Fitness, San Francisco

Uforia Studios: San Francisco

April 24, 2015

I had planned to go to the Japantown Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, and so I thought it would be a great idea to try out a class at Uforia Studios early in the morning so I could head to the parade straight after. I confess that I never actually went to the parade as I couldn’t find anyone to go with me (and it was SO cold that day), but I have to tell you about how my class at Uforia Studios was!

Uforia Studios

I was kindly invited to try out a class of my choice at their newest location in Nob Hill, and after some mulling over their class choices, I decided on a grit class. Their website states that grit is “a perfect blend of conditioning and cardio … build long and lean muscles!’ – hey, sounds good to me! 

Honestly Fitness reviews Uforia Studios newest location in Nob Hill, San Francisco

The class was at 9am and with the knowledge that finding parking in San Francisco is such a tossup, I woke up around 8am (so hard on a Sunday) and drove off with a green smoothie in hand (recipe coming soon by the way). Luckily, parking was suuuper easy to find and I arrived there with plenty of time to spare. I was given a water bottle because I was a first-timer, which I thought was such a sweet gesture! Already pretty impressed, I had a little peek around the rest of the studio before class. It is a gorgeous space! It has a really modern feel to it and it is just beautiful … you need to see it to get what I’m talking about!

Grit

Honestly Fitness reviews Uforia Studios newest location in Nob Hill, San Francisco

Okay, so onto the class. I was hoping for minimal upper body work because for some reason, I had been working out my upper body a lot last week. Although there was of course upper body work, we also did some lower body work, ab work and lots of high intensity moves. I really liked that we used a variety of equipment including gliders, a box and light weights. Although I thought the weights were a little light, we did a high amount of reps which really made everything burn. Although I felt like killing the instructor, Lee, during the workout, I felt so full of energy and good about myself for having done such a fantastic workout. And on a Sunday morning, no less! Oh plus, they offer you a cold towel and blueberries after class – really nice and thoughtful touch. 

A Special Offer

Grit have been kind enough to offer not one, but TWO amazing deals for you guys! If you use the code honestlyfitness when choosing a class on their website, you will get that class free. And then you can tell me what you think about uforia studios šŸ™‚ Also, if you want to buy a classpack, you can use the code honestlyfitness-20% and this will take off 20% of any class pack you purchase. FYI, they also have a location in Palo Alto, which is much easier to get to if you’re in the South Bay.

So, I’ve got your weekend plans sorted šŸ˜‰ These are both such generous offers and I highly suggest you take advantage of them. I seriously can’t wait to know what you think about them; let me know how the other classes are since I haven’t tried them out yet! Here’s a sneak peek of what you can expect at Uforia Studios. 

Honestly yours,
Alice

Disclaimer: I was given a free class at Uforia, and I get a small portion from every classpack bought. My thoughts are always my unbiased and own, and I only showcase what I think will be helpful for your health and fitness journey, and I thank you for supporting the brands that support Honestly Fitness.

Fitness, San Francisco

Pilates, Weights & Cardio at Burn SF

April 21, 2015

These past few months have been busy. I stressed out more than I should’ve, but how could I not? I had 3 huge exams (like determining if I will get my master’s degree or not huge) and tons of assignments to do, all while trying to maintain the blog, workout, and work (I work part-time). Social life? Non-existent.

Burn SF

I am so glad that April is finally here! I was invited to the grand opening of Burn SF’s newest studio in Hayes Valley at the end of February but I knew there was no way I could fit it into my schedule. I was so disappointed, as their workouts consisting of pilates, weights and cardio sounded awesome and right up my alley. Luckily, Burn SF were kind enough to let me try out a class when my schedule got a little less hectic (hello April!) so I went to check out their studio in the Mission. 

Burn SF review by Honestly Fitness

The studio was really easy to get to, as it was just a short walk away from the 24th Mission BART stop. This was a huge plus for me because having to drive around San Francisco is as bad as it gets. The people here drive like maniacs -shakes head-. Anyway, I was really impressed with how fun and challenging the class was! The class boasts that you can burn between 500-650 calories per session.

Burn SF review by Honestly Fitness

Burn SF review by Honestly Fitness

Burn SF uses customized slastix resistance bands in their workouts which truly helped to make their class stand out. There was a lot of upper body work, so think tons of band work targeting the biceps, triceps and shoulders. For certain parts of class, you were strapped to a resistance band which allowed you to do exercises such as sprints, jumping jacks and high knees. It is a little hard to explain, but it was a very unique experience and all the more reason to try out Burn SF. The emphasis on small movements (which made your muscles burn) really pushed me to my limits. Although I would have loved to see a bit more focus on the lower body, overall I really enjoyed the workout and thought it was a great way to shake up my usual routine.  Plus, I was able to get a delicious latte from Grand Coffee right after šŸ˜‰ 

amazing latte from grand coffee in the mission district of san francisco

 Burn SF will be expanding into the Bay Area, with plans to expand into Oakland and Seratoga. They already have a ton of locations in San Francisco as well, so they are really accessible. Me personally? Like I said earlier, I am so happy I can hop on BART to get there! I would definitely like to do another Burn SF workout and bring a friend with me šŸ™‚

Honestly yours
Alice
All photo credits go to Jennifer Graham photography (minus the latte photo).

 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 was offered a free class at Burn SF but no financial compensation. My thoughts are always my unbiased and own šŸ™‚

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).

Vint SF makes personal and small group training affordable!

 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.

Vint SF lets you have personal or small group training at an affordable price

Vint SF lets you have personal or small group training at an affordable price

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.

Vint SF lets you have personal or small group training at an affordable price

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!