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Thursday, January 01, 2009

a new year, a new resolution

just like everyone else, one of my resolutions for 2009 is to hit the gym. while it's true that i can definitely afford to lose some weight and whip some muscles into shape, my main reason for dropping by my local fitness center isn't so much to spend time on the cardio nor strength machines; rather, it's to try out the yoga (surprise, surprise).

sometime back in november, blogger brenda from grounding through the sit bones was compiling information for an article she was writing and asked for my input about my gym yoga experiences. but since my primary source of yoga classes is at yoga-only studios, i could only provide her with minimal feedback based on the handful of gym classes i'd taken in the past. i then told her that since my employment contract was soon coming to an end, i'd have lots of time to do some research for her and report back with my findings.

well, here we are, two months later, and i still have to step foot in a health club (and i'm still trying to figure out how, despite the fact that i don't have a regular 9-to-5 job, i can't find the time to do everything i need to do!). so to make good on my word to brenda -- and also to burn off all those holiday calories -- i'm going to make it a point to drop by the gym on a regular basis. and luckily for me, i've picked up some passes to some of the more popular places in town.

so here are the clubs i'll be dropping by sometime soon with my yoga mat... and my running shoes, too:

~ bally total fitness, west los angeles
~ bodies in motion, century city
~ equinox, south bay
~ spectrum athletic clubs, santa monica
~ sports club LA, west los angeles
~ trifit club, santa monica
~ 24-hour fitness, santa monica

and now that i've shared this with all of you, this is one resolution i'm not allowing myself to break!

so wish me luck... and have yourself a happy new year!

7 Comments:

Blogger Nicole Feliciano said...

I resolving to a class a week (Monday after preschool drop off!). I've got a review and coupon for cool yoga gear on my site. Check it out and feel free to leave an inspiring tip for yogi's in the works:

http://momtrends.blogspot.com/2009/01/yoga-clothing-for-cool-moms.html

6:55 PM  
Blogger Brenda P. said...

Well, the article is finished, but I'm still interested to hear about your LA gym yoga experiences. Many moons ago (1997), I lived in Los Feliz and went to the Bally's in Hollywood. The yoga class was not to my taste (lots of sitting and breathing loudly, very little asana).

In retrospect, that seems a lot more yogi than you might expect from a yoga class at the gym...

Happy New Year and good luck with the hunt!

1:44 PM  
Blogger joni said...

sitting and breathing loudly at a gym? i wonder how many gym rats went for that, especially since it was so non-competitive? :) hmmm... back then, yoga was perceived as nothing more than a new age-y stretch class. now we know why!

2:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've yet to find a good yoga class at a gym. The instruction just doesn't seem to be that good. As a result, I stick to classes given at yoga studios.

5:06 PM  
Blogger joni said...

actually, there are some excellent yoga studio teachers who also teach at gyms. the problem is, these gyms are usually the high-end centers -- like equinox, sports club LA, and the spectrum club -- where the monthly membership dues are fairly steep.
which is why i'm just like you; i stick to yoga studios for my yoga fix. so it'll be interesting to see what my "research project" comes up with!

9:00 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Sherida Mulrowe has a suprising Saturday a.m. class at Gold's Gym in the 7th & Fig Mall. You can get a pass online for gym memberrship that includes it. The gym is a disco flashback, but Sherida sings Guyatri mantra and plays Nina Simone.

3:50 PM  
Blogger joni said...

hmmm... sounds like an interesting plan. will have to find a saturday when i'm not doing a morning training run...
thanks, mahala!

6:14 PM  

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