by Carson Sellers | Mar 28, 2024 | April 2024, Stuff
Your springtime retail rounds—from exercise outposts to charming boutiques
Guess what Designed for Joy has in their pocket(book)? An upcoming second locale in North Hills Innovation District—slated to spread retail joy and keep women in crisis employed starting in April. Now that’s a good look. @designedforjoy
Dress your chickies head-to-toe in bright colors and not-so-basic basics from Pink Chicken, a vintage-meets-chic children’s boutique recently hatched in North Hills. Sounds im-peck-able. @pinkchickenny
HIIT the gym, not the snooze button! Coming to Seaboard Station is this Australia-based global fitness boutique Body Fit Training. Get your heart rate up via science- and technology-based techniques that are sure to *work out*! @bft_studios
The Flourish Market is now, ahem, flourishing at Raleigh Iron Works. Preach your girl power while shopping for gifts and boutique items catered toward the gals from impact-driven brands. We love to see it! @theflourishmarket
YoBa Studio is now stretching out its space and mixing up community at Raleigh Iron Works. The all-inclusive woman-owned exercise studio offers classes like Barre, strength, cardio and yoga. They’re flexible like that. @yobastudio
Crabtree is opening its doors to a trio of new spaces this year: uniquely curated Black- and woman-owned bridal store Runaway Brides; custom lip color biz Lip Print Beauty Bar; and savvy-slash-cutesy boutique Eloise Collections. @runawaybridalco; @lipprintbeautybar; @eloise_collections
Coming in steamy, SweatHouz is also sliding into Seaboard Station for an all-encompassing wellness experience feat. cold immersion, hydromassages, infrared saunas and vitamin C showers. The heat never bothered us anyway… @sweathouz
by Anna Beth Adcock | Feb 26, 2024 | Do, March 2024
The ’80s called… and they want their leg warmers back.
News flash: Aerobics is cool again—but with a fun new twist. While it may no longer look like the OG Jane Fonda videos of days gone by, the gist of the movin’ and groovin’ workout remains the same—no matter what you call it.
Never drank the proverbial Kool-Aid—er, donned the leotard? Essentially, aerobics is a cardio workout involving repeated and rhythmic movements aiming toward high heart rates and endorphins. With aerobics-style group classes cropping up around the city at local gyms (we see you, YMCA!) and more niche step/dance fitness outposts gaining traction among all ages and genders, the news is official: Aerobics-esque workouts are reliving their glory days.
One local facility offering this high-energy and motivating movement is Club Cardio + Fitness Bar. Founded by Sherry Ringer and family in 2020 via basic step classes to the beat of hip-hop tunes, the fitness hub has since exploded with a lineup of uberpopular call-and-response rhythmic classes (there’s even hip-hop HIIT classes!). Fun fact: Ringer’s daughter and staff even choreographed—and appeared alongside—multiplatinum musical artist Ciara in the music video for her single “JUMP.”
“They’re appealing because they’re nontraditional,” says Ringer of Club Cardio’s exercises. “Many people have a love-hate relationship with traditional workouts, but this is a different form of movement that’s enjoyable and offers the same results as any other
cardio-driven work.”
To wit, Ringer nods to Club Cardio’s blended audience, saying the inviting safe environment and uniqueness of the exercise format attracts all to step into something new. … Call it routine, but
aerobics-style workouts are so hot. Ready, step, go!
by Heidi Reid | Feb 26, 2024 | March 2024, Stuff
Where to exercise, shop and self-care this spring.
Lights down, music up. Sign up for a [solidcore] workout at RIW this summer for high-intensity and low-impact training that’ll leave ya beat. After all, only hotties do Pilates. @solidcore
Calling all coastal grandmas and cowboys! Make your way to Madewell’s and J. Crew’s upcoming North Hills outposts for all your preppy-meets-cool selects. Shopping mode: activated. @madewell; @jcrew
Fit check! Channel your best self via Life Time Fitness’ upcoming Alston Town Center outpost in Northwest Cary feat. luxe pools, pickleball courts, a lineup of workout classes and an array of elevated amenities. … Massage, anyone?@lifetime.life
North Hills is expanding! Find three newbies slated to bow this bring: blossoming Nashville-based florist brand Amelia’s Flowers; inflatable party palace The BalloonZ Shop; and Dose Yoga and Smoothie Bar, the perfect studio for Zen and smooth sips. @ameliasflowertruck; @balloonz.shop; @doseyoga
Glow up your space with a small-batch soy candle from September Candle Studio, another recently bowed RIW retailer (yup, RIW is clearly lit!). Find your fragrance fix in a smattering of shapes and hues—because boring candles are so out—or channel your inner Jan (iykyk) and book a DIY class. @septcandlestudio
Welcome to the jungle! Urban Pothos’ second storefront is taking root at Raleigh Iron Works with all the more mean green plant decor of your dreams. And be sure to pop into a propagation class to multiply your ~buds~ and save some moola. @urbanpothos
DTR’s about to get a whole lot greener! Copperline Plant Co. is cropping up in a new locale this year to host more plants, pots, people and workshops. Two green thumbs up! @copperlineplants
Vibes stay high at The Hightide Salon + Suite’s new DTR suites now flourishing above Flourish Market, where the self-care ops abound. From Russian manicures and new updos to massage therapy and permanent lip blush—it’s giving big slay energy. @thehightidesalon
by Anna Beth Adcock | Aug 29, 2023 | Do, September 2023
New multistudio fitness membership lunges on the scene.
