Big Weekend: NYT Bestseller & 1/2 Marathon!

Wow! What a huge weekend it was. Here's why:

Thanks to your support Your Best Body Now has made it onto the prestigious New York Times Bestseller list in a very short period of time. This is an absolute honor that I am thrilled to share with all of you who made it possible. Here's to inspiring men and women everywhere to live clean lives.

After getting that great news I strapped on my running shoes and competed with the Eat-Clean Diet Team for Team Diabetes in the Goodlife Fitness Toronto 1/2 Marathon. What an experience! I managed to finish in the race in 1:56: 51 & came in 21 out of 192 in my age group. I was so happy to come in under 2 hours!

We had an amazing team yesterday complete with coworkers from Robert Kennedy Publishing and fans of the Eat-Clean Diet. We all rocked the race although it was a struggle!

Thank you to everyone for your support! We did it!

Your Sister in Iron,
Tosca Reno

Eat-Clean Diet Team for Team Diabetes pre-race pump up!


Keeping warm after the race with my daughter Kiersten who finished in an amazing 1:48!


The team (including our awesome 5k participants) after the race with my friends Leslie and Franca who came out to support us! Thanks to everyone else who came to support, too!

Better TV & NYC

Last week I was on a whirlwind press tour in NYC to promote Your Best Body Now. We hit lots of stops along the way and had an excellent time. Here are some amazing moments to share:

At Better TV with host Audra Lowe:


Check out this video to watch the segment! What do you think?

At Good Morning America with Harlequin publicist, Shara, GMA's amazing Health host Tanya Rivero, and my publicist, Silvie Bordeaux:


You can check out the video from that segment here.

At the studio for my 24 morning news blitz with food stylist extraordinaire, Danni, Shara, Silvie, Harlequin's powerhouse editor, Sarah Pelz and Magno producer Monica. Couldn't have done this day without you ladies:


Check out one of the segments here.

Finally, here I am having a bit of fun at Sirius Satellite Radio where I was on the Martha Stewart Radio's Morning Living show:

Tosca's NYC Clean & Cool Restaurant Guide

There is nothing I like more than checking out new restaurants while I am in NYC. I am just back from another stint of promotions for Your Best Body Now in the city that never sleeps. While I was there I got to enjoy some yummy meals. Here are a few of my favorites. Please feel free to share yours as I am always looking for new places to visit.

1. PASTIS: One of our favorite resto’s in NYC for breakfast, lunch and dinner is, of course, Pastis located in the Meatpacking District across from the Hotel Gansevoort. You can order an egg white omelet and it is beautiful, fluffy and delish. The oatmeal is over the top yummy with all sorts of fresh berries and dried fruits too. Order a frothy capuccino for breakfast, too. Siggghhhh! Dreaming of it now. For dinner the green beans are the best as is virtually any entrée. You can ask them to leave the butter off the veg and get your proteins sans goop! The place is lively and full of city energy.

2. FIG & OLIVE: Fig and Olive is a family and team favorite just around the corner from Pastis. They do a roast chicken that is memorable. Their sides are fabulous and again available without sauce and butter. The olives and olive oil are a mainstay and the restaurant goes to a lot of trouble to source the best quality of both. I especially love the candle fixtures on their walls. My girls like their collection of unique cocktails, too... but in moderation!

3. CIPRIANI DOWNTOWN: Another family favorite is Cipriani Downtown on West Broadway. We eat there nearly every time we go to New York especially if the weather is favorable and the front windows are open. They do an avocado + greens salad that is nearly spiritual to eat. They are the one place where I have to relent on bread as their bread basket is full of offerings that don’t hurt my stomach. Their green linguine with pesto and a side of grilled salmon is divine. And they have the best espresso in the city. I was schooled by the owner there that a good espresso must be of the exact temperature and intensity that you should be able to shoot it. By the way they do a neat appetizer that is simply a bowl filled with ridiculously good olives and big hunks of ancient Parmesan cheese. Lovely!

4. SMITH & WOLLENSKY: For a business-type dinner I enjoy Smith and Wollensky mostly because you can get in, order and get out in decent time but still feel like you have had a proper dining experience. All menu items are fab but the spinach is my favorite. Really good! A note of caution, the meat servings are ENORMOUS. You definitely have to share or stop yourself from gorging. Nice wine and waiters too.

5. BOBO: And for a really cute and cozy adventure head to BoBo. I couldn’t get over how intimate this place was. We went there for dinner with our daughters and we had to go downstairs below street level to get into the restaurant. It was tiny on the inside but full of warm energy and quaint, funky details including the smallest powder room I have ever seen. The tables are mismatched and weatherbeaten but the food and service are polished and wonderful. The photo of me and my girls to the left was taken at BoBo last spring.

