Aqua (Con)Fusion at the 92nd Street Y (or Splash Dance -- Oy What a Feeling!)

The city is very hot and steamy this week, and all of my regular classes have been extra crowded (probably due to the hot weather, but maybe there are some Metro Mermaid readers in the mix). I found a lovely respite from the heat at the 92nd Street Y swimming pool.

I have a long relationship with the 92nd Street Y, starting with nursery school. Here I am at age 3 honing my creative (pre-blogging) skills in my Y nursery school class (and looking vaguely like a very young Edna Mode).




I think I actually took swimming lessons at the Y as a preschooler. I always loved the water but I was terrified of the deep water until I was about 12 (thanks partially to my then-teenage brother's obsession with the film Jaws). I finally conquered my fear at summer camp -- thanks to a patient swim teacher and a shark-less lake. The following summer, I actually worked as an assistant at the camp lake, teaching younger kids how to swim. But I digress....

Anyway, over the years, I have taken dance and art classes, appeared in theater productions (Lucy in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown), and attended lectures and cultural events at the Y, and I even swam there for a few years when I lived on the East Side after college. The pool at the Y is great -- an old fashioned 25 yard tile pool on the third floor with lots of windows (so it's nice and bright). Compared to Equinox, the lanes are a bit wider so it seems a little less congested. They used to have bleachers along one side of the pool. They have re-done the pool deck in the intervening years, and the bleachers have been replaced by two jacuzzis, which are really divine (except during a heat wave). The Y has a very comfortable neighborhoody/family vibe.

When I was doing my "knee-search" for water classes, I came across a description for the Y's Splash Dance, which was advertised as follows: "Get groovin' and build stamina in this high-energy impact water-dance aerobics class." I was slightly dubious about the word "groovin'" but reviews of the class and online videos described/depicted music and dance moves. It sounded fun, so I registered for a 6-week summer session.

The first clue that something was off was when I arrived, and the advertised instructor Bettina turned out to be a man named David. There was no music, no dancing, and no explanation. I was a little puzzled but I was already in the pool, so there was no turning back. The 45 minute class was fine, but more splash than dance. The following week, I learned that the original instructor was injured and that the class was actually "Aqua Fusion," which cleared my confusion.

Unlike Aqua Boot Camp, Aqua Fusion is a less active workout (your Bubbe's aqua fitness class). There is a little bit of aerobic exercise at the beginning, but the focus is more on stretching, toning and strengthening. We move the whole time but it doesn't get the heart racing. David -- who is one of the senior trainers at the Y -- has a boxing background, so the class incorporates some boxing moves. The class is geared more towards seniors with a few younger students in the mix (the folks in the class are a close knit group and very welcoming -- I sort of imagine them going out for coffee and a nosh after class, and maybe one of them has a nice single son for the Mermaid). David has introduced me to some great arm exercises, and he is well versed in kinesthesiology -- he keeps an eye on us to make sure we are doing the exercises properly, and is also attentive to posture, alignment, etc. He is a good teacher and the class is fun. Overall, I am not sure I am going to take the class again (I don't find it challenging), but it is a good complement to the more aerobic/rigorous workouts. The stretch at the end of the class is always excellent. I would definitely train with him -- he clearly knows what he's doing.

If you live on the East Side, check out the Y's website for this class and other offerings. The Y has multiple aqua fitness classes during the day and several evenings a week. They are free to members of the Y's May Center, and pretty reasonable for non-members (it worked out to about $20/class when I registered online). Groupon occasionally offers membership specials for the Y -- keep an eye out for them -- it is a very nice well run facility. They even have a little cafe outside the fitness center.

The Y locker rooms are spacious and very clean, and someone on the cleaning staff is an undiscovered towel art genius -- I leave you with three of her recent creations which I have entitled Towel Dogs, Towel Oasis  and Towel Bouquet (I am very literal).





A Google search revealed that several others had photographed the towel dogs -- clearly I am not the only one who finds them fascinating.

The Y is located at 1395 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10128, (212) 415-5500. The fitness center is open 7 days a week.


