TODAY March 2, 3rd Hour: March Freebies I "One Chicago" Cast On Today I Simon Baker In Studio 1A

0:00That's pure automotive joy. I'm Peter, the owner of Muscle Car Junior. It started as a hobby, then I started posting about it. Before I knew it, I built a business for storing muscle cars on Facebook Marketplace, and the community of car lovers on Instagram. Today, new customers send me what's that message is from all over. Not bad for a hobby. But how meta helps over 35 million American businesses, like Peter's Grow, at meta.com slash community. Hiring isn't just filling a role. It's about finding people who can drive results. Indeed, sponsor jobs helps you match with the right candidates faster. Target candidates by skills, certifications, or location join the 3.3 million employers worldwide that use indeed to connect with quality talent that fits their needs. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsor job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves, and indeed.com slash podcast, terms and conditions apply. Hiring to it the right way, with indeed.

1:02This morning on the 3rd of today, golden girl, fresh off her historic US figure skating win, Alyssa Liu, live in studio 1A, sharing all the details from her epic Olympic comeback. This medal isn't what it is important to me. What's important is how I got here my journey here. And the incredible story of how she got back on the ice on her terms. Plus, sweet home Chicago, the windy city blowing in the stars from Chicago fire, bed and PD. Who doesn't love talking about an epic crossover live? Then later, actor Simon Baker shares the gripping details from this highly anticipated new crime series alongside a cast of Hollywood heavy hitters. And we're putting a spring in our step with a brand new start today challenge to help us march into a new month today, Monday, March 2nd, 2026 live from studio 1A in Rockefeller

2:05Plaza. This is the 3rd hour of today. Good Monday morning, everybody. Welcome to the 3rd hour of today, I'm Al along with Dylan. Of course Craig right now working on some breaking news so we start you, thank you for starting the week off with us. Hope you had a good week and I know you were traveling. I was out in L.A. for Earth Odyssey with Dylan Dryer on Saturday mornings on PC. Does that mean you sometimes forget who hosts the show? I shouldn't. So while I was out there filming that, Rusty had his 100th day of school and it's like a thing. I didn't know. He was a big thing while they dress up like old men. So his whole class dressed up like they're 100 year olds. So I was I was bummed to miss that I wasn't there for it, but I laid out the outfit before I went to L.A. So that happened and then I took the red eye back Friday night. So filmed all day Friday took the red eye back. So I was there for breakfast Saturday morning and I took him to the diner and I ordered three

3:05chocolate milks. The waiter accidentally thought I said three chocolate milks shakes. So here we are at 830 in the morning. Happy as can be that they've got chocolate milkshakes. Well, two out of three look happy. That was Rusty's. He was trying to make a cool face. That's a very happy cool face. That's a thumbs up he's giving. Although I could see how that could be misinterpreted. Oh yeah. I'm not. I'm not supposed to worry. His lips are already coated in chocolate too. So it throws the whole thing off. He was happy. How was your weekend? It was good. Didn't do anything with it, but I went out to dinner Friday night. There's a great little restaurant called Bimmy's Cantine. That looks cozy. Actually, the woman who owns it is a production manager here at NBC for a Seth Meier late night with Seth Meier. Oh, that's cool. And then we went out. Did they hook you up? They did. It was really nice. Then we went out for a little walk run. I walked. Deborah runs, which is great. And this way she has plausible deniability. Where are you guys on a highway? Well, now it's a road by the lake up there. So anyway.

4:06We had a good time. That's a perfect weekend. But we had a good time. That's a perfect weekend. There you go. All right. It's a perfect week now because we got Olympic gold. I know. We're starting off strong on a Monday morning. We're so excited to be joined now by a woman who was true joy personified at the Milan Cortina Olympics this year. Elissa Liu became the first American woman to win the Olympic figure skating singles event in 24 years that puts the 20 year old in elite figure skating company. The seven other American women, including Carol Lapinski, Kristi Yamaguchi and Dorothy Hamill, have had that same golden moment and so we are so excited catching up with her now. Elissa, good to see you. Yeah. You make a lot of noise when you walk in. It's like we put a bell on the cat. You know. Yeah. I think when you come in. What a great sound that is. Yeah. You ever get tired of that sound? No. I think it's really satisfying. Yeah. So yeah. I understand. Back on the ice already that there's no rest for the weary. No. There's definitely rest. I've been out two times in this past week, but little, little bits here, they're not

