Do You Need Gorgeous Exercise Clothes?

Marika exercise outfit

Staying fit not only makes you healthy, it makes you look better. So beautiful exercise clothes can be just gilding the lily; if you already look good, ratty old clothes should be fine.

Except...

There is something empowering about pulling on a well designed workout ensemble, one that has been engineered specifically for exercise. And while I do feel those endorphin highs after a run, if I start out tugging on my shirt, or feel my running tights bagging at the knees, I get annoyed and then I have a terrible work out.

So I was pretty psyched to try out Marika's Jordan leggings. These black and gray leggings had mesh panels so my knees stayed cool. There is a little hidden pocket and the wicking material kept me dry.

I also got a wicking hoodie that coordinated nicely with the leggings and had those sleeves you could pull down over your hands. What was interesting about these was that when you pushed them up after your hands inevitably got hot, the sleeves didn't look weird. I have other running tops that pool around my wrists when I don't have them pulled over my hands.

Since I am training for my first marathon, these workout clothes were a great incentive to keep me on my work out program

Stay Awhile, Stay Fit - Extended Stay America

The exercise room at Extended Stay America

People stay at Extended Stay America hotels for a variety of reasons: price, convenience, the full kitchens, the huge discount for long stays.

But just because you are at a budget hotel, it doesn't mean you don't want to ignore your fitness routine. In fact, if you are at the hotel because you are relocating, on a long business trip, or renovating your house, you may NEED to exercise.

Breakfast is included

The exercise room at the Extended Stay America in Secaucus, where I recently spent a weekend, won't win awards, but the facility did let me continue my marathon training.  There were 2 treadmills and an elliptical machine and while I was disappointed that they didn't have individual screens, there was a television on the wall, and there wasn't anyone else using a machine while I was there.

The outdoor patio where I completed my exercise routine

I wanted to run outside, but the office park location was not conducive to an outdoor run.  There is a pretty enclosed patio, though, where I was able to go through a routine of squats, pushups and burpees.

There is also an indoor pool where you can get a decent workout.

The breakfast was also a good post workout touch: there were granola bars, packs of unsweetened instant oatmeal (alas, no milk to make them, though) and whole pieces of fresh fruit.

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: Weighted Ball

Kettlebells are the 'it' equipment in many gyms, but I find a weighted exercise ball much more useful. You can do a lot of the same exercises as with kettlebells, snapping them from a squat to shoulder height, swinging them between your legs in a figure 8.

But you can also use them for your obliques, twisting from side to side. Or you can put the weighted ball under one hand and do push ups, then roll the ball to the other hand for more push ups. The ball is great for getting into the chair position, and holding overhead. You can hold the ball with your elbows out and raise and lower. A ball with handles gives you more options, like standing on one foot, with other straight out behind you. You keep the ball in your opposite hand and touch the ground, then straighten up. Exhale Spa has a Core Fusion Sport class using a weighted ball.

Fitness Challenge: Hamilton College

If you send your child to an elite college, he or she usually has access to great sports facilities. And when you drop off your kid, pick him up, or visit for family weekend, you can often work out in the fitness center. Hamilton College reminds many of a country club. The Blood Fitness and Dance Center features state of the art cardio equipment, overlooking the gorgeous athletic fields. There is a huge pool, ice skating rinks and a rock wall, so you can exercise different muscle groups every day.

There are also plenty of free weights, stability and bosu balls, and a large stretch area. Faculty and students use the facilities regularly, so you don't feel like an out of place old person.

Fitness Challenge: Magnolia Hotel Dallas

The Magnolia Hotel Dallas, a boutique hotel downtown, is next door to the flagship Neiman Marcus. If shopping isn't enough sport for you, there is a small fitness center. While the fitness room is bathed in sunlight, it has fairly creaky cardio machines, with only an overhead television. The free weights weren't much better - a limited range, in bad shape.

The rest of the hotel is fine, though, and I love that the included breakfast is so laid back - you can stop in for coffee and some fruit before you exercise, then eat more after, and no one is checking your room number. The hotel also offers a nightly evening reception with beer and wine, and room delivery of milk and cookies. So they really want you to work out. The hotel is a creative use of a historic building, the former headquarters of the Magnolia Petroleum Co. It has coffered ceilings and antique chandeliers in the lobby and the 24th floor has original glass transoms, ventilation grates, wood floors, paneling and marble.

