Wow, so I’m sure you’ve noticed dear reader, we’ve been MIA, hibernating for the winter, or on a covert mission abroad (choose your own conspiracy theory). Nah, life just caught up to us. Monica is in grad school and Kate’s … Continue reading
Friday is a perfect day to destress and reflect on the week. Instead of the usually happy hour, why not do something to recharge that will carry positive energy through the weekend?
Party with silent yoga followed by a special meditation with renowned fitness studio, Equinox, all for only for FREE 99 this Friday at the gorgeous Museum of Contemporary Art.
Celebrate the launch of Equinox’s Headstrong Meditation Podcasts with master instructor, Michael Gervais May 10th from 5:30 – 7:30 PM.
Zen out with wireless headphones to a chill flowy yoga followed by inspiring meditation. Afterwards, complete the night with socializing and light refreshments!
Image courtesy of Equinox
When: Friday, May 19th from 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago | 220 East Chicago Avenue
Tickets: Reserve your spots HERE
Equinox Headstrong Meditation Podcasts are accessible NOW and narrated by the relaxing voice of Equinox instructor, Amber Voiles. Start refreshing your brain any time of day with these purposeful podcasts HERE.
See you on the mat, babes!
You may feel like your current them song is: “It’s getting cold out there, so put on winter clothes.” Brr it feels to early for Chicago to be so chill! You may wanna hibernate through March but thawing out with exercise can bust winter blues and strengthen your immune system. Annnd you don’t need to wait for all the Jan 1st resolution peeps to clog up the gym.
Throughout the next few weeks, we are going to share some of our favorite workouts from 2016 to get your 2017 to start strong.
Studio Three can cure your boredom with some spicy variety. Studio Three‘s tri-level fitness mixes up your workout mojo with a cutting-edge Peloton® indoor cycling, interval training and yoga studio. You can double it, ensuring you get that stretch after a tense strength sesh.
Well, first you can check out our initial visit here. This go ’round, we branched out of our yoga pose zone and tried Studio Three’s Athletic Yoga with instructor, Sui Wen. This 60 minute hot yoga class kept it’s promise of being athletic. It felt like a mix of ballet inspired graceful moves blended with serious body weight sets intersperced with balance challenges. Seriously, we have not tried anything like it before. We wouldn’t recommend this class for students just starting yoga but…if you’ve been around the mat a couple of times, this class will summon your inner and outer strength.
After your class, you can refuel with Studio Three’s full service cafe with smoothies, juices, cold brew coffee to cool the sweat. The cafe offers free wifi too so you can catch up on on the newest fit articles while you soak up all your hard work.
Studio Three is kicking off a brand new nutrition 101 program. From Jan 15-April 30, you’ll get an initial assessment, bi-monthly meetings with Precision Nutrition Coach, Dustin Hogue, live cooking demos, custom food lists and recipes. This is something we’d love as most “programs” command what you can and can’t eat without considering diverse eating styles like veggie eaters or gluten free lifestyles. Call the studio for more info and pricing!
Pick up your first class for only $13 bucks and work that snow bunny body with some sweet yoga, cycling or interval heat. Have you tried Studio Three? Tell us what you think in the comments!
*We were offered one free class at Studio Three in exchange for an honest review.*
Have you ever been in a fitness class and felt a twinge in your knee during a lunge? Or how about that back pinch just from your regular morning stretch? You may feel as fit as a fiddle until one of those strings snaps, reflecting an imbalance in your body.
Full disclosure: both of us discovered the sucky-ness of injury this summer with pinched nerves and bulging discs. Stress+work/blog computer scrunching+cell phone snapping=a toll on your bod!
We were curious and a bit nervous when we got an invite to try a functional movement assessment with Jason Raynor, Master Nike Trainer. Raynor has a flex worthy list of fitness certifications and experience including a stint as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Redskins.
Traynor Raynor demoing a walking side squat
We met up with him at one of his current sweat spots, the JW Marriot in downtown Chicago, to get the rehab and rebound experience of functional movement assessments. Think of it as self-help for your fit life!
Now let’s get to the fitty gritty deets.
Functional movement assessments can help you identify those instabilities, not only to prevent injury but to amp your athletic performance. Even amateur fit fiends like us could benefit by optimizing our every day movements.
Trainer Raynor guided us through the first 3 of the 7 movement patterns of the functional movement system.
