I’m sorry that I was MIA most of last week (and late this week).  I have 2.5 excuses that I hope can be forgiven:

• The posts I planned to write last week were curtailed by the dead ChromeBook I discovered in the Denver airport on my way home from FitSocial.  My post today was very late due to laptop difficulties (electronics are not my friend right now).

• Last Monday – Wednesday we had guests visiting that took Jay and I to a very special event that I’ll be posting about on Friday (and it had to do with this famous NYC stage).

Image: Sarean.com

There’s a lot coming up so let’s catch up on the highlights of the FitSocial Conference:

F: Fitness

We had a few fitness classes at FitSocial including: YogaFit, HIIT with the amazing Chris Freytag, Tabata Cycle (whaat?!) and PoundFit.  My upcoming post for Workout Wednesday is going to give the details on each class.

Top L to R: YogaFit and Chris Freytag (Images from website)
Bottom L to R: Tabata Cycle and PoundFit

My buddy Jill @ TreeFitness and I snuck in an extra off-site workout (not listed or pictured above) that will be included on Wednesday’s post too!

I: Information from Experts

While it’s impossible to adequately relay all the information given about health, fitness, social media and nutrition during the conference, below are some of the salient points from some of the leading experts in the field:

Image: Gerard Stalk

• James O. Hill, PhD, author of the book, “The State of Slim” said:
  • Obesity starts with reduced movement
  • Chronic dieting does NOT work and no diet works forever
  • Food As Fuel Hierarchy: 1: Alcohol (because it is toxic), 2: Protein (little storage), 3: Carbs (some storage capacity) and last: Fat (unlimited storage capacity)
  • We sit too much – the time we sit is a marker of risk of diabetes and chronic diseases
  • Eat Less and Exercise More should be changed to Move More and Eat Smarter

• Inigo San Millan, PhD, an expert in exercise physiology told us:
  • 220 – age = Fat Burning Zone equation is less accurate than using the “talk test” – if you can talk during exercise, you’re burning fat
  • High intensity exercise will burn more fat eventually (13-14 hours post exercise) due to the increase in metabolism
  • Heart Rate Monitors are inaccurate for calorie burn data, the future is in Lactate monitors (by product of glucose metabolism)

• Tim Resnik, Moz, an expert in SEO, advised:
  • Fitness Bloggers to “Stick With It”, “Don’t Hit Enter” and “Don’t Get Ripped Off” among other tips.
  • Tim gave easy to understand instructions to help bloggers cull, interpret and understand available data about their blog

• Caroline Torgan, PhD, FACSM, health strategist and educator translated:
  • Some of the future evidence-based health and wellness topics of the future which include e-textiles, Traveler & Timezones, Inactivity Physiology (Sitting Down), Microbiome and Fecal Transplants.  Her talk was fascinating and she made intimidating topics so user-friendly!

• Ashley Koff, RD, gave attendees a great insight into nutrition communication:
  •  The Qualitarian philosophy that nutrition is really simple and can be based on the dynamics of Quantity, Quality, Frequency and Balance were very similar to my own philosophy about nutrition.
  • I loved that Ashley asked each attendee to introduce themselves and that she called vegetables the “body’s clean up system”.

T: The Mighty Mitochondria

I like science but won’t bore you with too much biology but the mitochondria are the powerhouses the body.  Did you know that the mitochondria are the only place in the body where fat is burned (glucose is processed there as well)?  Elite athletes have the highest percentage of mitochondria in their bodies (so much so that they are often known as “walking mitochondria”).

Vintage Mitochondria model. Image: Gregory Han

The mitochondria play a great role in the obesity and Type II Diabetes epidemic we face today. Those who are battling weight issues due to obesity or Type II Diabetes at have mitochondrial dysfunction but there is is hope because mitochondrial size and functionality can be improved with endurance exercise and weight training!  A great tidbit for anyone managing weight or diabetes!

S: Swag

Attendees were incredibly spoiled – we received products from Modern Oats, Love Grown Foods, Attune Foods and Larabar.

Outfit from Soybu, All the Swag and Winning!

I was exceptionally lucky at the conference and won a few prizes like the a Chris Freytag HIIT Training DVD and 2 Flex-Bands from ACEFitness, some additional Attune products from the FunandFit girls, Alexandra and Kymberly who spearheaded a donation raffle for Boulder Flood Relief, delicious BudiBar courtesy of Amanda @RunToTheFinish and some very cute headbands from BaniBands.

from soybu.com

But the most amazing gift every attendee received was an outfit from the women’s fitness apparel company Soybu.  Not only does the outfit feel amazing to the touch but it’s made from eco-friendly materials!  The booty shorts may take some courage for me to get into though!