Fitness Challenge: the flu

When you have kids, you are prone to colds and other ailments (lice, anyone?) This time of year, I start thinking about the flu. Getting this sick poses a real workout challenge; who wants to exercise when you can barely get out of bed? So I am hedging my bets and getting my annual flu vaccine. The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older. The 2012-2013 flu vaccines is available now and should be To find a flu vaccination clinic go to VaccineFinder. Maybe with all the exercising and kickboxing I’ve been doing I can kick flu’s butt.

Fitness Challenge: Boston Travel

Getting in a good workout when you travel is easy at the InterContinental Boston. This waterfront luxury hotel has a huge state-of-the-art fitness center with treadmills, stationary bikes and elliptical machines, all with their own screens.

There are lots of free weights and strength machines, an indoor pool and plenty of space to stretch. Best of all, the gym is open 24 hours for guests, so if you are jet lagged and up at 3am, you can work out instead of gorging on candy. There is also a spa for those who like to relax on vacation.

Fitness Challenge: Plank Pilates

Many gyms have classes they label Pilates, but few have the Pilates set up that a boutiques gym like Plank Pilates offers. This small storefront, around the corner from the Whole Foods Bowery, has space for 5 in its personalized classes, with padded stations, springs and bars.

I tried the Plank360 class, incorporating classic Pilates 9the 'Pilates 100,' a soft ball squeezed between your thighs and resistance work using the bars and springs, with cardio bursts. Throughout the workout, we did jumping jacks, suat jumps and running step ups to get our heartbeat up - then moved into planks, push ups and crunches. The gym also has tower classes, of just Pilates. The subterranean lounge has a light well in the staircase, and organic products in the rest room. You can take a jar of cucumber and lemon infused water to hydrate during your workout, and make tea and read magazine after. The tiny gym offers a great intro to Pilates, and is an antidote to crowded NYC mega-gyms.

Fitness Challenge: Day 91

Shopping is a sport, though in New York, it can be more of a blood sport. If you want to work out, and shop, the Westin Galleria Dallas is close to the huge mall, and has a the signature Westin WORKOUT gym.

The hotel is actually considered part of the Galleria complex, though it is nearly impossible to walk from one to the other. We tried, but not only was it over 100 degrees, there was also nowhere towalk.

So we confined our aerobic exercise to the air conditioned gym. The smallish gym, overlooking the outdoor pool, had state of the art cardio machines, a bosu ball and stability ball and free weights.

I forgot my headphones, but a Westin employee offered to go the front desk and returned with headphones for me.

Fitness Challenge: Day 89

Every night, bats gather and swoop from the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, TX. Hundreds of onlookers crowd the bridges and the shores of Lady Bird Lake to witness their flight.

But a few hardy souls kayak on Lady Bird Lake to watch the bats. We took a kayaking tour with Live Love Paddle, which provides single or tandem kayaks, cold water and a light for the return trip.

This was no cakewalk in the summer heat. Though the temperature had dropped for the days high of 99, it was still steamy when we set off for our mile and a half trip. I took a tandem kayak with my 14 year old and she did not pull her weight, alternately resting or actively paddling against me.

But the view was spectacular and the work out was a welcome antidote to days of indoor exercise. We 'raced' against crew teams from UT Austin and no one was anointed with bat poop.

Fitness Challenge: Day 88

Omni Hotels really go the extra mile. If you sign up for their loyalty program, you reap immediate rewards. On just your first stay, you get a free morning drink, delivered to your room. You also get free WiFi and a shoeshine, neither of which I used.

But the free coffee was a great perk (literally). I had my banana and caffeine and headed to the Omni Austin’s large fitness center.

The fitness center, through the lobby, has state of the art cardio equipment, a bosu ball and a stability ball, plus mats, free weights and space to stretch.

The cardio machines don’t have individual screens, but there are flat screen televisions that you can use.

The only problem we had was we didn’t have a TV guide. When you are traveling, you don’t know where Comedy Central or E! are, and in the fitness center, the channels didn’t even match the ones in the room.

But during our work out, a hotel employee came in to refresh the towels. I asked her about the stations, and she went and got someone who knew.

Truly above and beyond.

Fitness Challenge: Day 86

Travelers often say these want to meet REAL people, not other tourists. When you are sightseeing, this can be challenging. But one way to find the real people in another city is to work out in a gym there, or go for a run.

On a recent day in Philadelphia, I took advantage of a free trial at a downtown gym to work out. Weston Fitness is undergoing a huge renovation, adding several new classroom studios. i t already has a large studio where spin, Zumba and strength classes are held, and a temporary studio for kettlebells.

Although Philadelphia is quite close to NY, the city has a very different feel. But the gym attracted the same mix of casual exercisers and hard core gym rats that you find in NY.

