AWESOME ALERT: Free Fitness Classes This October with Just Salad and DavidBartonGym

Bikini season may be gone, but that doesn't mean you should stop being kind to your body. Just Salad is partnering with DavidBartonGym to help you stay fit on the cheap by offering free fitness classes every Saturday in October! The #JustMove Fitness Series will feature Just Salad samples and swag after each class.

The class, aptly called "Shredded," will feature loud and aggressive music and a full out mix of barbell, dumbbell, and bodyweight exercises. Advance​d​ sign-up ​is ​required here and classes will be offered at all NYC DavidBartonGym locations at 12 and 2pm every Saturday in October--except 10/31, because that's when you're supposed to stuff your face with candy​. The best part is that all classes are FREE!​ 

Limit one class per person and you must be a local NYC resident to participate.

AWESOME ALERT: Free Antigravity Fitness Classes Next Week in NYC

Don't fall over, but one of my favorite (and most unique!) workouts of all time will be free to all newbies in NYC next week. Antigravity Fitness, is an exclusive program that combines aerial arts, yoga, pilates, and plain old fun into several different classes designed to push your boundaries, increase your flexibility, and generally make you more aware of your body and it's capabilities.

I've been taking classes for more than 5 years and there's not much more to be said than I LOVE IT!

Antigravity Fitness Creator Christopher Harrison and some yogis

To celebrate International Yoga Day on June 21, AntiGravity invites you to take flight with AntiGravity Fundamentals: Open Level classes at no cost from June 22-27, 2015. NO COST people! FREE! 

You don't need to have a current yoga practice to join, so everyone will take something away from this class (and more than likely get hooked and want to go back again and again). The patented hammocks are rated to hold more than 1,000 pounds, so no need to be scared. The trained instructors will walk you through your first inversion step by step and you'll be amazed at how good the world feels upside down. Bonus: there's no compression on your head and neck like there is with traditional yoga inversions!

To sign up, contact: labmanager@antigravityfitness.com to reserve a space. Just specify your Fundamentals class preference after selecting your preferred class time by clicking here.  Spaces are limited and are confirmed on a first come, first serve basis.

And one more time to show you how much fun it is, here's me and my friend Rachel just hanging last year:

Have fun flying!

Dance Party = Fitness (Plus, a Giveaway!)

The idea of "working-out" used to bore me. I'd wander aimlessly around a giant gym surrounded by machines, gadgets and all sorts of weights but have no concept of what to do with them. Thankfully, the concept of boutique fitness has exploded throughout NYC within the past year, and there are so many unique options from me to choose from to stay fit.

I was recently invited to try the latest studio on the block, ((305)) Fitness, a self-proclaimed underground cardio fitness experience. Well it was literally underground (yay basements!) and definitely an experience (a really, really fun experience).

All images courtesy of ((305)) Fitness

Their website says: "We turn your workout into a party." What kind of party, though, I wasn't initially sure. In fact, when I first arrived at 9:45 on a Sunday morning with my guinea pig friend, we were a bit confused if we were in the right place as the only signage was a neon pink "GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS" ominously hinting at what might be in store for us downstairs.

The front desk

But the gal at the front desk had our names on a list and we were directed past several really neat art pieces to the super clean and colorful locker room to store our belongings before we boogied on downstairs. The 305 Goddess showed the way...

The 305 Goddess and stairs going down to the studio

The studio is basically a club. It's decked out with all sorts of colored lights, giant images of lips and mouths, positive mantras along the front mirror, and...wait for it...a DJ booth. Our instructor, JJ Montell, started the class with so much positive energy and he did something that I really appreciated and haven't seen at other studios. It was simple. He said, introduce yourself to someone you don't know. The fun in this was that we were all about to be dancing together for an hour, so it's way more fun if you at least know another person's name.

JJ Montell

We started with a Zumba-like warm-up, but the choreography quickly escalated to more advanced dance moves, sports drills, and various squats and lunges. His direction flowed perfectly with the music and the lights curated by our DJ that I was able to let loose and really feel like I was at a party. At three points in class we stopped for what he called our sprints, which were basically high-intensity drills of high-knees followed by push-ups or crunches. It was also arms day, so we did a few minutes of small-movement arm drills (ie, arm circles, holding arms out in a T, shoulder presses). 

I was sweating buckets and almost every muscle burned by the end of class, but my endorphins must have skyrocketed. The music was a perfect mix of new and old, the latter taking me back to my days in middle-school hip-hop dance classes (what what!?!).

