Liberty Hotel mat class and lunch!

Every Saturday Equinox sponsors a FREE class at the Liberty Hotel, 10-11am. This class is open to anyone, and not only hotel guests! Bottled water, a few mats, and towels are provided. Today I taught a strength and stretch class... with a little Sweat with Lauren Hefez twist.

Thanks Keri for taking pictures!

hip work

Working that Gluteus Maximus

Standing leg series

Push up, into plank, into push up into plank! 

It was hot and humid today, so after class I needed something refreshing! Watermelon is what I was craving...

ingredients:

• watermelon
• feta
• arugula
• vinaigrette
• you can add pine nuts, walnuts, or any nut!

Ever try watermelon and feta together? The sweet and salty combination is unreal!

You can do this at your desk too! NEW VIDEO

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1dpwovNnxA?hd=1&w=550&h=343]

Bikes around Boston!

Hubway has come to Boston. Launched today at 11am, New Balance Hubway is a bike sharing system (kind of like zipcar, but far more green!)

I had heard rumor of a bike transit system coming to Boston, and was so excited to see the Hubway stands up and ready to use today! Such a cool system that I will be testing out!

I saw this stand in my neck of the woods, the North End.

The gears!

How it works: A bike costs $5 for a 24 hour period and $12 for a three day period. An annual membership is $85 (there is a special price of $60 until the end of July).

Your ride is free for the first 30 minutes! Be aware you need a credit card to rent the bikes. There is a $101 security deposit placed on the card, then returned to you when the bike is returned.

There are 61 stations set up around the city, providing 610 bikes. I have so far seen 4 New Balance Hubway stands. Where have you seen them? GO RIDE!

working out your friends is fun

This past weekend I took a trip to the Hamptons to celebrate a very special girls birthday! We only had one FULL day there, so we made it an eventful one. Per the birthday girls request (and my obvious excitement toward this request), we started the morning off with a wonderful beach workout! I LOVE beach workouts. It's nice to sweat from the sun and get cooled down by the breeze from the ocean. Exercises are much more difficult in the sand. Ever try running in the sand? Our beach workout looked like this:

No weighted arm series 

similar workout here

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Leg extension and glute work

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similar workout here

Straight leg raises, squeeze into the oblique

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similar workout here

Inner thigh adductor leg work

similar workout here

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Single leg planks!

similar workout here

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We had the man next to us take some pictures. He was snapping shots like no other, then all of a sudden his sun umbrella flew away! He was able to save his umbrella, not to mention the camera was still safely in his hand!  Thank you Mr. Camera Man!

birthday biddies & hamptons w.Diddy 103

Later that day we went to a local farmers market and bought locally grown fruits/veggies and made a FANTASTIC dinner. Next blog (coming soon) will focus on the food part of our adventure in the Hamptons!

my favorite arm series

I love being able to workout with the least amount of equipment. I love being able to challenge my body using ONLY my body. You would not believe how hard it is to lift your own leg, in good form, multiple times. With that said here comes a video that has been requested by many. The loved and hated ARM SERIES! This series is all about you, your arms, gravity, and using all the space around you. Yes, you can move your arms up and down, but to really press through space, almost as if you are swimming in water, creating that resistance as you flex every muscle in your back, shoulders and arms; that extra, heart felt, focused power... THAT is what will make the difference.

It's quite amazing what it will and can do. This is the only focused arm workout I do (other than the bands and ball series in my classes, a total of about 7 minutes a week).  When you do this no weighted arm series, do it with passion. Feel your whole body getting into the movement as you open your chest, pull your shoulders down and back, and really squeeze your shoulder blades together.  You will be amazed at what 5 minutes of what looks like flailing your arms around can do.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guCrz5W4JgE?rel=0&hd=1]