Tag: Exhale Spa

This Week {A day late}: Workouts, week off and things I’m looking forward to

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Good morning! It feels weird posting my Monday post on a Tuesday, but I wanted to spend my day with family yesterday since I was only in Maine for a short period of time. I hope you all had a great day off (if you had one off). I’m feeling pretty fortunate this week as I have the WHOLE WEEK off. Technically, I guess it’s kind of like I’m unemployed since I’m not getting paid, but that’s ok… the new job is right around the corner now!

It’s funny, last week I had half of Wednesday off and all day Thursday and Friday and on Thursday, it wasn’t even noon before I felt bored and lonely. I have issues! The time off is good, though. I’m so busy all the time with work and teaching and blogging and being a girlfriend (<—- did you see that?! woahhh!) and a friend and a sister that I forget what free time feels like. After a few days, though, I get in my groove and appreciate it so much. A little downtime every once and a while is such a wonderful thing, and something I think most of us don’t do enough of. We have so many “obligations” that get in the way.

One fun thing about more time is that I have more flexibility with my workouts… and way more energy to do them. I was laughing last week after my Thursday double because I had so much more energy than normal. It’s not like I have a physical job during the day, but I think the fact of getting up and out of the house early, working all day and going straight to the gym just wipes me out!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I did another lunch break workout at the gym in my building. I’m so sad that I won’t have that luxury anymore 😦
  • Tuesday- I got up Tuesday morning and ran a 5K before work. I also did some core work… and something else, but I can’t remember what it was!
  • Wednesday- I actually went to a class! I know the instructor who teaches before me on Wednesday is intense so I figured I would check out her class before teaching my own. It was a really great class and totally challenged me. UXF Burn was also a fun class- we worked hard and did LOTS of burpees.
  • Thursday- I taught a stations circuit class in SHRED and then taught cardio kickboxing. It was great to have lots of energy to get me through both classes!
  • Friday- I got up and attempted a workout but didn’t get very far. Looking back, it was a dumb move. I was tired and sore and should have just slept or foam rolled, but instead I got up and tried to push myself until I realized: a. I didn’t have it in me and b. I was too sore. I knew I likely wouldn’t be working out on Sunday so I wanted to get something in on Friday, but since I did a double on Wednesday and Thursday, working out on Friday was not necessary. It’s all about quality over quantity, but stupidly, I had quantity over quality on the brain. Although I’m good at giving advice of listening to your body and not over doing it, I have a hard time following it myself. There are times when I just need to know a crappy workout isn’t the right choice. Oh well.
  • Saturday- I was finally back at the Oak Square YMCA for my cardio kickboxing class and it felt great! There was a pretty good crowd considering it was a holiday weekend.

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  • Sunday- I wasn’t planning on working out, but the boy and I were in the Twin Mountain area in NH and I was wide awake and bounding with energy (he was sleeping off the booze from the night before…) so I headed out for a 3 mile run and my standing ab workout. I feel like I just did that workout but yesterday my core, especially my obliques, was so sore!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- My sister and I went on a nice hour long walk throughout East Boston.
  • Tuesday- My plan today is to go to a 10am class at the Wellington BSC.
  • Wednesday- I’m going to dinner with my sister after teaching UXF Burn, so I will workout during the day at some point and just instruct in my class.
  • Thursday- Teaching my double: SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing
  • Friday- I bought a deal for a massage at Exhale Spa, so I would like to book a massage on Friday. Before the massage, I’d like to take a class- either a Core Fusion Cardio or maybe a yoga class?
  • Saturday- Teaching my second Saturday in a row at the Oak Square YMCA- yay!
  • Sunday- I will be in Maine (Zeke turns 1 on Saturday so I’ll be up there for the birthday party!) so I may go for a run or a walk.

