Fitness Challenge: Cycle Bar

Although real estate prices in Park Slope, Brooklyn, have almost reached Manhattan levels, many Slope residents are still reluctant to pay Manhattan prices at restaurants, bars and boutiques.

I had avoided Cycle Bar, a Soul Cycle type boutique spin studio basically because I'm cheap, but I jumped all over a Living Social deal that offered 5 spin classes for $25.

Cycle Bar has one spin studio, with Schwinn AC Sport bikes. You have to add resistance by feel, not a number, which can be frustrating or liberating, depending on how OCD you are.

Shoe rental is included in the class price, and an instructor helps you set up your bike the first time. Like Soul Cycle, rides are full body work outs, with small hand weights used for about 10 minutes of a 45 minute class.

The studio is fairly bare bones; there is a water cooler, a bathroom and lavender face wipes for freshening up for the walk home, but that's pretty much it. Forget a hair tie at your own peril.

The 25 bikes have a good amount of space between them, so there is little danger of your neighbor's flying sweat hitting you, and you can move your arms without smacking another bike.

Now if only they charged lower prices..

Fitness Challenge: Spin in Puerto Rico

Renting a car in Puerto Rico left us spinning our wheels, but we cycled for fun in a spin class at La Concha Resort. The state of the art gym has a limited number of exercise classes, one of which is a weekly spin class.

The bikes were not exactly current, but they did have clip on one side for cycling shoes and toe clips for those in sneakers. There were only four of us (there are about 8 bikes total) but we got a good cardio workout.

The instructor mixed the usual blend of jumps, sprints and uphill climbs into the 45 minute class and I calculated that we burned up enough calories for one poolside drink.

Those who like to spin in dimly lit rooms wouldn't like the sun-splashed studio where we had the class, but I'm not really a fan of the candle-lighted nightclub spin experience.

Really, what I wanted to do was bike outside; a bike lane ran down the middle of the street in front of our hotel - but the one bike store nearby was closed for vacation the entire time we were in Puerto Rico.

Fitness Challenge: M Gym

M Gym on the Upper East Side offers a great way for Manhattanites to work out for less. The gym has almost everything you need at a reduced rate. The 2 floor gym (you have to use external stairs to get between the floors) has an array of cardio equipment and free weights, and classes ranging from boot camp to yoga. You pay for what you use here; a month at the gym, a pack of classes, personal training. There are community classes at a reduced rate, and personal training for 2 that lets you and a buddy work out for less. The small gym has limited hours; you can only work out till 5 on weekends, and there is just one shower in each tiny locker room. But everything at the gym is clean and functional and if you don’t need all the bells and whistles, you can stay fit for less. The one thing it doesn’t offer is spin, though right downstairs, the boutique spin studio Flywheel has its intense classes. The 2 places have a relationship; Flywheel customers can shower at M gym, so gym members might be able to cut a deal on the occasional spin class.

Fitness Challenge: Revolve

Shake a Spandex-clad leg, Soul Cycle and Flywheel. There’s a new kid in town. Revolve, a boutique spin studio one revolution from Union Square (with a branch in DC) has a high intensity, luxe feel that will be familiar to devotees of the other high end NYC spin studios. But Revolve also has a few twists. Hardcore RIP Rides are 60 0r 75 minutes long and should leave you ripped (unless you are unprepared, in which case you might R.I.P.). For more casual cyclists, there is the Body Ride, a 45 minute class that combines cardio with strength training (think Soul or Flywheel) and the cardio only Real Ride. You can certainly take these classes if you are an experienced spinner, too, but the longer rides challenge you more.

Revolve provides free cycling shoes and has gum and hair bands sitting out. There are also towels at every bike, and both a water fountain and filtered water bottle refiller. Revolve has a unisex locker area, but there are men’s and women’s changing areas with a couple of showers and nice, soft towels. In the small class I took, the instructor called out everyone by name, a personal touch that might not happen when the class is full. But it certainly keeps you in the moment and encourages you to push harder. The Schwin bikes let you keep track of your RPMs, but not the precise resistance level. This actually favors OCD cyclists who obsessively check their levels. Here, you can rely on touch and the rhythm of the music to get your sweat on.

