In 2010, I decided to go to my first blog conference, BlogHer. Since I have treated my blog as a business for years, I registered for the BlogHer Business Conference, which was the day before the main conference. Then I got invited to go on a tour of Ellis Island. I totally wanted to do that instead. I listed my Business Conference pass for sale. I advertised it on the BlogHer Forums and on Twitter.

Kelly Olexa bought my pass. I wasn’t a regular on Twitter. In fact, I didn’t really like it that much. By that point, I had completely locked down my Facebook account and deleted more than half of my friend list. I was becoming a social media hermit, other than my blog.

But, between Kelly and I, there was no stopping the chatty. We made plans to meet up at the conference. Robin and I had dinner with Kelly at Nobu and hit it off. A match made over the chocolate bento box.

We stayed in touch and became better friends. We got to hang out again at Blog World since it was in Las Vegas.

Shortly after that conference, I remember when Kelly told me that she had an idea to start a business based around fitness influencers. As the idea grew, she asked if I would be on the Board of Advisors. This was, of course, FitFluential. I said yes.

FitFluential grew and morphed. I’m now FitFluential’s Chief Marketing Officer. I’m a part of something amazing that started with Kelly’s idea and has grown to more than 2,600 members in 10 months. We’re working with amazing brands. Every day, I am absolutely astounded by the camaraderie in the FitFluential Ambassador Community.

I’m here because of a tweet. One tweet. That’s how I connected with Kelly. Then we continued the conversation. We met at the conference. If someone told me in July 2010, when I was possibly at my unhappiest point in my legal career, that I would be leaving litigation to work full-time for a company like FitFluential, I would have laughed.

It’s possible. I’m proof. Nurture your connections. Be open to the possibilities. Take risks. It is worth losing a little (or a lot) of sleep.

Thank you to Kelly. Thank you to BlogHer. Thank you to Liberty Mutual for offering to take me to Ellis Island.  Thank you to Nobu for your sushi and chocolate bento box. Thank you to BlogWorld for not moving from Las Vegas in 2010. Thank you to everyone I’ve since connected with on social media. Learn the importance of this magical tool that we have. Use it to make your dreams come true.

Dad, Robin was going to write a post for you about yoga and heart health, but then she saw this one and thought it summed up things nicely. So she wanted me to pass along this link. Check out Heart-Opening Yoga Stretches.

Tamara has some great tips for improving heart health. She also gives you a kick in the pants about the cost of medication!

Dad, Heather gave you fantastic custom tips on cardiac-related nutrition therapy. They are fantastic and you must check them out.

Morgan came up with a recipe to a YUMMY heart healthy burrito recipe that I think you and mom should definitely try! (I know I am going to.)

Sahar has three simple ways to cook heart healthy. And they really are easy.

Alexandra and Kymberly have some great information that will help when your balance isn’t that great.

Here are some great tips on balance and posture, also from Kymberly and Alexandra.

And, last, we have this awesome personal message for you from Carla.

For every person who submitted a tip, I’m donating money $5 to the American Heart Association. I’ll donate $5 for myself to make it an even $50 since I preach it whenever I’m on the phone with you guys.

Readers, here’s where I need your help! I want to give more in honor of Heart Health on Valentine’s Day.

Click this link to tweet the following message: I’m helping @danielleliss support heart health! http://bit.ly/xg6tz1. She is donating money to @american_heart for every RT! #FitFluential

Help me support Heart Health on Valentine’s Day. For each tweet on February 14th, I will make a donation to the American Hearth Association, in my father’s name. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than that.

My mom almost lost her Valentine this year when my father had a stroke last month. I want to do something special for my parents this Valentine’s Day. I’m asking my blogger friends to help me compile a list of heart healthy blog posts and vlogs. I’m going to link them all on Valentine’s Day.

My father, like many stroke victims, has residual effects. He has issues with his vision and balance. He, like many Americans, also needs to make changes to his diet to ensure a long and healthy life.

Bloggers, can you help my dad out with some tips?

How about other tips on leading a heart healthy life?

