1) Who is Sara Mendelsohn? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)
I'm from Reno, NV, I am a personal trainer, vegan chef and blogger! I love to cook, workout and travel. I specialize in HIIT and functional fitness.
2) How many years have you been training?
I have been training for 5 years.
3) Whats been the most challenging/hardest part of your journey so far? and how have you overcome them (set backs, rejections, injuries, basically anything difficult that you have had to overcome)
I must say the most difficult thing I have had to overcome is listening to other people. This may sound silly, but my whole life I always ignored my intuition and put aside what I felt was right and would listen to others before myself. Once I let go of caring what other people thought about me and stoped living for others, everything fell into place.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like?
My typical workout routine is somewhat intense, but I love it. I workout everyday and I consider my light day/cardio day my “day off.” I workout between 7 and 9 am every morning and I start off with a 1 mile run. I then move right into my lift which lasts about an hour and includes at least 100 burpees or HIIT activity. I cool down with 20 to 30 minutes on the stair master.
My nutrition and diet is strictly plant based vegan. I eat fruit and raw greens all day until 4 pm, and then enjoy a warm meal such as my homemade pad thai with loads of green vegetables in the evening.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition?
Earlier this year I recently learned about food combinations! Combing different fruits and vegetables together is actually a little more complex than I thought. It is very important for our digestive systems to follow food combinations, such as you should never combine sweet fruits with acid fruits.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
I don’t really have “cheat meals” because I make a conscious choice to eat foods that are good for me, the environment and the animals (100% of time). My favorite treat meal though is my Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream topped with my homemade almond butter. I also love oatmeal with maple syrup, peanut butter and almond milk!
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
I already live without supplements! When I first started my fitness journey 5 years ago, I bought into the supplement industry. I thought that you needed them to be successful. This is not true, and in my opinion it is a waste of money. I do take black strap molasses everyday with my fruit smoothies, it is so great for your hair, skin and nails (It also provides SO much iron!) oh, I also take Aloe Vera to help with digestion.
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
I don’t think I would do anything differently. Everything I have done so far has made me the person I am today and I am so grateful for what my journey has taught me. I believe the only way to truly become wise is to learn from your mistakes.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
I greatly look up to Ellen Fisher (@ellenfisher) and Andy from @earthyandy. They both inspire me daily to continue with my vegan (plant based) lifestyle. Mike Rashid is also someone I have always looked up to, I love his outlook on life, drive and passion. When I first started working out, I watched his workout videos religiously to learn new things!
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Make sure you are doing what you love when you workout! Do not let your workout be miserable. Find something you truly enjoy doing and your workout will fly by. I love burpees and I enjoy coming up with different routines, movements and ideas in the gym. Sometimes 2 hours will fly by and I don’t even notice!
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
I am currently planning to move to Vietnam in October to spread the word about health, fitness and Veganism. From being in Vietnam I will travel from country to country trying to inspire people. I am on a mission to help save our planet, the animals and the health of our population.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
Check me out on instagram @sarathefit! I post all of my workout videos there! My website is saramendelsohn.com and it is filled with loads of FREE information on health, fitness (and being environmentally friendly). My site also includes loads of recipes and workouts so worth a look!.
If you would like an incredible 8 week workout program all you have to do is donate $25 )”(or more) to my campaign @ gofundme.com/thebigmovetovietnam (a great deal 😊)
