13 Mar Please The Palate Pick of the Week: In Door Rowing Out Doors at Row House

Over the past year, our lives have changed so much and yet I have tried to create balance and structure. Building exercise into each day is of the utmost importance, not just for health and well-being, but also to help break up the monotony of sitting at my desk each day. Beginning last fall, each week, between two and four days, I do indoor rowing outside with Row House in Santa Monic. I crossed the 100,000 meters mark and decided that Row House is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

With so much time at home, many of my friends invested in Peloton bikes to maintain their exercise routines. At first I was swimming, my sport of choice. But, then the pool closed. I needed to find something that was low impact but also cardio. I found Row House.

Row House is a rowing-based fitness program. Rowing has many benefits. It burns calories, improves posture, and strengthens the body from head to toe. And while Row House is typically indoors, they pivoted by moving the rowing machines into a space in the alley outside their doors and spacing out each machine. We are given clean headsets with which we listen to the music and hear the instructor speak. And most importantly, everyone is required to wear masks and wipe down their machines after class.

Getting on the rowing machine is great since I am usually sitting at a desk all day. Each workout produces maximum results by engaging over 86% of the body’s muscles (legs, core, arms, back). Rowing is low impact so that it doesn’t strain my back. It is aerobic and cardio with interval training and also builds strength and endurance. All of this is achieved in only 45 minutes.

Each time I get on the machine, I close my eyes and get into a rhythm and then I image that I am rowing away to somewhere exotic. One day soon, I hope to be able to go somewhere exotic!