Rekindle the romance with fitness

I’ve been married for 9 years so I understand that sometimes the spark fades and the romance wanes. My official relationship with fitness has existed for 19 years so just like my marriage, I need to nurture that relationship, too. This past weekend I rekindled my romance with fitness by attending a fitness conference.

I’ve been a CanFitPro member since 2005 and I’ve attended several of their annual conferences before, but this was my first one since focusing my event planning business on fitness and wellness only, so it was a special weekend for me. (And by special, I don’t just mean the fact that I had a hotel room and two whole days all to myself while my husband and the kids stayed home, either.) I attended the Vancouver Fitness Expo and I came home all jazzed up and excited with a renewed commitment to the goals of my business and to myself. It’s kind of like when you make out with a new partner for the first time.

I attended a few sessions on running with the ever-entertaining Dr. Jason Karp (I have goals to pursue his run coach certification in the next 5 years), and one of the workshops was an 8k run along with seawall. There were about a dozen of us and we stopped along the way to look at the leaves, take in the beauty of the harbour, and really remember why we choose to run for fun. I really and truly LOVE to run and it’s not just for fitness. Jason’s workshops and lectures ask us to ask ourselves why we do what we do. Why have we chosen health and fitness as our careers? When you encounter someone so obviously passionate about what they do it’s hard not to feel excited yourself.

I attended a session on sugar addiction and one on goal setting. I really enjoyed the session on body image and social media in the fitness industry with Amanda Vogel. There was some good discussion surrounding fitness selfies and how we portray ourselves online: we could have spent an entire day looking at hashtags and sweaty selfies and debating the sexualization of fitness. This session really awoke in me the need for fitness professionals to recognize how important the role we play in inspiring or shaming potential clients really is. 

I took pages and pages of notes and shared photos to social media. I fan girled a little when Chad Benson of the BC Personal Training Institute walk by (seriously: this guy knows his stuff) and I chatted about struggling with depression and motherhood with some other runners and I debated the selfie phenomenon with other trainers. I learned about breathing and posture from the CHEK Institute. I was tired by the time I got home but even my ferry ride back to Vancouver Island was a new experience: I enjoyed reading a book with a coffee. I took pictures of the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen and I appreciated that so many other passengers did the same. I had blog post ideas running through my mind and I want to get #Canada150WarmUp going again for 2018 (look us up on Facebook and commit your business or organization to participating!) I felt empowered and energized and content. I fell in love with fitness all over again. I urge you to get out of your gym or studio or clinic and attend a fitness conference. Connect with other fit pros and learn from industry experts and return to your clients with a renewed passion for what you do!