Morning!  Have you entered my Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil giveaway yet?? If you want really smooth skin and a good time in bed (genius idea from Rachel), enter now! Your boyfriend will thank you.

Okay, let’s move onto another topic. Have to keep this thing G-rated! I went to 2 amazing intenSati classes- last night and this morning! Patricia Moreno was teaching last night so it was a nice change to the usual morning routine. She played amazing house music! I felt like I was in a dance class with some of the moves we were doing! There was no air conditioning in the room again but I survived! I need to take a picture of this class one day. We had to keep wiping our towels on the floor because we were slipping over our sweat! Sounds delicious, I know. Mari and I did our usual Whole Foods routine after class.

I seriously go overboard every single week at the salad bar. I always want a little bit of everything! This time I got vegan tuna salad, 3 bean salad, broccoli, steamed kale, quinoa, and feta cheese. If I am going to eat too much of something, let it be a Whole Foods salad! At least I’m gettin’ my nutrients in!

Yesterday I was stalking Mari’s Facebook page and saw that she was baking her special protein muffins.  I hinted to her that I would LOVE to try one!! She granted my wish and brought us some for dessert. Thank you Mari!!

This was the best muffin ever!!!!!!!! It was a banana, chocolate chip, protein muffin to be exact. It tasted like moist banana bread with chocolate chips. She gave me the recipe but I don’t think I could keep them in my apartment. They would be gone in 5 minutes! Oh, and that is not a roach next to the muffin. She decided to buy some dates after we did a little “tasting”. So good.

This morning was 6:30 am intenSati with Natalia! It was a very interesting walk to the subway at 5:00 in the morning! There are always people on their way home from a night out partying. Makes me feel so old! Well I guess I can’t say that after the weekend I had! Anyway, there were two guys smoking weed right where I walk down the subway stairs. They tried to hide it from me when I walked by. Did they think I couldn’t smell it? And did they think I was a cop? They were discussing breakfast and how they had to wake up in 2 hours.  There I was, all ready to get my workout on! Another dude was passed out on the subway platform when I walked down the stairs! This older couple thought he was dead! They asked me if he was breathing and they started kicking him. He wouldn’t wake up. Then a nurse happened to come downstairs. She assured us that he was alive and breathing. The train came so everyone just left him.  I feel bad for that guy when he wakes up! He is going to be so clueless! I hope no rats run over him!! Oh New York.

Luckily I made it to Equinox without any other weird things happening. You never know at that time of day. Before every intenSati class, the teacher shares a motivational story about how some of the affirmations have helped them in everyday life. Today Natalia talked about inspiration and how when someone does something amazing, we tend to get jealous or think less of ourselves. Instead we should learn to feel inspired and motivated by the person. I think this is so true in the blog world. Too many of us are comparing ourselves to one another and thinking we are not good enough. Just because one blogger runs 8 miles every day does not mean another blogger is lazy because they do not run. Everyone is different.  Next time someone completes a triathlon, gets that amazing new dream job, or loses 10 pounds, be happy for them instead of secretly wondering why you did not do the same.

Do you tend to compare yourself to other bloggers?

Related posts:

1. Pizza and Beer!
2. IntenSati Addict and AADP Certified!
3. Morning!

Morning! It’s Fridayyyyy! I’m on a little exercise high from intenSati this morning. The class today today was labeled, “HCB” on the schedule (high calorie burn!) It was intense but amazing as always. I did not wear my heart rate monitor but Mari burned 690 calories! Our awesome instructor, Natalia, mixed our routine up a little today and made us do everything backwards with sprints mixed in. Loved it. Mari and I stayed after and did some arm exercises with free weights. We were asking Natalia what else she does besides intenSati because she has such an amazing body! Of course us food bloggers asked her what she usually eats as well!! I am so grateful that she let me on her guest list this whole month! I have one more week at Equinox on guest lists and then I need to figure out what to do. I really want to join Equinox so that I can continue intenSati! Nothing at New Yorks Sports Club excites me like intenSati does! It is about $100 extra dollars a month though so I would need to cut back on something big! We’ll see! I have this debate with myself almost every month! I do think it would be worth it because I leave there feeling so happy every day. They also have a million other great classes too. I have a week to decide so I will keep thinking about it.

After class today, I refueled with a delicious breakfast sandwich from the deli nearby. I got egg whites, mushrooms, spinach, and feta cheese on whole wheat toast.

I also got a beer iced coffee!

Last night after work I went to intenSati again! I told you I was an addict. It was a great, hot class! The air was broken but hey…more of a detox right? I love that we were twice as loud yelling the affirmations at 6:30 this morning than at 6:30 last night. There was just so much energy today. Maybe because it is Friday? I liked the trancy, fast music today too!

Mari and I headed over to Whole Foods for dinner last night after class. I made a salad beast!

It contained vegan tuna salad, steamed kale, bean salad, zucchini, edamame, broccoli, quinoa, feta cheese, and probably 5 other things! We both wanted something sweet afterwards so we decided to go to The Lite Choice! There is one in Union Square where we were but we decided to walk 2 avenues further so we could use my Living Social coupon. I bought a coupon for 8 servings of TLC for half price! We got to the 7th Avenue location and it was closed because of an electrical failure. We decided to walk another 10 blocks to the 23rd street location. They did not take my coupon but it was completely worth the $4.00!