Cardio machines were positioned to look out over the street, and weights, stability balls and bosu balls were plentiful.

But the women's locker room had an odd smell (it is not scheduled for a make over) with no or even hooks soap in the showers and old lockers.

The gym did have an interesting fitness program, M.A.P.P. (Metabolic. Analysis, Program, Planning) which calculates metabolic rate and fat in each person, and sets up an individualized fitness plan.

Fitness Challenge: Day 85

A rose is a rose is a rose. But SoulCycle studios are not all alike.

I took a class at Soul Tribeca, which was no easy feat. With construction closing streets everywhere, I had to walk about 15 minutes out of my way just to reach the studio, which is in the same building as a Whole Foods, Barnes & Noble and Bed, Bath & Beyond. You can feed body and soul all in one location.

Unlike the Union Square SoulCycle, this one was not crowded; in fact, the class I took had mostly empty bikes. And while the bikes were crammed in, they weren't quite as claustrophobic.

The class featured the same full-body, high intensity cardio workout, but the music was not ear-splittingly loud. The changing room had the same amenities, plus face wash and organic body lotion, nice touches (and probably purchased from the adjacent Whole Foods). And there were 4 flavors of gum for getting rid of that post work out dry mouth.

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 83

The Gansevoort Park Avenue Hotel didn't hide its gym away in the basement. The decent sized gym, ith an Exhale Spa studio down the hall, has large windows overlooking the street. You can even keep an eye on the corner Starbucks and time your workout to end when the line winds down.

The well-appointed, impeccably clean gym offers free weights, cardio machines and weight benches, plus mats and room to use them. Amenities are limited to soft towels and cold filtered water, but if you use the bathroom in the attached spa, you can help yourself to hair spray, or a rain head shower.

The bold face names who frequent the hotel generally head all the way upstairs, to the rooftop pool, but the day I was at the gym, a few well-toned people made good use of the space.

Fitness Challenge: Day 80

Tucked away on an industrial stretch of Bergen Street in Brooklyn, Studio Maya radiates a calm that belies its settings. You enter through a dusty hall into an oasis of calm, with highly polished wood floors, fresh flowers and brand new equipment, from pristine mats to bosu balls, the basis of many classes.

But alas, no air conditioning. Looking to escape the heat of NYC's extended heat save, I dripped on those mats, even though the classes had no cardio elements.

Studio Maya offers classes designed for women, including ones that target the core and butt, men's core classes, yoga, Zumba and Capoeira.

There are few amenities; a changing area behind a curtain, reusable water bottles and small towels, but the personal attention in the classes gives you an efficient work out.

Fitness Challenge: Day 78

The heat wave in NYC finally broke, so a run in Central Park was actually an option. But I took the high road, Core Fusion Cardio at Exhale Spa midtown, right across the street from the park.

This location serves a rather upscale clientele, and the halls were being repainted while I was there. The light, airy studio had billowing fabric covering the skylights, keeping the room cool but allowing plenty of natural light to filter in.

My husband doubts you can get a cardio work out without sneakers, but this class proves him wrong. We did plank runs, lunges with weights, side planks into downward dog, then the whole sequence again and again. There was no time to grab a sip of water, but my heart rate was up and I was dripping sweat.

Luckily, there were plenty of rain head showers, with thick towels, and cold filtered water.

Fitness Challenge: Looking Good

One of the benefits of exercise is improving how you look, but if you feel too self-conscious to even be seen in body-hugging work out clothes, Marika shape enhancing clothes solves the problem. the stretch fabrics hold your tummy in, and since holding your core is the key to many fitness routines, you get a constant reminder to engage your core.

The beauty behind both the new Magic line (a cotton/spandex blend) and the Miracle line (with Marika's own ELASTA-TIGHT fabric) is that the short, pants and tops are super comfortable even while providing compression core support. And the breathable fabric means that you don't get overheated even before you work out.

Pant inseams now come in short, regular and tall versions, so you don't have to fuss with the fit.

No excuses. Hit the gym.

Fitness Challenge: Day 73

Seattle is known for its food scene, with the famed fish market, Pike Place, and tons of locavore restaurants. If you are a vegetarian who doesn't eat fish, you can find chefs who rely on the region's produce bounty.

On my recent visit, it was so cold that I had to warm up with a hot chocolate at Chocolate Box. The chocolate bar features a number of add-ons, including peanut butter. So it's almost a health food.

Then I had to run off those calories. Seattle is very hilly, so it was a challenging run to go down to the waterfront, then back to my hotel, Mayflower Park. It was also a very short run, so I continued by work out by following the monorail path, about a mile, to the Space Needle.