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Spring Has Arrived and Yoga Deals the Groupon Way!

WANT FREE FRUIT NOT FAT GALAXY GRANOLA? Click here to enter before Friday at 2pm!

Thanks to last night’s awesome workout and this morning’s gorgeous weather I am in the best mood today! It is supposed to reach 70 degrees in NYC today and the sun is already beckoning us to come out and play. In honor of Spring, I enjoyed another yogurt mess this morning featuring some wonderful Spring berry flavors.

This delicious yet unphotogenic mess is the following:
1 Dannon Light n Fit Blueberry Yogurt
5 strawberries quartered
1/3 c Nature’s Path All Bran Buds alternative
1/2 c Special K Protein cereal
1 Tbsp ground flax
This breakfast is flavorful, filling, and filled with healthy protein and fiber. It’s lighter on my stomach than oatmeal and screams SPRING! Better yet, it keeps me full for at least four hours and is easy to prepare at the office.
In other news, today’s NYC Groupon offer had me quite excited! If you aren’t a member yet, click here to join for free! I definitely purchased it immediately and would love for others to join if interested. The offer is TWO WEEKS OF UNLIMITED YOGA AT YOGA WORKS FOR $15.

The first master yogis bent themselves like twist-ties around their enemies, smothering them with relaxing vibes. Today’s Groupon offers a similar chance to defeat work-related stress with two weeks of unlimited yoga classes at YogaWorks. For $15, you can gumbify yourself in over a dozen varieties of bendiscipline at any of six YogaWorks New York locations (a $30 value), for either new students or those who’ve not attended a YogaWorks class in at least a year.

Classes vary from location to location, but together you’ll have your pick from more than 100 sessions a week, some starting as early as 6 a.m. and others as late as 8 p.m. YogaWorks’ impassioned and experienced instructors remix pliable poses from well-known traditions such as Ashtanga and Vinyasa with samples from lesser-known paths to lithe enlightenment like Iyengar, known in secret circles as the “way of the swift-handed dancing snake.” There are also specially crafted classes for pre- and post-natal women, kids, and seniors, and hybrid classes such as BarWorks and SculptWorks.

Different poses unblock dammed channels of energy, and deep breathing suffuses the fatigued spirit with renewed vigor, just like blowing into a Nintendo cartridge. Finally become flexible enough to eat your food with your feet and touch your earlobes together. Yoga veterans malleable as warm wax and neophytes unable to touch their hands are equally welcome, with different classes attuned to different levels of ability and a perpetual emphasis on increasing satisfaction and skill

So far, Jesse of  Jesse Runs NYC and I have bought this deal and plan to grab a few yoga classes together. EDITED TO ADD: Just now, when I returned to the site to buy a pass for a friend’s birthday gift, I found this great review on today’s Groupon portion:

The class was a combination of strength, dance and ballet. I really enjoyed it, it was restorative, but never once boring. We moved through arms, legs, butt and abs, and back through, never performing more than one set of each exercise, which is fabulous. – Melissa, Fitness NYC

I love that they featured Melissa’s review! If Melissa enjoyed it then i’m sure I’ll love it! Please let me know if you join the trend and we can have a few group yoga sessions!! I’ve heard great things about Yoga Works!



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Trampolines Aren’t Just for Kids: Urban Rebounding w/J.B. Berns

Last month, I became a member of the women’s organization Step Up. This Thursday night they had a wonderful Passport to Health event revolving around they keys to a balanced lifestyle. The event featured two main portions, the first half focused on meditation and inspiration lead by Gabrielle Bernestein while the second half focused on physical balance as presented by JB Berns. 

JB Berns was absolutely hilarious as he explained how he started Urban Rebounding. Urban Rebounding, for those of you who are not aware, is a high energy and high intensity trampoline workout that gets your heart pumping without putting stress on your joints. JB Berns developed the hour long low-impact workout over 20 years ago while recovering from a martial arts injury.Now this very successful and popular workout is in over 5,000 gyms worldwide including Crunch and Equinox. There are over 30 benefits to Urban Rebounding many of which are anti-aging. These include the following just to name a few:
-boosts red blood cells
-improves coordination
-improves balance
-improves circulation
-enhances digestion and elimination process

In addition to the great benefits of bouncing for an hour, the class also makes you smile! JB’s class, which is held each Tuesday evening at his “home” Equinox location in NYC, 63rd and Lexington, is filled with energy and fun. Each class revolves around an amazing playlist featuring hip hop, rap, and club mixes that keep the beat and bounce going strong. He leads each class with support, guidance, and a coach mentality. After a brief warm-up of gentle bouncing and stretching, the next 45 minutes are spent making your heart rate climb by jumping on your trampoline while holding light sandbags performing 10 interval workout sets. JB does a great job leading the class and ensuring everyone understands the concept, basic movement, and isn’t embarrassed about looking a bit silly. The basic jump is hands on hips with a slight bend in the knee while PUSHING DOWN with your feet so you perform a very short jump. The point is NOT to jump as high as you can. Throughout the class this one jump is adjusted to turn into jumping jacks, turns, include arm motions, and even squats. After the 45 minutes of intervals, the class ends with a quick ab and tricep workout followed by a cool-down.

I really enjoyed this class and was happy to have the opportunity to enjoy it for the second time this week. In fact, Lauren and I have discussed making it a weekly habit. There is something about jumping on your own personal trampoline for an hour surrounded by 50 other smiling women that just helps release the work week stress and leave you wanting more!Click here for an amusing video of JB Berns and Urban Rebounding on the Martha Stewart show! HAHA

Be sure to check out the Urban Rebounding site to find your closest available class. If you’re in NYC and interested in trying his class on Tuesday nights at 63rd and Lex please let me know as I have 2 free Equinox passes i’d love someone to use!


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Shedding winter layers

It seems like every Spring around this time I decide it’s time to shed a few winter dead ends and get a new ‘do. Today, Nancy, of the uptown Bumble and Bumble location did a wonderful job! Bumble and Bumble has prided themsleves on designing looks that fit their clients and today did not dissapoint! She took a few minutes at the beginning to ask me what my needs and wants were and then showed me a few pictures of what she had in mind. She also took time to feel my hair and evaluate it before I went off for my shampoo. We discussed different Bumble and Bumble products before she settled on her recommendation for today’s wash. Today I was treated to a shampoo and condition using their new Quenching line. This new line delivers amazing hydration for hair that has been damaged and dried due to daily styling and abuse. For someone with overall healthy hair, it makes a perfect weekly treatment versus an everyady shampoo choice. Nancy recommended that I use their Gentle shampoo daily and the Super Rich conditioner since I wash my hair every morning after my workout. The Gentle shampoo will ensure that my hair doesn’t get too dry. If you’re interested in these or other Bumble and Bumble products there are some great deals at these sites:

This is the first time in a while that i’ve built a relationship with a stylist and wanted to known as a regular. This was my third visit with Nancy and she didn’t disappoint! I feel lighter and like I have a bit of added spring in my step thanks to the dead layers she removed! If you’re located in NYC let me know as I highly recommend you stop in and visit Nancy at the uptown Bumble and Bumble location at 56th and Lexington.


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