August 2nd, 2012 
It’s easy to understand why Tarie Beldin founded Try It On Events. She’s passionate about living a healthy lifestyle, and she’s motivating others to do the same. She’s a registered dietitian and has dedicated more than 20 years to educating other people on how a healthy lifestyle can impact their quality of life. Beldin says, “Healthy eating should be delicious and that physical activity should be fun!” So, she organized the first-ever Try It On Events, a women’s wellness event with the goal of having women “try on” different types of fitness activities in a safe, supportive environment.
Tarie Beldin (Photo Credit: Amanda Ivarra)
The event was held on Saturday, July 28 at The Westin at the Domain. It kicked off with a with a short and sweet, yet very important and inspirational message, “Caring For Yourself So That You Can Care For Others.” Beldin touched on the topic of women as caregivers. Traditionally, women are caregivers—falling into the caregiver role within the family and, sometimes, even in various professions. But, caring for others can, sometimes, mean sacrificing their own health. They might develop poor eating habits or eliminate exercising from their daily routine. So, the message was, “don’t wait to take care of your health.”
Beldin invited various health and fitness instructors to be a part of the event. Each one conducted activity sessions, showing participants basic moves and routines. Participants got to try belly dancing, Zumba, yoga, Pilates, Nia and rock climbing. Beldin told participants at the beginning, “My goal is that you find something that you’ve never tried before, that is exciting, that you want to do and that’ll be that one thing that will help you be able take care of yourself just a little bit better, so that you can take care of other people.”
Gaby and Karla Luna (Photo Credit: Amanda Ivarra)
This event was also a celebration of movement and raised awareness and funds for ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Try It On Events hosted this event to benefit the ALS Association Texas Chapter, a non-profit organization that helps those suffering from ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. For several years, Beldin worked with ALS patients at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center. She witnessed the devastating effects of the disease, the rapid progression and the minimal treatment of the disease.
ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. When these cells die, voluntary muscle control and movement dies with them. Patients in the later stages of the disease are totally paralyzed, yet in most cases, their minds remain sharp and alert.
“I was so moved by the strength and determination of the ALS patients and their families,” says Beldin. “This event celebrates the ability to be able to move our bodies while increasing awareness and funds for those ALS patients who cannot!”
(Photo Credit: Amanda Ivarra)
Karla Luna, and her sister, Gaby Luna, were two of the participants I met at the event. Their father was diagnosed with ALS in 2008 and, since then, they have been raising awareness and funds for the ALS Association.
Beldin said that ALS falls under the Muscular Dystrophy Association or MDA. While the MDA receives millions of dollars in funding, the money is allocated to all of the neuromuscular diseases based on the percentage of the population that suffers from each disease. Since ALS is rare, they get very little of that funding.
I admire Beldin for using her passion and talents in executing this event that, ultimately, has a positive impact on the lives of women. This event gave women the opportunity to “try on” activities that they may or may not have heard about before, were hesitant to do or just needed a little motivation and support.
Kristen Moon (Photo Credit: Amanda Ivarra)
In the end, this event was rewarding for all. Five hours of exercising with breaks, of course, may sound taunting, but it was fun and gratifying. When it was all over, I had to ask myself, “Did I just workout for five hours? Did I just rock climb and then do belly dancing?” Only the participants at Try It On, including myself, can say, “Yes, I did!”
