Thanks, as always, for reading–see you back here again in early March.
And, until then, follow me @fitgirlrachel!

My look? Preppy chic. Levi’s paired with a lavender cashmere sweater, sparkly gold flats and oversized Jackie O.-style shades.

Do you live in jeans? If so, check out Levi’s Mid Rise Skinny–with the perfect amount of stretch, you’ll actually feel like you’re in leggings…because we should all have as much fun as we can.

Product provided by Levi’s c/o Women’s Health. #LiveinLevis
All thoughts/assessments are my own.

CAN’T LIVE WITH
The rent.
The rat race.
The dating scene.
51^st Street stop on the 6/E trains.
Starbucks and 7-Eleven on every corner.

CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
The view.

The cute dogs of Chelsea & the West Village.

The Flatiron fitness scene.
Artichoke Pizza
Hudson River Park
Nail salons and bodegas open 24/7 on every corner.

Which leads me to the question that I always come back to in conversation with both myself and others: “Where else would I go??” My family is here, my friends are here, my blog is based here.

I’m exactly a month out from my birthday, a time when I typically come down with a mild to medium case of birthday blues. But, this year, I’m just saying no. Why?

Well, for one thing, I’m a fighter. I was born a preemie, so I pretty much had no choice, beginning with my actual birthday. I embrace the fact that if you look up, you’ll see better. And, if you look down, you’ll find worse. Plus, you never know what happens in other people’s lives behind closed doors. So, I take everything from elevator chit chat to social media posts with a grain of salt. In other words, I try my best to be content with the good things in life that are real, here and now.

So, with a new baby in our family, a hunky boyfriend by my side and having just seen Katy Perry’s amazingly inspirational show at Barclays, I’m riding that ever-elusive happiness wave all the way through to the end.

It was the perfect setting to have some fun in relaxed pieces by Nancy Rose, a former nationally ranked elite gymnast turned Parsons graduate. Having studied design in Rome, Rose’s collection focuses on high quality fabrics, not flashy prints, combined with fit and flexibility. It’s a fashionable toast to excellence–at the barre, on the treadmill and in our favorite yoga poses.

Keyhole Short Sleeve Tee in Sea, Odyssey Tank in Scarlett and Plank Crop in Black, all by Nancy Rose Performance.

Product provided by Nancy Rose Performance.
All thoughts/assessments are my own.

To toast 20+ years of friendship, we recently flew west for the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon. It was a beautiful course, with only a few hills, from a winery to the Sonoma city square. Fueled by rosé wine, fresh food and hearty laughs, check out our 13.1 under the warm summer sun.

Our favorite wineries were Jordan in Healdsburg and Scribe in Sonoma. (In these photos, we are the embodiment of R&R.)

Warming up before dawn at Domaine Carneros in Napa. Hello, beautiful.

Peace, love and running at the start. I wore a New Balance tank and compression tights by Opedix, to reduce lactic acid build-up and resulting soreness the next day. Highly recommend.

And, my FitBit Flex! (It tracks everything from steps and calories to sleep cycle, for those of us who are super curious to see how things measure up–or, just need a little motivation.)

My time?  1 hour, 58 minutes.

So, here’s a toast to power in numbers. And, the power of one.

Compression tights (c/o Opedix); FitBit Flex (c/o Women’s Health Magazine & Target). #fitbitflex
All thoughts/assessments are my own.

Welcome to “The Project: IMMERSIVE FITNESS” by Reebok and Les Mills, the global mastermind behind popular group fitness and team training programs like BODYPUMP (weights), BODYCOMBAT (martial arts), RPM (indoor cycling) and LES MILLS GRIT (30-minute high intensity interval).

Combining cinema quality video projected onto studio-sized screens with instructors who cue moves synchronized with exactly what’s in front of you, it’s the most high-tech way to get into the “zone” whether you’re riding through a kaleidoscopic cosmic explosion or stretching out under a sunset sky.

Recently debuted in London, The Project: IMMERSIVE FITNESS is on the road in Europe.  Stops include Stockholm, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris and Milan, for any of you with international travel plans.  And, sign up to stay tuned, because it’s coming our way next year!

So, get ready for your turn in the spotlight.

And, the best part is: you don’t even have to go on a single audition.

WATCH THE PROJECT: IMMERSIVE FITNESS VIDEO HERE.
And, follow on Instagram.

The next level of fitness is here. IMMERSIVE FITNESS™ surrounds participants with cinema quality video content projected onto screens of a purpose-built studio.  Exercise moves synchronize perfectly with music and graphics, creating a truly immersive fitness experience. Learn more!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Les Mills. The opinions and text are all mine.

But, you also may not know that Sperry has a collection of sport shoes designed for…what else?  Being out on the water this summer.  And, that we were…

Stand up paddle boarding is having a stand-out moment of its own, too, in oceans, lakes, reservoirs and rivers across the globe.  It’s accessible for adventurous and more leisurely types alike and offers both an effective full body workout and a relaxing, zen way to explore, depending on your locale.  I’d done it twice, once on the east coast and another time while on vacation in Aruba, but, needless to say…never in the Hudson River.

