Natural Yoga Mat Cleaner: Mat Mist

Posted on July 29, 2016 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Ahh yoga class, the glow of the candles, the collective sound of OHM, the stinky sweaty scent on your mat…wait. A smelly yoga mat can totally ruin your one shot of the day to unwind. You want your mat to be so fresh and so clean but without all the chemicals.

Namastay on your mat with Mat Mist. Mat Mist is a new aromatherapeutic, essential oil spray created by Brooklyn, N.Y.based yogi, Cassie Cosgrove.

Just spray it up, roll it up and your mat is good to go.

We were offered 4 blends to spray after our Sun Salutations.

Lavender Sandalwood Geranium: Calming lavender preps the chill atmosphere and sandalwood adds energy to your inversions. We like to use this as a bedroom spray for easier sleep.
Thyme Douglas Fir: Get in touch with nature with the earthy scent of Fir.
Lemon Myrtle Peppermint Vetiver: Fresh citrus and cooling mint can warm up a cool practice.
Meditation: Breathe deep without the incense and make your home into a studio with this relaxing scent blend.

Mindful Mat Mist Ingredients (image courtesy of Mat Mist):

Mat Mist Musts-

Ecofriendly:

No need for wipes or paper towels (note: for a very dirty mat, like beach and park yoga, Mat Mist will not deep clean your mat)
Bottles are from recycleable PET

Anti-Germies: Each of the essential oil combinations included in the line are known for their antibiotic, antiseptic, antifungal, and/or antiviral properties. All oils are therapeutic grade, distilled carefully to retain the plant constituents known for medicinal properties.

Yoga Studio Friendly: Scents dissipate quickly to prevent you from being “that yogi” who perfumes the room.

Community Focused: Mat Mist donates 10% of profits to good causes and charitable sustainability organizations

Multi-purpose: Use it as a room fresher, both in the air or on sheets or furniture.

Cost: Mat Mist products are sold in a 2 ounce ($11) or four ounce (MSRP $18) spray bottle. Mat Mist also offers a subscription opportunity (MSRP $75/2oz or $108/4oz) where you receive new special edition mists seasonally throughout the year. Get fresh in your practice at matmist.com.
*We received samples of Mat Mist for review. We were not compensated for our opinions.*

Yoga 101 @ Studio Three Chicago

Posted on March 18, 2016 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Do you wanna know a secret? We’ve been practicing yoga for years. It’s what brought our friendship to fruition. BUT! We’ve never taken a Yoga 101 class until now.

Studio Three’s new FREE Yoga 101 class offers a format that is accessible to anyone, from new yogis, to sweaty gurus (especially those who need patience practice). So don’t be nervous if you’ve never ventured into this world of open mouth tongue out breathin’. We checked it out 2 Saturdays ago and checked our assumptions at the door.

First Impressions:

Studio Three’s yoga studio features linen covered decorative lamps (good for staring at in a hard pose), hardwood floors and natural light to induce relaxation. Studio Three also features cycling and interval training in its other 2 studios.

Attending your first yoga class can be intimidating. You know, those people all stretching and showing off their wacky legs behind their head poses. However, our teacher, Todd Rhoades, was bubbly, welcoming and accommodating to all in the room. Luckily no one in our class was stunting either. Todd is multi-talented and has a background in yoga, and dance. This evident in his grace and ease at talking through poses.

Note: Emily DeBouver and Maggie McElhiney are teaching an “It’s Britney B*^#h” dance class on March 25th at Studio Three if yoga’s not your thang.

Format (may vary by teacher):

We began with pranayama practice, breathing in one nostril and out the other, sometimes feeling like a drowning hippo. Prana what, now? It’s a breathing practice for yoga to help you be in tune with your gorgeous bod. We then moved on to sun salutations with an explanation and demo of each step. Class may seem slow if you are used to quick vinyasa flow but we were sore after and learned a ton. Classes can cover a variety of topics including etiquette, form, history and/or alignment.

Where: Studio Three, 648 N Clark Street
Chicago IL, 60654

When: Saturdays, 1:45-2:45 pm

Bonus: This Saturday, March 19th, is Yoga 101 with QUICHE AND MIMOSAS!!

Sign Up: First, sign up for an account. Next, schedule yourself!

