Healthy Hamptons: Tea & Health Pilates Benefit

Sometimes with the indulgences that so often come with weekends in the Hamptons, we forget how important it is to take care of ourselves. Well that's where Erika Bloom Pilates and Plain-T stepped in last Saturday to remind us how good it feels to be healthy - and to fit into that tight little cocktail dress.

Last Saturday was a day of firsts for me. For one, it was the first time I had been up before 9am on a Saturday this summer. Then, I participated in my first real Pilates class, followed, a couple days later, by a soreness in my muscles that I haven't felt all summer long (yes, I know that's admitting the extent of my laziness this summer). With all of these firsts, I was reminded of just how good it feels to be good to your body, even when surrounded by the temptations of the Hamptons (the food! the drink! the naps on the beach!) with the Tea & Health Benefit with Erika Bloom Pilates and Plain-T.

Starting bright and early with a glass of Rooibos tea in the spacious "T Loft," guests then moved to their mats for a small group Pilates session with pro Erika Bloom.  With 20 years of Pilates under her belt, Ms. Bloom is, needless to say, quite the expert.  But even with those years of experience, she was still able to phrase everything in a way that the non-experts (i.e. Team GofG) could understand. After an hour of posing, lifting, curling, and discovering the all-elusive sitz bones, we wrapped up the morning with a long stretch and another glass of hand-picked teas. Overall, a refreshing change from our Saturday morning hungover Starbucks runs, and a nice reminder that healthy living doesn't have to stop when you come to the Hamptons.

Erika Bloom, dubbed a "Pilates Genius" by Vogue, teaches Pilates out of her Madison Avenue studio; she prides herself on her customization, with services including private and small group Pilates sessions, Cardio in Central Park, Body Align, and even Thai Yoga Massage.

Plain-T is a boutique-style premium tea company based in Southampton, focused on providing the finest specialty, gourmet whole-leaf teas from the most prized gardens in the far east.  Visit the "T Loft" to experience what they call "The Secret Truth About Tea."

[Photos by Doug Young]