From the day I was old enough to dance to Madonna in my living room, I knew I wanted to be in the spotlight. Naturally, I immersed myself in the modeling and acting world at a young age. Once high school graduation came, I had to make the decision – do I move to NYC and wait for my big break, or do I go to college to pursue a ‘real’ career? I chose college.
After my traditional education was complete, I set about getting a traditional job while continuing to pursue my modeling and acting career on the side. It was then that things started to change…and change drastically. My size 2 pants no longer fit. I was completely unsatisfied with my job. I was newly married and seemed to have fast-forwarded through the honeymoon phase into the ‘I definitely made a mistake’ chapter. I was $20,000 in credit card debt. Life, to sum up in one word, sucked.
I went from barely being able to scramble an egg to expertly flipping omelets. Turns out, cooking isn’t that hard if you’re willing to make some mistakes. After many burnt-to-a-crisp dinners, ruined pots and pans, and horribly over-seasoned dishes I added some nice, healthy meals to my repertoire and controlled every ingredient that went into my mouth.
Feeling tired of being stuffed and unbuttoning my pants after lunch, I finally had a revelation. Why not take a look at how many calories are in the food I eat? I started a food journal. It was then that I discovered that the slices of cheese I ate while cooking dinner really did count and were costing me around 500 calories. I also found out that the 4 Starbucks Café Mocha’s I drank one weekend netted me around 2,000 calories. Oh boy.
After many failed attempts at fad diets, I stopped trying to eat to ‘lose weight’ and simply tried to eat food in its most natural form. I challenge myself to add fruit or veggies to every meal and limit high calorie/fat foods. If I go overboard, I don’t beat myself up.
Tomorrow is another day.
Yup, I’ve tried kickboxing, spinning, pilates, yoga, step aerobics and hip hop classes. Guess which one is the best workout? The one that you actually do.
After being a fitness fearer and a gym dropout for many years, I enrolled in a 6am outdoor bootcamp class led by a former Marine captain. Crazy? Yes. But I love the energy of the class. Love the positive nature of my instructor. I am inspired by banding together with like-minded people and training, not simply exercising. Bootcamp is what I like to do, and I would do it even if I never made me fit.
After four years of working in a career that I, for lack of a better word, hated – I quit. I was 26 and had no ‘Plan B.’ My only goal was to start my own business. I made a ton of mistakes and then changed the focus of my business. Then I changed it again, and again…and again. Though I’ve experienced plenty of challenges as an entrepreneur, the rewards are far greater. I’ve been able to pursue my passion of public speaking and spread health and wellness messages to national audiences. I’ve also served as the 2007 Woman of the Year for the Southern New Jersey Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – one of my proudest accomplishments to date.
No marriage is perfect, but mine seemed to be an absolute train wreck – especially in its first year. So my husband and I sucked it up and went to marriage counseling. We also both went to individual therapy to work on our own issues. It was there I learned that my husband isn’t responsible for making me happy – only I can make myself happy. I also learned that I wasn’t showing love the way he wanted to receive it (and vice versa) – another recipe for marital discord. After experiencing these and many other stunning revelations, I am now a self-proclaimed therapy junkie.
I learned in therapy that my relationship with money was…well…quite troubled. You would think that a $20k credit card debt would have tipped me off, but I still continued to spend as if charging it on plastic meant it didn’t really exist. Eventually I put myself on a spending diet, and paid off my debt in less than one year.
Now that I’m fortunate enough to have a ‘stage’ (or rather numerous TV appearances, workshops and a blog) I’m dedicated to helping others live a better life through my get healthy, get happy and get fit mindset. From relationship worries to eating too much at a holiday party – there are no mistakes…just lessons. From a Little Cracked to Sunny Side Up, my Better Life Movement helps you turn every experience into a lesson learned!
About
From the day I was old enough to dance to Madonna in my living room, I knew I wanted to be in the spotlight. Naturally, I immersed myself in the modeling and acting world at a young age. Once high school graduation came, I had to make the decision – do I move to NYC and wait for my big break, or do I go to college to pursue a ‘real’ career? I chose college.
After my traditional education was complete, I set about getting a traditional job while continuing to pursue my modeling and acting career on the side. It was then that things started to change…and change drastically. My size 2 pants no longer fit. I was completely unsatisfied with my job. I was newly married and seemed to have fast-forwarded through the honeymoon phase into the ‘I definitely made a mistake’ chapter. I was $20,000 in credit card debt. Life, to sum up in one word, sucked.
I went from barely being able to scramble an egg to expertly flipping omelets. Turns out, cooking isn’t that hard if you’re willing to make some mistakes. After many burnt-to-a-crisp dinners, ruined pots and pans, and horribly over-seasoned dishes I added some nice, healthy meals to my repertoire and controlled every ingredient that went into my mouth.
Feeling tired of being stuffed and unbuttoning my pants after lunch, I finally had a revelation. Why not take a look at how many calories are in the food I eat? I started a food journal. It was then that I discovered that the slices of cheese I ate while cooking dinner really did count and were costing me around 500 calories. I also found out that the 4 Starbucks Café Mocha’s I drank one weekend netted me around 2,000 calories. Oh boy.
After many failed attempts at fad diets, I stopped trying to eat to ‘lose weight’ and simply tried to eat food in its most natural form. I challenge myself to add fruit or veggies to every meal and limit high calorie/fat foods. If I go overboard, I don’t beat myself up.
Tomorrow is another day.
Yup, I’ve tried kickboxing, spinning, pilates, yoga, step aerobics and hip hop classes. Guess which one is the best workout? The one that you actually do.
After being a fitness fearer and a gym dropout for many years, I enrolled in a 6am outdoor bootcamp class led by a former Marine captain. Crazy? Yes. But I love the energy of the class. Love the positive nature of my instructor. I am inspired by banding together with like-minded people and training, not simply exercising. Bootcamp is what I like to do, and I would do it even if I never made me fit.
After four years of working in a career that I, for lack of a better word, hated – I quit. I was 26 and had no ‘Plan B.’ My only goal was to start my own business. I made a ton of mistakes and then changed the focus of my business. Then I changed it again, and again…and again. Though I’ve experienced plenty of challenges as an entrepreneur, the rewards are far greater. I’ve been able to pursue my passion of public speaking and spread health and wellness messages to national audiences. I’ve also served as the 2007 Woman of the Year for the Southern New Jersey Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – one of my proudest accomplishments to date.
No marriage is perfect, but mine seemed to be an absolute train wreck – especially in its first year. So my husband and I sucked it up and went to marriage counseling. We also both went to individual therapy to work on our own issues. It was there I learned that my husband isn’t responsible for making me happy – only I can make myself happy. I also learned that I wasn’t showing love the way he wanted to receive it (and vice versa) – another recipe for marital discord. After experiencing these and many other stunning revelations, I am now a self-proclaimed therapy junkie.
I learned in therapy that my relationship with money was…well…quite troubled. You would think that a $20k credit card debt would have tipped me off, but I still continued to spend as if charging it on plastic meant it didn’t really exist. Eventually I put myself on a spending diet, and paid off my debt in less than one year.
Now that I’m fortunate enough to have a ‘stage’ (or rather numerous TV appearances, workshops and a blog) I’m dedicated to helping others live a better life through my get healthy, get happy and get fit mindset. From relationship worries to eating too much at a holiday party – there are no mistakes…just lessons. From a Little Cracked to Sunny Side Up, my Better Life Movement helps you turn every experience into a lesson learned!