When asked to describe something, or simply to give my opinion, I will admit, I tend to be a ‘Chatty Cathy’. As many of my friends will confirm, I can go on and on about things that excite and energize me, be it something as simple as a new favorite strength exercise,= or my extreme love for my neighborhood. It is because of this personality quirk that friends love to watch me struggle with the “choose one word” game. Fortunately, I always have a quick response when it comes to describing Astoria: Diverse. The diversity in Astoria applies to the people, cultures, activities, religions, cuisine (especially cuisine), music, art, and as I am quickly discovering, opportunities to stay fit! Simply Fit, a boutique fitness studio located at 37-16 Astoria Blvd South, certainly is a reflection of this quality. Owner and personal trainer Lisa Eskenazi opened her studio in March of 2011, and has seen steady growth in the past two years. Lisa attributes this growth to the broad variety of class offerings. “I wanted to find a way to appeal to all in a new way,” explains Eskenazi, “putting the fun back into fitness. If one can find a physical activity they like, they are more likely to stick with a program. This is why we have variety on our schedule… 10 different class formats in total. There is something out there for everyone.” Simply Fit is well known for their popular Zumba classes, offering Zumba, Zumba Toning, Zumba In The Circuit, and Zumba Sentao. Although I am quite familiar with most of these formats, I jumped at the chance to have my first Sentao experience during Lisa’s popular Saturday morning class. This format is a mash-up of traditional Zumba dance steps with powerful chair-based choreography to strengthen and stabilize your core. It is a great introduction for anyone new to a combined cardio/toning class, as Sentao incorporates easily identifiable exercises such as pushups, lunges, tricep dips (my favorite), and crunches. For me personally, this is an ideal morning class—the cardio wakes everything up, and the strength intervals will have you feeling stronger, standing taller, ready to take on… the next class? Yes, I did stay for the next class, Piloxing, as did many of my classmates. Piloxing? Could this be what it sounds like? Absolutley. This fitness format, created by Swedish dancer and celebrity trainer Viveca Jensen, is a hybrid of boxing and Pilates. The class is designed to maximize calorie burn with high intensity, explosive cardio boxing moves, while lengthening and sculpting muscles with focused Pilates intervals. And while these disciplines seem a bit contradictory in theory, anyone with experience in either will tell you that the connecting thread is your core - total ab engagement. Piloxing is not new to me, having first been introduced to the format at a fitness seminar many years ago, however, Piloxing at Simply Fit did hold a couple of surprises. As Lisa handed me weighted gloves and the warm-up music pumped up in the studio, the lights went out. I was clearly the only one in the room taken off guard for a moment. In the next few seconds, chaser lights lit up the ceiling and the room was filled with spinning, colored disco lights. What followed was a high intensity cardio party, followed by a mat session to burn out that hard working core. This class seems to have a loyal following of high-energy ladies who like to mix it up amongst the lights. Completely unique to Simply Fit is a class called Simply Move It. This is Lisa’s own brainchild, and evolves as she continues to develop its format. In her own words, “Simply Move It is a combination of three growing fitness trends: dance cardio, fusion classes and interval training. The format came about as my clients expressed a need for a one-stop workout. They wanted to get the most done in a short time. Through the use of dance rhythms, cardio interval bursts, body sculpting weight training and isometric holds, you are truly getting a complete workout for the mind, body and soul.” If you enjoy high intensity cardio and want to test your endurance, this is the class for you. Simply Fit offers a line up of group fitness classes including Zumba, Zumba Toning, Zumba Sentao, Zumba In The Circuit, Piloxing, Bokwa, Ab Fusion, HIIT, Cardio Kickboxing, and Simply Move It. They host special themed fitness nights, children›s programming, and birthday parties. Boot Camp programs and personal training are also available. More information can be found at www.simplyfitastoria.com. Lisa Eskenazi
BM082013
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