An Active Escape

You know what's the best feeling?  Escaping the cold winter of NYC for the warm exotic beaches of Belize.  Now, on vacation I do like to do my share of sleeping/resting on hammocks.  But, I also love to get active and explore my new surroundings.  And luckily for me, St. George Caye's resort gave us the perfect equipment to explore:  Kayaks!

working out in swimsuit = happiness

No one wants to find themselves lamely running on a treadmill when on vacation.  By the same token, not working out for a whole week would drive me up a wall.  Luckily, going to an island gives you plenty of opportunities to get out and workout, while due to the prettiness of your surroundings, not finding yourself tired at all.  And let me tell you, if you are looking for a good upper body/core workout, ocean kayaking is perfect for that.  We ended up kayaking around the whole island, and when we did we were super pumped to find this little secluded beach! I mean we were the only ones hanging out there! Going out, that was easy.  Coming back, well that was a different story.  The wind had picked up like whoa, meaning that we couldn't stop rowing for any breaks or the kayak would get pushed out to sea due to the current also being stronger.  By the time we had rowed back up to our resorts beach, trust me, we had for sure earned that rum punch!

What I realized in my time in Belize, is that it's the perfect place to go for an adventure vacation.  The beaches aren't that great, but the opportunities to kayak/snorkel/scuba/hike are endless.  So next time you are looking for an adventure vacation, not a lay-on-the-beach-drinking one, consider Belize and St. George Caye's resort. 

Who can be tired when you find yourself working out to this view?

Opening Day Extravaganza

Core Four!

You know what's the best feeling after a cold polar-vortex insane NYC winter?  A beautiful day coupled with Opening Day Baseball in Yankee Stadium! New york isn't new york when the Yankees aren't playing.  So opening day is always a good time.  But combine the regular opening day pageantry with the fact that it's the last opening day for the captain's Derek Jeter, and what do you get?  Pure insanity!  I mean the stadium was absolutely electric. 

Best moment?  When the Core Four were together again!  Mariano, Posada, Pettite and Jeter.  The people who have defined the Yankees the last 20 years.  I'm sure that everyone felt as I did.  I was secretly hoping that all of them would come out of retirement for one more year.  "One More Year!"   Sadly, not to be.  But if the game is an example of how the season is going to go, sign me up!  We are in for a good season!

New Workout Fun

view from CityRow

I get bored quickly, so I am always looking for a new type of workout to keep me interested and keep me pushing myself.  And in my quest for a new workout, I found myself walking into CityRow at 6:30 am ready to get my butt kicked. 

I've done some row workouts before, but never a class.  And let me tell you, this class was no joke!  I felt absolutely amazing afterwards as could feel how every part of my body was worked.  After that first class, I was hooked.  The class structure for the Signature Row (which is the only class type I've been to) is this: you do three row sessions, and in between you do some lifting/core work.  Usually the floor sessions are dedicated to core, arms then legs.  Then you finish the session with some type of sprint on your rower.  Sound tough?  Trust me, it is. 

But the best part is the competitiveness of the workout.  You are constantly being asked to beat your previous number.  So if you got to 45 at your last sprint, the instructor will tell you to go two numbers higher on your next.  Now I am someone who when at the gym, I can't finish my treadmill run till the person next to me finishes as I have to win.  So this workout completely tapes in to my competitive nature, which guarantees that by the end of the class I will completely wrecked in the best way possible.

So next time you are in the market for a class to get your butt in shape, head down to CityRow.  You will be looking svelte in no time.