Some healthy Hoboken suggestions to start your year off right!

By Amy Orrell-Branco

Hopefully you are not still digesting the Panettone or fruit cake and eggnog and that you were able to make it through the holidays in one piece. As we come upon the New Year’s festivities we start to put last year behind us and look forward to new beginnings.

Let us close the door on 2011 and set our intention. In yoga we refer to this as Sankalpa which means to set a resolve or will, purpose, and determination (See this great article in Yoga Journal about Sankalpa…)

So, instead of setting yourself up with a negative why not learn how to try a new skill or find yourself a new crew? Either way you will be much healthier and happier if it is something that you enjoy rather then doing the old adage of lose 10 lbs which may have become 20 now.

Tips for getting on track in the new year

Here are some general tips:

1. Set up an appointment for yourself on a consistent basis to do something active whether it is for 20-60 minutes. This way you have this appointment in your calendar for you.
2. Grab a buddy and go for a walk, hike, run, or check out something new.
3. If you have wanted to have a personal trainer but can’t afford the cost, then get a group of people together and see if the trainer will do a small group session. Most will and the price point will be substantially reduced and most likely will be full of laughter as you break a sweat.
4. Set up a separate email for different newsletters and coupon sites. This way you don’t have to worry about your personal email getting bombarded but maybe a local studio is holding a cool fitness or yoga class coming up. Here are two places that are:
   • Crossfit of Hoboken – Holding a Running seminar on January 7th.
   • Devotion Yoga – Holding an Acro Partner Yoga class on February 4th.
5. Keep a look out for more as the new year approaches and always stay in the loop with Livingsocial and Groupon as most local businesses are doing special offers currently.

Local Hoboken Fitness Deals

Here is a list of some local deals:

• Club H Fitness – Early Resolution membership. No enrollment and $799 for the year.
• Club KO Kickboxing – Free Trial Class
• Crossfit of Hoboken – Check out their off peak hour prices for a substantial price difference. Crossfit can be a really fun place for a group of you and your friends to train. They are intense workouts but fun as well. You will not believe what you are capable of.



• Curves – Free trial week
• Devotion Yoga – New Client special is $40 for 1 month of unlimited yoga at both studios. They will be launching their 21 day club which will be 21 days of straight yoga with 2 great workshops thrown in.
• HAC (Hudson Athletic Club) – 1 Free Trial day
• Hoboken Aikikai (Sensei Michael McNally) – Monthly classes for $100 (couples $165). Located in the Monroe center. Great group!
• Hoboken Bootcamps – Free trial week
• Hoboken KoKo FitClub – Free Smart Training session.
• LA Boxing – Free Trial Class
• Impower Pilates – 2 Private and 1 mat session for $65 5 tower, 1 reformer, and 1 mat class for $99
• Mimi Kids Yoga – 2 weeks for $29.95 (adults and kids)
• NYSC – 30 days for $30
• Planet Fitness – Pre-Sale is still going on. $10 per month.
• Surya Yoga Academy – Three classes for $40

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New Hoboken411 feature: Play Train Live

Introducing a new contributor & column on Hoboken411 today: Play Train Live from Amy Orrell-Branco.

Each month she’ll touch on various health & fitness topics. You can find this section under “Features” and “Guest Columns.” Without further adieu…

Stress Free Holidays

By Amy Orrell-Branco

Ah… the holidays are upon us and with that; rich food, lots of parties, loss of your fitness routine and for most of us lots of stress. So how can we bring balance back into our lives?

Here are some tips that may help:

1. Make sure to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. According to Dr. Mehmet Oz in You: On a Diet; it is stated that “when your body does not get the seven to eight hours of sleep it needs every night to get rejuvenated, it needs to find ways to compensate for neurons not secreting the normal amounts of serotonin or dopamine. The way it typically does this is by craving sugary foods that will give you an immediate release of serotonin and dopamine.”
2. Eat a healthy snack before you go out. Try to eat something that will give you sustained energy. Such as something the contains complex carbohydrates and protein or healthy fats. Try an apple with almond or peanut butter or Greek yogurt or a protein shake. This will keep your blood sugar stable so that you don’t end up giving in to your food cravings.
3. DON’T punish yourself! Ok, so you missed your workout or had one too many cookies. Get back on track and start fresh. Punishing yourself only sets you up for failure. Rather reward yourself and preferably not with food. Keeping things positive will help you to stick with it.
4. Connect with your breath. A lot of the times during stressful situations we have dysfunctional breathing that leads to creating more stress. During the holidays we forget about ourselves and what it is that we need. Whether it is skipping that party because we are exhausted or cutting back on what we are spending on gifts out of fear that we will upset someone. When in all honesty we are the ones stuck with the credit card bill come January. By just taking a few moments to feel your breath fill your belly you can slow down and regroup.
5. If you know that your fitness routine will be less then routine, then see where you can add little moments to your day. Take the stairs, do a few push ups here and there, or do a few walking luges.

Hopefully these will help keep you on track. If you have a tip that you would like to share, please send it to us as we would love to hear what you have to say.

Happy Holidays!

About Amy Orrell-Branco

Amy has been studying yoga for over 10 years. 4 years ago she decided to deepen her practice and become a teacher. In 2008, she completed her 200 hour training with Bright Spirit Teacher Training with Jillian Pransky, Carrie Parker-Gastelu, and Tam Terry. She has taken part in the 300 hour Advanced Teacher Training at ISHTA with Alan Finger, Jean Koerner, and Peter Ferko. She is grateful for all the great teachers along her path including Niika Quistqaard, Kim Baubles, and Liza Bertini.

She believes that it is important to listen to the inner guru in each of us and come from a place that is supportive and light hearted. She is grateful to be able to share with everyone that she meets. Along with her yoga training she is also a Certified Massage Therapist and Medically Based Certified Therapeutic Personal Trainer who has been certified with ACE and NASM for over 10 years. You can find Amy at Devotion Yoga in Hoboken and at the Ojas center in Edgewater. If you would like to follow her on Facebook you can fan Play Train Live. Website under construction.

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