Coming Home & Leaving Again

We are flying home from NYC today after a fabulous week at the Book Expo of America. Thank you so much to those who attended the book signings. I hope we have some new "eat clean" recruits out there. I heard lots of success stories and really liked forming new relationships with those who stopped by to visit. It was an extremely successful week and I will be posting more photos as soon as I have a few moments to get them onto my computer.

That certainly won't be happening this weekend as I am traveling to both Belleville & Kingston, Ontario for 2 separate events. The first is the Belleville Health & Fitness Expo on Saturday. I will be speaking at 1pm and signing afterward. Please come by this event if you are in the area. The 2nd event is a speaking engagement at Queen's University (my alma mater) in Kingston, Ontario called a Mini-U. It's a closed event, but I am still very excited to come back to my hometown and my university to share what I've learned over the years. So all in all and busy weekend ahead, but one that I hope will be very rewarding!

Can't wait to see you there.

Happy Memorial Day Long Weekend to my American readers.

Much Love,
Tosca

New York New York

I have once again touched down in NYC for the annual Book Expo of America. I arrived Monday afternoon in order to prepare for my Better TV appearance. I am searching for the video as I type. I will link you to it as soon as I can.

We had a fantastic company dinner last night at Bottino in Chelsea. I dined on a yummy beet salad and terrific fish dish. It was a great way to kick off this year's show. I love my team and am so thankful they are here to help me out this week. They are the people who make my job easier each and every day.

After a good night's sleep I am ready for the beginning of the Book Expo of America 2010, a show dedicated to thousands of authors, publishers, distributors, buyers, etc, etc all related to the wonderful world of books. I will doing 2 signings today. 1 is with Harlequin for my book debuting with them in the fall called Your Best Body Now in booth #3922 at 11am. 2 is with Robert Kennedy Publishing for the Eat-Clean Diet Recharged, the completely revamped version that has been out for the past couple of months, in booth #3777 at 1pm. Please stop by if you are in the area. Read here for more information on attending the Book Expo of America as it is not a free event.

Hope to see you there!

Birthday Birthday

This Saturday I will be turning a young and fit 51!

My birthday always falls on Canada's Victoria Day long weekend, which means I get nearly 3 days of relaxation. Yeah! My plans include hosting a bunch of my kids' friends who are joining us for the weekend... hmmm, maybe this won't be as relaxing as I thought. But with the amazing weather forecast it seems we'll be basking in the sun and barbecuing up a storm. That's definitely my idea of a good weekend.

Even though we aren't having a major celebration as we did last year for the BIG 50, we've been having our fair share of fun and will continue to do so over the weekend. P.S. He wouldn't want me to say, but Robert celebrated his birthday on Tuesday... shhh!

Here are a few pics from birthday celebrations that have occurred thus far...

We celebrated last Friday with our friends, Marilyn & Richard, and Robert's cousin Tony & his wife Joanie at Mrs. Mitchell's restaurant in Violet Hill, Ontario. It's always a special evening when we visit that restaurant.


Playing photographer. How did I wind up with the fancy camera even though Robert's the real photographer? Seems he's having trouble navigating the point-and-shoot!


Celebrating last night with our kids at 199 in Orangeville, Ontario. Yet another fantastic meal!


Blowing out the candles on a delicious slice of Creme Brulee Cheesecake. I definitely indulged in a piece of birthday cake and a glass of wine last night.

It's All Coming Together...

I am nearly 1 month out from my triathlon and I finally feel that it's all coming together.

I purchased my wet suit yesterday and jumped in our very chilly, just opened pool to try it out. It's pretty funny trying to get into that suit for the 1st time. It's thick and sticky, but it kept me incredibly warm and made me really fast in the water. I am feeling confident with my distances in the water, even after a few weeks off due to a crazy travel schedule. I've been told to focus more on pulling myself through the water to avoid tiring out my legs, which I'll need for the bike and run and I'm amazed how much weight training has helped me with this.

I'm really excited to go on a long ride with my friend Julie Cowell tomorrow. I find it much more comforting to get out on the road with another person, especially since I've had bike accidents in the past. Today I'll be getting a spare tire to be prepared for my long ride. Cycling is this whole new world for me and I want to make sure I have everything I need!

If you're interested in finding out what my motivation is behind this event please check out the new video posted at the EatCleanDiet.com. It's on the right-hand side of the homepage under the video tab. While you're there try out this yummy new recipe... Pumpkin Seed Salad. Delicious!

In the meantime, I'll be busy working away on lots of projects. It has been nice to have a few weeks at home without a lot of travel. I've been doing lots of spring cleaning just in time for Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada.

Much Love,
Tosca

Amazing!

