Wondering what a fitness internship is all about? MizzFIT Interns, Katia & Caroline, spill the sweaty beans!
Hi! We’re Katia and Caroline, but have also come to be known as “The Interns.” This winter, we were fortunate enough to be matched with Bianca Jade for a winter externship, a program of very short internships created by Cornell University’s Office of Career Resources. The goal of the program is to give current undergrads opportunities to explore different career fields and network with the university’s huge alumni population. Our time with Bianca at MizzFIT was particularly extraordinary because we’re both huge fitness, health, and fashion lovers! So what better way for us to spend a cold winter break than researching and collaborating with Bianca in a trendy startup office building where originality and entrepreneurism shoot off the walls! Want a peak into the glamorous lives of The Interns? Then keep on reading!
It was two days after New Year’s and we were ready to adhere to our resolutions--lose the pounds we gained during finals week and start making our way into the professional world (as much as we love listing “student” as our primary occupation, we knew it couldn’t be that way forever). In this new year we wanted to become our best selves and Bianca helped us do that. When we first saw Bianca, we were a little star struck to say the least. You know those movies when the diva walks into a room, the shot goes into slow motion, and she looks even more fabulous as her glossy hair whips elegantly back and forth like in a Pantene commercial? That’s what we thought we were watching. However, we quickly learned that Bianca is a complete sweetheart. She welcomed us to the business with open arms and entrusted us with a lot of responsibility and hands-on work.
Our very 1st day, we were already planning fitness classes to review, sitting in on meetings, recommending new layouts for the website, and helping put together a Valentine’s Day pitch for a CBS morning talk show (that was actually accepted!). Productivity and caffeine levels were high. We trend spotted and reviewed products too! We loved that Bianca truly made us part of her MizzFIT team and let us run in her shoes for a few days. It’s hard to choose a favorite part of the externship (everything was so fantastic!), but below are each of our highlights.
Katia’s Highlights Interning for MizzFIT
Just two days after we started our externship, we were lucky enough to get to spend the day at the glamorous Reebok Sports Club on the Upper West Side of Manhattan! While the palatial locker room brought smiles to our faces, the real treat was Kira Stokes. Part Sarah Jessica Parker look-alike, part bionic woman, Kira has a reputation for being a world class trainer and her new class, Stoked Primal, is currently all the rage in the fitness community!
Stoked Primal is Kira’s 30 minute full body workout, and despite its petite time frame, the class makes you feel as accomplished and beaten as its longer counterparts. She had us doing moves like beetle, which is plank flips with push-ups, and monkey, which is a cross between traditional exercise and break dancing. Upon reflection, the class is probably called Primal because it requires its students to tap into their innate sense of survival (this link proves we did it). Kira works her students so hard that if you aren’t constantly telling yourself that you can keep going, you might just keel over and not get up. That could be called the turtle…that’s a no-no move.
But as difficult as Stoked Primal was, it had us gasping and dripping even more than usual because we had attended Kira’s earlier class as well- Stoked at the Barre. Stoked at the Barre was a 60 minute turned 75 minute full body burn-fest for us. The fact that Kira went over time showed that getting through the entire workout and seeing results, not sticking to a classroom schedule, were her priorities. God love ya, Kira Stokes!
While the class has “barre” in its name, students only actually spend 10-minutes at the bar. The rest is very arms and core oriented, but no complaints here because we’ll do whatever Kira tells us to if our bodies can look half as cut as hers. Kira has a distinctive presence about her. Whether she’s a hard ass during class, or your best friend afterward, she’s an inspiration and we’re still totally stoked from meeting her!
Just the day after working out with superstar, Kira Stokes, Bianca brought us to a networking event for Glam Media. It was excitement overload to say the least. At the event, sponsored by Nestle’s Café Escapes, we got to meet other female entrepreneurs while sipping on sweet drinks like caramel coffee and dark hot chocolate.
Can you say gustatory delight? I couldn’t at the time because my mouth was full of brie and fig flat bread, quiche lorraine, braised short rib, peanut butter parfait, and then crème brulee…yum.
And while the final round was being served, who started introducing herself but Hostess with the Mostess, Jennifer Sbranti! There are very few things I enjoy more in life than throwing a good get together (I’ve been hosting tea parties in my apartment since I learned how to boil water) and so meeting Hostess with the Mostess was unbelievable. For years, I’ve turned to her guidance like wise men to the North Star, and sitting at my laptop, I can’t find any words, English or otherwise, that can do my thrill justice. All I can say is that #dreamsdocometrue. But wait, if it’s possible, the event got even better: Millimeter Photo was doing a professional photo booth and there was a goody bag full of Café Escapes Keurig coffee pods, a rustic coffee mug, and a Barnes and Noble gift certificate. I was on cloud ten.
