Find Yourself In The Hoop...

Ever watched little kids hula hooping? It is a beautiful sight. Smiles, laughter, and just pure joy. They don't hold back, they have no insecurities, and they give themselves the freedom to move.

Most adults haven't picked up a hoop since they were kids. It isn't their fault. Hoops for a long time were only made in kids sizes. Most adults who are confident enough to try it, quickly get discouraged because the hoop just falls to the floor. We assume we have lost our ability to hoop, not realizing the hoop is just too small. Thankfully, some amazing people discovered that if the hoop is adult size, hooping is fun again!

I discovered hooping about 4 (maybe 5) years ago. I saw a video on Youtube of Christabel Zamor hooping! And I knew I had to try.

I have been hooked on hooping ever since! The first few weeks, I hooped for hours and hours straight! I was determined to learn it all, waist, hips, chest, shoulders...all of it! I grew more confident in myself. I began to hoop at any given opportunity. I began to feel happy, amazing, and wanted to share it with the everyone I knew!

Here are some benefits of hooping:


~Boosts self confidence!! This is huge! There aren't many activities that will make you feel so good! The hoop allows you the freedom to let go and just BE. You become more confident as you give yourself permission to move in a beautiful and feminine way. You will find yourself looking for people to hoop with, sharing tips and advice, and making new friends!

Hooping in my wedding dress at my 10yr vow renewal!

~It is great exercise! Hooping burns up 600 calories in one hour! It works all the muscles in your core, helps reduce back pain, and tones and tightens your entire body!! The hoop can be used to preform all sorts of workouts, stretches, as well as improve your flexibility!

~ Hooping will make you happy!!! You will find yourself smiling, laughing, and having a blast! You will even let go of the fear of looking silly, and just have fun! In an hour hoop class, we laugh the entire time! Exercise has never been so care-free and fun!



~Helps improve your coordination! Each hoop move (trick) is designed in a very specific way, it requires exact movements. As you practice, your coordination will improve! Moves that once seemed impossible...left arm here, right arm there, turn right, now left...will become natural!


~Hooping may jump start your new fitness habit!! Many people who begin hooping, have never exercised on a regular basis. Getting into hooping and watching your body transform, encourages many to take part in other workouts. I have seen this happen!! Taking a hoop class is a great way to get into a fitness routine! Start with hooping, then add a weight-training class, and then maybe a Spin class!!



The benefits are amazing! Many have discovered weight-loss, which encouraged better eating habits, which changed their lives!! Hooping is not just for kids...but you can feel care-free like a kid again!! Grab a hoop (adult size of-course) and get hooping!!!

Christabel, before and after hooping changed her life

The unhappy, 'happy' people

"I'd rather be fat and happy" 

Every now and then, someone will say something that really gets my mind going. Really gets me thinking and wondering what on earth does that really mean....

"I'd rather be fat and happy"

Sometimes people say things that are meant to be hurtful or insulting; while pretending to be confident in their lifestyle choices, but actually do the exact opposite. 

The statement "I'd rather be fat and happy" is probably the saddest thing I have heard in a long time. Not because it was rude or meant to be an insult, but because shows a lack of self-worth, it is saying your happiness is based on your food addictions, and that your health isn't important.

 I have met and spoken with hundreds of people (if not more) about weight and health, and have never met a person who is overweight, obese, or fat, who is truly happy and wouldn't change their weight. Most start out defending their bad lifestyle choices, but eventually admit they are unhappy, and fear getting sick. Unhappy with the way they look, unhappy about the way they feel, unhappy about the situation they are in, and unhappy about their health issues. And all wish they could make changes, but feel they are stuck or it is too difficult. BUT none say they are happy with the way they feel or look. NONE.

The point of this statement was to point out how unhappy we are because of our healthy lifestyle...right...that makes NO sense at all. Healthy = happy! No matter how much you argue it, no matter how much you HATE it, the truth is, HEALTHY people are generally HAPPY people. Choosing a healthy and compassionate lifestyle is a joy. The decision to eat or NOT eat certain food does not make a healthy person UNhappy. The choice comes from loving oneself enough to NOT put food-stuff in our body, because we know how awful you feel after...we've been there and done that.

Living a happy life is not eating junk food, fast food, or fake food. Living a happy life is having the ABILITY to be active, to feel amazing, to have a clean bill of health, to feel confident, and to wake up everyday knowing you LIVE the best life you can!

"I'd rather be fat and happy" or "I'd rather be happy & healthy"

I choose to be happy & healthy.

Being Vegan...Restaurant Edition!

