Disclosure: The costs of the events and activities for #Fitcation13 were defrayed by sponsors, and the attendees were contractually obligated to write a summary of the experience and also received free swag items. However, the thoughts and opinions I’m sharing in this post are honest and my own.
I love my inbox. It’s a lot like the box of chocolates from Forrest Gump – you never know what you are going to get.
One day in August I received in my inbox information about Fitcation13 put on by Mamavation. If you aren’t familiar with Mamavation, I first learned about the community through their campaign to get Similac to end using GMOs in their infant formula. I’ve been a fan ever since.
Fitcation13 included travel to Paso Robles, CA with sponsor Travel Paso to lear about sustainably made wines with sponsor SIP Certified Vineyards, and it included a brand new pair of shoes from sponsor EarthFootwear!
I didn’t hesitate – I knew I wanted in on the fun!
We started our 2 1/2 day Fitcation exploring the darling town of Paso Robles, CA. While I lived in Northern CA for 3 years, I’d never had the opportunity to visit California’s central coast.
Paso Robles is charming! Some of the stores you will definitely want to hit on your visit include the Pithy Little Wine company, the Brown Butter Cookie Company, and the General Store.
That evening we had a farm to table dinner paired with SIP Certified wines at Studios on the Park. This was my first opportunity to meet the other bloggers on the trip. It’s such a wonderful thing when you instantly make connections and friendships.
It was also the first time I’d ever tried cucumber soda. I’m a fan! Like cucumber water but better.
At our first dinner, the farmers from three of the SIP certified wineries introduced us to their wines and were on hand to talk about why they value sustainable wine making practices.
In case you didn’t know (cuz I didn’t!) SIP stands for Sustainability in Practice. To become a SIP certified wine, the winery must be dedicated to sustainable farming practices. This includes safe pest management, water conservation, and energy efficiency.
To find a SIP Certified wine, you want to make sure the wine you select displays this label:
On the first full day of our Fitcation, we visited some of the SIP Certified wineries to see firsthand how they are practicing sustainability in productivity.
We started our wine tasting tour at Castoro Cellars. Our stop there included lunch on their beautiful grounds and a wine education class.
The group of 30 women who attended Fitcation had such a good time here. Might I suggest grabbing some girlfriends of your own and taking a little journey out here?
Another SIP winery we had the privilege of visiting was Halston Ranch. We spent a whole afternoon getting to see the gardens they planted for the beneficial insects, the owl boxes they installed for rodent management, and we learned about their water conservation efforts and cover crops.
You know that sustainability isn’t just a word they throw around, but is truly a part of their business practices.
That evening we had dinner in the Halston Ranch barn.
Peeps. It was just like something out of a Martha Stewart magazine. We were treated like royalty with a farm to table dinner and even reflexology foot rubs!
Then came the real spoiling. We were treated to a new pair of Earth footwear shoes.
Earth footwear believes in everyday wellness. And nothing makes you feel better than a good looking pair of comfortable shoes. I love the teaberry style shoes I received and have worn them 4 days in a row. I can honestly attest to their comfort. I’ll be ordering a pair of their boots. In case you can’t tell, I fell in love with a pair. (fuzzy on the inside will do that to me!)
Can you believe that was only our first full day? And I didn’t even mention the awesome workout we had in the park led by Erin from Dig Deep Play Hard.
The second full day was equally as wonderful with yoga on the beach in Cambria, CA, a tour of the opulent Hearst Castle, sea kayaking on beautiful Morrow Bay, dinner in darling San Luis Obispo …. Central California has so much to offer. If you haven’t been, I encourage you to add it to the “bucket list” of places you must see.
I fell in love, I bet you will too.