Before I discovered how great, inclusive and energy-boosting group fitness classes were, I used my school gym as my main form of exercise. Mainly because I thought I'd be too intimidated by others more fit than I was. I was first exposed through group fitness classes through my 6-month internship (aka co-op) program at Northeastern, kindly provided by the firm I was working at. That was when I realized... how much I had REALLY been missing out on.
In addition to a killer workout, we foodies still love a good post-workout re-fuel though, don't we? Lucky for us, these group fitness classes tend to be surrounded by a plethora of cute cafes and stores which you definitely deserve to fuel yourself right after a good sweat sesh!
BARRE
Barre Groove
I mean, how can bouncing on a trampoline not be fun and something to look forward to every day? The workout consists of bouncing on a trampoline to get your cardio in and heart rate up, while involving a ton of barre workouts too. They offer a variety of different workouts involving resistance bands, light weights, and of course, BOUNCING! The best part about this workout is it screams FUN! You get the perfect mix of non-stop cardio bouncing and toning for 45 minutes.
Post-Workout Fuel
JAHO Coffee Roaster & Wine Bar (665 Washington St)
My personal favorite post-workout place among the hub of restaurants and cafes among the financial district definitely has to be Jaho Coffee Roaster & Wine Bar located on 665 Washington St in Chinatown, not too far from Barre Groove. They have such a variety of fun, interesting and delicious drinks on their menus ranging from Zodiac tea to Coffees to Smoothies -- you could never get bored of this place and try something new after every workout class!
Personal Favorites: Sipping Hot Chocolate with Oat Milk, French Toast Latte with Almond Milk & (I LOVE how they offer several 'Skinny' aka Sugar Free syrups as well) Skinny Vanilla Latte with Cashew Milk.
SPIN
The Handle Bar
I tried my first ever spin class at the Handle Bar, and it was SUCH an energy booster. BIG shout out to this place for showing how passionate I really was about SPIN! So sweaty, but SO worth every drop honestly. For those who have never tried Spin, it's an intense form of cardio. A lot of Spin classes, like the Handle Bar, also include arm workouts with light weights, since spinning mainly works your leg muscles.
Post-Workout Treat
FoMu (140 Brookline Ave)
I mean, we all have to treat ourselves every once in a while, right? The Handle Bar has 4 locations around Boston: South Boston, Harvard Square, North Station and Fenway. As I lived nearest to Fenway, it was obviously more convenient for me to go to the Fenway location -- my favorite post-workout place around the Fenway area has to be FoMu - a unique, scratch made, plant-based, vegan ice cream store! I know it's a BIG favorite among several Northeastern students, including myself, and you need to definitely check out why that is.
Personal Favorites: BIG on their seasonal flavors (i.e. Cookies N' Nog, Golden Milk, Apple Cider Donut) but also their Chocolate Cookie Dough & Almond Raspberry Crumble.
Turnstyle
I first found out about Turnstyle when I won a Instagram giveaway for 5 free classes. What really caught my attention was the classes were named after their playlist (i.e. The Chainsmokers vs. Steve Aoki, Brittany Spears vs. Boy Bands, Jay Z vs. Tiesto), so I would sign up classes based on my favorite artists. What better way to enjoy an intense 45 minute spin than listening to your favorite Spotify artists?
Post Workout Fuel
Trader Joes (899 Boylston St)
Turnstyle has five locations around Massachusetts- Back Bay, South End, Kendall, Woburn and Charlestown. For me, the Back Bay location happened to be the most convenient and what happens to be 2 minutes walking distance away from Turnstyle Back Bay?! Home away from home, TRADER JOES on Boylston Street.
Personal favorite Grab-N-Go Post-Workout snacks: La Colombe Coffee Peppermint Mocha, Chocolate Protein Bites with sunflower seed butter, Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups & Organic Coconut Smoothie.
Flywheel
Flywheel sure is a good sweat challenge! In Flywheel, you're able to track your performance metrics, see how you rank in comparison with fellow riders and challenge yourself to reaching new records. If you're one for competition, Flywheel is definitely for you as you can have fun racing other riders, while securing a place for yourself on the stadium leader board! No pressure though, participation is optional!
Post-Workout Fuel
Energize (265 Massachusetts Ave, Boston MA)
Flywheel, also located in the heart of Back Bay, happens to be only a few minutes walk from my favorite Organic Plant Based Juicery (also one which happens to be super near Northeastern campus as well!) . Energize on Mass Ave offers a variety of items on their menu- juices, smoothies, açaí/smoothie bowls and salads.
Thanks to Snackpass (the food takeout app which just launched at Northeastern, definitely download it if you haven't already!), I became OBSESSED with literally everything on the Energize menu.
Personal Favorites: Cashew Cheesecake Smoothie Bowl & Longevity Smoothie.
DANCE
305 Fitness
I have never taken a dance class before and 305 by FAR exceeded my expectations of how ENERGIZING, FUN and UPLIFTING dance could be. I love how the workout instructors are so positive, so motivating and really brighten up your day within 55 minutes. Again, this workout will definitely allow you to break a sweat as consists of non-stop dance movements and each day of the week, 305 Fitness focuses on toning a particular part of your body (i.e. Butt, Legs, Abs) for 5 minutes. SO MUCH FUN.
Post Workout Fuel
Life Alive Organic Cafe (888 Commonwealth Ave)
305 Fitness is located on the Boston University campus, straight off the Kenmore MBTA stop. Another one of my favorite organic cafes only a few minutes walking distance from the 305 studio is Life Alive Organic Cafe on 888 Comm Ave. What I love most about Life Alive is how super aesthetic their restaurant is, how creative their menu items are (check out their Blue Magic smoothie for example) and how delicious everything is! FUN FACT: the Coconut Gelato used in the Life Alive menu items is from FoMu as well!
If you ever have coconut/FoMu/Gelato cravings, literally just go up to the cashiers and ask for scoops of Coconut Gelato in a bowl... #obsessed
Personal Favorites: Lavender Lemonade (pictured below) with butterfly pea tea, Iced Mexican Chocolate Drink, Iced Spearmint Matcha & Blue Magic Smoothie (this one has FoMu Coconut Gelato in it. Big Yums!).
Boston is home to many fitness studios, offering classes from hot yoga to kickboxing to rowing, but these classes are some of the hidden gems of group fitness definitely worth checking out. They changed my life for the greater good, and the post-workout fuel became a part of my group fitness workout routine as well. Thanks to these workout classes and their post-workout rewards, they definitely have a good placement in my heart which which I will cherish for however long I'm in Boston for.
Are you a college student in Boston looking to skip lines, order in advance and explore the hidden food scene around your campus? Check out the recently launched app, Snackpass for more! https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/snackpass-launches-at-northeastern-university