Writer Tracy Jones test drives barre class—virtually.
In a world of gym closures and lockdowns, unless I run outside (six feet away from everyone else, of course), I don’t have the option to take any class that’s not virtual. So, I took this opportunity to move in a way I knew wouldn’t be graceful; when better to try something awkward than now, with no one watching? I’ve never streamed a workout but I have grooved to a few exercise DVDs—Billy Blanks, P90x and a video for pregnancy yoga to ease the discomfort of carrying a bowling ball in my abdomen.
But the coronavirus shutdown made the decision for me: I decided to test out barre.
Barre, for those unfamiliar, is a class usually done in a studio setting with a ballet barre and movements similar to practicing ballet itself. There is a lot of balance, muscle pulsing and, often, inspiration drawn from pilates or yoga. This particular class, hosted by Barre-Up Raleigh, was an express class where pilates met barre in the comfort of my garage, streamed via Zoom.
Now, there are things I know about myself when it comes to a virtual exercise class and they aren’t great. First of all, I cheat. If I get winded, I take a break, sometimes pausing the video or letting it go on without me. If I don’t like the exercise, I skip it or modify it to make it easier. I’ve also been known to fast-forward.
Secondly, I tend to not give it my all. In a physical class, there’s pressure. The instructor watches you and you don’t want to look bad in front of everyone else who always seem to know how to do everything better than you. Without that motivation to try harder, I know I’m probably only giving the class like 60 percent.
That all said, I was taking this class for journalistic purposes, so I decided to go 100 percent, or at least try to. (Full disclosure: I did miss the warmup because I had a problem with Zoom on my laptop and had to switch to my phone—but I still took the rest of the class.)
Since this was a home workout, I didn’t have a ballet bar or weights but I improvised with my husband’s workbench and some soup cans from the pantry. I also used a kitchen towel for resistance.
We started with subtle arm movements, isolating specific muscles in different parts of the arm. Barre incorporates small, pulsing movements, so while it may feel like you aren’t doing much, you’re actually targeting areas you might never hit in a larger workout.
My balance was soon tested with one leg lifted up in the air behind me, hands toward the floor. It wasn’t pretty and I was happy the rest of the class couldn’t see me on Zoom. I quickly realized that the “Elsa” yoga mat I had borrowed from my 3-year-old was too thick and not doing me any favors, so I switched to bare feet on the garage floor. My husband had it epoxy-coated when we moved in, so it wasn’t uncomfortable. The opposite leg worked better, though I was still shaky.
Then, we moved onto ballet, pliés and all. My calves burned something fierce but I liked the leg muscle isolation and really tried to engage my core and work on my form. I didn’t look quite like the instructor but I think I got close.
We finished the class with crunches and oblique circles and I felt accomplished. It was one of the most low-impact classes I’ve ever taken, similar to aerial yoga but without the hanging upside down. Though not my favorite class I’ve taken so far, if you’re looking to stretch, tone and work on your core, I would suggest taking a virtual barre class.
Writer Tracy Jones test drives local boxing classes.
I’ve been taking a lot of low-impact exercise classes lately, including rowing and aerial yoga, so I thought it was time to ramp things up a bit. Aside from a few Tae Bo classes 20 years ago, I’m not familiar with boxing. I saw Hilary Swank in “Million Dollar Baby” and once tried a speed bag game after a few beers in a bar, but that’s the extent of my boxing knowledge. Also, I’ve only really punched air, not a giant bag hanging from the ceiling: Time to try something new.
Since not all boxing is created equal, I tried two Raleigh boxing gyms for comparison. While the workouts varied, the gyms were, surprisingly, quite similar and my body felt the pain at each one.
Writer Tracy Jones test drives cardio boxing
First up was TITLE Boxing Club which has multiple Triangle locations; I went to the gym in Raleigh. The staff was super friendly and took time to make sure I knew the proper boxing moves before class began. I had to buy my own hand wraps (I chose purple), but they let me borrow gloves for my trial class. They also wrapped my hands for me and put the gloves on when it was time to box since that second glove can be tricky.
The class was an hour of nonstop adrenaline. Even the warm-up was intense. I’m talking two sets of burpees, squats, jump squats, lunges, jump lunges, pushups and jumping jacks. I was completely out of breath five minutes in and I’m not going to lie, I was worried. When the boxing started, I made sure to pace myself and focus on punching the bag correctly. Form is important.
After each “round” of boxing, we could break for water but were encouraged to do an in-between-round exercise. The exercise changed between each round, alternating from jumping jacks to squats to various other exercises from warm-ups. So, basically, the goal is to never stop moving and keep that heart rate up.
When all of the rounds were over and I could barely see through the sweat dripping in my eyes, it was time to take off the gloves and relax. Kidding! It was time for 15 minutes of challenging ab work. I felt okay when I left the gym, but I made the mistake of coughing the following morning—I have never felt a burn like that in my stomach muscles. Also, everything else hurt, too.
