Atlanta {workout} Bucket List

best workouts in Atlanta - a list

I don't always prescribe to the notion that you should try anything once, but when it comes to working out, I most certainly do. While nothing compares to my trusty running shoes (a la the BeltLine), what I like even better is my running shoes + a great class. 

I've tested out quite a few of them, and lately I've been asked for recommendations on what my favorites are. So, without further do, my Atlanta Workout Bucket List. 

The quick and dirty on what I've tried, what I've loved, what I haven't loved and what I need to try...

          Yoga
  1. Atlanta Hot Yoga  Great for super-hot yoga. I love Todd's West Coast Power Flow Class. 
  2. Decatur Yoga and Pilates Another great studio - and they have $35 unlimited for your first month when you sign up. It gets really hot in there. 
  3. Balance Yoga This is my favorite studio in Atlanta and where I have spent the most time. I love Jennifer and Caroline's Vinyasa Flow classes the most. They'll leave you super sore the next day.
  4. Tough Love Yoga - I didn't actually have a great experience here, but everyone else in the world seems to love it. I think I need to give it another shot.
  5. Studio Lotus
  6. Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga - dying to try this one. Caroline, from Balance, teaches it. 
  7. West Coast Workout - tried it, loved it. Will leave you happy and sore. Two of my favorite things. 
  8. Exhale Yoga

    Spinning
  9. FlyWheel - I think I have made my feelings on FlyWheel abundantly clear. 
  10. LA Fitness Buckhead Spin with April - After Flying, LA Fitness doesn't really compare. Unless you go to April's class. She will kill you and you will like it. I promise.

    Strength/Conditioning
  11. Blast 900 - As amazing as the website makes it seem. You will sweat, you will be sore and you will burn a load of calories. 
  12. Piedmont Park Boot Camp - such a great way to get outside. We did an awesome track workout + strength
  13.  VeriFit
  14. TRX Witzlib (Suspension Class) 
  15. Chaos Conditioning 
  16. Body Solutions (Body Blitz)
  17. Urban Active Calorie Crusher

    Kickboxing
  18. CoreFitness
  19. X3 Sports  Tried the Kickboxing class in Inman Park. It was great and I was so sore! Next up is the FastTrack class. 
  20. Atlanta Kick I was silly and went when I had a stress fracture. Still a great workout, but I need to go back now that my foot is fully functional. 
  21. Bangkok Boxing

    Barre
  22. Pure Barre - Absolutely loved it. It was amazing for toning. 
  23. Fly Barre - this was good, but not as good as FlyWheel or Pure Barre. A nice workout, but it won't leave you dead the way the other two will.

    Just Fun
  24. Atlanta Rocks Climbing
  25. SkyZone Trampoline 
  26. LA Fitness Brookhaven Zumba - more fun than it is a workout, but always nice to mix it up

So there you have it. My thoughts on the Atlanta workout scene. Don't forget a lot of places offer your first class free or discounted, and if you go to Lululemon, they'll give you free yoga passes around the city, as well as offer free in-store yoga each week. And that, my friends, is how you stay healthy, wealthy and wise in Atlanta. 

Happy fitnessing!

PS: Am I missing anything? Tell me, tell me below! To share is to love!

How to be awesome at being single.


If there is one thing I don't talk about on my blog, it's being single. Mainly because it's something that, much like my laundry list of debit card transactions, I prefer to pretend that if I ignore them, they'll go away.

However, whether I like it or not, I am 26. And I am single.

And, the anxiety I feel simply typing that sentence should tell you that I don't always fall into the category of the title of this post. I am not always awesome at being single. Sometimes it seriously concerns me. Sometimes I tell my friends that I am bored of being single and would just like to meet one guy who is worth a second date. Sometimes I get a little panicked when I think about the months - days - hours - that separate me and 27.

But sometimes, it's kind of fun. And sometimes, I think that this is a really special time of life that I will one day look back on and be grateful to have had.  So, while I certainly cannot always call myself awesome at being single, here's what I've figured out...

Be selfish. This is the only time you can do it. I see my sisters bouncing around 37 babies all at once while I'm beebopping from a run to yoga and dinner with friends and I often think: wow. No one is relying on me to make them dinner or change their diaper or do their laundry. So use this time to cultivate deep relationships with friends, pursue career goals, be spontaneous, become super fit, get involved at church, learn a new language, garner your green thumb... Anything that might be pushed to the back burner when you have a husband or baby relying on you.


But don't be that selfish. Give, give, give your extra time. The more I give, the more I want to give. It's a beautiful cycle. And I have found that the more I give, the more I get back. I'm not saying there are things about you that need to change before you get married (because I am positive you're awesome), but I am saying that you'll be surprised how much you can grow by giving back. I am constantly surprised at the way my heart is changing as I continue to serve others, even though I thought I was in a pretty good spot a year ago.

