Rotterdam Gyms and Fitness

Corey House founded F.I.T. Boot Camps to help people get in shape with effective workouts bolstered by nutritional support. To come up with fun, high-intensity boot-camp routines, the staff pored over research and analyzed training formats aimed at burning fat and building muscles. They've seen the results time after time as boot camp members of every shape and athletic ability shed pounds, boost their health, and fare better at family log-tosses. Because the boot camps are indoors, the staff leads them continuously throughout the year, rather than putting members on hold during breaks between sessions or taking the winter off. They help map out smart food choices with nutritious meal planning, and offer private coaching to help members make the most of their workouts.

During their first spinning class, Angela and Gerard Amedio were both intimidated by the stationary bikes. Once they received help from their welcoming instructors, however, they came to crave the healthy burn in their legs and the energizing music that pumped through cycling routines. They enjoyed the stationary sport so much that they decided to become instructors themselves. They now run Saratoga Cycling Studio, LLC with the same motivational spirit that their former teachers embodied, guiding visitors through workouts aboard a fleet of Spinner NXT bikes.

Along with their certified staff, they stress the importance of pedaling at your own pace, accommodating everyone from complete newbies to avid cyclists. Before each class, they acclimate beginners to the bikes’ settings, guiding them in finding a suitable resistance level and refraining from sudden movements that might spook the machines, potentially causing a stationary stampede. Because every session allows guests to exercise within their comfort zone, instructors encourage patrons of all experience levels to grab the handlebars. They then dim the lights, turn up energizing tunes, and lower the studio's disco ball for a festive light show as patrons pedal toward toned bodies.:m]]

On the bamboo floors of Bloom: A Movement Space, instructors embrace dynamic workouts at a range of speeds. They draw from extensive backgrounds in yoga, Pilates, and dance as they boost each student's bodily awareness. Studio owner Audrey Mangini demonstrates the rapid kickboxing strikes of Turbo Kick, expert belly dancer Laura Barokas leads hypnotizing undulations, and certified Black Belt Nia teacher Katie Capelli blends martial arts with expressive choreography. The teachers always encourage guests to move at their own pace, lest they overexert themselves and slip in a pool of sweat or tears.

Golf courses are designed to compound players’ mistakes. An errant tee shot winds up buried in the rough, on a side-hill lie, or shut out behind a tree—where golfers may not be able to take a full swing, let alone concentrate on how to correct their mechanics. In golf, the driving range is the only safe haven. Saratoga Springs Golf Range’s all-grass hitting bays provide a smooth, flat surface that lets golfers concentrate on improving their swings and grants amnesty for past swing transgressions in the form of range balls and a course notary who expunges all mulligans from players’ official records.

Saratoga Springs Golf Range helps swings enter into a harmonious relationship with their sticks through custom club fitting, loft and lie adjustments, and regripping services. The range’s club technicians also offer various repair services for snapped club shafts and emotionally distraught drivers.

Floor-to-ceiling windows and tall white columns stretch up and across The Yoga Spa’s storefront. Peeking inside, you can see mini chandeliers, artwork hanging on exposed brick walls, and people posing in unison on the wooden floor. A lot of the time, they’re practicing owner Jennilee Toner’s personal creation Hot Warrior yoga, which is an 81-minute journey through more than 50 different Hatha and Vinyasa yoga poses with a thermostat set to 90 degrees. In addition to this signature class and other more traditional classes, Toner and her staff tweak the practice of yoga whenever they can. For instance, the Warm Candlelight flow class is lit by candles, the Studio 54 class features 54 different sun salutations set to disco music, and the Spa yoga class has guests perform slow Vinyasa-flow movements while they are massaged. The studio also offers fitness boot camps and belly-dancing classes.

The 18-hole course at Rainbow Golf Club takes players careening across a 6,287-yard layout carved into the foothills of the Northern Catskill Mountains. Players rip tee shots from one of five sets of tees per hole, allowing for an enjoyable yet challenging round for greenhorns to green-jacket holders. As rental carts transport players across the well-manicured landscape, they must take care to avoid tree-lined fairways, undulating greens, and feral caddies looking to stock up on golf balls for winter's hibernation. The course's signature hole is the 13th, a 135-yard, par 3 that forces golfers to carry their tee shot over water onto an island green, the only known island in New York. A pro shop, practice facilities, and a restaurant with an outdoor patio overlooking the course all provide entertainment when golfers aren't practicing their postputt struts.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Total length of 6,287 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 70.8 from the back tees
• Course slope of 126 from the back tees
• Five sets of tees per hole