A few weeks ago I had an amazing shoot with photography Paul Buceta. We were shooting possible covers for an upcoming book that will be announced later! The theme of the shoot was very clean and fresh with strong body silhouettes and clean lines (hint, hint)! I can't tell you anymore though!

We shot at Paul's new studio. It's open and airy and fabulous. It was the perfect setting for my wonder team of book designers Gabriella Caruso Marquez, Jessica Pensabene, Brian Ross and Ellie Jeon, my stylist Rachel Matthews-Burton, my social media expert and videography Amanda Tucci, and my makeup artist and hair dreamgirl Valeria Nova!

There was lots of silliness, but also lots of seriousness and we shot some magical pictures. 13 looks to be exact!

My favorite look was a beautiful hot pink Herve Leger bandage dress. Delicious!

For lunch we ordered in roasted chicken and salad from Swiss Chalet. This is a favorite spot for me and my husband Robert. We love the roasted chicken.

Throughout the day we rocked out to a lot of Lady Gaga and then randomly the classic Jann Arden song "Good Mother" came on. In that moment it really hit me how transformed my life is, and I lost it for a moment up there on the stage in the lights.

It was a very long day, but so rewarding because we were so productive! You can see more picture from the shoot here.

Have a Great Day!

Tosca

Staying Fit Over 40!

A quick link for you guys, I was on Global Toronto's 6 pm news last night!

Click here to see the segment! In it, I talk about staying fit after forty.

Enjoy!

Tosca

Good Morning America Photo Journal- FINALLY!

Hi All,

Today, I thought I'd share some of my photos from my trip to New York for my appearance on Good Morning America! On top of being interviewed by Robin Roberts, I got to meet David Beckham!



Getting prepped by the fabulous Nancy Jambazian. She rocked my makeup & hair!



Sitting down with Robin Roberts. What a dream come true!



Brace yourselves ladies! That's David Beckham. He was on before & after me that day. He's extremely kind. What a treat!



Flexing with Sean Rogers, the GMA trainer helping whip the producers into shape along with the Eat-Clean Diet plan!




Here I am with Nancy, my husband Bob, and GMA host Sam Champion!



Enjoying a celebratory mimosa in Times Square after the show!


All in all, it was a great experience and I can't wait to do it again.

You can see more of my photos (and get some exercise tips) by clicking here.

And here's the interview again, in case you haven't seen it:

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Tosca

My Lovely Mother's Day

After a lot of traveling these last few months it feels good to have my feet planted in one spot! This Mother's Day my family and I kept things nice and simple by staying in and preparing all of our meals instead of heading to a restaurant.

I got some wonderful gifts this year - I was allowed to sleep in later than usual, my family prepared a lovely brunch for me and we spent lots of quality time together, a true rarity in our house.

The girls filled the table with yogurt and berries, coffee cake muffins, turkey bacon, bread cups with egg and spinach, cinnamon espressos and mocktail mimosas (made with orange juice, pomegranate juice and perrier).















My Mother's Day brunch spread!




A close up of the yummy coffee cake muffins. I wish you could smell them. Mmm!




The breakfast table was filled with beautiful flowers.



My day was wonderful and I hope yours was too!

Before I go, I want to let my Toronto fans that Global TV's 6pm News Hour will air a piece on me tonight, Tuesday, May 11th.

Have a Great Day Everyone!
Tosca

Mother's Day - my light bulb thinking for you!

Hi Everyone.

Just want to wish all the mothers, mother's to be, grandmothers and everyone who cares for someone a wonderful and enjoyable Mother's Day. It's snowing in my postal code but that won't stop me from enjoying my day. I can hear rustling about in the kitchen as Robert makes the coffee and Chelsea and Kelsey prepare breakfast. I am most excited about eating something soon! I started my day with a 4 mile run. Glad I finally got some cardio in - it's been difficult with all the travel lately.

But this is the day to celebrate the women in your life so don't forget that a phone call, flowers or time spent with that special lady can mean the difference between a lonely day and a happy one. Did you call Mom? Tell her you love her. Tell her what she means to you. Tell her even if it's difficult for you to do it. It matters.

My sister is with my mother who lives in Belleville. I sent my mother, Tina, a huge bunch of yellow flowers and am calling her shortly. My sister and I planned her gifts already so I can't wait to hear how she enjoyed them.

On the menu today? No idea about breakfast yet but it sure smells fantastic! Dinner is grilled bison tenderloin, garlic roasted asparagus, oven roasted baby potatoes, more veggies - whatever looks good at the market and hopefully something yummy for dessert. We are cooking at home.

I love you all and want to hear about your special lady. Who is she? How has she helped you become who you are today?

