MARCH 2-5 experience my MENTOR

I will be traveling to the EAST COAST LOCATION the beginning of next week.
Marc Coronel, one of the TOP TRX course instructors in THE WOLRD will be taking over my classes & sessions!!!!!
This is an extra special treat for you.
NOT TO BE MISSED!

He is just as strange as I am so you will definitely have fun.....and the knowledge is not even a question.  
So get your butts into class even if you haven't been in a while.
This is not something to be missed.
Please sign up online to reserve your spot.

www.AlphaVenice.com/schedule
We welcome Marc to PFIT and look forward to his continual appearances!

Healthy Snacks - Asparagus

ASPARAGUS

One of my favorite snacks made by #Paleta

is the Power House.....asparagus spears wrapped in turkey.

Sunday's Farmer's Market in Santa Monica 

has the best make your own omelets:

egss, bacon, corn, asparagus & mozzarella  

is EPIC

High in vitamin K and folate, asparagus is extremely well balanced.

Asparagus is high in anti-inflammatory nutrients as well as provides a wide variety of antioxidant nutrients, including vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and the minerals zinc, manganese and selenium.

No matter how you dress these puppies up they are GOOOOD for you.  So boil them, steam them, sauté them, just consume them! Your body will thank you.

I am feeling a bacon trend here!

for the full recipe visit LILUNA

let it out and move on....

As much energy as we expend during exercise,

 we need to put that much back in. 

Respecting our bodies by sitting quietly and bringing the attention back to the breath.

Much of our health is related to our metal state

that controls stress, sleep and recovery.

I just started reading THE BUDDAH WALKS INTO A BAR
What I have to work on is the INCREDIBLE HULK SYNDROME
Learning how to deal with your strong emotions when they arise quickly.

There is a analogy about a glass of water...

"The first thing to remember is that these emotions are not your enemy.  They are fluid and open experiences.  They are the dirt swirling in a glass of water before it settles to the bottom.  Like the dirt in the glass, your emotions won't always be active on the surface unless you keep stirring them up.  In other words, it's not your strong emotions that get you in trouble, its the fact that you get hooked by them."

I think the trick is to not let things get backed up, not let things build until you explode.
But do yourself a service of dealing with things as they come up and fully allowing yourself to move past them. 

Remember things will arise, but you have the choice of whether or not to give them energy.
The more you sit quietly the more this will make sense. 
Choose the breath, choose to teach yourself how to react better/differently by learning how to make healthier decisions in the moment.

#BREATHE

Personally Fit!

As you all know by now, we have moved. 

ALPHA VENICE has joined forces with 

PFit at 1500 Lincoln Blvd

So far, we have had a GREAT transition.

The parking & showers seem to have helped the flow of classes.

I would love to see each of your smiling faces in there ASAP

We have changed NTC/NIKE TRAINING CLUB 

on the schedule 

to a class called ALPHA HUSTLE.

#NIKEWOMEN

will only be offering NTC in NIKE stores & elevated events around the globe

SO ALPHA HUSTLE WAS BORN

is a combo of NTC drills, power plate, TRX, RIP, HIIT & yoga.

All the best ALPHA VENICE has to offer rolled into one class!

You can always come to the FREE NTC events in SOCAL

MONDAY EVENINGS

check www.nike.com/LA for locations & times.

I will be teaching TONIGHT 

MONDAY FEB 23rd 

at NIKE SANTA MONICA starting at 630pm.

Please come early to sign in and get settled!

OATS in or OUT?

During my years baking gluten free,

my favorite grain alternative has always been oat flour.

It has a very similar texture to regular flour, that fluffiness without the nutty taste of the other options.

Recently, I have been noticing a similar reaction to the oats, that my tummy has to GLUTEN.

Research shows that traditionally oats are not allowed

 in a gluten free diet for those with Celiacs. 

Though oats contain a different type of protein 

than wheat, rye & barley called, AVENIN 

making it digestible for those with a gluten entollerance.

You can get GLUTEN FREE oats from the super market.

Most people that are "Gluten Free" these days aren't necessarily suffering from Celiacs.

The difference between being gluten free & having Celiacs is that the Celiacs' response is autoimmune. Most people that take gluten out have a digestive issue.

Canadian Celiac Association’s professional advisory board has developed a position statement on using pure, uncontaminated oats. It says that adults with celiac can safely consume half to three-quarters of a cup (50 to 70 grams) of dry rolled oats per day. For children, it’s one-quarter cup (20 to 25 grams) per day.

Since I know I do have an autoimmune disorder, I am sure I need to limit my intake.

What do I do for all my ALPHA SWEETS that i make with oats & oat flours?

