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pilates

Fitness, Health

Get Ready to Hike!

August 14, 2014

I think a hiking preparation post is in order! I recently got back from a holiday in Salt lake City where my boyfriend and I went on some fun hikes. They were all much more challenging than I thought they were going to be (and the high altitude certainly did not make life easier either)! One hike in particular was absolutely ridiculous but so worth it because there were three beautiful lakes and absolutely stunning views.

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You’re probably wondering when I am going to get to the point of this post haha … basically these challenging hikes got me thinking that it would be really cool to do a post about preparing for a hike, whether it is challenging or relatively easy. I know it seems as if preparing for a hike is pretty intuitive but there are quite a few things you can do which you may not have thought about. 

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Preparing for a hike, especially a challenging uphill hike, can be categorized into the following:

Cardio/Strength, Research, & Supplies

Although anyone can technically just go on a hike, if you want to have a good time on a hike it is usually important to make sure that you are at least somewhat fit. I am not saying you have to be an avid gym go-er or a marathon runner, but it is good to have a good cardio tolerance and to have some leg strength. Core strength is also beneficial to keep yourself balanced if you are hiking on a steep downhill portion. What I would recommend is making sure that a few weeks before you go on a hike, you start doing something that will improve both your cardio and strength levels. For cardio you could start by going on a few brisk walks a few times a week, going for some runs or even trying out a fitness class such as kickboxing or BodyAttack (offered at most 24 Hour Fitness gyms) to raise your cardio levels. To improve your strength levels, you can start concentrating on lower body exercises such as squats and lunges. You could even do a pilates legs and butt workout (Blogilates online and free videos are my favorite) or go to a fitness class that focuses on building strength and tone such as Booty Barre (still need to try this class at Mint Studios Pilates!) or BodyPump (offered at most 24 Hour Fitness gyms).

Seriously, you will be happy you prepped when you do the hike. I would say that I am a pretty fit person, but my hike to Lake Blanche in Salt lake City KILLED ME. It was 6 miles, and 3 miles of it were all steadily uphill .. do not underestimate how exhausting walking at an incline can be 0__o

In terms of research, I just mean that you should do some Google searching about all the different hikes you can do a few days before you plan on hiking. Take the time to see how far away it is to drive to the hike, how long the hike will take, and how strenuous the hike may or may not be. A good tip is to read some reviews, such as on TripAdvisor, about what others thought about the hike. If you are a hiking newbie, avoid hikes with reviews that say ‘REALLY STRENUOUS HIKE’ .. ‘OMG, THIS HIKE IS HARD’ and the like.

 Lastly, but certainly not least, make sure you have the relevant supplies a day ahead of time. There was one point during my time in Salt Lake City when my boyfriend could not find his trainers .. ergo no hike lol. So make sure you have the following supplies ready (or at least some of them):

supplies

1. Lots of water bottles (1x 1 liter bottle per person for every 1 and 1/2 hour of hiking)
2. Appropriate clothing (some light and well-fitting activewear if in a hot place, or some warm jackets and etc if in a cold place)
3. Proper footwear that you do not mind getting dusty (think trainers like Nikes, Asics, Reebok and etc)
4. Sunglasses with a good amount of UV protection 
5. A phone (just in case you get lost, and helps you keep track of time – alternatively a watch instead)
6. A hat
7. Sunscreen (yes, even if you are hiking through snow or on a cloudy day, the sun will still reach you!)
8. A backpack (to hold all of you handy dandy supplies :D)
9. Food (if going on a hike longer than an hour it would be smart to bring portable and nutrient dense foods such as fruit, bread/crackers, nuts and etc)

If you guys think of anymore pre-hiking prep advice then please, please let me know either in the comments below or via social media or email. I would love to hear them because I am no hiking expert; but I do hope my hiking advice helps you prepare for your next (or first ever) hike!

Guess what I am doing this weekend … 🙂

Honestly yours,
Alice xxx

Fitness, Health

Mint Studios Pilates

July 29, 2014

So although I am not completely new to Pilates on the mat, I was completely new to Pilates reformer up until a few months ago. Some of you may remember when I talked about Mint Studios and their spring open house, and how much I LOVED my first ever Pilates reformer experience.

review of Mint Studios Pilates in San Francisco, the best pilates studio

review of Mint Studios Pilates in San Francisco, the best pilates studio

I was kindly invited to try a longer Pilates reformer session at Mint Studios recently (which meant sore everything the day after haha) and this time round I bumped into the gorgeous owner of Mint Studios, Elaine Hayes. Elaine was kind enough to agree to an interview, which I thought would be a fun way to introduce all of you lovely people to the brains behind the studio.

owner of Mint Studios Pilates Elaine Hayes

 Hi Elaine! Tell us a little bit about yourself

Hi, I’m Elaine Hayes and I’m the owner and founder of Mint Studios. I was born in California but grew up in Brazil as a child and also lived in England until I was 15. I came to live in the San Francisco bay area where I went to college at Berkeley. It was at Berkeley that I met my now husband Michael. We now live in the SOMA area with our four legged baby, Zoey.

What sparked your interest for Pilates?

I grew up dancing ballet and when I was in high school, my dance teacher introduced us to Pilates as part of our conditioning. I quickly noticed the benefits of Pilates: I could jump higher, stretch a little further, my core was stronger, and the aches and pains that come with lots of ballet were incredibly reduced. It wasn’t until after graduating from college and embarking on a whole different career path that I decided that Pilates was what I really wanted to pursue.

Where did the inspiration for Mint Studios come from?

