And the goal is...

I mentioned a few posts down about the fabulous time I had with Kailash Sozzani in determining what my palette is.

Part of Kailash's program is to go shopping with you -- colors, styles, textures, fit, etc. As a result of my current "getting healthy regime", I requested that we not go shopping yet.

After all, why purchase new gorgeous clothes which won't fit me in 2 months. :-)

Kailash graciously agreed to do the shopping piece of the program when I'm back in Tucson in March.

And now for the goal...publicly proclaimed as it were: to be no larger than a size 10 by March 26, 2009.

This blog will continue to chronicle my journey...I hope my story inspires you.

With love,

Sandy

Workouts? What workouts?

If you've noticed my exercise routines (and subsequent muscle pain) have been missing lately, there's a good reason...I've been sick with one of those lingering nasty colds which refuse to let you breathe.

I've got to admit it, I'm really missing my workouts and the energy and clarity they bring to my days -- with luck, I'll be back swimming and doing Zumba on Monday.

And then of course, there's Fern... :-)

One thing I've noticed on my raw food journey is that eating raw is harder for me (usually pretty easy) when I'm not feeling well -- with the cold, I've been craving warm/hot foods and have been enjoying tons of tea.

Webcam 101...not sure I'm liking this

I'm being interviewed for a video that's going up on YouTube tomorrow and have been playing around with my Logitech Pro 9000 webcam tonight.

It's pretty humbling to continuously catch myself either looking down (think "multiple chins" here) or speaking with my hands (I'm Italian -- what can I say?).

While the eating right and exercising have been going phenomenally (although I didn't do as much exercising as I should have), the webcam is pretty unforgiving when it comes to my chin. :-(

Okay, back to practicing posture. Looks like we're going into video!

Surviving while at a business retreat away from home (and routine)

Over the past few weeks, I've been on vacation in New Hampshire and am currently at a business retreat in Tucson, Arizona.

Being away from home (and my personal trainer) is challenging from a workout routine perspective.

While in New Hampshire, I went for walks with my darling hubby (DH) and swam daily.

Here in Tucson, I'm getting very little sleep (but it's SO worth it) and am swimming in the mornings (well, most mornings -- some days that extra hour of sleep is just TOO good to pass up).

This combined with being a vegetarian in a resort hotel where the "after hours" dinner menu has two veggie options: a cheese tray (can we say HEAVY) or fried corn fritters (nuff said?) is definitely keeping things challenging.

I'd love to hear any tips you have for staying true to your routines while away from home...thanks in advance!

The best thing I've done for ME

It's been a few days since I've posted to my personal blog and want to catch you up on what's been happening here at "Chez Sandy":

• Fern (trainer) and I have upped my sessions to 3 times a week rather than twice. I just came from him and he absolutely TORTURED me today -- more on that later.
• DH (darling hubby) and I are getting ready for a week's vacation in New Hampshire (nothing better for hiking and gorgeous fall foliage!) -- we leave on Friday.
• While I haven't dropped much in actual pounds, my body is shifting -- I've lost 2.5% body fat and am able to wear a pair of jeans I last wore while working for Corporate in 2003 (WHOO HOO!).
• My 90 Day Intensive program is going great! The $500 savings bonus is good through September 22nd and I'm getting fabulous feedback!

I woke up this morning not really wanting to work out (despite the great results above), went to cancel only to find that I had no phone or internet service (cable was down) and took that as a sign that I had better get my butt there.

And now for the workout...

300 bosu ball jumps
10 minutes on stair stepper
1 mile on treadmill (at incline)
30 minutes on arc trainer
and 150 squats into 8lb medicine ball thruster

and we've determined that I'm not eating enough. I apparently need SIX meals a day and not the 2-3 I've been enjoying...oh...and, I need to be getting about 3 times the protein I'm getting.

I love having someone who can look at what I'm doing, what's working and not, and tweak it for me so I get optimal results. Hiring a trainer was the best thing I've done for my health AND my business.

If you're looking for a a mentor for your business, you may want to check out my Online Business Mentoring Program which starts soon (and early bird savings end even sooner)!

Kicking it up a notch

LOL...I feel like an "Emeril Live" commercial with his "kick it up a notch", but that's exactly what happened in my session with my trainer today.

He inspired me to go further, faster than I've ever gone before (oh no, now I sound like the Six Million Dollar Man preview -- yep, showing my age here!).