5:10serious training. Okay. Just keeping it comfortable. Yeah. Yeah. So I read somewhere that when you went out, I mean, here you are now with two gold medals around your neck. When you went out on the ice, that wasn't your goal. I mean, you just kind of went out and were able to enjoy the moment. Yeah. How? I mean, I really like what I do. And I'm, I actually, I think the stakes are beautiful too, so I don't really mind messing up. Yeah. Because it's about the journey. Yeah. So I love that. Yeah. Because so many people are looking past that and you're kind of right there in the middle of it, which kind of. Yeah. And I've been to Olympics before. I know it's on the other side as well, so I could really just savor everything. You know, and your fans have just been so terrific about this. I mean, the your support, like there's this great mural and in Los Angeles and what are, what are people? Look at that. How cool is that? That's amazing. It's crazy. What do you think we've seen that? I mean, I just can't believe that like I have murals of me now. That's, I love murals.

6:10It's like one of my favorite art forms. I love it. Yeah. I know. What are people coming up and saying to you as you're walking around? Congratulations. Yeah. I get a lot of congratulations. I think so. That's a good thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You actually wrote a letter to your younger self. No, when you were younger, you wrote a letter to your future self, so you were 13 at the time. I want to read a little bit of it here. You asked yourself, did you do those big things you dreamed about? Did you win gold in 2022? Did you stay on the podium for every nationals? Did you ever travel to Italy? You go on to write those are big things, leap of faith type things, but hey, every jump starts somewhere. I wrote that. Yes. When? Where are I? When you were when you were much younger, I guess. Okay. Since I was my first time seeing this. Really? Well, it sounds like great advice. Let's say you did write that. Okay. Yeah. What would you say in general? What would you say to your younger self? Nothing. Really. Yeah.

7:11Yeah. Why? People ask me all the time, what would you say to your younger self? Like, nothing. She's got it. She'll figure it out. She'll go through it. And like, I don't want to mess that up. Mm-hmm. Okay. So, byproducts of winning a gold medal, there's this gold medal Olympic chat, this group chat. Oh, my God. Yeah. There is. So, what is it? Who's on the chat? What's that? What do you guys talk about? There's other Olympic champions on the chat. I have yet to open it, but I'm in it. I'm in it. I'm in it. Yeah. Oh, my God. It's just because my phone's flowing out. It's so fun. It's easier to just push it away. Yeah. Yeah. So, you can go up across maybe. That's pretty cool. Where you have a thing for Lucky Charms, specifically the March Mealos? Yes. What is it about Lucky Charms that you love so much? I don't know. I'm a big serial, like, lover, and Lucky Charms are one of my favorites. And of course, the March Mealos, too, and I took that photo. I thought it was really aesthetic.

8:11I also picked out each of the March Mealos individually. Wow. Really? Well, guess what? Here we have a little... No! Literally right before I came on, I was like, I have a good feeling about this. This is a good feeling. That's made up of all the marshmallows. Oh my god. That thing, whatever it is. Can I eat this? Yes, I am. I would just like... It's a lucky charm's gold medal. I love that. Should I take a minute? Sure, take a chance. Okay. Oh wow. See, you can actually bite into this one and it won't break your teeth. Kind of won't break. Pretty good. It tastes like lucky charm's marshmallows. You're magically delicious. And you are magic gold. So it has worked out perfectly. I love it. You leave it. I love it. Thank you so much. Congratulations. That's all yours. And enjoy that. You have a lot to eat. Hell yeah. What a great breakfast. Breakfast to champions. Zero early. Oh, Elizabeth, thank you so much. Thank you guys. Some other stories that happen to catch our eye this morning.

