With the holidays coming up, it's quite easy to overindulge. Staying in shape this time of year is hard, but luckily New Orleans is home to some of the best jogging and running trails, fitness studios, and gyms. Whether you’re a local trying to change up your fitness routine or you’re a visitor wanting to drop in on a class, there’s something for everyone here.
Jogging and Running Trails
Audubon Park Running Trail
New Orleans is a wonderful place where trails and paths take visitors through charming neighborhoods, beautiful parks, and along the region's waterways. Audubon Park is home to a two-mile path that circles between Magazine St. and St. Charles Ave. and is perhaps one of the most beautiful places in the city for a morning run or walk. The Uptown park is always bustling, perfect for a solo traveller looking to get in a workout.
City Park's Zemurray Trail along Big Lake offers jogging, walking and biking opportunities in one of the most iconic and beautiful spots in New Orleans. Easily accessible and within sight of the New Orleans Museum of Art, the trail is the perfect place to take in the beauty of City Park.
Although it is not an official jogging path, the median along St. Charles Avenue has long been popular with walkers and runners. More commonly known as the “neutral ground”, the grassy median has more than enough space for visitors to walk or run between the two streetcar lines and pass some of Uptown’s most notable and beautiful homes. Be careful though! St. Charles Avenue is one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city, so be sure to double check for cars trying to cross.
Fitness Classes
New Orleans is home to some of the newest and most exciting fitness studios. Pure Barre is the fastest, most effective, yet safest way to change your body. In just 55 minutes you will achieve a full-body workout concentrating on the areas women struggle with the most: hips, thighs, seat, abdominals and arms. Pure Barre offers new clients $5 classes on Fridays. Stop in and feel the burn!
Paddleboarding on Bayou St. John
Romney Pilates, a Pilates studio and wellness center located Uptown, offers a $5 community Pilates class every Saturday at 11 a.m. Get there early because this class fills up quickly. There are also several free or cheap yoga classes held all over the city. When the weather is right, visit the New Orleans Museum of Art’s Sculpture Garden for a $5 yoga class every Saturday morning.
You can also work out in one of New Orleans's most beautiful and historical buildings, the Cabildo. Classes are held every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30 a.m. and Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. for $12, which also includes admission to the museum.
Cycling or spin classes offer a full body workout in an upbeat setting. CycleBar, a brand new studio located on Magazine Street, offers a free 30-minute ride for new customers. Paddleboarding on Bayou St. John is also another exciting full body workout. Paddleboards can be rented for $33 for two hours from Bayou Paddlesports.
Where are some of your favorite spots to work out in New Orleans? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #SoloNOLA.
