Happy New Year and welcome to 31 Days of Fitness 2022! We are back with another action packed January of workouts, wellness, recovery, and more! Every day this month your intrepid editor will be checking out a different class, studio, app, modality, and trainer to showcase the amazing variety of workouts to get and stay in shape for the new year. Omicrom may be raging but we’re going to keep it safe with a mix of digital, studio, indoor, outdoor, and socially distant workouts. There’s no guessing where I might turn up!
DAY 1: POLAR BEAR PLUNGE
What a way to kick off the new year and 31 Days of Fitness 2022 than at the 119th Coney Island Polar Bear Club New Year’s Day Plunge, which returned this year after the 2021 Covid hiatus. Besides the symbolic cleansing of the past year, greeting the new year with a frigid but invigorating plunge has numerous health benefits as well. A cold water plunge increases blood flow, improves circulation, boosts the immune system, reduces inflammation, releases endorphins, and elevates your mood. In fact, I feel great! While most of us revelers are out there just one day year, the Coney Island Polar Bear Club is the oldest winter bathing club in the United States, founded in 1903, and members take the plunge every Sunday November-April! Photo:Casey Steffens
DAY 2: PURE BARRE
It never ceases to amaze me how friggin’ hard barre class is… even when you take the introductory Foundations class at Pure Barre! Pure Barre offers three styles of classes – Classic, Pure Empower, and Pure Reform — all of which combine movements from ballet, Pilates, and weight training in small isometric exercises that work each body part to fatigue, one at a time. Classic is their traditional low-impact, high intensity, total body barre workout. Pure Empower is a fusion of barre, interval training, and multi-directional, dynamic movements — with ankle weights and a plyometric platform added — to target different muscle groups simultaneously. Pure Reform adds resistance training to challenge your strength, coordination, and balance with bungee-like bands, sliders, and the barre.
Pure Barre has locations all over the country, as well as hundreds of classes on demand at XPonential. Pure Barre NYC also has their own on demand platform, purebarrenyonline.com, with classes from your favorite NYC teachers you can take anywhere and any time! For the month of January take 22% off the first month of any membership.
DAY 3: AARMY
I’ve taken Akin’s Bootcamp and Cycle classes on AARMY online — next level intensity! — but it was a whole other level today, live and in person, for a class that was being filmed for the app (check it out January 15th)! On this first Monday of 2022, Akin’s heart-pumping, muscle-burning, 50-minute Full Body Bootcamp was filled with loyal regulars — almost as fit as he is — who gave this newcomer a warm welcome and many a high five throughout class. You feel the ethos of community at AARMY, which translates across the camera as well. A screen filled with those working out at home on Zoom felt as much a part of the class as those in the room. If you’re looking for workout to jump start your fitness, in person or online, Aarmy combines super-charged strength and cardio conditioning in a non-stop blast off (see us Live)! Check out AARMY free for 30 Days with special promo code: SOSV1VE
DAY 4: INDOOR ROWING
For endurance, strength, and interval training, rowing is a fantastic addition to your exercise regimen. Rowing is a full-body workout unto itself, engaging 86% of your muscles with each stroke, and burning more calories than any other form of cardio endurance training. From the sleek and connected Hydrow, an objet d’art of a rower; to the hydrodynamic WaterRower that simulates the sensation of being on the water; to the basic Concept 2 found at most gyms… there is a rower to fit any budget and an app to use with it!
CityRow Go (get 1 month free with code SOSFREE1 thru March 1), Row Vigor, and Regatta Fitness offer a variety of different endurance and HIIT style classes, live and on demand, and add variety to what can be a monotonous workout. Hydrow takes you on a scenic tour to some of the most beautiful lakes and rivers around the world for a workout getaway. In fact, I’m rowing on the River Thames in London above!