9:15Including a simple bedtime hack that could completely change the way you sleep. Do you like... Are you a sleeper, Elizabeth? Yeah. Well, it might be tempting to scroll on your phone before turning in. Experts tell real simple magazine that exposure to even very dim light at bedtime can make it harder to fall and stay asleep. So doctors are recommending swapping the screen time for a tech-free, wind-down instead about like maybe read a book, practice an instrument, take a bath, while you're practicing an instrument, all those, or playing... It's almost not an electric guitar. Well, no, that would be bad. Do you have a nighttime routine to get the bed? I do. I pray. And then I read my book. I don't scroll on the phone. I only have the phone for the alarm. Or like if I oversleep and somebody needs to call me. But I don't like do anything on the phone before I go to bed. I like to read it. Yeah. And I usually can't stay awake past a chapter. You know, sometimes listen. And I put a timer on it. I find in the last two weeks I've been listening to the same 15 minutes.

10:15I feel like what just happened? I can't remember last night. All right. Well, here's an exciting announcement. For parents, start going through your camera rolls because the search for the 2026 Gerber Baby starts now. Now you might remember we announced the last big winner, a smiling baby boy, named Sunny. Well, this year the 2026 Gerber Baby will get $50,000. That's a lot of formula. Make sure you want to have another baby. No. You're still in the hole. And there's a prize for kids, a new prize for kids, three to five. So check out that and you'll have until April 12th to upload the baby pictures. All you got to do is head to today.com right now to find the link. And stay tuned next month. We're going to share this year's Gerber Baby with all of you. So good luck. So fun. Love another baby in the house. All right. Coming up, Vicki Win has our list of March freebies from a fun activity for the kids to something sweet to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Then later, forget the big apple.

11:15We're in a Chicago state of mind. We are catching up with the stars from the hit NBC series Chicago Fire, Met, and PD all in one place when we come right back. That's pure automotive joy. I'm Peter, the owner of Muscle Car Junior. It started as a hobby. Then I started posting about it. Before I knew it, I built a business for storing muscle cars on Facebook Marketplace. And the community of car lovers on Instagram. Today, new customers send me what's that message is from all over. Not bad for a hobby. Learn how meta helps over 35 million American businesses, like Peter's Grow, at meta.com slash community. Now, finding a doctor is a little less challenging. United Health Group is investing in tools that make it easier for patients to navigate health care and pay less. These transparency tools help patients find providers. And this is the big thing. Compare costs up front. The big picture, more transparent pricing, benefits everyone.

12:17And these tools from United Health Group can help patients save hundreds of dollars annually. Learn more at unitedhealthgroup.com slash commitment. Start your day with Quaker Protein Incinot meal. The Incinot meal, ready to help you tackle? Whatever your day brings. Like wrinkling your toddler into their car seat. That was fun. Coaching your six-graders soccer team. Double girls! And carrying all the groceries in one trip. Try Quaker Protein, Incinot meal, granola, and bars. Great taste and a good source of protein. Quaker, bring out the good. We're back with our monthly round-up of freebies in today's consumer confidential. Our chief consumer investigative correspondent, Vicki Winn, is here with all the stuff we can pick up for free in March. And we can spring into savings. We're going to learn more about land work. We got a million of them. So, boy, talk about timing.

13:18Hockey could not be any hotter right now. And you have a freebie for hockey. Listen, if you have a four to nine-year-old in your life, get them to a rink this Saturday. It's try hockey for free day. This is so exciting coming on the heels of the double gold medals won by Team USA women in men. Oh my gosh, that was so thrilling to watch. And so, if your kids want to try it out, they will get the skates, the pads, the sticks, everything. There are more than 300 rinks participating nationwide. So, you don't have to worry about equipment. And they have, USA Hockey has introduced this sport to more than 300,000 kids since they started it. Just go to tryhockeyforfree.com to find a location near you. And the great thing is kids this age are losing teeth anyway. Listen, I know. My daughter just lost one during a basketball game. Waiting for the rest to talk to the coach next thing you know she was like, my tooth. My tooth? Yeah, exactly. Not a problem. I love that the equipment is included too. Yeah, because it's a lot. So, you don't have to commit right away. Right. What are they doing for folks who are donate? Donate.

