Category Archives: San Francisco

Dailey Fest- A Morning doing Barre in the Sun

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I first started incorporating barre into my fitness routine about 2 years ago after having a lower back stress fracture. Up until then running and body pump had been my two main workouts. Over the years as I started to continue to increase my intensity with these two workouts my body could no longer take all of the excessive pounding and forced a break on me, literally. At the time it was one of the scariest places I had ever been mentally. How would I survive 6 months without running? What if I gained weight? How could I tell people I was a runner if I was not actually running? Like anything in life you learn to survive with what you can control. For me that was finding new ways to keep active without pounding on my body. It was with this break I found my obsession, barre classes.

The first studio I went to in the city was the Dailey Method in the Mission-Castro district. For me it was love at first site. The class was hard, while also being fun. The music was current and up beat,  the teachers were helpful while still providing adjustments. It was a great workout, but one I always looked forward to. I found I never dreaded it like I would some days with running or spinning. I was always excited to go, the more classes in a week the better. For the last couple of years barre has become a huge part of my everyday life. So when I received an e-mail with a barre event in the city I knew I had to attend!

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Last Saturday in celebration of the Dailey Method’s 15 year anniversary Jill Dailey the founder had a barre celebration in the Presido Park. There were several fitness and health vendors there along with various teachers from all of the Dailey Method studios across the bay area. The morning started with Jill Dailey leading a 60 minute mixed class at 10:00 am. I was wondering how the class was going to be structured considering usually a good chunk of the class is done with the barre and several different props. I was impressed with how creative Jill was with the class. For instance when it came to barre work barre work everyone had to team up with their neighbor for stability and use them in place of a barre.

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After the first class was complete there was a 15 minute break before the 45 minute interval class started. The interval class was lead by 5 of the different studio owners taking turns on the microphone. What I liked about the interval class is it was fast paced and really got your heart rate going. This is something I find hard to achieve in barre classes. So when it does, I know it was a good one. I am not going to lie, but the end of the almost 2 hours of barre I was a sweaty mess! All in all it was an amazing morning. I loved being outside in the sun practicing something I love with others, feeling like part of a community.  I had hoped to bring a friend to join me in the festivities, but alas my fellow fitness pals were all busy. I deiced I wanted to go to bad to let going alone stop me. Sometimes it is good to push ourselves, to not let obstacles get in our way, and if you want to do something go do it. I had no regrets on my morning date with myself and the other 100+ barre fanatics in the city.

Sunday Afternoon, Time For A Nap

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Life can be chaotic. It can be fast, stressful, busy, and tedious. However what makes it all worthwhile are the moments in time when you pause, step away from all of the noise, and appreciate just being present. Taking the time to sit and be still. Today was just one of those days. After grabbing coffee Dustin and I decided to walk to a neighboring park. The sun was beaming down, the grass green and inviting, so for almost an hour we just laid there. We enjoyed the live music at the neighboring bar echoing over the fence, watching the father and son running around, and just having time with one another. Sunny Sunday naps in the park may need to start becoming a weekly ritual. Hopefully everyone else had just as an enjoyable one!

Transforming My Home, It All Starts Now

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It was a little over a year ago I embarked on my journey of becoming a home owner in the city of San Francisco. Let’s not exaggerate though, a home in San Francisco is really a 1 to 2 bedroom apartment and if you are lucky perhaps a single family home with 3+ bedrooms. Buying a place in one of the most coveted cities in the United States, maybe even in the world, all by myself, was a huge personal accomplishment. One I am still very proud of to, but also very frustrated by. When you dream of buying a home you envision certain “must have” criteria for your house. I knew buying in San Francisco would be tough, but still imagined I could find a 2-bedroom home, with maybe some outdoor space, and in a lively neighborhood I would want to live in as doable.  I never expected my first place to be over half a million dollars, come with 1 bedroom, and I would be lucky to have gotten it.

