Ten thousand steps. You’ve all heard about the magic number that can turn you into a model of pure health, right? It’s good for us, but what if that knowledge isn’t enough to incentivize you?
What if you had to reach that daily goal so you could donate a meal to feed those in need? When you exercised, one less person may not go hungry.
That’s the brilliant business model of Vizer, a social justice wellness app that started in San Diego. The name Vizer is a play off of “incentivize,” a phrase that co-founder Samantha Pantazopoulos came up with.
The health app works like this: You exercise any way you want—whether you walk 10,000 steps, check into a gym, or play pickleball in a rec league. For each day, you accomplish your goal, a meal is donated to feed the hungry. The premise is that altruistic humans could use an extra boost to stay healthy and do good. If you don’t exercise, someone may not get to eat. To date, Vizer has already donated 3.5 million meals through food banks across the country.
In honor of National Hunger Awareness Month last month, Vizer partnered with brands to bring attention to food insecurity that impacts people everywhere, including homeless people, families, veterans, seniors, and college students.
One of Vizer’s partners, Jiant, launched a limited-release kombucha flavor called Planet Pomegranate nationwide, donating profits to food banks. Other partners include Vita Coco, Dream Pops, and Hydrant. Vizer also lets people earn rewards like free juice shots or protein bars.
Pantazopoulos came up with the idea when she was part of a social entrepreneurship incubator program at Semester at Sea. The first time she witnessed how devastating food insecurity can be was at a port stop in Senegal. Hunger was an injustice that she was inspired to do something about.
vizer app
Courtesy of Vizer
“I think a big catalyst was understanding [that] if you didn’t have enough food to eat and you weren’t properly fueling your body, it was going to be impossible to develop other healthy habits,” explained Pantazopoulos, who lives and works out of her Crown Point condo. She wants to make sure everyone has a shot at having access to good nutrition and achieve their health goals.
When she got back to California, she persuaded her cousin Dylan Barbour to join her in starting the company. Eventually, he quit his stable job (with health benefits) at Morgan Stanley in San Francisco to put his energy into Vizer. And just in case you were paying attention, you may know that name from his time as a contestant on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, the latter of which introduced him to his now fiancée, Hannah Godwin.
These days, Vizer is growing and thriving in its mission. The company already has “tens of thousands of users,” said Pantazopoulos. They’ve also signed up companies, teams, and schools like the University of San Diego, her alma mater which has been instrumental in launching her entrepreneurial career.
Growing up, the cousins were at opposite ends of the exercise spectrum, but they both struggled with balancing physical activity with nutrition. While Barbour was a college athlete, Pantazopoulos had asthma and gave up her sports dreams after she played on her fifth grade basketball team.
Pantazopoulos’ philosophy for exercise nowadays, though, is “ask yourself what feels good on that day.” One of her favorite activities is a beach hike from Crystal Pier to South Mission Beach. Recently, she bought ballet shoes online so she can learn to dance with a Misty Copeland video. “You gotta spice up your exercise routine,” she says.
Thirty minutes of anything that raises your heart rate counts on the Vizer app. And for Pantazopoulos, she and Barbour designed the social justice wellness app to not only measure activity but to also measure how many meals you can donate to “raise attention to the fact that the problem of hunger is all around us,” she adds.
The San Diego region has some challenging hikes, and one of the toughest is the 11-mile out-and-back trek to climb almost 3,600 feet to reach the top of El Cajon Mountain. The views all along the way are sensational, and the challenge of reaching the top is extremely rewarding. But it’s not a hike you should attempt without a fair amount of preparation.
I could go on. For all of these fantastic but challenging hikes, they require some training and a solid fitness base.
To help those looking to do some of these more challenging treks, we asked expert Gordon Janow, director of programs and founder of Alpine Ascents about the best workouts to get your body ready for these hikes.
“We guide technical peaks, mountaineering around the world, help people climb the highest mountain on each continent and run schools and summit climbs in the Cascades, Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan and Mount Rainier,” says Janow. “My background is as a Himalayan historian and logistics expert. I run the company and also work with people in terms of getting fit or training for mountaineering expeditions.”