14:18So, back in 1943, they declared March to be Red Cross Month to recognize the incredible life-saving donors and volunteers. And everybody who works for the organization. And so, this month, you donate blood, give the gift of life, or platelets, or plasma. And you get the gift of a $15 Amazon gift card. Doesn't seem quite even, but still, it's nice. Yeah, sure, sure. You don't know how to do it anyway. Yeah, exactly. They pick up that gift card. And the cool thing is for this whole month, they're also giving out free A1C screenings, which tests you for pre-diabetes and diabetes. And the Red Cross, as they've been doing this, they find that about one in five people do have some markers. So, it's important to get that taken care of if you have signs of pre-diabetes before it comes, becomes more serious. That's happening through the 31st. They do 500 blood drives across the country each day. So, just go to the Red Cross website to find a location near you. Okay, so we're coming up to tax season. So, how can you get some freebies as far as filing or getting help? Yeah, so, tax day, April 15th, as it is every year.

15:18So, a little over a month away. And just a reminder, if last year you made $89,000 or less, you can still file your taxes. Your federal taxes for free. You go to irs.gov slash free file. And they will direct you to an authorized location. In some cases, they can help you file your state taxes for free. So, take advantage of this resource. And there are also a number of certified IRS partners that will help you. So, if you are in the next slide here, it'll show you. If you have disabilities, if you have limited English, or if you make $69,000 or less, you can look at the IRS volunteer income tax assistance program. There are volunteers there to help you. And then the IRS tax counseling for the elderly, anybody, 60 and above is eligible for that free help. That's UL. And then the AARP foundation, they have something called tax aid. They will help anyone who needs help and you do not have to be a member of AARP. So, okay. So, last but not least, our favorite type of freebie food.

16:19Yes, okay. So, as you mentioned, March eventually spring will come. The first freebie I want to tell you about is happening tomorrow, starting at 7 a.m. through 8 p.m. at participating IHOPs across the nation. You can get a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes. And what's cool is for every dollar that is donated, feeding America will be able to provide meals for 10 families. So, if you go to IHOP, you get your free stack, maybe you're feeling generous, and you can donate a few bucks. That's actually going to have a huge ripple effect. Then the next freebie. Of course, Krispy Kreme coming up on both March 16th and 17th. The 17th is actually St. Patrick's Day. There's something green. No purchase necessary. They'll give you a free glazed donut. Then, to actually celebrate spring, Dairy Queen has its free cone day every year. This year it falls on the 19th, which is the day before the official start of spring. They have given away millions upon millions of vanilla cones. Go get yours for free. No purchase necessary. And Italian ice aridas is giving away their free six ounce Italian ice. On the actual first day of spring, I really hope we're going to be in the mood for ice.

17:22I'm like those delicious ice lushies that it's going to be warm enough. I didn't take the boys off the ice cream this weekend. Yeah, right. It's time. Big thanks so much. All right, coming up this morning, we've got NBC's Primetime Stars in the house. We can't wait to chat all things fire, PD, and Med with Chicago's finest. Then later, actor Simon Baker is live, too, to talk about his thrilling new series, filled with A-Listers. We'll be right back. We'll be right back with some of the very best from the windy city. Three stars from NBC's Powerhouse One Chicago franchise. Herbert Mulroney, of course, is here. He plays Chief Dom Pascal on Chicago Fire. La Roise Hawkins joins us as Kevin Officer Kevin Atwater from Chicago PD. And Luke Mitchell stars as Doctor Mitch Ripley on Chicago Mint. Well, this week all three series unite once again for an epic crossover event where Chicago's first responders remind us why they're true American heroes.

18:23That's the great thing about the Chicago One franchise. I mean, there's just all this action, all this suspense. And you get to do this as part of this legendary franchise. What does that got to be feeling like? Well, first, I'm thrilled to be here today again on today. And just watching that makes your heart pound, right? It's amazing to have joined this incredible cast. I joined in season 13 last year. So Chicago Fire is the OG show that caused all this to happen where we all live in the same universe. And then this is the once a year mega event where all the stories cross. Yeah, and fans love the mega event. So what's it like for you guys when you all get back together? Is it kind of a reunion once a year? No, it's definitely a reunion. You know, I think we've done a great job within Wolf Entertainment to bring together people who have the proper heart postures, right? To really tell these stories. You know, we're doing our best to reimagine how the real heroes do it.