Fitness Challenge: Flywheel Sports

High end spin studios are not all created equal. Flywheel, with 3 NYC locations, offers the same 45 minute, high intensity workout NYers crave, with a few twists. Fly free One is the free first class. With classes costing $32 (slightly cheaper if you buy a package) this is an incredible amenity. Who know if it will last, so sign up pronto. You also get free rental shoes (even with the free trial class) and free bottled water. I actually prefer to refill my own water bottle, but there was no water fountain at Flatiron studio and in a particularly nice touch, there was extra water next to the instructor, who could bring you a bottle if you ran out mid-class. Flywheel has you reserve your bike online, and sign in on a laptop when you arrive. Your cycling shoes are in the corresponding cubby below. The co-ed locker area is cramped and rather sweaty when classes change over. There are just 2 showers and 2 changing rooms, so you can expect a wait. And the showers feel a bit like being back in college, but maybe that's the point. Spin hard I loved the bikes, with the torque and rpms in LED. Flyhweel goes even one better, with a ride board where you can chart your progress and compete against classmates. Although I was one of the older riders, I held my own coming in 3rd in the class. Not really sure what that means, but it's better than coming in 45th. The staff at Flywheel was incredibly helpful; I got a brief tour, someone set up my bike, and another person came by the make sure I had everything I needed. And even after class, you could grab a free apple, use the provided dry shampoo if you didn't want to wait for a shower, or use the Bliss body products if you did. All in all a fly experience.

Fitness Challenge: JCC in Manhattan

The JCC on the Upper West Side has facilities for the whole family, from a nursery school to programs for seniors. While this all in one approach can sometimes shortchange areas, the fitness center is state of the art. There is a huge pool, two gyms, and classes galore. About the only negative is the slow elevator, so if you use the locker rooms, on the 5th floor, you might need to run up and down the stairs. But think of it as the start of your aerobic workout. The locker rooms are spotless and loaded with thick, soft towels, lotions and soaps, and cotton balls and Q-tips (though why do you have to ask for a tampon?). I took a spin class, which comes with free cycling shoes, and nice bikes where you can keep track of your calories and RPMs. There are also classes in yoga, martial arts, strength and conditioning and Zumba. Pre and post natal classes, teen fitness classes and senior classes address the needs of the whole family: a rooftop playground helps kids keep active.

Fitness Challenge: Day 84

Having been a spin devotee for years, I finally reached the Holy Grail, SoulCycle. I had won a few free rides a long time ago, then lost my voucher, so I held it against the place.

I can see why people are addicted to SoulCycle. The high energy boutique studio gives you a full body workout in 45 minutes. I usually think the crunches on a bike are pointless, but when you do them for most of the class, followed by weights, you feel exhausted everywhere. In a good way.

SoulCycle requires you to wear bike shoes (free for the first class, $3 rental after). The advantage is you don't have to lug sneakers. But the disadvantage is it reminds you of bowling.

The place is definitely quirky. Hair bands and earplugs are thoughtfully provided. But lowering the music would actually be better for your ears.

The women's changing room had lots of amenities, from 2 kinds of tampons to razors and deodorant. But the studio is so crowded that it is impossible to actually use anything after a class. There was a huge line for the showers, and nowhere to change. Lockers are co-ed, so floor space in the tiny changing room is at a premium.

Just like in the class. More bikes than you would think possible are wedged in. When I crunched, my elbows knocked into the women next to me. When we put the weights behind us, I hit the bike behind me.

Yet an assistant came over to me before class to set my bike up, then emailed me the specs for my next class. As soon as class ended, cleaners returned the studio to its spotless state.

In the end, SoulCycle is a bit like working out on a rush hour subway. You complain about it, but you do it anyway.

Fitness Challenge: Day 72

When you travel, it's nice to have a fitness center in the hotel, though you can always just exercise in your room. The historic Mayflower Park Hotel in Seattle has a compact fitness room with a couple of treadmills and exercise bikes, a stepper, free weights and mats.

Sure, a view is more inspiring, and a studio where classes are offered is wonderful, but when you wake up at 5am because you are still on east coast time, you don't really need a perky spin instructor. You need to work on your abs.

The Mayflower Park Hotel fitness room is not the place to start an exercise regimen, but if you are a committed to fitness, and you can satisfactorily work out in a basic space, you will do fine.

Then you can treat yourself to one of the signature martinis at the bar, Olivers.