Working hard to bust workout boredom? If your old gym routine isn’t cutting it, it could be time to switch up your sweat sesh. And just in time for the unofficial start of fit girl (and boy!) fall, meet your new fitness bestie: FitReserve.
The premier membership service touts class offerings at top fitness studios spanning the country—and is now adding Raleigh-area studios to its “HIIT” list. Fitness fanatics can choose from an abundance of hot spots around town (aka ~1,000 monthly classes)—from yoga and Pilates to indoor cycling, bootcamp and boxing sessions.
Current local studios on the sweat rotation include GLOW Fitness, Sk1ll Fitness Studio, Cirque de Vol, Total Row Brier Creek and Cor4 Fitness—with a slew of other studio selections on the way, including Six Foot Fit, Chuva Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Nova Yoga… and even more coming down the pipeline. How’s that for a flex?!
“As one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., we’re thrilled to launch FitReserve in Raleigh,” says Megan Smyth, founder of the shapely enterprise. “From indoor cycling and HIIT to aerial and Barre, Raleigh has a vibrant wellness scene and a diverse network of premier fitness options. We’re excited to provide local fitness enthusiasts with access to a broad variety of workouts with one convenient all-access membership.” fitreserve.com
by Kelsie Barton | May 30, 2023 | Do, June 2023
Sweating for that summer bod? We turn to Raleigh trainer JoJo Polk to find out what’s hot—and what’s not—on the local fitness scene.
TRENDING
The Great Outdoors
Whether it’s hitting the pickleball court or heading to Lake Johnson for a little SUP action, exercising alfresco is the way to go. “People are biking and running again now that they can get outside and get some fresh air,” says JoJo Polk, a personal trainer at the new FX Fitness located within Raleigh Iron Works. “All things outdoors are trending.” Go on, soak in that vitamin D—your body will thank you.
Futuristic Wearable Tech
Wearable tech has become an essential part of our workout culture thanks to OGs like Orangetheory Fitness. But now, Triangle newcomers such as OHM Fitness and Body20 are introducing even more high-tech experiences: think bodysuits designed with electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) to deliver the benefits of an intense two-hour workout in one quick low-impact session. Notes Polk, a former AFL athlete, “That’s the sports world finally starting to meet the fitness world.” Science rules!
Stability Training
While mobility training has taken TikTok by storm, Polk adds that stability training is also on the rise. “People are working on their balance and their core—and when I say core, I don’t just mean an ab workout,” the fitspert explains. “Everything has to work together, so you have to strengthen everything at once. … You’ve got to work your lower back, your glutes, your hamstrings, your quads.” And even though balance may seem natural, Polk says it actually requires constant practice, especially as people age. “The more you do it, the more comfortable you get with it and the stronger you feel.”
Mind, Body and Soul
If you’ve taken a Hot Girl Walk at any point in the past year, then you already know that mental health is the latest fitness craze (and certainly one we can all get behind). “I think that has always been important, but nowadays it’s taking the forefront,” says Polk. “The mind controls the body, and once you figure that out, the body can do what it’s supposed to because it’s in a good state.” Plus, more studios are jumping on the holistic health bandwagon, offering everything from meditation and breathwork classes to on-site physical therapists, nutritionists and massage therapists for nourishment inside and out. “That’s all part of wellness,” Polk continues. “We think that wellness is just working out and getting fit, but it is training the mind and calming the mind.”
FADING
At-Home Virtual Exercise
With the pandemic now in our rearview, at-home virtual workouts are being replaced by IRL classes. “Even Peloton has taken a big hit,” says Polk. “A lot of people want to engage again, they want to feel like we are normal again, so they are venturing back out.” However, many are still opting for hybrid workouts that combine online instruction with visits to a brick-and-mortar studio. “We don’t need them anymore, but I think they will always have a place,” Polk says of virtual sessions. “In case anything happens again, you can always go online.”
Old-School Pilates
Time to roll up those mats. Pilates is once again booming, but this ain’t your mama’s version of the full-body exercise. From the 3-2-8 method to wall Pilates, the new workout that has every fit-fluencer buzzing provides myriad ways to experiment. “Even places like FlowCORPS and Mega that have the Reformers—a lot of people are moving toward that,” Polk says of the trendy variation involving a machine that focuses on core strength and proper muscle engagement. Talk about a big flex.
Big-Box Gyms
Bye-bye, big box. “[They] are not as trendy as they used to be,” Polk reveals. Instead, there’s been an explosion in small-group fitness boutiques that offer camaraderie as well as clear, personalized instruction. “A lot of people don’t want to go and not know what they’re doing, so they are taking more classes or doing more of a personal studio type,” Polk continues. “At some point in your day, you just want to go and be told what to do and just let that person take over for a little bit.” (It’s me, hi.)
Lengthy Sessions
Forget sweating it out for hours at a time—shorter, optimized workouts and even workout “stacking,” are the next big thing. And the popularity of HIIT, which involves short bursts of vigorous exercise, has certainly helped drive this shift. The most important thing is to simply move your body, even if it’s only in 10- or 20-minute chunks. “Whether it’s a walk, whether it’s a jog, whether it’s Pilates or another workout, just make sure you’re moving every day,” says Polk. “If you can do that, you’re already winning.”
