An article popped up in my email this morning that reminded me of why our relationship to certain foods has become so skewed. Naturally it also reminded me of a story...

The other day at the grocery store in the checkout line I was struck by the new display of energy bars. I was immediately taken back to a time when I literally lived off energy bars and thought it was the healthy thing to do.

It wasn’t.

When I was gigging as a dancer plus training several hours a day,

The other day while I was playing cars with my son on the floor of his room, he said that he wanted to get me another car to play with. So he ran into the other room to get one but ended up getting distracted with more cars. He started playing by himself for a few minutes and I took this opportunity to…

The 2022 Winter Olympics have come to a close and, all controversies aside, watching the games always leaves me in complete awe and admiration of all the athletes and what they have achieved.

Olympic athletes represent so much more than a medal they may or may not win. They are a representation of pure commitment, strength, sacrifice and determination that pushes them past limits and allows them to do incredible and seemingly superhuman things with their bodies--- things the rest of us normal humans can’t even dream of doing.

As I was watching a few events, I realized there is so much we can take from an athlete’s playbook that can apply to our own health and fitness, without going to those extremes yet still push us closer towards optimal health.

As a former competitive figure skater, I tried my best to compete at that stratospheric level, and I went as far as I could. Yet I knew there is so much more than just physical ability that must fall into place in order to peak at that exact Olympic moment. It's the most important moment:

Most clients express that within the larger scope of their goals of feeling better they also want to look better. They want to look great in the clothes they already own--- that have been in the closet for far too long.

This reminds me of a past client I worked with back when I lived in NYC and a moment that I have never forgotten.

You know, I always have to laugh when I hear my clients say :

“Can I switch to lighter weights?”

I usually respond with a very polite “no.” This response isn’t because I enjoy telling them no, it’s because I know they can lift that heavy weight. Additionally, sometimes I can see they are even ready for a heavier weight. I notice that most of the time this question comes up in the moment when:

A few weeks ago, we took the bikes out and went on a family bike ride. We have it set up so that my son Jaden is on dad’s bike, while I ride solo. My husband likes to ride the fire trails and mentioned that it would be an easy ride. Naturally I said "sure."

Let me tell you, that was not true. He totally lied.

We all have things that we want to change about ourselves and typically clients come to me with some physical attribute they want to change in order to look better. Usually it has something to do with arms, abs, legs and booty. Through answering the question above, I shared a personal moment that changed my perspective when it comes to “fixing” ourselves.

I wanted to share something that happens to me as well as my clients, and it's something that occurs at the most surprising times.

The “ah-ha” moment.

An “ah-ha” moment happened to me recently when I went to grab a coffee at a place that didn’t have the usual additions I like to add. I really needed the coffee and ended up succumbing to what was available: a regular sugar and Coffee mate hazelnut creamer.
So what did I do?

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to be featured at an online summit where I was one of several experts talking to entrepreneurs about owning the spotlight as leaders in business.

A question I was asked was: "What does being a "business celebrity" mean to you?"
So here's my take.

When you see someone on stage delivering a speech, or a celebrity on a magazine, there’s something else behind their delivery and appearance that’s catching your eye and keeping you engaged. It’s something else people don’t necessarily pay attention to and that is:

Thought I'd share a new perspective on how to reach your next fitness and health goal since it's a hot topic as we head into the fall.

Whenever someone is embarking on a new workout or nutrition program the first question they are typically asked by the health or fitness professional is this:

“What are your goals?”

While I think this is a question important to any transformation process, I don’t agree with this being the most important place to start…..

So where do you start?

I was on my way to an appointment the other day after having just dropped my son off at daycare. I was feeling like I was doing really well on time. In fact, I was on track to being early.

Which felt like a huge accomplishment in and of itself.

Until I got stuck. In a traffic jam. On a road that is normally free and clear of traffic at that same time.

I know…. I live in LA, so I should just expect it, but still… It was an unexpected traffic jam.
And then I realized I was at ease with this situation, and instead of getting frustrated, I just thought, “don’t worry, I will get there….eventually.” Must be all of this meditation that I’m doing that’s paying off, and I am now clearly calm as a cucumber. 😉

So how does this relate to fitness & nutrition?

Before my husband and I moved out of New York, we made it a point to make a list of all the things we wanted to do there one last time. One of those things was visiting the Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side. There’s one exhibit where the solar system is outlined on the floor and each planet is represented by a scale. You then step on each scale to see what you weigh on each planet. I was having a lot of fun experimenting and seeing what I weighed on different planets when it occurred to me:

How are we in August already? Not sure about you, but I find it so interesting how time can just sneak up on us like that.

Speaking of time. Last week, I was surprised when my husband and I successfully got our toddler out of the house earlier than expected and with no crying.

Anyway, I noticed that I ended up with some extra time to spare before my next client and rather than just scrambling from one thing to the next, I found myself a bit surprised that I could choose what I wanted to do with it. So what do you do with that extra time?

Supplements are a hot topic these days especially with all the options to choose from, and it’s a subject that my clients often raise. Supplements are actually important for our overall health, but which ones matter? They all matter to some extent, but which ones really matter.

It can be overwhelming to take too many supplements all of the time but there is another approach. Adding supplements can be done in steps. Most of the time, I prefer to take only a few different ones at a time and in a cyclical order throughout the month based on my needs. My suggestion: before you commit to an already packaged regimen, try this:

Many clients who come to me have already tried many different diets and workout programs yet they still are not feeling or looking the way they really want. I hear their frustration when they feel they are putting in the work but still not getting the results they truly desire.

One of the main struggles people have with their diets is that the burden of restriction required in their diet is so great that it becomes completely unsustainable and then it is back to old habits and square one. However, there is a balance you can achieve when it comes to restriction. To quote Peter Attia: “Some level of restriction is a necessary component of living healthier.” If you exercise no restriction at all, then you have SAD. (Standard American Diet). A sustainable eating lifestyle involves what I call: Cyclical Restriction