Om power!

Oxygen's assistant editor Sandy Braz is an urban gal who takes great inspiration from you – the Oxygen reader! Here, she strolls her downtown neighborhood, on her way to a workout. Says Sandy: "I'm so inspired by readers who live the Oxygen lifestyle every day by eating clean and sticking to their routines." (She loves yoga, btw!)

Cover model reveals all! (sort of)

Now I'm not saying on this early Monday morning that I am trying to be provocative; that our mag is one of those tell-all rags spilling secrets of the rich and famous (hello, Kitty Kelley!). In fact, we try very hard to get it right every month, including getting all kinds of personal information about our models. We know you like it (and so do we!). Take cover model Miryah Scott who tells her story in Oxygen's Abs Special issue and will be continuing the conversation in Oxygen later this summer (her first column starts in July, so keep an eye out for it). It may not be as fascinating as Oprah's unauthorized bio but you'll learn something new about this interesting gal, that I can promise you. What I've learned recently is this: the more you know, the better. Be it about training, nutrition or what makes somebody tick – soak it all up. You never know who or what will be your next source of inspiration. Have a great, active week!

She loves to manage us!

Meet Oxygen's managing editor Samantha Israel who, as it happens, took home the top prize in last year's fitness challenge here at the office. She's at it again, working out frenetically and trying to get those abs to pop! "My abs are my fitness benchmark. When I can see two to four of them, I know my routine is up to par. When I'm all belly, it's time for more weighted declines, reverse crunches and bicycles," says Sam, also Clean Eating's managing editor. Here she is kayaking in Westchester, NY.

Meet Oxygen's fitness editor!

Ever wonder about the faces behind the mag? Here's our fitness editor Rachel Crocker on her way (surprise, surprise) to an abs workout! "Between training my back, legs, arms, chest and the occasional cardio session, working my abs sometimes gets lost in the mix. Stability ball roll-ups and weighted crunches are high on my must-do exercise list!" says Rachel.

(Check out Oxygen's new Abs Special on newsstands now and let me know what you think!) Talk to you later this week!

Get outside!

I'm not sure how it is for you, but every Friday I make a plan in my head about my upcoming weekend workouts. And this one excites me because I'll be outdoors more than ever! The sun is supposed to shine all weekend and it's bike time for me! What's kind of neat is the camaraderie that occurs out on the road with other cyclists and somehow, in the spring, there are a ton of us on the road! (My big goal is to find a bike pump that does double duty on both my mountain bike and road bike...wish me luck!) Have fun this weekend and get outdoors! Talk to you Monday! (And may the wind be at your back!!!!!)

Are you a success story?

I need your help! We are already at work on our next Oxygen Collector's Issue slated for the fall and we are looking for great success stories. Send any and all to us here at Oxygen – I'd love to hear what you have to say about how your life has altered!

I've said this before but I truly believe women derive great inspiration from each other – especially when it comes to making major life changes. Take our Abs cover gal, Miryah Scott - in just a year she went from out of shape to getting a pro card! (Read her story in our new issue out this week!) So share your story! (who knows? you may read about yourself in an upcoming Oxygen Collector's Special!) Talk to you again later this week.

Behind-the-scenes cover shoot

So here we are – Miryah (centre), our new cover model for the new Abs issue, just out this week, Erin (right) our art director, and yours truly, getting in a few laughs after a long day on set. I have to say it was an inspiring day! After getting Miryah to try on – and shoot her in a half dozen bathing suits – Miryah tried on a pair of her own jeans (that fit her like a glove, btw) and suddenly it worked! She relaxed into the moment. And that moment was caught by photographer Paul Buceta and became our cover shot! Confidence is truly magical! And isn't that true for all of us? You don't have to be a cover model to realize that being comfortable and feeling good in your own skin translates into confidence. And, maybe, just maybe, we should gain confidence not in wearing what we think we should – but in what we're comfortable in; what's good for us! But tell me – Is that true for you? Do you feel more confident when you're in your own jeans?

Say what?

I have to tell you how happy I am with Oxygen's latest book, Pick it Kick it! Not only did I get to research all about nutrition and fat loss, but I learned all kinds of nifty facts pertinent to all of us struggling to find new ways to stay on the clean-eating and exercise track. For example, one of the facts in the book is this: Cutting down on fat and losing those pounds will save you money in the long run. According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, a 10% weight loss will reduce an overweight person's lifetime medical costs by $2,200–$5,300 . Yikes! If you don't need another reason to lose a few pounds, how about cheaper medical costs? Works for me!!!!!

p.s. There's tons of motivation and tips in the book. Buy it here!

p.p.s. The Abs special goes on sale tomorrow!!!!

5 minutes to great abs!

I know, I know...there are millions of people promising the world and all you want are flat abs, right? I hear you...but in our upcoming Oxygen Collector's special issue, Abs, we actually deliver! Here is a sneak preview of one of the articles in the mag, packed full of handy, easy tips to get you the abs you deserve. Pick it up on newsstands April 6 or order it online.

p.s. Have a great weekend. I think I'm going to have to adopt Carla's adaptation of workout this weekend – looking forward to my next outdoor "play" out!!!!! Have fun and we'll chat next week.