Weekend of Workouts?

Outdoor yoga, where more is merrier. Source: lululemon

Did the New Year's resolutions to exercise and be more fit in 2012 just kick in? Did people suddenly decide to get their sweat on this weekend after hibernating for most of January? What's with this weekend's workouts?

At the start of the new year the gym regulars are always warned to watch out for the crowds creeping in on our territory. You know, those first two to three weeks of January where the skeletons come out of the closet, sweat it out on the treadmill or in a group fitness class, then disappear for the next 11 or so months. But unless it's because I changed my schedule to try to accommodate the crowds (swimming an hour before closing, running when I want to watch TV, which is never immediately after work), I haven't encountered as much of this New Year Traffic as I have in the past. Practically none compared to the year where I had to arrive at least 10 minutes early to score a Spinning bike on a Monday night--for three weeks straight I missed out--or fight over ellipticals, treadmills and bikes on the main floor. Until this weekend...

Boot Camp Day 6: Prized Possession

You'd think that an extra half hour of sleep would be a good thing. It was, but it wasn't enough. I was ready to roll over in bed, ignore the obnoxious ring on my phone--the only sound loud enough to wake me up--and spend my morning sleeping longer than usual. Sound familiar?

But you know that feel-good sensation you get after you worked out, especially on those mornings where it's especially tough? I had one of those--again--except today I didn't just give myself an imaginary pat on the back for my efforts. I lucked out and was actually rewarded. With a YogiToes. A bright orange one. Something I've coveted for a year, since my sister showed me hers, told me its purpose and bragged about her ebay-shopping deal.

That's one way to make it worthwhile to work out even when your muscles hurt, you could have used at least 3 more snoozes on the alarm and you're still feeling the effects from Friday's circuit. The results that you start to see only six days into the boot camp program are the other reasons--and those are even better than receiving a reward.

Like the boot camp challenge. On Monday, we warmed up by counting the number of push-ups, sit-ups and jumps over a block we could do in a minute. Today the challenge was back. Let the groaning and grunting start now. If you thought a minute's worth of push-ups was hard on the first day when you're out of shape and lacking arm strength (that's why you signed up for BootCamp isn't it?), it's even more difficult when your arms, chest and legs have been put through a battery of weight-bearing exercises for five days. But if you improve--and most, if not all of us did--then you've succeeded.

Like the muscle definition. Here's another recurrence back to day one where we were measured like those kids who go to fat camp or the Heavy cast to count the number of inches lost around our middles, waists, and flexed arms and legs. It's a little intimidating, even the second time through, and you can only hope that what you notice in the mirror--like a flatter tummy, more quad and a tricep that doesn't go into hiding--is being reflected in those numbers.

Like the healthy eating. We've been encouraged to eat clean, nutrient rich, unprocessed foods all week. We've been urged to skip the late-night dining. But it takes a while for that to sink in, the adjustment period, and you finally start to hit your stride when week one comes to a close. You're not craving that dessert, or only noshing on a banana to start your day, or nibbling on something up until the minute you hit the bed.


Like the ease that's starting to come with the workouts. Those 10 circuits are no longer as dreadful as they once seemed at the start of the week. You're curious to see what the different stations entail. And more often than not, you're relieved to see a familiar exercise--heel clicks--or notice that one you dreaded--jump rope--didn't make an appearance.


Like the soreness that signals your muscles making changes. Ouch, ouch, ouch. With no weights at the stations, I thought it might be easy. But moving your body weight, in the ways we did, was tough stuff. My inner thighs burned for the rest of the day. My abs and obliques throbbed from the boat row.

One thing I learned today? The traveling mule jumps (think hind legs of a bucking bronco and that's what we're recreating) affirmed why I quit gymnastics as a kid. Inversion plus Kate equals bad idea. At least we get brownie points for trying, no matter how ugly it looks.

Photo of my prize grabbed from everydayyoga.com.

