Sara is excellent at knowing what to do to keep my bones strong. I have neck and back issues and…read moreshe knows how to keep me strong.

I have been training with Sara at Ellis Fitness Studio for a year now, and I truly look forward to…read moreour sessions! I have definitely seen results, including increased muscle tone and feeling stronger in my other activities. And being 61, I feel good that I am taking care of my bones, especially important for women as we get older. Sara makes weight training fun, and we always share a good laugh. She keeps me engaged with a wide variety of exercises and makes adjustments as needed. I'm really glad to have found her!

Working with Parand was one of the best decisions I have ever made. She built my body back after…read morehaving 2 kids. I am now stronger than I have ever been in my life and I am grateful to her each time pick up my baby, or carry my toddler on my back. I am back to doing the activates I enjoy without worrying about getting hurt. She is very knowledgeable, her classes are always different and fun and she has a great energy. The expense was a lot for me, and I considered other options. But her expertise, the accountability, and the personalized sessions were 100% worth it. The North Bay has gained a treasure!

I highly recommend Parand as a fitness coach, if you are looking to become more active or find new…read moreways to be active. When I first started working out with Parand, I had exercised sporadically over the years but nothing really stuck. My scheduled work-outs with her helped me get into the best shape of my life and begin to incorporate fitness as a regular and ongoing habit. Over this time, I also lost about 20 pounds and significantly increased my overall strength and flexibility. In the beginning, I took private classes as honestly I felt too uncoordinated and out of shape to work out in front of other people. Over time, I then graduated to her group classes. Both formats I enjoyed and found helpful. Parand has a wide repertoire of workouts, and it's always interesting. Parand is also just a lovely human being. It was always great to catch up with her during my classes. If you are trying to find new ways to be active, I really recommend starting with Parand as a first step.

Lauren Kern is one of a kind. When I started working with her I was insecure in my stride and…read moreneeded a good push. Lauren was supportive and taught me a lot about my weaknesses and highlighted my strengths. In just a few sessions, I found not only a worthy trainer, but also someone who I felt understood my path and turned a "workout" into a place to explore myself. Thanks Lauren, with your years of experience and your personability. I finally see my potential.

Lauren is someone I admire and trust. I am turning 50 with a hip replacement and was very lucky to…read morefind somebody like her who developed a personalized program to help me recuperate my strength. She makes the class fun every time I am with her and cares about my overall health. If you are lucky to get into her schedule , she is one of the best investments you can make for yourself!

Mari is amazing and everything you'd want in a coach. She's empathetic, understanding, flexible,…read moreand also holds you accountable in a way that challenges you to improve physically and mentally We've worked together for the past 5+ years and what I've needed has changed over the years. In the pandemic days, it was the motivation to move my body when I just wanted to lay down all day. As I made incremental improvements and started moving regularly, the focus shifted to other aspects of my life that were related to movement: nutrition and sleep The important questions started-- why am I showing up to my workouts exhausted? Am I sleeping enough? How do I juggle the many different aspects of my life-- personal, work, caregiving, networking, etc? Am I eating enough? Am I eating regularly? Why do I go from 0 to 100 and go from not working out at all to workout out so much I could potentially get injured? We also focused on different types of movement: mobility, strength training, working on the areas of my body like my back and wrists that had sensitivities, stretching, and setting me up for success for things like run club. I learned about hormones and having my life style be adjusted to my menstruation cycle (more difficult strength training workouts during ovulation, focus on stretching and walking during luteal phase) It has been an incredibly challenging journey to face all of these aspects of my life and have these mindset shifts day by day and now year by year, but I know that I have Mari cheering me on and by my side every step of the journey to guide and support me. I'm excited to continue to work with Mari and I would highly recommend her programs

Mari is an exceptional trainer and coach and I wholeheartedly recommend her after training together…read morefor 4 years. She has excellent technical knowledge and skill, and is great at giving feedback and unlocking difficult to diagnose issues (both physical and sometimes mental). She is passionate about her work - she is constantly learning and genuinely wants to help her clients achieve their goals, whatever those goals may be. She is extremely observant and isn't afraid to deliver direct feedback when necessary for growth, but always does so with kindness. She's also an excellent pre and postnatal trainer, and her guidance was exactly in line with my PT's. After working out with various trainers for over 12 years, Mari is the very best I've been lucky enough to train with and learn from.

Terrific gym with a wonderful atmosphere. Friendly staff, plenty of equipment and good energy. I…read moretalked to Xavier on the phone and in person and he was helpful and funny. Thanks for letting me drop in! Bram Wiley

Nadia is such a competent trainer, keeping my workouts varied and challenging in just the right…read moreway. I have injuries that she competently works around, keeping me training hard enough to strengthen me, but not hurt me. I like the facility, everything I need there, and centrally located for easy gym runs when the mood/time strikes. She mixes science based testing to help me gauge my progress. I am doing really well at this gym. I highly recommend her for all ages.

I've had private coaching with Sharon at International Fire Pilates for nearly 2 years, and it has…read moremade an unanticipated big difference in my strength and mobility. I had a chronic hip infection when I started, which had secondary ramifications for how I walked and moved. Sharon is very intuitive and identified and corrected issues I hadn't even been conscious of. I since had surgery and treatment that eradicated the infection, but required reeducation in how to walk and move. I've had good physical therapists, but my work with Sharon restored my body in ways I hadn't thought possible. I can't recommend Internal Fire highly enough.

