YVONNE131321

Well Hello Hello EVeryone

2011-12-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

I feel as if i have been gone from here for such a long time. I have had school driving me nuts, a bit of depression and the stresses of a job. But I am slowly coming back.

First bit of GOOD NEWS

A New blog!: YES! i have a new blog with my boyfriend Karim it is called A strive to be healthy . Me and my boy friend have gotten very serious about weight loss. My personal reasons as always are because of my heart, I will do almost anything to pretty much stay away from the operating table. In this blog i Get a bit more personal on what inspires me and puts me in a happy mood. However this blog also will have pictures of me and karims progress through our journeys. Please check it out If you are a fitness, vegan, health & wellness, or just a curious blogger. We are still building it up but our friend Andrew who is a PT (personal trainer) at Crunch gym may also be joining us with tips and tricks to not only help loose weight but maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Yet again a change in diet!: So i went from omnivore to vegan back to omnivore and now currently a vegetarian. Before you all go and get all judgmental on me, My doctor told me to go back to eating chicken and fish no red meats it was hard but i had to follow his orders then shortly after he told me to try a happy medium and stay vegetarian. So at this point in my life i am vegetarian however i try not to make my life difficult when i have to go out with friends or Karim's family i will then eat a fish hear of there. I will be posting my healthy new and improved recipes both on this blog and my new one A strive to be healthy.

My New views on life: So why did I all of the sudden get so into fitness health and wellness, well if you have followed this blog for a while you already knew I was very interested in this. Recently Karim got very into body building and wanted to loose his body fat and make the muscle he has been dying to have. I have never been too happy with my body, in the last two weeks I have had a revelation and realize that I made dumb excuses in the past to not workout. I have a full gym membership that is finally paid for and a list of fun videos that i can do at home in case of snow.

I know i know everyone is talking about there hopes and dreams for the new year, but mine is simple to complete the dreams i have already made for this year.
I will be posting some recipes and holiday stuff on here within the next few days.

Happy Holidays,
Yvonne- Marie

On a Happier update

2011-08-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

So my comeback might of been a bit depressing (ok it was depressing). But lets try and make this a much more happier post.

So like i said earlier i will be logging what i plan to do all week (idea stolen from fitchickinthecity) i personally love her idea of this i feel that it will keep me going to the gym and motivate me.

News:
-so far this week Karim's car got broken into and his laptop was stolen. Yes i know this is bad news but we have had bad crap happen to us all summer that now it realize getting through these hurdles are what make us stronger. So i gave him my net book he will finish his graduate thesis and he has an Interview tomorrow !!! YAY! maybe we will live together soon after all.

-I have finished all the transferring to my new school so now i'm playing the waiting game but if all goes well i shall graduate in a semester :) can you tell how excited i am (ill finally be getting paid for working with restless patients )

- I am finally paying my own bills. Some of you are probably thinking "how the heck is this good news" well it is i'm glad i'm learning how to fix and handle things on my own. In reality not having a job and learning how to pay bills is a real damper on a kid when they are trying to move out.

- My brother is back he went on a mini vacation to Virginia. He had come back 2inches taller and so much darker.

- My lovely cousin Niki turned 16 YAY!! two years shy of being legal.

Blogs I'm loving this week:
Love veggies and yoga - So this lady really is awesome to read about and her pictures (of food) are amazing. I love reading about her travels and especially the yummy food she makes.

Fit chick in the city: i have recently been catching up with all of the blogs and she is the one that i cant seem to wait for her to post. And shhh but i secretly hope i can see her on the street on NYC since she is so close to my area . I find her to be a great go to gal for fitness tips and advice on running.

(ps: some blogs might be on here every week)

Say it do it!
This little list or schedule is taken from Fitchickinthecity's blog. Where you write out what you plan to do this week and try to accomplish all of it. No one will scorn you if you cant complete all of it but remember its for your own benefit.

So this week i plan to hopefully do the following.

Monday: dance for an hour (actual choreography and stretches) did this already ...yes!
Tuesday: 30 min of elliptical and ab work. (trying out the gym by my house before i switch from NYHR ..ill miss them so:( ....)
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 30 min elliptical, 30 minutes weights and a Pilates class
Friday: walk/swim
Saturday: swim 50 laps
Sunday: rest
Hopefully i get all these in!.

What do you have planned for your week?

Stay tuned videos and review will be coming oh so soon :)
Hope you all have a happy week!
Yvonne-marie

a small but sure as ever Comeback

2011-08-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

Hello Bloggies,
I know i know where the hell have a i been. So its been a very rough year and boy do i have lots to tell you all.
In brief ( or summary list form ):

Had major surgery
Went through a bit of depression (because me and karim almost broke up)
School Drove me crazy along with the crazy study hours i was pulling.
Was on search for a job
Money issues in the home front (meant no blogging or internet access that i could depend on for a while)
Found a job ( I now work for Blue Print Cleanse)
Slowly am buying myself a home gym
Working on Changing/ Introducing a wave i'm trying to work on this blog.
May be doing a lot of Giveaways.
And last but not least (trying to help karim find a job so we can move in together)

Well now that all that nonsense is out there lets get to the blog. So basically I am still going to keep it up and running with yummy vegan recipes and what I'm eating. I have found that by writing everything i do and eat down this really helps (advise my counselor told me ). So i recently bought a small journal from borders (before they were closing down ) and I've been writing in it ever since. This has motivated me along with BExlife on YouTube that i should really start recording everything i do to make myself feel better and look better. I will be doing tons of product review i will try my best to keep this blog up and running when school starts and when i have work.
Let me know your suggestions.

Thank you all for this very brief but very much so a Come back post.
There will be more post to follow I'm just working on it.

Hugs~
-Yvonne-Marie

from my new android

2011-07-31T15:23:00.000-07:00

Valentines day update

2011-02-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

Green juice i will be drinking for week four
of the challenge
and my valentines day special
i hope you guys enjoy this post

Here is the link to my cobbler VIDEO because youtube will not let me attach it the regular way :(

Hope you all have alot of fun today
With alot of love
Yvonne-Marie

Vegans can have Awesome sex!!!

2011-02-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

yes yes this was my topic for my human sexuality class. i literally wrote on the paper " how a plant base diet and exercise can make your sex rock!" my teacher looked at my paper and said it this is even research able and like many things it is. Actually I'm currently reading a book that will have its own blog entry that says that the emotion of the food you eat can actually have a great deal of affect on the emotion you feel. Sometimes you might even feel this effect during intercourse. Especially if your a bit kinky and like to eat as you fore play this will have a great affect on you.

Also when your body feels better and looks better sex tends to be better. But lets forget the appearance part of it for a bit through eating plant base it is a cleansing of your body your allowing your body to detox which causes your body to gain better hormone feeling and honestly your senses get better especially some of your sexual senses. (remember that all of the food placed into your body travels and is used everywhere in your body and the more things you eat that are not good for you the more bacteria and infections you can make your body vulnerable to. so detoxing makes you feel good! But working out makes your body flexible and toned and also lets off endorphins that make you feel a natural high and just feel absolutely awesome. and with flexibility comes a natural curiosity to WHAT CAN YOUR BODY DO IN BED. Yes many men wish and hope that their women can bend back and forth and up again. But many of of women wish we could to. Have you even had a sex routine well when you exercise and your body feels better you tend to be a bit more adventurous and realize that the sex you were having before was well not horrible but routine.

I Hope this blog post is not going to make people cringe because we are all adults and lets be serious sex is a natural part of life that everyone takes part in and the more informed we are about it and not just the negative but also the positive , the more we can protect ourselves and pleasure ourselves safely.

I will be posting bits and pieces of my paper on here from time to time :
- to inform you
- to show you my progress
- and to give all your pervies a tickle lol (just kidding)

Our text book for class is called THE GUIDE TO GETTING IT ON!
its on amazon and its not expensive at all for something that is considered a text book.

Happy sexing
Yvonne-Marie

A discovery

2011-02-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

so i Discovered FITDAY.com OMG this is awesome its like a food and workout diary online. Which of course for this little gal that is awesome since im on the computer for most of the day anyway. Im currently trying to figure out if i can cop and past it onto here to show you all what i eat during my day and what i do in my workouts.

Please check out the blog's new look and tell me what you think.

if you know how to put a banner at the top please share i have a really cute vintage kitchen banner idea i want to try to use.

with love
Yvonne-Marie

an update and a shopping binge

2011-01-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone i feel like i have not been on in quite some time. However this is not true i have just been doing videos instead on YouTube.

if you want to see how my 90 day challenge is going and how I'm feeling here is a link to my video:

There are other updates and things on my channel that you can check out.

so to show you what i have been having for dinner here is a bunch of pictures i have gathered up just to show you all what i make in my little dorm and what i have them make in our cafeteria.

This is a tofu scramble that is seriously delicious so yummy:)

tofu stirfry i took some rice and some of my frozen carrots and peas and mixed it with some of my tofu scramble and got some soy sauce and made this. This was truly delicious i must say my brother who is over today had some of this and loved it (yes there are some left overs)

speaking of my brother here he is. he had been sitting in that chair playing the xbox all day and night. Our poor youth will never know the greatness of games like bingo, mancala, poker and apples to apples its sad i know.

a roasted veggies in whole wheat pannini with some baby spinach with Italian dressing and some tea.

another stir fry with snap peas this was so good i love the crunch of the snap peas :)

my cafe has a bunch of bananas, oranges, and apples so every now and then i bring my lunch box and take some up to the room its very awesome :)

i bought a very big bottle to put in my gym bag for watter and sometimes for my green smoothies. 50 % of the earnings they make from the bottles goes to cancer research.

i also bought three headphones from skull candy one for me, my brother, and my boyfriend. i love them they are AMAZING i recommend !

This is another thing i bought which i have to say might be my second favorite thing i bought besides the headphones. its a Starbucks cup. However at the bottom it has a mixer. i got this for my green smoothies. When i pour them in and keep them in the fridge some times they separate and look icky so i can lift up the mixer part of the cup and mix everything and my green smoothie is fresh and yummy again. The real use for this cup is to mix coffee.

So some other things that have gone on this week are a storm and some funny things below are some videos from my channel on what has gone on in my dorm and in my life (hope you enjoy )

Hope you enjoyed my brief update there will be much more to come:)

with love
Yvonne-Marie

week 3 of 90 day challenge

2011-01-27T16:40:00.000-08:00

this is from Monday to Thursday only because i felt it would be easier to do it this way this week.
Monday:
Breakfast: Green juice from this video

Lunch: a salad with a veggie burrito honestly i was really hungry i just felt like stuffing my face lol but the juice did hold me off for quite a bit.

Dinner: plain lo mien

Tuesday:
So today was awesome i ran 2.68 mi on the elliptical this time and i walked 1.30 mi then i went back to my room and did abs and stretched everything. I had a busy day filled with classes and homework and working out but it was extremely awesome.

breakfast ginger apple juice (green juice)

lunch : veggie sushi (it was awesome)

dinner: a roasted veggie panini (was not as good as advertised on the menu at the cafeteria)

so i had to share with you guys that I'm currently doing a small check list where i highlight the things that i think are really really important to do that day and the things that aren't i leave un highlighted. This so far has been working out pretty well.
i also made dinner for the rest of the week for me and the hubby. tofu stir fry with rice and some frozen veggies it is so yum i wish i could eat it right now. Oh and before i leave the trader Joe's packets of trail mix are addicting its insane how good they are.

Wednesday:
Breakfast : ginger apple juice (green juice)

Snack: trail mix

Lunch:salad

Dinner: Brussels sprouts with some earth balance and veggie pizza

today was a busy horrid day too much snow we literally have a blizzard outside.