Fitness Challenge: Day 71

One of the signifiers of a neighborhood's arrival is a fitness studio. In Red Hook, Brooklyn, a free community center has a seasonal outdoor pool and one of the most uninviting (but free) gyms anywhere. Red Hook also now boasts a bright storefront gym, Sessions Fit Spin Studio.

Sessions Fit is basically one room, lit by a huge skylight and windows on the street. Half the space is devoted to spanking new Livestrong spin bikes; in the other half, classes like boot camp and body sculpting are held.

I caught the end of a spin class, where the participants used the part of the studio where they weren't spinning to stretch. Then I took boot camp, which was an intense, hour-long class. We kept our heart rate up between strength cycles with jumping jacks or marching.

The studio also offers a marine boot camp, held outside at a playground.

Sessions Fit has few amenities - a bathroom and soft face towels are it - but the mix of classes throughout the day, plus the offer of a free first class - make this a place worth checking out.

Fitness Challenge: Day 66

Just getting into spin class in New York City can be a workout in itself. At my old Park Slope gym, you had to sign up a day in advance, but sometimes extra people would just show up. Then the spin instructor would have to delay class while she called attendance.

At another NYC gym I tried, spin enthusiasts huddled at the door, bolting inside when the studio was unlocked and they could choose their favorite bike.

I would usually wind up on some rickety bike where the height couldn't be adjusted.

But this blood sport doesn't appeal to everyone. For those people, Pedal NYC beckons. This boutique gym on the far far west side - any further, it would be in New Jersey - had a virtually empty spin class run by the enthusiastic, muscular and tough Mr. Ray.

Even better, the brand new bikes could easily be adjusted, gearing up or down was effortless, and monitors gave us exact readings of our RPMs.

The gym has state-of-the-art air conditioning, which was at a perfect temperature, and a gigantic ceiling fan circulated the air so you didn't have to toil in the stink of your own sweat.

Fitness Challenge: Day 60

Although I am no longer a member of New York Sports Clubs, I have a lot of free passes given to while I was one.

I checked out the New York Sports Clubs at 91st St and 3rd Ave, which has a large pool and an atrium where spin classes are held.

I have never liked the cave-like atmosphere at most spin classes, which are held in dark, interior rooms with the lights turned off. The heat generated by all the stationery bikes is overwhelming enough; why do we need to be in a dark, crowded room as well.

At this gym, we basked in the sunshine while sweating away. The music was thumping, my heart was pumping, but I didn't have that claustrophobic feel I usually have in spin.

Fitness Challenge: Day 51

Although the Disney Fantasy cruise ship makes it easy for a vegetarian to eat well, with menus at sit down restaurants offering several vegetarian choices, (and lighter fare) the cruise ship is concurrently offering more fitness choices.

When you get to the private Bahamian island, Castawy Cay, inaugurate your visit with a 5K run. This is a new fun run through the island, and while you don't get a t-shirt, you do get an official bib. And every entrant gets a medal.

But I am all about the run shirt. So I opted for yoga on the beach. This is a particular treat for those of us who don't live next to the ocean. Coney Island is a mere 8 miles from me, but it's not a beach that screams serentiy.

In fact, the yoga here is at the adults-only beach, Serenity Bay. Some cruisers relax with a massage en plein air, but I find yoga both relaxing and invigorating.

You can also exercise by snorkeling or swimming, or riding a bike (snorkeling and biking cost extra; yoga is included).

Back on the boat, I took the spin class, with the same affable South African who led the yoga class. Instead of the pounding of the surf I listened to the pounding of my heart and calculated which dessert I'd earn at dinner.

Fitness Challenge: Day 21

As Gertrude Stein might say, a spin class is a spin class is a spin class.

At the West Side Y, the spin class is held in a room so cramped that we can’t stretch our arms to either side, or we will hit the person next to us. But save the danger of flying sweat, the class is basically the same as almost any other spin class, an intense cardio workout with thumping music, dim lights and loud panting.

This class also has a few participants who ignore the instructor, sitting when everyone is standing, sprinting when we are slowing down, and pedaling when we end the class. The instructor seems miffed, but the iconoclasts pay her no heed – one, in fact, is wearing headphones and riding to her own beat.

Not really sure why anyone would subject themselves to the claustrophobic, hot room when there are spin bikes in a large, much cooler cardio room, but then, this is an upper west side gym.