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I’m looking forward to having time off! On top of that, time off with no real plans. It’s the weirdest feeling to know I don’t have to get ready for a week of work, packing lunches, planning out my days, etc. This week I hope to get caught up on lots of blog posts that I’ve wanted to write, as well as make other blog updates that I generally don’t have the time to make. I can’t wait to finally get a much needed massage- I shouldn’t push that to the back burner so often. Lastly, I’m excited to go to Zeke’s first birthday party on Saturday. I cannot believe he is already 1!!!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Do you ever go for quantity over quality when it comes to workouts? What are you looking forward to this week?

 

ClassPass in Review: Thoughts & Reviews of Classes

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Well, I’m sad to say that my month ClassPass membership has come and gone. Where the heck did those 30 days go?! Since my pass is done, though, I wanted to take some time to share my thoughts on the experience, as well as a brief overview of the classes that I was able to take in and around the Boston area.

Core Fusion Cardio- Exhale Spa

  • Location: Battery Warf
  • Website: http://www.boston.exhalespa.com/boston-battery-wharf-class-schedule
  • Instructor: Chrissy Snyder
  • Thoughts: It’s no surprise that I LOVED this class. I love everything about Exhale Spa. I think the classes are challenging, but rewarding, the instructors are super knowledgeable and the whole experience is worth a visit. I love that they have a phenomenal locker room because it’s nice to be able to shower after a class and carry on with the rest of my day.
  • Review: Exhale Spa: Core Fusion Fest

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Velo 45- Velo City

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Pursuit 45- Pursuit Boston

  • Location: Back Bay- Boylston Street
  • Website: http://pursuitboston.com/pages/schedule
  • Instructor: Amanda Lilley
  • Thoughts: I loved Pursuit Boston! Everyone was super friendly, the space was airy and bright, the energy was high and they had a shower (or 2?) that you could use after the class. They also had plenty of places to change and even had an area to stretch and use weights. The class didn’t use weights, but they are adding new “boot camp” cycle classes soon. They also had some shoes to borrow and provided free hair elastics and chapstick and your first class is free. Lastly, they offer a bunch of special packages which are worth checking out. I highly suggest trying it out.
  • Reviews: This Week: Workouts {lots of teaching again}, Review of Velo City & Pursuit Boston, Things I’m looking forward to

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Exhale Flow Yoga- Exhale Spa

  • Location: Battery Warf
  • Website: http://www.boston.exhalespa.com/boston-battery-wharf-class-schedule
  • Instructor: Michael Alba
  • Thoughts: This class was exactly what I needed the day that I went. It was a Sunday morning class, so the energy was peaceful and the instructor was amazing. Michael walked around throughout the class and assisted us, which I love. He helped me get deeper into poses so I could push myself past my boundaries and get the full effect of the post. The flow was well planned out and had smooth transitions. I left the class feeling 100 times better than when I went in!

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Request Ride- Recycle Studio

  • Location: Back Bay- Newbury Street
  • Website: http://www.recycle-studio.com/schedule-2/
  • Instructor: Linsday Bucci
  • Thoughts: Again, it’s no surprise that I loved this class.  Out of all the cycling studio’s I’ve been to in Boston, Recycle stands true to be my favorite. I feel like it’s the best total body workout because we do chest presses, triceps pushes, core exercises and upper body weight routines all while on the saddle. Lindsay’s classes are awesome because her playlists are amazing, her words are motivating and she has us in 2nd or 3rd position most of the time, which I love since I hate sitting in the saddle for too long! The only thing I think Recycle lacks compared to other indoor cycling studios is the fact that they don’t offer a free first class… or anything free for that matter. Shoe rentals are $2 and they charge for elastics and other little things like that that most other studios offer for free.
  • Review: #hellyesyoucan {My First Recycle Studio Experience}

