Looking for a new cardio routine that offers varying intensity with low impact? Wondering what kombucha tea is and why everyone seems to be drinking it? The Wellness360 team has got you covered!
Cycling Workout at Full Circle Cycle Studio
Although none of us had ever taken a cycling class before, four team members were brave enough to sign up for Full Circle Cycle Studio’s standard, varying intensity cycling class with owner Diane. She helped all of us get set up on the bikes by adjusting the bike height and position of the seat in relation to the handle bars. She even provided a seat cover to make the cycle a smidge more on the comfortable side. Once we were ready on the bikes, she had us warm up by taking off the resistance and just slowly pedaling to get blood circulating and muscles ready to work.
After warming up, it was time to dive into our workout. We worked up our resistance and did a variety of exercises that were paired with the perfect music selection (cue Ohio Players’ Love Rollercoaster during our slowly increased resistance going uphill followed by completely decreased resistance going downhill). We went through a variety of exercises such as cycle sprints, jumps, uphill climbs and out-of-the-saddle riding. Diane did a great job throughout the class at making us feel comfortable and engaged no matter our fitness level.
In a nutshell: Cycling is a high intensity cardio workout, but fully worth the jelly legs and saddle soreness as a fun and rewarding workout. Be sure to bring a towel and bottle of water if you decide to try out cycling!
Kombucha Tea
Ever wondered what exactly is kombucha tea? We did too! Kombucha tea is a fermented, fizzy drink made with tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast. Due to the cultured bacteria in kombucha tea, there are numerous health benefits. But is it worth it?
We picked up two brands of kombucha tea: Big Easy Bucha and GT’s Living Foods. Big Easy Bucha tea seemed like the perfect summer option being billed as a pineapple and elderflower flavored kombucha and was the one we tried first. Cracking open the bottle, we heard a soft effervescent sound from the fermentation and a sour smell with a hint of floral. Moment of truth and we were all pleasantly surprised by the sweet taste of the tea (having expected a sour taste).
GT’s Living Foods’ kombucha was a raspberry chia flavor (with chia seeds in the drink). Immediately opening the bottle (with minimal effervescence), the aroma was less welcoming, with a sour scent and hints of vinegar. Moment of truth once again and an interesting experience ensued. While we were taking a calculated risk trying a kombucha tea with solids in it (a departure even for kombucha teas), it was worse than expected. The consistency was thick and the taste was overwhelmingly sour. Perhaps you have to work up to a chia seed-infused kombucha tea, but it is not something we would recommend for beginners.
In A Nutshell: There are always benefits of consuming products that contain live cultured bacteria to support your digestive system. Kombucha teas offer a tasty and refreshing way to help your digestive system, but we recommend starting with teas that have stronger flavor infusions.