Thursday:
Breakfast: vegan pancakes and toast

Lunch stir fry

dinner: ramen noodles with some nutritional yeast

today sucked seriously it was a very snowy day i helped my roommates take their cars out here is a pic of how high the snow is around here.

today i shoveled for three hours so this was my workout since school and my yoga class were canceled. I have also decided that my dream of owning a hummer is now done since if it ever snows i cant even reach the top of a regular car. I'm upset by this but i must be practical lol.

its been a long night and I'm tempted on having some vegan ice cream oooo the things i should not do. Well i hope the weather by you guys is better.

week 2 of 90 day challenge

2011-01-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry its a day late

Monday:
Lets just say i dont remember

Tuesday:
todaywas a great productive day felt awesome:)
breakfast :oranges and apples smoothie

lunch: a salad with italian dressing

dinner: whole wheat pene with pesto with some water

today i went to the gym and ran 2.22 miles in 35 minutes this to you might be like wow your super slow but to me it is a miracle that i could even go on the eliptical this long without passing out. After i worked out i had a protiene juice of just bananas and water for post workout strength this was awesome. i feel a hundred and one percent awesome.

wednseday :
ok so today so far is kind of a bad ehhh day today is my long day with no breaks really so i decided to have a big breakfast no smoothie or juice today sadly since i figured it was going to be a long long day. I had a crosant and some fruit.

Lunch:
since my class got canceled :D i had a banana and apple smoothie with some water.

dinner: for dinner im having some whole wheat pasta with brocoli and garlic.
today is no workout day because i dont really have time even tho my class was canceled im using today to look up the books i need and just do some work.

thursday:
Today is my off day and yes im greedy about it its a day for me and only me i still have an early class but after i have nothing else. I schedualed yoga in the afternoon to relax me and destress me from all the crazy stupidity that is my major. I also have karim day today where i spend time with my boyfriend its usually on fridays but this friday i had planned something else but after this friday it goes back to friday karim days and thursdays shall be our gym days and study days and fridays are our together days :)
so yoga was Painful and AMAZING!!! im glad im doing this class it was awesome and it was like a major massage to my back and it was abit of a challenge to me but very very worth it.Also i went to the gym with my boyfriend i ran 2 miles :) after i had carrot juice i feel so alive!!!!

Breakfast: Naked berry juice ( yes i was lazy decided not to blend anything so i bought a juice so that i would have at least one juice)

Lunch: a salad with some whole wheat bread on it and chickpeas.

Dinner:stir fry rice and peppers and potatoes here is a piture of it.

Friday
breakfast: and apple and some pb
lunch: salad with some corn on the cob well two of them
Dinner rice beans and some eggplant

Saturday
Breakfast: a banana smoothie with 2 bannanas vanilla and some soy milk :) yum
lunch: crackers with some salsa and an orange.
Dinner: gapingachos and some garlic roasted green beans

Sunday
Breakfast: Vegan pancakes
lunch: nothing i was at the mall and whole foods running like a maniac with out a head.
Dinner: veggie dumplings YUM

With love
-Yvonne-Marie

I found icecream !!!

2011-01-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

Hello folks I'm in a super peppy mood :) because I'm back in the dorms. In the video below i show you the dorm and you can see just how peppy i am :) .

so i literally had no food but my dad came back and took me to WF and bought me vegan pizza's some organic oranges and this.

i really hope its vegan I've heard its vegan, so i hope it is :) but i took about half a cup of this stuff and sat down to relax and ooo since i had the room to myself i worked out i did 30 min of yoga, 10 min of intense core & some cardio dance its nice to have a living room with so much space my bestie/ suite mate Trish fixed our living room i love how it looks you saw my awesome room and how she fixed it :).
so i need to do well this semester i got the letter that says i might loose my financial aid if i don't so i need to do well. I also was going to add a class but after reading that letter i thought that since i have hard enough classes I'm going to leave my schedule as is try to get my little job at school again and just deal and study after all, all the close friends i need are in my room anyway.

Hope fully you will get to meet them soon.

with love
Yvonne-Marie

Week 1 of Green Smoothie Challenge! 1/10/11

2011-01-15T09:38:00.000-08:00

Monday
B-fast: Kiwi Cockkale smoothie
Luch: seitan salad with guac dressing
Dinner: salad with rice and some gapingachos

after breakfast like an hour later i felt super hungry.
i did a 30 min hip hop abs workout, and went for a mile walk with a friend later on in the day before dinner.
Tuesday
B-fast: The elixir to health
Lunch: seitan sandwich with tomatoes and letuce
Dinner: salad with guac dressing and some sun flower seads.

i had a bit of trail mix 30 min after breakfast and was not hungry at all till lunch. I felt energized and was more awake. i did a short workout just a few moves since i had a busy busy day.
Wednesday
B-fast: Korean Green Juice
Lunch:Vegan grilled cheese with a side salad with italian dressing
Dinner:
i had nothing after breakfast and was full and energetic seriously my mom wants to slap the hyper out of me i danced at the studio for an hour worked on coreography and im currently still trying to add classes into my schedual im packing and making sure everythin is ready for me going back to school. I cant wait :). I think my typing even seems hyper to day but my juice today was awesome my mother things im nuts for wanting to bring my juicer to school but at this rate looks like green juice is going to be my crack at school in place of starbucks :) god things i know.

Thursday
B-Fast: Korean Green Juice
Lunch:salad with some tofurky sausage
Dinner: rice and some left over tofurky sausage
no workout busy packing blogging and doing videos before i went to school
Friday
B-Fast: blue print cleanse juice step five from starter kit
Lunch:vegan grilled cheese with a banana
Dinner: veggie dumplings with soy sauce and some asian sprouted onions
today was a bit of a busy day i have to go some launfry and finish my paper a bit also i did not work out it was a rough day.

Saturday
B-fast: I caved ! no juice or smoothie today mostly because there are no more greens in my house. but also because i didnt sleep last night check out my Beacause i want to SCREAM for the full story but im a bit down from yesterday and i have alot to do. pack, finish paper get ready for the party. YES MY MOTHER WINS I HAVE TO GO TO THE DAMN BIRTHDAY PARTY. so i kind of took a nap at like 10 and just woke up to add this in here today . so for breakfast im having toast with peanutbutter. GOD's gift to me.

Lunch: probably trail mix with a banan with peanutbutter.

dinner: I HAVE NO CLUE because im going to the family but honestly probably a salad with some beans on it and some yuca.

for sunday ill probably do a recap for next week since sunday im going to be moving back into my dorm yes ABSOLUTE FREEDOM. and hopefully ill have a video to show you all soon of the dorm and the people living in it.

o ps ill have
hope you all have a fun and safe weekend
with love
Yvonne-Marie

Sunday

Because i want to SCREAM!

2011-01-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

Before i start my little anger vent here are a few things Ive done in the past 48 hours that are somewhat happy.

These were for a contest the i really hope i win i think I'm done with looks for now but there is always room for ideas.

I discovered this company through my best friend rosie (rosie21 twitter) her sister just got a job there and there juices are crack. however this crack doesn't kill it makes life.

This one is more like 72 hours ago but i made seitan and btw i love making it by hand.

OK now onto my RANT

So I usually hate going to school the idea of it gives me butterflies in my stomach and gives me migraines. However this winter break has been absolutely horrible. Although the one good thing that came out of it was getting to know my grandmother and tricking her into eating vegan things. but from family making Christmas unbearable to the realization that I'm getting older and cant wrestle with my brother with out getting called immature. Has just stopped me in my tracks. I'm feeling the stress of school coming and since i did so bad this past semester i feel like i have to make the grade. the funny thing is this semester i worked my Tush off and have nothing good to show for it and it hurts. On top of this i have to say WAY to go college system where parents cant see my grades and i can lie. But on another note . Currently my mother is pacing back and forth telling me how rude I'm being by typing on my computer and not listening to her tell me about how I'm such a rotten child for the following:

1- because i DON'T eat meat!

hear was my response

( well i just wanted to make sure i lived longer than mark and you all to see everyone go and prove the doctors wrong)

yeayea yea i know I'm a smart mouth Ive been since i was 13 and realized i was smarter than my family of immigrants.

2- because i refuse to clean up after men

ok now i need to tell you the story behind this my aunt came to visit earlier and saw my dad doing HIS own dishes. and yelled at me for not doing it for him.

my response: " I'm doing a paper and he has 2 hands and 2 legs that god graced him with to do work when need be"

of course it resulted in a yelling spree from mommy and aunti on how ill never be married to my bf because i refuse to cater to men. I'm one of those girls who strongly believes we are equal and if you want to go back to that i make the money in the house well no honey actually i will make 30 k more than you so SHUT IT!

3- because i can't not wont CAN"T go to the baby's 1styear b-day party. ok hes one he wont remember it. and honestly i have to pack, clean, finish the paper and NOW help my grandmother pack for her Virginia trip.

So shes still pacing and I've been writing all this. Yes to answer your little thought me and my brother are the kids no one wanted to baby sit mark is a genius literally who if your wrong he will correct you in English and Spanish and then tell you why your wrong and dumb. I was the tom girl who if played sports and wore basketball shorts to school because i felt comfy in them.

so this means we are the kids no Cuban family wanted to have.

also i need to say this

EVERY ONE and i mean everyone in my family except my father and brother are over 200 pds. yet i constantly get called FAT and told i need to lose weight and that being vegan is only making me fatter.

This is NOT true i might be gaining weight yes but its because my stupid medication needs to get changed and because i was a bad vegan during school and events that have happened during vacation have not allowed me to work out properly but now ill be at school with a gym and ill come home lean and mean and tell them they are all disgustingly fat because they eat dead carcases.

ok I'm done if you have any advice or input please share.

with love yvonne- marie

I turned into a kitty

2011-01-14T07:43:00.000-08:00

Now literally lol. But i did enter a contest where i had to do a cat look. I'm not all to good with makeup but when i do it i do try to make it fun and actually try to make it look like i did something. Now at first i wanted to do a look like from the Broadway show cats but then i realized it was 12:30 at night and not possible. So then i thought about my aunts cats and crated this. The contest was run by Veggiebeauty on YouTube. She is cruelty free and awesome you guys should check her out. She also has another channel that she tags check them out too its a whole channel dedicated to all the beauty gurus who are cruelty free.
please tell me what you think of the entry i might do another one I'm not sure yet but i wanted to see what people thought of this one.

O before i forget the color i dyed my hair was back to its original color of dark brown.
Hope you have a wonderful day
With love Yvonne-Marie

Quick workout for two weeks

2011-01-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

If your looking for a quick new workout for two weeks here is a link to Women's Health Magazine. This link has three workout you should do on Monday Wednesday and Friday. for two weeks.

I know this is a super short post i just wanted to share this with you.

With love
Yvonne-Marie

"korean Green" Green Juice

2011-01-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hello so I'm super energetic this morning i might have allot to do with my breakfast juice. Yes this time i did not really use the blender. Before i show you pictures & give you the recipe i must tell you that the one veggie i Absolutely hate is included in this juice. Celery i really hate celery it smells gross and taste gross even with peanut butter.But non the less we have a bunch of it in the house and i have seen many many juices that include it so here you go .
Korean Green

What you will need :
8 leafs of: kale
2 stalks of: celery
2 Korean apples
1 banana
1/3 cup of water

Pictures of the ingredients

Instructions:
Get out your Juicer o yes the one time I actually use it this week.
so in your juicer start putting the kale and the celery.
Once the kale and celery is juiced put in the Korean apples in the juicer and juice away.
now put all this juice in a pitcher because it makes quite a bit.
Now take out your blender . Yea yea i know i cant live with out blending something tell me something new people. So place your banana and water in there and blend away till its almost milk like. I think this is how you make banana milk i have heard that its very energizing and a great post workout drink.
then after blending combine in your pitcher and mix together. Then finally enjoy.

Now i must say that at first i didn't want to drink it because of the celery but now i realize its Awesome and you barely taste the celery so its awesome. It doesn't even taste earthy at all and no added sugar YAY! its awesome I'm super happy about this. And i must say that the Korean apples let out so much juice its ridiculous :)

With love
Yvonne-Marie

Elixr to health Green Smoothie

2011-01-11T20:38:00.000-08:00

The Elixir to Health

ingredients:
5 leafs of kale
1 package samabazon acai
6-7 strawberries
1 1/2 mango's (frozen) this is optional
1 cup concentrated green tea ( i used Tazo "zen")
1 tbl sp agave
for your taste you can add 1/2 cup of water

how to prepare your tea:
take two packages of your choice of green tea and place aside.
boil some water.
once your water is boiled place about a cup of it in to a mug and place your two tea packs inside.
once your tea bags have given all they can its time to place your tea in the freezer for about 20-25 min.
then take out and our into blender.

