Hits and Misses

For the past few weeks, there have been several things that I wanted to try and review on here. Some of these things turned out as great as I imagined and some of the things fell short. Either way, it’s always fun to try something new and always worth the experience!

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Yoga Loft Chicago

At the end of December, I bought a deal from Gilt Groupe for the Yoga Loft. The deal was $30 for five classes which was a great deal because the classes are $18/each full priced. I thought it would be a great way to take a break from my work day and go to yoga at lunch. I tried three classes. The first class I took was the Power Flow Lunch class. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. The instructor did a great job explaining things and motivating you to push yourself, but her attitude bothered me. She was more about burning calories than relaxing and challenging yourself, so I wasn’t too into it. Next, I took the Slow Flow Vinyasa and really liked the class. It was slightly more advanced than I’m used to, so it was a good reason for me challenge myself in my poses. I liked it enough to do the class again, but I only used three of the five classes I purchased in the deal. I liked the experience, but did not love it. I go to yoga for relaxation purposes, not to burn calories. So, unfortunately Yoga Loft was a miss for me.

Happier at Home

One of my favorite books is Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project, so when I heard that she came out with a second book I immediately checked it out from the library. I had very high expectations for this book because I love The Happiness Project so much, but I was pretty disappointed. The book was slow, repetitive and almost identical to The Happiness Project but not nearly as inspired. One of the main reasons what I love The Happiness Project is because of the enthusiasm and spark the book acheives. While Happier at Home seemed like an afterthought. It really wanted to love it, but I just could not get into it. It took me three months and a library fine to finally give up on the book. Sorry Gretchen Rubin, but this book was a miss for me.

Picky Bars 

You may recall that I received a box of Picky Bars at the Chicago Running Bloggers‘ Holiday meet up. As soon as the gift that Kelly brought was opened to reveal the Picky Bars, I knew I wanted them. I had been wanting to try Picky Bars for months and they did not disappoint. They are exactly what I look for in my pre-workout snack. All natural, great tasting and easy on the stomach. I have to admit though, they taste so great that I have eaten them a few times as a snack when I wasn’t working out! My favorite thing about Picky Bars is the obvious passion you can see from the company. That’s something I can say is a hit in my book!

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Silver Linings Playbook

Last night I went to see Silver Linings Playbook with my friend Liz. I absolutely loved it! The movie had something for everyone. It had a great depth without being too depressing, a imperfectly perfect love story, laugh out loud moments and a football plot line for the guys. It even had a lot of ballroom dancing! Go see it, you won’t be disappointed. It was a huge hit for me!

Have you seen Silver Linings Playbook yet? Have you tried Picky Bars? Have you read Happier at Home? Locals, have you been to the Yoga Loft for a class? Any other hits or misses you’ve tried lately?