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Fly 45- Flywheel Boston

  • Location: Back Bay- Prudential Center
  • Website: http://boston.flywheelsports.com/reserve/back-bay
  • Instructor: Jessica L
  • Thoughts: Meh. I wasn’t feeling this class, partly because it was a Friday morning, which means I’m usually beat from my double on Thursday night and partly because the room was more empty than full. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the instructor’s music, choreography or instruction style. However, I have been to classes there that I loved- Ana is an amazingggg instructor, so I would suggest a class with her! I love that Flywheel is huge, so it can fit a lot of people. I also like that there is a score board- I was concerned about this at first, but the fact that they only put that up when they want you to race and challenge yourself makes it a great tool! All of your rides are stored within your profile, so you can see your progress throughout the weeks, which is cool. Shoe rentals are free (yay), your first class is free (double yay) and they have hair elastics. There are a few showers to use as well.
  • Reviews: Indoor Cycling at Flywheel, ClassPass is here!

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Pilates Mat ReMIXX- Boston Body

  • Location: Back Bay- Newbury Street
  • Website: http://www.bostonbody.com/locations-schedules/boston-new/
  • Instructor: Jessica L
  • Thoughts: I loved this class! It was a nice change of pace from my usual high-intensity, high-impact workouts. This was the same instructor as the Flywheel instructor and I have to say I liked her a lot better in this environment! She gave a great workout- we did weights at the beginning that literally made my arms cry. I was embarrassed that I had to take breaks with 3lb. weights! From there we moved to some core work and then the glute work, which, again, killed me. I couldn’t even finish a set, which actually got kind of discouraging. I like to be challenged and feel the burn, but I also like to be able to achieve the task at hand. Oh well, something to work towards! I liked the studio space a lot and the employees were super friendly. They offer a wide range of Pilates classes.
  • Review: This Week: Workouts & Things I’m Looking Forward To {Birthday Week pt 1}

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Pilates Tower- Studio J

  • Location: Government Center
  • Website: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=44032
  • Instructor: Kristina Shumsky
  • Thoughts: LOVED it. I was lucky enough to end up having a private lesson with Kristina and she was amazing. She asked about my fitness levels, areas of concern and what I would like to achieve during our half hour and went to town. We did all sorts of stuff that left me quite humbled. I liked that the majority of the classes were just a half hour- it was a nice change from the usual 45-60 minute commitment. We used the tower machines, which can be intimidating at first, but they are really an amazing tool. The studio has only been opened for about 2 months, but they offer a number of pilates and yoga classes. I definitely suggest trying it out and maybe you could be lucky and have a private, too.
  • Review: This Week: Workouts & Things I’m Looking Forward To {Birthday Week pt 1}

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As you can see, I was able to jump around to a number of different studios to try out a nice variety of classes. The beauty of ClassPass is that it doesn’t allow you to visit the same studio more than 3 times in a month, which is great because it forces you to venture out and try new places. It would have been easy for me to go to the same studio and class throughout the month, but I tried to branch out and try classes and studios that I may not have tried otherwise.

Although I absolutely love ClassPass and think it is the most brilliant idea, there are some “cons” to the system that I found out as I learned more about the membership. I feel it’s only fair for me to share these with you, too. They definitely aren’t deal breakers for me, but rather just things to keep in mind!

  • You have to schedule your class 24 hours + in advance. While this isn’t a huge deal, it can be frustrating when you realize you can take a class the next morning, yet you can’t actually book it since it’s less than 24 hours away. It can be hard to plan out your week of workouts days in advance, but it’s kind of necessary to do when using ClassPass.
  • You can’t cancel a class. Once you book the class, you’re committed to it, otherwise you lose your class and have to pay $20. I do have to say, though, that when this happened to me (totally on accident), they waived the fee and gave me the class back. I wonder what would happen if you learned you could no longer take a class you signed up to take? I bet if you emailed them an let them know about the situation they would help you.
  • Not all classes at a particular participating studio are included in the ClassPass schedule. I’m not sure why this is the case (maybe because they are “high demand” classes and fill up on their own with non ClassPass members?), but it’s something to be aware of.

