Nobody has enough money to buy time

After my grandmother (Dolly to most who knew her) passed away I found this post it note among her things. It was actually one of hundreds of post its, she was a bit of a hoarder when it came to small scraps of paper, always capturing random thoughts which ranged from "send Krissy Rachel Ray's spaghetti carbonara recipe" (yes, I'm the Krissy in question), to "gold chain purchased in Rome 1985."

From the looks of it, she heard the line listening to one of her financial talk radio programs. My grandmother could hang with the best of Wall Street's day traders. As a child, I recall that this 'skill' was directed more towards 'playing the numbers.' Like many Italian grandmothers you could find Dolly in the kitchen on Saturday stirring a big pot of sauce, (or gravy for the true Italianos) the scene made slightly askew with the pile of Dream Books (used to decipher your dreams into numerical bets) on the kitchen table and her bookie arriving at the side door.

She eventually transferred that passion into the stock market and until she died continued to rue the day she sold her Dell stock.

But back to the quote. The note was written several years before learning she had cancer, however the impact of its' message is just as strong.

No one has enough money to buy time.

It is a fact of being human, and we get to choose what we do with that reality.

For me faith, family, and fitness are paramount.

I consider my family to extend beyond my biological family and fitness isn't just my daily workout, but fitness of my mind, body and spirit encompassing many aspects of my life.

We can't buy more time. We must make the most of what we have each day.


I keep the post it to remind me.



Dolly would have been 89 yesterday.

Best foods for your adventures and workouts

Today's guest blogger is Tamara Jacobi,  Manager of Jungle Lodge and a Holistic Health Coach.  This is a woman on the go so it's no surprise that she has great tips to help us fuel our adventures and workouts.  I can't wait to pay a visit to the Jungle Lodge some day!


You can check out my recent interview with Tamara here.

Whether you’re tying on your running shoes, pumping up your bike tires, or packing your gym bag, you should also be considering how to fuel your body for your workout. What you eat before you exercise directly affects your workout: how you feel during your workout, how hard you can push yourself, how long you can go for and how you feel afterward. Particularly for those of you who exercise to keep those pesky pounds at bay, it’s important to realize that you need to fuel yourself with quality food choices in order to set the stage for sustainable weight loss. Heading to the gym with an empty fuel tank isn’t going to get you very far!

Now is a great time to take a moment to consider what your best pre-workout fuel might be. Here are simple guidelines to send your energy soaring so that you can feel great, and get the most out of your workouts and summer adventures! 

a) Timing is key. Ideally, you want to eat 45 minutes to an hour before you workout. Your body requires energy to digest your food. So . . . when your body is digesting your latest meal there is less energy available for your workout. Therefore, it’s a good idea to give your body a chance to digest before diving into your workout. I recommend eating up to 2 hours prior to your workout. You also want to choose foods that are easily digestible (read on!). If you need to eat immediately before your workout an easily digestible piece of fruit such as an apple or banana is a great choice.

b) Choose foods that are easy to digest, but also offer long lasting energy. For your pre-workout meal it's important to chose your foods carefully. A white bagel will give you a quick blast of energy, but will then cause a serious energy slump in the middle of your workout. This will also leave you ravenous after your workout. Conversely, a meal of whole grains like quality granola or oatmeal will keep your energy high for a long period of time. Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits and veggies are good choices before your workout. These foods are easy to digest so your body can devote more energy to your workout. They'll also deliver a high quality and sustainable energy to your body that will keep your fueled and satisfied during workout and beyond. 

c) Include a healthy fat in your pre-workout meal. Healthy fats such as avocado, chia seeds and quality oils will keep your body satisfied for long periods of time. Healthy fats slow down the digestion rate of other foods, which allows you to workout for longer without needing to stop for a snack.

d) Avoid high protein/high calorie energy bars and powders before your workout. When it comes to exercise many of have been taught to think protein, protein, protein. Though protein is important, you don’t necessarily want to focus on protein prior to your workout. High protein energy bars and powders can be hard to digest, which will slow you down and cause fatigue and heaviness during your workout. They’re also high in calories, which can sabotage your weight loss efforts (unless you’re an extreme athlete who’s active for many hours)

Curious to know some of my favorite pre workout foods?
Oatmeal, fruit & nuts: This is a quick and simple choice that is will digest easily well, offer long lasting energy and give you a punch of energy that will get you started on your workout. 



