Earned, Not Given: Anytime Fitness Annual Conference

Inspiration. Motivation. Education. Bleeding Purple.

Those are the words that come to mind when I think about this past weekend. I spent the weekend photographing, talking, dancing, crying, and laughing with my fellow Anytime Fitness family. As I reflect on the weekend, I realize how fast it went by and how tired I am now as a result.

We (Lee and I) woke up at 4:30 am to be at our 6:30 flight! I was so exhausted that I slept on the plane (something I rarely am able to do). After landing, her awesome mom and dad picked us up and drove us to Chicago…where we hung out all day, walking Chicago’s Loop.

After getting settled in at the hotel, we spent the evening watching funny videos, listening to the “State of the Franchise,” and laughing at jugglers. With an early morning Friday, I called it a night.

I woke early Friday morning to photograph the morning Bootcamp workout. It was an intense session, lead by none other than Shannon Fable with the Bodyworkz team. Everyone was having fun while sweating their guts out. Plus, one of the Anytime Fitness Trainers, April Calderon, set the World Record for number of pushups done on 3 medicine balls IN FRONT OF THE BEAN! What a true inspiration. She showed the world that if you put your mind to something, you can do anything.

Friday was very busy with a speaker from the Ritz Carlton and a marketing and branding session.

The 80s party brought out the best in our Franchise. We showed that we not only can we do something as silly as dressing up “80’s style”… we will do it, do it together, and do it in style. We stick together and that is why we are so successful. People showed up in Ninja costumes, Mario and Luigi… plus a ton more!

The true inspiration came on Saturday. We awarded 3 of my favorite bloggers the 2i awards (2 inspire). Meet Annie, Meghann, and Cassie.

Annie

Annie is from Kansas and received the 2i award because of her amazing abilities during the #SurviveOn35 challenge. She made a grocery budget of $109 dollars look commendable for a family of FIVE! With exceptional planning and care, she was a co-winner of the challenge! She writes about family, food, fashion, and more on her blog Mamma Dweeb. She encouraged hundreds, that eating healthy on a budget doesn’t have to be expensive!

Meghann

Meghann is from Florida and received the 2i award because of her unforgettable efforts in the #SurviveOn35 challenge. She constructed creative and healthy meals while documenting every cost for her readers. She illustrated the true meaning of eating healthy on a budget. She blogs at Meals and Miles. She is also an ultra-marathoner, amateur photographer, and globetrotter. She is constantly supporting her blog readers to live healthy lives through education and motivation.

Cassie

Our first 2i award is from Indiana and received the 2i award because of her ability to put her whole heart and soul into the Anytime Health community, her motivational writing, and her health. She writes about food and fitness on her blog, Back to her Roots, where sheencourages people to live a healthy lifestyle through clean eating habits and exercise. She consistently brings outstanding content to the Anytime Health blog with encouraging and attention-grabbing content.

On top of that Saturday night was spewing with inspiration with four incredible member success stories that didn’t just involve losing weight or dress size but included a limbless woman, bullied kid, husband showing love by getting healthy, and a woman who had just lost her way. These people were just people trying to make themselves better…little do they know how they will impact anyone who watches their success videos. I was to the point of full on tears watching these videos!

This conference was my second. Nonetheless, it was the best. Even with exhaustion looming over me, I was still moved and excited to get to work and continue to move our brand towards awesomeness!