My friend, an avid soccer player who tends to stay away from dance-based workouts, said she had a lot of fun trying something new. In her words, even though she couldn't follow along all of the dance moves perfectly, some of the more traditional conditioning sequences were natural for her to follow and that's where she pushed herself the most.

I would highly recommend this workout to everyone. Classes are $32 each, but they have an intro offer of 3 classes for $36. The locker room is well stocked with all the products you need to get ready (and self-locking lockers) and has 2 showers. Towels are available at the front desk.

Good news! We're giving away a free class for one lucky reader and a friend. To enter, use the rafflecopter form below and enter before midnight on 12/10. Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want Some Stink With Your Cider?

Cider week is upon us! Having just returned from the Basque region of Spain, I'm newly educated in the intricacies of cider making (and drinking!) and have a whole new appreciation for this beverage. It's more than Martinellis y'all!

Our friends at Stinky Bklyn--in Chelsea--and Back Label Wine Merchants (107 W 20th Street) are celebrating in the best way possible...with a stinky cheese pairing class! On Saturday 11/1 from 4-5pm you can join them to taste a selection of handpicked ciders and cheeses for only $40. The best part is that you get a $20 voucher for anything in the store at the conclusion of your class.

If you want to sip your cider in Brooklyn, the flagship store (215 Smith Street) will be hosting several FREE classes for the duration of the week:

• Victory Brewing Co. Tasting, Thursday, October 23 @ 6-8 pm: Draft and bottle tastings from Pennsylvania's famed Victory Brewing Company. Beers featured will include Wild Devil, a Brett-fermented IPA, and Storm King, a bittersweet Imperial Stout. They'll also be offering 20% off growler fills!

• Wolffer Estate Cider Tasting, Saturday, October 25 @2-4 pm: Hailing from the Hamptons, Wolffer Vineyard and Cidery will be in-store with samples of their Dry Rose and Dry White ciders. Borrowing fermentation techniques from their wine production, their ciders are crisp and refreshing, and are great in lieu of wine for your dinner or cheese board.

• Cider Mimosas, Sunday, October 26 @ 1-3 pm: Say what?? Cider Mimosas? That's right, they're mixing up fresh, tart cider from Champlain Orchards in Vermont with NY's own Critz Farms Rippleton Original Sparkling Hard Cider. It'll become your new Fall brunch libation of choice.

• Virtue Cider & Crown Finish Caves Cheese Tasting, Saturday, November 1 @ 1-3 pm: They'll be pairing a variety of Virtue ciders with cheese from Crown Finish Caves in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. One featured cheese will be the Humble Herdsman, washed in Virtue's Red Streak. Our beer buyer Aiyana Knauer both suggested and ordered the Red Streak for washing to Benton of Crown Finish Caves, so this tasting will bring all elements of the cheese (and cider) full circle!

• Guerrilla Hot Sauce Tasting, Saturday, November 1 @ 3-6 pm: Go sample fresh, local hot sauce made by Stinky Bklyn's own cheesemonger Brendon Doyle!

For more NYC Cider Week events, please click here. Happy sipping!

Where Drinking and Sword Fighting Go Together

Well, not quite sword fighting.

Stand back everyone, because you are about to learn how to impress all your friends with a new party trick. Champagne sabering is an age-old tradition of opening a bottle of bubbly with one fell swoop. For $50, the folks at LIC bar The Baroness will teach you all you need to know about wielding the sword and you get to drink the Champagne. Or, you know, you could share it with a friend.

The swashbuckler in me is super intrigued, so I'll keep you posted if I decide to take the slice, but if anyone beats me to it, please comment how it went!

AWESOME DEAL: Wine and Mixology Classes at Back Label Wine Merchants

Summer is just about here and that means it's time to stop drinking alone in the doldrums of your apartment. Back Label Wine Merchants recently posted part 1 of their summer wine and mixology class schedule and at $40 a pop (you get a $20 voucher to buy anything in the store after), each one is a steal!

Here are the deets:

• Wine 101- Nature vs. Nurture - Thursday 6/5, 7pm - 8pm

Join us for an introduction to how wine is made and why it’s so darned enjoyable. This class will cover the basics of viticulture and show how farming plays a huge role in shaping what you experience in the glass.

• Austria 101! - Saturday 6/7, 4pm - 5pm

In a world where minerality is provocative and Rieslings are as dry as they get, join us for a tour through the great Austrian countryside and their commitment to exceptional farming and viticulture. Austrian wine specialist, Jodi Stern, will lead us on our journey and some of the greats Austria has to offer!

