Quitting the Gym: What’s Next? ClassPass?

I’ve finally cancelled my gym membership.  There are just too many free running paths and too many (expensive but really, really) good boutique studios.

Even though access to the gym was unlimited, I found that when I made it there (rarely), I didn’t get as much out of it as Orangetheory or a reformer pilates class.  I just sort of wandered around for 25 minutes, lifted a few weights while trying not to get in people’s way, and struggled to find something good on the TVs while stair-stepping and wishing I was outside.  The yoga instructors were good, but it was hard to fit the classes in with my work schedule and even harder to motivate myself to get up early for a class I hadn’t specifically paid for.  (There is always that calculus in the dark hours of the morning, when my bed is so so warm – losing the $30 I paid for my pilates class and sleeping for another hour, or sucking it up?  Money is a pretty good motivator.)  The barre classes at the gym were too crowded and were generally not as good as barre at Xtend Barre and Barre3.  The spin instructors couldn’t keep a beat.   I don’t like setting my own weights or counting my reps, so I only really like lifting with a trainer or my husband:

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Now that I’ve freed up my conscience and an extra $100 each month, here are some of the great things I’m looking forward to…

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Orangetheory “Hell Week” Recap!

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As you probably quickly realized when reading this blog, I’ll do a lot for a commemorative t-shirt.  This past week, I earned a free t-shirt and lived to blog about it by completing five days of Hell Week at my local Orangetheory studio.  Here is my recap of the pain and glory.

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Getting Back to “Normal” After a Marathon

After a marathon, it is totally understandable that your body needs a break.  And you might find yourself really hungry and supersluggish for days after your race.  That’s fine.  Sleep in.  Eat what your body is asking for.

But sometimes we go beyond that, and for days and even weeks after a race.

At some point, we need to say,

“OK body, time to look ahead, not behind.”

So how do we get back to “normal” after months of training (and eating accordingly), then carb loading, then running 26.2 miles, and then trying to recover from it all?

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Orange…what? Orangetheory.

A month ago,  I had never heard of Orangetheory.  But when someone in my office mentioned it, I was completely intrigued and signed up for my first free trial class.  Five classes later, I’m ready to report back to you!  Whether it is here on this blog or somewhere else, I strongly recommend reading a bit about Orangetheory before starting. Also, show up at least 20 minutes early to your first class to get situated.  I know a lot of fitness studios say that and then leave you standing there for 19 minutes.  But for Orangetheory, they really mean it.  It’s a little complicated.

What is Orangetheory? 

Orangetheory Fitness is a heart rate-based workout class, which uses intervals of rowing, running, and floor exercises to burn calories and build strength and endurance.  Its underlying philosophy is that when we engage in high-intensity intervals (reaching at least the “orange zone” of 84% or higher of maximum heart rate), our metabolism keeps running and burning more calories throughout the day (i.e., “afterburn”).

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