June Studio Tour Week 3
As I write this post on Sunday morning, I am sore. I am tired. I think it was right around this point last year that I started to really feel it, too. I And the fact that I had a kick-your-butt-in-every-sort-of-way workout yesterday did not help. I do not advise working out for 30 days in a row because recovery is absolutely necessary. But, regardless of how my body feels today, I just love doing this studio tour in June. I have met so many awesome people and tried so many cool new workouts that I hope to incorporate into my regular routine. So going for 30 days straight (and having my family deal with me running out on them every day and racing home to edit my video clips so I can share the workout with you guys right away) is totally worth it.
So here is a recap of what I did on Week 3. Oh, it was a good one!
DAY 13: THE BRIDGE HOT YOGA in Narberth.
The Bridge Hot Yoga is located right at the foot of the bridge in Narberth. Makes sense! The Bridge Hot Yoga is a small hot yoga studio with infrared beams on the ceiling and the walls. But the room has tons of natural light and I Ioved the feel of this place. It was warm and inviting, as was owner, Kaitlin McKendrick’s, voice calling the poses. I loved how she added instruction to the commands because I could certainly use it. She also surprised me (but the class of regulars knew it was coming) with a song during Shavasana.
Class was Bikram but with music since no one in the room was new to the practice. And because I did Bikram during week 1, I knew where the class was headed and I could enjoy it more, plus the music really helped.
Shop my Year of Ours look here.
This might be my last hot yoga for the month and I am kinda sad. I love how invigorating it feels to just drip sweat like that. It’s not everyone’s thing but it’s certainly mine! 276 calories burned for 45 minutes of class. Class was 75 minutes but I came from a doctors apt that ran over. Luckily, Kaitlin has an open door policy and was very welcoming when I arrived late.
DAY 14: F45 TRAINING in Paoli.
I have been doing a lot of yoga lately so I was happy to do something completely different. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are for strength conditioning at F45 in Paoli. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are endurance/ cardio days. Class was a full body workout. I moved through 5 stations and 4 workouts at each station during the 45 minutes of work.
F45 is functional strength training. EveryBODY should be doing some type of functional training. If you are new to this kind of workout, I highly recommend this place. I got tons of assistance this morning from coaches, Jordan and Steve. I love when trainers are right there to ensure proper form, especially when lifting weights. And I’d have to say that this was one of the best examples of that that I have seen.
F45 offers a free week for all new people. This is a great way to really get a feel for the workout since every day is different. But I love that this place offers a full body workout, regardless of when you come. This works nicely for regular members who come 4-5 times a week or people who gym hop, like me.
219 calories for 30 minutes of class (I forgot to set my watch again! But in my defense, it was 5 am!).
DAY 15: 305 FITNESS in Bryn Mawr.
Here is why I love dance cardio and why you should give it a try —- it’s just a blast! How can you not smile when you are dancing… whether you are laughing at yourself (me) or smiling in amazement that you are keeping up (also me). Plus you burn a sh*t load of calories! So that’s why.
And I am always looking for a new, fun cardio dance workout and I think I found it in 305 Fitness. 305 Fitness is based out of NYC, and Alyza Ngbokoli and Jessi Perna-Elias are two of the instructors who have brought this heart pounding, booty shaking, full body party to Philly. They do pop-ups all over the area and this week Alyza led a class at Athleta in Bryn Mawr. Aside from the fact that she’s an amazing dancer, her energy is captivating. She did a great job breaking down the moves and encouraging me when I was dancing. It’s tough to get out there and just let down your guard so it’s always great to have a cheerleader. Alyza was just that!
305 Fitness always has a warm up, cardio combos, a slow toning section, an upbeat HIIT section and a hip hop combo at the end. The music is always different. The dances are always different. But it’s always a great workout and a great time! I burned 429 calories in 45 minutes.
DAY 16: TRX YOGA AT POP FIT STUDIO in Haverford.
TRX Yoga was one of the coolest classes I have ever been part of! I did not know what to expect and initially kept my sneakers on because I thought some intense high impact work was coming my way. But as soon as the class started and I felt the deep and juicy stretches of yoga with the assistance of the TRX straps, I removed my sneakers and grounded down through my mat to get my feel good stretches in with each pose.