• Champagne 101 in 3 Parts – Part 2 “Champagne & Cheese″ - Thursday 6/12, 7pm - 8pm

There’s nothing like bubbles and cheese especially those from Champagne and our friends at Spoonwood Cabin Farm (Jacksonville, Vermont). The great cheeses of Spoonwood Cabin Farm are tiny-production, artisanal French-style, semi-soft cheeses that aren’t readily available in this country. This class is not to be missed! Call today to sign up and reserve your seat!

• 8 Kickass Grapes you’ve Never Heard of and Why They Matter - Saturday 6/14, 4pm - 5pm

There are so many grapes out there and so little time it feels like, at least to us.  The odds are you have actually tried some of these and wines and don’t even know it! If in fact that is not true, this is the perfect moment to come on in and start a new wine adventure. Guest Speaker – Evan Spingarn

• True Wine Connoisseurs: Where Wine and Music Meet - Thursday 6/19, 5pm - 8pm

5 years ago Will Tell played a joke on his friend Sadat X by placing in his hands a bottle of wine instead of cognac while in the studio.  From that moment there was no turning back, the result was nearly 70 videos, a great love of wine and a lot of laughs.  Together they’ll put on a class that will not quickly be forgotten.

• Mixology 101 - Saturday 6/21, 4pm - 5pm

Rock star bartender Robby Haynes, owner of the new and popular Chicago bar Analogue, will be here while in NYC to lead this badass class involving the dos and don’ts of mixology and what inspirations lead to world class cocktails! Robby is best known by Chicagoans as the star bartender of Wicker Park’s Violet Hour.

• Champagne 101 in 3 Parts- Part 3 “Cote des Blancs″ - Thursday 6/26, 7pm - 8pm

The Cote des Blancs is a unique and very special place within the renowned region of Champagne. This class will cover just how special it is showcasing its soil types, climate and decadent expressions. Want to really learn about Champagne? We triple dog dare ya! Ouch.

• Summer Single Malts - Saturday 6/28, 4pm - 5pm

Single Malt Scotch is not just for the colder months. Join us as we explore the finer and lighter side of this classic Scotch whisky!

To book a class, call (212) 229-WINE or order online at backlabelwine.com.

Who Says Meatpacking is Just for Clubbing? Free Fitness Classes All Summer!

Anyone up for some free exercise classes? Join the Meatpacking District Improvement Association, Exhale, Chelsea Piers, Asics, and Lululemon for Classes on the Cobbles starting Thursday May 22.  

Classes range from yoga to Krav Maga and stretching to Zumba, and all take place "on the cobbles" of Gansevoort Plaza. Mats will be provided and classes are all 40 minutes long. To reserve your spot, click here. Happy sweating!

Awesome Works Out Again! (Bonus: FREE CLASSES)

Fitness has lately become a well-documented thing on this blog, but I'm keeping the endorphins flowing with yet another class recommendation!

I came across Cyc Fitness a few weeks ago in an email newsletter (check out Well + Good for all things healthy living in NYC if you haven't already!). Cyc is a Madison, WI spin studio transplant that recently opened up shop within the David Barton Gym at Astor Place. It's similar to your Soul Cycle or Flywheel in that it offers a full body workout using 2 lb bean bags while you are spinning. But I found it unique in that the workout incorporates various other "sports," like swimming and basketball to name a couple, to get you having fun while working out.

Cyc calls its instructors cycologists, a clever play on words, but also relatively true in that the instructors seem to get to know you throughout the class, always encouraging you to do better and push harder. I had Amber as my cycologist, and would highly recommend her high-energy class! The rest of the staff at Cyc was wonderful as well, helping me set-up my bike (much fancier than any spin bike I've ever ridden!) and answering any questions.

It's both a blessing and a curse that Cyc is located within a well-established gym. Blessing because you get open access to the entire gym up to 2 hours before and after your class and you have access to a full locker room (bring your own locks!) with showers, towels, etc. However, you will have to deal with the crowds that come with a giant gym, and if you've never been inside, well, David Barton Gyms have a certain vibe that is fairly club-like and in-your-face. So if that's not your thing, be warned.

Classes are normally $25 (shoe rental $2), but you can take advantage of their awesome snow day offer to score a free class! If it snows more than 2 inches, all classes are free the next day. This promo goes through March 17. Also, it doesn't appear that they are being too strict with this policy, as I know it hasn't snowed that much in the past day, but you can book the 7am, 12:30pm, and 5pm  classes for free tomorrow 2/19 (5pm with Cyc founder Keoni!). Hurry up! There are limited spaces available. Sign up here!