Figure yourself out. Sort through your mess. We (both single and married twenty-somethings) have gunk. By the time you're in your 20s, things start to stick a little more. Deal with it and grow from it. Let your pain be redeemed for the greater good. See a therapist if you need to. There is no shame in it. If you want, you can be like me and pretend you're just meeting a friend who is super good listener and accepts money on behalf of her incredible wisdom (it's just PR, really).

Figure out what you want. What do you want to do like your parents? What do you want to do differently? Which of your friends do you want to be just like? And which ones do you want to avoid? Make lists, be detailed and own it.

Know your deal breakers. I went on a date recently and was talking to my sister, Ashley, afterwards. I was telling her a whole list of concerns and then at the end said, "but I don't know if those are deal breakers." At which point she said, "Ya, I don't think those are deal breakers, Whit..." Sometimes it's easy to get to picky. And, on the contrary, sometimes, when we're frustrated, it's easy to settle too much. I think every Christian girl was once told to make a list of every thing she wants in her husband in middle school and pray over it. That's a great idea and I know some people who were so fortunate to have those lists fulfilled. But, my word, if I wanted the things I wanted at 13 now, I would be concerned. Throw away your 1000-word lists. But know your deal breakers. For me, there are certain things I must have, would love to have, would like to have and would like to avoid.

Enjoy it. We will never get this time back. I'd enjoy it a lot more if I knew I was going to meet with husband on an exact day (and I'd make sure to do my hair really well that day). But we don't. And all we can do is find joy in each day and trust that there is a bigger plan. So just focus on being the best you and loving the life you have. And remember, something beautiful is on the horizon.


image, image, image

oh, paper!

It's been baby city for my family lately. To be specific, my sister and two of my cousins were all pregnant this spring. Two babies were born last week, with one more to come at the end of summer. And this means - yes - there were be three newborns at Thanksgiving this year. I might actually try to hold them all at once. (!!)

This also means that my mom and aunt have been busy throwing baby showers left and right. Each time, they've enlisted my help with the invitations because, although it's not technically one of the five languages, I think paper suites are mine. 

I fall for paper products like I do restaurants: it's all in the details. The little things and the ambiance are what get me. 

And although I was once an equal opportunist (Crane! Kate Spade! Paper Source!), I have become a one-company kind of woman recently. Minted has my heart in every way possible. It's a community of independent artists who upload their own designs. And they have thought of every detail - from colored envelopes to invitation liners to addressing the cards for you (for real!) and everything in between, Minted isn't messing around.  

They even have super cute Father's Day cards! I didn't use them because I wanted to hand-write my note. But if I had, I would have done a little something like this:


That's mostly all I wanted to tell you today. Other than that you can get $25 off an order (jump-start those Christmas cards, my friends!) if you click here. And don't be fooled - I'm not getting anything out of this, nor is Minted asking me to promote them. I'm just that hooked. 

#itslove



happy atl weekend


I've said it once here and I've probably said it a million times out loud, but I still mean it when I say it makes me so happy when I stumble up an in-Atlanta, somewhat unplanned weekend. There is something so sweet about these weekends - just busy enough to feel social, but open enough for impromptu pool time and froyo with friends. Both scheduled and spontaneous, which is pretty much my ideal. 

Friday, a slightly hodgepodge (but awesome) group of friends came to see our new place and walk to El Taco and Hand in Hand. The night was pretty chill and offered the chance for new faces to meet and new connections to be made. Although I love nights where everyone is friends, with inside jokes and memories to laugh about, there is something so invigorating about watching new people connect. 


Saturday, Katie G. and I went to lunch at the Market at Parish (yum!), then tried Kale Me Crazy, which recently opened in Inman Park. It felt appropriate to try it with Katie since she introduced me to Arden's Garden last fall. 


Since I'm not exactly a kale lover, I was nervous to try their kale-based juices and smoothies. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I could barely taste the kale in my juice and am eager to go back and try a smoothie when I haven't just eaten. Our "juice-tender" was extremely knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. And the ambiance was pretty great too. The only thing I didn't like was that the cold-pressed juice came in a bottle. Even though he assured me it was fresh pressed that morning, I'm more of a straw and lid kind of person. 

Other weekend highlights include pool time and froyo with Stacy, Kate and Jill. Church with friends. And just enough exercise, rest and preparing for the week to get this Monday off to a great start.

I hope your weekend was great. It's the last week of no coffee for Lauren and me! Wahoo :)