Kicking Off The Sports Bra Challenge 2013: Soul Cycle Rockstar Jenny Gaither’s Inspiring Mission

Posted on March 7, 2013 by FatBottomSlim

On Friday night, I went to the kick-off event for the Sports Bra Challenge 2013, a 45 minute Soul Cycle class led by the awesome Jenny Gaither, a Soul Cycle Rockstar and one of the founders of the S.E.A.K. Foundation. S.E.A.K (which stands for “Strive, Embrace, Achieve, Know”) grew out of a challenge that Jenny issued for herself 3 years ago to be comfortable in class in just her sports bra. It was a huge leap in self-acceptance for her and she wanted to be able to share that sense of empowerment that she found in that Soul Cycle room with the help of others. That original, seemingly-simple goal, forms the base of what S.E.A.K is all about – “promoting fitness as a platform for women to build the confidence they need to feel empowered and comfortable in their own skin – exactly as they are.” I love S.E.A.K’s mission and jumped at the chance to attend the kickoff again this year!

When I made it to Soul Cycle’s Union Square studio, it was packed with women who were there to support the cause and each other. I checked in, got my cute bright orange NB Sport Bra Challenge tank, and ran into a friend of mine all before making my way downstairs. It was, of course, packed in the women’s locker room and since I had on my workout gear already, I stashed my bag and got ready to head back upstairs. I then realized that I needed to change into the new tank I still had in my hand. Then, I did something I’ve never done before – In the middle of a studio hallway, I stripped off my old tank, tossed it in the locker and threw on the new one before I headed upstairs to wait for the class to start. When they finally flung the doors open, all the bikes were decked with whistles, glowstick circles and SEAK towels. Thankfully, I was in the back row and made quick work of setting up my bike.

Jenny launched into a ridiculously fun, challenging class that was filled with lots of choreography. We were out of the saddle, doing a million push-ups on the beat and rocking it out. Jenny called out encouragement as people pushed themselves to keep up with her insanely infectious energy. As we rode, she told us all about the beginning of the Sports Bra Challenge and told us if it scares us we definitely need to do it. I struggled to keep up with the choreography but loved every second of the class. Jenny’s joy, passion and commitment is inspiring and on Friday night, every single person in that room left feeling more confident as they walked out. Just like last year, on Friday, Jenny made every single person fall fully in love with the principle of the S.E.A.K… that everyone is special, unique and amazing, exactly as they are.

The Sports Bra Challenge this year will be held on Sunday, April 14^th in Union Square. Even bigger than last year, this year’s celebration will consist of two free kids fitness classes taught by SoulCycle’s Senior Master Instructor, Stacey Griffith, and one led by Exceed Physical Culture, and two, 300-bike SoulCycle classes taught by four of SoulCycle’s rockstar instructors: Stacey Griffith, Melanie Griffith, Ayana Curtis, and of course, the amazing Jenny Gaither.

Book your bike here and join in for this amazing day dedicated to women, to empowering one another to feel comfortable with their bodies- exactly as they are!

Photos from SEAK Foundation’s Facebook page

YOGASMOGA: Clothing & Karma

Posted on February 27, 2013 by FatBottomSlim

I first heard about the new company, YOGASMOGA (based in NYC), when I was sent their beautiful Breath video – and was immediately curious because I loved the sentiment of the video. Their online store is open already and they hope to have a physical store open in NYC this year. As they told me, they are in the process of finding the right location, “a special place where we can do events such as free evening and weekend yoga classes, as bringing the community together is one of our core principles.” After going to their site and reading how their company is based on “honoring the tenets of Yoga”, I loved the Karma-based core of this new company. YOGASMOGA’s desire to do good while creating clothes to workout in is awesome and when they asked me if I was interested in trying out some YOGASMOGA, I immediately said yes. I was so curious what I would get! When I got the package in the mail, I was shocked to find the exact outfit I would have chosen for myself – I giddilly pulled out a pair of their Tippy Toe Leggings and a Yantra Tank.

Even though on YOGASMOGA’s site they have spinning and running sections, I was a little worried about how the clothes would perform outside of the yoga world. I decided I’d break the outfit up and pair it with things I already own, just in case.

