West Reading Avenues Summer 2017 - 19

90-minute class without leaving the room,
and soon after you will find yourself contemplating and maybe even completing
a 30-day challenge which Joel promises
will change your life. Each time you will
leave drenched in sweat, invigorated, and
glowing. Now the studio even offers
pilates/HIIT with Tina and power flow
with Kelly, two different and very challenging spins on hot yoga. Try a ½ price
class on a Tuesday or Thursday evening at
7:30 and you'll want to go back for more.
BLDG7 around the corner on Park Ave is
another great yoga option in the vicinity.
Owner Linda Zogas has grown her passion
for yoga into a gorgeous studio, complete
with heated bamboo floor, aerial yoga, and
meditation among other offerings. A great
way to become acquainted with Linda is
to participate in her now famous "rooftop" classes. On designated Wednesday
evenings throughout the summer and fall,
meet up with 100 or so other local yogis
on an iconic city rooftop, most recently
the Abe Lincoln and the Doubletree hotels.
A perfect view of the Pagoda plus sun
salutations at sunset....priceless.

So yoga's not your thing? No worries,
West Reading-types have lots of options.
Etchfit recently opened in the first phase
of Kevin Hughes' Narrow Fabric project,
which will soon include luxury apartments
and a new restaurant. Etchfit specializes in
personal training for excellence in sports
and fitness. There you can work out in
a group setting, or have a plan tailored
to your individual needs. All within a
few blocks of home. Another interesting option is the West Reading Kung Fu
Club, which is one of David Dragonfly's
many passions. See him at his 4th Ave
shop, Dragonfly, for more info.
We are also a short 5-minute drive away
from Gold's, a traditional full-service gym.
You know - steppers, treadmills, weights,
grunting - the whole bit. You might think
a gym's a gym, but if I've learned anything
in my trek to fitness, it's that people make
the gym. At 5:15am, bleary-eyed spin plus
abs devotees are led by teachers Dorrine
and Carol. Dorrine is high energy, screams
a lot of encouragement, apologizes for
profanity that pops up in her playlist but
doesn't really mean it, and makes the
class sing a fun song by the Divinyls to
anyone having a birthday. I'll let you guess
the song. Carol laughs a lot, you might
even call it a cackle, and lies frequently
-"only 10 more, I mean 20 more, oops,
sorry not sorry" - and when it's time to
sprint you better yell woot woot or she
will punish you with another turn of the
bike tension. Carol is also a gentle soul

who, like many, has experienced loss and
sadness in her life. What I admire about
her most is her willingness to share that
emotion honestly, because isn't it just so
easy to pretend everything's fine when
sometimes it's not? But then you realize
you have your spin family and everything is
going to be ok. At that moment, teachers
become friends.
So many gyms, so many classes, so many
chances to meet and connect with others
who share your desire to be more fit. My
best advice is to make it a part of your
daily lifestyle, not just a resolution for a
few weeks. In the meantime, may all your
HIIT classes be 20-10's....NAMASTE!

Namaste!

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of West Reading Avenues Summer 2017
