FANTASTIC FREEBIE: BIKRAM ALEXANDRIA OR TYSONS

At either Bikram Alexandria or Bikram Tysons, your first class is free.  Tysons only if its before 4pm (but they allow you to do it on the weekend) and Alexandria the first free class is at ANY time.  So now you have no excuse. 

Chesti dishes on Bikram, and why she "hearts" it.

I love the heat.  Especially now that its getting colder, there is nothing better to this girl than walking into a hot and humid room.  Instant relief.  I"m the kind of person that gets a chill so deep in her bones in takes hours to shake.  For as much as I hate winter, I'm excited that this year I have a "safe zone" at Alexandria Bikram.  Bikram is Bikram.  Where ever you go.  The postures are all the same, 26 moves you hold for about 36 seconds (2 sets each) for a total of 90 minutes, the temp and humidity is the same everywhere (about 100 degrees and 40-50% humidity) and even the instructors dialogue is pretty much the same (yet some how it doesn't feel as scripted as Tae Bow.  Probably because its not obnoxious inspiration jargon but description that you focus on to get the posture right).  The rooms are the same as well, there are heat vents everywhere that newbies shouldn't stand under and mirrors lining the front wall.  The floors are an anti bacterial something or other, but i still get sketched out by the thought of it.  For someone who doesn't normally sweat, I am half naked and drenched by the end of class.  And I couldn't feel better.  I feel lighter, detoxed, stronger, and somehow,  more energized.  It is one class that I shower before I leave the studio because my clothes and underwear are dripping wet and I want to wash out all of my pores (I have openly admitted that I am shallow and I dont want breakouts).

A quick take on Alexandria Bikram before I discuss Bikram in general.  Alexandria Bikram http://www.bikramalexandria.com/home/ at 5416 Eisenhower Avenue Alexeandria is literally right next to the Van Dorn Metro.  There is a ton of parking and very easy to get to from 395 or 495.  The studio is in the back of a warehouse looking building.  As owner Jim Ambrogi says, its not much to look at.  But it has everything you need and want (including child care for moms and dads).  The studio has one main room with markings for where to put your mat.  I LOVE THIS.  It makes it impossible for someone to be right on top of me and it also staggers the positioning so even if someone is in front of you, you have mirror space.  The studio also has two showers and a large changing room in addition to cubbies outside of the hot room.  Alexandria Bikram rents towels and mats for $1.  This is a bargain especially if you are going to get back on the metro after class and dont want a soaking wet towel and mat with you.  Its the one time I actually rent mats.  The instructors also have a fridge in the room and offer up all sorts of beverages DURING class.  You just pay afterwards.  And at the end of class, the instructor puts an ice cold eucalyptus towel over your eyes.  Jim the owner is a pisser.  Thats a good thing.  He is the sweetest guy hiding behind a tough cranky former military persona.  He is tough on students, but also very helpful and wants to make sure you get it right.  If you are overly sensitive, I dont suggest your first class with him.  But certainly take class with him at some point- he studied with Bikram and learned from the creator of this form of yoga. 

Bikram.... its just like hatha yoga.  Only hotter and more humid.  Actually, the poses are virtually the same except they call them different things.  Bikram is all about stretching and working on the internal skeleton.  There are proven health benefits.  According to one website:

"Each posture stretches, strengthens and prepares specific muscles, ligaments, and joints needed for the next posture. This method also stimulates the organs, glands, and nerves, moving fresh oxygenated blood to 100 percent of the body, restoring all systems to a healthy working order. It is designed to deliver total health through the balancing and strengthening of every system in the body in order to prevent illness, injury, promote weight loss, and limit the effects of aging. A heated room warms your muscles, prevents injury, allows a deeper workout and cleanses the body by flushing toxins."

I noticed at first my face was breaking out a bit but thats because of all of the crap trapped in my pores.  Sweat cleanses the body.  Its sort of sweat's "thing".  This type of yoga really is for everyone.  In my class this weekend there was a 73 year old grandma there on her first visit!  This was not Jane Fonda who was clearly in good shape her whole life.  this was a normal grandma.  And she did it!  Next week when I go to visit family I'm going to try and convince my 64 year old Dad to give it a try.  I think its especially good for older people to work on balance and keep the joints "juicy" as they say at Bikram.  My Dad will likely bitch about the heat the entire time, but its not too bad.

