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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

Beginner’s Circuit Workout

July 3, 2014

What a treat I have in store for all of my readers who are new to, or at a beginner’s exercise level…a beginners circuit workout! My lovely friend Ben Coffin, who is a personal trainer, kindly shared a workout that is perfect for beginner’s. This workout will not only strengthen and tone your muscles, but because you will be performing them in a circuit style, you will get in cardio as well since your heart rate will be kept high. Ben is currently based in Newcastle in the UK so if you are looking for a personal trainer then do not hesistate to contact him at ben.g.coffin@hotmail.com 🙂

Beginners circuit workout

Circuit workouts are an extremely effective way of getting toned and fit fast because of their incorporation of fat burning cardio and muscle toning strength. Kayla Itsines workouts are all circuit based, and you can see how effective her workouts are (and her body shows it)! This beginner’s circuit workout works a whole range of muscles as opposed to just one or two. I am sure you will be feeling sore the day after you give this a go!

Always remember to do a 5 minute warm-up before you workout. This could be a brisk walk, some jump rope or even jumping jacks – something to get your heart rate up and to prepare your body for some hard work. For the workout, you will complete the full repetitions of each exercise, with no rest until you complete the circuit (if you must rest please limit it to a few seconds). Try and complete the exercises as quickly as you can with the CORRECT FORM. If you are unfamiliar with the exercises, do yourself a favor and youtube how to do them. Correct form is vital in ensuring you are engaging and working the correct muscles.

Once you complete the circuit, repeat it 2-3 times with a 1-2 minute rest between each set. Once you complete the circuit workout, please take 5-15 minutes to fully stretch out your muscles. If you fail to stretch properly after your workouts, you run the risk of injuring yourself during your next workout. Stretching helps promote flexibility and lengthens muscles that may have become very tight during your workout. You don’t want to end up with tight muscles that make you look stumpier or hunched do you?!

With all of that said and done (I hope you read it THOROUGHLY!), here is the workout! I realize that in the photo’s I am not using a weight, but that is purely because I did not have one to use during these photos. Please use a 5-10 pound weight if the exercise requires it 🙂

1. Shoulder presses with the resistance bands – 10 reps

 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
2. Bicep curls with the resistance bands – 10 reps
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
3. Tricep dips off a chair/bench/bed – 10 reps
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
4. Regular sit ups – 20 reps
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
5. Knee to shoulder while in plank – 15 each leg
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
6. High plank to low plank – 10 reps
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
7. Weighted lunges – 10 reps each leg
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
8. Goblet squat (regular squat while holding a dumbbell to your chest) – 1o reps
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
honestly fitness beginner's circuit workout
 
 
Hope you all enjoyed this post! Tell me how the workout goes, and don’t forget to do this circuit 2-3 times 🙂
 
Honestly yours,
Alice xxx
Fitness, Health, Sunday Summary

Game Plan

May 26, 2014

Hey everyone!

For all of you who are in America, I hope you are having a lovely weekend and enjoy this long weekend for Memorial Day. For everyone else, I still hope you had a fab weekend 🙂 I totally had this post all ready to go last night but I went to Kokkari Estiatorio (a really nice Greek restaurant in San Francisco) and it was so late by the time I got back that I just went to bed haha.

Anyway, I want to be really honest with you all in this blog post. Even though I did see progress and improved muscle tone, I did not get the results I wanted after completing Kayla’s bikini body guide. I am extremely proud of the progress I have made and the fact that I can now do a bazillion push ups, jumping lunges and all the other extreme exercises buuuut … I still have a long way to go. I have been musing about what it is exactly that is making it so bloody hard for me to lose the last 5-8 pounds. I exercise smart and I watch my portions and eat healthy foods. I suppose I tend to go overboard whe I eat out and have the mentality of ‘oh it won’t hurt if I take a small bite …”.

Therefore, even though my mantra is about balance (which I am STILL for), for purposes of eliminating the extra few pounds once and for all, I believe I have to be rather strict and reflective with myself. Going crazy when I eat out and having those extra few bites does make a difference in the long run. If I was at a happy weight and body composition then no, being a little silly at times would not matter. But the fact of the matter is that you have to be smart when embarking on a weight/fat loss journey. Eating for weight/fat loss is not the same as healthy eating, and that is something I really need to just tattoo into my brain.

Which is why I am creating a game plan for myself! As part of a year long process of reforming my eating habits I will be keeping an eye and trying to implement the following:

  • Do not nibble mindlessly – this is my biggest problem, because even though I am full, I tend to pick at food if it is in front of me. This will prove to be hard at restaurants so I will let you all know what works for me (usually drinking loads of water helps)
  • Incorporate more veggies throughout the day
  • If hunger pangs strike at night, drink tea and make some veggies such as celery sticks with a dip such as tzatziki or hummus
  • Stop buying lattes! During the semester time I genuinely need some coffee to tide me through my late classes, but I should probably just stick to plain coffee or an espresso. Or at least only drink latte’s on days when I have class and not otherwise.

I am going to stick with these for now. They are not rules but more of a general guideline. I have also been working on decreasing the amount of alcohol I drink (which is not much at all, usually no more than once or twice a month) and eating out less. For the most part, my friends are incredibly supportive of my lifestyle and do not peer pressure me to eat differently at all which I am SO grateful for. The people who surround you have a profound impact upon you; if they are eating crap, chances are you will tend to eat worse than you normally are.

I genuinely look forward to the future. I have come a long way in the past few years and I am proud that I have become someone who genuinely craves healthy foods and loves to exercise. I can only improve!

What is your biggest obstacle in your quest to be fit and healthy?

Honestly yours,
Alice