Boot Camp Day 3: Hump Day

Either boot camp is getting easier or I'm starting to get the hang of this morning workout routine. Choice No. 1 is out of the question, considering I'm still sore from the first days and felt different muscles kicking into action today which I'll feel tomorrow. And considering I had three coaches yelling in my face at various times during the workout. Go faster. Move your legs. Tuck your tailbone under. Hips up. Butt down.

Choice No. 2 it is. Easier to get out bed. Easier to put an outfit together. Easier--and faster--to walk to the studio. Easier to survive the workout--or more used to it. Easier to focus while plugging away on my computer. And I shouldn't admit it, but easier to sneak into the bedroom for a refreshing nap.

Ah but the workout. And the 10 circuits that have varied with the exception of the jump rope (yep, it's still there to torment me). These are challenging even when you don't have to rapid-fire your legs (yesterday's bent-knee leg lifts while standing on a platform) or jump quickly from side to side (Monday's skater jumps). What seems like a relatively calm hour is secretly firing those muscles to produce results that brought you to boot camp in the first place. And when the cardio components--football runs standing atop a Bosu, the jump rope, the jumping lunges where you switch from leg to leg--aren't lumped together, it feels easier on my system. Sure, I still struggle with the stability ball when I have to crunch my legs in, and my sore arms are screaming even more during the wide-arm push-ups, but I'm actually enjoying the curtsy lunges and pulling my elbows up with the resistance band. Seriously.

According to my coach Amy, Wednesday seems to be the day everything clicks--she felt it too (many of the coaches are BootCamp alums and they trained like us the week before). And with the exception of a few work conflicts, our group was still intact.

But the hardest part? Attending a regular yoga class later in the day. I'm zero for three. Zero for five if I count skipping Saturday and Sunday before camp started, too. I keep repeating I'll do it tomorrow. We'll see...


Photo grabbed from Kenny Holston 21 at flickr.

Boot Camp Day 2: Are We Done Yet?

Sumo squats? Back rows? Spider push-ups? Walking backward with a resistance band wrapped around my ankles? I can do these--I've seen them, and done them, plenty of times in yoga sculpt, with the exception of the resistance band which got a lot of use in physical therapy. But it's another story when the familiar is paired with the unfamiliar or the unfavorable, and you never feel like you catch a breathing break unless it's the minute water stop at the halfway mark of the four circuit rotations.

I don't like jumping. I decided during today's BootCamp. No more tripping over the jump rope, no more leaping across the room, no more begging for the time to be up, please. I survived round one of yesterday's skater jumps--bounding from cone to cone using the outer leg and hips to really reach--but after that I was starting to hate them and my non-stretchy hips. If you've ever seen me try to get into frog pose, you'll see what I mean: my hips scream in pain the lower they have to go. If I wanted a quick boost to the heart rate, I found it in today's wide leg jumps, loading in the legs to leap to a cone then reload and leap to the next one. But over and over again my body said, "no, thank you," as the sweat started pouring and all form went out the window. I can't even elaborate on the jump rope. I lose my rhythm in one swift swoop, trip over the darn thing and can't start again so I'm forced into kicking my knees high to my hips and those are even more dreadful on this girl's body. Then I really want to rotate to the next station, but the minute drones on...and on...and on.

And I don't trust myself on rounded exercise equipment. Mentally I'm telling myself I'm going to fall over, collapse, hurt myself, you name it, the minute I step on top of the Bosu ball or have to use my legs with the stability ball. Putting your hands on the ground and your legs up on the stability ball is hard enough balance wise, and it gets worse when you're supposed to be working your lower abs to pull your legs in and stand upside down in a pike-like position. Trust me, there will be bruises. As for the Bosu, it's the high knees coming back to haunt me.

But that's another sweat session in the books...a super sweaty one too. I was already sore going in, but now the unable-to-move feeling has stuck with me all day. And I unfortunately haven't done anything to help it like a CoreRestore class or a Hot Power Fusion, anything to help stretch out those sore spots. Tomorrow, I tell ya.


Photo grabbed from andrewmalone at flickr, featuring my nemesis, the jump rope.

