June Studio Tour Week 4

Week 4 is when I start to burn out a bit. Luckily, I had some really good classes this week to keep me going. But because my body was really feeling it this week, I decided to give myself a little help at Restore HLC in Wayne. They offer the RESTORE 31-day program where you can get 31 treatments (any combination of whole body cryo, local cryo, infrared sauna, PEMF or compression) during the month. The intent is to jumpstart your training or wellness goals with a little push. This week, I worked out and ran (marathon training is still happening this month) and visited the full body cryo chamber 5 out of 7 days. I also went in the sauna for some extra healing power. Dr. Danielle Gray is offering 20% off of this 31-day package to you guys if you also want a jumpstart to wellness! Use code: FITNESSFINDS to get each service for $12!

Day 20: FIT4MOM UPPER MAIN LINE.

Stroller Strides is the perfect class for any mom with young children looking to get active and meet other new moms. There were babies as young as one month old all the way up to 4 year olds, accompanying mom on Monday morning. Anna Evans, who runs the Upper Main Line outfit of Fit4Mom, led us through Wilson Farm Park for a full body workout.

Not only does Anna instruct the class, but she also entertains the little ones who need it so that mom can be sure to get her workout in. It was truly a beautiful thing to see. And while I didn’t have kids with me, having all of those adorable baby faces peer over the strollers at their moms working hard almost made me want another (don’t worry honey, I said “almost”).

Anna is at Wilson Farm Park on Wednesdays and in Newtown Square on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This class is great for all levels. We worked our way through all parts of the body and all around the park, running, walking or chatting in between. There are tons of modifications, especially for those moms who are postpartum. It was a very supportive community in this class and a great way for new moms to meet other moms. I wish I had something like this nearby when I had my babies. I burned 388 calories in 60 minutes.

Day 21: LA BLAST DANCE FITNESS with Gail Lazarus at LA MAISON HEALTH AND FITNESS in Wayne.

I find that dance workouts create a dedicated community where people consistently come to move in a way that they actually enjoy. This group of regulars at La Maison attend Gail’s dance cardio class every week. La Blast incorporates ballroom dancing into a cardio fitness workout. While the style of dance appeals to a more mature client, anyone at any age with any dancing ability can take this class and have a great time. And get the workout they want!

Gail Lazarus has the most incredible enthusiasm, and her love and appreciation for dance shines through in her class. Gail also teaches a similar class at a park in Bryn Mawr on Thursdays and offers many opportunities to dance from home via zoom. Check her out at www.dancewithgail.com. I burned 500 calories dancing for 60 minutes!

Day 22: WARRIOR SCULPT with Christine Bosch at LIFETIME ARDMORE.

Warrior Sculpt at Lifetime is one of their signature yoga classes that is only available at Lifetime gyms. This fusion class combines cardio, yoga and toning for a full body, feel good, powerful 60-minute flow. Christine Bosch guided us and inspired us with her beautifully spoken words between sets.

I loved the class and Lifetime so much that I decided to stay for more. I wasn’t ready to leave the heavenly yoga space on the 3rd floor after only an hour. I stayed for Christine’s second class that morning (“Root Be”), which was a very different restorative flow with a mediation at the end. I felt like I left a spa day when I walked out of Lifetime a few hours later. 396 calories burned in 60 mins of Warrior Sculpt.

Day 23: FIT BODY BOOTCAMP in Downingtown.

The 30 minute workouts at FBBC are efficient and effective, just what I need in my life! The class was a full body circuit but class is not always this structure. It’s always 30 minutes. It’s always full body (sometimes with a certain focus). And it’s always effective. It’s the perfect way to get a quick calorie burn in (I burned 300 calories in 30 minutes).

Owner of FBBC’s Downingtown location, Christina Stango, joined me for my workout today and we had a blast! Christina has incredible and contagious energy. Thirty minutes just flew by. Maybe it was because I had a buddy. Maybe it was because I was having so much fun. Either way, I got in my work out although a few obstacles came my way that morning.

