For a long time now, I’ve been wanting to highlight my favourite fitness studios and show every body that the North Shore has a lot to offer. I have so much North Van pride and I honestly think it’s the best place in the world to live! Downtown Vancouver isn’t the only place where you can get a great workout at an amazing studio, eat clean, delicious food and connect with great people. Although I couldn’t go to them all, I did want to share with you a few of my favourite spots.
TOUR OF THE NORTH SHORE
5:15 am – Wake up and hydrate! I knew it was going to be a long day and hydration is crucial to staying energized all day. I kicked off my day with lemon water followed by oatmeal with chia, hemp and berries before I headed out the door for event #1 at Eastwood Cycle.
6:15 am – EASTWOOD CYLCE – Icon Spin Class.
When Eastwood announced they were coming to the North Shore I was so excited. Eastwood has such a great vibe to it and is welcoming to all levels. They offer different class formats for the variety of riders on the North Shore. I love the Icon class as it feels like a dance party on the bike and I love riding to the beat. The icon class involves upper body as well as lots of variation in the 45 minutes class so it flies by and you don’t even realize you are working your butt off.
I took Lyndsey’s class and her playlist was perfectly curated for a Monday 6 am class with a good mix of beats with some hip hop and dance music to ride to.
7:30 am – Home for a coffee, bliss ball and some more fruit.
9:30 am – BARRE FITNESS – Barre Fitness Class
Full disclosure: Barre is my favourite workout of all time. Yes I work there so you might think I am biased but it’s not even that. Barre workouts speak to my dancer soul. I grew up at the barre so there is nostalgia and joy when I get to workout as a adult at the barre.
And it’s a safe, effective, one hour head to toe workout that is accessible to EVERYONE. I have seen transformations right in front of my eyes as women start getting consistent with their barre workouts. It’s amazing. All the Barre Fitness studios offer a variety of class formats to challenge all levels and each teacher brings their unique background into their teaching style.
My class was led by Melissa and I had Norrie, Lauren and Jessica there with me to lift, pulse, and plié with. It was a full, great class and I felt strong and energized from it 🙂
11 pm – Buddha-ful.
After barre it was time for a green smoothie from my favourite vegan cafe- Buddhaful. Lauren, Jessica and I headed into the cozy bustling cafe and all ordered one of their green, protein smoothies. Their menu is quite large and there are a lot of options! You can order freshly pressed juice, baked goods, smoothie bowls, wraps, salads, smoothies or fresh kombucha on tap. I can’t wait for them to open their second location closer to my house!
http://www.buddha-full.ca
12 pm SWEAT VANCITY. TRX CLASS
TRX classes are new to the North Shore and clearly, we were missing out! I have done TRX workouts before but never in a class-like setting.
Sweat Vancity has a great formula for a killer workout: 3 intense cardio machines (treadmill, spin bike, rower), a large variety of equipment (bosu balls, weights, pilates rings, resistance bands etc..) and of course TRX straps. I knew this was going to be the hardest workout of the day and boy was I right!
Cecelia, our instructor, taught a tough class with a great variety of cardio and TRX moves that challenged my entire body. My arms were shaking underneath me and I couldn’t even finish my plank series (seriously HARD AF!).
The nice thing about TRX is that even though it’s a hard workout, it’s accessible to everyone. You get to choose your intensity and can always take breaks when needed.
I am so glad I had Lauren and Jessica were there with me to help push me right to the end.
http://sweatvancity.com/classes/
1:30 pm – Home for a large lunch! Quinoa, yam, arugula, chickpea salad with turmeric lemon tahini drizzle.
5:30 pm. After an afternoon of a mixture of writing, going for a walk in Deep Cove with my kids, and relaxing… it was time to re-fuel before my last class of the day. Salmon with rice and broccolini for an easy, healthy dinner with lots more water!
7:30 pm – BODHI YOGA AND MEDITATION – The Bodhi Class (Kundalini yoga).
Bodhi is new (ish) to the North Shore and it’s exactly what we needed. A yoga and meditation studio where you can leave your ego at the door and really focus on your practice. I had only done Kundalini a handful of times before this and knew that it was the perfect end to a busy day. Kundalini Yoga incorporates movement, dynamic breathing techniques, meditation, and the chanting of mantras. Kundalini is an experience like no other yoga class! It’s an incredibly empowering experience that increases your vibration and consciousness.
Norrie joined me for class even though she had taken 2 classes with me earlier AND taught a Barre Cardio! Plus we both had other things on our minds and could have easily stayed home and watched the Bachelor. But Courtenay’s class was exactly what we both needed. The class energized me and left me feeling high on love. It was the perfect way to end my tour of the North Shore.
http://www.bodhistudios.ca
I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of such a supportive, amazing community. The North Shore has it all. Great vegan restaurants, wonderful fitness studios and the best people in Vancouver:)