Fitcation 2012

Two years, eighteen meal plans, hundreds of pounds lost, and I finally got to meet these girls in person.

I can’t begin to explain how amazing it was to hug and talk with the women I’ve been working with for so long.  The Mamavation women inspire me every day with their commitment to improving their health and the health of their families.  I am so happy to finally know them in person!

And of course, I was dying to meet the two who make Mamavation and Fitcation possible, Leah and Mark Segedie.  These two worked their tails off to make sure Fitcation was a success, and they are such a sweet couple to be around.

So what did we do at Fitcation?

We spent the first afternoon and evening getting to know each other and catching up over some local Greek food.

Every morning started with exercise.  Friday morning was boot camp (I’m still sore), Saturday was Hoopnotica, and Sunday was yoga.  After a shower and breakfast, we got into the activities for the day.

Most of Friday was spent at Dole Headquarters.  That’s right, the pineapple and banana people.

We spent a few hours in their test kitchen learning about (and tasting) some of their new products.  There were a few that I was especially excited about, including an exciting new way to get your Vitamin D from a whole food.  More on that in another post…

Friday afternoon, we toured the California Health & Longevity Institute that is part of the Four Seasons Westlake Village.  Their facility is gorgeous.

My favorite part was the beautiful kitchen where they teach cooking classes.  I knew I’d seen it on TV before, and they confirmed that it is used for cooking demonstrations in some reality weight loss shows.

Out the back door of the kitchen is the garden.  We saw beets, tomatoes, butternut squash, swiss chard, herbs, and more.  They also have a greenhouse on the grounds.  I have to get back there for a cooking class someday!

After our tour, we headed over to Leah’s house for dinner.  Leah’s mom had been cooking all day by the time we got there and had a table full of food made from my recipes.  She also had everything set up for me to do a stir fry demonstration.  She was amazing!

I taught the girls how to do a basic stir fry with just a few ingredients.

Then it was time to eat!  We had frittatas, quinoa salad, stir fry, caprese salad, fruit and salad.  It was so fun to see everyone eating food from recipes I’ve posted.  It all seemed to be a hit!

Saturday morning, after our invigorating (and hilarious) Hoopnotica class, we hopped on a bus and took a tour of LA.  We hit Venice Beach first.

Venice Beach is home to some interesting characters.

We hit the Hollywood sights too, peeking at celebrity homes, Hollywood Boulevard and Beverly Hills.

After the tour, we settled into a private room at Marrakesh Restaurant for some Moroccan food and belly dancing.

Sunday morning, we woke up for yoga, ate breakfast and said our goodbyes.  I’m going to miss these girls and their sweet babies.

I made it home with an extra bag just for the swag.  Good thing I was flying Southwest!  Can you believe all of this stuff?

I want to give a huge thanks to the sponsors who made Fitcation incredible.  Thank you Dole for the top-notch hospitality at the Four Seasons.  Thank you Leading Lady for the delicious Moroccan feast.  Thank you Sip The Good Life for the tasty (and sustainable) wine.  And thank you New Balance for my sweet new purple shoes.

 

I can’t wait for Fitcation 2013!

 

  • Michelle @ Eat Move Balance August 22, 2012 at 2:16 am

    Looks like a great time–thanks for the recap. I’d love to participate in something like this. Glad you enjoyed it!

  • EA-The Spicy RD August 22, 2012 at 7:40 am

    What a wonderful “Fitcation” and how fun that Leah’s mom cooked you all dinner! My cousins live in Westlake so I have been there before, although not to the 4 Seasons-The Health and Lomgevity Institute sounds wonderful. I think I know what the Dole food product is, but I’m not spilling the beans 🙂

  • Marsi @ The Cottage Cheese August 22, 2012 at 8:11 am

    You all look absolutely fantastic! I’m inspired. It sounds like you all had a wonderful “fitcation”. Thanks for sharing!

  • janetha August 22, 2012 at 8:35 am

    This looks like it was SUCH a great time! Thanks for the fun recap.

  • Megan @mnmspecial August 22, 2012 at 9:52 am

    It was so much fun to meet you in person! You are so much fun and absolutely adorable 🙂 You food is so yummy.

  • @AndreaEmilien August 22, 2012 at 10:43 am

    That stir fry was so good. I will be making that very soon. Thank you for sharing your food! It was so good to finally meet you in person.

  • Shelley (@momma_oz) August 22, 2012 at 10:51 am

    I loved being able to FINALLY meet you in person after all this time. I’m so glad you came and hope to see you again next year 🙂 Unless of course you are planning to attend BlogHer Food… which happens to be here in Austin… just sayin’ 🙂

    • inspiredrd August 22, 2012 at 1:52 pm

      I’m going to try to make it to BlogHer Food next year for sure!

  • Stephanie August 22, 2012 at 10:48 pm

    Sounds like SO MUCH fun. Wish I could have joined you there…with baby in tow, of course! 🙂

    I’m intrigued by the California Health & Longevity Institute concept. On that website now.

    Out of curiosity, was there a cost to attend or was the whole event covered by sponsors?

    • inspiredrd August 23, 2012 at 2:02 pm

      There was a cost to attend (I think it was around $200). Anything not covered by ticket prices and sponsors was covered by Leah. Would love to see you there next year!

  • April Ockerman August 23, 2012 at 1:03 pm

    It was so great to meet you and thanks for being a fab roomie. Hope to see you again next year 🙂 LOVE your pictures!

  • @PamelaMKramer - A Renaissance Woman August 24, 2012 at 6:28 am

    Alysa I wish I would have gotten to spend more time with you. These pictures are beautiful. Maybe we can hang out more next year. I plan on keeping up with everyone much better. lol – All the photos of you cooking turned out really well. 🙂

  • Stacie August 31, 2012 at 9:05 pm

    What an awesome meetup! I would love to go to Fitcation 13, we’ll see though. I love these pictures, everyone looks like they had a blast!

  • jennydecki September 1, 2012 at 8:53 am

    It looks like such an amazing, fun time. I see so many things I’m really interested in that were in your swag and OMG Dole! OMG Four Seasons! Dole is my family’s go-to BRAND so I love that they’re part of the healthy times movement of Mamavation! Four Seasons is so classy, so….it’s THE place to go, you know? Ah-mazing! Thanks for an amazing post 🙂