From the moment I bought my house I have had nothing but a constant rollercoaster of emotion. Let’s  start with the fact that I do love my place. I love it for its location, central to everything in the city. It is an old Victorian built in 1893 with nothing but that San Francisco charm we all know so well. I have loved older homes my entire life. I have vivid memories of my grandparents old Victorian with the skeleton keys to unlock every room, the large mantels over the fire place’s, a hidden back stairwell, and an attic to escape to. I always wanted a home that held a secret. And yes if I could I would build a secret passageway behind a book shelf, I am just that kind of girl.

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When I first moved into my place I fantasized what the house was when it was first built. How it must have looked standing tall and vibrant in an area surrounded by trees and fields. Who were the original owners? What was their day to day life in the house. How did it all look before it was broken out into 5 separate apartments.  All the stories it must hold. The character is by far my favorite attribute to my home. I love the original hardwood floors, the tall ceilings, the brass door knobs, and the trees standing right outside of all of the windows.

What saddens me about my place is really just a few things. My place is rather large for a 1-bedroom at 800 sq. feet, but it has an awkward layout where the bedroom and bathroom are massive and the kitchen and living room are on the smaller side.  This makes it harder to entertain, which is by far one of my favorite past times.  I always imagined as an adult I would have a home where I could have people stay the night at when they came to visit or after having one too many drinks. I would have an open kitchen and dining room with a large table to throw dinner parties, I would have a patio to enjoy an after dinner drink in the summer or a cup of coffee in the morning. I guess when you live in the city by the bay your home cant have it all because your city already does. You are forced to sacrifice space for your environment.

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With all of that said one of the best parts of being a home owner is if you want change you can do it. You don’t have to settle. All you need is time, resources, and an imagination.  From the moment I placed a bid on my place I knew I wanted to redo the kitchen. I have always seen the kitchen as the heart of the home and although mine was not “awful” I knew it was not what I wanted at all.

We moved into our home in August of last year. We immediately un-packed and then life got busy, which meant little focus on our home after those initial first few weeks.  Now that life has slowed down for a moment and I can breathe I am taking advantage. I decided my goal for Q2 (can you tell I am always focused on business) is to make my home a priority.  I want to nest, to build, and to make it the place I envision in my head. Maybe it will not become a 2 bedroom, but it can be a place to entertain, a home I am proud of.  This last couple of week’s I have started the steps to redo the kitchen. I feel excited and overwhelmed at the same time. Right now plans have been built, almost all of the bids are in, which means hopefully in the next week or so I can sign off and let the work begin! Biggest change? Bringing down a wall to make an open kitchen and living room. I can hardly wait!

Yoga, Sake, and a Night Club, Equals A Workout Party

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A couple of weeks ago I had a friend send me a link to a pop-up yoga event in the city wanting to know if I would be interested in checking it out with her. Upon looking at the title I saw pop-up vinyasa yoga followed by sake tasting and in less then a minutes I had already RSVP yes! My two favorite things in life, sweating and drinking together, well how could I resist.

The event was run by a VinyaSF, a group who hosts pop-up yoga events at various bars around the Bay Area. As their website states they are “An underground pop-up power yoga movement in San Francisco. Our goal is to create balance, fun, and community through awesome power yoga classes that change locations throughout the city a couple of times a month.” Personally I love this concept. There is something very liberating about bringing fitness to an unexpected place you would usually not associate with health, aka a dance club or bar. It reminds me of events my girlfriend back home used to do where she would teach yoga classes in Breweries. Which we named”Bend and Brew” after a night of brainstorming on good micro-beers.

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The event was on Wednesday night, which was perfect for a mid-week pick me up. Usually by Wednesday I am itching to do something with friends, but don’t always want to go out to dinner or drinks. Doing a yoga event with a friend was that perfect balance of still being healthy, but also getting some social time in. The class started at 6:30 at a bar in the SOMA district called Audio Night Club. I made sure to arrive a little early to get a spot and have time to catch up with my friend. Upon arriving I was greeted by a few very friendly ladies who signed me in along with giving me some free swag from Luna (chapstick and granola bars.) I am a sucker for free stuff and took this as an omen the event was going to be good. I headed up the stairs to the night club section with my girlfriend as we picked out a cozy spot on the dance floor to setup our mats.