I got 1/2 Chocolate and 1/2 Scoopstachio with crunchies. Scoopstachio is their brand new flavor so I had to try it! It tasted like a mix of peanut butter and mint. I loved all the different flavors going on in my cup! We decided to walk while eating so we ended up walking another mile and a half to the subway! We like our exercise!

In other news, I can now write A.A.D.P next to my name! I got my certificate for the American Associatian of Drugless Practioners yesterday! I also graduate from Integrative Nutrition this weekend! It went by so fast! I am officially a health coach and am offering free one-hour health consultations so let me know if you are interested! We can do it over the phone if you don’t live in New York. You can also sign up for my health coaching newsletter below for more wellness tips and recipes.

Sign up for my Email Newsletter

Besides school this weekend, I have a Core Fusion class planned, Mari’s birthday dinner at 5 Burro, and some other celebrations since tomorrow is National Tequila Day! Can’t wait!

1) Are you planning on celebrating National Tequila Day tomorrow? I plan to celebrate all weekend!!

2) How do you like your coffee? Lately I’ve been getting iced coffee with soy milk from the deli. No sugar necessary!

Thanks for reading! Have a nice weekend!

Related posts:

1. The IntenSati Situation
2. Pizza and Beer!
3. Are you Inspired?

Happy Friday! Let’s start things off by choosing the winner of the Omron GoSmart Pace/Distance Tracker Giveaway!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

11
Timestamp: 2010-07-16 13:36:40 UTC

The winner is….Mari! Congrats girl! Hope you enjoy your new pace/distance tracker!! Just in time for your birthday!!

Back to yesterday….

I was craving cereal in the morning so I stopped at the nearby deli for some breakfast ingredients.

I can’t be trusted with large boxes of cereal so the single serving Kashi bowls are perfect! I made a delicious yogurt mess!

The deli has a new kitten! So cute!

I’ve been bringing lunch every day this week. I made a turkey and cheese wrap with Food Should Taste Good chips and cucumbers on the side.

After work I had another intenSati class! The class was actually a special event hosted by Well+GoodNYC. Anyone who is a subscriber to their newsletter was invited to attend intenSati for free last night! It was perfect for me since I am not allowed to do the Warrior Challenge! The class was really fun and led by Natalia, my favorite teacher. She always has so much energy and keeps letting me on her guest list! Love her! The Well+Good girls gave away a Lululemon gift bag at the end but unfortunately I did not win. One of my blog readers was at the event too so she came up to me to introduce herself. That always makes me feel special! I think the Well+Good girls took a lot of pictures during the class so I will be sure to let you know when they are posted (unless they are extremely embarrassing)!

**Edited to add: Here is the link to the article! You can see me in the 2nd picture!

After class Mari and I walked over to Whole Foods for some dinner! I made an awesome salad!

It contained avocado kale salad, seaweed salad, broccoli, beets, peppers, eggplant, tofu, and more! We sat outside and people watched while eating.  We got some very weird looks while taking pictures of our food!

I probably should have went home and went to bed after that because I had another 6:30 am intenSati class planned! I got invited to the W Hotel so I ended up going out for some drinks instead! I had 3 Stellas by the end of the night. I totally planned on just having 2 drinks but the bartender brought me out a free one. No complaints here!

Next thing I know, it is 1:30 in the morning and everyone decided they wanted some pizza! I could not resist a slice when I saw this:

So good!! Probably not the best idea to eat that at 2:00 am when I had plans to wake up at 5:00 am for a workout! I obviously woke up feeling dehydrated and nauseous so I decided it would be smart to sleep for another 3 hours and skip intenSati for the morning! There is a free outdoor intenSati class at 5:30 tonight so maybe I will take that one instead! I definitely still want to work out at some point today after all the pizza and beer last night! I’m not sure what else is going on this weekend but I do have an 8-mile hike on Sunday! The best part is that there will be a wine tasting at the end of the hike! Talk about a motivator! Can’t wait!

1) What are you looking forward to this weekend?

2) What was your favorite workout this week?

Related posts:

1. Pizza and Beer Night
2. The Pizza Diet!
3. YouBar Fun and Pizza/Beer Night!

Last night I was invited to attend a complimentary class at The Bar Method that was hosted by Jess from Fit Chick in the City. I tried this class once before in May and was not thrilled with it. It was not nearly as challenging as Core Fusion and did not feel like much of a workout. I decided to give it another chance to see if would be any harder this time. I also figured it would be fun to work out with a bunch of bloggers!

I walked in and was kindly greeted by the staff. The guy at the desk knew right away that I had been there before so I was able to go right to the locker room. We were offered complimentary water since we were part of the special event. I found some fellow bloggers while waiting for the class to start.

That’s Ashley, Me, Erica, Nicole, and Jacquie. It was funny trying to figure out who everyone was before actually meeting them. I recognized Erica from her Twitter picture and knew Ashley from several blog meetups in the past.

Eventually we went into the room and were told to get 2 or 3 pound weights or 3 and 4 pound weights. I went with the 3 and 4 pounders since I remembered arms being way too easy last time. Can you find me in the mirror?