DAY 5: MYSWIMPRO APP
Swimming became a regular part of my workout rotation after a couple of stress fractures a few years ago. Although I find it meditative, given the rhythmic nature of the breathing, it can get a bit boring staring at the bottom of the pool for 50 laps. The MySwimPro app offers hundreds of training routines, coaching programs, and technique videos for all levels to improve your endurance, power, speed, and form. I mixed up this morning with a 1200 yd. Descending Distance workout, that incorporated different intervals and drills like fist swimming and zipper pulls, to improve my form and efficiency in the water. I also gave the Umbrella Drill a try! MySwimPro is offering a special free 30-day trial of their ELITE Membership this month which you can sign up for HERE.
DAY 6: RESTORE HYPER WELLNESS
And on the 6th day we recover and RESTORE! The key to staying fit is staying healthy – i.e. injury free – especially during this 31 Day marathon! I am a member of Restore Hyper Wellness which offers a full suite of the most cutting-edge recovery treatments and modalities like Cryotherapy, IV Drips, Infrared Sauna, Stretch, Compression Therapy, and even a Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen chamber all under one roof. I’ll be there at least once a week this month, and highlighting the benefits of all these different treatments (read more here), but today it was all about Infrared, starting off with the Sauna.
Saunas have long been a fixture in gyms and spas, and sweating is a restorative treatment for body and soul. Infrared Saunas are different from traditional saunas in that their penetrating infrared rays warm from the inside out — as opposed to the other way around — stimulating the body’s thermoregulatory response. The result is a deep, detoxifying, and relaxing sweat. Infrared heat has a pain-relieving effect as well, as it increases blood flow and reduces inflammation.
Post sauna, I moved into the Photobiomodulation (PBM) booth for 10 minutes of Red Light Therapy, which uses those same red and infrared wavelengths of light to help boost energy levels, relieve minor pain and swelling, and it’s great for the skin too. Restore has locations all over the country and is currently offering an amazing new member deal: $99 for 1 month of unlimited access to Cryotherapy, Infrared Sauna, Compression, and Photobiomodulation Therapy, plus a one time trial of a selection of others!
DAY 7: LINDSAY VONN ON FIT ON
On a snowy morning in NYC, I couldn’t think of a better at home workout than Training with Olympian Linsday Vonn and her superstar trainer Gunnar Peterson on the Fit On app! After a warm-up on my Aeroski, I stacked two fast-paced 10-minute workouts, Metabolic Overload and Cardio Burst, for strength and cardio combo workout that had me training like a pro – professional athlete that is!
Fit On offers hundreds of workouts led by celebrity athletes, trainers, and a few Hollywood stars too. HIIT, Stretch, Barre, Dance, Yoga, Kickboxing and more, whatever your fitness preference there is something for you. See more of our favorite apps HERE!
DAY 8: THE NESS
The Ness is a high energy, low impact, mini trampoline workout studio that offers all the fun of dance cardio on a mini trampoline. This beautiful sunlight lit, exposed brick studio offers a variety of different classes, on and off the trampoline, live and on demand, combining aerobic style choreography along with body sculpting moves. I took the Essentials class this morning with founder Aly Gianpolo (see more here), expecting a beginner’s intro, but was slingshotted quickly into a fast-paced, non-stop combo routine of running, jumping jacks, twists, scissors, and more! What would be a lot of body pounding in a traditional dance cardio workout, had no impact at all on the trampoline.
In addition to the fitness benefits of a mini trampoline workout, there are tremendous health benefits as well. Bouncing is the only exercise that works our lymphatic system, the body’s waste management center for our immune system. The lymphatic system also helps flush out lactic acid – the cause of muscle soreness and fatigue. The Ness sells their sturdy mini trampoline online for The Ness Digital classes, that’s perfect for the recommended 10 minutes of bouncing a day prescribed for those lymphatic benefits as well. Use code V1VE25 for 25% off first month of The Ness Digital.
