This past Monday I gave away my #140Conf NYC ticket because I’m having surgery tomorrow (well for some of you, by the time you read this it will be today) and I couldn’t attend. Now it turns out that I won’t be able to attend the very cool Fitness & Health Bloggers Conference in Colorado either.
Major bummer!

So, since I’ll be in bed, hopped up on pain killers, and can’t use my conference pass, I’ve decided to pass it on for someone else to enjoy.  Here is the conference agenda for you to check out to see if you’d like to enter to win. All you have to do is leave a comment below on what you’d hope to get out of the conference and how you’d pass that information/experience on to help others.

Since the conference is already at the end of next week, I will announce the winner this Friday, the 17th. I can’t say what time though, it all depends on how well my heavily medicated brain is functioning.

Best of Luck & Namaste!

]]> http://fitarella.com/2011/06/win-my-ticket-to-the-fitness-health-bloggers-conference/feed/ 8 http://fitarella.com/2010/10/blogging-for-sofia-a-call-for-support/ http://fitarella.com/2010/10/blogging-for-sofia-a-call-for-support/#comments Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:16:07 +0000 Fitarella http://fitarella.com/?p=1828

As someone that has been in recovery for an Eating Disorder for 10 years, one of my biggest fears is that my daughter would one day follow in my ED footsteps. But even scarier that that is the thought that if she did suffer from an ED, would I be able to get/pay  for the treatment she needed?

Approximately 11 million people suffer from an eating disorder – the HIGHEST mortality rate of any mental illness. Twenty percent of people with an ED will die prematurely from complications related to their disease.

Yet, unlike depression and other mental illnesses, EDs are not often covered by health insurance. Insurance companies regularly deny patients coverage, which is expensive and long term. And if an insurance companies does cover the treatment, they base “wellness” on the person’s body mass index (BMI), without considering the crucial psychiatric treatment for the emotional & mental issues that linger long after the patient reaches that magic BMI number of 18.5.

Federal legislation is addressing the issue—but only partially. Insurance providers are clever little suckers and are constantly finding loopholes to set limits on treatment & coverage.

So today, I ask you to help in supporting a young girl, Sofia Benbahmed, that wants to get well and is fighting for her life to do so, yet her insurance company has cut her off.

I am in a place where I am willing and wanting to get well, but due to the long term nature and severity of my illness I need a lot of help to do so. Eating disorder treatment, especially in the form recommended for someone with a disorder as severe as my own, is incredibly expensive. What is being professionally recommended (and has been for some time now) for me is help in the form of residential treatment: a live in center where I can be monitored at meal times and afterward, receive therapy in group and individual form, see a dietician and a doctor and be medically monitored with a nursing staff. Last year in November I was admitted to such a facility: it is called Monte Nido and is located in Southern California. During my time there I began to feel myself changing and rising to the occasion in a way I never had before. It was as though all of these years I have been in a room with no doors or windows, and suddenly doors began to appear – and not only did they become visible, but I began to walk through them. It is the only way that I have been able to describe it. Unfortunately, due to the cost of treatment, most insurance companies are unwilling to cover the recommended length of time. Generally they will cover a few weeks, some of the better companies will cover a few months – but in January of 2008 my insurance policy changed from a less problematic carrier to United Behavioral Health. UBH has been atrociously inappropriate in providing me the coverage that I need to get well. After 3 weeks at Monte Nido, UBH stopped paying for my treatment and I had to leave.

Sadly, Sofia’s story is not uncommon, but she is trying to do something about it and is fighting for her life.  And we (and by we I mean me & you) can help, by shedding a light on this issue and speaking up to advance the federal recognition of eating disorders as a public health priority. Organizations such as the Eating Disorders Coalition, is working tirelessly on this mission. You can like them on facebook here.

Sofia is now working with an attorney named Lisa Kantor who has worked exclusively with clients with eating disorders, helping them to get their insurance companies to authorize appropriate levels and lengths of care. Lisa has agreed to work with her on a contingency basis, which means that unless they win in court, she doesn’t get paid anything. In the meantime, Sofia, desperately needs to be in a long term treatment facility and is trying to raise funds to do so.

You can read Sofia’s story on GivingForward.org and also make a donation to support her treatment.  I don’t be believe we have to have lots of money to donate and support others.  It can be as simple as forgoing your $5 Starbucks coffee today and passing that $5 on to Sofia.

Thanks for reading.

The top 50 are listed, but you need to vote on their order. The rules are: you can only vote once, but you can vote for as many as you want. Voting will go on untill the 29th and the official list will be posted on September 30th on Mamavation. So head on over there and support your favorites.  Yes, yours truly is on the list as @Fitarella and I am honored to be listed with such amazing tweeps.