19:25And when you can get everybody's heart posture in the same direction, that's when I think the crossovers, you know, is that as finest? And look, these crossovers only work when they make sense. So sometimes you'll see these shows where they're like forcing the issue. It's like, it really doesn't happen. But in this case, explain without giving too much away how these three stories, these three shows are brought together. I mean, it's just great teamwork, really. You know, I think each show has its own vibe and its own energy and its own dynamic. But I think they just dovetail into each other really, really well. I think with the crossover event, we kind of change the order a little bit so that Chicago Fire kind of sets up the dynamic. It carries on with Chicago Med, which is the other way round to how it normally is. And then we bring it home strong with Chicago PD. Yeah. Well, so it scares a little bit. Royce Bragg on you for a sec. Back in 2025, you were one of people's sexiest men alive. What is that?

20:25I mean, does everybody else brag on you for that? I mean, what's it feel when you get that call? No, I definitely, apart from you didn't believe it. I'm from Harvard, Illinois, where most of us are funny looking. You made it out on stage. Yeah, I'm doing my best. But the way I thought about it was that, you know, it must be divine positioning. Right? There are a lot of eyes and energy that come at you once you get people's sexiest. Oh, yeah. And so you were it once, right? No, that was field and strength. The Larry, the Larry. But I definitely appreciate, like I said, the eyes and the energy, whatever helps the show, good and whatever, you know, brings us enthusiasm and excitement is what I'm down for. So yeah, I was, yeah, I thought we all forgot about that. I'm not here. We never forget on today. Yeah. So what is it? Chicago is so much a part of the show. It's a character really in the show. And there's so few shows that, I mean, they shoot some places.

21:27But they're really shooting somewhere else. You're there in Chicago. Boots on the ground doing this. Boots on the ground on that tarmac up there. That's all real drivers. You see Joe Monoso driving the truck coming into that whole sequence. So we really do it. I'll also mention it was one degree that day, those three days. We had to postpone for temperature, not for conditions other than how cold this is. Some of that footage you see there is all real all on the street. The Royce and I were talking about how on occasion, Chicago gives this whole major intersection. Shut them down so the chief's car can pull an emergency U-turn. It's such a, then I turned to my left and there's the Chicago River. And there's one of those tour boat fairies going by. I performed the iconic scene from my best friend's wedding that many years earlier. He's gone the same turf for me. So it has intense resonance.

22:27And I just felt such pride in that city that stood up for itself this year. And you'll see part of that in this show where there are forces outside of the city that come to play in our storyline. This is the only format you know where you can do three hours. You don't have to take any time to introduce characters. We already know who everyone is. You just jump into the story and they knock it out of the park this year. That's so great. Luke, real quick, you became a first time dad last year. You're little guys one now? Yeah, little one year old. How's that going? I had our own Chicago crossover. Introducing a new character to the universe. Yeah, it's absolutely amazing. It's like going from 2D to 3D. It's not sure. It's like a full-on capacity stretch. And La Royce, besides everything else, you also do some spoken word. Could you maybe leave us with a little spoken word for us? I have no problem. Today I was surprised to be the day. Yeah, no problem. Imagine to the honey's and the money, either way we save them.

23:31Undercovered care of my old 50-21 David, copy that. So I was fired in the basement. Burgers running out the back. White women making statements. But black mothers make arrangements. The blue lights make them all famous. And I pray that we could trade places. Every night I close my eyes, I see the same faces and I can't erase them. But if he did it, I'll die for you. Tell me the truth. I lie for you. Across my heart now I cry for you. But let the record show that I try for you. Across my heart now I cry. But let the record show that I try. Nice. Thank you. That's beautiful. Thank you. Incredible, thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Nice, Luke. That was, it's just great having you guys here. Thank you. More than a pleasure. And the one Chicago crossover episodes air this Wednesday starting at 8 p.m. And that's a little bit later, Dylan and I are going to get buttoned and bottled. But in the meantime, Simon Baker is live with all the details from his gripping new series filled with twists and turns then later.

