Healthy Living Summit 2011: My Highlights

I just got back from the Healthy Living Summit this past weekend in Philadelphia and it was great fun. HLS is an annual conference which unites both bloggers, readers and brands that are passionate about healthy living. This was my first time at a bloggers conference and I was unsure of what to expect. I mean, I'm pretty new to this whole blogging thing and so I essentially went there not knowing anyone. Turns out lots of people were in the same boat.

I will admit that I was secretly relieved to see some familiar faces like Melissa, Jennifer and Sarah. But I loved meeting lots of new people, all with interesting backgrounds and great blogs. I have a ton of new blogs to add to my reader and a lot of new Twitter handles to add to my account.

The blogosphere will be swimming with HLS recaps so I am just going to give you my highlights:

1. The Swag: At HLS check in we all got a giant purple bag chock full of goodies including Uncle Sam cereal, apple sauce, granola bars, Adora calcium chocolates, to name just a few. Unfortunately I devoured quite a few of said goodies throughout the weekend. It's not ideal to have so many snacks at hand in a hotel room!

2. Meeting some of my favorite bloggers: Bloggers share so much of their lives online with their readers that you can't help but feel like these people are your buddies. So when I saw Tina I couldn't help but give her a hug, hoping it would not freak her out. It didn't! She is so warm in person! Love that girl.

I also met some other lovely ladies whose blogs I have been following for a while including Gina, Sabrina, Caitlin, and Lisa. I loved meeting them-they are just as sweet in real life!

Tina from Carrots and Cake was signing copies of her book. Her blog is one of the most popular healthy living blogs out there, probably because of how honestly she writes about her life. She was another person on my "have-to-meet" list, and I am really glad we were able to chat. She is lovely.

3. "The Numbers Game": I love Tina and Lisa and so I made it a point to attend this session where the two were joined by Beth and Janeetha, all of whom spoke about how numbers can influence us, whether it's the scale, calories or even your blog's page views and subscribers, and how not to dwell on those numbers. Each one of them shared their personal experiences. Lisa shared a very moving story of how calories and portions controlled her life when she was training to be part of a fitness competition. We all get side-tracked by numbers but the take-home message was not to let them obscure the big picture.

4. "Monetizing Your Blog": Katy Widrick is a social media genius. Her blog seriously should be mandatory reading for all bloggers (new and old). This was my favorite talk of the conference. I learned so much. Katy spoke about all the ways you could monetize your blog, from the various advertising options to how to go about becoming a brand ambassador to what all to be aware of while you are trying to monetize your blog (hello tax laws!). This lady rocks.

5. Channelling my inner Rocky: On Sunday morning (the last day of the conference) all of us gathered to walk/run a 5k. The route started from our hotel and went all the way to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and back. Yup, the museum is where those famous "Rocky" steps are, and I channelled my inner Rocky as I ran up and down those stairs. I still cannot get the theme song out of my mind...

Bloggers advance towards the Museum

It was a great weekend with lots of good food and lots of new friends.

In other news, check out my review of the Brooklyn Bridge Bootcamp DVD for Well + Good NYC.

Cupcakes Will Be The Death of Me

I just got back from a lovely lunch with two of my favorite bloggers, Ameena from Fancy That Fancy This and Lauren from Foodtrainers. If you don't already read their blogs you really should! It being the first time I was meeting either in person, I was too excited and engrossed in conversation to think about being a good blogger and take any pictures. Oh well!

After enjoying a nutritious and healthy lunch consisting of the stuffed  avocado salad with quinoa, zucchini, cucumbers and toasted pumpkin seeds at Candle 79, I decided to walk back home. That turned out to be bad idea. Why? Because it involved passing by Sprinkles Cupcakes. I lurked around the entrance before deciding to make a quick stop and pick up one cupcake. Sigh, I should know myself better. When have I ever bought just one cupcake? Answer: Never.