Vote now!

The correct answer is Calvin & Hobbes.

Congrats Cassie! Email me your mailing address ASAP so I can Fedex you the pass

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13th TO ALL! (I believe its a day of GOOD luck!)

THANK YOU for an AWESOME picnic!

@FionaFit -  Click here for Healthworks 3 day Pass for Fitarella readers!

@WFM_FreshPond

@MixBakery

@OrganicJoos

The winner will be chosen tonight at 11:59 pm EST and
I will fedex you the pass so you have it in time.

(Mom & Cody (the artist that painted it) please do NOT give out the answer)

Good Luck! And think ALL cartoon characters, not just TV

]]> http://fitarella.com/2010/08/healthworks-giveaway/feed/ 19 http://fitarella.com/2010/05/biggest-loser-finale-subway-partaaaaaay/ http://fitarella.com/2010/05/biggest-loser-finale-subway-partaaaaaay/#comments Fri, 21 May 2010 12:39:29 +0000 Fitarella http://fitarella.com/?p=1374

Ok, you party people are you ready for some fun?! I am!!

Next Tuesday, May 25th, I have been invited to be a panelist, along with some other fabulous ladies for a live twitter party sponsored by Subway and we want YOU to be there too!! We are all going to be watching the finale live together and chatting about healthy living (and of course how I met Bob and he laid hands on me during yoga *swoon*).
And we will be cheering on our girl Shay Sorrells for her final weigh in.

Who is Shay?

Shay Sorrells is inspirational. She is a wife and mother of two small children. As a child, she was in foster care from age 5 to 18 and from that became an emotional eater. When she started, she weighed in at 467 lbs. and was the biggest girl to ever enter the Biggest Loser program. She had a tough road ahead of her and almost gave up the very first day, but hope kept her there. She fought to say on campus and create a healthier lifestyle. Becoming healthier was very important to her. While she was on campus, she shed 172 lbs. and she is a perfect example of how the human spirit can triumph against all odds.

Shay Sorrells aka @ShayBL didn’t win the Biggest Loser. But none of us cared, because we loved her and she inspired us.

At the end of the season, Subway offered her a very special challenge. For every pound Shay loses in between Season #8 Finale and Season #9 Finale, Subway will match that pound with $1,000. So if she loses another 100 lbs, she gets $100,000. Can you imagine? What an awesome way to keep her focused, driven and continuing to inspire us all. Props to Subway!

During the Biggest Loser Season #9 finale on May 25th, Shay will weigh in for the first time since Season #8 and Subway is throwing a BIG twitter party in celebration. Shay will step on the scale and we will all find out how much she weight she has lost and how much cash Subway is going to reward her with.

Celebrate with us LIVE during the Biggest Loser Finale #GOSHAY Twitter Party sponsored by Subway on Tuesday, May 25th from 8pm to 10pm EST. We are going to watch the finale together LIVE and chat about healthy living and Subway sandwiches. LET’S PARTAAAAAY!!!!

GIVEAWAYS:

* GRAND PRIZE: Interview with Shay & $50 Subway gift certificate (1 winner)
* GRAND PRIZE: Interview with Jared & $50 Subway gift certificate (1 winner)
* Gaiam Metro Gym Bag (1 winner)
* iPod Shuffle w/ $10 iTunes gift card (1 winner)
* Dicks Sporting Goods $50 gift card (1 winner)
* $25 Subway gift certificate (4 winners)

How to enter (Must be present to win!): Please tweet the following message

“Join Biggest Loser Finale Party w/ @SUBWAYfreshbuzz & support @ShayBL’s weigh-in 5/25 @ 8pm EST, http://bit.ly/cwj5Kh #GOSHAY”

Extra Entries: Go tweet crazy people!!! Every time you tweet this message you get an extra entry. So tweet as many times as you want. There are no limits on how many entries you can have. Just make sure to go here and comment every time you tweet and include your twitter ID with each comment.

Make Sure to Follow our Panelists for the night:
Hostess Leah Segedie as @bookieboo
Sponsor @Subwayfreshbuzz
@Mizfitonline
@Ronisweigh
@Momspective
@FatfighterTV
@Fitarella
@LisaJohnson
@Savorthethyme
@ReneeJRoss
@GoMcLean
@shrinkingjeans

See ya at the party!!!!! Wooohooo!

Vote HERE

Here is my video submission:

THANK YOU THANK YOU! If there is ever any way I can return the favor please let me know.

Click HERE to vote NOW!