Interview with Fitness expert Sloane Davis on flexible dieting and healthy lifestyle

A mother of two, throughout her 30’s and 40's, Sloane Davis starved herself so that the scale read a certain number. Hungry, unhappy and deprived, in her 40’s Sloane decided to end the obsession with food, intense cardio and on transition her mind and body – and did it work! See her profile in PEOPLE.com and RECENT TV http://pancakesandpush-ups.com/.

I had the privilege of interviewing Sloane.

Faten Abdallah (FA): When was your wake up call in getting on the healthy path?
Sloane Davis (SD): My wake up call was when I started to increase calories and saw that I was able to lose weight.  I never realized how unhealthy my relationship with food was. I thought that it was ok to live on vegetables and grilled chicken and to feel guilty for having a scoop of ice cream.  I am so liberated now that I have found flexible dieting and am able to eat whatever I want and achieve the body I strive for.

FA: What is macros based flexible dieting?
SD: Macros (macronutrients) are proteins, fats and carbs.  Each gram of protein and carbs is 4 calories, and each gram of fat is 9 calories.  So while we still work off of total calories for weight loss or muscle building, I break it down one step further into macros so that your body is getting the proper nutrition for one’s goal.  Flexible dieting is that there are no foods you have to eat and no foods that are off limits.  If it fits your macros, you can eat it! It’s a wonderful way to live a healthy lifestyle as we all want what we can't have.  So if you take deprivation out of the equation, it results in long term sustainability.

FA: What have your learned about yourself as you became healthier and more fit?
SD: I have learned that I am able to motivate and inspire so many and that is the best feeling in the world!  I learned that I am so much stronger than I ever imagined possible and the empowerment that you get from lifting weights is incredible.  I learned that if I put my mind to it, I can achieve anything!

FA: What do you want people to know about getting healthy?
SD: That you don’t have to starve yourself to lose weight.  That you actually shouldn’t.  Weight loss should be slow and steady.  Long term consistency will yield the best results.   You can never out train a bad diet.  Most people think because they workout for an hour a day that they can lose weight.  Nutrition is 80% of the equation.  I would also encourage women to lift weights instead of spinning their wheels on the cardio machines.  Lifting weights will enable you to change your body, whereas cardio will only make you a smaller version of yourself.  If you have been on a “diet” for years and doing cardio and not seeing results, it’s time to switch things up.

Visit Sloane's website: www.pancakesandpush-ups.com and you can sign-up for a free 2 week trial period.

Why Women Entrepreneurs Need to Raise Girl Entrepreneurs | Julie Gordon-...

I love the world of entrepreneurship because entrepreneurs tend to be individualistic yet appreciate society as a whole.  They show the world their ideas, and they act upon them--not afraid of failing or making mistakes.  If they fail, they may cry for two seconds, and then either rework the concept or jump to another concept, and try again.  Entrepreneurs are risk takers--mostly likely calculated risk takers.  They are passionate about their ideas, their dreams.  They are doers.  They research and build their concept into a reality. 

 We need more women to be entrepreneurs. 

Even if you don't have daughters, watch this video because you may have nieces, sisters and cousins.  By empowering and encouraging girls to think entrepreneurially, they are being taught to be strong, independent and confident in themselves and their identities.  

Raise a girl entrepreneur and watch her rise as she becomes a woman.   

Interview with Lynn Colwell in embracing different art mediums

Lynn Colwell considers herself a Jill of all artistic trades, meaning, she's tried them all.   Right now she's enamored of watercolor collage, mixed media and photography.   The results of her enthusiastic embrace of these mediums is shared here.

Faten Abdallah(FA): What does art mean to you?

Lynn Colwell (LC): Art is one of those words that cannot be encapsulated in a simple definition. In my view, art can be anything and everything. For instance, just this morning, a friend sent a picture of a blade of grass under an electron microscope. If that incredible picture isn’t art, I don’t know

 what is. Whether human made or taken from nature, the unifying element (again, for me personally) is that art helps me experience something, feel…something. Whether art is “great” or “mediocre,” I cannot judge. Whether I understand it is less important than that I react to it in some way, that it makes me think or change.  When I go out for a walk, I appreciate grass. But I don’t think about it as art. Yet, when I see a photograph of emerald grass spread like a carpet before the setting sun, or six blades of grass in black and white arranged just so, I do see art.

