FitBloggin’ 2013 in Portland

Hello from Portland!

I think it’s safe to say that I am in love with the Pacific Northwest. It’s such a beautiful part of the country and I’ve really enjoyed my time in Oregon so far!

FitBloggin’ is such a fun conference and I am so grateful to Reebok for sponsoring my trip out here. I arrived late in the afternoon on Thursday and since the conference didn’t kick off until the evening, I wanted to explore Portland while I had the chance!

I immediately met up with a group of blogging friends who arrived before me and when they mentioned their plans to walk to VooDoo Doughnuts, I was pumped!

A few months ago, I saw the doughnuts featured on Man v. Food and when the bus driver who transported me to the hotel from the airport talked them up again, I was sold. Tip: Bring cash if you ever visit VooDoo Doughnuts! I only had a credit card on me, but fortunately bloggers are a sharing breed and I enjoyed the most delicious Oreo and peanut butter doughnut.

When I woke up Friday morning and scrolled through my Instagram feed, I had to laugh when I realized that you guys made the photo I posted of that doughnut my most liked Instagram photo yet. Reason number 1,503,094 why I love you guys! (Sadie, on the other hand, has some serious words for all of you and feels very neglected.)

We ate our doughnuts outside by the water and it was gorgeous. We’ve been blessed with some fabulous sunshine ever since we arrived!

The rest of the night passed quickly and I had a good time at dinner with blogging buddies, both new and old!

Our group: Heather, Tina, Anne, me, Gina, Ericka and Bobbi. Kasey also joined us later!

FitBloggin’ Day One (Part I)

My first full day of FitBloggin’ began bright and early with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. I arrived with just enough time to eat eggs, fruit salad and bacon and down half of a cup of coffee before it was time to work out!

The workout on the agenda was a cardio dance workout taught by the incredible Patricia Moreno.

I figured I would struggle through this class since any dancing I do typically involves a cocktail and absolutely no choreography. The class format was ten times better than I thought it would be and though we repeated moves, the class felt more like kickboxing or aerobics to me. Much more my style!

One thing I was definitely not expecting from the class was to walk away feeling inspired. Patricia repeated a mantra in the class that was powerful and motivating. I loved it and made sure to copy it down to share with you guys. We said the mantra many times throughout the class and each sentence corresponded with a different exercise.

“You are powerful beyond measure. You are stronger than you seem. You are braver than you think. You are blessed with all you need. You are enough. You have enough. You are programmed for victory. Your persistence pays off. All negative thoughts stop right now. I am done complaining. I am now celebrating. I am inspired to be the best that I can be. And I now believe that I will succeed.”

There was something so cool about hearing a large room full of people saying such motivational words in unison while kicking, punching and sweating like crazy. I loved it!

In between sessions, everyone had the chance to chat with the various sponsors of the conference and those of us who came on behalf of Reebok made sure to spend some time with our friends who were working the event.

Everyone who attended FitBloggin’ got a free pair of Reebok Nanos and a Reebok workout top! Talk about some sweet swag! I selected the Who Made The Rules white tank top and love it. I already have it in pink and it’s so incredibly soft and comfortable that I jumped at the chance to get it in another color. It isn’t too tight and moves with you, so it was perfect to wear during cardio dance and the Zumba workout I completed at 9:30 a.m.

Zumba was a blast! Samantha, an awesome fitness instructor and blogger that I had the pleasure of meeting at FitBloggin’ last year, taught the class with Sue and did a great job. I had a good time shakin’ my booty and loved it when Gina popped up on stage to teach one song as well!

Last year at FitBloggin’, I was much more interested in the informational sessions, but this year I am seriously loving the workouts! They have been so much fun and I am already excited for CrossFit and a trampoline workout tomorrow morning.

Once the morning workout portion of the conference was done, a bunch of us headed back to our rooms and showered before lunch. After walking around like a sweaty beast all morning, it felt good to feel clean again!

During lunch we got to enjoy a fitness fashion show that a bunch of the attendees put on which was high-energy and lots of fun!

I loved it when a few of the models got really into it and decided to strike a fitness-inspired pose (like the warrior) on the runway. It was great!

Now this post is getting a little long and my eyes are shutting as I type, so I’m off to bed. I hope to pop in again with more Portland fun to share soon!