CategoriesFashion Uncategorized

Full-Length Workout Videos

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Read More

CategoriesUncategorized

Three Super Top Secret Reasons Why You Need to Add Yoga to Your Fitness Regime

You’ve likely heard of the health benefits of yoga: reduces stress, improves posture, increases flexibility, and much, much more. You may have even heard some things that may be questionable…however, regardless of your age or fitness level , or what you may or may not be training for, yoga is one of the best things you can do for your body.

Here are three stellar reasons to add some yoga to your fitness routine:

1.) Balance. Take a moment and stand on one leg. Then shift, and stand on the other. If you can, kick your free leg out in front of you and then behind you, very, very slowly. How hard does your standing foot/ankle work to keep you stable and steady? This is a good indicator of your ability to balance. In every day life, walking or running requires balancing on one leg. As we age, this balance becomes more and more critical. Yoga gives you the opportunity to practice balance. You may suck – and some days are better than others, but yoga provides a practice to strengthen your balance and the muscles in your feet (your future self will thank you later!).

2.) Identifies tightness/weakness. In practicing yoga you will inevitably discover (if you didn’t know already) where you are tight, and/or weak. Your balance on one side might be off – that ankle might be weaker. Your left hip might be tighter than your right. In practicing (which requires you to go to more than just one class) you begin to notice your body’s imbalances, how you compensate, and how you might favor one side vs. the other. Through this awareness, you can begin to make changes and strengthen those areas that may be weak.

3.). Practice with discomfort. Yoga gives you the opportunity to practice holding discomfort. In exercise (and in life), your mind will stop you waaaaaay before your body is ready to give in. The practice of Yoga gives you the opportunity to hold discomfort and breathe through it. This is immensely helpful in that third set of deadlifts, at mile 23…or while staring down your three year old in a battle of wills.

In the end, yoga has many, many benefits and applications to most any athletic discipline. This practice can only make you better, in more ways than one. Give yoga a try today – and know that it may take more than one class to decide if it’s for you. Find a teacher you resonate with, and a class in which you feel comfortable – again, your future self will thank you later!

 

By Beth Cline

CategoriesBlog Live Fit. Move. Uncategorized

Run Stronger

The sun is out and shining in Seattle which means it’s running season. When thinking about running, it’s easy to focus solely on running itself to improve our speed and endurance. To effectively take your running to the next level, cross training should be incorporated into your fitness routine.  These exercises will not only make you a stronger runner, but it will help prevent injuries. Below are some of my favorite exercises to incorporate with running:

  1. Lateral band walks are a great way to activate and strengthen the glutes which is crucial for running. Use these as a warmup exercise or in a circuit with other exercises to really feel the burn! Here’s how to use:
    1. Grab a mini band and place above the ankles or around the balls of your feet.
    2. Start with feet hip distance apart and toes pointing forward. From here, drive with your knee and step to the side.
    3. The other foot will step and return to your starting position (hip-width distance).
    4. Go for reps or for distance and make sure you do both sides.
  2. Deadbugs
    1. Deadbugs are a great exercise for strengthening the core. This exercise requires a neutral spine position while moving your arms and legs, so it is also great for stability and balance.
      1. Lay on your back with your arms straight in the air and legs bent with knees stacked over your hips. Press your low back into the floor to engage your abdominal muscles.
      2. Inhale and extend opposite arm, opposite leg while keeping your low back glued to the floor. Exhale and return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
      3. Start by doing two rounds of 8 reps per side and slowly increase the number of reps/sets. Use this as a warmup or as part of your workout.
  3. Glute Bridges
    1. Glute bridges are a great way to build strength and stability in your glutes/hips. Start with your bodyweight and as you get stronger, use bands, single leg variations, or even a barbell to challenge yourself.
      1. To start, lay on your back with your heels about a palm’s distance away from your glutes.
      2. Dig your heels into the ground and raise your hips, squeezing your glutes through the entire movement. Ideally, your hips should be in line with your shoulders at the top with your shins vertical.
      3. Pause at the top and control down to the starting position.
      4. Start with two rounds of 10 reps.
  4. Hamstring Curls
    1. Hamstring strength is crucial to running, but many of us struggle to activate this muscle group. Hamstring curls are a great way to strengthen and activate these muscles and can be done in different ways. Feel free to use a machine, stability ball, or gliders to start. My favorite are gliders.
      1. Lay on your back with your heels on a set of gliders about a palm’s distance away from your glutes. Dig your heels into the ground and squeeze your glutes to come into a glute bridge position.
      2. Slowly extend your legs away from you maintaining tension in the back of your legs. If you are able, keep your hips up and return to the starting position. If this feels too challenging, or you start to feel tension in your lower back, drop your hips to the floor and bring your heels back to the starting position.
      3. Repeat for about 8-10 reps.
Side motion view of young sexy attractive healthy fitness sporty active slim girl with sportswear running in front of the grey wall at night on the street.

