As a model in NYC I have plenty of opportunities to work. Whenever possible though, I like to volunteer my time to causes. It’s such a rewarding feeling to know I’ve helped people in need. There are many ways in which to contribute; money, time or donations to name a few..we all have something to share.

The other day I was asked to attend an event called ‘Fashion for a Cause’ (at Atrium NY) to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy. People attending were asked to donate clothing for people who lost everything in the storm. I couldn’t get a taxi that night, so despite the 6 inch heels I was wearing, I hauled two huge trash bags full of warm sweaters, jackets, handbags and shoes on a train and two subways to the event…and I loved every minute of it! How could I complain? When I finally reached my destination and handed over my contribution, I was so touched by the gratitude of the event organizers. We ended up filling a huge truck with donations…yay!

A few months ago I was asked to attend an upscale event as a spokesmodel to benefit pediatric cancer. It was called Sean Hanna Foundation. People came from all over the U.S. and Canada to support the cause. I was happy I was able to help out by contributing my time and effort.

Last October I drove to Pittsburg for a photo shoot to promote breast cancer awareness through a  campaign called empoweredME. It was a beautiful shoot that produced some stunning shots for the posters. I was honored to be a part of such an important cause.

I Hope to Inspire Others to provide their time for a cause

You will have a richer and more enjoyable volunteering experience if you first take some time to identify your goals and interests. Start by thinking about why you want to volunteer. Also think about what you would enjoy doing. Volunteer opportunities that match both your goals and your interests are most likely to be fun and fulfilling for you.

The first and most important piece of advice I can give you is to please completely eliminate hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup from your diet. These are dangerous food additives and they make you fat. Below are a few resources about hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup that support the elimination of them from your diet.

HYDROGENATED OILS

“…However, it has been found that hydrogenated oil raises the LDL levels of bad cholesterol, and lowers the HDL levels of good cholesterol in your blood. Stay away from manufactured food…”

(RESOURCE:  Wiki Answers- http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_hydrogenated_oil_bad_for_your_health#ixzz26GoXUxop)

HIGH FRUCTOSE SYRUP

“… significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States…”

(RESOURCE: Princeton University – http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/)

If you go to your pantry and look at your food labels, you will see them in EVERYTHING; bread, cereal, crackers, granola bars etc., etc. Once you cleanse your diet of corn syrup and hydrogenated oils you should lose weight.

Now that you’ve gotten rid of the evil oils (hydrogenated) and sugars (corn syrup), you might as well cut out food dyes, too. In fact, you should avoid all processed foods as much as possible.

A clean diet will help you stay lean and fit your whole life. Once you get used to the healthy eating lifestyle, your body will crave real, unprocessed food. You will be able to eat anything you want and always maintain your ideal weight because you won’t want junk food anymore. (a dream come true, right?)

If you want to delve deeper into this lifestyle diet, I will tell you the formula that works for me. I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but I have cut out several food groups from my diet. Most medical doctors wouldn’t recommend this, many naturopathic doctors would. Some foods I never eat are, dairy, red meat, pork or anything with gluten and I avoid corn, rice and sugar. I usually have a bowl of gluten free oatmeal with lots of fresh berries and almond milk for breakfast. I also have coffee, but I drink it black. I make myself a healthy smoothie for lunch. As a snack, I like hummus and veggies. And for dinner I eat fish or chicken, a vegetable and maybe a sweet potato or a baked potato. I love to have a glass of red wine with my dinner unless I have a photo shoot coming up. Avoiding alcohol for a few days really helps me lean out. You could try this whenever you have a special event coming up.

As you can see, I don’t eat very much.  Studies have been done that concluded people who live on low calorie diets live longer than people on high calorie diets. Think about it, have you ever seen an obese 100 year old? Drink a lot of water throughout the day and eat your meals slowly. Soon your stomach will shrink and it won’t take much to fill you up. You won’t feel like your starving. When you do feel really hungry between meals, just grab a bite or two of something and notice how that’s all you need.

Since I don’t eat a lot, I have to be careful about getting all of the nutrients I need. Besides taking supplements, I find that juicing helps me with that. I can take a heaping tray of veggies and juice them down to one big glassful. I would never be able to eat that many vegetables, but I can drink them!

Here are a few small tips that may help you as well:

• Take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar every day
• Add lemon juice and pure cranberry juice to your water
• Exercise every day, twice a day when you can, but do take one day a week to rest your body.

Remember, your body is your temple, respect it, take care of it and be glad you have it!

Peace,

Hot yoga is advantageous because it cleanses your body and gets rid of the toxins inside your body. Since is makes your body warm, the more flexible it gets.

When doing the hot yoga, you should have some accessories like your yoga mat and towel. Since you will be sweating severely, you should have something to wipe up your sweat every other time.

If you are going to practice hot yoga, you should be ready with your clothing. The clothes you should wear should be appropriate. You can wear shorts during the session.

Wearing of shorts allows your skin to breathe and give off heat. Students are the ones who usually wear shorts. They tend to wear small clothes because they are still vigorous and they sweat too much. You’ll also need to make sure that you drink a lot of water  so that you will not get dehydrated, when you drink more water, the skin will produce more sweat. Before having a hot yoga session, you should take note that it is not advisable to eat two hours before the class starts. This is because your body is opt for a heavy exercise.

There are a few methods of yoga. Bikram’s method is such a good yoga style. People who want to be slim can practice this type of yoga because their fats and cholesterol will be burned through sweat.

Although it burns your fats, you should not be burning all of it because you still need some. Remember that in doing hot yoga, all your energy is taken away. If your body has not a single energy to waste, then hot yoga is not the perfect yoga style for you.

If you’d like to know more about hot yoga I’d love to talk! Contact me today via email or become a fan on Facebook or follower on Twitter.