New Brand: Sweaty Betty

I've heard a lot of great things about Sweaty Betty, a London-based activewear brand. It's know for quality and is really popular across the pond. Betty. Bloggers rave about it. I read about women in head to toe Sweaty Betty in books set in England ("Girl on the Train" for example.) I described it to a friend as the UK's Lululemon.

It's a brand I wanted to try. And then three things happened:

Navasana Reversible 3/4 Yoga Leggings

1) Sweaty Betty kept sending me emails for a GORGEOUS printed crop. That was reversible. I love printed crops but usually wear them once and never again. Because I prefer to wear black. This is the perfect solution. I needed these crops. The print was amazing and bumped it to the top of my want list.
2) Sweaty Betty has a 20% off sale.
3) It was my birthday so I used it as an excuse to buy more things for me.

I ordered these crops March 26th. They shipped March 29th from England. There was no tracking number. I got them April 8. So there's a timeline if you wonder how long they'll take to ship. (I think their website said expect 5-10 business days after you get the shipping email.)

I got these crops in the mail Friday. I opened the package. They sent me a Sweaty Betty shopper, which was nice. The crops were also in a nice grey bag (kind of like a shoe bag.) It was a nice touch.

I've already used the shopper. Since EVERYONE at the gym has adopted the Lulu shopper as their carryall (seriously it's so much more common than it used to be), I used my Sweaty Betty shopper for barre that Saturday.

First thoughts
1) The fabric on the crops was ridiculously luxe and soft. I loved it.
2) The colors were really pretty.

I went ahead and tried the crops on. They looked smaller than what I was expecting. But they stretched and fit perfectly. (I'm a 6 in lulu and a small in SB.)

Small in Sweaty Betty to a size 6 in Lululeemon Wunder Under.
The waist was about an inch smaller.

Overall a 6 in Lulu is about the same as a small in Sweaty Betty

The crops hit me at a nice length.

The pattern didn't line up in the back. But I didn't really care.

I showed them to a coworker, who made a face. I think she thought they were loud and not something she'd wear. But then she said she liked them for me. By the end of the day, she'd changed her mind and said they were amazing.

I liked them so much I wanted to wear them immediately. Only the teal top I had for spinning didn't match. I wore them to barre instead the next day. (I needed to wear them ASAP.) I wore them with a black Lululemon Cool Racer Back. I'd really wanted to match the crops, but I couldn't find a purple that was the right color. And Sweaty Betty didn't have a matching tank on their website.

HARD TO MATCH PRINT? I'm going to try to see what other than black matches these crops. I tried the new Lululemon Cool Racerback in deep zinfandel. It's not an exact match but it matches okay.

Sweaty Betty has eight stores in the U.S. right now, in the NY/NJ area and L.A. So nowhere near me. Though I do want to go to NY this summer.

Might be my favorite new brand. The crops are more comfortable than Werkshop.

And Sweaty Betty prices are about the same as Lululemon. Maybe slightly more. These crops were, with discount, $100. Shipping was free. No sales tax. I did get charged a $3 foreign transaction fee on my credit card. Lulu Wunder Unders are $88, and might be more if they're reversible. So similar in price.

HOW THEY HELD UP
I wore these to HIIT Barre. Which is a barre class on caffeine and steroids. It's those hard barre moves with LOTS of jumping. I sweat so much in this class. My hair looks like I've been swimming. I just drip sweat. So I usually wear black crops to  this class. I thought since these were lined in black they'd fare okay. They were great. Soft throughout. They didn't show crotch sweat. They weren't terribly sweaty like some crops might be. I'd say they wick sweat well.

I've worn them twice. I love them. They're just so soft. The fabric is great. The colors are beautiful.
And I can't wait until my next Sweaty Betty purchase. LOVE.

Adventures at Skyzone

I've wanted to go to Skyzone since I heard about it a year or so ago. A giant trampoline gym? Yes please.

The closest one, however, is more than an hour away. Friday I was in Gwinnett to have my car looked at. On a whim, I typed in Skyzone on my iPhone map to see how far away it was. Five miles. I really needed to get home to feed my cats, walk my job, and let my friend get something she'd store in my garage out. I was tempted though.

