10 Coolest Philly Fitness and Foodie Events: May 2017


Reach & Raise | Photo via Facebook

Reach & Raise | Photo via Facebook

If you’re looking to ways to fill your calendar this month, we’ve got plenty, from the classic (hey, Broad Street Run) to the truly unique (lookin’ at you, farm animal yoga and beer-fueled bullet journaling gatherings) to the nostalgic (did someone say summer camp for ADULTS?!). Check out our top 10 fitness and foodie picks for the month below.

1. The Broad Street Run
When: Sunday, May 7th at 8 a.m.
Where: Starts at Broad Street and West Fisher Avenue; runs along Broad Street to Navy Yard.
The Broad Street Run is basically a holiday around these parts, with tens of thousands of folks taking to the streets to tackle 10 miles on foot and thousands more cheering them on from the sidelines. Even if you aren’t running, the good vibes (and amazing signs) are worth taking in. Bonus points if you yourself carry along some hilariously worded wisdom to the 10-mile cheer fest.

2.Fit Academy’s Silent Boot Camp
When: Tuesday, May 9th at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Back steps at the Art Museum, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Fairmount.
So, you know those silent disco headphones, where you and everyone around you wearing them can hear music (and appropriately rage out) without it actually being loud? Well, Brewerytown’s Fit Academy is using those headphones to put on a fitness party — complete with three separate workouts, each with different music vibes — on the back steps of the Art Museum. How’s that for a Tuesday evening well spent?

3. Rise Gatherings
When: Friday, May 12th through Sunday, May 14th
Where: Camp Canadensis, the Poconos.
We’ve got four words for you: summer camp for adults. Well, for ladies, to be more specific. Need we say more? Doubt it, but we will. This new weekend-long wellness-focused summer camp-like experience for women, helmed by three Philly-based gals, will be filled with good food, workshops and fitness classes (hey, 305 Fitness), and the usual summer camp stuff (think: kayaking), the founders say. Yep: It’s going to be a good weekend.

4. Fruit Flood at Stripp’d Juice
When: Friday, May 5th at 5 p.m.
Where: Stripp’d Juice, 1424 Frankford Avenue, Fishtown.
Fruit lovers, get ready to decorate your kitchen. Local artist Dewey Saunders is debuting his new fruit-filled series of prints at Stripp’d Juice’s Fishtown location this First Friday. And if you need proof that you’ll want to buy things covered in … fruit (I know, it’s kind of hard to believe), just hop on over to Saunders’ Instagram. And while you’re there, note that Lululemon’s Fishtown outpost will be hosting a pop-up plant shop from Field at the same time, so you can easily pop-up hop.

5. Reach & Raise
When:  Sunday, May 21st at 7:30 a.m.
Where: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Fairmount.
This annual event, formerly known as Yoga on the Steps, brings thousands of folks out to the Art Museum steps for a morning of yoga for a good cause (that would be raising funds for nonprofit Living Beyond Breast Cancer), followed by a healthy-living expo.

6. Bike to Work Day
When: Friday, May 19th
Where: Anywhere you are!
If there is any day that will convince you that biking to work is WAY better than sardining yourself onto SEPTA, it’s Bike to Work Day. Per usual, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia will be putting on Energizer stations (read: spots en route where you can hop of your bike for a quick snack courtesy of Snap Kitchen and coffee from the Last Drop and La Colombe. And to make your morning work commute even BETTER, Urban Stems will have a build-your-own-bouquet station at the Penn Museum Energizer station.

7. Bullet Journals and Beer Gardens
When: Wednesday, May 10th at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Frankford Hall, 1210 Frankford Avenue, Fishtown.
Bullet journaling is a pretty cultish hobby. And like most activities likened to cults (hi, SoulCycle. R.I.P. Lithe Method), the habit of bullet journaling is often described as “life-changing.” So, if you want to get it on the life-changing magic of ‘em, this beer-fueled bullet journaling event with the Yellow Pencil Society is your chance to do just that! Just bring a journal and get ready to fill it in.

8. Farm Animal Yoga
When: First class of the series is May 7th.
Where: Rose Bridge Farm, 1314 North Limekiln Pike, Dresher.
We’ve all heard about goat yoga. Well, my friends, the trend has finally reached the Philly area. Chestnut Hill fitness studio Water and Rock is teaming up with Rose Bridge Farm for a yoga series featuring all sorts of farm animals, from lambs to bunnies and more. Insert all the heart-eye emoji here.

9. Big Climb Philly
When: Saturday, May 13th at 8:30 a.m.
Where: One Commerce Square, Rittenhouse.
Climbing 41 flights of stairs is generally only something one does when the elevator is broken and they will get fired if they don’t show up to work, but in this case, doing so serves as your workout AND your good deed for the day: The 500-foot climb raises funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

1o. Vea Fitness Eat Clean, Train Mean Challenge
When: Through May 13th.
Where: Anywhere you are!
Vea Fitness, as in the Philly-based app that pays you to work out, is putting on a month-long challenge that could win you some serious prizes. And while you’re a bit late to through your hat in the ring, it doesn’t actually matter all that much — winners for prizes will be randomly chosen on May 13th. But the more you complete the challenge —which consists of checking into a gym using the app or using the app to track your workout for 30 minutes — the more time your name gets thrown in the hat to win prizes.

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