Keep it tight!

Cheers,

Tosca

Rainy Days at the Office

It may be a rainy day here in Mississauga, but it's a perfect day for work. After yet another week of busy travels (Chicago and back and then Arkansas and back) I finally had a day to firmly plant my tush on my chair and focus! My team and I had an incredible meeting this morning. We started off with an inspirational rendition of "Don't Stop Believing" before transitioning into an extremely productive brainstorming session. Every member of the team had amazing ideas. I can't wait to put them into action.

Now I'm busily typing away at my "Raise the Bar" column for Oxygen magazine. It's all about getting real based on an email I received from a reader that I feel compelled to answer. I can't divulge anymore than that, but it will be an interesting read.

I am so glad you liked my post about training in a pinch. I'm always searching for the perfect Eat-Clean Diet cooler, but I have yet to find it. I really would like to offer this product especially since you're asking for it. The one in the pictures from the previous post is from Lug. It's actually not even a real cooler, but I modified. I'll keep searching!!

In the meantime, Happy Friday.

I'll be speaking and signing books tomorrow at the Peterborough Wellness Expo. I hope to meet some of you there!

And Happy Mother's Day Weekend. I don't know what my kids have up their sleeves, but I really hope it involves a sleep in! Be good to the one you've got...

Much Love,
Tosca

In-A-Pinch Workouts

You all know how much I travel for work. Well, every once in awhile I wind up in a hotel without a gym. What's a fitness girl to do without the comforts of a gym? I'll tell you what she does. She makes the best of what she has.

That's exactly what I did in New York City last week when my hotel, to my surprise, didn't have a gym. I needed to get a good workout in before my Good Morning America appearance so here's what I did...

I grabbed my liter water bottles and did reverse flyes...


I used the two chairs in the room to do triceps dips... See my cooler in the background? I stopped by Whole Foods to pick up some clean eats for my time in New York.


I used 2 of my handbags to do lat raises... You can tell it's hard work even though I'm trying to smile.


I tried not to hit the ceiling as I lifted the chair above my head for overhead presses.


I could have done my push ups on the floor, but I opted for the added challenge of balancing the two chairs. This required lots of core stabilization. Phewf!


I also did a few more exercises, including lunges and abs, to get a good full body workout. I also went for a quick run to train my cardiovascular system especially since my triathlon is less than 2 months away.

There are so many options for exercise when you're on vacation or away from home even if you don't have a gym nearby. These examples can even be used at home if joining a gym isn't an option for you.

I always remember the story my husband told me about his first bodybuilding experience. He used to fill paint cans with cement and tie them to the end of a metal pipe to use as his barbell because he couldn't afford weights or a gym membership.

Use what you've got and there's no excuse for not being active!

What do you do when you're in a pinch?

Eat-Clean Diet Women's Cycling Team CAMP 2010

On April 24th the Eat-Clean Diet Women's Cycling Team hosted a Learn-to-Ride camp. It started super early on Saturday morning with pictures of the team in our kits. We look super cute! Then I immediately stepped right out of my comfort zone into unfamiliar territory.

This was one of my goals after turning 50. I wanted to test myself in a different ways and so it began with signing up for a triathlon, joining the cycling team & attending cycling camp.

40 fabulous women learned about changing flats, bike maintenance, cornering, rocking our bikes on sprints (this requires pulling with your arms), falling while clipped in, bike etiquette, group riding, various formations (echelon, single pace, double pace), safety, etc etc.

I did my schpeel on nutrition, but even this is a learning adventure for me because endurance sport requires an entirely different level of thinking... I am educating myself quickly!

I was also the girl who forgot to clip out when coming to a full stop and fell on my *ss on the grass... it had to happen & it did! Ooops!

The Most Interesting Thing I Learned: that you can cook a tire in the heat by letting it sit in the back your car and it will explode without proper maintenance

What I Loved: sprinting up the hill & rocking the bike because I realized you actually are using your arms in this sport, rather than just using your legs

Overall, although group riding was interesting, it's not as applicable to triathlon training as I expected to be, however the skills are still extremely important and I feel much more comfortable on my bike.

Looking for Something Delicious?

Try this new recipe from a special Eat-Clean Diet Kitchen Table member. It's a delicious Apple-Walnut Oatmeal that would be perfect for breakfast, brunch or even as a snack. Yummy!

Check Out the Toronto Star Today!

I'm featured in an article regarding my book to be released by Harlequin in the fall entitled Your Best Body Now.

Check out the article with a cute pic of me and Jamie Eason.... http://www.healthzone.ca/health/dietfitness/fitness/article/803133--harlequin-romances-fitness-writer-tosca-reno.