Hello from Chelsea Gossett. So, I went to Nashville this past Thursday with my friend and workmate, Terrah. She's a Nashville native so we hit some really cool, local places. We had a meeting with Universal Music Group, checked up on a couple of boutiques and apothecaries that sell Count Me Healthy and then I met up with my best friend, Marisa, who was in town from London visiting her sister at Vanderbilt. I had an amazing time and just in case you want to take a trip to the "LA of the South," here are some cool things to do and see.

STAY
We stayed at Nashville's trendy Hutton--a hotel with lots of eco-sustainability initiatives including "card disabled guest room lighting." I found this so cool. It's a card-holder to the right of the door when you walk into your room. To turn on the lights, stick the card in the holder. Voila! Then, when you are leaving, pull the card out of the slot and the lights shut off within 30 seconds. Sweet. I believe the Europeans have done this for a while, but this is the first time I've seen it in the states. Other eco-friendly touches include bamboo flooring and a recycling program.

Their lobby also rocked, even offering an organic wine mixer everyday from 5-6:30. Plus I saw Jillian Michaels from "The Biggest Loser." I wish I could say Hutton's service was up to par with their green goals. Rooms are so-so and service was sub par. The three friends who stayed in other rooms at the same time had similar scenarios. I'm all for being eco-conscious, but service is still critical in the hospitality biz. (http://www.huttonhotel.com)

EAT
Province Breads & Cafe in Hillsboro Village for breakfast with our friend and internet guru, Greg Hallmark. Amazing coffee along with a sampling of their organic multi-grain crusty bread. Yum. What a way to start the day. (http://www.provencebreads.com)

Viragos. If you want to get your sushi on, this place is for you. Awesome ambiance and a great place to hang with your girls. They actually made me a steamed shrimp roll with just shrimp and seaweed--no rice. That scored huge bonus points from me. (http://www.viragosushi.com)





Tasti-D-Lite. Frozen Yogurt is my all-time favorite treat, especially Tasti-D. Up until last year, I would have had to visit NYC or South Beach to quell my crave, but they recently opened one right in the heart of Nashville. Their yogurt is low-cal (70-90 calories per half cup), but doesn't taste like it. This time round, I had a cup of butter crunch and dutch chocolate swirl. For Memphians reading this, I heard we may get a franchise soon. Cross your fingers! (http://www.tastidlite.com)









Grill 1808. Voted the top new restaurant in Nashville for 2009, Grill 1808 delivers both ambiance, fabulous wine, and beyond good food. It also helped that we dined with really intriguing girls, including one of Miley Cyrus's stylists. The conversation was never dull. Some of the plates we sampled and loved were: Saganaki, Roasted Eggplant Hummus with Goat Cheese crumbles, Mojo Tuna Taco with Ancho sauce (I ordered this as my meal and it was fabulous), Crispy Miso Trout, Mac & Cheese with Maytag Blue Cheese, and 1808's specialty fish dish---Mahi Mahi. Service was top notch. For wine, we had an Argentinian Malbec at an unheard of price---$45 a bottle.

SHOP!!!
H. Audrey
Okay, I put this on my facebook profile page as well because I've never been so taken with a store. Voted the number 1 boutique IN AMERICA by Elle Magazine, H. Audrey is heaven with clothing racks. If you go, look for Rick Owens leather waterfall jackets that fit like gloves, Yigal Azrouel tanks and dresses, and Helmut Lang draping. All brilliant. Not to mention the boutique is owned by Hank Williams granddaughter. (http://www.haudrey.com)



POSH (Hillsboro Village Location)
There are two Posh boutiques in Nashville. Both cool. This location is a little darker, a little edgier. I lean more towards the dark and neutral so this store is right up my alley. With brands like Daftbird, G-Star, and Linq, you are sure to find a punch piece for your wardrobe. Ask for Maisha. She manages and has an amazing style.

Cool places to visit are The Parthenon, Music Row and the Grand Ole Opry. Do you have any Nashville Hotspots you want to share? Do tell. An as always, keep counting.

Labels: chelsea gossett, fashion, nashville, travel

So I was creating my travel calendar for the next four months out and I think I'm home two weekends! I'm not complaining though--traveling is up there on my list of favorite things... right next to online shopping and wine (which don't mix, by the way).

A couple of these upcoming trips require international travel, with connections and being on the plane for 10 hour stints. This is no issue, but you have to plan. Travel is broadening, but it shouldn't be for your waistline.

Here are my tips for maintaining a somewhat healthy lifestyle while traveling:

Bring Your Own Food
I'm not saying you have to lug around a full course meal or a cooler, but you do need to have back up snacks. I never eat the airplane food because I don't know what the mystery sauce is and there is ALWAYS a mystery sauce. It's not the time to be an adventurous foodie. You'll have time to do this when you land. You are stuck in a small space with lots of people for a long time. Sketchy cuisine = bathroom time.



Here is what I bring:
- Plain, instant oatmeal packets (if you have a nice flight attendant, she will zap this for you or at least ration you some hot water and skim milk)
- Tuna or salmon steak in a packet (they don't smell, promise, and you will be opening them when the airplane food smell is wafting in the air anyway)
- Light salt (low sodium salt) or Spike
- Almonds
- Energy bars (I know I preach against these, but I do use while traveling)
- Baggies of dry cereal
- Liquid stevia & splenda packets

I swear this doesn't take up a lot of room in your bag, and at least you know you'll have a fall-back snack.

Create a Comfy Environment
Here are some of the non-food items I bring to ensure a comfortable and awesome flight:

- My ful Gibson backpack
- Laptop with a stocked itunes movie library (I realize you can watch in-flight entertainment, but I prefer my screen)
- iPod
- Skull Candy headphones
- A splitter so my hubby can watch a movie with me if he's traveling too
- Kindle
- Those Colgate disposable toothbrushes
- Bottled water
- Extra thick socks because my feet are always freezing
- Lotion
- Eye drops
- Cuticle Pen
- Chapstick
- Magazines
- Huge Sunglasses (I don't wear eye makeup so I put these on when we land so I don't scare anyone)

Train in a foreign land
Just because you are overseas, it doesn't mean you have to abandon your workout. Sometimes it's hard. The treadmills aren't in English, there's nowhere to run outside, jet lag, they don't believe in air conditioning in the workout facility. There are a thousand excuses. You just have to push yourself and I swear you will feel better after the sweat session. Here are a couple things to bring to help you along:

- iPod
- Exercise bands (they take up no room)
- Workout clothes and sneakers
- A zip-front hoodie
- Workout DVDs to play on your laptop (Tracy Anderson's Mat Workout is awesome)
- My Count Me Healthy bracelet (I count water so I don't get dehydrated)











Believe me, I can pack as compact as a marine. But girlfriend, if you're traveling with me and you need something... I got you covered. What do you bring to stay healthy while flying? A little planning goes a long way. As always, keep counting.

Labels: chelsea gossett, count me healthy jewelry, countessess, fitness tips, healthy living, travel

I recently had an amazing, quick trip to Austin for the South By Southwest (SXSW) music festival. Thousands of music lovers gathering to listen to hundreds of established and up-and-coming artists. I rendezvoused as a guest blogger for ful (www.ful.com) since my "other career" is with ful. Below is a fun little minute on the street trends at SXSW. Enjoy!

So the "Hipster Runoff" worshipers and music makers were in full swing at SXSW this year. As the Creative Director for ful, I went down to be a part of our party with Paste Magazine and Vanguard Records. What a ride. What amazing music!

It was my first year at the festival and I heard from devotees that the event was "going back to its roots," despite the fact that the band count and wild parties surpassed last year. All I can say is that SXSW was a feast not only for the ears, but for the eyes. And so let's discuss "Street Style" at SXSW.

Shades
Some types weren't surprising, like the Wayfarers and the Aviators dotting the crowds. However the new front-runner was Carrera and I need me a pair. I want the sun to shine into my office windows right now so I can justify putting them on at my desk!












Boots abound!
For the women, it was all about the boots--flat, faded, black or rich brown tones. All-out Western style was nowhere to be found, replaced by a pull-on, slightly rounder toe.


The Watson Twins


















Love the woven leather toe



















The Skinny on Denim
The skinnier the better, for gals and guys. Dark wash or black was the staple (dark washes elongate and also don't show when you sit in the mud or some jack spills a Heini on you).

Everything about her ensemble just "worked"



















Sweet Prints
Sweet prints were everywhere, from spring dresses paired with booties or eye-catching, billowy tunics paired with tight William Rasts.




















Bags
Lots of backpacks, cross-body Rocker bags, and messengers. Hands-free bags to hold your swag and clothing are essential at any music fest. I'm partial, but ful was everywhere!

ful "Smoke N' Gun"

Labels: chelsea gossett, count me healthy, street style, sxsw, travel

So, we leave for Vegas tomorrow. It's for work, but unless you are an alien there is a pretty heavy "fun element" laced throughout any business trip to Vegas. I've been there about 50 times and it never gets old. Some people say, "Oh, but I'm not a Vegas person." Who exactly is a Vegas person? They must like drinking, gambling, partying, and eating at the buffet. I don't agree with this (although all of the before-mentioned activities are fun to me). I think this view must have come from watching National Lampoons and the Hangover. But Vegas has so much more to offer. It's not just bright lights and bunny ranches. Vegas is a shopper's paradise, spa heaven, and home to the best shows on earth.

But alas, when it comes to maintaining my Healthy Travel Moderation (HTM) it is truly Sin City. By actually writing out some temptations beforehand, maybe it will give me pause--a sense of realization--before I fall headfirst off my HTM wagon.

Temptation #1) Usually, upon landing, the casino picks us up and we ask if we can swing the limo through the In-N-Out Burger. I never eat fast food... except in Vegas. If I am truly feigning this Christian culinary delight (In-N-Out has bible passages on the bottom of their drink cups), I will go for the "protein style, no cheese, no sauce, no onions." Protein style is wrapped in lettuce and I know I saved some major calories by forgoing the sauce and cheese.

Temptation #2) I'm dehydrated because it was dry on the plane and we're in the desert. As I've mentioned before, when you're dehydrated, sometimes you have a tendency to misinterpret thirst for hunger. I am one who always does this and if I don't eat healthy snacks to tide me over it won't be pretty.

Temptation #3) Okay, bright lights, music, no idea what time it is outside, that equals a party to me. And what is served at parties? Alcohol. Here it flows with abandon, while making me abandon my healthy food choices and hard-earned willpower.

Temptation #4) So, we are having a blast and I have to keep the energy up so I reach for caffeine in the form of Sugar-free Redbull. This stuff will tweak you up, dehydrate you, and leave you crashing hard the next day (like a bad lover).

Temptation #5) Since I don't know what time it is and my body clock is tossed from the caffeine, I guess there is nothing better to do than order room service at 2 AM!

So here is a recap of five temptations that could throw off my HTM (let me disclose that these are in no particular order of prominence):

1) In-N-Out
2) Misinterpreting Thirst for Hunger
3) Alcohol
4) Caffeine leading to NO SLEEP
5) Night Eating

I'm going to go pack now. I'll let you know how I fair in LV now that I've put these little potholes down on paper. How do you stay healthy in Sin City, while still having a good time? Can you maintain your HTM? As always, keep counting.

Labels: count me healthy, eating healthy, health tips, travel, vegas