San Francisco is routinely ranked as one of America’s fittest cities – so finding motivation to exercise here wasn’t hard.
This week the American College of Sports Medicine released its 2016 American Fitness Index – which examines the health and community fitness status of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. – and SF came in at number five. It usually hovers around the mid-range amongst the top 10.
As I drove into the city May 3, I could immediately see why it gets this ranking year after year. Driving along the water toward Fort Mason (where we were staying) there was runner after runner, bootcamp classes taking place on the grass and busy outdoor fitness parks.
It was heavenly.
Our first day we took a four to five hour walking tour of the city (offered for free by the HI Hostel we stayed at) – which was no simple stroll. The tour was called “The Hills,” so the entire time was spent walking up and down San Francisco’s infamous hilly landscape.
Even after hours of hill climbs, I was still inspired by the city’s fit life, so Melina and I hit a fitness park that night for a workout.
I packed my TRX and we ran through some supersets for upper body.
Here’s a quick peek at what we did:
And the full break-down of the workout:
- Pull-ups from below a fitness bar/TRX row
- TRX push-up/push-up
- TRX tricep extension/tricep dips
- TRX Y and T-raise for shoulders/Pike push-up
- TRX bicep curl/Push-up
We planned to hit the fitness park again the next day, but first we headed to the Golden Gate Bridge.
We set out for a walk towards it and then eight miles later we crossed right over the bridge and into Sausalito, the next town over.
We did our stretches, caught a bus back and called that our workout for the day. It was exhausting.
While we only fit in one actual workout while in SF, it goes to show that the world really is your gym. You can make do with what you’ve got no matter where you go, but it certainly helps to be in one of the healthiest cities in the U.S. By being active, walking around and staying somewhere with a kitchen (like our hostel) staying healthy on the road can be easy.
Here’s a little more information on our travels in SF:
Where we stayed:
HI Hostel Fisherman’s Wharf: This was located right in Fort Mason and about a 15 to 20 minute walk from the Wharf. It’s about the only accommodation with free parking and it’s safe and secure. It has a huge kitchen, it’s clean and the staff are helpful. It cost us about $140 USD each for a total of three nights.
What we did:
A free walking tour of the city: Offered by the HI Hostel and lead by a man named Henry who has endless knowledge of the city.
Visited the Full House house: This was, unfortunately, a let-down. The house has been entirely repainted making it unrecognizable. But I suppose if I lived there I’d get sick of the tourists coming by too and try to disguise myself.
Fisherman’s Wharf: We headed to Fisherman’s Wharf after our walking tour and went to Boudin Bakery where we had the original clam chowder in a bread bowl. I don’t want to know how many calories are in it, but it was delicious.
Alcatraz: We took the ferry over to Alcatraz on our last morning in SF and did the audio tour. It was neat and eerie at the same time.
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