As you can see, my “cons” aren’t anything too major, especially if you know about them in advance. Otherwise, I think ClassPass is absolutely worth the money for a month membership. With the number of participating studios seemingly increasing on the daily, you’re sure to find a class that fits your need/want for a particular day. Whether it be a high intensity cardio class, barre class, Pilates class, yoga class or spin class, you can find something both in the city and the city’s surrounding towns.

Thank you, again, to ClassPass for providing me with a membership to see what it was all about. It was such a fun month!

Disclaimer: Although I was provided with a free month membership to CLassPass, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Questions for you: Have you been to any of the classes or studios I’ve listed above? Have any of you signed up for ClassPass?

 

This Week: Workouts {lots of teaching again}, Review of Velo City & Pursuit Boston, Things I’m looking forward to

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Hi, friends! Happy St. Patty’s Day! Is anyone celebrating? Did anyone go to the Southie parade yesterday? I opted out of it this year- it was cold and I really just needed/wanted a day to myself where I could catch up on life (cleaning, blogging, laundry, grocery shopping, etc.), not to mention I didn’t want to be tempted to drink too much because my day today is too long to be hung over! I’ve got lots to talk about today, so let’s get right to the workouts 🙂

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I decided to go to the gym during my lunch break to get in a quick 30-45 minute upper body and core workout. I was SO happy I did this because I ended up having a horrible end of the day at work and stayed late talking to my manager, so it was great knowing I could just go home after work and have a huge glass of wine make dinner, blog and do laundry.
  • Tuesday- I used my ClassPass membership and tried out a new-to-me studio: Velo-City. I’ll share more on it below, but I liked it!
  • Wednesday- I ran 3 miles on the treadmill before teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- I taught SHRED (did most of the workout with them, but skipped out on the cardio) and Kickboxing.
  • Friday- Nothing 🙂
  • Saturday- I went to Pursuit Boston, which is a new spin studio in the Back Bay. I LOVED it. It was especially fun since I ran into someone I went to high school with and met u with my new blog friend, Lucy. Sweating with friends is so much better!
  • Sunday- I went to Exhale Spa for a 75 minute yoga class and it was wonderful. My body and mind needed it in a bad way! So happy I have my ClassPass membership so I can jump around to all these studios 😉

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- By the time this post goes up, I will have taught my 6am Muscle Work class and I am subbing the 6:30pm cardio kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC after work. Happy Monday and St. Patty’s Day to me!
  • Tuesday- I’m going to a 6:55am class at B-Tone Fitness in the Back Bay. I’m trying to use my ClassPass to try new studios I may not otherwise try, I’m excited about this class. After work, I am training someone who wants to get back into shape now that she’s had her baby!
  • Wednesday- Maybe some light cardio before teaching UXF Burn
  • Thursday- Teaching SHRED and then cardio kickboxing
  • Friday- Rest 🙂
  • Saturday- Teaching kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA
  • Sunday- Not sure. I’d like to get something in since I’ll be traveling the next week, but I haven’t figured out what I want to do yet.

Velo-City Review

As I mentioned above, I went to an indoor cycling studio in the Back Bay on Tuesday night. I had never been, but it came up on ClassPass and there was a class at a good time for me, so I decided to try it out. The staff was SUPER friendly, and the instructor, Megan, was actually someone I knew when I used to work at Prana Power yoga- small world! I loved the music Megan played and really loved a lot of the song choreography that she had- we did some things that I hadn’t done at any other studio, so that was fun- I always love learning new things. I also loved that the studio had black lights…. I just wish I had worn something white! The one thing that was kind of a bummer was the fact that the class was not filled, so it felt like the room was a bit empty. I like when these types of classes are full because I can feed off of everyone’s energy, which I wasn’t able to do on Tuesday. Otherwise, though, I really liked the studio and would definitely suggest going, especially since they offer a free first class!