They had some seasonal flavors today which included salted caramel and summer cherry.
I decided to pick up four cupcakes: one red velvet, one salted caramel, one chocolate coconut and one dark chocolate. To share with my husband once he got home from work, ofcourse!!!

Alas, this is what the box looked like a mere 15 minutes later...

Hopefully the hubby wasn't hoping to try a bite of the chocolate coconut (bottom left corner, now deceased).

I am a fitness blogger, really, I promise. See?

Question: Obviously baked goods are a weakness of mine! What are some of yours?

My Running Mojo is Back!

Okay, I probably just jinxed myself with that title but I can't help it!

This Saturday I ran the Central Park Conservancy Run for Central Park 4-miler. Although it was a gorgeous day, for the purpose of running it became very hot very soon. Luckily there were plenty of water stations dotted along the race course, along with a rather popular misting station where us runners were sprayed with jets of cold water. Despite these ameliorations I decided I was going to listen to my body and not push myself too hard in this weather. To my surprise, for the first time this year (since having my baby) I ran a sub-10:00 pace! My official time for the 4 miles was 38:28 at an average pace of 9:37/mile. I really should invest in a Garmin so that I can record my splits but I was thrilled nonetheless! I still need some work in order to get back to my former pace but for the time being I am happy. I won't lie, I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get any faster. Hopefully this is an indication that, yes, we are moving along the right track!

The next day I met up with some of my favorite food and fitness bloggers! Jess, Ali, Melissa, Sofia, Leslie and I had a delightful brunch in the Great Lawn at Central Park. After telling everyone we would be meeting in the northeast corner of the lawn, I proceeded to park my picnic blanket in the northwest corner and wait for everyone to come and find me. I am so directionally challenged. Sorry, bloggy friends. Thankfully we all found each other without too much ado!

Check out the lovely spread!

And the even lovelier dessert!

We are a happy, well-fed bunch of bloggers!

Yes, we are!

A weekend of Pride: Pride Run 2011 and a Flybarre class

This past Friday marked an historic occasion in New York - the passing of the same-sex marriage bill. Unrelated to this, I had signed up to run the Front Runners New York Lesbian and Gay Pride Run a month ago.

Source: NYTimes

Some of you may know of my recent running-related injury. I was diagnosed with ilitotibial band syndrome and asked to refrain from running and undergo physical therapy once a week.

I bought a foam roller. I tried to be diligent about stretching regularly. And most importantly, I refrained from running. I (along with my physical therapist) decided that four weeks is a decent amount of time to allow my knee to recuperate. The next race would be the Pride Run and, despite not knowing how my knee would fare at that time, I signed up for it.

So glad that I did! Because of the bill there has been an air of jubilation this weekend in New York city, with the passing of the bill this Friday, the Pride Run on Saturday and the annual Pride parade earlier this afternoon on Sunday. I knew the race would be extra special this year because of the heightened spirits so I was really excited to be a part of it.

Look at the sea of people in the corrals!

The race was sold out, and you could tell as much as you entered Central Park on 102nd street on the east side. There were so many people, and there was so much visible color. It seemed as if everyone had donned their brightest t-shirts. I myself was wearing hot pink! I saw quite a few people in rainbow-colored socks and leg warmers. There were a few women festively head-dressed in mini wedding veils. One man was wearing simply a pair of shorts and had colored streamers hanging off his wrists! I'm kicking myself for not having taken a picture!

I opted not to race this run, especially since it was my first run since completing my course of physical therapy. I started off slowly and began to pick up my pace after the first mile. It was then when the humidity hit me and I developed a side cramp, which often happens when I am dehydrated. Crap. I tried to re-hydrate frequently but also ended up taking a few brief stops to walk. My time for the 5-mile race was 51:46, which corresponded to a pace of 10:22/mile. Nothing stellar, but nonetheless, I was excited to be part of the race and glad I was there. Best part? My knee behaved! Physical therapy works! Who knew? ;-)

I did lots of this! Source: Foamroller.org.uk

I don't want to jinx it as it's possible that my knee may misbehave at my next race. But I was happy that I was able to run the 5 miles without irritating it.