We called it a day after 20 minutes on the arc trainer, 275 situps on the little half-ball thingie (it's a technical term) and 75 barbell squats -- all done in 43 minutes. I was cruisin...

It was "easy" in the sense that Fern asked me about my business -- he's always amazed by what I do -- and I just chatted and chatted and didn't even realize I was working out. In fact, I did an extra 25 situps because I just kept chatting.

It's so great to do what you love!

Productivity Achieved: Back in the saddle again!

WHOO HOO! Fern (see post below this one for picture of my trainer)

Kudos to ME for having the "best workout ever" according to my trainer Fern (that's a picture of him) this morning! :-)

You see, he told me we were doing the Arc Trainer for 1/4 mile followed by 30 stepups on a half-ball which wobbles (while holding weights) followed by 30 medicine-ball-toss-into-wall and catch while squatting torture thingies. Sip of water and then do it again...5 sets.

This was preceded by 1/2 mile on Arc Trainer and followed up by a mile on treadmill at a steep incline.

It was the *best* workout because I went through it all fast and didn't complain once -- the lack of complaining was because Fern asked me to talk about my latest program (http://www.90DayIntensive.com). Now THAT I can do...so while dripping and deep breathing, I explained all about the program and the results my clients get as a result.

In no time, I was DONE!

By focusing on the outcome -- more energy for me and my clients, increased productivity, etc., I barely realized what I was doing and just kept getting sets done. In fact, I was on my way to set 6 when Fern had to stop me. . .

What outcomes could you achieve in your business with the right support and mentoring help?

Back at the gym...

Now that the doctor's cleared me to start exercising again, I gave Fern a call (that's a picture of him by the way -- taken 2 months ago when he came in 4th place in a body building competition) and said "let's get back to it!"

Everyone's been telling me to "take it easy", "rest some more", blah, blah, blah. While I can't say that I TRULY miss working out, I do miss swimming and, quite honestly, I'm afraid that if I stay out of the routine for too long, I'll never get back into it.

So I went ahead and paid for 12 sessions of training in advance (it's harder to be lazy when you've spent the money and I'm a firm believer that we can do more, faster with a good coach and mentor) and started back at the gym this morning.

It was tough. REALLY tough. Tougher than I remember.

But I'm not giving up -- I know why I want to succeed and that thought alone is enough to pull me forward (with the help of Fern's kick-in-the-butt, believe-in-me style).

What do you want to succeed at and do you have someone who believes you and can mentor you through it all?

I WON, I WON!

It's true! Jerry, my mother Lynda and I went to the local 4-H Fair this weekend (they have an auction which I just love to go to each year).

This was big for few reasons...

1. It's the first time I've been really out since surgery and

2. I actually bid AND won something (hee hee)

My great find? A new nightstand for Jerry for the whopping total of $11 -- it's true, I got into a bidding war and WON!

I don't often bid as I love just watching -- last year, a baby grand piano in mint condition went for $80 and every year we have "crazy man" (as the children have named him).

He always bids on a couch so he can sit someplace other than the benches (and pays around $200 -- he outbids HIMSELF) or gets into a bidding war over ice skates with a little girl, pays around $50 for them and then gives them to her.

While I don't know his name, I know he's a great supporter of our local 4-H as all the funds raised at the auction go to the children and as many people come to see him as they do the rest of the fair.

You should have seen two older ladies go to absolute war over landscape puzzles. :-)

Aside from the auction, I always get to see friends I haven't seen since the last auction.

Above is a photo I took of the auction. . .it's a little dark, but it was 10pm. :-)

RV Shopping and a PERFECT Day

Many thanks to everyone who's sent me cards! I'm recovering nicely from my unexpected surgery and am thrilled to say that most people don't even know I had it (unless they read my blog).

Now THAT is the perfect definition of what makes a business "automatic"!

I apologize for being away from the blog for a bit...my personal training has been stopped until my doctor clears me (hopefully tomorrow) and I've been spending a lot of time working on the info page for my new 90 Day Intensive program (http://www.90dayintensive.info/).

Have you ever had one of those absolutely, picture perfect days?

Jerry (my hubby) and I did yesterday. We got up early, went to breakfast at a local family-owned restaurant called Binky's which has been open since the '50s and the owner's daughter went to school with Jerry.

