Manhattan Waterfront

Get to know new trainer, (and secret dough lover), Sarah Beymer!

Photos by Kathleen O’Neill 

Note from Mahri~

When you are near Sarah Beymer, you can’t help but feel her energy, warmth and positivity.  She embodies the spirit of encouragement that is so important to me at Body Conceptions, and she brings so much fun to her classes as well.  If you haven’t tried one of them yet — run, before they sell out!! We are lucky to have her, and you will feel lucky to experience her joyful and challenging workout.

*Sarah Beymer teaches BoCo Bootcamp every Wednesday night at 6pm.  Look out for her guest subbing appearances as well.

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Where did you grow up?  I’m a proud Pacific Northwester that grew up in the Seattle area.

What’s your biggest passion?  My two greatest passions include performing and bringing joy to others.

Tell me about your career. Have you changed directions? If so, why? I always knew I was going to pursue dancing professionally while growing up.  Conversely, my education was also very important to me, so I made the decision after high school to attend college first and soon graduated with a degree in Global Business from the University of Redlands in southern California.  While in college, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Milan, Italy for both semesters of my junior year, which in turn has been one of my most valued experiences to date!

After college, I wasted no time and made the permanent move to Los Angeles to begin pursuing my dream full time.  All in all, the City of Angels did not disappoint! The talent, creativity, and drive within the city gave me a great place to continue training and begin my career.  I began traveling and performing company work throughout the country, and made my debut on the big screen in Fox’s Glee, Disney Channel’s Shake it Up, and the remake of Annie.  While I’m so grateful for all the talented dancers I met in the commercial dance world of Los Angeles, I’m excited to experience the different flare that New York City brings to the industry.  NYC has always been a place I wanted to explore, and I knew it would be an instant regret later in life if I didn’t take the time to experience it now.  There’s just no other place like it!

As I have always lived an active lifestyle, transitioning into a fitness career has been on the back of my mind in recent years.  It’s been a matter of finding the right method with the appropriate supportive and encouraging environment. With that said, I fell in love with Body Conceptions after my first class! I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this incredible team of individuals with such an aspiring mission behind its practice.

NYC Dancer

What do you wish you knew when you were younger? I wish I realized I didn’t have to drive myself crazy trying achieve an ‘A’ on every project and test in school.

What’s your fitness fashion style? I love bright colors!! My staples include a pair of high-waste leggings, fun sports bra, loose fitting tank top, and the ‘dancer’ in me tends to have a flannel close by to layer on and off.

Dancer Sarah Beymer

What’s the best piece of health/wellness/dance advice you’ve ever gotten? Listen to your body!!  This has been crucial for longevity as a professional dancer.  When your body is faced with something that doesn’t feel right, there is most likely a reason for it.  It’s important to make adjustments and modifications as needed. Your body is continually changing, growing, and yes, aging too, and every day is different from the one before.

Consequently, your BRAIN will often tell you that your body is weaker than it actually is….it’s all about pushing yourself beyond what your brain thinks it can do, but honoring your body when it believes it has reached its limit.

Kathleen O'Neill Photography

What’s your guiltiest pleasure? SWEET TREATS!!! I have always had the BIGGEST sweet tooth! I tend to have at least one piece of chocolate after breakfast, lunch, and dinner….life’s short, right? :)

What quality do you really cherish about yourself? I’ve always been one to appreciate the little things in life.

Sarah Beymer BoCo Trainer

What’s something most people don’t know about you (that’s maybe a little funny or weird)? I have an obsession with dough…..cookie dough, pizza dough, cake batter, pastry dough….its quite bizarre

Anything else about you that I missed? Favorite things include sunflowers, parks, outdoor markets, biking along the beach, festivals, live music, DANCING, tailgating, quality time with friends and family, traveling, hiking, learning and experiencing new things, and a cold beer on a Friday night :) 

NYC Pier Fitness

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We are big fans of our #StrongForSummer challenge winner and close runner up!

