"I don't count calories. It's about what I eat and health. I drink a shake on the way to work. About 10 am, I eat a piece of fruit or yogurt with granola. For lunch, I have a salad and some sort of lean protein on it. Sometimes I'll eat at Subway. I'm just like anyone else. I drink a lot of water during the day and dinner is simple: fish, chicken, or bison and a potato," she says.

Robin also is very particular about where she buys her food and how it's been handled. She frequents the Carbondale Co-op and the organic foods section in local grocery stores.

"Lots of blueberries and fish in here," she says as she shows me her fridge.

She eats wild caught fish about four times a week, she distills her own water, and even tosses her own salad dressings. From time to time, she'll allow herself to eat a nugget of dark chocolate or lowfat ice cream – hey, we're all human---but there's one item she never eats.

She also replaces all sugar with natural Stevia sweetener...again, she buys it locally from a grocery store.

"My groceries are the same as anyone else's," she points out.

Yes, but the difference is...what she does with the food.

"I eat a lot of vegetables...a lot," says Robin.

If you're like me, you hear all this healthy advice, often on the news, but you just don't know to cook it or toss it all together. Maybe Robin's story will help. By eating this way, she already feels better.

"I don't feel sluggish. It really decreases stress levels and you're more vibrant," says Robin.

Still, she admits her morning shake doesn't look appetizing, but it's the key to keeping her feeling fuller longer and possibly why her skin looks so supple.

"It's not near as bad as it looks," says Robin.

"My mom has a lot of health issues, so that's made me more aware of what I'm putting in my own body," says Robin.

The good news for those of you reading this piece, Robin only started really examining what she eats in the last five years. As she raised her own family, she admits the drive-thrus were convenient, but she was never a big junk food eater.

Now in her 40's, she says she might want to be a nutrionist someday. She doesn't necessarily want to live to be 115, she'd rather be full of life and vibrant for as long as she can in this lifetime.

"Do it for health reasons---to be healthy. examine what you're eating and putting into your body," says Robin.

By the way, Robin exercises about three times a week, focusing a lot on toning and weights.  She wears sunscreen when she's outside for a long time, but she points out she wants to soak up some of the sun's rays to help Vitamin D production.  She also makes sure to eat blueberry pancakes a few Sundays out of the month, to help her splurge, and simply because she and her husband like them!  That certainly goes along with dietitian's advice.  You have to vary things up to keep eating healthy!

Robin's husband is a chiropractor in Anna. The Hepps sent me some recipes of foods they eat and blend daily.  You can find a link to those next to this story.