Awesome Works Out

New Year's resolutions or not, I have always loved trying new workouts. Logging constant miles on the elliptical or crunching hundreds of times gets insanely boring and make me burn out. So when the folks at Alycea Ungaro's Real Pilates (177 Duane Street) invited me to come try their signature class SpringTONE, I was all for it!

The studio is on a very pleasant, very "TriBeCa" block, and it was super warm to walk into out of a snowstorm on a Monday evening. I was greeted by Alycea herself and shown around the studio. The upper level is where private sessions take place, and I watched as clients from all walks of life seemed to be pulling, pushing, and breathing their way to fitness.

My class took place downstairs, where there were 10, for lack of a better word, contraptions; one per student. If you've never taken a Pilates class (I'm not talking mat Pilates here, but anything with a machine), it can be a bit intimidating. Reformers look especially like torture devices with all of their metal springs, leather straps, and metal and wooden bars.

My class was taught by Vanessa, a playful instructor who had the ability of seeming truly pleasant as she talked us through exercises that made me feel like my inner thigh muscles were going to explode out of my legs. For 45 minutes, I pulled on springs, hollowed out my core, balanced in a squat position, burned all of my muscles, pulled on some more springs, and finally stretched out. It's funny how much of a work out you can get from minute movements, but I was seriously sore for 2 days after this class. As for difficulty level, there was nothing I felt I couldn't do, but I did occasionally have to bend my knees when Vanessa asked us to keep our legs straight.

Alycea Ungaro’s Real Pilates recently launched a brand new luxury lifestyle boutique curated by What Not To Wear's Amy Salinger. Clara's Lifestyle Boutique is an all inclusive luxury one-stop-shop and features 'fitness wear with a function.' It features a range of lifestyle items and features some of today’s top fitness brands including Lole Women, Nancy Rose, Om Girl, Beyond Yoga, among others.

Classes are $30, but they get cheaper when bought in packages. I would highly recommend the studio as it's clean, friendly and close to multiple subway lines. Be sure to report back if you try it!

Awesome Cooks!

It's no secret on the blog how much I love cooking. So when Cook & Go in Meatpacking invited my friend Laura and me for a blogger cooking class, I got very excited.

The "classroom" with windows to the street

My set-up

Originally a French company, Cook & Go opened their first outpost in the US on West 16th Street about 1 year ago. They offer various cooking classes, which rotate monthly, designed to incorporate several "cooks" (ie, cut into julienne, make meringue, fold a papillote, etc.) and ultimately prepare a single serving of a multi-course meal. In the summer, they offer a Highline picnic class, designed to be taken up to the park after class. In the winter, they replace it with their TV Tray class, designed to be eaten, you guessed it, at home in front of your TV. All classes after 5:30 are served wine. They also host a wide array of parties!

For our class, we started with 2 appetizers: purses filled with pears, brie, and raspberries and Tuscan white bean crostini. I liked that one was cooked and one was not (meaning we could eat it right away, I was hungry!!).

'Purse' prep

Folded purses

Cooked purses

Crostini prep

Finished crostini

For the main course, we made apricot chicken. I will DEFINITELY be making this at home as it was so easy and so full of flavor. Here's the recipe in case you're interested:

 

Apricot Chicken (serves 6):

1 1/2 pounds apricots (we used dried), roughly chopped, pits removed and discarded

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

2 pounds skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces

Salt

1 Tbsp unsalted butter (can sub olive oil)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 chopped onion

2 cups chicken stock or broth (use gluten-free stock if you are cooking gluten-free)

1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons Tabasco or other hot sauce (you can add more if you like)

Black pepper

Place the chopped apricots in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and the vinegar. Let sit while you brown the chicken in the next step. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, place chicken pieces in the pan, without crowding the pan, and brown them on each side. As the chicken cooks, sprinkle salt over it. Once the chicken is browned, remove the pieces from the pan to a bowl and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan and sauté the onion until it begins to brown. As the onion cooks and releases moisture, use a flat edged spatula or wooden spoon to scrape off the browned bits from the chicken (called fond) from the bottom of the pan. Once the onions have browned a bit, add the chicken stock and lower the heat to medium. Put about 2/3 of the apricots, along with any juice they have given up, into a blender and blend into a purée. (If using dried apricots, there isn't really a need to do this step, just chop very finely). Pour the purée into the pan with the chicken stock and onions. Add the cinnamon, rosemary and Tabasco and taste. You may need to add some salt. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and gently simmer for 10-20 minutes. When you are ready to serve, put the chicken and the remaining apricot pieces into the pan and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Serve hot with rice.