First up were the Tippy Toe Leggings in Carbon – I loved the look of these from the moment I saw them on the site – a long, tight legging made of their version of a high-performance wicking fabric called Aurum+. When I pulled them out of the bag, they seemed small but fit perfectly when I pulled them on. I was shocked by how flattering they were! I was headed to a Brett Hoebel workout at 24hr Fitness and thought it would be the perfect place to test them out. The leggings don’t have the normal “performance” fabric feeling and I was excited to see how they would hold up in what I knew would be a super sweaty class filled with constant movement. A Capoeria-based class, called “Nitro” was basically 45 minutes of speedy squat, low to the ground lunge and kick moves that never really let up. The leggings never bagged and stayed put in every single move – I never even fiddled with them once. Even though I was super sweaty at the end, they weren’t. I loved them and really just want to wear them constantly.

Next up was the Yantra Tank, a waist-length, fitted tank. I have a long torso so I am constantly yanking down most workout tanks, which are usually cut too short for me. Finding a tank that stays put is always a challenge. The Yantra is in India Blue and is really flattering on, but I was skeptical that it wouldn’t ride up during a workout. I decided to test this one out in a Barry’s Bootcamp class and I was fully prepared to be yanking it down constantly on the treadmill. This tank shocked me. It didn’t move an inch through sprints on the treadmill or the shoulder presses by the bench. It turns out their description is totally true - “You would think there’s a magnetic force controlling it – but, really, it’s just great design.” I LOVED this tank for running/bootcamp/strength workouts and it easily goes on my favorites list. I loved it so much that I also tried it in a spin class, but for me, it was just too low cut for that one. I spent a lot of that class catching glimpses of myself in the mirror and being like “Oh, goodness, there is a LOT of chest action happening here.” I wasn’t worried it would move and I’d put on a show, but it was just a little much for my personal taste!

There is a lot I love about the YOGASMOGA clothes that I tried: the fit, the function but one of my favorite things is that the awesome fabric that is used for all of the products is produced here in the USA. I love what they say about that choice on their site: “Science teaches, the fabric of our society can be more than the spirituality that binds us. We know that yoga pants can be hip and trendy. But, they can also create jobs for people in need when they’re manufactured in a town that’s desperate for opportunity. Not only are our fabrics made by our fellow Americans, but they are also eco-friendly as they haven’t accumulated frequent flyer miles.” YOGASMOGA’s mission to keep their supply chain close to their NYC headquarters is just awesome.

Karma is an amazing thing and I can’t wait to see what the year holds for them….

Images from the YogaSmoga website.

Disclaimer: I review only things I love. I was given these items to test but did not guarantee a review.

Lululemon’s Community Class: A Chance to Ride With Ryan Steinman At Soul Cycle

Posted on February 20, 2013 by FatBottomSlim

On a ridiculously cold day, I bundled up and made my way up to the Soul Cycle Studio on 63^rd and Lexington for the very first time. It’s been almost a year since I was on a bike at Soul Cycle but thanks to one of Lululemon’s awesome community events, I got the chance to ride with one of Soul’s newer instructors, Ryan Steinman.

When I got to the front desk to check in for my class, it turned out that I’d gotten moved from the random bike I had signed up for in the store. For a brief second I thought somehow I’d gotten knocked off the list and trekked out in the freezing cold for nothing – but it turned out I had been moved to the front row. Eek! I am not the most coordinated person, so in Soul classes with their notorious on-the-bike choreography, I usually try to hide in the back. After a brief moment of front row panic, I sucked it up, initialed by my name and asked for some cycling shoes for class. Turns out that because we were there with Lululemon, they were free! Free class AND free shoes at Soul Cycle?!? Score!

Soul Cycle’s studios are always ridiculously pretty, with their clean white spaces, dark slate floors and bright yellow logo accents – the 63^rd Street studio is no exception. I changed and headed into class to get ready for the ride. Thankfully, I managed not to bust my ass on the slick slate floors as I made my way into the studio– they really are so pretty design-wise but SO impractical! It’s been so long since I’ve ridden with Soul that this was my first time on their “new” bikes. I was shocked by how much better I liked these bikes – they are smooth, easy to adjust and had a better angle than the ones before… I was seriously surprised. I didn’t have any problems adjusting my bike but the Soul staff rushed around the room helping everyone who looked even slightly confused.

Ryan introduced himself to the group and proceeded to get us started as he put on his cycling shoes – turns out he was a corporate lawyer before finding Soul and changing paths. Almost immediately, he was on the bike and launched into the Soul pushup choreography and I was briefly concerned that I wouldn’t be able to keep up. Turned out, though, that Ryan was so easy to follow that I forgot how ridiculously uncoordinated the choreography normally makes me feel and just found myself grinning like crazy and having fun. Ryan’s music was great and eclectic –by far my favorite was a mash-up by DJ Robin Skouteris that included almost a full minute of opera. It was shocking and strangely, went perfectly with the isolation move he called out. The idea of the isolation is to use heavy resistance and to only have your legs move while keeping your upper body perfectly still – a brutally challenging move. Then, as the opera faded into a faster more kickass tempo, he called out for us to let it go. It was awesome. The ride flew by and was filled with talk of finding your soul, making choices, deciding to push yourself, and taking ownership of what you do in every moment; the exact kind of thing I’ve come to expect at Soul and love every time I hear it. I totally get why people love Soul Cycle. Last Sunday, Ryan’s class was exactly what I needed – a sweaty reminder that following you own path can truly be amazing.