DAY 9: YOGA WITH ADRIENE
Adriene Mishler – aka Yoga With Adriene – is a YouTube phenom with 10.6 million subscribers on her channel and over 1 billion views! There is a seemingly endless selection of yoga practices, categorized by length, goals, injuries, mood, sports and more. In other words, there is something for everyone. Curious about her massive popularity, I poked around her YouTube channel this morning for a post-run stretch, sampling a selection that included Yoga to Get The Juices Flowing, Yoga For Runners Cool Down, Yoga for When You’re Angry, Street Yoga, and a more basic, Hips and Core Vinyasa. From her dorky but adorable personality; to the comical but real life applications of her practices; to her dog Benji, who joins her on the mat from time to time… I get it! Adriene is completely endearing and hard not to love – and the most amazing part is Yoga With Adriene is free!
DAY 10: CLUB PILATES
Club Pilates is a boutique Pilates franchise studio with locations all over the country. These blue hued, modern studios are beautifully designed with retro style wooden Pilates equipment – Reformers, Springboards, and EXO-Chairs – and a TRX at each individual station. As I usually do when I try out a new place, I took the intro class, Level 1: Foundations. Unlike other amped-up boutique Pilates fitness studios I’ve been been to, this was a slow-paced beginners class focusing on form and alignment, but with deceptively challenging core work. Next time I want to try the Cardio Sculpt class, which uses the Pilates jumpboard for a plyometric workout against spring tension. Suspend sounds pretty fun too, a Reformer-based workout that combines Pilates with TRX. If you want to check out Club Pilates online, mat classes are available on XPlus.
DAY 11: ORANGETHEORY FITNESS
OrangeTheory Fitness is a heart-rate based HIIT total body workout that combines science, coaching, and technology to guarantee maximum results from the inside out. Combining cardio and strength training as you move from the treadmill to the WaterRower to a fully-equipped station with Bosu balls, TRX, and weights, your coach guides you through 5 different color coded heart rate zones during the 1-hour class. The goal is to spend at least 12 minutes in “The Orange Zone”, the optimal percentage of max heart rate to boost your metabolism, burn fat, and get that caloric all-day afterburn post workout! Wearing a small wristband tracker, you can see your stats on monitors throughout the studio, on the treadmills, rowers, and almost everywhere you look as your name automatically pops up on the screen when you’re near. If love fitness tech, this workout is for you (see here)! These monitors also display demos of the exercises and reps, so they are super easy to follow.
OrangeTheory has 1000+ locations all over the country, as well as an app if you want to do OrangeTheory at home. That same wrist tracker hooks up to the app to keep you in the orange zone at home too!
DAY 12: ACTIVE RELEASE TECHNIQUE & GRASTON TECHNIQUE
The doctor is in – digging in! Dr. Peter Duggan, D.C., CSCS of Fuel Sport & Spine has been keeping me and a slew of professional runners going for many years with Active Release Technique (ART) and Graston Technique. He is also our go-to expert on STYLE of SPORT for sport injuries and treatments.
One of the most effective treatments Dr. Duggan uses is Active Release Technique (ART), a method for simultaneously diagnosing and treating soft tissue injury. ART is as it sounds, active, as opposed to traditional massage which is passive. While the patient moves a muscle from a contracted to extended position, the practitioner works their hands deep into the muscle to break up scar tissue and adhesions, while increasing elasticity and length. It is a diagnostic tool as well, because different adhesions can be felt during the treatment on surrounding muscles. ART allows Dr. Duggan to treat the entire injury, not just the one muscle where the patient might be feeling pain or strain.
The rather torturous next level of ART is Graston Technique, which puts six different stainless steel tools — different shapes, sizes, and bevels — in the practitioner’s hands. “The tools pick up adhesions differently than my hands”, says Dr. Duggan, “and they are especially effective in treating sports injuries such as plantar fasciitis, IT band syndrome, Achilles, rotator cuff, calf and hamstring injuries.” While I can attest the method is extremely effective, the scraping of a metal tool across an inflamed muscle hurts like hell. With Graston technique it’s no pain no gain.