I waited a full week before daring to try another boxing class. This time, I ventured out to BOX-2B-FITSM and tried their boxing, abs and “boot camp” class. This gym had a completely different feel, less boutique and more intimidating with an actual boxing ring in the center of class, boxers training and all. This was a night class (as opposed to my early afternoon class at TITLE) so there were a lot more people. The staff members were again very friendly and assured me they were there to help if I needed anything. I wrapped my hands, claimed a bag near the instructor and waited for the pain to come.
Writer Tracy Jones test drives cardio boxing
We started off easy, with five laps around the gym, and then things intensified with bear crawls, jumps and lunges. This was all before the cardio section started. Cardio was no joke with knee lifts, butt kicks, jumping jacks and the gamut of movements that take your breath away. Then we boxed. It was fast-paced and there were several punch combinations, but I managed to keep up. Except for a critique on my hooks (keep the thumbs up) and continual encouragement to punch harder, I was complimented on how well I was doing; that made me proud of myself.
BOX-2B-FITSM’s class also incorporated challenge rounds. For example: Five burpees (my least favorite exercise), punch the bag 100 times, then repeat all in an allotted amount of time. The sweat was flowing in this class, too, and it also ended in ab work. My instructor happened to walk by while I was cheating on flutter kicks so I had to suck it up and do them correctly. The burn!
All in all, I fell in love with cardio boxing classes. My body has never felt stronger and more beat up at the same time. I actually skinned my knuckles. But I loved it so much that I bought my own pair of gloves and plan to continue training either in a boxing gym or on my own. I’m a sucker for “boot camp” workouts and it’s fun to punch things.
If you’re interesting in getting some aggression out or just getting a really good full-body workout, try cardio boxing. Full disclosure—both gyms offer much more that just the classes I took so check out all of their options before you pick one.
If hanging upside down from the ceiling in an inverted yoga pose doesn’t sound like fun to you, you’re missing out.
Let me start off by saying that yoga has never been my thing. I’m not flexible, I’m clumsy, and I can’t even touch my toes with my legs extended. But I do like to try new things, so, of course, I signed up for an aerial yoga class this month.
It was comical, to say the least.
For those unfamiliar, aerial yoga is a variation of traditional yoga with a giant piece of cloth suspended from the ceiling like a swing. My class took place at Cirque de Vol downtown, in a room full of other newbies. Thankfully, this studio requires that you take the beginner’s class first if you, like me, have no experience. There was comfort in knowing that everyone else was as clueless, and possibly as intimidated, as I was.
We started by picking out our aerial fabric and ensuring it was adjusted to rest just below our hips. Positioning is key once you start lifting your legs off the ground, to prevent injury. Once I was situated next to my golden fabric, the class started easy. There was a little stretching, a lot of deep breathing and some traditional yoga poses like happy baby.
Then, things changed.
Photo courtesy of Tracy Jones
We placed a foot in the silk behind us and stretched in various poses. I must say that because running is my primary exercise, my hips tend to get tight. These single-foot exercises stretched me out in a way I never thought possible and I feel more flexible today, so bonus!
Now, here comes the painful part: standing in the fabric. I was surprised that it hurt my feet as much as it did, because it’s cloth, but the tightness was intense for me. The instructor said it gets better over time, so maybe with a few more classes I wouldn’t notice as much.
I wasn’t great at focusing on my core, so I was swinging all over the place, but I did complete every pose while standing. I was proud of myself for that, even if I was spinning out of control.
The fear factor came with our first inversion. With a few careful wrapping motions of the arms and feet, we were supposed to flip ourselves upside down and relax. There was nothing between me and the wooden floor, other than a thin yoga mat, so to say I was nervous is an understatement. I waited until most of the room flipped without disaster, then tried it myself—and nailed it! Inversion one, complete.
Feeling braver, I was willing to conquer the traditional downward dog pose with the silk at my hips. I immediately felt like I was going to slingshot onto my head, but our instructor urged us to relax into it and trust it. I was told to lift my legs high off of the ground, into a high “V” position. Say what?! I did it, but the fabric hurt my hips so I came down earlier than the rest of the class. Looking around, I wasn’t the only one who hesitated.
The class finished with a soothing moment in the comfortable cocoon that the fabric becomes when it’s all pulled out. We were like a room full of caterpillars waiting for metamorphosis.
The bottom line: Aerial yoga was a ton of fun to try. If you’re looking for a low-impact workout that taps into your physical awareness and helps stretch you out, give it a go. If you like it, there are more advanced classes you can take.
Cirque de Vol is located at 300 W. Hargett Street, #40 and offers aerial yoga, trapeze, aerial fabrics, fitness and dance classes.
It’s become a meme, a Twitter war and storylines on CNBC, HuffPo and many other outlets. It involves a bun, a pickle, sometimes mayo and fried chicken. I’m talking about a chicken sandwich.
We have ourselves a battle of supremacy for the original white meat. That’s right, the Restaurant Guru has been mobilized for a special assignment, Operation Chicken Sandwich: Popeyes vs. Chick-fil-A (with Bojangles’ making a celebrity guest appearance).
My journey started with a phone call to the local Popeyes to ensure my voyage wasn’t in vain as, starting from its release back in August, the fast food chain has famously sold out of this sandwich on a regular basis. A team member answered my call thusly: “Thank you for calling Popeyes, we are fully stocked with chicken sandwiches, how may I help you?” Well, that’s all I needed to hear.
