MINT’s dedicated barre studio opens the week of Sep 19

MINT and Kathryn Kelly, our Barre Director, are excited to announce the opening of our dedicated barre studio inside of MINT Dupont. The opening of this additional studio opens up more class slots club-wide. In this new studio enjoy not only barre classes, but also mat Pilates and select Core classes.

Below is the schedule for the new studio, which opens on Monday, Sep 19th. As always, members with class-access enjoy all classes as part of their memberships, or anyone can enjoy with our packages of either ten or twenty classes.

	AM Classes	PM Classes
Monday	Barre (7:00 - 7:50)	Pilates (12 - 12:50) Pilates (6:15 - 7:05) Barre (7:15 - 8:05)
Tuesday	Barre-lates (9:30 - 10:20)	Pilates (2 - 2:50) Barre (6:15 - 7:05)
Wednesday	Barre (7:00 - 7:50)	Pilates Props (6:30 - 7:20) Barre (7:30 - 8:20)
Thursday	Barre-lates (9:30-10:20)	Pilates (5:00 - 5:50) Barre (6:00 - 6:50)
Friday		Barre-lates (12:00 - 12:50) Barre (5:30 - 6:20)
Saturday	Barre (9:00 - 9:50)	Barre (3:00 - 3:50)
Sunday	Pilates (11:30 - 12:20)	Barre (12:30 - 1:20)

You’ll want to download the MINT App (iOS Android) to book your spots easily.

And mark your calendars for October 15th! We’re hosting a MINTBarre & Brunch open house! RSVP here!

Please don’t hesitate to ask us any questions.

the Forever SIX Pack!

Special opportunity to get SIX training sessions with no expiration date!

Trainer $495

Master Trainer $555

Thru Sep 24, limit 3

Meet our new Master Pilates Instructor Karla Adams!

Karla Brooks Adams is a native Washingtonian. She graduated from Duke Ellington School of the Arts where she majored in classical ballet. She danced professionally for over a decade with various ballet companies throughout the states. Karla was introduced to the Pilates discipline during her dance career. She has over 20 years of personal Pilates practice and teaching experience.

Karla was a member of the teaching faculty at Body Arts and Science International(BASI), an internationally recognized certifying organization. She remains a featured model in many of BASI’s study guides and manuals.

Karla’s fitness background includes certifications from the American Council on Exercise(Personal Trainer) AFAA(Group Exercise Instructor) Healthy Mom’s Fitness(Perinatal Specialist) and BASI(Comprehensive Pilates). She is a member in good standing with The Pilates Method Alliance.

Sitting… Is It Really THAT Bad For You?

I bet you’re sitting down while reading this…

Whether you’re sitting in a coffee shop, you’re at work at your desk, lounging on your sofa after a long day, or sat up in bed, you’re probably sitting comfortably while reading this.

And I don’t blame you – sitting has become so ingrained in our daily lives that most of us (myself included), spend more time in a chair every day than we do sleeping.

Let me ask you this: Did you know that the average person spends 9.5 hours a day seated, and around another 7 asleep?

Well, if this sounds like you, you’re not alone – after all chairs are almost everywhere we turn…
From the seats in our car, to the office chair, to the sofa where we watch TV. Sitting seems like the most natural thing to do in the world, I’m sure you’d agree? However, what if I told you that sitting was actually worse for you than you thought? What if sitting all day brings on far more health issues than you could imagine? Just think about your typical daily routine for a second…

How many hours did you count that you spend sitting in a chair? If it’s 9, (or more), then you may want to consider making some small changes to reduce the risk of unwanted health problems creeping up on you. Here’s why – simply, our bodies are not designed to sit.

If you think about it, hundreds and thousands of years ago we spent most of our time standing. We were either hunting, gathering or traveling, and although we’re very lucky that times have changed and we no longer have to hunt for our food, a few modern ‘conveniences’ have actually made things harder for us.

Sitting is one of those conveniences that can cause all sorts of problems to our body when it’s done in excess (also known as the typical ‘sedentary lifestyle’).

When we spend a long time sitting down, this puts a lot of pressure on our lower back. While you might not realize it, as hours of sitting time gradually build up, and can result in health issues such as bad backs, tight and tense shoulder muscles and even painful, swollen knees.

As well as unwanted aches and pains, too much sitting can also weaken your muscles, can give you bad posture and even leads to weight gain.

So how can we fix this problem you might be wondering?… Well, if we could all work with a standing desk that would certainly help, but I realize that’s not (always) going to be possible so one thing you can start doing today, is to get up every 30 minutes.

Set a timer on your computer, or keep an eye on your clock and get up and move. This could be a quick walk around the office, a walk to the printer or to grab drink of water. Simply get up and move! Any extra time spent being active is a bonus.

One of our clients, Stephanie, had a really great idea, she goes for 20 minute walk each morning before heading to work which makes all the difference, and she even tells me it makes her feel more productive for the day!

So to sum it up – we’re creatures of habit, and our bodies are a result of those habits – getting up and moving more might feel hard at first, but do it enough and it’ll soon become second nature, you’ll feel healthier, more active and reduce the risk of back pain too.

Trupti Mehta, PT, MS, OCS
Manual Medicine, Spine & Sports Physical Therapy
Email: mmssphysicaltherapy@gmail.com
P: 202 670 8874
(Located Inside Mint Health Club)