Jamaica with the FAM!

My favorite times are the ones that we spend with our sons.  Since they were little, we have established annual trips and seem to add to those traditions periodically.  We started going to Chicago to Christmas shop and they were allowed to each bring a friend along.  Then we started going to Vail to ski as well, and they were allowed to each bring a friend along.  What started happening was the friends that came one year didn’t want to miss out so the group tended to enlarge for each consecutive trip.  This year, we had 12 people on the mountain in Vail skiing with us and it was amazing.  

My youngest son, Jimmy, is an accomplished musician and his music roots are Reggae and Ska.  He has traveled to Jamaica since he was small with a friend or two.  Chad, our oldest, who is also an amazing musician, started going later and then they both were bringing the girlfriends.  We all went to Jamaica last year and the tradition was established. Instead of adding more people, we add more days.  They don’t want to leave, and who can blame them. 

We just got back from our now annual trip to Jamaica with the boys and the girlfriends and we stayed at Grand Lido Negril.   If you have spoken on the phone, or gotten an email from Lisa, she is Chad’s girlfriend and my assistant in the office.  It is great for her to meet the managers, see the properties and get a better understanding of what Jamaica time is all about.

Jimmy and Ali

Chad and Lisa

I knew that I would be seeing some old friends and dedicated travelers with my program and was really looking forward to it.  Shelly was at Hedonism II and the Bikram yoga instructor for a month teaching there for two weeks and at Grand Lido Negril for two weeks.  She is amazing.  I don’t know her age but she is timeless and her husband, Ed, who is turning 80 in October, says she gets younger every day.  I agree.  Lisa and I took her class the first day and she kicked our butts!  Luckily I had my favorite massage therapist waiting for me when I finished.  If you travel to Hedonism II, be sure to get a massage from the magic hands of Roselyn. 

I ran into the pros at Grand Lido Negril the first night going to dinner.  It is funny how we all stick together.  I know Elissa who travels with me regularly, and met Judy, the personal trainer for the first time.  She has traveled before and her son also travels with me.  She is coming to FitBeach this year to get certified to teach group fitness classes and be qualified to travel to many more locations as group fitness pro.  One smart cookie!  Check it out for yourself and join us.  www.fit-beach.com  

If you read my first entry, you know that my day starts with a run on the beach, a dip in the pool, yoga and breakfast.   This time it was extra special because I have been injured.  Yep – I ignored the signs of a hamstring issue that eventually caused me to sprain my mcl and itband.  I think it was directly related to the fact that I decided not to take any time off after completing my first 100 mile endurance trail race.  I ran a half marathon 3 weeks later and kept going until my knee swelled up like a balloon and I couldn’t walk, let alone run.  I continued to remain in denial and as soon as the swelling would go down, I would try it out and end up grouchy again with an ice pack.  So finally I decided – “I must be hurt” – and hit my elliptical.  It is really mean.  It tells you to pedal harder when you slow down to wipe the sweat out of your eyes and only gives you 20 seconds to pause for the water bottle.  Thank goodness for “Entourage” reruns.  I am caught up on all four seasons now.

So back to Jamaica – I am running again – yippee.  The ritual remains in tact for now. 

We had dinner every night with the boys.  Jimmy and his girlfriend Alison are great performers so we all did karaoke a couple nights.  He and his dad were amazing with their rendition of Pretty Woman.  Jimmy was immediately snagged for talent night.  He brought down the house when he sang and played guitar to the Jimmy Cliff song – “Harder they fall”.  An entertainment manager was there from another resort and he hired him to perform later that week.

   

The trip truly was made special by the camaraderie of the fitness pros.  Jaclyn and her husband showed up for the second week we were there and we met the tennis pro, Mohan, who easily became part of the entourage.  With this entire group, at least three generations of fitness professionals were represented and there was no barrier whatsoever between us. Most days we found ourselves the only ones left in the piano bar at night and still talking while they tried to clean up the tables after lunch and dinner. 

On the last night we celebrated Chad’s birthday and all we could talk about was when we were coming back.  Not to take away from the other destinations that we offer, but when you arrive in Jamaica, they say “welcome home” because they know if you have been there before you were happy to be back and if it is the first time, it wont be the last. 

 

Until next time…..  

 

Keep moving

Love,

Suzelle

VEGAS BABY!

Dear fitness folks,

I have finally landed home for a few weeks.  I spent 10 days in Jamaica right after the IDEA conference in Las Vegas and plan to sit at my desk, go for a run with my friends, and roll around the floor with my dogs for the next few weeks. 

