I'm a Busy Body....

at Busy Bodies - Yoga Shack and Spa in Marstons Mills.

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I'm not a gym rat.  As a matter of fact I dislike gyms.... I am something of a germaphobe and I've always felt that gyms are a breeding ground for them.  That being said, I've been taking yoga classes at various yoga studios on the Cape for a number of years. I suppose they are germy too but they somehow feel less so and most yoga studio's are very relaxing (something I seriously need).

Lazy, but loved, Connor

I do exercise.  I am a committed, devoted, passionate, dog walker.  I take that beast out for a 4 mile walk, rain or shine.  I literally have to be flat on my back to miss walking him.  Rain? No problem, I've got rain gear. Snow?  I've got snowshoes, we've been out in blizzards. Wind? Love it. You may be saying... "wow what a great dog owner she is."  Truthfully, I walk him so I can eat whatever I want and not gain weight.  That's my weight loss secret... a young, active dog.  However... I am a good dog owner as this picture of Connor on my good chair, with a pillow, and his toys, attests too.

After tearing my meniscus and MCL last fall I've done a lot of physical therapy rehab.  And it was my physical therapist who told me:  "At your age you need to do more then just dog walking."  (When did this "at your age" thing start?)  So now that my knee has healed I've set out to find some more exercise for this aging body.

I knew there was a little gym in the Mills and I had even taken kickboxing there with my daughter many years ago (let me say, I am not a kickboxer).  So when I heard they had yoga classes, I thought I'd go check the gym out again.

Busy Bodies

First of all it's called Busy Bodies - Yoga Shack and Spa now.  And it has a lot of activities rolled into one location and I've been really enjoying it.  They have weight machines on the lower level.  It's a small weight training area but it looks complete and clean.  I have not tried the weight machines yet but since I have to "do more then walk" I'm going to try them out soon.  They have a spinning room on the lower level too. I am definitely going to try that.  Spinning (I think it's just a fancy name for stationary biking) is really good for your knees and since that's my trouble spot I need to keep them in shape.  So spinning is on my list as well.  Upstairs they have a big, bright, airy studio where they do all sorts of classes.... Body Sculpt, Pilates, Tap Dance, Pole Fitness (gonna try that one!), Body Blast, Dance, Core and more (and yes they still offer kickboxing).

The yoga studio

They recently opened a separate yoga studio in another building adjacent to the Busy Bodies.  It isn't a large space but it is very pretty and serene. They call it the Yoga Shack and Spa. There are 2 spa rooms and the very tranquil yoga studio. They re-did the yoga studio and it is really nice. Original wide pine floors freshly refinished, the walls are newly painted in a light yellow hue, a huge red barn door (I hope it opens it would be great to open it in good weather), exposed beams, high ceilings, and windows for good light. It is a really nice space for yoga. The massage rooms are brand new too, restful, relaxing, and clean. They offer a variety of spa services, massage, Reiki, Body Work, Aryuveda, and more.

The other side of the yoga studio

I've been taking some yoga and Pilates classes there and I've really enjoyed them. I'd say yoga-wise they have something that suits everyone. The first class I took was Yoga Nidra which is a type of conscious deep sleep, sort of a guided meditation/relaxation.  I did really relax in the class but I happen to need more exercise. I took another class there which included movement, chanting, and meditation.  It was a good workout but I still wanted a more challenging class. For people that want to expand their yoga practice further into yogic ideas, they will love these classes.  Since I'm at that "age" right now I'm looking into more exercise. Then I happened upon two instructors at the Yoga Shack that I adore, Kate Adams and Jennifer Healy.

Kate Adams teaches Kripalu Yoga on Monday morning and Hot Yoga on Sunday morning. I love Kate, she is not only a wonderful yoga teacher but just a really warm and kind person. Kate got her yoga teaching certificate at the Kripalu Center in Western MA (which is know world-wide). To me it is the Harvard of yoga training. Personally I'd love to take the Kripalu teacher training one day to deepen my own yoga practice.

But... back to Kate... she is exactly what I want in a yoga teacher. The class starts out easily enough, a bit of meditation, easy stretching moves but it gets progressively more challenging. Which I love. It's never too hard but just enough to push you. And Kate is very careful that her students are doing the poses correctly so you get the most out of her class. I leave her class feeling like I've really challenged myself but also very relaxed and happy. She teaches some of the best yoga classes I've ever taken. I hope she starts doing a few more at Busy Bodies/Yoga Shack because I'd take them all.

Lisa Jones, the owner of Busy Bodies, urged me to take Jennifer Healy's Pilates class. I'm only a so-so Pilates fan, because of my "age" I often find it too difficult to do and a lot of the core exercises require that you have your head and neck off the mat and that really hurts my neck. But Lisa told me I'd love Jen and the class.... and she was right.

Reception area of Yoga Shack and Spa

A former gymnast and dancer with over 10 years of Pilates instruction in both mat and machine, Jennifer Healy is a gem. I found her, like Kate (the yoga teacher), very careful that we were doing each exercise the exact right way to get the most out of them and to avoid any injury. And the class is challenging, some exercises I couldn't finish the amount of reps that Jen asked us to do. There have been times at other gyms where I've taken a class and if you can't keep up the teacher "calls you out." Makes you feel like a complete jerk for being out of shape and once that happens I NEVER go back.