6. HOTEL GIRAFFE: This isn't really a restaurant suggestion, but Bob and I like to stay at the Hotel Giraffe because they have a fantastic little wine and cheese, fruit and veg help yourself deal set up from about 4 until 6 pm. So you can go and sit in the lobby after a busy day and have a wind down with a little coffee or wine and some nibbles. They also offer a fabulous continental breaky in the morning complete with coffee, tea, boiled eggs (hurray), fruit salad (hurray hurray), yogurt and granola, etc. What a treat!

Well, now my mouth is watering and I hope yours is, too. What do you recommend?

More BEA Moments

There was a lot going on last week in NYC. Here are a few more photos from our adventures!

At the Robert Kennedy Publishing booth with Wendy Morley who heads up the book department. Thanks for working hard and making it a great week!


My daughters Rachel & Kiersten & book designer Gabriella meeting Clinton Kelly of What Not to Wear at his book signing. We gave him a copy of Eat-Clean Diet for Men. Here's hoping he likes it. We recommended the chicken wings and brownies.

My daughter Kelsey-Lynn meeting Tim Gunn of Project Runway at his book signing. She shared with him her summer plans of attending Parsons in Paris to supplement her fine art degree in July.


A few special fans who attended our Eat-Clean Diet signing. Thanks for coming out. I hope you are enjoying the book!

Book Expo of America 2010 Photo Journal

Here are a selection of shots from my week in New York City at the Book Expo of America.

Welcome to the 2010 Book Expo of America. This fabulous sign graced the entrance of the expo. It came as a wonderful surprise to me. What a great way to spread the message of cleaning up your diet and getting fit! Thanks to Harlequin for putting this up to promote my new book with them, Your Best Body Now: Look and Feel Fabulous at Any Age the Eat-Clean Way (available October 2010).


Setting up camp...


Here's the Robert Kennedy Publishing booth all set for the expo...


Half my team enjoying Magnolia Bakery cupcakes at Rockefeller Center. I guess a treat every now and again isn't that bad. At least they brought me one to enjoy, too. Have you ever enjoyed one of these delicious sweets?


Robert Kennedy Publishing dinner at Bottino in Chelsea. Delicious! Do you have a favorite NYC restaurant?


With powerhouse publisher, Hiroko Kliffner, who gave Rachael Ray her start. She's with me in the middle along with (right to left) book designer Gabriella Caruso Marques, my daughter Kelsey-Lynn, Vinita Persaud, my daughter Kiersten & my publicist, Silvie Bordeaux.

Get your green bag! These went like hot cakes! What's your favorite Eat-Clean Diet accessory?


Eat-Clean Diet green complimenting the super-stylish white of the Huffington Post's Dr. Ali Binazir!


The team meeting makeup guru Bobbi Brown at her book signing. Nice to see you again Bobbi. You look great!


Signing, signing, signing! This is my favorite part of any appearance. I met so many great people, heard fabulous stories, and learned lots of ways to make the Eat-Clean Diet even better. What are your tips?


Time to celebrate the end of the show with a delicious glass of red wine at BoBo with my husband, Robert, and my girls, Kiersten, Kelsey-Lynn & Rachel.




Stay tuned for more tomorrow...

Wishing & Hoping

I'm sitting on the plane right now waiting for it to take off for NYC. We're certainly hoping we get there in one piece. It's going to be all work and no play while in the city. Maybe we'll have one nice dinner out. We're basically going to hit the ground running to make up for lost time. Tomorrow I will with Good Morning America, but I don't know if it's live or a tape ahead at this point. I'll also be stopping by Martha Stewart Living Radio, but I'm not sure what time this will be either. I apologize for my confusion. Things are very up in the air because of the weather and my delay getting into the city. I did an intense weights workout last night and cardio today to keep my momentum up. I don't think I will have ANY time to exercise in NYC... But we'll see. Thanks to all of you for your song selections. They really help me fill out my music collection. How very motivational! I'll keep you posted. I think we're taking off soon... Better turn my phone off.
-Tosca

GMA In A New York Minute!

Pardon my disappearance for the last couple of days. I have been busily setting up the house for the holidays since I got back from NYC on Friday.

It was an absolute whirlwind of events! The energy there is palpable particularly at this time of year. Of course the freezing temps help you realize it's that time of year, too. Shop windows on 5th Avenue are ablaze with fantastic displays (and temptation). We did a little Christmas shopping, but Thursday was all about Good Morning America. Allison Earnst (read her success story here) and I (plus our fabulous team... thanks guys!!) met the early morning call time of 8:00 am ready to roar.

