,

Orangetheory Fitness

You all know I’m a huge fan of Orangetheory Fitness. I was introduced to this crazy fun workout about six months ago when I had the opportunity to attend one of their classes with hockey legend and fitness fanatic Trevor Linden. When I got word that the creator of Orangetheory Ellen Latham was coming to Vancouver, I jumped at the opportunity to get my sweat on with her and find out more about how she turned this amazing idea into reality.

What is the concept behind Orangetheory? In a nutshell, it’s a one-hour group personal training, heart-rate monitored, high-intensity workout that is scientifically designed to keep your heart rate in a target zone that spikes metabolism and increases energy or as they call it, “the afterburn”. The result is more energy, visible toning, and extra calorie burn for up to 36 hours. The added bonus? The group classes give you an extra boost of inspiration as you’re all in it together!

We all gathered at Orangetheory’s Coal Harbour location on a stunningly sunny afternoon to meet Ellen and be guided through one of these powerful sixty-minute workouts straight from the source. To say Ellen Latham is a spitfire is an understatement, as immediately upon meeting her, I get amped by her contagious energy as we start our class. The session is a mix of treadmill interval training, rowing and weights. The great thing about these fun and energetic workouts is that you really feel like your group is a team and the energy in the room makes you want to give it your all. The other great thing? You can make it as tough as you want with the motivation of everyone around you and carefully guided by their certified personal coaches.

To say I got my sweat on is an understatement – 52 “splat points” achieved for those in the know! Now that I’m completely pumped on Orangetheory, I get a little one-on-one time with Ellen to talk about how she got started in her basement and now has locations in twenty-one countries around the globe.

Ellen tells me she was let go from her job at the age of forty and started doing pilates classes out of her home, built her client base for about a year, borrowed some money and opened up a small studio. When she realized she needed to add metabolic work to her pilates classes, the concept for the now multi-million dollar company Orangetheory was born.

Ellen, who is a highly trained physiologist explains that the main concept behind Orangetheory is to get that metabolic boost we’re all after. She tells me to think of our metabolism as “100 watt light bulb and after age thirty, every year you start losing wattage”. Being a woman of, ahem, a certain age, Ellen tells me my light bulb is indeed starting to dim, but with Orangetheory classes a couple times a week along with other activities, I can get my wattage back up to 100, boost my metabolism and start losing the desired weight and gaining muscle.

So needless to say, I’m excited to get my light bulb back up to full wattage and am so looking forward to more sweat sessions at Orangetheory! I’m also super excited that a brand-new Cambie Street location will be opening soon!

Listen to my interview with Orangetheory founder Ellen Latham, right here!

/by

H Tasting Lounge at The Westin Bayshore Hotel

Walking in to the lobby of The Westin Bayshore hotel in Coal Harbour, you can’t help but admire the 1954 Porsche 356 Speedster parked in front of H Tasting Lounge which is our destination for the evening.  The lounge’s decor is inspired by the elusive billionaire film director and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes, who checked in to the hotel in 1972 and stayed for six months. The chic and inviting atmosphere encouraged us to stay a little longer to indulge in a few drinks and delicious bites on a Wednesday evening. 

H Tasting Lounge is an art deco fan’s dream.  With a touch of old Hollywood glamour, the Howard Hughes inspired aviation/Old Hollywood theme can be seen throughout the spacious room. My girlfriends and I settle in to the comfy velvet chairs at the beautiful white marble topped bar to enjoy a glass of vino and a few laughs with the beautiful sounds of the music provided by Siegel Entertainment filling the room. 

If you do happen upon H Tasting Lounge on a Wednesday evening like we did, you’ll be happy to know that it’s now Wine Wednesday! This newly offered evening features 50% off of select bottles of international wines so you can indulge in your varietal weapon of choice for half-off, and pair your selection with Chef’s globally-inspired creations. Mondays, however, are reserved for the girls! Ladies Night, offered weekly from 5:00pm, includes a selection of four signature cocktails inspired by cities visited by Howard Hughes during his infamous world tour, as well as Chef Alex Mok’s seasonal delicacies, all for $60. Perfect for four friends to indulge in good company, contemporary cocktails, and a line-up of all-female Siegel Entertainment musicians.   

We decide to grab one of the plush velvety dusty pink and powder blue banquettes to enjoy some of the craft curated cocktails and a few bites. Of course, being my friends, we can’t stop laughing and talking long enough to get it together to order our food, so we ask for a selection of sushi, tuna poke, and canapés and it does not disappoint! We thoroughly enjoyed a delicious spread of fresh and tasty snacks created by Chef Alex Mok.

The bar menu at H Tasting Lounge has an array of international vintage wines, rare cognacs, table-side crafted curated cocktails for you to choose from. The favourites for our crew were definitely the Muscovite (their twist on the Moscow Mule) with Ketel One vodka, lime juice, haskap berry syrup, ginger beer, beet powder and siberian sweet flag and the Bayshore Inn – a Pina Colada with Havana Club, J Wray, coco lopez, pineapple star anise bitters served in an original coconut cup from the iconic Trader Vic’s. 

After a wonderful evening of sipping and savouring, I have to admit, my stomach hurt from laughing so hard. There’s nothing better than an night out with great friends, curated cocktails and delicious food! The Westin also makes it easy for you to pop in any time providing free valet parking services for patrons. I’ll definitely be back again!

