Fitness, Healthy on the cheap, San Francisco

Vint: Affordable Personal Training in San Francisco

April 18, 2015

Sometimes I have to pinch myself at how lucky I am to live in a city full of fitness opportunities. I remember when I lived in England (and no, I was not in London); I would be so envious of people in big cities like London, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco where there always seemed to be a new and exciting workout studio that opened up.

Luckily for me, moving to and living in San Francisco has been a dream come true in terms of health and fitness. I am so privileged to live in a city that prioritizes healthy eating and active living. It was in this amazing city that I got to try out my first pilates reformer workout, do a TRX circuit workout, and try out vegan Mexican food.

How Personal Training can be affordable!

As much as I love attending group classes, I miss the experience of having a personal trainer who will tailor the experience uniquely to your goals and interests. I used to have a personal trainer and absolutely LOVED it. I reduced my body fat in a short amount of time and had so much fun, but had to stop because it was more money than I could afford long-term. This week, I was lucky enough to try out Vint, a company that connects you to highly skilled athletes to offer you small group and personal training at an affordable price. Yay! Vint is available in San Francisco and the East Bay (Oakland, Alameda, Concord, Danville, Lafayette, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek).

Photo source: TeleCrunch

I chose to do a boxing session for my first workout. I am completely obsessed with boxing; I used to go quite regularly but again, that got too expensive unfortunately (story of my life) so I was really excited to get back into it. I downloaded the Vint app which showed me a range of workouts I could do around San Francisco. I chose to do a boxing session because a) boxing is amazing and b) there was an option to do a boxing workout at San Francisco State University which is literally 5 minutes drive away from me. So convenient and really nice that those without a gym membership can use Vint. I originally scheduled the workout for Sunday but forgot I already had an event that morning (oops) but luckily, I was able to reschedule the workout easily and quickly using the message feature of the app.

My awesome trainer, Daniel Martinez, got out this ladder to help me get my heart rate up with HIIT before getting into some incredibly exhausting boxing work.

1 Free Month of Vint!

I loved my boxing session! Daniel was really patient with me and pushed me to try harder; I definitely want to do more sessions with him before my free month is up. Speaking of free month, Vint has been kind enough to offer my lovely readers (YOU!) an exclusive opportunity to try Vint free for a month! All you have to do is download their app (can be downloaded by iPhones and Androids) and use the promo code ‘alicerocks‘. Nothing makes me happier than being able to share these amazing opportunities with you and I cannot wait to hear what you think about Vint.

So what workout are you going to try with your free month of Vint?

Honestly yours,
Alice

Thank you for always supporting me! For more Honestly Fitness, check out my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest and don’t forget to subscribe!

Disclaimer: I received a month trial of Vint but did not receive financial compensation. As always, my thoughts and opinions remain my honest own as I strive to bring you unbiased information on great companies!

Fitness, San Francisco

Interview with Jillian Michaels!

April 15, 2015

AHH! Let me just start off with saying that Jillian Michaels is such a fitness icon for me; I started doing her workout, 30 Day Shred, when I was just 15 years old and have been a fan ever since. She is the best and her workouts (of which many more were released after the success of the 30 Day Shred) are no joke. I can only imagine how hard her new Bodyshred workout is!

Needless to say, I was bouncing around the walls with excitement when I received the opportunity to interview her! In case you are not quite as familiar with Jillian Michaels as I am, let me give you a quick intro before I give her the chance to: Jillian Michaels shot to fame after starring as one of the trainers on the Biggest Loser and has since graced countless magazine covers, created incredible at-home workout DVDs and engages in philanthropic efforts (my kinda lady).

I am so excited to give you, Jillian Michaels!

HF: Hi Jillian! Please tell us about your amazing new program and what we can expect from it.

JM: We’re granting opportunities to fitness professionals all over the country to become trained and certified in the Jillian Michaels BODYSHRED™ Program so they can offer the 30-minute group class at their respective fitness facilities (more details on jillianmichaelsbodyshred.com). Jillian Michaels BODYSHRED™ is a 30-minute group exercise class that is essentially a hybrid of the most progressive fitness philosophies integrated into one comprehensive system. I designed BODYSHRED to target every muscle in the body and maximize athletic performance and metabolic potential.

HF: What inspired you to create BODYSHRED and what sets it apart from other fitness programs?

JM: BODYSHRED classes are comprised of four circuits utilizing what I like to call my “3-2-1” interval format approach: 3 minutes of strength with 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of core work for 30 minutes of intense conditioning. I was inspired to develop BODYSHRED as a way to combine the most effective forms of HIIT in an efficient 30-minute session. This workout will produce results for someone who is already athletic, as well as someone who is just getting involved in an exercise regimen. With my Certification Workshops, I’m hoping to share with local fitness professionals the training techniques and philosophies I personally use to transform the lives of millions of people!

HF: Is BODYSHRED based off of any workout program you previously created or is it completely new?

JM: BODYSHRED represents essentially every workout I have ever created in that it is the amalgamation of my 21 years in fitness. I took all the aspects of my work that have been the most effective and successful and built them into the BODYSHRED program as a training modality. From a format perspective, I took the 3,2,1 30-minute approach from my programs “30 Day Shred” and “Ripped in 30” – which have been my most successful DVD programs to date, selling over 15 million copies. I wanted to take those programs and all the aspects that people love and bring them to life in order to co-opt the talent of other great fitness professionals and touch more lives.

HF: Can anyone do BODYSHRED or is it just for people with an intermediate to advanced level of fitness?

