Joining Equinox was an easy decision for me as it finally allowed me to enjoy one of the things i’d missed so much since moving to NYC- gym comraderie. When I lived in Philadelphia, I belonged to three different gyms during my three years there. I changed gyms each time I moved as most of my friendships revolved around long elliptical or treadmill conversations. I loved having a partner every morning to not only help hold me accountable but to also help out with workouts, serving as a spot, and motivation. When I moved to NYC, Bo and I were lucky enough to move into an apartment building with a very nice gym. However, the gym only offered one class a day which rarely fit my schedule and my two friends in the building (holler Melissa) worked out in the evening. Therefore, I wasn’t able to build a “gym friendship”. I found myself feeling lonely on the treadmill and therefore lacking the excitement and motivation to extend my gym session. There is nothing better than having a great friend to keep you on the treadmill 5 minutes longer, motivate you to run .5 mph faster, or do one more crunch!

Luckily, my best friend in NYC, Lauren was already a diehard Equinox fan. However, sometimes I believe that she goes there due to reputation and star factor instead of the workout. For example, she insists on frequenting the Meat Packing or Greenwich locations on the weekend since that is the place to be. 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, these are both amazing Equinox locations with more atmosphere and decor than I could have ever imagined! But, at the end of the day, it is the memories we create while trying inversions during a crazy Diana’s crazy L2/3 (Vinyasa Yoga which I highly recommend if you’re in NYC) Greenwich Sunday yoga class or gossiping on the elliptical that make the monthly membership worth every penny!

I knew that I wanted to take advantage of every perk Equinox offers it’s members. Therefore, I immediately signed up for my complimentary Equifit session. An Equifit session is a 45 minute session conducted by a personal trainer which helps setup realistic goals, aid in progress tracking, and assess your current fitness state. This is done through a number of tests and exercises that test strength, agility, balance, and cardio levels. Many of these tests were completely foreign to me such as the VO2 test and the core balance test which showed just how much weaker my left side is! In addition, Sarah, my personal trainer, conducted a lean muscle mass ratio test, blood pressure, and took my weight. The most exciting part of the whole session was that i’m actually a half inch taller than I ever believed! I’ll take 5’9.5 though it is still shorter than my favorite childhood athletic star, Gabrielle Reece!

After the Equifit session, each member receieves a complimentary training session. This evening Sarah put me through the rigors of a specially designed training session that targeted my focus areas: triceps, thighs, and core. Strengthening my thighs and core will aid in my running while toning my triceps will help me get ready for all the adorable summer pieces Bloomingdales is currently previewing! (I love these two for day and night  The hour session consisted of high kicks, pushups (3 sets of 10-male version), front and rear lunges (3 sets of 25), bicycle abs, ball plank, 100’s, close grip pull down, row, tricep pull down, overhead press, and stretching! It was definitely tough but I thoroughly enjoyed the workout. I also like that I can break it down into 3 15 minute sessions and tack them on to my morning workouts before my Monday and Tuesday spin class and Wednesday’s cardio kettlebell class.

Tomorrow morning will be my treadmill day as I strive to lower my 4 mile time! I am hoping to run in NYRR Gridiron Classic 4 miler on February 7th. This was the first of my 9 NYRR races in 2009 and one I thoroughly enjoyed! My time was 39:35 but my PR last year was 39:21 for a Central Park 4 mile race. My goal for this one is 39:00. I’m hoping my spin classes and training this month will help! 

I am sure some of you are wondering if i’m ever going to talk about food again! 🙂 Yes, I will! In fact, I am in love with my new breakfast routine. The 44th and Lexington Avenue Equinox features a City Chow cafe which has more healthy food options (on the go and sit down options) than I have ever seen! Their cases are filled with hard boiled eggs, a breakfast dump similar to Meghann’s (yogurt, apple, and granola), water, and more. But, the true hidden secret is their reasonably priced egg white omelet meals. I have enjoyed a 4 egg white omelet filled with spinach, tomato, onion, and mushrooms for $3.95! This has helped me start my day on a healthy, protein filled track. I find that if I eat enough protein after a workout, i’m less likely to over eat during the day.