If I were classically trained, or had attended art school I’m sure I would have a much more sophisticated answer, but there you have it!

FA: What inspired you to be an artist?

LC: I’ve always been an artist although I never called myself one until recently. The reason is that I was one of those kids who was told in school, “You don’t have artistic talent. Choose something else to focus on.” Unfortunately, I believed that teacher and art for me, in the meaning of learning to draw or paint was squelched. But I’ve always been creative and tried many different artistic adventures from sewing to jewelry to scrapbooking and batik. But it wasn’t until a year and a half ago when I signed up for a one-year series of classes called, Lifebook, that I found that I can draw and paint and I feel now able to call myself an artist.

 

FA: What kinds of work have you done?  What was your most favorite? Why?

LC: My favorite is always what I’m doing this moment. While some people might consider me a dilettante (If you are like me and have scrolled through several dozen careers and hobbies, check out the book, Renaissance Soul, and you’ll discover you are normal), and I admit I have a short attention span and have absolutely no desire to be the best at anything (that may be un-American), I love the new and live in the moment. What I did in the past matters not a whit to me. Neither does what I may achieve in the future. What matters is this moment because it’s all I have.

Right now I’m immersed in learning and experimenting painting faces, especially women. I’m excited to wake up each day and jump into a new piece. I rarely know when I begin, where I will end up. Being process oriented, I drift to another sphere when I am working. No music, no other noise, just me and the paper and about a million dollar’s worth of supplies. (I’m exaggerating but not by much.) I was a writer for many years, so combining writing with art is something I’m very much enjoying right now. Sometimes I write the quotes myself and other times, I take others’ words. But in either case, I tend toward the uplifting because that is what keeps me going.

 

FA: What do you want the world to see when viewing your art?

LC: Such a deep question! Each piece I paint is unique. As I said, I don’t usually plan them in advance, so I am never certain how they will turn out. When a piece really connects with people for any reason, it’s thrilling for me, even though I don’t set out to make that happen. Honestly, I do art for the sake of doing it, because it excites me and the process is so darn much fun. Because I rarely have a goal in mind when I start out, I can never fail. If I’m not particularly pleased with a piece or if it doesn’t “go” on my Facebook page, I abandon it and hope that someone will find it for whom it will have meaning.

FA: You paint individuals and then encourage the buyer to donate to a humanitarian cause.  Why?

LC: I greet each day with gratitude and joy. I have been given so much in my life, I want to find as many ways as possible to give back. But I’m no Mother Teresa. I have always tried to find ways to combine my strengths and talents with the urge to give. About half way through last year’s painting classes, I realized I was building up a horde of paintings. Most people in the classes put everything into book at the end of the year. But I don’t need more stuff, even things I’ve made. I want to give, not keep. I started thinking about how I could continue to paint and stop feeling guilty for accumulating all the work. I knew I didn’t want to get into selling it. Way too much work and for what? I’m incredibly fortunate that I don’t need the money right now. It took me about a half hour to come up with the idea to give everything away through my Facebook page in exchange for a donation to a non-profit. This has turned out to be the perfect solution: I get to make as much art as I want; buyers get a piece they want; and non-profits get donations. I pay the costs of envelopes and mailing. I do have an online “shop,” but only because people say they want prints of my work. I add very little to the cost of printing because as I said, I don’t want the hassle of a business. One of the best things about my doing this is that several other artists have followed my lead and are giving away their work in the same way. Love that!

FA: What are some of the organizations people have donated to?

 

LC: In terms of this project, it is the buyers who donate. Some of the non-profits are: various hospices, organization that places service dogs for veterans, AIDS organizations, programs for the homeless, conservation and sustainability organizations, health organizations like cancer prevention, food banks, schools, organizations that help women, educational orgs, and organizations that help refugees.

FA: Is there a specific cause you would like our readers to be aware of?

LC: Right now, the two where I’m focusing my giving are the International Rescue Committee which does incredible work (including resettlement in the U.S.) with refugees around the world. Secondly, Give Directly, which transfers cash to households in developing countries via mobile phone-linked payment services. It targets extremely low-income households and has proven to be a lifesaving mechanism where there is no middle man/woman between those in need and the giver. The person in need gets to decide the best use of the money. It’s a simple, and in my opinion, brilliant concept and it works.

