Brush teeth, floss & tongue scrape THEN water. Benefits of tongue scraping: improved taste, fresher breath (so much odor-causing bacteria lives on your tongue), improved overall health (removes harmful bacteria that inflames your gums and prevents cavities). My tongue scraper – here.
Skincare – vitamin c + spf. I love my sunday riley ceo cream for vitamin c – it is SO glowy & dewy and just gives your skin a beautiful brightness. my go-to spf right now is the acrure brand day cream with spf 30. it is lightweight and doesn’t leave a white cast like a lot of spf’s do. It is also one of my favorite clean beauty brands.
Meditation: I find on YouTube for free, there are tons for specific things that could be on your mind.
Get outside: walk or just stepping into grass in backyard. I try to walk for 45 mins – 1 hour every day and has helped my mental health tremendously.
Vitamins: probiotics on empty stomach; multivitamin, fish oil, b12 & SP cleanse with food. Benefits of taking probiotics on an empty stomach: taking probiotics when stomac acid levels are lower can help ensure that more healthy bacteria survive and colonize the gut, where they can support your gut health and immune system.
Breaky: ideally outside, fruit first (promotes higher metabolism).
Exercise or stretch. I’ve been loving Solidcore reformer pilates classes. I book through ClassPass (1 month free here). Or I do the peloton stretches, spin classes or weights classes. Peloton has a free 60 day membership here – you can use it on your phone or ipad, you don’t have to have the bike. I am for weights 3-5 times a week.
May is mental health awareness month, and in honor of that I wanted to share some tips on finding a therapist. Going to a therapist has truly been life changing for me, it’s more than just talking about “trauma”, it is helping you find coping mechanisms for things that happen in your daily life. Setting boundaries, having healthy relationships, prioritizing your mental health and energy – I could go on and on.
Some ways to find one:
I personally went to my insurance website and found therapists that were under my coverage plan and reached out to see if they were taking new clients. I also found a lot on @psych_today website where you can search for tons of therapists, which insurance they take and if they’re taking on new patients. My therapist is actually in Houston and we do virtual appointments, and I pay my $20 co pay.
@talkspace accepts insurance and non insurance patients.
@betterhelp is a virtual therapist network and ranges from $60-90/week (billed every 4 weeks).
@terapify Spanish speaking online therapist network $30 for 50 min sessions.
Find therapist interns – psychology students working on their degrees have to have a certain amount of hours providing therapy & you can sometimes find these folks for lower costs.
Plumeria counseling center in Austin provides sessions for $70.
A lot of companies started offering free sessions or created access through an EAP program, so definitely check what your company has to offer.
Universities sometimes provide free or less expensive sessions to students.
Using an FSA or HSA. some companies add $$ in there for you or match – for mine I designate the amount I want to go in there during my open enrollment period & you can choose the amount it would be for therapy on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis. those funds come available starting January 1.
I still have friends that go & pay out of pocket $100-200/session bc they love that specific therapist, so obviously an option.
Don’t hesitate to try on a ton of dresses! It may take quite a few to figure out which style fits your body best, your venue, and the vibe you are going for. You will likely want to have selected your venue and wedding date prior to dress shopping. It is also OK to wait a bit before looking. If you plan on having a longer engagement you could change your mind on the style if you look to early on. A good rule of thumb is that it takes about 3-4 months for the dress to be made, and you want to have it at least 60 days out to have enough time for alterations. Set a budget, look for inspiration on Instagram, bridal magazines and research designers you like. Then, you can see which stores carry the styles and designers you prefer.
Austin Favorites:
Unbridaled is definitely a favorite to capture true Austin style!
Second Summer for used but inexpensive dresses! – check out our podcast for a cool story on this place!
If you are open to traveling for other stores:
BHLDN (Anthropologie’s Wedding Line) has a store in Houston, or they have trunk shows that come to Austin, but they are few and far between. This line is also a little less expensive ($1-2k), whereas most of these other stores will be more like $3-5k.
Lovely Bride in Dallas, has very BHLDN and Unbridaled vibes.
Grace Loves Lace – a new Australian brand called that just opened in Dallas. Check out their accessories too, even if you don’t pick one of their dresses the accessories they have can really add something different to your look!
Pro Tip: Get a few bridesmaids and family to come with you. Make a few appointments for one day, bring champagne, and pick a fun place for lunch or HH after to celebrate!