(Interviews and photos by Kathleen O’Neill, C. Lo’s makeup by Victoria Hoffman).

Note from Mahri~

I love running challenges because they give me such great opportunities to meet new people and also witness some amazing accomplishments. I exercise for a living (so it’s easy for me to make it happen every day), but I am always so impressed when I see our challengers truly commit to their workouts with us and get stronger and stronger with each passing week.

We have not traditionally named our second place winners, but I felt that BOTH C. Lo and Natasha put in a tremendous amount of work and saw beautiful results. And they were both such wonderful people to have in our classes. I feel so happy to consider both of them parts of our BoCo family – for this challenge and beyond!

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Meet our amazing winner, C. Lo!

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Tell us about yourself! I’m the real C.Lo even though I can’t sing as well. I’m originally from the South Shore in Massachusetts (yes, I pronounce my “r’s” and yes, I pronounce “room” like “rum”) and have been in NYC for about four years. I love my bunny Herman (www.instagram.com/professor.herman), animation (watching and creating), and putting an egg on food.

Describe your career and how you originally got into the industry! I manage operations and accounts in the printing industry – we print just about anything on paper from invitations to menus to napkins to art reproductions. I moved to NYC unemployed and applied to as many jobs as I could. I was hired as a project manager and have been in the industry ever since.  I am also launching an Etsy shop soon with my friend Meredith (http://www.mgniles.com/) that will combine our love of print, graphic design, and illustration. Keep your eyes open for it!

How did you find out about Body Conceptions’ challenge? I go to Julia’s Monday class every week, and she initially told me about the #LoveYourself #LoveYourBody Challenge, but I was traveling a lot and also was admittedly a little intimidated. When this challenge came up, she again encouraged me to try it, and I am so glad I did!

What kept you motivated throughout the 4 weeks? My biggest motivator was my teammates and all the BoCo trainers (especially my team leader Julia!) I’m pretty shy in workout classes but all the trainers try to meet everyone and make you feel part of the group immediately. I also got to know some of the girls in the challenge, and they really motivated me to take more classes when I didn’t want to (like doubling up on classes in one day, ugh!), or to keep those weights up when my arms were drooping. I wouldn’t have done as much without their support, and I’m grateful for BoCo for building such a great community.

My friends, employees, and family were amazing too. Everyone was giving me a lot of support and as cheesy as this sounds, their enthusiasm really energized me to go to class when I had a long work day.

How did it feel when you found out you won? Incredible and really shocking. I don’t ever win anything that involves physical exertion or self control, ha! I knew a lot of girls were working very hard, so I wasn’t even thinking about winning. I was most surprised at the amount of inches I lost. I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention during my weekly measurements, but I was stunned when I heard the final numbers. I kept thinking I must have heard the results wrong!

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What are you going to do now that the challenge is over? Start eating cheese again! But I am still going to continue BoCo, although I might go three times a week instead of five or six. Now that I know I can get stronger and lose inches with this workout, I don’t want to stop!

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What do you do for fun when you’re not working or working out? I love reading, drawing, playing video games, checking out new restaurants with friends, watching Netflix – pretty much anything that involves sitting on my butt and not moving, haha!

What’s your favorite BoCo exercise? Arms and legs! I think these exercises are really fun, and I love the burn. The movements are always very interesting – who knew moving your leg in and out on a small slider could hurt so good?!

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How does BoCo compare to other workouts you’ve tried? What makes it special? I’ve tried so many workouts (and diets and all the “fads” that come out), but I got hooked on BoCo after my first class, which, perhaps fatefully, was also the first class my Team Leader Julia taught! The trainers are all so nice and really try to get to know you. I truly feel like they are there to help you with your goals instead of just going through the motions of teaching a class. It motivates you to give it your all versus just doing the minimum. Also I love how the classes are structured. Not only are the workouts just the length of one song, but they are broken up so you’re not doing all the cardio or toning at once. It’s the only class I’ve taken so far that is fun and works out my whole body. Everywhere burns – even muscles I didn’t know I had!

