Day Two- I remembered my food!!

Well I can safely say that all those years of being in the body building industry have paid off in one way or another!! This time in food preparation...NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!!

Yesterday being day two I had yet another challenging day ahead of me. Mom and I left home very early- her to head to the doctor's to have her eye's checked for extreme dryness and for testing to find the cause of her anemia and me to spend the day with Gramma and take her in for her rapidly depleting eye sight.

I spent a good hour and a half preparing our food for the day as I am still getting used to the vegan regimen as well as to mom's tiny kitchen. Oh how I miss my big kitchen...but I digress. This summer I am committed to be here for mom and then move to the beach so it's only temporary :)

I packed our bags with fresh juice, as usual, containing everything from beets to grapefruit to collard greens, the lentil-brown rice mix from the day before packed in lettuce and kale cups for easy eating on the go, salad with many colors, banana slices with almond butter, grapes, almond-walnut-date mix, and sweet potato pudding.

Spending time with Gramma before leaving for the doctor I was thankful to have brought my food along! The home that she chose to move into does not feed her much in the way of produce so we have a fruit of the month sent to her year-round and bring food with us on each visit. I was happy she ate grapes, dates and banana with me.

As we sat in the waiting room I felt a bit hungry, not unusual as I feel like I can't stop eating now that I am vegan, so I drank some juice. Of course it got a bit of attention and an older gentleman came over to ask if I had brought lunch for the group? I told him I'd be happy to share my vegan treats but he seemed more inclined to speak to my gramma about why she was there and to ask her age...she said 39, he said 40. Eventually she confessed her real age of 94 and he responded with "pushing 80" and had she noticed, she may have had a date!

What I truly love about my gramma is that she is never afraid to be herself. She kept her composure when I told her about his attempts and said "honey, what in the world would I do with him anyway!?!" We had a good laugh.

Our day was filled with smiles as I spent time talking about her life, appreciating the adventures she has had and observing the world together. I am so grateful for her coming into my life when she did...we adopted her in 1984; the year my parents divorced and the same year she lost one of her last living relatives.

We compared our hands and I was taken back by the beauty in her fingers! With such slender, straight fingers and soft skin it's hard to believe those hands belong to a 94 year-young woman. It's no wonder the man came over to inquire about her!!

Now, it's been quite some time since I've stepped foot into an actual doctor's office. Looking around reminded me of how the concept of specializing in one thing has a tendency to overlook the big picture. I can say that I was pleased to hear her doctor recommend her continue on her eye vitamins and to increase her amounts of green leafy vegetables.

After the appointment we sat down for lunch at the cafe as we would not be back in time for dinner at the home; their term for lunch. She enjoyed her ham and cheese sandwich with side salad as I took out my vegan treats. Her eyes showed such joy as she watched me eat and kept saying "Honey, you're so healthy! I am so glad to have you on board now. Tell your mom I'm having a wonderful day."

I can't help but wonder just how many aging ailments and diseases are caused by poor diet. While I never would have thought after 8 years that I would return to a vegan diet but after only a couple of days, I can feel this time is life-changing.

By the end of the day I was exhausted! Every ounce of energy was spent in play with Gramma but we laughed and had such joy that I would not have traded it for the world. I ate all my food and then some...after mom and I took our daily walk, this time at 7pm, we sat down to a Rainbow Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing. 

Day two was a great success in the vegan journey. While I have maintained my weight despite the high amount of carbs and nut fats I am consuming, my waistline has trimmed down quite rapidly. A big surprise to me having spent years in the low-carb, high protein mindset!!

Operation GO VEGAN- Day One

So I know this is technically day two but I wrote the post last night while I was away from the internet to stay accountable...here goes!

Nothing like a good challenge!

Day One…eh not so bad! We began our day with fresh juice and sweet potato pudding before our daily 45 minute walk and snacked on lentil and brown rice sauté in lettuce cups when we returned. I made smoothies with homemade nut milk to drink while we got ready knowing that we needed to get as much nutrition in as possible before we left the house.

My efforts last night to create tasty vegan masterpieces came with great appreciation from my mom as she returned home to find a kitchen full of treats. I spent a great deal of time researching the transition process and how to make vegan foods taste incredible.