Tailors
Most stores you buy from can tailor in-house. These tailors are also great options if you want to design your own wedding dress from scratch (still can be just as pricey as buying one). Otherwise here are a few that come recommended by recent brides in the area:
Pro Tip: If you need your dress cleaned before the wedding (i.e. a sample sale or trunk show dress), CALL IN ADVANCE, there are a lot of cleaners in the area that turn down dresses for specific reasons if they have fringe, beading, delicate detailing, etc. and you don’t want to be stressing about that right before the wedding. If you’re in a bind and no one will clean your dress – go to Five Star Wedding Gown Specialists in San Antonio. They will clean any dress with any detailing and do a phenomenal job. Make a day out of it and go to the JW Marriott!
Get hair and makeup trials! Creep their Instagrams! Do you research! No one wants a hair or makeup fiasco on the big day. Make sure that the photos they are showing you are true to the style you’re looking to achieve. A lot of these stylists can do both hair and makeup so can be an easy one stop shop for all of your bridal needs!
A Few Favorites:
Hair:
LoLa Beauty – This is a full team of artists that can all do both hair and makeup making it a speedy and seamless process with a spectacular end result. Lauren is an absolute angel, Diana is a goddess when it comes to makeup and Ashley did my hair for a wedding recently that was the best I have ever had. They use airbrushing and all of the best products so you look flawless!
$275 Bridal Hair, $90 for Bridesmaids/Family; Makeup – $300 Bride – includes trial, $100 Bridesmaids/Family
Kiss By Katie – Katie is in Houston but travels to Austin frequently for Wedding and Event makeup. She does both hair and makeup – creep her instagram, her work is phenomenal. She also does airbrushing!
$200 Bride Hair/Makeup (or $300 for both), $150 Trial ($225 Trial for Both), $125 Bridesmaids/Family (or $200 for Both services)
Mint Salon – Mint is on North Guadalupe and focuses on hair, not makeup. Ask for either Danny, they are both amazing!
Makeup:
Erica Gray Beauty – Does both makeup and hair. Has a lot of experience in high fashion makeup and styling as well.
Makeup $150 Bride, $80 Bridesmaids/Family (Hair – same pricing)
Hannah Kirkland MUA – Hannah has an eye for how to enhance your natural features while also making sure you are defined enough for tastful photos. Her and her sister, Jessica, are a dream team and do wedding services in the Austin and Houston area frequently.
Pro Tip: Try airbrushing – at first I was skeptical because I didn’t want a cake face but it is about medium coverage, can be layered, and is waterproof!
Get creative here, and utilize all the unique gifts and vendors Austin has to offer!
Gals:
Antonelli’s Cheese Class or Gift – If you haven’t been to one of these before, it is SO cool. The classes take place in the Cheese House where they have different class themes whether it is a general Cheese 101 of 7 cheeses, Cheese & Chocolate pairings, Cheese of France – the options are really endless! About 2 hours long, this event is BYOB and you can grab the wine or beer they would suggest pairing with the menu from the Cheese Shop across the street. This is great for a date night, girls night, team building events, really anything. A bit more about their Cheese Classes here. This makes for the perfect local Austin gift that will surely be an unforgettable experience. Antonelli’s is perfect for picking up the most beautiful cheese (and/or charcuterie) boards for any of your wedding events as well.
Watercolor ATX Art – local artist who does amazing work on local places, customized maps, pets, etc. – Custom Art $40-60/piece.
Mana Culture Jewelry – so cute and unique, $20-80/piece.
Amanda Deer Jewelry – very dainty gold plated pieces, $20-80/piece.
Pro Tip: Check out Le Garage sale, it happens twice a year and a lot of local vendors have their products at a very steep discount. Easy to buy in bulk for groups!
Dudes:
Guys Pro Tip: Guys care less about nostalgic gifts so try to think about something your they would actually use. These are all pretty safe bets that a guy would get and actually enjoy.
Sock Club – A local Austin group that makes customized socks or just super fun patterns $15-25/pair.
Salt and Time – Classes, charcuterie, or house made sausage – $10-20 for a few links, $100-150/class.
Perspire Sauna Studio – Sweat it out! This place has multiple infrared sauna rooms with TVs and you can go with friends, $40/session.