The yoga class was 1 hour and 15 minutes, which I was nervous might feel like an eternity. We started off in typical fashion on our mats as the DJ started to get the music going. I have to say I ended up loving the music in this class. It was not the typical yoga mellow music where the goal is to make you relax and focus on being stress free. Instead it had an upbeat to it, which made you feel more suited to be in a dance club. The lighting was also a big selling point as they kept the red flashing lights going, so not the full on party mode of the club, but a nice change of pace.

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The class itself ended up being a pretty good yoga class with a perfect mix of strenuous moves balanced out with stretching. After having already worked out on the morning, I was not looking for a workout to completely kick my butt so this ended up being exactly what I had wanted. Our instructors were a couple of different girls who alternated giving us instructions throughout the class. Every now and again they would throw in a joke or something light hearted to make sure everyone was having fun and not taking themselves to seriously. As they said “In a few hours someone will be drunk right where you are doing your downward dog.”

I also really enjoyed the sense of community which was built throughout the class. The teachers did this by having us at one point reach out to one another and put our hands on each others shoulders as we lifted one of our legs behind us while trying to stay balanced. Something not typical, but it did make you feel connected to everyone around you.

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As we wrapped up I felt relaxed and at ease, however also ready for a drink! We made our way downstairs to the bar and proceeded to get our sake tasting on. Of course with everyone coming down all at once it ended up taking a while for us to get our drink. So by the time we were done with our first round of sake we were ready to call it a night and go home to eat dinner. I was starving and had started to fantasize about food during our last bit of stretching.

All in all I loved the experience! There is another event in May, which I might have to attend. One of my favorite things about living in San Francisco is exploring the new. Hopefully this is just one of the many new fitness experiences to come.

Sierra City- A Weekend Getaway

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All Photos taken by the beautiful Miss Erica

 

Growing up I would spend a lot of time with my family at our cabin in Leadville, Colorado. When I was young I hated going to it. To me the cabin felt old, small, and minimal. There was no cable TV, taxidermy was the decoration of choice, and time spent there was being active during the day and relaxing at night. Two things I hated in adolescence.  My grandfather had built the cabin, so it was just that a true “cabin.” Friends parents had condo’s in fancy places like Aspen or Breckenridge. I would find myself being resentful at how rustic our cabin was, embarrassed to bring friends to it. I always wished it was fancier and in a popular mountain city.

However as I got older I realized how special our cabin really was. The features I hated about it as a teenager are now the reasons I love it the most. I learned to not only like our cabin, but I fell madly in love with it. I am not able to make it back to our cabin as much as I would want, so now any chance an opportunity arises to  get away somewhere remote I am all in. Even thought I might still be local it is comforting. Like going home without being at home.

This past weekend I had just the chance to experience a piece of home in California. One of our friends has a family cabin in Sierra City and invited Dustin and I along with another one of our close couple friends to come up and enjoy a weekend getaway.

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All photos taken by the beautiful Miss Erica

The drive was long, about 4.5 hours to be exact. However we caravaned up there  early afternoon. We stopped ion Sacramento for dinner at a little whole in the wall Mexican restaurant. I had double downed on exercise earlier that day (spinning and barre) as I knew I would be sitting for a long period of time and wanted to be able to enjoy myself full over the weekend without worry. I ordered the chicken fajita’s, which had to be some of the best Mexican food I have ever had.  Of course I had to indulge in the tortilla chips, a guilty pleasure of mine I have too hard a time ever saying no to. After dinner we did a driver swap so the girls and boys could each ride up together.  We arrived at the cabin around 10:00pm and settled in quickly with a fire and some drinks. The cabin was just as cozy as I could have hoped for!

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All Photos taken by the beautiful Miss Erica

The next morning I woke up cozy, relaxed, and excited for our day! We had made plans to go on a 10 mile hike. After a week of hard workouts I was looking forward to moving my body in a less intense way. In typical fashion the girls made breakfast for the group, which was enjoyed with freshly brewed coffee. Next we packed up and proceeded to the starting point.  The hike was absolutely beautiful! It was just warm enough outside to not be sweating, but wasnt so cold that it was unbearable.

