Thursday, September 17, 2009

Working towards a POPular PHYSIQUE!

Pop Physique

Pop Physique knows how to market its studio. The pictures of the model on the sight are borderline inappropriate for work. Those tight buns in booty shorts will make you envious! Drop in classes are a steep 20 bucks but for $100 as a first time client you get 30 days of unlimited classes. I could go everyday if I wanted…to every class! Surely then I will be in SICK SHAPE! The wallpaper in the studio has awesome burlesque fishnet legs in a pattern that you wouldn’t notice unless you were staring at the wall so hard while gripping a ballet bar and working hip muscles you didn’t know you had. The class is an hour and works literally every muscle using a combination of weights, a playground ball and the ballet bar. From what I understand, there was a lass named Lotte Berk who invented this glorious torture. Many women who were inspired by her started studios all over the country. You may have heard of The Bar Method or seen the late night infomercials for Fluidity. Pop Physique is a variation on the same theme. I did Fluidity a long time ago when I saw posters in Bally Total Fitness in NYC that said, “Do you want to lose 10-20 lbs and have a dancer’s body?” Umm, YES! I auditioned and got into a FREE one time only program where I had to take before and after pictures for an infomercial. There are some of those pictures of me somewhere…. We took Fluidity 3-5 days a week, had a running coach force us to run in Central Park twice a week and were put on the South Beach Diet. I went from a size 8 to a size 2 in 4 months. It was crazy. We had public weigh-ins and even though I got that teeny tiny, I wasn’t in sick enough shape for the infomercial. That was fine by me; the only infomercial I want to be in is the one for my own line of Swedish Meatballs. Thankfully, Pop Physique is not trying to get anyone into any infomercials, commercials, or information booths. I just finished my third class this week and my body already feels different. I am slightly more flexible and my abs are tighter! I am hooked!

To become addicted to Pop Physique go to:
www.popphysique.com

Monday, September 14, 2009

The spinning yogi.

My first experiment was YAS, a yoga and spinning studio in Silverlake and Venice. I found the studio because when I googled “exercise, Hollywood” the website came up and the first class is FREE! I tried the Yoga for Athletes class because the idea of spinning makes me want to ride a bike off a cliff. Now, before this class if you asked me if I liked Yoga, I would promptly shout, “Hell, no!” I hate sitting or standing still. This class was only 60 minutes and we moved around quite a bit. I had this incredible happy feeling that came over me by the end. I bought a 10 class package at a 10% “first-timer” discount. I went back to the studio looking for that same feeling but never achieved it. I still loved the yoga classes but I think I was trying too hard to have the same transcendent experience. One day I went and I was the only student! I got a very inexpensive private lesson. I told the teacher, James, that I had a hard time going from plank into the push-up. By hard time I mean I physically could not do it. (These are not normal push-ups, they want you to keep your arms by your sides and use your triceps instead of your pecs.) How could a girl who danced from ages 3-21 and still does on and off be such a weakling? I don’t know. If a pushup required leg muscles instead, I would be a push-up pro. James helped me get the proper form for the push up and I at least have a glimmer of hope that one day I will be able to do the girl version. After a couple of yoga classes, I decided to try the dreaded spinning class. They have a YAS class which is ½ hour spinning, ½ hour Yoga. I got through the spinning but couldn’t wait until yoga. My teacher was awesome and everyone else seemed into it but I just don’t like spinning. I would rather run. Not that I like running. Those bike seats are hard. Apparently if you use your abs to lift up while spinning you won’t feel that hard seat so much. We’ll see. I definitely have to try it again because I don’t want to rule it out after one ½ hour class. Plus, all the teachers are in SICK SHAPE! It’s the combo of spinning and yoga that gets them there. I will go back to YAS after my class package is used up. The studio is beautiful and the teachers have good energy.

To find out more about YAS and get a coupon for a free class go to:
www.go2yas.com

Hello.

I am a comedy writer/performer from NYC who recently moved to Los Angeles. I am the test subject in my own exercise experiment. I want to look like the teachers of my fitness classes. They are all in SICK SHAPE! I have been in sick shape before but that was literally from getting sick. Four years ago I had a cold that laid me up for three weeks and I got down to a size zero. I booked a small role on Law and Order right after that. What a cruel world. I want to be healthy (cold free), eat well and workout because it’s good for my mind and body, plus my extensive collection of polyester pantsuits will look way better with six-pack abs. Right, ladies! In NYC, I went to several different gyms and studios to take classes. When I moved to LA this year, I decided to be commitment free when it comes to my workouts. I want to take classes everywhere, take advantage of “first time client” discounts and find the best fit for me to get fit. I will write about my experiences and my progress towards the goal of getting into SICK SHAPE.