Pro Tip: Sign up for Class Pass. you can do $50 or $100/month membership packages that allow you to go to a ton of different studios in the Austin area (and other large metropolitan cities), so you can keep switching up your workouts to achieve the best results. They also recently added wellness activities to their package as well allowing you to get massages, facials, and others within your monthly membership!
Your dentist can do this for you, a lot of them actually run specials when you get engaged and will do it for a discount. Also, this is a good time to think about Invisalign if needed, and then get whitened after.
Pro Tip: For my brides, try using a Beauty Checklist at least six months before the wedding. It will really tell you when to try out your spray tan, whiten your teeth, get massages, facials, etc. That way when the month of the wedding comes, you know exactly what you need!
Castle Hill has everything you would want in a gym—150+ group fitness classes, steam rooms and saunas, pools, a large gym, Pilates reformer studios, spa treatment rooms, a clean locker room with showers, childcare, acupuncture, and more. They offer all of this while still being an approachable local neighborhood gym with a welcoming staff and a no-frills attitude. When we think of Austin gyms, Castle Hill is the one that combines the perfect amount of everything.
Castle Hill underwent a huge a transformation of their gym spaces in 2020. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have divided their common gym spaces into personal workout pods. Members reserve pods through the website and app, and each pod contains a variety of equipment, sanitizing supplies, HEPA air filters, and physical barrier walls. Short video here. Castle Hill also added a large virtual schedule, on-demand fitness library, and outdoor classes to their pandemic era group ex programs. The large sauna, eucalyptus steam room, and hot tub are now reserved as single-occupancy Recovery Pods. Castle Hill still offers an array of spa services, personal training, and Pilates reformer instruction. They offer all of this while still being an approachable local neighborhood gym with a welcoming staff and a no-frills attitude. When we think of Austin gyms, Castle Hill is the one that combines the perfect amount of everything.
COVID-19 Precautions: Castle Hill requires reservations, temperature screenings, and masks while inside. They have a dedicated contact tracer on staff and have added 100+ HEPA air-purifiers in their buildings. Full list here.
Favorite Instructors: Virtual fitness instructors Jeremy and Veronika will keep you fit from anywhere. On-Site try Pilates with Brooke or any of their Yoga teachers. Jess Clark also teaches there, and she is one of our favorite instructors in the city!
Cost:$89-199/month – discounts for couples and families. They also offer a free 7-day trial for all new visitors.
Not only is Equinox a super nice gym, they are known for their classes. They take instructors from the best studios like SoulCycle, CorePower, Barre, etc. and bring them to Equinox. Complete with a eucalyptus steam room, cafe and juice bar, personal training, state-of-the-art equipment, and a perfectly central location—this is a place to be and be seen.
Lifetime is like a spa—the South and North locations even have a pool and eucalyptus steam room! You can truly spend all day here; they have child care, basketball courts, tons of classes, etc. This place is a dream! They also have a ton of classes from yoga, spin, barre, weights, and personal training.
Locations: South (William Cannon and Mopac), Downtown (West 5th – where the old Pure used to be) , Arboretum (Quarry), and North (45 and 183)
Cost: $40/day pass
Downtown: $129/month for young adults under 29 years old, otherwise $149/month
South & North: $99/month for young adults under 26 years old, otherwise $109/month
Arboretum: $119/month for young adults under 26 years old, otherwise $129/month
This is more of a CrossFit style gym with fewer machines and more weights, kettlebells, ropes, bands, and more. The group fitness classes really challenge you in a full body HIIT type workout, building lean muscle. They also have a sports recovery area, which includes Cryotherapy machines and an infrared sauna. They offer nutritional guidance, and also have a nice cafe in the facility.
Location: South – 35 & 71 (St. Elmo & Friedrich Lane)
Favorite Instructors:Juan, great at improving your form and will always push you to the limit!
Tons of classes! Over 65 class types and over 240 classes a week featuring Yoga, Barre, Pilates, Bootcamp, Cycle, Kettlebell, Battle Ropes, Boxing, and TRX.
It is true what they say, “abs are made in the kitchen.” We can’t talk about fitness without talking about some of the most important facets of living a healthy lifestyle: diet, health, and wellness. Below we cover healthy lifestyle habits, local restaurants and delivery services, and a few general tips for living your best life in Austin. those in our city.
