IDEA World Convention & Blogfest 2017 Recap

IDEA Convention Recap

Sitting back scrolling through pictures of another exciting, re-energizing blog fest! Now I am about to spill as much as I can remember so this is a grab something to grab your LaCroix 😉 and read about my experience at IdeaWorld Convention. Now, everything I mention in this post has been sponsored, but this is entirely my perspective and opinion.

This year was an entirely different experience than last year! First of all, I am not a new blogger wide eyed and bushy tailed. When I left blog fest last year the information and knowledge that I learned and applied allowed me some fantastic opportunities with my blog. It also allowed me to connect and collaborate with some great companies and gave me a better idea of the world of fitness blogging. When I came this year I came prepared to soak it all in, continue to make connections and meet some new friends in the blogger world. I wasn’t as apprehensive to say Hi to someone new and ask them their story, and I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing and inspiring women that showed up a blog fest this year.

Strong By Zumba Certified

Before I even began BlogFest, I attended the Strong by Zumba Certification at which I am now a Strong By Zumba certified instructor, Woot woot! The certification was kind of challenging last 9 hours with a 1-hour lunch break and about 6-7 hours of exercise and education on the program. It was a sweaty fun day, and now I can teach others this new dynamic workout. I am going to share why you should be trying Strong by Zumba in your town, but I am thrilled to be able to be an instructor in the South Jersey Area. It was so cool being instructed by the best and one that personally stood out for me which was Ms. Jeanette Jenkins! She has been teaching “in Lycra” for 27 years and gave us so many tips and tricks! AND she is a woman of open faith, YES!! Kelley Buzzard is a BEAST, and she kicked our butts all day long with Abraham Martinez taking it to the POWER level all day long. The three of them left us spent but psyched which says something for their enthusiasm for STRONG by Zumba!

35 Year Celebration

Blogfest is a recent extension of the 35-year celebration of the Idea World Fitness Convention where fitness professionals from all over the world gather to learn and network with each other. The place is electric, and the passion is fervent at Idea World, but the camaraderie of thousands of strangers all to help improve people’s health and fitness is contagious. It was just what I needed to continue to ignite my passion for helping people through fitness.

Sweating Pink

Blogfest is coordinated by a group of women from Fit Approach who’s hard work and dedication has in the past two years created an amazing experience for bloggers. Blogfest is educational workshops and opportunities for fitness bloggers to hone their skill and get up and personal with some leading companies in the fitness and food industry. This year’s line up was power packed with inspiration and leaders in the fitness industry.

Carleeh M from Healthy Socialite a fellow Sweat Pink Ambassador blogger organized a walk/run before the day of events. She had me at the walk because I only run if I have to but I prefer a good stroll. I also wanted to catch up and meet other bloggers, so my roomies Aida from Girlfriends with Goals and Shenie from Sheylu Fitness joined the walk around Vegas. Every year I come to blog fest other bloggers that not only inspire and influence lots of women but inspire and motivate me too. It was nice to be in such great company of fun ladies willing to venture out into the hood of Vegas, haha (but really it’s pretty ghetto in some spots). We did find some picture perfect moments along the way, and in true blogger, the style had lots of selfie moments. We also recruited some of the Casino staff to practice his photog skills. After the warm up both socially and physically we made it just in time to begin.

Lets’ Eat

The best way to put a group of bloggers in a good mood is through food (at least that reign true for me) Siggi’s® and California Almonds® provided not only tasty snacks but also gave us recipes to make ourselves. You haven’t had an almond until you have had a California Almond they really are delicious. I personally am nuts about nuts and can take it overboard and learned of the perfect portion. Which is 1-2-3 or 1 ounce equals 23 almonds basically, telling me to stop De at 23 too much of a good thing is never good and that mainly runs true with nuts?

As we happily snacked (anytime I eat I am happily doing it) and we got to learn from some of the best in the industry. ‘A great blogger Katy Widrick gives us some applicable tip on how to make our old content new again. So, get ready for some refresh in the future. It was great to get some tips that you could easily apply. Then we got an opportunity to hear from our sponsors Great Lakes Gelatin which are a long standing gelatin company in the industry. I already knew of the benefit of Collagen and consumed Collagen daily but was great to know of the quality that Great Lakes puts into their products and another option for my supplement needs.

