First, I’d like to thank ALL of you for entering the American Cancer Society Choose You drawing. You all inspire and touch my heart. Every. Single. Day.

Second, I’d like to congratulate our winner, Sarah Lynne, for winning our Choose You gift basket. Sarah, please send your mailing address to fitnessandspice@gmail.com and we’ll have your goodies sent right to you.

I once had a boss that was a bit of a cheerleader.

When times got tough she would say in a singsongy voice:

“Just keep going!”

At times hearing these words were like hearing nails on a chalkboard, but lately I’ve found myself whispering these same words in my head at the gym and other areas of my life because…

When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but DO NOT QUIT!
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-
It’s when things go wrong that you must not quit.

~ Unknown

I hope whatever healthy-living, business, or personal goal you’re shooting for you reach, and no matter what challenges come your way you JUST KEEP GOING!

Now I really must go hit the gym and grab another cup of coffee because I’m no quitter!

You might have heard the big news that YMCA would prefer to be called “The Y” from now on.

Y, you ask?

• Maybe they think they’re cool enough to join the ranks of Cher and Madonna and just go by their first name
• Maybe they’re sick of going to every single wedding since that song became a hit in the late 70′s
• Maybe they’re tired of dancing the YMCA at their annual Christmas party and just want to speed it up because they secretly prefer the Macarena
• Maybe they have something against the Village People (I just hope they didn’t quit their day jobs)
  
• Maybe they want Jay-Z or Rod Stewart’s song “Forever Young” to be their new theme song
• Y not?!

I wonder if the Y will be a trendsetter with their new branding? Maybe PETA will become “P”, IBM will become “I”, TCBY will become “T”, and YMCA will stick with “Y”…now that would be a PITY.

Now I really must hit the gym! Y? So I can find me a Macho Man in the Navy!

I had one of those days yesterday. You know the kind…low energy and a bit unorganized.

Nevertheless, I made some good choices and it ended up being a rather successful day.

My day had me thinking about a conversation started in an online forum by one of my Precision Nutrition coaches a few weeks ago. We were simply asked to share some of the positive choices we made during the week. The thread started with this simple open-ended sentence: I wanted to_______.

Apparently the lesson was not lost on me because I applied it somehow all day long. It went a lot like this…

I wanted to sleep in and skip my spinning workout but I knew I had a full day of meetings.

I wanted to finish off the bag of almonds but I chomped on some steamed edamame instead.

I wanted to have another protein shake instead of cooking dinner but I made salmon and veggies instead.

I wanted to skip the gym yesterday afternoon and take a nap but I went and lifted instead.

I wanted to stop for a pop but I had a glass of ice water instead.

I (still) wanted to polish off that bag of almonds but I brushed my teeth instead.

I wanted to stay up and watch some mindless TV but I went to bed instead.

I wanted to take another step closer to my goals yesterday…so I did!

Your turn. What healthy choices have you made this week?

Now I really must go but I wanted to let you know I’m going to the gym or I might go nuts instead!

Fitness & Spice celebrated its first birthday over the weekend, you might have noticed the fireworks and all of the festivities nationwide.

That’s right, Fitness & Spice is a year old!

On July 5, 2009 Fitness & Spice was born a few minutes after I sat down at my computer and Googled: How to start a blog. The search engine popped up an article that in a nutshell said, if you want to start blog just start writing nobody’s reading anyway.

So I grabbed a cup of coffee and started to write.

And write.

And write, and write, and write. Well, you get the idea.

You know what I love most about blogging?

• I get to write about what I love: Fitness, food, and fashion…whenever I want
• I get to be the creative director, the author, the photographer, the editor, and the publisher every single day
• I get to brag about my family and friends. Speaking of #1, did you hear my Dad got another hole in one on Saturday?!
• I get to talk about amazing organizations like the American Heart Association and the Susan G. Komen Foundation
• I get to set goals that help keep me accountable
• I get to connect with people like YOU!

Thanks to all of you for reading, and reading, and reading…You really are #1!

Now I really must go to the gym, grab another cup of coffee, and get ready to begin the journey to the terrible terrific two’s!

Remember when you were little and would make it a point to call out that you were 7-and-a-half years old? Yeah, I don’t do that anymore either.

Nevertheless, here we are: July 1st, 2010-and-a-half. Six more months left in twenty-ten.

