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Back in the 1700's in Sweden, there lived a woman named Anna Spinnel. She and her husband were looking for land and found a piece that would be perfect for their farm. Unfortunately, a wealthy merchant also wanted that land. In order to claim the land, one needed to travel to Umea, Sweden and ask the Governor.

Seven months pregnant and determined, Anna took off cross country skiing to get to the Governor at Umea, which was 50 miles away. At the same time, the merchant took off with his horse and buggy. When Anna reached Umea, she discovered that he had gotten there first. She told her troubles to a local farmer. It just so happened there was a wedding in Umea that night, and the merchant was known to be quite the drinker. And so the farmer invited him to the wedding.

As expected, the merchant attended the wedding, drank heavily and passed out. Anna got to the Governor's office first thing the following morning and was able to claim the land. It is said that she walked out of the Governor's office, waving the paper at the merchant.

Anna Spinnel is my Swedish ancestor and this is a true story. And so whenever my sister or I are going through trials and challenges, my mother says, "Remember you are a descendant of Anna Spinnel! Find your 'inner Anna' and you will get through this." What I find interesting about Anna Spinnel, is that she had to have been in good physical shape. It is said that she skiied most of the 50 miles that it took even while pregnant! The other interesting point we laugh about is, where in the world was her husband in all of this?

Anna represents a feminine strength and determination that we all have deep within us. Put simply, women are strong. And in order to function in our lives and reach our goals, we need to be physically healthy. When we take care of ourselves we can be our best in everything we set out to accomplish.

And so I would challenge you to ask yourselves, "What can I do for myself to be more healthy? What can I do to be in better shape?" At Luna, we are here to help in so many capacities. Aminda is having a "Fundamentals of Yoga" seminar this Tuesday night and Jezy is having a seminar on "Reiki for Emotional Release and Support" Wednesday night. And it's not too late to set up an assessment with a personal trainer. Is time an issue? Check out our express training packages! It is my hope that you can find your "inner Anna" and be as healthy and strong as you can be!