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Blueprint Cleanse: Day 3

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2:03 PM 2:03 PM

After going to bed after midnight on Friday night, I ended up waking up on Saturday at around 11am and I was STARVING! I had an acupuncture facial at 12:30, so I gulped down my first juice and brought my second one for the road. It was 82 degrees out, so I decided to ride my bike from West Houston to East 56th Street — about 5 miles round trip! The last real workout I had was on Thursday, the first morning of the cleanse, so when I was going up the slight hill in Midtown, it was a bit hard on the legs. After my facial, which was amazing (post to come), I was feeling a bit fatigued, but still had good energy! I have to admit that I’m a little sore from the ride. :P

green-juiceBecause it was so nice outside, I was out and about all day, thus, not consuming enough water. At around 7pm, I went with a friend to Carerra, one of my favorite wine bars, and tortured myself while she indulged in some vino. As I was sitting there, I started to get really light headed and realized that I needed my last juice and lots of water. I rushed home to get my juice and then I went with her to Pepe Rosso, where I then watched her eat a delicious looking pasta dish. What was I thinking?! I guess it was a good test for me.

After dinner I had some tea with peppermint to calm down my body and then I went to bed early to finish off the cleanse. Overall, I greatly enjoyed the Blueprint Cleanse and I would recommend the 3-day cleanse to anyone who wants to give their digestive system a rest. Next time, I’m gonna go for the 5-day. Right now, I’m enjoying my first real meal: oatmeal.

Blueprint Cleanse: Day 2

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3:43 AM 3:43 AM

Today was much less painful than I had anticipated and the juices gave me lots of energy — I think tomorrow is going to be a breeze. The only hard part of this cleanse is that NYC is finally warm (82 degrees tomorrow), so the whole not eating/drinking thing is going to be a challenge for me with such fine conditions.

The same as yesterday, my meals today consisted of 6 juices: Pineapple / Apple / Mint, Green Juice, Spicy lemonade, Green Juice, and Cashew Nut Milk. Yesterday I wasn’t so much a fan of the last juice, but today I found it to be quite nice and filling. Compared with the usual detox I do (grains, fruits, & veggies), this cleanse has been great — I’m just hoping that tomorrow doesn’t surprise me with intense hunger…until then, I remain a happy juicer. Thank you, Blueprint!

Blueprint Cleanse: Day 1, Foundation

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3:52 AM 3:52 AM

blueprintcleanse_logoI learned of Blueprint Cleanse through the recommendation of Fathalie, one of my best friends, who has done two cleanses with her boyfriend (he has done many). I usually eat fairly healthy, but I just wanted to give my body a little break from all the food and drink I consume on a daily basis. I don’t think a cleanse should be a time to lose weight, but more of a time to rest your immune system and clear out the toxins. There are three choices of cleanses , so I picked the middle cleanse as my first time, since I wasn’t really eating badly to begin with. As an addition to the cleanse, many people do colonics, but I don’t think I’m ready for that. :)

BPC says that the possible benefits of the cleanse are the following:

- Boosted immune system
- Alleviates allergies
- Improved thyroid dysfunction
- Rests the digestive organs
- Physical rejuvenation
- Normalized weight
- Normalized blood pressure
- Reverses signs of aging
- Elevates mood and sex drive
- Alleviates symptoms of PMS
- Promotes clear skin
- Increases energy
- Increases fertility
- Combats viruses
- Aids Fibromyalgia issues
- Saves money you would have otherwise spent on “that new antibiotic”

bpc11

MENU

1. Green Juice
2. Pineapple, Apple, Mint (my favorite!)
3. Green Juice
4. Spicy lemonade
5. Green Juice
6. Cashew Nut Milk

Each juice is numbered in the order that you should consume them to digest the veggies/fruits properly. The idea is to drink one juice every two hours and leave about an hour in between juices, during which time you can drink herbal or green tea. Today I felt pretty good other than feeling cold and a little fatigued. I still had some energy and was able to accomplish tasks at work and my mind was clear. I went to they gym this morning, but for tomorrow and Saturday, I plan to take it easy and rest my muscles.

Wish me luck and please don’t talk about food…especially cheese!

Printing House Fitness + Squash Club

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3:15 AM 3:15 AM

View from the Top

Good Morning, Manhattan!

The Printing House Fitness + Squash Club, a former printing factory, is located on the corner of Hudson and Leroy in the West Village. Known mostly to those who live in the neighborhood, Printing House is a hidden gem. At $88 a month plus a $50 initiation fee, this gym is a steal. After my long addiction to Equinox, I decided to switch gyms and I’m truly happy with my decision. I still believe Equinox is the best, but I enjoy the many features offered at Printing House.

Located on the 1st, 9th and 10th floors of the building, this boutique gym’s top floors feature floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Hudson River, the Village and beyond—it’s amazing…and it isn’t crowded. Most machines have TVs, but forget having a TV; you can just look out the windows! Boasting all the usual suspects in terms of equipment, I was drawn to this gym for the rooftop pool, the views and the rooftop workout classes. Because there are two very separate floors, Printing House almost feels like two gyms; the bottom floor is where you find the squash courts, cycling studio, Pilates machines, free weights and regular class studio. One oddity is that the treadmills and a couple elliptical machines are pretty close to the reception desk and I don’t think there are any upstairs (correct me if I’m wrong!). I have yet to try the squash courts, but it looks like a great workout and top notch courts.