This morning I woke up with sore legs but I had committed to take the free Flybarre class that Melissa had organized at Flywheel Sports. The annual Pride parade was taking place at that same time in Flywheel Sports' vicinity and luckliy I gave myself enough time to navigate through the crowds to reach my destination on time.

Pride parade 2011, Source: NYTimes

Flybarre is an awesome barre class that I have written about before. This was my second time taking the class and even with a different instructor (Kolina), I loved it. There are a lot of short and fast movements, especially involving the arms. The 'dynamic' arm series was killer. Lots of short punching and jabbing movements holding 3lb hand weights, and such intricate choreography.

Source: Wellandgoodnyc.com

This class uses a resistance band looped around the barre for concurrent abdominal and arm work. One move involved us lying on the floor, head facing the barre with our arms holding onto the ends of the resistance band. We then had to raise our hips up and tap the barre with our toes while pulling the resistance band and then lower our legs to our point of control and then repeat! Wow! Holy sore abs! I love using the resistance band and I think this is one of the reasons I enjoy this class so much. The music was pretty amazing also. A mash-up of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry" and Blink 182's "All The Small Things"? You wouldn't think it would work, but it does! Loved this class.

I also loved seeing the other bloggers who were in attendance including Cameo, Sara, Kristene and Ashley. I'm so glad to have been able to meet so many NYC bloggers in the past few months. They are such a wonderful group of smart, funny, and talented women and I feel so proud to be part of this awesome community.

Thanks, Melissa and Flywheel Sports! I hope to be back!

Question:
Does your city have parades? What is your favorite annual city parade? Mine would have to be the Village Halloween parade!

Vino Y Yoga Event at Pure Yoga East: Ki Power Vinyasa Yoga

A few weeks ago I sent out a tweet asking other fitness-lovers for yoga recommendations in the city. One of the recommendations I received was for Isauro Fernandez's Ki Power Vinyasa class that he teaches at Pure Yoga and also at the 'hot yoga' studio, Earth Yoga. Out of sheer inertia on my part, I did nothing further. So I was thrilled when Sofia, who writes a great blog called Insightful Appetite, invited me to the Vino Y Yoga event that was taking place at Pure Yoga East. The class was going to be 60 minutes of a Ki Power Vinyasa class taught by Isauro, followed by a 30-minute guided wine-tasting focusing on wine regions throughout Spain.

Isaura Fernandez, also a practicing lawyer, created Ki Power Vinyasa, which according to his website is 'fusion of the movement and breath of vinyasa yoga with the grace, focus and physical intensity of martial arts." A dynamic and athletic style of yoga? Sounded like my kind of work-out.

Isauro

Prior to starting class, Isauro spoke about his love for wine and his affinity for Spain (the home of his parents) even though he's originally from Queens. We then began the class with a tranquil meditation where Isauro asked us to dedicate the practice to someone. Before I knew it, the pace suddenly sped up, charging head-on into a fast-paced vinyasa flow which we repeated many many times. Interspersed into the sequence were balance poses like so...

Um, nope, I did not even try to attempt this. I know my limitations!

 ...shoulder stands, and  martial arts-inspired moves. The latter half of the class focused on abdominal core work including crunches, oblique crunches, reverse crunches, all done slowly, intensely magnifying the burn.

The class was amazing! It was just what I needed. I had had a few tough work-outs in the days prior and I really needed something to stretch me out and yet also be challenging and Ki Power Vinyasa did the trick. I felt completely stretched, leaving class with my shoulder blades pressed back, my neck long, my back straight. It was rejuvenating and also such a fantastic work-out. Isauro encouraged us to work at our own pace and to take a break if we felt it was needed. His calm demeanor, hands-on correction, and phenomenal music (oh, the music!) choice really makes this class.

