Birmingham’s healthy choices

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BalanceRewards #CollectiveBias

It has been really fun for me since graduating from Samford to immerse myself in the Birmingham fitness community. I’ve loved watching it grow from minimal to expansive. As someone who has always been active by playing volleyball and cheering from 7th grade through high school, fitness is a way of life for me. I thrive on working out and those endorphins that come from the healthy choices of working out!

When I graduated from Samford and got married, I started out going to the YMCA and fell in love with spin classes. If you haven’t had the pleasure of taking a spin class from Hannah Pate in Birmingham, you are missing out! About a year after I got married, I started teaching at Pure Barre when the first studio in Alabama opened about 5 years ago. Through Pure Barre I’ve learned a lot about the vibrant fitness community in Birmingham. It’s been so fun to watch trendy workout staples like Lululemon and Athleta come to town. Below are some of my favorite spots around town to get my sweat on:

• Railroad Park: FREE workout classes M-F. Get the schedule.
• Pure Barre: Obviously I’m biased since I teach there but these 55 minute classes have changed my body and mindset about fitness for the better. Your first class is free, so come visit me to try it out.
• Baseline Birmingham: Tennis lessons that I personally take once a week and love!
• YMCA: Get a range of weights and ellipticals or fitness group classes.
• Sweat & Gears Studio: A specialty spin studio where the infamous Hannah Pate teaches. Ramps indoor cycling to the next level.
• Shelly’s Kinesis Studio: While there’s no name on the building, one of the best cardio workouts I’ve had in a while was at this cute little workout space by Steel City Pops in Homewood. Shelly personally texts you each week to set up a class time. She’s super motivating, cute, and works you hard!
• Homewood Fit:  This bootcamp style workout is no joke! Women-centered and a great sweat…well worth checking out.
• The Trak Shak: If running is your thing, a fun community to check out is the Trak Shak running club. It’s free to go and all paces are welcome. Simply head to their location on 18th Street at 5:30 pm on Wednesdays.
• Spartan Fitness: Even though this isn’t my cup of tea, the hubs is obsessed. I went and took an introductory class and thought I might pass out. This gym includes muay thai, kickboxing, boxing, women’s self defense classes, kid’s classes, Brazilian Jiujitsu, and strength and conditioning classes.
• Aero Joe Pilates: Even though I haven’t gotten to try this yet, I’m dying to! They offer yoga, pilates and AERIAL FITNESS. Way cool.

No matter where you workout in Birmingham, there are so many fabulous options and that is what is so great about this city! Whether you run or do Pure Barre, I think we can all agree it’s important to set goals for yourself. Luckily, I’ve found that the Walgreens app lets me set goals and rewards me for making healthy choices through their Balance Rewards Program.

Balance Rewards allows you to earn points for purchases. You can even scan your Balance Rewards card directly from your phone when making purchases. Join Balance Rewards within the Walgreens app and start earning points today to get rewards that equal future savings for you! Once you’re into this program, you can even start earning MORE points for setting healthy goals, and making healthy choices. How cool is that? So, just by doing your everyday healthy activities like working out, you can now save more money at Walgreens on all kinds of goodies. 

Where is your favorite place to workout in Birmingham?