Back to the drawing board.........

The picture shown above was an experiment of my favorite 

PUMPKIN DRIED CHERRY COOKIE sans OATS.

I subbed the oat flour for rice flour

and added quick oats at half the amount of the rolled oats.

The results were: a difference in texture (to be expected), 

they required a longer bake time, almost double

& they where much more crumbly.

AND NO BAD REACTION FOR MOI!

The solution: offering this option as a different cookie, it is more crunchy and delicious.

Refrigeration after cooling helped the cookie stay together.

This is a VEGAN cookie option, so I will offer a NON VEGAN option by adding eggs 

to  make them stickier!

*EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON WHO IS CONSUMING THESE LOVELY LITTLE DELIGHTS. ALPHA SWEETS ARE MADE PER ORDER, JUST HOW YOU LIKE EM!

Always freed food labels if you have allergies &ask questions!  

Just say YES to weight training

Incase you haven't been schooled on some of the benefits of resistance training.....

and lifting weights doesn't make you bulky.

-increases muscles mass that naturally starts to decrease after 30

-decreases your risk of osteoporosis

-reduces signs of depression

-helps you work toward better heart health

-eliminates pain from your body by increasing your functionality

-increases the strength of connective tissues, muscles & tendons

-a pound of muscle weighs the same as fat, but it half the size

-being active lowers high blood pressure

I don't need many more reasons than that,

but if you do....do the research.

A healthy, functional body is much better than the alternative.

Trust me, the skinny ones AREN'T the ones that look amazing with their clothes off.

-LIFT WEIGHTS

-PACE YOURSELF

-WORK AT YOUR OWN LEVEL

-TREAT YOUR BODY WITH KINDNESS

#EverythingIsAwesome

#IHopeYouAllSawTheLegoMovie

#TrainSmart

BE the change

The flaws we see in others,

 are generally what we cannot see in ourselves.

If we can start acting not reacting,

I do believe that there would be a shift, a domino effect.

Decide how you want to make a difference, and find a way.

Be that person that is always there to be of service.

Learn how to hear what makes you uncomfortable without letting it ruin your day.

Take what you want....and leave the rest.

BUT NOT BEFORE YOU LEARN FROM IT.

Change the World....or the the way you see it.

Be open

Be honest

Be gentle

Be strong

IT STARTS WITH YOU.

BAKING is good for the SOUL

BANANAS

An ingredient I always have on hand.
Most of the issues with GLUTEN FREE BAKING is texture.
Moisture plays a HUGE role in the satisfying experience of a sweet treat.
Emulsifiers are ingredients that preserve gooeyness. 
Commonly this comes from liquids or fats....
BUT WHO NEEDS EM when you have natural organic ingredients?
In the case of ALPHA SWEETS, we use bananas, non dairy butter, apple sauce, avocados & LOVE.

The brilliance of the banana when baking is that you can decide if you want to taste it or not.
I have used bananas strictly for the spongy delightfulness and the other flavors were more apparent, predominately for VEGAN baked goods.
Though bananas are high in carbs they are not adding to the FAT content of the treat,
making the scale and the tummy happy when all is said and done.

BANANAS are great when fresh with breakfast, or a grab & go snack
but when uber ripe.....is when they are idea to bake with!
You can freeze them and throw them into your smoothies or you can be patient for the most gratifying banana bread ever...if you take the time to make if using my recipe in
#ALPHA SWEETS CHEAT DAY TREATS!
Get your copy TODAY on AMAZON.COM

Tonight, I am spending my time in the kitchen making BANANA BREAD

I wanted to cut down the maple syrup and use avocado 

vs my non dairy butter......EPIC

3 bananas

2 eggs

.5 cup maple syrup

1.5 tbsp rice milk

1 avocado

1.5 cups oat flour

.5 cup rice flour

1.5 tsp powder

.5 tsp soda

.5 tsp salt

Bake in a greased pan at 350 for 60 minutes

......your life will be changed!

#glutenfree

#dairyfree

#alphasweets

#happycamper

What causes muscles soreness?

1. SORENESS DOESNT EQUAL HARD WORK.

   
   

   

   
   

   When my clients are in optimal shape, the soreness post workout tends to subside....endurance is always worked but that old school, "I'm in pain after a hard day at the gym" is not there.  

   The way I explain it is not as a plateau, but as being well conditioned....which I think is what we are all going for.  

   
   

   
   

   The most popular theory is that muscle soreness is caused by “microtrauma”, which forms microscopic tears in muscle fibers. And from what I have read if you were to only lift wight concentrically vs using both the concentric and eccentric phases, there would be no soreness......interesting. The muscles tears during the resistance and then it takes 48 hours to rep are and become stronger. 
   