Then we got to hear some knowledge bombs from Lindsay Valdez anyone who works virtually knows the importance of SEO yet might not necessarily know how to optimize it! Well, you should have been at blog fest because Lindsay did an excellent job of breaking it down and making it simple. With the 5 Most Important SEO elements on a blog post. I have personally did webinars and self-studies and the value that her presentation gave far exceeded my hours self-study lots of great information.

Opening Ceremonies

My favorite part of Idea World Convention is the Opening Ceremonies and Keynote presentation. This is when you get to gather in a room of the best in the industry, and we get to celebrate the achievements of those who have been serving people through fitness. Women like Jessica Matthews who won the Idea Fitness Instructor of the Year and Debbie Bellinger who was the Idea Program Director of the Year and Michael Piercy a Jersey Native who was the Idea Personal Trainer of the Year. The admiration and respect that I have for these individuals and the fact they all showed glory to God inspires me to work to achieve and inspire others as they have done. The highlight is always for me Elaine Lalane who is 91 years young presenting Todd Durkin with the Jack Lalane Award. Todd Durkin inspired me personally last year at Blogfest with words of encouragement on my weight loss journey and yet again his “Contagaism” motivated me to do better. Idea World Convention is 35 years old and us fitness professional was amused and entertained by the founders Peter and Kathie Davis dancing routine! It was so much fun!

IDEA World Fitness & Nutrition Expo

We got to explore the Idea Convention & Nutrition Expo which is also a great experience. This is where you can find what is new in the industry from workouts, equipment, apparel, and food. Anything that you can think it’s like a playground for me and I was ready to try EVERYTHING! I always find a few things that stick out to me every year and this year was the Spyder 360 and the Axle Workout! As soon as I saw these two things I had to strap in and give them a spin.

The Axle Workout is a barbell that is affixed to a wheel which can add a whole new dynamic to your workout. I am hoping to get certified and become a Master Trainer in September. This thing is a simple exercise equipment that challenges your core stabilization because it is on wheels. The Axle can be used in so many different ways, and I am excited to add this to my skill set.

The Spyder 360 is something that appealed to me for my husband’s business especially, and that was the Spyder 360. I am excited to work with this equipment to help build strength and stability in my clients as well as use it for ACL tear strength and stability exercises for my husband’s players. I will be working with the Spyder 360 in the fall and sharing why this new equipment is a must have item in the fitness world and for your workouts.

There was so much more than that I met Elaine Lalanne, Bennie Wylie from NBC Strong! who actually remembered me from last year and instead of encouraging me to continue on my journey as he did the year before this year his inspiring words was to share with others which is exactly what I plan to do using a lot of what I have learned at IDEA World and will continue to strive to learn more.

Tasted lots of different protein bars, nuts, an alternative sweetener that I think I can get down with it’s made of Monk Fruit and your body processes it as a her I am excited to try some new recipes with it and research the benefits of this sweetener that I got from Lakanto.

Day Three, Second Day of BlogFest

The next day I was tired, and ModelFit was the morning wake up I needed. I was grateful I didn’t have to jump around, but the workout was an intense balance. I still got a sweat on without all the jumping and enjoyed the exercise that Propel Propel Water provided for us! Thirst was quenched with my sweat session.

I was very excited to meet Jorge Cruise author of tiny and full™: Eat more, weigh less, and turn off hunger all day. I look forward to trying out a few recipes and reading the book and learning more about harnessing the power of thyroid boost. After the ModelFIT workout, I was happy for breakfast even though I am always glad to eat. I loved the grain free granola and needed to have that in my life.

I think I have figured out a way to be with my VIP Clients and train them! I am excited to explore the possibilities with GymGO and know that my clients would enjoy this service too. GymGO allows clients and their trainers have one on one or group video Sessions.

I have a guest blog for a couple of other outlets, but I can now hone the craft with some tips on “Everything You need to know to make money” lecture from Amanda Vogel was excellent information on how to continue to make use blogging as an income source. I found her presentation to be great and will be applying some things to my blog.

Have you ever written off something over a bad experience just to find out years later you’ve been missing out? That would be me! I had fig Newton’s as a kid and wrote figs off as a thing I won’t eat until I tried the fresh and dried California figs. They were so good and so good for you? I have been missing out all these years. Now I plan on adding these little yummies into my diet pronto! They are loaded with Fiber, Antioxidants, calcium, potassium, and magnesium I rather get my micronutrients from food instead of pills and plan on experimenting with figs in the kitchen.

