Category Archives: classes

March 7, 2013

Three Things Thursday

I’ve been slacking in the Three Things Thursday department! Whoops. But today I am feeling good, am back to being a normal human, and my anxiety is finally at a low, which brings me to my first “thing”…

Thursday

1. I AM OFFICIALLY AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST! Whew, this is my biggest news maybe ever. After a lifetime of schooling and months of studying for my licensing exam, I found out this morning that I passed and am officially an OT! I’ve been waiting for over 2 weeks for the results and could barely sleep last night in anticipation, so I woke up super early to check my results online. To relax myself I have been baking excessively (as you will be able to tell later on in this post) and offsetting the calories by working out/running. Luckily this morning it was GREAT news!

Even though my graduation ceremony was last summer, passing this exam actually marks the completion of everything I’ve worked towards. Today I am the happiest girl in the world and can’t wait to celebrate. I love OT!

And now its official!

And now its official!

2. Last weekend I was lucky enough to attend an event hosted by Pilates Pro Works NYC and organized by my friend Kristine. I am already in love with this studio and go here often for TRX and Pilates Reformer classes so I was thrilled the event was happening here. They have GREAT instructors and the studio itself is big and beautiful. They also have great customer service and are super friendly.

The class we were all taking that day was a 30/30 class: 30 minutes of Pilates Reformer, 30 minutes of TRX Barre. I have taken the Reformer class in the past and this one did not disappoint, it was as good and fun as it was in my previous experiences. I really love the uniqueness of this class and using the Fit Former machine!

Pilates Reformer room

Pilates Reformer room

The TRX Barre portion was also very good, although my preference was to the Reformer. I typically take a regular TRX class at Pilates Pro Works that I love, so I think Barre may just not be for me in general. But it was still a really good workout and fun to try!

Kristine really went all out in planning this and had snacks and goodies for everyone at the end of the class. She also hosted two raffles: a PPW hoodie and a Nike Fuel Band. Everyone put their name in and to my surprise I won the Nike FuelBand! I was so excited and have been addicted to it ever since. Its fantastic! (full review to come when I use it more).

Event goodies and my raffle prize (@NikeFuel)

Event goodies and my raffle prize (@NikeFuel)

This event was also a great opportunity to meet in person some other bloggers and ladies who I’ve “met” via social media! They were all amazing and we had a great time at the class. Its times like these I remember how much blogging has changed my life and introduced me to so many great people!

Such a great time with these girls!

Such a great time with these girls! Photo from Jen

3. My last random thing is just to share some photos I took recently around the city. I went to Staten Island for a doctor’s appointment the other day (yes, my doctors are all still there) and was sitting on the ferry just looking out the window. I was such a nice day and one of those that I remembered how much I love NYC. Some days its super stressful and I want to do is get out of here, but then there are those times I remember how lucky I am.

Love this city.

Love this city.

I was taking the subway the other day too and saw tiling work from the old subway lines when they were under independent operators (like the Independent Subway System) rather than exclusively the MTA. It is fun to randomly run into things like this and stop quickly to think about the history.

Love seeing old signs like this.

Love seeing old signs like this.

NYC2

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Three running items on my wish list:
1. Mizuno Wave Inspire running shoes: I want these SO badly!
2. These Pro Compression socks
3. New Nuun flavors: hello, watermelon. I need you!

Last three things I cooked/baked:
1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pancakes: To celebrate my exam!
2. Healthy German Chocolate Cake
3. Indian Basmati rice with chick peas

pancakes cookies

Source: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/05/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-pancakes/

Three movies I want to see:
1. Wreck it Ralph
2. Oz the Great and Powerful
3. Catching Fire (yes, I know I still have a long wait for this one)

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Also, if you haven’t already, enter my awesome Plant Fusion protein powder giveaway here.

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Tell me three things about your week/day.
Answer any of the three things questions above.

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December 27, 2012

Running Hiatus & Revolve Fitness {Real Ride}

Now I know I’ve said this before, but my body seriously hates me. After my recent ski trip, I came back and went on two runs. The first was fine. But during the end of the second and during recovery I noticed a bad pain in my proximal tibia (area on the tibia below the kneecap). It got worse and that day even walking was painful.

Its been a week since then and while the pain is less, it is still there. Especially when going down stairs. Now, I’m pretty concerned its a stress fracture (symptoms indicate this) from doing too much too soon while skiing, plus I’ve had a stress fracture before so I know my bones just stink. I’m currently loading up on Calcium+Vitamin D and trying to get an appointment with my doc. But until then, I’m sadly on a running hiatus.

Unfortunately, there will be no more of this for a little while…

Last healthy run.

Last healthy run.

*****

After no physical activity for a week straight, I decided to go to a spin class to see how things felt (by the way, they felt okay.. yay!). I am typically a Soul Cycling kind of girl but had the opportunity to try out a new studio called Revolve Fitness. Revolve originally began operations in Washington, DC but recently opened a studio in Union Square. This class was also exciting because it was Karl’s first spin class, and I’m happy to report that he loved it!