I knew it was the same instructor as last time when she memorized all of our names right away! I still have no idea how she does that. We did leg lifts to warm up and then did 20 push ups. We did a plank for maybe a minute and had to breathe in and out the entire time. Interesting. No leg lifts or bending our knees to the ground like in Core Fusion. Usually I want to collapse after the plank and push up section! Next we did some arms. I grabbed my 4 pound weights for shoulders. We did about 40 repetitions of the same shoulder move. Next we did another 40 reps of one bicep move. We finished with 2 different tricep exercises. We did some push backs with the weights and tricep dips on the ground. The arm section was exactly the same as the first class.

Next came thighs.  I said this last time but I have to say it again. I don’t like that they make you put your ankles over the bar to stretch! In Core Fusion we put our feet against the bar, not over it. I tried doing this because putting my ankles overthe bar hurts! They corrected me and made me do it their way. Oh well, I got to show off my Core Fusion socks a little more. I felt bad wearing them the first time but wanted the grippies this time. The thigh section was better than last time. We used a playground ball this time and had to raise our feet all the way in the air while moving up and down. We did 2 other thigh exercises without the ball. I enjoyed this section since my legs were shaking and I felt some pain!

Next was butt time! We did FitChick’s favorite, the pretzel.

During pretzel, you lift your leg up and push them behind you. It felt nice and was more challenging than the butt section in my first class. In Bar Method, we are told to lean over to the side which actually makes the exercise easier. In Core Fusion, we try to sit straight up and sometimes even raise our arm to make it tougher. We did pretzel for a while so I definitely felt this one!

Next was round back and flat back. I don’t love round back at Bar Method because they instruct you to sit almost straight up against the wall. I feel it much more in my abs during Core Fusion since we are instructed to sit in a C-curve against the wall while lifting our legs straight up in the air. Flat back was good since I knew to lift my legs in the air instead of rubbing them against the carpet back and forth. Sorry if you’ve never taken a barre class before! You probably have no idea what I’m talking about! One day I will post a bunch of videos since it is hard to explain in words.

We finished with abs. It was the same as last time where we got in a curl position but kept our elbows on the floor the whole time.  We did have the option to raise our arms up in the air at the end which made it a little tougher.

Overall I am definitely happy I tried Bar Method again! I felt that it was more challenging than the first time I went. My heart will always be with Core Fusion though because it is a much better workout. I may sound crazy but I enjoy feeling liking I am going to cry during the entire class.  I like stumbling out of class drenched in sweat! My legs are very sore today but I’ve also been to intenSati almost every day so that may have something to do with it!

Jess rewarded us with treats at the end!

I had one on the subway ride home. It was soft and peanut buttery! Loved it!! It was a lot of fun meeting new bloggers and experiencing the class with everyone! Thanks again Jess for hosting the class and for the delicious treat!

Don’t forget to enter my Michael Season’s Chip Giveaway!

Related posts:

1. The Bar Method
2. Core Fusion Cardio!
3. Core Fusion Meetup and Pasta!

Last night I had the opportunity to try out a new spin studio called Flywheel Sports. The girls from Well+Good NYC offered a free class to celebrate the launch of the studio. I am always up for trying a new exercise class!

I was a little nervous about the class because I can’t even tell you the last time I went to spin! I’d say at least 6 months ago? I was going 2 or 3 times a week for a while and just got burnt out. It bothered my knees and was not something I looked forward to doing. I think it is great to do in moderation since it is probably one of the most challenging cardio classes out there. I was pretty excited to try it again because spin always makes me feel amazing afterwards.

A few days before the class, I received an email from the Well+Good girls saying that we could head to their website to request songs for the class. I loved this! I immediately headed to the website and requested 5 of my favorite techno songs:

Tiesto & Sneaky Sound System: “I Will Be Here”

Paul Van Dyke: “No Regrets”

Steve Angello: “Leave the World Behind” or “Show Me Love”

DJ Ricardo: “Infinity”

There is nothing worse than a spin class with crappy music! I checked out what other people requested and was happy to see that there would be a nice playlist. They also said that there would be water and spin shoes provided. This would be my first time trying out spin shoes! I was curious to see if there was a huge difference between spinning with normal sneakers and actual spin shoes.

Last night I met Dori near the studio after work.

We walked in and were greeted by the Well+Good girls. They were incredibly friendly and nice. The studio had an entire wall of spin shoes so I tried a few on before finding the right size for me. We headed over to the changing rooms. I was expecting a big locker room like Core Fusion but there were personal small changing rooms. This is nice for people who like their privacy when getting changed.

The room had a blow dryer, facial wipes, tissues, a mirror, etc. Pretty nice. I changed, grabbed my free water, and sat in the lobby waiting for the class before ours to end. The table in the lobby looked like this:

Not really what I wanted to stare at before exercising! Our class was supposed to start at 7:30 and the class before ours did not leave the studio till about 7:25. This meant a lot of commotion in the lobby with everyone trying to find the right shoes, get changed, enter the studio, etc. I felt like maybe they should have at least 15 minutes in between each class so that there is more time to get situated.

Eventually Dori and I entered the rooom and decided to take spots in the front row. The studio had stadium seating which was pretty cool.

The instructor explained a little bit about the bikes:

 Flywheel has a TorqBoard technology package that allows you to see your rpms, torque, and total power expended while you ride. There are also big screens in the studio where you can see your stats in comparison with other riders.