24:33How about some getaway ideas near and far inspired by some of our favorite solo travel movies? Third out of today I'll be right back. We are back now with a talented actor and director, Mr. Simon Baker. We all remember Simon's portrayal as a charming journalist in the devil, whereas product. Also appearing in the romantic comedy, something new that same year. He went on to star in the series The Mentalist where he earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his leading role. Well, now, Simon's part of the cast of Scar Petta playing an FBI profiler and husband to Nicole Kidman, a chief medical examiner, determined to find a serial killer. Simon, good morning. Good morning. I love the Virginia accent, too. How did you work on that? Yeah, because I always love when people who are not from here have to do an accent from here. How hard is that? Oh, it's just, it's, it's, you know, it's reasonably hot, but it's exciting.

25:37It's like learning a song. It's like, you know, like hitting, hitting certain nuts and certain sounds and, and it's, it's musculoskelet, so it's in your mouth in a musculoskelet. So Benton is, is part of Kay Scar Petta's live or husband, you know, how does, how do you in this case, which resembles a case that she investigated 30 years ago, how do you fit into this at this point? Well, the show works, it's, it's a really wonderfully layered show and it works into time periods. So we set half the shows in the 90s and then present day. So you see kind of the, the effects of not only cases that she worked on in the 90s, coming back to horn her in certain ways, but also the ramifications of living a life like that around such, you know, such, you know, violence, aggression, death, so to speak. So you see, you see how that impacts the person as they grow up.

26:39It's some, it's pretty delicious to watch in Never God. And it's quite the cast. Jamie Lee Curtis was on the earlier hours. You've got obviously Nicole Kidman, Bobby Connevalet. What's it like when all these like stars come together on a set? Oh, I mean, you're talking about constant professions. Yeah. You know, Jamie, Jamie produced the show, Nicole's company produced the show as well. And it's invested in doing the best work that they can do. So, you know, you, you get to work and there's absolute focus. That doesn't mean you don't have fun, it's important to have a good time. It brings the best out in people. But it's great. It's really wonderful to work with professionals. And I understand you had a real, a really big champion of this to be part of this show in your mom. Yeah. My mom was, my mom is a huge fan of the books. She's read, she'd read all of them. Oh, yeah. And so when I mentioned it, she kind of, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

27:41The voice went very high, very high. And I think since I've shot the thing, she's read all of them again, which is unbelievable. Wow. And she sort of quizzes me constantly about, well, how are they dealing? And I might, mom, please. Honestly. Yeah, I feel like she's going to watch with a different eye. I mean, she will. She will. She will. Yeah. She watches it. I mean, she's my mom. Right. And the first job I ever did, the only critique she had was about the woman that played my mother in the show. Right. Which is a little bit. How did she feel about that? Not right. No. No. No. She thought there could have been someone else who could have played that role better. Like her? Possibly. Yeah. She didn't mind it. She liked a bit of amateur theater. Yeah. I want to go back to something you said in Esquire Australia recently. You said there's an ease in getting older as an actor. There's a letting go that happens that is for me, very soothing, given that I've been doing what I do for so long. Well, there's also an inevitability about getting older.

28:41Like you can't really stop it. But I guess my relationship with any kind of anxiety or stress or all of these common things that people talk about all the time, like imposter syndrome, all of that, I think as I get older, I feel that stuff less or I guess it's not that I don't feel it. It's there, but I've kind of made a friend of these aspects that may have possibly derailed me when I was younger in some way. Now they're just there. They're on the journey with me. They're in the passenger seat. I don't let them tell me which way to go. I don't let them to choose the music, but they're a friend. Yeah. You've got somebody in the car with you. Yeah, it's liberal. It's time. It's generally doubts. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All of that. It's good for you. Yeah. Why not? It's so nice to see you. Can you tell your mom we said I? I will. I will. Don't forget, Scar Petter premieres March 11 on Prime Video.

29:43Your co-stars, Jamie Lee Curtis and Ariana DeBos are going to be stopping by next hour on Gen. Chanel. All right. Coming up, if you're looking for your own eat, pray, love adventure, we are going to take you to a peaceful stay inspired by the film. Then later, Steph Mansour is here to help us march into a brand new start today plan. We'll be right back. Instagram, Tina Counts, default teens into automatic protections for who can contact them and the content they can see. Explore Tina Counts and all of our ongoing work to protect teens online at Instagram.com slash Tina Counts. Few things are as uplifting as the greatest moments in sports and nothing brings us together quite like Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games from NBC Universal's iconic storytelling to the innovative technology across Xfinity and Peacock. Comcast brings the Olympic Games home to America, sharing every moment with millions. When Team USA steps onto the world stage, we're not just watching, we're cheering together.