 I’d like to encourage anyone reading this who might like to participate in my venture, to “friend” me on Facebook so you will have the opportunity to join the fun. And if you’re an artist, maybe you’ll try my routine. That would be terrific!

U.S. Department of State's TechWomen Initiative Now Accepting Applications for American Mentors

Image via Wikipedia

 The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced today that TechWomen – an international exchange that uses technology as a means to empower women and girls worldwide – is now accepting applications from American women in the technology sector to serve as professional and cultural mentors. Candidates may apply here.

In September 2012, these American “TechWomen” will mentor 42 women from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, and Yemen during a five-week program at U.S.-based technology companies in Silicon Valley and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Click here to learn more about serving as a TechWomen mentor.

Following the U.S. portion of the exchange, U.S. mentors will travel to Jordan and Tunisia to conduct workshops and follow-on training for women in the technology sector and young girls who have expressed an interest in pursuing a tech-based career.

Launched by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2011, TechWomen builds on her vision of “smart power” diplomacy. It embraces the full range of diplomatic tools, in this case technology, to bring people together for greater understanding and empower women and girls worldwide.

The U.S. Department of State partners with the Institute of International Education and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. It is a public-private partnership in which more than 20 leading U.S. companies participated by hosting international TechWomen during the 2011 inaugural program.

Stay tuned for updates on Twitter @TechWomen.

Related articles

• Secretary Clinton Praises the Work of the Local Advisory Boards for the U.S. in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria (moroccotomorrow.org)
• U.S. Department of State Kicks-Off "Empowering Women and Girls Through Sports (moroccotomorrow.org)
• Anita Borg Institute Releases New Report on Hiring Practices to Help Companies Compete in the Global War for Technical Talent - MarketWatch (jobmarketmonitor.com)

Join My Village

Did you know Malawi is among the world's least developed and most densely-populated countries? Because of the extreme poverty in the region, Malawi has a low life expectancy (44 years of age) and high infant mortality (89 deaths per 1,000 births, the 14th highest in the world).

As a member of MyBlogSpark, we wanted to share with you the news that was announced today at the Clinton Global Initiative Fifth Annual Meeting. President Clinton introduced a unique commitment between General Mills and CARE called Join My Village, an innovative online community that is fighting poverty in Malawi through the empowerment of women and girls.

Here's how you can get involved:

• Visit Join My Village and join one of ten village teams to benefit approximately 75 villages in Malawi
  
  
• As a village team member, you will get to know the women and families in Malawi through frequent updates, photos and stories



• You can also track how dollars are creating change and improving lives in Malawi


• Through simple online activities - answering a quiz question, telling a friend about Join My Village, or joining a village team - $1 will be unlocked by General Mills and will go to CARE's poverty fighting programs in the Malawi villages (limit of 3 activities per person per day, and $15,000 per online village team - or $150,000 in total)



• Additionally, General Mills will match personal contributions dollar-for-dollar for up to $50 per donor, $15,000 per village team or $150,000 in total



• CARE will distribute all funds raised directly to Malawi to provide economic opportunities for women and increase access to quality education for girls

Join My Village is setting out to drive measurable and long-term positive impact with women and families in Africa by tapping into the inherent power of women to connect with, and provide strength for, other women.

To learn more about Join My Village and help unlock funds to empower women and girls in Malawi, visit JoinMyVillage.com.

Courtesy of MyBlogSpark.

Quotes of the Week

I asked my Twitter followers (known as Tweeps) what were their favorite quotes on "Empowerment".

I got some awesome responses. Enjoy!

• Mental and physical preparedness is empowerment" - Stephanie Behers. (submitted by @MallaryTytel ).
• "If you want to become a 'powerful' person, you must empower others" - @teenbizcoach.
• "A beginning starts today"- Mary Wollenscroft. (submitted by @ElleAndraWarner).
• "Each choice gives you a chance to pave your own road"- Oprah. (submitted by @ElleAndraWarner).
• "The earth's most precious natural resource is truly a rare find. As it changes by the second it is that of our time"- @teenbizcoach.

Enjoy these quotes! You can also click on the bold names to go to their Twitter page.