Here are a few tips on Bikram.  First, its called BIC-rum.  NOT beek rum.  Good, got that out of the way.  Second, DO NOT MAKE BIKRAM YOUR FIRST YOGA CLASS OR YOUR FIRST HOT YOGA CLASS.  Start with a "warm yoga" "gentle hatha" or even regular hot beginners class.  Trust me on this.  This is not flow (vinyassa).  You hold postures so its a bit less "cardio."  When you do take a class, bring two or three waters.  Two of them frozen because they will melt.  Bring a towel for your mat and a towel for your hands and hell, while you are at it, a towel for your face. Try not to wear 100% cotton.  This is the time for lycra and spandex.  Wear a bathing suit if you want (and no one cares what you look like).  I've seen people wearing t-shirts and they look miserable.  I couldn't imagine wearing a t-shirt to these classes.  I like to wear shorts, but your legs will get sweaty and wet too so some moves (like tree) are a bit more difficult.  Get to class a half hour early.  THIS IS KEY.  Give yourself 15 minutes to just lie down in the room and get used to the heat.  At first it will feel great (on a cold day), then uncomfortable, and then you will adjust. 

Give it a try, you may love it, or you may hate it.  Fudge hates it.  But Fudge openly admits to a mental block against humidity.  She does like hot yoga.  I'm not blaming Fudge for not being a Bikram fan, I would never ever agree to cold yoga.  I'm just sad that I dont have my buddy with me at Bikram. 

One final note: Yogis hate Bikram people and Bikram people hate yogis.  Ok, maybe hate is a strong word and a bit over dramatic, but there is a lot of tension between the two groups.  Personally, I dont give a shit what there politics are.  I'm into both styles for the fitness benefits and for what they both do for my mental state.  Recently the founder of Bikram was accussed of some pretty awful things.  I dont really care what happens to him, but I certainly dont support him.  I think we will see a lot of Bikram studios continue the same practice, but call it something different.  Many already are.  Nonetheless, not trying this form of yoga would be the same as not golfing because Tiger Woods is a lying cheating spineless womanizing bastard.  Well, if you dont golf thats cool with me.  Tiger Woods is a punk.  And that my friends, was my random tangent for the day.

Fudge on Pole Pressure (Alexandria & Logan Circle)

Pole Pressure, Landmark Mall, 5801 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA & 1322 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC

So...pole...yeah.

We went to two classes.  Both were the free intro classes, one in Alexandria and one in downtown DC.  I'm glad we did both and in that order.

The class at Alex was a good work out at the beginning.  We did some mat/floor exercises and some chair exercises.  Those were a decent work out.  The pole - not so much, but it was fun.  The poles at the Alex are vaguely reminiscent of childhood playground tether ball poles (in the days before people worried about things like playground safety).  Remember the poles that were cemented into the middle of old tires?  They were kind of like that.  Definitely more stable, but didn't necessarily feel that way.  There were one and half instructors to the class (one who was definitely the instructor and the other who obviously worked there and was often called upon to give instruction).  They were both incredibly friendly and obviously loved what they do.  They spent a lot of time going around and showing each person in the class how to do the pole moves.  It was a very social and fun class, but definitely disorganized.  The class was in the back of a dance or workout studio of some kind.  The way it was set up, it definitely felt like an afterthought.  It kind of like something organized in someone's garage: fun, but not very professional.

The class on 14th Street was way more professional, but less of a workout.  In that class we did floor/mat, pole, and aerial hoop.  The hoop was really an afterthought and each person was able to have one go at it.  Still, fun to try.  The poles were permanent.  Attached from floor to ceiling.  I definitely got the sense, however, that the class was designed to show you more of what you could do if you took more classes and less what you are able to do now.  A lot of the moves were really uncomfortable because I felt like my bones were grinding into the floor or pole and there wasn't a whole lot of instruction.  Definitely no personal instruction like at the Alex location.  Also, some of the stuff was quite painful given the limited ankle stiffness I still deal with.