Diet
The word “diet” is falling out of fashion. Now-a-days, it really is about living a healthy lifestyle versus adapting to some fad diet and hoping it sticks. The 80/20 rule is easy to remember and understand:.Eat healthy 80% of the time with foods that work for you and your lifestyle. The other 20% of the time, indulge a little bit. Allow yourself that cookie, that slice of pizza, that frozen marg (@polvos). Without those mindful indulgences, you’re creating an environment where you are sure to go off the rails and abandon a healthy lifestyle all together because it was just “too hard.”
Some of our favorite healthy lifestyle tips are below:
Protein
Eating adequate protein is imperative to maintain muscle mass. Having the right balance of protein, fat, fiber and carbs is ideal for maintaining or losing weight/fat loss. Calorie counting can sometimes be a triggering action for those who have experienced disordered eating in the past, but for me personally it was helpful for a few months to track my macros (my protein intake, carbs, fat and fiber) to learn more about the food I was consuming. Once I started to learn the best ways to consume food for my body specifically, what works best for my digestion and balancing my blood sugar, I then was able to move away from counting macros, and simply living a balanced lifestyle.
Fiber
Yes, fiber. Vegetables. Wheat Bran (Gluten). Legumes. Fiber is crucial to a healthy diet and lifestyle. Women should aim for 25+ grams of fiber a day, and men should aim for 30+ grams of fiber per day. Eating fiber and protein at each meal ensures a regular metabolism.
Vegetarian
It shouldn’t be a surprise that masses of people have switched to a vegetarian diet in recent years. There are a variety of reasons to do this, including concern for animal rights and the environment. Studies have shown that vegetarians are less prone to common diseases such as heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes as well. An article published by the Huffington Post showed that vegans and vegetarians had a significantly longer life expectancies—on average more than eight years longer than the general population. Blue Cross Blue Shield has also published several reports showing that vegetarians also have a lower risk of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease.
Overall this is a great way to live a healthy lifestyle. You can still find protein sources outside of meat with eggs (for vegetarians, not vegan), a variety of legumes, and grains such as black beans, chickpeas, quinoa, and others. This is also a very fiber rich diet which, as we listed above, has major health benefits as well. One of our favorite vegetarian/vegan recipe creators is The Minimalist Baker. Her recipes are very inventive and based on common dishes we all know and love, making becoming a vegetarian a very approachable change in diet. Of course living in Austin, there are so many restaurants that adhere to this lifestyle too. Below you will find a list of some of our favorite vegan/vegetarian restaurants.
Minimalist Baker – Vegan Enchiladas
Austin Staples for a Healthy Lifestyle and Diet
Snap Kitchen
Not a meal prepper? Us either. Snap Kitchen makes it so easy to eat healthy throughout the week. You can stop by one of their 13 Austin locations (including inside any Whole Foods), and grab breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snacks for the week. They are all pre-packaged and microwavable making it super easy for the office. They are very affordable too ($3-11/meal depending on size), and offer low-carb, Keto, and vegetarian lifestyle plans.
Snap Kitchen
Grocery Delivery:
Getting groceries delivered to you to saves time. H-E-B and Whole Foods have great pre-made options too, so you can even utilize these services for office deliveries to make it easy to stay on track during the work week. Grocery delivery also helps you order only what you need works best if you plan ahead for cooking for meals that week. It also helps to cut costs on groceries by not throwing extra things in your cart as you pass by them in the store. We also love being able to add things to your grocery list throughout the week with ease!
Amazon PrimeNow Grocery Delivery – Spend $35 and the delivery is free! Download the separate PrimeNow app to scroll through options at your local Whole Foods. Since Whole Foods and Amazon merged, bringing the less-expensive 365 Every Day Value Brand, it is honestly cheaper than you think to buy your groceries there. Use Code: 10PRIMENOW for $10 off your first order.
Instacart – Order from Specs, Total Wine, Wheatsville, Natural Grocers, Sprouts, Target, H-E-B, Central Market, Randall’s, Costco, Sam’s, CVS, Petco, and Tomlinson’s. Super fast delivery times. Great when you’re in a bind—place the order before you leave the office and have groceries delivered to your house within an hour! Deliveries as low as $3.99. Use this code for $10 off your first delivery.