None of the day trip 10-mile expeditions listed here compare to climbing Mount Rainier, but Janow says they do still take training. He laid out his best advice. Here are his fitness tips on the best workouts to help you get ready for hikes over 10 miles.
Courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service
Mimic the Climb
The guiding principle to training for hikes is sports-specific training, or doing something that’s as close to the sport as you can to get ready for it as one of the elements, Janow says. He recommends three days in the gym of using a treadmill or step mill (like an escalator that helps you continuously climb stairs, not a stair climbing machine) and then a hike on the weekend to build up endurance.
Gym sessions should be around 45 minutes with an emphasis on increasing your speed. “One misconception people have is like, ‘Oh, I’m slow but I can go all day.’ But if you’re hiking for 11 hours, your body is still working for 11 hours. So you want to achieve a certain pace,” Janow says.
You don’t want what would normally be a six-hour hike to take 12 hours, because that’s too much wear on your body, he says. So before you go out, you can work on boosting your speed with interval training on the treadmill.
Interval Training on the Treadmill
The goal for hiking at a good pace is usually 1,000-vertical feet per hour, Janow says. His training plans ask you to vary your incline from 5 percent to 15 percent, and then he says you can do intervals to build your speed. This could mean walking two minutes at a slower pace, then one-minute at 3 mph, and repeat. That way, you can build your speed over time.
Train on a Step Mill
You can also use the same method to pick up your pace on a step mill, going faster for one minute and slower for two minutes until you build up speed.
“There’s benchmarks, like being able to ascend 1,000-vertical feet per hour with a certain pack weight,” Janow says. “Each trip has a different pack weight. So you would prepare differently depending on the trip that you’re going on.”
Try to climb at your anaerobic threshold, Janow says. “An easy way to determine [this threshold] is that if you can be next to somebody and kind of yell out a few words, but you can’t hold a conversation,” he says, then you’ll know you’re in the right spot. “But you also shouldn’t be entirely out of breath.”
“What we’re trying to do is to increase this anaerobic threshold. It’s not about going as hard as you can for certain periods of time,” he says. “I want your anaerobic threshold to be something that’s pretty close to an all-day pace where you’re walking and I can talk to you.”
Strength Training
In addition to cardio, one fitness tip to remember is weight lifting to build up your strength, says Janow. That includes squats and lunges to strengthen your legs and glutes, but don’t forget about your back and shoulders so that you can carry supplies.
“You’re going to be like, ‘My God, the backpack on my shoulders is killing me.’ Or, ‘My hips really hurt.’ Or, ‘My calves, my thighs…’” he says. “If it’s your thighs that are hurting, let’s say, then you start working weights there doing squats or box steps or things like that.”
Weekend Hikes
There’s no substitution for actual time on the trails, so Janow says whenever possible, get out and do some shorter hikes to build up your mileage. Do shorter climbs with the pack you’d carry on the longer trek and get used to the weight and pace.
Claire Trageser has been writing for San Diego Magazine for 10 years. She also is a reporter at KPBS and writes for The New York Times, National Geographic, Marie Claire, Elle and Runner's World.
At Ringer’s Roller Rink in La Mesa, San Diego Wildfires player Hedy LaScar slams hard into Legs Get Em, knocking her down as she flies around the track. But when, a split-second later, a whistle blows to signal the end of the jam, Hedy skates back to slap the opposing teammate a high-five. In roller derby, these dualities are everywhere: fierceness and friendship, brutality and camaraderie.
“We, as women, grow up being told we can’t do these things, that we’re small, that we’re gonna get hurt,” says one Wildfires player, who goes by the name Xicana Heat. She wrote her master’s thesis on roller derby as a form of social and political resistance. “But everyone [I talked to for my thesis] felt … very strong, very empowered. And you’re surrounded by people who do nothing but support you.”
