Before jumping into studio reviews I think it’s important to preface my fitness levels as my opinions are highly based on where I am in this journey. I have always been fairly active and have a high energy expenditure. I did every sport growing up from ballet/gymnastics to lacrosse, basketball and softball, but my parents very quickly realized I have next to zero hand eye coordination and am secretly a mermaid. Swimming was my first love and I was a competitive swimmer until high school before deciding to walk on to our rowing team in college (while still swimming for our club team). 

All this is a long winded explanation of me saying I love to be active but until 22 I never had to go to a traditional gym. I would attend daily 2 hour practices, weight sessions 2x and run for our monthly 5ks (again I’m a mermaid so this part was torture).  In the summers I was a country club lifeguard and would frequently swim laps while on break. Staying active was super easy and part of my lifestyle. Being active allowed me to lose energy so that I was more focused and it motivated me to eat healthier to compete and train at my best. There was a direct correlation between the two, if I overate or had the wrong foods it would make me physically sick and not showing up was not an option so I created this routine. I loved this lifestyle and thrive on it. 
After graduation this routine was thrown for a major loop. All of a sudden, I didn’t have to be at a 6am practice so I could be up until 1am on netflix. I could eat junk food since if I felt sluggish, it was a “rest day”. I no longer had a coach giving me a set of 100flys to complete in 1:30 or 500m sets for rowing based on my top 2k time. During my years of athletics I had acquired all the knowledge necessary to hold my own at the gym but had none of the discipline. 

This affected me more than I ever thought possible. I am hyper aware that working out is how I deal with daily stress and anxieties so I immediately got a gym membership to an amazing facility that had a swimming pool and a wide array of classes. The goal was to take classes 4-5x a week before work. Sounds great in theory but between juggling a 10 hour work day and a new relationship, I would hit snooze in the morning and then the afternoons would always end up in drinks with co-workers or enjoying NYC with my then boyfriend. Fitness had become a tertiary thought and I was fully aware that I mentally and physically felt better after going to the gym but did not have the drive to do it. 

Fast forward 2 years, my boyfriend and I broke up and I began having so much extra time and some spending money since we lived in a foodie area and would eat out alot (covering the bill half the time adds up). With this, I justified ClassPass. The $49 membership fee ends up being equivalent to 1 dinner a month and having done it before I knew I loved it. If you are someone like me who loves being active and has 0 discipline, I could not recommend ClassPass enough for two reasons. 1. It allows you to explore and enjoy your city with all of the studio options and 2.  it charges you for skipping classes or cancelling within 12 hours (nothing will get your butt up like $20 cancellation fee).
With ClassPass I have had the opportunity to take HIIT classes at the nicest studios in NYC, go paddleboarding on the Hudson River, take trapeze classes and so much more and this has allowed me to have fun with moving and challenging myself again. 
All in all,  I am still on this fitness journey and am hoping these posts will not only give me some drive to find that routine again but also hold me accountable to challenging myself and seeing what my body is capable of while playing and having fun.  I’m open to any studio suggestions and hopefully you will stick around and enjoy!