Cardio Dance Party: 305 Fitness

March 8, 2013 | By


The latest fitness craze to sweep the country is, without a doubt, dance cardio. From early inspiration (that would be your mom’s ’80s aerobics classes) to the first “trendy” incarnations (like the method made famous by Gwyneth Paltrow’s trainer, Tracy Anderson), the movement has evolved into classes like 305 Fitness.

305 Fitness is not a workout studio; it’s the name of the company, and the classes are held at dance studios and other private spaces in several major cities. In New York, that’s Stepping Out Studios in Chelsea, where you’d usually expect to find a lot of salsa-ing and Foxtrotting going on. But after the 6:30 p.m. ballroom dance class at Stepping Out Studios wrapped up, a very different crowd was waiting to fill up the room last Thursday. Including me.

The ballroom dance students, in their proper dance shoes and tights, filtered out into the waiting room, where young girls (and one guy) in sweats, cut-off t-shirts, and a sprinkling of Lululemon were waiting for 305 Fitness to start. The teacher, 305 Fitness founder Sadie Kurzban, was carrying a set of fluorescent disco lights. The DJ (yes, classes have a live DJ) was armed with a playlist of Pitbull, Swedish House Mafia, and Timbaland.

Courtesy of 305 Fitness

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when Kurzban sauntered in to face her impressive crowd. At first glance, Kurzban is petite, young, very fit, and very self-assured. She ripped off her shirt within the first 5 minutes of class, dropped a few F-bombs that caught me off-guard, and even made a point of saying that everyone should get wild. Like, real wild. Like, Girls Gone Wild-style wild. I wasn’t too sure what that meant, but knew that my shirt was staying on.

The class began with everyone playing follow-the-leader to Kurzban’s minimally-cued moves. Step touch? Grapevine? Lunges? I knew these moves. The class continued with non-stop choreography, and Kurzban took it to a deliberately sexier and sassier place with a lot of air-humping, fist-pumping, and Zumba-like sections.

At first, I was worried Kurzban could be annoying. Kind of like the girl in your college lit class who always talks about feminism. Or the girl who runs on the treadmill for half an hour at 10.0 in tiny booty shorts in the middle of the gym. And she kind of embodies both; a graduate of Brown’s class of 2012, Kurzban is “obsessed with running” and used to teach Zumba back in Providence. But after completing the class, I can say this: I’m not annoyed at her at all. In fact, I can’t wait to go back.

If you live in New York City or Providence, like dancing, and are looking for a fun way to burn extra calories, take a class. It will be fun, I promise. In fact, you might even see me there.

Filed Under: Fitness, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , ,

Jackie Warner’s 10 Best Fitness Tips

March 1, 2013 | By

Recently, we hosted a live Facebook chat with the incomparable Jackie Warner of Bravo TV fame. Jackie answered all of our readers’ pressing questions about nutrition, exercise and weight loss, and we couldn’t believe all of the amazing tips she gave out in just a short amount of time. Below, find Jackie’s top ten best workout and diet secrets.

1. Should I consume more calories a day if I’m working out regularly?
“If you increase your exercise, you need to gradually increase your calories. Typically a woman should maintain a 1500 calorie a day diet.”

2. What type of workout can I do at my desk during a break at work?
“You can do pushups, you can do squats, dips on your chair, front back lunges, mountain climbers. Really, any exercise involving just your body weight.”

 3. Is it OK to just have a protein shake after my workout as dinner?
“It’s better to drink whey protein before and then a balanced meal post-workout. You need a protein and a carb source after such as two eggs, slice of whole grain toast, and one cup of fruit.”

4. What’s a good workout I can do in my hotel room when traveling?
“Pack a jump rope and a resistance band in your suitcase and do a combination of squats, lunges, shoulder presses, bicep curls with no rest in between, followed by 100 rotations of the jump rope for 5 sets. This only takes about 20 minutes.”

5. If I want thinner arms, should I focus on just training my arms?
“It’s important that you not just spot train. It doesn’t work. You need a program that works primary muscle groups, such as the back, chest, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. These are the major fat burners and they work your arms additionally.”

6. I feel thinner after I sweat in the sauna. Am I actually losing weight?
“Yeah, that’s a myth about the sauna. You’re not expending any energy, therefore you’re not losing any calories. You’re simply losing water weight. A slight amount of thermogenesis may occur, but not significantly enough to make a difference. The moment you put water back in your system, you will regain that water weight.”

7. Why is bread evil? I can’t stop eating it!
“Your body sees bread as a sugar — and sugar is highly addictive in the brain. It takes five days to break a sugar addiction. Do not eat any sugar sources outside of fructose, which is fruit sugar.”

8. Are there any carbs I can eat while I’m trying to lose weight?
“It’s fine to eat a slow-digesting carb like oatmeal, mixed berries or citrus. It’s better to add to a protein source like a Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for sustained energy — and both those foods happen to be great for weight loss.”

9. I want to lose 15 pounds. Tell me exactly what to do.
“Incorporate high intensity interval training by walking at 3.5 on a 12 incline for 2 minutes. Running at 6.0-8.0, 0 incline for 2 minutes. And then walk at 3.5, 0 incline for 1 minute to cool down. Do this for 20 total minutes daily.”

10. Can I still go out and enjoy a drink while I’m trying to lose weight?
“Drinking alcohol in the evening stunts your production of weight loss hormones such as HGH, testosterone, and progesterone. That is more detrimental to your weight loss plan than the calories. I suggest you really plan for one day that you have cocktails during the week –  and consider that your cheat meal.”

