Wow this week is packed. Everyone is manic for the end of summer. I’m leaving town on Wednesday and have serious FOMO over a few of these (especially the 5K with free pool access at Coda.) Let us know if you attend any!
This week: Workout events that include rooftop pool access, many running shoe demos, and a massive fitness festival comes to NYC.
on the radar: this week’s fitness and wellness events
Tuesday September 8: New York Disc Golf Glow Round (Central Park), 7:15PM, free
Last time there was a disc golf pop-up in NYC, I went with a couple of friends and it was a blast, even though I am terrible at it. Right now, there’s only one permanent disc golf course in the city (in Highland Park) so this nighttime glow-in-the-dark game is very cool.
Wednesday September 9: Ice Cold Club Breath and Flow Ritual (Williamsburg), 6:30PM, free to $30
Ice Cold Club always reserves a few free spots for its wellness events, and somehow all three are still available as I write this. This one is breathwork and restorative movement. The rooftop setting at the Dime is a gorgeous spot to spend the evening.
Wednesday September 9: Line Dancing at Roberta’s (Williamsburg), 6PM, donation-based
Line dancing is somewhat of a trend recently, and you can get in on the action at this queer-friendly, pay what you can event. Beginner hour is the first half, then intermediate/advanced is from 730 onward. And yes, casual night-out dancing is wellness.
Thursday September 10: King Size Fit Collective 5K Dash and Splash (Williamsburg), 5:30PM, free
5K to brewery? Overdone. 5k to pool party? Absolutely yes. Enjoy the last days of summer with a run with King Size Fit Collective followed by pool time at Coda Beach Club. Free pool access in NYC is hard to come by, so this sounds like a good time.
Thursday September 10: Connect and Climb (Gowanus), 6PM, $20
Thinking about getting into climbing? Here’s a beginner-friendly meetup hosted by We Explore Earth that’s cheaper than a day pass to the gym. Plus it includes rental gear.
Friday September 11: After Hours Girls Try Hyrox (Jersey City), 7:30PM, $45
Hyrox-specific gyms like F45 and Solace can be pretty intimidating and intense for beginners, but for the gals looking to dip their toes in, this 45-minute intro class should be much more approachable. The price isn’t cheap, but you’ll get a little goodie bag with attendance.
Saturday September 12: NARC Get Sprayed Track Workout (Williamsburg), 10AM, free
Running shoe brand On is really getting the word out about their Lightspray tech (a 3D-printed shoe upper) this week, as we’ve seen them team up with multiple run clubs to offer demos. Our run club of choice would be NARC (Not a Run Club), so stop by the sprint session to check out the shoes for yourself.
Saturday September 12: Believe in the Run Tour and 5K (Hell’s Kitchen), 8:30AM, free
The folks at Believe in the Run, a running media company, do great work (I trust their shoe reviews above pretty much everyone else's), and they’re on tour hosting group runs in different cities. This one is in partnership with NYRR and New Balance, so you can demo some of the brand’s race day shoes and stay for the snacks/drinks post-run.
Saturday September 12: Gorp Girls Curious by Nature Outdoor Day (Upstate), 9AM, $20 if you provide your own transportation
This event is so wholesome! If you can make your way upstate yourself, there are still tickets available for this full-day of outdoor experiences with Gorp Girls. Choose with programming you participate in, whether its fly-fishing lessons, a naturalist walk, painting in nature, hiking, paddling, and outdoor skills demonstrations (like camping, backpacking, safety, and more.)
Saturday September 12: Coffee and Chill End of Summer Party (LIC), 11AM, $37
Coffee and Chill is a series of sober morning parties that include a ton of wellness activations, like cold plunges, a workout, protein shakes, foot/gait analyses. We’ve been to one of them this past winter, and the vibe was a bit too biohacking finance bro-y for us, BUT this one grants you pool access to Summer Club for the day.
Sunday September 13: U - GO Session 002 Athletic Strength and Conditioning Class (Williamsburg), 12PM, $35
With all the talk of unfair trainer pay from big studios like Barry’s, we love to see trainers go independent and carve their own path in the fitness world. Recently, Ugo Peter-Obiagwu did just that and his first class at the Dime was totally packed. He’s a talented trainer who brings high energy, great music, and creative, legitimately challenging movements.
we think you should know
A couple months ago my friend Brian, an NYC yoga teacher I’ve known since 2011 when I took my 200hr training, invited me to co-teach a retreat in Guatemala. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, imagine this: you go somewhere stunning with a cool group of people brought together by the teachers, do yoga once or twice a day in a shala overlooking the water, eat delicious healthy food, forget all about your phone, reconnect to nature, and remember the simple joy of being alive. So it was an easy yes. Even though I’ll be teaching I’m also craving the reset it will give me.
So here are the details: We’ll be at Villa Sumaya on Lake Atitlan from December 27, 2026 to January 3, 2027. In addition to our daily yoga practices, there will be four ceremonies including a traditional sweat lodge (sauna lovers, have you tried this? I have on several occasions and they were quite memorable)
I’m excited to start the year this way and to be co-teaching with Brian and Paulo, both of whom are incredible teachers with styles that complement my own. The rest of the information is here, feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions.
-Maddie
happenings around town
On September 26, Strong NY, one of the biggest fitness/wellness festivals, comes back to New York for a very full day of workouts, competitions, and an after party. If you've ever wanted to sample a bunch of NYC's fitness scene without buying 10 different classes, this is basically the speed-dating version of popular gyms like The Pack, The Yard, Gotham Gym, etc. It’s a good opportunity to test all the buzzy trends in wellness (IV therapy, InBody scans, acupunture) and see if you like them yourself. A few of the speakers also caught our eye, like Phil Daru, an athletic trainer I’ve followed on IG for years who works with martial artists. Tickets start at $89 which grants access to the “Vendor Village” but not the workouts/main stage, so we recommend the $165 tier which will get you access to everything.
Sometimes events fill up too fast for us to include them in this newsletter, and that’s the case with Hike Clerb. This women’s hiking club regularly hosts events like bird watching, hikes, and even a summer camp, but September is already full. Maybe worth following them yourself so you don’t miss out next time the RSVPs go live.
The Altar, a sauna/cold plunge facility in Flatiron, is now open for morning sessions.
It’s the last week of the US Open, and you can find parties across the city so you can watch without the influencer drama. One option is Fan Fest, which is ticketed but will have musical guests/celeb appearances and afterparties, but you could also just pop down to Berry Park for a honey deuce. It's women-owned, so that’s where I’d choose to watch the women’s final.
Athletec News published a piece this week about how, according to data pulled from Sweatpals, dance workouts/workshops are most popular in New York, compared to lifting in LA. Not what I would have expected.
Enso Pilates in Boerum Hill has $10 community classes sporadically scheduled throughout the week. It seems as if they’re teachers in training. I found this Reddit thread with other discounted classes, including apparent $12 classes at Yoga Agora in Astoria and Spirit Labs in Midtown.
In late September, 24 The Planet—a 24-mile global walking challenge to support regreening the Earth—comes to New York. It’s not too late to join and start fundraising.
meanwhile…
If you’ve been using your fitness tracker to estimate how many calories you burned throughout the day or your workout, new research reaffirms what many healthcare professionals and trainers have known for a long time: The data is wildly inaccurate.
The more body fat you have, the more inaccurate they seem to be. Apple was the most accurate, while Garmin and Samsung both overestimated caloric expenditure pretty significantly (They tell you you burned more calories than you actually did.)
I don’t think calories burned is the best measure of a good workout, but it may be helpful to know for people trying to manage weight or eat in a caloric deficit.
See you next Monday.