At first, you might not think that Mick Jagger and David A. Kessler, MD, have much in common. The lead singer of The Rolling Stones has belted out nine number one singles and dated super models galore since the early 1960’s. Dr. Kessler, former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, made his mark tackling big tobacco, standardizing nutrition labels and exposing why people overeat in The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite.   Yet these two rock stars - one literal, the other figurative – have elicited my undying fandom, 30 years apart.

Mick has never been a pretty man. But to my 14-year-old self, he was the height of coolness. A framed, black and white photo of his face hung on the bedroom wall above my pillow in the same spot that Catholic friends placed their crosses.  I played my 45 record singles of Satisfaction and Start Me Up so often the grooves were practically worn out.  Finally the chance came to see The Rolling Stones perform during their Steel Wheels tour in 1989. The concert was amazing, from the opening track to Mick’s non-stop stage swagger.

Kessler’s work at the FDA first caught my attention when he tried to regulate cigarettes.  During the past few years, that admiration continued to grow. Like me, Kessler is a weight loss success story who is passionate about helping others become healthier. His recent book showed how food companies manipulate consumers into obesity with the triple team attack of fat, sugar and salt. Kessler became increasingly awesome in my eyes without ever jetting around in a G6.

Today, I got to see Kessler speak at a book festival in Atlanta. Unlike the Stones concert, I didn’t catch a whiff of illegal substances and no one threw their underwear on the stage. When he finished an important part of the presentation, Kessler sat down in his armchair and gulped water instead of Jack Daniels. He wore a dark suit and scuffed brown shoes in contrast to Mick’s low cut shirts and leather pants. Still, the crowd couldn’t get enough, and neither could I. Funny how your idols change at different points in your life.

Who did you idolize growing up – and who inspires your admiration now?

Nearly 40 years ago, Clint Eastwood uttered “Do you feel lucky?” in the movie Dirty Harry, turning it into a pop culture catch phrase.  Of course, he was pointing a gun at the recipient of that question.  All weapons aside, I feel like a lucky person. Little things such as catching four green lights in a row when I’m running late or finding a parking meter with time still paid on it reinforce that feeling, as do major ones  like finding the love of my life and having some amazing friends. All without having to eat a breakfast cereal that claims to be “magically delicious.”

I remember the first time I won something by chance and not skill. It was a $15.00 gift certificate at a Gap store, just in time to buy new clothes for the 8^th grade.  Just a few months ago, I was jazzed to win a heart rate monitor by following a Rita Barry’s cool healthy living blog – and found myself equally excited.  

The epitome of good luck is often seen as winning the lottery.  I buy a ticket about three or four times a year. Haven’t won anything more than $2 on a scratch off card. However, the time spent daydreaming about what to do with the potential windfall is entertaining. What’s sad is how many lottery winners go from riches to flat broke in a short period of time. In perspective, guess they didn’t need that gold plated toilet, backyard petting zoo or fleet of muscle cars after all.  

Speaking about the lottery, I just read a story about Allen and Violet Large, an elderly couple in Nova Scotia who won $11 million. The Larges have methodically been giving those winnings away to charity while continuing to live modestly.  What really touched me is what Allen said he wished he could buy with those winnings – his wife’s health.  You see, Violet has cancer. But way before they ever landed the winning ticket, the Larges were lucky. Because they have and appreciate each other.

What in your life makes you feel lucky?

When I was single, I had a lot of first dates with guys who prided themselves on being adventure seekers. You know, the sort who went sky-diving or kayaking in Class Five Rapids with the same frequency that I schedule pedicures. When they started talking about how we should go bungee jumping or rock climbing on date two, I knew it wasn’t a fit. My idea of a great view comes from riding in an airplane or helicopter, not being suspended by my knuckles on a hang glider. (Disclaimer – while my dear boyfriend loves extreme scuba diving, he’d be perfectly delighted if I read a book on the beach while he swims with the sharks.)

However, a recent conversation with fitness expert Kelli Calabrese (www.kellicalabrese.com) has opened my eyes to the benefits of adventure.  Turns out that being more adventurous and active is something you can learn.

“People who have a more developed pre-frontal cortex tend to be more adventurous – they find new hiking trails, run through rivers, like to be up and engaged,” Kelli explains. “All of us have this part of our brain and we just have to stimulate it a little more.  Realize that maybe you can ride a bike now even if you fell once at age seven. People become healthier when they open their minds to what’s possible and see the entire world as their playground.”

Ready to get started? Kelli recommended the following ideas:

1. Head to the park and strap on some rollerblades.
2. Dust off your mountain bike and find a historic rail trail.
3.  Go to www.Active.com and find an event that makes your heart race.  It should be out of your reach, but within reason given the training time.
4. Create a new family holiday tradition by enlisting in a 5K event the whole family can do such as a Halloween Hustle, Turkey Trot or Jingle Bell Run.  As Kelli says, “it is a great way to create new family memories, have a feeling of accomplishment and burn off the pumpkin pie.”
5. Try a multi-sport vacation such as the ones put on by Backroads (www.backroads.com).  For example, you can combine white water rafting with hiking a summit and single track mountain biking.

Just typing that list gets my heart pumping. How about you? What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done or plan to do in the future?