Let's just say we met soooo many celebs we had to make a list:
Robin Roberts
Sam Champion
George Stephanopoulus
Juju Chang
Tanya Rivero (my gracious hostess)
Steve Harvey (he asked me to guest on his radio show and help him lose weight!! Wahooo!!)
Food Network Chefs Mario Batali & Emeril Lagasse (who had an excellent cook off)

We met all of these folks at GMA AND we have already been invited back!! Yeah!! We had an amazing time filming our health segment. The food stylist (thanks Danni Bleil) did a bang up job and Allison was a natural! The piece will air on the afternoon of the 24th and the morning of the 25th!!

Then we visited a stunning gallery called Opera in SoHo and who should be there but Joe Jonas and Chelsea Staub! Our teens went crazy and the stars graciously chatted with us and posed for pics. Very very nice people!

After a yummy meal of fish and steamed veggies (yes, I did hold strong to Cooler 1 the whole time I was in New York!) we went to Rockefeller Plaza braving frigid temps to see the glorious Christmas tree. It really is the holidays!!

Enjoy the photos!
Mwah!
Tosca

P.S. Only 1 more day left in the Cooler 1 Challenge!!! YOU CAN DO IT!

Bobbi Brown Event

I'm finally home sweet home after another whirlwind week of travel to Florida and NYC.

On Wednesday I had the honor of speaking at an event for Bobbi Brown. 37 editors from international magazines (think Cosmo, Allure, Vogue, etc) were in attendance. I spoke all about the Eat-Clean Diet and how eating in this manner has changed my life! What a thrill. They even had a chef come in to prepare breakfast foods from the cookbook for us to munch on. The food was delicious, of course! And we gave everyone a green Eat-Clean Diet bag to take with them... you can see them piled all over the hotel room floor here.

People seemed truly interested in what I had to say, which I always find encouraging. After each event my husband, myself and my other team members (if they are present) have a little debrief to discuss what to do more of/less of in the future. There is always room for improvement, and I am really trying to work on my public speaking habits. The audience members aren't the only ones gaining knowledge. I am always learning something new after every event at which I speak! Overall, it was a great experience.

My husband and I were in and out of NYC in a flash, but we did stay at a lovely little gem call The Crosby Street Hotel. It's only a few weeks old, but it's very unique with rich colors and a very posh feel. I would definitely like to go back when I am in NYC again. Too bad I couldn't stay for the tree lighting. I love visiting Rockefeller Center when it's all lit up in and the skaters are flooding the rink.

What are your favorite holiday moments?

NYC Here I Come

My husband and I depart today for a week long stay in NYC. We are doing tons of press, attending lots of meetings, and likely having no time to check out the sites. Tomorrow morning I will be up bright and early to prepare for my stint on WPIX AM news. Catch it if you can. I'd love to hear your feedback. Also, fill me in on your favorite places to grab clean eats in NYC!! Thanks!!

New York Photo Book

Hi Bloggers,

Back from NYC and into the thick of it! I had a crazy busy day from the office to the set of a photo shoot with Melanie Evans (our Eat-Clean Diet Body Makeover Challenge winner), then to dinner with Melanie, and then off to an event at Premier Fitness for my husband's friend. I thought you might enjoy some moments from my time in NYC with my kids and hubby. These were taken when I had a few moments of downtime from the constant onslaught of meetings. Phewf!!


Here are me and Nicole Kidman (according to US Weekly she's one of my Eat Clean followers!) on 5th Avenue. I love her!!


This is us in New York on the first night eating Korean BBQ. It was delish.


Here we are in the lobby of the Hotel Giraffe. I love the intimacy of this hotel and it is very central.


Here we are having tea at the Plaza Hotel. This is a classic thing to do with the family (especially with my British husband) and one of my all time favorite traditions. The girls love it too.


Here we are in a bicycle cab - the green way to go in NYC. Kelsey and Chelsea were following us in their bicycle cab. These guys get awfully close to the cars as they pedal around town!


In the cab after a bit of a shop... can't leave NYC without a little bit of retail therapy!

Heading Back from New York

Thanks for the warm reception back to the forum. I have missed blogging, too.

I have been in New York since Wednesday in and out of meetings, and enjoying the city here and there. I will have lots to tell you once I get home and have a few minutes of peace. In the meantime, here are a few more pics from my trek to Aruba with the family.

More later!