What's Happening...

For the next several months, the Body + Soul team is putting me through a sort of "whole living" makeover; I hope to share the experience with you. I've always been very active and healthy, and I'm very knowledgeable about fitness and nutrition. In fact, for almost 2 years I've been doing a healthy living segment on Good Day Tampa Bay, and I'm also the founder and owner of Her Sports and Fitness magazine. But when it comes to work-life balance and "whole living," I could use some work.

I'll be trying new activities, such as Pilates, yoga, and tai chi, and I'll be learning about natural products, supplementation, and meditation. I may even experience a detox program. I'm definitely skeptical about some of the things I'll be experiencing and thrilled about others. But one thing's for sure, it will be interesting. I hope you will join me during this journey and also share with me your thoughts, ideas, and questions.

If you want to find out more about my background or if you're interested in seeing my photo albums, go to dawnastone.com.

Until the next update, keep moving and stay healthy!

My Introduction to the World of Blogs

When I was first asked to write a blog, I was extremely hesitant. Until recently, I had never even seen a blog. Partway through The Apprentice airing, a few of the cast members forwarded some links to several message boards and blogs that were discussing the show. I can’t say my first experience with blogs was a positive one. In fact, it was pretty disheartening.

While reading the different blogs that covered The Apprentice, I learned that, although I was one of the favorites to win, most of the comments about me were superficial. That is, they had nothing at all to do with my background, experience, or performance on the show. In fact, most of the comments focused on my appearance and specifically my weight.

I, like most women, am very conscious about my body and my weight. Being an athlete my entire life, I’ve been forced to participate in team weigh-ins, ridiculed for gaining a pound, and brought to tears by certain coaches. That said, it’s been years since I’ve had anyone publicly discuss my weight. I’m very active, know a great deal about nutrition, and tend to lead a healthy lifestyle (except for the occasional chocolate binge, of course). So having the public discuss my weight was not something I had bargained for when signing up for The Apprentice.

I began filming the show at what I considered a healthy weight, but during the show I lost so much weight that I not only looked horrible but often felt horrible. Four weeks into the show I weighed a very unhealthy 99 pounds and was pinning my pants so they wouldn’t fall off! I knew weight loss was a side effect of being a candidate on Mark Burnett’s Survivor, but I didn’t realize the same would be true for The Apprentice.

I don’t think the audience ever got a true feeling for how difficult The Apprentice experience was. In addition to pulling all-nighters--sometimes even two nights in a row--we rarely had time to eat. Or if we did eat, it was an afterthought and was usually on the go--a handful of crackers, granola bars, and soda. The months of filming were by far the unhealthiest time of my life.

Although hesitant at first, I am really excited about writing this blog. If there are any specific things you want to ask me about The Apprentice or my current experience at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, please don't hesitate.

Until the next update, keep moving and stay healthy!

About Me

Welcome!

My goal for this blog is to share with you my experience over the next year at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and also to share with you some of the things that are extremely important to me:

• Health
• Wellness
• Fitness
• Nutrition
• Business

I’d also like to share my New York experience, as I’m a California girl at heart--how I’m coping being away from my friends, family, husband, and two dogs. And of course I am always happy to discuss The Apprentice.

Given my background, I’m very excited about the opportunity with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. For those of you who are interested in what I’ll be doing at MSLO over the next year, I wanted to give a quick update:

I’m living and working in New York City. I found a cute (very small!) apartment on the Upper West Side. Martha and her designer, Kevin Sharkey, are decorating the entire apartment in Martha Stewart Signature furniture. So although the apartment is extremely small, it will be beautifully decorated--something that Martha and Kevin are much better at than I am. Martha will be covering the decorating and will present the finished apartment on her daily television show Martha. I’ll let you know when the episodes will air.

Regarding my apprenticeship, I’ll be spending half my time helping grow the Body + Soul brand and half my time with the MSLO TV and radio group. Specifically I’ll be: writing a monthly column in Body + Soul magazine, doing a monthly segment on Martha’s daily television show, regularly appearing on Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius, developing events for Body + Soul, speaking at several health and wellness events, and of course, writing this blog. I also have a few big and really exciting projects in the works that I hope to be able to share with you in the next few weeks.

If you want to find out more about my background or if you're interested in seeing my photo albums, go to dawnastone.com

Unil the next update, keep moving and stay healthy!