Orangetheory Fitness

This post was done in partnership with Orangetheory Fitness in Houston, who provided me with a complimentary workout. I was not monetarily compensated for writing this fitness post. All opinions are completely, 100% my own!

I like to eat food. Like, a lot.

But my health is also incredibly important to me, so I have learned that when it comes to food, moderation is key, and when it comes to fitness, working out consistently is necessary.

However, I have to admit that I am naturally lazy when it comes to working out.

Don't get me wrong, I will absolutely consistently work out 3-5 times a week. But do I push myself when working out on my own? HA. I am completely content chilling on an elliptical for 20 minutes with a magazine and calling it a day. Which of course is certainly better than nothing, but if I want to feel/see progress and truly push myself, that ain't gonna cut it.

I'm also not naturally competitive. If given a "modified" option in a workout, nine times out of ten, I take it (see above, re: laziness). All that aside though, I am a goody-goody, Type-A teacher's pet (I'm becoming more and more likable by the second, aren't I?), so even though I am lazy and non-competitive, I do well in a fitness class setting because at the end of the day, I'm going to do what I'm told to please the teacher.

Cue Orangetheory Fitness.

Last weekend, I was invited to experience a class at the Orangetheory Fitness studio located in Houston's Town and Country area. I brought my friend Jaimie along for the ride (errr run...and row...and weight lifting madness....HELP). Several other Houston food bloggers were in attendance like my friends Erika, Shanna, and Felice, and I also had the pleasure of finally meeting the gals from Its Not Hou It's Me!

Wait, pause for a second - How hilarious is it that they invited a bunch of Houston food bloggers to take a fitness class? WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL US, ORANGETHEORY FITNESS????

The classes at Orangetheory Fitness are unlike anything I've ever done before. When you arrive at the studio, you are provided with a heart rate monitor to strap around your chest-ish midsection (okay, I'll say it, under your boobs) to wear during the duration of the workout. It's all based on your heart rate, and pushing you into the "Orange Zone," which creates "Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption" (EPOC). According this philosophy, if you spend a certain amount of time in the Orange Zone, doing bouts of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), calories will continue to burn 24 hours after your workout.

I mean, isn't that the dream?

snapchat: newishcityhou

You want to spend as much time as possible in the orange or red zones (as long as the red zone isn't indicating you're about to pass out), but also reverting back the other zones (grey, blue, green) every now and then to keep your heart rate jumping around. Throughout the duration of the class, they have your "zones" displayed on a screen so you can see how hard you're pushing yourself.

Photo: Integrate Agency

I felt like I could not get out of orange/red to save my life!

The orange-hued room is set up with treadmills, rowing machines, and weights/props. With loud, bumpin' music playing in the background, your instructor guides you through each set - from treadmill to rowing machine to weights to treadmill to treadmill to weights to treadmill, and so on. You could choose to be a runner, jogger or power walker on the treadmill. I started as a runner and - due to some hip flexor issues - ended as a power walker on a steep incline. Which, newsflash? Still insanely hard.

Photo: Integrate Agency

The workout was incredibly intense, and incredibly fun! Even though it included burpees (WHY, ALWAYS WITH THE BURPEES.), because everything was constantly changing, it kept me motivated and on my toes. In the end, Jaimie and I survived, and we each burned over 700 calories!

After the workout, we were provided with nourishing food from Eatfitters, and an email was sent to each of us with our results from the class.

I had such an awesome time at Orangetheory Fitness, and I'm so glad to have gotten the chance to experience one of their classes at their beautiful Houston Town and Country studio. If you want a killer workout that is bound to give you noticeable results, I definitely recommend it!

Photo: Integrate Agency

^ Look at all those happy, smiling Houston food bloggers, blissfully unaware of the ass-kicking their about to receive.

1 comment city centre, fitness, food, gyms, houston, town and country

Share: