Jazz It Up

Good morning, happy Thursday! Katy here… I don’t know about you, but the winter months always seem to me cooped up indoors. That keeps me from exercising as much as I would like. But I think I’ve found a solution, thanks to the FOX19 Morning Crew adventures! Yesterday I took Rob, Sheila, Tracey, Dan and Stephanie to Jazzercise with me. I loved it! I’ve never taken a class before, but I’ve heard a lot about them. My mom and cheerleading coach use to Jazzercise back in the day, when head bands, spandex and leg warmers were all the rage. But this isn’t your mothers Jazzercise anymore! I was pleasantly surprised that the class is filled with women of all ages (and sometimes a few guys!) dancing to the popular music of today. I knew yesterday’s class with the Morning Crew was going to be fun when the Party Rock Anthem came on. It’s the same song the crew used to flash mob my wedding! We only took a 30 minute express class, just to get a taste of what a real class is like. Most classes are an hour long. Boy was I tired…just after 30 minutes! All of the positive energy in there kept me going, though.. and It’s motivated me to come back to try a few more classes! I can’t wait to jazz it up again!

Pink In The Rink

Pink ice sounds like something you'd get from a shave ice stand, but this Friday you can find it at U.S. Bank Arena!

Sheila here, and the Pink Ribbon Girls is the new sponsor for the Cincinnati Cyclones "Pink in the Rink" game this year! The Cyclones take on Trention this Friday, February 10th at 7:30 p.m.
The ice will be pink, the PRG logo will be on the ice, and the team will be wearing custom jerseys adorned in pink. You have a chance to get your hands on the jerseys when they're auctioned after the game! The first 2,000 fans through the gates will receive a Cyclones Ribbon Magnet, and the first 1,000 female fans receive a free pink carnation from Hiatt's Florist!

The Pink Ribbon Girls is a support group for younger women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, and Founder Tracie Metzger is always coming up with fun events like Pink on the Rink. Tune in tomorrow morning at 8:15 a.m. to see one of our hometown's hockey stars, Goaltender Brad Fogal. Brad's life has personally been touched by breast cancer. He lost an Aunt to the disease, and the Pink Ribbon cause means so much to him that he even placed it on his Goalie Mask.

For every ticket sold to this Friday's match, $5 will benefit Pink Ribbon Girls. The doors open at 6:30, and you can download a ticket form here:
http://www.pinkribbongirls.org/

Get Out of the Gym and into Nature

There's a guy in town who can make you feel like a kid again.

Hey everyone. Rob here.

His name is Kevin Wimmer. His business is ELMNTL Fitness. The morning team was able to experience a workout with Kevin out in the elements. The weather was perfect.

From his website: ELMNTL fitness is a fundamental circuit of exercises set within the outdoor elements at Woodland Mound Park.
Fitness in nature truly challenges you physically and mentally to be prepared for circumstances that may arise in your daily life. The environment around us is constantly changing and we need to be able to adapt with it. By embracing those changes, or elements, we effectively manage the outcome.
Accomplishing a workout at the gym, prepares you for a workout at the gym. When you challenge yourself in nature, the workout is different each time. Heat and humidity force you to be conservative with your energy. Rain forces you to compensate with balance and resiliency. Snow increases resistance and focus. That is training within the elements. And of course, in spring and fall, why would you want to be inside on a perfect day? Fresh air, no chemicals or crowds, the sun on your face and the feel of nature under your hands and feet, that is what ELMNTL fitness is all about.

He took us out last week, and it was a blast. The weather was perfect. In addition to getting a workout, we had a blast and got our hands dirty. I will have a story on our adventure, later this month. If you want to find out more click here http://www.elmntlfitness.com/

My Favorite Ad

So which ad did you like? Every year on the Monday after the Super Bowl we sit here and pick apart and talk about how the commercials were not good or if they blew you away. I think for the most part they were good. I will start with my favorite, the Chevy ad about the world ending and the only people surviving are those who drive the Chevy Silverado. It is set to a Barry Manilow song and shows the trucks driving through a destroyed city with American ICONS like the Big Boy statue and a box of Twinkies. It all ends with the actor asking where Dave is and the other Chevy guys say he did not make it because he was driving a Ford. I also liked the Clint Eastwood ad for Chrysler, I am a little bias though since my brother was on the team that produced that ad. I thought all in all the game was good and the entire atmosphere was awesome. I spent sometime in Indy last week, and I found the way they hosted it all to be classy and top notch. You did not have to have a ticket in order to enjoy it. If you want to check out the ads just go to our web page http://www.fox19.com/

Pretzels & Girlfriends

One thing I love about this city is there’s always something to do.