Instructions:
put into the blender the Sambazom package, strawberries , kale, mango's, and tea
then
bla bla Bleeeeeennnnndd ! and enjoy
Now why have i chosen to call this green smoothie the "Elixir To Health" is because well tea is so beneficial to your body and honestly some teas out their can actually do the job of coffee so much better and it helps your skin and also your body it is a cleansing agent to your diet. Especially green tea. Green tea is just so helpful in cleaning out your body from all the bad stuff you put in it and it also helps you lose weight.
So because of these amazing benefits of the green tea and the sambazon acai i feel that this green smoothie will benefit my health in many ways.

With love
Yvonne -Marie

Kiwi Cockkale Green Smoothie

2011-01-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

So i was able to go to the super market by me and pick up Kale & some kiwi's. This was my first time using Kale so i was a bit scared of not liking it. But it turned out good if you like a more earthy bitter taste you can leave out the banana and the tsp of agave nectar.

What you will need
3- kiwis
2- green apples
4-Kale leaves or a cup of kale
1 cup of water
1 banana (optional)
! tsp of agave nectar (optional)

Instructions:
place ingredients into blender and blend away!
then place in a cup and enjoy

Sorry my celly pics suck im going to try and take pics with my laptop instead.
With love
Yonne-Marie

Let the Green smoothie challenge begin !

2011-01-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

So for those of you who did not get the rules/ what you have to do for this challenge here you go.

For 90 days you have to substitute a green smoothie for a meal !
The challenge begins 1/10/11

What am I trying to prove with this?!
I'm trying to see if the hype out there about green smoothies and how they excel weight loss and make people more energized is true. I'm also curious about how it is going to make me feel.

Now here's a little NOTE I'm not jumping in to this challenge as a bad vegan

definition of a bad vegan: someone who eats fried vegan foods or things that are vegan but are fattening as well Ex: french fries.

so for the past week in a half i have actually been eating better more salads less rice and just trying to get prepped to eat better and feel better.Mostly because i don't expect the smoothies to just promote weight loss alone it also ties along with a good diet and exercise.

NOTE: when i say green smoothies they don't just have to be the green breakfast smoothies you all know and love. you can look for raw soups and stuff because those are technically green smoothies they are just thicker and filled with allot more good greens.

I know this challenge might get even more difficult for me once i move back to school but I'm willing to take the challenge. However when i do F-up I'm going to blog it. Why am i going to blog my faults? well because if not i wont know if it was me who messed up the process or if the smoothies them selves need to be changed. But mainly because i want to be honest with myself and you guys.

So i hope you all take this challenge with me or at least support me as i do this.

I will be posting weekly what i drank or did everyday so a food and workout log type deal. I will put the recipes in on the days i had them this way you can look at them and use them too on your challenge.

i will also be posting this in my youtube channel so you can see me talk about how i felt the day i did it.

With love
Yvonne-Marie

its been a SICK food week

2011-01-09T04:40:00.000-08:00

Fever , Sore throat, Headaches ,& ( sorry for the bluntness) vomiting. Can you tell its been my greatest week yet. When i get sick i get Sick for a while and its like hell in the house. Before you all start giving me your recommendation of what to take i must tell you my sicknesses last a while because of my heart problem and the fact that my immune system is Shit! i've had five years of trying everything and nothing works ever so i just stay sick and sulking. This time i felt the need to say F it before i go back to school i need to fig out how I'm going to live there and be vegan i refuse to go back to pizza everyday and looking at salad like it was the devil.
so ive had an eventful cooking week i did a video in all my sick glory. Ive had several people ask me about this salsa and so long as no one tells my mother the recipe I'm more than happy to share it with you all.
{place video here}

yea so wasn't that just a yummy salsa good thing is when i don't want salsa or when i need a dressing quick i just process this up and it makes the most awesome dressing EVER!

so this week has been the week of tea experiment.
i put mint into everything cut up lime pieces and boiled them in the water. btw Theraflu is good, it didn't work for me but it was good.
the ginger tea was a bit to spicy ,yea i know i just said spicy with tea.

so the rest is food PORN its what Ive had for lunch breakfast and dinner for most of the week.

And in all my sick pride i did a video because several people requested my recipe for my salsa so here you go !

So i know this is a bit late since this was like last week or something but i got most of my cooking desires out. And have decided to continue experimenting in my kitchen.

With love

Yvonne-Marie

Ps: you should check out this link INTERVIEW WITH DAVID about how I became vegan !The segment on this page is called Real people so if you would like to share your story let him know.

BTW the Green smoothie challenge starts tomorrow!

Breakfast Date Smoothie

2011-01-06T08:37:00.000-08:00

Hello guys and gals!
im in a peppy mood as you can tell i feel better. And im ready for anything :)
Today i have a recipe for you guys its the Breakfast date smoothie i have it on my channel too for those of you who watch that.

What you will need
6 - dates
1- bannana
1 cup - non dairy milk ( i used almond breeze)
3 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions place all the ingredients into the blender and BLEND! ( you must do the shake dance as you do this as from Toneitup.com)

Tip* : if your like me and dont like the hard part of the dates and the flakes they leave behind place dates under water and peel under running water it makes it easier to peel them then when they are dry. This is OPTIONAL.

Thank you guys for reading and suporting the blog
I hope you enjoy this smoothie :D
with love Yvonne-Marie

Happy New year !!!!

2011-01-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

so im very welcoming to the New friggin year :). and tonight to celebrae im letting you see what i have done this week things that have gone on and a recipe YAY!. I want to know what is your resolution and how you plan to follow it. I hope everyone had a safe night and if your like me and my crazy family your night is still going. To many latin traditions.
Enjoy !

My house has been the hot spot for FLAN! if your vegan you dont eat this typicall because the whole thing is made with eggs (i dont eat it but i know there is a vegan flan recipe i shall post later on some day ) but my mom since christmas has made 15 Friggin Flans!!! so i took a few pics.

Recipe My recipe for New years resolution smoothie

Recipe 2 Candy vanilla glazed Butternut squash

Hope you have a great new years day

with love Yvonne-Marie

finally i got some food and a farewell to 2010

2010-12-30T17:18:00.000-08:00

So everything i have to say is in this video I hope everyone has a Happy and safe New Year. There will be pictures to come from my new year and a special salsa and dressing recipe Vegan style! and since New Years is a huge event in my house there will be a cooking storm coming and so many juice recipes in the new year. Also everything i learn about raw food and super food powders and just everything else will be included in all of my blogs from now on.

My New Years resolution: to lose 50 pounds by June (seriously hoping here) to become great friends with my coach , and to just be able to learn more about my body and the things that are going in it. Also to get better grades this semester and make sure i learn to say no to my friends when i have to.

please share your resolutions and the things you hope to see here and learn from the blog.

As i learn you shall learn too!

With <3 Yvonne Marie

hope you had a great christmas/ update on life

2010-12-27T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone i know it may seem i have been neglecting everyone in a while but i have not just been busy with the jist of school and nonsence. This semester was bad so many bad and good things happened its seemed almost like i had no time for anything at all. i learned alot from this mistake i refuse to make this mistake again. and i hope everyone learns that school comes first. F your friends and loved ones because when they graduate your still there. And if your still there your family will soon become un-supportive. Here is my reaction to finals week i hope you enjoy my little rant. (You can basically see the lack of sleep in my eyes) just click on the link bellow to see the video (oh and subscribe to the channel :) )

My litle Rant on Finals!

Also i would love to say a late Happy holidays to everyone hope you all had a wonderful christmas . Mine was not the most how do i put it lightly "MERRiest of Christmases " . My Family was very very horrible this christmas i was completely peeved at them my mother basically starved me for three days i survived off or peta chips , naked juice & some fruit . So you know i was mad we Usually have three huge meals christmas eve dinner, christmas breakfast & christmas dinner. Christmas eve dinner was a frozen meal they basically locked me out of the kitchen and made fun of me the whole night for being vegan. They critisized me for my decision and told me i was not a true latina because i did not eat Meat! Then christmas morning my father new that if i did not eat more there would be hell to pay when mother dear went on vacation. so he made some vegan pancakes and went out and got some fresh fruit for me to juice in my new juicer. Christmas dinner on the other hand was yet another frozen dinner wonderful family i have dont I.

On a good note on the 26th my "not really family but we consider them family AUNT" has an after christmas ,Christmas party and can i just say Not real family is better than real family. They made vegan lasagna and vegie empanadas i had rice and beans garlic whole wheat bread and for dessert my god mother baught So Delicious ice cream.

{pics from the fam party}

I got a juicer for x - mas :)

So What i have learned is im going to start saving and looking for a real job as opposed to the school job that barley pays, and that everything i buy im going to freeze for a rainy or family gathering day. I would also like to ask if you have any recipes that you know the ingredients are in a regular kitchen or they are cheap please place them below and i will blog in your behalf on it but there are other vegans like me who need the help and might not have the time to go searching through every blog.

Thank you for reading, viewing, and supporting the blog.

check out my channel on youtube "theyvonne131321"

With <3 Yvonne- Marie

alice in wonderland tutorial :D for my friends UN_BIRTHDAY

2010-12-12T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hello bloggers so today i actually have a birthday party to go to its my roommates birthday party and its ALICE IN WONDERLAND THEMED !!!!
so do to the theme i have decided to be Alice i have this ADORABLE dress that i wore for my brothers confirmation and its cute as hell. So as i get ready for this party I'm going to do a sort of tutorial on the look. I'm sorry if its a rough tutorial its my first one EVER so please bare with me :).

what do you need! :
-straightening iron
-bobby pins
-hair spray
-(optional) a heating cap or blow dryer again this is not needed this is just so that i can be sure the curls stay in my hair.

so you take strand by strand and do the process you straighted the strand.

then you take the strand any strand you straightened and twist it.

after you twist make like a little bun (make it flat and circular like cinnamon bun.
kind of like the ones you see on my head now

then once you have your nice little cinnamon bun you pin it.

one just doesn't seem to be enough for me so to really secure my cinnamon bun i put two on it one horizontally and the other vertically.

repeat the process all over your head keep in mind the smalled the group strand of hair you grab the tighter the curl which i like but if you want a more loose effect take bigger groups.

Now your head should look like this:

if you notice i have kind of an off the side swipe one going on there its because i have a big forehead (lol ha I'm not shame full to admit it) and i just love how the side swipe makes my face look.

Next i used a heating cap for my hair you can also use a blow dryer and just place it on ever curl individually. Or you can not use either of them i just do it because i feel like it makes the curls tighter.

Please excuse my silly face my suite mate was making fun of me and Picasa took a picture while i was laughing. It kind of looks like I'm wearing a chef's hat.

so for the first 5 minutes of my first fifteen minute cycle I place the heating cap on HIGH after the five minutes i lower it to low so that it does not burn my head off !
You are going to have two cycles of the 15 minutes with the cap because the one is before the hair spray and one after.

this is just me being silly now this was during my second time in the fifteen minute cycle.

So while i waited to take of the pin curls i decided to do some make up
first:

I used the E.L.F concealer / all over color stick on my face.

Put some under your eyes like so ( i put allot because i have been up studying all weekend )

Then place it in all the major areas of your face like below:

then rub this in , make sure you get every nook and cranny. Rub evenly

it should look even like this :

Now take a foundation brush i used my E.L.F foundation brush for this but you can use anything you prefer .

The reason we use the brush is to buffer it and leave a very nice finish just in case we left finger prints when we rubbed it in.

Now if it looks a little lighter than my skin tone it should this is because Alice is very porcelain doll so to give it the full effect i used my concealer instead of my regular foundation.

Now take some of that concealer again and put it all over your eye even up by the eye brow.Why do we need to do this? well this is so that the shadow lasts all night. When you put something that has a bit of moisturizer in it or is just think and sticky it holds the shadow in allot longer. If you don't want to put concealer on your eyelid you can use an eye primer or even a facial primer.

Do the same to the other eye then rub it in and use your foundation brush to buffer it and you get this.

Now i used my new E.L.F pallet and another pallet but the second one has no name so if you have something similar use that. The E.L.F pallet i used for the base was "natural looks"

So for my very first base i use the white you see there in the top corner.

Your going to put this all over the lid. and blend it up towards the brow bone.

Then i took the color right below the white one this color is a baby shimmer blue.