-MM

The Mermaids of Weeki Wachee

Check out today's New York Times Magazine for a great article on the Mermaids of Weeki Wachee.  In addition to a live mermaid show, there is even a week-long "Sirens of the Deep" camp where you can learn how to be a mermaid.  You can even get a custom mermaid costume (they apparently made one for Lady Gaga!).  The video on the NY Times site is awesome.  Possible Metropolitan Mermaid field trip!

-MM

Aqua Boot Camp at Equinox: Water Aerobics with Attitude!

I have a confession.  Even before I hurt my knee, I enjoyed water aerobics.  I have been “curvy” for most of my adult life, which can make it a bit of a challenge to get a good aerobic workout (and running and jumping on dry land clearly did a number on my joints).  In the water, however, my curviness is an asset -- maybe I really am a mermaid. I am more buoyant and can run and jump without pain, and the resistance of the water makes water exercise great for toning.  

Whenever I would tell friends that I was taking water aerobics, they would nod and smile and tell me that their mom/dad/grandma/great aunt in Boca Raton really enjoyed water exercise.  In researching classes in NYC, I came across numerous references to “women of a certain age.”  It was a little discouraging.  Water aerobics had all the sex appeal of a round of mah jongg and an early bird special.  But maybe I was being ageist.  After all, I have been influenced by many fabulous smart experienced older people throughout the years -- grandparents, parents, mentors, teachers, and friends.  I trust them for advice and guidance on other aspects of my life, so I decided they must be on to something -- a great workout that is kind to your body.  But I also needed to find a class that would give me a challenging workout.  

With no disrespect to my elders, Ellis Peters’s Aqua Boot Camp class at Equinox is not your grandma’s water aerobics class.  His class is an active fun workout which has helped me get stronger and leaner with minimal impact on my joints.  Aqua Boot Camp offers core training and improves cardiovascular endurance, balance, flexibility and strength using webbed gloves, foam “buoyancy bells” and pool noodles.  

Ellis is not your typical boot camp drill sergeant -- he runs a great class but he is personally very laid back. Ellis is a former USS age group swim coach and swim instructor.  He got started as an aqua fitness instructor when he was working as a lifeguard and swim instructor at a pool with water aerobics classes.  He started taking classes and loved them -- he ended up filling in for the teacher and went on to get certified as an aqua fitness instructor. And the rest is history.  He has been written up in numerous publications including Business Week, and Fit Pregnancy and featured in AM NY and on MSN Fitbie.   Ellis is featured in the July/August 2013 edition of Women’s Health magazine.  It’s not yet available on line but the article is great and the iPad edition offers a four-page instruction guide on a few of Ellis’s signature moves.  I'll post a link when they put it online.

At the beginning of each class, we put on our webbed aqua gloves 

which make me feel vaguely like a superhero -- Aqua Girl.  They offer increased resistance in the water.  We spend about 15 minutes doing laps around the pool (jogging, kicking, marching and moving our arms).  Ellis will interject shouts of “double time” to get us to speed up.  We also change direction and run against the current.  

Next we do about 20-25 minutes of calisthenics -- running in place, jumping jacks, kicking, cross-country skiing in place, and doing “tuck jumps” -- all at regular and double time speed.  Some of the exercises are done in place, and we also travel side to side back and forth across the pool.  

Then we grab foam buoyancy bells

and run laps around the pool doing various arm exercises (presses, cycling, etc.).  We then switch to a foam pool noodle, which we use for leg resistance exercises. We recover from the leg exercises with an exercise called the plank. 

My friend Andrew (a yoga teacher) informed me that the plank is actually a yoga exercise.  I love the plank -- it’s kind of like a standing push up and it is great for engaging your abs and stretching out your body.  Finally, we do another series of arm exercises and intervals with the bells, and end each class with a stretch and cool down. 

I really adore the class.  I am finally using my Equinox membership on a regular basis (I used to go so infrequently that I joked that my average workout cost upwards of $200).  Ellis keeps us moving for most of the hour, and I feel like the exercises give me a full body workout. 

