Just Do It

I consider myself very lucky for many reasons. Many reasons are obvious, such as a healthy, loving family, good friends, a career that I love, but what isn’t as obvious is that I have friends in the fitness world in NYC. One of the perks of being connected to the NYC fitness scene is having access to creative and inspiring Nike events through my good friend, Holly Rilinger, a rock star in the fitness world (Flywheel and Nike master trainer).

These Nike events are often described as epic and that really is the only way to describe them. I have gone to events that require taking a boat to Ellis Island and work out with fireworks above us and Lady Liberty behind us!  Oh and did I mention the workout was outside and it was snowing?! This past weekend, I went on an annual trip to Los Angeles for Nike’s Women NTC (Nike Training Camp) event in downtown LA.

Let me tell you that this event did not disappoint. We were told to arrive at a given address at 6:30 pm from where we will be shuttled to the actual event. This level of secrecy was enough to get the adrenaline pumping before we even arrived. Once at the event, which was located in a huge outside warehouse area of downtown LA, we are bombarded by lights, music, a million swooshes and thousands of women! Now here is where the good part comes in, we are about to work out with a huge group of strangers. These are people we have never met and will most likely never see again. But we are all there for a common goal - to get our sweat on, to be inspired and have fun!

The event consisted of a kick ass Nike workout with my friend Holly doing her thing on a huge stage with crazy lights, graphics and choreography. Then we go to breakout sessions where we do workouts we may never have done before like boxing, hip hop dancing, sprinting and spinning. I took a Flywheel class outside under the stars at 11 pm!  Delicious and healthy food is provided by Whole Foods - quinoa bowl with veggies and a fruit salad. This food was just what we all needed to fuel up for the rest of our night of squatting, jabbing, spinning and dancing.  The event eventually ends with a dance production that is over the top and to re-use the word, epic.

While all of this is fantastic, the takeaway for me  is the camaraderie. I am never alone while sweating, jumping, and struggling, next to a stranger, we are somehow in it together. We are inspired by the trainers, the professional athletes we see and our fellow attendees. We are motivated to try a little harder doing the workouts, try a workout we have never done before (hello, what is Pound?) and to wake up the next day and use that inspiration and momentum to push us a little further in our daily lives. That inspiration and momentum helped me come back from a tiring weekend and remain focused on hitting my fitness goals for the week.

I often get asked in nutrition counseling sessions about fitness. I always answer that while I’m not a trainer, I do recommend a significant amount of physical activity for optimum health. Well wouldn't that significant amount of physical activity for optimum health be a lot easier with a huge dose of inspiration, camaraderie and motivation? Go out there and get some then! Find a buddy to talk about your meals with and plan your workouts with. Make it fun as that is what will keep it going and make you more successful in the long run! To quote Nike - just do it.

For more information on Holly Rilinger visit her site @ http://www.hollyrilinger.com/

For more information on Nike women's activities visit Nike @ http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/women/events