Try adding one or all of these exercises to your strength routine and see how your runs become stronger and faster!

CategoriesUncategorized

Cycle Fusion

An intense combo class where indoor cycling meets strength training. Start with 25 minutes of cycling to get your heart rate up and blood pumping, then move to the floor for 25 minutes of strength training combined with weights, bands, and glides. It’s everything you need in a 50 minute session!

CategoriesUncategorized

What is Yin Yoga?

Yoga is a mainstream form of fitness and flexibility that has become a staple at most gyms and fitness studios. It’s accessible for multiple levels of fitness as well as varying degrees of knowledge and skill with the method, itself. But ‘yoga’ is a general term that can refer to a wide range of styles, including kundalini, hatha, and ashtanga yoga. Yin yoga is another style of yoga that is much less well known, yet still highly effective.

It’s lack of mainstream knowledge probably has to do with the fact that Yin yoga typically takes more time to warm up to, making it harder to incorporate into gym class offerings because beginners may be intimidated to try it.

Yin yoga was initially called “Daoist” yoga, which targets the body’s deep connective tissues and their relationship with the fascia covering the body, with the intent to regulate the body’s flow of energy.

The postures of Yin yoga are more passive, and come out to only about 40 different poses, unlike yang-like styles. One of the most unique aspects of Yin yoga, in practice, is that it’s most beneficial when you relax in the posture and soften your muscles in order to move closer to bone. Yin yoga therefore offers a far deeper access to your body, compared with the more superficial movements of yang-like yoga. Yin yoga postures are often held longer than other types, commonly 3-5 minutes. Sometimes, you might hold a posture for as much as 20 minutes!

It’s best to approach Yin yoga like you would meditation. This style of yoga is far more centered on the student’s level of intimacy with their feelings, emotions and sensations, which makes it beneficial for programs that deal with related issues such as anxiety, trauma, addictions and deep emotional pain. Yin yoga allows students greater mental stability, as well as better physical flexibility. Since joint flexibility deteriorates as we age, Yin yoga is a great way to maintain and even improve flexibility to keep your range of motion as limber as possible.

Some of the most notable benefits of Yin yoga are:

  • Balancing and relaxing the body
  • Regulating energy throughout the body
  • Increased mobility and flexibility
  • Calming the mind, reducing stress
  • Improving stamina
  • Enhancing one’s ability to cope with anxiety and stress

Flow Fitness has recently added Yin yoga to our weekly class offering! Yin Yoga – Deep Stretch with Beth is offered weekly on Sundays from 6 – 7 p.m.

Aerial Illustration of New Fremont LocationCategoriesUncategorized

Fremont Location Now Open

Flow Fitness has opened its second location in downtown Fremont. Located at 710 N. 34th Street, our new 13,000 square-foot club is unlike any other fitness facility in Seattle and offer members the ultimate fitness experience.

We’ve seen the trend in fitness, people have grown tired of the traditional gym and want better results and a higher-level fitness experience. Boutique studios, CrossFit gyms and training gyms are on the rise. We also know that the cost for these niche fitness experiences may not be feasible or sustainable for many. At Flow Fitness Fremont, you have access to several high-quality fitness programs plus a self-service gym at one place, for one great price.

Our Fremont location features:

Barre: In our dedicated studio, Flow Barre classes blend ballet, Pilates and strength training into a comprehensive total body workout. Our classes use a combination of large and small movements to keep your heart rate up and target specific muscle groups.

Cycling: Our music inspired classes incorporate the latest Schwinn technology to give you the feel of an authentic ride with performance metrics to continually challenge yourself. Our stadium-style cycle studio has a state of the art sound and light system which provides the energy and motivation to keep you coming back for more. We also provide cycle shoes to keep your experience authentic.

Strength and Conditioning Gym: Our nearly 3,000 square foot gym is focused around functional training and is unlike most commercial gyms. If you’re frustrated with your current gym or not getting the results you want, this is the gym for you.

