Hey Fusers!

Zak is a Bay Area Native who grew up right here in Kensington and attended Hilltop Elementary School.  The way that he became a Fitness Professional all started with his own fitness journey. He played sports growing up and due to numerous injuries from basketball, his path to recovery was through strength training.  Although he came from a sports background, Zak has been able to adapt his training style after consistently learning.  

A few words from Zak:

“Trial and error has helped me gain experience and become more specific with my plan. I’ve learned so much and have become much better at addressing goals and not using a cookie cutter approach.  The more I get to work with clients that have a wide range of fitness levels, the more it humbles me, because I came from a sports background.”

Through experience, he knows how daunting this journey can be for anyone just starting out; which is why he tries his best to help people with realistic expectations on how to achieve results.  He wants his clients to look at the big picture, instead of through just one workout. Zak believes that getting out of an outcome oriented mindset, creates more of a process mindset. Once a foundation is established, then you are able to build consistently from there.  This is what translates his passion for helping others.

Zak was introduced to us by way of a mutual dear friend, Julie Moore. Julie, who sadly passed away a year ago, was the owner of Circle Salon on Colusa Ave, and had cut Zak and his family’s hair since he was a little boy. Julie was one of the most warm, inviting and generous people we’ve ever met, and she welcomed us to the Colusa Circle right away when we first opened in Kensington. She took classes at Fuse and also did some personal training, often leaving beautiful, home-grown bouquets of flowers for us. 

As Zak was beginning his career as a personal trainer, Julie introduced Zak and Kristin, asking her to take him under her wing. And that was the beginning of a wonderful relationship with Zak. What Kristin immediately saw in Zak was a real, genuine desire to learn and ask questions, no ego involved. And what she appreciated was how he paid keen attention and always had great questions that were smart and thoughtful. Zak has truly developed into a great trainer over the last few years, creating his own unique style, and has a great rapport with his clients. 

Zak’s quote on what inspires him: 

“How life transforming fitness can be for people.  There's the working out itself, and it extrapolates out in every aspect of your life.  Your relationships improve with other people. It makes me want to impact more lives and just meet more people and continue to make the world a better place.”  

Fun Facts about Zak

Guilty Pleasures:

Pastries in the morning with coffee. Baked goods.  Pepperoni Pizza on fridays. 

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Hang out with my fiance. Netflix and chill with her every night.  Cooking. Fun activities with her such as dancing, cooking, and going to museums.  I love making music. I’m on Spotify. Open mic on Monday nights at Kava Kava bar at 9pm, and Tuesday nights at Starry Plough Pub. Workout, and play basketball and go to the movies. 

Favorite movie(s):  

Ferris Bueller’s day off. Zoolander.  

What is your training style?

Strength Training with a barbell, focusing on compound movements and finishing with a circuit to get the heart rate up.  I also have a class called “Six Pack with Zak”.

What does a typical training week look like for you?

Total body strength training on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. 

Wednesday and Saturday are my cardio days where I either run or play basketball. 

If you could be an animal which one would it be and why?

A zebra. My name is Zak and a zebra starts with a Z, and it’s always been my favorite animal growing up.  The zebra is the dopest looking animal; it looks very musical, sort of like a piano. I enjoy looking at zebras because of their pattern. 

Hi Fusers! This month we're celebrating one of our amazing members, Marni Gonzalez. If I could describe her in one word, in relation to how she is in the gym, I'd say tough. By definition, I mean that she "demonstrates a strict and uncompromising attitude or approach."  When presented with any challenge in class, she always creates a strategy, implements that strategy and then very successfully completes the challenge. Just. Like. That. If you've taken class with Marni, you know that she maintains her strong pace evenly, keeping her focus on the goal. It's quite impressive.

Having been a member at Fuse since March 2015, Marni has without fail, (unless she is traveling, which is one of her passions) showed up and stuck to her very consistent schedule, for a total of 345 times, logging in just over 300 hours of working out. Consistency and keeping a schedule for working out is what gets results, and Marni has that figured out.

That's just a glimpse into Marni's gym life--as you can see, she is hard-working, disciplined and goal oriented. I'd wager to say that her tenacity probably has something to do with how she became a neurologist. Just a guess on my part :) She has been a practicing neurologist since 2006 and is a senior physician at Kaiser Permanente Medical Group. She also led the creation and implementation of The Memory Center, where she and other team members provide medical and social support for patients with dementia.

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So yeah, in one word I'd say this woman is tough. But since I don't have to only describe her in one word, I'd also like to say that she is incredibly sweet, supportive and I love having her in class. Marni has made a serious commitment to her health since joining, both with her workouts and her diet, and she has really transformed her body. She's super strong, works really hard, motivates everyone and inspires us all. And I love how devoted she is to her family and her faith.

