FORT BENNING, Ga. - Guarantee your slot at the annual Fort Benning Women's Conference, scheduled for March 10. Visit the PX between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Saturday for the registration kickoff. After the kickoff, enrollment extends through Feb. 26 and is limited to the first 300 who sign up.
What makes the post women's conference stand out is the fact that it's a close-to-home, full-day quality event - with a guest speaker, door prizes, workshops, breakfast, lunch, child care and a chance to shop local vendors - all for $20, said Pat Davis, volunteer conference coordinator.
What makes this year's conference so special, though, is guest speaker Marla Cilley, Davis said.
Perhaps better known as "the FlyLady," Cilley will help women reorganize and reprioritize their lives. Her tips and suggestions reflect the theme for the conference: "Agents of Change."
Davis said she believes the theme is particularly relevant as Fort Benning and the surrounding area is in the midst of so much change with the incoming Armor School.
She hopes attending the conference will inspire women to not only make changes in their own lives - whether learning a new skill or just finding renewed energy - but also to be "the catalyst for someone else to change," she said.
Drawing from her past experiences attending the conference, women will come away from the event "with a sense of renewal, a sense of camaraderie and friendship and hopefully some inspiration," Davis said.
"It's a fabulous investment in your day," she said. "There's really no other agenda except to benefit you."
The conference is open to all women who are military ID cardholders. Doors will open at 7:45 a.m. March 10 at the Benning Conference Center, and the conference starts at 8:30.
Attendees can choose three workshops from a variety of topics, such as women's health and herb gardening, Davis said.
The last class ends at 3:45 p.m., and parents need to pick up their kids from child care by 4 p.m. to avoid extra charges.
Child care space is limited and goes fast, Davis said, so anyone who wants a slot should sign up early.
For more information, go to www.benningmwr.com/womensconference or call 706-689-7134. The Web site will be updated regularly.
Yoga instructor to share tips at conference
'You are only as young as your spine is flexible'
Calm down and loosen up. You can start learning the basics of yoga in one hour at the Fort Benning Women's Conference.
One of several workshops offered during the event, this yoga class will be unique from others, said instructor Bronwen Pence.
"I'm ... doing a 'yoga for improving your day' - specific poses to help specific chronic problems women might have: lower back issues, upper back issues, tight hamstrings if you're a runner," she said.
Pence, who has taught yoga at Smith Fitness Center for three years, said her workshop will offer an opportunity for women to ask questions and learn about the health benefits of yoga, but there will also be mats on the floor if anyone wants to practice.
"(Yoga offers) restorative benefits like breathing, relaxation, centering as well as the fitness aspects," she said.
"Some people would use it for the flexibility benefits; some people would use it for a cardio benefit. The main benefit for me is centering. My personal yoga practice is a time in my day that I can forget about everything else that's going on. I can just turn my attention to myself, my breathing, my body and relax. That's why it's one of the oldest forms of fitness. You can really get out of it what you need."
Yoga is good for prenatal fitness, too, said Pence, who continued practicing the exercise during her pregnancy last year. And it's perfect for all ages. "They have a saying in yoga: 'You are only as young as your spine is flexible.'"
Becky Garvey, an Army spouse who's been practicing yoga for about a year at Smith, said she takes Pence's class for that very reason.
"As I get older I don't want to fall and break a hip, so for me it's flexibility and strength building," she said.
Garvey said she appreciates Pence's personalized attention and positive attitude.
"Bronwen is just so upbeat and encouraging. She loves what she does and you can see that. She tries to encourage you to push yourself a little harder, but she also gets to know you, so she knows your limitations," Garvey said. "It keeps you coming back."
Want to test out your yoga prowess before the conference' Take a class at Smith Fitness Center at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday or Thursday. The cost is $3 per class or $25 for a monthly pass of unlimited classes at Smith. For more information, call 706-545-4388.
Here are a few of the workshops already planned for the 2010 Women's Conference:
Aromatherapy and massage - Moonstone Wellness
Belly dancing - Smith Fitness Center instructor
Cancer prevention - American Cancer Society
Children in transition - Parent to Parent
Growing herbs - Columbus Botanical Garden
Hairstyles and beauty - UnKommen Hair Salon
Paper crafting - Ain't She Crafty
Women's health - Elements Natural Health Care Clinic
Yoga - Smith Fitness Center instructor
Who's FLYing'
Marla Cilley, aka "the FlyLady," is the best-selling author of several self-help books for
women and the founder www.FlyLady.net. Through inspirational e-mails, she keeps in touch with more than 530,000 fans around the globe and reaches more through a weekly radio program. She's been featured in Southern Living, USA Today and on The Today Show, among others. Her mission' To share simple techniques through easy-to-handle baby steps that will help women living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) reorganize their homes and their lives.
Why FLY'
Cilley's nickname, originally a Web site user name, came from her love of fly-fishing. She has even taught it at a local college. FLY also stands for Finally Loving Yourself. Cilley has been teaching others how to FLY since 1999, when she started her mentoring group online. On her Web site, she explains how she backs up her FLY principle with three simple rules:
1. Don't sweat the small stuff; what doesn't matter, doesn't matter.
2. Laugh every day. Even if it is at yourself.
3. Love like there is no tomorrow.
FLY where'
To join her e-mail group and become a FlyBaby, visit www.FlyLady.net. She'll walk you through several steps to form positive habits, like decluttering your space and quieting your own negative voices. To ask her a question, e-mail flylady@flylady.net. For a video introduction to Cilley, log onto www.flylady.net/pages/videotemp/FlyLadySizzle.m4v or visit her Web site.
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