Browsing Tag

san francisco

Fitness, Health

Go Vibrant

September 4, 2014

Today I wanted to introduce you to a non-profit organization called Go Vibrant. Go Vibrant’s mission is to make an active, energetic lifestyle irresistible, which is a fantastic mission in my opinion! I actually read an article on Al Jazeera today which stated that obesity rates have reached historic highs in the US (click here to read the article) 🙁

Go Vibrant

I think it is such a shame that obesity levels continue to rise, and I think it is great that we have organizations such as Go Vibrant to help combat the rising levels of obesity. I think that getting children to engage in an active and healthy lifestyle is vital to curbing obesity levels, and that it is imperative for parents to be on board too. 

Go Vibrant have created this awesome map that can help you find fun and active things to do. It helps you find activities in a  variety of cities including San Francisco (yay!), Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and much more.  I encourage you to use it if you are bored and stuck at home, or just looking for something fun and active to do.  They also have some great articles (one of which I have been asked to share with you all in a future blog post) and walking path maps! Hopefully you find this map and Go Vibrant’s website useful. Let’s all start or continue leading healthy and active lifestyles, and more importantly, encouraging others to lead more active and energetic lifestyles 🙂

Go VIbrant

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Go Vibrant through their partnership with Studio One. Select. While I was compensated to share Go Vibrant’s ‘Get Outside’ Map, all opinions are my own.  

Fitness

Barry’s Bootcamp & ClassPass SF Launch

August 7, 2014

Talk about a supreme fitness event! 

Barry's Bootcamp & ClassPass SF Launch

I was invited to a series of launch parties for ClassPass (of which I could only make one sadly) who offer access to the best fitness studios in the city. Currently they offer classes for those living in or near to Boston, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. They just recently expanded to San Francisco and to celebrate they held three launch parties. I attended their launch party at Barry’s Bootcamp on Tuesday and I was so excited!! I had heard a lot of great things about Barry’s Bootcamp (primarily how HARD the workouts were) and I was excited to learn more about ClassPass. I am always up for trying new things, and trying new fitness classes is high up on my list of fun and new things to do. 

review of barry's bootcamp san francisco

I arrived to Barry’s Bootcamp (located near the SF Giant’s stadium) and of course I was late … SF traffic + a Beyonce & Jay Z concert at the Giant’s stadium, what can I say? Luckily I had actually arrived juuuust in time, with about 5 minutes to spare before class. There were SO many people that had showed up for the launch party! The energy was contagious and I started getting really excited although still nervous because of how hard the workout was supposed to be. 

review of barry's bootcamp san francisco

Source: http://www.peanutbuttered.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/img_6626.jpg

For the workout, they split us into two groups that would be switching between treadmill intervals and strength training intervals. For those who know me well, they know that I am nottt a fan of running. I was petrified haha!! The instructor announced that we would be doing a leg and butt workout, and the next 50 or so minutes consisted of countless lunges, squats and sprints! They made us use a resistance band to do some butt exercises and I loved that, because I think that resistance bands are very underutilized in most fitness classes. Also, the cool thing about Barry’s Bootcamp is that every class is different so you don’t know what to expect. Although I hate running, I really enjoyed the workout; the music was great, the workout was intense but fun and the room had some awesome lighting going on. My one criticism is that as a first-timer to the bootcamp, it can be a little overwhelming trying to follow instructions on what to do since the instructor does have to switch back and forth between the groups. I highly recommend this workout for those who want a real challenge and are looking for something new and engaging. Pluuuus, a bunch of celebrities such as Jessica Biel, Kim Kardashian and Jake Gyllenhaal are avid fans 😉

review of barry's bootcamp san francisco

I had to rush a bit after class to avoid getting a ticket for parking for too long (SF problems) but I did manage to sample some yummy juices from Urban Remedy and receive a goody bag from ClassPass! I received so many amazing treats including a ClassPass top, EOS lip balm, a birchbox, water bottle, a gomacro bar and some peppermint vanilla gum.

review of classpass san francisco

I am really happy that ClassPass has come to SF and allows people to try out a variety of different fitness studio’s. Variety is the spice of life after all, as they say 😉

Have any of you ever done a workout at Barry’s Bootcamp before? I would love to hear what you thought about it, we can swap stories of how sore we are 😛

Honestly yours,
Alice

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