Boot Camp Day 1: Lessons Learned

Down dogs feel so good--if there's time post Boot Camp.

This is not going to be easy. Not that I ever expected a workout with the name Boot Camp ever would be. But really, surviving the next two weeks won't be easy. I thought that before today's first class, the tension building as I sat through yesterday's orientation and I listened to how I'd have to alter my eating plan and the time I set my alarm. I'm still thinking it now as I struggle to get through the work day, sore to the core, arms aching and biceps burning. Oh wait, that was during the workout...now it's my butt that's burning.

Do I regret enlisting? Not yet...and I don't think I ever will. The first workout was a challenge from arriving early in the morning--I think my doorman was shocked to see me bundled up and walking out the door at 6:55 a.m.--to enduring each round of the 10 circuits. And then having the stamina to stay awake, and alert, for the rest of the day. That workout might be done, and the day feels so much longer, but there's still a lot to be learned. Here are my takeaways from the first 24 hours:

I'm constantly hungry. I heeded the orientation advice to replenish with some protein shortly after the workout, but I still want to eat. Salad, oatmeal, bananas, Trader Joe's 9 Whole Grain Crunch cereal, nuts. I'm surprised I actually got work done because I was running into the kitchen every few minutes to find another snack or meal.

Naps are good. I don't know how some of the boot campers go straight to the office after class. I snuck in a nap mid-morning to recharge my engine and was way too thankful that my office is only steps from my living room couch.

How am I going to fit in this second workout? First I thought I'd follow up with my usual routine of yoga sculpt, but after holding a 10-pound medicine ball over my head while squatting, and doing bicep curls, tricep extensions and push-ups among other activities, I really just wanted to go to bed and return to another class later. But when you're thinking about dragging yourself out the door at 8:30 p.m., only to be returning to the same place again the next morning, my grand plans to try hot yoga were abandoned.

The price is right. At $399, less if you have a CorePower Yoga membership or are a program alumni, this two week program doesn't break the bank for what you're getting. An hour-long workout six days a week for two weeks, all the yoga you could want during that period, a coach who checks up on you via email or phone, four coaches who encourage you throughout the day's workout and correct you if you're doing something wrong, nutrition suggestions, the chance to win raffle prizes. I'm sold, especially since I didn't expect the nutrition component and thought it only came with CorePower's other programs like the Wellness Cleanse or Live Lean (also pricier, I might add).

Thank goodness I'm a regular yoga sculptor. I'm recognizing some of the moves from my regular attendance at yoga sculpt so it's not too hard to adapt. But they are kicked up to an even higher level. I'm just happy to see these repeat moves--I'm terrible grasping the coordination with new ones.

Why can't I do more sit-ups? Today's class started with a challenge of counting push-ups, sit-ups and jumps over a block that we're going to repeat two more times during the program and see how we've improved. For thinking I'd be good at them, my sit-ups were horrendous; I almost did more push-ups than sit-ups in the allotted time. Yikes! Let's hope that improves the next time we're tested.

I shouldn't follow a boot camp with a yoga sculpt class. Not that I've tried--yet--but after the way I felt this morning, I didn't even think I'd be able to lift more than three pounds. And I usually use five- and eight-pound weights.

It's easy to slip out of proper alignment. How many times was I reminded to sit lower on the wall? Or drop my shoulders while holding the medicine ball? Or have my tailbone tucked under for me?

My yoga practice, especially my sculpting one, is going to change--for the better. I've been doing some of the routine moves incorrectly and not getting as much out of them as I should and could. Hmm, no wonder I wasn't seeing the results I thought I'd get from multiple classes in a week. That was fixed within a rotation of today's workout with my back row and burpee. 

It's easy to be intimidated. Some people make the work look easy, hardly sweating by the end of class. Others have done BootCamp before and know what to expect. And while appearance isn't everything, some look pretty fit, beanpole thin, too. Meanwhile, I'm soaked, constantly catching my breath during half the circuit and turning red then ashen during the other half. Even with marathons under my belt, this is a diferent animal, and I'm wishing that I started at a different station because my hardest stations hit me all at once to the point where my legs start burning and never stop.

