Why Do You Serve? A Bright Pink Outlook on this MLK National Day of Service.

Posted on January 20, 2014 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

If you’re in Memphis, make sure to see the Lorraine Motel, the assassination site of the legendary Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While standing in silence with other visitors, it’s hard not to wonder what he else he could have accomplished if his life hadn’t been taken so early. His inspiration continues as people dedicate their time on his birthday to help improve their communities. Volunteerism not only helps those who are receiving but also those who give their time to others. Each person can find some cause they feel passionate about and the decision to serve could positively affect their physical and emotional health. What’s not to like?!

Today, we would like to give snaps and back pats and kudos to one of our fave volunteer organizations, Bright Pink. Bright Pink is a unique non-profit in that it focuses on breast cancer awareness and risk reduction in addition to supporting high risk individuals. They utilize tech and social media for doing good. Instead of using texts to send pictures of cats wearing people clothes, they send you reminders and tips to check your breast health. Ladies, take action by assessing your risk here.

Bright Pink practices what they preach with volunteers as well. Their volunteer events promote healthy choices such as exercising, eating cancer fighting foods, and workshops that encourage regular breast monitoring. For example, this past Thursday, we joined other dedicated Bright Pink supporters at a crazy dance-athon at All About Dance. It was much appreciated that the lights were low as our dance instructor had us rolling our hips and doing some killer floor work that made us wish we had a referee time out whistle to recover from the cardio. Luckily, Bright Pink head of volunteer events, Brynn, provided us with Vitamin Water and Pretzel Crisps to motivate us to class completion.

So how have you served others this year? It’s not too early or too late to help! Learn more about volunteering with Bright Pink here.

Mastering the Chaturanga

Posted on January 10, 2014 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

2014 has already been a whirlwind of activity. So much so, we didn’t even have time to sketch out some resolutions to ditch after January. One thing that we consider a continued necessity in the big ’14 and not a temporary resolution is practicing yoga. Both of us initially connected over our interest in not only getting some exercise at yoga class, but also reaping the relaxing benefits of being on the mat. As relaxing as it can be,the dreaded asana, chaturanga, has never been the yoga move that made us swoon. In fact, it has been of particular frustration at times, especially after 12 Sun Salutations in a row (*shaking fist at yoga teachers!!).

Chaturanga (chah-tuur-ANGH-uh) Dandasana (dahn-DAHS-uh-nuh) means “four limbs staff pose” and is part of the sun salutation sequence. Corepower Yoga in Oak Park/River Forest recently put on a Chaturanga workshop and we were intrigued as well as afraid. Mon ended up welcoming a new family into the world the eve of the workshop (YAAAY!), so I was left on my own to brave the unknown.

Julia and Laura were the fearless yoga leaders who walked the class through a crazy amount of variations of chatarungas. Some of the most important points they made were*:

1) No need to do chaturangas every day. This could lead to a possible tennis elbow injury or overuse of the shoulder (aka dang my rotator cuff is jacked).

2) A strap could be your best yoga bud for this pose. If you wrap it around your forearms, when you go down to the bottom of the chaturanga pose with your 90% elbows at the sides of your ribcage, it gently pushes on the front of the rib cage and shows you if you’re in the right position.

*Since I am not a personal trainer or yoga teacher, do not take my advice and start slugging it out as I don’t have to money to pay for your urgent care bills. Here’s Mind Body Yoga’s step-by-step how-to on correct form or watch the video by Lululemon.

I was surprised because we actually got a full workout during the workshop and talked through all these variations of chaturanga.

Basic chaturanga – Got it down!
1 legged chaturanga – A little harder
Crow to chaturanga – Umm I flopped around like an injured crow. Best advice was use your core not your legs to propel yourself out. At least the girl in front of me was flopping too.
Forward fold to chaturanga – Somehow managed to fake it
Standing splits to chaturanga – Yeah I just watched and admired the class at this point.

Even if you’ve been practicing yoga for a long time, I think it’s pretty essential to get some walk through on proper form and in my yoga class on Sunday, I felt more confident and comfortable when completing my chaturangas. Want to get your own yoga scholar time on? Corepower Yoga is being awesome to the community and offering another free workshop on February 8th for back bends. Contact the studio for more details.

Reverse Warrior sequence with Corepower Yoga OPRF Julia (left) and Laura (right).

Thanks to Julia, Laura and Morgan, studio owner of Corepower Yoga OPRF, for hosting me. See y’all on the mat!