DAY 13: AERIAL YOGA
Aerial Yoga takes your practice airborne, combining classical yoga postures with aerial acrobatics. Class takes place on and around what is essentially a long silk hammock hung from the ceiling. Poses are done sitting inside, hanging from, and using the silk for an assisted stretch. It’s a fun and invigorating practice that builds strength and flexibility, with the added health benefits of inversions which boost circulation, increase blood flow to the brain, and open up the spine.
I took the Level 1 class at Om Factory last night which was a slow-paced, alignment-oriented flow — a relaxing but energizing class with as much time spent on the ground as in the air. Level 2 and 3 classes integrate more flips and cirque into their practice. While hanging upside down is a blast, the best part might be the well-deserved, next-level Savasana at the end of class… inside the hammock. Ommm My God that felt good!
DAY 14: NAUGHTY GIRL FITNESS
Janelle Ginestra first popped up on my radar about a year ago after reading about her rump shakin’ Cardi B WAP dance routine in the New York Post that went viral on Tik Tok with over 17 million views. Renowned dancer, choreographer, and creative director Janelle has toured and worked with the biggest names in the music industry including Pink, Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Halsey, and Pitbull, and on such shows as Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, Latin Grammy Awards, and The Voice. In addition to her incredible dance resume, Janelle is equally as passionate about fitness. She puts it all together in her super sexy and fun online dance workouts known as Naughty Girl Fitness, that says Janelle, “will have you popping that ass!” (See our IG Live interview)
I attempted to do just that this morning when I did her Level 1 “Homegirl Tingz” workout. Tried and true full body moves like lunges, planks, and squats are deceptively integrated into steamy choreography and set to great music that makes you forget you’re working out. Janelle brings the club to the gym for an at home dance party workout, that even if you miss beat, her infectious energy and moves will, as promised, have you shakin’ that ass. Check it out for yourself and get a free month of classes with code: Access22
DAY 15: CROSSROPE
Jumping rope burns more calories than any other aerobic activity, and is the most time and space efficient cardio training you can do. Just 10 minutes of jumping rope is the equivalent of 30 minutes of running, and it takes up no space in your living room or bedroom! Crossrope weighted jump ropes turn jumping rope into a full body workout. Sold in sets of 2, Get Strong and Get Lean, each comes with a light and heavy weighted rope that fit onto 1 set of handles. The Get Fit set bundles all 4. The Crossrope app has hundreds of different interval training workouts — some just jumping and others with bodyweight exercises — integrating both the light and heavy rope into the routine. I tried the 13-minute Jump Strong Tabata program this morning that mixed different styles of jumping rope with exercises like burpees, jump squats, and seal jacks. Fast-moving from interval to interval, this 13-minute total body workout was done before I knew it, and made jumping rope really fun and easy too!
DAY 16: BOULDERING 101
Unbeknownst to me, I learned I would be bouldering, not rock climbing, when I arrived at Vital Climbing in Brooklyn this afternoon. There are no ropes or harnesses at this climbing gym, which had me in a slight panic at first. Bouldering is a form of free climbing — think free solo in the gym — but with thick mats to cushion your fall. I took a group lesson, and fall is the first thing you learn to do, then there are the safety protocols so no one falls on you! My panic dissipated once I got on one of the walls, and the fun came in learning the techniques to make climbing look and feel more effortless. Climbing is also as much a workout for the brain as the body, solving the puzzle of which footholds and handholds are the best route to the top.
Vital Climbing is quite a cool spot in itself. The Brooklyn location is located in Williamsburg, filled with young millennials climbing, working out, and working too. It is a vast space with colorful climbing walls, tunnels, and free standing rock formations, as well as a rooftop climbing deck. There is also a full gym inside, as well as long tables set up like a co-working space. I might have been the oldest person there, but 30 years ago that’s where I’d be “working from home”.
