No, I am not a peeping Tom and I don’t want to come over and help you get dressed! But…

Would you mind wearing red for me today?

Ladies this post is for you. It’s for your health and it’s for your family’s health. What am I referring to?

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION’S Blog Your Heart Out Campaign that I am a proud participant of. I will be blogging for the next 12 weeks (yes, I’m back and in full swing! Woohoo!) on behalf of Fitlosophy, the makers of Fitbook, and the AHA for their Go RED for Women campaign and their Better U fitness series.

To tell you I am excited doesn’t even scrape the surface.

Heart disease in my community (black women) is huge and underrated. I will be opening your eyes to things that you take for granted everyday and I will be pointing out how you can fool yourself into thinking you are healthy because you are “skinny” when in fact you are not even close.

I will be picking a day of the week to discuss this topic as well as the normal “look good naked” topics I usually cover for the rest of the week. How can you help me while I do this?

• Join the Go Red for Women movement
• WEAR RED TODAY! It’s National Wear Red day and I want you showing your true colors.
• Commit to any type of workout challenge for the next 12 weeks and follow the Better U program, too. I also encourage you to track your progress using a fitbook. It’s great to see how far you have come and this is the best way to do it.
• If you have a blog, Join us on February 12th to Blog Your Heart Out on that day and link to as many BYHO sites that you can.

Heart disease is no joke and it is taking approximately one woman every minute. That’s more than breast cancer and the top 4 women killers combined. WHOA! It’s time to do this. Hit the closet, find some RED and let’s get this done, ladies!

Woop woop!

Tweet This Post

One woman dies every minute of this disease.

It is the number one killer of women.

And it kills more women than the next 5 causes combined.

Whoa.

What am I referring to? Heart disease. And it is being brought to the forefront of attention this year by the American Heart Association’s Go Red Campaign. They are running a 12 week FREE Better U program to help spread the word about fitness and how it can help prevent this horrible disease.

Why do I want you to know?

For 2 reasons: This silent killer is taking women faster than you can say “go get a check up” and they chose me as one of their FitBloggers to represent them and Fitlosophy during this 12 week campaign. I will give you all the details this Friday when the program launches on all of the Fit Blogger’s sites (and I’ll link you to them all, too) but until then, spread the word to your moms and aunts and cousins that it is time to get healthy. Draw them to this blog this Friday for the launch of the program and together we help keep the ladies of your life alive and healthy.

Do not make the mistake of believing because you may not be heavy that you are not at risk. Check out the information I present this Friday and take the screening test that I will link you to because it is more than just weight that puts you at risk for heart disease.

I will let you know how heart disease has directly impacted my family and how it changed our lives, how you can join in this campaign with me and things you can expect over the next 12 weeks. There will be posts in between now and Friday but in the mean time, round up your family members and get them on board. It is time for us to make them as healthy as you are striving to be.

Next Post in Series

Tweet This Post

Well kinda.

You see this blog is my passion. It is my place of fun. A place where I get to hang out and do my thang and I don’t have to worry about life, my kids, the dishes and etc. I just sit down and start to talk about what’s going on in the world of looking good naked. But this means when something big comes along—not just busy-ness because I am always busy—this will take the hit. That time has come and has been the last two weeks—hence the one time per week posting. So let’s talk about that for a second.

When I say I am going underground, I mean that I will be doing two things:

Sending my posts out as blog blasts and
Putting my premium content in a blog blast

Blog blasts make your life easier because instead of visiting my blog everyday in hopes that I have posted, I send it straight to your inbox so you have it before anybody else does. You do not have to sign up for this but I highly recommend that you do because I will no longer post ‘series’ in my blog, I will only send them out as a blast. Now I know what you’re thinking and I’m going to stop you right there. This is not a ploy to get you to sign up to sell you stuff. I have nothing to sell on this blog, remember, it’s my personal haven. If you sign up (or you are already signed up b/c there are a lot of you who are) you will only receive quality content each and every post. If there is something that I am supporting, you will hear about it in the blast only AFTER I have done something for you first with content and it won’t be spammy. I think that is only fair. However, I am not set up to sell anything so no worries there and if and when I do, I’ll give you heads up.