Place allot of this in the corners of your eyes then blend towards the middle.

Now the next pallet i had to search for i borrowed my friend Michelle's pallet i'm not sure if its by NYC or not but it had three shades of blue from lightest to darkest.

Ok so your going to put the lightest in the corner of your eye that is closest you your nose. also put some as a lower liner on your watter line. then take the second blue and place it on the middle of your eye lid and blend it to the corners of your eyes.

Then take the darker blue and place it on the crease of your eye and make a down ward V to the corner of your eye like so. now you take a blender brush and blend this.

remember we are looking for a sort of innocent look .

Then you take some eye liner , liquid or pencil it does not matter & place it on your lid and make a thin line above your lashes.

Then take your mascara because your going to make those lashes POP! now i used Loreal's Telescopic. I love this mascara i'm going to be so sad when it finishes because i don't think its' vegan and i refuse to buy something that isn't vegan. For some of you who might say well then why r you using this if your not sure its vegan here is your answer " because i spent allot of money on the make up i already have and i don't have the money to replace everything right away and because its not helping the animals if i throw out the product. Once I'm done with all the non-vegan products or when i have money to replace everything i will get rid of everything.

Put mascara on your eye lashes

See the Pop!

Here is a close look at the eye

NOW BACK TO MY HAIR!

You are going to take out your cinnamon buns .I already started the process.

Un-Twist the buns and take your fingers and separate DO NOT BRUSH OR COMB. it will ruin the curls.Now all you have to do is find a very Alice dress and put some lip color (very light pink) and there you go! (put some hair spray to make it last.)

HERE IS THE VERY ALICE LOOK

HERE ARE SOME PARTY PICS

Can you guess who every one was!!!

Hope you enjoyed my tutorial

Happy Sunday blogging

Yvonne -Marie

An update on life

2010-12-09T09:57:00.000-08:00

I am in the middle of the worst two weeks ever... FINALS its really horrible. I have three and actually yesterday i just finished my first one and (patting my self on the back) i Passed ! so my life has kind of been like this.

This was on Monday night i had a cup of tazo tea to relax my self cuz was pretty much freaking out and stressed with everything i had to do.

Tuesday morning i had this for breakfast and then prepared half of it with some agave nectar and left it in the fridge for dessert. This fruit is not an apple and its not a pear my dad calls it "apple-pear" he gets them from this korean store we usually go to for our exotic fruit. it was really yummy and juicy it was a unique flavor i have never experience and i was so happy i got to .

However yesterday was crap my final was yesterday and i was in panic mode so i had to get out of my dorm before i killed something or someone i just needed some quite open space to think. i brought lunch with me "pb&j" and i bought two naked juices the one you see there and a green machine which was awesome :). and i also had a passion fruit tea from starbucks. i spent hours at the library but it was so worth it.

i know this is such a short post but it is finals week i hope everyone going through finals gets great grades good luck :)
yvonne-valadares

I'm happy its VEGAN friendly !!!

2010-12-04T16:46:00.000-08:00

Here is the video for some of you who would rather see the video than read the blog its self.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO RATHER READ HERE YOU GO:

Hello Bloggers ,
So this weekend i went home just for pretty much one day it was not even a full 24 hours. But my brother wanted me to go with him to New York and i had agreed the previous weekend that i would so i decided to go and use this weekend as a look through stuff and find some vegan replacements. My brother came into some early Christmas money and decided to share he is a charming little brother i must say.

Isn't he just adorable!

So to give him the credit I am giving him a little bit of space on this blog post. Isn't he cute just shopping for comic books.
K i guess i shall start with what i bought today.
AMAZING vegan friendly deodorant that smells awesome but it is a bit pricey ($18.50) but it is worth it. Take it from the cheapskate. The brands name is LAVANILA.

The next one is actually a product that i have heard of for a bit but i was hesitant in purchasing it because i was not sure if id like it the product is called NAKED its all natural juice made from actual fruits and veggies YUM! It was very good only I'm sad i did not buy a second bottle.

The next product i have I have been using for a while I'm OBSESSED with it. This product gives me just enough menthol to keep my lips cute and fresh. The companies name is ......CO.Bigelow . I didn't buy any of their products today but i did get some earlier this month.

Ans my last product that I'm so sad i did not buy today because this is defiantly my favorite lip balm ever is by none other than the best company ever..... Seriously i love this company .....(drum roll please ) AVEDA. This product is a bit pricey but sooooooooooo worth it!

All the other things i bought on this trip are bellow the hat i got at Forever21 and the jewelry i got at a little store in time square.

thanks for reading and viewing :)

Happy Holiday shopping!!!!! remember shop (eco- friendly)

Yvonne-Marie

Ten reasons why i became VEGAN

2010-12-03T05:36:00.000-08:00

So todays post is in VIDEO. check it out

Hope you enjoyed my reasons
Happy vloging
Yvonne-Marie
ps: help get more followers so i can do a make up tutorial

2010-12-02T05:40:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my santa’s blowout giveaway! I have over 140 in products to be given away, and depending on how successful the event is, more products might be added. The products for sure being given away include:

1. a scoopfree automatic litter box. (normally retails for 139.95, now 99.00)

2. a bolt laser toy, for cats.(free with above litter box, normally 19.95

3. A glee gum make your own chocolate kit. (13.00)

4. a $25 gift card to abcneckties.com. (25.00)

Such awesome gifts! One person will receive all of the items above.

IF I get up to at least 1,000 GFC followers (I currently have 942) And up to 325 facebook ‘likes’ (I’m currently at 273) AND at least 350 total feecburner users (Email, rss, google reader, etc. I’m currently at 280) then I will add these items of my own, shown in picture below. If those stats aren’t reached then they won’t be added. Each of these items will go to a separate winner.

1)The imposter by kip kreiling. An inspirational book about a how a juvenile criminal went on to succeed in business and life. See it on amazon Here

2) Think twice by lisa scottoline. This book is an advanced readers edition that isn’t fully edited but the entire story is included. The cover is different than the one shown. View it on amazon Here. Us only.

Check out the rest of this giveaway at

Emmy'sBoos and Rawrs

workout post 1 in a long time

2010-12-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

so i have put this section up for a while and not really used this. But not i am going to use this constantly or i hope so . Yesterday i did the Hip hop abs for thirty minutes and then 8 minutes of bodyrock.tv it is an interval weight loss system. i was a little sore this morning but however last night I had green juice which was very good post workout.
Today i did level one of Jillian Micheals 30 day shred. it kicked my but seriously! but it was so worth it.
if you have any cardio dvd's you think are good and want to recommend let me know and post a comment.

If your wondering what my goals are well they are simple i want to lose enough weight to not feel like im out of breath at the end of a five minute cardio interval. i would love to have a flatter tummy but right now I'm just looking to feel better when i work out.

Happy Sweating
Yvonne-Marie

Ways to have GREAT sex

2010-12-01T10:30:00.000-08:00

So i decided to do a little blog about sex today. My reasons i thought that when you are you sex is alwasy hot and fun and the other day talking to a friend of mine and hearing her discouragement on how sex felt like sex between her and her 2 year boyfriend instead of making love. Well i went a searching as i usually do and figured why not instead of just helping my friend out i blog about it so that every girl/guy who is having this problem can fix it and make sex head back into making love.
so here are some lovely tips i found on "Womens Health"
GREAT SEX SHHHHHH

Treat Yourself

"From an evolutionary standpoint, the brain's main priorities are survival and sex. So when you're having sex, your brain's pleasure center gets the green light to orgasm when worry (or danger) isn't present. That's why it's important for women to be relaxed if they want to climax," says Gert Holstege, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

In one study recently published in the European Journal of Neuroscience, two groups of women had their brains scanned while they watched porn. And wouldn't you know it, the group that was more sexually charged showed lower levels of activity in the left brain, the part in charge of nagging to-do lists (clearly these women weren't thinking about picking up their dry cleaning).

To relax your mind enough to focus on your pleasure, ask your guy to give you a massage (rubdowns release the feel-good hormone oxytocin, which helps you zone out) or try this mindfulness technique from Louanne Cole Weston, Ph.D., a board-certified sex therapist in Fair Oaks, California: Imagine a ticker tape running in your brain that broadcasts only sexy thoughts. Every time something stressful or mundane enters your mind, address it briefly by saying to yourself, I'll deal with that later, and then allow yourself to flip to the next naughty image on your mental reel. Eventually, you will train yourself to drown out external noise and focus on the bliss your body is receiving.

Direct Him

Every guy has one go-to move in his arsenal that worked wonders on a past partner, so he keeps whipping it out for each new bedmate, hoping to repeat those ego-boosting results. The problem, of course, is that every woman's body responds differently to stimulation. For that reason, you need to tell him what makes your toes curl. "Don't worry that you're being bossy by telling him exactly what you like," says Belisa Vranich, Psy.D., author of He's Got Potential: A Field Guide to Shy Guys, Bad Boys, Intellectuals, Cheaters, and Everything in Between. "Guys don't mind a little direction in bed. They know you want an orgasm, and they want to give it to you. Plus, it's so much less work for them." So take his hand, place it on the body part you want to be stroked, and simply say, "Touch me here."

Steal the Spotlight

This one might make you cringe, but hear us out: Gazing at yourself in the mirror while you're having sex can increase the heat significantly. In a recent study conducted at the University of Texas at Austin, even women who didn't like their tummies, thighs, or boobs were turned on when they masturbated in front of a mirror. Experts figure that seeing your own naked, aroused body triggers a primal sexual instinct in women. Give it a shot when you're with your guy by propping up a full-length mirror next to the bed so you can both get an eyeful of the action.

Give Yourself a Hand

During intercourse, you probably let you hands wander all over your guy's body. But you might want to try keeping them to yourself, especially during positions such as doggy-style or reverse cowgirl. "These positions typically stimulate your G-spot and front vaginal walls, so stroking your clitoris—which is neglected in these poses—will double your pleasure," says Ian Kerner, Ph.D., author of She Comes First. Or just lie back and touch yourself. Watching you masturbate will make him feel like a voyeur (a big turn-on for guys) and also give him pointers on how you like to be caressed. Everybody wins.

Don't Interrupt Oral

A woman will often stop a guy while he's pleasuring her orally because she assumes he's getting tired or bored. Not such a hot idea. "Some women report that when they are headed toward orgasm from oral sex and then stop to have intercourse, they can't seem to get the momentum back and the orgasm ends up slipping away for good," says Weston.

Whenever you feel a surge of guilt about how long he's been down there, just remember this: Guys get off on giving you oral. In fact, a recent study published in the International Journal of Sexual Health says that men love the look and taste of their partner's genitals. "It's such a false stereotype that guys don't like to give oral sex," says Kerner. "Granted, the oral-averse man does exist, but most say it's an exciting way to bring a woman to climax." So next time, ride that wave all the way to shore.

Hope you enjoy these handy tips on how to get back to wanting to get back in the bed:)
yvonne-marie

How can you stay healthy :Things you need to think about

2010-11-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

You can thank Womens health for this post.

Can you hear me now? Plug your ears before you blow out your eardrums
Rocking out at home is one thing, but Spice Girls reunion concerts, lawn mowers, or fireworks can damage your hearing permanently. Properly fitting earplugs can provide a marked reduction in the amount of sound energy you're exposed to. Try Mack's silicone earplugs ($5 for six pairs, earplugstore.com ) or have an audiologist custom-make a pair for you. Cranking up the volume to 11 on your headphones can cause damage too, so listen at a reasonable decibel level. Don't make us repeat ourselves.

Watch where you stick that - Don't apply mascara in the car
One of the most common eye injuries: corneal abrasions caused by mascarawands. Youch!

You snooze, you win!
Studies show that power naps can help you kill stress and recharge; just don't doze for more than a half hour. After 30 minutes, your body enters the deep stages of sleep, and studies show that if you wake up right before deep sleep, you'll feel more refreshed.

Score now, reap later - Sunglasses
Swap your H&M aviators for grown-up shades that block UVA and UVB rays, both of which up your risk of eye damage, including cataracts. We like Ryders Eyewear Sonnet Polarized sunglasses ($70, ryderseyewear.com ), which offer 100 percent UV protection.

