Complimentary class was provided by our sponsor. All opinions are my own.
As a daughter, wife, and mother of soon-to-be 6 year old twin boys, I value 'ME' time. Since I work full time in town, it's hard to find time just for myself, to do what I love. And when I do find the time, I try to make the best of it.
One of the things I like to do when I do have 'ME' time is work out. I love running, and I love to lift weights - it just makes me feel better, more balanced, and in turn, that enables me to be a better daughter, wife, and mom.
I also like to take group exercise fitness classes, but they're just not as convenient for me as before.
Many places require that you go down early to sign up for classes (or a bike), set up equipment, and be in a large room with 30 other people fighting for personal space. In a large class, you don't get a lot of personal attention, or personal space.
But then I was recently introduced to
Body Balance Honolulu, a small boutique studio in Kaka'ako, courtesy of Yelp, and I liked it so much, that when one of the owners of Body Balance invited me back to try another class, I said "absolutely!" with no hesitation at all. You will see why, as I walk you through my experience.
They gave me my choice of class, and it was such a hard decision to make, because I wanted to try them all. What makes Body Balance different from other boutique workout studios in Hawaii is that they offer a variety of group fitness classes in different disciplines - indoor cycling (Body Cycle), pilates reformer, HIIT, TRX, FITBarre, plyometrics, and weightlifting. Some classes just have one discipline (such as BodyCycle which is 45 minutes of indoor rhythm-based cycling), some classes are a combination of two or more (such as Ride & Rip, which is 30 minutes of BodyCycle, and 30 minutes of strength training).
I wanted to try a class that incorporated both cardio and strength training, so I signed up for Ride & Rip with Maxine. Signing up for classes is easy - just create an account on their website (if you haven't done so already), and reserve your spot. For classes that include BodyCycle, you get to select your bike when you reserve our spot. I love how you can reserve your spot in classes (and your bike) ahead of time, because at many other fitness studios or gyms, you have to go early to sign up for classes, and if you don't get there in time, you're out of luck.
I showed up 15 minutes before the scheduled start time to check-in, get my cycling shoes (you can bring your own or rent them from the studio for $3), and make the necessary adjustments on my assigned bike (seat and handle-bar height). Don't know how to secure the bike shoes into the clips or adjust your bike? No worries - the Body Balance staff members and instructors are there to help. Some of the other class attendees are willing to help too, which is what I also liked about this studio - everyone was so friendly!
Then we embarked on our 30 minute ride, full of sprints, hills, and even some upper body work (push ups on the handle bars). It didn't take long for me to work up a sweat and get my heart rate up. What I like about indoor cycling is that it's always MY ride, and I can make it as hard or easy as I want it to be. With the lights going on and off like at a nightclub, and our legs pumping to the beat of the music, it was both fun and challenging at the same time.
After 30 minutes of sweating on the bike, we left the cycle room to the multi-purpose room. To my surprise, the room was already set up for the class - all we had to do was choose a mat.
Maxine wasted no time in putting us to work. First up - arms!
Shoulders, chest, triceps, biceps, and back ....
Moving on to the legs ...
My legs were on fire since we had just put them through 30 minutes of cycling!
If you have never used a hip circle resistance band before, you're in for a real treat. It really works your booty!
The final segment worked our abs/core ....
After our 60 minute sweat session was over, Maxine hung around to chat with us - she was so approachable and friendly. I really got the feeling that I was part of a community here at Body Balance, and not just a guest.
Check out the highlights from my workout!
Did you like what you see? You're in luck! Body Balance is inviting our blog readers to come down to the studio and experience a class for free! All you need to do is visit their website at
bodybalancehonolulu.org, click on "BUY" at the top of their homepage, look for "First Class" in the Class Packages section, and click the "BUY" button. Create an account (or log into your account if you already have one), use the code “
MYTIMEFORME” when prompted, and your first class is on the house!
Trust me, after just one class, you'll be wanting to come back for more. On their
website, you can buy a single class, or a 6-pack, 12-pack, or 24-pack of classes (these are perfect for those who cannot come down on a regular basis but still want to drop in for classes when their schedule allows), or you can become a monthly member. Private and semi-private training sessions are also available.
GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT: Check Hawaii Mom Blog's post on Instagram tomorrow, Wednesday, October 16, 2019 for details on how to enter to win a 6-pack of classes!
Body Balance Honolulu
1019 Waimanu Street
(808) 542-9597
