SAYEH'S LIVING LITHE! 17 Aug 2011

Lithe Passport. 61 days. 40 classes. My trip has already begun.

High Mini

What you need: Nothing! Just yourself.
Props: 3 or 5lb weights
Clothing Considerations: Whatever you’re comfortable in.
Sweat Factor: You’ll look like you’ve been stomping around in the giant puddles that have formed around town the past few days.

When I first moved to Philadelphia in the summer of 2008, I thought I was totally prepared for the major upheaval a life change like that would bring. I anticipated the rigors of switching careers, and was prepared to negotiate my way through an urban, east coast culture far different from the one in which I had grown up. I was eager for it, so I embraced it all whole-heartedly, but what I hadn’t mentally prepared for was how completely lost I would be about the little things.

When you grow up somewhere, you have a list of your favorite places to do simple things like: get coffee, get your nails done, or shop for a cheap, cute top. It takes countless years of trial and error and word of mouth recommendations to curate this roster.

In Dallas, for example, I had my favorite sandwich spot where the guys behind the counter knew my order and always threw in a free...something. I had an amazing tailor near my house that hemmed my pants exactly right, while I waited! (These things matter when you’re 5’2” and have to hem EVERYTHING.) But when I moved here, I didn’t know where I could get my eyebrows done well. (If you’re Iranian and born with caterpillars above your eyes, this is a serious concern.) Or who I would see when I had a sore throat or a toothache. And of course, where I would work out.

It would be simple if I was a gym person. They’re a dime a dozen. But, I’m not. I can’t be left to my own devices with a bunch of machinery I don’t understand. The best I can do is bust out a half hour on the elliptical, and call it a successful night. I need a class. I need an instructor. I need a community. So when my friend Liz invited me to a Lithe class called High Mini, I was so excited. (This quickly changed when 5 minutes into class, it became excruciatingly clear that I was either going to die or go the emergency room before 60 minutes was up.)

After a bit of ab prep on the mat using weights, High Mini is an INTENSE cardio workout. It has intervals of burpees, plyos, rockette kicks, out-in-outs, and sprints paired with all of your barre favorites. It’s a killer and it varies from instructor to instructor (Tif’s is my fave). But, no matter who you get, you will be drenched and walking out feeling like jello.

So you can imagine that my first High Mini was such that it terrified me completely and incapacitated me to the point that I had to crawl up the winding stairs in the tiny trinity I shared with a close friend at the time. But somehow, despite that, I was immediately hooked and have been Lithing ever since (with some patchy points on and off).  

So now, 3 years later, every time I take High Mini, it makes me take stock of my life. I look back on that day 3 years ago when I first took the class, and it makes me realize how physically strong I’ve become (considering I can take a flight of stairs without being on all fours now), and how much more comfortable I am in my skin. It makes me think about my new friendships and how they’ve changed and grown since I first moved. And after class, when I’m walking to get an iced tea with a giant sprig of mint in it from Cafe Ole, one of my favorite spots in the city, or stop by my beloved smoothie truck for a pre-workout drink, I realize that without even noticing it, I have a list of favorites again--where Lithe is at the very top--and Philly is home.

Rare Form

What you need: Nothing! Just yourself.
Props: Gravity
Clothing Considerations: Whatever you’re comfortable in.
Sweat Factor: lowest sweat factor--as in none.

Rare Form is the antithesis of High Mini, and is desperately needed by anyone who Lithes consistently. It’s a relaxing, yet intense hour of stretching that is especially tailored to the way we work and exhaust our bodies in Lithe.

From your bare feet which support you through all the plyos and barre work to your shoulders and neck which support you through your push-ups and see-saws. They all need a good stretch. You don’t realize how tight your muscles really are until you’re there and contorting yourself into different positions. And don’t get it twisted (pun definitely intended), although the class is entirely on the mat, and you don’t sweat, it’s challenging! You’ll find yourself having to breathe deeply to get through some of the intense and sometimes painful moves you’ll do for the entire hour.

Not flexible? Don’t worry. I’m the least flexible person I know. I haven’t done the splits since 4th grade (and even then, I think I only did it once) and consider touching my toes a personal victory. Rare Form is beneficial for everyone regardless of flexibility.

I know the intense nature of Lithers often make them feel that Rare Form “isn’t a workout” or they want to take only high intensity calorie burning classes, and trust me, I get that. I certainly have that drive too, but what Rare Form does is ensure we get the best out of those classes when we take them. If we’re having tightness that affects our form or aches and pains that keep us from pushing ourselves, what’s the point of busting our butts in classes like Twiggy and High Mini if our bodies can’t make the most of it?

I took Rare Form on a Saturday morning, and it was an amazing way to start my day. I felt loose and relaxed and ready to be productive. If I was one of those Lithe Unicorns that takes two classes a day, Rare Form would have to be one because I definitely felt so good that I would have taken another class later that day.

So if you’ve been wanting to treat yourself to a massage or incorporate yoga into your routine to get that stretch you’ve been craving, take Rare Form first, and see if you don't feel incredible afterwards! I certainly did.

16 stops down...only 20 to go. Next up? Floored and Skinny Mini!

See you in class!

Images of Lithe Instructors Krista DeNofa & Melissa Weinberg via Dom

Comments

[MT Soltis]

Sayeh! I LOVE all your posts, but this one especially. I find myself looking forward to Wednesdays to read what you have to say. Thanks so much!

[Pam]

OH SAYEH! Didn't this blog hit home from me ...! I am also a transplant, actually at one point I was an alien since I moved from another country. Didn't it take me forever to find my favorite spots...! I still struggle with a place that does eye brows and does them well, although not Iranian I share the same concern and mine are actually curly, yes, it is a nightmare. Where do you go btw? I am desperate for a place that does them well consistently. Being from Italy, shoes are a big deal, no place here where you can buy designer shoes just wore once on the runway for 1/4 of the price, and I accepted that. I just cannot deal with not being able to find good shoes unless I leave my paycheck at the store. Yet, I have found few other favorites again :-) and Philly is my new 'home' and man did I have to superadjust! It is still work in progress after almost 15 years, but Lithe is my favorite workout and at my 6 months mark I know it would be the same anywhere in the world! :)

[Jenna]

So here's a fun story. Two days ago I was walking home from High Mini and a nice young man asked his friends, after I walked by, if it had rained recently. Not amused, I turned around and let him know how I felt about that with my nice middle finger. Oh, boys.

I appreciate your Sweat Factor rating on this one.

Be proud of your sweaty, sweaty selves, ladies!

[Sayeh]

Thank you so much MT and Pam! I'm so glad you are enjoying the blog! Pam, I can't imagine what an adjustment moving from Italy was and continues to be! I wish I could find amazing shoes without giving up a paycheck too! As far as eyebrows, I get them threaded at a great place walnut between 11th and 12th, right above Caribou Cafe, called Anju threads! All the girls there are capable and great!

Jenna, that is a HILAROUS story. Jerks! I'm sure they just wanted an excuse to talk to you! But it's true, the sweat factor is no joke!

[Kim S.]

Sayeh! Congrats on the progress and good luck with the finish!!! Almost there :) The sweat factor is important - I'm sure some people seeing us think we've just come from swimming lol! :)

Keep up the awesome work!