Dear Equinox, Use Your Social Media
Dear Back Bay Equinox,
I know you are frustrated that you have had no power since Tuesday night. Yes, the city of Boston had a black out and some parts of Back Bay still are not restored with power.
Thank you for letting me use the other Equinox in Boston yesterday however, calling to let me know you were closed would have been helpful.
I never got an email to tell me if you reopened so I called in the evening to check since I wanted to take a class this morning. You said they would email us members when it came back on.
I called Equinox at 8 am again this morning interested in taking a class at 10 am. You said they were running on a generator and the power might go out again.
I asked, “Are you going to have classes today?”
You responded, “Call before you come to make sure the power is still on but we plan to have them.”
And I annoying if I call again? My instincts say yes, but do I feel like running over there to find out the power is out? No.
There must be an easier way to handle this power outage of yours. I have not received a single email from you. The internets invented facebook and twitter for circumstances like this. I know you are a large chain but little interaction but would be awesome.
Sincerely,
Sarah
How To Be Social & Lose Weight
The part I hate the most about preparing for shoots last minute is the lack of social activities. You can go out and have soda water but from a champagne toast to a birthday shot, I usually cave in to at least one. When I cave into two or three, that is when it snowballs. The passed appetizers and mini cupcakes suddenly look like harmless broccoli crowns. As a result of my all or nothing personality, I tend to avoid making plans that involve these types of social situations. When they say losing weight shouldn’t be a diet but a lifestyle change, these are the scenarios successful losers manage well.
This past Friday, I was invited to an event being held at the Life is Good store on Newbury Street in Boston. F.I.T. House is an ongoing series of events that takes place at the Boston store.
Life is Good partnered with Fitness Inspired Training (F.I.T) to provide people a unique in-store experience designed to help you live your best life. In-store cooking demo’s and fitness classes are part of the program.
I went to The Art of Fitness/Designing a Health Plate event. They served colorful snacks to show off the importance of the different colors in different foods. The food smelled delicious and the floor was cleared of sales racks and tables for yoga mats. I couldn’t stay because I was on my way to an engagement party but Emily of F.I.T. was so enthusiastic about the night I was sad I had to leave.
Guests were treated to colorful treats and a bag filled with Life is Good swag! The charge was $50 to attend, but there was also a $50 gift certificate in the bag as well a cute stuffed animal, mug, fitness DVD, book and bag! 
Events like this are great if you wanna get together with girlfriends but don’t want the temptation of the cocktail scene.
Look for events like this in your area by checking your local newspaper, following some of your favorite stores on Twitter or Facebook and checking free local magazines.
Wanna get together with girlfriends but don’t want to spend a ton of money? Getting your nails done is cheaper that hitting up a bar, and you don’t have to yell over the music. I don’t LOVE getting my nails done, but it’s a great way to spend time with friends that need catching up.
In the fall, I’m also eager to grab a girlfriend to go apple picking! This may sound silly to some of you, but there is something about autumn weather that makes me want to bake. Apples are a perfect baking ingredient, from the infamous apple sauce swap to apple crisp, apples are a staple in my fall kitchen.
What are some of your favorite fall activities you do with your girlfriends that are not surrounded by alcohol and food!?
Blogilates: Fitness, Food & lots of Pilates: Blogger Spotlight: SarahFit.com
Special thank yOU to Cassey who featured me on her spotlight today!!! And yes, I bring my own stevia from NuNaturals everywhere :)
Hey it’s been a while since our last blogger spotlight, so this time I want to feature someone who you PROBABLY already know especially if you’re an avid youtube fitness enthusiast!
Does the name Sarah Dussault from Diet.com ring a bell?
MMMHMM!
I met Sarah when I was in Boston and we got to do a several Pilates videos together. It was really cool meeting someone else who loves health and fitness as much as I do AND also dedicates her time to making videos about it. I mean, how many people actually ENJOY recording themselves workout? Collaborating was a no brainer…and super fun.
I’ll never forget the first time I met Sarah at a coffee shop on Newbury and she brought her own Stevia to sweeten. Marks of a TRUE healthy living blogger.
Anyway, onto the interview with a YouTube Fitness Guru extraordinaire!
Name: Sarah Dussault
Occupation: Author of SarahFit.com, Senior Producer of Diet.com Video, Dirty Water TV correspondant, and YouTube fitness guru :)
1. Describe yourself in 3 words: Competitive, independent and perfectionist
2. Tell us a little about yourself (you can be shameless on your achievements here!):
I’ve been viewed on YouTube over 80 million times. I have two viral videos that I produced under the Diet.com DietHealth channel, The Photoshop Effect (11+million) and The 4-year Old Cheeseburger (4.5 million). I wanted to be a broadcast journalist but in the process of “building my reel” at diet.com, I also developed a following and became an expert in YouTube. Since my start in September of 2006, I’ve created over 500 videos. I’ve worked with many celebrity trainers and some celebrities themselves like Bethenny Frankel. I’m now building my own site, SarahFit.com, and working as a community leader for Laughing Cow Cheese. I am also currently training for the Men’s Health Urbanathlon and am writing online for Men’s and Women’s Health atCrushingTheCourse.com.
