Last week I went to one of the funnest events I’ve had the chance to attend through F&F.

New Balance recently launched their Girls Night Out campaign, and the main goal of the program is to provide women in the Boston area with a different kind of happy hour. I unfortunately couldn’t attend the first event back in May, but you can catch some great recaps of the “Light Up the Night” theme on Steph’s blog, Sarah’s blog, and Caroline’s blog. This month’s theme was “Excellent is Strong,” and the entire night focused on how to empower women through fitness for not only physical benefits, but for emotional and mental strength as well. The more opportunities I have to work with New Balance, the more I fall in love with the brand and what it stands for. The Girls Night Out series was created to bring women together through kick-ass celebrations of fitness, food, and socializing, and the night was totally up my alley.

I arrived at the New Balance Experience Store on Boylston Street a few minutes early, and I spent a few minutes checking my bag, getting my workout group assignment, and snapping some pictures. Before I knew it, we were off to do the workout part of the evening. While last month’s event included a 3.5 mile run, this month’s fitness focus was three different bootcamp style circuit stations.

The workouts were led by various trainers, including celebrity fitness trainer Holly Perkins. Each group rotated between working out right in Copley Square, in the NB store itself, and at the Comm Ave mall. Here are some of the photos from the workouts. Can you spot me?

[Photo credit: New Balance Boston Facebook page via Matthew Teuten]

After we got our sweat on, each group reconvened at the NB store for a little party time. New Balance kindly offered a 25% discount on in store apparel all night, you could hang out by the photo booth, and there was live music played by BrekOne. There were also lots of delicious snacks such as pita chips, veggies, homemade fruit and nut bars, and various types of smoothies.

After munching on some post workout food, I also sipped on a glass of sangria while listening to inspirational talks by Holly Perkins and the blogger emcee of the night, Rachel from Healthy Chicks. Shape Magazine editor Laurel Leicht also spoke during the event. I loved hearing each of these women talk about what strength means to them, a topic that is very important to me.

Finally, one of my favorite parts of the night was just connecting with so many like-minded people. I was psyched to see my friend Caroline again, and we chatted throughout the workout and during the rest of the night. I also finally got to meet so many people in real life like Rachel from Healthy Chicks, Allie from Allie Wears, Elizabeth from Little Moments of Happiness, and Eliza from Kick It By Eliza.

[Upper right photo cred to Rachel]

I left the event with a smile on my face and feeling in my happy place. We also got a sweet swag bag at the end that included the latest issue of Shape magazine, Holly Perkins’ baladea fitness and wellness system, some coupons, and a NBGNO headband. Can’t go wrong… thanks, New Balance!

If this type of event sounds up your alley, mark your calendars for the next New Balance Girls Night Out celebration on July 22nd! Registration hasn’t opened yet, but I’ll be sharing on the blog and on my social media channels for when it does. Another big part of the Girls Night Out initiative is the GNO MeetUp app, which allows women across the country to find group runs, create new running routes, discover new hangouts, and invite friends to meet up for fitness activities.

–Let’s chat–
Have you heard of New Balance Girls Night Out before? Have you checked out the GNO MeetUp app? What’s your ideal type of girls night? If you could plan or host one fitness event, what would it be?

Hope everyone is gearing up for the 4th! If you are looking for any patriotic recipes, you may be interested in:

• Patriotic Pancakes
• Red White and Blue “Cheesecake” Bites
• Red White and Blue-schetta
• Red White and Blue Salsa
• White Chocolate Covered Strawberries