The whole time, Ellis presides over the class with a firm hand and an eagle eye, making sure that no one injures themselves, and adjusting exercises to deal with various physical conditions (pregnancy, knee and hip injuries, etc.).  The class covers a wide age range, and I’ve met some really interesting people.  

When I asked Ellis what he enjoys best about teaching Aqua Bootcamp, he told me, “connecting with folks and helping folks get to their next level.  I love my job.”

Aqua Boot Camp is offered Monday at 6:30 pm and Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Equinox on Greenwich Avenue, at 97 Greenwich Avenue in the West Village.  

The only drawback of the Greenwich Avenue branch is that you need to walk through part of the lobby in your swimsuit in order to get to the pool.  On the plus side, whenever I take the Monday night class, there is inevitably a very fit guy stretching and doing yoga poolside (I guess people like stretching out by the pool).  I know I am objectifying my fellow club members, but I am not ashamed to say that the eye candy makes the workout a bit more pleasant.  

Aqua Boot Camp is also offered on Saturday at noon at Equinox Columbus Circle at 60th and Broadway in the basement of the Time Warner Center.  

You can enter the pool deck directly from the locker rooms, and the pool is great.  Both pools are about 4 feet deep.

Equinox also has pools at 63rd and Lexington Avenue and East 54th and 2nd Avenue.  I've taken water exercise classes at both locations (the West Side clubs are more convenient for me).  The 54th Street pool is smallish and also somewhat shallow -- 3.5 feet.  I’ve tried a couple of classes there but the pool is a bit too shallow for a water workout.  Equinox is spotless (they clean the pool deck and locker rooms constantly) and they offer amenities like a juice bar and a spa at most locations.  The spinach, pear and tofu smoothies at Columbus Circle are addictive (seriously -- improved by the addition of half a banana).  

For those of you who don’t belong to Equinox, several other gyms offer Aqua Boot Camp classes, including the nearby 14th Street Y.  I wish Equinox would offer one more evening class during the week (hint, hint).

This video gives you a flavor of Aqua Boot Camp (a class in Atlanta).

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/video/water-aerobics

-MM

NYC Pool Guide, Asphalt Green Battery Park City and Underwater Bikes from Eetaly

The Mermaid is drowning in work this week, but I thought I'd share a few links to tide you over while I finish my write up of Aqua Boot Camp (coming this weekend).  

Pool Guide

NYC Swim, an organization which organizes swimming events throughout the city, has a really handy index of New York City swimming pools available here.  The site also includes listings of swimming events and other useful information for swimmers in the five boroughs (if you've ever wanted to swim the Hudson, you can find out where and when to do it).

Asphalt Green Battery Park City

After months of delays (due in part to superstorm Sandy), Asphalt Green Battery Park City opened earlier this month.  Tribeca Citizen published an article with photos of the facility here.  While it is not as big as its Upper East Side sibling, the Battery Park branch is actually relatively convenient to my office and the pools look lovely.  Once the pool schedule is finalized, I am going to give it a try (and I'll tell you about it).

Aqua Cycling

Aqua Studio opened recently in Tribeca with a media splash, including a write up in Vogue.  They offer aqua spinning classes on special pool bikes (so far it's for women only).  I have been keen to try it (at least if/when I fall of the bike, I'll float).  In the mean time, Gawker published this hysterical (and colorful) article, Gawker Rides Bikes Under Water.  I promise to keep an open mind and give it a fair try.  That said, work has been stressful this week, and I couldn't help but chuckle over the bikes from eetaly.  Thank you Gawker for a good laugh.  Enjoy.

-MM

Deep Water Running (or, Something About Mary)

When I was starting my knee-hab at the end of last year, the knee doc recommended (insisted) that I try water jogging -- and even went online to show me what equipment to buy and found me an online video on how to aqua jog -- it was this video or one very much like it.  The folks in the video looked unnaturally happy, but I was a little skeptical.  Still -- I trusted the knee doc, so I thought I'd give it a go.  I bought a flotation belt and tried it once in the pool at Equinox but I felt ridiculous (or at least self-conscious) jogging back and forth on my own.  Since I don't have a private pool, I figured that I was more likely to stick to the program if I could find a group class (safety in numbers).  And then I found Blue Ocean Swimming and the fabulous Robert Valentin and discovered deep water running.  This class has helped my knee more than almost anything else (and it's also whipped me into shape in the process).