But I have been schooled to the ways of the blogosphere and have found out about bloggers who somehow troll the web and take content off of your site and push it as their own. I do not know the exact mechanism of this but it has to do with links and trackbacks and things that Google can trace and all kinds of wizardry like that that goes way over my head (honestly, gave me a headache when they tried to explain it to me). I do not want to stop giving out quality content so all programming is going to a blast only whereas my articles are open to the public. BTW, programming refers to series that I will do like ‘how to diet for vacations’ and ‘what to do to prepare for a reunion’ and etc. I also want to give back to those who have been with this blog for the short time it has been in existence. I truly appreciate your support (and wonderful emails) and cannot wait til you see all that I have in store for you for 2010.

Now as for what has been taking all my time… my site has finally launched. It is www.modelper4mance.com. It is a blog and website all in one and it is for athletes (from recreational to elite) who want to become more competitive in their sport through sound nutrition and training principles. Tell your friends and family to come check it out. We cover the athlete as a whole, not just their nutrition for their sport, so we talk about everything. There is so much we are going to cover there that it is crazy. There will be athlete spotlights, contests, health issue articles, training articles and etc. All info is presented in a funny, lighthearted way—you know, what you’re used to!—and will be presented 5 days a week on the blog. You are more than welcome to come hang out with us, just know that the focus is different than this blog so what is said there by me may not always translate the same as to what I say here. They’re not trying to look good naked.

Check it out and let me know what you think about it. I am looking for any and all feedback you may have (and thank you to so many of you who have shared your opinions thus far, as well) so feel free to email me at Jodi@modelper4mance.com and tell me what you’re thinking.

Lastly, Jodiojo is getting a bit of a facelift. Not sure of how much but she’ll be getting her ‘hair did’ soon.;) Might be minor changes or a whole theme change, not sure, but it’s time to raise the bar a bit on my baby. She’s a lovely blog, so I am going to give her some attention. Stay tuned while she’s under construction. It won’t be long, though, because she’s kinda hot as is.

So that’s it in a nutshell. Again, thank you for keeping up with my daily escapades and get ready for a content-filled 2010! Woop woop!:o)

Tweet This Post

Sorry, it’s the truth. 

I am in a torrid love affair and I do not know what to do about it.  Oh the injustice of it all!

Back in December of 2000, I made a bold decision for me and solid commitment to my children to become a stay at home mom.   One of the best decisions of I have ever made because it taught me so much about myself that I may have never known.  The first thing I learned is I can’t stay home with my children. Bwhahahaha!  Holy moly is that a lesson in patience and gratitude!  I will say I am glad I did it, but I won’t be opening a daycare any time soon! 

All kidding aside on that one, I am still at home with my children.  I never did fully return to the “office life” and I never will.  I love my cherubs.  But I do fear I am on some banned mommy list somewhere at a reading group or Gymboree somewhere. Haha!

The second thing that I learned is that I have a love and knack for gardening. Not a little bit of a love…a big love.  I love to grow my own vegetables.  If you have the space and just a wee bit of time, do it!  The first time you eat your own green beans or broccoli will be the last time you go to Shaw’s.  But life has a funny way of stealing your joys from you and you find yourself on the short end of the ‘hobby stick’.  Not any more, I am resurrecting my garden as I speak.

The best thing out of all of the things that I learned (and there is a slew of them) was that I love to cook.  I love to cook meals and I love to bake desserts.  I love the presentation aspect of it and I like to try new flavors.  I am not a spice type girl; in fact I am spice picky and will turn my nose up to a food if it even looks like it has curry on it.  No, I am more of a flavor kind of girl.  Stew tomatoes into a sauce to change the flavor.  Add caramelized onions to give something depth.  I will reach for a flavorful veggie before I will a pungent spice to add a little sumthin sumthin to a meal.  Try steaming white fish in a pan with orange and red peppers, sweet onions and grape tomatoes sliced thin on top.  Let me know how that tastes.  Add spices if you like but don’t be surprised if you do not need them.

For the past few years, though I have gotten away from my love and oh, how I missed it so! 

So then it happened.

I went to dinner with a friend about a week ago and got a meal that had a homemade mango salsa in it.  I almost died at the table.  And so began the affair…

I’ve tried to block it out of my mind.  Visit with other foods.  Explore other textures.  Nothing works.  I am in a full blown love affair with mango salsa right now.  My hubby has caught me with it twice.  He walked in the kitchen, I looked like a deer caught in a headlight, I denied everything, still had some on the corner of my mouth, he mumbled something about to the effect of when I love something I love it, made me feel like a crack addict in a back alley, but so what I don’t care.  I love it.  So now I’m on the hunt for a good recipe.  Who has one?

