LIFE & STYLE
W e l l ne ss | By Karen Greco
At Home Sweat Sesh Raise your heart rate with CORE’s virtual workouts When Omicron ripped its way through the state, I grudgingly moved my workouts back into my basement. So when Providence’s boutique fitness studio CORE invited me to try a virtual HIIT class, I grabbed the opportunity. For the uninitiated, HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT workouts cycle through periods of intense effort followed by lower impact moves that bring the heart rate down. I admittedly stay away from this type of training, preferring to keep my “hardio” and weight training in separate splits. Could CORE convince me I was missing out? I brought my laptop to my home gym (AKA
the basement) and logged into Zoom. Instructor and CORE owner Denise Chakoian greeted us from a well-appointed room in her Wayland Square studio. After waiting a minute or two for stragglers, she turned up the music and led us in a warmup. This is where I should note, I consider myself to be a fairly fit person. I lift heavy weights. I spin. I tread. Dear reader, the challenge began at the warmup. (Hello, down dog into push up.) With muscles limber, Chakoian told us to grab a weight, and she led us through our first move, “hot potato.” With the weight in one hand, we went into a squat and, after
straightening, pushed the weight up overhead and tossed it to the other hand. We returned to a squat before repeating for a minute. By the time hot potato ended, I was questioning my fitness level. She led us from Arnold presses (a shoulder press with a rotation at the bottom of the lift) to weighted rotating rows to jump squats; from bicep curls, to split squat jumps, to dive bomb pushups. I chucked the ten-pound weights aside, glanced at the eight pounders, and decided today wasn’t the day to be a hero. I went for the fives. (I really wanted the threes, but my ego won.) When we finished the round, Chakoian flashed a smile
Inside the Wayland Square studio
You don’t need a well-stocked gym to have a good virtual workout. But it’s helpful to have some items handy. Stock up on these locally made faves.
WATER BOTTLE Frog & Toad’s state map water bottle makes a fun hydration station. FrogAndToadStore.com APPAREL Sweat in style with activewear and fitness apparel from local brand Roam Loud. RoamLoud.com
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ProvidenceOnline.com • March 2022
Photos courtesy of CORE
YOGA MAT These Rhody-made, eco-conscious yoga mats are made with nontoxic material. 2ndWindHealth.com