People that were to come back to the studio could make an account online, reserve their bike, and have the stats show up on the big board. It is a cool concept but I was not crazy about being able to see my stats the entire time. As an example, the instructor would tell us to have our bikes at a torque of 5 and around 100 rpms. This was a really fast speed with a very easy resistance. It was actually too easy for me. I was bouncing. In other spin classes I’ve been to, the instructors tell you to increase your resistance if you find yourself bouncing. Luckily I knew this so I increased it to 10 or 15 and I felt much better. A few times we were told to stand up in our seat at this easy resistance. I’ve always been told to increase my resistance before standing up in the bike.  You can easily injure yourself in 2nd or 3rd position at such an easy resistance. I did not like that the whole class was about the numbers. I found myself staring at my screen the entire time to match whatever number she was calling out. I would rather just go by how I feel and choose the resistance I feel best at. I would rather hear the instructor say, “Increase your resistance until you feel like you are struggling up a hill.” Instead it was more like, “Move to a torque of 35 and get to 70 rpms.” Too many numbers.

Some people may prefer having numbers shouted to them. I think more beginner spinners would like this since they might not be sure what a low or high resistance should feel like. I just prefer to go by how I feel. The class itself was a lot of fun. The instructor had a ton of energy and let us know every time one of the songs was requested. Dori got to here her choice, “Womanizer” and yelled to let the class know. My Tiesto song came on during a steep hill so it was a nice motivator! I do have to mention that the music was way too loud. Yes, I love loud music during spin. I get really annoyed when teachers play the music too soft. This was just blasting a bit too much. I needed earplugs. I could barely hear after. At least I loved every song that was played!

Towards the end of the class, we were instructed to pick up little body bars. I decided to choose the lighter bar just to be safe. I’m happy I did! My arms were burning by the end!

This was my first time every doing weights during a spin class. It was probably the highlight of the class for me. It was almost like a cool down from spinning but burned my arms at the same time. We finished with some nice stretching at the end of class. I was drenched by the end! It was a great workout but I’ve honestly had tougher spin classes. I burned around 350 calories which is about average for a spin class. I was expecting it to be much harder. One of the reasons I say this is because of the prices:

A single ride is $30.00 and a monthly membership is $180.

I’m not sure who would pay $180 just to spin! You could be a member of Equinox for that price with access to tons of spin classes along with a million other great classes! I can tell that the studio is trying to differentiate themselves from other spin classes but I still can’t see spending that. I would rather spend $5 more dollars and head over to a Core Fusion class. I am happy I got to try it though. It was a great workout, I enjoyed wearing real spin shoes, I liked the unlimited bottle water, and they rewarded us with big plates of fruit and organic smoothies!

The fruit was delicious and a nice way to end the class. I hope to start going to at least one spin class a week from now on. I still love the challenge and amazing workout I get from the class. It is always nice to mix up my routine a little. Thank you to the Well+Good girls for giving me the chance to try the studio!

Related posts:

1. Coo Coo for Coconuts and Spin!
2. Spin and some Vanilla Coconut Banana Splits!
3. Afternoon Munchies and Spin News!

I mentioned yesterday that Dori, Melissa, and I tried a new class called Bar Method. It is a Lotte-Burke method style class based out of California. They just opened one in Soho a few weeks ago so we had to try it out to see how it would compare to Core Fusion!

Luckily I found guest passes on Facebook. I called and made the appointment for Cinco de Mayo. For some reason they had us down for the night before but fortunately they were still able to squeeze us into the class. They were very accommodating and gave us a tour of the studio. The paint smelled brand new! The lockers rooms were very spacious and had all of the commodities like mouth wash and lotion that Exhale has. I did not notice razors though. I like the free razors at Exhale. Everything was very clean and I enjoyed not having to play locker wars like I normally do before Core Fusion. Who knows what will happen if the class gets a little more popular though.

The description on the website  sounded extremely similar to Core Fusion:

The Bar Method™workout creates a uniquely lean, firm, sculpted body by combining the muscle-shaping principles of isometrics, the body-elongating practice of dance conditioning, the science of physical therapy and the intense pace of interval training into a powerful exercise format that quickly and safely reshapes and elongates muscles.

The result is a noticeable “Bar Method” sculpted body featuring:

• Firm, elongated muscles
• Reduced body fat
• High muscle definition in the chest, upper arms and upper legs
• Improved posture
• Long, narrow thighs
• A lifted seat and defined hamstrings
• Strong, flat abdominals
• Increased stamina and energy
• Extended youthfulness

We walked in and were told to get 2 and 3 pound weights. Dori and I opted for 3 and 4 pound weights since that is what we use in a Core Fusion class. I am happy we chose the heavier weights! I will explain why in a minute.

The three of us took spots in the front of the room. We started warming up by lifting our legs. In Core Fusion we lift our arms and legs at the same time. I think the 3 of us started to lift our arms but quickly stopped when we realized we were not in Core Fusion. We did not want to offend the teacher. As we were warming up, the teacher said all of our names. She actually memorized all 30 or 40 names after hearing them just once. Pretty impressive.

Next we moved onto arms. She told us to get our heavier weights. We did bicep curls. We did these bicep curls about 50 times at least. Dori and I started looking at each other wondering when we were going to move onto the next arm exercise. It started to get boring. Eventually we were instructed to pick up our lighter weights for the next arm exercise. We did this one over and over again as well. We probably did 3 exercises in total with pauses in between. During Core Fusion, we do about different arm exercises nonstop. It never gets boring. It actually burns. We did triceps on the ground. No pulsing. No putting our legs up to make it more challenging. I was surprised when we were told to put our weights away. I wanted more arms!