DAY 17: BLOGILATES
Social media fitness sensation Cassey Ho has been on a mission to spread the joy of fitness for over 10 years with her workout platform Blogilates. With almost 6 million YouTube subscribers, over 2 million Instagram followers, and almost 3 million TikTok followers – in addition to her top-rated mobile app, BODY By Blogilates – she has clearly been successful in that quest. With an energy level that’s off the charts, her signature POP Pilates classes take their inspiration from Pilates, mix in dance cardio and a heart-pumping playlist, for a sweat-drenching, body toning workout that leaves no muscle unburned.
Cassey kicked off the new year with the Blogilates Glow Up Sessions, a 14-day challenge focusing on “fitness, food, and feelings”, and featuring daily Live workouts on Instagram. While the challenge ends today, the workouts are available on all her platforms, and on the BODY By Blogilates app. I sampled two of them on the Blogilates YouTube channel this morning, irresistibly titled, Bombshell Bootification and Abdominal Destruction. Even though I did about half of each for review purposes, that was plenty, and I’m still feeling both now as I write!
DAY 18: PUNCH FORCE
Boxers are known for their training regimens and the ripped physiques that are the result. Punch Force is a one-on-one and small group training facility on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that incorporates all those famous boxing drills, moves, punches, and more in an explosive 1-hour workout that leaves you wondering what HIIT you! Jumping rope, pad work, plyometrics, shadow boxing, planks, squats, and specialty machines such as Jacobs Ladder and Curve treadmill… these non-stop workouts leave you breathless, but with a smile on your face courtesy of the energetic all-star trainers. Founded by two brothers and kickboxing masters, Vando Cabral and Nuno Furtado inspire you to go the distance — as do all the trainers on staff, including Joao (above) who put me through the paces this morning (see here)! Punch Force’s addictive workouts draw boldface names from the worlds of fashion, finance, entertainment, media, and this STYLE of SPORT editor who’s ready for more!
DAY 19: BOARD30
Board30 is a 30-minute total body workout that utilizes a variety of resistance bands and movement techniques on one integrated piece of equipment – a board! Like a flat Pilates Reformer but without springs, there are adjustable resistance bands at the front of the board for arm work; at the back of the board with ankle straps for leg work; and on each side for added resistance to a variety of other full body exercises — all of which engage the core. In addition, there are resistance bands hung from the ceiling at each station for more workout options!
A mix of cardio, strength training, and stretching, each 30-minute High Intensity Resistance Band Training (HIRT) session features 22 moves, done for 1 minute each, with 20 seconds rest in between — and no two workouts are ever the same! Board30 has studios all over the country, and a pop-up location at the JCC in Manhattan, where I checked out class this morning (see here). Super fun, efficient, and effective, Board30 is a great space saving home workout too with the Board30 Mini and their On Demand library of classes. If you’re based in NYC, check out a class for free with code: B30FCF when you sign up here.
DAY 20: UNPLUG MEDITATION
Unplug Meditation opened its doors in Los Angeles in April of 2014 and reinvented meditation for the 21st century. Founded by Suze Yalof Schwartz, a former magazine editor and makeover guru on such shows as GMA, The Today Show, and CBS This Morning, Suze was so transformed by a three-minute guided breathing and visualization technique it inspired her to create this modern meditation space and practice. Calling it the “Drybar of meditation, where you can walk in feeling icky and walk out feeling great”, the goal at Unplug is to make meditation inspirational, inviting, and fun.
The Unplug app makes it even easier with 1,000+ short, powerful, and themed meditations, led by 80+ different teachers who inspire you to pause, breathe, and unplug daily from home. With a real life attitude and focus, the instructors feel like friends, as does Suze, who leads a number of these meditations herself — in fact my favorite called, “The Gift of You”. I’ve listened to it a few times and again this morning as a little reminder of what makes me special and how I’d like that to touch other people. Hoping that this 31 Days of Fitness, and my passion and enthusiasm for feeling your best inside and out, is giving everyone a little bit of me.