3. At what point did blogging and vlogging become a career instead of a hobby?
I first took the job with Diet.com in September of 2006 having never blogged before or ever read blogs. I started my own blog at the time about celebrity health and fitness. After I produced the Photoshop Effect, I hated anything about celebrities and fitness! I stopped blogging. Then Diet.com decided to reduce it’s costs and I went part time. I decided it was time to build my own audience. That was November of 2009 and I have been blogging since! I have been a successful full-time blogger for officially a year now. I did get certified to be a personal trainer so that I would have some expertise but I no longer train clients since I have am so busy with blog stuff!
4. Why are you addicted to health & fitness?
I’ve been obsessed with health and fitness since 6th grade health class! My mom is a weight watchers lifer and passed on the neurotic point counting to me. I was an athlete all throughout high school. I was captain of my soccer and track teams :) I am one of those people that is naturally athletic but I never wanted to pursuit a sport in college. As a result, I went from being active 7 days a week to binge drinking in college. I gained that freshmen 15 but lost it quickly during the summer going into my sophomore year. I battled the college pounds with unhealthy behaviors but once I graduated and landed the diet.com position, I became addicted. I love to eat and drink. If I didn’t workout, I would weight 30 lbs heavier! Working out also helps reduce stress and makes me feel good about myself. It’s my therapy.
5. Were you always fit? Or was there a moment when you had to stop and evaluate your lifestyle?
I’ve always been fit except for that infamous freshmen year! Each school year, I’d gain back the 10 lbs I’d lose each summer. I still struggle with it, but I’ve never allowed myself to gain over 10 lbs before losing it again.
6. Sample workout week: M, W, F I strength train, T & Th I do interval cardio and Saturday I go for a long run!
7. Sample daily diet: Protein Pancake with fruit, greek yogurt with slivered almonds for a snack, salad with grilled chicken for lunch, celery with peanut butter or trail mix for a snack, dinner is usually a lean protein grilled with sweet potatoes and lots of veggies, usually a salad or grilled zucchini. Frozen fruit for dessert if I want it.
8. Fave clean food recipe: Protein Pancake
9. Fave “bad” food: Margarita’s and cupcakes :)
10. Fave color: PINK
11. Fave body feature:
This is hard because it depends on the season, usually my stomach though, sometimes my arms if Ive been on vacation a lot like lately.
12. Healthy living idol:
I love Carrie Underwood because she always looks healthy and fabulous. She had a normal college student body when she went on American Idol and transformed into a beautiful woman a year later. She writes down everything she eats, and I have a hard time doing that for just one day. I also appreciate Jessica Biel for being a sexy leading lady who is not afraid to have muscles. I think I have a similar body build as her, minus a few inches, but she is strong and I love that.
13. What’s the coolest thing(s) that has happened to you as well known internet fitness celeb?
Hmmm. The coolest happened in the beginning of my career when I flew out to the Sundance Film Festival to follow Bethenny Frankel around. I literally stayed on her couch the first night. We went to fun parties and got cool swag. She wasn’t an A-list celeb then, but she knew what she wanted. We worked together for over a year which was fun. The videos are still up on YouTube! I even filmed in her apartment with just me and her a few times. I lost touch with her right after she was cast on Housewives. We got along well, but she is exactly the same in person as you see on TV. Other than that, I’ve been lucky to work with many celebrity trainers like Valerie Waters. I also think the highlight of my year was appearing in Women’s Health and Men’s Health Magazines - two months in a row :)
14. Biggest diet/exercise myth you want to bust:
If you want to lose weight and change your body composition, YOU NEED TO LIFT WEIGHTS. Stop being a cardio bunny!! Also, the fat burning zone is so false. Go hard or go home :)
- BLOG: SarahFit.com
- TUMBLR: sarahfit.tumblr.com
- YOUTUBE: YouTube.com/SarahsFabChannel
- TWITTER: dietSarah
- FACEBOOK: facebook.com/SarahFitFan
(Source: blogilates)
Rihanna & TechMunch In Boston
To escape the heat, I left Boston last Thursday. It was going to be 103 in the city, and my lovely apartment does not have AC. My mother who lives in Cape Cod however, does!
