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Debunking Dance Fitness

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Believe it or not, dance fitness is one of the most effective workouts. What looks like a dance party is really high-intensity cardiovascular intervals that incorporate full-body strength and flexibility elements. Lucky for you, MINT offers a variety of dance fitness options! Before you enter the party, let’s get the record straight with tips from Maddie Roger: 

Photo of MINT Dance instructor Maddie Roger

Myth 1: You must have dance experience to participate.

  • Absolutely not! Dance fitness uses a follow-the-leader format so all skill levels can be included. 

Myth 2: Dance fitness isn’t a full-body strength workout. 

  • Dance fitness classes are designed to incorporate bodyweight strength skills—they just may be masked within a fun routine. Not only will you be working upper body, lower body, and core, but there are also flexibility and balance movements thrown into the mix! 

Myth 3: Dance fitness is not an intense cardiovascular option. 

  • Dancing works your cardiovascular system just like a high-intensity interval workout would. The variety of intensity safely brings your heart rate up and back down throughout the session by design. Bonus: the many modifications offered allows for an adjustable format that will give your body its most efficient workout.

Myth 4: Dance fitness is designed for women.

  • Dance fitness is designed for everyone! Girls, guys, nonbinary friends: dance fitness is an inclusive space that will keep you sweating and smiling the whole time. 

Come check out our newest dance fitness class, MINT Dance Hip Hop! Sign up here, we can’t wait to see you at the party!

Featured Workout: Pilates

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Looking for a full-body workout that will help with injury prevention, core stability and mobility? Look no further than Pilates. You’ve probably heard of Pilates, and there’s never been a better time to give it a try for yourself. At first glance, it may seem intimidating, so we’re giving you the basics on pilates at MINT. 

MINT-Reformer-Pilates

Timea Presley, Pilates Teacher Trainer and Master Instructor with more than 20 years of experience in various forms of pilates, has an impressive resume in Pilates, yoga and dance. She has more than 30,000 hours of experience teaching and has managed pilates programs and studios across Europe and the U.S.

Since Timea is an expert in all things Pilates, we asked her to break down the main benefits, misconceptions and types of pilates you can try at MINT. 

There’s a long list of the benefits of a regular Pilates practice. Pilates can help improve posture and increase core strength and overall stability. All exercises are created to prevent injury, so a pilates class is perfect cross-training. Pilates can also enhance your functional fitness and promote balance and flexibility, as well as heightened body awareness. Because of these benefits, Pilates can be an excellent addition to your routine and help you achieve your fitness goals. 

For those who haven’t taken a Pilates class, Timea busted a few myths:

  1. Pilates works the core only. Wrong! Pilates is a whole-body exercise and you’ll get a great workout for your entire body every time. 
  2. Pilates is hard. Nope! Pilates is a great way to work on your mind and body and is great for beginners. You may even find a new passion. If you’re interested in elevating your pilates practice, Timea recommends a private session to get you started on your journey and begin to build strength. 
  3. Pilates is fast-paced and with loud music. Definitely not! The inventor of pilates, Joseph Pilates, described the practice as “corrective exercise.” It requires focus and concentration to perform the Pilates moves, so classes are often in a quiet setting. Pilates is an excellent way to work out while enjoying some peace and quiet in your day. 

Now that we’ve busted a few myths, are you ready to take your first pilates class? MINT offers two different formats — Apparatus, or equipment based private sessions that include the Reformer, Tower, Stability Chair, Ladder Barrel, and many props and mat-based group Pilates classes. On the group side, Mat Pilates and Power Pilates is appropriate for all fitness levels and done in a group setting, oftentimes with props, that will give you an invigorating, full-body workout that’ll leave you feeling strong and relaxed. If you’re new to pilates, a private session is a great place to start. 

Timea teaches Mat Pilates and MINTBarre throughout the week at MINT Dupont. If you’re interested in Private Apparatus Pilates sessions please contact Timea directly: timeamintdc@gmail.com.

February Personal Training Promos

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Training 6 pack promos: (50 min or express 25 min)

*Packages cannot be purchased with discounted gift cards*

All current FLEX plan holders get two sessions to gift to a friend to use by March 30, 2019.
*Friend may not be a MINT member or a training client within the past 6 months.*

All personal training clients are welcome to bring a buddy to any training session with them for FREE! However, you must coordinate which sessions you would like to bring a buddy to directly with your trainer in advance.

