I’m slightly crying inside as I think about winter approaching here in Michigan (while I’m not complaining that it’s 70 degrees this weekend in October) anyway I may have found a solution to my ‘’pre winter blues” and it has been a small boutique workout spot called Hotworx. At first I thought they were only 15 minute workouts and that’s all you were allowed to do instead you only pay once a month and you can go to as many classes as you want. You can schedule workouts back to back and if you don’t want the heat you can have the sauna off and they also have an area called the FX Zone where you can do weights, trx bands or ropes (or the heat can be turned off in the saunas). The Hotworx app makes it easy to schedule your appointments as well as track your calories where you earn points, and can use those points towards your membership (I love savings and rewards so personally this set up works great for me).
My first session I decided on doing hot yoga, which is pretty doable. The class is in a 10 by 10 (maybe a little smaller?) sauna that can fit up to three people per room. When you walk into the sauna you’re met by a tv screen with 3 virtual trainers. The videos are the same for a few months, and I believe they update them every three months or so. It’s recommended to keep the room at 120-125 degrees Fahrenheit and the first time doing that class I was pretty much soaked in sweat. It takes a few sessions to get use to the heat, but with winter coming up I appreciate the heat! The classes are about 40-45 minutes, while the HIIT classes are about 15 minutes. The HIIT classes consist of a rower, spin bike, and a bike with push and pull levers in their own sauna with the hot blast being my personal favorite. I tried the hot thunder the next day after hot yoga, which is a water rower and after that class my arms were pretty sore, but the workout was tolerable. It has been about two months doing many classes and I enjoy that I’m not as sore as when I work out in a “regular” gym. What’s nice about these classes is that I have been able to do these classes in my own space (and if you’re worried about Covid and the like it’s nice to have your own area). I’ve absolutely enjoyed class and have even been motivated enough to go in at 5:30am (which for me I’m NOT a morning person). I also have enjoyed the flexibility of being able to schedule a class at a time that’s convenient for me as they’re open 24/7.
If you’re an avid ‘yogi’ unfortunately you won’t be able to use your own mat, since it can possibly stick to the sauna. I had to purchase a mat and towel, but what’s nice about the towel compared to other yoga towels I’ve used in the past is that I don’t slip and slide with my own sweat, since the sweat dries pretty fast once it hits the towel (I feel like I tend to slip when I’m on a regular yoga towel). You can also bring a small towel to wipe off your sweat I generally bring two. If you love summer and you love the dry heat it’s worth trying a class to see how you like it. They even offer a free class or occasionally the free week for first timers to try out. I think this winter might just be tolerable thanks to Hotworx.
Hope and Love for All 