All photos by Brooklyn D Photography
/0 Comments/by
,

CELEBRATING 35 YEARS WITH DIANE’S LINGERIE

Diane’s Lingerie has been a fixture on South Granville since opening their doors in 1983. I’ve been a happy customer at Diane’s for the past ten years or so and was excited to go back to see what they have in store to celebrate 35 years in business.
As always, I’m welcomed by the friendly staff as I step in the door on a sunny Thursday afternoon. Today I’m meeting with owner Sharon Hayles who bought the store from Diane back in 2012 and bra fitting expert Lynda Barr.
 
The ladies have a fitting room all ready for me and have the stunning new “Diane” bra by the luxury French line “Empreinte” waiting for me in three stunning colours – Black, Quartz and Bleu Royale. In celebration of their milestone 35 years in business, Empreinte created the “Diane” collection as a symbol for confidence and femininity and it does not disappoint. This delicate and supportive collection with beautiful crystal chandelier inspired pleats and bold, graphic embroidery fits me perfectly. Lynda had my size right on the first try as once you’re a Diane’s customer they keep all your information on file so it takes out the guessing and the frustration of trying on a million bras that don’t fit.
Over 80% of women are wearing the wrong size bra. Not only is it super uncomfortable, but wearing the wrong size can also lead to back problems, headaches, shoulder pain and more. Lingerie should be something you WANT to wear…something that’s fun, flirty, sexy and makes you feel confident…and that’s exactly how I felt when I left Diane’s

“Every body is different. We fit them all.” is the motto at Diane’s Lingerie. Pop in for a fitting and you won’t be disappointed!

/0 Comments/by
,

BULGARI FOR BREAKFAST

When you get an invite to attend a breakfast reception to celebrate the opening of the new Bulgari Boutique, you say yes. I made my way to Holt Renfrew bright and early on a Tuesday morning and was greeted by the cheerful staff and happily accepted a giant and delicious cup of coffee as I stepped in to the sparkling new 450 square foot Bulgari Boutique.
Following in the fancy footsteps of the newly renovated New York Fifth Avenue Flagship store and a newly opened Boston Boutique, the Holt Renfrew Vancouver locale was conceived by renowned architect Peter Marino and it does not disappoint.
The Bulgari Boutique pays homage to the brand’s Roman home with gorgeous Italian walnut square-patterned parquet floors with a degrade effect, which brings to mind the beauty of  basking in the Italian sun. Black Grand Antique marble and the White Travertino Navona can be found adorning the shop as well as the Condotti eight point star. Bulgari aficionados will recognize the signature star that dates back to the original Bulgari store in Rome which opened its doors in 1884.
But let’s talk about the jewelry for a minute…I of course made a beeline to the signature Bulgari Tubogos Serpenti Diamond and Gold Necklace valued at approximately $500,000. This piece is beyond magnificent and one can only imagine the painstaking hours it takes to handcraft its beauty. The only sad thing was, I had to give it back!
Along with the Serpenti Collection, the new Bulgari Boutique at Holt Renfrew also carries everything you’d expect from the house of Bulgari – from stunning fine jewelry, to watches and leather goods. Be sure to pay them a visit and take a moment to bask in the Italian sun!
/0 Comments/by

ORANGETHEORY FITNESS WITH HOCKEY LEGEND TREVOR LINDEN

When I got the call asking if I’d like to work out with hockey legend and Canucks President Trevor Linden, I didn’t hesitate to say yes, but I’ll admit, I was a little intimidated. I mean, working out with a professional athlete made me feel like I should train for the occasion! The invite was to attend a group class at the newly opened Orangetheory Fitness location on Davie Street in Vancouver. Ok, a group class, I thought – I can handle that!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept behind Orangetheory, it’s a one-hour group personal training, heart-rate monitored, high-intensity workout that is scientifically designed to keep your heart rate in a target zone that spikes metabolism and increases energy or as they call it, “the afterburn”. The result is more energy, visible toning, and extra calorie burn for up to 36 hours. Sounds like my kind of workout so I signed myself up!

I made my way to Orangetheory Fitness on a typically dark and rainy evening to be greeted by Trevor himself in the lobby. I’ve interviewed him over the years on my talk show, so we played catch up for a bit and I confessed how nervous I was. He warmly encouraged me that the workout is designed for everyone and we would be having tons of fun while we worked up a sweat. So I laced up my New Balance Fresh Foam kicks, strapped on my heart rate monitor and got ready to feel the burn!
We started off on the very bouncy, brand spanking new treadmills and our Orangetheory coach encouraged us the whole way through to listen to our bodies and make sure we pushed ourselves as hard as we could to stay in the zone, but make sure we take it easy when need be. I’m usually one to workout solo, but the group environment with all our results displayed in real-time on the leaderboard made for a fun and competitive workout which definitely encouraged me to go as hard as possible. We moved on to some weight training and then to the WaterRower machines that rounded out a tough, but thoroughly enjoyable 60 minute class.
I have to say that this was one of the funnest workouts I’ve had in a while – and not just because Trevor was sweating with us and cheering us on! The combination of maximizing my time at the gym, being challenged and having fun doing it is a winning combo. I had an absolute blast and I’ll definitely be back for more!
All photos courtesy of Brendon Purdy Photography
/0 Comments/by