Dancing with the Stars' Josie Maran's Diet and Workout

Dancing with the Stars

Well, here I am in New York City, doing press to promote Josie Maran cosmetics. Tonight I'm going to an event that's sponsored by Whole Foods. It's called Teens for Safe Cosmetics, and the goal is to educate teenagers about the stuff that's in the beauty products they use, so they're aware of what it does to their skin and the environment. Some products are definitely better for you than others, depending on the ingredients. When I created my Josie Maran cosmetics, I wanted to be sure the focus was on toxin-free, organic ingredients -- nothing that will hurt the environment. I am a spokesperson for Global Green, an environmental advocacy group, so I am really aware of this issue. Plus, I grew up near San Francisco, and the healthy-living movement is so big there.

The good news is, the press has been great so far. The bad news is, traveling has made it hard to keep up with my 30-Day FITNESS Makeover. Eating every three hours when you're on a plane or running from one meeting to the next is harder than you'd think. Yesterday morning, I left California at 4:30 a.m., but by the time I landed in New York and got to my hotel, in was already late afternoon, so I missed my midday salad -- and I skipped the workout. I feel little guilty about it, but nobody is perfect, and I've been really diligent about sticking to the program up until this point. So I'm cutting myself a little slack, and when I get home, I'll go back to the program right away, I promise.

I talked to my editor at FITNESS again today, and I told her that one of the things I appreciate about the Fluidity workout is how easy it is to pick it up just from watching the DVD. With Dancing with the Stars, I was struggling for six hours a day to master the steps. Just learning the basics takes forever if you don't have a dance background, which I didn't. My Fluidity workout is stuff I know I can do -- simple moves that tone all your major muscles, plus muscles you didn't realize you had.

Dancing with the Stars taught me that I need to get my body stronger, so that's why I'm doing this program. I hope I can keep with it after the 30 days are over -- I sort of thought that by now it would feel like a familiar habit for me, but it's still work. I'm optimistic that I'll stick with it for the long haul because the bottom line is, I'm doing this for me. I want to be healthy. In my business, no one is going to ask you to how many sit ups you can do, or whatever. No one checks up on whether you work out, as long as you look good when you show up to work. So I did this for myself -- it's up to me to continue. Want to try the workout? Check out the February issue of FITNESS for all the details, or go to www.fluidity.com.

Wake up: Coffee with whole milk, 15 mixed nuts

Midmorning: Piece of fruit, hard-boiled egg

Late morning: Veggies with hummus

Early afternoon: Whole grains like quinoa, salad with olive or hempseed oil and lemon

Late afternoon: O.N.E. coconut water (from Whole Foods Market) with Jay Robb's egg white protein powder, berries, and ground flaxseeds (blend together to make a smoothie)

Dinner: Grilled fish, veggie chips, guacamole dip

**Josie supplemented her diet with three New Chapter Every Woman supplements in the morning, three at lunch, and a B-complex vitamin daily.

Originally published on FitnessMagazine.com, February 2008.