Your Fittest Week Ever

Posted on January 19, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Don’t give up on those resolutions yet! Chicago land is popping this week with low cost and free fitness workshops, health and nutrition seminars and fun events. Oh and it’s nice-ish outside so you could attempt to brave the outdoors…so, take that winter!

Wednesday Jan 21

Speaking of running, isn’t it more fun with a pack? Join other lady runners at Fleet Feet Lincoln Square for Chick’s Night. Runners and walkers are welcome and routes range between 3 and 6 miles. Can’t do a Wednesday? Run clubs are also available on other weeknights through Fleet Feet.

Thursday Jan 22

“Shake and pop. Shake and pop.” Do you ever imagine you’re dancing at a club during your cardio classes? Your dream is now a reality! Join Flirty Girl Fitness, live DJs, 3 different dance instructors, back up dancers, lights, sound, and fellow cardio heads at the first ever Club Cardio Concert at Sound Bar. Tickets are only $15*, cheaper than the usual drop in, and drinks are available for purchase. This is for the grown and sexy so 21+ only allowed.

Are you trying to explore food allergies or gluten free living? Bountiful Eatery is hosting a gluten free meetup from 7-9 pm on Thursday. Holistic Health Coach, Joy Duginske, and Gluten Free Mom, Tiffany Hinton, will share tips and thoughts on gluten free lifestyles. Attendance is free! RSVP here.

Friday Jan 23

Do you ever tip toe around your living room pretending to be the Black Swan? Ok, maybe that’s just us. Aspiring adult ballerinas and hip hop heads can take free classes at the Joffrey Ballet (GASP! So exciting) at Free First Friday.

Free First Friday

Joffrey Ballet, 10 East Randolph

12:00-1:00 pm Keep Fit Ballet with Kim Sagami
1:15-2:15 pm Pilates with Zineb Chraibi
6:30-8:00 pm Intermediate Ballet with Lynne Alberding
6:30-7:30 pm BeMoved with Jennifer Edgcomb
7:00-8:00 pm Hip Hop with Dantriell Houston

Saturday Jan 24

Whew! You made it to the weekend. Now chill and enjoy the fine art of meditation at 9 am with Hamsa Ayurveda and Yoga founder, Monica Yearwood. No need to register! Just show up and experience the brain changing power of meditation.

Free Meditation Group
Saturdays, 9 am (open and ongoing). Hamsa Center, 3807 N. Lincoln Avenue.

And then hype yourself back up with free and intense cardio from CrossTown Fitness at the South Loop Lululemon store. Join Kailee Martin at 3 pm at the Roosevelt Collection. You must register online to attend.

Sunday Jan 25

2015 is a year for dancing! Learn some Latin moves for free and heat up your winter at the South Shore Cultural Center with Chicago’s Winter Dance.

Winter Dance, South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Dr.

2-3pm – Lisa “La Boriqua” Latin Street Dancing (salsa lesson)
3-5pm – Viva! Marc Anthony Tribute Project (live salsa band performing two 50-minute sets)

Pure Barre Lincoln Park: Fit Review

Posted on December 5, 2014 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

10 brave women made it out in the cold after a appetizer, sides, and pie holiday to get their fitness on this past Sunday at our first ever private Chiorganic Girls class at Pure Barre Lincoln Park, an admirable feet given the tendency to want to sleep off the lingering food coma. We were grateful for our motivation to attend as we got a kick a*@ workout that toned and tightened to reset the good habits and prepare us for the back to work grind.

Lincoln Park Pure Barre is a brand new workout hot spot that just opened November 4th. Ashley Gertz, owner of the newly opened Pure Barre in Lincoln Park, opened the location because of her personal love of barre classes and keen business sense. She welcomed our group with a tour and an overview of what Pure Barre has to offer. Ashley, a former marathoner and avid runner, found that cardio didn’t promote toning and strength so she joined the River North Pure Barre and was hooked.

Marguerite, our teacher, gave us the overview of common moves of Pure Barre and then we got cracking with an immediate plank set (WHYYY??). Bubbly pop music as well as giggles from class participants offset the strenuousness of the miniscule muscle movements. We rolled through abs, arms, legs and ended with (sigh*) more abs and a bridge set to tense up the tush.

After class, we took our shaky legs to the lobby area for complimentary Kashi and Luna snack bars as well as raffle for 2 lucky participants.

