It’s true: adding variety to your workout routine improves your overall fitness. Switching up your training prevents injuries, and provides your body with "muscle confusion," which keeps you from hitting a plateau by forcing your muscles to constantly adapt. But changing your workouts at random may not actually be the smartest way to achieve your best results, because it’s harder to develop a training plan with exercises that complement each other—and harder to stay accountable and make measurable progress in strength or skill. With that in mind, here’s how (and why) to balance your routine intelligently with barre and yoga. Strength-building, muscular conditioning, stretching, and active recovery: a perfect combination The
Here’s our guide to staying healthy during the busiest — ahem, we mean most wonderful —time of the year. THE WORKOUTS A walk outdoors It’s pretty simple, but there’s nothing we love more than a fall or winter walk with friends and family. It’s a great way to fit in time to be active – even on holidays that seem to be all about the stuffing. Exhale On Demand Working out at home or on-the-go is a little bit easier when your favorite class is literally in your pocket. Hello, Exhale On Demand. Skiing We love skiing – and it burns serious calories, especially if you’re going cross-country. And believe it or not, your Barre practice helps
Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial start of summer! As many of us have started to up the sweat sessions and lighten up the grub, it can be tough to keep it consistent with the start of scrumptious summer shindigs. The good news is there are many ways to savor all of the good stuff while staying on a healthy track. Hydrate! - Amongst the celebratory beverages and other indulgences, it’s important to drink lots of water in order to avoid becoming dehydrated and getting a seriously unwanted headache. Keeping the water intake consistent can also keep you from overindulging on the goodies. Sweat! It’s inevitable, we are going
In exhale Barre classes, our Core Conditioning Series follows a pattern: Flat Back, Round Back, and finally the Curl – which introduces a progressive challenge of increased spinal flexibility with each position. All three exercises address two fundamental needs: strengthening the core while building flexibility in the back. Joseph Pilates always preached that the “supple spine equals a youthful body,” and it’s true. The more spinal strength and flexibility you have, the more strength and flexibility you’ll see in every other area. The curl takes discipline because it’s a complex position. You have to prioritize pressing the lower back down on the mat while simultaneously curling up enough to keep the shoulder
When Katie first came to exhale with a 30-day unlimited class package, she was recovering from a life-altering car accident and brain surgery. Here’s her incredible story of building strength and mindfulness at exhale – one class at a time. First, please indulge me in some brief (kind of) background info. I was hit by a car while crossing the street in July 2016 which left me with a grade 3 concussion and a left hip injury from the impact. The injury restricted my physical activity. About six weeks later, in September, I underwent brain surgery to remove a colloid cyst. My neurosurgeon estimated it had about a 50% chance
By: Fred DeVito, exhale co-founder and the ultimate fitness aficionado As a young barre teacher, back in the 80’s and 90’s, most students came to my class 4-5 times a week like clockwork. They loved the technique — because it challenged them constantly and it gave them fast and noticeable results. Back then, it was fashionable to be consistent with one method that worked. Nowadays, that kind of consistency is out — and variety is in. The belief is that the more you mix up your workouts, the more you challenge your body. Taking a different type of class every week is the M.O. for the modern aged workout junkies
By Fred DeVito Core Fusion co-founder and ultimate barre aficionado, Fred DeVito, breaks down the history of barre, how it works to change your body, and what to look for in a high-quality barre class. First things first: what is a barre?The Barre, a word taken from the world of ballet, is a fixed pole, firmly attached to a wall so that a person can pull, push, hold or lean on to gain support when performing exercises that are primarily using one’s body weight as resistance. These movements stem from the original ballet barre warmup that dancers use to prepare and train themselves for their actual dance combinations in a
By: Emily McNeely, exhale enthusiast, copywriter, dancer and (newly committed) Barre + Yoga devotee It’s why I fell in love with exhale in the first place: balance. Whether it’s the balance of spa and fitness, of energy and mindfulness, of strength and flexibility — or the challenging balance in chair position on the mat, heels up, arms stretched wide, finding your center. That’s why I fell in love with exhale’s new class, Barre + Yoga. The latest brainchild of exhale’s co-founder, former ballet dancer, and barre legend Elisabeth Halfpapp, Barre + Yoga blends two classes into one powerful, balanced hour. For the first half of class, you’re in Core Fusion
By: Fred DeVito, Core Fusion co-founder + the world’s first male barre teacher Most men are programmed from sports training in high school and college to think that lifting weights and doing cardio is how you stay in shape. But after high school and college, most of us realize that only doing exercises you’re used to can limit your fitness potential – and as the first male barre teacher in the industry, I learned this the hard way. The first time I ever took a barre class, I thought it would be easy. After all, I was a 23-year old athlete with a professional background in sports conditioning and training.