While my mom and I had to attend a memorial service for my godfather’s wife today I spent a good hour preparing our food for the day to avoid the hunger pangs of searching for acceptable foods on the first day of a new eating style. You know what they say “proper planning prevents piss-poor performance!”

Unfortunately, this morning in our hustle to leave the house to be on time for the service, the bag was left packed with food and ice packs in the kitchen!! Needless to say, day one became a bit of an adventure. 

Thank goodness I made sure we consumed plenty of food before we left…

So what would become of us on day one being away from home and all the vegan foods I had prepared? 

HA!! We survived with flying colors!!!

The reception was at a fish restaurant on a wharf that is famous for their fish and my mom says “well, we could always start again tomorrow…” “NOPE…we committed,” I said.

We arrived early on a hunt for food as by then we were very hungry. They say the first week as a vegan is the hardest, and while I don’t feel it to be hard, the journey is definitely one requiring detailed research, planning, patience and acceptance.

Walking the pier we found a “grill” that served burgers, fried fish, chicken salads and such. My mom has always been one for a big salad so she was all for it but I couldn’t bring myself to consume a cheaply made iceberg mess so we kept walking. We stumbled upon a large fish market and walked in to find rows of fish, shell fish, places to order fried fish etc. but settled on one particular place that offered a side of veggies and corn tortillas.

For $5.75 we agreed that this side order would be a good pre-meal snack to avoid having to go hungry and make a bad choice at the reception. Boy, were we pleasantly surprised! When our buzzer went off, I went to the counter to collect our supposed side dish. I was greeted with a large blue plastic tray, the ones you usually use to carry your plates at a buffet, that was FULL of sautéed veggies in a killer achiote sauce! We were in heaven!

Attending the reception we found salad drenched in mustard dressing, steamed veggies tossed in butter, rice cooked in chicken stock, chicken and beef with cheesecake for dessert. You can imagine how glad we were to have taken that preventative measure and eaten first!?

Given the events of the day I would say that it was quite a success. You can check out my food blog to find the nut milk recipe I adapted from a few that I found online as well as the recipe for sesame kale that I made last night. (while I made it for today, mom loved it so much that she ate it all last night LOL)

Ever Wish For Thinner Thighs?

I can speak from years of experience with larger than average thighs that pants don't fit right, shorts...forget it and well, clothes shopping just doesn't go the way we want it to.

For many years I danced. Tap, jazz, ballet and lyrical though for all of those years I was obese. It was a sad existence to feel hopeless in having to buy clothes that fit because as my upper body would shrink during the weight loss my thighs never seemed to go down. I've been known as "the white girl with a bootie" for as far back as I can remember.

It's not a bad thing though. I mean think of it this way, I could have been plagued with no hips or bootie at all! Some of you may be suffering from a sunken, flat or saggy butt. The fact is, people are now getting butt implants to give shape to the very thing that others of us have been trying to get rid of for what seems like forever.

Now, did you know that you have the power to change this? The tools to trim and sculpt the legs you really want are not so far from your grasp! Really. Here are a couple of tips to ease your stress and lighten the load on those delicate areas you so lovingly call Thunder Thighs. This is how I did it and it works wonders!

1- DO NOT use any more resistance on the bikes or elliptical machines more than 1. I find so many women struggling to push harder and harder on the cardio with extra resistance in hopes of trimming down their thighs. Keep in mind, you must burn the fat first. With all that resistance you are only building more muscle under the fat. *This applies to the inner/outer thigh machines as well!!!!

2- EAT CLEAN foods while losing weight. When you workout your body takes in the food you eat and shuttles it right to the muscle that you just finished working with. That means, all the chips, cookies and soda will go right into your muscle creating a bulkier effect! EEK!!!

3- SQUATS and LUNGES only work if they are done right and with light weight. Trainers even make the mistake of not paying attention to their clients form while performing these exercises which is very sad. They key to properly balanced formation of leg and glute muscles is to keep your weight in the heels NOT the toes. This way you will not build up ginormous thigh muscles with no bootie.

