Fit Chick in the City » Workouts

Kool-Aid in My Water Bottle

Jess — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:06:44 +0000

My morning started off with a 60 minute spin ride with my friend Richard at Soul-Cycle.

This is THE place to take spin classes in NYC right now. Soul Cycle is like a yoga studio filled with bikes. There are no locker rooms or showers. The lights are dim. Space is minimal. When you walk in the door you immediately feel the heat and energy from the current session. Bring on the Bikram spin! I was sweating before I even got into the actual studio.

In order to guarantee a space in any of their classes, you must book your bike 7 days in advance. The real kicker is that the classes cost $32.00!!! Yes, $32.00… infreakinsane! I was willing to shell out the big bucks to see what the buzz is all about.

The Verdict

I drank the Kool-Aid and loved it! Immediately after class I wanted to sign up for next Saturday. My endorphins almost allowed me to justify spending the money. However, 1 Soul Cycle class a week for one month is $128.00. Not gonna happen, the Kool-Aid wasn’t strong enough.

My complaint about the class itself is that it contained a few “filler moves”. Such as push-ups on the bike and right/left elbow bends (what the heck?). The energy in the studio was great, the music was great, but the price tag sucks! I could almost buy a monthly gym membership at Equinox for the price of 4 classes.

Did it measure up to my standards of what makes a good class?

Yes, the instructor scored an 8 out of 10.

What fitness trend would you like to try out that may be out of your normal price range?

I still want to try out Physique 57 at some point, but that will have to wait until next month.

Choose This Workout, Not That

Jess — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:50:40 +0000

I know that if I only have ten minutes to workout, I want those ten minutes to count! Sunday when I returned home from my run, I decided I wanted to mix things up with a core workout video.

Exercise TV on Demand is a great way to get in a workout at home and excellent way to save money. There are a variety of options available: short workouts, long workouts, yoga, pilates, dance, and even a Jillian Michaels workout or two. The only problem is that some of the workouts are not as effective as others. If you have ten minutes to workout, you want that ten minutes to be an effective use of your time.

If you’re really want to make those ten minutes count here’s my suggestion:

Choose This: Pilates Abs

Not That: Surfer Girl Abs

Pilates Abs was a safe and effective way to workout my core. I felt that Surfer Girl Abs, wasn’t an effective use of my time. The Husband was home while I was doing these videos. He laughed at me while doing the Surfer Girl Abdominal routine.

Maybe it’s an effective workout for someone else, but it wasn’t for me. I would not recommend this workout to a client. I just didn’t get how I was working my abs through this video. This video could be nice for a warm-up, but not great for an actual workout.

If you’re checking out these videos, skip the Surfer Girl Abs and head straight to the Pilates Abs workout.

Confessions of a Personal Trainer

Jess — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:26:16 +0000

Thank you for the suggestions regarding my princess and the pea problem. I ended up combining several of your suggestions. Just before I went to bed last night, I made a list of everything going on in my head. Once I got in bed I prayed and then counted. These three things helped me sleep like a baby! Thank you!!!

I have a confession. Be warned as this is shocking. One reason I was excited to workout during vacation is that I DO NOT workout in the gym. There, I said it and I feel so much better. I work in a gym I do not workout in a gym.

I run, I bike, I do yoga and I do mini workouts at home. I’m telling you this because you can workout for free! There are a million and one things that you can do without paying the price tag of a monthly gym membership.

The benefits of working out at home:

You can stay in your pj’s
Save money
Sneak in short bouts of exercise when you don’t have time for a full workout vs. missing a workout.
There is no travel time.
You can try out trendy workouts with out spending a fortune.

If you’re stuck with what to do for an at home workout, check out one of my kitchen towel workouts.

Trendy Workouts You can do at Home (without spending a penny).

Physique 57

Om Yoga

Exhale Core Fusion from Exhale Spa

Over the next few weeks I’ll be giving you more of my favorite mini workouts to be done at home. Check back tomorrow for tips on sneaking exercise into your busy schedule.

Mini WO

Jess — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:22:27 +0000

Hotel Room Mini Workout

This is a fantastic workout to do when you’re strapped for time or on vacation. The best part??? Its a full body workout that only takes 20 minutes to complete!

There are five sets that consist of two exercises. Each set should be done twice. You can complete all sets one time and then repeat or perform each set twice before moving on to the next. (Please excuse the ugly hotel carpet and curtain combo)

1st Set:

1. 30 Jumping Jacks to warm up.