Photo Credit: Becka Vance
While a few players graduated to the Wildfires from Ringer’s youth league, most found derby as adults. For some, familial expectations barred them from sports as kids, so developing the strength and balance needed to play what’s essentially high-speed Red Rover was a slow (but rewarding) road. The Wildfires have members as young as 18. Others are in their 50s.
In derby, groups of five face off during two-minute “jams,” with each team’s “jammer” aiming to barrel past four opposing blockers and earn points. Invented in the 1930s, the sport drew serious crowds for a few decades, then declined, but a grassroots, women-led revival is bringing it back. The players take on punny derby names—and, for many, those monikers are a way to unleash the truest versions of themselves.
Photo Credit: Becka Vance
Though the players sometimes don’t know one another’s “real” names, their bond is palpable. At the team’s recent derby-themed art show at Convoy’s Hopnonymous Brewing Company, one player helped another study for a college Spanish test while SoCal Derby board member Reckem Ralph clarified details for their upcoming bout.
Each Wildfire I spoke to cited those bonds—even more than the love of the game, which they have in spades—as the reason they stay, strapping on their skates each week. “If I had to choose between playing derby and keeping you people,” Reckem Ralph says, gazing at her team, “I’d keep you people.”
Amelia Rodriguez is a writer and journalist and winner of the San Diego Press Club's 2023 Rising Star Award and 2024 Best of Show Award, she’s also covered music, food, arts and culture, fashion, and design for Rolling Stone, Palm Springs Life, and other national and regional publications. After work, you can find her hunting down San Diego’s best pastries and maintaining her five-year Duolingo streak.
It all started in Berlin. Five hours into a trip with a guy who could have been my ticket to EU citizenship, I fell. Hard. But not for him. I landed on the extremely sturdy sidewalks I chose to careen down on my fahrrad, which is German for “mechanical harbinger of seven stitches.” Or, bicycle.
I’m not afraid of bikes because of the accident, but I’m not the carefree girl I used to be when it comes to riding (nor is my right knee). So, when I scored a deal on a Masi road bike, straight from the Haro Bikes headquarters in Vista, I had some apprehension about getting back in the saddle. That trepidation—and healing from my stitches—has lasted five years.
Now, I feel ready to reclaim the road. My journey back to the bike lane starts now, and I’m here to learn and ride alongside you as a beginner urban biker. Here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way on how to approach your steel steed with confidence. Roll up that right pant leg and hop on…
Take Care of Your Bike
Bike maintenance is essential to enjoying life on two wheels—whether you purchased a $2,000 bike or copped a used one for $200 off Craigslist.
First thing’s first. You’ll want to take it to a local bike shop to get it tuned and cleaned. A visit to Stay True Cycle Works in City Heights is like taking your bike to a spa (seriously, it gets a gentle steel wool scrub and a plushy polishing massage). Owner and bike mechanic, John Cooper, will have your ride back in fighting shape within 20 minutes.
And if you’re pulling out their bike for the first time in a while, you can make sure it’s road-ready with Cooper’s “ABC Quick Check:”
A – Air “If you can pinch your tire, pump it up, even if it does feel kind of firm,” says Cooper. When in doubt, pump.
B – Brakes “Squeeze your brakes. I like to call it a ‘rule of thumb’. Put your thumb [in between the handle and the handbrake] and squeeze—not hard, but until it stops. Then, if [the handle] is touching your thumb, chances are you might need a brake adjustment. Something might be obstructing it,” he says. Alternatively, it may be time to “bleed your brakes,” a process that drains out air trapped in your brake system.
C – Chain “Check your chain,” says Cooper. Not shifting smoothly? Then stop by a bike shop.
Quick – Quick fastener “Check your quick releases to see if you can pull them off with your fingers,” Cooper shares. If that’s the case, you’re in need of a tightening.
