Tag Archives: Wednesdaywellness

Christmas Fitness with Studio Three

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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.

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Do you suffer from repetative routine syndrome?

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.

So what is Studio Three really like?  

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.

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What else is offered?

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.

Looking to commit to a healthier lifestyle too?

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.*

 

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Wednesday Wellness: BluePrint Booch

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Anyone who knows us knows we are KRAZY for Kombucha.  We jump to pick up a bottle of that fizzy stuff.

So of course we said “Booch Yeah” to trying BluePrint‘s new kombucha fermented teas blended with their cold fresh pressed juices.

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For those not in the bubbly know, kombucha is drink made with fermented tea and sugar that houses a colony of “good for ya” bacteria (more tummy tamers).  Some of it’s possible benefits include:

  • Detoxing
  • Weight loss
  • Immunity
  • Improved Digestion

Kate and Monica recommend kombucha for people with colds, hangovers or long weekends of too many french fries.

We’ve cleansed with BluePrint® cold pressed juices as well as different kombucha brands so how does BluePrint®’s kombucha fizz up to the rest?

BluePrint® Kombucha drink line consists of six varieties:

  • Kale-a-lu-ya
  • Jack Rabbit
  • Heart of Gold
  • Miss Tang
  • Raise the Roots
  • Sweet Heat

Serving Size: 14 Ounces

Flavor: We sampled two flavors:

  • Sweet Heat is an effervescent blend of apple, ginger, lemon and a pinch of cayenne.  The spice kicks your metabolism into gear while the ginger and lemon makes you feel refreshed.
  • Raise the Roots bubbles your energy up with beets, carrot and our beloved ginger.

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Calories: Between 70-90 calories per bottle

Sugar: 19-20 grams (homemade kombucha has about 10 grams of sugar for this serving size)

Fizzy rating: 10! We think it’s the fizzish.

Ready to sip and sparkle on ya own?  BluePrint® certified USDA organic Kombucha Drinks bubble at Whole Foods Market and local retailers in the New York Tri-State area, as well as in Midwest-area stores.

 

ARYA Healthy Immunity Boosting Drinks

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“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ~ Hippocrates

When many people think of Indian food, they picture the gold color and fragrant smell of curry. Turmeric is one of the spices that gives curry it’s signature color.  The distinct nature of turmeric boasts a sunny power that is hiding inside: curcumin.  Curcumin is a plant produced compound with a bevvy of health benefits like cancer prevention, inflammation reduction and perhaps even memory boosting.

Turmeric only contains about 5% or less of curcumin in weight so how are you going to access this compound without chewing a bunch of turmeric roots or currying it up on the daily?  Welp, ARYA Curcumin+ Beverages and Daily Antioxidant Gummy Chews contain ARYA’s Curcumin+, providing 27 times the absorption of regular curcumin.  Extracted from non-GMO turmeric, ARYA drinks and gummies are a food based way to get a bigger batch of curcumin into your bod.

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We were offered samples of the ARYA line for review.  So how do they taste?  Is sipping on curcumin better than sipping on syzurp?

ARYA Curcumin+ Beverages

There are four sparkling blends: Energy (Citrus), Radiance (Mixed  Berry), Immunity (Tropical) and Sports (Lemon-Lime).  All 4 have a bubbly texture and are refreshing.

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The Sports blend has the highest sugar content (over 20 grams, jeez).  Our guess is the sugars serve to replenish lost carbs after a hard workout.  Basically, don’t go sipping this drink after that difficult weekend of Netflix binging on the couch.

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Other blends have 5 or less calories and feature stevia and monkfruit as sweeteners.  The color of the blends can be a little startling and nuclear at first, but remember the color of turmeric?  Yup you got it: that bright yellow.  We have mixed feelings about the taste of stevia usually but the monk fruit seems to tamp it down for a more balanced sweetness.

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These four beverages include the equivelent of 4 tablespoons of turmeric in curcumin absorption per can.  The Energy blend was our drink of choice wit ginseng, taurnine and B vitamins.  This could be a healthier sub for your 5 hour energy or Red Bull drinkers, too!

Daily Antioxidant Gummy Chews

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The gummy chews are reminiscent of a gummy vitamin and have a pleasant mango flavor with a happy smile on the front of the gummy.  Gummies pack 1 tablespoon turmeric per serving – a daily dose of curcumin.

We think the gummies would be easier to infuse into a daily routine and the beverages would be more like a sometimes drink when you are looking for a boost.

ARYA Curcumin+ can be found at Walmart, on Amazon and at other retailers near you.

Bar Method #MeInspiresWe Challenge

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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 →

Free Workouts in the New Year: Part 1

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If you are living on a tight budget OR aren’t quite clear even where to start with jumping in the fitness “pool”, these fitness activities are free, fun and can guide you in the right direction to feel more calm, strong and the bomb in 2016!

Strength Training

If your goals include muscling it up or toning it down, these indoor, outdoor and online options can fuel your fitness fire.

Nike Training Club Chicago

Train with top Chicago fitness professionals in classes ranging from barre to HIT in addition to speed, endurance and long distance run training. Nike Training Club Chicago supported super fabulous events last year like Train with Hart, a 5K run with Kevin Hart, and #getouthere, a temporary Chicago river front workout facility to withstand the Chicago chill.  Need a little help sorting through your fitness goals? Sign up for an exclusive Resolutions Consultation with a Nike fitness pro and get athletic coaching advice for nada dollars.  Join and sign up for workouts here.

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North Face Mountain Athletics

Cold air, they don’t care.  North Face continues their free Mountain Athletics outdoor workouts Tuesday at Lincoln Park and Thursday at Millennium Park even in the winter.  If you are looking for a challenge, this is for you!

Each session, led by two The North Face trainers, prep you for outdoor goals.  Sign up here.

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Chicago Park District

Looking for something local?  Check out your nearby Chicago Park district building this week, January 2nd-10th, for free boxing, swimming, aerobic exercise and more.

Target Commit to Fit (with Adam Rosante and Idalis Velazquez)

It takes at least 21 days to start a habit so Target wants to bolster your fit meter with a free 21 day Commit to Fit workout program.  Adam Rosante, certified athletic trainer, and author of “The 30 Second Body: Eat Clean, Train Dirty & Live Hard” and Idalis Velazquez, founder of IV Fitness LLC and the creator of the PowerUP60 training method, power through with you by leading a series of Target Youtube videos for abs, cardio and strength.

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Dance

ARC Chicago

Join in a Dance Free for All January 5th-10th with the American Rhythm Center Chicago.  Classes ranging from Tap, Break dancing, African Dance, Bollywood, Afro-Haitian and much more are all free!

Dance Fitness with Jessica

These short, high energy dance routines are lead and follow style but still could be club ready with practice.  Jessica Bass starting a small group dance class in Knoxville, TN that expanded to hundreds of free Youtube videos in addition to a purchasable fitness program.  Lace up your dancing shoes and prepare to werk.

If you don’t have twinkle toe or muscle head genes, stayed tuned for Part 2 of our Free Workout posts: Yoga and Running!