One thing I didn't think about when changing my lifestyle, was going out to eat! Really, how hard can it be??? Pretty darn hard, lol! It becomes a game of 20 (or more) questions. Do you say you are vegan or claim to be allergic to everything? Well, if you are honest and say you are vegan, they may not take you seriously and serve you food cooked in butter....but if you say you have an allergy, the wait staff may panic, lol! It is all about talking to the wait staff, asking the right questions, and NOT being too aggressive. Many people don't understand the diet, not even realizing butter is an animal product (sad, I know). Some just don't care.

So this is how it works:

1. Begin by feeling out the waitress, ask a simple question like: 'does the batter you use contain any dairy or eggs'? She might simply say...'I don't know, let me go check' or she might just answer (without caring one bit) 'I don't THINK so'. If she says I don't think so, and doesn't offer to find out, say you have an allergy. This will let her know it is important to KNOW or find out ;) There are so many people with allergies these days, saying you have an allergy isn't really a big deal!

2. Look over the menu and READ all the descriptions! Check the appetizers and sides options, you can probably create a healthy vegan meal using those options! There are always steamed veggies, side salads, roasted potatoes, rice and soups (ask about ingredients first) that can be ordered in larger portions to make a filling meal. Salads are great, ask for no meat and cheese, and check the dressing options (ask for lemon slices if there are no vegan dressings) and enjoy!

3. Call ahead and ask if they offer vegan dishes :) That makes it so much easier!

4. Vegan pizza can be ordered at MOST places! Pizza dough is vegan (but double check just incase), ask for fresh veggies and some tomato sauce! So yummy!!!

5. Items to double check: bread, tortillas, batter, dressing, rice, fries, pizza dough, and pasta. These items can have some strange ingredients like milk in tortillas (seriously) or fries soaked in beef broth, butter in rice, milk in pizza dough, etc. Ask the waitress to double check, and let her know you could get sick (or be visiting the bathroom frequently, lol)

6. Don't be afraid to ask and double check ingredients, something my husband is really good at! He is actually better at it than me (due to years of working in the restaurant business), I assume certain things are vegan...and then he asks and we learn they are not!

7. Don't get discouraged! Ask the waitress for help, they can talk to the cook/chef and see what options you have. There are always options :) It may be upsetting...everyone else is ready to order, the menu is full of meat & dairy...but take a closer look and you will find some yummy things! Eventually you will get better and better at it!

8. OR...look for a Vegan restaurant!!! You never know, you might find one in your area :)

Restaurants that are easy to veganize:
Mexican
Thai
Indian
Chinese
Pizza (double check the dough)

Cake is a carb...right?

We have all heard the rumor...remove carbs and lose weight! We probably believed it as well. The truth is, most people don't know what carbohydrates are, what they are used for, and why we need them. Most people will think of bread, fruit, veggies, and cake as carbs...though fruit and veggies are NOT even slightly similar to cake. French fries are carbs...and so are steamed  potatoes...but they are not the same at all. We are very confused here...are carbs making us fat, or is FAT< PROCESSED FOOD< AND SALT making us fat?

Let's take a look at French fries verses steamed potatoes:

Do you see the real problem here...the potato or the FAT?

The average French fries (3oz) has about 267 calories, 123 calories from FAT 13.7grams of FAT, 1.8grams of saturated fat, 247mg of sodium, and only 32.7grams of carbs. So is the carb an issue here? Or is it the insane amount of FAT and salt?

Steamed potatoes have about 80 calories for 3.8oz, and NO FAT< NO SALT!

Freshly steamed potatoes!! Add fresh herbs and enjoy!

So even though both steamed potatoes and French fries are carbohydrates, the potato itself is actually a great food choice! The French fries are ONLY bad because they are soaked in oil and drenched in salt! The fact that potatoes are carbohydrates is not an issue. They will not make you fat. Many cultures around the world eat potatoes as their staple, NONE of these cultures have a weight problem. I eat potatoes a few times a week. I do not have a weight problem.
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Another carb we are so confused about is cake/cookies etc. Yes, these things are placed in the carb category because they are made out of flour. BUT, cake is really more of a fat, salt, & refined sugar than it is a carb.

The average piece of cake has about 506 calories, 204 from FAT, 22.6grams of fat, 6.6grams of saturated fat, and 461mg of sodium! That is A LOT of fat! Now is it fair to even call this 'food' a carb? I think it is a fat...don't you?

This is pure FAT

Cookies and cakes are full of fat, refined sugar, additives, preservatives, and not a food. They should not be placed in a category with real food like rice, potatoes, fruit, corn, wheat, etc.

Natures sweet goodness! Skip the cake!

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Carbohydrates when cooked or eaten raw are the best source of energy for humans. They are also low in fat (or have zero fat), provide numerous vitamins and minerals, keep sugar cravings away, keep our mood stable, and make us feel good. Real carbs are not making us fat...fat, salt, junk food, meat & dairy are making us fat!

