Mind + Body: August 2013

Get Your Sweat On: TheSweat Social invites tourists and locals alike to get their bodies movin’.
A special new offering at the Loews New Orleans Hotel is now being offered by Rupa Mohan, CEO at The Sweat Social. Mohan, who spent 10 years working in finance — mostly on Wall Street — found that her heart just wasn’t in her career. She had always been a fitness junkie, so, for fun, she became certified as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer. She and her husband had always talked about living abroad, and, in 2014, they booked one-way tickets to Bangkok and embarked on a journey of long-term travel.

“Staying fit when traveling is so difficult,” she explains. “Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, finding effective fitness solutions can be a challenge. While hotel gyms provide a great service, they are often uninspired spaces where you have to navigate your way around unfamiliar equipment and figure out what to do. The Sweat Social solves all of that. We create workouts purpose-built for the needs of travelers. Our services are effective, efficient and fun! We aim to take the chore out of doing a workout when on the road by providing a fitness experience you won’t find at home.”

FUEL, the new bootcamp-style fitness class now being offered at Loews, takes place on Tuesday mornings at 7:30 a.m. in the hotel’s Piazza d’Italia courtyard. The high-intensity workout incorporates strength, toning and kickboxing activities.

sThe Sweat Social also holds other fitness classes in unique locations across the city, including riverfront pavilions, courtyards and other hotels. All of the classes range from 30 to 45 minutes.

According to Barry Rodriguez, director of sales and marketing at Loews New Orleans Hotel, partnering with The Sweat Social offers a fun break from the usual travel routine and a new workout option for locals. “We’re always working to provide a luxury experience that meets the needs of our guests,” he says. “Travelers these days are often looking to maintain their healthy lifestyle routines even when they’re away from home, and we wanted to make sure we’re catering to those needs. Although we offer a full-service fitness center well-appointed with exercise machines, yoga classes and personal training sessions, we wanted to give guests another fitness option that would be unique to New Orleans.” Classes cost $20, thesweatsocial.com
Storm Survival: Follow these hurricane preparedness tips to increase safety and reduce stress.

The 2016 Atlantic hurricane season officially started in June, and it runs through the end of November. So, there’s still time to prepare for any storms that might be headed our way. And preparing meals without power can be a tricky situation. Generac Power Systems, Inc., a global supplier of backup power products, recently held a luncheon in New Orleans to demonstrate how to prepare meals without power.

Held at Oceana Grill, the luncheon featured three courses: Course 1 was prepared using no power at all (a peanut butter sandwich); Course 2 was prepared as if the kitchen was powered by a portable generator, allowing use of items from the refrigerator and one appliance (a grilled chicken Greek salad); and Course 3 was prepared using full power, which would be available to a homeowner with a home standby generator (blackened ribeye topped with fried shrimp).

The company also offers these tips for hurricane season:

Be sure devices are charged and ready to use.
Have a family communication plan.
Stock up on food and water supplies.
Build an emergency hurricane kit.
Fill up your gas tank.
Become familiar with your community’s evacuation plan.
Choose a backup power source.
Download Generac’s 2016 Hurricane Preparedness Guide at generac.com/hurricane-prep.

Maria’s Pick

Girls’ Night Out: Explore your creative side, while having fun with friends.

Every once in awhile, it’s important to do something out of the ordinary — to go outside of our comfort zones and try something new. In this way, we feed our spirits and enrich our minds. Recently, Painting with a Twist in Metairie (4931 W. Esplanade Ave., Ste. D) held a special celebration for National Best Friend Day. The event offered an opportunity to socialize, to be creative and to explore painting as an avenue for self-expression.

“It’s the perfect combination of wine, friends and fun,” says New Orleans Living publisher Maria Muro. “And the best part is you can laugh with each other if and when things don’t go quite as planned. Such is life — and it’s important to have friends to share experiences with, while catching up with each other’s busy lives.” paintingwithatwist.com/metairie