Since moving to New York, I have promised myself over and over again that I would join a gym and get into the swing of a fun and enjoyable fitness routine. A year and a half later…I finally did it! There are two main reasons that I think you need to stay fit here in New York: a) the food is so full of sugar, so it is very easy to put on weight & feel bloated and b) you need it for mind & energy purposes. This city can get very intense, to say the least, and so it’s extremely important to find a good balance and take a little bit of time each day just for YOU. I’ll be honest, gyms scare the absolute crap out of me & intimidate me like none other, so I knew I really had to do some research to find the right one. As you know, I live in the upper east side here in New York and so along with Michaela & Niamh (my gym buddies for this 6 week fitness challenge who will also be documenting everything) we looked for a gym/studio together and thankfully found an AMAZING one called The PE Club.

The PE Club is a boutique Fitness Facility located on the Upper East Side. The main reason I chose this particular gym is because is specializes in creating one-of-a-kind programs that cater to their clients needs including Personal Training, intimate Classes, Cardio Homework, Nutrition and Physical Therapy. As I haven’t had a fitness routine in quite a while, I really wanted to ensure I learned how to do everything correctly and in a comfortable & supportive environment. The PE club is just that.

The three of us met with the lovely & very inspiring owners, Nedra & Alex, last week and came up with programs to suit each of us individually. Their motto is ‘It’s not physical, it’s personal’ and it couldn’t be truer. I left the initial consultation feeling like they really did ACTUALLY care about my goals and concerns. They asked each of us what we wanted to achieve over the next 6 weeks and from that they created a program based around our top three goals. For me, it’s not about losing weight. It’s about putting aside an hour a day where I can truly switch off. I mentioned in my last post that I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed lately and therefore need something to really give my mind a break. Exercise is so much more than a way to get fit/lose weight – it’s also the best way to to ensure good wellbeing. I was extremely sporty when I was in school (training nearly every day) and I fully believe that it was the main reason I was able to balance so much. All the girls laugh (& even don’t believe me) when I tell them that I played football (GAA) at a really competitive level for years. I used to play for Kerry and have even played in Croke Park. Yes, I know – it IS hard to believe, haha! I absolutely loved it – and the energy it gave me. So my main goal for the next six weeks is to rediscover my love for exercise and to allow it to help me live a more balanced life.

…and I’m so happy to have the guys at The PE Club to help me! I promise to you now that I won’t be one of those people/bloggers who stops halfway through. I’m 100% determined to give it my all for the 6 weeks…and hopefully this is only the start. I’m going to be doing the first 4 weeks before I go home for Christmas and then the last two afterwards. Obviously, I’ll be treating myself here & there during Christmas at home – I mean it would be impossible not to – but I’ll be getting straight back into it as soon as I get back. The main reason I wanted to start this before Christmas is because I know it will make it a lot easier to get back into it afterwards. At least I’ll (hopefully) know what I’m doing by then.

I had my first class/workout this weekend and absolutely LOVED it! I did the Saturday morning ‘Long & Lean’ class and will be doing one of these type of classes every week. I’ll also be doing another class (either kettlebells or TRX based) along with 1 personal training session. My personal trainer, Amanda, will be creating a program for me and will be giving me ‘cardio homework’ to do twice a week on my own. As well as hopefully having more energy, I’m really going to be focusing on my upper body strength and core. So all in all, it looks like I’ll be doing 5-6 sessions every week which I’m both scared & excited about. As I work long hours, it will be a lot of 6am starts but I’m looking forward to getting into this type of routine.

Today’s post is a just a brief overview of what I’m going to be doing but I’ll also be doing another post halfway through to let you know how everything is going. And then at the end, I’ll have a big review on everything and will be sharing my results. As soon as I get into the swing of it, I’ll share more details about my program along with more info on the type of food I’m eating. In the meantime, feel free to follow me on my @retroflame Instagram and snapchat (retroflame1) where I’ll be sharing everything there through the hashtag #retroflameFITNESS.

Hope you’ll enjoy these posts!

Stylishly Yours,

Erika x