For dessert, we made date filled cakes and s'mores shots. The s'mores shots were my favorite, although I admit we didn't really cook them, our teacher Christina did, but I did put mine together in the coolest looking way possible! The date filled cakes were more like cookies to me, but were really delicious, especially when they were hot out of the oven.

Me with my date filled cakes

Finished date filled cakes

Chef Christina making meringue

Laura and me with our s'mores shots

Finished s'mores shot

All classes run from $39-$59 and are 90 minutes long. Extra portions/people range between an extra $15-$25. But wait!...if you use the code BPIBLOG you can get 15% off any class! But wait again!...Living Social is currently offering vouchers to Cook & Go! For only $34 you can get admission to any two classes of your choosing, that's 56% off!! The deal is only good for 3 more days so get on it!

One thing I will note, however, is that the classes are meant for people who have little to no cooking skills. If you cook a lot and know how to follow a medium hard recipe by yourself, you may get a little frustrated in the classes, especially because they only allow you to use a paring knife because chef's knives are liabilities apparently. Nonetheless, it's still a fun time and you go home with a yummy meal and a fun experience. For those of you who use your ovens for shoe storage, I highly highly recommend you sign up at Cook & Go!

Some Summer Creativity

I've always considered myself a fairly creative person, and is it just me or does it seem like we used to get much more encouragement to be creative when we were kids? With all the stress of life as an adult, I've been finding it's actually more beneficial now to get my creative juices flowing than it was when all I really wanted was to gossip with my friends on the playground while sipping Capri Sun.

Thankfully for all my awesome readers, I've taken the liberty of trying out a couple classes in the NYC area and here's what I have to report:

Painting and Wine Class: The Art Studio NY

(Purchased on Groupon for $35 plus $10 for the canvas)

After seeing countless friends spend a fun night trying to copy a painting while sipping wine, I thought this would be a good place to start, especially given the fact that I have never painted anything in my life (with the exception of my dining room walls and some finger painting way back when). My friend Rachel and I shopped our options and settled for a 3-hour class at The Art Studio NY on the Upper West Side. Our instructor, Jacob Premo, was wonderful and encouraging as he led us through step-by-step as to how we should conquer the painting. He was also very flexible--helping other students paint entirely different pictures and even providing neon pink paint and glitter to one student (I was very jealous of her final product). The wine was constantly flowing and between that and the relaxing actions of mixing paints and putting brush to canvas, I was a happy lady by the end of the night. I may not be the next Van Gogh, but now I can say I have an original piece of art hanging in my apartment. The studio offers ongoing art classes for all levels at very reasonable prices, including drawing classes that take place in both the Met and Central Park. For only $39 including all materials, you may very well find me there in the near future.

The original next to my finished work

Me and Rachel with our masterpieces

Adventure Photography: JP Teaches Photo

(Free on Zozi, bring your own camera)

I've owned a Canon Rebel DSLR (fancy camera speak for one of those large cameras that take really good pictures) for about 7 years now, and I'm sad to say that I still don't know completely how to use it. I usually leave it on auto, occasionally venturing to manual when I have something specific in mind. For the most part I've been happy with it, because it takes killer photos even on auto, but with an upcoming trip to Thailand/South Korea (it's okay, you can be jealous), I wanted to up my game. I came across JP Teaches Photo through the deals site Zozi a few weeks back. They were (and are still...GET ON THIS PEOPLE!) running a special where you get a free "adventure" just for signing up, and more free adventures for signing up your friends. I opted for the adventure photo class in Central Park as a way to brush up on my camera skills and have a wonderful evening in the process. Our group of 6 students and 2 instructors met on the west side of the park on a perfect Sunday evening. The impending rain gave way to beautiful sunshine which streaked in sideways as the sun sank toward the horizon. Paul, a professional photographer/lighting designer and self-described "bro," led us through various exercises designed to get us used to motion photography as well as techniques to help us with landscape and wildlife photography. JP, who's specialty is in helping people use their cameras, stood by to answer specific questions like "how can I make the background lighter/darker?" or "where is that button on my [insert pretty much any camera you can think of]?" The most awesome part of the entire class was when Cartman the skateboarding bulldog and his owner passed by just after we talked about stop motion photography. I was so happy I had my camera in hand, ready to go. The two hours flew by too quickly, but I learned so much, and only whet my appetite for learning more. I may or may not have also signed up for the beginner class in August :)

Dark Cave

Lamp Post

Cartman the Bulldog

With all that this city has to offer, who knows what I might try next! Feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments below and be sure to let us know if you try either of these classes. Happy creativity!