These are definitely unprecedented times we are living in today. I know you’ve heard the phrase many times in the last six months, but it still remains true. Every individual is experiencing different emotions during this time and the emotions may vary day to day. We’re all dealing with different challenges impacting our mental wellbeing. Me included. What I’ve learned during this time is to never discount your challenges or emotions you are feeling and never discount those of others.

Running has always been part of my workout routine. Beginning with my first marathon 20 years ago. i remember training for that marathon one step at a time. I wasn’t a big runner, but knew I wanted to run a marathon to prove to myself I could do it. I started going on small runs in Central Park, starting with three miles and building it up from there bit by bit.

Well…we all have some fears no matter how old we are. One of my biggest physical fears is being upside down! I still haven’t mastered the headstand and hated somersaults as a kid! However, there are times when we need to chip away at these fears no matter what they are. News to report…I’m chipping away at my fear of being upside down and doing it in Pilates.

I was fortunate enough to do a lot of fun traveling this winter, mostly to warmer climates. While traveling , i always try to keep myself moving and try not to go overboard with my meals, but I’m human and when on vacation I do slip sometimes and that’s ok. I’ve learned to forgive myself when I go a bit off track. It’s so important to give ourselves permission to take some time off from our rigid schedules and just enjoy. It’s called “recharging”. I found recharging to be so important to both my mental and physical self. We all need those times.

For those of us not living in warmer climates, winter can be a tough period to stay motivated to get to the gym and not give the ok to eat comfort food every night. Trust me I know how it feels. I was definitely feeling a bit sluggish over the past couple of weeks, but said to myself “Rich, snap out of it and get moving”.

As I’ve gotten older, I more than ever realize the importance of strength training in my weekly fitness routine. We all begin to lose muscle mass as we get older. This is why it is so important we continue to incorporate strength training in our workouts as we age.

I started getting a bit bored of my tabata runs and treadmill sprints on the tread at the gym.  I needed to find another way to torch the fat with another version of the tread sprint.  I found the SKILLMILL by Technogym to be just what I was looking for.

I’ve written about resetting after a long vacation earlier this summer, but felt the need to expand on it after coming back from my latest trip to Portugal and Morocco. I was basically gone for two and a half weeks. Just a few days after returning home, I went to Charleston for a long weekend and arrived back to New York and had a lovely British friend spend the week with us. I had an incredible time during all of this, but I’m not super human so something’s were put on the back burner (i.e. my daily exercise routine and regular diet).

I started my own skincare regimen at the ripe old age of 30 and haven't stopped since.  Sometimes I feel as though I'm doing a "paint by number" on my face, but I push though it every morning and evening.

I love it!  I didn't think I would be one who would ever use any fitness on demand app.  I build off of the energy of the people around me in the gym and the boutique fitness studio.  However, when Peloton came out with their all encompassing on demand app I decided to give it a try.

I usually make an effort to workout when on vacation, but I wasn't successful at this on my most recent trip to Paris and London.  My ten-day get away was packed and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I savored every delicious bite of every meal I had and totally absorbed the cultures.  However, I did make sure I walked at least 10,000 steps a day.  That was my saving grace. This is not hard to achieve in Paris and London.  I believe there was one day I actually walked 20,000 steps.  My philosophy is to "keep moving" and not to beat myself up over not getting the perfect workout.

I started seeing a lot of guys doing the rings at the gym and wanted to give it a try. I thought this may be beyond my comfort zone, but thought I'll never know if I don't do it.