I have been going to fitness conferences for 20 years.  Way before Fit Bodies Inc. Traveling Incentives even existed.  I LOVE FITNESS CONFERENCES!  Back in the early years, we got fed by Nike and Reebok.  We were entertained by Ellen Degeneres.  We bounced around for hours – never taking a seminar where we could actually sit down.  I would come home to my studio and my members would cringe.  They were always afraid of the new and sometimes crazy things I would bring back.  My favorite was the short shorts.  In Kentucky we were wearing the long bike shorts (with a thong brief over it of course)  I came back from San Diego one time sporting pants that were about 6 inches shorter than anything they had seen before.  Of course it only took a few weeks and everyone in the studio had a pair of Moda shorts.

 

My good friend Missy Hawthorne and I have hit almost every IDEA and a few others in those years and we are still traveling together today.  We start off the day with either a gym workout or a spin class at the conference and workout a few more times during the day.  We do manage a few seminars now and try to squeeze in some pool time as well.  We spend lots of time talking to old friends and laughing until we hurt.  Life is good.

 

IDEA was a great experience.  First of all, it was a FitBeach presenter reunion.  Many of the wonderful staff who travel to Jamaica each fall to help me put on this unique event, were there.  Tom Bomar, the guy everyone is just now meeting through emails and his blog, and his wife Amy, one of the fitness pros, helped me out at the booth.  Check out Tom’s blog to see a short video filmed there. 

Marianne Wells, our yoga teacher and her husband Ron shared the booth with me to help promote FitBeach and her company Barefoot Bodies.  Tom ran into Doug Briggs at the NSCA conference and he joined us for dinner one night.  Doug does personal training and nutrition programs at FitBeach.  Missy also leads workshops at Fitbeach and we ran into a few other people who have staffed past FitBeach conferences, Abbie Appel, David Mesirow, Linda Freeman and Stacy Lei Krauss.  

Missy,Tom and Marianne at FitBeach

 

Hey, if you want to complete your cec’s, get another certification or just workout in Jamaica with a great bunch of people, come join us this year.  November 4-8 in Negril at Hedonism II and Grand Lido Negril.  Check it out at www.fit-beach.com

 

At the expo, I met many of the pros that have traveled with my company and many people who never heard of our program.  It is always a treat to see the faces on those who feel it is too good to be true, when they finally realize it IS TRUE.  You CAN teach classes, inspire others and enjoy a fabulous holiday on beautiful sandy beaches in paradise. 

I took some great classes while I was there too.  Karaoke Cycle was a hoot.  Wow we were sure sweating while we were singing!  Then I had the opportunity to try out my good friend David Mesirow’s new product – the BEAM. 
It is an amazing creation and as I said to David – you cant cheat!  If you don’t use your core and neutralize your spine, you fall off!   

Missy and I plan to introduce BEAMFIT at FitBeach this year.

 

I have to tell you that one of my favorite things about Las Vegas this year had nothing to do with the strip, the conference or indoor fitness classes.  I went hiking up Mt. Charleston with my good friend Mia Quinn.  This place is also a ski resort. YES you can ski in Las Vegas in the winter.  Mia’s husband is Jason Quinn, sommelier at the Prime restaurant at the Bellagio.  He was on our outstanding team at the Epicurean Escape I spoke about in my last blog that was held at Grand Lido Negril in Jamaica.   Mia picked me up at the hotel and the car was reading outside temps at 112 degrees.  When we got to our starting point in about 30 minutes, we were at 8,500 feet above sea level and the car said it was 74 degrees.  We had her two border collie puppies, Trapper and Hawkeye with us.  They are 8 months old and veteran hikers already. 

Just for a quick background, I run trail ultra races but have been nursing a sprained knee so I was so excited to be on the trails again.  This trail was very rocky, narrow, winding and I was in heaven.  It is high desert so there are cactus and pine trees.  There is one pine tree called Bristol Cone which is the name of the trail we were on.  These trees are hundreds of years old.  They grow one inch a year.  They look like old grape vines.  We climbed to 11,000 feet and then headed back down to a field where we threw out our yoga mats and did some ashtanga yoga to complete a wonderful morning. 

 

So that was some of the highlights of my Vegas trip.

Thanks for taking time to read this.   Look for reports from my last trip to Jamaica in my next blog and watch for an email soon with some exciting news.

 

Love,

 

Suzelle at FitBeach

 

Suzelle