BMOREtoned

May Fitness Calendar + AmbassadorX Giveaway!

Temperatures are starting to warm up, and outdoor workouts are popping up all over the city! We can’t wait for the start of Natty Bohga rooftop yoga at M.Power, REV & UAPC’s outdoor Client Appreciation event, and Waterfront Wellness returning later this month!

Check out all the fit-related events below, and be sure to check back throughout the month! As they come up, we’ll be adding more and more events!

Wednesday, May 4th: AmbassadorX event
Join 10 powerful lululemon athletica Ambassadors at the Creative Alliance for an evening of motivation + inspiration as they share their stories of failure and triumph, pecha kucha style. Tickets cost $25 and doors open at 6:30PM.

BONUS: We have an extra set of tickets for tonight’s AmbassadorX talk! Follow @BMOREtoned on Instagram and comment on our post for a chance to win! 

lululemon baltimore ambassador x

Wednesday, May 4th: FREE Dailey Barre Community Class
Enjoy a FREE Dailey Barre class with one of TDM Towson’s teachers in training. Class is from 4:45-5:45PM. 

Thursday, May 5th: Shack Track & Field/Charm City Run Dualthon at REV
Earn your Cinco de Mayo festivities w/ our very own Jami Gobao! Join for a FREE REV45 ride at 7PM, then join Charm City Run/STF for a 3mi or 5mi route straight to Shake Shack on Pratt Street. First beer/wine/shake is on the house!

Thursday, May 5th: Cinco de Mayo C2 at CorePower
Sweat out Cinco de Mayo with a juicy C2 flow at 6PM followed by food & drink from Little Havana.

Friday, May 6th: Drip & Sip at The Dailey Method Towson
Join Studio Owner Melanie Kozel for a challenging workout at the barre, then celebrate after class with beer, wine, and snacks. Free for members, $25 for nonmembers.

Friday, May 6th: Barrevolution Ocean City Grand Opening
More details TBD! 

Saturday, May 7th: InvestEd Mind Body Soul class at REV 
Curious what the barre buzz is all about? This month’s InvestEd Mind Body Soul class will be a REV BARRE45 class for Beginners, so you can learn what it means to “embrace the shake” and how to manage your personal finances all at the same time!

InvestEd Mind Body Soul class at REV

Saturday, May 7th: 10th Annual Fiesta 5k for ALS Research 
Support the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins and log 3.1mi with Charm City Run!

Saturday, May 7th: The Moxie Sessions at M.Power: Get Bent & Take Flight
Work your hips & hammies, twists & core and more in this workshop, focusing on getting in and out of a well aligned Astavakrasana arm balance. Free for members, $25 for nonmembers.

Sunday, May 8th: Bend & Brew: Mother’s Day Barre at the Brewery
Join our own co-founder Annie for a very special fundraiser barre class at Independent Brewing Company in downtown Bel Air, honoring her mother Pam. Class will be held from 10AM – 10:45AM, after which we’ll enjoy a beer or two at the brewery! Cost of class is $15, and 100% of the proceeds go back to Free to Breathe, a non-profit organization dedicated to doubling lung cancer survival by 2022.

Bend & Brew: Mother's Day Barre at the Brewery

Sunday, May 8th: In-store Pilates Barre with Jason Williams at lululemon Harbor East
One of our favorite instructors and personal trainers, Jason Williams aka Charm City PT will be leading a FREE Pilates Barre class in-store at lululemon athletica Harbor East at 10AM. Enjoy a pre-brunch sweat and pick up a last minute gift for Mom!

Tuesday, May 10th: MAY Shack Track + Field Run
You know the drill – meet at the Charm City Run in McHenry Row at 7PM for a 3 or 5mi fun run ending at Shake Shack on Pratt Street where your first beer/wine/shake is on the house!

Wednesday, May 11th & Wednesday, May 25th: The Eating Empowerment Workshop w/ Rachel Druckenmiller
We met the lovely Rachel Druckenmiller a couple weeks ago at the UMD Health & Wellness Conference and were so impressed by her approach to nutrition! We definitely recommend joining Rachel for a two-part workshop at the Institute of Integrative Health as she shares foods and mindful eating techniques that can improve your mood, reduce feelings of stress, and create a more satisfying and enjoyable eating experience.