Take a look at a plate of chicken Parmesan. People are convinced, if you remove the pasta, and eat the chicken slathered in cheese and sauce that it is the healthier option. But is it?

This is a HIGH FAT meal, skip it!

The chicken is probably seasoned heavily with salt, most likely cooked in oil, maybe even fried, coated with breadcrumbs which have more salt, and then loaded with cheese which is high fat & salt! Now the pasta, well that is a simple food, usually just flour (sometimes whole wheat or corn) and water! Pasta is not the problem here...the high fat & salt chicken and cheese are the problem. Pasta, especially when it is gluten free, is a great high energy food!

Another food with a bad reputation is rice. Now, brown rice or even white rice has been a staple for many Asian cultures (Spanish as well) for centuries. These cultures are also some of the slimmest people out there, with long life spans. Steaming a bowl of rice and adding some veggies is a wonderful meal, it definitely won't make you fat! NOW...when Americans think of rice, they imagine fried rice, loaded with greasy sauces, chicken, beef or shrimp. This is also loaded with salt! Again, it is not the rice or 'carb' which is making you fat, it is the grease, the meat, and the salt!

Perfectly healthy brown rice and steamed veggies!

 I am 100% confidant anyone eating a LOW fat, high carb diet will stay slim and lean, as long as they understand what is a carb and what fat & salt are! Bread is not a problem, bread loaded with processed meat, high fat cheese, mayo, or oil is the problem!

For about a year, I have been testing this theory! I have been eating loads and loads of fruit, rice, potatoes, and pasta for dinner every night, and actually lost weight! I even eat vegan pizza weekly, without a single pound gained! I have energy, I am leaner than ever, I have seen improvement in the workouts, I have a steady mood, I feel amazing! No more stomach aches after a meal, no more feeling tired after a meal, and no more counting calories!

So lets go over the good & bad:
Fruit...fruit is king! Loaded with vitamins, water, and PURE energy!
Cookies...are fat & refined garbage
Cake...fat
French Fries...fat
Potatoes (steamed, baked, roasted)...awesome & healthy
Fried Rice...loaded with fat, salt and unhealthy
Rice (steamed, boiled)...yummy and healthy
Pasta...great option, especially if you pick gluten free and add some steamed veggies
Mac & Cheese...FAT, the cheese is the issue here, not the pasta
Bread...good, but pick a sprouted one, whole grain, fresh, and vegan! Low sodium is key!
Veggies...awesome!!! eat them up, skip the salt and butter!

Don't let society confuse you! Don't be fooled by fad diets trying to sell you a high fat meat diet, that will have you craving sugar all day! Carbs are not only healthy, but they will help you keep the pounds off and look leaner than ever! JUST make sure you understand what is a real carb, and what is being disguised as one!

Eat up!

Does 'Fit' Represent Health?

We are bombarded with images of 'fit' women and we have been conditioned to believe this image represents health...but does it? Have you ever met a girl that is really fit? Have you talked to her? Or have you met the guy who looks like an athlete from Sports Illustrated? Chances are you have! You also envied them for their beautiful body and probably thought 'wow, they are so healthy'. This is where the line is very blurred.

The guy who resembles an athlete is not necessarily healthy, just like a body builder is generally NOT healthy. Being around 'fit' people a lot, I can tell you what it takes for this athlete to look this way. Let's start with his horrible diet of meat & protein shakes! I once asked a 'fit' guy at the gym what his diet was like, and he said I eat a ton of meat and drink protein shakes a few times a day. He said 'I try to stay away from carbs, even fruit, then I allow myself a cheat day and I binge out on pizza and junk food'. Sounds healthy, right? No way. We know a high protein diet is acid forming and contributes to numerous health issues, cancer being one of them! Depriving yourself fresh fruit is extremely harmful. Fruit is nutrient rich, unlike meat. A diet without fruit is a nutrient poor diet and that is not healthy.

Cheat days. Why do so many 'fit' people have them, or quickly fall off their high protein diets? Cheat days happen due to lack of nutrition. The body will crave high energy food, looking for carbohydrates (that the 'fit' person denies himself) so when the craving is out of control one cannot make a healthy food choice. Turning to junk food, high in fat, salt, and sugar. Meanwhile a healthy person on a high fruit diet has no cheat days...we don't binge eat, we don't feel deprived. We don't need to cheat.

After these disgusting cheat days, he said he would hit the gym harder than ever out of fear all his hard work would go down the drain! WHAT???? He already works out for hours a day, some days twice a day. After a cheat day, his workout routine would be 1 and 1/2 hrs cardio, followed by an insanity style hour long workout. Why would you torture your body for the bad decision YOU made. Your body is your home, it is not your bodies fault YOU binged all day. It shouldn't be punished.