Partners push you to work harder. We paired off to run through each station, which helps in more ways than simply knowing someone else in class. You have someone to share the pain--the coaches make the moves look a lot easier than they actually are. You feel more accountable for slacking off, especially when your partner effortlessly hops over the jump rope and you continue to trip (oh wait, that was me stumbling!). And you're going to try harder. I was pushed to stay in plank longer before dipping to my knees and tried a heavier weight because she was--or maybe that's just my competitive side showing its face.

A water bottle or two later and I survived. Sore, tired and resting up for day two. And hoping that I won't have to do any more skater jumps for the rest of the week.

Photos grabbed from lululemon athletica and ACEfitness at flickr.

Call To Duty

I'm officially scared. Boot camp hasn't even started yet, but I'm starting to question my enlistment. Orientation kicked off earlier--perfectly planned to either jump start your Sunday if you were like me and couldn't drag yourself out of bed when you saw the snow falling outside, or provide tons of time before any Super Bowl parties on the schedule for later--and that's where the fear started to set in. Promises to yourself, promises to your body, promises even to your coaches. I'm usually good with direction, or so I think, but now I'm starting to wonder if I can really keep up with class, especially now that I'm learning more about it than the keywords that ingrained themselves in my memory over the last few weeks.

It's not so much the workouts--I like getting my ass (excuse the language) handed to me and falling out of bed sore the following day, which I've done after a marathon or two--and their inscribed intensity, although I do wonder how I'll take six consecutive days of circuit work. I liked the circuits that alternated between a strength and cardio move, and could coach myself into their three rounds. But it's more the early mornings--yep, I'm still crabbing about having to be ready to move at 7:15 a.m. It's the contract I signed in my manual, telling myself I'd follow the program and suggestions to make me a stronger player. It's writing down my program goals and coming clean with my random snacking and midnight munchies (eating two to three hours before bedtime is a no-no). It's seeing the other boot campers who already look too fit to even be needing such a regimen.

But there is a bright side in my quest for a fit February even if I do have to sacrifice burning the midnight oil--a habit I should break anyway. Forget sitting on the couch after BootCamp to appease those sore muscles: We're encouraged to work out again whether it be on a yoga mat or elsewhere. And it should be for more than 20 minutes. I won't have to doubt my trips to the gym? I'm really in now, sacrifices and all. The grocery shopping--fruits, vegetables, protein, whole grains--could pose a problem if the snack attacks return, but I'll still be telling the peanuts and their sinful salt to take a vacation. Hey, a girl can try, can't she?

Join me on my two-week journey through my first tour of duty at CorePower Yoga's BootCamp. How do you think I'll fare? You'll have to check back for updates over the course of the next two weeks. But for now, I'm resting up for tomorrow (I already felt the burn today with our post-talk workout complete with high knees, squats, bicep curls, jumping jacks, leg lifts and more), hoping that I hear my alarm and wake up.

Oops, I Did It Again

What have I gotten myself into this time? Initial thoughts lean toward good-for-the-body, muscle-toning, sweat-soaking fitness dialed to the nth degree. Second thoughts spell disaster when I have to stick to a plan, work out with intensity but not under my watch, and swap my sweat sessions from evening to morning for two weeks at the start of February. It's nothing extraordinary by any stretch of the imagination, just me being intrigued for my next big thing. Some people have New Year's resolutions yet I seem to be making a February resolution. I signed up for the next round of CorePower Yoga's BootCamp.