Saturday, May 14th: REV & UAPC Client Appreciation Day
If you haven’t signed up for an outdoor REV ride on the promenade at Under Armour as part of REV & UAPC’s Client Appreciation Day, make sure you do so ASAP as bikes are booking up fast for Baltimore’s largest outdoor spin classes! If you can’t get into the 8AM REV45 w/ Eddie, 9AM REV45 w/ Jami & Maddison, or 10AM REV45 w/ Esther you can still participate in any of the free classes offered throughout the day as well: 7AM Rise & Shine Yoga w/ Marissa Walsh, 9AM Connected Fitness workout w/ Reed, and 11AM Community Bootcamp w/ Reed & Nick Rodricks of REV/November Project Baltimore.

Saturday, May 14th: Natty Bohga Rooftop Yoga season kickoff 
Yes, Natty Bohga is BACK! Kickoff rooftop yoga season at M.Power every Saturday at 10AM with Power Vinyasa, beautiful views of the city, and live music.

MPower Yoga Studio Baltimore BOHga

Saturday, May 14th: Charm City Wine Run 5k
Chase the Chardonnay in Charm City style with a 5k that starts and ends in Baltimore’s beautiful Inner Harbor, just in time to enjoy the largest Wine & Food Festival at Baltimore’s Rash Field!

Sunday, May 15th: B’More SUP Grand Opening Party
FloYo returns to Baltimore with the grand opening of B’More SUP! Test your skills on the water with free social paddles, SUP fitness demos with FloYo instructors, raffles & giveaways, then continue the party at nearby Hard Yacht Cafe.                                                       

Sunday, May 15th & Sunday, May 22nd: REV101 for Beginners 
Spin right into summer with REV101 for Beginners, a 2-class series that sets new cyclists up for success. Cost is $35 – first class meets Sunday, May 15th from 5:30PM – 6:15PM with Nick, then Sunday, May 22nd from 5:30PM – 6:15PM with Doe.

Saturday, May 28th: Waterfront Wellness Season Begins! 
FREE fitness along the waterfront returns every Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday May 28th thru September 18th!

Baltimore waterfront wellness

  • Classes at Pierce’s Park on Pier V (711 Eastern Avenue)
    • Tuesday: 5:30PM Barre by REV Cycle Studio
    • Wednesday: 5:30PM Total Body Sculpt by Merritt Athletic Club
  • Classes at West Shore Park in the Inner Harbor (501 Light Street)
    • Saturday: 8AM Boot Camp by XPF Studio, 9AM Dance2Fitness by XPF Studio
    • Sunday: 8AM Yoga by Yogaworks, 9AM Barre Fit by INLINE Fitness

As always, keep coming back to check for added events throughout the month! Let us know if you see that we missed something! 

Relay Foods Recipe Planner Review

Relay Foods is not brand new to Baltimore, but I’ll be the first to admit, despite its EXTREME convenience, I just don’t utilize the service enough. If you’re not familiar with Relay, its basically a sustainable, online farmer’s market that brings locally sourced, fresh produce, products from Baltimore-based companies and more to you, for FREE. As in, you can avoid the grocery store entirely and shop online (I prefer to do so in pajamas, with a glass of wine in hand) and pick up your order at any of their many pickup locations around town. Or, you can subscribe to Doorstep, in which you’ll get unlimited groceries delivered to your door for $19/year, or a single home delivery for $12…yup, it’s just that damn easy.

One of my favorite things about Relay, besides the fact that you can now order Gundalow Juice thru their market, is their SWEET Refer-A-Friend program, in which you can send a friend a promo for $20 off their first Relay order, and get $20 credit yourself – no joke, I’ve accumulated $160 worth of free groceries in the past, and simultaneously made my friends’ lives easier. Here’s our referral link – we scratch your back, you scratch our’s 😉

Now, in an ideal world, Sunday’s are my day off, to meal plan, go to the store, prep, relax, plan out my glasses, walk the pup, you know, all those “adult” things, but let’s be honest that just doesn’t always happen. Weekend before last just happened to be one of those weekends, and we went into the work week with good intentions, and an empty fridge. Enter Relay Foods. I saw that Relay had recently begun offering a weekly meal plan program (tailored to every dietary need out there!), so Monday night Ryan made his chili (our go-to, quick dinner that yields plenty of leftovers), we choose 3 options from the “30 Minute Meal” category and Tuesday afternoon I picked up the goods from the Patterson Park Charter School pickup location.