4- DON'T FORGET TO STRETCH before and after your cardio sessions. When your muscles are stiff and you do cardio form and technique may be affected by the areas that are constricted causing an imbalance in how you use your legs. Your walk, stance, sitting position and even sleep can be affected by this poor conditioning. Stay limber for proper balance and stability.

If you are in need of some serious guidance on a workout that targets the hips, bootie and thighs check out  Brazil Butt Lift in the SHOP section of my site. You will love this intense, sculpting, high energy workout program!!!

Excuses...excuses...

When I first started working out I was so disgusted with my body that I feared going into the tiny fitness center at the complex I lived in because I was afraid someone would see me from their bedroom window and think I was some fat cow. Plus, when I would do heavy cardio my face would turn as red as a beet and feel like I had flames shooting from my eyes. Not one of my best looks but I wanted a 6-pack SO bad that I fought the fear and pushed myself. Making a vision board helped me to stay focused on my goal and reminded me each morning to not turn on the TV but to go straight to the gym. Before the vision board I had every excuse in the book to not workout but with clarity in my goal I came in alignment with what I wanted and let nothing stand in my way!
I hear many of these same excuses from people resisting physical activity so I have listed some excuses here with explanations, rebuttles and basic no-nonsense hits to tackle your most challenging objections!! What you read may be harsh but if you want results you have go to stop digging yourself into a hole...

-I DON'T LIKE TO EXERCISE- okay, really?!?! How do you know? Have you tried every type of physical activity there is? If not, then it's time you tried something new!
-I DON'T LIKE TO SWEAT- sweat is a necessary part of having a human body. For many of you women who experience hormonal sweating I can imagine this to be quite uncomfortable. But, sweat releases toxins from your body that are blocked up and with out sweating your body may very well be a toxic waste dump. Is that better than sweating? I think not!
-GYM'S ARE FOR BODYBUILDERS- in this day and age people of every age and fitness level go to gyms for every type of training from weights to Zumba to swimming. There is something for everyone! Plus, when you show up consistently you begin to make friends and feel like a welcome part of the community.
-I FEEL INTIMIDATED IN A GYM- when I first started at Gold's back in 2004 I had clients who would ask me to train them ONLY in the women's gym, secluded from the big "manly" machines. Fear of judgement, failure and rejection all played a huge part in this. Two things- A-tour a few gyms before settling in on one to know how the vibe will be B-if you can not find a gym in your area consider doing a workout program from home. If you are afraid of judgement, sweating off your make-up or just looking dorky in the gym, work out at home. Explore Home Workout Programs Here
-I FEAR INJURY- well, first of all let me say, if you fear something you will make it happen by law of attraction so wipe that thought from your brain. If you are concerned about whether or not you are performing an exercise correctly then maybe it's time you seek help from a personal trainer or fitness professional. Be sure to interview them on their techniques and be confident that they truly will focus on your form. I can't begin to tell you how many trainers I've seen who can not practically apply the knowledge they learned from the books that certified them, so do your research!
-BUT MY BODY HURTS AFTER I WORK OUT- this one is tricky but here goes...when you do any sort of resistance training or weight bearing exercise, microscopic tears happen in your muscle fibers which causes slight swelling in the muscle groups you worked. In addition, as a bi-product of energy production, lactic acid develops which is the burning sensation you feel toward the end of a set. Lactic acid remains in the muscle if your diet is poor and you do not consume enough alkaline foods to neutralize those acids. The recovery period following your workout should be a min of 48 hours until the next time you work the muscle again. To stave off any additional cramping you can do a short set of cardio such as walking on the treadmill immediately after your session to promote circulation and detoxification.
-BUT I DON'T HAVE THE TIME- I ask you this, how much time do you spend in front of the TV, spend in a social setting or searching random Epic Meal Time videos on YouTube? Do you TIVO your favorite shows, meet friends for happy hour during the week or just waste your time away stressing about how hard your life is? Well, I'm here to tell you that you will have the time if you make the time. You know as well as I do that when you want something bad enough, you will do anything to have it. How bad do you want better health, unlimited energy or 6-pack abs? You have to want it so bad that you can see it as if it's already happened. Miraculously you will start finding time in your day. Working out at home is a simple way to make sure you fit it in before work.
-BUT I CAN'T AFFORD IT- Walking is free. Push-ups, sit-ups and squats...all free too! There is a plethora of information online about how to work out with out equipment. Check out YouTube for videos on Calisthenics, yoga, tai chi, kickboxing and more. It's a wealth of information all free to you.
-I DON'T HAVE THE ENERGY- if this is the case, a few things could be happening. You may be a caffeine freak at which case your adrenals are shot and we need to get to work asap! You may be struggling with your nutrition and not feeding your body the fuel it needs to do all you ask of it. There may be some serious stress in your life that causes you to feel overwhelmed at which case your emotional energy is what's drained. You may try using physical activity to get out your aggression or stress. Getting to the gym or pushing play on the DVD player can be half the battle. I can speak from experience in saying that I may feel horrible going into a workout, but half way through, the adrenaline kicks in and I feel like I can conquer the world.
-BUT I'VE TRIED WORKING OUT AND IT DIDN'T WORK- then you didn't do it right or the balance between diet and exercise was not right. Truth is, when you do the research to find out what works right for your body type, personality and your level of time commitment the results will come. You can not follow along with the workout program of a genetically skinny person and expect the same results if you are trying lose weight. If you are not thinking of yourself as an individual with specific needs, if you started a new program and didn't give it 110%, if you didn't take the time to understand how your body works...then you are cheating yourself.
Here's the bottom line: Respect yourself enough to do some research on what you need.
...If you don't know enough and don't plan on being a personal trainer yourself, hire one, purchase a home workout program or check out YouTube.
It's much more simple than you are making it so get over it and start somewhere! For more information on how to get started contact me at alida@bodyeverlasting.com