We followed that up with a nice long "country drive" (where you drive aimlessly about on back roads) in my 13-year-old Monte Carlo SS (I LOVE this car and she still drives like a dream) and then ended up going RV Shopping at Marty's RV in Berkeley (you can see yet more pictures of our top choices below).

The dilemma...do we get a "Get Up and Go" (my name for one you can drive -- a smaller one though as I have to be able to drive it without crashing!) or a "Stop and Drop" (my name for a camper that would go on the back of Jerry's truck???

And after that I was a bit tired and spent the afternoon alternating between reading and sleeping in our oversized hammock under a perfectly blue sky with my Llasa Apso "Buddy" curled up sharing my pillow and listening to Jerry practice his bass guitar while sitting under the trees.

This was a perfect Norman Rockwell day! And for dinner? Take-out from Lorenzo's, another small family-owned local restaurant from the 1950s where the food is homemade daily and absolutely heavenly!

Throw in an evening visit from one of our friends and you have a perfect day!

When things don't go as planned...

This past weekend was supposed to be one of resting and retreating -- hanging out at Nauset Beach with my sister and her fiance and just enjoying the waves (they have one of those campers which go on the back of a truck and stay about 20ft from the waves).

We went out to dinner Thursday night...had a great time, kept it lowkey.

Then came Friday morning...I was going to go buy my new camera (thanks for your thoughts on which would be best!), finish packing for the beach and off I'd go.

I woke up with horrible chest area pains and, soon after, the vomiting started. How could this be? I was supposed to be having a resting retreat weekend on THE OCEAN -- my favorite place!

Instead, I spoke with my assistant around 2:30pm who diligently typed my symptoms into the comptuer and made me call my doctor...I described the symptoms to him and it was "get to the ER...I'm calling them to let them know you're coming".

I called my Mum and off we went...

After about 6 hours of waiting and IV drips for fluids and pain meds, I had an ultrasound and they admitted me for emergency gall bladder surgery.

Turns out it was "acutely enflamed" which means it's now sitting in a jar on a shelf somewhere rather than in me.

I came home yesterday to the "relaxation" of 3 dogs wanting to know where mommy has been for two nights (after all, there were no suitcases packed so there was no warning) and the most fragrant flowers I've received in a long time -- and they were for my being down a size and sent from someone who had no idea about my surgery sidetrip.

My only hope is that the gall bladder was heavy so the scale will finally move and if not from that, then the 3 days of not eating will help it along. :-(

My postings will be a little erratic this week as I hang out and rest some. Enjoy your week!

A day in Provincetown, Cape Cod

My husband surprised me by taking a day off this past Monday and whisking me to Provincetown (or P-town as it's known here) for a day of walking around and simply enjoying the ocean air.

It was so much fun to just "get away" and play hookie for a day. It's funny...I love to take pictures, but have a bigger digital camera with the super zoom lens (WHY did I bring Jerry with me when I purchased) and so only took it out while on the pier and never took photos of all the interesting sites which P-town is known for.

Soooo, as a present for this morning's workout which Fern (my trainer) told me was "BEST EVER", I'm purchasing a sleek little digital camera which can fit in the back pocket of the jeans I bought the other night (one size smaller than usual, I might add!) :-)

If you can recommend a great little digital camera, I'd love to hear about it. I'm leaning towards a Kodak, Nikon Coolpix or Canon.

TGIF...I usually work out especially hard on Thursdays (see yesterday's post) and so Fridays are a complete and total reprieve from the gym UNLESS I feel like swimming.

This morning, I felt like sleeping. :-)

Regardless of whether or not I go to the gym, I still take Sasha (aka "pretty girl") for her morning rehab walk. Sasha had a full hip replacement last October and so she gets special "Mommy & Me" walks without the other two dogs. We've both come to treasure our early morning quiet walks -- we tend to see very few people and several birds and bunnies (can you feel Sasha's giddiness?)!

After our walk (all birds, no bunnies), DH (darling hubby) and I spent some time in the garden -- he's got an amazing "red" thumb for growing tomatoes. We have some that are the size of little pumpkins.

And while I take most Fridays off, I've been on tons of calls this week and am a little behind in my emails, so...here I sit devouring watermelon and about to tackle email (my goal is to have an EMPTY email box every Friday).

Happy Friday!

Whew...what a day!

Today's workout was the best/worst yet -- it ended with my being BEET purple (no exaggeration, wish I had a camera!) and completely soaked in sweat.

