Happy first day of March, Angelenos! It’s now two months into 2016 and I’m sure we’ve all had some ups and downs with our New Year’s resolutions. Thankfully, there are plenty of fun ways to get sweaty all around the city this month. Grab a friend and get into the fitness spirit!
Tag: classpass
I tried the Megaformer and here’s what happened
Allow me to introduce this post by saying that for one year I begged and pleaded that my best friend Colleen make the leap and switch from a regular gym membership to ClassPass. Thankfully, as a ClassPass ambassador, we were given a free month to gift to a friend as a holiday present. I immediately texted Colleen and let her know that now she really had to start because her first month would be free!
The timing was perfect; she was on winter break and had plenty of time to try out the Atlanta fitness scene. I immediately recommended that she try a megaformer class—the one workout that promises to make my muscles shake no matter how often I go.
Read on to find out what happened from her perspective…
Swing + Sip Event Recap
Swing and Sip was a success!
On Friday night, I hosted an event at AIR Los Angeles that turned out to be the perfect girls night.
Guests arrived around 6:30 and Lindsey, AIR owner, led us through a mixture of tough exercises with fun aerial moves filtered in. I’m pretty sure I can speak for the crowd that “air” burpees are even worse than regular burpees.
Although it was a Friday night and the crowd was a little tired, as time went on everyone got chattier and more daring on the silks. Nothing like a few flips and falls to get a group of women quickly giggling together. We learned how to hang upside down and flow through a mini routine that had us all feeling like aerialists.
Once the sweaty part was over, Crystal introduced the three wines we would taste. Crystal is the mastermind behind the company Sip Wines Online that sends perfectly curated trios of sustainable wine right to your doorstep. These packages make perfect gifts for parents, hosts, and even brides!
The wine was absolutely delicious and her choices did not disappoint!
My husband decided to join the party later on and even tried his hand at the silks! Even more laughs were had as he not so gracefully maneuvered his way into some pretty tricky poses. I’m so impressed by his efforts and always love having his support at my events!
All in all I’d say this was one of my favorite Sweat and Repeat events because of the relaxed atmosphere. It’s been such a fun journey to be able to meet so many awesome women in Los Angeles who also lead healthy lifestyles but know how to have fun!
Look out for future event invites on my Instagram, @sweatandrepeatLA.
Thanks to Bethany and Glam Packed for the gorgeous pictures, Lindsey at AIR for the venue and class, and Crystal from Sip Wines Online for the vino!
Strength at Uplift
At a Glance:
Website: http://www.upliftstudios.com/Uplift-Studios-Los-Angeles
Address: 8254 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Length: 55 minutes
Price: one class/$28, 10 classes/$260, month unlimited/$300
Sweat scale: medium
Energy level: medium
While Los Angeles is blessed with so many great places to workout, I always feel like New York City is one step ahead of us. Thankfully, the new trend is for NYC based studios to head west and set up shop where blizzards are less likely to prompt a class cancellation. Enter: the opening of Uplift!
SoulCycle x Target Pop Up
In partnership with Target, SoulCycle has been bringing its heart pumping classes to the masses—for free. For the last month, these classes have been literally popping up in ten cities all over the US, including Miami, DC, Seattle, Nashville, Minneapolis, Chicago, and of course, LA.
For three days, Soul Cycle bikes take over a super cool space in each city, offering local residents a shot at spinning with the best!
The pop-ups also allow riders a special chance to shop the exclusive SoulCycle + Target collaboration that includes a sweatshirt + sweatpants and a tank with the famous Soul wheel logo. There’s also a variety of the C9 by Champion gear—Target’s line of active wear—well, more like athleisure with how cute it is.
I had the opportunity to check out a class this past Saturday in the penthouse of the downtown AT&T Center that offers incredible views of LA. The experience was exactly what I would expect of both brands—seamless check in, great swag, and countless insta-worthy photo ops.
For 45-minutes we tapped it back and spun like crazy—per SoulCycle fashion—to awesome beats with an even better view. It threw me off a bit to spin in broad daylight because I love being able to close my eyes and really get into the moment, but the energy in the room and from the instructor made up for it.
On the way out, we were given a swag bag with a Suja juice, KIND bar, and coupon for $5 off some c9 gear!
Thank you to SoulCycle and Target for an incredible event and for choosing such a picture-perfect spot to sweat!
Barefoot Bootcamp at Set and Flow Yoga
At a Glance:
Website: setandflowyoga.com
Address: 1619 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90028
Length: 60 minutes
Price: first class free or five days for $5, day pass/$25, month unlimited/$79.99
Sweat scale: high
Energy level: medium
There’s a brand new studio in the heart of Hollywood that happens to be literally across the street from my apartment. It doesn’t get any better than that! Oh wait, it does… Not only do they offer classes like barre, TRX, and hot yoga, they also have amazing amenities that encourage studio go-ers to stay forever.
