Sweat Your Way Into the New Year with These Top Fitness Classes & Tips

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By Cassie Galasetti

With every new year we have an opportunity to shed old habits and start fresh with a positive outlook on our personal health and well-being.

Time and time again we hear eating right and sweating your way into the new year will help you lose weight and remain on course, but sometimes we don’t always keep those resolutions. As little as 10 percent of us actually stick to our New Year resolutions throughout the year. Most of us quit as soon as February. Whether it’s a lack of motivation or creating unrealistic resolutions, it’s still important to make an effort and try to figure out how to finish what we start.

So, if you’re ready to mix up your fitness routine there are quite a few gyms in the Two River area offering new and exciting classes to kick-start 2019.

Right on Broad Street in Red Bank, Pure Barre has announced a new class offering called Pure Reform that targets, shapes and defines all major muscle groups through resistance-based training. Complementing Pure Barre’s Classic and Empower classes, Pure Reform will allow clients to engage in a well-rounded exercise regimen at the Red Bank studio.

“We are so excited to add Pure Reform to our two current class offerings, Pure Barre Classic and Pure Empower. Being able to offer a variety of classes allows us to meet the needs of our clients wanting more in-studio cross-training opportunities, a one-stop shop,” said Melanie Colman, co-owner of workout establishment.

Pure Barre is known for its total body barre workout using a series of low impact, isometric movements that are designed to produce results. In each class you use the ballet barre and other light equipment as you move through class, focusing on different areas of your body.

If you want to bounce your way into the new year, Perspirology in Sea Bright recently expanded, introducing a trampoline workout called “BounceLab” to their lineup. It’s a low impact workout for all levels that packs a high-intensity punch. It improves lymphatic function, balance and coordination and even helps reduce cellulite, according to the trainers at Perspirology.

Switching up your routine is a great way to keep motivated, beat workout boredom and often prevents you from hitting a plateau once your body starts to get stronger.

“We are constantly striving to keep our workouts innovative, fun and challenging,” said Katy Fraggos, head trainer and co-owner. “This is the ‘secret recipe’ that keeps fitness plateaus at bay. Our newest class, BounceLab, is bringing the goods in a major way.”

Perspirology, located on Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright is a boutique fitness studio that specializes in sculpting tight, toned physiques through dance- based exercises that enhance cardiovascular and muscular endurance.

Yoga is another way to increase your personal health and well-being. Synergy Hot Yoga in Fair Haven offers hot yoga classes in various styles in its state- of-the-art studio, equipped with an infra-red heating system with integrated humidity and continuous fresh air circulation. For the new year they added beginner classes that are just a “little warm” and yin classes that are not hot at all.

Yoga has been proven to provide a deeper and safer way of stretching, a better cardiovascular work- out, greater flexibility and balance, stress reduction, mind/body connection and a calm sense of well-being.

Jen Portman, owner and director of Synergy Hot Yoga said, “Yoga is a science that has outlasted any fitness trend for several reasons. It is more than physical fitness; it is complete well-being, encompassing body, mind and spirit.”

Yoga provides a motivating atmosphere because you’re never exercising alone. “Studies have shown that people who exercise with a partner or in a class setting have more continued success and more fun. The yoga community is unique because in every class we are encouraged to listen to our own bodies and respond appropriately, rather than compete with or judge others. In a Synergy yoga class, students of all levels practice together and everyone is challenged and supported,” said Portman.

Besides switching up your fitness routine and exercising with others, here are a few other tips to reach your health and wellness goals in 2019:

• Make your health as important as everything else in your life. Because it is! Schedule a set time each day to exercise, even if it’s just a 20-minute walk around your neighborhood.
• Start slowly. Being that it’s the new year, you’ll probably be your most motivated self and run the risk of pushing too hard in the beginning. This could pre- vent you from sticking it out through fatigue or even injury.
• Quit negative self-talk. If you slip up, don’t beat yourself up. Acknowledge the slip-up and move on.
• Take a rest when you need it. Workout burnout isn’t good for anyone. Sore muscles and stiffness can be a sign you need a rest day.
• Be honest with yourself and remember why you started. What does this whole process mean to you? Reminding yourself will be a big motivator to keep going.