Healthy & Active Vegan Fitness with Karine Brighten

My name is Karine Brighten, and I am a NASM (www.nasm.org) Certified Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor. I teach spinning, bootcamp, pilates, and foam rolling classes. When Jennifer asked if I’d be interested in writing monthly blog posts about health and fitness, I jumped at the opportunity. I am passionate about encouraging people on their health and fitness journey.  In future blog posts I will cover topics such as tips on how to stay fit, fun workout ideas, injury prevention, and more.I want to start by sharing my health and fitness journey.  Growing up, I wasn’t into sports and was not athletic.  I struggled with my weight since I was a teenager and it fluctuated  up and down over the years.  I was at my heaviest before going vegan.I didn’t go vegan for health reasons but for ethical reasons, and the health aspect was an added bonus. With that being said,  going vegan doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll drop lots of weight (if any), some do, some don’t.  Let's face it, there are lots of unhealthy foods that just happen to be vegan, and are really unhealthy, Oreo’s is the first thing that comes to mind!Over the past 8 years of being vegan I still struggled with weight issues until I decided to change my diet and exercise more.  I have severe food allergies and most of the time I avoid restaurants because it’s really stressful having to trust that they will take my allergy seriously and check on every single ingredient. Sanctuary Bistro is the exception because they make everything from scratch, they take allergies very seriously, and most importantly I fully trust them.  It’s always such a nice treat to go there!All this to say that cooking at home 95% of the time means that I control exactly what goes into my food. I was able to significantly decrease the amount of oil I was using in my cooking and baking and cut back on heavily processed foods, and sugar (I have a sweet tooth).I feel incredibly lucky to be living in Northern California where we have access to fresh, local, organic produce from farmer’s markets pretty much all year round! I’m from Ottawa, Ontario (in Canada), and let me tell you, things are very different there!  Go check out your local market and get inspired by all the beautiful colors and get creative with your dishes. The other amazing thing about living here is that there are so many outdoor activities you can do, again almost all year round, such as biking, hiking, and kayaking.  I encourage you to try new activities, get outdoors, and have fun! It’s really important to find an “exercise” that you truly enjoy doing in order to stick with it.My husband and I joined a gym that was close to home (it’s key to find a gym that is close to your home to make it easier to go) and I started taking several classes that they offered. I developed a passion for indoor cycling and went three times a week and loved it.  I also took yoga classes and lifted weights. I was making new friends at the gym. Being the social butterfly that I am, I enjoyed the social and community aspects of the classes.A few months later, I noticed some big changes in my body and it gave me the motivation to continue living a healthy and active lifestyle.  A couple of years later, I decided that I loved indoor cycling so much that I wanted to become an instructor and I got my personal training certification so I could have a better understanding of the science behind exercise. I’m now teaching four days a week and in August I will be taking a Pilates Teacher Training Certification, as well, which I am super excited about!So get out and try a new fitness class at your local gym, try a new healthy recipe, and find a new activity that you love.About Karine: Karine Brighten lives in El Cerrito and specializes in Vegan Fitness in the Bay Area.  She is available for private and group personal trainings as well as foam rolling workshops in workplaces.Certifications:National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM): (www.nasm.org)-Certified Personal Trainer-Women’s Fitness Specialist-Group Personal Training SpecialistCertified Spinning InstructorTo find out more go to: http://brightenupfitness.com/ Upcoming Events:Plant-Powered Health & Fitness Speaker Series in Berkeley June 20th & July 25th