Experiencing Todd Durkin

I just keep experiencing Todd Durkin, haha LAst year, I attended Todd Durkins Bootcamp at Idea World, and it was a highlight of my trip. I belive it was one of those many moments you have you on your journey that propels you to greatness.  This time it was an overwhelming experience as well.  Todd shared his story with us of trials and triumph and what pricked my heart especially is how he gave and showed all glory to God.  While speaking, I had so many ah ha moments of things that I have been struggling with in the recent months.

Todd’s emphasis on “Be Different” and “Tell your Story” still resignates in the back of my mind.  The fact that he openly is a faithful man of God also made me realize I am not the only one.  I share my feelings on how faith and fitness work together daily and weekly I get feedback from all sorts that can sometimes be discouraging especially fellow Christians but that’s what is different is about.  Todd also gave us his new book The WOW Book! Which I will be reviewing soon.  I feel it is no coincidence that our paths crossed again this year and I thank God for using Todd to reenergize and give me clarity and focus on what I have feel I have been called to do.

Trigger Point Ambassador

The remainder of the blog fest was networking in different aspects. First, we listen to the panel discussion with the sponsors of blog fest to find out how we as bloggers can build long term relationships. Then we were given the opportunity to pitch directly to our core sponsors of blog fest. As well as an opportunity to got to the expo and network and pitch. I can’t wait to share some of the great products that I will be representing this year. I am grateful to be a Trigger Point Ambassador this year. I will be showing you the value of Self Myo Fascial (SMR) with Trigger Point products I find SMR and stretching to be a significant part of fitness and can’t wait to share more about their dynamic products.

Winging It

There were so many highlights to my trip and so much to share. I also got to meet two-time Olympic medalist Gracie Gold on Friday night at the Red Bull Networking party and not only did I get to meet her but I got some more knowledge bombs dropped at the party. I miss research everything never really put much research into Red Bull products and ingredients. I couldn’t read them, so I wrote them off entirely but some of the long unpronounceable ingredients that you can find on the back of can is actually things that I would consume other wise such as Vitamin B12 I also found out what the ingredient of Taurine actually was among all the other things that Red Bull is doing.

They are not only helping give you wings, but they are also making people fly with their Not For Profit Research Foundation “Wings for Life.” This research foundation is for spinal cord research, and it is a “simultaneous global race that is dedicated to supporting spinal cord injury research. It is very cool that this race begins at the same time across the globe so whether it’s 2 am or 5 pm everyone is starting at the same time to raise money to help find a cure for spinal cord injury. You can learn more or donate at www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com It was a great night and Red Bull really hooked us up with great food, some Red Bull to sip on and some JayBird which is just what this lifter needs they are fabulous, and a big thank you to Red Bull!

I couldn’t stay too long at the Red Bull Networking because I had to also network with my fellow bloggers and our great sponsors who had given us so much yummy food, tips, and opportunity. I also wanted to say good bye to bloggers I may not see for the rest of the weekend which was different CEC (Continuing Education) classes for me, and I will be sharing “All da things” I learned over the weekend.

Happy Hour

My third networking party of the night I was losing steam but the energy at BlogFest Happy Hour was great! Was able to play around on the TRX while sipping a LaCroix cocktail nibbling on Figs and Cheese from California Figs. It was a great night, and I was toast by the end. I had to get back to our room shower and pass out in that order. The next two days were filled with workshops and workouts from a different specialist from all over the country and some world. I took a lot of course on TRX Programming, Functional Fitness, and Generation X and my brain are still throbbing.

BIG Thank You

This amazing opportunity would not have been possible without the sponsors, and I want to say thank you!  California Figs, Great Lakes Gelatin, GymGO and Siggi’s as well as General Mill’s for breakfast. Propel Water and Strong by Zumba for the workouts. Todd Durkin for the inspiration, Arctic Zero, Eggland’s Best, La Croix, Qalo, Takeya, TRX, California Almond®, and especially Fit Approach and Idea Convention this was all possible because of you and thank you!

Inspiration

I think the best part of the entire trip was the fellow bloggers that I have met.  Talk about some inspirational stories there are some amazing women and men who have amazing stories that should be shared. I am hoping to be able to collaborate with a few and share why they inspire me and I know they will inspire you too.  Blog fest is an amazing experience and every year I learn and grow so much from it. I am definitely going to be there in 2018 God willing and if you are a fitess and healthy blogger, enthusiast or professional you should join me there too!