SELF Magazine Workout in the Park

I went to Chicago yesterday for the SELF Magazine Workout in the Park—it was incredibly fun! And though I would have gone alone, I was blessed to have my mom, sister and my good friend Angie by my side. We joined thousands of other women (and some men) in Grant Park for a serious "all-in-one" event. For just $20, we were able to participate in a variety of workout classes and sample a ton of products. We even got a subscription to SELF! Take a look:

T-Fal was showing off their new ActiFry product, which uses convection to cook favorites like French fries with less oil. One tablespoon, to be exact. They had samples, so we did.

And we all agreed that they were probably some of the best French fries we've ever had. If the ActiFry weren't so expensive, I'm sure we would have all purchased one. We moved on to a few other vendors before participating in our first workout class. Yoga Body Sculpt.

Though it only lasted for 15 minutes, I think we all appreciated the short intro to what Yoga can do for the body. None of us really had any experience with it, though that might change after this Vinyasa-esque sculpting class. I know I'd like to learn more.

We barely had any time to put our shoes back on because we had to leave the Quiet Zone for the Rebounding Zone. Holy hell were we in for a good workout!

Urban Rebounding is not your average bounce on the trampoline! Our thighs were seriously burning after bouncing, squatting and bouncing while squatting. It was just like an aerobics class, only the bouncing never stopped. And yes, Aly is bouncing on her butt in the picture above. You wouldn't think it was hard, but it got you right in the abs. Needless to say, after 15 minutes, we were all sweating so we decided to do some more sampling.

Blue Diamond Almonds, anyone? They were flavored with Sea Salt which thrilled me. Blue Diamond Sea Salt Almonds are my favorite but I have the hardest time finding them. I was able to snag two free pouches, though I wanted to go back for more. So as not to risk being greedy, I moved on to the Reebok EasyTone tent.

Have you ever tried on a pair of EasyTone shoes? I don't recommend them for running, but they're pretty darn comfortable for an everyday sneaker. They have "balance pods" on the soles that work to tone and tighten the back of your legs while you walk. I only had one foot in them, but I could feel how they might possibly do that. Reebok claims you'll "discover 25% more of a workout for your butt" and "up to 11% more for your hamstrings and calves." Anyone out there have any experience with these shoes? Needless to say, I didn't walk away with a pair. However I did score a sweet water bottle just for trying them on.

Feeling as though we should get another workout in, we decided to participate in Retro-Robics. I was hoping for some Jazzercise, but it turned out to be more like a hip-hop dance class. We learned some Michael Jackson moves before heading over to the Jane Iredale booth.

Jane Iredale is apparently an all-organic makeup brand, though none of us had ever heard of it before. They were doing lip consultations, which we all participated in for so we could get the free lip plumper.

We made kiss faces before kissing the SELF Magazine Workout in the Park goodbye. We only got about 45 minutes of actual workout time in, but this sweet stash of swag made it all worthwhile.

I think we'll definitely be going back next year—and you should come, too!