The pool is my favorite part; not only is it quiet, but you have an extensive view of the city from your lounge chair. They actually have a set time for children to swim, so after noon on the weekend, it’s just the adults. The only hassle is securing yourself one of the 20 lounge chairs—you have to get there early or be prepared with your hawk eye for those leaving the pool area. You learn quickly. And for all of you BlackBerry and iPhone addicts, you aren’t allowed to talk—I was actually told to get off my phone, but texting is allowed…secretly. The pool is small, although, if you like to swim laps, a current can be switched on, which makes for quite the interesting swim. The one drawback about the pool is that it’s only accessible during the summer, but I don’t know of any other gyms in NYC with rooftop pools, unless you have a membership to SoHo House. (I will touch on this pool in the future.)

The locker rooms on both the 1st and 9th floors are pretty normal, with nothing spectacular to report. They do have two large Jacuzzis to relax in after you workout, but I have yet to try these out—they seemed a bit scary, but I probably will check out the steam room and sauna. There are blow dryers, lotion, shampoo, conditioner and body wash, but nothing compared to Equinox—I mostly miss the Que Tips.

On the way out of the gym, there is an actual button on the 9th floor that can be pressed to call the elevator before you are standing in front of it. This may be due to the slow elevators, but it’s a pretty neat little feature. Being the sucker that I am for open-air workouts, I can’t wait for the rooftop classes to begin so I can get my yoga on while taking in an amazing view of NYC. Other classes I want to try are BodyPump and Fluidity, a class that combines movements from ballet, yoga and Pilates. If you want a pass, just ask!

Dancer’s Body: Equinox @ 19th

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11:38 AM 11:38 AM

If you have time to go to Equinox @ 19th during lunch, you must check out Dancer’s Body. From the title, I figured the class would be dancing, but when I walked in to see yoga mats and shoeless people, I didn’t know what to expect, so I followed suit. I took off my shoes, grabbed two different medicine balls and plopped myself on the mat while waiting for the instructor, Dante Englebright, to arrive.

fitnessfluidityballetStarting out on the floor we went through about fifteen minutes of abdominal exercises and then gradually moved into floor work with exercise that incorporated pointing and flexing your toes while raising and lowering your legs—my abs and quadriceps were definitely feeling this. Before standing up, we went into plank position, push ups and side plank for over a minute. And FYI, a minute like this is a long time; sweat was dripping down my forehead. The rest of the class was a mix of basic ballet moves including first position, second position, plié, passé. A lot of these moves were done using the yoga block or a towel under your foot to help it slide, and required balance, concentration and a lot of leg strength. Basic they may be, but it was hard and I’m pretty sure I looked funny when I couldn’t balance one foot on the block while lifting the other leg behind me for a not-so-smooth transition into a plié.

Having tried many conditioning classes before, this is by far my favorite and from someone who has never tried ballet, I now know why ballerinas have such amazingly muscular legs. This class was really great and I will definitely go back.

Intro to Kettlebell @ CLAY

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12:36 AM 12:36 AM

kettlebells

I guess I never even knew what a kettlebell (or girya) was until I saw the class listing at CLAY for Intro to Kettlebell. Basically, if you also need clarification, it’s a weight in the shape of a ball, with a handle on top. It was used by the Russian military and Special Forces and is now becoming a popular instrument used in everyday workouts.

Because of the small workout rooms at CLAY, the class required me to sign in at the front desk. When I entered the room (about 400 sq ft with a mirror on one side), the instructor said, “Who are you?” He then introduced me to each of the five other people in the class by name. Intimate was how I would describe this class; CLAY really knows how to meet your expectations of what an exclusive gym should be.

Even though this was an intro class, based on my inexperience with the kettlebell I expected the workout to be difficult. The lowest weight available was 10 pounds, but using the kettlebell is a bit awkward and many times you are holding it with one hand, which for me, was quite heavy at times. The class went at a steady pace, while the instructor took us through a variety of exercises: squats, lunges, cleans, rows, swings, windmills, sit-ups, all while using the kettleball to gain a full body workout. Every 10-15 minutes, the instructor would single people out to show them how to perfect their form. Usually, at larger gyms, this is done while people are working out, but he stopped the workout and explained in detail how to do the exercises the correct way.

I enjoyed learning how to use the kettlebell and I will now incorporate these exercises into my personal workouts. The kettlebell is known to increase strength, power, speed, coordination and core stability—I was sore for two days. In terms of taking this class again, I would want to do the more advanced class which I assume to be a non-stop workout. Also, the instructor kept referencing a piece of paper with the exercises he took us through—I thought that was a bit unprofessional. I have since seen this class offered at other gyms, so take a look at your fitness schedule and try these wonderful kettlebells out yourself!