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Pursuit Boston Review

Saturday morning I headed back to the Back Bay for another spin class, this time at Pursuit Boston, which just opened in January. I loved the studio because it was on the second floor in a building on Boylston street, so it was really bright and sunny. They had showers (huge plus for me), changing areas, a weights/stretching area to use if you wanted to do something before or after class, and really great specials (5 classes for $59!!). The only downside is that they don’t rent shoes, but they do have a handful of shoes you can borrow, which I ended up doing because I hate spinning without spin shoes now.

The class at Pursuit was a traditional spin class, so we didn’t use weights or anything like that, which I thought was a bummer at first, but by the end, I didn’t mind at all. It was only a 45 minute class, but I was legit spent by the end. I was sweating SO much and my legs barely got me down the stairs after class- I call that a success 😉 The instructor was great and really encouraging and I liked that she jumped on and off the bike a lot to get closer to us to push us harder. I definitely suggest checking out this studio as they have different kinds of “rides” (they are going to start a spin boot camp class, which I think is totally up my alley) so you can pick one based on what you’re looking to accomplish in your workout that day. They do a free first class, too!

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Thing I’m Looking Forward To

Last week was SO fun, so this week definitely has big shoes to fill! I’m excited to try out B-Tone fitness on Tuesday, as well as train my friend’s sister-in-law. It was so sweet of her to reach out to me for help losing her baby weight, so I’m excited to put a plan together for her. I’m looking forward to my sister coming home on Friday- she will have been gone for 2 full weeks! On Saturday, I’m going to a wine tasting with my friend Jessi, Cristina and Lauren (and maybe my sister), which is going to be a blast! Nothing better than a wine-filled afternoon (heads up to my kickboxing class on Saturday- we will be working out for me to earn my wines… you’ve been warned!).

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Did you try out any new classes or studios? Do you like regular spin classes or do you like indoor cycling classes that include weights? What are you looking forward to this week?

A jam-packed weekend full of working out & dining out

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Do you ever have those weekends where you’re so busy you feel like you need another day just to breathe and catch up on everything you didn’t catch up on over the weekend? That was me last weekend… and, well, all of last week, actually. I have spent the majority of the beginning of this week catching up on everything I wasn’t able to do last week or this week- my floors need to be washed desperately, but that keeps getting pushed further and further down my list, which is totally ok 🙂

Anyway! After work on Friday, I met up with someone for drinks at Vintage Lounge, which I hadn’t been to in years! From there, we headed to Sakurabana for sushi (as a Catholic, I’m not supposed to eat meat on Friday’s during lent, so sushi was a perfect option!).

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Saturday started with kickboxing (loved seeing Jen, Mary, Valerie, Dani and all the other familiar faces!) as my first workout and then I met my sister at Exhale Spa for a Core Fusion Cardio class with my sister. We met up with our friend, Jessi, for lunch at Anthem. It was such a beautiful day in the city- perfect for walking around and having lunch out (actually, who am I kidding- any day is a great day for lunch out in my mind!). We shared a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, the Fondue (cannot go there without getting it- SO SO SO good) and a pizza.

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I did some serious bar/restaurant hopping on Saturday night, which was great at the time, but not so great when I had to wake up at 7:45am on Sunday to teach a 9am class, after having gone to bed at 1:30am and losing an hour of sleep due to the time change. Womp. Oh well, I made sure to not drink too much so at least I wasn’t hungover! My Saturday night locations included: Prima E Dopo, Back Bay Social Club, M Bar at the Mandarin Hotel and finally Towne… phew! I wasn’t kidding when I said I hopped around 😉

Sunday I taught my 7th class of the week, puttered at Target and then did my CPR recertification. Not really my favorite way to spend a Sunday, but I didn’t really have a choice!

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Lunch at Pizza Etc. after the recertification did make me happy… I’ve missed their Greek salad with grilled chicken. When I lived in Brighton, Rachel and I would get that salad once a week!

