Chicagoland

Not sure why they call it that, but we definitely had a great time in Chicago last week for the annual Club Industry fitness conference. Overall, the seminars were very good, led by knowledgeable and interesting speakers. I particularly enjoyed my seminars on youth strength training, interactive fitness (a VERY exciting new trend!), and how to create a weight loss program in your club.

I feel that I really picked up some great new ideas that we can try to implement back at the Center. It is always very interesting to learn how other people in the field do things, and to get some creative ideas for new programs.

The conference demo area was great, with full displays from all of the big manufacturers (Cybex, Precor, LifeFitness,...), as well as the latest machines and fitness "toys" and gadgets.

I enjoyed getting to meet my "colleagues" from other JCCs (Houston, NJ, Winnipeg...) and hearing how things are done in their locations. It was great to talk to some of the conference speakers, as well, and get even more detailed information.

I'm embarrassed to say that I went away for 3 days for a fitness convention, but didn't work out once. :-( And I am afraid that the minimal walking that we did around Chicago didn't count for much, except the last day when Amy and I ventured around Chicago and checked out "Bucktown" and the infamous Michigan Avenue. Maybe we got a few miles in there...

Well, a lack of exercise and an increase in food consumption was embarassingly the theme of the weekend. We heard about fitness during the days, and then gorged ourselves in the evenings. We did eat some really terrific meals - our dinner at Rosebud on ___(?) was one of the best Italian meals I've ever had. And their cheesecake was maybe the best ever! Wow!

A great few days away, but it's always good to return home. And I must say that I'm very glad that Atlanta's nickname is not the "Windy City"! It was freezing there... Ok, maybe not freezing, exactly, but not quite the southeastern temps I'm accustomed to!