Thanks for the tips, Jackie! Check back on Spa Week’s Facebook page for information about future chats with our experts :)

Filed Under: Fitness, Weight Loss, Workput Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , , ,

Spa Nutrition: The Best Protein Powder

January 23, 2013 | By

If you’re trying to lose weight and tone up, it’s no secret that getting enough protein is important. Protein satisfies your hunger and helps you build muscle, which in turn helps you burn more calories. But before you go reaching for a protein smoothie, make sure you know what’s in it. Many store-bought smoothies are full of sugar and calories, so you’re better of making a protein drink at home.

Now… which protein to choose? There’s no shortage of sources — rice, soy, whey… the list goes on. So what type is the “best” of them all?

Many top experts have an answer for you: rBGH-Free Whey Protein Isolate. This type of protein is sourced from milk, and has more protein per serving than most of the vegan varieties like rice, soy, and pea protein (but those are all excellent options for vegans). It’s also growth hormone-free (that’s the rBGH part).

Look for a pure formula with as few as possible ingredients — more than 5 or 6 is usually sign that there’s stuff in there you don’t want or need. Also ensure you pick a low-sugar or Stevia-sweetened powder. Here are two we’ve tried, tested, and love, plus a recipe:

Jackie Warner Whey Isolate Protein Powder – Vanilla Bean

Beveri rBGH-Free Whey Protein – Natural Vanilla Flavor


Easy Blender Smoothie:
1/2 cup Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1 handful of fresh kale
1/2 banana
3 ice cubes
1/2 scoop of protein powder

Pour the milk in first, then sprinkle the kale on top and blend (thick, leafy greens are packed with nutrition, but can be hell on a blender without enough liquid!). Next, add the banana and protein and blend again. Finally, add the ice cubes and blend once more (just to thicken the shake and make it colder — yum).

Filed Under: Fitness, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Better You: Win a Crunch Gym Membership

January 7, 2013 | By

Crunch is known as the gym without judgments. And when it comes to working off a little extra weight, that’s just the way we like it. No dirty looks. No competition. No intimidation. So we chose a year membership at Crunch as one of the prizes in our A Better You Giveaway. Read all about it below…

You may think of the crazy classes, like Cardio Striptease. You may think of the funny commercials. Or, you may just think of that strange bunny rabbit mascot. But whatever you think about Crunch, it’s a seriously fun place to workout.

With Bliss Spa products in the locker rooms, a full range of top-notch equipment in the weight rooms, and countless options in the classrooms, you’ll never get bored. In fact, you may even (dare we say it) enjoy going to the gym! Here’s a sampling of the classes you can partake in if you with this membership:

Antigravity® Yoga ‘Wings’: Stretch further and hold challenging postures longer using a flowing fabric hammock as your only prop. With the fabric as a soft trapeze, you’ll learn simple suspension techniques to move into seemingly impossible inverted poses to relieve compressed joints and align the body from head to toe.

Boing with Kangoo: Kangoo is the exercise boot with bounce. Strap on a pair of Kangoos, equipped with springs on the bottom and hop, jog, and jump your way through this low impact workout.

Enter here to win it. Good luck!

Filed Under: Fitness, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , , , ,

7 Foods to Give Up for Weight Loss

November 27, 2012 | By

Author JJ Virgin first caught our attention with her book, The Virgin Diet. As a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Certified Healing Foods Specialist, Virgin believes there are 7 main foods that should be avoided in order to speed weight loss. In fact, the tagline of her book, “Drop 7 Foods, Lose 7 Pounds, Just 7 Days” suggests that Virgin’s idea of “speedy” weight loss is right up our alley! We can do any diet for 7 days, so we decided to look into what Virgin’s eating plan entails.

7 Foods to Avoid
Sorry, carb lovers, but you’re not going to like this: Virgin recommends ditching soy, corn, gluten, dairy, sugar/sweeteners, eggs, and peanuts from your diet. While you’ll have to read her book to find out exactly why, many of these choices are obvious ones.

One in particular, gluten, can be especially tough to avoid, so Virgin shares 5 of her best tips for making it a little easier below.

5 Strategies for Giving Up Gluten
1. “Don’t do it halfway. You can’t do just a little gluten,” says Virgin. To really see long-term changes in your health, “You’ve got to remove it 100% from your diet for 21 days. I promise you the effort will repay dividends,” she promises.

2. But before you go buying every food labeled “Gluten-Free,” buyer beware: “Don’t fall into the gluten junk trap,” cautions Virgin. “A cookie is a cookie, period, and most of these foods come loaded with as much sugar as their gluten-containing equivalents.”

3. And be careful with other grains, too. “Oatmeal is naturally gluten-free but often processed with gluten-containing grains,” explains Virgin. “Always look for the gluten-free symbol on the package.”

4. “Gluten hides in strange places, like luncheon meats, mustard, and pickles. Read your labels, learn the traps, and again, always look for the gluten-free symbol,” Virgin explains.

5. Don’t deprive yourself — you won’t last! “Find smart alternatives for the gluten-containing foods you used to enjoy,” says Virgin. A few ideas: “Swap pasta for quinoa pasta or spaghetti squash. Brown rice wraps or Romaine lettuce can replace wheat wraps. For baking, try almond or coconut flour instead of wheat or rye flour. And if you’re craving pizza, melt a little goat cheese and tomato sauce on a Portobello mushroom.”

What do you think? Would you try giving up gluten — or all 7 of the no-nos on Virgin’s list? Let us know!

 

Filed Under: Fitness, Food + Drink, Nutrition, Weight Loss