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What advice do you have for future challengers to succeed? Here are the four things that helped me!

Firstly, it’s important to get a comfortable, fun outfit to wear and nice sneakers! This seems really obvious, but I never really believed it until I did it. It seems silly to spend money on that, but I could not get into my workouts when I was wearing things that didn’t fit or move right and had sneakers with no support. You’ll be working out a lot so it’s worth the investment.

My second piece of advice would be to really push yourself and think in increments. When you’re doing the seat section and think you can’t possibly lift your leg up anymore, keep telling yourself you’ll do just five more, and soon you’ll start hearing the count down. And anyone can do 8 lifts!

As far as dieting, I didn’t want to go all out because I wanted to keep sane during the month, so I told myself I would just cut one thing out. I chose my biggest weakness: CHEESE! I did not realize how much cheese I ate until I stopped eating it. Now I am very happy it’s back in my life, but I am trying not go crazy with it as I used to.

Lastly, really take advantage of the community. My team joked that we saw each other more than our own friends. But it will be true, so get to know the others. It’s not only nice to have personal cheerleaders in class but also people to commiserate with!

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Thank you, C Lo!!

Now meet our impressive, close runner up, Natasha!

Massage Therapist

What kept you motivated throughout the 4 weeks? What motivated me was my big Vegas trip coming up in September and the support of my teammates.

What’s your favorite BoCo exercise? I love all the classes, but if I had to pick one, I would say the Sculpting class was my favorite.

What do you do for fun in your free time? I love going to the beach, outdoor activities, and enjoying the weather..

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Runner dance

Meet Our New Trainer (and Budding Gardener), Sarah Fink!

Note from Mahri~

Sarah Fink is one of the sweetest, loveliest people you will meet – and we were lucky to nab her for our instructor team. She’s smart and extremely concerned about how she can help others and be the best she can be in everything she does. Needless to say, I’m a huge admirer!!

*Don’t miss Sarah Fink’s debut as a BoCo Group Class Instructor tomorrow morning, Friday July 8th at 9:30am at Adelante Studios!

~Mahri

Sarah Fink

Photo by Kathleen O’Neill

Full name: Sarah Kaye Fink

Where did you grow up?  Philadelphia!

What’s your biggest passion? Being active, whether that means dancing improv in my shower, dancing onstage, or going for a hike or run outside when I’m traveling.

Manhattan Fitness

Tell me about your career. Have you changed directions? If so, why? Dance has always been my first love, I think partly because music is so visceral for me, and I continue to do freelance dance work now. Fitness was a natural extension of my dance career and my perpetual desire to move. So I wouldn’t really say my career has changed directions so much as shifted focus. One of the biggest differences for me has been the change in emphasis from myself as an artist to helping other people. As a performer, by necessity you spend so much time concentrating on details and asking yourself questions like “Did I do that step correctly? Am I communicating this story effectively? Am I human or am I dancer?” When you’re a trainer you have to look at a bigger picture, and your questions change a bit: “What can I do to help my clients have a better understanding and awareness of their own bodies? Am I helping them to feel like they are becoming the strongest and healthiest versions of themselves?” It’s so wonderful to be a facilitator and witness to that happening for a person.

Body Conceptions by Mahri

Photo by Kathleen O’Neill

What do you wish you knew when you were younger? Most people are more interested in seeing you as a person than whether you are some arbitrary version of “perfect.”

What’s your fitness fashion style? I like a balanced silhouette that plays a little bit with textures. Function and comfort come first but it’s always fun to throw in a mesh top or leggings with a strip of surprising material like a faux leather. Also, I tend to run around a lot in the city, so I value an ensemble that wears equally well with sneakers and nonathletic accessories so I can transition easily between fitness and other activities.