Healthy Dining Out
Vinaigrette – Tons of great salad options. (South Congress)
Picnik – Very clean, farm-to-table, optional vegan cuisine with approachable known dishes. (Trailer on S. Lamar & Restaurant on N. Burnet) Pro Tip: Try their butter coffee, the fat in the butter and MCT Oil (a form of coconut oil), help make the caffeine last longer and leave you less jittery. #keto
Fresa’s – Kale Caesar, Power and Super Bol’s, Brussels, Beets. (South 1st Restaurant & 6th and Lamar Drive-Thru) – Pro Tip: Substitute chips for carrots & jicama sticks with salsa, queso and guac!
Poke Poke, Poke Eatery and Malibu Poke – Lean raw fish poke dishes. (Multiple Locations) – Pro Tip: Sub greens for rice, and at Malibu Poke – try their cauliflower rice!
Juiceland and Daily Juice – Smoothies. (Multiple Locations) – Pro Tip: Sub cauliflower for banana and diminish 90% of the carbs in your smoothies.
Steeping Room – Great salads and vegan options. (North Lamar and the Domain).
True Food Kitchen – Same owners as Flowerchild, sit down restaurant, local healthy dishes, can order vegan. (Downtown – Seaholm, and the Domain) Pro Tip: Get the Edamame Dumplings!
Counter Culture – Vegan. (East Cesar Chavez) Pro Tip: Try their pizzas, tacos and burgers! They’re awesome even if you are not vegan.
Sweetgreen – Build your own salad. (Coming Soon – South Congress, next to Equinox)
Health and Wellness
What exactly is health and wellness? We hear these words often but what do they truly mean? Wellness is really just being more aware of things you can do to be living a healthy lifestyle, and making positive choices. A study by UC Davis identified eight areas of wellness: emotional, physical, environmental, spiritual, social, occupational, financial, and intellectual.
Emotional Wellness
Emotional wellness is also your mental wellness. This would include self-care and relaxation in order to decrease stress levels. Increased stress = increased cortisol levels, which have been related to weight gain. Be sure to take time to relax, put your phone down (reduce blue light), sleep when you’re tired, listen to your body, and practice self care. Self care could be going to the spa (take a water taxi to Lake Austin spa), or it could be taking a warm bath (with a lush bath bomb) and reading a book to relax and ease the mind. Take mental health days when you need them, talk to a therapist or counselor (UT Psychology program offers a free clinic to the public with UT doctorate students offering counseling services for a fraction of the cost), and look into meditation.
Meditation: There are a few places in Austin that are great for getting your feet wet in the meditation space. Check out Meditation Bar near MoPac and Steck ($30 introductory offer for first week – unlimited, or $18/class drop in), Kadampa Meditation Center near William Cannon and Manchaca (they also have events), or downloading a guided meditation app like Headspace. Headspace makes it super easy to wake up and have a few minutes of guided meditation. Practicing mindfulness and reduce stress before going into your busy day.
Physical Wellness
This goes into taking care of your body and health. This includes exercise and fitness, diet, seeking help when needed (going to the doctor, having regular physicals and bloodwork), and getting enough sleep.
If you don’t believe in modern medicine and don’t like the idea of shots and drugs, you should definitely check out Ayurvedic Medicine. Listen to this podcast by Skinny Confidential where they interview Sahara Rose, author of the book Idiots Guide to Ayerveda. In ayurvedic medicine, there are three mind-body types or “doshas” – Vata, Kapha, and Pitta; basically three substances present in your body and health exists when there is a balance between those three bodily elements. Once you find out which type you are, you can create a lifestyle routine around it. This can include recipes for your dosha type, and specific home healing remedies. You can take a quiz here to figure out your dosha, and explore from there!
Environmental Wellness
This is really respecting our planet and taking steps to protect it. Interact with nature—Austin has so many places where you can do this: hiking, biking, walking the trail, getting out on the lake or river, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, swimming; going to the park, and, if you have a dog, taking them for a walk or hike; running outside, etc. Check out our post on best outdoor workouts in Austin. There are ton of great places to explore and it will really build a strong environmental consciousness by raising your awareness of the environment you’re in.
Environmental wellness also includes your immediate space around you. Think about more plants in your home and work space, high-quality filtered water, clean air (changing your AC filter), and more natural light.
Rowing Dock
Social Wellness
It is important to have a social aspect of your life whether it be with family, friends, coworkers or others. This creates a support network of encouraging relationships with peers, and intimate romantic relationships. The key here is to surround yourself with people who are lifting you up, not bringing you down. It’s a new year and it is OK to reevaluate relationships and truly see who is adding value.