If you are a salsa or chutney connoisseur, deposit the recipe below.  PLEASE.  As I seek counseling, help a sister out.  I am back to cooking (and I mean meal events) at least 3 times a week and will just thrive on your suggestions.  So throw them at me and everyone else for that matter.  Or if you have mastered the art of flavor, do share!  The old Jodi is dusting off the cob webs and heading back into the kitchen (btw I just got a new cooking set from my Amex points—those things are awesome!), apron and all!  I am going to try Michelle’s suggestion from “Are you feeling me?” this weekend so give me some more to try with it.

Every so often I will share some good ones that I stumble upon and let you know about them.  Right now I am thinking about experimenting with yummy post workout foods since I am about to start a performance series right after Menu Planning (which will finish this coming week).  I think it’ll be helpful.  Don’t you?

Bon Appetite Y’alls!

Tweet This Post

When I was of college age, I went to Northeastern University for “biomedical” engineering (they did not have an official program at the time) and I remember landing a big co-op job at 19 years of age managing QA for an FDA regulated  manufacturing floor.  I was in heaven.  This wasn’t an internship—it was a contract position.  I was ecstatic but I wasn’t satisfied.

When I was in my late twenties, I worked for a municipality and alongside two other amazing women, determined the sewer rates for all of Greater Boston.  The work we did covered more than 40 cities (including Boston) and was used as the anchor for calculating all household sewer rates.  We felt empowered as women and important to the state of Massachusetts but for me, I still lacked something on my resume.

When I hit my mid 30’s and no longer in engineering, I found myself heading up a group of extraordinary trainers whose “call to service” in the community seemed to come natural to them.  I had enough clients to fill a small commuter jet and I was a mommy.  I was getting closer to feeling accomplished but I never took the time to take stock in that.

Now I am almost 40 years of age, leaving a position that on the “outside” did not have much exposure for me but on the inside of the company had a tremendous amount of exposure… and I have been humbled.

I have been brought to my knees…and then eventually face down.

As fitness professionals, all we want to know is, “Is anybody out there?  Can you hear me?  Am I speaking loud enough?”  For the most part we never really know how much we truly affect others.    People will come and go in our lives and they will say thank you or better yet, refer someone to you (which by the way, is THE ultimate compliment you can give a fitness professional) but it is not a summation of efforts.  It comes as little waves of delight throughout a somewhat hectic day.  And although at the time it feels amazing, the overall impact of it seems to be lost in the shuffle. 

Well over this past weekend I got to truly find out how many people were “listening” and when I say it has turned me inside out, I want you to know that that is an understatement. 

I am leaving a position of 4 years as a Physique Transformation Engineer for a company truly dedicated to healthy training for women who want to compete in fitness-type competitions to enter the murky world of blogging.  Am I scared? OH HECK YEAH!  Am I used to challenges like this, though?  Yes.  I am.  (hanging my head in shame, lol) I think I thrive off of them in some sick way. (No, really?  Ya think? *sigh*)  But I am up to the challenge and meeting it head on like a champ (read “I hope they sound convinced because I am making this up as I go along” in between those lines, ha!)  And honestly, what’s truly fueling me is:

I have arrived.

I have hit “that” place every fitness professional wishes they could hit.

And I am humbled…because I never knew 1) that I could reach it and 2) that it felt this good.

If for some crazy reason I could never work again, I would be ok with that because I feel as rewarded as I could ever be.  I want to thank everyone who has reached out to me and not only said thank you for my time, but took time out of their busy schedules to tell me *exactly* how I have changed their lives.  If you do not know what that feels like, imagine lying in a spa with an endless supply of peanut butter and ice cream (that did not make you fat) getting a mani/pedi by sun kissed hotties in the Fiji Islands while making goo gobs of money with your international conglomerate funneling it into an offshore account with NO TAXES!  Holy moly that sounds amazing!  Focus.  I need focus.  But that’s how I feel!

I FEEL SO BLESSED!

So as I sign off as Jodi Jones and sign on again as Jodiojo, I say from the bottom of my heart:

THANK YOU! 

Thank you for trusting me, thank you for believing in me, thank you for telling me and more importantly:  thank you for meaning it!  Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.  I am going to get up off of the carpet now and take some of the fibers out of my nose (lol) and go back to putting the menu planning series together. 

Please stay tuned to the blog because there are so many things on the way:  pictures, videos, product reviews, give aways, surveys, more series and etc. 

I am really looking forward to my new adventure—no matter how scary it is—and hope that you will come along for the ride. 

Take care today, tomorrow and everyday because if you have not been fulfilled yet in your life, you are surely missing out!

WOOP WOOP!:o)

Tweet This Post