I was leaving the service center and the guy told me not to take my usual route home. He said there was a bad wreck. I took that as a sign I needed to try Skyzone. (So I called and had my neighbor take care of my pets and to tell my friend I'd be home later.)

I drive to Skyzone. It's in a giant warehouse in a business park. There was plenty of parking. You go in and fill out a waiver on their computers, then wait in line to be checked in at the front desk. I signed up for a 30 minute jump. It was $10 + $2 for some orange grippy socks. (I thought the socks would be annoying. I barely noticed them). They give you a sticker to put on and then you go jump for your allotted time. Mine was 6:30-7 p.m. 

There were some quarter-opereated lockers to put your stuff in. There's also a concession stand. There were a ton of trampolines. I didn't know where to go. There were some trampolines near a foam pit. (The lines looked long.) There were two dodge-ball courts with 8-12 year-olds jumping madly over pads. And there was the giant trampoline court. It had vertical trampolines on three sides and was probably 3x the size of Aerofit. These trampolines had a lot of little kids (toddlers with their parents) and some 5-8 year-olds, but not a lot of older kids. That's where I went. An employee in an orange polo shirt gave a group in front of me directions, and I followed on the trampoline. I went to a relatively unused corner and tried to figure out what to do. There were kids just running and jumping. No one was doing tricks really. 

I jumped across the trampolines. I think they were a tad bigger than the Aerofit trampolines, and there were some narrow tumble track looking trampolines. The trampolines felt different than the ones at Aerofit. They weren't sprung as tightly. I tried a butt drop and had to really concentrate to get it because the spring wasn't the same. I saw a kid flipping over the pads so I tried a cartwheel. And it's actually easier to flip here—because of the spring in the trampoline. I tried some round-offs and one-armed round-offs. I ventured over to the wall—which isn't lined up exactly. One vertical trampoline might be behind two regular trampolines. I tried some back bounces and supermans. They still felt different so they weren't as effortless and but totally doable. One other kids tried a back bounce into the wall, but I was mostly the one one doing tricks. (I couldn't do a backdrop hand stand. The trampolines weren't tight enough to get my arms under me.)

A16-year-old employee with a whistle in his mouth came over to my area. I bounced over and asked him what his best trick was. 

"Probably that," he said to my butt drop. I was disappointed. The employees at Aerofit are the ones with the best tricks. They're also more enthusiastic than these kids who just give the little jumpers dirty looks. (Teach them a new trick!)

I jumped around some more and worked on some toe touches, back drops, flagpoles, whatever I could remember. I was having fun. By myself. No one ever comes to the trampoline park by themselves, but why not?

Finally a different employee (with whistle and orange polo shirt came over) and asked if I was doing a workout. I told him I was just playing. I asked him what his best trick was and he said a full. I was much more impressed with that, though he did not demonstrate. Apparently, he's a competition cheerleader. And we chatted about me not being able to flip. He suggested the foam pit. I decided to brave the lines and give it a try.

I stood in line with 4-year-olds who just dove into the foam pit. It was mostly really little kids. There was a 6-7 year-old who looked a little lost who was giving me weird looks. And there was a 12-year-old girl who seemed to be there with her toddler brother. They dove, I worked on my front tuck. I didn't have anyone to give me pointers on form, but I tried. And had a blast.  

I'm just a big kid at heart. Skyzone was super fun to visit. I'm glad I went. I'd go back again (especially with a  friend)—if only my car was working…..

What next?

I'm itching for my next gym challenge, though I'm not sure what it is yet. Here are a few things I've thought of.

1. Flying Trapeze

This is definitely on my to try list. It looks amazing.

It is kind of pricey and I'm not in that much of a hurry to try it.

2. Spinning classes

I've wanted to try a spinning class for years. I have an exercise bike at home, and I worry my left knee doesn't like cycling.

It could be intense.

3. Vertical Pole classes

Also on my to try list. I need to save up the courage to take this. I am so uncoordinated! But all the girls who do this have killer abs.

4. Kickboxing

I could be pretty bad at this, but if someone taught me how to do it, then maybe?