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All Photos taken by the beautiful Miss Erica

The first 2.5 miles took us up to a beautiful lake. Upon arriving we stopped in our tracks just marveling at the beauty of it. We were surrounded by everything that is amazing in nature. Just the 6 of us, Cooper, and nature. Of course this was just the start, we had another 2.5 miles to explore.

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All Photos taken by the beautiful Miss Erica

We continued to march upward, passing along amazing rock formations and just looking at the bright blue sky ahead. As we started to approach the last leg of our hike and what would be our summit spot for the day, we had one last large push up. Only a steep hill was between us and the summit. By the time we made our way up the hill the group was huffing and puffing, ready to relax and enjoy the view. Although we had hiked 5 miles at this point the group still had enough energy to throw a few snowballs and have a photo shoot. Yoga poses on top of a mountain, yes please!

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All Photos taken by the beautiful Miss Erica

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All Photos taken by the beautiful Miss Erica

 

Next we hiked back down the 5 miles and made our way back to the cabin.  I made some chips and guacamole, an easy snack, but always a crowd favorite.  It was all devoured quite quickly as none of us had eaten lunch and had only had snacks on the trail. After sitting for a moment we decided our next stop would be into town to grab a beer at the local watering hole.

I loved the small town of Sierra City. It was just a road with a handful of places to go. We made our way into the local bar and proceeded to have a few drinks, play the jukebox way too loud, and shoot some pool. Oh did I mention this was one of the places Cheryl Strayed, the author of Wild, stayed on her hike of the Pacific Coast Trail! It felt like being where a celebrity had been. Nerdy yes, but true.

After what had been a couple of hours and as it started to get dark outside we realized we had not had a full meal yet. Of course when you realize this you then become immediately hungry! We all quickly rushed home to prepare what we would later call the meat fest. In just one hour the group was able to grill ribs, chicken breasts, sausage, veggies, make a green salad with fruit, mashed sweet potatoes, and a bean/corn salad. For 30 minutes no one talked as we cleaned every last plate of food. By the time we were done we all were beat and ready for bed.

The next morning was an early departure as everyone wanted to get back to the city before the day got away from us. We picked up, packed the cars, and at 9:30 am were on our way back to reality. All in all it was truly an amazing weekend with great friends and nature!

Yoga Sculpt followed by Spinning, Good Morning!

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I had originally been signed up to go to Barry’s Bootcamp for my morning routine today, but due to an old back injury starting to flare up I decided running and jumping around would not be in my best interest. In the spirit of me trying to listen to my body more I decided to be spontaneous and try two new places this morning which would be more low impact on my back. Yes back to back new studios!

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First up was Yoga Sculpt at Hot Yoga Ocean Avenue. Class started at 6:00 am, which meant a nice 5:15 wake up call for me. Half asleep I got myself up and ready, then by 5:35 I was out the door and on the road. What I love about working out early in San Francisco is there is no traffic on the roads. You can zip from one side of the city to the other in no time. In a city only 7 miles by 7 miles you can get anywhere in about 15-20 minutes.

Parking was easy, I pulled right on up and was in the door with 5 minutes to spare. I setup my mat, grabbed my set of weights, and waited for the class to begin. The class was 45 minutes and it went by super fast! It was a great combination of stretching, yoga poses, cardio bursts, and weight lifting. I dont know if it was the workout or the fact I was moving around in a very heated room, but either way by the end of it I was sweating all over! Class was done at 6:45 and I quickly grabbed my mat to run out the door to head over to a spinning class which started at 7:00. This class was 8 minutes away so I was cutting it close on time.

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At 6:55 I pulled up to Fit Glen Fit located in Glen Park, a cute neighborhood I had never spent much time in. I was able to park right out front again, which was the only way I was able to pull this double workout off. I jumped out of the car and made my way into the studio. I had only been here once before back in November so I was excited to give this place another try. What I love about this spot is the neighborhood vibe it invokes. If there was a Cheers Bar of gyms this would be it.