Day 24: A MINDFUL RUN from the RUNKEEPER app.

When my scheduled workout was cancelled last minute, I needed to find something else fast. Since I have to run anyway, I thought it would be great to do a virtual guided run that is different than the Peloton runs that everyone already knows about. Runkeeper is a free running app with tons of programs and helpful information for all levels of runners. They offer all kinds of guided runs but I wanted to try something completely different. Something with the zen-like feel to my originally planned workout for Day 24. So I chose to do a guided 30-minute mindful run.

Mindful running takes the practice of meditation and mindfulness and applies it to movement. The focus on the breath and the body is the same as still mediation. Set the intention to be in the present moment in mind, body and spirit… all during your run. On today’s run, we used all senses to be mindful of our internal and external landscapes. We learned to be open and curious to moments as they happened. To shift focus and awareness from one sensory experience to the next… all during our run.

During the cool down at the end, we reflected and observed. We took notice of the body. We took notice of the breath. We took notice of the surrounding world. We reflected on what changes in mood, emotion and thought happened during the run. We ended the way we started, reconnecting to our breath. Learning to apply the skills from running mindfully to your life is the real goal of mindful running. I did not track my calories and did not pay attention to the numbers that day.

Day 26: YOGA IN THE PARK with INVERT YOUR WORLD in AMBLER.

I love that I do my studio tour in June and that June is PRIDE month so that I can participate in love and acceptance themed classes. And this one from Invert Your World benefited the local LGTBQ community organization in Ambler with 100% of the donations from the class going there.

Today’s yoga in the park, under the heat of the hot sun was intense and sweaty and beautiful. Core focused. Strong and powerful poses. We laughed. We reflected. We took in LIFE. I had an unpredictable and stressful weekend and this class grounded me and brought me back.

I ventured away from the Main Line for this class. I love going to new locations and witnessing strong and supportive communities and this was that. Look how many people came out today to flow for pride! I’ll be visiting Invert Your World in Ambler next month when they launch the new spin program at their studio. Sometimes traveling out of your comfort zone - whatever that zone may be for you- is totally worth it!

Day 25: SOUNDBATHS BY AUD in BERWYN.

Day 25 is out of order because I had to reschedule my sound bath experience with Audrey Uchimoto due to a family emergency over the weekend. Lucky for me, Audrey is so accommodating that I was still able to fit in my session with her, which helped to ground me after a very stressful personal event.

What is a sound bath? It is a type of energy healing and Audrey explains it best on her website: “Audrey is a certified sound healer specializing in crystal singing bowls. Using the therapeutic application of sound frequencies and vibrations, she creates a mixture of harmonic and binaural tones that guide your energetic field and brain waves into a state of harmony and peace. Each sound bath is a deeply profound, one-of-a-kind experience accessing the inner layers of the subconscious through sound vibrations.”

Audrey plays by intuition. This was my second sound bath with her and it was very interesting to see how different it was. During this private, one-on-one session, Audrey had me lay on a massage table in the middle of the room. She could bring some of the instruments right up to me and play them around me. I was centrally located to a symphony of healing. I experienced a variety of sensations during the hour session. A sinking, grounding feeling where my arms and legs felt heavy. A light and floating experience. A tingling in my hands. A tingling in my head. A mediative state where I was almost in a trance.

Audrey hosts group sound baths all over the area at many local yoga studios and fitness clubs. But this more intimate setting is also available at her home studio in Berwyn. Her collection of instruments there is growing as she incorporates more sounds into her healing power.

Week 4 of my June studio tour is over and the month is almost out. This week brought some personal challenges, like an aching body, several sick kids and cancelled classes, which caused for some scheduling adjustments. But I managed to get it in and loved every second of visiting new places and meeting new people.

You have one more opportunity to join me this month. Here is where I will be on the final week, week 5, of my June studio tour.