Fifteen minutes later, I approached a line of vehicles backed up onto Western Boulevard, all aiming for the drive-through. So, I parked next door and hiked over.
Chick-fil-A was no different. Heading in to the Cameron Village location, the two-lane drive-through was packed and overflowing out on to the street. Again, I parked next door and hoofed it on over.
What is going on here? Is there something I’m missing about this chicken? Let’s go inside and find out.
To get the most accurate comparison, I ordered one Classic and one Spicy chicken sandwich at each restaurant.
At Popeyes, I received my sandwiches rather quickly and noticed that the kitchen had pre-made dozens of sandwiches in anticipation of high volume sales. In contrast, Chick-fil-A’s sandwiches were made-to-order and it took seven or eight minutes for them to be served.
At Popeyes, the Classic, which cost $3.99, came on a squished bun—flattened under a stack of other sandwiches—with a dollop of mayo and a couple of sliced pickles. The spicy mayo was the only difference between the Classic and the Spicy sandwiches, though Popeyes Louisiana hot sauce was available upon request.
Chick-fil-A’s bun was significantly fresher, also served with pickle slices. They don’t ‘sauce’ their sandwich, which costs $4.19, with mayo, but you can get a packet along with Winston-Salem’s own Texas Pete Hot Sauce or any other sauces upon request. Unlike Popeyes, Chick-fil-A uses spicy breading instead of sauce to differentiate its sandwiches.
The verdict: Popeyes’ actual fried chicken was crispier than its competitor’s, but Chick-fil-A’s was packed with more flavor. So, who has the best chicken sandwich overall? That honor goes to Chick-fil-A for providing an all-around better sandwich that almost feels like it’s from a real restaurant … almost.
Let it be known that I also squeezed in a little Bo Time and wasn’t impressed with the Bojangles’ Cajun Filet chicken sandwich (cost: $4.19).
If people are already going nuts for mediocre chicken sandwiches from fast food joints, they’re going to lose their minds when Ashley Christensen is ready with her answer to this trend: Project Xtra Crispy. Or you could shell out a few extra bucks and get her Carolina Reaper Hot Chicken Sandwich ($9) or Classic Chicken Sandwich ($8) at Beasley’s in downtown Raleigh right now!
In summation, I will not be writing home to Mama about either Popeyes’ or Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwiches. She’ll just have to pick up a copy of Raleigh Magazine to get the scoop like everyone else.
Lash primers promise to give mascara a boost, helping lashes look longer and thicker, while also conditioning and nourishing. Other claims: clump-free application and all-day wear.Our staff put three popular brands to the test.
L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Superstar Primer & Mascara Combination: $9.99
The product comes in a two- sided tube, one side marked as step 1 (the primer) and the other as step 2 (the mascara). The primer went on easily, coating my lashes in visible white. The mascara went on clump-free, covering the primer. My lashes weren’t any thicker, but they did separate well and had added curl.Illyse Lane
Clinque Lash Building Primer $15.50
I had never used lash primer before, but now I will! The Clinique product works great if you want longer and curlier lashes but it doesn’t make them thicker. For best results, take off any old mascara before applying the primer. This primer doesn’t work well if you haven’t completely removed your mascara from the day before. Gina Stephens
Urban Decay Subversion Lash Primer $20
I let the primer dry a little before putting on my mascara. It gave me more length but not any extra volume, which I would have liked. It did help me use fewer coats of mascara, and it also seemed easier to remove my make-up at the end of the day. I really liked this product, and I will definitely keep using primer. Caitlin Harrison
Raleigh Mag’s Decree: Lash Primer is worth it. The ease of a clump-free mascara application that results in lashes with added curl makes primer a good addition to your beauty routine.And since they all performed similarly, go for the drugstore, L’Oreal version. For the cost of almost two grande lattes, you can have better-looking lashes for months.
DIY Lash Curl
Don’t skip curling your eyelashes!It can make your eyes look larger and more awake, and it only takes a few seconds.If you forget or don’t have your lash curler, here are five do-it-yourself things to try.
Work your mascara.Use your mascara wand to curl your lashes. While you’re moving across lashes in a zigzag motion, curl in at the tips and count to ten, holding them in place.
Warm hands. Just a small amount of gentle pressure and warmth will also curl your lashes. Use your breath to heat fingertips and then press on lashes, curling them into themselves. Hold for ten seconds, then repeat as needed.
Spooning. Heat a spoon in a mug of warm water, then press the curved side over your lid and gently press lashes against the curved edge of the spoon for ten seconds.
Hold it. After applying mascara, hold lashes in a curled position by gently lifting them at the base of the lid with the length of a cotton swab. When the mascara dries, your lashes will stay in place.
A hot toothbrush. Run a clean toothbrush under hot water and then dry it lightly by pressing it into a clean towel. Brush through lashes starting at the base of the lid, holding at the tips to create the curl.
L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Superstar Primer & Mascara Combination: $9.99
Urban Decay Subversion L