FitSocial: Making the Decision to Attend

True Story:  I had some friends talking about doing a wine bar crawl on Saturday, and I was debating between the conference and going out with the girls.  Seriously, first world problems.

Something was tugging at me to reconsider attending, and likely it was my recent lack of inspiration.  I mean, I love being healthy, writing here at NTTC, and trying new recipes, but I’ve just felt sort of sluggish and not very focused on my efforts.  I can blame it on residual torment from the slightly terrible awful in late August, or the fact that I have a stressful job, or if I was digging for reasons, I might even blame the crappy non-sunshiny weather we’ve had of late.  Regardless, staying inspired and motivated is not an option and in honor of Selfish September… I chose to attend the event.

Fit Social (as it’s casually known) is held in my backyard.  The first day takes place in Boulder, while day two is hosted at the world-class Anschutz Center in Denver.  The cost of the event is extremely affordable (Only $95 if you’re a blogger and you agree to write about the sessions) and I wouldn’t have to incur any flight/hotel costs.  I mean, why WOULDN’T I attend this conference??

Truth be told, I was a little intimidated by the idea of going.  This conference caters to personal trainers, fitness bloggers, and health professionals.  I knew walking in that I would be in the minority.

I also knew that I would have to make myself walk in alone… not knowing well any of the other attendees.  In the end, I think this was the best thing for me!  When I attend an event like this by myself, I am forced to interact a little bit more and have no choice but to mingle and socialize… I met so many wonderful people as a result!  I’ll tell you more about them in the next few days.

Friday morning, I arrived at the Millenium Hotel for the opening ceremonies.  Registration and an expo of sponsors had been scheduled, and I knew there were a lot of local companies that I wanted to meet.

Within the expo itself, I met so many incredible people and got introduced to many new brands.  There’s WAY too many to mention, but I’ll highlight a few of my faves.  (For a full list of sponsors, click here)

Soybu was one of them!  A local company out of Denver, they have been creating gorgeous yoga gear since 1998 (and I can’t believe we’re only meeting now!)  I had received an email the day before the conference from Soybu saying to stop by for some gear… and what they gave me was GORGEOUS!

They unfortunately (not really) were out of booty shorts in my size, so they ended up giving me a pair of their Killer Caboose pants and a long sleeve Dolman Crew top both in black.  These pieces are not only made of the most delicious fabric, but they’re also incredibly beautiful.

I ended up wearing the pants on day two and can’t wait to wear the dolman top.  It’s seriously nice enough you could wear it for non-workout activities as well.

I also met Carin from LiveWellColorado.org, who represented one of my favorite non-profits in Colorado.  Live Well has made it their mission to continue to keep Colorado on the list as the “fittest state” in the nation, by promoting healthy living and fighting obesity.

I’m hoping to partner up with Carin and LiveWell this year… so while this is the first time you’re hearing about them, it certainly won’t be the last!  Great organization!

Last but certainly not least, I stopped by the Anschutz Wellness booth to talk to the folks who were representing this world-class facility.  Within a few minutes, I was completely in awe and inspired.

We were moments away from hearing Dr. Jim Hill talk about his new book State of Slim, but the folks from Anschutz gave me a sneak preview.  The book details what Jim has called the “Colorado diet” and I thought… this is a book I should pick up, and I did!

Overall, the swag was AWESOME.  I picked up so many fun items from the tables, and even an apple to snack on from the organic online grocer in attendance.  I was psyched and ready to join the conference!

Throughout the week, I plan to highlight what I learned at FitSocial and introduce you to some of the fantastic people I met along the way.  Stay tuned!