Fitness Challenge: Day 82

One of the things that can drive an eco-conscious person crazy is the amount of energy wasted at a gym. People take handfuls of towels, leave machines and televisions on, and exercise in overlit studios.

At Blink Fitness, (one Manhattan location, and several others around NYC and the NY region) the emphasis is on going green. There are no towels, no energy hog saunas or steam rooms, and energy star rated equipment.

Lighting is low, but if you exercise during the day at the NoHo location, the large windows flood the gym with light.

The state of the art equipment includes plenty of free weights and machines. You can plug into a cardio machine and watch one of the big screen TVs or use a machine with an individual screen; motivational sayings on the walls include reminders to turn off the TV when you are done.

Blink is also a budget conscious gym, yet the low monthly fees belie the clean, spacious gym. One thing is missing: classes.

Family Fun: Orlando

Whether your family has little or big kid, teens or grown ups, you can find plenty of ways to spend your family vacation in Orlando.

Although the theme parks are expensive, hotel deals in Orlando are relatively easy to find. If you stay on site at a theme park, you get perks like a line-skipping pass at Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida or special hours at Walt Disney World Resort.

Some Orlando Family Hotels offer free breakfast, or kids eat free specials, along with discounted theme park tickets.

Whether you are a foodie, picky eater or vegetarian, you can eat feel in Orlando. Top restaurants in Orlando include sushi, Italian and Thai restaurants.

Fitness Challenge: Day 82

My fitness plan for Martha’s Vineyard was to run and bike daily, but Mother Nature had other ideas. It poured one day, so we headed over to the Vineyard Tennis Center, Workout and Spa in Vineyard Haven.

There were lots of small rooms her, one filled with cardio machines, (with their own televisions) one with free weights and another with weight machines.

A lounge overlooking the indoor tennis courts also had cardio machines so you could watch the action below while you exercised.
I spent most of my time in the personal trainer room, open to anyone, where the bosu balls were. I also took the cardio combo class, a high energy, easy to follow cardio workout.
T
he gym had soft towels, clean locker rooms and a very mellow feel.

Spain Vacation

Whether you are looking for an active family vacation, a sightseeing tour or a relaxing beach vacation – or all 3 – Spain is the place.

Spaniards also enjoy a healthy sports culture. Soccer rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona and native tennis player Rafael Nadal have elevated the status of Spanish spectator sports.

Since the Spanish weather
can usually be counted on to be sunny and dry, one way to see the countryside is by a cycling tour. Keep in mind that summer is very hot though; you might want to avoid summer for the most active vacations.

But if you are traveling to Spain in summer, the Spanish weather is conducive to hitting the beach. And if you are in Barcelona, you can get a dose of culture and sand.

Fitness Challenge: Day 81

It is easy to stay fit on a beach vacation. Just walking on the sand is more difficult than a regular walk, and if you run on the beach, you work even harder.

If, like me, you don't swim, you can run in the waves, rent a kayak or bike. Or all of the above.

We biked a lot around Martha's Vineyard, to justify the bike schlep. We have to put a bike rack on our rental car, and pay extra for bikes on the ferry, all to enjoy the flat, paved Martha's Vineyard bike paths.

It was worth it.

The wide paths can easily accommodate 3 across, so if you are riding with your family, you can stay together - and let someone going the other way pass.

Drivers on the island were almost universally respectful. Only one driver, on a cell phone, pulled out without looking to cross the path. But there was plenty of room and we felt very safe.

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: Hair Boot Camp

There are many legitimate reasons for not exercising and one of them is that it truly messes up your hair. Swimming, even with a bathing cap, is the ultimate assault, but the dirt sweat (and tears) can’t be good, either.

So I was happy to try out Keranique’s new 8 Day Intensive Scalp Treatment. The serum, designed for women, specifically addresses seasonal and stress related hair thinning, but even if your hair isn’t thinning, the resulting thick, healthy hair is good for anyone.

The treatment has a 2% Minoxidil solution that strengthens hair and stimulates the scalp.