Next we did 30 push ups. That was it. In Core Fusion we hover above the ground at the end of the push ups till our arms burn. We also do a bunch of pulses. We also usually do planks, side planks, planks with runs, etc. There were no planks in Bar Method. Another disappointment.

We moved over to the bar next for some leg action. The teacher warned us it would burn and be incredibly hard. I got excited because I was ready for something challenging. We started off by stretching our legs. We were told to put our foot over the bar instead of against it.

Source: http://www.barmethod.com/bar-method-exercises.html

I did not feel comfortable with my foot above the bar. It kind of hurt my ankles so I ended up putting a towel under my foot. Next we were told to put our feet together and raise our heels all the way up. We moved up and down over and over. My thighs hurt a little but not to the point where I felt like I needed to cry (hi Core Fusion). We did 2 more sets of exercises for our thighs. During one part, the teacher was trying to correct my form. She wanted me to push my butt in and push my shoulders back. Instead of nicely adjusting me or telling me what she wanted me to fix, she came around me and gave me a giant bear hug. She actually squeezed the crap out of me! She was squeezing me so hard that she was shaking! This was no way to correct my form. If she simply would have pushed my shoulders back, I would have gotten the point. She did this to Dori and Melissa and we all thought it was odd. Thighs were over and I barely felt any pain. Yes, I dread thighs in Core Fusion. At the same time, I love how I feel after when my thighs are burning. I feel like it is a waste of time when thighs are too easy.

We moved on to stretches on the ground. We did them against the wall instead of in the middle of the room. They were short and sweet. Next we stood up sideways against the bar for butt. We lifted our legs behind us and pushed back over and over.

Source: http://www.barmethod.com/bar-method-exercises.html

This one move was the only butt exercise we did until the end of class. I barely felt it. In Core Fusion, my butt burns during this section! My legs also burn during butt! Bar Method butt was way too easy. I want this butt:

I can’t imagine that ever happening from the one exercise we did in class at Bar Method.

We moved onto some ab exercises against the wall. I was in curl position but the instructor told me to sit up more. In Core Fusion this would have been too high up. We held the bar while sticking our legs straight up. This was fine. Next we did flat back against the wall. We held the bar while doing different leg moves in the air. This was similar to Core Fusion but not as painful for some reason.

We did more pushups and then moved onto abs. We were told to get in the curl position but with our elbows on the mat. This is usually the starting position in Core Fusion. Eventually we either hold our arms against our legs or up in the air. I was surprised when we left our elbows on the mat for abs. It was so easy! We did typical crunches while holding on. Someone tried to put their arms in the air to make it more challenging and the teacher told them not to! Finally at the end of abs (which was only 4 or 5 minutes long), we were told we could put our arms in the air. I was actually happy to do the more challenging ab move. I wanted a workout!

Source: http://www.barmethod.com/bar-method-exercises.html

In Core Fusion I usually can’t handle the curl. It burns. I’m not usually able to keep my arms in the air for more than a few seconds. I was completely fine doing this in Bar Method.

We finished with the same butt moves that we do in Core Fusion. We lay on our backs and lift our butt up and down. I finally felt like I was doing something during this since it lasted long. We finished with some quick stretching. I looked over and had no belt to stretch with. Where was my belt? Oh…they ran out. Fine. There was not much to stretch anyway since I barely felt like I worked out!

Eventually the hour was over. I could not believe how easy the class was. I did not break a sweat at all. I usually leave Core Fusion drenched and in pain. I usually can’t walk up the subway stairs after class. I usually feel energized and amazing after. I did not feel this way after the Bar Method. I would rather a class be insanely hard and have the option to modify it myself than feel like I got no workout at all.

I can’t get over the price of this class. First of all, there is only one location in New York. Exhale has 6 locations in New York. There is also only one class level. Exhale has Core Fusion Beginner, Open, Advanced, Sport, Yoga, Music Flow, and Cardio! A one month package to Bar Method is $440!!! Crazy! Just one location at Exhale is only $150a month. A montly pack to all of the Exhale locations is still cheaper at just $285 a month. This also includes discounted spa services and guest passes! I don’t know where they get off charging so much money!

Today I found out that one of the teachers from Core Fusion was genuinely concerned about why I haven’t been to class. Dori explained to her that I ran out of classes in my 10-pack and was waiting for the classes to go on sale again at RueLaLa.  She was worried that I would lose everything I’ve worked so hard for. She even gave Dori a free class to give to me. I’ve never experienced a place where the teachers really care about each student. She did not want to see me lose my results. Once again, Core Fusion amazes me. I’m glad I tried the Bar Method but will be sticking with Core Fusion to get the personal attention, incredible workout, and lean, toned body I deserve.

Be sure to check out Dori’s review of the class here!

Related posts:

1. The Bar Method-Round 2!
2. Core Fusion Cardio!
3. Core Fusion Lean & Toned Review & Giveaway!

Last night I went to my first Core Fusion Cardio class! The class is brand new and actually just started last week! I was really excited when I heard they were making this class because I felt that cardio was the only thing preventing me from joining Exhale. Dori  and I decided to take it last night with Fred Devito, the founder of Core Fusion and creator of the class! It was nice to know we were getting the real deal for our very first class.