The sales pitch finally worked. I could read the newsletters, see the instructors' T-shirts, hear the announcements about BootCamp starting soon, but until a week ago, the interest level didn't stick. Maybe it was the direct ask--Megan, who teaches the yoga sculpt class I'm religious about attending, confronted me after class one day wondering when I'd try BootCamp--that finally tipped the scale. That and finally having a two-week period where the camp would be held at the studio closest to my house (I don't do well with distance even if I am a runner, cyclist, Ironman), a start time that wasn't at the crack of dawn (I also don't do mornings after too many swim practices that started at 6 a.m.), and the inkling that camp might be less crowded than 9:30 a.m. class (I'm not a huge fan of crowds especially when I have to weasel a spot for myself to sculpt). Combine those and something clicked and I was sold, reserving my spot sight unseen.

When it comes to winter workouts, I secretly must love gravitating toward fitness challenges. In 2009, I was determined to test myself at Taste of VQ, wavering until what felt like the last second to enroll and then feeling the trepidation of a kindergartener on the first day of school in the hours before my first CompuTrainer ride--it was the 40-minute fit test, I swear. Last year, I didn't have specifics aside from increasing yoga attendance and racing--if you could even call it that--half marathons and marathons with minimal mileage under my belt. And now there's this.

The sample class I attended on Monday--more because it worked into my regular routine than to actually assure I was committed)--had me hooked. Two days after the fact and I'm still sore--it hurts to pull tops on and off--but I like workouts that inflict pain. Apparently I also like attention, perfection and challenge while I'm sweating. Each boot camper gets a coach for the duration of the program to help encourage and support you through the workouts. The coaches watch you with a keen eye and nudge you into place when a triceps press is out of alignment or your shoulders aren't stacked over your hands in plank. And then they challenge you to push yourself to the next level--lift your knees higher, quit cheating on your belly-drop push-ups (that was me), curling your biceps with heavier weights. Don't quote me--my mind shut off after our three cycles of 10 or so moves--but it's designed to change your body, enhance your yoga practice and improve muscle performance. Judging from the sample class, I have a lot to work on.


That means I'll really have to focus for two weeks starting February 6. Classes run Monday through Saturday--after orientation on Super Bowl Sunday, Sundays are rest days--mornings from 7:15 to 8:15 a.m., 7:45 to 8:45 a.m. on Saturday. That's the Gold Coast schedule anyway, the others are too early for my taste buds, but you can check with your local CorePower Yoga of choice to find out what's on tap.

Has anyone tried BootCamp? What should I expect?


Photo grabbed from CorePower Yoga.

Find Your Inner Yogi

School starting, kids flooding into classrooms. Leaves changing colors, a yellowish tinge in the air. Cooler mornings, later sunrises, earlier sunsets, harvest moons. September spells out the start of fall and the new school year, summer's last hoorah over Labor Day, and too many of summer's favorite activities winding to a close as winter looms closer. But on the fitness front, September does have one reason to celebrate all month long: it's National Yoga Month.

So while you're packing away those wetsuits, winterizing those boats, minimizing the bike and run miles, yoga's one activity that you may want to amp up the intensity on this month. With more than 1,200 yoga studios around the country participating in this month-long campaign to raise awareness about yoga's benefits and living a healthy and happy life, you'd be hard-pressed not to find a spot to roll out your mat and embrace a few asanas, sun salutations and vinyasas during a free week. Or if you can't make it to a site, it's just as easy to practice at home with a DVD (my personal fave is an Iron Yoga DVD I reviewed for Windy City Sports a few years back) or Yogis Anonymous, a Santa Monica studio that also provides on-demand and live class broadcasts online.

If you told me a year ago I'd be posting this Fit-Ink entry to kick off September, I would have shaken my head in disbelief. While I most certainly wouldn't hesitate to share the latest and greatest among fitness finds, you honestly wouldn't find me participating in those that had anything to do with yoga. That is, until about 11 months ago when I finally found a yoga I could identify with, boasting a studio that was too close to home to avoid, and a format where it didn't seem to matter that I couldn't stretch as far as other attendees or get the poses correct on the first, second or third try (yes, that's just how uncoordinated and unflexible I am). It's reasons like this that make months like Yoga Month worthwhile. And well, the money saved on the free classes across the country helps too. Time to get out and yoga--and watch for additional events happening this month!


