In recent weeks you’ve probably heard that Melissa Joan Hart is the new spokeswoman for Nutrisystem. You may have even seen their five-day sample kits on the end caps at Walmart. What you may have heard less about is their new CEO, a woman worthy of being known. Dawn Zier assumed her new role in November and in doing so became Nutrisystem’s first female chief.

The timing for such a transition couldn’t be better with the resurgence of women’s rights discussions lead in part by Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In, something Zier planned to read on an upcoming vacation. As Sandberg discusses at length in her book, Zier also acknowledged a hard work ethic, managing priorities, and having great mentors along the way to help her achieve this breakthrough role.

Breakthrough because there aren’t a lot of women sharing that CEO status with her. The Fortune 500 only lists 21 female CEOs, or 4.2 percent of the total list. That’s one more woman than the US Senate. Amongst ten of the largest diet brands, she’s only the third woman to sit as the chief executive, joined by peers Dana Fiser at Jenny Craig and Elise Donahue at South Beach Diet. Weight Watchers, Medifast, Bistro MD, Atkins, Biggest Loser Resort, Retrofit, and even Jillian Michaels all have male CEOs.

“We need, as a company, to understand the female perspective,” Zier told me in a recent interview. We say, the entire industry needs to better understand the female perspective since 80 percent of its consumers are, in fact, women. Now, better than ever, Nutrisystem is primed to do so and in a way their competitors may miss out on with the gaping discrepancy between male brand leadership and female consumers.
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The weather is finally warming up, which means we’re all gearing up to get outside and exercise more. For many, this means strapping on the tennishoes and getting out for for a run. I’m hoping to do so myself as running is one of my absolute favorite activities to do outside, especially in the springtime.

With increased exercise often comes soreness and tight muscles, which requires a proper stretch and adequate rest for our bodies. Our solution? A gentle yoga routine that will help you slow down, breathe, get re-centered and give your muscles a good stretch. Stretching is not only important for preventing injury, but it also keeps our bodies limber and flexible to complete all of the activities we love to do – indoor and out.

This 8-move yoga routine was designed by our own Jill Lawson, a certified yoga instructor in Colorado. We recommend getting into some yoga-appropriate attire, finding a good place to practice, and then reading through all of the instructions before jumping in. Doing so will allow you to practice the movements fluidly, and ensure you do them properly to avoid injury.

Betsy Talbot, 42, and her husband Warren, 41, are healthy, happily married, world travelers these days, but that hasn’t always been the case. The couple who used to be overweight, unhappy and tied to office jobs now travels the world “full-time,” living out their dreams.

At their heaviest, Betsy and Warren weighed 210 and 178 pounds, respectively. But today, Betsy is a trim 160 pounds (just 10 pounds shy of her goal weight) and Warren has already reached his goal weight of 145 pounds. We had the pleasure of speaking with this adventurous pair recently about their weight loss journey as a couple. Here’s what they had to say.

Tell me when your weight struggles began.
Our weight struggles really began in adulthood when we began sitting for our jobs and our entertainment instead of being active. And we “over-busied” ourselves into thinking we had to eat fast and cram meals in instead of planning and enjoying them. This is a deadly combination for weight gain that most people can relate to.
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• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first of a new class of drugs to treat Type 2 Diabetes called Invokana.

• Invokana filters sugar into the kidney as opposed to previous medications which manipulated insulin levels to control blood sugar.

• Our resident pharmacist Dr. Sarah Kahn says there are some concerns regarding how Invokana will affect the heart. According to Kahn, the current data is inconclusive, so they are conducting a trial called the CANVAS study (Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study). Those results won’t be available until 2015. In addition, the FDA is requiring Janssen Pharmaceuticals – Invokana’s manufacturer - to conduct five studies once the drug hits the market.
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It was around the age of 9 that Dr. Jason Cleveland of Lake Worth, Florida, started to develop a weight problem. Eating too much and choosing poor quality food were his primary downfalls – a result of poor eating habits he learned from his parents. Cleveland, now 42, doesn’t necessarily fault his parents. However, he does admit they simply didn’t know much about proper nutrition for kids – a problem that’s becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society.

This poor nutritional foundation ultimately resulted in Cleveland reaching his highest weight of nearly 250 pounds. It wasn’t until attending a wedding in May 2010 that he realized it was time for a change. “I had to have my entire tuxedo enlarged to wear. I am a wellness practitioner, and I could not believe how far I had fallen,” he said.” The next day I started my quest.”

To lose the weight, Cleveland adopted an 80% diet-20% exercise motto – a plan he created years earlier for patients at his practice. “I do not start any of my clients on exercise until they have lost a significant amount of weight for fear of injury,” he said. After losing the first 40 pounds, Cleveland began cardio only – something as simple as jumping rope.
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