A new vegan gym has opened in Oakland, California named “Plant Based Fitness.”
The gym, run by vegan personal trainer Gary Whitaker, focuses on mindfulness, body weight training, plant-based nutrition, and wellness. Whitaker opened the gym after struggling with his own weight and transforming his life with a plant-based lifestyle.
“I searched to find a program that fit my needs,” the gym owner said in a recent interview. “One centered on total wellness and plant-based nutrition, and my findings fell short of what I was seeking. Plant Based Fitness is more than just a gym; we are a transformation studio. This means you will find services here that are rarely part of a fitness facility; services that not only build strength and functional fitness but also address member health from a holistic perspective that are designed to foster a mind-body transformation.”
So far, the vegan gym has received positive feedback from customers. One client wrote in a testimonial, “Gary is more than a personal trainer, he’s a friend that’s truly invested in my wellbeing and a passionate advocate for all his clients…Gary is also very knowledgeable and energized about food as a health tool and not just a ‘diet’ but really a way of life.”
The gym-owner doesn’t intend on stopping here either, Whitaker also plans to open more vegan businesses in the form of juice bars, healing centers, and more. He plans to help underserved communities have access to holistic wellness.
Whitaker is not the only athlete to uncover the positive effects that plant-based living can have on both the mind and the body. Many professional basketballers, footballers, runners, surfers, and more, are also now opting to eat a vegan diet.
In May, Manchester City footballer Fabian Delph, who has a place in the England World Cup squad, said his plant-based diet is key to his overall well-being. Not only did it help the athlete to recover from injury physically but it also assisted him mentally too. “I changed the fuel I put into my body and switched to a vegan diet,” he noted. “I feel that my new lifestyle is key to my state and my overall outlook on life, strengthening how I view things on the whole.”
