Even if we did go for ice cream last night, today was the official first day of the Healthy Living Summit 2012. I was so excited when I got up this morning I could barely contain myself. Not only was I excited, I was hungry! Admittedly the two sometimes go hand in hand for me, so I wasn’t all that surprised.
For breakfast I had a bowl of Kashi Go Lean with almond milk and Driscoll strawberries (Driscoll is a sponsor for #HLS12 actually, but also a local brand that I always love). A couple of hours later I was hungry again so I had a Wasa multigrain crisp with almond butter and part of a banana. It was super filling and really hit the spot.
Around 11:30 or so I started my 3+ mile walk over to the Hyatt for Zumba at 12:30. I had hoped to leave by 11:20 so I wouldn’t have to push myself on the walk, but I got a late start (I blame that morning snack). I was already in my workout clothes and carrying a huge bag (which Melanie called my Mary Poppins bag) with my dress and shoes for the cocktail party tonight, jewelry, makeup, my wallet, a bottle of water, and basically just about anything else you can imagine. Needless to say, it was a sweaty walk.
I got to the Hyatt just in time for Zumba, and it was a great time! I love my Wii Zumba game, but had never actually taken a formal Zumba class, so it was a learning experience. I felt like I was a little bit behind some of the other people in the class, but it was a blast and a great workout and I think that’s what matters. Aundra, the Zumba instructor, snagged this picture afterward. We were all attempting to strike a Zumba pose, but I think I just look plain silly.
Afterward it was almost time for check in, so I planted myself in the lobby and tried to wait patiently. At 2pm I got in line, but not before snagging Derek for a quick chat. Not only was Derek the guest speaker for today, we also went to college together. He’s a year younger than me, but we lived in the same house at Harvard. The world is far too small, people.
After I got my name badge and agenda, I stopped over to grab my shoes! That’s right, Reebok gave us all a new pair of sneakers. How awesome is that?!
After the shoes, I got my t-shirt (which I put on today after a quick shower in Melanie’s hotel room–thanks again for that, by the way!) and my swag bag. Let me tell you, these organizers weren’t joking when they said there would be swag. This thing is epic!
I’ll provide a more comprehensive list and photo in a few days when I have more time to breathe, but just trust me that there is a ton of amazing stuff in there!
Finally I got a chance to hear Derek speak. He had a lot of great advice about asking your readers what they want more or less of and getting comfortable with your voice and what your message actually is. Really embracing my voice is something I have been working toward, but still haven’t quite figured out. I’m hoping to solicit more feedback from all of you in the near future, so if you have ideas about what you’d like to see, let me know!
After Derek’s presentation and breaking into small groups for an informal blogger workshop, several of us went on a photo walk. As a local, I didn’t feel compelled to take any pictures. I know, that’s sad of me as a blogger. I was just more excited to talk to people on the walk and hear their stories. Everyone has such an amazing message and I didn’t want to miss out.
Once we got back from the photo walk, Stellina and I both went back to Rachael’s room to get ready for the cocktail party, sponsored by Rebootizer. We like to think of ourselves as roommates of a sort for the summit, even though Stellina and I are both staying nearby in our respective homes and Rachael is also local (but staying at the hotel tonight and tomorrow).
The cocktail party was so much fun! I’ll post more about it later (it’s getting kind of late), but I wanted to at least share this photo with you.
Can we just all agree that I look certifiably insane in that middle frame? No idea what was going on there. After the party I took a cab home and have since been lounging around in my new Reebok sneakers, somehow believing that just having them on my feet with break them in. Tomorrow will be the real test and I can’t wait to give them a go at CrossFit.
See you all then! In the meantime, sweet dreams!
LOVE that Reebok gave out shoes! How fabulous – and that paper bag full of goodies looks amazing too. Looking forward to hearing more about the summit, it seemed like a great conference to attend!
http://www.inhealthyhabitswetrust.com
It’s actually a cloth bag (like the reusable grocery bags you can get at the store), which is exactly what I’m going to use it for! It was amazing, I’m working on some posts for it now.