May 19, 2014 My once-flawless skin is now covered with scars, traces of an acne breakout I’ve undergone for the past two months. In the age of social media, we don’t often share the downsides of our daily lives. We see hard bodies, beautiful vacations, happy children and perfect marriages wondering what’s wrong with our imperfect lives. We compare ourselves with others who freely share their success and hide their failures in marriage, weight gain, depression or facial defects. After…
Nightline Prime and ‘the body wars’
April 6, 2014April 6, 2014 *** This is an open-letter to Sara. The mother I met in Kansas City, Missouri *** Dear Sara, Thank you for inviting me into your home and allowing me to follow your tasks throughout the day. I hadn’t read any of your criticisms about me prior to Nightline requesting that I meet you and Dionna Ford, the blogger behind the “We don’t need an excuse” campaign. I was initially apprehensive of this meeting because I didn’t want…
The No Excuse Mom Movement
March 30, 2014March 29, 2014 I just interviewed with ABC Nightline. They followed me for nearly two days while I prepared a potluck dish for my father’s birthday party, cooked my boy’s breakfast (in my sponge rollers!) before dropping my eldest to pre-k. They filmed as I checked in on my elderly care home, taped a live News10 segment and led my No Excuse Mom (NEM) workout group. This all happened before a mini photo shoot with Guardian UK magazine and a…
25 Things I Don’t Do.
March 9, 2014Often time people want to know what I do. It gets very boring to tell others I workout for an hour five times a week and eat small balanced meals containing complex carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fats throughout the day. So let me tell you what I DON’T DO on a daily basis. DISCLAIMER: I’m not saying that if you DO any of these things it’s necessarily a bad thing. This article is just a guide to anyone who…
Building the American Dream
February 27, 2014February 27, 2014 Patience is a virtue but it isn’t my best virtue. When my husband and I first became pregnant I wanted to purchase a home. After all, creating a residential nest egg was an instinctual desire as a mother. While we were financially capable of purchasing a humble property, we decided instead, to save and invest. Following my parent’s example of attaining the American Dream, we would also live a simple existence – rarely eating out, spending weekends…
Behind-the-Scenes: Oxygen Magazine
February 14, 201410 ways to melt the Muffin Top
February 14, 2014I still remember the days when I had a muffin top! I was very self conscious in form fitting dresses and tight tops. My vision was to confidently wear a tank top and jeans in the summertime! It took consistency, discipline, faith and patience but I finally got rid of mines and here’s some tips on how to get rid of yours! If you have any tips, pics or success stories to help others, please share! 1. Strength train your…
A Rebel or a Revolutionary?
January 29, 2014January 28, 2014 Exactly ten years ago I was featured in Oxygen magazine’s “Future of Fitness” section. I had just won Miss Bikini California and placed top five in two national fitness competitions. At my very last contest in 2003, I was slated to do 3 photo shoots with published photographers in Los Angeles. As I was packing my bags at the hotel I witnessed a shoot taking place down at the pool. The fitness model was sexily posing provocatively…
Becoming a Hero of your Home
December 31, 2013December 31, 2013 I received a painful email tonight from a couple moms featured in my 2014 No Excuse Fit Mom Swimsuit Calendar. I felt their words as they described hurtful comments people made on their courageous swimsuit pictures. I wanted to tell them to not take it personally, to focus on the positive and not discuss any specific comments with family and friends. I wanted to tell them I didn’t cry. That I didn’t feel vulnerable to attacks and…
10 words of Advice for New Year’s Resolutions
December 30, 2013Two days left before the New Year. Do I do resolutions? Absolutely! The New Year is a time to reflect on 2013 and DESIRE to do better in 2014. Whatever excuses that prevented you from hitting goals this past year hasn’t changed – the only things that has changed as we approach Jan 1st is your attitude. Every year we start with new hopes, ambitions and dreams, but according to statistics, only 8% of you will see that goal realized.…