fbpx ;

PowHer-ing Up … Together!

Where to begin, where to begin … I just had the MOST epic weekend. And I’m not even sure how to sum it up. In fact, I’m pretty sure that right now I’m feeling ALL the feelings at exactly the same time. Kind of like how I felt after Tish and I crossed the finish line at the marathon — just a mix of gratitude, relief, joy, happiness, appreciation and, well, everything. Because, ahhh! This past weekend was amazing.

As we shared last week, we FBGs recently gathered together for our annual retreat of editorial planning, dreaming, brainstorming and envisioning the future of all things Fit Bottomed. (For the rest of the week all of us will be sharing posts with some of our favorite moments from the long weekend!) I’d been looking forward to having us all here together in Kansas City and having some great girl time and coming up with some amazing ideas (everyone is better together!). And I knew our planned outings and workouts (and wines!) would be fun, but dang. It was even more amazing than I expected. And while I feel like I could about write a book with awesome and hilarious moments from the weekend, the PowHer event really stands out for a number of reasons.

When Erin and I first began FBG way back in 2008, we always dreamed of having live events. But, we weren’t really sure what those events would look like, or, honestly, how in the heck we’d pull it off. And then, in almost divine intervention, I met Sheryl of the Fit Pit about three years ago and since then our complimentary fit wheels have been turning. I love the Fit Pit, and Sheryl is known for throwing the best fitness events. And she’s always been such a huge supporter and believer in all things FBG. So when we began planning the FBG retreat, it just seemed obvious to do a reader meet-up workout with her at her gym. Henceforth, the PowerHer event was born.

At first we thought it would be pretty basic — a fun group workout that encouraged women to get moving and be supported by each other in a truly positive environment where they were also pushed to do and be their best (while still being totally accepted as they were). And then, we had tons of women sign up — and we had UltraMax Sports and Athleta Kansas City as a sponsor. And then we had two awesome photographers — one to capture stills of the event and another to capture video with a drone camera. (Yeah, it was cool!)

FBGPowHer-1-20

We had banners and tanks and volunteers and an agenda, and what began as a “hey, we should try this” morphed into a full-out event that was beyond anything we’d even anticipated.

And it was awesome.

We had 40+ women there at the event, with smiles on their faces and the attitudes of champions. We warmed up together outside.

FBGPowHer-1-19

We learned about buying the proper running shoes from UltraMax and awesome new fits and fabrics from Athleta.

FBGPowHer-1-21

We broke up into teams and did some pretty tough stations — slam ball, wall ball, box jumps/step-ups, plank and row, run/walk, sit-ups — but we did them together.

FBGPowHer-1-22

FBGPowHer-1-24

We cooled down together. We took fun photos together.

FBGPowHer-1-27

We tried new things together (from rope climbing to holding up the slosh pipe — holy core work). And for that morning we all embraced the inner strength we all have but sometimes forget about. We dug deep, pushed ourselves, encouraged others to do the same and high-fived like crazy. We gave compliments, accepted compliments and were celebrated for being us — strong, awesome and happily sweaty.

slosh-pipe

It’s funny, I spend so much time writing and working in front of the computer and connecting online that sometimes I forget just how darn powerful being in a LIVE supportive group is. And while we FBGs and The Fit Pit volunteers were all there to help encourage others to find their inner FBG PowHer, I know that we were all just as inspired by those around us as they might have been by those of us who were giving advice and had planned and helped with the event. The ol’ saying that there’s strength in numbers? It’s totally true! And I see many, many more of these types of events in our future …

For those of you at the event, I thought it would be fun to share our collaborative workout playlist (it’s SUPER fun), and for those of you who couldn’t make it or don’t live in Kansas City, check it out — and let it PowHer up your next workout!

PowHER Workout Playlist

Oh, yeah … and I should probably mention that this happened a few hours later.

jenn-fbg-tattoo

Between the retreat, the PowHer event and the book coming out in less than a month, it just felt right to mark the occasion. FBG for life, for reals! —Jenn

FTC disclosure: We often receive products from companies to review. All thoughts and opinions are always entirely our own. Unless otherwise stated, we have received no compensation for our review and the content is purely editorial. Affiliate links may be included. If you purchase something through one of those links we may receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!