For every submission, I’m going to make a donation to the American Heart Association. Also, because I love you all for helping me with this, I will pick one of the people who submits a link/vlog and that individual will win a $25 gift card to Amazon. I’ll make sure the e-card has a heart on it.

Right now, my dad is stuck in the house. Since he has balance issues, he is also seated a lot. If you have any suggestions for seated exercises, those are much appreciated. If you want to taunt him in your vlogs, his name is Mike. Now, let’s see if I can keep this hidden for a few days…

Can you resist this face? Didn't think so.

Oh, if anyone reading is feeling generous and wants to make donations too, let me know. I will happily track the grand total and announce it when we are done!

How this works: To submit your link, send me an email with HEART TIP in the subject line. dsliss [at] gmail [dot] com by 5 PM PST on February 12, 2012. Send me a link to the Youtube page because I always have to mess with the size of the embedded video size. I will publish the post on Valentine’s Day and send it to my dad. There will be another chance to raise some money for the American Heart Association in the post.

Lately, I feel the same spinning and dizziness, but there’s no Sit ‘n Spin. It’s life.

I want and need for things to calm down. For a moment. To catch my breath. To stop the constant whirling around me.

I’m frazzled. Muscles are tense. Fibro flares. Headaches. Severe pain. Panic.

Time. Every moment for myself seems stolen from something else. Falling behind. Always playing catch up.

Meticulously detailed lists have replaced my short term memory. If it isn’t on a list, it doesn’t get done. I won’t remember. I have no clue where my jury duty summons is for next week. And I love jury duty…

If your body can have tantrums, I think that describes what is happening. My hands shake. My muscles twitch. It hurts when I blink.

Just. Keep. Going.

A lot of my life is available for the public. I don’t keep a lot of secrets. I talked about my father’s stroke on Facebook and Twitter. The support and kindness from friends and acquaintances was simply staggering. I’ve said it countless times – internet friends are real. The support was overwhelming and helped so much during a very difficult time.

When I was in Jersey, my brother and I talked a bit about my experience at NAIAS. As I’ve said before, he bleeds Ford. I was excited to show him my photos. He told me about his fancy Ford toolbox at work that cost as much as a used Ford. (I haven’t seen it in person, but I think it may be larger than my closet as a child.) I told him all about the new Fusion and how I thought the new technology and choices were awesome. It was a good distraction during a really unpleasant situation. (A lot of the trip is a blur, but I think we were looking at the photos in the waiting room of the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at TJU.)

Last night, when I checked the mail, I noticed a letter from Ford. I thought it was possibly a follow-up about the trip. To my surprise, it was a handwritten note from Scott Monty, the head of Ford’s social media. The note referenced the blog post that I had written about my father’s stroke and let me know that they were thinking of me and my family and included some other very kind words.

I was truly speechless and very touched. I sent a text to my business partner. Showed it to my husband. Scanned it and sent it to my brother and father so that they could see it. My brother commented on how nice it was. (My father, who has not lost his sense of humor, does not understand why I am receiving letters when he is the one who had the stroke.) I’ve given this letter so much attention because Scott and Ford went above and beyond.

We live in a digital world. I kept friends updated about my father’s status through social media. Social communication has become an extension of who I am. I pin. I post. I update statuses. I tweet. I create polyvore boards. I stumble. The list goes on and on. But, when the time comes, I bust out my fancy stationery and I return to the lost art of correspondence. Because a handwritten note still means so much.

When I got back from NAIAS, I said that Ford changed my opinion about their company. Now, Ford has elevated themselves above other brands in my eyes. I hope that other brands will try to reach their level. Through authenticity, interaction and engagement.

Thank you to Scott and all of my friends at Ford. Your kindness means a great deal to me and my family.

Disclaimer: Ford Motor Company paid for my travel and accommodations at the 2-day Innovation and Design Fantasy Camp event. I was not compensated in any other manner for my time.  My opinions posted here are my own.

