Author: T

Back in tha day I used to be a dancer. From the spry age of 4 years old I was that slightly chunky, probably not very graceful but keen jelly bean in ballet class and I loooooved it. I grew up in the ballet studio, spending over 10 hours a week with my dance family. I was incredibly blessed to grow up in such a positive, supportive and disciplined ballet studio that never once challenged my body confidence but constantly challenged me to work for my personal best. It's made me who I am and it made me appreciate the sense of belonging and community that you can feel when you're part of a studio. So after 18 or something years of dancing, I retired my pointe shoes and moved on to yoga and running. Which I used to hate by the way, like HATE. I actually hated gym class too. Anyway, after moving across the world to Australia and back again I found myself constantly searching for my new home studio, I was just sampling yoga studio after yoga studio. THEN this crazy fitness industry explosion happened, and studios were popping up everywhere. Not just in yoga but in dance, barre, spin, boxing, you name it, and all of a sudden I was happy I didn't just go to one studio becasue I wanted to try them all! So I started dragging my friends to classes and picking apart what we loved and didn't love. And then lightbulb. I realised we all wished there was a guide that would do just that for us. And so, as they say, the rest is history.

Octopus Garden, YYZ | 4.5

Posted on October 17, 2018October 18, 2018 by T in Best Classes for Mums & Bubs, Best Classes for Mums and Bubs, Westside, Yoga

Octopus Garden Holistic Yoga Centre is the type of yoga studios that focuses more on their community than, say, growing their presence on instagram - that's not the type of thing they care about. This giant studio in Toronto's west end has one of the most diverse yoga schedules we've seen and a cutting edge co-designed meditation space that's worth getting into meditation to try it. There's a true sense of calmness resonating through this studio and we walked away feeling like we should talk a little slower, say hi to a stranger, and look up at the sky instead of down at our phones. Om to that.

Bang Fitness, YYZ | 4

Posted on October 14, 2018October 15, 2018 by T in Downtown, Other, Westside

Bang Fitness is like no other gym in Toronto. They've been here long before the boutique fitness trend really took hold and based on their fiercely loyal members and unique service offering, they'll be here for many moons after. This full service membership gym is best known for creating programs that are custom-tailored to you and it's like getting a personal trainer that teaches you how to stand on your own two feet, so to speak. We went back multiple times to get a truer sense of the gym, as it's not just about a one-time sweat session to see how many calories you burned or how sore you are the next day. Bang Fitness is a commitment and they're about longevity, education, and teaching you how to build practices into your life so you can be - their words - SAF*.

Pure Yoga, YYZ | 5

Posted on October 10, 2018October 10, 2018 by T in Best Classes on a Budget, Top Rated, Westside, Yoga

Pure Yoga first caught our eye with their very cool, very inclusive company ethos. They want to share their passion for yoga with every body, shape, size, age, and status; employed, or between jobs, student, or retiree, single or divorcee, mother, father, grandparent – you get the idea. LOVE that. The space itself is premium and vibrant, and the hot yoga classes were challenging and actually FUN - which is not usually the first adjective I'd use to describe a yoga class.

MOVE Fitness Club, YYZ | 4.5

Posted on October 7, 2018October 10, 2018 by T in EastEnd, Other

Coming up on their two year anniversary, MOVE fitness club stands out from other Toronto boutique gyms in a big way. This beautiful group and personal training gym is created for women exclusively and they've thought of everything that women want. Smoothie bar, nutritionist services, child minding, high-end products, sauna, plus way more all in a non-judgey and ACTUALLY supportive environment?! YAS please!

Pop Physique, YYZ | 5

Posted on September 19, 2018September 23, 2018 by T in Barre, Best Classes for Beginners, Midtown, Yoga

Pop Physique hails from the capital city of beautiful bodies (LA) and you can tell they know what they're doing. This luxe, femme fatal, flawlessly marketed barre studio, expanded across the States quickly after first opening in LA, and finally up to Canada where they opened in Toronto's midtown last year. We're reviewing two classes, Pop Yoga and their signature Pop Physique, which is a ballet-barre based workout heavily focused on 'tucking', 'pulsing' and 'scooping' to hone in on very precise muscles. This class is less aerobic than some other Barre classes we've taken like as Barre3 or Barre Body Studio, but if you follow instructions, keep your form in check and challenge yourself, you'll feel the burn the next day in teeny tiny muscles you didn't even know you have.

4 Reasons I’m Obsessed With Kickboxing

Posted on September 16, 2018October 8, 2018 by T in The Blog

After a long day at the office, a forgotten lunch, a missed coffee break, a bad hair day, or an unnecessary disagreement with le boyfriend, I’m ready to boost those endorphins and blow off a lot of little steam. So, while relying on my good friend Cabernet Sauvignon seems like an exceptionally great idea, instead I’ve met myself a “Bob” .

3 Classes You Can Still Do With An Injury

Posted on September 16, 2018September 16, 2018 by T in The Blog

It's no surprise that when we're injured we become one of two people. We either continue our activities as planned, and hope the injury will ‘get better’ on its own. Or, we completely refrain from all activities – because if we can't do the one thing that we love the most, what’s the point, right? Dr K tells us what we should REALLY be doing.

The Fall Fitness Trends in YYC

Posted on September 16, 2018October 8, 2018 by T in The Blog

Calgary’s active (mind the pun) fitness community is one of the things I love about it and as we transition into a new season, I wanted to get to know what some of the studio founders, instructors, and studio goers are doing to in their fitness lives as the leaves fall. These are the trends Calgarians are embracing before winter hits.

6IX Cycle, YYZ | 5

Posted on September 12, 2018September 12, 2018 by T in Spin, Top Rated, Toronto, Westside

If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you. That's 6ix Cycle's motto, and we are so totally into it. We've now taken classes from owner Julie Harrish and one of their main men, Adam Deunk, and holy yellow penguins did these guys live there motto. The studio is clean, fresh and just as approachable for men as it is for women and they've got you covered for everything you need. Worth a trip, homies. worth a trip.

SPINCO, YYZ | 4.75

Posted on September 9, 2018September 15, 2018 by T in Downtown, Spin

Our sweaty efforts brought us to the largest spin establishment across the country, SPINCO. These guys, who first opened in beautiful Kelowna in 2014, have since expanded to eight cities from coast to coast and have a particularly interesting expansion model in that they specialise in the smaller markets (with the exception of Toronto). The vibes at SPINCO are similar to a lot of other spin studios we see now, but we assess who was really here first. The classes we took at their Spadina studio were challenging, the facilities are flawless, and these guys draw a loyal crowd that call SPINCO their fav in a city with many many options.