As I'm typing this right now, I have pushed the hectic portions of the morning aside and am munching on a salad, bag of carrots and non sweetened green tea as I get a lot of work done. I'm definitely feeling the zen (mainly because I'm back online) but I digress! Last week (Sat to be precise) I let you guys in on a new segment coming to Kitten Lounge - Fitness! Now starting on June 28th, I will begin Deadline Fitness (if you want to catch up on what's going on start here) where I will do a workout that is meant to get me to my goal within 30 days. Although deadline fitness is all about working out within 3 months, 2 months, a month or even 2 weeks it's meant to be a lifestyle> This means, I work out all the time but maybe if I have something really huge going on I may need to intensify and that's where the deadline comes in. At the end of this workout various bloggers including myself, Jeannine Morris of Beauty Sweet Spot and Aly Walansky of She Knows will be flown out to sunny fab Miami courtesy of Schick. We will have tons of tips from the Q Squad (Gina being one of them) and I will share them with you and hope that you will work out with me! I reached out to Natural Fitness and they graciously sent me two things that I wanted to get as apart of my workout (you too can enjoy a fab discount code for your eco-fitness gear by using FITNESS25KS which gives you 25% off of orders over $50 good for one person now through 6/16/2011 - check in on Saturday to find out about what you guys will see me using in future posts). I began reading Celeb Trainer, Gina Lombardi's book - Deadline Fitness and loved it but had so many questions! Gina and I chatted earlier this week to get more info about fitness, targeted foods and more.

Gina has worked with a number of celebs and has fab client base and she understands that there are options - some love gyms and machines and others don't. In her book she has two tracks - workouts with machines and those without. Although I will use soft hand weights and a stability ball, she explains that you don't need a home gym or equipment. Many times her clients continue their work while they're traveling and living out of their hotel rooms. There are plenty of exercises that you can do to keep on track! So whether you have a lot of space or your in your studio - no excuses!

I have always been someone who works out but my intensity changes depending on whether I had a photoshoot (back in my modeling days) or when I'm hitting this season where I will be in Miami at the end of next month, going to Vegas for the fashion trade shows in Aug, then on to New York Fashion Week and culminating with my sites party for it's 3 Year Party. In times like this I increase my target areas but then certain foods change. I'm not much of a snacker and I eat pretty well but believe me I have my splurge foods (mashed potatoes) they are the first to leave my list of choices. In talking with Gina, I found out that Trader Joe's which we shop at each week as we have one near us and there are a few in the city (yippie that it is coming to Chelsea soon) has an amazing Egg White Salad! They come in various flavors - this weekend I will buy the spicy one and the one that has cheese in it. This is an excellent source of protein and is good for you! She also suggests greek yogurt that you can add crunchy high fiber fruit and nut medley cereal too. It gives you something extra to pop into it while being really good for you. As you get closer to the end of the month, you'll want to start taking out this cereal as something to eat every day and you will have it every other. Protein Powders are great to enjoy as well and are available at Whlolefoods and Trader Joe's as well. But make sure that they are 100% Whey and have no more than 2% carbs. This way you're definitely consuming what your body needs.

To cleanse or not to cleanse. Many of you know that I did the Master Cleanse with boyfriend and Food Editor on this site, Paul Belobritsky - I did not make it 7 days and getting to 3 was tough! I can see the benefits but my body couldn't do it. Gina suggested the Blueprint Cleanse as they have a number of options. After chatting with one of the reps I will actually do a 3 day cleanse of juices as I want to kick off my diet by detoxing a bit (as a side note, I do a little detox at least once a week. My version is that one day a week I drink water and have a raw veggie only diet it's a nice way to give my body some relief and yet I still enjoy eating solid foods). This will happen 3 days prior to June 28th. On the last day of the Deadline, I will do a Juice til Dinner which essentially is another round of juices for the majority of the day and then a meal. In essence, throughout the Deadline I will share the healthy foods that I will be eating to give you guys an idea of my eating habits for the next few months.

Now with all this talk of food, what happens if there is a birthday party or you have an Editor's event or something? Gina gave great points. You could just not eat when you're there. You can eat prior to going and once at your event enjoy a glass of seltzer or find items that do work for you as many events have a salad or something healthy. If that doesn't happen and you feel that you're going to eat what is there, just know that you will need to compensate (I find that I do this). If I enjoy some items that are outside of what I should be eating, I have just added more items to my workout. That could be an extra hour or extra sets of a particular routine.

In working out, you need to stick with it. Find the routines that you like as those will help you out and keep you motivated. Gina suggests to have a buddy and even though you're besties remember that it's a workout you can still chat while hitting your routines hard core. Stay strong, when you hit those slumps remember your goals and find ways to stay encouraged and you'll notice that it becomes easier to get up and out the door to stay fit. Change it up as well, sometimes ruts happen when you do the same thing. There are many yoga, dance, videos on You Tube etc that can let you sample different routines that are either free or affordable. Keep your eyes out as you just might find some fun activities that you never thought of.

The best part of working out is being able to challenge yourself and to understand what you're doing. Gina suggests that people should get a pedometer (you know the little device that counts your steps). Did you know that the minimum daily steps should be 10,000. That means from the time you get up until bedtime every step, walking up the stairs, visiting a shop etc is counted. If you haven't hit it and still haven't exercised then you know you have work to do. When you start hitting 15,000 and 18,000 steps you know you're losing. I walk all over the city I'm the girl who will walk from Penn Station to Jimmy Choo (that's 32nd and 7th ave to 62nd and Madison).

