Have you ever had that feeling that you must have done something to warrant all the bad luck you were having?

Well, I'm there.

After spending a week of my life "on the couch" with the flu and strept throat, I'm not fully recovered and have somehow sprained my hip. It's either that or something in my lower back and, based on symptoms, my doctor feels it's a hip sprain.

The issue...I can barely move. While the doc has given me some strong meds, I don't like to take medication. I prefer a more natural, holistic approach.

So today I'm sitting on the downstairs recliner/couch, fully propped up with pillows and a jug of water and my laptop (after all, there's only so much time a girl can spend lying down in bed). :-)

On the positive side, I was able to fully set up my smoothie/juicing station (my primary source of food during the warmer months) the other day so that everything is a quick turnaround and step from the fridge and sink.

While it sounds so obvious, it's amazing to me how people often make things more difficult for themselves by not setting up for success. I've noticed how I don't juice or blend as often when my glass (I use a huge crystal wine glass as a way of pampering myself), Jack LaLane power juicer (or Wolfgang Puck immersion blender), and room temperature (apples, oranges, cucumbers, green foods, hemp protein powder, etc.) ingredients aren't right at hand.

By creating a juicing/smoothie bar, I'm ready to go at any time.

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!

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)!

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!

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!

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!