Stop...drinking your calories.
Between 1995 and 2002, the number of calories Americans swigged each day more than doubled--and those from sugary quenchers like soda, fruit drinks, and alcohol quadrupled. That's a whole lot of Jamba Juice, people.

Know Thyself

Know your body composition A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that 25 to 30 percent of young women with a normal BMI (19 to 25) still carry excessive body fat. The easiest way to check your body composition is with bioelectric impedance analysis, available in many gyms and doctors' offices.

Know your family's health history Quiz the hell out of relatives, then download everything you learn to your M.D. Need help coming up with a list of questions? The U.S. Surgeon General's Family Health Portrait (familyhistory.hhs.gov ) offers easy instructions.

Know your cancer risk The American Cancer Society's Great American Health Check (cancer.org/greatamericans ) asks a few questions about your personal and family health history and then generates a list of recommended screening tests, plus tips on how to reduce your health risks. (We were told to nix the second margarita at happy hour and cut out the Cadburys.)

Know your cholesterol levels A survey by the Society for Women's Health Research revealed that less than a third of American women know their numbers. Get your cholesterol checked every five years, starting at age 20. You're in the clear if your total number is under 200 mg/dL, with an LDL (that's the bad kind) of less than 100 mg/dL and an HDL (that's the good kind) of 50 mg/DL or more.

Know your resting heart rate The lower the number, the less your heart has to work (and that's a good thing). Take your pulse in the morning, when you're most relaxed. Measure the number of beats in 10 seconds, then multiply by six. Your number should be between 60 and 80--even lower if you're athletic.

Know your waist-to-hip ratio The best test for predicting heart attacks may be the proportion of your waist to your hips. Measure your waist at the smallest point, then measure your hips at the widest point. Divide the first number by the second number: an ideal ratio is 0.8 or lower.

Eat These Foods. Every. Single. Day.

Broccoli sprouts
Turns out broccoli sprouts contain up to 50 times the amount of cancer-fighting compounds found in mature broccoli heads.

Canola and olive oil
Stop sidling up to the bar: Replace the butter and margarine in your stir-fries with vegetable oils. The omega-3 fatty acids and unsaturated fats may help slash cholesterol levels as well as your risk for heart disease.

Cinnamon
Become a spice girl: This antioxidant-rich seasoning slows down the rate at which your stomach unloads that enchilada lunch, which prevents blood sugar spikes and crashes. In fact, studies show that a half-teaspoon a day lowers blood sugar and cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes.

OJ
A six-ounce glass of 100 percent juice (that means no added sugar) every day reduces your risk of stroke by up to 20 percent. Bonus points for gulping the kind with fiber-rich pulp.

Nuts
Popping a handful daily has been shown to lower heart disease risk by 35 percent.

Tea
Green, black, and white are all teeming with antioxidants. However, green tea is uniquely high in a chemical called EGCG, one of the most potent anticancer compounds ever found. Steep any color for at least three minutes and squeeze the bag at the end for an extra antioxidant punch.

Hot cocoa
You can improve your ticker's health with an eight-ounce cup of hot chocolate as much as you can with a glass of merlot--minus the hangover. Go healthy with 100 percent unsweetened and non-alkalized cocoa powder (like Hershey's Cocoa) and fat-free milk.

Berries
Scientists in Finland found that eating five ounces a day offers a healthy-heart triple play by reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease, improving levels of good cholesterol, and lowering blood pressure.

Don't Think Twice About…

Ditching Facebook
Scrabulous games may be fun, but they don't replace face time. In one of many studies linking social ties to better health, an Ohio State University survey found that participants who ID'd themselves as lonely had higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that increases the risk of heart disease. Conversely, having a strong social network improves immune function, protects heart health, and wards off depression and anxiety. You do the math. Cocktails are on us.

Crushing on Seth Rogen
The amount of mood-stabilizing endorphins released from one minute of laughing is the same as the amount released with 10 minutes of strenuous rowing. We'll take Judd Apatow over LifeCore any day.

Calling in "sick" next Friday
One in six American employees are so overloaded they can't even use their annual vacation time. Yet according to a study from the Families and Work Institute, 21 percent of people who are highly overworked experience symptoms of clinical depression.

Jumping his bones
A good romp can torch up to 200 calories (equal to running 15 minutes on a treadmill) and has been linked to everything from fewer colds to reduced PMS symptoms, and even a sharper sense of smell.

Ruining your appetite
Noshing on healthy fats (like pistachios, olives, or peanut butter) about 20 minutes before a meal helps your stomach digest food more slowly, so you'll feel full longer. Foods like these may also help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K.

Sucking into skinny jeans
Wriggling them on once a month can show you exactly how your body's changing--a better indicator than stepping on the scale, since your weight can rise even if you're burning fat and increasing muscle mass.

Stop...asking your doc for an antibiotic every time you sniffle. Overusing antibiotics can lead to drug- resistant bacteria, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call one of the world's biggest health challenges. The drugs also kill your body's good bacteria (like those that protect against yeasty beasties) along with the bad.

But give these a rest, will ya?

Processed and refined carbs
Eating foods with fewer than three grams of fiber and more than 10 grams of sugar per serving (look at the label) increases your risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Hot dogs, bologna, sausage…
Processed meats are fat-and-salt bombs, and they also contain nitrates, which have been linked to several types of cancer.

Artificial sweeteners
Five hundred times as sweet as sugar and zero calories? Sounds pretty good. But studies show that those of us who use them are more likely to be overweight than not. The reason: The sweet taste tricks your body into thinking it's about to get a rush of caloric energy; when it doesn't arrive, you crave even more food.

"Fortified" junk food
Don't be fooled by flashy nutritional claims on the front of a package--it's the label on the back you need to study. Never buy products that list sugar (or sucrose, fructose, etc.) among the first three ingredients, and remember that "enriched flour" is just a fancy way of saying "refined white flour." (It needs to be enriched because the refining process destroys most of the nutrients.)

Booze
Limit your alcohol intake to one drink a day; two or more can increase your risk for dementia later in life. After you've downed your daily allowance of tequila sunrises, try nipping an unsweetened iced tea instead.

A.M.

Floss those pearly whites
Brushing alone can miss up to 30 percent of the surface of your teeth--a lot like taking a shower but washing only 70 percent of your body.

Swish and spit
Our experts recommend using a mouthwash that's been proven to prevent and reduce gingivitis, which affects half of all U.S. adults.

Wake up and fill up
Even we are tired of saying "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." But research shows that morning noshers tend to eat less fat and cholesterol and more fiber throughout the day and have healthier body weights.

Do a shot of SPF
As in, one full ounce slathered over your bod. To guard against both UVA and UVB rays, choose a sunscreen with zinc (or zinc oxide) or titanium (or titanium dioxide).

Strike a pose
Practicing yoga fights extra poundage by supporting endocrine and thyroid function as well as by lowering cortisol, a stress hormone that promotes weight gain around your middle. Yogis say back bends (try cobra pose) can even boost your energy if you're dragging in the morning. Check out our yoga channel for photos and descriptions of poses.

P.M.

Brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash Yes, again. On nights when you'd rather just collapse into bed, chew on this: According to an article in the The Journal of the American Dental Association, your mouth harbors 400 to 800 species of bacteria--and they're making a beeline for your tooth enamel.

Turn off the TV and close your laptop an hour before bed. The glowing screens emit a blue light that keeps you up by suppressing melatonin, a hormone that regulates your body clock.

Crank Corinne Bailey Rae, take a warm bath, or slurp a cup of herbal tea: Calming pre-bed rituals like these can help you decompress both mentally and physically. Do them every night and they'll start to cue your brain that it's snooze time, making you nod off faster.

Set your coffeemaker Java is the No. 1 source of cancer-fighting antioxidants in our diets, and studies show that a good brew can help you perform better on tests that measure concentration, memory, and learning and even help protect against ovarian cancer. Limit yourself to two or three cups a day--or decaf--to avoid jitters and late nights staring at the ceiling.

Don't Leave Home Without 'Em... (i make sure to do this if you have a disease or sever allergies carrying these may mean the difference between life and death)

Health insurance card
Get insured now, before a problem shows up that will be considered pre-existing if you shop for coverage later. Learn more about your options online from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (ahrq.gov/consumer/insuranceqa) or the Foundation for Health Coverage Education (coverageforall.org).

Personal medical record
After tumbling head-first over your niece's Big Wheel, the list of prescription drugs you're taking won't exactly roll off your tongue--especially if you're, um, unconscious. Line your wallet with a list of your meds (including supplements), allergies or drug sensitivities, the name and number of your primary-care doctor, conditions you're being treated for, and a brief family history of major medical problems.

Happy Blogging don't forget to check out Womens Health Magazine
Yvonne-Marie

A sunday Update!!!

2010-11-28T20:38:00.000-08:00

Ello everyone how yall doing this Sunday. As you can tell i'm in a good mood. So i have decided I'm just going to stand up to my fear of vids and start making my videos on you-tube :). so today has been spent cooking cleaning and you-tubing i have allot of subscriptions and i rarely actually look at them so i felt the need to actually watch them then i searched for some VEGAN youtube channels that i can support.
i found this specific video posting that actually made me subscribe to her channel because it was informative and it looks like she obviously did allot of work on it. so here you go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hBwgVBxVAk

This video is for all the vegans out there starting out and old if you wanted to know about products that aren't vegan and ones that are well here ya go i shall actually be doing my own vid once I'm finished with my own research its just going to be one huge haul thing so yea lots of planning.

well so my Sunday started off like this.

I know , I know this is not the everyday breakfast but it was eleven o clock after all so we shall call it brunch.
i took my moms beans and had black bean soup (My Fave) and a hero and cup up half of the hero and left a bit of it together and made a small left over tofurkey seitan sandwich. inside the sandwich was my Ecuadorian salad sauce.

Not only does the sauce add color to the sandwich but it also adds a ZING to it.

So as the day went on i got to thinking about my babe and how when i finally get to see him this week i need to have something for him to eat. Especially since we did not get to spend Thanks Giving with each other. So i decided to make. ...........WAIT FOR IT .......... (dan dan duuuuuuunnnnn)

Empanadas!

you get some garlic and put some cumin, adobo . Sazon , and a tad of ground Oregano. And smash away !

(in case you are wondering i don't have measurements because this is more of a as much as you like also depends on how many empanadas you are making. )

When your done mashing up the garlic with all the dry ingredients. Take a frying pan and put the mashed up garlic and some of the chopped garlic and onions with some olive oil and stri fry that a little bit. Once it is a little bit like a liquid mixture place your meat substitute and mix together.

so i have made this before and i used light life (ground beef) . But the ground beef i left at home went bad so that was out of the question. So i decided to use seitan i took the cubes and cut them up into almost small ground beef like structures. I put this in the pan and mixed together. then i transferred to it a small sauce pan and put some tomatoe paste , white cooking wine, and red wine vinegar. at the end your mixture and sauce should look some what like this.

Then you take some of these :

you can get these at your local supermarket i got mine from Pathmark. These are just some Empanada Pastry plates. they say it on the packaging.

You place some of the meat sauce (its what i call it ) into the middle of the pastry packet thing and fold it over like this.

when you fold it over you press it down so that it actually makes a pocket for the meat. then the little wedges on the outside take a fork and press onto the sides of it like this:

Then you take that and and fry it till its nice and brown.

Then let it cool and Enjoy.

Hope you have enjoyed this

Happy Blogging

Yvonne-Marie

My First Vegan's Giving

2010-11-26T05:45:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I'm sure you are all stuffed from yesterday.So my first Thanks Giving as a vegan was a success i managed to have allot more to eat than i expected. First off i would just like to say that i hope everyone had a happy thanks giving and i shall be telling this post in pictures.

Happy Thanks Giving hope you had a great one with family and friends.

So our mini school vacation started out with me trying to figure out what i'm going to cook for Thanks Giving my mom said that she would have several sides that i could eat but that the faux turkey i would basically have to conjure up myself . We took a trip to whole foods where i found what was going to be my cruelty free turkey.

Ive heard that the Tofurkey roast is really good so i got it. the rest of the groceries are some necessities to make green juice. (I have been dying to make green juice)

when we got home i followed the directions on the Tofurkey that said to take it out to thaw. But i also wanted to have something to eat so i had some of Amy's Tamale and Mexican rice (vegan) it was so good.