Use The Bicycle Lane On a roadway with a bike lane, bicyclists traveling slower than traffic must use the bike lane except when making a left turn, passing, avoiding hazardous conditions, or approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
Ride With Traffic Bicyclists must travel on the right side of the roadway in the direction of traffic, except when passing, making a legal left turn, riding on a one-way street, riding on a road that is too narrow, or when the right side of the road is closed due to road construction.
Be Seen Day & Night Being conspicuous is an essential part of traffic safety! At night cars and bicycles are required to have a working front and rear light. Bikes are required to have many other reflectors as well. Even during the daytime lights, reflectors and hi-visibility accessories can be a key part of safety and visibility.
Cooper adds, “Try to make eye contact with the drivers. Scan the road.” Keeping an eye out for cars—and making sure they’ve got eyes on you, too—goes a long way in preventing collisions.
You knew it was coming, but here’s the big one: wear a helmet. Don’t be afraid to feel dorky. That beautiful brain of yours is worth protecting. Though it’s not mandated by San Diego City or California law for adults to wear helmets, it is required for anyone under 18.
Cyclist.jpeg
Beginning Bike Rides
My vote? Start close to home. Depending on your neighborhood’s proximity to major thoroughfares, beginning with short jaunts down side streets is best. Once you’ve gained some confidence, try these starter routes.
This 12-mile loop offers great views, flat surfaces, and even picnic opportunities for a pit stop. The 8-mph speed limit ensures a safe and leisurely cruise for all.
San Diego Bike Coalition suggests a colorful ride through the streets of Barrio Logan. The route includes nine stops for urban art patronage, starting at Chicano Park.
The 1,200-acre park provides ample promenades—pedal down a few, then head over the bridge and back for a simple, outdoor roll.
Your New Cycling Community
Already an excellent resource for safety and bike advocacy, the San Diego Bicycle Coalition is also a local beacon of the biking community. The organization offers classes—including collaborations on bike mechanics with Stay True Cycle Works, Family Bike Education onsite at schools, and virtual Smart Cycling courses—and a thorough schedule of riding activities for all skill levels. (The Community Bike Rides stand out as a family-friendly highlight.) May 1–31 marks Bike Month in San Diego, so you can look forward to several events honoring all things cycling.
Be sure to also check out local cycling groups which can be an easy way to make new friends with the same interests. Bikingis.fun is another great resource for cycling events. Don’t be dissuaded by its spartan Web 1.0 interface—this website launched earlier this year and maintains an up-to-date bulletin board of riding opps of all kinds, including Velodrome racing for the more seasoned rider or eager spectator (think NASCAR or Formula 1, but for bikes).
Danielle is a freelance culture journalist focusing on music, food, wine, hospitality, and arts, and founder-playwright of Yeah No Yeah Theatre company, based in San Diego. Her work has been featured in FLAUNT, Filter Magazine, and San Diego Magazine. Born and raised in Maui, she still loves a good Mai Tai.
Stake Chophouse & Bar isn’t your average steakhouse. Blue Bridge Hospitality’s Coronado outpost is a modern interpretation of a big-city steakhouse nestled in the heart of the small coastal community. The team at Stake has reimagined the whole steakhouse experience. By prioritizing a seasonal farm-to-table sourcing philosophy, a personalized guest experience, and unique service touches, like a formal steak presentation and a bespoke knife selection process, Stake distinguishes itself in a sea of steakhouses.
Exceptional steaks, including Wagyu from Japan, Australia, and the U.S., and fresh seafood flown in daily form the core of Stake’s culinary identity. The menu features a five-course omakase-style steak experience highlighting house favorites, plus an array of cuts, and classic steakhouse staples—think a wedge salad, baked potato, or pasta carbonara—refined for a contemporary palate without losing their traditional appeal. Stake focuses on seasonal sourcing from the region’s best family farms and specialty purveyors, and incorporates intentionally unexpected touches to create something truly unique.
“I challenge our chefs and myself to take it a step further in sourcing,” says Chef Ronnie Schwandt. “It’s important to us to highlight different farms, unique one-off farms—whether it’s cattle, strawberries, a local fisherman or from anywhere in the United States, we’re always trying to find that niche.”