The music is what really stood out for me! Classic rock staples such as Aerosmith's 'Dream On' and the Rolling Stones' 'Play with Fire', melded beautifully with guitar-strumming flamenco instrumentals. It was divine. It really transported me to another place. Music can really make or break a work-out for me and this Ki Power Vinyasa class really nailed it for me!

After class, I chatted with other bloggers, old faces and new, including Sofia, Ali, Melissa, Jess, Dori, Leslie and Danielle. Always fun!

Top (l-r): Dori, Danielle, Leslie, me, Ali
Bottom (l-r): Jess, Sofia, Melissa

Subsequently, Alex Elman from Alex Elman Wines led a tasting of wines from Spain's various regions. There were four flights; the first was a cava, followed by a rosé and then two reds. Before each flight Alex would give a brief introduction about the wine, its composition, where it was from and what to pair it with. To go with the wine she also brought some delicious hor d'oeuvres including roasted artichokes, manchego cheese, olives, tortilla espanola and dark chocolate. Yum!

Alex and her assistant

Good work-out. Good eats. Good conversation. All components of a great evening! I am so glad I was able to try out Ki Power Vinyasa. It is something I would love to incorporate into my life, and if you have not tried it yet do it now!

Cheers!

Thanks so much to Sofia for inviting me to this event and to Isauro, Alex and Pure Yoga NYC for arranging such a lovely event.

Fitness NYC-Flywheel Sports-Hint Water Event

I am relatively new to the health and fitness blogosphere but I have been reading blogs for some time now. Fitness NYC was one of the first blogs that I started reading regularly.

Melissa, the writer behind said blog writes with subtle humor and an honesty that makes her instantly relatable (and she's super-sweet in real life too!). Her detailed workout reviews, great restaurant recommendations coupled with her knack for taking the most gorgeous, coffee-table worthy pictures make for an extremely fun-to-read blog! 

Thankfully the spotty wireless internet connection at the Cape Cod bed and breakfast I was staying at a few weeks ago was functioning when I decided to catch up on my blog reading for the evening, and luckily I was quick enough to secure a spot at a spin class event she was hosting at Flywheel Sports along with Hint Water. The response for this free event must have been pretty overwhelming as there was a wait list also. 

A free spin class is not an easy thing to pass up. And especially not if it's going to be held at Flywheel Sports! One of the ways this studio sets itself apart from its competitors is the stadium seating set-up. No one's behind will obstruct your view here!

Source: Flywheel Sports

I got to the studio last night fifteen minutes before class and it was packed! After obtaining my free pair of shoes I looked around trying to spot familiar faces. 

Free spinning shoes, in all sizes. Source: Flywheel Sports

A lot of fitness bloggers and fellow fitness enthusiasts were going to be at this event and it's always hard to recognize people from Twitter pics. Luckily there were some familiar faces including Melissa, Dori. Kristene, Ellen, and Kate,  along with some that I met for the first time (Hi Ali and Emily!). 

A representative from Hint water was distributing bottles of the flavored water in delicious flavors like blackberry and honeydew-hibiscus and pomegranate-tangerine. I chose the watermelon flavor to hydrate myself during the ride. I liked it-it had a mild flavor and was not too sweet. I would love to try some of the other flavors.

Source: Hint water

Jesse led this class and it was so much fun. A 45-minute ride packed with sprints and climbs. A lot of moving forward and backwards and side-to-side on the bike while riding. And then there was the super upper body workout thanks to Flywheel's very own arm series using 2lbs and 4lbs body bars. I have spoken before about how important music is to me and Jesse's playlist did not disappoint. Kanye, Bon Jovi, and Prince all helped keep us focussed and motivated.

It was a great night! While the class was amazing, I especially loved meeting everyone. The health and fitness blogger community in NYC is composed of such an amazing group of women and I have really enjoyed getting to know them these past few months.

A big thank you to Melissa, Hint Water, Jesse and Flywheel Sports for a really great event!