Bound 2 Get Fit 4 NYE

Posted on December 27, 2013 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Not sure if your family baked you 3 tins full of holiday cookies and marble cakes, but ours did. We are so over sugared from this past week that a fridge full of carrots seems like a refuge. Luckily, you don’t need to wait til the new year to strengthen your resolve and boost your healthy habits. Chicago seems to know we all probably overdid it (in true Midwestern style) and has some limited time hot deals to get you back on track even before you even squeeze into your NYE digs.

Addicted to Glazed and Infused Donuts?

Groupon is offering a limited time only deal of a 3 or 7 day juice cleanse for our fave freshy-fresh juice bar, Peeled. Info on the efficacy of juicing research is mixed but proponents say it clears toxins from the body, delivers vitamins instantly and eliminates cravings. We haven’t tried the cleanse but love their made-to-order smoothies, juices and raw foods. Try the Bright Pink juice, with dazzling pear, pineapple and ginger, for a first taste. Must haves: Motivation to say goodbye to solid foods!

Peeled Juice “Bright Pink”

Are you a Challenge Hound?

Bar Method may look like a dance in the park but we have seen our male friends quiver in the class. If you have never stepped up to the Barre, you can join the Bar-lution Challenge. Take 21 classes in 30 days from January 6th through February 4th to win! Prizes during last year’s competition included Bar Method socks, tanks, DVDs and a membership for one faithful attendee. Beyond the goodies, your body will look fantastic. We lost inches, gained flexibility and strength during our challenge foray last year. Must haves: grippy socks, knee length pants and a steely determination. Hot tip: The Wicker Park Bar Method has free parking for you driving folks.

Looking to Beat the Treadmill Blahs?

Consistently voted as one of the best gyms in Chicago, i.d. gym has a small personalized environment and a schedule chock full of original exercise classes. Ever flown in the air in a hammock during yoga? How about pushing a tire around to get a pre industrial revolution physique? Classes like Fly Yoga and the Caveman Workout may renew your fitness fire. I.d. gym is running a membership special until the end of December so hurry up and lunge in to the deal.

For those who want to get back in touch with their naughty side now that Christmas is over, Flirty Girl Fitness, an all women’s gym with a focus on bringing sexy back, has class packs on sale as well that could mix up the boring basics of gym rat life. Getting a mani pedi with your package ain’t half bad either!

i.d. gym fly yoga

Overwhelmed by Health and Fitness info?

Personal training may be a way to wade through the mass of fitness trends out there. Score a deal on a free consultation with our North side trainer extraordinaire, Sabri Xhaferi, to get the feel for it or jump right in with a package deal.

Sabri Xhaferi, certified personal trainer

With all this sweating, what about a swell new workout outfit to make you feel footloose at the gym!? We just discovered a cut and affordable spot for just such a task, vfish. What else do we wanna try in 2014? TRX, HIIT, Bollywood Groove, Pure Barre, Cheerobix and more to test out just for you!

vfish designs gripsocks!

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.

My Om My! Free Holiday Yoga with Lululemon Chicago

Posted on December 6, 2013 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Admit it. You deserve a break from the holidays already and those snowman cookies you’ve gorging on lately certainly aren’t relieving any stress. Well, real holiday relief is on the way! In the spirit of the season, Lululemon on Rush & Walton has wrapped up the gift of free yoga classes, ceremoniously titled “12 Days of OM”, at a diverse set of Chicago based studios for all of us in need of a good Shavasana. We did a test run last night for the 2nd day of OM at Yoga Fuzion. Nestled in River North, Yoga Fuzion’s studio space has all the accouterments you would expect from the posh neighborhood. It boasts infrared heating technology, free towel and mat rental, and a special cushy moisture reducing floor. During our 1 hour yoga journey with Rachel, we delighted in some much needed detoxing twists (goodbye pumpkin pie!) and a toasty heated temp which was a surprise perk given the 20 degree freeze yesterday.

We sweated it up and still somehow looked glowy at the end. Ok, so maybe we snuck a brush in our gym bags and tussled our hair a bit before the “op”.

Yoga Fuzion in River North

Following practice, we chatted it up with Jonna from Lululemon and indulged in mango lemonade, cucumber mint water and fresh veggies. She explained that class sign-ups are released each Friday and pointed us to the sign up link for “12 Days of OM” on Eventbrite. Jonna presented us a special gift in the #nohumbug Lululemon tradition, a cute coral colored sweat wicking pink stripe tank for Monica! ‘Tis the season for you to jump on the free yoga sleigh ride as well. Check out the “12 Days of Om” schedule below, back away from the cookies and throw those capri and tank in your gym bag! Next classes include Power Vinyasa Flow at Yoga Loft and Mat Pilates at Lateral Fitness.