DAY 21: SLT TREAD
Two machines, one high-intensity workout! SLT Tread is the newest offering from SLT that combines 25 minutes of their signature Megaformer class, with 25 minutes of treadmill interval training, for a 50-minute strength and cardio workout! SLT stands for Strengthen, Lenghten, and Tone, and their fast-paced classes are a heart-pumping, muscle-burning workout in themselves. SLT Tread cuts those classes in half and adds 25-minutes of speed and incline intervals on the Woodway treadmill.
Capitalizing on the popularity of HIIT classes — studios like Barry’s Bootcamp, Rumble Training, and Lit Method that combine cardio intervals on a treadmill with floorwork, boxing, or rowing — SLT Tread has adopted the same concept with the Pilates Reformer, known as the Megaformer at SLT. My only advice would be to take an intro class at SLT first. Most of the students in class this morning looked like SLT regulars, but the Megaformer does require more instruction. It’s challenging enough for the teacher to run these multi-apparatus classes, and nearly impossible to give individual attention to novices like me. But if you like a HIIT class and you like Pilates, SLT Tread is for you! New clients get $10 off with code: STYLE10
DAY 22: ALOMOVES
Brought to you by Alo, one of the hottest Yoga and athleisure brands, Alomoves features a full array of strength, sculpt, and cardio classes – and yes, Yoga too, consistently featured in “Best Online Yoga Classes”. In addition, there are Mindfulness practices like breathwork, meditation, and sound baths. Filmed gorgeous locations — from sunlit airy lofts to dense green forests to seaside cliffs — the instructors are wearing Alo of course, and you want it all! I stacked 3 short workouts this morning: 5-minute Cardio on the Rocks with Jacy Cunningham; 10-minute Core Work with Adrienne Rabena: and an Energized 15 Yoga Flow with Briohny Smith. HIIT, Tone, Stretch… got the job done in 30 minutes, with 3 different teachers, in 3 different locations, and 3 outfits. Heading to the Alo store now!
DAY 23: FLOAT THERAPY
Float tanks and floatation therapy are essentially like taking a giant epsom salt bath – a relaxing and restorative recovery treatment for muscle soreness, inflammation, and strains. I’ve been taking one almost every day this month with the recommended 2 cups of magnesium sulfate, otherwise known as epsom salts, but float tanks contain 1200 lbs. of magnesium sulfate! Because of the high salt saturation, the body floats effortlessly in a state of anti-gravity, which produces an intense relaxation response as the heart rate decreases, blood pressure lowers, and muscle tension is released. Spinal decompression occurs as those stability and postural muscles let go. The magnesium also aids in a deeper and more restorative sleep.
I headed over to Mindful Waters in Northvale, NJ for a float this morning. In addition to three beautiful modern float cabins, glowing with blue light and star lit ceilings, Mindful Waters also offers a full suite of wellness and recovery treatments like cryotherapy, a plunge pool, infrared sauna, Sonix vibration therapy, and more. They also distill and bottle their own incredibly pure and delicious drinking water! It’s one stop shopping for all your hydration and recovery needs!
DAY 24: SOULSTREAM
I am a SoulCycle devotee — in-person and online — and I combined both this morning when I took Trammell Logan’s SoulStream class live at the studio from where it was being broadcast. I have been a regular at the 83rd St. studio for about 10 years, minus the year it was closed because of the pandemic, and Trammell is one of my favorite instructors. For me there is nothing like group fitness — the energy, sweat, and community — and I returned to the studio when it reopened. However, like so many people who turned to home fitness when gyms were closed, I have since adopted a hybrid schedule of in-person and digital workouts for cost and time-saving reasons. With the recent surge in Covid cases, there are the health concerns as well.
