You expect a workout to hit your muscles. But some exercise sessions around Long Island also target your taste buds.
These out-of-the-box workouts are all about good health — and fun — and offer ways to spice up a fitness routines, with food or drinks factored into the price.
These exercise-and-edibles hybrids include post-paddle oysters, an after-yoga cocktail, a post-run feast, and barre and brewskis.
“The essence of our offerings is a combo of yoga/barre/healthy food and drink,” says Paula DiDonato, owner of The Giving Room, whose upcoming sunset yoga pop-up saves room for a drink following the final pose.
“It’s summer. People are looking for peace, meditation, beauty,” says DiDonato, 58. “This is a nice way for people to connect after class.”
“Exercise is a way to bring fun to the community,” says Jackie Gatto, 30, co-founder of the Long Island-based company, Barre & Beer. “People tell us that at our events they sweat, they laugh and they drink.”
Here are four workouts with tasty twists.
BARRE & BEER
This low-impact pop-up fusion class for all fitness levels sets up shop at local breweries. It pairs elements of Pilates, yoga and dance with craft beer. Yes, participants sip the suds during class as an instructor guides them through moves that boost strength and balance. No, it’s not about getting tipsy.
“You just take an occasional sip of beer. You also drink water,” says Teresa Mira, 30, a construction manager from Locust Valley who lives in Brooklyn and has taken the class. “I like to dance, and barre exercise combines elements of it. The beer definitely makes it all more fun and social.”
INFO Next class on Aug. 22 at 10:30 a.m., Darling Brewing Co., 76 W. Main St. Unit C, Patchogue. Fee: $20-$30. Reserve through Eventbrite.com.
PADDLE & SHUCK
First comes the upper body workout in the great outdoors. Then it’s time for briny oysters and crisp sparkling wine.
That’s what this scenic stand-up paddle or kayak (your choice) along idyllic Mattituck Creek is all about, according to Cherryl Bradley, 57, owner of Adventure Paddleboards and Kayaks, who leads the two-hour event.
“Mattituck Creek is one of the most beautiful paddles in the North Fork,” she says. “Pairing that with the local oysters and wine gives a full, sensual experience.”
INFO By reservation for groups of six or more. Fee: $95 a person. 631-377-0162, adventurepaddleboards.com
RUN TO THE BREWERY
“Our races are about fun and fitness,” says Greater Long Island Running Club president Mike Polansky. “And afterward, there’s usually a celebration.”
So it goes on Sept. 5, when the group presents a 5-mile “Mardi Gras Run to the Great South Bay Brewery.” The race, originally scheduled for mid-February, comes seven months after the fact but the group’s runs were on hold then.
The 8:30 a.m. race promises a flat and fast tour of local neighborhoods, followed by a post-race party, GLIRC notes. The food (sandwiches and snacks) is “all you can eat.” The beer is “all you can (safely) drink.”
INFO Next event on Sept. 5 at 8:30 a.m., Great South Bay Brewery, 25 Drexel Dr., Bay Shore. Fee: $60. 516-349-7646, glirc.org.
SUNSET YOGA AT THE POOL
In addition to a regular slate of yoga classes at the pool overlooking the water at the Sound View Greenport hotel, the Giving Room periodically offers a one-hour sunset class that concludes with a glass of wine, beer or a margarita.
Drinks, accompanied by a fire ceremony, come after class at the beach bar on the property, not during it, notes DiDonato. In other words: No downward facing booze.
INFO Next event on Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m., Sound View Greenport, 58775 CR-48, Greenport. Fee: $30. 631-765-6670, givingroom.net.
