Dare You To...

It was a dreary, rainy evening in New York City...

But after class, I hoofed it to Soho for a special event at Technogym's new location


What is Technogym? 
" Technogym USA is part of Technogym, a global leader in the development and manufacture of premier, high quality fitness equipment, supplying many of the most prestigious hotels, resort locations, fitness facilities and individual homes worldwide.  Offering cutting edge fitness equipment such as its Run Personal treadmill with a touchscreen multimedia interface, Technogym USA is internationally recognized for its stunning design and innovative delivery of wellness solutions that result in a better ownership experience and return on its user's time, financial and health investments.  "(Press materials)



...Basically, Technogym is a wellness company, the "manufacturer of uniquely designed, innovative, and extraordinarily beautiful fitness equipment," as you'll see below.  The company is based in Milan, …

Sunday, I spent the day outside, enjoying the beautiful weather, the company of some good friends, and the aromas and tastes at the Great GoogaMooga food festival in Brooklyn's Prospect Park.  


We went not knowing quite what to expect, given that it was the inaugural weekend of this new event.  What we found were restaurant and truck vendors spread out over the sprawling greens of the park, along with two music stages, grand beverage tents, food and marketing panels in Restaurant 101, and food prep demos.  The food itself was the star of the show, with stands lined up, organized by type of food:  burgers, pizzas, baked goods, ethnic foods, seafood, desserts, etc.  Click below to see the fun, foodie day in photos!

A few weeks ago, I gushed about my love of Spinning (aka Cycling, Flywheel, etc.) and dared you to give it a try.  For those of you who were already spinning or accepted my challenge, I now encourage you to take your cycling to the next level, by using the right shoes.



Spin Shoes: Yes, it is possible to do spinning without the right shoes by buckling your sneaker into the pedal cage (below), but it's simply not the same.  My instructor had been on me to get spin shoes for some time, and I finally got around to it when I noticed that my performance was suffering because my feet felt loose or I was unable to sprint in standing positions.



^This is what the pedal looks like on a Spinning bike.  You can either turn it over to slide your regular sneaker into the little cage there, and pull the strap to tighten, OR you can clip your spin shoe directly onto the top of the pedal, and they move, connected.

I spin once or twice each week.  My sneakers were no longer cutting it.  They were li…

Dear Readers,

SPRING IS HERE!


Alright, it may actually be kinda summer already. Who can keep track anymore??


Spring rushed in...and out...and in again this year, which is both exciting and terrifying in my opinion.   (The sky is falling! The sky is falling!)  Either way, it reminds us that the year is speeding right along, and so we should take some time to prepare for summer, to clean out our lives, to remove any burdens holding us down from enjoying the warmer weather.

You may notice I've already begun spring cleaning my blog!  To lighten up a bit, I'm toying with new colors, new backgrounds, a new section on the bottom, and new "pages" for food and fitness roundups!  I would love your thoughts, suggestions, and comments.  I'm not saying you should judge a blog by its cover, but it's important to me that you like the look of what you're reading :)

So let's talk about cleaning up.  This doesn't just mean your home; spring cleaning can apply to you…

Last night, I had the honor of joining Bob Harper to celebrate the launch of his new book, The Skinny Rules. 


In keeping with his expertise demonstrated on "The Biggest Loser,"Bob wrote a book to help people lose weight.  It includes the "simple, nonnegotiable principles for getting to THIN."  I was interested to see what sort of 'rules' Bob would include, so the opportunity to attend the launch and learn more about the book could not be passed up.

There is something so tasty and sweet about baked apples. 

Add in cinnamon, honey, walnuts, and you get a deliiicious dessert, paleo/gluten-free to boot!

I love froyo.  Anyone who knows me can confirm this statement, and I'm sure froyo has made its way into my blog once or twice.  It's my special treat, my pick-me-up, my happiness in a cup.  It's not the healthiest, most natural thing out there, but there are worse indulgences.  Plus, treats can be part of a healthy diet, too.  As Bob Harper explains in his new book The Skinny Rules (more to come!), splurges are an "ingredient in your diet.  When you plan something, you are in control."

To stay FitFluential, I'll take this moment to remind you to eat your vegetables, try a SPINNING class, and write down a goal. =D

Now, back to my personal vicetreat: oh, and for those of my readers who are not teens or twenty-somethings living in or near a city, "froyo" is frozen yogurt.  Just wanted to make sure that was clear before we move on.

Read more for my favorites, taste-testing, fruit toppings, and the dare...

After the incredible day at#FitBlogNYC hosted by Fitness Magazine (click for part I), Amber and I packed up all our goodies and headed up to Times Square for another event!

Read more for Oakley, Tone It Up, and a blogger Mexican dinner!

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of attendingFitness Magazine's "Blogger Meet & Tweet" event in New York City.
Please bear with me while I recap the day's events; I chose to include the entire event in this post rather than splitting it up.  This way, you've got all the details and PHOTOS all in one place, and you can see exactly how the event progressed!


You may have noticed my excessive use of the hashtag #FitBlogNYC on Twitter while I was learning, meeting, and sharing info along with many other highly influential fitness bloggers in (and visiting from afar!) the area.  It was a day filled with fun activities, speakers, samples, and, of course, bloggers!  Lots of FitFluential love going on, from morning til night.
Read on to see the samples, what I learned, and the kick-butt Tabura workout...

Monday + Music + Motivation.  .... + Me, Meredith! 

Who wants to work out in silence?  Hmm... Who wants to listen to others around them panting, grunting, chatting, sniffling, etc.?   Ummm.... Who wants to listen to music that provides a steady beat as well as physical and emotional motivation? Me Me Me Me!  Now, I know there are some people who prefer to go without headphones, to listen to their breath, to focus on the road, and that's great for them!  I'm just not one of them.  Yes, I've tried it.  It's doable.  But I much prefer music; it keeps me going in ways that my huffing and puffing just can't.


This weekend, a friend asked me what's on my playlist?-- do I have a post for running music?  Good news, Cait: This one's for you!


Continue reading for tips on choosing songs, as well as what's on my list...

In honor of my Wednesday morning spinning class (eee can't wait! It's been a whole week!), today we're talking about...

Spinning: the infamous, high-intensity, indoor cycling class.  Saddle up in a dark room, blast the music, and get your heart pumping.

I shared my love for group exercise--including Spinning--before.
I also showed you how my heart rate soars during my Spin classes; such a great interval workout!
I've also shared how fantastic it felt to get back to spinning after a couple weeks under the weather.

So, basically, since September, I've completely fallen for Spinning.  It's about time I share the details with you, anddare you to get into a class ASAP! It builds muscles, works cardio, and serves as a great cross-training workout for runners, too.  Easier on the knees than running, so good thing to try when you've got an injury that prevents you from running. (Consult your doctor, of course.)  OR... just do it because it's a great workout a…