The class was at the Madison location. It was my first time there! I walked in and they had a big store of beautiful jewelry and workout clothes. I had to walk as fast as possible into the locker room so that I would not be tempted to make a purchase. I found Dori nice and early so we waited for her friend Jackie to arrive. The 3 of us took a spot in the front row of the room. Fred instructed us to get a yoga mat and 1, 2 or 3 pound weights. We were also told to go barefoot instead of wearing our grippy socks. I decided to go with both 1 and 2 pounds since I had no idea what to expect.

I was very nervous in the beginning of class! I heard from a few girls that it was intense and there were a lot of mountain climbers. Mountain climbers remind me of Jillian Michael’s yelling at me during the 30-Day Shred! Fred is a lot easier to listen to than Jillian so I figured it couldn’t be too bad!

Fred showed us the proper way to do mountain climbers before class started. Here is a picture in case you do not know what they are (not Fred by the way).

You get into a plank position and drive your knees up towards your chest alternating back and forth. They are hard!

 He also explained the difference between spinning and Core Fusion Cardio. He said spinning is anaerobic exercise which burns sugars and carbs. Core Fusion Cardio is aerobic exercise which burns fat. Instead of getting to 100% of our maximum heart rate, we would aim to get to 70%. We would be at a level where we could still speak while working. Fred actually checked up on us in the middle of class to make sure we could still speak!

We started off with some stretching. One of the first songs that came on was by DeadMau5 (one of my house music loves) so I was immediately happy! We did a move several times throughout the class where we stretched our upper body to the left, then to the right, and then to the back. Afterwards we got down into a plank and did 8 mountain climbers. Every time we did the “left, right, back” stretch, we knew it was time for more mountain climbers! In the beginning I was not very happy and almost wanted the class to end! I thought the entire class would just be mountain climbers. I was completely wrong!

We did tons of arm moves using our weights. I used 2 pounds for the entire class except for just one little section where I could not hold my arms up anymore! We did punches in all directions of the room which was really fun! We did some balance moves while doing triceps. We did lunges while doing shoulder moves with the weights. In between all of these moves, we did our mountain climbers! They increased each time but seemed to get easier as the class went on. Eventually we made it to 64!

One of my favorite things about the class was all of the different arm and shoulder exercises! Every single move we did involved our arms. I really want my arms to get toned more than anything else so this was exciting for me! Core Fusion Open has one arm section with a few planks and pushups but I always leave wanting more. I think going to this class a few times a week will definitely help my arms look better!

The class ended with the usual C-curve for abs! I should not have expected anything less! Every Core Fusion class ends with a C-curve! Fred said we would do it for 4 minutes. At first I groaned but it actually went by pretty fast! I was able to handle most of abs which was nice.

At the end of the class, Dori and I just looked at each other in amazement. This was Jackie’s 3rd Core Fusion class ever and she loved it too! We were all completely drenched and the hour flew by since the movements were nonstop! I loved that there was no jumping around, yet the class felt much more efficient than spin or any other cardio class I’ve taken. I will never have to worry about injuring my knee in this class (hello inTensati and elliptical). There were plenty of older women in the class that were able to handle everything as well! I don’t know what else to say other than it was amazing and seriously the best class ever. I was on a complete high for the rest of the night. The class gave me so much energy that I was literally dancing around my room in excitement! Core Fusion Cardio plus Core Fusion Open would put anyone in the best shape ever. Right now just Fred and his wife teach the class 3 times a week. They are in the process of training teachers so more classes will be added soon!

I need to join Exhale now. I would never need a gym again if I could take these classes all of the time! The only thing stopping me now is the price! I like going to all of the locations which is obviously a lot more money than just joining one location! For now I am just going to use up my 10-packs and then figure something out. I love how I feel after every class at Exhale so I think it will be worth it to join. We’ll see!

Stay tuned for my next post about Core Fusion Yoga! Let’s just say it was the first time I’ve ever enjoyed a yoga class! Have a good day!

Related posts:

1. Core Fusion Pilates Plus Giveaway!
2. Core Fusion Energy Flow
3. Core Fusion Meetup and Pasta!

Happy Friday! I’ve had a nice productive morning so far! I went to my usual Core Fusion with Dori before work.

Excuse my… “I woke up at 5:30 in the morning “appearance! Today’s class was extra special since Meghann joined us! She was visiting NYC all the way from Florida and happened to be staying at the hotel where Core Fusion is located!

The class was really good today! There were only 4 of us so we got extra special attention. The 4th girl would have had her own private class if Meghann was not in town! Dori and I usually go to another location on Fridays! The teacher switched things up which is always nice. I liked doing butt on the floor instead of against the wall for a change. My legs were shaking and burning as always! It was great meeting Meghann and I’m glad she enjoyed the class! We parted ways and I headed off to work.

I was extra sore today since I took Total Body Conditioning after work last night! I really missed that class during my inTensati challenge! We did tons of lunges and squats! I really wonder how I used to use 8 pound weights in that class. I use 3 pound weights in Core Fusion and it burns! I used 5 pound weights last night which were perfect. Maybe I was doing some of the moves wrong before? I felt like my form was much better last night since I am getting lots of practice with weights lately. I finished my workout with 15 minutes of walking on the treadmill.

I got home and made a delicious dinner with the roomy. We decided on whole wheat pasta! We started off my cooking mushrooms, garlic, and peppers in EVOO. 