Runner dance

What’s the best piece of health/wellness/dance advice you’ve ever gotten? You cannot solve a problem by worrying about it. I have to remind myself of this one all the time!

What’s your guiltiest pleasure? I don’t like to associate guilt with pleasure! The way I see it, when you make a choice that’s not considered the better one you’ve already made the choice so don’t feel bad about it, just enjoy! Pleasure is an important part of life. Two of my favorite pleasures in moderation are a medium rare cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake.

Workout run

What quality do you really cherish about yourself? I try to be a caring and observant listener as a friend. It’s important to me that my friends and family know they can count me among their network of support. I also think it’s worth mentioning that part of having these qualities is knowing how to be available while still giving someone their space. I think I generally have good judgment about when to do that.

What’s something most people don’t know about you (that’s maybe a little funny or weird)? I have a thing for aquariums and zoos. The way animals move and behave is fascinating to me! At times it may inspire my own dance movement…

Anything else about you that I missed? Yes, you missed that I am a budding gardener and I have a tendency to make bad puns.

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Photo by Kathleen O’Neill

dance cardio

How BoCo Preps You For Adventure: The Rock Climbing Edition

 

Note from Mahri~

When Emily Kammeyer comes to class, you notice her. Not just because of her statuesque physique and confidence that emenates from her at all times (it does), but she dresses – and accessorizes – amazingly well! It’s no surprise that she specializes in accessories, from blogging (www.accessoriesgal.com) to crafting her own jewelry and headpieces (E.Kammeyer Accessories). Her work is uniquely stunning– I have a necklace of hers that’s earned compliments every time I’ve worn it!

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Emily in BoCo class!

Emily brought so much athleticism and energy to our #StrongForSummer challenge.  I’m especially thrilled that her training with us helped prepare her for the adventurous rock climbing experience she had at Joshua Tree. Read about her experience below — and check out her beautiful work, too!

~Mahri

https://youtu.be/mvGHvNLhYdw

Words from Emily~

What drives you? For me, it’s the thrill of a new adventure. I live for trying new things, pushing my limits and feeling the rush of adrenaline. On my recent trip to Palm Springs I decided to spend a day rock climbing in Joshua Tree with my husband. Now, I’ve rock climbed many times before, but nothing quite like these conditions.

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As prep for our trip I decided to try out a new workout called Body Conceptions. BoCo, as many call it, is a workout designed to create a lean and sculpted body like a dancer. What I fell in love with was the complete muscle exhaustion, serious sculpting, and overflowing positivity you find in every class.

fitness lifeThere are a few different classes you can take at BoCo, but my favorite is the classic. It was great prep for rock climbing because it mixes cardio and sculpting into one perfect hour long class. The best/worst part is called the seat section. It’s 15 minutes of exhausting backside work that leave you feeling like you may never lift your legs again. But let me tell you, it really helped with my rock climbing skills. Your legs and butt are what propel you up the rock, and thanks to that exhausting seat section, I was ready.

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Now a bit about our climb. Joshua Tree is composed of granite rock formations. What I learned to love about this, is your rock climbing shoes really stick to a granite surface. Most of the climbing I’d done previously involved leisurely climbs with lots of hand holds. Well, this was a bit different. I came to the shocking realization on these climbs that there weren’t many hand holds at all. This is where I learned how to smear, a technique used in slab climbing. Smearing is where you press your shoe into the rock to propel yourself up. Most of the time on these climbs my hands were just flat against the rock and you had to trust your feet to keep you ascending. It was an amazing experience, terrifying and exhilarating experience.

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Emily rock climbing!

If you’re thinking about heading to Joshua Tree for a rock climbing trip, I highly recommend our guide Castle Rock Climbing School. We learned so much on this trip and left with fatigued muscles and smiles on our faces.

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Words and (select) photos provided by Emily Kammeyer.