Hi All! As you know I am a FitFluential Ambassador. FitFluential is partnering with a variety of magazines so FitFluential Ambassadors will be featured as writers and vloggers. I’ve always loved writing but my passion for it has really exploded since I’ve started blogging. You could even say that I’m constantly “writing” to my readers all day everyday since I can hear my thoughts reading as a potential blog post. Writing for a women’s health magazine would be incredible. And the ultimate achievement as a healthy living blogger!
As a former Division 1 and Division 3 athlete and now a yogini and marathoner I bring a diverse background to the table. While my athletic background starts when I was just a child, I really blossomed in my high school years. I swam competitively and skied competitively. My senior year of high school I went to the Junior Olympics for cross-country skiing and to New York State Championships. While I chose to attend a Division 3 college I was able to ski Division 1. I made that decision in order to have an inspiring and talented coach and to attend a college that would give me a degree in Chemistry that was well-respected. I worked hard throughout my college career both academically and athletically. I was All-American every year of college and was consistently achieving Dean’s List with my academics. My senior year I peaked athletically. I was USCSA Nordic Ski Champion! I was asked to join the New England Nordic Ski Association Development Team that year as well.
Cross Country Skiing USCSA National Champion!
By the following winter I had graduated college and was working full-time at General Electric Global Research. I craved a “normal” life and was struggling to find a balance between training and working. I ultimately decided not to compete that winter and took time to travel, have fun and make new friends. Of course, I was always working out. I did not know any different. In the spring of 2009 I was laid off from my job. In the midst of a job search and looking for a new direction I entered the lottery for the New York City Marathon. I wanted to have a goal and something to look forward to and train for. Not long after I was accepted in to the marathon I moved to Boston, MA to start a new job and life. While in Boston I found a passion for yoga. I spent the summer exploring yoga and training for my first marathon. In November 2009 I ran my first marathon! I finished in a time of 4:03:51.
2009 New York City Marathon
I suffered from a severe case of Illotial Band Syndrome while training for the marathon. Yoga helped to heal my body in the months after the marathon and restore balance to my body. Since then I have run a variety of races from 5ks to half-marathons. I set my half- marathon personal best of 1:41:38. I continued to practice yoga and learn everything I could. In 2011 I ran my second marathon, the Chicago Marathon and finished in a time of 3:51:21. Currently I am training for my 3rd marathon the Boston Marathon which I will be running with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In August I will start my yoga teacher training at South Boston Yoga and am currently studying for my NASM personal trainer certification.
Yoga!
I started blogging to share my experiences and love of running and yoga. LiveRunLoveYoga is not a personal diary of my food and workouts but rather a source of information for runners and yogis. My intent is for readers to learn something new with each blog post I share. My readers like running tips. They enjoy my tips for dressing properly in various weather conditions, my advice for fueling and carbohydrate loading to name a few. My thoughtful and detailed race recaps make my readers feel as if they were right there beside me for the entire race or marathon. My yoga followers come to read my detailed posts about specific aspects of yoga, like the meaning of Om and the positive benefits of yoga. They seek out posts like my summary about the different styles of yoga and my reviews on new styles of yoga like Broga. My thoughtful and well-researched responses to yoga in the news spark conversations between myself and my readers on both my comments and Twitter. My followers who love both running and yoga have a place on the internet where they can find information about both and can share my passions. I have readers who seek information on living a healthy lifestyle. They like my What I Ate Wednesday posts and find motivation in my weeknight meals of grilled chicken and steamed vegetables balanced by more decadent and indulgent meals on the weekend. They learn that balance is the key to staying healthy. All of my readers benefit from my use of monthly goals and mid-month updates to see that staying healthy does require goals and hard work to accomplish them. Each week more and more people find LiveRunLoveYoga and follow to learn more and stay inspired to remain active and healthy!
I should be selected to write for your women’s health magazine because I have been reading a variety of them for years! I’m familiar with the reader because they are just like the reader’s here on LiveRunLoveYoga. With my diverse background and experience in skiing, training, yoga and running I have something to offer everyone. My diversity will only continue to grow as I become a certified yoga instructor and personal trainer. I have a “can-do” attitude and have a record of excellence so you can expect my best work every time and a variety to keep my writing fun and interesting! And really, who doesn’t love some running and yoga?