When in LA, do as the Angelenos do
One of the best things about living in LA is how easy it is to convince people to visit. When I moved here, friends were lining up to get a spot on my calendar, eager to leave the cold and enjoy our never-ending sunshine! After hosting a variety of visitors, I’ve put together my top five things to do with fitness enthusiast friends.
1. Go for a hike. This one might go without saying since it’s so rare to have an ugly day in LA; spend time outside! My two favorite hikes are Runyon Canyon (great for people watching and not too long) and the Hollywood sign hike (about six miles but you get amazing views of the city and, of course, the sign!).
2. Grab yogurt at Go Greek. If you follow me on Insta you can probably tell that I am OBSESSED with this place. They offer authentic Greek yogurt and frozen Greek yogurt topped with fresh fruits and sweet honey. The yogurt is packed with protein and probiotics so you don’t feel too guilty afterwards! This is also a Kardashian favorite so your guests are likely to do some celeb spotting, too.
3. Check out an LA exclusive workout. We are #blessed with so many great places to sweat in this city and your guests are bound to love them. Some of my favorites that you can’t find elsewhere are Speedplay LA, Rise Nation, Cycle House, Sandbox Fitness, and Lagree Fitness Studio. Many even have a “first class free” option!
4. DIY photoshoot. LA is also known for its colorful walls that make gorgeous backgrounds for pictures. My favorites are the pink wall on Melrose and the LOVE wall in Culver City. You can find a list of some of the popular options here. It’s a great way to tour the city while filling your feed with likeable images.
5. Eat healthy. Most people think vacations are a time to binge eat fried food (I’m not going to completely disagree), but in LA there’s no reason to go crazy on snacks that will make you feel sluggish because we have so many delicious healthy options. I recommend trying local juice places and acai bowls. My favorites are LA Juice, Kreation, Nekter and Backyard Bowls (pictured below). If you’re in the mood for savory restaurant options, check out Gracias Madre and Café Gratitude—both vegan and super trendy.
Whether you take my advice or not, your guests are bound to have an incredible trip to the City of Angels!
Have any must-sees that I missed? Share the wealth and comment below!
Sweat and Repeat gets LIT Recap
There’s a new studio in town that I’m crushing on: LIT Method. Their motto is “We build you, we don’t break you” because they promise a killer low impact workout that’s guaranteed to make you sweat without hurting your body.
I love this place so much that about 10 minutes into my first workout on opening day, I decided the next Sweat and Repeat event must happen here.
So it did!
The owners Taylor and Justin are some of the friendliest people I have ever met and they were thrilled to open their studio to my readers.
Vimmia and sweetgreen were in on the fun too—giving each guest a gorgeous pair of leggings (that you can buy here) + headband and a seasonal salad.
Throughout the 50-minute sweat session, we rotated between the rower and the floor. On the rower we sprinted, rowed side-to-side to work our obliques, and even did bicep curls. Rowing is an awersome cardio exercise because it gets your heart rate up quickly but doesn’t harm your joints.
Floor work included planks, mountain climbers, and squats—sometimes with the added challenge of the resistance bands and straps.
Best part is? Every class ends with foam rolling! So you’re basically giving your sore muscles a mini massage after getting your butt kicked.
Once we finished, we all headed out to enjoy lunch on the gorgeous patio.
Thank you to everyone who came out—I had so much fun sweating together and then cracking up over “Rockettes” inspired pictures to show off our gorgeous new athleisure wear 😉
Thank you to LIT Method, Vimmia, and sweetgreen!
Shout out and huge thanks to Thira from The Daily Dorothy for taking all of the gorgeous pictures!
Want to get LIT? Sign up for a class here. They’re also on ClassPass!
Restorative at YogaWorks West Hollywood
At a Glance:
Website: http://www.yogaworks.com/location/west-hollywood/
Address: 1067 North Fairfax Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90046
Length: 85 minutes
Price: first two weeks/$25, 1 class/$22, 10 classes/$195, month unlimited/$100
Sweat scale: low
Energy level: low
Sometimes there’s nothing better than just chilling out. After a busy weekend, spending time in relaxing stretches was exactly what I needed and it was the perfect excuse to finally check out YogaWorks.
Cycle House Express Ride
At a Glance:
Website: http://www.cyclehousela.com
Address: 8511 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Length: 30 minutes
Price: first class $18, 1 class/$29, 10 classes/$260, month unlimited/$329 w no commitment
Sweat scale: high
Energy level: high
It took me a while to jump on the band wagon and give Cycle House a shot, but ever since I did (and it’s been a year now), I’ve become an addict. I frequent Aaron’s 5:30 class because his energy is almost as crazy as how absolutely friendly and approachable he is. Since the new year has started, I’ve noticed these classes selling out on ClassPass which is why I decided to check out the brand new 30 minute express ride. “No weights. No breaks.”
sweat and repeat 