   

   
   

   
   

   Lactic acid is a normal byproduct of muscle metabolism, but it can irritate muscles and cause discomfort and soreness. Muscle soreness associated with exercise is known as delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS.

   
   

   After a your muscles get sore, they rapidly adapt to reduce further damage from the same exercises, which is called the “repeated-bout” effect. Not only is soreness reduced the next time you complete the same exercise, but any swelling, reduced strength, or reduced range of motion has a much faster recovery.
   

   
   

   
   

   Having read this you now understand that repeating movements with the same weight or resistance and the same number or reps will keep you from getting sore.  That also sounds like it will keep you from growing or getting stronger.  The question is now.....how or when do you know to stop increasing weight or exercise reps.  The trainer's job is to keep your body guessing...what are your goals? 
   
   My clients are not body builders, we are not going for size, but what we are going for is function, muscle endurance & stamina.  I want each person I am with, to feel healthy, strong and mobile.  If you are super sore are you mobile? Are you able to perform things in your life with ease?  I am training you to build strength, flexibility and mobility to have longevity in your muscles, joints & full productivity of your organs. I use movements that challenge your stability to work on your nervous system response as well as teaching your muslces to fire in the proper movement patters.  THEN we can take you to the next level.  There is a method to my madness, but No, I AM NOT TRYING TO MAKE ANYONE SUPER SORE OR THROW UP.  
   We want to be well rounded *athletes.
   
   

   LACK OF GLUTE ACTIVATION IS A HUGE CAUSE FOR INJURY.....SO GET YOUR JANE FONDA ON!

   
   -Train with movements that help your body adapt to what life throws at you, why does "training" need to be about a number? How much we can lift? How much weight we can lose? Why cannot it be about health of body mind and spirit. Take yourself to the edge and move on.  Incorporate that same muslce in different ways, at different tempos and with different requested outcomes. Keep you body guessing, but prepare yourself for anything.
   
   #TRAINSMART
   
   
   

   
   

   
   

INSPIRED BY>>>>

My clients inspire me to know more, learn more and train harder.

I had a room full of girls in my 7am HIIT class this am,

and I took a step back in amazement.

These ladies are stronger and have more endurance than any guy that has come through those doors.

I want to teach & inspire.

The teachers that I had to look up to have set the bar for me.

All I can hope for is to leave as strong of an impression as they.

Each day is better than the last.

You know more & have more experience.

You have grown.

You have changed.

Because each day, each experience is shaping you.

Be inspired to inspire!

PUSH YOURSELF>

Take a look around....inspiration is EVERYWHERE.

Camaraderie

NIKE TRAINING CLUB is based on team work,

on supporting each other,

on teaching/learning from each other,

& on ENERGY & EXCITEMENT!

NTC has brought me back to the feeling of belonging to a TEAM.

Whether it be no the soccer field or with my competitive dance company,

I have missed that feeling.

It is so incredible to be able to share a space, an experience and the joy that 

NIKE brings to so many people with these FREE workouts all over the world.

Not only dooes NIKE deliver great product,

they change lives.

WE educate people via EKINS about product & TRAINERS about trainings, running and empowerment.

I am thankful to be a part of the NIKE FAMILY

and love working with each and every person that I come across in any city, 

at any event.

Our people show up ready to rock and work their butts off!

CHEERS TO MANY MORE YEARS OF TEAM SPIRIT and 

as my fellow Master Trainer Flor Beckman likes to say,

CAMARADERIE.

DO what you love, LOVE what you do.

Happiness is in the moments when you get lost & time flies by.

In those moments when you are being completely and utterly your authentic self.

Dance has always been a part of my being, 

and now as a fitness professional I don't always make time for it.

This picture represents many things for me.

love of movement

spirit

emotion

growth

achievement

integrity

& 

gratitude

I can close my eyes and wish that I can have more of these moments,

feeling as though I can heal myself though movement;

express myself through dance;

arrive at a place that marks a conclusion.

In those minutes of fluid movement,

I can release aggression, anxiety, passion & love.

There haven't been many ways that I have allowed myself to do that other than to music.

The space at 35 Market was a dream come true for me.

It is the first of many stepping stones on my journey.

In this space, I was able to grow painfully & joyfully

I formed amazing relationships with many many incredible people,

and I spent plenty of time to myself.

But of all things to come from this picture 

FREEDOM 

is of the most importance.

Do what makes you feel free....

Whether it is on your own,

or in your relationships.

-Beautiful growth will come of authenticity and integrity.

Pull yourself back into those moments.

Make time for them,

and cherish them.

They last physically for a brief period of time,

but the benefits last a lifetime.