For fitness, I’m maintaining a 5 day a week schedule of cardio that consists of either using a bike (stationary or unmotorized beach bike), walking, or swimming.  I hit the weight room 2-3 days a week, as well.  

I no longer race, but do volunteer at races.   I enjoyed my racing days, & retired running in 2022.

I travel for a living as a flight attendant,  & love my job.  I often rent a bike in foreign cities to tool around, & also get exercise.  Domestically,  I have walked around towns, rented bikes, gone running, gone parasailing & frequented local gyms  depending on the layover length.

I aim for 2-3 days a week of weight training & love it.  I like to work each body part with 2 exercises per body part for upper body, 4-6 exercises for lower body.  I usually do a total body workout (upper and lower body combined).  In the weight room,  with traveling, it’s can be difficult to do split routines.   I aim for 3 sets of 12 for upper body and 3 sets of 20 for lower body.  I’m constantly moving during my weight training, while mixing in abwork or alternating upper and lower body work.    *See below for some of my favorites. 

Consult a doctor before you do any fitness plan.  As fitness pioneer Bill Phillips would say, “ask your doctor if getting off your ass is right for you”.  (Bill & his wife Maria run a gym & concept out in CO).  I loved  Bill’s “Body For Life” concept, too.

I don’t sit on a machine and text for rest between sets.  It’s not how I was mentored when learning, (over 25 years ago).

Years ago, I ran all over the US doing 10K’s with a track team at my employer.  In addition, I also  ran my first NYC marathon while raising money for a child with Leukemia.  The next next 2 marathons in ‘99 & ‘03 were also the NYC Marathon .  I had a blast!  I am grateful for all of the friendships I made while running.  I still keep in touch with many.

As I’ve gotten older, I’m trying to maintain as much muscle as I can while I age.    My protein  intake is around 125 grams a day.

I do AB work 5 days a week & have found it the hardest area to get results from since menopause hit.  The captains chair is one of my favorite tools, & I’ll do 4-5 sets of 80 knee-ups a session (with feet crossed at the ankles), while using it.   Typically on ab training days, total reps are a combined 500.  On the road, I’ll do leg raises, crunches & scissor kicks. 

My fitness trainer & friend Lyn Lichty taught me much of what I do in the weight room.  I first discovered her at age 16.  She taught aerobics in the 80’s at her studio in FL, Exercise Studio South (back then).  I used to use my babysitting money to attend her classes.  Find her these days at Bailey’s Gym in Jacksonville Beach, FL, if you live in Florida.  

In my college days, at UCF, I did rely on knowledge from other trainers such as Penny Price, Wayne Lenihan & I’d also read books by fitness competitor Joyce Vedral, PhD.   Back in 1991, my favorite take away from 1 of Joyce’s books was (paraphrased), “never verbalize a negative thought about yourself”.    I’d later discover training books too,  by Bill Phillips.  

Consult a doctor before beginning any fitness training.

Here are a few of my favorite exercises.  I’ve left the amount of weight I use off as it’s best if you consult with a trainer, doctor and/or parent who weight trains before starting a fitness weight training program.  (Reason I mention parent is my late father had a weight room in our basement in NC when I was a kid.  I didn’t take interest in weights till many years later, but he would’ve been able to advise where to start).      

*Lat pull downs, one arm rows, front raises, Arnold shoulder press, alternating biceps curls, hammer curls, triceps extensions, one-arm rows, triceps kickbacks, triceps press, chest flies, chest press, adductor, abductor, straight leg deadlift, leg press, leg curls, plié squats, side lunges, leg extensions, side lateral raises, incline sit-ups, single leg deadlift 

Again, i do not advise jumping into weight training without consult from a doctor & also either an experienced fitness trainer, or parent.  You’ll get injured if you lift too heavily too quickly, & it’s just not worth it.  

For personal advice on running, contact elite runners and authors: Hal Higdon, (halhigdon.com), Amby Burfoot (ambyburfoot.com),  or Jeff Galloway (jeffgalloway.com).    

If you’re an elite runner in Florida & want personal consult, my best contact is Former Olympian , Keith Brantly.  Find him on LinkedIn.  Keith’s wife, Kim Pawelek,  won the Jacksonville marathon a few years back.  

For the above editorial, I answered a 75-100 question packet, & the editors wrote the copy. It was a very exciting time, an honor & a privilege to be in Oxygen Magazine AU. It was my first fitness magazine publish. The magazine folded around covid, sadly. Lindy Olsen, their former editor-in-chief, is now running marketing (with a very hysterical video on the barbell cafe) for gyms in Australia.

I crossed paths with Paul Buceta, founder and chief photographer at STRONG Fitness Magazine. Being published in his magazine with friends at a STRONG camp was so special. It was a treat to be in a Buceta publication. It was something I had wanted for years & also a pleasure to meet Paul’s wife, Kim at their studio in Toronto in 2019. Find STRONG Fitness Magazine on shelves at grocery stores and bookstores nationwide in Canada & the USA, or subscribe digitally.

Being featured in any fitness magazine was worth all of my work & every ”rejection notice”. The first email merely saying ”don’t call us, we’ll call you” was probably the hardest. I’d later find rejection notices entertaining. None of my goals with getting published in any magazine came easily. It was excruciatingly hard. I almost shelved the goal completely. I was always grateful for any suggestion given by an editor.

Some advice I may add is to get a reputable agent, if you live near one. And, also consult with Lisa Maile, (www.lisamaileseminars.com). Lisa has been in the business over 40 years, has contacts all over, was valedictorian out of over 700 students & graduated Summa cumme laude from UCF.

I’d add too, some modeling projects I was interested in doing just had to wait. When I was in college, (& also working in retail), there just was no time to make auditions. My college degree was more important to me. Initially, I had wanted to be a fashion model, but learned at age 18 I was not tall enough. I realized my modeling goals would need a different direction. It’s a very tough business.