Monthly Archives

June 2014

The Untold Story Of My First Fitbloggin

by Nellie June 26, 2014

I’m headed to Fitbloggin Today!

Oh man. I am full of nerves, but more than anything–I am full of excitement.

This will be my third fitbloggin! Seems like just yesterday that I was attending my first…and to think I was *thisclose* to not even going….! What had happened was…

I had just experienced my first blog conference, personal advice to any of my blogger friends–don’t let BlogHer be your first conference. It’s a fantastic conference, however, it’s the monster of ALL conferences and can be severely overwhelming. After having some amazing and not so amazing experiences–I’ll be honest–I had a negative view of blogging conferences. I really never wanted to do it again.

I purchased my Fitbloggin ticket at the same time that I purchased my BlogHer ticket. Still feeling extremely overwhelmed from BlogHer, I started to consider not going to fitbloggin. I had a couple of things working against me:

I didn’t know one person at this conference.
I wasn’t staying onsite.
I had been gaining weight consistently in the months prior

Although it was only a 2 hour train away, I actually considered selling my ticket. I got to the point where I just didn’t care anymore. I didn’t want to be there…I wasn’t fit…I had pretty much given up on myself and I really didn’t know if I had the internal strength and confidence to even be friendly…

Life got in the way and before you knew it, there were 2 weeks left and I hadn’t sold my ticket. I had a long talk with my husband and he really pushed me to go. I didn’t want to…but he insisted. He told me that this might be what I need to get myself out of a funk…to push me way out of my comfort zone. I grudgingly agreed to go.

What I didn’t know was that I would meet amazing bloggers like Lia, Cassandre, Patty & Josie that I knew prior and that our spirits would mesh in all kinds of perfect ways. Within an hour of sitting down in my first session I would be crying buckets because these people got me. I would spend the first night dancing and laughing more than I had in years (my youngest was 9 months old at the time). I would gain the feeling that I could do this. I was inspired by so many.

I’d have a passion come alive. I’d leave with lifelong friends. Confident and ready to not only take on this blogging world but my health and wellness journey as well. I am SO happy I made the decision to go to Baltimore and to Portland last year. What I gain from the conference is invaluable.

For the first time, I will be speaking at Fitbloggin, leading a discussion with other bloggers on How Not To Lose Yourself While Blogging. I almost lost myself a few times in this journey, paying attention to trends and everyone else…I am so excited to share and discuss this topic with the community!

I am also doing something else that is a surprise…but if you remember last year…I will be doing THAT again. 😉

The magic of Fitbloggin is real y’all and I can’t wait to see what this year has in store!

What is the last thing you did that you didn’t want to do, that turned out better than you thought? Are you attending Fitbloggin’?

19 comments

5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Brooklyn Bridge Park With Kids

by Nellie June 24, 2014

Instead of spending tons of money traveling all over the place to entertain the kids, I have promised to do more exploring of my own city because there is so much that I haven’t seen! One of these places is Brooklyn Bridge Park. I had heard so many great things about this place and I wanted to try it out for myself.

SAMSUNG CSC

5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Brooklyn Bridge Park With Kids

1) Jane’s Carousel: This carousel is over 100 years old but it is one of the most beautiful merry go rounds I have ever seen. We are considered carousel experts and this one is just gorgeous, with views of the water and the bridge through the plexiglass surrounding the ride is very relaxing and tranquil.

2) Beautiful Playgrounds: Just a few steps away from the carousel, there is a huge playground with plenty of activities for the kids to do. It has all the qualities of a great playground including slides, poles, climbing and etc. There is even a park with swings! Some of the cool features includes a sandbox, and water area.

3) Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory: Need I say anymore? When we approached the Brooklyn Ice Cream shop midday the line was right out the door. The great thing is that the line moved relatively quickly and it was so worth it! It was the perfect summer treat!

