"Dear John" Stars Stay Fit

They rolled out the red carpet, and movie stars Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum met with hundreds of screaming fans. The Dear John cast and crew came to Charleston's Terrace Hippodrome Theater for the movie's premiere. They shot parts of the movie at Folly Beach! Here's the extended movie trailer:



I caught up with Amanda (Savannah in film), up and coming Hollywood starlet, of Mamma Mia and Mean Girls fame, to talk about her fitness secret, though it's not much of a secret! It's something I also try to do everyday, minus the part where she talks about diet. I also asked Channing (John in film), of GI Joe and Step Up, about his daily fitness routine.




Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the movie screening Sunday night. Tickets to the screening and after party at the SC Aquarium were sold out! More than 400 tickets sold and more than $100,000 raised for the non-profit Carolina Autism. We did get to meet the stars, interview them, and go to the after party, which was a great time.

Above: Red Carpet coverage with two reporters from Summerville High School, Laura Smith and Vivien Kratzert from WAVE-TV

Left: Krista Driggers and I with Josh Cascio on the red carpet, also a local reporter covering the event.

Left: A lovely Amanda Seyfriend on the red carpet posing with co-star Channing Tatum.

Left: Amanda Seyfried and I on the red carpet before the movie screening.





If you didn't know or notice from the trailer Dear John is by the same author as The Notebook, one of my favorite books and movies! Crews also shot parts of that movie in Charleston! I can't wait until February 5th to see this movie with friends! :)

Dodge The Ball, Not The Workout

YES! I dodged the gym tonight, but I got more than a workout dodging bright yellow foam balls! The local Charleston Sports and Social Club started up it's Wintersports league, and I'm signed up for dodgeball. Not something I'd usually get into. The thought of several balls flying at me at who knows how many miles per hour, and the risk of them hitting my face was not a pleasant thought. Turns out it doesn't really hurt, check out our game:




So when you hear Natalie, one of the longest-serving players on the team, say it's a workout, she wasn't lying. I woke up the next day and I could feel soreness in the muscles in my back, my abs, my thighs, my calves, and my right arm!!! OW! I took the next day off from the gym to let my muscles rest.

Unfortunately the CSSC's Wintersports league sign up is over, but check back for spring. Hope to see you out there next time, and in the words of Ben Stiller's movie Dodgeball, "Just remember the five D's of dodgeball: Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and... Dodge! -Patches O Houlihan

Make Monday Healthy

Since it's Monday, why not start the week right eating healthy. If you're looking for something sweet, salty, and fresh you may LOVE this! A raspberry vinagrette spring mix salad topped with grilled chicken. It's really simple. I just grabbed a bag of spring mix salad, added a handful of cranberries, sliced mushrooms, pecans, crumbled blue cheese, and topped it with grilled chicked. On top I drizzled Newman's Own Lighten Up Raspberry & Walnut Dressing.
NEW SNACK OBSESSION ALERT! Earth Fare's Veggie Chips. Live 5 Photojournalist Craig Lloyd and I stopped by Earth Fare on Folly
Road after covering a story about "Fonzi the Therapy Dog who went missing." Check him out there is a reward!
These veggie chips are quite light, but heavy on the crunch and just right on the flavor! They include squash, tarot, carrot, sweet potato, and green beans. You'll get some healthy savings too! They're on sale this week for $6.99/lb.

Like The Tax Assessor, For Your Health

I met with Jacob Poole of Progressive Fitness of Charleston with some goals in mind (such as toning abs and thighs and of course, feeling fabulous!) But he had goals for me too. I was ready to start training and exercising, but Jacob was unlike past fitness trainers I've worked with. Instead of me getting to work, he got assessing.

As an exercise and fitness coach, Jacob's role includes more than just making sure I'm physically fit. He said his goal is to make sure I'm healthy in all aspects of life: my thoughts, breathing, water and food intake, movement, and sleep. To get started he wanted to do something called a "fitness assessment." The video below explains what that entailed and why he wanted to do it.

So like the tax assessor who determines how much you should pay in property taxes, Jacob did the fitness assessment to determine how much my body could handle physically. From there, he began work on an exercise program tailored just for me.

But my new fitness assessor (soon-to-be exercise coach) may be a little more like the tax assessor than one may think. Trust me, the exercises you saw in the video above took great strength, and will be quite "taxing" to my body as I continue the program, I'm sure.

A Fresh Start

Welcome to Feel Fit and Fabulous, my fitness, food, and health web and video blog!

I'm Nicole Johnson, television journalist for Live 5 News. I'll be taking you along with me on my journey of a healthy lifestyle, both physically and mentally.

I'll update the blog regularly as I work with a fitness trainer to help me tone up for my upcoming spring wedding. (Yes! I'm so excited! and I really want to look great and feel fabulous in that dress!) I hope to share some of the latest and greatest exercises that you can do on your own or at your gym or health club.

I'll also seek out some of the most delicious, healthy recipes from local chefs and food bloggers for you to try at home with a friend or family members.

Check back with me regularly on Feel Fit and Fabulous! I promise it will be filled with great advice and fun ideas for you to try. I also love feedback from my readers and any tips or video blog ideas you have to share as well!