IN THIS ISSUE

• Featured Article - 8 Time Saving Tips to Get Fit and Trim
• Fran's Favorite's - Juicing Recipes for Spring

A Note From Fran & Timothy
The itch you don't scratch itches the most.
You're probably wondering why I've enlisted my husband Timothy to write this week's ‘Note from Fran' column. Well why don't I let him tell you why.

I'm always telling Fran, "honey let me know if I can help." So she decided to take me up on it with a writing assignment, given my recent injury. I fell and broke my ankle during a fast-paced game of racquetball last week. I ended up with a clean break to my left ankle; all of which has put my motorcycle riding, personal training and anything else Fran can find for me to do at home or at Aerobodies on hold for the next two months.

Breaking my ankle has been a turning point for me; giving me a new sense of understanding I didn't have before. People look at you differently and treat you differently when you're on crutches. Some are a little nicer, more polite. Others just look at you as if you're an alien. I mentioned to Fran that because of my injury I have a temporary and very slight, very small idea of what it would be like to be physically challenged permanently.

She asked what I learned most from my humbling experience and I replied "The itch that you don't scratch itches the most." I said this as joke because there was an itch on my leg that I couldn't get to because of the cast, and it sounded really philosophical!! But as is many times the case, there is a lot of truth in a joke. As I pondered the situation with my broken ankle, I realized that there were many itches in my life that had not been scratched that still itch. It's true that I had attained a life long goal of motorcycle ownership, but what about other goals left unattained.

I've always wanted to ride a motorcycle from New Hampshire to Seattle, volunteer in the community and work with kids, work as a bike messenger, be a forest ranger and many other things. Some of my itches it may be a little late to scratch, while others, there's still time.

What's the point of all this? Well the things in life that we want to do, no matter how silly they may be, are our itches. They really bother us later in life if we don't at least try to do them. Those itches that we don't scratch are deep in our minds and hearts, and if we don't scratch them when we can, eventually they might stop itching and become our regrets.

One of the most powerful things I've learned from Fran is nut shelled in one of her favorite sayings, "I live life without regrets." Take a moment and let that power of that phrase sink in... Living life without regrets. To me that means we need to take or make the time to scratch our itches. Don't live with regrets or regretting things undone. Do what you can while you can and what you can't let it go.

I had to learn this lesson by breaking my ankle, and you know what? It was worth it!!!!

- Timothy

Featured Article

8 Time Saving Tips to Get Fit and Trim

Today, most people recognize the importance of regular exercise. Twenty minutes of cardio a day keeps the "doctor at bay"! Two days a week of weight lifting is a must. Add in two days of core conditioning, pilates, mindful breathing, and stretching to round things out.

Surprisingly however, with the increasing awareness on the benefits of exercise, more and more I hear the crying complaint "I don't have the time to exercise!" Interestingly, what I often notice when I sit down with a client for the first time is that there is more time in your schedule than you realize. In fact, like extra change that falls to the bottom of a purse, small "pockets" of time can add up to valuable "chunks" of time if used properly. There are 8 great strategies you can use to stay in shape when managing a busy schedule.

1. First thing in the morning when getting out of bed, gently stretch and then walk in place for 10 minutes.
2. While cleaning the house or working in the yard - set the timer or wear a pedometer to calculate the number of calories and steps.
3. Go outside for a brisk 10-minute walk three times during an 8 or 9-hour workday. Thirty minutes of exercise can be very effective even if it's in separate segments throughout the day.
4. Run the vacuum for 20 or 30 minutes after or before work. Vacuuming can burn 200-500 calories, particularly if you do the stairs.
5. Clean out that old closet or garage. It may take you an hour and with all the bending and reaching, you will work your arms, glutes and back.
6. Get in a quick strength training workout between work meetings: do 10 pushups against the wall, use your desk triceps dips and finish up with some Ab work (10 double knee lifts while seated).
7. Take a power stretch break. Use the Wristwand™ for thirty seconds to eliminate stiffness in the shoulder, arms and back.
8. Do a power workout in 20 minutes. Ten minutes on the Lifecycle, 2-30 second wall sits (doing bi-ceps curls and shoulder presses) and finish with 10 minutes on the treadmill. Enlist the help of a personal trainer if you need extra help.