MizzFIT herself is actually a big coffee drinker. See what she has to say about coffee + workout. We hear the invent inspired her to set up a Keurig Brewer of her own at home. She likes her coffee STRONG. Can you tell from below?
Caroline’s Highlights Interning for MizzFIT:
Katia and I had only one day of physical recovery from our day at the Reebok Club before we attended cyclist Kristin Kenney’s Real Ride class at Revolve Fitness, a newly opened cycling studio in Manhattan's Union Square. Until Revolve’s recent opening, the New York spin scene was dominated by SoulCycle and FlyWheel Sports, each with its own loyal fan base, vying for the title of top spinning studio.
Revolve differentiates itself by offering a more diverse series of classes that are tailored to different fitness levels and workout goals (this is a great video about it), yet attract cyclists, athletes and fitness/adrenaline junkies alike. Even though I run competitively, the thought of spinning gives me a lot of anxiety. Think about it: the searing, burning sensation in your lungs and legs that doesn’t seem to end and the discomfort of your butt on the awkwardly-shaped bike seat, not to mention the amount of sweating that I do in a single class makes me look like a wrung-out towel. In high school, kids used to say that I was the sweatiest girl in town, so I’m a bit self-conscious about working out with people.
I decided to mentally prepare myself for the class by researching it on RateYourBurn.com, which in hindsight was an awful idea. I learned that the class would be a non-stop, heart-pumping, sweaty, leave-you-gasping-for-air intense workout. My personal favorite comments included: “This woman does not know anything less than 300%” and “This is serious cycling, and Kristin takes it seriously, so don't except lots of shouting, shoulder shimmies, or props. Actually, don't except a lot of smiles either.” It’s fair to say that I did not sleep peacefully that night.
However, immediately upon entering the studio, we were greeted by the attendants and instructors who were extraordinarily helpful and friendly for 8:15 in the morning. They sized our feet and set us up with a comfortably-fitting pair of cycling shoes (a bargain $2 rental fee), gave us a tour of the studio and even helped to set us up on the bikes. The studio is small and intimate, yet very chic. The locker room is co-ed, so you need to change in the appropriate bathroom. Additionally, there are only two showers, so take this into consideration if you're commuting or need to shower before leaving the studio.
Katia and I took Kristin’s Real Ride Endurance class, which combined hill climbs, speed intervals, downhills, and bursts of resistance on flat roads into an hour-long session. Kristin made us feel like we were professional cyclists throughout the class, pushing toward the finish line. If you’re looking for an instructor that will push you to new limits and give you a kick ass workout, then Kristin is your girl! All of the students were really positive and hyped up from the start and there was lot of yelling throughout the entire class. There was no shame in screaming some J-Biebz during some of the long uphill climbs and sprints we did – definitely a good distraction from the numbness and burning in our legs!
Despite our limited experience in spin classes, we both agreed that Kristin was probably one of the best fitness instructors we’ve had. She completely involved herself in the class from the very beginning, taking the time to adjust individual bikes and check in with everyone to make note of any illness or injuries. She began the class by telling us that all of the rides are taught as if you’re riding outdoors and she uses REAL routes that she has completed as the basis for her classes. On the mirror at the front of the room, Kristin drew the topography of the ride would be doing - we did a 17 mile hilly route from Porto, Portugal – which kept my almost non-existent attention span engaged the whole time! I’m the type of spinner who monitors the clock like a hawk to see how much longer until the cool down, but Kristin kept me focused the entire time and the class seemed to fly by! At one point I realized that I was actually having fun, despite not being able to feel the lower half of my body!
I was amazed that Kristin was on the bike for most of the class (looking like a Barbie doll while I pathetically tried to mop the sweat from my face) motivating us with phrases like “You can do it!” and “You are strong!” This is one fitness class where you truly get the most BANG for your buck! Needless to say the class was probably a “I-sweated-so-much-I-look-like-I-went-swimming” on the sweat-o-meter. There were PUDDLES of sweat underneath our bikes, and despite having to waddle around for about a day after the ride, we loved the class and would absolutely go back and recommend it to anyone! MizzFIT checked it out too and has dubbed it her new favorite spin studio. That's her with Malibu Barbie, err I mean Kristin Kenney below.
So here’s to our fashionable and fit mentor, Mizz Bianca Jade!
Thank you for introducing us to your friends and colleagues, including us in your projects, incorporating our opinions and work into your business, bringing us to great fitness classes where we got toned, and teaching us all about the industry you work in! To say this internship was a positive experience would be a complete understatement. You have far surpassed your role as a mentor to us both and provided us with a most enjoyable learning experience!
In short: WE ARE THE LUCKIEST INTERNS EVER!!! We had an amazing time at MizzFIT and could not have hoped for a better externship. If you're looking for a stellar fitness internship, you should inquire about interning with Bianca Jade.
If you like our story, leave a comment below. We can answer any internship-related questions you have.