Beyond the menu, Stake emphasizes outstanding service, says Vinny Spatafore, Director of Hospitality Operations. Staff maintains detailed notes, allowing them to remember guests by name, recall previous orders such as a favorite martini (also memorable for the customer since it’s served in an extra tall, distinctly-shaped glass), and celebrate special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.
“When you have those points of topic that you remember about a guest, they appreciate that,” he says. “Our servers are really good with that—we have a couple servers who have been here since the beginning and they’ll remember somebody from years ago, their name, their kids’ names, where they live. I’m really thankful to have a great front of house staff.”
Award-winning wines, rare whiskeys, special events, and a complementary black car service that provides transportation for guests throughout Coronado add to Stake’s appeal.
Schwandt stresses that Stake offers more than a meal; they aim to give patrons something unforgettable.
“It starts when you walk up the stairs and are greeted by the hostess—that sets the tone for the night. Then you’re greeted by a server, who may know you by name, and can guide you through the menu and curate as they get to know you,” says Schwandt. “Most people leave kind of blown away; they leave feeling like they just had an experience. That’s the goal, right? Whether you’re serving smash burgers or high-end steak, you want somebody to leave thinking, Wow, that was awesome.”
Yoga and Beer / Green Flash Hoppy Yoga People are religious about beer and people are religious about yoga. Why not pair them together? Every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to noon, before the Green Flash brewery opens, you can downward dog in the tasting room. For $15, you get one class and a free pint […]
Green Flash Hoppy Yoga
Yoga and Beer / Green Flash Hoppy Yoga
People are religious about beer and people are religious about yoga. Why not pair them together? Every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to noon, before the Green Flash brewery opens, you can downward dog in the tasting room. For $15, you get one class and a free pint afterwards. Try the Citra Session IPA, out this month. 6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, Mira Mesa
Zumba Teacher / Jaylin Allen, Bootique Fitness
Instructor Jaylin Allen is a perky, funky, talented ball of energy. She’s also a master of every dance style thrown into her 60-minute Zumba classes, making for stellar entertainment in addition to great cardio. The playlist is super current, students are torching calories, and she never stops smiling. No wonder Jaylin has such a loyal following. Saturdays at 9 a.m., Sundays at 10 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Dance Place at Liberty Station, 2650 Truxtun Road, Point Loma, bootiquefitness.com
Community Gym / Physical Culture 101
Owners Michael Kugler and Tommy Moring are all about serving the community. They’ve created a friendly exercise venue where staring at a TV is not an option. Equipment lines the perimeter, with open space in the middle for events like paleo dinners, seminars, and workshops specific to snowboarders or surfers. 1144 North Coast Highway 101, Leucadia
Girl-Power Fitness / Girls on the Run
Anyone who has ever finished a 5K knows the endorphin-driven self-esteem boost that comes from a good run. That’s the idea behind Girls on the Run San Diego, a nonprofit org that empowers middle school girls through fitness: a 10-week afterschool running program that culminates in a twice-yearly, tutu-friendly 5K. gotrsd.org
Spinning / The Rush Indoor Cycling Studio
This spin studio puts an emphasis on quality instruction and the latest technology, with Keiser M3+ bikes that monitor your heart rate and themed classes like “Summer Jams Ride” and “Throwback Thursdays” (preview the music on Spotify; request songs on Facebook). Costumes encouraged. Class: $20. 5628 La Jolla Boulevard, La Jolla; 11130 East Ocean Air Drive, Carmel Valley
Juice Bar / Fully Loaded Micro Juicery
Opened last fall in Leucadia, this spot offers 18-oz. bottles of cold-pressed, certifiably organic juices mixed with hard-to-find superfoods like blue algae and moringa. We’re excited about the juice cleanse menu and the almond milks made in-house. Bottles start at $10. 466 North Coast Highway 101, Encinitas
Class Variety / Fortis Fitness