We also steamed up some broccoli.

I made a big salad with the vegetables and topped some pasta over the salad. I still had some Parmigiano Reggiano leftover from my cooking class so I added some on top. It added a wonderful flavor to the dish.

We had red wine of course

We split a bowl of sugar-free chocolate pudding with bananas and whipped cream for dessert! Yum!

I have to leave you with these…

Have a great Friday!

What is everyone doing for Valentine’s Day?

Related posts:

1. Core Fusion Cardio!
2. Drinks, Core Fusion, Whole Foods=Fun!
3. Core Fusion Energy Flow

Hello! Today is a nice day since I just got an early dismissal e-mail! I get to leave at 1:00! Gotta love snow days! It is also my dad’s birthday so happy birthday dad! I will do a little recap of Monday and Tuesday before I head home!

Monday morning I went to Core Fusion before work. I tried out a new teacher since they just started offering morning classes at the location next to work. I really liked her. She changed up a lot of different moves which kept things interesting and challenging at the same time. It was nice being right near my work instead of near Central Park when I was done. I got to relax in Starbucks for a half hour and read a book with a nice cup of coffee.

I got to work and had the usual oats with bananas and yogurt. Lunch was the usual turkey wrap so I won’t bother showing you again!

I got a text before leaving work asking if I wanted to grab a margarita from 5 Burro Cafe after work. Of course I agreed since I am pretty addicted to that place! I decided to go to the gym for a little since I can’t expect to lose any poundage with margaritas all the time! I did 40 minutes on the elliptical and then headed over to the restaurant.

Mango and Lemon margarita! I love my new dolphin!

At the blogger meetup a few weekends ago, Julie got the Grilled Shrimp salad and it looked amazing! I decided to try out the Lobster salad instead of my usual fajitas!

It was amazing! Definitely one of the best salads I’ve ever had. There were huge chunks of juicy lobster, peppers, avocado, and onions. I might be getting this every time from now on!

My friend got the beef tacoswhich looked really good too! I may have had some of that melty cheese!

5 Burro is seriously the cheapest place to go if you want a quick buzz! One margarita for just $8.00 did the trick! Going on a Monday was a pleasure too. There was no wait and barely anyone in the restaurant! Good to know!

Tuesday

My oats looked extra good so they seemed blogworthy! 

They were extra filling too! I was craving a nice big salad after my huge bowl of oats so I went to Hale and Hearty for lunch.

I got edamame, chickpeas, broccoli, cucumbers, and carrots with low-fat carrot ginger dressing. I also had some Cheddar popchips on the side. Love that flavor! I realized after I bought the salad that they charged me for chicken instead of chickpeas. So annoying but I was too lazy to go back and complain about $1.15. Oh well!

I’ve been bad about showing you snacks but I had a pear and a Kashi bar later in the afternoon. I had plans to take 2 Core Fusion classes after work so I knew I wouldn’t be able to have dinner till 10:00 at night! The first class I took was called Music Yoga Flow. I met Dori and Kristine at the Soho location. Dori was already there taking Core Fusion Open so I got to wave to her while she was stretching her legs. It was fun watching the class for once. There were lots of moans and groans!

About Music Yoga Flow (from Exhalespa.com)

This class is geared for students looking to have a great time in a consistent flow from pose to pose. Set to great music, including rock, reggae, hip hop, blues and world beats, each flow class offers an inspiring message and a deeply relaxing finish.

This description above is very accurate. I really enjoyed the music during the class. It was a great mix of songs that I actually knew.  I can’t say that I loved the class just because I am not a yoga fan. I keep trying to like it but I can’t relax. My mind races and I always feel like I would rather be doing something else. If I were to take a yoga class at all, I would choose one like this. We did a ton of planks and some pushups so I liked that it actually felt like a workout. I don’t think I would run back to the class anytime soon though. I only have so many classes in my package so I prefer Core Fusion Open much more!

There happened to be a Core Fusion Open class right after so Kristine and I stayed. I really loved the class. Once again, the teacher played really great music. I get so much more into the class when they play loud dance music. My weights actually felt a little light last night so I think it is time to upgrade! Core Fusion is working! I could actually handle abs more than normal too. Usually I feel like I am the only one who can’t stay in the C-curve for very long. Last night she had us put our legs in the air first and then put them on the ground and this seemed to help me. The time went by very fast too!

As I was leaving, a bunch of girls started chatting about how Core Fusion helped them lose inches from their legs! They said it is better than any personal trainer at a gym. I completely agree. I think I could actually afford to join the Soho location in the future (it is a lot less than the other locations) so I might consider it once I use up my packages. We’ll see!

I got home around 10:00 at night  so I was quite hungry for dinner! I tried to keep it light since it was so late. I made 1 egg and 2 egg whites with a salad and hummus.

I wasn’t satisfied so I had a Vanilla Chobani with some dark chocolate covered cranberries. Sorry no picture! It was very delicious though!

I am off to go venture home in the snow!

1) Do you have a snow day? Are you staying in or playing outside?

Related posts:

1. Weekly Workout Roundup
2. Ow!
3. Core Fusion Energy Flow

As most of you know, Sunday was the final day of my inTensati Warrior Challenge. It was a 2 hour long finale similar to the orientation. I walked in and finally met Alison from Foster Fitness! We’ve been tweeting back and forth about the challenge but never met till Sunday. I also found Maggieright away and took a spot next to her. We got name tags just like the first class. Before I get into detail about the class, I wanted to show you a little video about inTensati incase you have no clue what I am talking about!