Whole Grain toast & Avocado: Throw some quality whole grain or sprouted grain toast in the toaster, slice up some avocado and voila, a perfect pre-workout meal! This combo will keep you satisfied and nourished for many hours. 


Smoothies: A fruit smoothie with some avocado or chia seeds is like liquid energy. Your body doesn't need to spend as much time digesting so the nutrients and energy can go straight into your blood stream.

Don't forget to pay attention to your food choices during and after your workouts too!Now that you've started to consider fuel for before your workouts it's a great time to think about your food choices during and after. I will reveal my secrets in my upcoming 30 day nourishment challenge. This series of audio classes will send your energy soaring for the summer and build your nutritional foundation so that you can do everything that you love! 

"It's important to remember that everyone is unique. Be sure to check out this FREE guide to start listening to your unique body."

 Tamara Jacobi is the Manager of Jungle Lodge and a Holistic Health Coach. To learn more about her please visit: www.tailwindjunglelodge.com, www.junglegirlhealth.com

My new gig and falling down the rabbit hole

Last week I had a bit of a spiral into self-doubt.  Have you ever been there?

Tomorrow I start my new gig as a fitness expert with www.ehow.com (because as my husband says, I can never have enough jobs!).  Once a again I'm stepping out of my comfort zone, which can always lead to those 3 am wake ups.  Although this week it's been the 4:38 am wake ups.  

As a fitness expert for ehow one of my tasks will be filming video clips to answer the myriad of fitness inquires frequently googled by curious minds.  Albeit, some of them are a tad random and some may even be a little bit out of my wheelhouse.

Also filming video (well, I'm not the one actually holding the camera) is not something I have experience in, unless you count the 35 mm films capturing birthdays, Christmases and my first swim at the YMCA.  I'm not sure I can include those in my repertoire.  

In one of the first conversations with the producer assigned to me,  he mentioned that ehow receives 5.8 million visitors each month.

Naturally my first thought was whether or not my roots needed a touch up.  Then the fall down the rabbit began. My mind raced to speculations on whether it's too late for some 

botox...how about liposuction?  And I kept falling....do I even KNOW anything about fitness?

STOP!

STOP the insanity.

Isn't it such an easy hole to fall down?  Ever have a similar free fall? 

YES! I know PLENTY about fitness.  I have been in the business for twenty-two years and strive to acquire new skills and stay up to date on the latest information. Of course I can answer these questions.

YES! I can be in a video.  I get on stage in front of a room of people often twice a day!  For goodness sakes I was on the cover of a magazine a few months ago (besides there's really no time for lipo, is there?).  

The first step is to take a deep breath and re-frame. 

I'm climbing out of the rabbit hole.  I CAN do this and these are going be some damn great videos.  I'm ready! 

After a quick root touch up, that is.

Going for it!

(A few thoughts from my email newsletter today)

I'm in week two of my new radio show, A Matter of Balance:  A Woman's Quest for Health, Harmony & Kick-ass Heels on World's 1st Fitness Radio, FTNS.  And I'm having a blast.

It's so much fun to chat with inspiring and interesting women about health and fitness and how they are able to balance it all.

What I really appreciate about the experience, is that I decided to just GO FOR IT.  I don't have any radio experience, other than being a guest a few times, and it's a whole new world to explore and learn.

It's so easy to let fear hold us back, and believe me, I have all sorts of fear when that little red light in the studio goes on.  

But I'm still going for it.

I think I get that a little bit from my dad.  When I was considering whether or not to accept the radio opportunity, my mom said, "your dad would definitely have said to go for it."  

This week marks nineteen years since losing my dad, but the lessons live on.  His death has helped to shape my philosophy of living without regret.

This spring presents us with a whole new season to seize the day, I know I for one, will continue to GO FOR IT!