TIU Tour Dallas Recap
Good day beauties, thanks for stopping by! This weekend was FULL of events that made me sweat, smile, laugh and my heart full. I am SO inspired and hopeful about the future. Sometimes all you need is some amazing girlpower and a sweaty dance session to get back on track.
If you are planning to stop at one of the last 5 cities on the TIU Tour-here's how it went down in Dallas! Also check out these Chicago city guides from contributing writer- @PKtravels and Mai Lynn from @DeepFriedFit !! (Also check out her things to do post)
A bunch of my fellow #TIUdallas girls and some #Dallasfitnessambassadors were given the opportunity to volunteer at the tour and it was so fun working the Rose Quartz Bracelet making table with my bestie @kaytiemay_ ! We were surrounded by a flutter of girls all day long as well as an AMAZING view of the stage-what a killer venue we had at the Annette Strauss Square in AT&T Performing Arts Center. (check out this link for their calendar of events!)
What to Bring
You can buy tickets here...and read some of the following when you make a city selection =)
BYOM - Bring Your Own Yoga Mat! Other than that, we encourage you to bring your ID, CC and any other essentials you may need during the event.
***Our venues do not allow bags larger than a hand wallet on the way in, or outside food and beverage to be brought in. We will be providing you with a Tour Gift Bag upon entry, water throughout the event, and sunscreen! So please do not bring any bags.
Don't forget sunglasses! There is sunscreen at the Coola station but definitely doesn't hurt to wear some. Hat optional if you like!
If you Volunteer-highly recommend bringing a yoga matt because we ended up working out in the grass when it came time and that was pretty messy. Not a deal breaker but also not ideal! Just bring a mat and set it down when you get there next to some friends =)
@kaytiemay_ and I at the Rose-Quartz DIY bracelet Tent
We had such a blast making bracelets with girls (if you love DIY choose this station!) and I had more time to meet and interact with girls than if I was working out, so to me, volunteering was perfect! I enjoy being behind the scenes and our view of the stage was freaking awesome.
Check out some of the adorable outfits and hair everyone was sporting!
Here we go!
If you want a spot working out in the front row-arrive early in the morning-there WILL be a line as I'm sure you have read, seen and heard about from all the stops already. There is no advantage of being in the front or the back-K&K will walk around during their workout, doing squats with you, and possibly slap ya booty if you're lucky ;) OR if you're @gritbybrit, Kat will stop to work out next to one of the strongest women in Dallas and y'all can take a selfie.....DYING that two of my fav. inspirations are in one pic!
Drink dat water!
If your Tour stop is outside (which most of them are) drink lots of water (THANK YOU CORE Hydration!) and make sure you eat when you are dismissed for lunch. If you can manage to bring in some protein bars-DO IT. You will be hungry. My reco? Eat a large-ass breakfast to survive three back to back workouts. Some girls brought muffins and apples to share while in line in the morning and that was super awesome. You can just toss the bag before you head in =)
Lunch
Super healthy options for lunch (fresh-boxed salads) that will not make you full for the afternoon K&K workout. I loved my salad! So yummy. Bring cash/card- these options are not included. Food in the Rose Garden is included for with your VIP ticket. GA will need to purchase Rose and Food.
Merch Tent
This is the BUSIEST tent out of all of them. Get your mat down and then head on up to the merch tent if you plan to buy any tanks/apparel or accessories. Because you've already spent $$ on your ticket, what's a few more extra dollars ;) or if you're like me and live on #thatbudgetlife you can just tell all the babes how cute they look in their new swag =) either way, be prepared to wait in line! Sizes will be gone by the EOD.
Braid Bar
Get in line girl-this one is a long one! You can always skip one of the workouts to enjoy this, they had some pretty fabulous styles! My reco? Do your braids before you go =)
Massages
OMG I WISH I COULD HAVE GOT ONE. These looked amazing. They stretch you out too...what's not to love?
Extras
There will be extra vendors set up unique to your city. They will have some fun tents and goodies for you too =)
Rose Garden
If you purchase a GA ticket you will not be granted access to the VIP Rose Garden. In some cities they have a separate lounge area but our city only had the VIP Rose Garden. Just a heads up!
After the K&K workout you will be ushered towards the Rose garden. No advantage to getting in line quickly, they have PLENTY of rose to keep you happy! Go hang with your friends and catch up with others. There is food included in the Rose garden to munch on after those sweaty workouts as well =) this is included in your VIP ticket experience.
Perks of purchasing a $250 VIP ticket: will get you a meet n' greet with K&K. Keep in mind they have hundreds?? of girls to get through, so you will need to redefine your expectations for this part of the day =) They will stamp your arm with a group and call you up in a random order. Be prepared to hang out and enjoy some awesome music from DJmadds!
We had so much fun listening to Kelly James @Kelleyjamesmusic because he flew down as a special guest for the Texas stops (we love you Kelley!!) This actually was my favorite part of the day. Kelley was part of the very first Tone it Up Retreat in 2014 and his acoustic set paired with his (unfreakinbelievable) freestyle rhymes literally had all us girls rolling and cheering.
It was a treat to get in a quick hello and squeeze and hug K&K again in the Rose Garden and then in the meet n' greet' if only for just a few seconds. If you want to share a message with them be prepared to say it really quickly as you are rushed into and out of the booth to get your picture taken (if you want a solo pic, go inside alone, you will not get time for two pictures). Personally, Tone it Up brought me and my best friend @kaytiemay_ together, so I'm happy I have this memory with her for years to come.
Babes on Babes! So happy to see Kelly and Mandy from Austin!
K&K were so sweet to accomdate my dear friend Emily, who couldn't leave her babe for the day!
#1 -Say HELLO to everyone!
The number one piece of advice I can offer you (at any event you attend) is to mingle! The beauty of fitness events (at least from my experience in Dallas) is that you never know who you're going to meet. I have met so many women that I've been able to collab with or network with professionally! Take a step outside your comfort zone and say hello to every girl you meet. Ask for for their name, how they got started and maybe their favorite workouts?! There is a variety of ages at each TOUR stop and its important to realize that not everyone is outgoing or comfortable talking (outside of snapchat or IG LOL) #realtalk- So make those babes feel welcome and you will both be better off for it =)
If the whole day is about you meeting K&K, take a moment to realize that it's only going to be for a split-second! There is so much joy to be had from meeting other girls in your community, or meeting up with ladies in other cities that you follow in the community elsewhere. In fact, I'm sorely disappointed that I can't go to Tampa/Miami/Nashville/ and Chicago-come on can't we just go on every stop of the tour?! I want to see my babes! Sadly no. But soak up every minute of time you get with each other-take tons of pictures, laugh, and do all the workouts to the best of your ability! You will have a blast!
More of my #tiudallas girls! @sharayaclementz
Well that's a wrap, the ins and outs of the TOUR. Check out even more pics of our Dallas and Houston babes on toneitup.com's post from today!
xoxox, with gratitude,
Ari