I actually want to make this tamale myself because I never liked tamales (don't tell me mother i will deny it to the death ) but i picked it out because i thought maybe it would be better and it was.

Yesterday began the cooking hours and hours of cooking. Here comes the parade of picture showing you how our Thanks Giving went .

my moms yams i will make this at some point.

Our dinner table we had rice, beans, salad, green bean salad, yams, cranberry sauce, spinach pie, vegi lasagna, tofurkey, Ecuadorian salad, and the turkey itself. My tofurkey is the one by the chair in the little casserole dish .

most of the desserts in my family are usually centered around my mothers flan.If you follow me on Twitter you know that my mom made about seven different flans one for every family member and friend that requested one. her last one was made for our dinner but prior to this me and m brother were lugging around flans all over my town.

This was the Amy's cake that came in the Tofurkey holiday feat package. My brother loved the cake he gobbled it up he barley wanted to share with me and rosie. I'm not a huge fan of Chocolate but this cake was very good I wish I would have gotten another piece of it but i allowed my brother to take a little left over that was left of the cake.

Do you have a twitter ? if so this is my bestie rosey also known as Rosie21 on twitter she also has a BLOG. that you can check out.

Me , my brother Mark , & Rosie

They were caught off guard.

Mom, Me, Brother,&Dad <3 La Famila Valladares

Although the Thanks Giving was success full not allot of m family members wanted to try my vegan foods. I was a bit disappointed that my Tofuerkey was judge over and over again because it was not the real bird but i though it tasted amazing and I'm glad i used my mothers home made baste instead of the one on the package because it smelled like past thanks giving s. I realize me being vegan in a Latin family is still an idea they have to get use to but for now I'm just going to grin quietly at the fact that the had some of the Tofurkey gravy and a bit of the cake. I will slowly sneak in my vegan foods so that my family realizes its just as much filled with flavor as the things they cook are. Baby steps i know but at least its some progress right ?

Hope you all had a Wonderful Thanks Giving and if the rest of you have the weekend off enjoy your shopping sprees. If any vegans want to meet up in NYC let me know i might possibly be heading to NYC with rosie and my brother for some vegan eating.

Happy left over eating :)

Yvonne-Marie

my food craves this week !!!!

2010-11-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

So i went through several blogs and picked out which recipes i cant wait to try whether it be for the holidays or just for fun. Most of the ones this week are for the holidays after all it is almost thanks giving.
1) this is by Go Vegan Meow i chose this one purely for fun it lets me have some of my Spanish flavor.

2) this recipe is by I Eat Treats i cant wait to make this and review it i have a feeling it is going to taste amazing.

3) Vegan Egg Nog by La Pure Mama i cant wait to make this for me my boyfriend and roommate :) .

4) chocolate strawberry cake by Go Vegan Meow

5) and everything from this post by I Eat Trees truly think this is whats going to be on my menu tomorrow night.

EVERY THING YUMMY

Happy cooking every one

And have a happy Vegans Giving

Yvonne -Marie

Hair Care

2010-11-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

So i recently just had highlights added to my hair. So when it comes to my hair im a bit just a bit obsessed. i mean come-on a girls hair has to look good from time to time right ? well this week i have a link that will make you think twice about the way we treat are beautiful locks. the following weeks i will have a blog about some of the things i got after i took this quiz. I found the quiz in "womens Health Mag" it was quick and really made me think and say "what !?" to a couple things. here is you pretty link &lt<3YourHair

Hope you find it a happy fun knowledgeable quiz
yvonne-marie

In Need of a good Read

2010-11-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

So i have been looking at other blogs and on twitter and i have noticed allot of give aways. But specifically allot of giveaways that include books. Books that are both guides to help vegans through their journey and others reminders why they switched over to the side of tasty spinach and avocados. Here is my personal list of books that i hope read sometime soon.

The China Study

Food for Life

The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life: Cruelty-Free Crafts, Recipes, Beauty Secrets and More

Skinny Bitch (series package )you all know i greatly recommend this book.

Generation V (its on my Christmas list )

this is just my small little list however if you have any good reads please post a comment and i will include it.

these are not cook books that i have chosen there will be a cook book post coming soon but for right now this is just a good reads post.

Happy Reading

yvonne-marie

dye your hair say what!!!

2010-11-21T09:24:00.000-08:00

First off here is my first video its a welcome one kind of and i say what im going to be talking about today.

so the company i mentioned is called

Special Effects

they are a vegan friendly company although their colors are not any that i would wear i know there are teen vegans and even some artsy vegans who like to dye their hair different colors.

From personal experience if you use a little of the electric blue or you know add it in to your black hair dye you kind of get a blue black color that is actually very very amazing. i have done it before and so has my close friend nia. Of course neither of us have used this product but its about the same color.

These are just some examples from google.

I believe the second example is kind of a highlight thing but it looks very nice.

For those of us who like a more natural look to our hair and just a change from solid to solid this is what i found. VEGI Hair Dye, Herbal Tint, Aubrey

While i was on the search for vegi hair dyes i found a store that not only has vegan friendly hair dye but everything vegan beauty .MANIC PANIC & in NYC

Hope you guys enjoy this and if i find any more vegan friendly hair care i shall post about it :)

Yvonne-Maire

your body needs you

2010-11-21T05:33:00.000-08:00

so i know i had an exercise log before in the mash but this was not as efficient as i thought it would be. So now i made an entire section for it. this was i can see how i am working out and you can try and go either the same pace or go faster.
last week i did yoga Tuesday and Wednesday night
Thursday i did my own little ab workout
and Friday i slept and did homework
and this weekend has been super hectic with all the homework that i have had time to yet but however i shall be getting back on track with this and will be posting frequently.

Happy working out
Yvonne-Marie

The Weekend is NOT over YET !

2010-11-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

So i have had a chaotic weekend from an early friends thanks giving to a fun filled Saturday of laundry, dishes, and about a mountain pile of home work.
so have you ever wondered how stressed a college student gets well here is how stressed we get.

But after hours of studying and frying my brain to death i decided i needed a brake. and of course what better brake to take than a SNACK brake my dad came to the dorms to day and dropped off a bunch of beautiful ripe bananas and i decided i really wanted muffins. I looked through my recipe binder and realized i had all the ingredients to make the banana oatmeal muffins. here is the recipe :http://yvonne131321.blogspot.com/2010/08/gluten-free-banana-oatmeal-muffins.html

i forgot to add on this that you must preheat to 375 degrees.

they look yummy huh well they are i don't really like to keep them in their little white dollies so i placed them in a container for easy grabbing when i want a quick snack.

i also made really food for dinner i needed something other than frozen vegan pizzas and salad so i made this:

white rice and "platanos maduro" and seitan with a red saucy sauce.

"platanos maduro"

one ripe plantain (yellow)

cut diagonally

fry until golden brown and juicy

"Red Saucy Sauce"

4 tbl spoons of tomato sauce.

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/2 tbl spoon of garlic powder (unless you have really garlic then 3 cloves crushed and placed in to the sauce.

pinch of pepper

1/2 tsp of paprika

1/2 tsp of ground cumin

"Yummy Seitan"

put a little oil in the frying pan then place the striped seitan in it i used (soy wheat)

then let it begin to heat up gradually put the sauce in little by little along it to cook in between mixing 's

one the entire sauce is used up let it sit.

and enjoy

Hope all of your weekends have gone better !

Just wanted to give a personal good bye to my readers thanks for reading and keep supporting check out all the other blogs on my blog roll. My blog roll is filled with interesting reads and people support.

Happy Blogging (there shall be more to come )

Yvonne-Marie

SEXY arms say what "WHAT"!!

2010-11-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

Full Body Workout: Sexy Arms

This sexy arm exercise puts your multitasking skills to work. The first part of this quick workout targets your back, legs, and biceps. "Then the twist engages your shoulders and triceps, and challenges your obliques too," says trainer Marta Montenegro, who features the exercise in her DVD MM21 Strength: Get Toned. Try it three times a week, and don't be surprised when people start noticing your newly sculpted sexy arms.

2-Minute Sexy Arm Exercise: Row To Raise

Works: back, biceps, triceps, shoulders, abs, and legs

You'll need: A 5- to 8-pound dumbbell (and room to lunge).

Workout details: Do 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps. Beginners, use a lighter weight.

1) Stand holding a dumbbell in your left hand at your side. Lunge forward with right leg and place right hand on right thigh. Extend left arm forward and down.

2) Bend left elbow and draw the weight toward your side [A].

3) Straighten left arm behind you, then turn shoulders to the left as you rotate left arm 180 degrees, so palm faces left; move right hand to your belly [B]. Hold for 1 count, then return to starting position; repeat. Switch sides to finish set.

Make it harder: Lunge onto a balance disc or couch cushion.

Full Body Workout: Flat Abs

Chances are you're already doing crunches regularly, but to get the flat abs that cause double takes, you need a sculptor that targets more muscles. This is it! "Rotating with the resistance band really strengthens your obliques—the muscles on the sides of your midsection—which can make your waistline appear more narrow," says Irv Cheung, owner of IC Fitness in New York City, who designed this quick workout. Using the stability ball also forces your abs to work harder to do the twist, adds Cheung. Try this flat abs exercise, and your tummy will be turning heads in no time.

2-Minute Flat Abs Exercise: Super Twist

Works: core and legs

You'll need: A handled resistance tube and a stability ball.

Workout details: Do 2 sets of 12 reps. Beginners, try it without the ball.

1) Anchor one end of a resistance tube to a secure object at waist height and stand with right side closest to it.

2) Grasp handle with left hand and hold a stability ball in front of you, elbows slightly bent so tube is taut around middle of ball.

3) Stand with feet wide, toes turned out, and squat [A]. Straighten legs as you rotate torso to the left [B]. Return to squat; repeat. Switch sides to complete set.

Make it harder: Use a heavier tube and/or do 3 sets.

update on my life and some motivational things.

2010-11-17T04:51:00.000-08:00

Hello guys so recently very recently like last night as i made the thanksgiving post i got cut of my dance team for choosing to go to class instead of dance. I'm sure you all know how frustrating and painful it must of been for me I need dance in my life and usually i need some kind of activity in my life that makes me active so i don't go insane. Any way so do to that i ended up taking a break from technology and painting my nails with my roommate and reading the book "Pretty little liars " the first book anyway. But on to something less depressing so in the past month since i have not given any actual updates since September I have had several events.
1) baby Aiden's baptism

isn't he such an adorable baby
2) I got a new laptop that is amazing i have decided to name her POLLY

polly isa Toshiba satellite 1165
3) my eating habbits have been like this maybe i get to eat like this ooo once a week there is no time and no good food on a college campus. and it is very hard to find time to cook my own food. (Coming soon undercover college dorm living vegan : im hoping to show you and inside view of dorm living. )

4) for Halloween i was in my old felician cheerleading uniform my roommate was the crazy zombie on the right.

5) the first Halloween party we had i was ...... (comon now guess ) ... ok ok i was SNOOKIE ! however do not think i watch the jersey shore i did it in protest to one of my friends but i got allot of " omg you actually look like snookie comments.

so now that you have that small but brief update. i have been having a heard time with my vegan diet there is nothing ABSOLUTELY nothing to eat on campus besides salad. Don't get me wrong i love a good salad but every day i just cant handle that i like hot food. In light of this situation i went looking this morning for motivation on how to become a more active vegan and just be comfortable in knowing that everything i do has a great and positive reason behind it. and then i found this :

Teen activist her-name is Nia Froome i found this article on the VEG NEWS. it is a very good article for those of you who think we cant make a difference this just shows you can at any age.

ok so after i found this article i went on a search for people in the spotlight who are vegan who are not only making a difference in the animal world but in my world too.

BILL"S ARTICLE

recently i have heard that alicia silverstone cheats on her vegan life style so I'm not sure if i should put her up here but you guys let me know how you felt when you found out that news because when i did i was a bit dumb founded. like how do you cheat on your vegan lifestyle.

well guys i see this was kind of a long winded post but i got all my updates in and more to come

comming soon: "undercover vegan spy "

when i get my 15 followers i will do a vegan makeup tutorial.

and a view into dorm life

ThanksGiving SPECTACULAR!!

