About the Owners: Both originally from California, Tina's background is in Pilates and Nathan's is in personal training and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which he teaches and competes in.  After moving to Portland, this husband and wife team traded in mirrors and machines for hopscotch and hurdles and created Recreate Fitness, where people run, jump, swing kettlebells and climb ropes in a friendly, supportive and motivating environment.

Types of classes offered: One-on-one training and group classes consisting of full-body interval training and strength and conditioning workouts using kettlebells, suspension training, jungle gyms, sandbags, and bodyweight exercises.

What makes Recreate Fitness unique and why should everyone come check it out? We have some really innovative ways of working out as far as how we use our time and the equipment that we use. We do a lot of partner workouts, which gives people the chance to work with someone else and be encouraged by another person. We believe in community, and people tend to get very involved with each other in their workouts and outside of the gym as well.  Our goal is to keep things new, fresh, and exciting, while making it fun and playful so it doesn’t feel like you are exercising.

Advice for first-timers? Don’t be intimidated by what you see. A lot of people think they need to workout and get in shape before they come here. But we are open and available to people of all workout backgrounds. We always have at least two trainers for each class, so one person is constantly helping and advising the newer people. Having two trainers is unique, but it enables us to have larger classes while still providing the feel of a smaller more intimate gym. We are very good at making workouts approachable and scalable for new people.

One workout move everyone should master: Crawling - we think it is under-utilized and under-appreciated. There are always ways you can make it more difficult and scale it and it is a great full body workout that doesn’t require any equipment.  Burpees are always great too because like crawling, there are so many different variations.

Any favorite healthy recipes to share? I have a lot of healthy recipes! We post a lot on our blog, but my favorite is probably Zucchini Noodles. They are awesome because they are vegan, vegetarian, very quick, and really versatile and tasty. Here’s a recipe for one of Tina’s favorites for Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles from Bliss.