This morning was a special day for the mommies in my playgroup and I. Today we donated over 150 stuffed monkeys to the children being cared for at North Florida Regional Medical Center (NFRMC) in honor of our Angel Odessa. Odessa Virginia Webster was born at NFRMC on February 24, 2003, and landed back at the same hospital on March 25, 2004 for care after a fatal head injury. At thirteen months old, Odessa was stolen from her parents Matt and Anita, her loving family, and our already tight playgroup family. It was devastating for all of us, and out of our grief came an intense drive to honor our "Angel O".

To back up a bit, our playgroup began when our infants met at a "new mommy" luncheon hosted at NFRMC when they were two weeks old. Well, the infants didn't exactly meet each other, but us moms did ... and we decided then and there that we wanted to stick together. That made ten families dealing with the insanity of newborns and leaning on each other for friendship, advice, stress relief, and fun. We literally have been getting together for "playgroup" every Tuesday since, and our children are all addicted to each other; the best of friends. At the start, we would have never imagined what would come for us, for her, the following year. I just remember checking my email one day and opening one from Anita with "Odessa Virginia Webster" as the title. I expected to see a new photo from a portrait studio. A portrait was included, but it went along with a letter written by Anita informing us that her daughter was gone. "Please don't call now. I'm not ready to talk" she wrote. I simply can't describe the agony that followed for all of us.

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In honor of my city's fifth year as one of the healthiest communities in America, my local gym -- Gainesville Health and Fitness Center -- is offering free memberships to teens ages 13 to 17 for the months of June, July, and August. An $800,000 investment in the lives of young people, this offer provides an opportunity for all teens -- there are 8,000 of them in Gainesville -- to improve their lifestyle, health, and fitness. For a few months, anyway.

This mission of this free program is to take a stab at fighting the obesity epidemic in this country and to ensure that all teens have access to summer recreational activities in spite of current economic turmoil.

Pretty cool, I think. Too bad I miss the age cut-off by about, oh, 21 years.

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Hooray! I just completed a perfectly fun and grueling weekend shooting a ton of fitness videos for you. The videos were filmed for Tracy Benham's Sports Health and Exercise (SHE) company which is known for quick, smart, energetic and fun health and fitness tips from some of the foremost experts in the world.

We created a bunch of strength training and cardiovascular workouts which you'll be able to train with at home, as soon as they are released this summer. One of my favorite parts of the videos was being able to include my fellow blogger and friend, Kristen Seymour. Kristen has trained with me off and on for a few years, and truly has amazing levels of strength and endurance. She also has a perfect smile and looks brilliant on camera.

We were also blessed with the opportunity to film in one of the most beautiful gyms in the world. The Gainesville Health and Fitness Center generously opened their doors to myself, SHE and our team. The facilities are stunning, and all of the equipment is top of the line. Who could ask for more?

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A while back, the physician that has been caring for my lower back injury suggested I go do Pilate's to help strengthen and stretch the muscles that are stuck in a chronic spasm. Now, I've been teaching fitness for 18 years and have been exposed to almost every type of training and equipment under the sun. I'm embedded in it. Strangely though, Pilate's and Yoga are things that have never interested me. I understand the benefit to doing those things, and have recommended them to others. I've just never wanted to pursue them myself. I'm a fighter; literally. If you don't believe me click here. I like to move fast, go hard, sweat, grunt, and pant like a lunatic. I like to GO, GO, GO! The one time I took yoga, I wanted to slit my wrists. The few times I used the Pilate's Reformer, I thought it was interesting....but not anything I'd want to pursue.

So last week I show up at the Gainesville Health and Fitness Center, and the advanced Pilate's mat class was just about to start. Feeling guilty for not following up on my doctor's advice from months ago, I half-heartedly asked the perky front desk chic if there was any room in the class. Yep. There was. And she handed me a little butterfly thing with a number on it to hold my place.

