IDEA World Blogfest 2016 Recap + a Quick Band Workout
Wow, what a weekend.
From the workouts to the expert panels to the amazing influencers I got to meet, this year’s IDEA World Blogfest was the best yet.
I kicked off the marathon health and fitness event with a super early morning workout with Propel Water and Gunnar Peterson on Wednesday.
While I’m not usually keen on waking up up before 5 a.m., this was definitely worth it.
Myself, and five other awesome fitness bloggers, were treated to another one of Gunnar’s intense but amazing circuit sessions with the Pacific Ocean as our backdrop.
(Melanie of Headstands + Heels, Gwen of The LA Girl, Rachael of Sweat & Repeat, Evann Clingan, Aly of The Sweat Life, and me!)
You may remember the crazy exercises he put me through last time — this workout had even more unique moves I’d never tried before.
Guessing this will be the only time I use a Hummer for resistance!
After the workout, we headed to Blogfest where I was challenged and inspired by an amazing line-up of speakers.
Jack Canfield, of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame, gave a moving speech about taking responsibility for your success.
“You have 100% responsibility for your life and results,” he said. “Stop complaining. Stop blaming events, and start changing your response. If you want something to change, you have to change.”
Katie Dunlop, my fabulous friend over at Love Sweat Fitness, shared her tips for creating authentic, engaging stories on Snapchat.
“Be relatable,” said Katie. “Think about what you can offer that no one else can.”
David Katz spoke on uniting the nutrition community. He believes that experts agree on more fundamental facts than they disagree on — plants are good, junk food is bad, etc. Katz says that to fight the obesity crisis, we need to all join forces and stop squabbling.
“What we know in common is enough to eliminate 80% of the problem,” said Katz. “We’re more powerful together than divided.”
On the second day of the conference, Gunnar and his team joined us downtown for another round of tank-top soaking exercise.
(Alfonso aka The Angry Trainer, Brad of Flat Belly LA , and Garson Grant from Chelsea Piers)
I wondered how this workout for such a large group would compare to his more individualized one-on-one training. I was not disappointed. Using only a small exercise band, these guys had us drenched in about 45 minutes.
Once again, I was excited to try exercises I’d never done before, and of course, I just had to share them with you guys.
Here are five moves you can try for a quick, challenging, total-body workout using only an exercise band.
1. Toe-Taps – 15 reps per leg, 3 sets
Loop the band around your legs, just below the knees. Drop into a slight squat. Make sure to keep your back flat and chest up. Tap your foot forward, to the side, and then backward, keeping resistance on the band the entire time. Repeat.
2. The “Katniss” – 15 reps per arm, 3 sets
My fellow bloggers gave this bow and arrow-like arm exercise it’s new name. Holding the band like a bow and arrow, row the bottom arm, closest to your body, back. Make sure to keep your shoulders down and the top arm straight.
3. Single-leg Deadlift – 15 reps per leg, 3 sets
Loop the band under one foot. Keep this leg straight and slightly bend the other leg, placing your toe behind you. Grab a hold of the top of the band and use the force from your hips to stand, pulling the band upward. Make sure to keep your back flat and your chest raised.
4. Banded Row – 15 reps per arm, 3 sets.
Loop the band under one foot. Grad a hold of the other end with one hand and hinge at the waist, bringing your chest parallel with the floor and keeping your back flat. Row upward at a steady, controlled pace.
5. Hip Thrusters – 15 reps, 3 sets
Lay flat on your back with the band around your legs, just below the knees. Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together, opening the knees to the sides. Thrust your hips toward the sky, keeping your legs spread and resisting the pull of the band.
Another highlight of the weekend was hanging with my pal Lindsey Bomgren — the fitness guru over at Nourish Move Love, and meeting the uber-talented Kelsey of Little Bits of Real Food.
As you can see we had quite a bit of fun together!
I plan on sharing more useful health and fitness info that I gathered at the conference with you guys soon. Stay tuned!
A huge thank you to Propel Water for yet another incredible series of events and to the ladies over at Fit Approach for putting together such a wonderful gathering of empowering women.
Weigh In: Did you go/have you been to IDEA World Blogfest? Will you try the workout?
*This post is sponsored by Propel but all opinions are my own.
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says:
I had serious fomo from everyone’s pics all weekend. I have to get there next time!
Whitney English says:
Yes you do!! You would love it! xo
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment says:
BlogFest looks so amazing. Can wait to attend one!
Whitney English says:
Yes!! Hope to see you next year! xo
Heather @ Life In Leggings says:
Hi Whitney! Super bummed I had to miss IDEA this year. It looks like you had a blast! And that Propel workout looks intense, but fun. Thanks for sharing!
Whitney English says:
We missed you!! Hope to see you next year! xo
Jessica says:
Such a fun week! Thanks for sharing and putting our awesome Gunnar workout here — 100% doing this all of the time and when I travel!
Whitney English says:
Totally! Gunnar is amazing!
Emily says:
Fun! I love that you had such a great time. I’d love to go… next year maybe! Thank you for the fun band workout! I will give it a shot!
Whitney English says:
You should!! It was really fun! Glad you like the workout! xo
Travis says:
IDEA World 2016 looked like a lot of fun! I missed out on it this year but will definitely make time for it next year!
Whitney English says:
You should definitely come next year!
Katie Dunlop says:
Loved this! That was seriously such a fun weekend!! Had so much fun with you and all the girls!
Whitney English says:
Same!! I say we make it a monthly event! :)
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment says:
Just happen to have some ripe mangos. It is fate. LOL
Whitney English says:
Perfect!! Let me know how it goes :)