Patterson Park pickup

Not only was the driver incredibly nice, I got an email that the delivery was arriving 15 minutes late, so was given a coupon for $5 off my next order. Color me impressed, customer service team!

IMG_1102

Total disclosure: In selecting the 3 meals, I wasn’t going for *AS* healthy as possible – my fiancee & I both had a really active week planned of 10k training, yoga teacher training, teaching barre, etc. so I really just choose the 3 most convenient, tasty looking options that we’d BOTH eat – again, trying to keep it simple and DO LESS here. I’ll also be completely honest – my fiancee made all 3 of these dinners, I just took the pictures and “did the shopping”… sounds fair to me! That being said, he didn’t complain once (they were THAT easy) and we had plenty of leftovers to take for lunch throughout the week.

Groceries

Here’s how far my $100 budget (3 dinners of 4 servings, and my fav PB&J Chia Seed pudding recipe) stretched, with a lot of specialty items in there like homemade almond butter, figs, etc.

 

Tuesday Night: Paleo Buffalo Turkey Burgers w/ Sweet Potato Fries

Lettuce wrap for me (some days I try to eat somewhat clean, others I eat 2 desserts) and a brioche bun for Ry.

 

Wednesday Night: Creamy Red Pepper and Tomato Basil Pasta 

Creamy Pasta

Alright, this one was downright decadent, but after 3 barre classes on Weds, I was fiending for carbs. I can honestly say as soon as I was done dinner I was already salivating for lunch leftovers, the fresh fettuccine was THAT tasty.

 

Thursday Night: We had planned to keep the home-cooked dinner streak alive, but I had a weekend-long training beginning Friday night, so we enjoyed dinner out instead.

Friday Night: Artichoke Pesto and Kale Pizza With Sundried Tomatoes 

Kale Pizza

Alright, this recipe called for gluten-free crust and a ton of kale, so way more balanced than our typical Friday night pizza outing.

 

Needless to say, we ate well, saved time, and managed to avoid the daily 3PM “What should we do for dinner?” text exchange all week long. I’m amazed every time HOW much smoother the week goes when meals are planned and we don’t even have to think about it. We even treated ourselves to dinner at our favorite Fells Point spot after my training wrapped up Saturday night, satisfied that we’d been “responsible” all week long:) We did make one quick run to Harris Teeter for essentials (namely K-cups, dog poop bags, and agave nectar because I was insistent it’d be cheaper in the store), but overall Relay had everything we needed for the week!

While I really enjoyed the meal plan feature, especially the convenience of simply selecting my desired meals and having all the necessary ingredients automatically added to my cart, I did notice there were a FEW items I didn’t necessarily need, such as an entire head of celery just to use as garnish for the turkey burgers. Also, I didn’t take the time to take stock of what staples we already had before placing my order, which would be my recommendation to help keep costs down and avoid having doubling up on something you rarely use, like heavy cream.

If you haven’t tried Relay yet, we definitely recommend it – in fact, they’ll even be providing some lite snacks for our CorePower meetup this Sunday at 11AM! Try it (using our link, while you’re at it) and let us know what you think!

xo Annie

 

BMOREtoned Holiday Gift Guide

SO MANY GIFTSIt’s gift giving season! We know there are TONS of gift guides out there, so we did the scoping for you! We took a look at some of our own favorites and scanned the top lists to compile a super sweet wishlist for (you and/or) that special someone!

From must-have fitness gear to healthy lifestyle tools, we’ve got you covered with more than 50 brilliant gifts in all price ranges!

* BONUS: We always love to support our incredible local businesses here in Charm City! Look for the * to signify a product made/sold locally! 

FOR THE FITNESS ENTHUSIAST

Screen Shot 2015-12-04 at 4.29.51 PM

It was hard to pick our favorite items for the fit lovers…we want IT ALL! Check out some of our favorites below:

FOR THE HUSTLER 

Full Screen Zoom 149 everpurse x kate spade new york quentin stripe wristlet pouch

Charge ON THE GO! What could be better? It’s a little pricey, but the everpurse for Kate Spade chargeable wristlet is incredible and on all of our wish lists. Stylish and functional!

FOR THE FOODIE

mouth feed gift stocking

Give tasty treats & give back. Choose from a variety of amazing gift packs from Taste (a new favorite site for foodie friends!) that all donate a portion of your cost to FEED, a social business with a mission to “create good products that help FEED the world.”

