Hello readers!! It's been a while and I apologize for taking such a lengthy break...but I actually have a really good excuse.

Let me explain... Back in July I received an email from a woman saying that they were looking for a personal trainer for a new project.

First of all, as a business owner, I probably get at least 3 times the junk mail that others do (and I know you get a lot). So the fact that I even opened this email was a total fluke. And after I read the word "project" I almost hit delete as that usually translates to "free" or some kind of marketing scheme to try to swindle me out of hard earned $$.

But, nevertheless, I read on. She explained that two best friends, local and renowned author, John Green (who wrote the NYT bestseller Fault in Our Stars), and Chris Waters were exploring an idea called "100 Days of Fitness" in which they would spend 100 consecutive days exploring the vast world of health and wellness. This could be exercise, diet, mental health, etc. The project would be videotaped and aired on YouTube (this is when I REALLY almost hit delete!). I thought to myself "wow, this seems a bit overwhelming," as I am already a pretty busy person. But for some reason I thought what the heck!! Can't hurt to meet just for fun to chat about it. And then turn it down :)

Welp, as you may have guessed I didn't turn it down...

John, Chris, his filmmakers and I all met at the studio one afternoon and the layers that seemed overwhelming and stressful were slowly peeled away.

They were looking for a "home base" local gym/trainer to visit twice a week during the 100 days, and the other days of each week they would participate in a myriad of activities ranging anywhere from boxing to aerial yoga to cooking classes and literally everything in between. And *added bonus* I would be getting paid! So, I decided to give it a go as a personal challenge and a new adventure.

John wanted to base the series on the changes that the body experiences with wellness in ways that I could determine EXCEPT weight. He felt that there is too much emphasis on the number on the scale. So I came up with about 10 "metrics" to measure progress; such heart rate during a specific activity, flexibility gains, plank hold duration, etc. to set the bar on Day 1 and routinely measure it every so often to analyze the improvements (if any) in their fitness levels.

As I write this today we are on Day 82. And it truly has been an amazing experience so far! The show has started airing and has showed 6 episodes as of now. I won't talk too much about the details because I want you to see for yourself. Look up "100 days John Green" on YouTube and you can personally witness the journey of these two brave, hilarious and bromance friends! It's funny, inspiring, informative and truly entertaining. To boot, they like to give me a hard time when I make them do things they would rather not...but they always do it.

You will see some Monon trail running, park workouts, circuit training, swimming, an indoor obstacle course, boxing, nutritionist advice, etc. AND what's even cooler is that you can download all of the workouts from the site and have them for yourself for free!

Please follow with me on the show for the next 3 or so on YouTube or right here in the gazette to watch what happens mentally, physically, spiritually when you add wellness into your life. Who knows you may be inspired to try something that they did that you NEVER would have and fall in love with it. Trust me, they tried ALOT of things.

Rest assured, watching the videos is entirely free. There are no marketing gimmicks, product plugs yadda yadda. It's just a fun display of two friends trying to transition into a so-called "healthy mid life crisis".

I'll leave the article saying that I also had the benefit of trying new things, got out of my comfort zone of being on camera, researched some new workout ideas, and was reminded to not judge a book by its cover (the original email). I can honestly say I am going to be pretty sad when the 100 Days is over. Such a fun experience, and after reading the comments on the videos it has already inspired thousands to follow along, which is the best part! :)

John claims he wants to continue to train with me and I hope he is speaking the truth!! But if not, I have no doubt whatsoever that he and Chris will continue to do a regular fitness routine of some sort as they both regularly mention how much they have benefited physically, but even more so, mentally.

Glad to be back to writing for this awesome publication! Cheers.