Shop my strappy look here.
And while you won’t get the warm and fuzzies from the owner of Pop Fit studio who was less than welcoming to me, instructor Natalie’s kindness overshadowed my initial unfriendly experience. I loved how accepting she was to the entire class, who happened to all be new to TRX yoga. Natalie encouraged the fun and playfulness of this unique yoga practice. And I cannot wait to do it again.
Surprisingly, I burned about 400 calories in the hour. Not as restorative as I thought!
DAY 17: BURN BOOTCAMP at Exton.
This Friday was arm day at Burn Boot Camp. I love an arm workout and this one used all heavy hand weights. I searched for the 8 pounds but there were none in the place! Looking around the room and seeing all women lifting the 15’s, 20’s and even 30’s made me so happy! We worked through 5 exercises for 1 min 15 sec each and did 3 rounds with a push up minute in between and an arm finisher at the end.
Shop my look from Abercrombie’s new fit line here.
Burn Boot Camp encourages busy people who juggle a lot to fit in fitness. They leave no room for excuses by offering free childcare all day long and a universal membership so you can workout at any Burn location while on vacation or traveling for work.
Every day is different and every week is different but there will always be an upper body day, a leg day and some cardio days each week. The cycle and type of workout changes. They offer a free 7 day trial to check it all out.
I loved this open studio. Every Burn location has its signature floating floor that absorbs the impact of the bounce during cardio. And while my workout didn’t have any cardio, I got to jump around a bit on the floor after class. I also loved the encouragement and support around the room. The trainer offered tons of modifications so everyBODY could do this workout. I burned 307 calories in 45 minutes.
DAY 18: HILO HOUSE FITNESS in Wilmington.
I signed up for 30 minutes of VersaClimber (the “Hi”) and 50 minutes on the Megaformer (the “Lo”). If I was traveling to Delaware, I was going to do it all! I brought along a buddy and met a new one there because everything is better with friends and I needed the support for this one!
Let’s talk about the HI. I took a Level 1 VersaClimber class that was one of the hardest things I have done in a while. But man, that sh*t was a blast! Sure, it’s a little intimidating. I had never done a VersaClimber for more than a minute sprint and now I was committed to 30! But the class is not all out sprinting. There are various ranges of leg movements, hand placements and resistance led by an instructor, with the goal of 1100 steps (I got 2700). Add in the colorful lights and the heart pounding music and that room is an all out sweaty party! And an insane workout— my heart rate got up to 180. And in 30 minutes, I burned nearly 400 calories!
From there, we were whisked into the LO room next door, which was a line of 11 Megaformers. But as much as I know about Pilates, this was next level. The movements were slow and small but effective and freaking hard. If you want killer abs, THIS is how to get them!
Shop my bright orange Vuori look here.
We ended the morning with some juices (we sampled a few) and retail therapy. Not only is the vibe of this place awesome but the activewear lineup is hands down THE BEST I have seen in a studio. We could have hung out there all day because the HiLo team was just so much fun! I am so happy one of my Instagram followers invited me to the HiLo House Fitness during my 30 day tour. Thank you, Anastasia!
I had to work out from home because it was Father’s Day and my “babysitter” (as he likes to call himself ) was busy doing fatherly things, like playing golf. So I looked for a local virtual program and found LIVFIT. Olivia Greig leads dance/sculpt classes that have a Sculpt Society vibe. You can take her classes virtually live, and she has a library of classes on demand, which is what I did. She’s also a teacher at Chestnut Hill Cycle Fitness if you want to get her in person, which I will be visiting in July when they launch the new studio.
The LIVFIT class I took today was 30 minutes and included a warm up, dancing combinations and a toning section (that I chose to do without weights because I am so sore from yesterday). It was a perfect class to take outside on a beautiful day (I am just hoping my neighbors were all away for the weekend). Liv has a bunch of options on demand. Use code SUMMER for a 7-day free trial.
This was a busy week of workouts, but I also got to attend the launch party of the collaboration between Tuckernuck and Neely & Chloe for their latest tennis bag collection.
Shop the new, adorable collection here.
The month is flying by. Here is what is in store for me on Week 4. I’d love for you to join me for a workout.
