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The Ultimate Health, Fitness & Wellness Guide To Montreal

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Dear Montrealer, you’ve decided to live a healthier lifestyle and take better care of your mind, body, soul; but wonder where to start, where to go and what to? Look no further, we’ve got you covered! You basically need three essentials things in life, to be healthier (and happier): feed your body with the right nutrients so it can function properly, exercise regularly to build a strong body that will limit the risks of countless diseases, and finally, calm your mind to release all tension and avoid the stress of everyday life.
So here is a list of our favorite Health Food & Supplement Store in Montreal, an amazing gym that we highly, highly recommend – you won’t be able to use the “I don’t have time for training” anymore – and finally, a Yoga Studio that will leave you feeling as Zen and light-hearted as Buddha.

Best Health Food Store in Montreal: Allons VERT

Located in the vibrant district of Griffintown, in the southwestern part of downtown Montreal, Allons VERT is a Health Food and Supplement store that brings the green vibe to the buzzing and creative area.

The family-owned organic store opened its doors over three years ago and is known for its fantastic (and free!) naturopathic consultations with a dedicated staff of naturopaths that truly takes their time with each client to provide them with the best recommendations of supplements that they need. (How amazing?!)
What makes this store all the more special is the warmth that reigns in it: a positive energy that the ever so lovely owners have helped create fills the entire place and seems to irresistibly appeal to the clients.
They carry a rich bulk section, next to a delicious prêt à manger one, a wall to wall supplement department and a wide array of cosmetics and health care products; there is a back room for all cleaning products; they also carry fresh and organic fruits and veggies, dairy, dairy free products and so much more!
It is evident that the products sold at Allons VERT have been meticulously selected by connaisseurs that offer a great range of products to choose from, at a fair price (and a super fast accumulating point system that customers enjoy any time of the week!).
The way the store is arranged is pure genius: although the space is not that big, it all fits perfectly well. Oh, and by the way, the music is absolutely amazing too! Ladies, trust me when I say you have just found your new favorite organic store to shop at! You’ll thank me later!
More info:

The store is open all week long:

Mon-Friday 10:00 – 20:00

Sat-Sunday 10:00 – 18:00

Phone – 514 507 4445

Address- 1740 notre-dame ouest

Best gym in Montreal: Report Fitness

In case you’ve been living under a rock and have not heard about the amazing benefits of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on your body and metabolism yet, here is a quick introduction to HIIT: it’s a workout that consists in a series of exercises alternating intervals of extremely intense activity with recovery intervals. As the workout is quite intense, studies have shown that HIIT helped burn calories even hours after the workout has been completed. To be a bit more precise, a 30-minute HIIT workout could help burn three times more calories than a steady, hour-long cardio session. – Yup, you read that right and I hope you’re sold on the idea of trying (and adopting) it.

I tried HIIT at Report Fitness last week and absolutely loved the experience. Report Fitness is the only specialized HIIT gym in Montreal that offers 30-minute workouts, combining strength and cardio-conditioning. They focus on making your workouts the most efficient and getting the most results out of your training in the least amount of time. The great thing about Report Fitness is that anyone can attend their classes doesn’t matter their level: as everyone trains at their own pace, you can gradually increase intensity as you get stronger, by performing exercises faster or using heavier weights, for instance. I particularly enjoyed the friendly environment that was created and the fact that classes were in small groups of people which allowed the trainer to make sure everyone performed the exercises correctly to avoid injuries. To give you a better idea of how classes unfold, we started by warming up all muscle groups, then completed six different exercises alternating five reps of one minute of an exercise, with 30 seconds of an other. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of sore muscles after a great workout: my hamstrings hurt for a week after those Kettlebell Swings, which I had never done before and loved learning! (PS: Changing room is great and clean towels were provided)

These 30-minute workouts are ideal for all of us busy bees that often complain we want to lose weight, build a lean and strong body, but don’t have time to exercise. Report Fitness’ HIIT classes are the answer to all our prayers.
They have three locations:

  • 2290 Union Avenue, H3A 2C3
  • 1972 St Catherine W., H3H 1M4
  • 7717 Newman Blvd, Lasalle, H8N 1X7

Best Yoga Studio in Montreal: Idolem 

 Have you ever tried Hot Yoga?  It’s a growing trend, especially in Montreal with our cold winters, but I always thought it was not for me. I’m not that flexible, I’ve never really done yoga in my life, and I definitely don’t enjoy saunas!