2010-11-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

So Thanks Giving is next week who else is excited common on now you know you all are. So tonight in light of the fact that I'm taking a small break from my studies and relaxing by blogging. Here is a Vegan Thanksgiving recipes and tips i found.

http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/211087/17aab27335/1493003215/58d3433add/
this link has every tip for all you new vegans and the old ones who need to find some ways to make thanks giving fun and yummy for you.

here are some recipes i found that i think are thanks giving fun. and Kudos to those vegan chefs who created them.

Cranberry cooler and Sauce.

this is by : Manifest vegan

Pumpkin Pie Foolery.

This last one literally has all of the following pictures i find it to be the friendliest Vegans Giving site ever!!

You can find all these recipes on Cest LA Vegan

Happy Vegans Giving ... get ready get set gooooooo COOK !!!

send me your stories of your vegan recipes and how your past thanks givings have gone.
Yvonne-Marie <3 V

X-Mas list !!!!Whats in yours??

2010-11-14T07:08:00.000-08:00

So Christmas is almost here and I'm interested to know what everyones lists look like. i know some of my friends wanted allot of technology toys and or books, so i was curious to see how some of everyone Else's lists looked like.
here is my list ( these are some of the things i want / need but know i cant get right now )
The X-Mas List of Y-M.V
New Balance running shoes (New Balance 812)

Eliptigo (i reallllllllllllyyyyyy want this but this is way to pricey to ever get )

Generation V: The Complete Guide to Going, Being, and Staying Vegan as a Teenager"

Peta vegan college cook book

these handmade earring are truly amazing i cant help but want them (karim in case your reading these are great x-mas gifts :) )

BReville juicer (now i know i have not done any juicing yet and i really want to but I'm missing this a cheaper version is fine i have just heard that this one was truly the best.

so you all know how obsessed i am wit my hair and since i have discovered etsy i appreciate the handmade works and natural products people make and this is only 5.50 usd and i think it really will leave my hair soft and shiny.

this is my little list two things on my list are of course out of reach for me right now but i will surely start saving up for them.

also before i close this blog up i want to introduce a site i found through twitter post i want anything and everything from this site (seriously i do ) it looks like a great site and the prices seem somewhat reasonable.

Introducing : FOODFIGHT!

next time i will try to show you what i plan on doing for gifts for my friends and love ones.

and for any gal trying to figure out what to get her fella try a gift basket they are not just for girls and you can make manly baskets :)

happy blogging

Yvonne-marie

MIA!!!!!!!

2010-11-10T10:30:00.000-08:00

Hello again sorry for my disappearing act. im back for now and will continue to have the once a week updates even if im just going to try to do this.

Today for my come back im going to let you know about a couple of things that are going on in the vegan world,my world, and school.

First off on November 15th at 7:30 pm . You'll see 'Earth Cafe' featured on the Cooking Channel's, 'Food Crafters' show. so tune in to watch I KNOW I WILL!

Secondly i have been having the weirdest pains when i get out of dance practice and i know some of my friends are having the same issues when they come out of the gym. so i found this handy little guide to a pain free workout in "Fitness Mag".

Tips to a pain free WORKOUT

What hurts?
The sole of your foot and heel are tight and tender.

Here's why: With overuse, the connective tissue that runs the length of your sole can become inflamed or suffer microscopic tears. Known as plantar fasciitis, it usually feels worse early in the morning, better during exercise, and painful once you stop.

Feel better: Sit in a chair and place a cold can of soda on its side on the floor in front of you, says Christopher John Anselmi Jr., a chiropractor at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Put your foot on top of the can and, applying medium pressure, roll it back and forth. The cold will reduce swelling while the massage eases the pain.

Your new game plan: Buy shoes with arch support; women with high arches are especially prone to this injury. And cut down the mileage until your foot feels better (try a nonimpact cardio activity, like swimming, instead).

What hurts?
Your shin area is sore.

Here's why: You have shin splints, caused by doing too much too soon. When you run, your legs absorb a force three or four times your weight. Piling on miles too quickly can cause the tissue surrounding your shins to become inflamed.

Feel better: Wrap an ice cube in a thin rag and firmly rub it up and down your leg, on either side of your shinbone, for 15 minutes at a time.

What hurts?
You feel a sudden twinge in the back of your upper leg, followed by tightness.

Here's why: The muscles that run down the back of yourleg are delicate. Hamstring pulls happen when you add a burst of speed or quickly change direction, especially if the muscles aren't warmed up.

Feel better: For severe pain, see your doc. Mild to medium? "Sit on the floor with your injured leg bent and your other leg straight for support," says Mitchell. "Using the fingers of both hands, reach behind your leg and apply pressure while stroking upward from your knee toward your glutes for several minutes."

I hope these tips where help full for any pain you are experiencing. Remember to check out fitness magazine.

This Weeks Burn Baby Burn !!!!

2010-10-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

so i decided to do my once a week blog post on bunch of calorie burning moves.
Get your cardio and your power sculpting done in one fierce, fast workout.

Jack and Tire Run Combo

What You'll Need: a pair of 5-pound dumbbells
Targets: Shoulders, back, abs, butt, and legs

Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms by sides. Do 4 jumping jacks.

Squat Pop

Targets: Abs, butt, and legs

Stand with feet together, arms by sides. Bend elbows, bringing hands in front of shoulders. Step right foot out to side and lower into a squat, knees bent 90 degrees.

Hope these two wokouts kick your butt.
Yvonne-Marie

Boost Your Burn

2010-10-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

So today i feel that this week i need to make sure i work out my heart has been working on me and i want to loose weight and have gotten off track because of school No more will i be having this so here are some rules i found to help everyone burn more.

News flash: You don't have to overhaul your life to work off mega calories. Here are our eight simple rules for squeezing the most out of your everyday routine to score the silhouette you've been sweating for.

By Caroline Hwang

Rules 1-4
So you think you know the drill on getting a good body. But we're not after good; we're after great.

Rule #1: Be an early bird to get the workout.
Lace up first thing and you'll increase your odds of exercising today threefold. A study of 500 people at the Mollen Clinic, a preventive medicine and wellness center in Scottsdale, Arizona, found that 75 percent of those who worked out in the morning did so regularly, compared with just half the afternoon exercisers and a quarter of the post-work crowd. "At the beginning of the day, you have the fewest excuses for skipping exercise," says clinic founder Arthur Mollen, DO. Not waking up early enough, of course, is the main one. "Limit using the snooze button to only five minutes so that you don't fall into a deep sleep again," Dr. Mollen advises. Bonus! You'll go to work feeling focused: A recent study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that 20 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise improved concentration, reading comprehension, and cognitive function.

Rule #2: Hit the metal before the pedal.
Instead of going from zero to 60 to sweat off the calories, consider this: Doing a quick sculpting routine pre-cardio could increase the amount of fat you melt. Exercisers in a study at the University of Tokyo who biked within 20 minutes of lifting weights tapped more of their fat stores than those who rested longer or didn't tone at all.

The firm-then-burn order is also good for your heart: Arteries stiffen during resistance training, increasing blood pressure, but a cardio chaser such as a 20-minute run counteracts these effects and expedites your arteries' return to normal, explains Rohit Arora, MD, chairman of cardiology at the Chicago Medical School. Plus, strength training "takes coordination and good technique, so you get more out of it if you come to it fresh," says Kent Adams, PhD, director of the Exercise Physiology Lab at California State University, Monterey Bay. "Meanwhile, cardio is a rhythmic, low-skill activity that's the easier of the two to do in a fatigued state," Adams says.

Rule #3: Push your pace, rev your metabolism.
Finished toning and ready to get sweaty? Gun it a bit for a bigger afterburn. "High-intensity exercise increases the release of growth hormones, which mobilize fat to be used as fuel, plus it causes your metabolism to stay elevated about 10 to 15 percent above its baseline, so you're burning more fat for several hours post-workout," says Arthur Weltman, PhD, director of the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. In other words, if you worked off 300 calories during your session, you'll get a bonus burn of about 45 calories even after you've toweled off.

To net the effect, stick to a speed you consider challenging: In a 16-week study that Weltman conducted with obese women, those who worked out at what they felt was high intensity (a brisk walk or jog in most cases) three days a week and at low intensity for two whittled an inch and a half more from their waists than the low-intensity-only group. Or try alternating between sprinting (racewalking, pedaling fast, swimming at top speed) for one minute and slowing down enough to recover for the next minute.

Rule #4: Give up your seat to trim your bottom line.
Even regular exercisers could benefit from extra toning of their tush, the largest muscle group in the body, which dozes all day at your desk job. "When you're walking or running, it's your hamstrings, hip flexors, and calf muscles that get the most work," says FITNESS advisory board member Vonda Wright, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Unless you're going uphill, your glutes don't play a major role." The good news? If you bailed on doing those butt-firming squats during your workout, you can easily sneak them in when your cube mate isn't looking. Stand up from your chair, feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your bottom to the seat as though you're going to sit, touch down, and then spring up, squeezing your glutes as you straighten. Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps two or even three times throughout the day.

Rule #5: Take a power walk to beat a midday slump.

Call it the 20-20 rule: As little as 20 minutes of low-intensity aerobic activity such as walking can give you a 20 percent surge in energy, research at the University of Georgia in Athens finds. "It's paradoxical: Many people assume that they'll get tired from exercise. But the opposite actually happens," says study author Patrick O'Connor, PhD, a professor of kinesiology. "We're not certain what the biological mechanism is," he says, "but indirect evidence suggests that brain chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin are altered and cause the improved energy." Besides, that quick recharge just burned about 75 calories. Sure beats adding 250 spike-then-slump calories' worth of Skittles.

Rule #6: Do the two-step.
When you opt for the stairs, go at them two at a time -- as long as you're not wearing heels. The quick bursts of power activate your legs' fast-twitch muscle fibers, which burn more calories than slow-twitch fibers. Plus, you'll be using a part of your muscles that commonly doesn't get enough action. "Fast muscle cells are designed so you can jump far, kick hard, punch fast -- moves that you call on less and less in modern society," says Scott Mazzetti, PhD, a professor of exercise science at Salisbury University in Maryland. "But unfortunately it's a use-them-or-lose-them situation, so it's good to activate them regularly."

Rule #7: Go like Gumby.
Consistent stretching significantly decreases muscle soreness, according to a study at the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services in Oslo. Skipped your stretches postexercise? Wind down with this 17-minute allover loosener from Jennifer Huberty, PhD, an exercise physiologist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Warm up first with 5 minutes of brisk high-knee marching.

Toe-reach stretch (targets hamstrings, which remain shortened all day as you're seated): Sit on the floor with your left leg straight in front of you, knee slightly bent, right leg bent out to the side and resting on the floor. Reach for your toes without bouncing and hold for 30 seconds; relax. Do 3 stretches, then switch legs and repeat.

Hip-flexor stretch (targets hips, which also are tight in desk jockeys): Lie faceup on the floor with your left leg bent, left foot flat, and bend your right knee out to the side so your right ankle is crossed over and resting on the lower left thigh. Grasp your left thigh with both hands and pull it toward you until you feel a comfortable stretch in your right hip, glutes, and outer thigh. Hold for 30 seconds; switch legs and repeat. Do 3 stretches per side.

Side stretch (targets upper back and waistline): Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Raise arms overhead and interlock fingers with palms facing up. Keeping your middle centered, hinge at the waist to the right; hold for 30 seconds. Return to center and reach up; hold for 30 seconds.

Switch sides; repeat. Do 3 stretches on each side.

Rule #8: Set out your sneakers.

A recent FITNESS poll found that sneakers -- with sports bras being a close second -- are the piece of gear that is forgotten most often, foiling women's workout plans. Clear that obstacle by, well, making them an obstacle in front of the door you exit in the a.m., suggests Diane Klein, PhD, chair of exercise and sports sciences at Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens. "Seeing them will remind you that you planned to exercise," Klein says. For motivation to move, kicks are worth a thousand words.

Hope everyone enjoys these helpful hints
Yvonne-Marie

Yoga Pose of the day

2010-10-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hey so due to my horrible schedual im changing the belly busters and yoga poses and pretty much everything else to one a week only because my schedual is nuts and i really want to keep up with the blog but have been horribly unsuccessful with this hope you guys dont mind. This is the last yoga pose of the day after this it shallbe turning to the everything's of the week lol.