Have your knees ever sweated? It's a very odd feeling and mine did today -- apparently this is a sign of a "great workout". I beg to differ.

Here's a rundown of the fun from the morning...

Leave to go to gym to find that someone hit our mailbox last night and it's now separated from its door and its post.

At gym...20 minutes on treadmill at 4.5 incline and 3.5 mph, 14 sets of 3 pulldowns (50lb), 5 push-ups, 10 situps on little core ball, 15 airsquats per set. That's 42 pulldows, 70 push-ups, 140 situps and 210 airsquats.

My intent was to swim afterwards -- I did go into the pool and floated. There wasn't energy left for more than that. :-)

Then off to Walmart (ick) for a new mailbox. Couldn't find it and there was no one to ask and there's only so much walking I was able to do (willing yes...able, not-so-much).

Then off to farmer's market to restock up on spinach, apples, oranges and carrots for morning juice and, in honor of my workout, a beet.

Home to juice all of the above and 1/4 of beet and one cucumber (it needed eating). It was a decent combo although I don't like beets.

And then off to finish a press release and begin a full day of coaching calls...

YEAH! I survived!

It's official...Fern hasn't killed me (yet) -- although tomorrow we're working on legs. OUCH!

My body boycotted all things exercise-related this morning and I woke up too late to swim (the little kids have swim lessons starting at 8:15) and, given that I couldn't lift my laptop this morning from yesterday's "fun", my body shared that no weights would be involved today.

I did, however take Sasha for a leisurely 1/2 mile walk -- Fern wouldn't count it as cardio, but I'm counting it (there was mild sweating involved -- we were in the sun after all!). :-)

Thanks so much all the emails and recounts of your own versions of "Fern". I'll be posting a picture of him later today -- I keep one in the house as motivation when I don't feel like getting up and out. What (or who) keeps you motivated when you're just not in the mood?

Off to make my morning juice (spinach, carrots, apple, orange and fresh blueberries picked last night) and then answer some more coaching questions from my survey (you can take it here) -- I'm answering the questions in a "Dear Sandy" format and you can catch up on them on my small business and marketing blog if you're interested.

With love and abundance,

Sandy :-)

It's official...Fern IS trying to kill me!

I had a training session with Fern this morning and begged him to be easy on my knee as it's been acting up from an old running injury.

He smiled (I should have known I was in trouble) and said he would.

To be fair, he was very gentle on the knee. My arms, shoulders, abs and stomach however didn't fare quite as well.

His philosophy is simple...if everything else hurts, I won't even feel the knee.

In all honesty, I lost count of the number of situps, crunches, bench presses, tricep curls, bicep curls, and thingies over the back of my head with dumbbells that we did today.

When done, I couldn't hold my water bottle. Others in the weight room looked, smiled and said "wow, what a great workout".

I had other words in mind.

I'm thrilled to say that 8 hours after finishing with him, I can now hold a water bottle and even pick up my 17lb dog Buddy.

This type of pain makes it easy to say DEFINITELY NOT when offered Ben & Jerry's!

Getting my business in shape was nothing compared to this! :-)

When Less is More...

I just finished reading my friend and Mastermind buddy Karen Knowler's ezine "Successfully Raw" (http://www.TheRawFoodCoach.com) and Karen mentioned how she's experiencing the phenomenon that "less is more".

After being in training for the past month (not only am I getting fit, I'm in training for a triathlon -- where I run and swim and team up with someone else for the bike riding piece), I couldn't agree with Karen more.

I find myself not only wanting less food, but less EVERYTHING -- less clutter, less clothing, less "stuff' overall.

It's amazingly freeing and creates space for better things to come.

Are you willing to experience the space?

Juicer Fiasco

I've been doing A LOT of juicing lately...my parents bought me a Jack LaLane juicer a few Christmas's ago and I finally tackled it about two weeks ago.

It's been a GREAT experience! My friend and client Lynn Rousseau of http://www.TheConsciousLeader.com recommended a great recipe (spinach, oranges and carrots) to which I've added apples.

As I was happily chopping away this morning, I learned a few things:

1. Even though they SAY you don't need to chop carrots down if you have a large (3 inch) feeding tube, they are WRONG!

2. When they say to always use the "food pusher", they are RIGHT!

3. Battle scarred and still finding bits of carrot pulp around my kitchen, the juice is still fantastic.

Be happy you weren't here...bits of carrot shooting everywhere, dogs barking (after all, they're getting pelted with carrot bits) and me insanely laughing as I tried to get to the OFF button.

and so begins a HAPPY FRIDAY!