But, I kept hearing about the benefits of Hot Yoga so I tried it, what did I have to lose?

I was a bit nervous at first but I surprisingly loved the experience and I’d like to share it with you:

I first discovered Idolem by going to their studio on St-Denis, this was my first time and I would never have thought I would feel that good afterwards. I was surprised by the physical effort and discipline it required and, contrary to what many people may think, it was way less meditation-oriented than I had expected. It was just perfect: life can get hectic at times and taking the time to pause for a moment and just learn to breathe properly (which is by the way, a form of meditation, just breathing in full conscience) was amazing.

Ok so what is hot yoga at Idolem? To make it simple: hot yoga is the yoga you love in a room heated at the body’s temperature. It involves deep muscle work that can result in more muscle definition, among other benefits. It is a physical challenge, but there is no need to be nervous about trying it, they make strides so you always respect your limits and you’ll never feel out of place, even as a beginner. After your practice, your sense of well-being will be your greatest reward and they take pride in achieving this with you. Unlike other yoga studios, the yoga rooms at Idolem are heated at the temperature of the body, so it’s not a sauna. Other schools heat their rooms to a higher temperature and might want to use the heat as a challenge, but at Idolem, we see the heat as a help.

There are currently 2 locations for Montreal islanders. One on St-Denis in Villeray just adjacent to the Jarry Métro and the newest studio that just opened in Cote St-Luc at the Quartier Cavendish mall. But that’s just the beginning as other locations are to be expected as soon as 2018.

The St-Denis location has just been renovated with a 60 places yoga room, it’s much more fun to practice with a great community that further convinces you that you’’ve made the right decision. The studio is spacious, you have more than 32 classes per week, a décor centered around purity that enables a true connection with yourself and nature, it’s simply zen. There is this inexplicable sense of peace of mind when you enter the studio even if you are in the middle of one of Montreal’s busiest street. They recently introduced a juice bar with various smoothies, because after a hot yoga class, you’re starving for a healthy snack. The team of teachers will never give the same class even if you come 4 times per week, and they have one thing in mind: to push you to surpass your limits.

The newest Idolem studio on Montreal island is in the Quartier Cavendish mall in Cote St-Luc.  Being in Cote St-Luc, Idolem Cavendish has worked hard to ensure they were in touch with the local community, and they did a great job so far. Go and try them, the studio is nice and classy, the team is there and ready to help you enjoy some well-deserved ‘me’ time and you can tell that they truly care about their students’ well-being. And by the way, we all know parking in Montreal can be a challenge, not at Idolem Cavendish, they have plenty of it.

At Idolem, they help you find your ‘Me Yoga’. Idolem Hot Yoga is a growing chain of hot yoga studios that is now becoming well known with 11 studios in the greater Montreal area.

And what I loved, Idolem has 11 locations and your membership is valid in all of them! Even the brand new one in Quartier Cavendish in the Côte St-Luc / NDG / Hampstead / Montreal West area. In our daily lives, there are many time restrictions preventing us from taking some time for ourselves. Your membership opens you the doors to all 11 Idolem studios.  From Mascouche to Vaudreuil, passing by St-Denis to St-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu, you will receive a warm welcome and an amazing yoga class.

You can find Idolem’s Montreal studios and others at Idolem.com. Also keep an eye on Idolem’s website for upcoming new studios opening on the Montreal Island soon.

www.idolem.com

Idolem St-Denis

438-383-9642

Idolem Cavendish

514-908-5599

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