Heavy Girl to Healthy Girl: World Spinning® Sports Conference 2014

So most of you know that I love Spinning® and that I became a Certified Spinning® Instructor back in November of 2013. Usually the Spinning® world comes together every year at the end of May at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami, Florida.

The World Spinning® Sports Conditioning Conference is 3 full days filled with more than 300 mind-blowing, heart-pumping sessions including Spinning®, Zumba®, Peak Pilates®, Pilatesstick®, Bodyblade®, Resist-A-Ball®, Xtend Barre®, CrossCore®, Ugi®, The Groove Method, SPINpower™, and KettleBell Concepts™. This is the place to be if you love fitness!

Back in February 2014 I started seeing the advertising for the conference, and being a newbie at this, I really considered on attending to experience this awesome event. After weighing all possibilities I decided to attend since I was going with Ketsy (my trainer) who had attended the conference before, and our friend who is also a personal trainer, Isabel.

Excited!!! was an understatement to say the least. I couldn't believe I will be in the same room as Josh Taylor, an ambassador of Spinning®, an International Spinning® Master Instructor, and many other Spinners from around the world.

So the time was here!!! We left on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. We had signed up for the "Ghost Ride" with Josh Taylor on Thursday the 29th. Each year the ride with Josh has a theme - this year was the Ghost within us.

"Somewhere within each of us is a voice, a soft whisper that is calling for us to believe in something magnificent and mysterious. A ride where surrender is not an option, where the human spirit rings loud, piercing through doubt and fear. We will ride relentlessly through the shadows, crushing barriers and eliminating obstructions that cloud our lives, unyielding in the pursuit of the GHOST within."

At the Ghost Ride

Me and Isabel after the ride

Isabel, Josh and Me

Josh and Ketsy

The Ghost Ride was awesome. The energy of over 300 strong was amazing and indescribable. I was in awe to be part of this event and this community.

The next couple of days were filled with classes, 4-5 classes each day to be exact. We took Ugi®, Zumba®, Spinning®, running, rowing, master classes. At the end of each day we were exhausted, but at the same time it was exhilarating. Meeting fitness professionals and fitness enthusiasts from all over the world is absolutely awesome. Learning, sharing tips and ideas without any sense of competitiveness of one another is great. I completely loved it.

Zumba® Sentao

Spinning® with the Stability Ball

Ugi® Class

On a personal note I don't even know how to start to describe the emotions that I had this awesome weekend. The moment that I remembered where I started on this journey brought tears to my eyes. Who would have told that heavy girl of 238 pounds that she will be attending a fitness conference, and that she was going to be able to blend right in. It is still surreal to me, yet I was there sweating right next to the very bests and holding my own.

This conference opened my eyes to so many avenues, especially on a personal level. I started giving myself a little more credit than what I usually do, and I stopped being so hard on myself. I have worked hard to get to this point, and will continue to move forward on my own pace, but if I decide to rest for a bit - it is well deserved. I don't compete with anyone but myself. My main purpose is to lend a helping hand and encourage those that are at a point that is very familiar to me.

All in all-- it was an amazing conference, and an amazing experience. We had a great time, we had many laughs, I lost 4 pounds -LOL We met many people, some of them inspirational to me---but it was time to come home, and I was ready to do just that. I have missed my home sweet home and most of all my hubby.