is all that really matters; the details work themselves out, whether we plan down to the last minute or not.
That said, there is a lot on my bucket list (live in another country, create a family, become a successful, published writer, start my own business, travel as much as possible to very remote places in the world, etc.) I am constantly considering my opportunities for the future and I find that thinking about all of this while I'm huffing and puffing away is often just as beneficial to my mind as the workout is to my body!



So what do you think about? Do you find, like me, that thinking about life while working out tends to alleviate stress? Or, do you prefer to use your time working out just zoning out?  

So Long, Summer... Hellllll-O Fall!

Summer has come and gone and we now find ourselves at the start of Fall. Can you BE-LIEVE it?! I can't. Autumn, especially in the Northeast, is one of my favorite times of year but I will miss the carefree attitude that summer demands. (Sigh.)

I went pretty low-key last weekend for Labor Day because I was fighting off a cough (and I won the battle- Yay!) but I made sure to send off the season with a legit summer meal: Lobster salad, corn on the cob, asparagus, strawberries, and lemonade. Mmmmmmm.....

Whoops! Almost forgot to plate my baked fingerling potatoes with basil and extra Virgin olive oil!

Even better, I got all of my ingredients- including the basil- from the Union Square Green Market which means all locally grown, organic products- YUM!

Not to be outdone, of course, Fall has her own special dishes that make my mouth water just thinking about them now. Crockpot meals full of veggies like these, fresh baked goodies, and seasonal coffee drinks abound during these cooler months and I love the homey-ness feel they inspire. For instance, try this little snack I whipped up in no time at all while I was switching my Spring/Summer wardrobe over to Fall/Winter:

One sliced green apple, sprinkled with cinnamon and baked at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes (so they're still a little crunchy!) accompanied by Spiced Chai also with a sprinkling of cinnamon- MmmMmmMmmmmmmm! You'll thank me. 

    ENJOY & share your favorite *healthy* Fall dishes!

Hey, Mister DJ...

I've been cooped up most of the long weekend getting over a minor yet very persistent cough and I'm THRILLED to be headed out the front door as soon as I post this for a nice, l-o-n-g run (... jog) along the Hudson. I know that, besides the beautiful scenery, I'm going to rely on....

                                   Mi musica! 


I actually need it for a lot of things…. Dancing, putting on my make-up, driving a car, and cleaning just to name a few activities. I definitely need it for any type of cardio workout I do, though. Here’s a list of some of the songs that have become tried and true faves:

-                                             Busta Rhymes: “Break Ya Neck”

-                                                              Beastie Boys: “Intergalactic”

-                                                  Gloria Estafan: “Turn the Beat Around”

-                                                      Missy Elliott: “Get Your Freak On”

-                                                                        OutKast: “B.O.B.”

-                              Jay Z: “On to the Next One”, “Run This Town” (w/ Rihanna)

-                                                            Cirque du Soleil: “16-Papillion”

-                                                              Cyrus the Virus: “Electronica”

-                                      Beyonce: “Run the World”, “Diva”, “Get Me Bodied”

-                                                                      Katy Perry: “Firework”

-                                                                       A.R. Rahman: “Riots”

-                                                             Black Eyed Peas: “My Humps”

-                                              Wyclef Jean: “Hollywood Meets Bollywood”

-                                          Ludacris: “Welcome to Atlanta” and “Move Bitch”

-                                      Florence and the Machine: “The Dog Days are Over”

-                                                             Green Day: “American Idiot”

-                            Electronica Techno Orchestra: “Badinerie from Orchestral Suite #2”

-                                                                               Techno 4: “Hot”

-                                                   The Ting Tings: “That’s Not My Name”

-                                            Eminem: “Till I Collapse” and “Lose Yourself”

-                                                              Pitbull: “Give Me Everything”

-                                                           A.R. Rahman and M.I.A.: “Oh … Saya”

Again, these are tried and true (somewhat of a euphemism for “dated”, if you haven't noticed….) so share some of YOUR favorites with me- I’d love to update my playlist!