FOR THE WANDERER

beach radio

Heading to the mountains? To the beach? Just out to explore the back yard or roof deck? Tunes will come in handy in ALL situations. We love these Sunnylife beach radio & MP3 players – they’re adorable and small. Perfect for any adventure!

FOR THE GLAMAZON

LUSH bath bombs

Looking for luxury but can’t always afford it? Give the gift of a Lush bath bomb in your friend’s favorite scent. These little pockets of wonder are great for their aromatherapy, relaxation and always a colorful party in your bathtub!

FOR THE COLLECTOR

sea lion berkley illustration

What is your spirit animal? Everyone has one…and Berkley Illustrations does a great job of capturing that essence. Check them out on Etsy and grab one for you and a friend! There’s really one for any personality!

FOR THE YOUNGLINGS

shark blanket mermaid tail blanket

Think Snuggie but more AMAZING. Check out these fantastic mermaid or Shark tail blankets. The kids (and/or adults) in your life will love them!

FOR THE DUDES

HIll killer MD jacket

We you know we love us some sweet Maryland gear – and Hill Killer makes some rocking stuff. They have this great Letterman Thermal Jacket that will rock for your Maryland man. The company itself was started by two local brothers, so BONUS – you’d be supporting local, small business!

FOR YOUR ONE & ONLY

Screen Shot 2015-12-04 at 4.30.42 PM

Give yourselves a break. Take this time to actually book a trip – and it doesn’t have to be far away! We recommend a weekend excursion to a nearby winery, bed & breakfast, hotel…Living Social has some great deals! St. Michaels!

FOR THE ENTERTAINER

stemless toasting flutes

We love these stemless toasting champagne flutes from South Moon Under! Each glass has “Cheers” in a different language, making these flutes delightfully universal and perfectly festive. Cheers to that!

FOR THE OFFICE SECRET SANTA 

sideshow baltimore

Take the stress out of office gifts and get them something FUN. The Sideshow shop at the American Visionary Arts Museum in town has some of the best fun gifts! They have artsy fun, awkward fun, silly fun and smart fun. Check it out and get a gift that no one else in your swap will have thought of!

BONUS CATEGORY: GIVE BACK! 

So, while we’re all out shopping, we can’t forget about the amazing organizations that help us get fun things that ALSO give back. Sevenly is one of our new favorite organizations. They make lifestyle products that help fund charity projects across the globe! For every item purchased they give to the designated charity. They’ve raised over $4M to date and the number keeps climbing! For anyone on your list, they have some great options you can feel good about!

 

Gear up for the Cold!

We have been very lucky with this warmer fall weather, but hate to break it to ya.. but the temps are defiantly going to get a little more chiller.  I think for a lot of us are scared of the cold..well at least we are at times but there is some amazing gear out there that will keep you warm. And no you don’t have to put a ton of layers on. When you have gear that is functional, you don’t have to worry about those layers. Another thing to think about those winter runs is your safety, the mornings are dark and at night it’s getting darker earlier, so it’s key to have some sort reflective piece on you when you run.

Here’s how to stay warm in the long, cold months of winter that are coming up!

Tops: We recommend something that blocks the wind, escapes the sweat, has thumbholes and includes a hood, mask, or some other protection just in case.

Under Armour Storm Layered Up Hoody: The mask in this hoody is amazing especially when that cold wind picks up right in your face. Obvi this is one of our favorites!

UA Run Hoody

Oakley Water Repellant Hoodie: A great hoodie not just for running but if you want to get some extra moves in that workout. It’s functional like a hoody but thick like a jacket.

oakley OVEREASY DURABLE WATER-REPELLENT HOODIE

Athleta Vortex Half Zip: We love the extra layering in the neck portion to make sure you are protected.

Athleta Vortex Top

Outerwear: You always want to look for something that holds against the foul weather but also keeps you safe in the dark. We recommend something that is functional, includes reflective and can hold against wind and rain/snow. 

lululemon Go The Distance Vest (with ponytail hole!) 

Lulu Run Vest

Nike Shieldrunner Jacket

Nike Run Reflective

SuperNova Gore Windstopper Jacket

Adidas SuperNova Gore Jacket

Bottoms: anything that blocks the wind from coming in but keeps the sweat out is key! Cold wet bottoms are the worst. 

Roxy Thermal Layer Pants: Perfect for putting under bigger pants too – for snowboarding/skiing/etc.!