4) The View: the views are absolutely stunning. There were lots of couples and families doing some fantastic photo shoots, with the water and the bridge in the background it really is picture perfect. Whether you have a camera phone or a fancy camera, make sure you dedicate some time to get some great photo memories!

5) Trendy Restaurants: There is no shortage of restaurants that are on the water that provide indoor and outdoor seating. This includes the cult favorite Shake Shack! Don’t forget that there are plenty of multicultural restaurants just within a few blocks of the park too so there is no limit to good eats!

Don’t forget Brooklyn Bridge Park hosts lots of different events every single day! Check out the comprehensive schedule here.

What are your favorite parts of a park? Do you make park visits a whole day or a part of your day?

23 comments

Weekly Wednesday Workout

Weekly Wednesday Workout: Kneeling Rear Leg Raises

by Nellie June 18, 2014

Weekly Wednesday Workout: Kneeling Rear Leg Raises

Today we are working those butts! Because as we all know, everyone loves a good looking rear end 🙂

I love these, I have done a similar move prior, but these are great because they stick your leg straight up in the air for a more focused burn. Since there seems to be a whole lot of attention on the gluteus maximus these days, we should pay extra attention! 🙂 Even though the burn is real on the bum, when performing this exercise you realize that you pretty much feel it in all of your leg too! It’s a great pilates move, but an awesome toning move overall!

p.s. pardon the mess around here!! I have officially transformed and will be making the final tweaks in the next couple of days…what do you think?

Have you ever tried Kneeling Rear Leg Raises?

17 comments

baby beauty fun getting social Parenting

5 Things You Should Consider Before Buying A Car Seat

by Nellie June 17, 2014

When I was pregnant with my firstborn I hadn’t a clue what I was doing. No, really. I bought so many things that I thought were necessary. For example: a changing table, wipes warmer, an insane amount of bottles (over 20) and many many more things that I would learn that I didn’t need. When you are newly pregnant it is super hard to really know what you would need until you are in the trenches of childcare everyday.

One of those things that I didn’t do proper research on (unless proper research counts as checking Amazon.com reviews) was my car seat. Now before the car seat crazies start throwing tomatoes at me, I would like to say in my defense that if I’d known then what I know now, I would have been MUCH more selective of my first car seat. I bought an all in one stroller/car seat combo. Looking back, I wish I had done a bit more I research.

Last week I attended a Evenflo event at Blooming Nails & Spa, A gorgeous upscale nail salon with locations all over NYC. We came to learn about the new car seats that would be debuting this summer. This included the ProComfort protection series and the Sure Safe car seat series and let me tell you, both have some awesome features! More on that later.

5 Things You Should Consider Before Buying A Car Seat

1) According to a recent survey 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly. (Have you checked yours recently??)

2) Most car seats have a 6 year expiration date–and it’s not because they are old it’s because the technology of cars is so rapid that car seats designed for current vehicles may not work properly in the future.

3) If you are ever in a crash/accident with a car seat, dispose of it. Better to be safe than sorry!

4) Speaking of disposal if you ever have to get rid of a car seat cut the harnesses to prevent someone from finding it and reusing an old (and dangerous) car seat.

5) Do not buy used car seats! You never know what they have been through… You can’t exactly get the car facts on a car seat right?

Evenflo has two new amazing car seats that are coming out this summer. Evenflo’s main concern is to make the ride as comfortable as possible for the baby yet ultimately keeping them as safe as possible.

Evenflo’s Procomfort Symphony DLX All in one car seat

Fits 5-110 pounds (the only car seat you would ever need!)
Multi position recliner
Gel matrix material that alleviates pressure points
Installs with these amazing Sure latch connectors that makes installation a breeze (I loved this! These little connectors stay in the car so that you don’t have to bury your fingers in the cushions to find the latch! Genius!)
Machine washable car seat pad & more
Available exclusively at Target!