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The spinning room is located in the back of the gym, a bright and warming space. There are only a handful of bikes, but it was the perfect amount for a pleasant and intimate class.  The instructor Claudine had a bright smile and a demeanor making you feel like you had been friends for years. Instead of setting her bike up in front of us, she jumped on a bike in the middle, a rider like the rest of us, guiding us through our ride. I appreciated the change and felt like I was riding with a group of friends instead of just sitting in a class being instructed on what to do next.

The spinning part of class was 45 minutes. Claudine had a good mix of music and varied up the routine from sitting, to standing, to hills, and sprints. It was a perfect sweat, not too hard, but not super easy either. The last 15 minutes of class was devoted to ab work on the floor, which was a nice active cool down.

Upon finishing my morning I walked over to the neighborhood market to explore what it had to offer. I could walk around a grocery store forever if I had the time. Next I grabbed coffee at the little shop around the corner, again another local neighborhood spot I was proud to have found. Although I was still in San Francisco, being in 2 completely new areas made me feel like I was on a little pleasant vacation. It is amazing how rejuvenated you can feel just by switching up your workout routine, trying a new studio, and being in a new area.  All I know is this routine might just have to be duplicated next week!

Things I am Liking This Week-Christmas Edition

Posted in San Francisco, Things I Love by

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My favorite way to kick off the holidays is by getting my Christmas Tree. It does not feel like Christmas officially until the Christmas Tree is in hand, lights are on setting a comforting glow, and it is dressed up in it’s finest ornaments ready for the weeks ahead.  I had always had an artificial tree my entire life, until 4 Christmas’s ago when I met Dustin and he insisted we get a real one. That first holiday together we had big plans to go down to a tree park, walk around while sipping on hot cider or coco while picking out the perfect one for our first holiday together. In reality what happened was we got lazy and ended up going to Lowe’s, which has now become our yearly tradition. Usually we go for a much bigger tree, but this year the smaller one seemed to be giving us the eye. Her shape was perfect and when we both saw her we knew, this was our tree this year.

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I like all other 7 year old girls am in love with the movie Frozen. Is it because I am a big kid at heart or because I am engulfed with Toys all day for work? I am not sure, but either way this Elsa ornament was one of the best gifts I received this year. She was combined with Christmas yoga leggings and homemade champagne jam. How my dear Jaclyn knows me so well.

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This time of year my favorite treat in the morning is coffee. We have had an over abundance of rain this year and it has made weekend mornings more dreary then usual. I have found the best way to perk up the day is after a great sweat session making my way to a new place and ordering something in. I typically get my coffee to go, but there is something so comforting about drinking coffee from a giant mug.

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We all know I already have an obsession with shows. I don’t know what it is, but getting dressed up, going out for a nice dinner, followed by a show screams the holiday season for me. I have been blessed over the last couple of months to attend almost a dozen different shows. They have ranged from live music, to comedians, and to musical’s my all time favorite. However the highlight has to be going to see a Christmas Ballet with one of my closest girlfriends. I have a fascination with ballerina’s. Their thin, yet muscular bodies moving in beautiful patterns across the stage just memorizes me. So of course once you add in bright red costumes and the song “Santa Baby” I am in pure Christmas heaven.

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One of my favorite Christmas traditions is driving around looking at Christmas lights. It amazes me the time and energy people put into making their houses Christmas statements and bursting with light all for others to see and enjoy. This year now being blessed to live in a neighborhood where walking is my preferred means of transportation I found myself taking my beloved golden retriever on longer walks just to explore the lights. This was by far my favorite house I came across.

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This time of year my two favorite past times are reading and going to see movies. Both are so comforting and relaxing. Right now I am engulfed reading “Wild” with a goal to finish it before the movie leaves the theater. Why not combine my two favorite past times? Add in Cooper and this is a dream night.

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We all know I have an obsession with beer. Not just any beer though, really good beer. I love dark, creamy, sweet beers. Stouts, barley wines, porters, dubbels, browns, you name it. Every year the anticipation of coming home to Colorado always starts to build when I think about all of the new amazing beer I will get to try. New breweries are popping up constantly and last night I was able to try a new one in my hometown. Although none of their beer was on my drink again list, the place felt like Christmas just sitting by the fire.

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Christmas is about spending time with the people you love. I feel as we get older,  your family starts to grow and blend, Christmas becomes about carrying on your family traditions while also creating new ones. Today my longest and best friend Kristen started a new Christmas Eve morning tradition. A brunch of healthy, homemade, and delicious food paired with beer mimosas, and topped off with homemade cookies. I have to say this by far has been one of my favorite moments this holiday.

I wish all of you a happy and healthy Christmas!!!

Nothing Pure about Pure Barre

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Over the last year I have tried a lot of various barre classes from coast to coast. What can I say, when I love something on the verge of slight obsession I try to get my fix in whenever and wherever I can. Barre is different from other workout classes though. Unlike a spinning class where even if an instructor is just ok or the music is not as motivating as you would like you can still always manage to get a great workout in. The same is not true for barre.

A barre class can range from feeling like a slight warm up where you leave feeling relaxed and stretched or it can be a full on sweat heart pounding session. If barre is going to be my primary workout for the day then I prefer the later. However after a cardio session a more mellow class can be preferred. For myself there are very few barre studios out there where the class feels like a truly hard workout. However it has happened. I can now say I have finally found my match and its name is Pure Barre.

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I have wanted to try Pure Barre for a while, but since the only two locations in the city have never been the most convenient to where I live I just never got around to doing it. A couple of month’s ago I decided it might be time to try one out. I had gone to a spinning class in the morning and after a stressful day at work I thought why not do a barre class to help me relax and unwind before heading home. I picked Pure Barre based on the time and figured it would probably be a mild workout at best so my body would not be too exhausted from what I had already done. Wow was I wrong.

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Unlike most barre classes where you focus on a set of work and then follow it by stretching the muscles you just used, Pure Barre just keeps you moving through sections one after another, after another, after another. Essentially the class is “Pure Barre.” Just when you think you are going to get a break from a hard sequence and be rewarded with a nice downward dog or leg stretch you are hit with another set. Every part of my body was shaking and quivering throughout the hour session. By the time the cool down hit I was truly worked, but in a way that brings a giant smile to your face.

I have now been to Pure Barre over a handful of times at both locations. Each time I leave happier then when I entered. Their studios are not as posh as some of the other barre studios in the city, aka Pop Physique in Russian Hill with the hard wood floors and floor length windows overlooking the lush trees in the back or The Bar Method in the Marina with the glitzy chandelier and velvet couches in the main lobby. However there is something I appreciate about a place that holds itself up on the content of what it has to offer. A truly hard, fun, and uplifting workout. Just writing this makes me want to sign up for my next fix.

 

Getting All Hot and Sweaty From Barry…..

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Yes it is true. For the last few weeks I have been getting all hot and sweaty from a new man in my life, Barry’s Bootcamp. The first time I remember hearing about Barry’s was while reading my dirty little pleasure US Weekly magazine. One of the segments the magazine features from time to time is where they showcase celebrities doing regular activities and try to convince  us how normal they are. Well this was one of those segments. I cant remember which celebrity was coming out of Barry’s Bootcamp in LA, but I do remember being impressed by her and thinking to myself how I  wanted to try Barry’s to workout.  Yes the magazine had sold me, if it was good enough for her why not me?  Slowly I started seeing more and more buzz on this new workout. It was starting to garner the hype Soul Cycle had, but alas it was only in NYC and LA. So when it came to San Francisco a few months ago I knew I was going to have to give it a try.

Now I am going to be real for a minute. I hate bootcamp workout’s. First off I hate being told what to do, then you combine that with someone yelling at you, all while doing something hard that my body does not want to do. Yep not my favorite. In my mind this is exactly what Barry’s was going to be. So the idea of doing Barry’s was not because I really wanted to try the workout, it was because I wanted to see what the hype was about.