Top image from Soul Cycle’s Blog, bottom image from their FaceBook page.

Ready To Work: Exceed Physical Culture With Ed Cashin

Posted on February 12, 2013 by FatBottomSlim

This week I finally made it up to Exceed Physical Culture to take a class. I have been hearing about how great the UES studio is for ages, so even though the “full body” description was a little vague, I knew I would be in good hands with one of the founders, Ed Cashin.

Ed has 25-years of personal training experience where he specializes in TRX, Russian Kettlebell and sport-specific training. Exceed Physical Culture was started because of his belief that “clients should have a facility that allows them to vary their workouts in an atmosphere that inspires results.” I don’t know why but I was shocked when I made it to Exceed and found the stunning street level studio. The main space is large with a glassed-off space in the back where the group classes are held – the space even includes Monkey Bars! The rest of the space that includes another downstairs studio, is used for personal training. When I got there on Monday morning, the studio was filled to the brim with people working hard – always an inspiring sight to walk into! I hurried downstairs to the changing room, stashed my stuff and made my way back up to class. I was ready to work.

I met Ed and he gave me a brief overview of how the class would go before it started. We were going to be doing 4 stations per round – rowing/jump rope, TRX, Bosu Ball and a Kettlebell station with a pushup “break” in between each round.

After a brief dynamic warm-up session, we were broken into groups of four and did each exercise for time. The change up in this class was that the time at each station was based on whatever group was doing rowing. Each time, the rowers were given a distance in meters to hit and everyone else went at their station until the rowers covered that distance!

There were 18 people in the class – which seemed huge for the small group space but once the class started, it never seemed crowded at all. I started out on the Bosu ball. Ed described the first move, a push up with one hand on the Bosu ball with a belly slap with the other hand when I came up. I knew I was in for a fun, ass-kicking session if that was the starter move! Next station, I was on the jump rope and got a chance to scope out the room. It was a fit crew and each station had some fun, challenging move – at TRX there was a one legged squat with leg lift, Kettlebells started out with a squat with press up. For the following rounds, each station had a new move that Ed would explain during our pushup “break.” I was so impressed with his ability to mix in so many creative and challenging moves using so few props!

This class kicked my ass and I loved every single minute of it. In each round there were moves I had never tried before –and I loved the competitive cardio on the rower thrown into the mix. Knowing that the whole class was counting on me to get those meters done so they could move on made me haul ass. It was so fun to have all of these challenging new moves and really see what I could do. At each station, for every round, I was impressed with Ed’s ability to always be there, checking everyone’s form constantly – that kind of attention and focus on form is what makes a challenging class absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to go back… and I really want to try out those monkey bars!

Photos and awesome video by Eric Stafford, Stafford Sports Media

Let’s Turn It Up: Lacey Stone Leads the Charge On The Brooklyn Nets’ Home Court With Nike Training Club

Posted on February 2, 2013 by FatBottomSlim

When I first heard about the Nike Women’s NTC event that would be taking over the Brooklyn Net’s home court at the new Barclay’s Center, I knew I had to be there. Since last year’s insanely awesome NTC event at Metlife Stadium, I’ve been on the lookout for another one of their crazy cool events. However it was the fact that Lacey Stone, former Division 1 Basketball player, current Nike Master Trainer and just all around fitness rockstar, would be leading the workout that sealed the deal. I needed to be at this event and stalked the internet for when the sign-up opened. I’ve walked by the new stadium that had been built in my neighborhood a million times but hadn’t been inside – really, could there be a better first time than from the court?

