For your 2019 'get fit' resolution: Three fun workouts to try in Palm Beach County
In 2018, the website VeryWellFit.com listed boredom as one of the reasons people don’t work out. This makes sense, since it’s hard to exercise when you’re yawning. In the spirit of the still-new-ish year and of sticking to my resolution to get over myself and any excuses I might have to not improve myself, I decided to try three new workouts - two new to Palm Beach County, one just new to me. I can’t say I so much mastered them - I discovered muscles that have apparently been trying to hide for about 47 years and are still mad about being found. But at least I was never bored.
WORKOUT #1: SoulCycle
I didn’t know much about this hot New York-born indoor cycling class other than that Charlize Theron was allegedly rude to one of the twins from “Sister, Sister” at a class once, and that the classes involve bike-based choreography, which sounded like a sure way to fall on my uncoordinated nose. But I signed up anyway and headed for a class at SoulCycle’s Palm Beach pop-up studio, located until March 31 at Royal Poinciana Plaza. The back of the class. In the corner. Where my potentially bleeding nose would attract little attention and pity from the more experienced, fit and dancey.
What I found was a workout that its creators devised to be, according to its official Web site, “as efficient as it is joyful.” And it sure was. For 45 minutes, which is long enough to get a great workout but short enough to not give me time to think about how much my butt and thighs were going to hurt the next day. Our teacher Ellee, one of several instructors down for season from New York, was an uplifting departure from some of the gym cycling instructors of my past who were drill sergeants in bike shorts. Instead, Ellee’s game was inspiration, pushing riders through fun moves to sing-along songs like Britney Spears’ “Stronger.” It wasn’t easy, but the generally good-natured and non-competitive nature of the class made me wish it had been longer.
Almost as delightful as the class was the actual studio, instructors and participants. Because SoulCycle collaborates with luxe exercise brand lululemon, I’d assumed I’d be surrounded by a bunch of skinny, pretty young people who look hot in tight lululemon exercise-wear. There were a lot of those people, but they were joined by several women my age and older, in a variety of shapes and sizes. Also, it’s dark, atmospheric and candle-lit in there, and everyone seems too excited about being part of what SoulCycle calls its “cardio party” to have time to judge you.
SoulCycle, 150 Royal Poinciana Plaza, Palm Beach. 646-755-6902.
WORKOUT #2: The Factory at Ultima Fitness Performance
Nestled into a small, spare studio in downtown West Palm Beach, the Factory doesn’t initially look so hard, with its exercise bikes, rowing machines and some innocent-looking bands hanging from the wall. But don’t be fooled. See that tiny blond woman over there? She’s got plans for you. Challenging, sweaty, non-stop plans.
“Come on, ladies! This is the best part of your day!” says Erika Strimer, captain, cruise director and spiritual bartender of this particular exercise-based Love Boat. For 45 minutes, Erika, former owner of downtown’s Total Movement, leads us through a non-stop series of high-intensity, low impact cardio and strength training, from rowing to cycling to killer legwork on those TRX bands, whose initials might stand for Thighs ‘R Xcrutiating.
Just like with SoulCycle, the workouts are broken into short segments, but unlike the cycling teachers, who let you blend into the candlelit darkness, there’s no getting away from the omnipresent and high-powered Erika. “Keep it up, Leslie!” she says from across the room, as if she knows the exact moment I’m considering faking an injury to get off this rowing machine. (Full disclosure - I was a student of Erika’s back when she ran a Camp Gladiator franchise). And she’s as friendly and non-relenting as ever, switching it up enough that by the time you’re really tired, she’s moved onto to the next challenging, sweaty thing.
The Factory by Ultima Fitness Performance, 208 S. Olive Ave.
WORKOUT #3: Delray Aerial Yoga
I’ve spent a lot of time watching the lithe, athletic Zendaya float through the air as an aerialist in “The Greatest Showman” and imagined floating effortless through the air on colorful silk. But in my first aerial yoga class, I felt more like Justin Timberlake in NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” video, a puppet dangling from the ceiling, curly blond ‘fro and all.
About three minutes after instructor Sylwia Lesnik helps secure me in my securely-harnessed silk hammock (each is sturdy and supports about 1000 pounds so don’t get self-conscious if you’re not willowy), I realize this isn’t going to be just an hour of posturing prettily in gauzy fabric. In fact it was the most challenging workout I tried, testing one’s core, upper and lower-body strength and balance. Also, there’s a learning curve- I practice yoga nearly every day, but it’s solidly on the ground. This is not. I always feel supported and safe, even when I fall out of the hammock at one point. But I do feel sort of silly...like when I fall out of the hammock.
Even so, I’m intrigued. Aerial yoga allows you to get deeper into postures and breathing with the support of the hammock, but it takes me a little while to figure out where to put my hands and feet, which slip out a couple of times. The very patient Sylwia and a few fellow air yogis help me - “How would you know exactly what to do? You’ve never done it before!” Sylwia says supportively. It’s that support that takes me tentatively but efficiently through postures I didn’t think I’d be able to handle, like standing straight up from a seated position, or the upside-down situation in the accompanying photo. By then, I was less worried about looking graceful than I was feeling stronger and more confident in the hammock than I did when I first showed up. And that’s beautiful.
Delray Aerial Yoga, 88 SE 4th St., Delray Beach. Classes start at $30 for a drop-in, or for your first intro class with a free second class if booked together.