JM: I designed the program specifically to cater to people of every fitness level. No matter how you slice it, BODYSHRED is not an “easy” workout, but it is doable for anyone and everyone through the program’s modifications and progressions. So, no matter who you are or where you are starting from, BODYSHRED will get you in the best shape of your life – safely and quickly.

HF: I see you were in San Francisco recently for a BODYSHRED workshop! Could you tell us a little more about that?

JM: Yes! My amazing BODYSHRED Master Trainers were at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco on March 29th for a Certification Workshop for local trainers looking to become certified in BODYSHRED. This 9-hour course prepared trainers to teach a group class in this method, introducing them to new concepts, teaching tools and motivational delivery style that will set them apart from others and expand their growth. From there, certified trainers can get the class on the schedules at their respective gyms and the people of San Francisco will be able to experience it for themselves in no time! We’re hosting another local Certification Workshop for trainers in the Bay Area on Sunday, April 19^th at KB Fitness in San Jose.

HF: A lot of people intend to start exercising more and eating healthily, but it can be difficult at first. What advice would you give to a beginner?

JM: My first piece of advice would be to identify the reason why you want to ditch your unhealthy habits and get on the right track. What’s been holding you back? When you define exactly why you want to get fit and healthy, it will help you to develop an emotional connection to your goals (HF: <— incredible advice!). Referring back to that goal can be a very powerful motivator!

HF: And for more advanced people, how can we get your incredible abs?!

JM: Incredible abs require a combo approach of metabolic conditioning with a core centric focus and clean eating! You need to keep track of your daily caloric intake and eat clean foods. Period.

HF: As a busy and working mother, how do you make time to stay active and eat healthily?

JM: Having little ones running around certainly makes it more challenging to find the time to work out, but I tell myself no matter what I can find 30 minutes at some point in my day, 4-5 times a week, to make it happen.

Exclusive Discount

Jillian Michaels has been kind enough to offer a 25% discount off of her upcoming local trainer Certification Workshop for Jillian Michaels BODYSHRED on April 19^th at KB Fitness in San Jose, CA. If you are a local Bay Area fitness trainer then I highly encourage you to take advantage of this generous offer. Plus, you will get the interview leaders of the program and other BODYSHRED certified trainers!

What Are Your Thoughts?

What did you think of the interview? I hope you enjoyed it and found her advice helpful and relevant. Keep up with Jillian Michaels by following her Facebook page, and check with your local gym to see if they offer her BODYSHRED class. And let me know if you try out a class. I would love to know what you think of it 🙂

Honestly yours,
Alice

Thank you for always supporting me! For more Honestly Fitness, check out my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest and don’t forget to subscribe!

Health, San Francisco, Travel

Artisan Mochas and Vegan Mexican Food

April 10, 2015

As someone getting their master’s degree (and graduating in May, YAY), I won’t lie; my social life has taken a huge beating. My workload has considerably lessened with the end of my final exam last week and I am making an effort to see more of my friends and to explore more of San Francisco. I can’t believe I have just over a month before I graduate and move to Salt Lake City. Where has the time gone?!

I met up with my friend Sheri to explore the Mission district. Our first stop was this cute chocolate factory, called Dandelion Chocolate, which serves artisan chocolate products. As you can see, they offer a variety of drinks which left my friend and I ‘umm-ing’ and ‘aah-ing’ for a good 5 minutes haha.

I finally decided on the house mocha, which came with a yummy little biscuit. Although mochas do contain chocolate and thus added sugar, this was a rather bitter and rich chocolate so I didn’t feel quite so bad in ordering it. And hey, when in San Francisco right (let’s ignore the fact that I live here haha)?! The atmosphere was really cool, and they have a bar area where you can sit and watch the people working there make chocolate!

After our coffee stop, we walked over to Dolores Park and spent a couple of hours just hanging out and catching up there. It was such a gorgeous and sunny day in San Francisco; San Francisco is notorious for being chilly and foggy. Which most of the time is true lol! I was ecstatic to finally be able to wear a dress, get some sun on my legs (gasp!) and break out this gorgeous necklace I got from my latest Rocksbox set. If any of you are interested in learning more about Rocksbox, feel free to read my review about it and click here to get your first box (the code alicexoxo will get you your first month free). Also, I don’t know why this photo came out so purple haha!

A few hours later, our tummies started rumbling and we headed back towards the Mission District to try out Gracias Madre, a vegan Mexican food restaurant. I had heard about it but had yet to try it so I was pretty happy my friend wanted to check it out as well. My husband absolutely will not try out vegan or raw food places so I always have to find a willing friend to go with me!

We got the ‘totopos’ to share as our starter, which are house made tortilla chips tossed in creamy chipotle salsa roja topped with cashew crema and cilantro. I thought the tortillas were a littleeee too thick, but the sauce was delicious.

For our main course, I ordered the tacos filled with mushrooms, asparagus and broccoli topped with cashew cheese and served with black beans. My friend got spicy mole enchiladas topped with mushrooms and cashew cheese, served with sauteed greens and beans. I was really impressed with how flavorful my tacos were and the bite that I stole off my friend’s plate was also delicious! Although I admit that I like the heartiness of a beefy enchilada, I think that Gracias Madre have made a flavorful and pleasing vegan alternative. NOT an easy feat in my opinion, especially because I have had some pretty bad vegan food a few months ago and was still a little bitter from that.

Where have you had great vegan food?

Great weekend, and so excited for the rest of this month. I have some exciting posts in store for the rest of April that I cannot wait to share with you all 🙂

Honestly yours,
Alice

Thank you for always supporting me! For more Honestly Fitness, check out my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest and don’t forget to subscribe!