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FeedBest of the East Bay - Health & Fitness
The best places in the East Bay to get fit, inside and out. A blend of an Ultimate Fighting Championship training camp and a fitness center, Concord’s UFC Gym teaches you how to kick butt. In addition to traditional fitness classes,
Joe Budd
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► New Gym
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► Nutrition
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▼ New Gym
Editor Pick
A blend of an Ultimate Fighting Championship training camp and a fitness center, Concord’s UFC Gym teaches you how to kick butt. In addition to traditional fitness classes, the gym offers mixed martial arts lessons (a mash-up of kickboxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, and jujitsu) and group instruction in the Octagon (the eight-sided ring used in UFC bouts). It’s everything you need to make like Randy Couture and Rampage Jackson, and get into the ring.
1975 Diamond Blvd., Concord, (925) 265-8130, ufcgyms.com. —k.h.
▼ Pilates Studio
Reader Pick
When Lisa Goldin opened Contra Costa Pilates Center in November 1999, she didn’t expect immediate demand for a studio that focused solely on Pilates. “I plugged the phone into the wall, left for lunch, and I had three messages when I came back,” she recalls.
One of the few master teachers in the area, Goldin insists that all of her instructors, regardless of their Pilates background, are taught the practice from scratch. “My philosophy is to teach Pilates as it works—pure Pilates, with deep-rooted knowledge from the master [Joseph Pilates] himself,” she says. Her studio isn’t just for nubile young bodies. Clients range from gym-loving police officers to longtime Pilates enthusiasts, who would all agree that they’ve never worked harder or sweated more than in Goldin’s studio.
1280 Boulevard Way, Ste. 210, Walnut Creek, (925) 938-2022, contracostapilatescenter.com. —Kristen Haney
▼ Personal Trainer
Voter's Voice
“Each workout with Pedro J. Bernardy [at Renaissance ClubSport] is different. He has an amazing array of exercises so that I never get bored. Sometimes I ask him how he thinks of these things, and he says that he stays up all night just thinking about what he will have me do on the following morning. I can’t say enough good things about my trainer.” -Jill Winspear, Danville
▼ Yoga Teacher
Reader Pick
When Diane Valentine was born with three fused vertebrae in her neck, doctors thought she was destined for a wheelchair by 50. Instead, Valentine pursued Iyengar yoga and at 63 is walking, teaching, and sharing the therapeutic possibilities of the practice at the Yoga & Movement Center.
Valentine refers to her approach as slo-mo yoga: “We will often go into the asana slowly so we can feel what’s going on not only in our bodies, but in our sense of ourselves and how we relate to the world,” she says. Her style is less stern taskmaster and more playful supporter, allowing class members to choose what works best for them—whether that’s pushing to the limit or taking what looks suspiciously like a nap on the floor. She walks around the room, making subtle tweaks to the body and encouraging students to become aware of themselves and their environment, both in the yoga space and in daily life.
Aside from a strong downward-facing dog, Valentine says her greatest strength is the knowledge she’s gained from developing her own practice and from her students. With 22 years of yoga instruction under her belt, she plans to stride into her eighties still teaching and practicing Iyengar—no wheelchair required.
1379 Locust St., Walnut Creek, (925) 938-9642, yoga-movement.com. —Kristen Haney
▼ Creative Fitness Classes
Editor Pick
If you ever had childhood thoughts of running away and joining the circus, Kinetic Arts Center gives you the opportunity to fulfill the fantasy. Their Cirq It class will have you hand standing, gripping a trapeze, and hanging suspended from the ceiling by pieces of cloth. You’ll work muscles you didn’t know you had—until your aching body reminds you of them the next day. The best part? The center often offers classes you can squeeze in during your lunch break, so you can perform acrobatic feats while your coworkers are busy noshing. 785 Seventh St., Oakland, (510) 444-4800, kineticartscenter.com. —K.H.
▼ Nutrition
Reader Pick
Consider In-Tun Health Center nutritionist Christine Hardy’s process a full-body tune-up. Instead of focusing just on diet, Hardy uses a number of assessments, from allergy screenings to neurotransmitter tests, to determine which vitamins and foods are right for your metabolism. Within a few days, you can go from listless or agitated to feeling like a newer, fresher you—no flushes, fat burns, or face-lifts required.
425 El Pintado Rd., Ste. 111, Danville, (925) 552-6574, in-tun.net. —K.H.
▼ More Reader Picks
►Boot Camp
Contra Costa Boot Camp, (925) 457-4587, contracostabootcamp.com.
►Butt-Kicking Workout
The Bar Method, 3211 Crow Canyon Pl., San Ramon, (925) 830-8825; 1946-A Mt. Diablo Blvd., Walnut Creek, (925) 933-1946, barmethod.com.
►Fitness Center
Renaissance ClubSport, 2805 Jones Rd., Walnut Creek, (925) 938-8700, renaissanceclubsport.com.
►Massage Therapist
Kasey Anderson, at Tribez, 111 Town & Country Dr., Ste. G, Danville, (925) 362-8600, tribezsalon.com.
►Personal Trainer
Pedro J. Bernardy, at Renaissance ClubSport, 2805 Jones Rd., Walnut Creek, (925) 938-8700, renaissanceclubsport.com.
►Place for Racquet Sports
Renaissance ClubSport, 2805 Jones Rd., Walnut Creek, (925) 938-8700, renaissanceclubsport.com.
►Spin Instructor
Shelly Valerio, at Oakwood Athletic Club, 4000 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, (925) 283-4000, oakwoodathleticclub.com.
