FitBloggin 2014 Recap (FINALLY)

photo courtesy of Carrie D Photography

Friday

I was so bummed that I could not participate in the workouts this year, but I am hoping to be able to next year when FitBloggin is in Denver!!!  All of the sessions were live blogged so I will link that up so you can get more details if you are interested.

The first session I attended was called The Introvert's Guide to Blogging, led by Jessica Humphrey.  I am definitely an introvert in real life.  I really enjoyed this session.  It was nice to be around other people like me who share their whole life on a blog, but are introverts outside of the internet.  (live blog)

Break time was sponsored by Ninja.  They were demonstrating their new NutriNinja (which is AWESOME and now I want one).  They had samples of different smoothies they had made.  One of them was a sweet potato with turmeric, sounds odd, but it was very good.  Click here for the recipe if you are interested! 

California almonds also provided a trail mix bar throughout the day both Friday and Saturday! This made for some awesome snacks!

And the California Avocado Commission provided some treats too.  My favorite were these blueberry-avocado muffins.

The second session I attended was Weight Loss: Maintain the Mojo! led by DubyaWife andKatrina Pilkington.  This session was great.  There were some really good ideas on how to keep going even when we feel stuck.  (live blog)

Next I attended Use Your Words to Change Your Life, led byAlexandra Williams.  I really liked this session.  Positive self-talk and learning how to change the automatic negative responses were covered during this session.  Definitely something I need! (live blog)

Lunch was sponsored by Run Disney and we even had a special guest:

The food was GREAT.  My favorite was the gazpacho soup!  

After lunch I attended Working With Brands on Google+, led byRebecca Stifter.  This was VERY informative for me as I am just starting to delve into using Google+. (live blog)

I played hooky on the next session.  My foot was really hurting and I needed some rest before the night activities.  

Friday evening was the Ignite.  This is where the speakers had 5 minutes to present their topics. Topics ranged everywhere from weight loss to how to make a cup of tea.  This was SO much fun! I left there really inspired to keep going in my journey!

Saturday

Here are the sessions I attended on Saturday:

• Fitblogger Tough Love, led by Steve Gray and Sue O'Lear - this session was good because it really talked about how we can sometimes be too supportive of each other instead of giving each other the gentle push we need to get off our butts and achieve our goals. (live blog)
• HIIT Chat, led by Larissa Q. Brown - This was interesting for me as I know almost nothing about HIIT. (live blog)
• OPTIMIZING RECOVERY: Maximizing Post-Exercise Nutrition with Dr. Wendy Bazilian - Very interesting discussion sponsored by Chocolate Milk (live blog)
• Make Wearable Fitness Devices Work for You: Reach your Fitness Goals and Maximize Your Healthy Choices, led by Drew Edmonds - This was a good session and I was a little starstruck by Drew Edmonds.  He trained Ruby (which if you have read my blog for awhile, you will know how much I loved that show) (live blog)
  
• DIY Success: The Tech Tools (And Free Plugins!) You Need To Build Your Blog To The Next Level led by Shannyn Allan (live blog)

I also made a visit to the Walgreen's bus.  They were providing free health screenings.  I was not able to climb onto the bus for the complete assessment, but they were so sweet and came outside to do the ones they could complete.  I was a little nervous, but I was pleased with my results.  My blood pressure was normal and my cholesterol and glucose levels were well within the normal ranges.  

That night we were surprised with a visit from Arian Foster from the Houston Texans.  He was there promoting Health Warriors and their Chia Bars (which by the way are one of my new favorite snacks)

The topic for Saturday night was a pro-blogger panel.  It was very informative, but a little over my head.  These people are making a living off of their blogs and I am nowhere near that stage.  I just write for fun! (and hopefully to inspire someone once in awhile).

Sunday morning was the goodbye breakfast!  I met some amazing people over the weekend and I am so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and attended.  It was not easy getting around the town with my knee scooter, but I did it.

I even snuck in a few treats:

Monday morning, Robbie and I had one last breakfast before flying back home to Indiana.  We had an amazing view:

I could probably write for another hour about this amazing weekend, but I think I have touched on the highlights.  I am already excited about next year in Denver.  And some of us are even going to attempt this:

The Manitou Incline! Guess I better start training, huh???

Sorry for the lengthiness, just so much to share.  Sending you all love and healthy wishes!

Keep Losing,

Kari