Free Fitness Party at the 92Y

When I used to live on the Upper East Side, I belonged to the May Center at the 92Y and I would recommend that gym to anyone. It was always clean, the locker rooms are relaxing, and I never had to wait for a machine. The best time to join is when they have their annual open house, which is--good news!--happening this Tuesday 2/11 from 5-10pm.

The event will feature drop-in classes like yoga, spinning and splash dance (dancing in a pool?! how cool!) as well as a wheel of fitness where you can win guest passes, fitness prizes and free services. If you are interested in joining, you can sign up for as little as $69, which any Manhattanite knows is a steal of a gym membership.

AWESOME DEAL: $45 for Up to 600 Fitness Classes in NYC

Since moving to Astoria in December and training for the Brooklyn Half Marathon (eeeeek! This Saturday!), I have yet to commit to a gym membership. I used to be a tried and true member of Crunch on East 34th Street and I honestly really loved it there, but the distance is too much for me now. I've been racking my head as to where I'd like to join after the race and then I discovered a fabulous deal.

Lifebooker, as you may know and love, is a website where you can not only book all your beauty appointments at a discount, but they also sell Lifebooker Loot--essentially daily deals related to fitness, beauty, and health. Starting today, they are partnering with the American Health and Fitness Alliance to offer a deal that almost seems to good to be true. For $45 you can get free 7-month access to over 165 of the best health and fitness clubs in New York (and throughout Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, and more). Each pass is good for a minimum of TWO free visits per club, with some passes good for an ENTIRE MONTH - for a total of over 600 complimentary visits in all. The full list of clubs is available here, but some examples are:

• 2 visits to Crunch Fitness
• 2 visits to David Barton Gym
• 2 visits to Manhattan Plaza Health Club (rock climbing wall!)
• 2 visits to the 92nd Street Y
• 3 visits to Pablo Fitness (spinning and yoga!)
• 4 visits to Club Fitness (great for Astoria residents like me)
• 4 visits to Pure Power Boot Camp

So you can see that even if you only go to 3 or 4 classes over the course of 7 months, you'll definitely get your money's worth. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!

Lifebooker is also offering a yoga pass and a Pilates pass each for $45 and also each good for 7 months. To supplement my fitness pass, I'm planning on purchasing the yoga pass, and here's some examples of what that includes:

• 2 classes at Atmananda Yoga (recently featured on Gilt Group)
• 2 classes at Dance New Amsterdam
• 2 classes at Exhale Spa (hello, these regularly go for like $30 a pop!)
• 2 classes at Om Factory (one of my favorite yoga studios in the city, try Forrest and Aerial yoga here)
• 2 classes at Pure Yoga
• 2 classes at Yoga Works
• 2 classes at Sheila Kelley's S Factor (not exactly yoga, but you know you'll have a good time)

If you're into Pilates  the Pilates pass comes with a lot of private sessions, which you know can be very expensive if purchased individually.

To purchase one, two or all three passes, go to Lifebooker, create an account if you haven't already done so, and search for the $45 Fitness Pass in the Loot section. If you have friends in Chicago, Houston or LA, be sure to pass this onto them because there are options available in those cities as well. Happy working out!

AWESOME DEAL: 15% Off at Pure Barre

I have never been a "fitness" person. When I work out, I want to have fun and not think about how much I'd rather be watching re-runs of Project Runway at home while snacking on Reese's Pieces (well, that's an exaggeration, but a girl can dream).

One thing I've loved about living in NYC is the vast availability of new "hip" workouts for me to try. A few months ago I stumbled upon an amazing offer on Gilt City for a 2-month unlimited class package at the newly opened Pure Barre in Columbus Circle. Having tried a sample class at The Bar Method last summer and totally trusting Gilt City because their recommendations are awesome, I roped a coworker into purchasing the package with me and we started classes after the first of the year.

The premise of Pure Barre (a national chain started by dancer Carrie Rezabek Dorr in 2001 with locations currently in 25 states) is using small isometric movements at the ballet barre to the beat of motivating music to lift your seat, tone your thighs, abs and arms, and burn fat. Hence their mantra: lift, tone, burn!

The first few classes, I'm not going to lie, were hard. Each class follows a rigid structure. First, you warm up your entire body using small weights, your own body weight, and the dreaded 90-second forearm plank. Next you move into thighs and then seat. Using only the barre and a small rubber ball, when you do the exercises correctly, your legs shake almost uncontrollably, but that's how you know "your muscles are changing," the bubbly instructors always say. From there, the class focuses on firming your core through a series of exercises at the bar and then on a mat. Lastly, you finish up with some funky "back dancing" to give one final push to the seat and thighs and then some relaxing stretching.

Six weeks in, and I can see a change in my body. My arms have more definition, my core is stronger than it's ever been, and I can do way more full (non on-your-knees) push-ups than I have ever been able to do before. My goal was to go 4-5 times a week, and this has been super easy because they offer plenty of classes at all sorts of convenient times throughout the day. The teachers are all very friendly and down-to-earth, the studio is clean (though it does get a bit hot and crowded sometimes), and the general vibe is very open and not snooty like I thought it might be.

The only real negative for me is the cost, and while I got an amazing deal on Gilt City (keyword: amazing), I have no idea if they plan to run another one any time soon. However, Pure Barre has generously provided me with a 15% off discount code for my readers good through the end of February: AWESOME. To use it visit their online store here, select the package you want and enter code AWESOME in the promotional code box. You should see the discount reflected before you purchase. After that, just sign up for the classes you want and have fun! Keep in mind that some of the busier classes end up with a waiting list, so it's best to sign up as early as possible.

Disclosure: Although Pure Barre gave me a free class for writing this post, I really and truly have become addicted to this workout and just renewed for another month of unlimited classes! The discount code AWESOME is good for all packages except the new client, baby bounce back and bridal specials and is good through 2/29/12.