Club Industry 2010

Have you been waiting on pins and needles for my Club Industry 2010 report? I didn't think so, but you have to be at least a little curious—aren't ya? Well, anyway. I had fun. It was a small trade show, and McCormick Place is a large convention hall.

I left right after work, which means I ate lunch on the road. A protein shake and a delicious granola bar. Total travel time? Just over one hour, which reiterates the fact that I am so very lucky to live so close to Chicago. But anyways, back to the fact that McCormick Place is a large convention hall. Seriously, I get lost every single freakin' time I go there. I literally drove around in circles trying to find parking. But luckily, I managed to get where I needed to be.

And if I hadn't, I might not have come home with all this loot:

As I wandered from vendor to vendor, I somehow managed to gather a bag full of reading and marketing materials, food and other random chotchkies. Oh, and some headphones. Because who doesn't like free headphones, right? Anyways, Club Industry is essentially a trade show that highlights new and exciting trends in fitness equipment and health club management. I tested out a seated elliptical machine, which was pretty cool. It felt much like a recumbent (seated) bike, only with handles that moved.

And speaking of bikes, isn't the spin bike at right a beauty? It comes from a company called Matrix Fitness, and it's part of a larger line of LIVESTRONG by Matrix products. (Yes, as in Lance Armstrong's foundation.) If I had a gym, I'd buy it all. Or at least this bike. It was incredibly sleek, smooth and also quite inspiring. Probably expensive, too. According to the brochure, every purchase ensures "that a minimum of $4M will go to LIVESTRONG and the fight against cancer." So that's cool.

A few more highlights from the day:



Yet another bike from Matrix—The Johnny G. Krankcycle. I wanted to try it, but as I'm sure you can imagine, the seats were pretty full every time I walked by. Cycling gets the legs in great shape. Reverse the concept and I'm sure it will get the arms in shape, too.

I love it! A cheerleading workout! You may or may not know that I was a cheerleader for 12 years, so I can attest to the quality of the workout. And when you add weighted "pound poms" as these girls have, trust me when I say it's probably a real butt buster. At the very least, it's gotta be a ton of fun!

I really, really...REALLY...wanted to buy this book. The "cookbook for the fit food lover," which clearly is me! I flipped through it for about ten minutes before peeling it out of my own hands. Such great design, coupled with delicious recipes that didn't require any foo-foo ingredients. There were a lot of books for sale at the show, actually. In fact, there was a whole booth that I purposely walked right by because I know I'd want just about every book they were selling.

Gosh, I could go on and on about all the things I saw. But the most important thing I hope to convey is the idea that the fitness world is forever growing and changing as new advances in health and wellness are achieved. That's a fact that is both exciting and inspiring. Boredom is a thing of the past—there's really no excuse for it to last long when it comes to working out and eating healthy. So many options, really just so many! Get up and test them all, well...at least the ones well-suited to your own health and well-being.

Now, I give you the money shot:

Justin's Maple Almond Nut Butter (and the dollar portion of my $1.50 toll). SO. UNBELIEVABLY. DELIGHTFULLY. DELICIOUS. Seriously. Best nut butter ever. And I'm a tough critic. I somehow managed to safely eat it with an apple on my drive home. Guess where I bought it? Oh, did you say Whole Foods? Yep. Of course.

And finally, on this day exactly one year ago, magical things were falling into place as Jason and I were preparing for our wedding. Close friends and our families were gathering as one in South Bend, Indiana. I was finally...FINALLY!...picking up the dress of my dreams. And Jason was delivering single red roses to key locations where they would eventually be presented to one unsuspecting bride on the biggest day of her life. Our first anniversary is tomorrow, and I can't wait to show you some highlights from what turned out to be a perfectly luminous day.

Question: Have you tried out any new and exciting fitness activities lately? If not, is there one you've been meaning to try out?