(There are two groupons for this right now.)

5) Blast 900

I've driven by this place on Baxter St. A million times. They offer you a free first class, but I don't know what it is.

(Note: I looked it up. It's interval training with treadmills. I'm not sure I like treadmills. Classes are $20 each or $195 for an unlimited month. Not sure I can afford to like this one.) 

Description from their website:

BLASTClasses

BLAST is a fat shredding, muscle toning, personalized group exercise class in which people of every fitness level alternate between cardio on a treadmill and strength training on the floor, each working at their own pace to reach THEIR maximum effort.

Other ideas

6) Running

I could take up running again. 

7) Canopy Trapeze classes

I've wanted to take trapeze classes at Canopy for a year now, but have had no luck. Despite emailing the owner a few times and knowing two instructors, there is NEVER an opening in their beginner classes and there's no drop-in classes. 

8) A friend suggested belly dancing.

I cannot dance. I'm not sure about this idea, but it is on the list of possibilities. 

9) Zumba

A coworker lost a ton of weight doing zumba. I can't move my hips so I think I'd be tragic at this one. 

10) There seem to be a lot of bootcamp classes in Athens. I could look into this.

I'm not sure what's next. What should I do?

Acro Yoga: First class

I tried my first acro yoga class. It was fun. And maybe more my speed than normal yoga. I'm all about tricks. 

It's at a yoga studio that seems pretty popular—there were tons of people coming out when I came in. It had a very casual atmosphere and the people there seemed friendly and welcoming. 

The class started out with going around the room and introducing yourself—we had a lot of new people. (Wherever I go, there are Canopy people and pole studio people. Maybe I roll with the adventurous crowd?). 

Then it yoga style stretching (lunges, stretching hip flexors) and abs (touch for toes, bent knees, V-ups and then banana rolls). 

Finally, it was on to tricks. We learned bird pose and folded leaf.  

(*Pix are from Friday at Aerofit—not the class)

Bird pose. Once you balance you can take your hands away.

Bird pose is where a flyer balances on the base's feet. The flyer has to keep their core and feet super tight and stay very balanced.

I tried basing for this one and I was terrible. I couldn't get the balance right. You lay on the ground and keep your legs up, inline over your hips, and at a 90 degree angle. 

Folded leaf, before the flyer is fully folded. 

Folded leaf, is where the flyer balances upside with their feet in a straddle. 

This one isn't as hard to base. The weight is in the flyer's legs, so I was more successful basing this one, but I was one of the smaller girls in the class.

Throne pose. The flyer wraps her legs around the bases legs, sits  back and balances. The leg bones stack together for this one to work. 

We also tried throne and cartwheel. I attempted shoulder stands, which was probably too advanced for me. Maybe next time?

This might be a shoulder stand. I sure wanted to try this one.

The class was difficult enough to pose a challenge athletically. I just need to remind myself not to get frustrated when I don't get something perfectly the first time. (The curse of being a perfectionist and uncoordinated!) 

Random thoughts: Is it weird to climb on people for exercise? And shouldn't former cheerleaders be all over this?

Hazards: I should add that when I got home, my skin was red on my stomach where I was balancing on people's feet. So were my shoulders. But it faded.

Quick guide to acro yoga:

Verdict: A really interesting class that I was telling all my friend about. I need to learn these poses! Also the instructors are awesome. 

Atmosphere: Friendly, laid back, welcoming and helpful. Everyone was so  great. 

Intensity: Doesn't feel intense at the time (except for small bursts when trying new holds), but my shoulders were sore the next day.

Price: It's a $5 donation class. So awesome. 

What to wear: Workout clothes. A tight fitting top might be good if you don't want it to ride up when you're upside down or inverted. It's yoga so you do it bare foot so no need for socks and shoes. 

Would I go again? Yes, though it might be more fun with friends. So come with me! I selfishly thought it was more fun to fly, so maybe I need the hubby to come with me.

If you go: Bring a yoga mat, know you're going to climb all over other people, and don't get frustrated if you don't get something the first time. Also, you might crash and fall. That's okay too! The floor is padded and the people are all super nice.