Luisa’s INTERVIEW with The Napa Valley Register
How long have you been in Napa, and what led you to move here?
I grew up in DC, but after college, I traveled a fair amount, eventually joining the Peace Corps and being stationed in Costa Rica. In 1997, when our service was coming to an end, we had to answer the ‘what next’ question, and I knew I didn’t want to move back to DC. My husband John and I were both working in the small business development program, so we adapted the approach we used with our clients to do a detailed strategic plan for ourselves. We made a list of preferences and non-negotiables, and Napa met all the criteria: size, services, good food, no snow, natural beauty, and, in those days, the stoplights started flashing around 8:00 pm, and we liked that! It was a good choice, because we still love it here. John was born in Los Angeles, so even though we’re in northern California, it was a homecoming of sorts. I’d visited the Bay Area many times over the years and loved it, but was looking for a small-ish community with access to outdoor recreation, and Napa fit the bill.
So you were hit by a drunk driver in 2014 — and your neck was broken by the accident: How long did your recovery take? This accident motivated GAMO! correct? When did you begin to write the book? How did the publishing process work?
After being hit by a drunk driver in 2014, I was in a neck brace and could barely move for three months, and spent another three only doing the bare minimum, but at around six months, I was healing and ready to start regaining strength. Initially, I would do something for 30 seconds or so and then had to rest, but I gradually increased the time, the number of repetitions, and the number of daily sessions, and just kept putting one foot in front of the other. I used to teach water aerobics, so I knew a lot about fitness and was able to design a program to build up my strength. It probably took two years to get back to pre-accident energy levels.
At some point I realized the mini-workouts I’d designed for myself would work for anyone who’s been sedentary and wants to be fitter, regardless of the reason. Before the accident, I’d started writing a book on how to enjoy eating, be reasonably fit, and not too fat, because, like most people, I want to be healthy but really enjoy cooking and entertaining, so am always looking for ways to balance the pleasures of the table with good health. That book had a chapter about the importance of movement for overall well-being, but after the accident, I had to reassess what ‘being fit’ meant and the chapter kept growing until I decided to make it a separate book. I like research, and over the years have done a whole lot of proofreading and copyediting—including five years on the Napa Valley Wine Auction editorial committee—so the writing was easy and enjoyable, but I knew nothing about publishing.
I got lucky and joined a writing cohort organized by Emily Barrosse of Bold Story Press in DC, and that gave me the motivation to finish. Emily was a long-time senior editor at McGraw Hill and keenly aware that the publishing industry has long been skewed to favor male authors, so wanted to nurture women authors. Our cohort of ten meet over Zoom weekly and we became the modern version of pen-pals. Though the original commitment was just for three months, we continued to meet to share ideas and resources. I was thrilled when Emily said she wanted to publish my book.
Where is your book available for purchase? What do you have planned for public appearances and marketing?
The paperback is available from Amazon or Barnes & Nobel as well as most bookstores (independents can order any title) or as an e-book from Amazon.com or BN.com. I’m just starting to learn the ins and outs of social media and have hired a pro to help me in that regard, and of course I’ll do book signings and interviews anywhere that I’m invited! I admit being on stage makes me a little nervous, but that’s what must be done in order to share the hard-earned knowledge I’ve gained from a difficult experience, so I’ve gotten better at swallowing my shyness.
Read some informative book reviews for GET A MOVE ON! by Luisa Heymann.
What is the most important thing I can write about your book?
We have a youth- and beauty-obsessed culture, yet in addition to being constantly bombarded with junk food, many people are very sedentary due to the demands of work or school or just because they’re constantly looking at a tiny screen. Consequently, there’s an epidemic of obesity and ill-health which fuels the constant arrival of ‘magic’ fad workout plans and diets that are really just one person’s idiosyncratic experience based on supposed ‘facts’ that are frequently not well researched. I wanted to give people straightforward information about what works…or not. It’s dismal that so many Americans feel unwell and are in a continuing battle with their weight and/or frequently feel guilty about eating or what they ‘should’ or ‘should not’ be doing.
I once heard a friend tell her stressed-out daughter “you don’t have to be perfect to be wonderful” and that advice has buoyed me many times. Step one for many people is to give themselves a big hug and forgive themselves for however they arrived at their current not-so-great state of health…the important thing is to meet yourself where you are right now, think about what you’d like to improve and get a move on. There’s an old saying amongst gardeners that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago and the second best time is today. It’s the same thing with getting in shape and, really, so many other things in life … just make up your mind and get a move on!
Thank you for checking out Luisa’s INTERVIEW with The Napa Valley Register!