So many of us piece together fitness memberships, with cycling at one studio, yoga at another, and Barre classes at yet another. With yoga, hot yoga, TRX, cycling, Zumba, barre, and more all under one roof, Fortis offers everything but excuses. 2712 Gateway Road, Carlsbad
One-Stop Shop / Mantra Yoga Studio & Juice Bar
This ultra-clean, modern facility is the first of its kind in San Diego, as it’s part heated yoga studio, part juice bar. Juices and boosters packed with superfoods like kale, beets, coconut water, and acai serve as the perfect post-sweat refresher. Bottoms up! 5617 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad
Trampoline Workout / SkyRobics
If you want to get moving, but cringe at the thought of a treadmill or dumbbell, take a SkyRobics class at Sky Zone San Diego. You’ll literally bounce off the walls in the hour-long trampoline workout, which combines calisthenics, core exercises, and strength training; burns up to 1,000 calories per class; and makes you feel like a kid again. 851 Showroom Place, Chula Vista
Outlaw Yogi / NamaSteve
Last year, Steve Hubbard (aka “NamaSteve”) took the city to court for trying to shut down the free yoga class he teaches weekend mornings on a stretch of grass overlooking the ocean at the end of Law Street in Pacific Beach. We are happy to report the code forbidding more than 49 people to gather in a public park was ruled unconstitutional, and you can still find upward of 200 people doing downward dogs on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. namasteveyoga.com
Boot Camp / Gut Check Fitness
Elliptical, schmelliptical—try a beachfront boot camp that was voted “Hardest Workout” by Competitor Magazine. Although the interval-style session designed by “World’s Fittest Man” Joe Decker is challenging, high-fives abound. With scenic venues in North and South San Diego and the motto “The Earth is Your Gym,” this workout puts the gym (and your gut) in check. 2707 Third Avenue, Bankers Hill
5K for Beginners / Carlsbad 5000
We love the Carlsbad 5000 because it’s scenic and the course is flat (hence the designation “World’s Fastest 5K”). Beginners and parents pushing strollers partake in the same event as elite athletes, and it’s not another color or costumed run. This year, 24-year-old Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia beat 39-year-old multiple Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat, clocking in at 13:13. Lagat, who came in at 13:22, beat the American 5K road record (see? fast). There are also kiddie events like the two-year-olds’ Diaper Dash. Next race is March 29, 2015. carlsbad.competitor.com
Yoga and Beer / Green Flash Hoppy Yoga People are religious about beer and people are religious about yoga. Why not pair them together? Every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to noon, before the Green Flash brewery opens, you can downward dog in the tasting room. For $15, you get one class and a free pint […]
Yoga and Beer / Green Flash Hoppy Yoga
People are religious about beer and people are religious about yoga. Why not pair them together? Every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to noon, before the Green Flash brewery opens, you can downward dog in the tasting room. For $15, you get one class and a free pint afterwards. Try the Citra Session IPA, out this month. 6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, Mira Mesa
Zumba Teacher / Jaylin Allen, Bootique Fitness
Instructor Jaylin Allen is a perky, funky, talented ball of energy. She’s also a master of every dance style thrown into her 60-minute Zumba classes, making for stellar entertainment in addition to great cardio. The playlist is super current, students are torching calories, and she never stops smiling. No wonder Jaylin has such a loyal following. Saturdays at 9 a.m., Sundays at 10 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Dance Place at Liberty Station, 2650 Truxtun Road, Point Loma, bootiquefitness.com
Community Gym / Physical Culture 101
Owners Michael Kugler and Tommy Moring are all about serving the community. They’ve created a friendly exercise venue where staring at a TV is not an option. Equipment lines the perimeter, with open space in the middle for events like paleo dinners, seminars, and workshops specific to snowboarders or surfers. 1144 North Coast Highway 101, Leucadia
Girl-Power Fitness / Girls on the Run
