Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Not so Wordless Wednesday: Fitness Magazine #FitBlogNYC Event - Ascending Butterfly meets Mia Hamm!

I have been a super busy Butterfly lately, so I thought I'd recap an Amaze Balls event I attended last week as a Not So Wordless Wednesday Post today. In 2011 I set out to amp up my fitness, not just to loose weight so much as to totally change my  lifestyle over for the better with a mind, body and soul approach. And I was doing great at it. I started out with recipe substitutions, I learned some amazing tricks and recipes thanks to a cooking class I attended at the International Culinary Council in New York City thanks to Fage Greek Yogurt! (You can read about that event HERE, and some of the recipes HERE (delicious lemon yogurt coleslaw) and a totally YUMMO Mac N Cheese recipe HERE and totally check out the super yum Tandoori Chicken Recipe HERE). I picked up a ton of fitness games for my Wii, and slowly but surely dropped 26 pounds and 3 dress sizes. Awesome stuff right? Then in 2012 a medical setback hit me like a lightening bolt, and after a series of exploratory surgeries and biopsies, and bed rest, the weight slowly came back on. Even though I'm not eating more (in fact sometimes I haven't had much of an appetite, I haven't been able to work out much).

Keeping still is not easy on a Butterfly. Butterflies like to move, well, they like to fly, and I'm no different. While I'm still not at 100% yet, I'm dying to get my fitness routine back! I had the chance to attend a Fitness Magazine event last week in New York City and it totally got me motivated again! The invite told us to wear workout wear and I put on my favorite new, fresh, just ripped off the tags Macy's Ideology Workout Gear (You can read my review of the line whose ambassador is Cheryl Burke from Dancing With The Stars, HERE), and even just putting my gear on made me feel like my old self again!

Here is the sign welcoming us to the #FitBlogNYC Meet & Tweet in NYC


The event had a very unique premise, we were given a 'passport' at the start of the event, and vendor tables were set up with products, product samples, demos or try on opportunities and at each table our passport was 'stamped' at the end of the event once you were completely stamped you were able to pick up a very neat swag bag. I didn't really need the passport as a motivator to visit with each brand, I definitely would have done so anyway, the chance to be able to learn so much about each product and brand one on one was fantastic! I visited booths such as Oakley, Birkenstock, Vichy, Reebok, Camelbak, V8, Schick Hydro, Kiwi Sweat, and the Grain Foods Foundation where I got the chance to meet Mia Hamm and she also signed a mini soccer ball for me!

Reebok challenged us to consider why Fitness is so important to us!


I got to try the Reebok RealFlex Transition Sneaker, the technology behind the shoe helps promote the natural movement of your foot, the 'nodes' are flex friendly and help the shoe to move and flex with you as you train and thanks to the reinforcements at the heel and toe they provide added stability. They are lightweight, and ideal for runners, but I can tell you whether you are running a marathon or just running to catch a train or bus, these are fantastic! I LOVE them! (I promise to post some photos of them in action soon, but if you'd like a shot at a pair of your own, or a giveaway here, you might want to hit up Reebok on Facebook and let them know you saw the Transition Sneaker featured on Ascending Butterfly and would love for them to host a giveaway with us!)

I also got the chance to try out and take home the Birkenstock Madrid Fitness Sandal which tones the foot and calf muscles while improving circulation. Much like Reebok, I was already familiar with and own a pair of Birks that I love that are quite well worn, so I am happy to have a new pair, in a very fun color for summer. (Again, I promise to post some photos of them in action soon, but if you'd like a shot at a pair of your own, or a giveaway here, you might want to hit up Birkenstock on Facebook and let them know you saw the Madrid Sandal featured on Ascending Butterfly and would love for them to host a giveaway with us!)

I also got a new pair of Oakley Sunglasses, I tried on the Oakley Urgency™ Polarized Urgency Sunglasses Oakley’s Three-Point Fit holds lenses in precise optical alignment and patented hydrophilic Unobtainium® earpads and nosepads ensure a secure fit. These really stay put and are definitely a runners/joggers dream pair of shades! (Again, I promise to post some photos of them in action soon, but if you'd like a shot at a pair of your own, or a giveaway here, you might want to hit up Oakley Sunglasses on Facebook and let them know you saw the Oakley Urgency™ Polarized Urgency Sunglasses featured on Ascending Butterfly and would love for them to host a giveaway with us!)

Some healthy snacks like the Fiber One® Chocolate Bars, and the delish V8 smoothies and the Frosty Chocolate Protein Shakes from Pure Protein were fantastic and definitely will be added to my shopping list!

Below: Here is a picture of Ascending Butterfly with Mia Hamm <-Linking you to her Foundation so you can keep up with what's new with Mia!

Left: Ascending Butterfly rocking her Macy's Ideology Fitness Gear Right: Women's Best All Around Soccer Player Mia Hamm!
I asked her to sign it to 'Ascending Butterfly' but she signed it out to 'Butterfly' which I thought was cooler!
Everytime I'm feeling down in the dumps about not being able to get my routine back on track yet, I look at my signed ball, and keep telling myself I'll get 'back on the ball very soon' and it's been keeping me motivated.

I loved that the event stressed the importance of a mind, body, soul, overall approach to wellness, which is exactly how I've been speaking it from DAY ONE! When the importance of meditation was discussed I nearly jumped out of my chair with excitement and enthusiasm for the topic! YES!

What I also Loved about this event it was the anti-thesis of a NYC event, especially at the Metropolitan Pavilion, those in the know, know it as the home Fashion Week shows, but there were ZERO high heels, cocktail dresses, runway fashions and not even a cocktail to be found. We were all in fitness clothes, a great equalizer, and a great way to feel part of an energized group of dynamic writers, fitness enthusiasts and experts, and brands that gear products to those who want to lead a healthy lifestyle. There were panels on makeup by Laura Geller, on keeping fashion gear fun and fashionable, and even a panel session on monetization and making a profit from your blog, with helpful do's and don'ts for bloggers to keep in mind when approaching brands.

Great Brands? Check.
Great Venue? Check.
Well Organized? Check.
Comprehensive? Check.
Super rocking awesome swag? Check, Plus, Plus.

But leaving with a feeling of motivation to get back to ME again? PRICELESS.

The me that lost 3 dress sizes, in a slow, sustainable and healthy way last year is now back to reclaim her life again. Until my medical nightmare is fully behind me I will have to start very slowly. Some physical therapy first, and then slowly start the process of changing what I eat and getting back to moving again.

Left: Ascending Butterfly, Right: Ms. New York Belleza Latina 2011


I don't think there really is a way to thank Fitness Magazine who put this all together in words that will actually express the depth of my gratitude for inviting me to this event. It's not just the 'stuff', and not just what I learned during the panels, and not just the great people sharing the journey I met along the way. Somewhere during that day I realized that no matter how hard this year has been, there is absolutely nothing standing in the way of me not only replicating last year's results, but actually surpassing them with perseverance, motivation and determination.


˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: I was invited to attend this event as a member of the digital press and fitness blogging community, this is NOT a sponsored post, as no monetary incentive has been provided to share my recap of this experience. All opinions regarding the brands in attendance, sponsors and products are 100% my own. Gift Bags were provided to event attendees.

4 comments:

  1. Those events are so inspiring.


    Have a great WW!
    POSH

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    1. It definitely was, the energy and enthusiasm for fitness and a healthier lifestyle was contagious! :)

      ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

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  2. Looks like you had an awesome time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was fantastic, I feel so motivated to get back on track!

      ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

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