Tuesday afternoon, my cell phone rang. It was my mom. My father was in the hospital. He got sick on Sunday night and they took him to the hospital on Monday. He exhibited signs of Bell’s Palsy in his facial muscles and an inability to say certain things. He couldn’t close one eye and he had difficulty walking. As always, my parents determined that it would be best to call me after the fact (like a day) because I’m not there and they don’t want to worry me. By the time I got the news, the doctors had ruled out Bell’s Palsy and said that he had a stroke.

My father had a stroke and I was 2,500 miles away. My mom told me to call him on his cell since he didn’t have a phone in his room in the ICU. But, she stressed that he wasn’t supposed to be in the ICU. Some weirdness with the hospital in the even tinier town next to our tiny village.

Before calling my dad, I cried. It was more than just hearing that he had a stroke. It was, of course, the fact that I couldn’t immediately go there. I couldn’t comfort my mother who said all she wanted was for him to be home. To pet their bewildered doggie who didn’t understand why his favorite playmate wasn’t around. It pulled at my heart. It hurt. A lot.

I got it together and I called my dad. To hear his voice and his difficulty in forming words was painful. He was in good spirits. He made jokes. He was his usual self. His sense of humor was ever present. But his cell phone connection was bad. His phone disconnected once and he called me back. It disconnected again after crackling the entire time. After that, we didn’t reconnect. I figured it was too bad a connection. After it was too late to call him back due to the time zones, I realized that I didn’t tell him that I loved him. That nagged at me. I should have said it right away. In a situation like this…

I didn’t talk to my father on Wednesday. He was in tests and changing rooms. His first test was inconclusive. His doctor pushed for a second test.

This morning, I was still bothered by how the first call ended and I simply wanted to talk with him briefly and to make sure I told him that I loved him. I’m glad I called when I did. During that call, my father advised me that he was being transferred to a larger hospital in Philly because he needed surgery. They verified through the second test that it was indeed a stroke and he had an aneurysm. He tried to keep it light, but I knew that more was going on. I let him do his thing and made sure I told him that I loved him.

I called my husband in tears. I asked what I should do. Should I get on a plane? I then sent a text to my brother. He told me to call him. We are not a chatty people, so I knew something was up. Even though my father kept it light, what he failed to mention was that the aneurysm is at the base of his brain. He was being rushed to the hospital in Philly. It wasn’t just a transfer. My dad. Always trying to make sure that I don’t worry.

Right now, I’m on a plane. When I sent the text to my brother, I also sent a text to his wife. She said that if it were her, she would come. (Finally, someone who just says it!!) I hate that the flight is so long and that even planes feel so slow. However, I’m grateful that I’m on a plane that arrives around midnight and not tomorrow morning. I’m going straight to my brother’s. (Or Wawa. Plane food is not easy for the gluten-free woman and I can only eat so many larabars in a day.)

Tomorrow, I can see my family, hold them close and tell them all that I love them.

I have owned 12 Fords and you have owned none and I consider myself a full blooded Ford guy and you get to go to Detroit and also get to meet Ford people…

I arrived in Detroit on Sunday night. Our first planned activity was dinner with all of the bloggers (146 from 16 different countries) at The Henry Ford Museum. We had access to an exhibit that is not yet open to the public and it was stunning. My favorite piece at the museum was a simple piece about innovation. Thomas Edison’s signature.

NAIAS started on Monday and was open only to the press. We started the morning with Ford’s introduction of the 2013 Ford Fusion.

Before we talk about the car, I want to talk about Ford. Ford GETS social media. They understand the importance of having bloggers at a launch. Their executives made time during the day to meet with bloggers and answer questions. Green bloggers got to ask about sustainability. There were questions about safety. Even the CEO came to talk with us. Bloggers and social media influencers. Why? Because even though CNN is posting it’s slideshow of the interesting cars that were on the floor at NAIAS, Ford understands that social media influencers will spread the word to their audience and that it means more than just a few seconds on the news. If I tell you at the end of this blog post that everything I saw over the two days I spent with Ford changed my opinion about American cars forever, that means a whole lot more than popping a photo into a slide show, doesn’t it? When I met the Chevy Volt, I said that the American car companies need to go after the yuppies who have biases against their cars. Guess what? Ford is doing that with me and I say bravo. They could clearly bring a bunch of bloggers who are all like my brother, who bleed Ford, and get the best press ever. But it doesn’t mean as much then. Might as well just go with CNN articles all day, right? So, for the diversity of the crowd and having the balls to recognize the power of social media, I applaud Ford, Scott Monty and his team.

