My healthy happier life

ashleyd / May 14, 2012

Fitness Magazine’s Blogger Meet & Tweet

Last week, I had the most amazing time spending time with like minded fitness bloggers at Fitness Magazine’s Blogger Meet & Tweet event at the Metropolitan Suite in New York City.

After a sweaty Soul Cycle session with Julie and Kristine, I walked the mile West over to the event space, unsure what to expect from the day.

Over 100 fitness bloggers and professional were in attendance which overwhelmed me at first. But, within minutes, I joined the rest of the crowd for the brand interaction portion where we had the chance to network and mingle with brands such V8, Pure Protein, Kiwi Sweat, Birkenstock, and Oakley.

I had a great time getting to know each of the brands better and even went home with some amazing swag from the sponsor brands. During this portion of the event, bloggers were given a passport, featuring each of the brands logo, which needed to be stamped in order to receive the large swag bag at the end of the day. While each booth was great, I especially loved learning more about Kiwi Sweat since they are a local NYC pop-up fitness company! Just last week they hosted an outdoor spin class on the East River promenade!

From 10:30-12:30 I spent the next 2 hours in the third row of the speaking area listening to amazing fitness professionals share their wisdom with us. Luckily, I wasn’t alone, and instead was joined by my fellow blogging buddies as we recorded, took notes, and asked questions of the speakers. Looking back, I wish I had spent more time networking and catching up with some of the out of town bloggers who were present for the event. But, as someone who has put together events such as this, I know how important it is to have an audience. Therefore, we focused and took notes as we laughed along with each entertaining speaker.

AJ Jacobs

Talk about hilarious; this self proclaimed nerd left us laughing as he shared his memories from his year of living healthy. The author of two other New York Times best sellers, his book, Drop Dead Healthy just hit the bookstores and chronicles his year of living healthy. Below are a few nuggets I captured from his presentation:

Healthy isn’t all about diet and exercise. Noise can also be detrimental to your health.
Respect your older self. The more you think of your future the healthier you’ll act.
Harness peer pressure and use social media to motivate you towards a healthier life.

The Real Deal on Carbs, Cleanses and Caffeine with Keri Gan and Tanya Zuckerbot

These two classy ladies shared their thoughts on some of the most frequently asked question in health and dietetics- to cleanse or not? Both agree that over the past 10 years carbohydrates have gotten an unfair bad wrap in the United States. Years ago Americans indulged with one Oreo but during the past 10 years they have replaced that one Oreo with a sleeve of Low Fat Snackwells. Here are a few of the key nuggets I took away:

It’s all about portion control.
Carbs don’t make you fat. Carbs in excess of what your body needs, make you fat.
Your workout without the carbs and energy won’t be as successful.
Cleanses can lead to lost muscles because they decrease metabolism so you gain weight faster after the cleanse.
You have a kidney and liver to cleanse your body naturally.
There are lots of health benefits of coffee, especially if you have 3 cups per day!

The other discussion that I really enjoyed was Laura Gellar’s beauty tip session during which she amused the crowd with her amazing personality and taught us industry tips and tricks. I am going to include these tips in a later post as I’ve already started putting some of them into action.

Overall, I feel like Fitness Magazine did a wonderful job putting on this event, especially considering it was their first one. I wish I’d spent more time connecting with amazing bloggers but really appreciate the speakers I was able to hear as well. This definitely excites me for the upcoming events this summer such as BlogHer, Healthy Living Summit, and Fit Bloggin! I always learn so much from these events and love the chance to spend time with other bloggers; especially those within the Fitfluential family!

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ashleyd / May 12, 2012

A Walk Down Memory Lane

It feels so wonderful to be back in Athens, Georgia. There is no doubt that some of my fondest memories are still, to this day, in this wonderful college town where there is the perfect downtown a block from campus and a famed, historic North Campus which was where the oldest state university started classes is 1785.

But, before I share Athens with you, let’s back track to Cincinnati. My trip there was short and sweet. We stayed at the Downtown Westin which is always trustworthy. You know your room will be nice, the bed will be comfortable, the gym will be crowded, and the breakfast at Ingredients downstairs can’t be beat!

