If You Need Me, I’ll Be Learning How To Live With More Balance at Coca Cola’s Balanced Living Workshop…

I was compensated for my participation in Coca-Cola’s Balanced Living Workshop, but my thoughts and views are my own.

I am constantly trying to search for balance in my life; if you’re a regular here, you already know that. I’m constantly juggling a bunch of different projects, my workouts and my family stuff, all while trying to weave a bunch of fun in there somewhere. (Making room for fun, I admit, is something at which I excel. Go figure.) Sometimes though, it’s important to get serious.

Being a mom in my forties, I am busier than ever but also finally coming to the realization that taking care of myself really has to become a priority, both for my own good as well as my family’s. Not only can I take better care of everyone else if I’m healthy, but it’s also a matter of good role modeling.

I have been invited to the Coca-Cola Balanced Living Workshop on December 11-12 in Chicago and I am super-excited about it for many reasons. Here are just a couple of them:

1. Finding the motivation to exercise hasn’t been a problem for me AT ALL since I took my first aerobics class twenty-two years ago. I’m an excellent role model when it comes to working out. That said, it’s food I have a hard time with. Having worked in the fitness industry for so many years, I know exactly how (and what) I need to eat in order to be healthy, but I’m a baby about it because, to be totally honest, I just really like food. During the Balanced Living Workshop, I will participate in a one-on-one consultation with a dietician that will result in a customized wellness plan. Even though that scares the living daylights out of me, I know it’s something I really need to do, so I plan to embrace it. It’s called “staring down your fears”, kids.

2. We will be taking a field trip to a grocery store with a dietician. I am looking forward to adding to my basic knowledge of reading labels, so I can learn how to shop smarter for my family. Locating the information about calories, fats, proteins, sodium and fiber is old hat to me; I want to master reading the rest of the information on labels so I can arm myself with everything I need to know in order to bring home healthier choices for my entire family.

3. We will have a brainstorming/vision board session that is designed to put our biggest challenges right out there, front and center. I’ve never made a vision board but have always wanted to, and I’m looking forward to this activity which will mix a little bit of creativity in with some “serious business”. I write about “putting it out there in the universe” often right here on Suburban Scrawl. Making a vision board is another way of doing that.

4. The folks from Coca-Cola (one of my favorite brands!) will be talking to us about some of the things they’re doing to make Chicago a healthier, more sustainable city. I connected with a rep from Coca-Cola during the summer and heard a little bit about their outreach (it’s exciting stuff!), and I can’t wait to hear more.

Of course, there are other things about this two-day event that make my heart beat a little faster; I’ll be networking with Chicago-area bloggers (new friends and old, I’m sure!), I’ll be staying overnight in my favorite city (hurray!), and it’s going to be a jam-packed two days (which is a pace I’m used to). Overall, I’m looking forward to coming out of the Coca-Cola Balanced Living Workshop, ready to start Living with more Balance and helping my family members do the same.

I can’t wait to share what I learn later in the month. Stay tuned!

15 Comments

    • Melisa

      Back atcha, and same here! Looking forward to seeing you for longer than a passing glimpse in a lobby. haha!

  • Ally Bean

    This sounds like an event that I would have been interested in. I never hear about these things until they are just about to happen or are in the process of happening. Where do you find out about them? All I ever read about is Blogher or Blissdom.

    • Melisa

      This was actually a thing to which I was invited: it’s not the same as a conference like BlogHer or Blissdom. There IS, however, a health and fitness conference called Fitbloggin’ (fitbloggin.com) that my friend Patty has attended for (I think) two years now and LOVES it.

    • Melisa

      Hi Jeanette!
      Can’t wait to meet you as well! I’m not too far from you, either: I’m in Naperville. 🙂
      See you Tuesday!

  • Tara R.

    The dietician/grocery store field trip sounds great. That’s what I need the most. I can portion control with the best of them, and knowing junk from good, but finding those right things to eat is sometimes the hard thing to do.

    • Melisa

      Part of the problem is that it takes so much time! But I’m hopeful that I’ll walk away with some great tips that I can put into practice.

  • Brandie

    That’s going to be a lot of learning going on and it sounds like you’ll be in some great company while doing it! =) Meeting with a dietician is going to be ah-mazing (at least I think so. Which totally reminds me that my doc wants me to do the same so I should probably get on making that appointment!)
    Have fun … can’t wait to read about all you learned! =)

  • Grandma W

    I’m very excited for you. In our family we ALL love food to much as you know. One of the good or bad of it all is that we love to cook and bake and are very very good at it. I can’t wait to hear what you find out. It will help our whole family.

    Have an inforamative time.

    Love
    Grandma W