I have always worked out pretty regularly, but I've kicked up my fitness routine a notch recently. Maybe it's because I just feel better when I'm staying active. Maybe it's because I'm quickly realizing that - well into my 30th year of life - my metabolism ain't what it used to be (because life is a cruel, cruel b). Maybe it's because Ryan Gosling is encouraging it. Realistically, it's probably a mix of all three (but mostly the third one, tbh).
I had been a member of a yoga studio for almost two years and recently discontinued it, replacing it with workouts in my complex's gym downstairs, runs around my Houston Heights neighborhood, and home yoga practices. As I mentioned in my post on OrangeTheory Fitness, though, I'm kind of lazy when it comes to working out on my own. So after hearing a lot of fuss about ClassPass from my friends (namely, my friend Sarah, who is alllll about it!), I decided to give it a whirl!
ClassPass is a nationwide program that has established itself in Houston, and it's one of those brilliant ideas that makes you go, "Gah, why didn't I think of that?!" Different cities have different rates, but how it works here is you pay a monthly fee of $89 (which was the same price of my yoga membership, and honestly is cheaper than a lot of boutique studios I've checked out here in Houston), and you get access to all participating gyms and studios, with the ability to visit each place (this is per entire business, not studio location) up to three times in that month. And trust me, there are so many wonderful gyms that partake in the program, you definitely get your money's worth! (FYI, ClassPass did not endorse this post in any way, I just want to share with you a program in Houston that I'm a fan of!)
So how did my first month of ClassPass go? Once I hit my 30 days (which will be tomorrow), I will have attended 15 different fitness classes at a variety of gyms in Houston. Here are some of the highlights:
I took my first ever CrossFit class at CrossFit EaDo. I've always been curious about CrossFit, moreso for the tight-knit community it always seems to create, than for the fitness aspect. This particular "box" (that's "gym" for all you non-CrossFitters out there!) was clean and ginormous, and the trainers were SO nice and welcoming. Channeling my inner noncompetitive lazy person though, and only having a willingness to jump up on the < 5 inch boxes (actual boxes, not "boxes" - Think J.J. Watt style), I realized that I'm just not a CrossFit gal. *sigh* I'm just not self-motivated enough when it comes to fitness goals. But if you ARE a CrossFit person, I really do recommend CrossFit EaDo!
The newest yoga kid on the Houston Heights block is Austin-born Black Swan Yoga. The flow class taught by Carmen has come to be one of my favorites. The room is slightly heated, and her class is challenging, different every time, set to music, and spiritual. And I'm going to go out on a limb and say the room itself that you practice in is one of the prettiest yoga spaces I've been in. It's light, airy, and has changing neon lights circling the perimeter of the room that are hypnotic and incredibly soothing.
Black Swan Yoga and RIDE were both sort of the impetus for me joining Houston's ClassPass program actually. Historically I have hated spin classes with a fiery passion and spent the entirety of each class counting down the seconds until the torture was over. After much convincing, I attended Will's class at RIDE with my friend Lindsey one morning, and I was instantly hooked! To be sure, there are still moments where I'm fully convinced I'm going to die, but then I quickly recover. The classes are insanely challenging, but also incredibly fun. Loud, motivating music is blasted in a dimly lit room, and each song brings you something completely different, including a few sets which utilize weights. It's fitness to the max. I love love LOVE RIDE!
Studio Fitness in the Heights offers open gym time through ClassPass, as well as a variety of classes and CrossFit. The gym itself appears to be a refurbished old garage, and yet it somehow manages to combine the best of both worlds in terms of style - appealing to those who like that grungier gym feel (not me), while at the same time welcoming people who are total snobs and want to work out somewhere pretty (me). In terms of classes the gym offers, Stephanie's HIIT class is an insane bootcamp-style workout, and it's my total jam. I also took Carlton's kettlebell class one morning, and that was a great workout as well!
A recently joined member of the Houston ClassPass scene, YogaOne offers a wide array of different styles of yoga classes. Last week, I took a sonic flow class at their uptown location, as well as a sonic hot 60 class with Anna at their Heights location, which is now one of my new favorite classes! It combines vinyasa flow poses I'm used to, as well as ones I'm less familiar with from Bikram. Definitely a class for someone who's familiar with yoga, it has minimal cues from the instructor (who practices alongside everyone), and it takes place in a - I'm not kidding - 100+ degree room. And I LOVE it. Last night, I took it again, and the theme was 90's music, aka the dream. Here's me in my sweaty disgusting glory, post sonic hot 60:
Snapchat: newishcityhou
Also worth noting - Another class I really like is Joy Yoga's wake up class taught by Jana!
ClassPass is a great way to integrate a variety of different classes into your fitness routine, as well as give you a taste of what Houston has to offer in terms of studios and gyms. I have thoroughly enjoyed my past month with ClassPass, and I will definitely be continuing on with it for the foreseeable future! If you'd like to try the unlimited ClassPass out for a month, feel free to use my referral code. <~~By clicking that link within the next 6 months, you will receive $20 off of your first month of unlimited ClassPass classes (and I'll also receive $20 off as well)! With a variety of classes - from yoga, to spin, to CrossFit, to barre, to kickboxing, and more! - ClassPass is a great way to get your money's worth and explore what Houston has to offer in the fitness world.
Ride...for Gosling!
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