We sent our intern, Allison, out on a little fitness research and asked her to blog about her findings. Enjoy!!
We all know that a bride wants to look her absolute best on her wedding day and for many that may mean losing weight and/or toning up! I don't know about you, but sometimes the gym trips can get a little stale, so I've set out on a mission to try out new things to mix up your workout routine.
1. FLYoga - Aerial Yoga @ Ra-Yoga in Phoenix, AZ
This is one of my new favorite things! Aerial yoga uses silk slings that hang from the ceiling to allow yogis to do several inversion poses that would take YEARS of practice to perfect in a regular studio. If you've ever seen the silk acrobats at the Cirque Du Soleil, it's kind of like that. And it's not as hard as it sounds! It's a killer core workout and all the inverted poses are very energizing! Also, the inversion poses decompress your spine and with a regular practice, you can gain as much as an inch in heigh! To top it off, the studio itself is amazing in its humanitarian efforts. Each class is offered for free with the hopes that you'll donate to which all the proceeds go to non-profit organizations. $5 is the recommended dontation. Where else can you find such a fun exercise class for so cheap? Ra also sells apparel, which is all organic and American-made.
2. Pole Fitness - Fitness to Nutrition in Tempe, AZ
I just tried my first pole fitness class this week thanks to a wonderful Living Social deal of 3 classes for $29. A drop in class at Fitness to Nutrition is usually $20, which is actually considerably cheaper than other pole studios in the Valley. They constantly have deals on their classes too, so watch out on Groupon, Living Social, Amazon Local, and the like. The intro class is so incredibly fun! Everyone in the room has fun with it and no one takes themselves too seriously. Really, it's okay to laugh at yourself for trying so hard to be sexy; that's a reason this would make a great bachelorette party! Everyone is goofing around, while getting a great upper body workout! The intro class teaches pole safety, conditioning exercises, and most exciting - spins! It's actually not nearly as hard as it seems like it would be and if you want to take it to the next level and learn climbs and inversions, you can sign up for a series after just a few beginner classes. And really, what sort of groom wouldn't LOVE a pole dancing bride?
3. Exercise on Vacation!
It's summertime and you're bound to go out of town at least once, but don't fuss about squeezing in gym time while on vacation. I brought my running shoes with me to Minnesota this month and never found a spare second to go for a run. INSTEAD, I focused on doing activities with my friends and family that would incorporate a workout. Spending all afternoon on the lake could have been wasted sunbathing, but instead I kicked up the activity by swimming, wake-boarding, and kayaking. When you are on vacation, there are tons of options for fun ways to get fit. Headed to the beach? Schedule a surfing lesson. The mountains? Take a hike, or hit the slopes in the winter. When I was in San Francisco recently, my boyfriend and I rented a tandem bike and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge! Not only was it a great way to see the sites, but it simultaneously gave us 2 hours of exercise ON TOP of all the walking around we did at Alcatraz and Fisherman's Wharf.
The best way to keep your workouts from getting stale and to stop your progress from plateauing is to mix it up and TRY NEW THINGS! Now get out there and sign up for that boxing class you've been eyeing or the trapeze lessons you've always been interested in testing out! You're bound to work out new, different muscles and tone up!
*Allison