The Fit Mom Project

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Hey everyone! My name is Nicole and I am SUPER excited to join Natalie and Fitness Reviews to bring you reviews on local fitness studios from a beginner’s perspective!

Like a lot of moms in Orange County I have a lot going on…I am a mom to two toddlers (1.5 and 3) and a business owner. I have zero fitness background unless you count chasing toddlers, which in my opinion, should be considered as an olympic sport. Are you a beginner too? Are you hoping to find somewhere to get active now that your kids are back in school? Are you down for the winter prep for summer bod lifestyle?

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Do any of these sound like you?

  • The thought of running outside in the daylight makes me want to eat cake.
  • My kids are my excuse but they should be my reason.
  • I don’t know where to start to find myself a studio that is right for me as a beginner.
  • I am not motivated enough (yet) to go to the gym on my own, I need some guidance and motivation.
  • I am intimidated by most gym settings because of all the models and Ryan Reynolds look a-likes running around while i’m there.

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If you said YES to any of these you want to pay close attention to this series!

I am going to be searching high and low for local Orange County fitness studios- anything from yoga and pure barre to HIIT workouts and I am going to try them out FOR YOU. Okay, for me too. I am going to be honest, raw and thorough in my reviews, focusing on these 5 key points for us beginners.

  • Affordability– What are the package prices, what do they include? Are there drop in classes? Special deals for new sign ups?
  • Availability– If I need to go during a certain window (in my case, my son is in preschool from 12-3 monday through friday) is there a wide range of class times to fit a mom/business owner’s busy schedule?
  • Difficulty– As a true beginner it’s always going to be difficult to start something up but will these classes leave me feeling like road kill on the side of the road, thus scaring me from going back?
  • Variety– Are there levels? Different kinds of classes?
  • Intimidation factor– This is HUGE for me. I don’t like walking into places and feeling like I am the newbie. Do you feel welcomed? Encouraged by others around you?

I am stoked for this journey and the fact that I get to share it with you all! Please follow along and join me for classes! I am ONLY trying out studios that have free trials and the length of each will be specified!

Follow on instagram @thefitmomproject to see where i’ll be! Join me for a class, ask anything you’d like! This is going to be fun!!

Pilates Plus – Yorba Linda

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This morning I travelled up to Pilates Plus to take a “Mega Reformer” class from a good friend, Natalie Da Rosa. It wasn’t what I would call traditional pilates, instead they incorporate the “Lagree Method”. Traditional pilates is hyper focused on every minute detail of your movement, which is wonderful but can also leave you wanting more. Lagree simplifies the movements to maintain proper form and gives you a killer workout through slow methodically times exercises. It was Awesome!!

 1) Space/Facility:  This small boutique studio, opened two years ago, and has a very chic upscale feeling to it. White brick walls, polished concrete with a few pops of color, it is a very clean space with 10 “mega reformers.” The upbeat modern music motivates you when those movements get tough!

 2) Quality of Instruction:  the queuing of the exercises adequate for a beginner as well as for someone advanced. My friend Natalie just received her Pilates certification, and so with this class I was intending to support her and check out the studio, and it was awesome! I think Pilates in general does a really good job training their instructors – I have found that the instructor training is usually spot on in tePilates rms of queuing, biomechanics placement, and overall structure for the client.

 3) The workout itself: Lagree Pilates is the method, it is low impact and easy on the joints, but it will push your muscles hard. It is focused heavily on lower body and core exercises, and they burn out one limb before moving on… so you will do 8-10 exercises of 60-90 seconds all on one leg before you rotate to the other leg.

4) The friendliness of staff: Jamie is the owner and is very involved in every process of her studio like client intake and teaching. Everyone is extremely friendly, its definitely a community vibe, all the members seem to know each other very well and chit chat before and after the workouts. 

Review: Barre3 Laguna Niguel

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I had a wonderful workout this morning at the newly opened Barre3 in Laguna Niguel. Their tag line is “where ballet barre meets yoga and pilates.”

Considering this pregnancy has had me on bed rest for most of it and even put me in the hospital three weeks ago, I am incredibly proud of myself for getting through this workout. While most instructors will start with an advanced movement and then give an alternative move for the beginners, Jessica, the instructor,  taught the entire class in “beginner” mode until everyone was settled in the movements then she would let you “layer up” and advance the movement to the difficulty of your choice. I love this! It doesn’t alienate the beginners, and actually empowers everyone in the class.

So lets get to the review!

1) The studio is brand spanking new, clean, and full of light and clean lines. It’s is very inviting and welcoming! The music was upbeat and fun, not exactly what I expected for the blend of barre Pilates and yoga but it actually worked really well.

2) The instructor was awesome … her explanations of the movements were clear and concise, not too much anatomical jargon, but clear talk to help you engage your thighs, core, and upper back. The movements were mostly done in 40-50 reps with lots of “holds” and pulsing in between. No big movements, nothing jarring, and no impact. But never fear you will feel the burn!

3) The workout itself uses high reps and isometric holds to achieve muscle overload and fatigue and so while you’re not moving a lot, you’re moving properly, and in a way that counts. It blends one barre movement seamlessly into a yoga pose for holding and then back into barre. The floor work is very classic core pilates and you will feel your midsection burning in all the right areas!

4) When I walked in I was greeted by none other than the owner, Nikki! She checked me in, rang me up, and then she went over the basics –  where to put my stuff in the lockers out front, where I could find a complimentary towel, and where I could refill my water bottle. All of the other clients there to workout were very friendly.

This is a one room adorable studio located next to Whole Foods Market in Laguna Niguel. The drop in price is $20, or they have class passes and a monthly unlimited membership for $160 on auto-renrew.

The Breakdown:

5 stars for sure!

I will be back!

To learn more go to www.barre3.com and search for the Laguna Niguel location, or you can call 949-328-9633.

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