The facilities: The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the welcoming staff, the clean environment, and that it was relatively spacious for a boutique spin studio. There were co-ed locker rooms downstairs (with an easy built-in lock system) and small male/female bathrooms with showers. It wasn’t too crowded and was very manageable in terms of space. The studio itself was the normal size for a spin studio, with the instructor in front and the lights dimmed once we started riding.

revolve4-1024x553

*Rendering from Revolve website

The instructor: We chose a “Real Ride” class with Kristin Kenney, a Senior Master Instructor with Revolve Fitness and a kick-butt fitness trainer. She helped create the overall organization of this class (based on ACTUAL road cycle routes) and was incredibly motivating. She had a drawing of the uphills and downhills to expect along with intervals, and she pointed out what point in the course we were at during the 45 minute class. She also helped give corrections in form and checked RPM levels of the riders and I loved the way she communicated what to expect.

The class: The first thing that I noticed at Revolve were the bikes. This studio uses Schwinn bikes with a fancy little screen in front that tells your RPM to help keep on pace. At first I wasn’t sure about this but it was actually helpful for pacing myself, adjusting resistance, and made sense of how much effort is needed at any given time (e.g. “ride at 80 RPM” as opposed to “ride at 75%”).

revolve2png

“Real Ride” was created based on real road routes and this class consisted of 11 hills. In order to help keep people at the same pace, Kristin let us know what RPM we should be riding at and about how much our resistance should be (low-moderate-high). Downhills were at lower resistance and faster RPM while uphills were the opposite. Most of the class was in the saddle, with some intermittent sprints our of the saddle in second and third positions. I didn’t mind this since it reminded me of riding my actual bike, although I’m used to a bit more time out of the saddle.

The class had no upper body component but was 45 minutes of continuous cycling, which allowed me to sweat up a storm like it was nobody’s business. Kristin was very thorough and incorporated resistance with cardio very well. The 45 minutes flew by and I had a ton of fun!

Screen shot 2012-12-27 at 3.05.06 PM

The verdict: I will definitely be back to this studio! Kristin was a great instructor and I liked the format of the class. I felt like it was a great workout, but a lot of fun. Karl agrees and we will both be back! Maybe I’ll even try the $99 Unlimited Intro month… a great deal.

The Details
Cost: $28 + $2 shoes
Location: Union Square, 52 E. 13th Street
Classes: Real Ride, Body Ride, and RIP Ride
Length: 45min or 60min
Schedule: http://www.revolvefitness.com/newyork/reserve-main.asp

*****

Have you been to Revolve?
What is your favorite place to spin?

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December 7, 2012

Pushcart Coffee Run Club & Pilates ProWorks {Pilates Pro} Review

Last night I met up with Katherine and we headed to Pushcart Coffee on 21st and 2nd. Not only is Pushcart a cool coffee shop, but Lisa (the owner), Eryn, and Katherine organized a running club there that started this week: Push the Limit Running Club. Runs will be Tuesdays (6:30am) and Thursdays (6:30pm) each week with a fantastic group of runners! PS. If you want to join, feel free to come by!

We split into two groups: one slower and one faster pace. Both groups started out together and ran along the East River. I’m definitely a huge baby about running in the dark so I will only do it with someone else. Needless to say I was very happy having company since some parts of the path were super dark.

Push the Limit Running Club

Push the Limit Running Club

I am sad that I won’t be there next week to run because I’ll be in Vermont until the 15th, but I’m excited about having a group to run with finally when I get back! It makes running so much more enjoyable and gives me motivation in the cold, dark winter months. Can’t wait to see them again on the 18th.

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Today I went for the first time to a place called Pilates ProWorks for a Pilates Pro Method class. I’ve never taken an official group Pilates class before and have never used the FitFormer machine either. I was a bit intimidated at first when I read about the class only because I wasn’t sure what to expect or if I’d go in there and make a huge fool of myself, which is always a huge possibility. But I’ll try anything at least once so I went for it and figured even if I fall off the machine, at least its a small class!

FitFormer machines and the Pilates Pro Works space

The instructor for the class was Jenn, who is the Head of Pilates at Pilates ProWorks and was really great. She took the time to make corrections for everyone there and gave cues to help you activate the right muscles. She also helped me out because she knew I had never used the FitFormer machine before which I definitely appreciated. I credit her help for me not falling flat on my face when using the machine! Thanks Jenn :)

Jenn

According to the website, “this amped up pilates class combines resistance, lengthening, strength training and cardio, helping you to feel better than ever.” It really focused a lot on core, which I appreciated since my core is weak, but also was a total body workout. But I liked how the class was designed in general. We worked arms, legs, and core but they were mixed in throughout… but in a logical and fun progression. I really liked this because sometimes its boring to do ALL legs then ALL arms, etc. She mixed everything across 55 minutes really well.

  There wasn’t a whole lot of cardio but the workout was intense that it got my heart rate up nonetheless. Her workout was definitely tough, and I have a sense that I’ll be feeling in my whole body tomorrow.

I also bought these cute ToeSox for the class, you really do need the grips on the bottom!

Great investment! And no, those aren’t my feet.

The Verdict: I would definitely take this class again! I felt that it was a nice total body workout and the FitFormer machine was fun to use. Plus, your first class is $25 so check it out!

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Have  you ever taken a Pilates class before?
Do you belong to a running club?

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