Honest Reasons To Go To A Fitness Blogging Conference
By admin
The blog world is a pretty cool place…
So many different writers, passionate about so many different things yet all supportive of one another.
Yes, FitBloggin, the conference Dan and I were at was a fitness blogging conference, however if you think that means a room full of personal trainers all showing off their 6-packs while eating tuna fish and baked chicken, then you would be mistaken.
There are so many types of fit bloggers and I love that.
There is no one mold that fits us all, which of course means there is room for all of us in this whole blog world. We can support, help and educate one another without ever feeling competitive.
It’s cool.
That’s why I like FitBloggin so much.
This is my 2nd time attending the conference, and while I was nervous because a lot of my personal blends (blogger friends) weren’t going to be there, I was excited to meet new ones and also have Dan there.
Oh, and this was also my first year as a presenter, so I was pretty pumped.
The conference was held right up the road in Savannah, GA (2 hours from Charleston) and went from Thursday evening – Sunday morning.
That covers a lot of time, so instead of going through each day… let’s hit some highlights and perhaps help you decide (if you’re a blogger) if it’s worth going to FitBloggin by sharing…
Why Go To A Conference For Fitness Bloggers
Meet friends that you’ve never actually met.
You may remember a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to interview Andrea from I’mperfectLife and we instantly hit it off. I was really excited to meet each other in person.
Where we immediately let each other know that we don’t look in person what we look like in real life. We’re apparently both shorter than we pictured and look younger. Apparently on the blog I look around 35ish? Really?? lol.
Learn basic tools to help you improve and grow your blog (great for beginners)
While I learned a few golden nuggets, I realized that FitBloggin is a great conference for beginner bloggers.
For more experienced bloggers, it’s less about the sessions and more about…
Network with like-minded people.
Networking is so important when it comes to climbing the later of any job.
Well, when you write a blog from your home, it’s a bit challenging to do! That is why conferences are so important if you’re serious about growing your blog.
Make friends! Then have fun sharing each other’s “stuff”. Network and support one another.
Start your day off right by working out with an awesome group of people.
But also realize that workouts aren’t designed to kick your ass. They are scaled down a bit so that everyone at the conference can participate.
On day 1, I did a little Anti-computer workout with celebrity trainer Ashley Borden and followed it up with a little Crossfit workout lead by Andrea!
It was a team workout and we had a great time… of course I was super competitive trying to win! We finished 2nd (I think).
I was also able to squeeze in a run, do a group Instanity Workout and try a PiYo workout.
Not bad for being at a work conference, right?
Improve your socializing skills by being in front of strangers.
This was the first time I’ve been a presenter, and I loved it.
I really enjoy being in front of a group and sharing what has worked for me as well as getting feedback from others.
Which is really strange because I am really shy when filming in front of a camera, but in front of a room of people, I’m fine?
Enjoy good food!
I love going to healthy living conferences because I know there will be food that will make my body and stomach happy.
This shake was so good!
The Hyatt (hosted FitBloggin) did a great job at offering delicious options for breakfast and lunch… eggs, fruit, salads, oh my!
And of course the sponsors came through big time and spoiled us with goodies including protein shakes, snack bars, a make-your-own granola bar, and so much more.
I was never hungry!
An excuse to get away!
We all deserve time away from our normal every day hustle and bustle of life.
And a fun event like FitBloggin makes for the perfect excuse!
It isn’t blog work all the time… in fact, I didn’t turn my computer on once during the trip. And when we saw a break in the schedule, or felt that the sessions weren’t for us, there was time to explore and enjoy a mini vacation!
We enjoyed the best meal at the local farm to table restaurant, Cha Bella. The pictures don’t compare to the flavors!
Dan and I did some walking, some eating, some drinking, and some biking!
We had the great idea to rent bikes to ride to Tybee Island, but then realized we had bit off more than we could chew. A unsuccessful adventure, but still an adventure!
Our Haunted Inn: The Darkness Was Unbearable
The conference was hosted at the Hyatt but Dan and I decided to spend the same amount of money per night at a historic inn, 17 Hundred 90.
On the website it says it’s haunted and I thought Dan would love that.
The rooms were old, spacious and a bit creepy…
But were extremely comfortable!
The only thing I didn’t like was that our room had ZERO windows…
It was pitch black whenever the lights were out, making it incredibly hard to wake up each morning.
It felt like 3am all the time!
But that staff was great, the rooms were clean, and it was refreshing to come back to our small inn at the end each day.
I would stay there again, but I would request a room with windows! That freaks me out!
Overall we had a wonderful time!
I am likely going to be going to the IDEA World Fitness Conference in August… anyone else? I still need a roomie!