SoulStream is as close as I’ve come to recreating that group fitness experience at home, and with a teacher I still show up for at the studio for as well. Trammell’s SoulStream class is live every Monday at 9:15am on the Equinox+ app, and he comes to me! (See our post-ride chat) It’s available on-demand later that day, but showing up for a live class at home, like I would at a studio, has a different accountability factor… and I can’t fast forward to the next song. Plus, 1 month of the app is roughly the same price as 1 SoulCycle class, and with that you get all the Equinox boutique fitness brands that include SoulCycle, Pure Yoga, Rumble, HeadStrong, SolidCore, and more, as well as Equinox classes.
PS… you don’t need spend $2500 on the SoulCycle bike. I put my tablet on my $549 L3 Connected SPIN® Bike and go!
DAY 25: WIM HOF METHOD
Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof, aka “The Iceman”, has taken on legendary status in the wellness world and a cult like following with his breathwork and cold exposure training techniques. He got his nickname by such feats as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts, running a half marathon barefoot in the Arctic Circle, and standing in a container filled with ice cubes for more than 112 minutes. Using “cold, hard nature” as his teacher, his training has taught him to control his breathing, heartrate, blood pressure, and stress, while withstanding extreme temperatures. Wim is on a mission to share the health benefits of this training with the world, and the Wim Hof Method has garnered almost 2 million subscribers on his YouTube channel in the process.
The Wim Hof Method is a combination of meditation, breathing exercises, and cold exposure. The first pillar is the breathwork, a specialized routine of inhales and exhales, combined with breathholds, which you can follow on his guided practice and tutorial. The heightened oxygen level in the blood that results has numerous health and performance benefits such as more energy, reduced stress, lower blood pressure, better circulation, and a boost to the immune system as the lymphatic system kicks into high gear.
Add to that the benefits of cold exposure, the second pillar of the Wim Hof Method, that creates the production of brown adipose tissue for fat loss, reduces inflammation, and gives a big endorphin boost — those feel-good chemicals in the brain! After Wim’s 10-minute, 3-round guided beginner breathwork routine, I went outside and chilled… literally. Willpower is the third pillar, and training yourself to relax when it’s freezing outside is a valuable lesson in mind over matter.
DAY 26: GRIT BXNG
GRIT BXNG is where fitness meets the club! This Rumble meets Barry’s Bootcamp workout combines boxing, treadmill, and strength training intervals into one action-packed 50-minute workout. Founded by Pitbull (hip-hop superstar), Tony Robbins (renowned motivational speaker), and Bill Zanker (Founder of The Learning Annex), this Vegas-style fitness studio boasts a multi-million dollar sound and lighting system for a full immersive effect (see more). There is even a full liquor bar for post-workout cocktails (after the 4pm class) and mocktails too! In the morning it’s a cold brew — coffee that is.
The class has 2 fast moving rounds of 3 stations: treadmills for speed and incline intervals; rubber Aquabags for boxing; and step benches with weights for strength training. It’s a FUN total body cardio and conditioning workout that leaves wondering what HIIT you!
DAY 27: PELOTON APP
I don’t have a Peloton bike, but I use the Peloton app with my aforementioned (Day 24) $549 L3 Connected SPIN® Bike. I am a dedicated rider and have found my favorite cycling instructors like Ally Love, Alex Toussaint, Cody Rigsby, and Jess King, who also teach other kinds of classes as well. I decided to get off the bike this morning and check out a Strength class from one of my other favorites, Robin Arzon. I took her 15-minute Core Strength workout that featured two fast-moving rounds of crunches, sit-ups, and plank variations. Designed to be stacked with other Peloton workouts, it was a great class inself and my abs are still feeling it. I’ve also taken Robin’s 45-minute Bike Bootcamp, and I have to say I enjoy her workouts just as much off the bike as on!
Cardio, Strength, Running, Yoga, Cycling, Stretching, Meditation and more… the Peloton app offers 1000+ on demand and live classes with world-class instructors, the most extensive music library, and most popular artists for the best playlists on any app. At $12.99/month with first two months free, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth!
