I knew I wanted to be a writer, much to the chagrin of my practical-minded parents, when I was just five. Consider these highlights from my early career:
I became an editor in junior high, assigning myself lengthy reports as summer projects. (Any wonder why my family called me a word nerd?)
In sixth grade, I won the county spelling bee. (Okay, so the trophy was nice, but the $100 prize was even sweeter.)
Four years later, I submitted my first novel to a young adult novel competition. The moral of this story? Always shelve your first novel.
Now that I’m all grown up, I write about fitness, health, nutrition, travel and pets for leading national publications.
Just check out the magazine rack the next time you're standing in line at the grocery store. You'll find me in the pages (and often the covers!) of tons of magazines like Family Circle, Fitness, Men's Fitness, Natural Health, Prevention, Real Simple, Redbook, Self, Shape and Women's Health. I'm also a contributing editor for Woman's Day, a contributing writer for AOL and Oxygen, and the Fit Travel blogger for AOL (check it out at www.thatsfit.com). And for seven years I was the fitness columnist for Allure before the recent economic downturn nixed the column.
But do I really practice what I write? Absolutely.
I crave physical activity as much as I do ice cream (Edy's light peanut butter cup, to be exact). My favorite activities? Cross country and downhill skiing, snowshoeing, running, hiking, kayaking, golfing, yoga, Pilates, tennis, cycling, strength training and Nordic walking. Just FYI: I played competitive tennis through college and have completed five centuries on my bike, including one for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training.
So what's my favorite activity? Anything that involves snow (and the more snow, the better!), which may explain why I'm hooked on Nordic walking. It's based on Nordic skiing, just minus the snow, so I can do it all year. In fact, in 2007, I won the women's division of the Marathon Distance Nordic Walking World Championship in Portland, Ore. (By the way, I came in second overall, only four minutes behind the men's winner, an Olympic racewalker who competed in the 2008 Olympics. How cool is that?). I then repeated in 2008 to become not only the women's winner but also the overall world champ! As a result, I now hold the women's world record for the fastest marathon time in Nordic walking (just under five hours!). Just call me a chick with sticks!
But here's the really fun part: As part of my training in 2008, I participated in a special event put on by Nike in conjunction with its Human Race (10Ks on the same day in 25 different cities around the world). Nike flew me to Melbourne (yes, as in Australia) where I did one 10K on a Sunday morning and then flew straight back to Los Angeles to do the last 10K of the event that Sunday night. So I can say I did two 10Ks on two different continents on the same day! Even better, despite jet lag, I shaved two minutes off my time in L.A.
By the way, I earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and literature from Miami University in Ohio (the real Miami, mind you) and a master’s degree in literature from Indiana University. I’m a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the Society of American Travel Writers. I also hold certifications from the American Council on Exercise as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer and have logged over 10 years’ experience teaching everything from step and cycling to strength training and walking.
Just one more thing at the request of my "staff" who begged me to add this: I share an office with three furry colleagues, including two cats, Morgan and Bailey, and a golden retriever named Jessie, who's following in the footsteps of her older sister Katie by training to be a therapy dog. Rest in peace, Katie.