When I made my way to Barry’s for the first time I was impressed by the facilities, it was new sleek, and just gave you a feeling of being part of the elite. They are located right across from the ballpark, so getting there early morning to park was not a huge hassle. The class was packed with a mix of men and women, all of which were extremely attractive and fit. San Francisco in general is a young and fit city, but the people here were  the cream of the crop.

The class was broken out into 4 segments, all about 10-15 minutes in length. You have the option to start either on the floor with weights or on the treadmill. I of course picked the treadmill as I wanted to end with weights. All of the segments were focused on high intensity workouts. You would go all out, then break for a minute, then go all out again, and so forth. The first segment was focused on sprinting and by the end of it I was already sweating a ton. Then we swapped with the group on the floor and started with the weights. This particular class was focused on arms and back, so all of the weight exercises involved those muscle groups. Again it was all about the high intensity reps. After the weight segment was complete we traded again and I went back to the treadmill. This time it was focused on hills and taking the treadmill into dynamic mode where you move the machine. I have to say it was HARD! There were moments where I almost had to stop, but of course being super competitive I pushed through. Next was back to the floor to wrap up weights.

By the end of class I felt as worked as I do after an hour long spinning class at full intensity. I loved the combination of cardio and strength training. To me it is the perfect combination! I have now gone to Barry’s a handful of times and every time I leave with a smile on my face and exhausted. Did I mention they also have really amazing bath products in the locker room! It makes getting ready there quite enjoyable.

The one downside of Barry’s is the price. It is about $30 a class, which for me was probably the main reason I had not already tried it. But low and behold, my new lover Class Pass offers Barry’s Bootcamp. I highly recommend trying Barry’s for anyone who wants a group fitness class that is different and will work your body!. I am already looking forward to going later this week.

 

 

 

TRX- Not Just For The Boys

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Three years ago when I first started dating my main squeeze, we used to spend a lot of time walking the streets of Russian Hill where he lived at the time.  I had always lived in Potrero Hill, which I loved for its amazing views, sunny disposition, and all while having a small neighborhood feel in a big city. However getting to know Russian Hill was like getting to know the heart of the city. There was constant hustle and bustle, bars and restaurants galore, and young people as far as the eyes could see. We would walk everywhere on the weekend, just getting to know each other all while exploring what the neighborhood had to offer. For me it was not only a chance to get to know this new amazing guy, but also learn a part of the city I never even knew existed. One place we would pass by consistently on our walks was the TRX Training Center. I would walk by and stare in the window amazed at what these strong and fit athletes were doing. I remember thinking to myself how intimidating it looked and how I would never be so intense to try such a thing. Well I was wrong…..

I have done TRX a handful of times over the last year, but not enough to feel 100% comfortable in the workout yet. When looking at places to try with my Class Pass account I stumbled upon the TRX Training Center and thought what a better time then now. So I signed up for this last Sunday’S class at 9:30 am.

Upon waking up in the morning to go I felt nervous and excited. I went on a quick 3 mile run to get my body loosened up before heading into class. Once in there I was impressed by the lay out. It was a large, bright, space, which just felt legitimate. The instructor was great, he pulled all of the new people together to give them a quick run down of the studio and the workout ahead. After he finished explaining everything a 60 minute timer mounted on the wall was set to start timing down and the fun began.

The class started with 2 minutes of jumping rope and then moved into more boot camp drills like mountain climbers, high knees, and butt kicks. From here we moved onto a TRX circut where we used the machine along with other various tools around the studio and we would alternate between stations. After every 10 minutes or so we would stop the circut to do more jump roping. I had no idea how hard jumping rope was! This format continued like this through the rest of the hour and by the end of it I felt pretty good! The only thing I didn’t like about the class was you are so busy trying to figure out what you are going to be doing next that it made it hard to really focus in on what you are doing.

Overall I liked the workout and the studio. I would not say this is one I am dying to go to every week, but will be nice to through into the mix every so often.  At the end of the day though I am proud of myself for trying something I thought I never would do. It is nice to push yourself sometimes.