2. Do as many push-ups as possible.

2nd Set:

1. 20 Squats

2. Rotating Plank (hold each plank for a count of 5-10, then rotate into a side plank, back to plank, side plank on the other side) Repeat rotation 4 times.

3rd Set:

1. 20 Alternating Forward Lunges

2. 10 Marching Planks

4th Set:

1. 15 Tricep Dips with a kick

2. 20 Single Leg Squats (10 on each leg)

5th Set:

1. 15 Super Womans

2. 15 Back extensions with Rhomboid Squeeze

Power Tuesday Trivia: Late Edition

Jess — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:47:18 +0000

Blogging while on vacation is a much bigger challenge than I anticipated! One good thing about being on the west coast is waking up early. Since there was a monsoon this morning, I headed straight to the scary hotel gym.

I ended up doing 45 minutes on the elliptical, ran 1 mile on the treadmill and completed mini workout #1 back in my room. I love mini workouts! I’ll post the details soon.

Power Tuesday Trivia: Late Edition

Week after week you’ve answered my silly trivia questions without reward. This week things are changing. If you answer the question correctly, you could be the winner of your very own Luluemon headband, that I recently reviewed. I loved this headband so much, I want to give one of you the opportunity to love it also.

Question: Who won more New York City Marathons than any other runner?

Here’s how the contest works:

Leave your answer in the comments section.
One person with the correct answer will be chosen at random to win.
Answers will be accepted until Monday, October 19th. The winner will be announced Tuesday, October 20th.

Good Luck!! Pictures from my first full day in Napa will be up tomorrow. Have a great night!

Vacation Workout

Jess — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:05:48 +0000

The weekend was crazy! I’ve missed you all. I apologize for being a little MIA, but I’ll be making it up to you this week with lots of blogging from the west coast.

I don’t usually workout while on vacation (GASP!). I start out with good intentions but then only end up working out once or twice. Well, this vacation is a little different. I really want to commit to working out since I’ll be consuming copious amounts of food and wine. That inspired me to create a Vacation Workout Commitment Challenge (VWCC) that you too can commit to the next time your on vacation. The best part about the challenge is that you don’t need a gym (although there is one where I’m staying). Each day along with photos from my adventures in Napa Valley, I’ll also be sharing my workouts with you.

VWCC

Complete 3 Mini strength training workouts (20-30 minutes)
Complete 2 Mini yoga sessions (20 minutes)
Complete 5 Cardio Sessions (30 minute minimum)

Start Date: Monday October 12th

End Date: Saturday October 18th

It looks like a lot, but its really just 50 minutes each day. I anticipate that some days I’ll split it up into two short workout sessions.

Upon first glance the fitness center looks great.

But upon further inspection, I’m not so sure any more. This is the sign in the far corner of the photo:

What are your workout habits while on vacation?

Remember that tomorrow’s edition of Tuesday Trivia will be a POWER edition featuring three questions and a PRIZE!

Wish me luck on completing the VWCC!

Friday Fitness Flashback

Jess — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:59:04 +0000

You’ve heard about Jane Fonda and her 23 workout videos, but have you actually watched one? Today’s Friday Fitness Flashback features a workout I call the “Jane Fonda.”

Whatcha waiting for??? Stop reading this blog and start doing these exercises!

Pumping Iron

Jess — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:05:04 +0000

Thanks for playing along and trying to guess today’s trivia question! Before we get to the answer, check this out.

It seems J. Love knows the best use of a kitchen towel is for exercising at home! Check out Shape Magazine’s October issue for more kitchen towel moves (Reading this article by another trainer made me smile yesterday).

Now for the moment you’ve been waiting for… The star of the 1977 film “Pumping Iron” is none other than the Gov’na of California and Mr. Olympia 1975.

It seems next weeks edition of Tuesday Trivia, should be a little more challenging.

Best use of a Kitchen Towel: Part II

Jess — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:20:52 +0000

Its a lazy, rainy Saturday here in NYC. The rain has given me a good excuse to stay inside for most of the day. Since my A.M. bike ride was rained out, I rode the trainer today. The Hubby use to be an avid cyclist He needed this to train during the winter months. Now, I’m the lucky one who gets to ride my road bike indoors.

It seems I’m an expert spaminator cause comments are getting blocked left and right on my blog. I had 12 comments blocked just yesterday. I need to remedy this issue, cause I really love, love, love reading all of your comments and I don’t want to miss a word that you have to say. I hope to have this figured out soon.

Without further ado, I present to you… Best Use of a Kitchen Towel: Part II A Call to Arms. Remember, if you have carpeted floors you can use a frisbee or a plastic lid in place of the kitchen towel.

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!