Jennifer isn't like that at all. There was no "calling out" and I didn't feel embarrassed for not always being able to keep up. Just the opposite in fact, she is so supportive that I really loved the class and am going to continue taking it. Lisa told me that Jen is going to do a Barre Pilates class soon. I can't wait for that, I took ballet a bazillion years ago.

Because Busy Bodies - Yoga Shack and Spa is small you get a lot of personal attention and support. I've not done a huge variety of classes there yet and I know they have other great teachers that I have not mentioned. Really, for the first time in ages, I'm having a good gym experience. On top of all the things I've mentioned above, they also offer more goodies; personal training, boot camp, free child care, kids programs, nutrition counseling, and a lot more. Everyone is nice and the place is clean. So if you are in the upper/mid Cape area you should go by and give it a try.  It's a great gym with a ton of offerings and things to do. On their website they have an offer for a free one week trial, so you have no excuse for not checking it out. Lastly, the pictures in this article were all taken at Busy Bodies - Yoga Shack!

Busy Bodies - Yoga Shack and Spa
70 Industry Road
Marstons Mills, MA 02648
508-420-2101

(they are right next to the Stop and Shop plaza on Rt. 28 in the Mills, so very convenient.)
(click on any of the pictures to see a larger version)

News around town...

Rumors, truth, scuttlebutt, and more...

Ok, by now everyone knows that Cape Cod is getting a Market Basket, right?  I guess it is going to open some time this year in Sandwich at what was the Outlet Mall, directly next to the Sagamore Bridge.  I've had at least 10 people mention it to me, I'm not sure why everyone is so excited by cheap food.  I'm wishing that we'd get a Whole Foods Market.   Especially with the recent reports that most hamburger (especially supermarket stuff) contains "pink slime"... no thanks, I'll continue to drive to WFM in Hingham.

Another piece of news that I do happen to be really excite about.... Sephora is coming to Cape Cod Mall. It is going to open in May 2012 and I'm thinking of getting a job there so I can get a discount because I spend at least a bazillion dollars there a year there.  A discount could add up to big bucks for me.  I've heard it is going in the space that was Francesca's.  Wait a minute.... didn't Francesca's just open??   Easy come, easy go, I didn't like that store anyways.

I have to say a Sephora at Cape Cod Mall seems... well odd to me.  In my experience Sephora stores are usually in more upscale places.  Like the one on 5th Avenue in NYC, or in the Meatpacking District (Chelsea), Chestnut Hill Mall, or Cambridgeside Galleria.  Cape Cod Mall?  I'm not sure how long it will last, last time I checked a whole lot of people on the Cape hardly wear any make up.  I'm just hoping my patronage can keep it afloat.

Since I'm a stock trader I've been hoping for years Sephora will go public.  Ulta did, they are similar to Sephora but not as high-end, and their stock is a great trading stock.  I'm thinking that if Sephora continues to open up stores willy nilly in low profit locations (like Cape Cod Mall) they will eventually have to go public to raise cash.  I'm anxiously waiting.


Have you seen that new Stop and Shop they are building on 132 in Hyannis (right by BJ's)?  That thing looks HUGE.  I'm going to assume they are going to close the old, dirty store by Home Depot, thank goodness.  Now.... will it have a lot more brands or is it just going to be more of the same stuff?  My Stop and Shop has a decent sized health food area, as my readers know I have to be gluten free, but they have a lot of crummy (read: terrible tasting) gluten free food.  I've given them suggestions about the good stuff but they don't take them, so ultimately I buy not only my gluten free food elsewhere but all my other food too.  That is what Stop and Shop doesn't seem to understand.  If I have to drive to Roche Bros or Ring Bros then why even bother to GO to Stop and Shop?

A local gym that has been around for a while, Busy Bodies has opened up a yoga space called the Yoga Shack.  It's in a really nice space, the room... while not big, is light, bright, airy and natural.  I really like the space.  I think they need to beef up their yoga offerings, more classes, more styles.  But check it out, they offer a free class and it's worth going to see the space.  The free class offer is right on their menu bar of their website.

I love restaurant news but don't really have much to tell, so if you have some, please email me.  I heard  that Amari's in East Sandwich was sold about 6 months ago, I'm not quite sure who bought it but the quality had gone down for years so I hope they spruce it up and change the menu a bit, it was getting old.    I recently ate at Chapin's in Dennis, my very first time there.  I actually use to date a guy that was a part owner of it and a few other restaurants some years ago but he never took me to any of them (maybe he made it up, I don't know, I've dated a lot of shady characters).  At any rate,  I had a good time there.  I was with really good company, so that always helps, but they do have a gluten free menu (limited) and it could use a little fine tuning.  I didn't get "glutened" there so that is a BIG plus but the GF menu was fairly uninspired.  However, we started our meal off with oysters on the half shell and they were excellent!  They tasted so fresh and clean with a lovely seawater scent.  I'll go there again just to eat those oysters.  We ended up dancing after dinner in the bar and that was a blast too.

Send me any comments, questions, rumor or innuendo!!