Highlights of the Fall NOW Influencer Immersion

The NOW Influencer Immersion was an incredible experience! I learned so much about products I already use and love. NOW is a brand that I can trust.

This post is sponsored by NOW Foods. All opinions and experiences are my own.

What a whirlwind of activity I had last week! If you read my Friday Five post, you know that I traveled to Chicagoland for the NOW Influencer Immersion with NOW Foods last week. After a snafu back in May and being unable to attend the spring immersion, I was thrilled to be included in the fall one. This trip, while quick and jam-packed with activity, did not disappoint! It was definitely worth the wait. Events like this take place in order to introduce influencers to products that they can use their platform to promote. Influencer marketing is one of the most successful tools out there, used by many agencies for example this business is an influencer marketing agency. It is exciting to be considered as someone who could have the power to influence, but I like to to be responsible in this role and only promote products I genuinely love.

I arrived in Chicago on Thursday and rode to the resort with a woman named Megan. It was fun getting to know her — she’s a chef (and actress!) from Atlanta. When we arrived at the resort we were greeted by NOW Public Relations Manager, Alana, and the CEO, Jim. They were both such gracious hosts, and welcomed us with open arms — literally. Alana gave me the biggest hug! NOW is a family-owned business and I must say, they certainly treated us like family.

After signing the obligatory waivers and all that fun stuff, I made my way to my room. When I opened the door I was greeted not only by a beautiful view of the golf course, but by two huge bags overflowing with NOW products. With so much awesome in such a small space it was hard to contain my excitement! The bags were brimming with things like beauty products, essential oils, supplements, and my beloved protein powders and BCAAs. After rummaging through the bags in my excitement, I quickly put everything back so I didn’t lose track of anything.

Now, I realize if I give you the nitty-gritty details of this trip this post will become quite lengthy. So instead of detailing every little thing, let me share with you the highlight reel. Because once I left the hotel room on Thursday evening, the whirlwind of activity began!

Highlights of the Fall NOW Influencer Immersion

First of all, meeting so many other bloggers and like-minded individuals was definitely a highlight. The health and fitness community is full of wonderful people all striving to reach a common goal and share a common vision. It was fabulous to be with so many others who share similar views. I even picked up a few tips on how to manage your social media presence, for example how to use an instagram feed planner, and various scheduling tools which I will definitely be putting to good use. I also learned that some brands who are in charge of bolstering their own social media outlets will often buy Instagram likes to boost their online presence and improve engagement on the platform.

Our dinner on Thursday evening was a highlight for me not because it was good (it was!) but because I got to sit with the NOW Sports Brand Manager, Bryan. I love all the NOW products I use but I was particularly interested in learning more about the sports line. Not only did Bryan let me pick is brain about NOW Sports, but we also talked shop about running because, as it turns out, he’s also a runner.

I should also mention that my team, the Spice Girls (!), won second place for our Iron Chef competition. Woohoo!

Team Spice Girls, from left: Brittany, Leenie, Michelle, Chandler, me.

Friday morning started bright and early with a kickboxing class followed up by a trip to a DIY smoothie bar. Early morning workouts are my jam and I had never taken a HIIT kickboxing class before. It was so much fun even though I felt comically uncoordinated! Afterward, at the smoothie bar, we got to indulge in a variety of NOW products. Sadly I played it safe and went with the old standbys: banana, berries, vanilla protein powder.

Testing, testing, and more testing!

The factory tour was fabulous. The rigorous testing, coupled with the sheer volume of testing, that each and every product goes through is astounding. I trusted NOW products before but after seeing the process (and all the high-tech laboratories!) with my own eyes, I can say they are one of the most trustworthy brands available in the U.S. There were so many labs! A few takeaways regarding testing:

• NOW Foods is home to one of two machines used to test for harmful microorganisms like E. Coli. The other machine is housed at the CDC. (And no, I can’t for the life of me remember what it’s called. #blogfail)
• The orange tubs used for protein powders are specially designed to protect the product inside from light. Don’t worry, your protein powder is unharmed! Also, all the plastic is BPA-free.
• Items are taken off shelves at random once they hit retailers and are tested again just to be sure the finished product hasn’t changed.
• NOW is a non-GMO company.

Meeting my girl, Toni, was a highlight!

The NOW Family

Hearing the story of NOW brands from the CEO, Jim, and the son of the founder, Dan, really gave me pause. To hear how highly they regarded not only the products and rigorous testing, but most importantly the employees, really spoke volumes to me. Everything was just incredible — from arrival to departure. When I arrived I was warmly welcomed and when I left I felt like I was part of the NOW family. The NOW Influencer Immersion was an amazing experience and I’m grateful for the opportunity to see what NOW is all about.

Other activities that were awesome: making our own sports soak (and mine promptly broke at the airport: #facepalm), enjoying the beauty products presentation, and listening to NOW influencer Toni pump us all up with her fitness regimen! I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Chicago so I can drop in and say hello to all the friendly faces at NOW Foods! What a wonderful experience.

Interested in NOW products? These are a few of my faves: BCAA Big 6, Vitamin D-3, Q Cups Organic Quinoa, and Raw Trail Mix. Delish!!

xo

Let’s talk!

Bloggers: have you been to the NOW Influencer Immersion?

Do you use NOW products? Which ones are your faves?

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Linking up with Annmarie and Nicole for Wild Workout Wednesday.

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