DAY 28: HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY
Lebron James, Michael Phelps, and countless other world-class athletes have made Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) a regular part of their training and recovery, many with chambers like above in their homes. In a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, the air pressure is increased two to three times higher than normal air pressure, administering up to 4 times the normal oxygen intake in a 60-minute session. More oxygen in the blood improves endurance for better sports performance, and this super charged dose boosts circulation, reduces inflammation, accelerates recovery, and helps prevent injuries too.
With 28 days down and 3 more to go, I figured now was the time to give HBOT a try. I headed over to Restore (Day 6) where they have a chamber. We’ll see tomorrow whether my performance is improved, but lying in that isolated chamber for an hour, inhaling pure O2 through an oxygen mask was extremely relaxing. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is beneficial anyone seeking to obtain greater overall health and wellbeing, and I’m feeling pretty good right now.
DAY 29: BODY & POLE
I featured pole dancing a few years back in 31 Days at a studio that had more of a stripper vibe (the teacher was wearing 9-inch platform stilettos) than the Intro to Pole class I took at Body & Pole today. The moves were still super sexy, but the class had more of a dance studio vibe, and a number of the participants were men too – even the teacher! Moves like pivots, body rolls, and dip spins were taught with the lights turned up. The pole felt like more of a prop, until it came time to put what we learned into motion. The lights went down, hot jams came on, and suddenly we were at the club. It’s hard not to get into that seductive groove in a pole dancing class.
In addition to pole dancing, Body & Pole offers a number a different apparatus based aerial classes that include Hoop and Silk — as well as Flex and Core, conditioning classes for the apparatus. There are 5 different studios within the 10,000 sq. ft. space, with a full schedule of different level classes happening all day. Even on this blizzardy Saturday, the studio was bustling! Body & Pole also offers live and on demand classes online. Intro to Hoop is definitely up next and I’m not waiting until the next 31 Days!
DAY 30: COREPOWER YOGA
CorePower Yoga has over 200 studios in the US and 10 here in NYC, in addition to a full schedule of live stream and on demand classes. Taking more of a fitness and less of spiritual approach, the classes fuse hot yoga with strength training — in particular the Yoga Sculpt class I took this morning, which is one of their signature workouts. With the addition of hand weights, yoga poses like Warrior 2, Mountain Pose, and Chair were amplified with sculpting exercises like bicep curls, tricep extensions, and lateral raises. Planks turned into cardio moves like mountain climbers and plank jacks. The class was 75-minutes, but surprisingly flew by thanks to the fast moving poses and amped-up playlist. CorePower also offers Vinyasa style classes like their C1 C2, and Hot Power Fusion, but if you’re looking for a workout that combines the flow of yoga, the toning of a sculpt class, and the sweat of a heated room, Yoga Sculpt at CorePower is the one for you.
DAY 31: SNOW DAY!
Well Mother Nature certainly gave me a special treat for the grand finale of 31 Days of Fitness! A blizzardy weekend in NYC let me bring out some of my favorite toys and gear I don’t often get to play with in town… my cross country skis! There’s a reason they invented the Nordic Track – cross country skiing is one of the best cardio workouts, and it’s much more fun outside, on a crisp sunny day, and with real snow! It literally works every muscle: from your triceps and lats to propel you forward with your poles; quads and hamstrings to keep the skis moving; and hips, glutes, and core to keep you stable. Like running, cross country skiing gets your heart pumping and burns more calories too, but with no impact on the joints. Plus there the extra endorphins from the sensation of your body gliding across the snow. Hard not to smile with everyone smiling back at you too.
Even if you don’t have cross country skis, just putting on your snowboots and clomping around on a snowy day is a workout and mood boost! Go sledding, build a snowman, make a snow angel. Snow is transformative, it’s the ultimate cleanse, it’s what fitness should be… FUN!