Now, let’s talk about the car. I like shiny stuff and it is not hard to get my attention. It is hard, however, to keep my attention. The Fusion kept my full attention for at least 36 hours. Ford, good job.

This is my summary of the Fusion: People know they like Camry and Accord, but they want something different. Ford wants to give them something different and they want to give them the power of choice.

The choice that people have is the part that I love the most. People have the option to choose a gas, gas-hybrid or electric plugin. Even the gas version has ecoboost and will get an estimate of 37 mpg.

(Infographic by Ford and provided in their press materials.)

The cars are beautiful. This shiny red Fusion is the regular gas engine with Ecoboost.

This one is the Fusion Energi, which is the electric plugin. It gets approximately 100 MPGE (miles per gallon equivalent). [This information was updated based on a comment. Thanks, Dave!!]

The chief engineer on the Fusion said that one of the things people wanted in a hybrid was a more attractive car. I think they covered that.

Remember when I fell in love with the Chevy Volt? (I briefly got to see that too.)

I would love to have a plugin car. But I am put off by the price. Plus, my Insight has under 21,000 miles on it. It’s well behaved and it’s a Honda, so I know that it will live forever. You see, the price is not yet available for the Fusion. I have made some assumptions though.

The Ford Focus EV is available. The base for that car is around $40,000 (similar to the Volt). Normally, the base model of the Focus is around $5,000 cheaper than the Fusion. These are base models. So, I am guessing that the Fusion Energi’s base model will fall between $45-50,000. But I have the power of choice right? No, I don’t want to choose the Ecoboost because it is what I can afford. I want a plugin that isn’t $40,000 or more. That’s my biggest con regarding the vehicle. I love the way it looks. I love the safety features. But, for me to get into an American car, it’s going to be a plugin and it is going to be more affordable.

[Updated: check out the comment from Dave re: my thoughts on pricing. Very interesting points.]

Oh, and if you want to know why the Fusion only kept my attention for 36 hours, it is because Robin told me about the press conference that Honda did to announce the 2013 Accord. They have a plugin too. And it is also really pretty. AND it’s a Honda.

So, Fusion, I like you. I think you are awesome. I don’t know if we will ever date, but I think I could set you up with friends.

The big question: Did Ford change my opinion about American cars? I don’t know if they changed my opinion about all American cars. They sure as hell changed my opinion about Ford. I still don’t get my brother’s Mustang obsession, but I see Ford as truly innovative. They are focused on sustainability and the environment. Safety is one of their main priorities. I was impressed by everything that I saw on my trip. Their brand has changed in my eyes. Thank you, Ford. Job well done.

Ford Motor Company paid for my travel and accommodations at the 2-day Innovation and Design Fantasy Camp event, I was not compensated in any other manner for my time.  My opinions posted here are my own.

I can finally say that something related to my life in social media is interesting to my brother. When I got the initial invitation, I sent him a text and told him that I was going to the North American International Auto Show and then I would get to play at Ford Headquarters. (What’s that? Yes, I will be there during the press preview! SWEET!) While you know that I am a Japanese car lover, my brother bleeds Ford. His Cobra? Never touched by rain. I’m pretty sure he will care about the posts related to this trip.

On Monday, I will spend the day at NAIAS. First, I get to be a part of some cool stuff with Ford. (And I might not drive an American car (ever), but I am from south Jersey. This Pennsville girl knows more about cars than she lets on.) Then, I’m going on the prowl. I’m hoping to meet some shiny pretty new friends.

