Electric bikes need juice to run. The bikes at the AASA national conference can make their own juice.

That’s what conference attendees discovered when they wandered into the Health and Wellness Center in the middle of the exhibit hall.

Two stationary bikes were outfitted with blenders that allow riders to make smoothies when they pedal for several seconds.

“People really love it,” said April McCall, one of the individuals staffing the Health and Wellness Center.  

Riders had a choice of mango or strawberry smoothies. A smoothie mix was poured into a blender, along with ice. The blender was then strapped to a bike and a few seconds later – a frozen, tasty smoothie was in the hands of the exerciser.

Midway through the day, Health and Wellness staff reported they already had made about 200 smoothies. The most popular choice was mango.

The bikes are a way to motivate conference attendees, most of them busy school system leaders, to exercise to get a reward. It’s important to the wellness of leaders who want to be effective.

“Everybody says they wish they had one at home,” said McCall.

(Luis Monteagudo Jr. is a freelance journalist in San Diego and a reporter for Conference Daily Online.)