Reminder: What to Bring (and Not to Bring) to Be Well Philly Boot Camp

Attendees at last year’s Boot Camp | Photo by JPG Photography

This morning on Twitter, a reader asked what she should bring to Be We Philly Boot Camp tomorrow, and I thought it would be a good idea to gin up a quick post for everyone with that exact question. So here goes.

Here’s what you should bring:

• Comfy clothes

One of the things I love about this event—which I technically count as a “work event,” in the same way some of you might consider a business conference a work event—is that I get to wear yoga pants and a tank top. Yes, these are my “work” clothes. Not every day, mind you, but they are for Be Well Philly Boot Camp, and I couldn’t be happier. The majority of the event takes place indoors, in air conditioning, but we will have a lot of bodies in there, so don’t expect it to be frigid. If you’re doing any of the outdoor workout classes or activities (including the Empower Hour, which is in the outdoor tent), you might want to plan on wearing shorts. It’s going to be sunny and warm!

• Sneakers

Do I really have to mention this? Moving on.

• Your yoga mat (if you’re doing a BYOM class)

A few of our classes are BYOM—bring your own mat. If you’re enrolled in the registration-required Pilates or barre classes, be sure to bring your own mat. Ditto if you’re planning on dropping into the 12 p.m. yoga class in the outdoor tent. While yoga doesn’t require advance registration, we won’t have extra mats available, so plan ahead.

• A small bag

I tend not to bring a lot of stuff to these types of things—wallet, phone, done—and you should think about traveling light, too. Here’s why: Attendees will get a big swag bag when they walk in (!!). It’ll already have a few things in it, but the idea is to fill it with all the freebies and goodies in the Marketplace. Except for the off-campus activities—i.e. Lithe Method’s Walk-Star class at 10 a.m. and Unite Fitness’s cross-training run at 11—we won’t provide a place to stash your bag. If you’re doing either of the aforementioned activities, we’ll have a bag check for the duration of your class. So you’ll drop your bags off at registration before you head out, and pick them up there afterwards.

• Proof of your ticket

You’ll breeze through registration if you come prepared with a hard copy of your ticket: either a printed paper copy or an electronic version on your phone. If you can’t find your ticket, come with your ID and we can check you off on our list.

Here’s what you don’t need to bring:

• Water

We’ll have plenty of it. And this year, we’re handing out free Be Well Philly water bottles (you’ll find them at the Subaru tent outside) and providing water stations where you can fill them, along with lots of bottled water. In other words, you’ll be well hydrated.

• Food

Seriously, we’ve got the menu down pat. From 9 to 10:30 a.m., our friends from Pure Fare will be dishing out a healthy breakfast, including chia seed oatmeal with homemade granola bars. Then, from 11:30 to 1:30, HipCityVeg will set up lunch, offering your choice of its Best of Philly-winning Arugula Taco Salad (Note: It’s gluten free!) or the Chick’n Salad Wrap. Both items, of course, are completely meat-free. We’ll also have bottles of Ayalas Herbal Water for you to sip, and between meals, if you need a pick-me-up, we’ll have Natures Bakery Fig Bars for you to munch. You’ll find all of this in the main lobby, near the registration tables. You can’t miss it.

In the Marketplace, we’ll also have vendors handing out free samples of their goodies, and of course we’ll be ending the day with our Healthy Happy Hour, immediately following the 1 p.m. Empower Hour, with Skinny Vine wine and free snacks. See? You won’t possibly go hungry.

• A towel

After a previous Be Well Philly Boot Camp, one of our guests suggested that we offer towels to help people mop themselves up after sweaty fitness classes. We heard ya loud and clear, so this year we’ll have Be Well Philly towels for all. You’ll find them at the Independence Blue Cross table in the Marketplace.

Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments. See you soon!