Fitness PR Division

Weigh-less-ness Yoga
AntiGravity Yoga is No Light Weight in the Fitness Industry

Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be another yoga blend technique, AntiGravity Yoga comes at us with full force (or in this case no force at all). 'Wings' AntiGravity Yoga classes are offered at Crunch Fitness Centers (in New York, LA and Miami) based on the AntiGravity Yoga concept created by Christopher Harrison that utilizes a silk hammock to add a weightless dimension to traditional yoga and Pilates movements.

Christopher Harrison is the man responsible for Team AntiGravity, a performance troupe that not only defies gravity, it completely ignores it.  Harrison's bouncing dancers (fully equipped in his patented "gravity boots"), floating and flipping acrobats, and bungee-attached performers have been commissioned by superstars Britney Spears, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, and Marc Jacobs as well as companies Disney and Universal.

AntiGravity Yoga's concept closely resembles the company's mission statement, "We defy gravity as a means to inspire levity."  Silk hammocks suspended from the ceiling offer a means to challenge the body in ways gravity normally wouldn't allow.  Harrison designed this workout around movements of dance, Pilates, and yoga and the following are benefits of regular class attendance:
    -decompress tight joints
    -align the vertebrae of the spine
    -hold more challenging yoga postures longer
    -stretch further with less strain
    -have better body awareness
    -increase overall agility

Crunch currently holds the exclusive rights to 'Wings' AntiGravity Yoga classes, but I have a feeling variations of this technique will become more readily available in the near future. Does this weightless workout sound appealing to you? Are we jaded by the many balletyogalate classes already offered or is this concept fresh and unique?

With the success of Nintendo's Wii Fit program, more and more interactive fitness games are coming to market. We've seen it with EA Sports Active, The Biggest Loser Fitness Game and Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum. With the success of being the brand spokesperson for Mari Windsor's Pilates series of DVD's, Daisy Fuentes recently launched her own interactive Pilates game for Wii. The branding alone seems like a natural fit for Fuentes, but is it enough to drive its target audience (women) online and to the stores to purchase it?

Shape magazine encourages everyone to join the #1 active lifestyle magazine this fall as the annual Shape Pilates for Pink initiative kicks off! This Sunday, October 4th, the award-winning fundraiser will take over Union Square Park enabling one and all to get involved, get active and make a difference.

Shape and The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preventing and finding a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime by funding clinical and translational research worldwide, have teamed up to provide people across the country with a variety of ways to help to fight this life-threatening disease.

Check out the event of the year, Pilates in the Park - - Union Square Park in NYC from 9am-5pm. This event includes challenging, motivational and beneficial classes instructed by the pros at Equinox Fitness Clubs, the exclusive health club partner for Pilates for Pink.

Working out should never feel like a chore. With this is mind, celebrity pilates trainer Carrol Krief designed a routine that will give you full body results- fast! The Malibu Pilates Chair and instructional DVDs will help you get a beautifully lean body by lifting, firming, sculpting and burning!

The Malibu Pilates Chair has adjustable spring resistance and permits the flow of easy cardio moves. With split step pedals you can work your arms and legs simultaneously or individually. Altering these strategies will keep your heart rate up. Push down on the pedals for muscle toning resistance, and pull up on them to support your weight for core tightening positions.

The three-set collection of DVD workouts serves as a helpful guide to getting your body the way you want it. The first video, “Basics breakdown” is a ten minute kick start to your routine. Second is the “20-Minute Malibu Pilates Makeover,” that works out your entire body and triples your abs. This video will teach you the many moves that can be done on your Malibu Pilates Chair.

On days that you can devote more time to a full workout, then the third DVD will become your best friend, the “Total Dream Body Sculpting Workout.” This is a 45-minute fat blasting workout that combines full body sculpting with challenging cardio moves. The circuit-style of the routine will have you quickly moving from exercise to exercise with high intensity aerobics and resistance to lose fat, build muscle and increase cardio health.

As health and fitness expert Jillian Michaels says, “you can eat your way through any workout.” Who wants to put in all the effort and strength and not see results because you’re pairing your exercise with an unhealthy diet? CLAY is a fitness and health club, located on West 14^th Street, designed to help and guide you through all these steps by combining personal training, various fitness classes and spa treatments and best of all, nutrition guidance. Which is perfect, because now there is really no excuse to tell yourself, they are providing all the help you need to lead a healthy, active lifestyle.

CLAY offers different nutrition guidance sessions, my favourite being the “Market Tour” and “Kitchen Renewal.” So you can feel like you’re right out of your favourite lifestyle transformation shows. The Market Tour involves you and an expert taking a trip to the grocery and going over what is healthy and why and what types of food you should stay away from. Similarly the Kitchen Renewal program is a nutrition clean up of your fridge, teaching how to transform your unhealthy habits.

I always find it is best to workout in classes or groups because you encourage each other to push a little bit harder. CLAY provides its members with a variety of fitness classes from yoga and sweat classes to power and core sessions. CLAY offers a number of perfect features that everyone would want in a health club: pilates studio, lounge, concierge and café services, full gym and exercise equipment, personal training and best of all ideal spa services that are perfect for a post-workout recovery session.

Are you a member of CLAY? Try out a trail membership to a luxurious heath club and let us know what you think @PierceMattiePR.