Wednesday night’s team dinner was at Jeff Ruby’s which was just as incredible as I remembered it being seven years ago! While I didn’t indulge in steak since I just had one last week in Houston, I loved the fish and the service was phenomenal.

I was off to the airport again early yesterday morning for a direct flight to Atlanta. The Cincinnati airport does a wonderful job of having plenty of food options in almost every terminal! I was able to snag a healthy breakfast and a sunny window seat while I waited for my flight.

The uneventful flight was short and sweet, delivering us safely to Hartsfield 20 minutes early!

Since Atlanta is known for its’ horrible traffic, I took advantage of their public transportation, MARTA. By taking MARTA (Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) to the northern most station, Doraville, I was able to help my father in law avoid traffic. The trip was smooth and easier than I remember. For $2.50 it can’t be beat!

By 2pm, I was finally back in Athens ready to reunite with old friends, celebrate my sister-in-law Meg, reminisce, and enjoy the gorgeous weather!

The campus was alive with the sound of graduates!

Before she headed down to graduation, we wandered North Campus taking graduate and family photos!

It was surreal celebrating Meg’s graduation 6 years after I graduated from the University of Georgia. While the names of the bars have changed and some of our favorite restaurants are no longer downtown, everything else seems the same. I was even recognized by a number of my old professors, mentors, and University staff who I worked with due to my involvement in Student Government, Greek Life, and the Arch Society while I was a student. So wonderful to have so many warm hugs yesterday!

When I graduated, graduation took place between the hedges in Sanford Stadium at 10am. Due to heat and other issues, the University has since decided to make the main graduation an evening event which worked perfectly! By 7pm the sun is setting and even the hottest days are starting to cool off which makes a 2 hour graduation for over 5,000 graduates who decide to walk in graduation more than bearable.

Meg, like many graduates, decorated her cap in hopes that her family could spot her in the crowd. Miraculously, as we sat waiting for the procession I realized that her school, the Grady school of Journalism, was the first school to process into the stadium. Within seconds I spotted her blue and white polka dot cap and dashed down to capture some photographs.

Luckily, we were able to meet up with the graduate for an evening of celebratory drinks after graduation ended! Three of my friends from undergrad who happen to live in Athens came out to spend the evening celebrating and catching up with us which was such a wonderful surprise! Great friends along with Sweet Water 420 made for the perfect night!

Now that we’re awake and recovered after a delicious breakfast with Bo’s parents and grandmother at Big City Bakery, it’s time to hit the Athens hills for a long run! Catch you later from Atlanta!

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ashleyd / May 10, 2012

Share Your Marathon Story

So even though just twelve hours ago I was walking to Fitness Magazine’s Meet & Tweet event, I’m now sitting in a Cincinnati hotel room.

Remember when I said the next few weeks were going to be travel whirlwinds? Yup, I wasn’t being dramatic, believe it or not.

While I was on the plane this evening, I took advantage of the peace and solitude to focus on some much needed blog work. I’m embarrassed that I’ve fallen so behind on blog emails, comments and projects. When I was searching my inbox I happened to come across the very first Marathon+Moderation guest post which was submitted. Good thing I came across it or I would have forgotten that its’ one year anniversary is only 10 days away!

A year ago I was just starting to think about the training cycle for my second marathon. At that point, I was without a coach and looking to learn from my peers who inspire me each weekend. A year later, over 40 bloggers and readers have shared their marathon stories. Some have been about new PRs while others have been about having the courage to DNF or listen to your body.

While each person’s story is very different, I’ve loved reading each of them! In honor of the year anniversary, I thought I’d capture them all here, on one page, for your reference. This post will become the Marathons+Moderation page on my site moving forward so you can easily reference your favorite tips and tricks.

It’s my goal to keep bringing you all guest posts each Wednesday from your favorite runners. Until next week, here is the year in review. If you want to share your marathon story, or have a runner who you’d like to see featured, let me know in the comments or send me an email!