And now, we are sore…very pleasantly “can’t walk up the stairs so well” sore, evidence of a real workout. Wanna check it out? Pure Barre Lincoln Park offers new students a very affordable unlimited month of classes for $99. If you join now, you can also compete in the Jingle Tuck challenge (15 classes in 30 days) for prizes and the ultimate win, a retreat at a spa in Arizona.

Running towards Labor Day: 1st time (or 2nd or 3rd) 5k Tips for Success

Posted on August 28, 2014 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

We have a confession to make. It’s been 2 weeks since our last post…and quite awhile since our last good run and yet, we have decided to run a 5K this weekend! AHHHH the agony. We have every intention of getting up at 5:30 am and running to prep but then our beds call us back loving and tenderly. Maybe tomorrow we will start again.

For those of you who want to stretch your runnin’ legs with us and challenge yourself anyways, the Magnificent Mile Chicago Women’s Half Marathon and 5K this Sunday has super fun pre and post race events that may convince you to jump out of your bed!

The Magnificent Mile® Fitness Meets Fashion Market

Schedule of Pre Race Events

Where: Fleet Feet Sports – South Loop

What: Sneak peeks into fall apparel from trendy fitness brands, live music and giveaways!

Friday

10:00-8:00 pm: Fitness Meets Fashion Market hours

4:00-7:00 pm: Q+A, chat with running coach and Runner’s World columnist, Jenny Hadfield.

Mag-Mile-Shakeout-Run-Header-2014

Saturday

10:00-7:00 pm: Fitness Meets Fashion Market Hours

9:15 am: Official Magnificent Shakeout Run led by Professional Oiselle Runner Lauren Fleshman and Jenny Hadfield.

10:30-11:30 am: Complimentary Yoga for Runners class presented by Yoga Six Studio.

4:00-6:00 pm: Meet Professional Oiselle Runner, Lauren Fleshman for a Q+A, photo opportunities, mingling and more!

Race Day! Sunday

Register here and get a high quality racerback top to wear while traveling along the fab Mag Mile, a sexy finisher medal and access to a crazy post race party at the historic Buckingham Fountain. Keep an eye out for delicious LUNA treats at all pre and post race activities. What a good way to tighten up before Labor day!! And to really prepare…check out the following pre-race tips for newbies like us from Terra Castro, recently retired professional triathlete and LUNA Chix Pro fitanista!!

Morning of the Race

Warm-up: remember this is short speedy distance. Warm-ups are essential to get the muscles ready to push at the faster speeds. No need to hurt a hamstring! Make sure to get in 10-15 min of light running and pick ups (strides- increased speed and leg turnover).
Seed yourself: This means make sure you pick the right corral or group to start with. If you are ready to rock- go to the front and be aggressive. If you are middle of the pack,steady approach, place yourself mid group but be ready because it will be a little crowded. It is OK to be aggressive and seed yourself a little faster than you think as it will give you more room to get moving.
Breakfast: Make sure you eat your pre-race breakfast 2 hours or more before because you don’t want the food to cause GI distress. Coffee, bagel with PB and banana is always a great starting point to try. If needed you could use a clif shot right before with some water. Keep it simple.
NO NEW THINGS: don’t get excited and try any new product, shoes, socks, or routine on race morning. Do what you did in training.
Race plan: I always have my athletes write out a simple race plan (strategy) of how they will approach the race. Not only is this good for the race splits (knowing your mile splits to go for) but I also have them write out the mental side of things to process nerves and know how they will handle the WHAT IFS etc.

Terra Castro is a recently retired Professional Triathlete who works as an Elite Sports Massage Therapist and Endurance Coach at Detroit Tough. Terra works with age group athletes of all levels, and has a specialization in Youth/Junior Triathlon Coaching. Her passion to BE BOLD is something she shares with all her athletes and within her community. (Head Coach/owner of Be Bold Crew LLC). You can follow Terra and up your run quotient @terracastro (Twitter & Instagram).

Her tips and tricks will be featured in our next few running blog posts to improve your run game (and ours for sure sure!)

A Holly Jolly Holiday Gift Guide

Posted on December 19, 2013 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

A Chi Organic Girls Holiday Gift Guide

Is it just us or did the holiday season creep up on us like those giant spiders in the new Hobbit movie? We’ve been feeling the adrenaline of the season, hitting the streets in our snow boots and clicking away with our mouses in a fury of gift giving. OMGS Christmas is only 4 days a way! The biggest dilemma we’ve been facing: How to find that one of a kind perfect gift for the foodie, fit fanatic or Chicago adventurer. Holiday gift guide to the rescue!!