Here are a few words from Marni about her fitness journey:

"Approaching middle age prompted me to contemplate my future self.  Do I want to be a “healthy” and “active” 65-year-old, enjoying retirement?  Or, do I accept the alternative?  At this crossroad in my life, I made a commitment to get healthier, physically.  I joined Woohoo Fit in June 2012, two months after my 39^th birthday and have been working out consistently ever since.  When Woohoo Fit closed in the Spring 2015, some of us former "Woohoo-ers" transferred to Fuse Fitness.  I am so thankful that I decided to do so!  It was a pretty seamless transition for me.  The challenging classes, wonderful trainers, and community of fellow "Fusers" make this place very special. I felt welcomed from the beginning.

"I realized that exercising regularly does not necessarily result in weight loss.  Don’t misunderstand me – I know that it is essential for cardiovascular health.  However, working out three times a week while I continued my undisciplined food habits gradually but surely resulted in a size increase in my clothes!  I also felt I reached a plateau in my fitness level.

"Fortunately, last February 2016, I committed to a change in my approach to food.  I also increased the frequency of my work outs (from three to four times a week), threw in Monday night yoga sessions with Kelly, and exercised even while on vacation (which I never used to do).  Now, also thirty pounds lighter, I don’t think I have been stronger and more physically fit in my life.

"I am very grateful for the phenomenal trainers who so patiently worked with me over the years at Woohoo Fit and Fuse Fitness – Eva, Kelly, Amy B., Kristen, Pasha, Gail, Beverly, and now Michelle.  My life has forever changed!"

Marni, we are grateful for you and the example you set. Thank you for being such a wonderful and integral part of the Fuse community!

Yours in health,

Kristin at Fuse Fitness

P.S. As always, if you're reading this and interested in finding your own path to success with your health and fitness, fill out the contact form below to sign up for a free fitness consult today!

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Hey Fusers, Happy New Year! We finished off the year strong with a tough, New Year's themed outdoor bootcamp. It was awesome to end the year on a good note with some pretty great people--thanks to everyone who came out!

Many of us have had our fair share of indulgent food, drinks and treats over the last month or two--hopefully you downloaded our Holiday Survival Guide, which provided healthy tips and ideas on how to balance out all the splurging. We're big proponents of taking the time to enjoy special moments with family and friends, and the holidays are a wonderful time to do just that. We hope you all had a wonderful, magical holiday season!

Now it's time to get back on track! This month we're focusing on resetting our metabolisms and burning off those extra holiday indulgences! The best way to do that is with high-intensity interval training, otherwise known as H.I.I.T. This type of training involves repeated timed intervals of high intensity effort followed by timed recovery times. It’s done at 85–100 percent of one’s maximum heart rate rather than at 50–70 percent which is typically done in moderate endurance activity.

Due to the timed rest periods (note: they're not very long), this type of workout gives you a run for your money. There's usually just enough time to catch a couple of breaths, then the timer rings, and you're right back at going full speed. In just 20 minutes, you will likely do much more than most people will do in an hour wandering around the gym from set to set. It's a super effective, time-efficient way to work out. Let's just say H.I.I.T. gets the job done.

While that might be just enough info to get you feeling pumped about H.I.I.T. month, there is an even greater reason why it's so awesome. Interval training produces a great afterburn effect, meaning that after your workout is done, your body's metabolism is still amped up and burning calories. The scientific name for this is exercise post oxygen consumption, otherwise known as EPOC, meaning the amount of oxygen required to restore your body back to homeostasis after exercise (American Council of Exercise). Basically, exercise that consumes more oxygen burns more calories. And if you've ever done a H.I.I.T. workout before, you know a lot of oxygen is being consumed.

Interval training is also great for your heart--it improves both your heart's strength and performance by increasing aerobic performance and improving cardiorespiratory function.  When you workout at this intensity, your heart and lungs are supplying oxygen to your body. As your heart becomes stronger, it does this more efficiently, maximizing the body's oxygen intake levels--and like I mentioned before, greater consumption of oxygen leads to greater calorie burn. Win!

These results sure sound great, don't they, maybe even too good to be true? Well, the benefits are real, as the results have been scientifically studied and proven. So what's the catch? While H.I.I.T. doesn't need to take a lot of time, it is challenging. During your high intensity work intervals, you need to be going all out, 85-100% of your max. heart rate. If you are able to chat with the person next to you about weekend plans or what the kids have going on, you are not working hard enough. Let me repeat--you must bust your ass.

Nothing that gets results is easy, so this month, commit to working really hard during the interval training sets. As always, you will be properly warmed-up in all workouts at Fuse Fitness. You will still be doing strength training. You will still get your core work in. And YOU WILL give it your all during the interval training sets in each workout.

Cheers to a fat-burning start to the year!

