Interview with Vegan Athlete and Vegan Fitness Expert: Karine Brighten

Meet Karine Brighten, an all around vegan athlete, vegan fitness expert and vegan business woman from the SF Bay Area. Karine is the owner of Karine Brighten Events - a certified green business, specializing in eco-friendly and vegan wedding planning and consulting.  Karine is also a NASM Certified Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor. She teaches spinning, bootcamp, pilates and foam rolling classes. 

How long have you been vegan?
9 years

What led you to become vegan?
Ethical reasons

Do you have any influencers or favorite books?
Robert Cheeke! He does amazing work to promote veganism.

What sports, activities, adventures do you do? 
Mountain biking, hiking and pilates.

Do you have any big events or races planned for 2015? 
I'm also an event producer and I'm launching a new series called: Plant-Powered Health & Fitness and I will be featuring a different speaker and topic every month

How does eating vegan improve your performance?
It helps me recover more quickly from my workouts, makes me feel great, I have more energy

What are your favorite 5 top things to eat?
Peanut butter, avocados, almonds, banana, dates

How about bars and smoothies?
I love larabars, and I make my own date balls. Vega smoothies!

Explain your nutrition routine.
It all depends on what else I have going on that day. I teach 10 fitness classes a week so I'm pretty active. 
I usually snack on dry roasted almonds and dates in between my classes/workouts, have a smoothie after my workouts.

What's your primary source of essential fatty acids (EFAs)?
Chia seeds

What are you go to choices for complete proteins (including all essential amino acids)?
Quinoa

What are your other favorite plant proteins?
Lentils
Brown Rice
Beans (all varieties)
Chickpeas
Swiss Chard
Kale

What essential tips do you have for athletes moving to 100% plant-based?
Make sure you get enough protein, eat until you are full, don't starve yourself!

In as few words as possible, what does being a VEGAN ATHLETE mean to you?
Living a healthy and compassionate lifestyle

What is your motto? Your mantra? Do you have a famous quote?
Keep pushing

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Karine's Certifications:

National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM): (www.nasm.org)

-Certified Personal Trainer
-Women’s Fitness Specialist
-Group Personal Training Specialist
-Certified Spinning Instructor
-Pilates Teacher Training Certification (August 2015)

Follow Karine and find out more:

https://www.facebook.com/sfveganevents
https://www.purplepass.com/fitness
http://kbrightenevents.com/
http://brightenupfitness.com/

Upcoming Events:

Plant-Powered Health & Fitness Speaker Series in Berkeley June 20th & July 25th

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