But, more importantly, I want to meet the new electric cars. All of them. I fell in love with the Volt when I met it. I thought it might get me to break up with Japanese cars. (It hasn’t and I don’t think it will. My Insight is 2. It is silly to consider buying a new car at the present time. Right?) I want to meet all of the eco-options that the NAIAS has to offer. Ford also has an electric car and I want to talk to it. Of course, I also want to see if Honda has the Fit EV on display. (i.e., available to take home.)

On Tuesday, I get to attend Ford’s Innovation & Design Fantasy Camp. In other words, I get to meet car designers and see what they do. I cannot wait to hear about green technology and what might be coming next.

Get ready for lots of awesome car photos and fun stories of my adventure in Detroit!

It’s not like I don’t talk about fitness. I talk about it all of the time. FitFluential, remember? (Have you joined? I would really like it if you did. You don’t have to be a blogger. Go. Make Danielle happy in 2012.) I want to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. After being unreasonably sick for days last week, I decided that it was time to take action. It was time to start moving again.

On the same day, a package arrived. I received Working Out Sucks.

Let me tell you a secret: I hate working out. I have fibromyalgia and working out hurts. It does horrific things to my tender little tendons. I am CRAZY and competitive and I go overboard and always end up hurting myself. But, I am supposed to like it. FitFluential! Me! Singing it!

So after my heath ordeal seemed to be over, I gathered my beloved Polar HRM, a not beloved sports bra, socks and I piled them right next to my glasses and thyroid pills. They were going to taunt me when I woke up on Saturday morning. And I was going to put on all of the items and get on the treadmill. (FYI – treadmill would be at least 78% more awesome with this. Passport Player. So cool.)

I got up on Saturday, added my gear, grabbed the book and began walking. I read and walked for about 1.5 miles. Then I walked fast for the last .5 so the book had to be set aside. I repeated the process today. I will repeat it tomorrow. I will make it a habit. (Although I am pretty far into the book. Don’t worry. There will be multiple reviews because I have a lot to say, like usual.) I also started doing a plank a day. Ouch. That’s all I am doing so that I don’t cause a fibro flare.

You’ve heard me embrace a new fitness routine so many times. And then you’ve heard me make so many excuses as to why I didn’t stick to it. I don’t have time. So much stuff going on! Busy! Very important lady with cats to pet! Such bullshit.

I am Chuck Runyon’s ideal reader because a) I read on the treadmill, b) my cats are really fat (but are dieting successfully – involuntarily) and c) I am highly dependent on sugar as I cannot have caffeine. (Don’t worry, Runyon and I have some differences of opinion, which I’ll get to in a different post.)

Do you really think that the CEO of Anytime Fitness would say that working out sucks if he wasn’t trying to get your attention? That’s his goal throughout the entire first section. Runyon says some things that may piss you off. Guess what? That’s what he is trying to do. Just like every lawyer I know is a zealous advocate for their cause, so is Runyon. You have to use some vivid imagery to move people and Runyon is trying to literally MOVE people. Regardless of whether I thought, geez, he just made me feel like crap because I like to order the fried _____ when we go out to eat, he is still right. At the end of each section, he gives a short synopsis. I agreed with each of them.

I spend an assload of money on healthy food. But I supplement my diet with more “corn sugar” than I should because I am overtired and need a quick boost of energy. I need to take my high fructose corn syrup money and invest in some new sports bras. (The jiggle is not okay. Again, we’ll talk in another post.) I am now working with a new doctor who will help me stop investing in pills and find the nutritional allergies that are underlying my illnesses. (See the things I’ve been up to?) If I can’t take 45 minutes to accessorize properly, walk two miles and plank, what is the rest of it for? Am I really being FitFluential?

This book is here to get you over the excuses. Cut the crap. If you don’t like working out, guess what? A whole lot of people don’t. They suck it up and do it anyway. Get over yourself and get moving. Now get on the floor and show me your plank. And, for your sake, I hope a cat doesn’t climb on top of you.

Book Giveaway!!

I have three copies of Working Out Sucks to give away.

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Disclosure: I am the Chief Marketing Officer of FitFluential LLC. Anytime Fitness is a client of FitFluential. The book I reviewed and the copies I am giving to readers were provided by the client. All thoughts and opinions in the post are my own.