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All of my friends in the so-called "allergy capital of the country", Gainesville, Florida have allergies. I mean ALL of them. Growing up on the beach in South Florida, I didn't know a sole who spoke of the evils of allergies. Now, everyone on my speed dial is speaking with a raspy voice and choking up a lung.

Winter can be especially rough. If you're dealing with the aggravations of allergies or worse, the brutal side-effects that come with asthma...Women's Health magazine has a pretty great resource for you. The Women's Health Allergies and Asthma Clinic offers the full scoop on breathing easy through this winter.

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Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Jim Stephens

Age: 79. I'm a Scorpio. Watch out Baby!

Occupation: Gym Rat

How often do you exercise? Eight days a week!

What type of exercise do you do? I use the rowing machine for 40 minutes each day, and use the hand bike often too. I also do the structured 'line' of strength training equipment here at my gym.

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Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Bob Rose

Age: 45

Occupation: Morning Radio Talk Show Host, The Bob Rose Show

How often do you exercise? Five times each week.

What type of exercise do you do? A mix of machines and free weights, push-ups, and core work. I alternate body parts three times a week. I play basketball and tennis for cardio on the other two days.

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I told you the other day that I'm new to the gym scene. Yep, my dad bought me a two-year gym membership for Christmas, and already I've tackled the treadmill and the weight training circuit at Gainesville Health and Fitness Center (GHFC). The treadmill was nothing new -- my usual at-home fitness routine is all about the treadmill -- but the weight training bit, well, this is entirely new. And at this very moment, my muscles are entirely sore.

The fitness experts at GHFC believe in this philosophy called momentary muscle failure (MMF). Translation: Work your major muscles to failure through eight to 12 repetitions in about 60 seconds and you'll reach optimum strength in a shorter period of time. Being a by-the-book kind of girl, I complied with this philosophy. I pushed myself on nine different machines and in the end felt, yes, failure. A good failure, though. A failure that tells me I exerted myself in a way that in time, will make me stronger and healthier.

While my screaming muscles recover for a day or so, I'm contemplating my next gym assignment. I think I'll make it a BOSU class -- and then another tour of those nine machines. I'll let you know how it goes the second time around.

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I'm a gym girl now. Never was before -- too much money, too much commitment, too much guilt when I didn't work out regularly. It was just easier for me to do my own thing, on my own terms, for free. My own thing has been getting a bit stale, though, so when my dad offered me a gym membership for a Christmas gift, I accepted. Now, I'm about to embark on a new two-year adventure.

It was my dad's idea that I join a gym. He told me I was doing great with my cardio strides but recommended I step up my weight and resistance training. I just don't discipline myself in this area at home so going to a gym, where I can get one-on-one assistance and a good dose of motivation, seems a logical move. The gym I will frequent -- Gainesville Health & Fitness Center -- has three locations in my city, loads of fitness classes, trainers at my disposal, and childcare too. I can't wait to get started -- and to let you know how it goes.

Stay tuned, my friends, for future briefings on my life as a gym girl.

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Smack dab on the front page of the September 25 Daybreak section of my local Gainesville Sun newspaper is the headline: "Late-night living: G'ville haunts for those too busy to sleep." There is no mention of trips to the library, though. Or jaunts to the 24-hour health and fitness center in town. Nothing about running on the university track, or swimming in the pools located just about everywhere, or midnight strolls across the 2,000-acre campus. Nope. Instead, this welcome-back-to-college story lists 24-hour restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and emergency rooms -- which might be in order considering the featured eating establishments.

IHOP made the list. Who doesn't love pancakes, butter, and syrup at 4:00 AM? And Steak 'n Shake. Steak burgers, fries, and shakes in the middle of the night. Uugh. There's the Waffle House -- I feel the lump in my stomach already -- and don't forget Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and their original glazed bundle of dough. Ouch.

Who made this list? Have they no consideration for the health of the youngsters flocking to the University of Florida for a little education. What are we teaching these kids? Stay up all night, load up on junk food, and then sit on your butts as the pounds pack on?

What a bummer article. I much prefer this one.