30:45This winter, we're all on the same team. Last proud partner of Team USA. You know you need fiber for a healthy gut, but do you actually know how to get it? Quaker has been serving up fiber since 1877, with over 100 great tasting good source of fiber options to choose from. Whether you like old-fashioned oats, instant oatmeal, granola, or oatmeal squares, Quaker makes it delicious. Mmm, so good. Get your fiber with Quaker. Shop Quaker's good source of fiber products at a store near you. Welcome back. Yesterday was National Plan of Solo Vacation Day. We're really finding some days here, and we are booking the perfect trip for one, inspired by our favorite solo travel films and the most visit destinations behind them. NBC News Entertainment contributor Chris Witherspoon and Vice President of Global PR at Virtuoso. Steve Ellis are here to walk us through it all. Good morning to both of you.

31:46Good morning. Okay, so we're traveling solo. Chris, let's start off with the quintessential solo travel movie. It is Eat, Pray Love, came out in 2010. So, William Roberts basically gave us the ultimate solo travel glow-up with this movie. It's based on a best-selling memoir from Elizabeth Gilbert, and follows a New York City gal who basically presses reset on her life and travels the world for an entire year. It's not her running away, it's her running towards her best self with really good lighting. And a little fun fact for this, it's Julia Roberts agreed to film in Bali if her husband and three kids can join. So what's the ultimate work-ation, like sliding up with that one? That's amazing. Yeah, absolutely. So, let's see, where are we saying for this one? So, the movie actually spans three countries, Italy, India, and Bali. Now, if you don't have all three on your travel bingo card this year, that's quite all right. We're going to focus in on Bali, and because the Balinese New Year naipi is coming up really soon, March 18th or the 20th, and it really sort of embodies the whole spirit of this. There is a joyful parade, there's a feast, and there's a day of silence.

32:48And the best place to stay and enjoy the holiday is Mandapa, a Ritz Carlton Reserve. Not only is it a beautiful resort, but it also, they have some really wonderful mindful experiences there, like Silent Yoga and Star Gazing Meditation. And so the rates are going to start there at 1,484 a night. Okay, but first of all, it's just you. But here, it's Silent Yoga. So, Chris, what about the Queen Latifaladma? Yes, this is called the Last Holiday. Queen Latifaladma, L.L. Cooljay, to me, is the most joyful solo travel film out there. She plays a woman named Georgia, who thinks that she's dying, so she quits her job, catches out her 401k, all her savings, take the ultimate holiday abroad, like, yes, queen, okay? There's also a beautiful love story here, the kind of unfolds, and this movie believes about knowing that you can have love and luxury at the same time, all right, and where will we stay? So, this is also about your someday becoming your reality, because she chooses her dream destination, which is Karlovi Vari in the Czech Republic.

33:49It's this beautiful slaw town, and most of the filming actually takes place at this gorgeous hotel called the Grand Hotel Poup. It is. It's a 300-year-old hotel. What's your name? Grand Hotel Poup. You heard that correctly, but it is beautiful, and tons of celebrities have stayed there throughout the year, and you can as well for 195 and 9. My kids would love if I told them I got your net. They'll have a big sequel, actually. Grand Hotel Poup? Yes. All right, this next solo travel film has quite the cast. Yeah, the secret life of Walter Mitty came about in 2013, a star has been still there, who also directed and produced this film alongside Kristen Wigg, Shirley McCain, Sean Penn, Adam Scott, the cast is really stacked. So, there's on this guy named Walter Mitty, who's working in New York City at Life magazine, and gets sent by his new boss, is to go to Iceland to capture the perfect photo to kind of end their subscription, print issue. He literally goes chasing waterfalls and finds glaciers and volcanoes along the way, and this kind of message behind this film is sometimes the most beautiful views happen outside of