Robert is very upbeat and funny (and very fit).  He makes an effort to get to know everyone's names -- and sometimes inadvertently renames his students.  For a couple of weeks, he called me Mary (not my name).  In his defense, I didn't correct him and I confessed to him that -- as a lawyer -- I have been called worse names.  So, in deep water running, I am now [insert my real name here]/Mary.  I kind of like having an alter-ego/evil twin who likes to run.  Left to her own devices [insert real name here] is more of a couch potato.

Blue Ocean provides flotation belts to use during the class.  We start each class with a little stretching and a warm up -- sculling back and forth across the pool on our backs, and then sitting up in the pool and criss-crossing our legs for about 30 seconds (it reminds me of my Pilates days).  Then we do about 30-35 minutes of running intervals, simulating power walking (4 foot strides), running on a flat surface (3 foot strides), running uphill (2 foot strides) and running down hill (1 foot strides) -- and some occasional standing flutter kicking, holding our hands above our heads and trying not to drown.  For each step, you keep track of the number of repeats per minute (your cadence).  It's also a good arm workout, since you move your arms with each step.  Robert varies the routine in each class -- and I sometimes close my eyes and visualize running around Central Park (not that I've every actually run around Central Park, but I have walked around it quite a few times).  We end the class by sprinting back and forth across the pool, which is not easy.  

The nice thing about the class is that everyone goes at their own pace.  When I started, I was REALLY out of shape, but was in a class with marathon runners and triathletes, which was kind of inspiring.  The people in the class cover a wide age range and they are very friendly and welcoming.  Some of the more seasoned athletes are either spicing up their training routine or recovering from injuries.  Each week, I can measure my own progress.  I know that I am getting faster (my cadence has picked up consistently since I started in February).  I am also staying in one spot for most of the class, rather than drifting around (which means my abs are engaged throughout the class).  And my knee feels GREAT after each class -- seriously.  I have brought friends to the class and they have enjoyed it.

Blue Ocean offers classes on Monday night at 7 pm at John Jay College at 899 10th Avenue (Between 58th & 59th). 

The pool at John Jay is a nice big 25 yard pool, so there is plenty of room to move around, and there are also lane dividers (which makes it easier for me to avoid drifting into my classmates).

There are also classes on Wednesday at 6:45 pm and Thursday at 7 pm in the Community House at St. Bartholomew's Church 109 E. 50th Street (enter on the 50th Street side of the building -- the pool is in the basement).  The Community House is a landmark building which also houses a gym and a dojo (you can hear the yelling from the karate classes on the way to the pool).  The pool itself is lovely, clean, and slightly warm (which is nice for the achy knee).  

St. Bart's is very convenient if you work in midtown.  The locker room can be a little dank, but I just wear flip flops and avoid the showers (which are a little gross).  I've gotten used to it.

You can register directly on the site -- you can pay by the class ($30) or buy a card for 7 classes ($150) or 20 classes ($400).  If you are a member of the New York Road Runner's Club, you get an additional discount by registering here.  It is money well spent.

Once you get the hang of it, you can run in any body of water -- here I am running in chilly Smith Mountain Lake (Southern Virginia) over Memorial Day Weekend.

I only lasted about 5 minutes (the lake was quite brisk).  

And then I recovered with some home made mint juleps.

Twingey Hinges -- Arthritis Aquatics Classes

Since my creaky knee served as the genesis for this blog, I thought I'd start with information about specialized classes for arthritis in Manhattan.  Most of these classes take place in warmer pools, which create a comfortable environment for alleviating arthritis pain through exercise.  I haven't tried all of these, but the classes are generally a bit gentler than some of the other classes I've tried. 

Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Alliance

The Arthritis Foundation website provides a motherlode of useful information on Arthritis.  The site includes a nationwide searchable index of fitness facilities that participate in the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Alliance (you can search by city, state, and zip code).  The classes are specifically designed for people with arthritis and focus on stretching and strengthening muscles without stress to the joints. The following sites in Manhattan offer classes under the Alliance:

Asphalt Green
555 East 90th Street
New York, NY 10128
(212) 369.8890 ext. 2246 

Asphalt Green is a gorgeous bright clean facility on East 90th between York and East End (reachable by the M86 and M57 bus). Going there will make you feel like a professional athlete.  They offer a range of programs, which I'll cover in a subsequent post.   Their Arthritis Exercise classes are held in the heated T/E Pool. The schedule varies, but there are mid-day classes on Tuesdays-Fridays (check the website for the schedule) and a Friday evening class.  Classes are open to members and you can also buy class passes (which vary in price).  Individual classes are currently $35 for non-members and $20 for seniors.  They offer 15 and 30 class passes at a discounted rate.  For downtown New Yorkers, a Battery Park branch is slated to open in June (after a long delay). I will update the blog with information about the Battery Park branch once it's open.

JCC Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10023
(646) 505-5708

The JCC, located at 76th and Amsterdam has a gorgeous aquatics center on one of the upper floors.  The pool is one of the prettiest I have tried in the city -- it has a nice view of neighboring buildings and bright sunlight from huge floor to ceiling windows.  I am not a huge fan of the training pool, where the Arthritis Exercise classes are held.  It is kept at a nice warm temperature and the depth is adjustable.  Unlike the main pool, the training pool is small (smaller than the living room in my Manhattan apartment).  I took an aerobics class there and found it a little cramped (but it should be fine for less active classes).  The people in the class were very friendly and the JCC offers a range of cultural programs for members.  Most of the classes are held in the late morning or early afternoon, so check the schedule. There is one class for Seniors (60+) that is offered for FREE (call the JCC for details).  The other classes are offered at different rates for member and non-members (the prices are reasonable).  You need to register for classes.

McBurney YMCA
125 West 14th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 912-2323

The search functionality on the McBurney YMCA seems a little bit off but I found the information in the program guide.  They offer Aquatic Exercise for Arthritis on Tuesday/Thursday at 10:30 a.m. and Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.  It's free for members.  For non-members, classes are about $10/class for an 8-week session (it's a little cheaper if you go 2 or 3 times/week).  

Vanderbilt YMCA
224 East 47th Street
New York, NY 10017
(212) 912-2500

The Vanderbilt Y has two great pools and is super convenient if you work in the Grand Central area.  Again -- call and check the schedule before going.  During the spring they offer Arthritis Exercise classes in the pool at 11 a.m. on M-F, with after work classes on Monday and Wednesday at 6:50 (getting applause from the Mermaid for offering after work classes for those of us with day jobs!!).  I would call them for the summer schedule.  I would also call them for the fees (the YMCA websites have really uneven search functionality).  

Westside YMCA
5 West 63rd
New York, NY 10023
(212) 912-2675

I belonged to the Westside Y years ago when I was in law school.  It is a beautiful old building and the pool is nice, big and clean (with good locker facilities).  It's close to Columbus Circle so it's convenient to transport (and you can go to Lincoln Center or shop/eat at Time Warner Center after you work out).  Classes are held daily M-F (early morning or mid-day) but -- unfortunately -- are open to Members Only.  Call the Westside Y for membership information. 

Other Aqua Arthritis Classes

In addition to the Arthritis Foundation classes, Riverbank State Park (679 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10031, Phone: (212) 694-3600) offers a Senior/Adaptive Aqua Arthritis Class on Thursday and Friday Mornings.  It is reasonable ($10/class).  I have not been to Riverbank, but my neighbor takes a lot of exercise classes there and loves it.  

Back to Sport Physical Therapy offers Aquatic Therapy in the pool at the 92nd Street Y (which is a great pool -- I will review it in a future post).  Participation requires a prescription and is expensive (around $120/visit).  

For The Dogs....

