bahamas booty flare magazine by shawna cohen

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BAHAMAS

BOOT heads CAMP south to try SHAWNA COHEN

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tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 35 C under the blazing Bahamas sun and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in a deep squat, staring out at the Atlantic Ocean with a playground ball squeezed between my thighs. A glance at the time shows itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s minute 10 of a 57-minute exercise class, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m already feeling it. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just any classâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Physique 57. And, by the time I get to minute 12, I want to run away, grab a pina colada, devour some skewered shrimp and never come back.

When I first signed up for the three-day Physique 57 retreat at the luxe One & Only Ocean Club, I pictured sun-drenched beaches and sweeping ocean views. Sure, the promise of Physiqueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s benefitsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the strengthening and lengthening of muscles through intervals of cardio work and strength trainingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;were a draw, but what I really lusted after were the crashing waves, the palm trees and the chocolate-covered strawberries delivered to our rooms daily. Just the things to make my everyday stresses and deadlines seem worlds away. What I did not

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expect was that at one point Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be on all fours doing leg lifts right out of an â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80s Jane Fonda aerobics video. Or that my legs would shake like jelly within mere minutes.

Physique looks easy, but appearances are deceiving!

Joining me on this Paradise Island adventure are 20 or so women, mostly from the U.S., including lots of BFF pairings and a couple of cute mother-daughter combos. (Talk about female bonding!) Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m here with one of my own girlfriends, Alison, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve booked this trip because of its unconventional set-up: Not quite boot camp, not quite traditional beach vacation, it involves twicedaily classes mixed with poolside lounging and high-end dining. For a chronic multi-tasker like me, it

sounded like the ultimate combination of productivity and fun.

Yet as I change into my bathing suit on day one of the retreat, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m feeling insecure. My legs are pasty and, well, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always jarring to see so much exposed skin after a Canadian winter spent in cosy cashmere sweaters. By the end of my first workout, however, the confidence has already kicked in. It helps that our class leadersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Physique 57 co-founder Tanya Becker and instructor Mandy Selgrathâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;push us to our limits while cheering us on, like some drill sergeant/trusted best friend hybrid.

Plus, the group dynamic is amazing: no judgment. In fact, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just the opposite: A knowing glance from my neighbourâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;one that says, Hey, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m dying just as much as you areâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;makes it all okay, even enjoyable. > www.flare.com

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the hottest celebrity workout

TRAVEL Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not difficult to see why. The routine works every single muscle group in your body, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy on the jointsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s none of that crazy pounding experienced during a boxing class or run. And yet, the workout fatigues the muscles through seemingly endless reps, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s considered cardiovascular.

That, combined with exercises that stretch and lengthen muscles, is why Physique is so good at reshaping the body.

As for me, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve broken new ground. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing like an exhausting, twice-a-day routine to whip your ass into shape. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a difference in my posture, even in the way I walk. (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Engage your coreâ&#x20AC;? has been ingrained into my head.) And while nobodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actually commenting on my imaginary six-pack after just 72 hours, my abs feel tighter and my arms more toned. But the best part is the boost in confidence. By the end of day three, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m no longer carrying around my swimsuit coverup like a security blanket.

Following six intense workouts, I leave the island feeling taller, lighter and motivated to keep up this healthy new lifestyle.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned that low-impact can be just as intense as old school cardioâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and can yield even greater results. But the bigger lesson is that nothing beats pushing yourself to the limit, followed by a celebratory drink with the girls. N

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256 FLARE OCTOBER 2011

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Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not to say weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not working hard. Really hard. A typical class consists of upper-body strengthtraining exercises; several sets of push-ups; countless repetitions of squats, leg lifts, kicks and pliĂŠs (most done at a barre with a playground ball between the thighs); and killer abdominal work such as planks and sit-ups. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a strong focus on form, yet the moves are done in quick succession with little or no downtime between them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re like Pilates on steroids,â&#x20AC;? a lithe Becker tells me after class one morning over coffee and scrambled eggs. She explains how Physique 57 is based on the Lotte Berk Method, a fitness regimen created in the 1970s by the world-famous German ballerina who combined Pilates, ballet exercises and calisthenics, often done at a barre. Becker was actually an instructor at Lotte Berkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New York studio for almost a decade before it shut down in 2005. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when she and co-founder Jennifer Vaughan Maanavi decided to update the workout by including more strength training and cardiovascular choreography to make it Physique 57, which now has two studios in New York City, one in L.A. and one in The Hamptons.

Today, celebs ranging from Kelly Ripa to Zooey Deschanel, Emmy Rossum and stylist Brad Goreski (right)â&#x20AC;&#x201D;he first turned me on to Physique 57 after tweeting about itâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;are fans of the rigorous workout, as are thousands of everyday New Yorkers and Angelenos.

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