I went to a family friend’s gym for my strength training routine on Friday morning. I can always wake up and do my weights. Cardio is another story. By 10 am, it was already in the 90’s on the Cape! After filming and working from the house until 2 pm, I attempted to cool off at the beach but it was almost too hot to even do that!
Saturday was suppose to be a beach day so I woke up at 8 am and went for my long run. I managed to put in 60 minutes in 80-degree heat. I’m pretty excited I can run a full hour these days. It feels very accomplishing. Afterwards, the heat brought along some crazy lightning and quick showers. I kept trying to snap a pic but my hands were not quick enough.
On Sunday, I sadly had to leave the Cape early. I was speaking at Techmunch in Boston about branding with Tina. It was fun but I wasn’t able to stay long because I was headed to Rihanna’s last show in Northern America!!!!
Maggie and I went to dinner before hand at Johnnies on The West Side. I would recommend Johnnies to anyone who wants a bite to eat or drink before going to see a concert at the TD Banknorth garden in Boston. I was impressed with my first visit to this modern looking sports bar. I got the ahi tuna and loved every bite of it, especially the wasabi peas. They are my newest obsession.
In addition, I decided that since I was 27-years old going to a Rihanna concert I would embrace my younger self and order the suggested strong beverage, “Pineapple Punch.” Maggie got the salmon which I almost ordered but decided to be different than my dining guest. The yellow tomato sauce was simply amazing. It came with a polenta cake as well.
As luck would have it. When I went to pull out my camera for the concert, the battery was dead! The rest of the pictures including both above were taken with my handy iPhone. I was given the tickets by Nivea USA as part of their promotion for their 100th year anniversary. They also sponsored Rihanna’s tour.
Our seats were in the ninth row on the floor! I have never been so lucky at a concert before in my life. Maggie and I only sat down for less than 2 minutes during the entire 2 hour long show!
We got to sit right next to Jen and Taylor who won the tickets from my giveaway on my blog! It was fun to meet my readers in the flesh. They had an amazing time as well and thank you to both of them who traveled 2 hour north from Connecticut.
What I love about Rihanna is that she looked amazing, in shape, healthy and like she was having fun and wanted to be there. The reviews said she lacked energy but the girl has been on tour all summer. She was in Baltimore the night before. Give the girl a break. She sounded amazing and I had fun singing along. I do wish she played SOS but I forgive her.
In all of her outfits, she showed a lot of skin! It’s a good thing she has amazing and near flawless looking skin since she represents Nivea. The choreography was very sexy and she dropped a few f* bombs. Not exactly PG-13 but what can you do. I really like Rihanna and her concert only made me love her more. Thank you again to Nivea USA.
Tonight, I’m going out to dinner with Tina and Brittney in the Seaport! I’m very excited to hang out with a few of my favorite bloggers. Do you ever meet up with your blog friends?
Gym Free Summer Vacation Workout
Last night, I had the chance of lifetime of meeting Aerosmith front man and American Idol judge, Steven Tyler! Occasionally, I report for a nightlife TV show here in Boston but rarely do I get the gigs with the famous people. I was very nervous to interview him but thankfully unfortunately there were so many reporters I was only able to ask him 1 question and that was “Could you please say, ‘Hi I’m Stephen Tyler and I love that Dirty Water TV?’” He looked dead straight in my eyes so intensely I felt slightly awkward and gave the show our shout out.
I saw Mila Kunis at the gym again yesterday as well so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised I no longer get star struck.
A few days ago on YouTube I posted a new gym free summer vacation workout video. If you haven’t seen it, then you probably are not a subscriber so go make sure you subscribe! Anyway, here are the details. It’s a beginner-intermediate workout based on a little Pilates and gold standard strength training moves. You do not need any equipment, but you do need willpower on vacation to make it happen.
Here is the routine:
- 1 crunch
- 1 single leg bridge on the left followed by 1 on the right
- 2 crunches
- 2 single leg bridges on the left side, followed by 2 on the right
- 3 crunches
- 3 single leg bridges on the left side, followed by 2 on the right
- Repeat until you hit 10 crunches and 10 hip lifts
Come down on to your side, knees at a 90 degree angle so that your knees are in line with hips, feet flexed.
- 20 clams (open and close)
- 10 leg circles to the front
- 10 leg circles to the back
- Repeat 2 more times
- 10 V-Twist side crunches
- Switch sides and repeat on alternate side
Finish with 3 sets of 12 pushups! Rest for 45 seconds in between sets. Here is a link to the Summer Vacation Workout video as well if you prefer to watch it on YouTube.
Questions: Who is the biggest celeb you have encountered? Do you workout while on vacation?
Would you wear this T-Shirt?