All in all, I'd rather do pilates, zumba, or yoga, so I will probably not pursue pole any further.  That said, it was a fun experiment!

Post-Vegas Fudge

As you can see, I only managed to post once from Vegas.  We were constantly on the move, walking and dancing mostly.  Toward the end there was a decent amount of eating too.  I never quite made it to the point of sweating tequila, but I did discover the beauty of red licorice vodka.

We did dance to some great music, though.

As for exercise other than walking and dancing, we took a pilates barre class at the Bellagio Fitness Center.  The fitness center was nice (great spa area with a steam room, sauna, and hot tubs), but the class left something to be desired.  Maybe it is geared toward people who want to sweat out some tequila, but I can't imagine those people are choosing to take fitness classes in high enough numbers to justify such a low intensity class.  Anyway, it was nice to take a class and play around in the facilities, but if I had paid to take that class at home I would have been unsatisfied.  For $40, though, you get the class and access to the facilities all day so, for the price, it really is a fantastic deal.

Our last morning we spent some quality time at Wicked Spoon and in honor of that visit, I offer these tips on yoga poses for heartburn. :)

Chesti: Pole Dancing Update: Pole Pressure

I suck at pole dancing.  Seriously.  I might as well just throw out my clear plexiglass stilettos and tassels, but that ain't never gonna happen.  And flying hoop?  Oh god, no.  But the class was interesting.  I recommend trying it.  I am, however, very good at flirty floor dancing.  Chair dancing came somewhere in the middle.  FOUR types of "fitness" - that's what you get with the pole dancing freebie we posted a while back.  At the Landmark location of Pole Pressure you do floor, pole, and chair.  Downtown you get floor, pole, and hoop.   Don't be fooled, the way these two places operate, you would have NO IDEA they are connected.  Landmark is more fun.  Downtown is a serious business.   If you are just curious, I recommend going to Landmark.  Those girls are fun and the class actually has a workout component to it, but sooooo disorganized.  Downtown is almost too hard to be a work out and has a pretty serious sales pitch to it.  If you can do any of the moves, it will be a terrific body sculpting experience, but for an intro, way too hard.  One thing I did learn is that there is no way in hell strippers can drink while on duty.  It's just not possible.  If you are a stripper and can wear heels AND do those moves, then god bless you.  You are a very special lady.

Chesti: VEGAS!!!

Hey Friends.  SO, we are late on this post because let's face it, it was vegas and we needed time to recover.  I've been home for over a week now and still feel exhausted.  But TOTALLY WORTH IT!  We actually got a lot of exercise in during our trip- a ton of walking, more dancing than I thought possible, and a pilates class.  Yea us!  If you are in Vegas I recommend doing a class off the strip if you want a serious work out, but if you want a semi-workout and access to a spa for the day, then Bellagio is the only way to go.  They have several class offerings.  The classes are $40 each, and for BUT you get all day access to the facilities and things like waters and juice.  The facilities fee alone is $29, so its really like getting this class for $11.  This is a pretty good deal when you consider some places in DC are charging $25 for a drop in class.  The space and place- it's the Bellagio, people.  I'm not going to go into much here, but will say the pilates room was very small but they only allow 4-5 people per class so it's just enough room.  Typical studio.  The class- like I said, I didn't feel like it was a tremendous workout, but I am incredibly proud of us for doing it.  Hungover.  Or maybe that was just me.  The instructor knew her stuff and was friendly, but the class was a bit boring.  Classical music and very low energy.  I think for my "condition" I could have used a lot more music.  There were a few moves we did that left me huffing and puffing, but only a few.  If anything, I enjoyed the steam room/sauna/jacuzzi afterwards more which helped boil some of the tequila out of my body.  The pilates barre class we took was 50 minutes and she went over, which this time, I appreciated.  I can't say this is a class I would take back home, but I did like it.  And I really liked the fact that it kept us on some sort of a fitness "track" even while we were away.  Although, I think the dancing at Marquee was more of a workout.  :)

FREEBIE TODAY: ZUMBA AT NOON

Crystal City has two events today. From noon to 1 p.m., there’s Outdoor Zumba at 2121 Crystal Drive Courtyard. The free event offers, “Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves.”