Courtney Ferris

Since we started traveling together, I’ve learned that it’s not just about the food you eat while you’re traveling that makes you feel your best. Vitamin C helps boost the immune system, B-complex vitamins help keep the weary traveler’s energy high, and echinacea has been used for centuries to support the body’s natural fight against infection. While that might sound a little odd, it’s actually a combination of beef and ostrich, which helps bring down the amount of fat you’d typically find in beef sticks. These low-calorie olives are low in overall macronutrients (2.5F, 1C, 0P), which is why I pack multiple snack packs for a trip.

Pretty sure I’m not awake at this point, but if I don’t workout before work then it won’t happen. It’s a lot to cram into two days, but I don’t have another option because it’s dark by the time I get home. There’s never enough hours in the day, and there’s always more work to be done. It’s the most stressful thing you’ll ever do, but it’s the most gratifying thing you’ll ever do.

At the gym, I told my friend Laurent, a personal trainer and fitness guru (seriously, he’s been on Dr. Oz, chosen for Oprah’s “Live Your Best Life” tour and featured in ELLE Magazine), that I was pursuing something else. Even through all of the physical discomfort I experienced last year, there was still so much joy and important life lessons in 2017. Joy, optimism, and gratitude must be learned — and it’s something I’m constantly working on. I believe this too, and if I can share just one thing to make your life a little healthier – with an easy recipe, helpful life advice, or fun workout – then I will have done my part to add a little bit of “happy” to your life.

Thankfully, through social media and the DMV fitness scene, I have connected with several talented, athletic women who love to workout. I also lead Sweat Pink DMV, a free community for 200+ women who love health and fitness. In fact, for three years in a row, Washington, DC was voted the fittest city in the US, according to American Fitness Index from the American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation. Our Sweat Pink DMV chapter is committed to earning our “fit” reputation and spreading our love for working out all over the greater Washington Metropolitan Area.