In keeping with the theme of Fitness & Spice…where fitness, food, and fashion get a healthy shake, I set 3 goals at the beginning of the year:

• One for fitness…to kick it up a notch when doing cardio instead of just going through the motions
• One for food…to add more variety to my diet since I was eating the same ole things over and over again
• One for fashion…to get out of my work from home clothes (also known as gym clothes or pajamas) more often and wear “real clothes”

So how am I doing? Let’s just say I’m glad we have 6 more months left in this year!

I did great right out of the gate with my fitness goal, but I could work harder. I’m going to start wearing a heart rate monitor again to make sure I’m in the zone when doing cardio.

I’m rocking my food goal and trying out all sorts of new recipes thanks to all of the food bloggers and cookbooks I’ve read already this year…hello, kale chips!

My fashion mission needs improvement (kind of like my math grade when I was 7-and-a-half). If lululemon would stop making such comfortable workout gear, I’d have this one in the (shopping) bag.

It looks like I have some work to do to make sure I hit my 2010 goals, but where there’s a will, there’s a way!

What are your 2010-and-a-half year goals?

Now I really must go wrap up my half-time report and get ready a winning season!

One more rep.

One more set.

One more lap.

One more mile.

One more glass of water.

One level higher on the stairmill.

One more minute on the treadmill.

One more song before you end your workout.

You have the power.

What one thing can you do to move one step closer to reaching your goals?

Now I really must go wish one one-derful man a happy father’s day! I Love you, Dad!

I love watching the Biggest Loser. It’s full of ups and downs, sweat and tears, drama and triumphs, commercials and more commercials. That being said (and all in good fun)…

Here are a few things I’ve learned from watching the Biggest Loser:

• Bob can solve any problem with a Ziploc bag and a stick of Extra Sugar Free Gum
• The only reason why Jillian never loses her voice is because she drinks a lot of Brita filtered water
• The more the contestants cry the more water weight they lose before stepping on the scale. But then again…
• Johnson & Johnson should be a sponsor next season so there will be NO MORE TEARS!
• If this personal training gig doesn’t work out, Jillian has a great career ahead of her as a Biggest Loser psychologist
• Getting a bodybugg at 24 Hour Fitness does not require a prescription
• If you’re going to get kicked off the ranch get kicked off before they make you run the marathon
• It takes exactly 1 hour and 55 commercials to weigh 2 contestants

What have you learned from watching this commercial, I mean, reality TV show?

Now I really must go hop on my StreetStrider and go meet Shay at Subway!

Each year I set some pretty impressive goals for myself. One year I said I was going to learn how to speak Italian. Just last year I said I was going to get in the best shape of my life. And this year I said I was going to write a book.

Have I accomplished any of these things? Nope.

But, there’s hope for me yet.

I received a copy of Tom Terwilliger’s book, 7 Rules of Achievement last week and I have to say that in the 5 chapters I’ve read so far it has me fired up. My wheels are spinning and let’s just say two of my unfinished goals are now in motion!

Tom’s book is the blueprint for helping you put your vision into action. I’ve already learned how to (key word–>) properly identify and set goals for some of my most ambitious dreams.

Why is Tom Terwilliger qualified to write a book about achievement? For starters, Tom is the poster boy for fitness and healthy living, he is an author, professional speaker, and former Mr. America (swoon!) and longtime Fox Sports Net fitness TV show host.

Not to mention, Tom is one of the good guys. His contributions have been recognized by the American Heart Association, New York Games for the Physically Challenged, Colorado Special Olympics, Fetal Hope Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes association and The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

In fact, Tom’s book, 7 Rules of Achievement launches today and proceeds from today’s sales will benefit Habitat for Humanity. How great is that!?

If you’re interested in learning more about this book, check it out on Amazon, read the intro, and see if it’s a book that might help you light a fire under your arsenal of dreams, too.

Now I really must go to the gym and then finish reading my terms of achievement, arrivederci!

Guess whose Dad got his 5th hole in one last week? MINE.

The guy is a legend.

When I asked him if it was luck or skill that enabled him to get yet another hole in one he simply replied, “Yes”…because funny runs in the family.

Can you imagine what that must feel like? I can not because golf does not run in the family. Ok, scratch that. Golf runs in my family, just not in me.

But, it got me thinking.

When was the last time I had a hole-in-one kind of moment?

Was it when I placed 8th in the state swim meet for 100 meter breaststroke for the entire state of Rhode Island? [Grin!] Or was it when I crossed the finish line at my (one and only) triathlon? Or was it when I set a personal record deadlifting a few weeks ago?

Nope.

It was when I heard my dad made this shot.

Congratulations, Dad!

When was your last hole-in-one kind of moment?

Now I really must go tell my driver it’s time to go hit the iron.