Being in a socially happy place also creates a sense of belonging, increasing overall happiness and physical health, which also leads to more motivation and productivity in your life. If you’re new to Austin, get involved in a group. This could be an active group like a gym (check out our post on best gyms in Austin), running club (check out Loop Running Supply), co-ed sports like kickball (Club WAKA is great) or softball. It could also be a spiritual or religious group; or getting to know more people in the workplace who could become friends outside of the office.
Spiritual Wellness
Spirituality can mean multiple things—relaxation or religion; aligning our values with our actions. This goes hand-in-hand with emotional wellness, and creating a set of beliefs and values that give meaning and direction to our lives. Meditation, yoga, prayer—these could all be examples of practicing spiritual wellness. Check out some of our favorite yoga studios, here.
Occupational Wellness
This is committing to a work environment that is supporting good health and productivity and allowing for a positive work-life balance. Through this, we still want to feel fulfilled in our jobs, and as though our careers are progressing. An article by Allwork says that occupational health is a leading factor of good health, especially considering that people spend over 40 hours of their week in the workplace. Austin has some of the best occupational wellness workplaces in the country, including companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Dell, and many others. Working in open spaces, collaborative environments, social aspects of the workplace with group outings and team functions, flexible time off, less stress (remember, stress = increased cortisol = weight gain) and increased ability to grow in your career. All of these things contribute to a strong occupational wellness and are important in overall health. Check out this article on Glassdoor with the top places to work in Austin, that outlines details about work life balance and positive reviews from employees.
Intellectual Wellness
Intellectual wellness is all about continuing to learn and grow, using the resources around you to become a more intelligent individual. Reading (join a book club with friends, or even try a virtual group like Oprah’s book club), continuing education through professional development classes sign up for a classes at ACC that might interest you like, painting, pottery, etc.) or workshops around the city (like a free money management class). Check out any cultural events in Austin, or community activities. Join the nextdoor app, and see what community activities could be going on right in your own neighborhood. The Austin Public Library also has events going on at multiple locations every single day.
Austin has some of the best outdoor workout activities. Between our hiking and biking trails; lakes, rivers, and greenbelts; paddleboarding, kayaking, and swimming—the options are truly endless. This is also a great budget option for workouts! We also love the social aspect of outdoor workouts. One of our favorite companies, The Loop Running Supply, has group running workouts on Friday mornings at 6 a.m., and Wednesdays at 6 p.m. These are 3-5 mile runs that take off from their store underneath the Gables Park Plaza on the corner of Cesar Chavez and Sandra Muraida Way, in the Seaholm District. They are perfect for people who want to run with a buddy, and have a level of accountability within the group. You can also get a ton of affordable, quality brands of fitness attire in their store!
The Loop Group Run
Kayaking, Canoeing, and Paddleboarding
Kayaking and Canoeing are the perfect combination of a leisure activity and exercise. Paddleboarding is not only fun, but also a great way to build core strength. It’s perfect for warm days where you can get some sun, too.
One of the things we love about CAvK, is the multitude of offerings. See below for all of the ways you can get fit on Town Lake with Congress Avenue Kayaks! Located at Waller Beach in Town Lake Metropolitan Park (near Rainey), makes it just a short ride to the Congress Avenue Bridge.