Trainer Raynor evaluating Monica’s deep squat
But that was just the warm up! After each movement, he asked follow-up questions, gave feedback, and took detailed notes. Both of us had different areas of strengths and weaknesses. Kate had mobility issues with her hurdle step (think slow mo-hurdle) while Monica held tightness in her hip flexors that showed up as knee pain during her split stance lunge. (Check our short video post on Instagram)
Trainer Raynor teaching the proper hand and feet placement for a deep squat
Raynor tackled our tensions with personalized stretches and taught us how to move to protect from injury. Practiced consistently, these corrective exercises will wipe out your inconsistencies and put you in peak form!
Monica practicing a corrective stretch for her hip flexors
A detailed report is sent to you after your sesh to ensure you can “work it out nowwww” more efficiently and effectively. Trainor Raynor doesn’t just work on your fitness (although that’s Fergalicious enough). He targets all areas of health transformation with:
We are huge fit fans of the functional movement assessment and plan on going back to complete the screening. Ready to be that agile athlete hiding inside you? Contact Trainor Raynor for appointments and rates! Check out his profile on the following:
*We received one shared functional movement session in exchange for an honest unbiased review*
Wanna feel the flow this weekend and get your balance back? Whether you’re beauty or a beast when you workout, you’ll love Beast + Balance‘s pop up combo strength training and yoga classes. Top off your kick a@^ experience with a smattering of sexy services at the post flow market or bop on to brunch at Siena Tavern. Wanna sleep in tomorrow? Try the afternoon flow after you bite.
Come get sweaty and wild with us tomorrow for “fitness, feasts and facials” with Beast + Balance!
When: October 15th 2016, 10-12 p.m. or 1-3 p.m.
Where: 444 N Wabash Ave, Chicago
What: Get it that yoga practice crackin’ with a cool community. Mingle it up at the market with these bangin’ local brands:
What comes to mind with the fall season? Crisp air, pumpkin spice drinks, apple cider donuts, and losing the light. It’s getting darker earlier and, although this is perfect running weather, we gotta figure out how to stay safe in our bustling city.
Looking like a ghost while you exercise outside is a bad idea (unless it’s Halloween!). Lighting up (in a positive way) is easier than you think, way more easy than returning from the dead! One of the simplest things you can do when biking, running or trekking outside is use wearable lights.
We tested two different products from 4id that can keep you lit and visible. 4id specializes in safety wearables for athletes. They geared us up good with 2 of their most popular products:
All 4id products are:
4id also lights up your lifffeeee with bike lights, skater boy (or girl) leg lights or even lace lights because you need to keep them shoes tied, right?
Buy all of your lights (all of the lights) Kayne style at 4id‘s site for $19.99 each or 40.00 for a pair of Power Spurz or Power Armz.
*We were provided 4id products for review. Our opinions were not compensated and are our own*
Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to have a celebrity trainer and some arms like Michelle Obama? Well now you can experience…one of them (or maybe both if you already got those biceps cracking) right here in Chicago. … Continue reading
We run a ton in the name of charity: Burger and Beer 5K for Girls on the Run, Monster Dash for Team Ortho, Monkey Purple 5k (ok that doesn’t exist) but we think RUN 10 FEED 10 is one of the … Continue reading
Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Bar Method!! What kind of birthday is it when you get a present instead of the birthday girls? A super sweet and sweaty one!
The Bar Method is celebrating it’s 15th birthday of making ladies long and lean. Bar Method’s signature moves are low impact yet can strengthen and tone you. We are huge fans (like the kind of fans that have the big foam finger) of Bar Method and can’t say enough about their results. Read our past experiences with Bar Method here!!
Oh and your present? You thought we forgot!
Take FREE Bar Method classes and tuck for yourself this Saturday 8/20 and Sunday 8/21*. One lucky reader/new client will win FREE Bar Method cute and motivational sticky socks as well. Enter our Rafflecopter giveaway to win**! Rafflecopter giveaway
*Only new clients are eligible for a free class. Not new? Bring a friend to the Bar!*
**Winner must be able to pick up socks at a Chicagoland Bar Method locations and must be a new client. Giveaway 8/19 10 pm – 8/20 12 am**.
Yoga is our zen spot and the way we first bonded and became this crazy Batman and Robin style blogging duo. Yes, we fight crime and do yoga…you didn’t know? But we definitely have experienced the whole “Am I doing this … Continue reading
Chi Organic Girls 