Save BIG on personal training packages!

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The holidays are over and the calendar says 2019, it’s a great time to take a look at your fitness goals. Seven reasons why a MINT Personal Trainer makes the key difference in getting you there:

  • Our trainers apply their expertise and think for you.
  • They provide accountability and motivation.
  • It’s an ego boost!
  • They help you identify and reach goals.
  • They personalize your workout.
  • Reduce the possibility of injury.
  • They will push you just enough.

Right now we have a special offer for personal training sessions at 14th St – 10 sessions for $599. That’s less that $60/session!

Get it!

Yoga Pose of the Month: Savasana

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By: MINT Yoga Instructor Bonnie Foote

Savasana might be the most important yoga pose that we do. It looks deceptively simple, but lying flat on the floor gives your body ideal feedback for maintaining neutral, healthy posture. It helps to reverse car-computer-couch slouch, bringing your spine, neck and shoulders into healthy alignment. A good long Savasana is also crucial for calming and regulating the nervous system–and, once you start delving into the meditative aspects of yoga practice, for calming the mind itself. Because of Savasana’s unique potential for supporting mental balance, some teachers will remind you that it may seem like the easiest yoga pose to do… but it’s also the hardest! Taking Savasana seems as easy as breathing, but like the breath, it can take a lifetime to fully explore.

If your low back feels tight or sore during Savasana, try adding a blanket roll under your knees–or, for the deluxe version, stack up blocks and blankets under your lower legs as if you had them up on an ottoman. You can also play with legs up the wall (a.k.a. Viparita Karani)—taking Savasana against a wall with your legs elevated, which is very calming for the nervous system. For another calming variation on Savasana, try lying belly down; if you like you can add a short stack of blankets under your torso, from just above your hip bones to the top of your head. You might listen to meditations or Yoga Nidra, you might focus on relaxing one part of the body (try the space between your eyebrows, your temples, or the base of your thumbs where they meet the hands), or you might just notice your shifting bodily sensations or the waves of your breath. In any case–enjoy! And know that, lazy as you look, you’re actually receiving all of the benefits of one of the most powerful yoga practices out there. Namaste.

Cycle Newsletter – March 2018

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New Around Here?

The MINT Cycle team continues to grow! In an effort to offer you the best instructors in the city and expose MINT’s riders to diverse talent, unique coaching styles, new skill sets and creative formats, we are constantly working to recruit instructors to round out our roster. Have you checked out some of our newest faces? We encourage you to sample all of our class offerings – we have something for everyone!

Ori Korin Cycle Program Director
True story: Ori walked out of her first indoor cycling class five years ago midway through the second song. A couple years later, she gave it another shot and realized a good instructor, the right music, and a little perseverance go a long way. Her classes promise something for everyone, from the hard-core climbers to the wild speed demons, and her rides will help you leave the studio prouder and stronger than when you walked in. It’s a beautiful gift to have bodies that work…let’s celebrate them! When she’s not cycling, you can find Ori thinking big communications thoughts in the labor movement, trying to make sequins work-appropriate, and drinking obscene quantities of Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee.

Audrey Lamb
Audrey loves sweating, screaming and dancing in a dark room on stationary bikes. She has been leading spin classes around the DMV for over 8 years. A certified holistic health coach, her classes emphasize the mind/body connection and just how good you’ll feel after you walk out of her class.

Katie Frost
Katie started teaching cycling when she was 17 and taught for six years all through college and graduate school. After graduation, working in consulting pulled her away for a few years, but she returned to teaching in 2017, and she’s thrilled to join the MINT team. Katie designs each class around a goal: strength, speed, endurance, or intervals.

Julia Rodenas
Julia received her B.S. in Bioengineering at University of Maryland, studying topics such as biomedical technologies, biomechanics, and physiology. Before college, Julia was a competitive figure skater for over 10 years. Her rigorous training schedule required hours of training on and off the ice. This is where Julia’s passion for health and fitness first began, and it has transformed and grown since then.

Bethany Imondi
Bethany has been teaching spinning for more than five years. She loves to make themed playlists and choreograph her classes to the music. In addition to indoor cycling, Bethany is a four-time marathoner and certified group fitness instructor.
 

