Matty M Running Tights

I started off 2012 with Assia Winfield at Equinox. I went to pureMuscle and I am sure I am going to feel it in my legs tomorrow.

I went to the Century 21 after class to look for Matty M leggings. Strangely, my favorite running tights are not intended for running. My mom bought a pair for me back in November and told me they were for running. I started to wear them and I loved how they stayed in place. The material isn't typical legging cotton either. I tried to google Matty M running tights the other day and the lack of hits should've been my first sign. It was only after going to Century 21 today that I realized that these pants are for regular wearing. No bother. I bought three more pairs.

K-Swiss Micro Tubes 100fit Review

I got two pairs of K-Swiss Micro Tubes 100fit shoes for Christmas. I went to Equinox this morning to test out the Fiji Blue pair.

This is the review that I sent into K-Swiss:

I ordered two pairs of these shoes to wear to the gym. I do a lot of step aerobics, kickboxing, and bootcamp classes and it's important that I have a comfortable, light-weight shoe that will keep my ankles stabilized. I wore these for a cardio step sculpting class today and my feet felt great. I was able to feel the step (not always the case if wearing running shoes) and keep my balance. The shoes are also light-weight. I didn't feel like my legs were being weighed down when I was in tabletop doing my ab work. I also love the color of these shoes. The heel cup is a little narrow, but it stretched out a bit after wearing them after a half an hour.

My workout:

I  ♥ baby blankets.

I got my sleepy ass out of bed to go to Assia Winfield's CARDIO Burn! class. We each had a step with double risers, 8 lb weights, 2-3 lb weights (I picked up 2s and really wished I had gotten the 3s), and mat. Assia combined step moves with the light weights (no choreography) with a little boxing and plyo work. This keeps your heart rate up and burns a lot of calories. Every few minutes (10? I don't know. I was too busy having fun in class) we would put our mat onto our bench and do ab work or lift the 8 lbs weights. I love that Assia intersperses the ab work throughout the workout. Too many times I find myself skimping on my abs because I wait until the end of the workout. I also really like Assia's classes because I don't find myself looking at the clock. Assia is a tough but fun instructor, and her regulars get serious results. If you attend one of Assia's classes, you should know that she likes to be addressed as Drill Sergeant (she was in the military.)

Look how pretty these are!

I got to see some of my gym friends in class. I'm always happy to see Rose. I absolutely love her. Today she was trying to get me to introduce myself to the cute gym guy who came into the class at the end. (I think he needed to count how many people attended.) Although he is supercute, I have a 34 year-old and a dog. He came in during our cool down and he was standing right behind me while I was oh so attractively quivering in a raised-heel plié squat. Yeah, it was distracting. I was standing in the back today because I wasn't early and I am not a regular in this class. I don't like when people show up and take my front row spot and I try to be respectful of gym-goers who attend the same class each week.

EQ 360: FIRE

Equinox has added some interesting new classes to the schedule. I attended EQ 360: FIRE, which stands for Fast Integrated Reactive Exercise, this evening.The EQ 360 classes use the new Step360™ Pro. This thing seems to be the lovechild of a traditional step and a BOSU. A flat surface (like the top of the step or the 

underside of a BOSU) is placed on top of two inflated rings of plastic.

Assia Winfield is one of my favorite instructors. She split the class so we spent half an hour doing cardio conditioning and dance moves on the floor, and the last half working on the Step360™ Pro. I wish we had spent some more time working with the Step360™ Pro, but it was a good class just the same.

 Like the BOSU, the Step360™ Pro promotes improved balance and stability. You are going to see results more quickly from doing lunges and squats on an unstable surface than on the floor or on a traditional step. The Step360™ Pro seems easier to use than the BOSU, and is probably safer. Someone always fell off the BOSU during group fitness classes. I've rolled my ankle on it more than once. I did like the little pads on the bottom that kept the BOSU from moving around. The Step360™ Pro has nothing underneath the inflatable chambers, and I don't care what the website tells you, it does move around.

Step360™ Pro

Should Have Went with the Slurpee

So maybe it wasn't the best idea to drink until midnight and then get up at 5:15 for work. The best hangover cure is a Slurpee, but I went with some Vita Coco coconut water (tangerine flavored) and headed out to Brooklyn. I had a successful day, with only minimal binge-eating. On the drive back to Long Island I was feeling surprisingly good, and a little ashamed about the side of basmati rice I had with my 1,000 calorie salad, so I drove to the Great Neck Equinox for kickboxing.

Assia covered tonight's class and it was awesome. I held my own despite the pain in my knee, the pain in my foot, and the pain in my head. I even managed the plyo work although I could taste tequilla shots 1 and 2, and I think a black and tan came back to say hello. Damn Taco Taco margarita pitchers... they cloud your judgment and suddenly your reliving Cabo Spring Break 2006 (minus the balcony hot tub, off-label painkillers, and barefoot runs through the street.)

I sweated out all the toxins and I was impressed that not only did I haul my ass to the class, I stayed for all 60 minutes. I was on top of the world for about eleven minutes, and then my lunch came back to haunt me. And my snack. And I think I might've seen my breakfast. The verdict is out on kickboxing as a hangover cure, but I do feel accomplished. Maybe I should've treated myself to the Slurpee.

FIREd up! and Back at the Gym

So they haven't fired me... yet. Just to stay on the safe side I stayed an extra two and half hours at work today. Clearly the sleep deprivation has affected my critical thinking skills because I promptly drove myself straight into bumper to bumper traffic. I quickly realized that dance class with Yves was out. I spent the next 40 minutes and 8 miles trying to convince myself I would be okay if I drove straight home. Then I started searching for classes on MYEQ. I'm waiting for the day when I get pulled over for texting and I say, "Oh no Officer. I wasn't communicating with anyone. I was just looking up group fitness classes that I would be able to attend based on the estimated time of arrival as determined by my GPS." Hopefully it's not a lady cop. They don't tend to like me.

I saw that Assia Winfield would be teaching something called FIREd up! (Sculpt) at the Great Neck Equinox at 7pm. I used to take a lot of classes with Assia when I first joined Equinox (her current scheduling doesn't really work for my routine), and I knew that I would get a great workout, so I got off at Little Neck Parkway and got mentally prepared for 60 minutes in spandex.

FIREd up! required a step on three raisers, a body bar, and 3lbs, 5lbs, and 8lbs weights. The class is a full-body workout and aims to burn 600 calories in the hour. I love Assia's focus on form. The woman also loves abdominal muscles and she makes sure that you are aware of yours. She kept telling me to suck mine in. I was sucking. Oops. We worked on our obliques. We also did a lot of lower body work, incorporating weights and balance. My arms are completely out of shape so I don't have much to say about the upper body moves. I even got to show off my plyo moves. We had to jump in the air and kick our butts. For some reason I can really vault myself up there, which makes me feel special and gets everyone else's attention.

I managed to eat clean all day today. I think it's easier when I'm constantly working. I didn't want to leave my readers without a post, so I'm actually furiously typing while shoveling dinner into my mouth. Tonight I'm enjoying one of my absolute favorites, bruschetta-style salmon and mashed sweet potatoes. God bless Whole Foods and my mother who shops there.