Photo grabbed from lululemon athletica at flickr.

Fit-Event: Home's Not Too Bad This Winter Weekend

Sorry, folks, I've got Chicago on the brain on this one. I've got a husband on call this weekend, a friend skiing in Park City (I'm so jealous), my first Saturday of the year where I finally have a less hectic schedule that allows for more play time, and there's no snow to keep me busy outside with my snowshoes. With a snowstorm in the east, the Olympics in preparations in the west, the Super Bowl in the south, it's easy to say there are many milestones in the two days ahead. Here in Chicago one would think there isn't much going on for the weekend since these other geographic corners of the continent are garnering far more attention. But on the contrary, there are plenty of activities to keep the body moving without straying too far from home.

Cycle for Survival. Grab your cycling shoes and head to Equinox in the Loop for this fundraiser running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6. The fitness center will turn into spin central with 100 teams of up to eight people pedaling to raise money for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Center. When participants aren't riding, they can enjoy yoga, stretching and more (Berry Chill will be on hand to help refuel the cyclists, too). Read more details about the event here or make a donation at cycleforsurvival.org.

CorePower Yoga. Throughout the year, CorePower Yoga offers targeted programs from teacher training to yoga bootcamp. While Boot Camp gets underway on Sunday, Feb. 7, the Gold Coast location is previewing its Live Lean program on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 10:30 a.m. The 10:30 a.m. slot is usually reserved for a yoga sculpt class, but instead of paying for yoga, you can check out the Live Lean program for free. But check the schedule online before you go--earlier in the week the LiveLean session was listed but five minutes ago, the class appears to have switched back to yoga sculpt. If that's the case, stay tuned for other freebie previews.

lululemon athletica. Yoga, and now running, reigns supreme at Lululemon, not only with the clothes offered but within the store's community. At the four stores in Chicago--900 N. Michigan, Rush and Walton, Bucktown, and Lincoln Park--there's plenty to do all weekend. Check the stores' calendars for details but know that you can join the running club at 900 N. Michigan on Saturday mornings, participate in community yoga on Sundays, a cardio class at Rush and Walton.

Rowfit. This indoor rowing and training studio just opened on February 1 and provides a place to train in the West Town area of the city, 1064 N. Milwaukee. If you've never rowed before, don't despair. Not only is it easy to learn, but it's a great exercise that works the entire body. It's hard to pass up attending at least once--the first class is free. Also, stay tuned for more information about this new facility in an upcoming post.

These are only a few highlights to keep you busy before the Super Bowl rolls around Sunday night. Check out REI and Fleet Feet for a few other options, or this calendar of events. Photo provided by Equinox and Cycle for Survival. Posted by Kate

I Heart CorePower Yoga

I never thought I'd be saying I was hooked on yoga. Not just any yoga though--it has to be CorePower Yoga. That's the only yoga I've ever found myself wanting to go to on a regular basis--and it's not just the free week of unlimited classes to first timers that has me hooked. The stretching? Feels sooo good, especially after crampy legs post-marathon. The sweating? Awesome, and gives me the type of workout I crave (one where I have to change my clothes afterward because the others are soaked). The moves? Challenging for this inflexible runner, but beneficial in the long run.

And this comes from someone who was turned off from yoga after a sour experience a few years ago where the thrill of having a class of two was ruined by an instructor who wasn't too keen about my inflexibility. I thought I'd be getting more instruction with only me and another student in class but instead I get singled out. Instructor corrects position. Glances at my feet and notices a round of dry skin and blisters that are part of marathon aftermath. Asks, "Are you a runner?" I answer yes, thinking this means I'll receive more help getting pushed into the right moves. Instead, "Oh, that explains everything." And I feel shunned for the remainder of class and want nothing more but to leave or burrow my head in shame, as I kind of do with each return to down dog, feeling instructor's eyes staring at my poor stance and feeling like trying doesn't even count. Sure I may have misinterpreted the instructor but I never wanted to return for fear it would happen all over again.

