Fitness Safari

I just finished a 38-hour fast. I had never fasted that long before, and I don't plan on making it a habit but, after a 5-day fun and food fest in New Orleans with my family for Christmas, I felt the need to do something drastic to get back on track. Going a day and a half without food was actually much easier than I thought it would be. Perhaps this is because I've grown accustomed to going 16-18 hours without food daily anyway - of all the things that taking on intermittent fasting, a la Leangains, has taught me is that I can control what I eat and when I eat it. I was traveling home yesterday and have to admit that the airport was the hardest for me. We had nearly a 2-hour delay in which I watched the folks around me scoff ice cream, cinnamon rolls, po-boys and all manner of chips and pretzels while I was inundated by amazingly delicious smells all around me. Then, when I finally boarded the plane, the man next to me pulled out an industrial size bag of trail mix - one of my...

New blog and first FFF profile has been posted on Fierce. Fit. Fearless. Introducing Lisa C., one of the founding members and the instigator behind starting an IF group for women. Thank you, Lisa, for opening up about your life-long battle over your body image. How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them. ~ Benjamin Franklin

I recently returned from a 6-day surf trip I took to Costa Rica with my 13-year old daughter, Brenna. I heart Tamarindo and just knew it would be the best place for my teen's first surfari. While we didn't travel the country at all, we surfed every day in near 80-degree water. We met some wonderful people and even made a few friends along the way. What's more is that, by day four, Brenna was paddling into and riding her own waves! No more pushes needed from me or her instructor. She took the bull by the horns and handled it. I would love to share video of her tremendous feat, but the battery door of the crapola Fuji waterproof camera I bought for the trip opened in the pocket of my boardshorts, trashing the camera. :( Oh, well. Her accomplishment - and our entire first surf trip together - will forever remain burned in my memory. As a side note, I received numerous compliments from others at the camp - including instructors - on my paddling strength. Considering I haven...