If you have questions or clarifications, email me and I'll reach out as Gina is a fab resource and a motivator. She truly cares about good health. If anyone was following my checkins on Foursquare which also go into my Facebook account, you saw I was at Jamba Juice, I hadn't had one in about a year and they had $1 Jambas for their power blends and of course I had one - this morning I received a comment from Gina "Too Much Sugar" - she was so right I now know why I stopped drinking them and yes I drank tons of water yesterday and added more to my workout today. She later followed up with "Stay STRONG on your workout" - I love it who doesn't want to be motivated? There are more tips to come and I hope this encourages you to workout, follow along with her book and to ask away!

In an ongoing series, Keren Weinstein, our Guest Life-Balance Editor, took a much needed trip. More than the need to go on vacation to a new locale, she wanted to find her own sense of balance and thus Project Detox began. Last week, we jumped on a horse and went happy trailing. Today, Keren shows us that a little road trip is all we need to continue to reconnect.

We all live in different locales. Different speeds. We do different things.

Have a different purpose.

Different lives.

But no matter what kind of life we live, it needs to be balanced.

The ‘balancing cocktail’ required to reach that equilibrium is different for each of us.

For some, a trip to a big city like NY or Tokyo may be what they need.

For this full time working urban mom, the prescription for ‘road to equilibrium’ sounds more like….

Take an all American road trip through California Coast with a great friend and call me in the morning!

A bit of a travel snob, I don’t normally embark on road trips as my choice of vacation. Usually, I fly (direct) to my destination and have researched and received recommendations on what to do, see, experience, buy, eat, sleep before I even step foot on the plane. I don’t miss a beat. Or do I?

There is something about road trips that gives you a sense of care-free exploration. Of appreciating the journey not just the destination. Of really traveling.

I can recall that feeling when I road tripped through the West Coast with my best friend and her family as a teen.

It was now time to reignite that engine.

I have been blessed with meeting and having so many amazing people in my life.

And thanks to eM, FB, t, SMS, MMS, BB, LinkedIn, etc. I get to keep in touch in lieu of my busy lifestyle. But, a very important part of ‘the balanced life’ (and remaining true to myself), is spending quality in-person time with my family & friends.

The next few days, was going to be about the benefits of friendship. And roadship.

We knew overall where we were heading but drove where the wind took us.

Have a plan and go with the flow.

A motto I swear by.

If you want to get somewhere in life (or in a given day) you need to have a plan. An intention.
But, it’s the plans that move with the current that survive and thrive daily tides and storms.

You need to Surf. Cruise. And breathe through life’s changes all while remembering to still have fun. Life is colorful. Not just black and white lists of to do’s.

The coastal fresh air. The amazing landscapes. The speed. The maps. The music. The picture pull-overs. The lavender farm pit stops. The conversation. The shared quiet. The freedom. The nostalgia.

The fun.

Who knew I would actually [still] be driving on a Journey through Myself?!

At one point, driving on the road with great music along the stunning backdrop of hilly landscape, it felt like we were in one of those car commercials. Turns out. ‘We were’.

We have reached San Luis Obispo County which is known to be the location for filming many of our national car commercials.

Considered one of the best stops for ‘Pure California’ between San Francisco and L.A., San Louis Obispo (SLO) was a perfect way to stray off course. And with the vineyards a few miles away the weather was grape perfect. The locals refer to it as SLO (to imply the ‘slow alternative to the hectic life’). It's a ‘natural escape where slowing down to enjoy the good life is the essence’. One might say I didn't stray off course, I was finally on the right course.

Surrounded by rolling hills as if suspended in the middle of nowhere was the historic mission town of SLO. A small almost European village-like town. Quaint. Vibrant and colorful. Relaxed and laid back. Energized. Playful. Almost caracature’ish. Definitely surreal. Happy.

This travel pit stop, I did not research in advance. I was going to explore on my own. Enjoy in a different way. Raw.

I walked the pristine streets and found myself in a shopping heaven. Adorable high-end boutiques and antique shops that were charming and unpretentious. (I later found out Lucky Magazine calls SLO it “Sprinkled with charmingly unpretentious shops”. Right on Lucky! )

Excellent places to dine, go wine tasting, grab cocktails, coffee or frozen yogurt. Many of them boasting local wine, cheese, produce, olive oil, fish. It was fresh and colorful and healthy and delish. It is no wonder the first Jamba Juice location began in SLO. They aren’t slow at all in knowing what is good for you.

After stumbling upon the colorful, quirky & famed Bubble Gum Alley and taking a trip back in time at Powell’s Sweet Shop, I felt like a kid seeing Willy Wonka ’s factory for the first time. The vintage candy. The sweet smell. The colors. The excitement. “What we really offer are memories. We want to walk our customers down memory lane and remind them of good things and good times.” Mr. Powell wanted me to find that core childlike happiness.

A killer song by The Police lead this 80’s child into a small café. In the back, I discovered a beautiful outdoor garden. Full of color. Crisp. Picture perfect.

I sat sipping my tea and with a journal in hand.

I was in the moment living the SLO life. I was in a happy place.

Now this is road trippin.

Start your engines.

Keren Weinstein is a seasoned professional in Fashion & Beauty with over 12 years in Integrated Marketing, Advertising and Celebrity Fashion Styling