"Fern" sounds like such a gentle word

When I think of the word "Fern", I think of those light and airy plants that grow in the woods -- there are several in my woods.

When the wind blows they move to and fro and give a gentle rustling sound. Ahhh...

That is not the case with my newest association of the word: Fern, short for Fernando, is my personal trainer and has been for about 3 weeks now.

He recently won 4th place in a body building contest and is helping me get my body in the same shape my business is in -- strong and healthy!

Here's a sample morning session:

100 situps on a core building ball
60 squats with a 30lb barbell
a mile on the treadmill at an incline of 3 and speed of 4.0
50 walking lunges

Followed by a minimum of 10 laps in the pool

I'm firmly convinced he's punishing me for having him at the gym at 6am. While I'm getting healthy, I don't want to give up my morning writing time, so...6am it is. :-)

Off to write my newsletter for tomorrow. Remember, MAKE it a great day!

Blackberry and PDA: Are you addicted?

Years ago when I was still working in a corporate environment, it was a requirement that I had my Blackberry with me at all times. It actually became a joke among my friends and family and my Dad was convinced it was an extension of my hand.

When I left corporate and formed my own business, the first thing I did was…you guessed it…ran out and bought a Blackberry.

I’m happy to say that over the years, I’ve come to regard my Blackberry as something which gives me a sense of freedom rather than as something I “must do”.

While swimming the other day, I noticed one guy furiously doing his laps and every two laps stopping and hovering over the side of the pool. Want to guess what he was doing?

Yep. . .he was checking his Blackberry. Turns out he had it in a Ziploc baggy and would check and type emails every couple of laps.

I was torn between wanting to swim over and give him a gentle “whap” on the head and ask him to let it go for just a little bit or give him a hug and my card for some coaching on how NOT to be addicted – from a former Blackberry addict.

Take some time every day to go SOMEWHERE without your Blackberry, PDA, Treo, Palm, etc. and just BE!

Getting fit this summer

It's no secret that I'm "chunky" (yes, I'm being kind to myself).

This summer I realized that my business is more than successful enough to allow me to spend a whole lot less time in the office and a whole lot more time getting fit.

While I only work in the office 4 days a week, exercising and working out haven't been a priority for me.

If you're familiar with the "Law of Attraction", you know that "what you focus on expands", sooo...it's time for me to focus on my own self-care.

I recently joined a gym and have been swimming daily, in addition to my early morning walks with Miss Sasha (my rotti-lab mix) who's still recovering from a full hip replacement and is doing FABULOUS!

And, for those of you who aren't aware, I'm a vegan (no meat, dairy, fish, etc.) and have been eating primarily raw (about 85%) for the last couple of months. "Raw" means that I'm not eating cooked foods -- I eat fruits, raw veggies, raw nuts, sprouts and drink of ton of smoothies (and yes...I get plenty of protein).

If you're interested in learning more about vegetarianism, you can visit my client Gayle's site at www.VegetarianNook.com and if you want to learn more about raw foods, you can visit my good friend and mastermind buddy Karen Knowler's site at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

In the past several months, I've lost about 22 pounds and am in the process of building some nice muscle. It's time to go to the next level. . .

On Monday, I have my first session with a personal trainer. After spin class (which I loved and my butt hated!) yesterday, cardio this morning and Fernando my trainer (he looks as divine as his name sounds) on Monday, I'm wondering if I'll make it to Tuesday to send out my Success Strategies (my weekly newsletter). It's a really good pain though.

Off to pick some blueberries for my smoothie snack (I have a few blueberry bushes growing right in the yard)!

I'd love to hear about your trials and victories in getting fit and staying healthy! Please comment below and let me know what you do. :-)

Sandra Martini: How this blog came about

I've found lately that several of my clients are interested in ME -- the gal behind the "Automatic Business Coach and Mentor". It's been a bit surprising to be honest with you.

As a result, this blog has been born.

In it, I'll mention what's going on with me and my business and share some of my behind-the-scenes tips for how I stay as productive as I do (these will largely be personal as the business how-to strategies will continue to be posted on my business blog at http://www.sandrasplog.com/).

I've gotta admit...I feel a bit like a celebrity. :-)