Already experienced? Studio Three could appease many a yogi with styles from Forrest Yoga (from the amazing Allison English) to Hot Power, Flow, or challenging Hi-Def (integrated yoga and strength training). We gots to go back and give another try another style.

*Update* 3/25/2016 Yoga 101 will morph into Power Yoga 101 for April.

Bar Method #MeInspiresWe Challenge

Posted on January 10, 2016 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Cue the Final Countdown Music and say this in a movie phone voice: “We challenge you, dear readers, to a battle to the death…of flappy arms and thighs.” Join us this month, from January 11th-February 15th, and get toned as … Continue reading →

Move your Bolly-licious Body with Doonya

Posted on March 27, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

It’s Move It March! Yeah, March is making us mad so we are reclaiming the month in efforts to leap off our comatose couch-bound status. Sadly, there is snow AGAIN on the ground and, with the irresponsible nature of Chicago Spring, indoor workouts are a must. As we all need variety (or vari-itay as one could say), we jumped at a recent invite to sample a unique world dance inspired fitness class, Doonya. Khushboo Rami, our fearless instructor and 1 of 2 Doonya instructors in the whole Chicago area, warmly welcomed us to the River North Gym for our first Doonya experience.

Some of you probably have an inkling of what Doonya is all about from some alluring TV commercials. Seriously, we had our debit card in one hand and the remote in the other debating on whether to buy their streaming online classes. Doonya has actually been around since 2005 when innovator and super fit co-founders, Priya and Kajal, aspired to develop what they were doing in their Indian dance troupe to a replicable dance fitness method. Khushboo was the 4th trained instructor in D.C. and carried the brand with her when she moved to the Chi. So, what can you expect when you lace on your Reeboks and get ready for your flash dance moment?

Khushboo explained that Doonya has some major components that are present in every class, no matter where you attend. There is always a mix of high and low energy cardio and 4 major dance styles are weaved throughout the class: Indian folk, Bhangra, Classical Indian dance/conditioning, and Bollypop (Indian popular dance sometimes mixed with mainstream Western pop/rap). The signature moves, like the Bollytap, glute lifts and knee lifts, crunchy standing ab moves and the heel flick, you will be able to catch the rhythm after a few songs. Once you have a few favorite numbers, you can request your best Bolly-shaking tunes on Facebook or directly to your amicable Doonya instructor.

So how did our first class go? Well, although we both work out (yoga, running, dance), our bodies were still challenged by Doonya’s high impact cardio sections. Khushboo broke down basic moves before beginning routines which made it less intimidating for us newbies. Near the middle, we found our sweaty spot but weren’t too concerned as the infectious dance music keeps you moving. We really loved the M.I.A. “Bad Girls” remix and were super surprised by the challenging nature of the classical moves at the end. Your thighs will shake!

Ready to throw on a kurti and give it a try? Khushboo teaches on Thursdays at 5:30 pm and drop in classes are only $15. You can also sign up for a free 3 day pass for River North Gym and try your first Doonya class for nuthin’. The gym is hiding on the 10th floor of the Merchandise Mart so take the Brown or Purple line if you don’t wanna mess with parking. We can’t wait to go back to work on our shoulder shimmies.

Here are a few of our fave Bollywood jams to get you in the bollymood for Doonya. Do you have a secret Bolly-jam? Let us know so we can expand our collection!

Dilli Wali Girlfriend

High Heels

1, 2, 3, 4 from Chennai Express

Jump Away Calories at Sky Zone

Posted on October 22, 2014 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Ok 80’s babies, sing it with us. Sky Zone will make you “Jump, Jump”! Yes, now Kris Kross is in your head, suckers.

We had the distinct pleasure of bounding on over to a trampoline haven at the newly opened Sky Zone in Elmhurst, IL, our Chicago neighbor to the West. Jump-a-whaaa? It’s basically a warehouse full of tramps (the hoppy kind, people) set up for your child-like nature…and children, if you have them, of course.

When we arrived, we felt a little nervous about the thought of trampling small children with our lack of coordination as we saw them running into the building. Sky Zone has a pretty sweet set up, however, to make sure adults and kids leap with ease. Sky Zone has scheduled jump times to reduce crowding and several jump arenas with different activities.

