Thursday Thoughts: Fitness Edition

People are always amazed at the different fitness studios that I’ve tried in LA. So today I want to share with you my Top 5 workout places in the San Fernando Valley. Also I have two new products (one beverage & one snack) that I thought you’d like to know about.

Tapout Fitness
This fitness studio is located in Woodland Hills in a shopping plaza on Ventura Blvd. Their specialty is boxing classes. I love hitting the heavy bag – such a great stress release. The Tapout Fitness studio is clean & bright with good equipment. The instructors are friendly & helpful with technique. It’s a female founded business & the owner is super nice.

Sandbox Fitness
This is also a female-owned business & I highlighted Minna’s entrepreneurship a few years ago. Fast-forward to the current year & she now has a little baby girl.

I LOVE the concept of Sandbox Fitness. Working out barefoot in the clean sand provides a different type of workout. Plus they have several types of classes, ranging from TRX, Sandworks Bootcamp, yoga & a class called Surfset where they use surfboards that wobble (mimics the physical demands of surfing) & it forces you to work on your balance AND strengthen your core!

Beatbike
Not all cycle classes are the same & not all studios are good. I found Beatbike in Tarzana to be the ultimate studio for spin classes! Located in the same complex as Whole Foods on Ventura Blvd, the studio is modern & fab! It has a huge patio for outdoor classes. In addition to cycle classes, Beatbike offers strength-training classes that you can take outdoors.

However, it is the cycle room were the magic happens. First of all the music & sound system is amazing! I also appreciate that the bikes are not stationed super close together like some studios. I hate that. I understand you want to fit as many bikes as you can but I don’t want to be THAT close to my neighbor, you know?! Beatbike was started by a female entrepreneur, Ashton, & the studio was so successful that she opened another one in Huntington Beach.

The Training Lab
This studio is located in a mini mall in Chatsworth. What I love about this boutique fitness studio is that it’s small & intimate. You truly feel like you’re part of a family when you take classes there. They have a loyal customer base & when I stepped in the first time, the co-owners Dave & Natalie made me feel very welcome.

I also like that in addition to the strength-training equipment, they have a variety of cardio machines which we use during the boot camp classes. You really get your heart rate up climbing those stairs or jogging on the treadmill!

YogaWorks
There are two YogaWorks studios that I train at from time to time. One is in Woodland Hills (in the Westfield Village on Topanga) & the other one is in Tarzana, right across from Beatbike. It’s easy to bounce around when you are on ClassPass. Speaking of ClassPass, here’s my affiliate link to try out ClassPass. I bet if you try it out for a month, you’ll be hooked!

But back to YogaWorks…as may know it is a chain fitness studio. I love the look & feel of a YogaWorks studio. It’s sleek & contemporary. They have a ton of yoga classes at all levels. I personally like the one that incorporates TRX in it but that’s just my preference.

After my workouts I have a small post-workout snack. Here are two products that I tried recently. (Note: I was given complimentary samples in exchange for an honest, authentic review).

ZEGO
Recently I tried ZEGO Seed + Fruit Bars. I love energy bars that use very few ingredients (ones that mainly use different types of fruits & some other natural or organic ingredients. These bars fulfill that need PLUS they contain chia seeds, which I love!

Another interesting fun fact, especially for those who have food allergies or sensitivities – their products do not contain ingredients like nuts, gluten, processed sugar, soy or dairy. You can learn more about their products here.

Gac Drinks
I was provided with a 6-pack case of Gac Juice that’s made with sparkling water flavored with passionfruit & monk fruit. So what is Gac? It’s a superfruit from Southeast Asia that is loaded with Vitamin A, C & E. We all know that these antioxidants are good for you but how does the drink taste?

I tried this drink after a workout & found it had an interesting taste. I like drinks flavored with passionfruit but it could have been the monk fruit or the gac fruit that gave it a unique taste.

A friend of mine let me try her sample of Gac Water with Pineapple & Gac Fruit. I liked that flavor a lot! Perhaps your best bet is to buy one can & sample one flavor at a time. Either way, you’re getting a drink that is full of organic juice & vitamins, which is good for you! If you’d like more information, visit the GacLife website here.

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. All images & opinions are 100% my own.