review: the vitality show

Hello everyone!  What have you all got planned for the weekend?

I am planning to lay low tomorrow....the most I will do is go to Flight Centre to canvas a rather exciting trip for later in the year (!!!)...and I've got the Kingston 16 Mile Breakfast Run on Sunday morning, which should be interesting.  My biggest race yet!  Will I last the distance?! ;)

Today I was awake at 3.30am!  What the?!  At 4.30 I was still awake and considered getting up to start my training early, but fell asleep again soon after - waking up two hours later was painful!!  After a warm up, stretches and a set of strides, I did three intervals of 3km slow/2km medium pace - and deliberately overset the iPod given the recent debacles but it turned out it measured the distances correctly today (I checked via mapmyrun - sods law!) so I did about 2km more than I needed to!  Whoops!  I would rather be over than under though!  Still undecided about Garmins, etc.  Thank you all for your feedback on the last post!

This weekend I might also find time to play with the stash I picked up at the Vitality Show yesterday evening, check it out:

I attended the show as the guest of Weight Watchers, who also very kindly gave me a gift bag filled with the latest magazine and a few point friendly goodies!  I haven't read the  magazine for many years, but I used to love it - I spent many a morning looking over the latest issue with my home-foamed skinny cappuccino in the pre blog days.  The success stories were always so inspiring (I ended up making friends with one of them in real life! Hi V!), and gave me hope that perhaps being a success story myself one day wasn't a complete daydream!  I'll be interested to see what the magazine is like now, a few years on.  I enjoyed meeting their team briefly too (they were very busy!) and I still think, as far as programmes go, WW is great if you need structure, support and sensible guidelines that can help you understand what healthy eating is and how to keep it going long term, as I did at the start.

The thing I really enjoyed about the show was free makeovers!  Having younger sisters who are incredibly gifted with a makeup brush, it's quite embarrassing how basic and inept my skills are.  I didn't know how to apply eyeliner until I was 24.  Even today, as Tom goes to kiss me goodbye as he leaves for work, he'll usually have to wipe something away off my cheek that I've smudged with all the dexterity of a preschooler with finger paints :P  After saying hi to the WW crew, I made a beeline for the Benefit stand where I was treated to a little pamper session and tried a few new products that I'd wanted to try for ages.  Not only was everything discounted for the show, but you also got a free gift of 2 eye shadows and a makeup brush if you bought 3 things - well, that wasn't hard!  I got a primer called Girl Meets Pearl, a new face powder called Bella Bamba and a Bad Gal waterpoof eye pencil.  I thought this was a great bargain.  I'm going to sparkle at the marathon after party! :D

taken by my photographer friend (on an iPhone) who came along with me at the last minute!

The show had a very buzzy atmosphere, like a bustling bazaar.  I was surprised by how much food was there!  Not only the raw food bars, herbal teas, exotic dried fruits and organic chocolates that one might expect, but piles of olives, cheeses, sorbets and ice creams, sweets, even wild boar sausages.  There were lots of free samples - I enjoyed the nak'd bar samples the best I think!  Cocoa mint?!  Mmm!!  I also saw the teapigs green matcha powder that Laura raves about - but the stall was crowded and I forgot to go back to try it :P

There was a section for running shoes, Fitflops, workout gear and sports bras; another with various vitamins and minerals and supplements; another for gurus and coaches, even tarot card readers.  On the other side were the jewellery purveyors, the skin care specialists, the make up artists, and then a giant section where people could be massaged, have their nails done.....I even saw one woman having her teeth whitened!  Personally, it didn't appeal to me to have a treatment out in the hustle and bustle of the show, but everyone else seemed to be up for it! :)

It was an interesting combination of exhibits and one certainly wasn't bored!  The only real criticism I have of the show, which perhaps other people wouldn't think was such a big deal, was that I found it hard to relax and take everything in because many stall vendors were a bit overbearing in trying to draw people over!  I realise that's part of the strategy at these kind of events but if there's one thing that turns me off, it's a pushy salesperson. I was far more interested in going over to stalls where I was either already familiar with the product, or that were attracting people just on their own.

Would I have gone to the show otherwise?  Although I did enjoy myself, and was stoked to get some Benefit make up at a discount, I have to be honest and say probably not. This isn't a reflection on what was on offer, I'm just not sure I am the sort of person that the show is aimed at.  Even though I love trying new things, I'm quite particular about my beauty regime (despite my lack of skills in the makeup department!).  I think I'm quite well informed about health and fitness.  I know what works for me and what doesn't, but I have no problems in seeking out something new if I think it's interesting or it will benefit me.  But some people see the plethora of products and information in the health, fitness and beauty industries and have no idea where to start.  Those who want to know a bit more about what is out there - whether it's pampering, weight loss tools, the latest "it" vitamin, organic chocolate or sports bra - would probably get a lot out of it.  

In the end, the show helped me remember that while there are lots of different tools and products out there to help us, it pays to be discerning, and also the real transformation that most of us seek in our lives needs to come from ourselves.  I think anything will work, if you want it to.  But rather than expecting it to work on its own, use whatever you choose to help you on your journey to enhance and build upon what is already there.  Real, lasting happiness and vitality truly does come from within.

Credit

But a bit of pearly primer and brightening blush always helps! :D

Have you been to the Vitality Show, or something similar?  What did you think?

The Vitality Show 2011 is on at London's Earls Court 2, until Sunday March 27.