Team Training: Flow Fitness coaches lead programs designed to increase conditioning and muscular endurance through the use of multi-joint/ multi-plane functional movements. Each session starts with a complete mobility and muscle activation routine. The remainder of the session consists of a series of timed training “blocks “ using kettlebells, dumbbells, TRX-Trainers, slam balls, battle ropes, sandbags, and our High Intensity Interval Training equipment for a complete metabolic workout. Team Training workouts change on a monthly basis to ensure mastery of each movement and allow participants to create progression. Our 1300 square feet of dedicated space ensures that each TEAM has room to move and the training toys to match!

Training: In addition to Team Training, we offer small group and personal training programs which make high-level training accessible for all levels and budget. Our certified trainers  give you the knowledge, support and motivation to reach a new level of fitness.

Yoga: Escape the chaos of everyday life and connect to your breath, your body and your life in our beautiful yoga studio. Flow’s yoga program is dedicated to creating a supportive space in which yoga practitioners of all levels can learn and grow. Flow Yoga classes include mindful, intelligent teaching and sequencing with highly trained teachers from a blend of yoga traditions. We offer a comprehensive program that consists of classes appropriate for beginners through seasoned practitioners, including restorative, yin, power flow, slow & steady and more. We also offer workshops to encourage you to deepen your practice.

Locker rooms: We offer premium locker rooms featuring Keyless locks, showers, towel service and full amenities.

[do_widget id=bwp_gallery-3]

CategoriesUncategorized

Join the Team

This fall, Flow Fitness is opening its second location in downtown Fremont. This new, 13,000 square-foot club will be unlike any other fitness facility in Seattle, offering members the ultimate fitness experience.  

We’ve seen the trend at our location in South Lake Union; the growth of boutique studios, Crossfit, and training gyms. We know that people want a more comprehensive fitness experience, with several high-quality fitness programs in one place, for one price.

This is what Flow Fitness South Lake Union is known for, and it’s what we’re bringing to our Fremont location. The new Fremont Flow Fitness will offer:

  • Strength and Conditioning facility
  • 1,100 square-foot Yoga studio
  • 1,300 square-foot Team Training area
  • Stadium-style cycle studio
  • Barre and Dance Studio
  • Private and semi-private training
  • Deluxe locker rooms with full amenities

We invite you to become a part of this revolutionary fitness facility. Flow Fitness is hiring for the following positions:
 
Trainers/Coaches (certification required)
Barre instructors (some experience required)
Cycle instructors (some experience required)
Yoga instructors (certification required)
Assistant Manager
 
Please email your resume, along with the position you are interested in info@flowfitnessseattle.com. 

CategoriesUncategorized

Week Five: Transition Time

This is a guest post by Flow Member, Caroline Zelonka, participating in The Reset.

What a difference a month makes. In the course of 30 days, I’ve lost about nine pounds, gained more energy, experienced a slight but significant remission in my eczema, and most importantly, changed up my eating habits for the better.

On Friday, the Whole 30 was finally in the books, and we were free to choose one forbidden food group to add back in. After entertaining various options, I decided to go the practical route and wait until Saturday night to enjoy my first non-compliant food group: alcohol.

I’m normally a wine drinker, but I do like a good martini. (And the olives are compliant, of course.) Over the course of five hours, I had four of these devilish cocktails, and definitely felt it the next day. I also threw a few low-calorie “spiked seltzer” girl-beers on Superbowl Sunday, but by Monday I knew I didn’t want to stretch it over three days.

So Monday I reintroduced dairy, which is probably my favorite food group. I had cottage cheese and eggs for breakfast, which always makes me feel amazing, and real cream (!!!) in my coffee. I was going to buy some milk, but as luck would have it, I found a box of unsweetened almond milk in a cupboard, so I will finish that while I reintroduce other foods.

Tuesday morning I had a Whole 30 breakfast out of habit: eggs and vegetables. I may try something sweet later, if I get the urge. If not, by default I might add legumes, or possibly a non-wheat, gluten-free grain. I plan to monitor wheat very closely, because I feel I could have some sort of sensitivity to wheat. I sure hope not, but I know I could live without bread for the most part, especially if the tradeoff is less bloating and eczema.

Tonight I am planning on getting officially weighed and measured. I weighed myself this morning and it still shows the same, nine-pound loss from last week. This may be just a fluctuation, though. I feel thinner and all of the pants in my regular rotation are looser. I could get used to this.