Since the Barclay’s Center is so close to my house, my friend Julia from FitJourney (who was also my partner in fitness crime for the NTC MetLife event last year) met me at my apartment for a little green juice before we headed over. Although we were a little early, we weren’t the first people there and after getting through security we went to hang out with the other earlybirds as people slowly started to arrive. It was fun to watch the awesome crew of sporty women gather and included some of my favorite people to workout with. I knew this workout was just going to be ridiculously fun. When we were finally given the go ahead, we headed down to the arena and to the VIP lounge rooms to get changed. We were handed NTC tanks and then directed to the small VIP rooms right off the court that were being used as communal dressing rooms for the event, which was sort of hysterical. When I entered my assigned room, a random girl looked at me and said “Well this is odd.” My answer: “Well yes, don’t mind me stripping in the kitchen.” I threw on my new NTC tank and headed out towards the court. As always, I want to be IN the event as long as possible; no hanging out in the lounge for me! On the court, I met up with the large, fierce crew that had gathered. We all hung out and marveled at just having the arena to ourselves.

Supporting Lacey for this event were Kym Perfetto (whose Soul Cycle classes, I’ve been told I need to take) and Deanna Jefferson an NTC trainer from DC. As soon as they were announced and started running to the stage, the crowd went nuts – we were so ready. By the time Lacey came out, the crowd had pushed close together up by the stage, hooting and clapping for her. She warned us to spread out but people didn’t really want to move. Luckily, I was surrounded by friends in almost every direction and we would just grin and work to get in sync so we didn’t land on each other. The 45-minute workout was geared towards a lot of hopping moves, lunges, fast feet and cardio bursts to mimic getting ready to play basketball. The awesome women on stage killed it with energy and Lacey kept everything moving and just FUN. Even when the music died in the middle of the workout, Lacey managed to keep things playful and going until it came back on. Seriously, my favorite part of working out with Lacey is always how solidly she kicks your ass while making it so much fun that you don’t even care that moving the next day might be challenging! By the end of the workout I was sweaty, sore and happy. The final moment though, when the stadium went green (the sign you reached your “fuel” goal on the Nike FuelBand) the stadium erupted in fireworks and the crowd went nuts! It was such an awesome celebration of leaving it all out on the court.

That wasn’t the end though, because after the workout was done and the fireworks were over, they wheeled out racks of basketballs so that everyone on court could take a few shots from the Free Throw line. I didn’t make a single basket but it was awesome to take the shots. I hit the rim every single time – except one, when the ball was going in and someone from the other direction knocked it out. Now that is funny. I might not have an ounce of basketball prowess but I LOVED the chance to take those shots. Seriously, how often is that ever going to happen? My favorite moment though, at the very end when most people had left the court, was seeing Lacey take the ball on an NBA court and play. It is always a treat to see that kind of talent and drive up close. Watching an athlete of her caliber getting back to something they love was just awesome… the joy of the game is real and it is inspiring.

Photos by Eric Stafford of Stafford Sports Media for Lacey Stone Fitness

Wellness Wednesday: ASTYM & Finding Hope At Finish Line PT

Posted on January 30, 2013 by FatBottomSlim

A few weeks ago, I made a comment about my ridiculous foot issue on a story on FitChickInTheCity about Finish Line PT. Last week I got an email from them inviting me to come in to try an ASTYM treatment and their Anti-Gravity Treadmill. I made the appointment right away because although I didn’t fully understand what would really be happening at the session, I was dying to get to talk to a Physical Therapist.

Finish Line PT is a stunning loft-like space, hidden in what looks like a normal office building. It was much bigger than I expected. I got there early because I figured there would be a lot of paperwork to fill out but the questionnaire was actually really short, so after getting changed, I hung out and scoped out the well laid out space. The treatment rooms are closed off by the large sliding screen doors – which I was warned not to change too close to for privacy’s sake – creating spaces that seem very light and cozy instead of a normal clinical medical vibe.

Brynn Fessette, my PT, came in and I immediately liked her –friendly, easy to talk to and not remotely judgmental. After describing my injury and feeling around my foot for a few minutes, Brynn told me what I knew was true. I have Plantar Fasciitis and it’s been going on for too long. She was open, very knowledgeable about why it occurred but comically excited that my injury was the perfect candidate for the ASTYM treatment. ASTYM (pronounced A-stim) is a soft tissue treatment that helps to breakdown unwanted scar tissue that may be causing pain or movement restrictions and brings blood flow into the area to rejuvenate the soft tissue that is being treated. Brynn told me a story about a doctor who’d been self treating his Plantar Fasciitis for two years and it was a series of ASTYM treatments that finally got him running again pain free. It was a hugely hopeful thing to hear; I was beginning to think I would just have it forever!