34:54your comfort zone. Mm-hmm. And that happens to be in Iceland, because this was filmed entirely in Iceland, even places that you thought were Greenland or Afghanistan, all filmed in Iceland, all very difficult to pronounce. So, the village we're going to focus on is, say this, your Thor. Okay. Say that with me, say this, your Thor. Yeah. It's in East Iceland, and it's this beautiful, charming village with these brightly colored homes there. And the place to stay is the Alden Hotel and Restaurant, not only because it's easier to pronounce, but because you have gorgeous views of the few arts, and the rates there in the summer will start at about 315 and now you're wow. I understand it. It looks beautiful. All right. Chris and Misty, thank you so much. We should mention that Misty is a paid employee of Travel Network Virtuoso, which men Dapa of Ritz Carlton Reserve has a preferred relationship with. All right. Well, coming up, we want to put you make sure you, that's bringing your step. I wasn't going to go as a joke, but I'm going to put you. The brand new start today plan to kick off the new month, Steph Monser has gotten all for us.

35:54Third hour today will be right back. It's the start of a new month, which means we are back with another start today. Plan just scan the QR code to download our start today app. You hear that? Berger chirping means spring is the beginning of it. There they are. I thought they were in your head. That's right. So it's no surprise that the theme for this month's challenge is all right. What a spring in your step with every one day and walking plan today show fitness contributor Steph Monser is here to walk us all through it. Hey, Steph. Good morning, good morning. Okay. So how can we refresh our fitness routine going into the spring? You know, first things first, if you've got a bunch of workout equipment here and you're not using it, I want you to spring clean this. Get rid of this ball. If you're not using it, if you're not using the foam roller out of it, you're not using a walking vest. We don't need that. We've got the resistance bands if you're not using those. Maybe you're just going to use some dumbbells with this big foam roller, you know, clear and more manageable. Make it more manageable and make it more visually appealing.

36:55So it's easier for you to go in and get what you need and that's why for this month's workout challenge, we've got a 31 day hit and strength training challenge that's all about using your body weight to get those workouts in as well as go on your daily walk. Okay. So what about nutrition? Yes. We want to spring clean our nutrition too out and this is huge because we were focusing on comfort foods for winter. Now we're focusing on lighter meals. So our dietitian Natalie Rizzo created a delicious spring risotto asparagus dish and this is something that I like to encourage people to do. Look forward to what's for dinner. So if you know the recipe you're making, if you have your meal plan, it's really exciting. You know, my husband jokes that if I don't know what I'm having for dinner by 2 pm, I go a little nuts. I think I'm the same way. Well, we got a question from Teresa from Wisconsin. Let's see what she's got. I'm Teresa from Wisconsin. Teresa from Cata, here Wisconsin. How can I incorporate spring time foods into meals that are good sources of protein and fiber? And I love how Teresa talks about protein and fiber because those are two keys when we're

37:55looking to stabilize our blood sugar levels. Try to avoid cravings and also help with weight loss and weight management to increase that protein intake and increase the fiber. So this pasta recipe has chickpeas for that protein. We've also got the asparagus for the fiber. So look for foods where you can get that nutrition in that also tastes good. And again, you look forward to having this for dinner. Starting in the morning, you can look forward to having this pasta dish at night. Okay. What about inspiration? Yeah. So we want to really spring clean our mindset to you guys. And this is huge because if you're your own worst enemy mentally, you know, you're not really going to reach your goals. You want to cheer yourself on. So we have coaching calls specifically for our start today, app subscribers. And in our coaching calls, we talk about things like putting a phrase on your refrigerator. I do this every day. I change my phrase and here you can see this little Isabella aim for a passing grade. This has become one of the staphisms, if you will, among our start today members. They say that just aiming for that passing grade instead of extra credit, instead of a plus, just do the workout, do the meal, and that's good enough.

38:56That's so great. Steph, thank you so much for motivating us. Remember to scan the QR code to learn how you can subscribe to the start to day app. And we'll be right back. And tomorrow on the third hour of today, Cassie Davin stops by with her new book. Coming up on Jen and Janelle, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ariana de Beau's live. Bye-bye. Start your day with Quaker Protein Incinot meal. The Incinot meal, ready to help you tackle whatever your day brings, like wrinkling your toddler into their car seat. That was fun. Coaching your six-graders soccer team. Double girls! And carrying all the groceries in one trip. Try Quaker Protein Incinot meal, granola, and bars. Great taste and a good source of protein. Quaker, bring out the good.