Roxy Twilight Leggings

Under Armour Aerial Speed Illumination Legging: We highly recommended because of the reflective strips on the legs!

UA Aerial Speed Illumination

Accessories: We always love to bring our accessories with us just for that last layer of protection. 

Oakley Woven Neck Warmer

OAKLEY NECK WARMERS

Brooks Dash Running Gloves: Keep those fingers warm!

Brooks Winter Running Gloves

C9 Champion Beanie: Another one of those awesome tops to keep your head warm (also with a sweet ponytail hole!).

C9 Beanie

Smartwool Running Socks

 

smart wool socks

 

When to wear what:

Well we defiantly have those moments where we dressed like a snowman because of all the layers we have one that we end up overheating, or completely underestimating how cold it is. Runner’s World provided some levels of temps and what to wear during them.

5 day forecast

  • SUN: 35° to 45° F and Clear Wear tights or thin running pants, a long-sleeve shirt, and a vest. You may be able to keep your hands warm using the thumbholes of your long-sleeve shirt when it’s 45° F outside, but you should put on gloves when it’s closer to 35° F.
  • RAIN: 35° to 45° F and Rainy Slim-fitting tights fare better than pants in rain since they won’t get as wet and droopy. And a wool base layer will keep you warmer than a synthetic top since the natural fiber retains warmth when wet. Finally, a water-resistant jacket is fine for a drizzle, but you’ll want something waterproof in a deluge.
  • SUN: 10° to 35° F and Clear Wear technical underwear under your tights or pants and a long-sleeve shirt underneath an insulated vest or jacket. Thin gloves are essential, and at the lower end of the temperature scale, you should switch to thick gloves or mittens and add a thin beanie.
  • RAIN: 10° to 35° F and Sleet Wearing tights, a water-resistant jacket, and a cap will keep you dry top to bottom. Add water-resistant mitts to keep your hands from getting cold and damp.
  • SUN: -10° to 10° F and Clear Focus on covering every inch of your body at least once (maybe even twice) by wearing wool underwear and thicksocks underneath tights and running pants. To keep your core warm and dry, go with a long-sleeve base layer under an insulated vest and windproof jacket. Round it out with a beanie and mitts over gloves.
  • RAIN: -10° to 10° F and Snowy Use the same cover-every-inch strategy as above for the bottom half. Up top, wear an insulated vest and a water-resistant or waterproof hooded jacket over your wool or synthetic base layer. Also, make sure your hat and gloves are water-resistant.

SOURCE: RUNNERS WORLD

Grab the right gear and get MOVING outside!

Get moving outside in winter

Stay warm, keep moving!

xx
BMOREtoned!

FREE FITNESS: REV Cycle Client Appreciation Day!

rev cycle studio baltimoreHave you been wanting to give REV Cycle Studio in McHenry Row a try? Tomorrow is the day to do it! They’ve got big plans in store all day long for their Client Appreciation Day celebration, including a few free opportunities to sweat!

Enjoy free breakfast and giveaways from lululemon athletica Harbor East and Under Armour after Esther’s 6AM & Maddison’s 7AM REV45 classes. Hit up Michelle’s FREE REV45 class at 5PM, followed by complimentary happy hour provided by Diamondback Brewing. Rumor has it Janet’s 7PM BARRE60 class is also free tomorrow, so you pick how you prefer to sweat!

Throughout the day REV will be giving away goodie bags to everyone who comes through their doors for class, with special offers from local businesses like Gundalow Juice, Charm City Run, KIND Snacks, Studio 921, Nalley Fresh & OrderUp Baltimore.

Rev Cycle Studio Baltimore Client Appreciation Day FREE CLASS

Can’t make it into REV during the day tomorrow? No worries – their Client Appreciation Day wraps up with an especially sweaty, 100% FREE bootcamp led by Nick of REV/November Project Baltimore & Reed from the Under Armour Performance Center, hosted at the Under Armour Performance Center at 7PM! No need to RSVP/register for this workout – just show up ready to work (we do recommend joining the Facebook event so you can get updates)! Shake Shack will be on-site serving up some delicious post-sweat treats, then the party will move to Little Havana for an extended happy hour just for our sweaty group – rumor also has it your first drink will be on REV. 😉

Hope to see you tomorrow for some free fitness – whether at REV Cycle Studio or tomorrow night at UA!

xo Annie