What does that do to your mental state? Does it feel good to binge? To deprive yourself of carbohydrates? To train for hours and hours? To feel like crap after the binge? To feel like crap after torturing yourself at the gym? NO, this is why this 'fit' person is not healthy. I once asked him why do this? His only answer...to look 'like this'. To jeopordize your health for looks is sad!

This is very common in the fitness industry, both 'fit' men and women follow this kind of lifestyle. Some women are even worse, over training on a regular basis, spending 2 to 3 hours at the gym, usually out of guilt from what they ate, or trying to lose weight quickly to fit into a dress or be ready for swim suit season.

Is it healthy to train 3+ hours a day if you only do it 3 times a week? Depends who you ask. If you ask a 'fit' person they would say sure it's fine. 'No Pain, No Gain' right? If you ask a healthy person, the answer would be it's NOT healthy. Over training for long hours puts unnecessary stress on the body, creating an acidic environment! If your diet is right, workouts can be short and efficient, keeping you lean & fit without the added stress! There are no binges when diet is right! There is no guilt when diet is right!

So does the 'fit' person always represent health? Absolutely not!

The Horrible, No Good, Food Day :/

It all began like any normal Monday, get up, get ready and go to spin class! I threw my bananas in my bag and headed to teach class. I usually push myself pretty hard, I love a good challenge, but today I decided to really crank the tension up and focus on hills!! The hour flew by, I was drenched in sweat, legs shaking, and I was starving!!! I began to eat my bananas...and did so in between training my clients. I was down to the last banana, number 7. I knew that 7 bananas wasn't enough.

As hungry as I was, I decided to make a "quick" stop at Walmart to grab some crafts I needed for my vow renewal projects...and then it happened! After walking through the craft section for about a half hour, I was ready to eat my own arm :( What was I doing...I needed to get home and eat! But...instead I got a bag of raw almonds to eat on the ride home! So...first mistake fruit & nuts...never go well together. Second...when hungry, fat (almonds are a high fat food) will not work. I was in need of fruit, water, carbs!!!

Despite knowing better, my hunger took over and I ate almonds. Each bite was actually worse than the other....not satisfying at all! Bland, boring, dry...now I was thirsty :( Finally home, I grab a huge bowl of cherries!! Not only was I still hungry, but I had a bloated belly and a little tummy ache...but hungry enough to ignore it.

The cherries were amazing I ate about a pound and then they were gone...still hungry! I reached for mangoes!!! I peel the first one and it was too ripe, pretty much gone bad :( Now...there is nothing worse than the taste of bad fruit, omg, gross! Peel the second one...and I could not get the awful taste out of my mouth! Time to move on...leave the mangoes alone!

At this point, fruit was not going to happen, I was still hungry and needed energy. I was already bloated and uncomfortable from the banana-almond-cherry combo, now here goes the next worst thing I could have done: EAT CRACKERS, lol! I needed something, quick while I prepared dinner! Nom, nom, nom, went the crackers! As I waited for dinner, my stomach ache turned into gas and even more bloating (gross I know) and I looked about 5 months pregnant! Not to mention I was in terrible pain and tired :( My energy was plummeting, I was under carbed, I under ate, and then filled my belly with poorly combined foods...that were now slowing me down. My body went into over-drive to digest this terrible combination! So I made a cup of coffee, lol!!! Now I was asking for it! And then I ate my cooked meal horribly bloated,strangly hungry and uncomfortable.

One would think, but all these foods are semi healthy and vegan, so what happened?

1st. Waiting till you are starving to eat is a really bad (terrible) idea. You tend to eat too fast, make bad choices, and  this will cause you to bloat and usually over eat.

2nd. Practicing food combining is important when you eat a clean, natural diet (any diet really, but it is hard to food combine on the S.A.D). Stomach aches become a thing of the past...and when something like this happens, it is very painful. Your body lets you know quickly that it is not happy with you! Unlike people on a S.A.D, where gas, bloating, heart burn and indigestion is a normal occurrence...this is not normal for me. I have become a clean, really efficient machine!

3rd. Mixing fresh fruit & cooked food (crackers) and coffee is not ever a good idea. It causes very poor digestion as well as fermentation...hence the gas, sour stomach, belching, etc. This is one rule I try very hard to not break! It is not optimal to allow fermentation to occur in the body!

What could I have done different. EVERYTHING!! I should have prepared a smoothie in the morning, drank it on the way to spin...and packed dates as well as bananas. I should have gone straight home as the hunger increased...starving myself to do some shopping was a bad decision!

We all have those days, we are human...tomorrow is a new day :)