The class started with everyone going around the room and sharing some of our thoughts about the challenge. A few girls spoke about how it made them so much more confident and happy in every day life. Another girl talked about how saying the affirmations out loud made a huge difference in how she felt after class. We found out later that this girl sang with Green Day at the Grammy’s!! So cool!

Eventually we got started with our crazy cardio! Patricia and 2 other instructors, Lindsay and Natalia (the girl with the curly hair in the video above), took turns teaching us. It was fun to see Patricia in the back actually taking the class! She actually had a tough time keeping up! I took Natalia’s class on Wednesday so I was good at her part of the routine. I never took a class with Lindsay before! I could not believe the energy she had! Amazing. Patricia finished us off with yoga-like stretches and relaxation moves. Normally we would finish class there.

Since it was the last class, we did something a little extra. Patricia told us to find a partner. Maggie and I decided to be partners since we already knew each other. I know that probably defeats the purpose but we are shy. We were told not to speak but to stare in each other’s eyes. This part was weird to me. I don’t really like looking into people’s eyes for more than a few seconds! It would have been different if we were actually talking I think. This lasted for maybe 2 minutes! Patricia said nice things like, “Notice your partner’s beauty and strength.” It was nice…just different.

Next we had to hold hands and shut our eyes. She said more nice things but I wasn’t really listening. I have A.D.D. Next we had to hug our partner. I’m glad I chose someone I actually knew! It was a lovely bonding moment for Maggie and I.

We then got in a huge circle while sitting on the floor. We all held hands. Patricia said a lot of positive things but I kind of kept zoning out. So bad, I know. I found myself thinking about what I was going to do when I get home! Oops. The class ended with a raffle but I didn’t win anything. They gave away a shirt, gym bags, and wrist band. The girl who had the most bracelets won a free massage! This girl had 29!! She said some weeks she went twice a day! My legs could barely handle every other day! I ended up with 13 bracelets. At least I filled my 3 times a week quota.

I wanted to share some positives and negatives about the challenge. I’ll start with the good!

1) The class was an amazing workout! I burned around 400 calories every class which is the same amount I usually burn in spin. The time went by much faster than spin!

2) The class was fun and did not feel like a workout! It was a lot of easy dance moves, punching, and kicking to fun techno music.

3) The energy in the class was incredible. Everyone shouted, yelled, counted down, etc.

4) The positive affirmations really did make me feel good for the rest of the day. They stuck in my head until I went to bed at night!

5) The teachers were full of energy and all incredibly nice and friendly!

6) I enjoyed the relaxing yoga moves before and after each class. 

7) I saw a lot of the same faces each day which was nice.

The free month pass to Equinox was an added bonus

Negatives

1) The class was pretty rough on my legs. There was a lot of jumping and kicking on hardwood floors so I started having knee issues some days. The jumping was optional so I probably should have just done the moves without it.

2) I think there could have been more stretching at the end of each class with such intense cardio and leg movements.

3) I gained 3 pounds this month. It is pretty frustrating since I exercised A LOT!!Another girl taking the challenge also gained a few pounds. We think the class was so intense that it made us starving after! I do feel like I ate a lot this month so I guess that is why. I am excited to get back into my lighter cardio for a while and hopefully lose the weight.

4) Each teacher used the same routine for the entire month. The classes were amazing the first 2 weeks but then I got used to the routines a bit too much.

5) They played pretty much the same songs every class. I did love the music but there are plenty of house and techno songs that they could add to the playlist!

Conclusions:

I am extremely happy I had the opportunity to take the challenge. I loved the positivity and  high energy in every class. It really does rub off on you. I think the solution to my negatives would be to take the class maybe once a week. 3 times a week was too much on my legs. I also got too used to the routines. Once a week would be perfect. Luckily they offer free classes at places other than Equinox so I should be able to take them on a regular basis. I felt great after every class and can’t wait to try more!

I also wanted to share some conclusions about Equinox vs New York Sports Club. The first few times I went to Equinox, I really wanted to join. The locker rooms seemed nicer and there are a ton of classes on the schedule. Last night I went back to New York Sports Club and realized I really like it there. Here’s why:

1) The lockers are bigger at NYSC. I could barely fit everything in the lockers at Equinox. Equinox did have a coat check but I never felt like using it.

2) NYSC is a lot less crowded. It was wonderful being in the locker room last night and not getting bumped into. It was also really hard to find an open elliptical at Equinox.

3) There are TV’s on every screen at NYSC.

4) NYSC is $100.00 cheaper per month. This is probably the most important thing for me. There is no way I could ever pay $145 to $175 a month at Equinox!

5) There are 2 NYSC’s near my apartment but Equinox is only in the city.

Yes, I will miss the big comfy towels at Equinox, the Kiehl’s body lotion, the razors, Q-tips, Zumba, and inTensati.  NYSC is a lot better for me right now though.

It was great to try out Equinox and maybe one day I’ll get into another inTensati challenge!

What do you look for when joining a gym?

Have a good day!

Related posts:

1. New Challenge: intenSati Warrior!
2. The IntenSati Situation
3. Warrior Day 2 and Hip Hop!