Interview with Health & Fitness Educator Debbie Merrill


By erica snowlake

We herald Debbie Merrill, a shining angel making a difference in our community, leading the Way with strength, action, and vision. We first met up at an Earth Day Festival where she shared Goji berries and her divine enthusiasm.


Beachhead: Tell us of your latest Quests....

Merrill: 150,000 children suffering from obesity, transfats in school cafeterias, cut gym programs, people killing themselves with a fork, 12,000 prescription drug overdoses a year, these are my current challenges. My mission is to educate the world back to fitness and health thru exercise, diet, and FUN!

Beachhead: Noble causes, Skate Queen!

Merrill: We’re only asking 45 min to an hour per day. People want what i have, (great abs, high energy), without doing the work, we are all tuned to instant gratification, sitcom timing, I call it. My idea of exercise isn’t just going to the gym, either. We can integrate physicality, spirituality, sensuality, and creativity into everything we do. That’s why you’ll see me skating the bike path dancing, doing yogaerobics, sun-gazing, and singing affirmations to the Light all at once.

Beachhead: Cool! How does Venice rate in skate history?

Merrill: Skating may have started in Holland, but Venice takes the prize as it’s Mecca. In-line skating, line dance skating, disco wheeling, we’ve seen it all birthed here. I opened Skate Great USA 20 years ago and it’s still going strong. I teach stars, starters, old farters, anyone with the desire to roll! (www.skategreat.com)
Beachhead: You are legendary as the first Skate Brazilian Sambatista in the Venice Carnivale! So what is your secret Fountain of Youth?

Merrill: I eat for longevity, beauty, and health. Debbie Merrill’s Super Philosophy Nuggets!
Eat fruit, stay cute
Eat greens, stay keen, clean, and lean
Eat more Raw Mother Nature’s Law
Eat less Live more!

I eat an organic raw food diet, nothing with a face, no white foods, (flour, sugar, dairy), no preservatives, alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. I’ve been vegan for 25 years, raw for 13.

Beachhead: How did you get into it?

Merrill: By falling down! Stumbling blocks become stepping stones.I learned the hard way - I ate tofu 3 times a day, whatever you overeat you develop an allergy to. I drank so much carrot juice I turned orange! Now I host an Internet TV show in 11 cities nationwide transitioning eating behaviors towards healthier lifestyles. We feature health tips and talks from the top speakers in the field, we’re looking for network sponsors to help get the message across. www.debbiemerrillshow.com

Beachhead: Name your top energy boosters.

Merrill: Maca, Spirulina, Goji berries, Hemp protein, coconut butter, cacao, wheatgrass, and bee pollen.

Beachhead: You are also a mentor for young women, what advice do you give them?

Merrill: DANCE! that will give you the body you want. Look for creative fulfillment for yourself before you look for boyfriends. Think about how you can touch people’s lives and help our planet. Nurture a Helping Philosophy - everyone I meet in a day who gets in my way - is there for a reason! Ask how you can help them or be helped by them.

Beachhead: Angelic Wisdom indeed!

Merrill: Believe in a Higher Power! My inspiration is the Beach, the Ocean. it’s vast, abundant, always there, it comes, it goes, it always flows!

Beachhead: You are like the Muhammad Ali of jive motivation!

Merrill: Hey! Look at that Ocean! The same power is Within Us. If we are squeezed, we are perfect, whole, and complete. We are what we eat, we can take in pure peace. I feel I might have been here before - as a mermaid or a bird- I love to fly. Both my parents died in my arms. Doctors and Teachers, lets balance how much we know with how much we care. I pay 110% attention to my students and I only play up the positive. Remember - We’ve all got junk in the trunk - to uncover, discover, and discard, before we say our final regards. To survive we need a tribe of supporters. AS I GIVE TO THE WORLD, THE WORLD GIVES BACK TO ME.

Beachhead: Thanks, Debbie, it’s always a pleasure. For over 100 Healthy Eating Tips
email debbie@rawintheworld.com. Go Raw Now: Ask Us How! Look for her upcoming book Eat to Look and Feel Great. Peace Out

Posted: Thu - March 1, 2007 at 12:25 PM          


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