#FitBlogNYC 2013 – The Seminars

To say that its been a busy week would be an understatement! I had three papers to write, but there was a light at the end of my busy week tunnel because on Thursday, I got to attend the Fitness Magazine Blogger Meet & Tweet, better known as #FitBlogNYC! #FitBlogNYC is an event set up by Fitness Magazine that bring together a bunch of bloggers, brands, and fitness and healthy living professionals for a day of seminars, socializing and, of course, a ton of fun.

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I started off the morning by meeting a bunch of fellow bloggers at Café Ole. We got to know each other in real life over some coffee before heading over to the Mercedes Club where the event was being held. The Mercedes Club is probably one of the coolest gyms in all of New York City, complete with outdoor yoga space and a swimming pool.

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We were greeted in the lobby, given our super cool badges for the day and told to grab some breakfast and head out to socialize before the panels started. I grabbed a muffin and some juice headed out to enjoy the warm weather. Most of the event was held outdoors and the weather totally cooperated – it was gorgeous all day long!

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The first seminar was speaker was Insider Beauty Secrets to Get You Glowing with Stila’s head makeup artist Sarah Lucero. She shared some great beauty secrets with us.

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  • Her beauty on the go must haves are – mist, moisturizer and mascara.
  • Summer trend = power pout. Neon lipsticks!
  • To look good in the heat, less is more. Match the weight of your makeup with the weight of your clothing. Get a good tinted moisturizer or BB/CC cream.
  • Brows are important!

Up next was Dr. Jennifer Ashton, who is ABC News’ Senior Medical contribute with Healthy, Strong and Sexy In Your 20s, 30s and Beyond. She was incredibly insightful and I loved listening to her speak.

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  • Women are selfless and stoic and the stronger sex.
  • Thank your body and your body will thank you
  • Move, Rest, Nourish
  • Life is an Olympic sport and we have to train for it.

After that was the Blogger Business Panel featuring Dana Weiss of the Possessionista, Deb Pearlman of Smitten Kitchen, Jill Hanner of JillHanner.com, and Erin Whitehead of the Fit Bottomed Girls. It was inspiring to listen to these amazing women who have made their blogs into their careers.

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  • Don’t blog for the money, but know your value.
  • Don’t waste your time worrying about what other people are doing. Be original, it’s what makes YOU stand out!
  • You don’t have to say yes to every offer you will get
  • Lighting and sound are the most important aspects of YouTube

Next up was Brett Hoebel, celebrity trainer and former Biggest Loser trainer. His seminar was about the Extreme Fitness Trend and right off the bat he spoke about Crossfit, a man after my own heart! Check out what he thinks below.

Finally, Rocco Dispirito was the last speaker. He spoke about his journey to Italy to learn to cook from real Italian mommas and about how to eat good food and not gain weight.

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  • More Americans die from obesity than anything else
  • Chefs plate food to look good, regardless of calories, so split the calories before they get to you. Ask for half to be packed up to go.
  • He has a recipe for Greek yogurt whipped cream in his new book. (If that’s not incentive to buy it, I don’t know what is.)
  • Make sure you purchase 100% whole grain bread. If it doesn’t say 100% it probably isn’t.

After the seminars were done, we headed in to grab some lunch and have some fun with the event sponsors, but that is a post for another day!

Have you ever been to a blogger conference? Which of the seminars would you have wanted to listen to most?

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Bestowed Box + Giveaway!

I’m a sucker for monthly subscription boxes. I love the excitement of getting a box in the mail and having no clue what’s inside. I love the anticipation that comes with checking out the new products I received to try out, and most of all, I love to eat good food. This is why I jumped at the opportunity to try one of the newest subscription boxes on the market – the Bestowed box.

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Bestowed is the creation of Heather Bauer, a nationally recognized nutrition expert, author, and entrepreneur. Each month she selects the products that Bestowed includes in each box, and you get 5+ healthy, new products to try out at your doorstep. I was excited to see that so many of my favorite brands had been included in past Bestowed boxes. I knew that I would be getting some good stuff, if their past boxes were an indication of what was in store for me.

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In my box I received:

  • Oloves Hot Chilli Mama Olives
  • Nature’s Earthly Choice Easy Quinoa Lentil Soup Mix
  • Happy Family – Happy Squeeze Smoothies (which was promptly consumed by my little guy)
  • Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts
  • Artisana Coconut Butter
  • Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars
  • $25 iTrain Gift Card

The box also came with a sheet describing the product and its benefits and two tips on how to use it. I found this handy for the hemp hearts, since they were something I never used to really heard of before.

bestowed tip sheet

Overall, I was very happy with what I received in my Bestowed box. All of the food items were great and I especially loved the Quinoa Lentil Soup. I ended up making it for dinner on an evening when I came home from work to an empty fridge. All I had to do was bring some water to a boil and a yummy, hearty and filling soup was ready for my belly.

Bestowed box retails for $19/month or for $209/year, but if you use code 5OFFBSTOWED01 you get $5 off your first month’s box!

The absolute best part is that Bestowed agreed to let one of my readers try one of their boxes for free! Just use the Rafflecopter below to enter. U.S. residents only, please!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! :)

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I’m Doing the Spartan Race!

Reebok WOR Core 4” Woven Run Short

Over the weekend I did something I have never done before – I went for a run in the Poconos. My parents have had a summer house there since I was in high school, but our house is on top of a huge hill which descends for miles and I always thought that running there [...]

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My Trader Joe’s Must Haves

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If I had to shop at one supermarket for the rest of my life, I would choose Trader Joe’s, hands down. Not only does is have organic fruits, veggies and meats at reasonable prices, it has a ton of different Trader Joe’s only products that I absolutely love. I wanted to share some of my [...]

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#WIAW – Penthouse 808, Long Island City

wasabi margarite 808 penthouse

On Saturday, Tommy surprised me with dinner at Penthouse 808 in Long Island City. The restaurant is located on the roof of the Ravel Hotel and has a gorgeous view of the 59th Street Bridge and Manhattan. Our reservation was for 6:45, perfect timing to enjoy the sunset over dinner. Even though the restaurant is [...]

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Designer Whey Protein Review

designer whey

A few weeks ago, I came home to a really awesome package waiting for me on my doorstep. As soon as I opened it up, two thoughts came to mind.  I love the attention to details in the packaging. Instead of sending a plain brown box, the Designer Whey box looks almost like a  presentation [...]

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My Week in Eats – #WIAW

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It’s been a while since I’ve shared some eats, and since it’s Wednesday, I think a WIAW post is in order. My eats are a bit all over the place lately. I’ve been focusing more on school and less on the kitchen, since finals are just around the corner. Just two more weeks and I’ll [...]

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It’s My Second Blogiversary!

blogaversary

Two years ago on Friday, I was sitting in my basement studying for finals. I took a break to read some blogs, and like always, I started daydreaming about how I wanted to start a blog. Even though I had a ton of studying on my plate, I decided to start a blog that day. [...]

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My Heart Goes Out To Boston <3

boston

Sometimes I wish that I could go back to being a kid. Everything was much easier and could usually be fixed with a colorful band-aid or a popsicle.  The world was simply a different place. Children did not have to worry about losing their lives by attending a sporting event, by standing at a finish [...]

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Kona Kase Review

kona kase

A few weeks ago, this pretty little box appeared at my door step. I love all the inspirational words on the box – you know there has to be good stuff inside a box like this. Kona Kase is a monthly subscription service, and each month you get a box that filled to the brim [...]

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