Before we did the treatment though, Brynn did a gait analysis. I hopped on their treadmill which is rigged with s seriously cool tool called the Optojump – with two cameras – one shooting from the side, one from the back and a track that measured seemingly everything you could ever want to know about how you move, including things like the length, striking time and impact of each stride. All of that info is instantly fed into a computer and analyzed. Mostly I am very even, except for the fact that my right side takes a 4 inch shorter stride which is very bad thing apparently! My foot issue is tightening up my stride far more than is ok. Brynn told me that she would be giving me hip and calf stretches to do, to try and open that mobility up. It was so interesting to go over all of that data and to be able to see in such intricate detail how I actually move through space.

Then, it was off to actually get the ASTYM treatment. As I lay down, Brynn warned me again that it was going to hurt. The treatment uses two hard plastic tools pressed firmly against the area being treated, usually going in the direction of the muscle. The first is a longer blade like one, followed over the same area by the smaller wand like one that could “really get in there.” Maybe because I’d been warned so much that it would hurt, I was actually surprised by the fact that it didn’t really hurt that badly at all. It hurt, but not so much that I wanted to kick her & the whole treatment was over before I knew it!

Before I headed out, I got a chance to check out the Finish Line’s AlterG treadmill, which is an anti-gravity treadmill that is just wildly awesome. When I heard about it, I couldn’t figure out how it worked, but once I was on the thing, it made perfect sense. I slipped on a neoprene skort and stepped onto the treadmill belt through a hole in a material cover, the sides raised up to my hips, and then zipped the skort in and created a tent for my legs. Then, I stood there on both feet as the tent filled up with air around me. I started running and played with how much body weight I wanted to run with. SO MUCH fun! At 50% I felt like I was running on clouds. I hovered around 75% for most of my 2 miles and loved every second of the lightness and fun of getting to play with how weight felt on my legs… seriously, I would love to run on that thing more often. It was one time where I actually enjoyed every second of my run!

Photos of Finish Line PT from Finishlinept.com & bottom quote just a little bit of internet goodness.

On Fire At Pilates ProWorks & GapFit’s Awesome Event: TRX With Will Arrufat

Posted on January 25, 2013 by FatBottomSlim

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Pilates ProWorks about an awesome event, two days of free classes sponsored by GapFit. It got even better though, since not only were they sponsoring the classes but everyone who attended got a pair of free pants too! Seriously? The first time I read the email, I assumed I’d read that part wrong but immediately shot over to their site to sign myself up for some of the fun! I mean really, I LOVED Jenn’s class the first time I took it and have been dying to go back. So I immediately booked a class with her but then I also booked a TRX class with Will Arrufat, since I friend whose opinion I totally respect recently raved about him. I knew the free classes would fill up in a second….

For this event, we checked in, then talked to the GapFit Girls, who offered us one of three styles of pants. I chose the slim boot cut version since I have a lot of capris and really need some longer pants. I figured they’d be fine, but I was stunned by just how flattering they were! Seriously, the GapFit pants are slightly compressing and made me look really long & sleek. SCORE on the cute free pants!

The TRX classes take place in the smaller of the two Pilates Pro Works studios, so after slipping on my new pants to wear, I made my way into class. When I walked in, Will was already explaining how to use the TRX to two other students and asked me if I’d used TRX before. My answer “Yes, but not enough to know how to actually move the straps!” A true and slightly pathetic description, because in every TRX class I’ve done, I’m always the one fiddling with the straps for far too long. He just laughed and then after the entire class assembled, went over how to adjust the straps. It was easily the clearest and most helpful, concise description I’ve ever heard in a TRX class, which immediately made me like him.

Will is a Personal Trainer, TRX STC Instructor and a 2012 Nike Ambassador from NYC and just all around fun. I mean, how can you not love a trainer who bounces around the room for the entire class, yelling encouragement (and occasionally bad 90’s phrases like “show me the money!”) all the while leading you through a ridiculously challenging class. We would do three rounds of an exercise with a break for mountain climbers or jumping jacks. The hardest part by far though was the ab section at the end. It was ridiculously brutal. With our feet in the straps, the crunches, pikes and oblique twists made me want to cry…. and come back constantly until it didn’t. We ended with a killer set challenge of 20 each of crunches, oblique twists, shoulder shrug/ pikes and then finished off with weighted burpees. Brutal! I finished third of the group, shockingly….

By the end, the windows had steamed up and Will bellowed “WELL DONE! THAT IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! I get to write my saying now…” And on the steamed windows he proceeded to write…EN FUEGO and truthfully, by the end, I did feel like I was on fire. It was a well planned class, where Will left me in a whimpering puddle by the end, but not so that I was so sore the next day that I couldn’t move… an almost impossible balance!

Main images from Pilates ProWorks website. End quote just a little internet goodness…

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The never ending quest to try all that New York's fitness scene has to offer