So, when the Sperry team invited me to join SUP pro and brand ambassador Slater Trout for a spin around the Hudson on a stand up paddle board, I hesitated for a minute or two (was the water going to be really dirty?!) and then decided that for STRENGTH+Sole, I’d have to jump right in.

Things to know before you go:

• You can definitely paddle barefoot, but, it was easier in Sperry’s H2O Escapes.
• Wear a wetsuit (if you’re in chilly waters), a rashguard/waterproof shorts or bathing suit plus a life jacket and lots of sunblock.
• If you’re a first-time or a new paddler, select a Supernatural board for maximum balance; once you’re more experienced, you can move on to a more advanced board.
• Use a paddle that’s taller than you, but, makes sense relative to your body height – you should be able to easily grab ahold of the handle on top.
• Once on the board, your stance should be loose: bend your knees (don’t lock them), engage your core and use your entire body to paddle, bending forward and pulling the paddle back in the water only as far as your feet positioned in the center of the board (not past them).
• Leave your smartphone on the shore!

And, by the way, as Eric Stiller, our host and founder of Manhattan Kayak Co. informed me, the Hudson is the cleanest that it’s ever been, thanks to environmentalists including Riverkeeper who have given it a 180° clean-up since its lowest point in the 1970s.  In fact, eco groups are now exploring cultivating oysters, notoriously delicate creatures, in our city’s fine west river.

So, while I live by the motto “perception is reality” as a marketer & events producer by profession, that afternoon, I experienced a major correction: I wasn’t afraid of falling in, at all.

On the Hudson River, in my Sperry H2O Escapes, I was riding high.

CHECK US OUT IN SPERRY’S VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE!

Product/experience provided by Sperry; all thoughts/assessments are my own.
Photo 4 by Eric Stiller, Manhattan Kayak Co.; photo 5 by Slater Trout & photo 6 by Brian Tetrault, Sperry Top-Sider.

Tonight, it was alive and in action in front of the iconic Flatiron building, where a few of the city’s hottest instructors and fitness bloggers gathered for the official #NYCFitWeek selfie.

The brainchild of She’s the First, a non-profit dedicated to girls’ education, and Emily Cook Harris, founder of EMpowered personal training and Racked Hottest Trainer in 2013, NYC Fit Week is rallying boutique studios and fitness fans to pay it forward by sweating for the cause.  100% of proceeds from 16 classes at many of NYC’s most popular studios including 305 Fitness, Flywheel, The Fhitting Room and Uplift Studios this week will go toward helping girls around the world become the first in their families to graduate.

The fun is already underway, so book now!  And, show us your sweaty selfie in front of the Flatiron or around town after class by tagging #NYCFitWeek.

Featured in photo, clockwise: Emily Cook Harris (EMpowered NYC), Julia Avery (The Fhitting Room & average2athlete), Dyan Tsiumis (SWERVE), me and Jaclyn Sklaver (FitmissNYC).

It was Heroes Row the Harlem, the first annual crew race between NYC’s finest: NYPD vs. FDNY. The event was hosted by the non-profit Row New York, which teaches underprivileged kids to row competitively, in partnership with the festival and one of my favorite fitness studios Row House.

After the race (P.S. my firemen smoked the cops!), we got in on the action, hopping aboard a training barge docked at Peter J. Sharp Boathouse, Row New York’s home base in the Harlem River, with a coach who taught us the ABCs of crew in just over an hour. It’s MUCH more complicated on the water than on an erg and a different experience, altogether.

When the yachts cruised by at high speeds, we were suddenly drenched in their wake and for me, there was no escape–I got the worst of it.

So, I was happy to be in Sperry H2O Escape sneakers. As our coach said, “It IS a water sport.” Ships ahoy!

Sneakers provided by Sperry; all thoughts/assessments are my own.

Want to pitch a tent and sleep under the stars in Brooklyn?  Or, learn how to surf in the Rockaways?  And, did you know that Staten Island is NYC’s greenest borough? Take a hike at Wolfe’s Pond Park where birds, wildflowers and mushrooms abound.

June 4th is National Running Day and to celebrate one of my favorite sports, I’ll be leading a 5-mile loop of Hudson River Park with pro runner Eliud “Heldy” Ngetich. He grew up running through the mountains of Kenya, traveling distances of up to 150 miles as the family’s messenger. His story is unsettling and amazing, and, I’m humbled to partner with such an accomplished athlete and Olympic hopeful.  After the run, we’ll gather at Tent & Trails downtown to re-fuel and talk more with Eliud.  Register here.

In New York, there are lots of opinions about everything, from politics to polenta. But, one thing is for sure: OutdoorFest will be the most rockin’ way to kick off summer in the city. See you there!