Over the years, I tried lots of things to appear “cool” to the outside world. Like attempting, in vain, to adopt Farrah Fawcett’s famous hairstyle while in elementary school. Getting everything monogrammed during the preppy craze of the 1980’s. Drinking my weight in beer on various dance floors, and paddling a canoe in Class Five rapids when I couldn’t swim.  Funniest of all was the summer of spray tanning in 2005, when my skin turned an odd shade of burnt orange.

But now, I proudly admit to being a nerd...a blogging nerd, that it. In the past year since I started this blog, ideas for posts come flying in constantly…when I’m in the shower, working out, driving my car, suggestions from my friends and followers, etc. - you get the picture.  I also really enjoy following other interesting bloggers. Today one of them, www.missymaintains.com, wrote a post that really resonated with me. A certified holistic health coach, Missy has struggled with being overweight and then too thin in the past.  In her post, she decided to officially “own” a few things, like enjoying a daily drink and a dessert. 

With so many people beating themselves up for not eating only whole grain, grass-fed, sugar free, low calorie and unprocessed choices 24/7, I thought it was a refreshing and honest change. Made me start to think about how having a designated day of eating whatever I want once a week has helped maintain my long-term weight loss.

So here are my culinary pleasures. I love eating the Pad Thai and an occasional piece of Carrot Cake at Café Sunflower in Atlanta.  Tortilla chips in Mexican restaurants with fresh guacamole makes my heart sing (as long as I don’t try to conquer three baskets). Homemade sweet potato fries baked in olive oil are delightful, as is a serving of warm flatbread with spicy hummus.

I admit that this list is different than it would have been 20 years ago. Back then, my daily three to four servings of vending machine chocolate and curly fries habit meant it took something over-the-top...perhaps a quart of mac & cheese or third of a cheesecake...to qualify as a special treat. Alas, I'm not even exaggerating.

What are your favorite culinary pleasures? Does "allowing" them  - daily, weekly, monthly, or on special occasions - help you maintain a healthy lifestyle the rest of the time?

Spies have to be good at lots of things, like cracking codes and hand-to-hand combat. (I’ve seen every James Bond movie multiple times, hence my expertise on this topic.) One of their core competencies, in the same way that the rest of us might excel at strategic planning or project management, is sabotage. You’ve got to be able to disarm the laser in the evil guy’s lair, or thwart their plans to destroy the earth’s atmosphere. But wait, maybe I’m just thinking of Austin Powers. Guess the point is that as much as spies excel at sabotage, they’ve got nothing on how badly we can derail ourselves.

Last week, I heard a segment on my favorite morning radio show that prompted this post.  A caller named Leanne bemoaned gaining 23 pounds in the six months since her boyfriend, Shawn, left for Europe. He was coming home, and Leanne didn’t want t face him with the extra weight. She reported back, a few days later, that they finally met and she broke it off when Shawn didn’t seem that into her.  The deejays thought the story was off, and a quick recap with Shawn confirmed that suspicion. Turns out he was looking forward to seeing Leanne and thought she looked great. That is until she kept asking non-stop if her extra weight was a problem and discrediting his responses. You can check out the whole saga here - http://tinyurl.com/2an7kx8,

Leanne’s rampant insecurity sabotaged that once promising relationship.  But she’s not alone. Every day, people do little things to ensure they don’t lose the extra pounds, don’t get a promotion at work, don't pay off the credit card and much more. Coming clean to oneself is the first step in breaking this pattern for good.

Have you ever engaged in self-sabotage? If so, how were you able to fix or end it at some point?

Inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. Athletic footwear slogans like Nike’s “Just Do It” or Reebok’s “Because life is not a spectator sport” line can rev up your pace on a treadmill.  I’ve seen friends post images of Albert Einstein, Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King, Jr., on their screen savers to inspire creativity, kindness or the knowledge that change is always possible. Heck, my former dentist used to have a poster of a kitty dangling from a tree limb urging one to “hang in there” on his ceiling.  I’m not kidding. While it might have provided comfort for some, the poster just reminded me that I was trapped with a drill in my mouth for the next hour.

Last night, I received a surprising dose of inspiration from Green Day. Yeah, the rock band that has a core following with tattoos and green hair. While three or four of their songs live on my iPod, I didn’t know much about them before the concert. My boyfriend sprung for the tickets, and it was something different to do on a Monday night. Expectations were low.

It turned out to be fantastic. Not just because much of their music was great, and the lead singer is one of the best live performers I’ve seen. What I really dug was how the band constantly pulled their fans out of the crowd to join them onstage.  It didn’t matter if people couldn’t sing their way out of a paper bag, or had no rhythm. They jumped at the opportunity to interact with Green Day, get sprayed with a water hose (that luckily didn’t reach back to our seats) or be showered with confetti at the end. The high energy and spirit of inclusion was infectious. Justin and I happily shouted whatever random song lyrics we recognized and swayed with our arms in the air.

For me, the experience was a parable about life. The lesson is to just jump right in, without regard for how you are going to look to others.  Scared to be the first one on the dance floor? If you start shaking your butt out there, you’re going to have fun. Hesitant to join a Zumba class because you don’t know the steps? Stand in the back where you won’t hurt anyone and just have a great time doing whatever you can.

What has inspired you to do something different lately?