So what ya do when you get there?

First, we signed a online waiver, grabbed our cute pink sky socks (in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month) and stopped by the snack bar to get some water.

Jump Tip #1: You don’t need to pay for water. There are water fountains (uh duh, why didn’t we look earlier?). There is no slushie fountain, though, so you will need to pay for that Blue Rasberry Slushie craving you have.

We started our jumpsperience at FOAM ZOOOOONE with some very inept flips into a big pile of orange and blue foam cubes. There’s a monitor in each area directing flip traffic so you can belly flop, front flip, or just slide down the trampoline on your face into the pit…as one of us did (heheheh).

Jump Tip #2: Wear Jump appropriate clothing. Half shirts, low riding pants and thong panties may be a bit too revealing as you claw your way depths of foam helllll. Seriously, its a struggle getting out of those cubes!

Next, we moseyed over to the open jump dome and were surrounded by all ages of jumpers. The coolest aspect about open jump is that its organized chaos. The dome is divided into personal trampoline squares so jumpers can have their own private trampoline dreams without being tackled by a fellow participant. As we jumped back and forth between each other’s squares, we noticed how dang hard trampolining is. We burned calories, sweat and didn’t even feel like we were working out until our legs revealed their shaky nature once we left the dome.

Jump Tip #3: If you use the Sky Zone lockers, put your key somewhere safe! Ours jumped right out of our pocket and left us with a $10 locker key replacement fee.

Finally, we tried out WNBA aspirations at Sky Slam, the Slam Dunk section. One of us, the tall one with hops aka Monica, enjoyed the area, while the other, the shortie, got kicked out for trying to dunk in the kids line. Kate can’t slam dunk and now it’s been proven by cold hard evidence.

Sky Zone visitors can try their hand (or legs) at Ultimate Dodgeball. We just didn’t feel like getting smacked in the face by 8 year olds so we skipped out. Fitness classes are also available for those who want a dedicated low impact/high calorie workout without all the rug rats running about.

Final Jump Tip:

Sky Zone is affordable (fitness classes are only $10 and open jump is $15), fun and will make you fit! Check out the class schedule and open gym times here and hop to it!

Run Life: Must Have Gear for Newbie Runners

Posted on August 2, 2014 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Chiorganicgirls may have briefly fallen off the face of the earth due to Kate’s wedding festivities but we are back…and better than ever due to the lack of wedding stress! How did we survive and de-stress during all the bride and maid of honor hub bub this summer? Exercise, of course!

We took it to the mild weathered streets of Chicago and stretched our running legs along park and lake paths. One of the big problems we face with outdoor running is where the hell to put your keys, wallet, run jams, snacks, mace and so forth. Your sports bra is an option for hiding stuff but, dang, it sure gets sweaty in there.

Then comes a product that frees your arms, and bra and shoes (guys you know what I’m saying) from the burden of keeping your stuff secure while you bounce about.

The DBelt! Okay so the name is funny but what it does is D-liteful!

Kate snagged the DBelt and never let go (as Monica didn’t want to wear Kate’s sweat anyways). The DBelt is a wide cotton-spandex blended belt that sits comfortably around your hips or waist (depending on your preference). Includes 2 zip front pockets, and a velcro closure, there is plenty of room for multiple credit cards, keys and your phone. Not only did the DBelt travel around Kate’s waist to multiple 5k practices and the big show, the Energizer Night Run, but it also made it’s way to her honeymoon in Costa Rica and on the EL train to yoga class. Quite the world traveler! The DBelt is a must have fitness fashion item but also makes a nice purse alternative and a sneaky way to hide your valuables from robbers!

And care is quite D-simple…ok we stretched on that one.

Handwash
Do not dry in heat
Do not dry clean
Do not iron

See! You don’t have to use that stupid iron…and we kinda perm press washed it on accident and it came out ok (shhh…).

Is your interested Deepened? Well Dive in! (Sorry about all the D jokes…we had to do it).

You can purchase your DBelt online here!

Or if you are a lucky person who lives in Florida, then you can get it at POWER HOUSE gym, 6900 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach FL 33411.

So let’s go lie on the beach in Florida with our Dbelts!! Who wants to buy our flights?

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!

Chi Organic Girls