You wipe your brow and feel a rush of endorphins. Leaving your workout with a sense of accomplishment, you make that one fatal mistake: looking around. There it is, right across the parking lot. A donut shop, an ice cream place, a popsicle paradise. Suddenly, that 320 calories you burned in 30 minutes of elliptical anguish goes down the drain as you tack on an extra 700. But they cancel each other out, right?
No matter the justification, there is the undeniable truth that with great proximity comes great temptation. Have you noticed that almost every major gym, fitness center and yoga studio in Southlake is located conveniently near an alluring dessert place? We have, and because we at Southlake Style are firm believers in cheat days, we compiled a list of our favorite sweat-to-sweet locations.
The Yoga Retreat & Dunkin’ Donuts: 270 Steps Away
While yoga has become vastly more popular to the area in the past decade, some still hold to the misconception that it is not a full workout. Like with any type of recreation, yoga classes have varying levels of difficulty. This is true at The Yoga Retreat off Southlake Boulevard, which offers a variety of heated and non-heated classes. According to its owner and founder Ranjeeta Rath, a 75 minute heated yoga class at her studio will burn up to 400 calories. This is great news for those who happen to look across the parking lot and see… a Dunkin' Donuts.
It doesn’t take an expert dietician to know that fried dough isn’t the best source of nutrients. However, it may surprise you to find that a regular glazed doughnut from
Dunkin’ has only 260 calories, according to their nutrition menu. If you just got out of a heated yoga class at the Yoga Retreat, you can totally get away with that!
No matter what your cheat-day choices are, Rath offers this advice:
“I always like to tell people that yoga is self-care,” she says. “Make it your priority as a lifestyle and not as a hobby. Giving yourself this 60-75 minutes of your time can make you a better person, a better mom/dad, better wife/husband. We have too much stress in life, this is one way to release it. Get committed and get disciplined!”
Orangetheory Fitness & Peace, Love and Little Donuts: 131 Steps Away
The good news: The donuts are little. The bad news: It’s almost impossible to only eat one. This is especially true when faced with Peace, Love and Little Donuts managing partner Rod Moruss’ nomination of most decadent donuts. e says there is a three-way tie between salted caramel, maple bacon and chocolate chip.
That’s okay, though, as Orangetheory Fitness is only a few yards away. The vibrant fitness studio boasts effective workouts based purely on science. Ellen Latham, the creator of the Orangetheory workout, based the exercise on the idea of Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). The thought is that if you challenge your body enough, you’ll work harder to breathe, thereby engaging your metabolism. Latham calls this challenging point, at which your heart rate is between 84 to 91 percent of your unique heart rate maximum, the Orange Zone. While you won’t spend your entire time in the Orange Zone, a trip to Orangetheory is sure to get your blood pumping and burn some serious calories.
However, if you skipped your workout or are just looking for a healthier option, Peace, Love and Little Donuts isn’t all sprinkles and sugars.
“The tree hugger, made with maple frosting, granola, a chocolate chip mix and chocolate drizzle is probably the least sweet donut as the granola mellows it out,” Moruss says. “And the maple bacon would have the most protein.”
24 Hour Fitness & Cinnaholic: 295 Steps Away
The largest workout location on our list, 24 Hour Fitness is not without its own tempting neighbors. Cinnaholic is only a parking lot away and features decadent gourmet cinnamon rolls. It may surprise you, however, to find that the luscious baked goods are actually vegan. Customers can choose from frosting flavors such as Amaretto, Chai, Cream Cheese, Marshmallow and Cake Batter, to name a few. They can top off their creation with finishing touches like brownie bites, caramel sauce, chocolate chips, cookie dough, graham crackers and so much more. If there is one thing that meat-eaters and vegans can unite upon, it’s a sweet tooth. Of course, sugar is not the best thing to intake if you’re looking to become your fittest self.
Thankfully, proximity works both ways. If you were just stopping by to get a treat, maybe head a few yards over and hop on a treadmill. Anyone familiar with 24 Hour Fitness can tell you that it is far more than a room full of fitness machines. The gym has a variety of studio classes, from yoga and cycling to pilates and cardio. On top of that, 24 Hour Fitness has certified personal trainers to help you work off that last indulgence. No matter the case, you can attain your fitness goals and have room for a roll too.
PilatesBarre & Steel City Pops: 254 Steps Away
After putting your body through a series of positions that leave your muscles shaking, even a walk across the parking lot from PilatesBarre might be a daunting task. But, if you still have it in you, Steel City Pops is just a few (hundred) feet away, beckoning you to try out the latest seasonal treat. In these winter months, when pops may not be top of mind, it would be a mistake to overlook this delicious dessert haven.
The fun thing about these pops is that they can be as healthy or as much of a cheat as you want. Steel City Pops marketing director Angelia Stewart says the Buttermilk Pop has 281 calories and fully customized could be around 400 calories. On the other hand, the Strawberry Lemonade Pop is only 97 calories.
“That’s the beauty of our customization station, you can throw caution to the wind and fully customize your pop or keep it simple and light,” Stewart says. “A dusting of cocoa or espresso, for example, could add a little something extra to your pop with virtually no additional calories.”
After 50 minutes of pumped-up tunes and total body strengthening at PilatesBarre, you’ve more than earned at least one pop! PilatesBarre emphasizes cardio and strength training through their exclusive BarreFormer machines and springboards. If your New Year’s resolution includes a mix of intense training and an eye on nutrition, Park Village isn’t a bad place to start, as even your choice of cheats can be health conscious.
“This month, we are excited to introduce two new Paleo pops, a Paleo Mixed Berry Pop and Paleo Chocolate Pop,” Stewart says. “All of our pops are all-natural and gluten-free. In addition to our fruity pops we have several ‘creamy’ dairy-free options as well.”