By the time I grocery shopped and got home, the last thing I wanted to do was cook dinner. I ended up going to Santarpio’s to grab pizza… not the healthiest choice, but I had been craving it for a while so I decided to just do it. It did give me a crazy bad stomach ache later on- I wonder if it was the pizza or just the fact that I had eaten out literally all weekend.

By the time Monday rolled around, I was so ready for my usual clean eats! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy eating out and would never deprive myself of it, but my body just likes it better when I don’t eat out consecutively for days in a row. I used to let it bother me when I would eat out a lot, but at this point in my life, I’ve gotten to a place where I just let it go and enjoy it because I know as soon as Monday rolls around, I’ll be back on track with my eats. No better way to do that then kale & onion stuffed turkey meatballs served over spaghetti squash and sautéed veggies, right?

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I’ve been enjoying this all week!

Questions for you: What was the best part of your weekend? Did you try any new workouts/classes/studios? Did you go to any new restaurants? Have you been to any of the ones that I went to over the weekend? Do you beat yourself up after indulgent weekends of eating out and drinking? What’s the first thing you do to get back on track?

ClassPass is here!

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So, if you’ve been reading this little blog or following me on Instagram or Twitter, I’m sure you’ve seen lots of ClassPass talk, right? Have you heard of it? I was contacted by a rep a few months ago telling me about the program and from that minute on, I knew it was exactly what I’ve been looking for.

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It’s no shocker that I love taking classes at “boutique” studios. From Exhale Spa to Recycle to Flywheel to Pure Barre, I’ve tried a number of studios in Boston that fall into this category and I have never been disappointed. I think the instructors are amazing, I think the exercises are a nice change of pace and it’s just fun to try something new. However, since I have gym memberships to 3 gyms, I can’t really justify getting memberships or passes to those types of gyms. They’re expensive and I’d never know which one to pick since I love them all.

That’s where ClassPass comes in. ClassPass is a month membership that allows you to take 10 classes as various boutique studios in Boston. It’s just $99 a month so that means it is less than $10/class, which is about a third of the price these classes usually cost. Boston has over 27 participating locations in Boston right now, and that number keeps increasing. The locations vary from barre to boot camp to indoor cycling to pilates… basically, you name it and you can find a studio that will fit what you’re looking for. The only restriction is you cannot visit one studio more than 3 times in a month because they want to encourage you to try new studios and if you’re going to visit a studio more than 3 times in a month, you should probably just get a membership or book of classes there, right?

Last week, they hosted an amazing launch at Flywheel to get everyone excited about the program.

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The room was packed and the instructor, Ann, was AMAZING (as I’ve said before). Seriously, her music was on point, her teaching style and enthusiasm and spunk were perfect. She was totally jamming out on her bike and I loved it! It also helped that the class was full (literally, over 40 people) of fitness loving ladies (and a few guys). I was literally sweating as much as I do in hot yoga and was happy with the fact I came in 6th place out of 20+ people (they split the score board into two sides). I feel like I’m starting to really get the hang of spinning and I love it more with each time I go.

After the class, we were treated with some snacks from Sweetgreen, which I am now obsessed with. The kale salads were absolutely delicious and the smoothies were so good I had two of each (hey- I was hungry after class!).

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Not only were we provided snacks, but we walked away with a pretty sweet swag bag!

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It didn’t take me long to wear the shirt… I rocked it the following day when teaching my UXF Burn class.

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I’m a sucker for free swag, but this was an especially exciting goodie bag! Big thanks to ClassPass 🙂

ClassPass was nice enough to offer me a membership for the month to try it out and spread the word (THANK YOU!!!). So far, I’ve been to Exhale and I am going to Velo City tonight for a 45 minute indoor cycling class. It’s fun to have the opportunity to try out various studios in and around the Boston area. I foresee myself purchasing month memberships on my own after this month is up because it really pays for itself just after 3 visits! If you’re interested in checking it out, head on over to their site.

Questions for you: What’s your favorite “boutique” studio in Boston? Have you heard of ClassPass? Is it something you think you would be interested in?