Rentals: Single, Double, and Triple Seater Kayaks; Stand Up Paddleboards
Pricing: Single – $12/hr (+$7 additional hour), Double – $15/hr (+$7 additional hour), Triple – $25/hr (+$15 additional hour); Stand Up Paddleboards (SUP) – $20/hr (+$15 additional hour),
Barton Springs Pool is the fourth-largest spring fed pool in Texas with a constant 68 degree water temperature making it one of the best places to swim year-round. Here’s a fun fact: Robert Redford learned to swim here. We say that bodes well for your athletic aspirations. If you want to get in shape and live your best Austin life while you do it—swimming the length of this civic treasure should be a go-to. 2131 William Barton Dr. Austin, TX 78746 (512) 974-6300
The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake, a lush, urban path that meanders along the water’s edge and passes by skyscrapers, neighborhoods, ball fields .and cultural attractions. It is THE Austin workout and a great way to fall in love with fitness and this fabulous city at the same time. The 10-mile trail is Austin’s most recognized and popular recreational area. 900 W Riverside Dr. Austin, TX 78704
A popular spot for both hikers and mountain bikers, Walnut Creek is an explorer’s dream. There are tons of unmarked paths, so you may get a little lost; but that’s more fun, right? With multiple winding paths and few obstacles, undertaking part of the trail is perfect for beginners. The hike offers plenty of overlooks, so don’t forget to stop and smell the roses on the way up. And of course, cool down in the beautiful creek on the way down. 2611 Park Bend Dr. Austin, TX 78701
This 1.3 mile hike is a great workout and wonderful way to get your heart rate up outside of a gym! It is also very convenient —the perfect not-too-long, not-too-short hike for an evening outing with a friend. Plan for a little over an hour to complete the hike. The high points are definitely the man-made waterfall and the awesome stonework that you get to see. Location/Parking: 183 South on Spicewood Springs Road Right onto Scotland Well Drive Right onto Middlebie Drive & look for parking Start of Trail – Just Across the street from Mountain View Park
I love incorporating bootcamp workouts into my weekly routine. Building muscle not only allows you to burn fat, it helps you burn calories even days after a workout. Below are my favorite bootcamp-type workouts in Austin.
This one is a real butt-kicker. It is half cardio – running intervals on a treadmill; and half weights on the floor. You can also choose to do double treadmill or double floor as well.
Locations: New Location Coming Soon (Currently at 524 N Lamar Blvd Suite 300, Austin, TX 78703)
Favorite Instructors: Annette & Kolbie!
Cost: $32/class or $100 for 3 classes for first time members
These are bootcamps and cardio kickboxing classes in an open gym-like bootcamp facility. Your first bootcamp at E+E is $6, or your first kickboxing class is $10. Their goal is to “Elevate + Evolve” community fitness by challenging members to learn new things while also creating a fun, approachable group class.
Stronghorn is an outdoor group fitness workout hosted in a variety of locations around Central Austin. Each location has a different schedule. See info below to figure out which ones you can attend. They have a donation based Saturday community classes at Zilker park, too!
111 Congress – Cesar Chavez and Congress, in the building with Fareground
Group Fitness – Coming Soon
Favorite Instructors: Jess (owner), Garret (also does personal training)
Cost: $80/month
Saturday Community Class at 9 a.m. at Zilker Park – Donation Based (bring a mat)
Parking: Zilker and Duncan park – free parking, Downtown buildings – you’ll have to find street parking, these are likely for most people who work in the downtown area and can walk over before, after, or during their work days
Similar to Stronghorn, this is an outdoor group fitness class held in locations all over Austin. Bring a mat, a set of weights, and water. These are TOUGH workouts but you will see results quickly, and get super toned.
Locations: Over 50 in the Austin area, check out the website to see the ones closest to you on days that work for your schedule.
Each CrossFit gym is its own franchise so they are all a bit different. The traditional Crossfit classes include a Workout of the Day (WOD) and weighted reps. The South Lamar location has some awesome bootcamp classes like HIIT and Tabata that we love. Take a class with Chad!
45 minute circuit-style HIIT workouts. They do Cardio classes M, W, F, and Resistance classes Tue, Thurs, with Hybrid classes on Saturdays & Sundays.
Locations: 10 Locations in Austin – Westlake, North Shoal Creek, Oak Hill, Domain, Parmer & 183, Four Points, Jolleyville, Lakeway, Round Rock, and Cedar Park
Favorite Classes: Roman and Panthers
Cost: First Class Free – or $34/class, or $50/week
Check out these 30-minute kickboxing workouts! There are different trainers every day and there are not specific class times. This makes it very easy to go in and get a quick (and tough) 30-minute workout for any schedule.
Locations: 11 in Austin – South Lamar, Airport Blvd, Far West and Mopac, Braker and 183, 620 & 2222, Lakeway (620 & 71), West Parmer, Cedar Park, Hutto, Round Rock, Leander
Cost: $89/month for unlimited
Parking: Depends on location – free parking in lots or garages
They have 45-minute and hour-long kickboxing classes that combine boxing, body weight exercises and HIIT training intervals that work your full body. Try the Kickboxing & Killer Core class!
Locations: West 6th – Across from Clarks (Between Walsh and Pressler)
Diet
kee to wellness 