Palo Alto, CA Health and Fitness

Realizing the challenges of balancing family, career, and health, Brien Shamp decided to help mothers reduce stress and boost self-confidence via exercise. Pulling from his years of industry experience and fitness certifications, Brien spearheaded the boot-camp fitness program that has been lauded on Best of the Bay. He works with trainers at multiple gyms to lead women and other fitness-seekers through creative, constantly varied workouts. In addition to classes, Brien provides his clients with comprehensive nutritional advice while warning them of common diet mistakes, such as eating snacks with too much sugar or the realistic-looking plastic scones in their child's tea set.

A 28-year veteran of more than a dozen styles of martial arts, Erik Wahlberg has earned his black belt in tang soo do. He’s also worked as a fitness instructor, teaching in gyms for nearly 14 years. At Impact! Kickboxing Fitness he combines his understanding of exercise with his love of martial arts to create a dynamic space for positive, group exercise. For the bulk of his workout, he pits students against heavy bags, coaching them to throw flurries of punches to elevate their heart rates and build muscle. Each bag weighs 90–100 pounds, providing enough resistance to withstand blows that routinely take down heavy-duty traffic cones.

Emerald Hills Golf Course strings together nine par 3 holes that test short-game proficiency as players use shorter irons to propel their golf balls through course's frequent elevation changes. The sixth hole presents opportunities for holes-in-one with a downhill tee shot of just 120 yards into a bowl-shaped green, easily replicated from a backyard deck into an inflatable swimming pool.

Golfers hoping to shave strokes off their scores can work under the tutelage of the course's certified teaching professional, Chris Raddie. Players can then practice Chris's corrective advice after a lesson or before a round on the two practice greens or midsize practice cage, which can double as a penalty box for prevaricating scorekeepers.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 27 course
• Total length of 1,156 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 54.2 from the back tees
• Course slope of 88 from the back tees
• Two sets of tees per hole

Bodies metamorphose at Premier Personal Training Inc., where dedicated coaches customize holistic health routines. One-hour training sessions focus on posture, sports performance, or weight loss, among other benefits, each tailored to clients’ specific goals. Trainers draw up individualized supplement and diet plans based on unique biological signatures as outlined by the BioSignature plan, which operates on the idea that hormones determine body-fat storage. By taking a look at lifestyles and medical history, trainers can rectify imbalances with a combination of diet, exercise, and lifestyle modifications.

The company’s trainers boast a cornucopia of stellar qualifications. A cursory look at the wall shows certifications in strength and conditioning, a membership in the American Council on Exercise, and support for dangling kittens and their efforts to just hang in there. Free weights, a treadmill, and weight machines fill the facility, where no more than three students work out at a time, ensuring crate-loads of personal attention and privacy.

Team Taf's head trainer Adam Tafralis designs personal training sessions as well as group classes and elite programs specialized for athletes of all levels. Alexa's Fit Crew sessions pair total body interval training with cardio and strength workouts, and Mike's Noon Bootcamp incinerates calories with a series of fun and intense exercises. In addition, Team Taf hosts youth training classes to instill budding athletes with fitness fundamentals and the ability to fend off junk food-peddling cartoon mascots.