Recently I watched Dr. Randy Pausch give his last lecture of a lifetime. Dr. Pausch has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has three months to live. His lecture spoke to me because he talks about being true to one's childhood dreams. In a lifetime it's so easy to get caught up with mortgage payments and making money, that I sometimes forget what I used to dream about before life became so serious.

One of the reasons I've started to write for Helium is because one of my childhood dreams was to be a journalist. I'm making a commitment to honor that dream by taking every chance I get to feed my creative aspirations. If I continue writing, maybe one day I will get published.

One of my passions is fitness, health, and well-being. I am a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer. For the last three years I have truly enjoyed helping my clients reach their fitness goals. I am also a certified YogaFit instructor, and I am working on my STOTT pilates certification.

The project I'm most excited about working on right now is my website: www.onlinetrainingtransformations.com. Members of my site will be able to receive one-on-one online coaching through customized exercise programs, food journals, and E-mail motivation. My favorite part of the site is that my exercises can be downloaded into an MP3 player and viewed while you're working out at the gym.

My passion is ...

running or rollerblading by the ocean, helping others feel fit, strong, and confident, dancing like nobody's watchin', singing in the car, shower, or while I'm cooking

I know too much about ...

exercise & fitness

My parents always told me ...

to make my dreams come true and to treat others the way I hope to be treated and to put my seatbelt on

My childhood ambition ...

to be a great dramatic actress-the likes of Meryl Streep

My favorite memory ...

being with my father

Why I write ...

to connect with others

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

I'm reading The Glass Castle, I'm watching Scrubs, I'm listening to Kanye West

My first job ...

that I got paid for was working as a hostess when I was 15 in New York. After I graduated from college-I was a production assistant for a local news station

My best moment ...

thankfully I've had way to many best moments to name them all

My inspiration ...

spirtuality, yoga, my father, my family

Health & Fitness > Diet & Weight Loss Weight loss: where and how to find motivation

2 of 23

Smart Snacking & Weight Loss

In my personal training sessions I like to check in with clients to see where they stand with their fitness goals. If I notice that a client isn't making progress with his or her weight loss, I'll often review their strength and cardio programs, along with their eating habits. Even if a client is consistent with his or her exercise regimen, I'll discover that mindless snacking can undo the hard work and time commitment that goes on in the gym.

We've all been there at one point or another-you come home from a stressful day at work, pick the phone up t...

More..