That's where CorePower Yoga comes in, bringing comfort back to those up and down dogs and making me feel less intimidated even when I'm sweating more than everyone in class and struggle through each move. Everyone is so focused on their practice--with the exception of the instructor whose sharp eye knows when to push my back into a proper down dog or suggest I slide my foot forward for more of a lunge and better balance--they could care less about how I'm three steps behind and making the sweat squeak as I slide my feet across my mat to warrior two. My sister keyed me in to CorePower's addicting forces over the summer when she started attending classes in San Diego. Knowing that I'll try just about anything involving fitness, she suggested I check out the Chicago studios. Due to my previous experience and reluctance about being embarrassed again, I opted to wait until Chicago's second location opened so close to my house I really couldn't avoid going.

But it was a blessing in disguise. Not only did I feel like I was sweating toxins out of my body (most likely thanks to rich desserts at the Cubs games the night before) at my first C2 class, but I could feel the moves stretching all of my trouble spots that sent me straight into physical therapy. Talk about feeling limber. And sore, too. My body often doesn't flow in those directions, and positions like boat work my core to the point of break down. Break down because before CorePower I fooled myself into thinking I had a relatively strong core thanks to running and cycling--so not true when I can't even mimic the rowing boat motion when my torso and legs without flopping over and giving up, or hold my legs a few inches off the ground and scissor kick, an exercise that came easily when I was 13 and doing the same exercise during drylands at swim practice. That's not even touching on my trust factor, which poses a problem when it comes to believing my hands and forearms can support my body weight in the crow position.

Even if I can't touch my toes and my dancer looks less graceful and more glued to the ground, C2 is strengthening my body. My ailing calf feels better like it does after a physical therapy session, my abs seem tighter thanks to all of those chairs and crunch-like moves, and my hips finally lost their stiffness during the warriors and lunges. I'll even take the cracking in the joints later in the day as a positive sign. But I'll admit I was relieved when the last few minutes of the hour or 75 minutes hit and it was cool down time--lying still on the mat and doing a few easy stretches never felt so good. No complaints, it's definitely a class to add to the repertoire.

Need more convincing? Stay tuned for the experts' insight on CorePower Yoga and its benefits. Photo grabbed from lululemon athletica at flickr. Posted by Kate

Free Fitness Find

I'm all about freebies whether it be samples at the grocery store (Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, especially) or signing up for a perk that gives me something in return (like Nike's Race Day Challenge and Nike+ member benefits at the marathon that scored me a massage and swag). While I'm not complaining about the food fuel, the free finds where I can score something that I'd otherwise be paying for are my faves. Think gym memberships for a day, fitness classes and you've got yourself a winner. So when I heard of this latest freebie, I was all over it.

If you're a CorePower Yoga follower then you can appreciate this one. The Windy City just scored its second CorePower location, opening at 12 W. Maple in the Gold Coast. To celebrate the opening earlier this month--October 2 to be exact--and commemorate the one-year anniversary of the South Loop location, they're hosting a Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, October 17. But this isn't just any party. The evening kicks off at 6 p.m. with an hour-long free, donations-accepted yoga class led by studio manager Chris Nassivera. Proceeds from the class will benefit the Breast Cancer Network of Strength, which provides emotional relief to anyone affected by breast cancer and endures that no one faces the disease alone.

The party really gets started beyond the studio after the stretching and sweating are done. You've revved your inner energy so starting at 7:30 p.m. and running until 10:30 p.m. comes the entertainment with music, appetizers and cocktails. And if that wasn't enough, you can save 15% on anything you purchase in CorePower's boutique all day on Saturday. Perfect time to score a yoga mat or Yogi Toes to keep from slipping when the sweat is dripping--or at least that's what happens to me at the C2 class I've been sampling all week.

Know you want to make Saturday a yoga day? RSVP to chicagogc@corepoweryoga.com. In the meantime, read up on the studio here or join its Facebook fan page. Photo grabbed from lululemon athletica at flickr. Posted by Kate