O: OMG, I survived a small plane ride!

I’ve been flying cross country since I was seven years old but something happened once I turned 30 – now I’m afraid to fly.  Immediately after I realized that I the flight I booked to get me from Burbank airport to Denver was only 13 rows, I began freaking out (don’t ask me why a bigger airplane seems safer but it does to me).

When the winds picked up and the airline needed to “reduce weight” on the plane and asked for volunteers, guess who’s hand went up first?!  I was transferred to LAX to later (and larger) plane and was thrilled.    On my flight home, I wasn’t quite so lucky.  I volunteered again but to no avail.  However, I am proud to say that I flew on a plane with 13 rows without medication or alcohol!   They really should give out medals for this type of accomplishment- it took a ton of energy and determination NOT to think about crashing into the Rocky Mountains.

C: Confirmation that I am old.

I bailed out on two nights of socializing.  I was wiped out (can I blame the altitude instead of my age?) and after long days of working out and learning I couldn’t get myself together to go out for the night.  Jill and I stayed in, chatted and I got the chance to catch up on missed episodes of Dexter.

I like dark and creepy TV. Image: Daisy

I: Interesting scenery of Colorado

Unfortunately, my plane got in too late to make it to the hike in Boulder and it rained most of the day I was there but I did get the chance to see experience Lavender Lemonade from Native Foods (yum!) and go out for a great lunch at Comida at The Source in Denver – thanks to Kia@BodhiBear.

The Source in Denver – great food and great company.

It was great to get out with some really nice people but I am sorry that I missed some of the social media talk by Chris Freytag and Sarah Chambers.

A: Anschutz Wellness Center

The Anschutz Wellness Center is like a spa in the middle of the Colorado University Campus.  It is not just a fitness center with modern amenities like a sauna and steam room in the locker rooms, with state of the art fitness equipment and class offerings, it is a facility that offers weight management options, cooking classes (there is even a metabolic kitchen on the premises) and has a Human Performance Lab where physiology tests are done to help design personalized training programs.  This state-of-the-art facility is where the newest season of the ABC television show “Extreme Weight Loss” is currently wrapping up filming.

We were lucky not only to take some fitness classes at the facility but we had dinner on the gorgeous rooftop deck and were treated to a cooking class by the on-site chef, Paolo Neville of Bistro Elaia.

L: Lots of new friends

I love meeting new people especially if they’re people I feel like I already know from their blog, Twitter or Instagram.  I was thrilled to be reunited with my FitBloggin’ roommate, Jill@TreeFitness and because #FitSocial is a small conference, I got the chance to meet some amazing people like – Aliah@TheGetFitDiva, Kelly@NoThanksToCake, Coco@Got2RunForMe, Christina@FitScholar, Margarita@Cupcake_Cardio, Caroline@TheTrendyTrainer, Katie@HungryRunner not to mention the girls from FitApproach!  I was happy to see Danielle@TRexRunner and meet her friend, Natalie@IceDotAthletes.  I know I’ve forgotten to mention many other great people as well so forgive me!

*Should you go to FitSocial next year if you’re a fitness professional or blogger?

This conference isn’t exactly sure which space it wants to better serve – the fitness or the social media professional.  My opinion is that the strength of FitSocial is the affiliation with the Anschutz Wellness Center.

Image: SalFalko

FitSocial is a conference that would set itself apart if it focused more on how the cutting edge science developments from the Anschutz Wellness Center (and elsewhere) impact fitness, nutrition, wellness, health and technology instead of social media education.

FitSocial would best benefit from playing to its strengths as the conference that can connect the professional to the deepest and most recent health, wellness, fitness and nutrition information available.  I truly believe that FitSocial could be the heavy hitter in the fitness and wellness space for education and exercise with the above directions and the following few changes:

1. Stay in Denver as the base and plan an exercise related and/or dinner outing elsewhere (the moving from Boulder to Denver was unnecessary)
2. Utilize more of the health, wellness and organic culture of Colorado for fitness, education and socialization purposes.
3. Plan early morning, afternoon and evening fitness classes daily – maybe offer fitness professional attendees discounted conference rates for class organization
4. Improve food offerings – the provided breakfast on Day 1 was paltry and the lack of on-site meals that required leaving the facility made it difficult to get back to sessions on time.
5. Plan small group breakout sessions to best serve the type of professionals attending – fitness, nutrition, blogger etc.
6. Organize interactive evening activities to continue socialization and networking.

Where’s the ideal place you’d plan a vacation or conference if it were up to you?