Be the Change

I recently had the privilege of spending an afternoon with personal trainer Melissa Cardone of Peak Fitness.

What was supposed to be a quick photo shoot for her new personal training website, quickly turned into lot of laughs and chatting about everything fitness, motherhood, and finding her way in a fitness industry that is saturated with local and online trainers.

Melissa is the kind of person you can only hope to have in your circle of friends. Someone who has a kind and genuine heart, who listens with intent, who wants to make the world a better place by instilling confidence, strength and health in others. She’s someone who inspires others daily, not only as a personal trainer, but as a friend, a strong woman, a mom. She engages others in a way that makes you want to be a better person, makes you want to reach your goals, makes you believe in yourself.

A lifelong athlete, Melissa mixes her personal experiences of fitness with her professional personal training background to provide you with guaranteed success through a mixture of challenging workouts and the motivation you need to keep moving when you want to give up. Whether she is training clients (and also working out with them), kickboxing, coaching her online clients, or leading group workouts and even mommy and me workouts with the help of her adorable son, she is constantly striving to make those around her find the best versions of themselves.

If you’re looking for a unique workout regimine that incorporates a vision of thinking outside the box to reach your fitness goals, Melissa is your girl. Whether you are years into your fitness journey, or just beginning, she has the plans to meet all your needs.

Check out Melissa at @peakfitnessny on Instagram, online at peakfitnessny.com, or Peak Fitness on Facebook.

Spring Blips

“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature. The assurance that dawn comes after night, and Spring after Winter.” – Rachel Carson Spring has always been by one of my favorite seasons, falling second only to the crisp days of Fall. It’s the season of new green grass, blooming flowers and the time to plant new seeds, both in our gardens and in our lives. Spring 2016 was a season filled with what would one year later be referred merely to as a “blip”. It was the season of my cancer diagnosis; the season that my cancer Read More

Dear Mom

July 27, 2016 Dear Mom – Thank you for letting me take you to one of my favorite places tonight, despite you urging me to rest and “take it easy”.  This weekend, marking my fourth Taxol treatment, has been so memorable; the fun parts and the painful ones.  Life goes by so quickly, and in a time when we could have easily agreed for me to rest and say “there’s always next time”, I”m so grateful that instead we decided to make the memories. I love you. Sammy  

Cancer Is Like a Snowstorm

February 2, 2017 “Cancer is like a snowstorm. Every snowflake is different just like every cancer tumor is different.” – Dr. Barry Taylor, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center “It’s impossible,” said pride. “It’s risky,” said experience. “It’s pointless,” said reason. “Give it a try,” whispered the heart.” This quote popped up in my memories from a year ago. Similar to the note I found to my parents a year after it was written, I questioned why I would have saved this last year, forgetting it was there sitting in my phone all this time. Saved prior to my diagnosis, prior Read More

The Story of Maura

6 week Radiation Follow Up Ahhhh…back to those gowns! This morning was my six week follow up with Dr. Torres. Six weeks since my last radiation treatment. Funny how time passes; a feeling of seeming like it was just yesterday that I was laying on that cold, hard table day after day, while at the same time feeling like it was a lifetime ago walking through those double doors into that radiation room. My appointment was quick, 15 minutes at best and the majority of that time was going over vitals and the latest supplements added to my daily handful, Read More