Do you have an artist in your life? How about Grizzclay by Chuck Borchers, a Deaf artist who has been experimenting with clay for several years now at Lillstreet Art Center. These one-of-a-kind bowls can make a great centerpiece for a new home or a fancy fruit bowl to liven up a blah kitchen.

Grizzclay by Chuck Borchers

Grizzclay by Chuck Borchers

Something for your highly caffeinated friends? We recommend Bowtruss Coffee Roasters, located in River North and Lakeview. One of Chicago’s bustling micro-roasters, their bean blends offer complex flavor profiles like cherry or apple undertones. Read more about our experience at Bowtruss here.

For foodies, check out recommendations of Chicago food experts (including ours) in the Chicago Food Bloggers Holiday Gift Guide. For example, We love Vosges Haut-Chocolat, with boutiques located in downtown, Lincoln Park and of all places, O’Hare Airport. Pick up a custom box of regional truffles (think Mexican coco dusted in chili) or an exotic chocolate bar, like the newly released Coconut Ash and Banana Dark chocolate bar. For your veggie and vegan peeps, try Chicago Diner with a gift card for a tasty “I can’t believe it’s vegan” shake or have your friends rep their veg style with a Chicago Diner t-shirt. Click here for more food gift ideas.

Fit Fanatics: For a yoga lover or to help someone get off their asana (haha) and get fit, gift them one week of unlimited classes at Zen Yoga Garage (plus first-timers automatically get one week free pass with a coupon). Learn more about this 2013 new hotspot here.

Zen Yoga Garage

And for a more one-on-one fitness focus, how about some serious calorie crushing sessions with our fave certified personal trainer, Sabri Xhaferi, NASM CPT. Sabri offers nutritional counseling, myofascial (muscular relaxation) techniques, and one-on-one highly individualized personal training with flexible payment arrangements. Email sabriCPT@gmail.com and find more background info here. You can also grab some healthy tips on his Facebook page.

Sabri Xhaferi, CPT
Photo courtesy Ela Miszczyszyn

Oh and for fun fun fun person in your life: The Chicago donut scene has been rolling (like a rolling pin, get it?) this year. For the fun chasing type, how about tickets to the first ever batter-y, deep-fried Donut Fest in Chicago on Jan 26th! Tickets are on sale Monday, Dec 23rd at noon. For more info http://donutfest.com

Glazed & Infused Donuts and Firecakes Donuts

Whew! It’s time to break our the tape, scissors, and wrapping paper and get these gifts in the sleigh!

What are your recs for Chicago’s best gifts? Where do you eat, sweat and play?

All we want for Xmas is Pilates bodies!

Posted on December 13, 2013 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

We have to confess…it’s been almost a week since our last workout and our abs still hurt! Last Saturday, we kicked another Chi style birthday off right with our next Lululemon “12 Days of OM” event at Superior Pilates. Before we got started, we shared a nervous conversation with a fellow classmate about the reformers and their semi torturous facades. Our fears were soon assuaged by Kristen Wolf, our teacher, owner and founder of Superior Pilates as she explained that we wouldn’t tackle the machines until we had the basics down.

Finally, we snuggled into the mats and tightened our tummies in anticipation.

So what’s the hype about this workout? Pilates (pronounced puh-LAH-teez) helps build flexibility, muscle strength, and body awareness and involves the legs, abdomen, arms, hips, buttocks and lower back. This workout strengthens and stretches bulky muscles as well as tones and balances the smaller muscle groups. Need more info? Click here on Wikipedia.

During our 1 hour class, Kristen worked out every part of the body. We tried our hand at the more traditional moves like “the hundred” exercise and adventured into some new territory with the use of spring-and-pulley apparatus that pushed our triceps and calves to the sculpting limits.

The small class size allowed Kristen to give personal attention to each student. After we had exhausted every muscle fiber, we chatted it up with Kristen about her journey into pilates. Kristen suffered whiplash from a car accident and began pilates as a tool for rehabilitation. She ended up loving it so much that she followed up with professional pilates training and eventually purchased the cozy and sunny studio space.

At the end of our class, Molly from Lululemon raffled off a sweet black tank with watercolor style flowers…and guess who won? The bday girl!!

Hurry up and get in on the holiday fun at the next 12 Days of OM or take the Pilates Plunge with Kristen at Superior Pilates.

Free First Friday

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A Chi Organic Girls Holiday Gift Guide

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