Finally, since the Mermaid loves her four legged friends, it warmed the cockles of my lawyerly heart to discover that in New York, even doggies can do water exercise for arthritis.  Water 4 Dogs in lower Manhattan will let you exercise with your dog.  The photos alone are worth a look.  

-MM 

Splash and the City

I start out walking at a fast pace.  After a few minutes, I break into an easy run, imagining I’m racing through Central Park, as the coach tells me to pick up my cadence.  I hit a hill and pump my arms a little harder to get up to the top and then I speed up to a nice downhill clip, racing to the finish line, until I slowly drift into the person in the next lane, and accidentally inhale a little pool water.  Welcome to the world of deep water running.  How, you may ask, did a girl like me end up “running” through a pool in the basement of St. Bartholomew's Church, in the middle of midtown Manhattan?

My fitness journey began with a splash or, more accurately, a thud.  

I am a harried urban professional 40-something who finds it challenging to build daily exercise into my life.  I have always struggled with starting and maintaining a regular fitness routine, but I have also been fairly active - I love to swim and especially to walk – and in the past even walked a marathon and several half marathons.

A little more than two years ago, I went through a health crisis, a year of extreme and unpredictable dizziness (dubbed the "wobbles" by a doctor friend), followed by brain surgery to remove a benign tumor, which cured said wobbles, followed by a prolonged recovery and a long course of antibiotics that completely knocked me flat.  I “self-medicated” my way through my convalescence on a steady diet of French pastries from my local bakery.  I am now healthy, for which I am extremely thankful every day, but I gained weight as I healed and was out of condition.  So last autumn, I started a weight loss plan (for the nth time) and decided to start walking again and promptly twisted my ankle on a crack in the pavement, landing squarely on my knee.  Thud.  My mishap left me with a truly enormous aubergine colored bruise (I looked like Barney the dinosaur from the knee down) and the unwelcome revelation that I had arthritis, which I finally believed and accepted only after looking at an MRI.   

How could I have arthritis?  I survived a brain tumor.  I am young, active and fabulous.  My favorite thing in the world is to hop a plane to London or Paris or Hong Kong or really anywhere, and explore on foot until I’m exhausted.  Arthritis is decidedly un-fabulous and made me feel firmly middle aged and quite grumpy.  I have many adventures ahead of me and I am not ready to let a creaky knee slow me down.  The silver lining in all of this is that I finally decided that I love myself more than I love cinnamon brioche.  I needed to take better care of myself, and I actually found a way.

To help me recover from the knee injury and avoid surgery, my kind, savvy and sensible knee doctor suggested water exercise, which I actually enjoy, once I got past having to don a bathing suit when I felt like a marshmallow.  In the process, I've reacquainted myself with my abs and glutes and am well on my way to having upper arms like Michele Obama’s.  Someday.  After four months back in the pool, I am down two dress sizes and I feel great, and I’ve met some interesting characters along the way.  Water exercise is a great way to get a cardio and strength training workout without putting additional pressure on my knee.  One  challenge is that most water exercise classes are geared to people who don't work during the day.  So I’m on a mission to find challenging classes for busy urbanites of all ages.  Hence this blog.

Metropolitan Mermaid will give readers information on health clubs and pools, as well as profiles and reviews of classes and a little bit of medical and nutritional information for water athletes.

A few notes/rules of the pool:

• My initial scope is limited to New York City (mostly Manhattan, to start) but I hope to expand my reach.
• I will do my best to stay up-to-date, but I also have a day job.  If you notice that any information is out of date, please let me know.
• I am not a fitness professional or a doctor.  Please check with your doctor before jumping into the pool.
• I welcome comments, but please be respectful of your fellow mermaids and mer-men, and avoid making comments that are confidential, proprietary, false, fraudulent, libelous, defamatory, obscene, threatening, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, infringing on intellectual property rights, abusive, harassing, illegal or otherwise objectionable. (Can you tell I'm a lawyer by day?).  Comments will be screened before posting, and I reserve the right to make you exit the pool.  
• If you are interested in writing a guest post about a class or activity, please email me.  

I hope you enjoy the blog and the journey.  Come on in.  The water's fine.

- MM