ClassPass has arrived in Boston!

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Have you guys heard of ClassPass yet? It is AWESOME.

I first heard of it through the 'fit community' of bloggers. It started out in NYC and just a few short months ago - came to Boston!

So, what is it? Basically it's a one-month, 10-class pass to some of the best fitness studios in and around the city. I love this because it provides the option to try new workouts, meet new people, and continuously challenge the body. How many times have you said "Well I'd love to do Pilates, but, my gym doesn't offer it" or "I love my studio, but, it would be nice to mix it up every once and a while". Wish granted, folks.

You're probably wondering what something like this may cost... well, it's actually pretty comparable or even less than most city studios and gyms. The pass goes for $99 per month, can be paused at any time, and once again... provides A LOT of variety. There's boot camp, spinning, Pilates, barre, Yoga, flywheel, dance-fit and a lot more.

The other really cool thing that I noticed about the Boston pass is that the studios expand outside of the city - as far South as Pembroke and as far NW as Concord. There's also one in Dedham and a few in and around Newton. Seriously, lots of variety. There are 33 participating studios in and around Boston and 156 in and around NYC (whoa). 

See a full map of the Boston locations ---> here.
And, NYC locations ---> here.

If you guys have any questions  - holler at me! Over the weekend I was told that Rebecca signed up a few weeks ago and LOVVVEESSS it. (she's on vaca right now so I'll pick her brain later, but, I was glad to hear that)

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Anyway, tonight I checked out C2 Pilates in Southie, I took the Pilates Athletic Conditioning class on the reformer with Eliza. Now, I used to teach mat Pilates, but, holy mother of pearl this was WAY different. That device everyone is sitting on above turns into a sliding machine of agility and balance... then, add a trampoline to the end of it to do jumps that burn, baby, burn. Let's just say, I was really challenged. As someone who usually feels pretty confident in a workout class, I was making mistakes left and right. Man, it is totally different than anything I've ever done before and thankfully, Eliza was there to help with every move. She taught the whole class standing up and walking around to really ensure we were all in the correct positions. All of a sudden the class was over and I wanted to do more. I'm really excited to check out another class there (I think I'm going to try barre next!)

As I check out more studios, I'll be providing more reviews. Where do you guys think I should go next? Have you tried ClassPass? What do you think? I'm REALLY interested.

It's almost Thursday, my friends! Have a great rest of the week. xo

 

(ClassPass did provide me with a complimentary one month membership after speaking about my interest in the program. I am not paid to write posts and as always, options and reviews are my own :) )

#LaceUp365 at North End Yoga

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On Saturday, I was honored to join another #LaceUp365 event at North End Yoga with New Balance and Susan G. Komen. I've been lucky enough to participate in two of these events in the past... at Barry's Boot Camp and at The Handle Bar. 

As a refresher... the #LaceUp365 program celebrates the 25 year Anniversary of the partnership of Susan G. Komen and New Balance. Every day, a new survivor story is published on the New Balance website... HERE. You can dedicate your workout to a survivor with the hashtag #LaceUp365 on any social media outlet. I love this program because it provides breast cancer awareness 365 days a year, instead of just in October. Join us by taking a photo during your next work and sharing it with the #LaceUp365 hashtag.

This class was different than the past two #LaceUp365 events. In the last two... my thought process was focused on pushing as hard and fast as possible... "this is just a workout - what some people go through is much harder than this 1 hour workout". I haven't taken an in-studio yoga class in a really long time... I forgot how reflective and spiritual it is.  Our instructor, Joanna, spoke to us in the beginning of class about her dear friend who recently lost her battle with cancer. She explained that she was very much an inspirational and positive person that she really admired and learned a lot from. We dedicated our workout to her. This class felt to be more of a group dedication to those who are are survivors, those who are fighting the battle, and those that have lost the battle. Each movement was for them. All three classes that I've attended have been moving in a different way... just another reason why I love this program.

On a lighter note, the physical benefits of the class were AWESOME! I had been dealing with some serious muscle soreness and really tight IT bands and hamstrings (I know, I know... I NEEEEED to foam roll and partake in yoga more often). By the end of class - I was feeling MUCH better. I had a dull ache in my left hamstring (where I tore it 2 years ago) for about a week and it was even hurting on my ride over. It is now gone. There are so many physical and mental health benefits to yoga. I need to figure out how to fit in a real in-studio class back into my schedule. My at-home yoga videos just aren't enough.

After class, a few of the representatives from New Balance spoke to us about the partnership with Susan G. Komen and showed us some new items in their line. Here I am sporting some of them (I know - sweet selfie). Everything is SO comfy. 

Here we all are at the end of class. Shout out and thanks to Joanna who guided us through the whole thing. 

... And of course... a big thanks to New Balance and Susan G. Komen for putting together such an amazing program. Hope you are all having an awesome week! Remember... #LaceUp365 xo

 

PS: I was not monetarily compensated to write this post, however, New Balance did provide me with the awesome gear and a pass to this class. As always, opinions are honest and my own (and always will be :))

I had a little reminder today...

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In high school, every year on the first day of both Winter and Spring track practice, our head coach would ask one of the guys to come to the front of the room and hold up his arms. He'd then try to push the guy's arms down... and he wouldn't be able to do it. Then, he'd tell the same guy to take a tablespoon of sugar and let it melt in the back of his mouth... a few minutes later - he'd do the same thing and the guy's arms would fall with barely any pressure. 

We didn't learn too much more about nutrition in track practice, but, we did learn that sugar can really wreak havoc on your workout.

Today, I had one of those not so pleasant reminders that sugar is, for argument's sake... poison. We all know this. Refined sugar has absolutely zero nutritional value. We all know that it gives a quick high and then makes us crash and burn and then leaves us in search of the nearest coffee machine to fill up on caffeine. Why do we keep eating it? Because it's ADDICTIVE. Yes, just like caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. Click through the below image to get a full explanation of why its addictive, why all sugars are not created equal (ie: glucose vs. fructose), and finally why it raises triglycerides and ultimately cholesterol. Oh, and it increases the waistline. It's not about fats, my friends... it's about SUGAR.

So what happened? We had cupcake delivery at work yesterday... I had been eyeballing the strawberry one since yesterday so when 3pm rolled around... I made my way to the fridge - chopped off most of the frosting and ate the rest of the cupcake. I tried to reason with myself because I chopped off the frosting and thought I'd be fine for boxing class. WRONG. Wrong wrong wrong...

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I felt like total and complete crap for the first half hour of my workout. I felt worse than I have felt in longer than I can remember at class. Now, yes, I've had sugar before class before... we have birthday celebrations and I dabble in a cookie or a mini cupcake here and there. That being said, I never feel 100% on those days. Today, was just another reminder. So here's my PSA for the evening: Stay away from the damn sugar. You'll thank me later.

To clarify, am I saying to not eat birthday cake or get dessert at an amazing restaurant or never make cookies? No, not at all. I'm saying that is it really necessary on a Tuesday afternoon to eat a cupcake for no real reason? Not really. Is it ever a good idea to have a cupcake or an ice cream cone before a workout? No, haha it's never a good idea before a workout!

Have you had a similar experience during a workout? Do tell!

Have a great week! xo