Sasha Whitney
Looking for a low impact workout after unofficially retiring from running, Sasha took her first indoor cycling class and was instantly hooked! Naturally, the next step from 3-5 days per week riding in the crowd was to hop on the podium and start teaching. In Sasha’s class, expect a high intensity and energy ride to hip hop, r&b, techno remixes, and a little trap with melodic hypnotizing beats that will leave you sore but wanting more!

Danielle Karst
Danielle is a fitness enthusiast who loves indoor cycling and group fitness classes. After years of attending classes in D.C. (and nearly every city she has visited), she decided to try teaching and loves sharing her love for fitness and music with riders of all levels. She uses a high-energy rhythm format to encourage and motivate riders. When she’s not cycling, you can find her working as a litigator, exploring the city, or traveling.

Allison Schacter
Looking for a way to procrastinate from thesis writing in grad school, Ally joined her friend for her first cycle class and was instantly hooked. She brings her love of music and excitement to each of her classes. When she isn’t in front of a class, Ally works as a public health professional by day and is an avid baker.

Amy Klein
Amy Klein is a certified Spinning Instructor who believes the best way to stay fit is to find activities you love to do! Amy is an avid indoor cyclist and is excited to bring others into the indoor cycling community through the creation of a fun, safe environment where participants of all levels can have a challenging workout while enjoying energizing music and the support and encouragement of everyone in the room.
 
Set Up for Success!
Whether you’re a regular indoor rider or new to the sport, proper bike set up is key to a great ride. There are several different types of indoor bikes that vary from studio to studio, but once you know your settings for MINT’s bikes, you can spend more time focusing on your form, your resistance and your cadence! Any MINT instructor is happy to help you with bike set up either before or after class, and if you haven’t checked your settings in awhile, it never hurts to check them again!

Here’s a great check-list and a graphic to help you:

✓ Seat height
✓ Seat fore and aft
✓ Handlebar fore and aft
✓ Handlebar height

Other good things to know:

✓ Resistance levels: MINT’s bikes go 1-20, but each instructor will use the scale differently. Listen up during the warm up to hear how the describe resistance, and if they use words like gear, tension, etc.

✓ RPMs: This is how many times your feet go around each minute – your cadence. How fast or slow you’re peddling is of course tied to how much resistance you have on the bike!

✓ Heart rate: Many classes at MINT will use our PIQ heart-rate monitoring system, which will show you which heart rate zone you’re in during class. If you use your own monitor, it can also sync with that system, or with the bike’s monitor. Depending on the class, your instructor may coach based on target heart rate zones as well, but if you prefer not to wear a monitor, you can always track your progress using your RPE: rate of perceived exertion, or how hard it feels like you’re working.

✓ Color mode: At MINT’s new Manhattan Laundry studio, our bikes utilize Coach by Color technology and a measurement called Functional Threshold Power (FTP) to help riders gauge how hard they’re working. Read more about it here.

Power of the Positive
MINT Cycle team’s own Colleen Daly is helping train other MINT instructors on the important of body positivity in fitness coaching. With help from research from Northwestern University’s Body and Media Lab, we’re working to make body positive fitness practices the norm, not the exception. Research shows that this coaching style improves retention, boosts the self-esteem and self-efficacy of participants, and improves fitness outcomes. Body positivity is an essential component in achieving important public health outcomes, and MINT’s cycle fitness professionals are committed to learning the science of body positive practices, and providing strategies to create healthy and supportive environments for all fitness participants to achieve their goals. Stay tuned for more information on trainings for members, too!

Have Something to Say?
Feedback forms, iPad kiosks and class reviews are always there for you, but if you have thoughts, suggestions or concerns, you can also email your MINT Cycle team directly! We often get the best ideas from our members, and we’re always happy to hear more. Plus, we find that most questions and issues can be addressed with direct lines of communication, transparent dialogue, and a mutual commitment to making sure MINT has cycling classes to suit as many members’ needs as possible. So whether your favorite class is always packed with a waitlist, or you prefer a smaller more personal ride, our goal is to offer something for everyone, and we hope you’ll join us on the bike soon! Reach out to Ori at ori@mintdc.com, and she can always forward it along to the other instructors too!