Say No to Crack!

I walk around a public place and see many women, and men, with less than perfect bumbums. Cracks are exposed more and more and at alarming rates! And not in a good way. It's the one thing that can be fixed without implants and the one muscle group that women have the most trouble with.

Are you or someone you know suffering from an overabundant, saggy, flat, indented behind or even concave behind? It's become such a problem that people are actually getting implants for it?!? Crazy!

Over the years I became known as the Goddess of Glutes because of my own badunkadunk and my ability to build them on clients of all ages, shapes and sizes. Yes, I have good genetics but there were only two times in my life when I lost my bum: Once when I was in 6th grade after I gained my weight back following a short stint with Jenny Craig and a second time when I was a size 3...

At a time when I had only been a personal trainer for 7 months, and was the thinnest I had ever been, I was approached by the guy working the front desk at my gym. He said to me "You know, I am really proud of your massive weight loss and impressed at your hard work and dedication...but you lost your ass! It was amazing!!" For a girl who has always gotten attention for my behind, that was a ginormous blow to the ego. I vowed never to lose it again!

Squats and lunges became a staples in my training and I began to understand the correlation between flexibility of the hamstrings and proper formation of gluteal muscles. In a nutshell...I had it down pat. It became clear to me that the glutes are a wonderfully easy part of the body to shape and sculpt.

Unfortunately for many women the rump is not a symmetrical balance to the rest of their body so their pants don't fit right (ie: crack attack) causing them to slide down while sitting...reminiscent of my old Ken doll who's polyester pants exposed his crack every time he sat in Barbie's Dream car...or bunch up in the wrong spots while standing/walking. We also have many who are afraid to show it off due to cellulite. So what to do?

Here are a few tips for consideration when building your luscious lady lumps:
1) stay flexible-many women who are stiff end up using their quads to perform a squat or lunge more than their glutes. When you stay flexible you are able to get a better range of motion and activate the glutes more effectively.
2) when doing cardio think stairs or incline-this movement will incorporate the use of glute muscles and help them grow, but make sure you place more of your weight in your heels rather than your toes
3) drink hot water-I know it sounds strange but cellulite is caused many toxins built up in the fat cells and lyphatic system. The easiest way to clear that out is to sip on hot water throughout the day.

Anyone is capable of having the bootie of their dreams. With the right tools, program and healthy eating habits your pants and bikinis will fit like never before!