by Donna Maria on March 10, 2010
There was once a restaurant on the Atlanta, Ga, campus of Morehouse College called “Delights of The Garden.” Originally owned and operated by Imar Hutchins and some of his college friends, the restaurant was a huge success. The founders eventually opened two locations in my hometown of Washington, DC, one on the Howard University campus and one in Georgetown.
One fine day, Imar Hutchins walked into my aromatherapy shop and just started talking. We became instant friends, and supported each other in our early entrepreneurial endeavors. We lost touch when he went to New York to attend law school. His restaurant eventually closed, but not before he published a cookbook called, “The Joy Of Not Cooking: Vegetarian Cuisine Cooked Only By the Sun.” I think I am one of the lucky few to have one of the only copies. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on March 9, 2010
This is a guest post by John Easton, a recovering corporate executive turned entrepreneur. Through his
Charlotte website design company, John helps small business owners create video, web and multimedia tools that turn “browsers” into “buyers.” Follow John on Twitter at
@jeaston1. If you would like to submit a guest post for my blog,
please read the guidelines here.
Let’s face it — we don’t like working out. No matter what new fangled Wii Fit device or belly bustin’ technique hits the market, we still hate interrupting our daily work routine to break a sweat. But what if we could get paid to work out? Well, you can, and I’m going to show you how through a new concept I call “exer-preneurship.” It’s a new way of looking at exercise that keeps you fit and paid at the same time.
Yep, that’s me. Suited up, Blackberry in hand and ready to build my business and my body on my elliptical trainer. Let’s start with blogging. It’s one of my favorite exercise routines. That’s right, I blog while I exercise, and it’s one of the best things I do for my business. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on March 2, 2010
Yesterday, I started using the pedometer given to me as a surprise Christmas gift by Anne-Marie Faiola of Brambleberry. I decided against a morning run so I could prepare for the hearings on the Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act, which ran from 3:30pm to 8:44pm EST. According to Kimberly Linton, my guest on yesterday’s Indie Business Radio Show, one should aim for 10,000 steps daily to achieve maximum fitness, especially if weight loss is a goal. When I went to bed last night, my pedometer read 2,789.
This morning, I made a different choice. After taking my children to school, I headed for the gym for a 2-mile run. (Well, I walked really fast for a mile and ran for a mile.) Yep, that’s my treadmill glamour shot. When I got off the treadmill, my pedometer read 6,411. And it was not yet 9:00am.
It’s not as if I haven’t finished a run before 9:00am before. I’ve done it before, although I have not been at all consistent. What’s different today is the pedometer, which objectively reflects the dramatic difference that comes from one simple decision.
I’m nowhere near where I need to be. For me, fitness is a battle I have fought and lost many times before. I’m not brazen enough to say that this time will be any different. But I do know that this day will be different. It already is, and that makes me happy.
Question: What choices can you make today to maximize your fitness level?
by Donna Maria on February 25, 2010
This is Ivette. She is a native Puerto Rican who recently relocated to Charlotte via New York City. Ivette is a newly minted certified Zumba instructor, and she wore me out in tonight’s class. She has lost 20 pounds over the course of the past 23 months. Go Ivette!
Sent from my iPhone
Posted via email from The Lifestream of Donna Maria
by Donna Maria on February 23, 2010
Next Monday, Kimberly Linton will be my guest on Indie Business Radio. You can see from the photo below, Kimberly means business! I recently stepped up my fitness efforts in order to put a healthy body alongside a healthy business. I plan to start Kimberly’s virtual fitness training program on March 1, and you can join me at a discount and get a chance to compete to win your choice of a $200 gift card from Amazon.com or a TRX portable home gym that allows up to 400 exercises!!
More about that in a minute. To jump start my program, I started going to the gym on a more regular basis. I have also picked up my running, after nearly 4 months off, and eliminated almost all meat (beef, chicken, pork and fish) from my diet. I have also declared Wednesdays to be “WorkOut Wednesdays” at the Indie Business Fan Page. You can see all of the great ways we encouraged each other to higher fitness heights on FaceBook last week at this link. I hope you will join us tomorrow for another WorkOut Wednesday. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on February 10, 2010
Other than tonsillitis and a hernia as a small child, a fractured shoulder a decade ago and the occasional cold or flu, I have been blessed with good health. As a teen, I was a cheerleader and played tennis almost daily. In college, I walked practically everywhere I went. But law school and practicing law required a lot of sitting. And leading IBN requires a lot of sitting.
(If you are reading this via RSS or email and cannot see the video, click here.)
Over the years, I’ve stopped sitting long enough to focus on fitness. I’ve even blogged about it from time to time. But I’ve never made it a habit. I’m determined to change that now. This morning, I participated in a 70-minute cardio step workout at the Y. The class was pretty advanced as you can see, but other than the time it took to record this quick video, I was all over my step. Continue Reading…