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I was just met with the nicest treat today. I arrived at the gym and at the front desk was a basket of complimentary hair bands. Brand new, of course. This isn't the most expensive or extravagant thing a business could do, but it is truly thoughtful and really appreciated.

I frequent the gym about five days a week. I'm normally prepared with all of my clothing, shoes, hair stuff, magazines, mp3 player, etc. Unfortunately, on occasion I forget something. The headphones I can do without. It sucks, but I can survive without them. Forgetting my socks leaves me uncomfortable, but I can go barefoot in my sneakers. My hair though, is another thing all together. I have long straight hair. Not fun to have whipping in my face while running, jumping rope, strength training or anything!

Of course I try to be organized, but nobody's perfect. On occasion, I've had to ask the front desk for office rubber bands to use. They've been generous to provide the few I've needed. Once I even used a deflated balloon I found in my purse (I have two little ones) to tie around my hair. But now I won't have to. Of course I'll continue to make an effort to bring my own hair bands, but if I forget....I'll be grateful to know they'll be at the front desk waiting to make my life easier. The gym I attend, Gainesville Health and Fitness Center is already considered one of the nicest in the world, now they can list themselves as one of the most thoughtful too.

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I posted two blogs a while back, Hey Smokers! This is what your friends won't tell you! part 1 and part 2, and got a firestorm of comments. Lots of defenders of smoking, and of course the ones who despise it. One interesting thing I've pulled out of it, is that people are comparing it to drunk driving. To me, the topics are two different beasts with some similarities. I 'm one of the despisers of smoking, and now even more than ever before, I am a despiser of drunk driving.

Two weeks ago, Lieutenant Corey Dahlem, our family friend and hero from the Gainesville Police Department in Florida was hit by a drunk driver and killed. Corey was on a street that was closed for the University of Florida National Basketball Championship celebration. The festivities were winding down, and Corey was on the road to make sure none of the student and local partiers were. A drunk male, age 20, drove through the police barricades and struck Corey. Two motorcycle officers had to jump from their bikes to avoid being struck as well. A few blocks away, the driver was stopped and had no idea why he was stopped. He later blew a 2.4 on his breathalyzer test. Almost three times that of Florida legal limit. (Corey, far right, was photoraphed the night he was struck, congratulating UF students on their teams victory).

Corey was a humble man, hard worker, and spectacular father, friend and husband. If he and the other officers were not on that road at that time, dozens of civilians would have been killed before the drunk stopped. Hero is an understatement. Two thousand people mourned his loss and celebrated his life at his funeral. A lesson on parenting was preached by the stories of how Corey ate lunch at school with his kids several times a week when they were little. At 18 and 21, he was still cooking them meals and driving his daughter to college.

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November 26th I broke my left foot. I broke it bad. In fact, I broke two bones in the foot, and tore both a muscle and ligament. When I do it, I do it right I guess. Sentenced to crutches for 10 weeks, I was given a grand opportunity to practice what I preach. Being Miss. Fitzness Trainer, I'm constantly telling others to 'find a way' to make it happen. Stop making excuses I say. Now it was my turn to find a way.

Going 10 weeks without working out was not an option. Sure I could lift weights, but cardiovascular workouts are a definite must for me. Now what? I absolutely could not partake in my favorite workouts; kickboxing, running, jumping rope. I couldn't even swim! So I had to search around the local gym. Fortunately I am a member of the Gainesville Health and Fitness Center which is probably one of the most beautiful and complete gyms in the country. If it weren't.....I would have been screwed. GH&FC has two kayak machines. Whoopee! I mean that both seriously and sarcastically. Grateful to have something to do to make me huff & puff without putting pressure on my boo boo, and annoyed because it's one of the most boring and tedious things I've done in my life.

First day I lasted 10 minutes and cursed like a sailor. Second day I begrudgingly conquered 20 minutes. Argh! Of course it was also the ONLY machine in this monstrous gym with no television attached. It was awful! Nonetheless. Because I felt obligated to all those nice folks I told to find a way, I stuck it out....and cursed a lot. I'm glad I did.

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