I'm so excited that Internal Fire Pilates is close to where I'm moving in San Rafael. This studio…read moreis a true gem in Marin. What makes it stand out immediately is that they teach classic Pilates, which is surprisingly hard to find these days. So many studios have moved toward trendier, watered down versions of Pilates, but Internal Fire stays true to the original method and you can absolutely feel the difference in the quality of the workout. Another thing that really impressed me is the equipment. They have top of the line apparatus that you just don't see in many of the other Pilates studios around Marin. Everything is beautifully maintained, professional grade, and clearly chosen with serious Pilates practice in mind. It makes the entire experience feel elevated and authentic. The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable, attentive to form, and clearly deeply trained in the classical method. The studio itself is welcoming, calm, and thoughtfully designed. You leave feeling stronger, aligned, and energized. If you care about true classical Pilates and excellent equipment, this is absolutely the place to go. I'm genuinely thrilled it will be my new neighborhood studio when I move to San Rafael.

Dr. Lauren Malachowski is not simply a physical therapist. She will go the extra mile to ensure you…read morehave the motivation needed to achieve your goals. When treating my long-term knee pain, she tailored an achievable step-by-step plan enabling me to return to distance running. She listened through my skepticism, factored in the daily realities of life, and designed a program tailored to my situation. This dynamic, personalized approach to physical therapy was just what I needed. If you're looking for a physical therapist who genuinely cares about you and your recovery, then you are looking in the right place!

Lauren is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING in all aspects. She is incredibly intelligent, super personable and…read morehighly effective in her methodologies, which all sums up into making her the best physical therapist I have ever encountered. I met Lauren in 2015, after I tore my left ACL and had ACL replacement surgery. Prior to seeing Lauren I saw two other physical therapist, which at that time I thought was fine. I showed up, they gave me some exercises, I did them and went on my merry way, not knowing any better, until I had to go and take a functional fitness test and failed miserably. At that time, I was living in SoCal, but luckily for me I took a contract job that took me to the bay area. When I moved, I had to find a new physical therapist and that's when I found Lauren. From my first appointment I knew that she was the perfect therapist for me. I am a very demanding and straight forward person and told her right off the bat what I expected and what outcome I would like to achieve. I knew I needed to pass the functional fitness test, that became my primary goal. However, I've always been an avid runner and a group fitness instructor so improving my running pace and becoming leaner and stronger were my secondary goals. Lauren never hesitated and confidently reassured me that she will get me to where I want to be. In the span of 3 months I went from experiencing knee pain with every movement to being able to lift weights, complete intense plyometric workouts, and running 8min/mile for up to 4 miles. Lauren was able to get me into better shape than before my injury and in the process, I lost 12 lbs without even thinking about it. Lauren goes above and beyond for her patients. She texted and called me regularly to check up on me and ask me for updates on my knee pain. In the 3 months that I worked with Lauren it never ever felt like work. I looked forward to going to my sessions and actually miss it when I am not able to keep my appointments. Lauren not only made a huge impact on my recovery but has also become a huge part of my life and her genuine care for me has turned us into friends. If you want someone who's all in and who takes your recovery as if it's their own, I wouldn't choose any other therapist. I whole heartedly believe that Lauren is the BEST PHYSICAL THERAPIST out there hands down. I recently tore my right ACL and ended up having another surgery to replace this one as well. I now live in SoCal again and cannot see Lauren for this recovery. I have Kaiser and am forced to go see Kaiser therapists, and all I have to say is that I've been disappointed with their level of knowledge and expertise, commitment to my recovery and overall effectives in providing me the proper care and treatment. I honestly, wished that I could move back just so that I can see Lauren again because I know that 3 months working with her would be more effective than years with another therapist.

Ultimate Fitness has been a game changer for me as far as my fitness goals for turning around my…read moreosteoporosis. Diagnosed four years ago, I changed my diet and supplements and stepped up my exercise with walking and hiking. I was determined to turn my bone density around without medication. But two years into it, another DEXA scan and I wasn't doing enough, my osteoporosis got worse. I went to UFIT about 11 months ago, 2x a week, in addition to my walking, hiking, and nutrition refinement. I just got a new bone scan and my bone density is in the osteopenia range, not osteoporosis! This is a big win and I plan to keep progressing. My doctors now say no need for medication now. I highly recommend UFIT's program. Nina is great, as well as the other trainers. Their training is highly specialized, I have looked at other resources. Give Randy a call!

The loss of muscle mass and strength as we age is insidious. It happens so slowly that we often…read moredon't even notice it. As a younger man, I had always considered resistance training to be more closely related to narcissism rather than overall health. However, that all began to change when my wife started going to Ultimate Fitness in Mill Valley and encouraged by her progress, I decided to give it a try. I had "resisted" at first, feeling that my 20-year yoga practice and two-mile daily walk were sufficient to keep me in shape. However, I am now a true believer in proprietor Randy Green's 30-minute, twice weekly resistance training regimen at Ultimate Fitness on Miller Avenue. With the support and encouragement of Randy and my personal trainer, Victoria, the results speak for themselves. Despite numerous breaks for vacations, COVID-19, various medical setbacks, including the diagnosis and treatment for an extremely rare blood cancer and a total hip replacement, I'm much stronger and healthier at 78 than I was at 69. I'm lifting more than twice what I was on all the 12 resistance exercises I do; for example going from bicep curls with 10-pound dumbbells to 20 pounders. I've gone from weighing 180 pounds on my 6-foot frame to 163 pounds with 18% body fat, and I no longer feel tired all of the time. I can do 20 push-ups but I'm still working on that elusive pull-up; gonna nail that sucker before I turn 80 dag nab it! So if you have been wondering about doing something like this but have been "resistant" yourself, give Randy a call (415-380-8033). I strongly encourage you to give it a try; you won't be disappointed by the results.