Acro A Go Go

Posted on September 3, 2013 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Sometimes you are feeling adventurous. Sometimes you are willing to ignore personal boundaries and risk that your butt may fall on some stranger’s head.

This…is one of those times.

We had been talking for months about going to Acroyoga and shied away. Did we know enough yoga? Were we pretzely enough? Finally, we mustered the courage to go to the Trapeze School of New York in Chicago hidden at the Broadway Armory.

Our teacher, Jenny Melnick, and a fellow student guided us through the fine art (or in our case, the fine line) of counterbalancing, using your body weight to support poses and each other.

Mon: As we learned the basic poses, it was a challenge to communicate and listen to my body and my partner. Some poses were easy and fun while other poses push your limit. I had to learn to trust myself and my partner as we relied on each other in poses such as the High Flying Whale.

Kat: I was meant to be a base. (Don’t be dirty! A base is the pyramid person that the pose is built on). Although it was weird at times finding the right balance, as I am short and everyone else was so gazelle like, I embraced being the rock of the formation. Jenny took more care with us as we were new which made a challenging experience more comfortable.

We both highly recommend the experience. It would be worthwhile to go with a bestie or a man friend you trust as you are often in twister-like compromising positions.

Fit Trip: Regina, SK

Posted on August 8, 2013 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

We know you’re looking at the title and thinking one of three things.

1) Where the bleep is Regina, SK?

2) What would anyone be doing in Regina, SK?

3) I’m from Regina, SK and I love it! Keep our location a secret please.

Or maybe some of you had to keep reading the word Regina to make sure this post was child friendly…

Regina, SK is a city in our lovely neighbor to the north (eh), Canada! The capital city of Saskatchewan sits above North Dakota in between Manitoba and Alberta. It has a small town feel yet still a plethora of fitness (there’s even a Lulu Lemon) and healthy food options, making it a fit trip destination.

Victoria Square is one major area of activity. Every Wednesday and Saturday, local vendors come out to the weekly farmers’ markets in the square. Fresh saskatoons (little dark berries akin to blueberries) and alpaca yarn gloves abound as well as food trucks with up north delicacies like bison poutine (definitely not healthy, but worth a try!) and stands with green tea mint ice cream sandwiches.

Zero calorie poutine…fruitless wishes

Victoria Square also hosts free yoga classes on their meticulously lady scaped lawn. As I snooped around the market, I noticed that there was Bollywood Yoga the next day. The experience pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Sponsored by Bodhi Tree Yoga, Bollywood Yoga Groove was led by teacher, Colin Hall with beats provided by DJ Dev. The best and worst part was the mix of yoga and bollywood dancing. In between poses, the class would bust out some dance moves and my sometimes shy self was made to prance around the park with fellow yogis in a free style dance session (shudder!). When you do let yourself go, it can be quite freeing or…it can be like the painful look I saw in a pale Canadian man wearing a flannel.

To this I say: “Yoga isn’t meant for the weak, flannel man. Buck up and prance like everyone else.”

Oh yoga bottoms…not even aware of what will come next.

For you non-prancers, Regina also hosts a series of pathways at Wascana Lake. Visitors can kayak, canoe, run, walk or skip if they so choose throughout the 9.3 square kilometer park (darn metric system). There is also an island that can be rented for private partying, P. Diddy style.

For more information on the wonders of Regina, check out http://www.sasktourism.com/places-to-go/regions/regina.

New to the Mat: Zen Yoga Garage

Posted on August 8, 2013 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

With a multitude if yoga studios in Chicago, how does a brand new yoga business set itself apart?

Zen Yoga Garage is unassumingly tucked on Milwaukee avenue in between Western and Leavitt. The stand out feature? It is literally housed in a garage space.

The studio features 2 pristine studios; one which maintained the garage door format that can be cracked open during classes to allow the summer sun and breezes in, and the other which has windows that peek into the alley way.

The most attractive feature of the studio were teaching staff. Each class that we took during our free week was delivered with care and attention. The teachers were were quick to correct form and helped challenge yet also relax members. Class offerings range from the traditional vinyasa classes to the heated weight bearing Yoga Buddha Burn class to a barre yoga class. Owner, Piper Parker, also teaches and provides a welcoming and warm vibe, making it accessible for those new to yoga.

Chi Organic Girls

Tag Archives: fitness

Why Do You Serve? A Bright Pink Outlook on this MLK National Day of Service.

Mastering the Chaturanga