Anyone who has ever finished a 5K knows the endorphin-driven self-esteem boost that comes from a good run. That’s the idea behind Girls on the Run San Diego, a nonprofit org that empowers middle school girls through fitness: a 10-week afterschool running program that culminates in a twice-yearly, tutu-friendly 5K. gotrsd.org
Spinning / The Rush Indoor Cycling Studio
This spin studio puts an emphasis on quality instruction and the latest technology, with Keiser M3+ bikes that monitor your heart rate and themed classes like “Summer Jams Ride” and “Throwback Thursdays” (preview the music on Spotify; request songs on Facebook). Costumes encouraged. Class: $20. 5628 La Jolla Boulevard, La Jolla; 11130 East Ocean Air Drive, Carmel Valley
Juice Bar / Fully Loaded Micro Juicery
Opened last fall in Leucadia, this spot offers 18-oz. bottles of cold-pressed, certifiably organic juices mixed with hard-to-find superfoods like blue algae and moringa. We’re excited about the juice cleanse menu and the almond milks made in-house. Bottles start at $10. 466 North Coast Highway 101, Encinitas
Class Variety / Fortis Fitness
So many of us piece together fitness memberships, with cycling at one studio, yoga at another, and Barre classes at yet another. With yoga, hot yoga, TRX, cycling, Zumba, barre, and more all under one roof, Fortis offers everything but excuses. 2712 Gateway Road, Carlsbad
One-Stop Shop / Mantra Yoga Studio & Juice Bar
This ultra-clean, modern facility is the first of its kind in San Diego, as it’s part heated yoga studio, part juice bar. Juices and boosters packed with superfoods like kale, beets, coconut water, and acai serve as the perfect post-sweat refresher. Bottoms up! 5617 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad
Trampoline Workout / SkyRobics
If you want to get moving, but cringe at the thought of a treadmill or dumbbell, take a SkyRobics class at Sky Zone San Diego. You’ll literally bounce off the walls in the hour-long trampoline workout, which combines calisthenics, core exercises, and strength training; burns up to 1,000 calories per class; and makes you feel like a kid again. 851 Showroom Place, Chula Vista
Outlaw Yogi / NamaSteve
Last year, Steve Hubbard (aka “NamaSteve”) took the city to court for trying to shut down the free yoga class he teaches weekend mornings on a stretch of grass overlooking the ocean at the end of Law Street in Pacific Beach. We are happy to report the code forbidding more than 49 people to gather in a public park was ruled unconstitutional, and you can still find upward of 200 people doing downward dogs on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. namasteveyoga.com
Boot Camp / Gut Check Fitness
Elliptical, schmelliptical—try a beachfront boot camp that was voted “Hardest Workout” by Competitor Magazine. Although the interval-style session designed by “World’s Fittest Man” Joe Decker is challenging, high-fives abound. With scenic venues in North and South San Diego and the motto “The Earth is Your Gym,” this workout puts the gym (and your gut) in check. 2707 Third Avenue, Bankers Hill
5K for Beginners / Carlsbad 5000
We love the Carlsbad 5000 because it’s scenic and the course is flat (hence the designation “World’s Fastest 5K”). Beginners and parents pushing strollers partake in the same event as elite athletes, and it’s not another color or costumed run. This year, 24-year-old Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia beat 39-year-old multiple Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat, clocking in at 13:13. Lagat, who came in at 13:22, beat the American 5K road record (see? fast). There are also kiddie events like the two-year-olds’ Diaper Dash. Next race is March 29, 2015. carlsbad.competitor.com
While glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agents have been used to treat Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years, their recent emergence as weight-loss wonder drugs marked a new frontier in medicine. But their effectiveness has left some patients wondering what to do once they’ve reached their goal. Stopping the medication could mean regaining some, if not all, of the weight. A Scripps Clinic internal medicine physician recently conducted a small study of whether GLP-1 patients who had reached their goal weight could maintain that weight by taking their regularly prescribed injection every other week instead of weekly. Spoiler alert: 30 of 34 patients did. Read more about the study here and what that may mean as pharmaceutical companies roll out oral GLP-1s.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
