Last month, we got to experience what it’s like to be fitness influencers for a day when we attended an exclusive ONE Bar rooftop gym event at Burn Fitness in Santa Monica. To celebrate community and ONE Bar’s new line of protein bars called BASIX, ONE Bar teamed up with celebrity trainer Jeanette Jenkins and movement specialist Raquel Salvadori. Together, both instructors taught a HIIT class— high-intensity interval training—to a distinguished group of social media influencers who are also fitness trainers and health professionals.
As the only college students and non-fitness experts at the event, we had no idea what we would get ourselves into or what we would learn in the process. Here’s an inside look to a day in the life of fitness influencers and the lessons we learned:
Lesson #1: The Best Things In Life are…. Free Snacks!
Before our class, everyone was surprised with free ONE themed grocery bags. Each bag was filled with an assortment of ONE Bars, a Lululemon backpack, a Hydro Flask water bottle, ONE coupons, Health-Ade Kombucha, Flow Spring Alkaline Water, and Bulletproof coffee. But wait..that’s not it! We also scored more goodies!
Other goodies that we took home included: ONE Bar sports gear and T-shirts, High Brew Coffee, packs of Skinny Dipped Almonds, and an instant pumpkin dark chocolate muffin from Kodiak Cakes.
On top of that, we got the chance to sample their new BASIX protein bars. Each bar is sweetened with stevia, has 20 grams of protein, and contains only 1 gram of sugar. It also comes in three delicious guilt-free flavors: Cookie Dough Chocolate Chunk, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, and Triple Chocolate Chunk. Our personal favorites were Cookie Dough Chocolate Chunk and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk.
The people working at the event were generous to say the least. You could even say that we got a second workout in having to carry the bags filled with all the goodies back home. Who knew we would get the chance to take home and try all these healthy products!
Lesson #2: You Are Stronger Than What You Think
Take a moment to imagine two college students standing in a sea of fitness influencers. Everyone there was a hardcore gym enthusiast, and their bulging muscles proved it. Even though neither of us looked like polished athletes, we decided to take in the night as an opportunity to challenge ourselves, do our best, and work hard.
The HIIT class was organized by having ten different stations, each assigned with different movements. The stations ranged from kettlebell swings, holding a plank pose with a yoga ball, battle ropes, and so forth. After three rotations, we would all come together as a group for a quick cardio burst. It was definitely very inspiring to be in a group full of fitness enthusiasts, as their energy helped motivate us to push ourselves.
Although each workout was challenging, we pushed through and were surprised by how well we did.
Lesson #3: Community is Powerful
After we finished working our butts off, we were shown to a table filled with yummy, healthy post-workout food (all catered by Joan’s on 3rd). We expected everyone to only grab small bits but were pleasantly surprised to see people pile food on their plates, and even come back for seconds or thirds. We munched on fresh hummus, guacamole, pita chips, fruit, and vegetables, as we all socialized.
“What I enjoyed most at the event was being surrounded by fitness and health influencers who work and inspire people day to day to focus on themselves,” said personal trainer Tracy Thong.
Everyone there was extremely friendly, and we were all exchanging social media usernames and bonding. Everyone was quite surprised to find out that we were both USC students and not social media influencers. It was great to see how fitness and food have the ability to bring people together from all different backgrounds.
Lesson #4: Don’t Give Up On Your Goals!
Living a healthy lifestyle is not an easy thing to do. If you want to be stronger and healthier, then you have to constantly challenge yourself to set goals and practice resilience when you want to quit. The instructors, Raquel and Jeanette were crucial in fueling our workout. They were constantly dancing, singing, and shouting motivational words. Their encouragement and energy were extremely contagious, and being in a place with so many motivated people left us feeling inspired. By the end of it all, our muscles were trembling and we were drenched in sweat, but it was all worth it.