I had been teaching in San Francisco for a few years and started to realize there was no single studio that offered everything I wanted. This city needed a space where you could be in a beautiful, positive environment and take classes that consistently challenge you with a fun and energetic flair. I wanted the studio to make you feel like you had stepped into a spa rather than a normal gym.

What makes Mint Studios stand out from other Pilates studios?

Mint Studios offers a new kind of Pilates, Barre and Yoga: a no-nonsense approach to working out that gives you results in the most direct and efficient way. Our classes are creative, effective, and fun and our studio is beautifully designed. At Mint, you can rest assured that you are going to see results and quickly if you stick with it.

review of Mint Studios Pilates in San Francisco, the best pilates studio

What does a typical day in the life of Elaine Hayes look like?

I usually wake at 6am and am off to bed around 11pm. I teach classes from 6:30am to 1pm then back again from 4:30pm to 8:30pm. During my break I love to grab lunch or even a quick spot of retail therapy!

What does your current workout routine look like?

Finding time for a workout can be tough with my schedule! I do teach Booty Barre and Mat Pilates quite a few times a week so I do get a workout while teaching, which is a bonus. I then try to find 30 minutes between clients to kick my own butt! I also love going for a run along the Embarcadero and walking my dog Zoey.

 Favorite healthy restaurant or smoothie/juice bar in the Bay Area?

For cleanses, CAN CAN Cleanse is hands down my absolute favorite. The cleanses are so doable and you really feel supported throughout the experience especially when the founder, Teresa sends you daily motivation. My favorite healthy lunch spot is Judahlicious, a vegan and organic café in the Outer Sunset. It’s a bit of a trek but so worth it!

What are your thoughts on quick fixes and fad diets?

I personally don’t think they work. A healthy life is all about everything in moderation. Exercise daily and eat well and you will see results. “Quick Fixes” might show a result at first, but it is not long term. Once you stop, all your bad habits come back. I like to think of it as more of a lifestyle than a diet.

What can we expect from Mint Studios in the future?

My plan is to be able to expand Mint Studios into a few locations around the Bay Area. We are just about to celebrate our One Year Anniversary in August, so you never know where you might see a new Mint Studios pop up! 

review of Mint Studios Pilates in San Francisco, the best pilates studio

Elaine (owner of Mint Studios Pilates) and Lisa (one of the fabulous instructors at Mint Studios Pilates)

I cannot wait to go back and do some more classes at Mint Studios Pilates! Luckily for me, they have a 15% discount for students which is a great help.

review of Mint Studios Pilates in San Francisco, the best pilates studio

Ooh, I have some exciting news – Mint Studios Pilates will soon be celebrating their 1 year anniversary on August 21st and will be throwing a party for the occasion! There will be a complimentary Booty Barre class, Can Can cleanse juice tasting, a Lorna Jane trunk show (LOVE LORNA JANE) and more! This event is not to be missed so save the date.

I hope you enjoyed this post and hopefully you will try out some classes at Mint Studios Pilates soon 🙂

Honestly yours,
Alice xxx

Sunday Summary

Salt Lake City

July 6, 2014

I have officially been on holiday for a week now, and I am now in Salt Lake City, Utah! This is my first mini ‘holiday’ since going back to Thailand last summer, and it feels great to be somewhere new.

As most of my close friends already know, my boyfriend got accepted into the bioengineering PhD program at the University of Utah which therefore meant that he was going to move to Salt Lake City. I decided to tag along for the car trip and to stay with him in the city for a few weeks before going back to work and starting up classes again. The drive took us through Northern California (through Sacramento and Lake Tahoe area), across Nevada (the most amount of empty I have ever seen in my life), and then through the Utah salt flats. It was pretty rough though; my boyfriend drove the u-haul and I drove his car. It was a 10 hour drive overall (although we stayed overnight at a town called Elko in Nevada at the 7 hour mark) and I just cannot believe I did such a long drive, by myself effectively!

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Driving through California – so pretty

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Nevada during the afternoon

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 Nevada before sunset – same view several hundred miles later lol, but prettier now

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Border of Nevada and Utah, finally!

Thoughts so far? IT’S SO HOT! Far hotter than the Bay Area, but about the same temperature as California’s central valley but quite a bit drier. I literally HAD to buy sunscreen because I was getting sunburnt from spending half an hour in the sun!! But hey, at least I finally get to tan, something which was so not going to happen in San Francisco. We went to a fun 4th of July celebration in Sugarhouse park and saw some beautiful fireworks.

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I have been blown away so far by the range of cuisine available in Salt Lake City. I was kind of expecting 1 Thai and Chinese place to be honest haha. We have tried a few restaurants so far and they have all been really good. Red Iguana was an amazing Mexican restaurant with a whole range of mole’s, and Skewered Thai did a pretty good job of serving up relatively authentic and tasty Thai food. OMG and they have Rubio’s, yaaay!

I also didn’t realize this before  but Salt Lake City has a really big focus on health and fitness, so happy!! We went to a farmer’s market in downtown Salt Lake City and it was honestly better than any farmer’s market I have been too in California. Although my one criticism would be that there wasn’t a big range of vegetables. There are tons of gyms, yoga and pilates studio’s around the city, and 3 Whole Foods!! There are also a few Lululemon’s here and so I attended one of their free yoga Sunday classes (which was awesome).

I think these next few weeks will be really fun and full of me exploring the city and doing fun and fit-related activities. Hopefully I can avoid holiday weight-gain 🙂

Have any of you ever been to Salt Lake City? Or do any of you live here? I would love some tips or suggestions on what to see or do!

Honestly yours,
Alice xxx