Evenflo’s SureSafe System (4 models)

5-110 pounds
Multi position recliner (for sleeping baby)
Quick connector latch equipped
Buckle pockets that tuck the buckles away (preventing the metal from getting too warm and burning baby
Side impact protection that significantly reduces in side impact crashes through advanced energy absorption
… And more!

Knowing what know now, I definitely would have started out with one of these models. I am actually quite tempted to replace both of my car seats!

Amazing pedicure

Guests of the event were treated to an amazing pedicure, lunch and even treats. I didn’t taste the cupcakes but they looked so good!

The nail tech did such a fantastic job on my pedicure, I left feeling like a new woman! There was even a really long foot massage. Plus the decor was beautiful and extremely tranquil. Since I was returning to work that day I was worried about messing up my pretty new toes by putting them back in my loafers. The tech came over and wrapped my toes in saran wrap! Say what?! Genius!!

Did you do a lot of research for your first car seat? How many have you owned? What unnecessary items did you buy for baby? When was the last time you got a really, really good pedicure?

22 comments

dance fitness fun Fitness Is Fun friends fun getting social gym weightlifting

Philly’s 3rd Annual Be Well Bootcamp

by Nellie June 12, 2014

Last weekend I went to the land of brotherly love, otherwise known as Philadelphia for the 3rd annual Be Well Bootcamp! Myself as well as my A Healthy U Conference planning partners in crime headed to beautiful Philly for just a few hours, a girls day trip to have some amazing health and wellness fun.

This event was HUGE. It was held on the Drexel University Campus at their Recreation Center. There would be all day Fitness classes, seminars, sponsors, cooking demonstrations and more.

When we got to the Be Well Boot camp we registered easily and quickly, given a swag bag and proceeded to have some breakfast. The had a small container of overnight oats and a Chia seed granola bar. Both were quite satisfying even though they were small.

Prior to the day, we were entered in lotteries for small group classes. Unfortunately I was not picked for Bodypump (y’all know how much I love my bodypump) so we kinda stalked around the outside of the class hoping to get a spot. Persistence pays off because we got the last 3 spots. 🙂

The class was not easy. What I liked about it though was that there were tracks I had never heard before… My current Bodypump class has been on the same track list for the past 3 months! It was a breath of fresh air. I loved the instructor too she was a little fireball and I was able to get a picture with her. Yes, you just got free tickets to the gun show.

Next we headed over to the sponsor area that had lots of great things happening like blood pressure screenings, raw/healthy juice samples, and food!

We also got to do a little Flywheel challenge side by side. We had one minute to go ALL out and the person with the highest score wins. Needless to say I was extremely a bit winded once it ended! It was crazy fun though!

Before you knew it, it was time for the next workout! The girls wanted to do Zumba but even though I am a #zumbasnob I decided to give it a try. Well–after one song I left. The girl was good, just not my style. After that we went to go to a session on focusing and being mindful in the present moment and stop worrying about the past and the future. Here are some great things I learned from that session:

We spend a lot of our time wondering and worrying about the past and the future
The only thing we have control of is the present moment
Do daily exercises to keep you in the moment
There is a big difference between what the brain thinks and mindful thoughts
You must begin to master the ability not to be reactive but be responsive to what you’re thinking about
We tend to have dead end thoughts, being mindful creates a U-turn for those thoughts
Practicing mindfulness is like creating a muscle, with practice like any other muscle, it become stronger

Next we headed to the dance class that we had won the lottery for. It was so much fun! We did choreo from Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and more! The moves were great, the energy was high and I even won a really cute tee for “going hard” thanks to the girls who nominated me!

After that the line was really long for lunch so we decided to spend some quality time together and have a decent sit down lunch–we deserved it! We probably burned close to 1k calories between all the workouts we did!

Lunch was so good. Then we packed up and caught an earlier bus back home. The Philadelphia Be Well Boot camp was a major success and we really had a great time. Can’t wait until next year!

Have you ever been to Philadelphia? Do you try to live mindfully?

23 comments

Load More Posts