Stephanie here.

One thing I hate is….I never have an excuse to stay in with my cat and watch Bridget Jones’ Diary after a long day at work J
Last weekend my best friend in town, Cassie Wissel, introduced me to Pretzelfest! It’s a fundraiser for Over-the-Rhine’s Bock Fest, which celebrates historic OTR breweries from March 2nd to the 4th. Needless to say, it wasn’t hard to talk me into a night of delicious Moerlein beer, beer cheese, and carb overloading.
Venue 222 hosted the party. Although the building was built in 1868, it’s been restored and glammed-up for OTR nightlife. A few local vendors came out and generously donated their goodies for the festival. I indulged in a delicious Queen City brat in a pretzel bun (yum!), cooked up by the nice folks at Mecklenberg Gardens. I have to say though, there’s nothing simpler or more delicious than a giant Servatii pretzel with hot beer cheese. My mantra for the night was, “diet starts tomorrow!”
Of course, Cincy Beerfest kicks off next Thursday at the Duke Energy Convention Center. Can’t choose between Beerfest and Bockfest? Don’t! There are plenty of brats and beers to go around J

- Stephanie

http://www.cincybeerfest.com/
http://bockfest.com/

Cherishing The Moment

Last week I was given the privilege of visiting a place that could easily be mistaken for Disney Land.
I’d like to think of it as a little piece of Heaven here on Earth.
Hi…..Tracey Johnson here.

It was all about the children. Every corner of this plot of land in Memphis, Tennessee. I found myself in awe as we entered the campus. Towering buildings on this beautiful setting. As we entered the main building, a peace came over me. Everyone greeted us with such a warm, sincere “thank you for coming.”
As we began our tour, I was flooded with emotions. Mixed emotions. Children’s art brightened the hallways. One room after another, decorated to the hilt from celebrities like Brad Paisley, Amy Grant, Shaun White and the Jonas Brothers. For a moment, I forgot that the sweet giggles I was hearing were from children that are battling cancer and other catastrophic diseases. I was at St. Jude Research Hospital.

Several families I met have made St. Jude their home. Literally. Living a life they never imagined they’d be faced to live. On the other hand, can’t imagine where they’d be in their journey without St. Jude. As a mom, I was truly thanking the Lord for my children’s health. Because of my trip, I have made it my mission to sell 9,000 tickets for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway. We are thrilled here at FOX19 to join St. Jude and help those who are and will make St. Jude their home.

Over the next few months, I’ll bring you stories from sweet children that will share life as they know it, living with cancer. The most brave children I’ve ever and will probably ever meet. Children that have learned to cherish the moment!

Will you help? Tickets go on sale April 11th. More details on FOX19.com
Many Blessings…..
Trace

On The Same Page

It may not be a typical winter, but the season is always a good time to settle in with a good book. I'm reading The Submission, and so are hundreds of other people around town.

Sheila here. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County partners every year with area arts and cultural organizations for its On the Same Page program. It's an annual community reading event every February and March. It's aimed at encouraging local readers to enjoy the featured book, reflect on how the issues it raises affect our own community, and relate to their neighbors through book discussions and special programs.

I cracked open The Submission this week, and I am hooked. In the first chapter, the reader meets the jury charged with choosing the design for a memorial to those who died in the September 11th terrorist attack in New York City. Two strong women -- one an artist and one a 9/11 widow -- are locked in a battle over the final two designs. The jury finally makes a decision, only to discover that its creator is an American Muslim. Through the eyes of its characters, The Submission explores how 9/11 has challenged our personal convictions and changed the public debate on what it means to be American.

Author Amy Waldman was a city desk reporter for The New York Times and was in New York City on 9/11. She helped cover the response to the attack, both in the city and later internationally as the paper's co-bureau chief for south Asia. Waldman wrote The Submission, her first novel, to explore how America and the world have changed in the aftermath of 9/11.

Waldman will be visiting Cincinnati March 4-5. She will be with us on the Fox 19 Morning News on the 5th, and she will speak and discuss her novel at several locations both days: the Downtown Library, Xavier Univeristy, The University of Cincinnati, and the Mercantile Library. (You need to reserve a spot at the Mercantile Library.) You may pick up a copy of The Submission at your local library or bookstore, and log onto the Library website to get involved in the discussion. You can also see what your neighbors are saying on Twitter. Happy reading!
http://cincinnatilibrary.org/samepage