GVAC & Sweat Outdoors

I'm posting every day this month for the 31 Days writing challenge!

Click here to see an introduction and a list of all the posts I've written so far.}

Before I lived in Santa Barbara, I was not active.  At all.  My idea of a workout was having to trudge up a flight of stairs, and if there was an elevator or escalator available, you can bet I went with that option instead.  It took a little while for me to start actually enjoying fitness, but eventually something clicked and then I couldn’t get enough.  

In my growing excitement for all things fitness, I’ve bought countless Groupon and LivingSocial deals for various gyms and workout programs in Santa Barbara, just so I could try out different things and be challenged in new ways.  But as much as I enjoyed all of those deals, I always come back to Goleta Valley Athletic Club (aka GVAC).  This gym is a huge contributing factor to the fact that I am currently in the best shape of my life.

When I lived in the L.A. area, I had a 24 Hour Fitness membership, and while I did enjoy it, I don’t miss that mega-gym feel at all.  One thing I love about GVAC is that people know each other by name there, and there’s this sense of camaraderie even between people who don’t know each other.  I never feel like I’m being assessed or looked down on by the “bigger guns” – if I need help with something, there’s usually someone around who will gladly show me the ropes.

GVAC also has fantastic group classes that are included in the cost of membership, as well as small group classes that are available for a small additional cost.  (The small group classes are like personal training, in that you get more focused attention and help from the trainer, but since there are a few other people there too, the cost is less per person than a one-on-one session.)  I usually go to the boot camp group class on Tuesday nights and to a small group class on Friday mornings (the pic above is from a Friday class!), and then I pop in for some of the other classes like indoor cycling, “Ripped,” and Pilates as often as I can fit them in my schedule.   

Then there’s a recent discovery I’ve made, which is Sweat Outdoors.  This is a group that holds all of its classes outside, and since we’ve already established that the weather here is heavenly, I think you can agree that they might be onto something.  

I don’t even know how I first learned about Sweat Outdoors, but I started following them on Facebook and Instagram before I actually tried any classes, and that’s how I heard about something they do quarterly called SWEATfest – a huge group circuit training class (or a “workout party” as they like to call it).  

So I went to SWEATfest back in July, and I loved it so much that I promptly signed up for their “Weekend Warrior” membership, which gives you four classes per four-week boot camp series.  I’ve been going to a Thursday morning class at the City College stadium, and the trainer, Kayla, does not mess around.  And I absolutely love getting to watch the sunrise over the ocean while I burn a ridiculous amount of calories before 7 AM.

So these are a couple of the ways I stay active in Santa Barbara that are completely worth the money I shell out every month to do them.  (Later I’ll share some of the totally free fitness activities I love around here!)

But speaking of free...

Both GVAC and Sweat Outdoors are offering special promotions just for my readers!

GVAC is offering a FREE 3-day membership, as well as one group training class AND one personal training class!  This offer is good through the end of October, so make sure you jump on it soon so you won't miss out.  Just call them at 805.968.1023 and mention "Tabitha's blog spotlight" to the membership department to take advantage of this offer.

SWEAT is giving you 10% off your first boot camp package with the code "31daysofsweat"!  This offer is only good for the next two weeks, so make sure to sign up by October 20th!  To register, click here and choose any of the four package options, then enter the discount code when you are checking out.

AND it doesn't stop there!

SWEAT is also giving away this awesome trucker hat to one random commenter:

 

To enter to win the hat, simply leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite way to burn calories.  You can earn additional entries by following the instructions over on my Instagram post here!

31 Days of Santa Barbara giveaways will close at midnight on Friday, October 31st.  Winners for ALL the giveaways throughout this series will be announced on Monday, November 3rd!

{Disclaimer: All opinions in this post are my own; I reached out to both Sweat Outdoors and GVAC to see if they wanted to give my readers some swag, and they graciously agreed!}