While we all like the idea of hibernating in the winter, the beginning of Spring is just the inspiration we need to renew our commitment to fitness. But finding the right gym can be harder than it seems. Some of the more expensive gyms have state-of-the-art facilities, programs, and benefits that make them well worth the extra dough. If you want to keep it simple, though, a basic single-location membership at your nearest gym might do the trick. So how do you choose? We’ve compiled a list of local gyms so you can compare your neighborhood options at a glance.
Crunch Fitness
825 Manhattan Avenue
(718) 732-8222
Open 5am to 11pm M–F; 7am to 9pm weekends
Pricing: $9.95/month for Base membership; $19.95/month for Peak membership; $24.95/month for VIP membership One-day trial pass Become a member
Crunch is one of the most affordable gyms in the area, even with its VIP option, which includes benefits such as Hydromassage and tanning on top of all Peak perks. Choose the Peak membership option if you want access to any location, the ability to take group fitness classes, and extras such as a T-shirt and access to online streaming workout videos. The Base option is best if you want to keep things simple and stick with the equipment at the Greenpoint location. If you’re looking for more individualized fitness attention, you can always add personal training to any membership option. Continue reading →
Intimidated by all the bulky exercise machines and huge, mean-looking buffed bods at the big-box gyms? If so, you are definitely not alone. This is one of the main reasons (cough, cough–or excuses) from clients as to why they don’t go to the gym. Unfortunately, so many people avoid the gym because they’re either a) not sure how to use the exercise machines; b) they lack the confidence to give them a try; or c) they’re just too damn intimidated to even walk into a gym.
Why? “Gymtimidation!” It’s that voice inside your head that says “I don’t feel comfortable with my body,” “how am I going to look next to all those fitness fanatics who work out all the time?” “I don’t even know what I should be doing in the gym?” Your ‘meaning making machine’ is always at work and it creates a lot of negative views about the gym.
But gymtimidation is not a reason for not getting exercise, it’s an excuse; and a pretty lame one at that. #Sorrybutnotsorry to be so hard on you, but how else am I supposed to show you how ‘unreasonable’ our behavior can be? Know that a reason is valid and usually unavoidable — ex: “I was late because the train broke down” = reason. Whereas, an excuse is a transparent or perhaps a subtle attempt to shift responsibility away from one’s self — “I was late because I missed the train” = excuse. Continue reading →
I’ve lived in Greenpoint for eight years and have always felt a void in wellness offerings. Thankfully, that’s begun to change as juice bars, gyms, and yoga studios started blooming on almost every corner. The emergence of establishments like Lucent Yoga, Botica Apothecary, and Help Your Self is exciting. Until recently, the one thing still lacking was somewhere to buy workout gear. Not just sneakers or a jump rope, but truly functional, cutting-edge activewear. As a former apparel buyer turned full-time yoga teacher, I appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into a well-made pair of leggings or running shorts. What you wear when you workout can totally change your experience, as anyone who’s suffered from inner thigh chafing or bleeding nipples can attest!
On a recent morning jog, I was intrigued by a sleek silver sign that read: “Solfire.” The storefront was a beacon of light on the once desolate stretch of Driggs Avenue from the south tip of McCarren Park to the Bedford L Train. I peeked in and saw a plethora of colorful capri pants and made a mental note to pop by during store hours. When I revisited the shop later that week, I was surprised to discover that Solfire (483 Driggs Ave.) was so much more than a clothing shop. Continue reading →
Our fitness journeys can be difficult, especially when you’re not sure how to start or how to remain consistent. A lot of us have been conditioned to develop a pretty poor relationship with food, along with many limiting beliefs about the power we have to change things. And just like any relationship that is like a turbulent roller-coaster, it typically ends up in a downward spiral. If you constantly find yourself overwhelmed on how to even get started, we totally get it.
With so many programs, information and sales pitches, it can be overwhelming to sift through it all. If you’re in that situation, then please keep reading…
[email protected] owner and health coach Dy has a program that guides people through the process of getting fit, focused and committed; as a result, it’s a lot less intimidating… and it works! Continue reading →
With the change of seasons comes a renewed time to recommit ourselves to our fitness and wellness goals. Though the spring is not the beginning of our calendar year, it’s still a new season. Besides, the summer is around the corner and who doesn’t want a beach body?
You know looking and feeling great doesn’t just happen; you do have to work for it – but you don’t have to do it alone. [email protected] B.E.S.T. Plan (31 Nassau Ave) takes all the guess work out of diet and exercise so that you are informed and ready to take action on your fitness goals. Continue reading →
Greenpointers Summer Market 2015 Rooftop Yoga with Hosh Yoga
While sifting through clothes at beacon’s closet or grabbing a beer and a brat at Spritzenhaus, you may have seen a procession of yoga-pantsed Greenpointers heading in and out of the unassuming grey door on the corner of Nassau and Guernsey.
A closer look at 55 Nassau will lead you to Hosh Yoga, a Greenpoint nonprofit made possible by a team of 60 volunteers and instructors, which provides donation-based classes with a mission of health and wellness as a right to life, not a luxury. Continue reading →
If you’re like me, your New Year’s resolution (if you made one at all) is already abandoned, and training for a half-marathon has been replaced with a snowy sprint to the bodega.
Never fear, my fellow hibernating, chubby, and cocooned Greenpointers! Below is a list of 5 fitness programs bizarre enough to get you out of the apartment and maybe even in shape before winter’s over, without even having to get on the subway: Continue reading →
The holidays are over and a bright new year is ahead of us. But maybe you’re not feeling too good about yourself. Yeah trust me, I know… about 8 weeks of holiday debauchery will do that to a person. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out how to come back from that.
At [email protected] in just 8 weeks we’ll get you back on track to behaving like a normal human being again, and not a debaucherous compulsive emotional eater. You’ll gain strategies that you can follow for life! Continue reading →
Ok, let’s be real Greenpoint, we all ate and drank ourselves into oblivion during the holidays and now that 2016 is here, it’s New Year Resolutions time! But as usual, there are going to be challenges. Hey, we all like to indulge as much as the next guy, but it wouldn’t hurt to start this year off on the right track and actually finish what we start. Easier said than done, right? Continue reading →
You’ll sweat so hard you’ll stop seeing color. Photo: CrossFit South Williamsburg
You don’t really want to be reading this, but just in case you kind of do, here are a few relatively new players in Greenpoint’s health and fitness scene. Because doing good for a body doesn’t have to mean leaving your 10-block-radius no-bra zone. Even if you can’t technically pull that off during a bout of jumping jacks, or you’re a dude and you’re struggling to relate to this entire premise. Continue reading →
Crunch Fitness