Yours in health,

Kristin at Fuse Fitness

Hi Fusers! This November, we will be focusing on flexibility at Fuse Fitness. While seemingly not everyone's favorite part of their workout, it's mighty important and many of you could really benefit from ramping it up in this department. Too many of you are frequently complaining about how tight you are and how it hurts to get up from bed in the morning.

This, my friends, is not acceptable. Get to class a little early so you don't skip out on the foam rolling. Definitely at least get to class on time so you don't miss the dynamic movements and mobility work in the warmup. And if you have to leave early, then stop a few minutes before you have to go and do your stretches!! And while you're at it, commit to going once a week to Kelly's amazing Gentle Yoga class on Monday evenings at 7:20pm, I promise, this is an absolutely wonderful way to end your day! Here's a bit more about the what and why of flexibility....

What is flexibility? In simple terms, it means the ability to bend without breaking. However, in regards to fitness and exercise, the definition isn’t quite so simple. Most of us can bend without breaking, however this does not necessarily qualify as being flexible.

According to the Dictionary of Sport and Exercise Science and Medicine, flexibility in regards to fitness is the range of movement/motion around a joint. This range of motion is dependent upon a number of factors, including the size and shape of the bones, the ability of tendons to stretch, the condition of the ligaments, normal joint mechanics, soft tissue mobility and extensibility of the muscles.

Let me break this down so it’s easier to understand. Range of motion (ROM) is simply the distance and direction your joints can move. The more flexible you are, the better ROM you have, and thus the greater mobility you have. Good mobility is the body’s ability to move with little to no restrictions.

Why is this a good thing? Because moving without restriction means moving without pain. And for those of us who have suffered through pain caused by tightness, poor mobility and/or decreased ROM, we now know the extreme value in working on our flexibility. Because pain is just not fun.

We’ve all noticed the ease and freedom that babies and children move with. Their little bodies are so pliable, bendy and free from restriction. How many times have we watched our kids move, and wished for the same ability to move freely? To get up and down without any strain, pain or tightness? We all have, and the older we get, the more we wish for this.

That is because naturally, we lose flexibility as we age. Coupled with the fact that flexibility training is the most overlooked aspect of most people’s fitness routines, we're looking at some pretty tight, often painful, bodies. I get it--when you’ve only got 30 to 45 minutes to work out, who wants spend any of that precious time sitting around stretching? Afterall, isn’t the reason why we’re at the gym to combat sitting around too much? Everyone’s just trying to get the most bang for their buck with the limited time they have to exercise.

However, these things combine to create the perfect storm. Not implementing a plan to work on the decreased flexibility that naturally occurs from aging will quickly lead to pain, strains and restricted movement. Thus, it must not be skipped. So many injuries can be prevented with proper mobility and flexibility training. Some of the other benefits of flexibility training are improved posture, reduced lower back pain and increased blood flow to the soft tissues.

Our fitness programs always include plenty of mobility and flexibility training. We have all clients foam roll prior to beginning their workout, then we take everyone through a proper warm-up of all the joints. The beginning portion of all workouts is a combination of dynamic moments and mobility exercises designed to properly loosen up the body for the programmed workout. And we finish up the workout by taking the time to stretch out everything that was used. We also encourage our clients to take our awesome weekly Gentle Yoga class with Kelly, on Monday evenings at 7:20m.

So fellow Fusers, let's work together toward increasing our flexibility! Less strains and pulled muscles, more fluid movement that feels good. Sound good?

As always, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Yours in health,

Kristin

Hi Fusers! Happy New Year!! Here at The Fuse we are committed to making 2013 the year to accomplish all your fitness goals. We are here to help with fun, creative, well-designed workouts that will leave you leaner, stronger, more functional, and more balanced in mind, body and spirit.

"Clear your mind of can't." --Samuel Johnson

This quote inspires us to keep going, keep trying, to never give up. It's often too easy to quit when things get tough. Those last 10 burpees for example--are they hard? Absolutely. Would it be easier and more comfortable to quit. Sure. But in the end, is that the most rewarding choice, the one getting you closer to your goals? Probably not.  Rarely is the easier choice the best choice. Results, success and accomplishment simply come from good, old-fashioned hard work.

The Fuse Fitness, both its instructors and members, is a place where everyone is supportive of each other. We are all in this journey together--to be fit, healthy and strong. To live life to the fullest. Together, we will achieve our fitness goals.

Whether your 2013 goal(s) is to do a strict pull up, complete 20 push ups in a row, sprint that hill without feeling like you're going to die, do the Tough Mudder or some other crazy race, or decrease your body fat while increasing lean muscle mass---you CAN do it. Your support system is here. The year is brand new. Time to clear your mind of can't and make this year all about the new you!

Yours in health,

Kristin, www.thefusefitnessstudio.com

P.s. Feel free to email us at thefusefitness@gmail.com if you ever have any questions or need some extra support or motivation. We are here for you!