Warrior III Pose

Virabhadra = the name of a fierce warrior, an incarnation of Shiva, described as having a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet; wielding a thousand clubs; and wearing a tiger's skin.

Step by Step

1) Stand in Tadasana, exhale and fold foward to Uttanasana. From Uttanasana, exhale and step your left foot back into a high lunge position. Your right knee should be more or less at a right angle. Lay the midline of your torso (from the pubis to the sternum) down on the midline of the right thigh (from the knee to the hip crease) and bring your hands to your right knee, right hand to the outer knee, left hand to the inner. Squeeze the knee with your hands, lift your torso slightly, and with an exhalation, turn it slightly to the right.

2) Now from the lunge position, stretch your arms forward, parallel to the floor and parallel to each other, palms facing each other. Exhale and press the head of the right thighbone back and press the heel actively into the floor. Synchronize the straightening of the front leg and the lifting of the back leg. As you lift the back leg, resist by pressing the tailbone into the pelvis.

3) Normally students come up into Virabhadrasana III by lunging the torso forward. This tends to shift the body weight onto the ball of the front foot and unbalance the position. Don't allow the torso to swing forward as you move into position; instead, as you straighten the front knee, think of pressing the head of the thighbone back. This centers the femur in the hip joint, grounds the heel into the floor, and stabilizes the position.

4) The arms, torso, and raised leg should be positioned relatively parallel to the floor. For many students the pelvis tends to tilt. Release the hip [of the raised leg] toward the floor until the two hip points are even and parallel to the floor. Energize the back leg and extend it strongly toward the wall behind you; reach just as actively in the opposite direction with the arms. Bring the head up slightly and look forward, but be sure not to compress the back of your neck.

5) Stay in this position for 30 seconds to a minute. Release back to the lunge on an exhalation. Bring your hands to the floor on either side of the right foot, and on an exhalation, step your left foot forward to meet your right. Stay in this forward bend for a few breaths, then repeat for the same length of time on the other side.

Hope you guys enjoy
Yvonne-Marie

Yoga Pose of the day

2010-10-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Lord of the Dance Pose

Because dance is one of the things taking up my time i chose this pose. if you can't do it dont fret just keep trying and eventually you will be successful.

We'll start with a modified version of the pose. The full pose will be described in the Variation section below.

Step by Step

1) Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Inhale, shift your weight onto your right foot, and lift your left heel toward your left buttock as you bend the knee. Press the head of your right thigh bone back, deep into the hip joint, and pull the knee cap up to keep the standing leg straight and strong.

2) There are two variations you might try here with your arms and hands. In either case, try to keep your torso relatively upright. The first is to reach back with your left hand and grasp the outside of your left foot or ankle. To avoid compression in your lower back, actively lift your pubis toward your navel, and at the same time, press your tailbone toward the floor.

3) Begin to lift your left foot up, away from the floor, and back, away from your torso. Extend the left thigh behind you and parallel to the floor. Stretch your right arm forward, in front of your torso, parallel to the floor.

4) The second option with the hands is to sweep your right hand around behind your back and catch hold of the inner left foot. Then sweep the left hand back and grab the outside of the left foot. This variation will challenge your balance even more. Then raise the thigh as described in step 3. This second variation will increase the lift of your chest and the stretch of your shoulders.

5) Stay in the pose for 20 to 30 seconds. Then release the grasp on the foot, place the left foot back onto the floor, and repeat for the same length of time on the other side.

Full Pose

For the full pose, perform step 1 as described above. Then turn your left arm actively outward (so the palm faces away from the side of the torso), bend the elbow, and grip the outside of the left foot. (You can also grab the big toe with the first two fingers and the thumb.) The fingers will cross the top of the foot, the thumb will press against the sole. Inhale, lift the left leg up, and bring the thigh parallel to the floor. As you do this, rotate the left shoulder in such a way that the bent elbow swings around and up, so that it points toward the ceiling. It requires extreme flexibility to externally rotate and flex the shoulder joint in this way. Reach the right arm straight forward, in front of the torso and parallel to the floor. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, release, and repeat on the second side for the same length of time.

Thank you and check out Yoga Jpurnal

Yvonne-marie

2010-10-10T17:53:00.000-07:00

Reboot Your Exercise Motivation

You Think: "The scale is stuck. Why bother?"

Rethink: "This pudge will budge."

Stick with the scale: Love it and you'll probably lose pounds. In a study at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, of 3,026 adults who were watching their waistlines, those who weighed themselves more frequently lost more weight over two years or regained fewer pounds. This research backs up the benefits of daily weigh-ins, but weekly may do the trick: Three-quarters of the successful long-term slimmers listed in the National Weight Control Registry step on the scale at least once a week. "Plateaus are part of the process," says Kim H. Miller, PhD, associate professor of health promotion at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Stay motivated in the meantime by giving yourself credit for how much better your clothes fit and for improving your overall health.

Redo: Rev up your routine

"As your metabolism changes to accommodate your smaller size, you are going to have to change what you're doing to coax your body to keep responding and shedding fat," Miller says. If you're eating light already (around 1,500 calories a day), don't cut back more; turn up the intensity and/or increase the length of your workout session a smidge.

This will not only burn more calories but also increase your cardio capacity, meaning that everything feels easier to do, so you can keep exercising. Crank the resistance on your stationary bike, push the pace of your walk or run for one-minute intervals, or add step-ups or jumping jacks between sets of toning moves: The cardio-strength mix of circuit training burns 512 calories per hour, more than double that of lifting alone.

You Think: "I can't do another rep."

Rethink: "My biceps rock!"

Need a lift? Just psyching yourself up while you're strength training can increase your muscle power by 8 percent, according to a study from the School of Sport and Exercise Science at Wintec, Waikato Institute of Technology in New Zealand; you'll reap about 12 percent more power imagining those perfect lifts versus when you're distracted. Depending on how pooped your arms are, "mental imagery could help to activate additional motor units," says Brad Hatfield, PhD, professor of kinesiology at the University of Maryland in College Park, stimulating muscle fibers enough to help eke out more curls.

Redo: Dumb(bell) it down

If you can't muster more reps at the same weight, go lighter. Decrease the amount that you're lifting in 10 percent increments until you can finish the set with good form, suggests Juan Carlos Santana, director of the Institute of Human Performance gym in Boca Raton, Florida. "The bigger the effort, the bigger your body's response will be," he says. That means netting some 46 percent greater strength gains by doing two or three sets compared with only one, says a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. And don't beat yourself up: Pushing your limits just a little further gets you firming results you'll feel, Santana says.

You Think: "Run a mile? Me? Not!"

Rethink: "Hey, doesn't that jogger look like Brad Pitt?"

When you're trying to slog through that first -- or extra -- mile, shift your attention to the things around you, says Alan St. Clair Gibson, PhD, MD, chair of sport sciences at Northumbria University in England: "You might slow down, but it will help you keep going." Also add a can-do mental mantra, like "I'm a running machine!" to put more mettle in your pedals.

Redo: Divide and conquer

Split your run into walking and running parts at first, says Joe Puleo, head cross country and track-and-field coach at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, and coauthor of Running Anatomy. Jog a quarter of a mile, walk for half a mile, and finish by jogging another quarter. As you improve, stretch out the jogging and shrink the walking segment before jogging that final quarter mile. Do this three or four times a week and "you'll be able to run the whole distance in about six weeks," Puleo says.

Get started with a running routine >>

You Think: "I hurt my knee. There goes exercise for a month."

Rethink: "Pilates, here I come!"

Your body starts to lose conditioning within three days of your becoming a couch potato. If that ain't enough to light a fire under you, tell yourself that there's more than one way to reach your exercise goal, says Trent Petrie, PhD, director of the Center for Sport Psychology at the University of North Texas in Denton. "Write down all the negative things you're thinking, and next to those, reframe them into more positive statements," he says. For example, "What a downer; I can't kickbox" becomes "Oh, well, now I'll finally pop in that Abs of Steel workout DVD."

Redo: Pull a switcheroo

Dance class is out, but there are plenty of low- or no-impact exercise options that melt fat. Depending on your injury, moderate elliptical training (416 calories an hour), cycling (512 calories), or jogging in water (512 calories) can be an appropriate alternative, says Robert S. Gotlin, DO, director of orthopedic and sports rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City and editor of Sports Injuries Guidebook. But if just bending your knee causes pain, Dr. Gotlin suggests shifting your cardio to your top half by using an upper body ergometer (a hand crank that you'll find in some gyms) or hitting a boxing bag. See your doc to be sure which route is best for you.

You Think: "Classes like Spinning and boot camp seem too intense for me."

Rethink: "That guy in bike shorts doesn't look so tough."

"Usually, we're afraid of the unknown," Petrie says, so testing the waters first will eventually allow you to dive in. Observe a class from the warm-up and beyond rather than peek in at the midpoint, when the action is sweatiest and most intimidating.

Redo: Go at your own pace
"The great thing about Spinning is that you control your experience," says instructor Kimberly Fowler, founder of YAS Fitness Centers in California. "If the instructor tells you to turn up the resistance, go to where you feel you can keep up; then if you get tired, lower it." (Psst! Those classmates who look like Lance Armstrong are probably doing the same.) In any group exercise class, your main goal is to get the hang of it, so aim for form over speed.

You Think: "Exercising at home is my only option: blechhh."

Rethink: "There's no place like home -- to get a hot body."
First, identify what would give you the willpower to stay off the couch, "then make a plan to get you in the right frame of mind to commit to exercise," Petrie says. Put your workout clothes on so you know that exercising is the next thing to do after you fulfill your obligations, he says, whether those involve feeding the cat after work or taking the kids to school in the morning. Then create a workout schedule with built-in accountability: Recruit a friend to do fitness DVDs with on specific days or join a walking or running club (rrca.org) that meets regularly.

Redo: Order takeout

Beam a trainer to your living room for a fraction of the in-gym cost. At sites like fitorbit.com ($9.99 a week and up), trainers give you the drill-sergeant (or cheerleader or buddy) treatment by means of e-mail and their personal Web pages. Even celeb trainers, like Kim Lyons (kimlyons.com), formerly of The Biggest Loser, see clients via Internet sites. You can also get a customized routine and diet from FITNESS's online Personal Trainer that progressively challenges you on your way to Slimville ($39.99 for three months, $8.99 a month thereafter; or the free 10-day trial).

Try the FITNESS Personal Trainer >>

You Think: "Staying on a cardio machine for more than 30 minutes is slow torture."

Rethink: "Who'll be eliminated tonight on The Bachelorette?"
"Dedicate your treadmill time to doing things that you normally can't, such as watching your favorite TV show or listening to a new playlist or podcast," Petrie says. Start a few minutes before showtime so you'll be inspired to push past the 30-minute barrier to see how the episode ends.

Redo: Save the rest for last
Plan your workout so the end is all downhill, so to speak. In a study at the Department of Health and Exercise Science at the College of New Jersey in Ewing, treadmillers who did higher-intensity followed by lower-intensity exercise burned more fat and felt that their workouts were less stressful than when the order was reversed. Try it yourself on any cardio machine with this 45-minute plan from Los Angeles-based personal trainer Michael Berg.

The first 25 minutes: Warm up for five minutes at an easy pace. Then increase your speed to a moderate intensity, and for the next 20 minutes, up the incline or resistance 1 percent every two minutes.

The last 20 minutes: Lower the setting to an incline or resistance level that's comfortable but slightly challenging and do it for 15 minutes. Follow with a five-minute cool-down at an easy pace with the incline set on zero.

You Think: "I simply can't shake the after-work energy slump to exercise."

Rethink: "Just 10 minutes."
"There's a difference between being mentally tired and being physically tired," the University of Kentucky's Miller says. "Doing something physical will actually help combat some of the mental fatigue." Try Miller's trick to get your noggin on board: Tell yourself that you're not going to do more than 10 minutes of exercise. Often this leads to extending the time once you get into it, he notes. In a study at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, doing 10 minutes of moderate exercise, such as light pedaling on a stationary bike, was enough to improve mood and fatigue levels.

Redo: Stack the deck in your favor
Make the path home go through your gym, Miller suggests; not only will the sight of exercisers spark you to move, but you'll capitalize on the momentum of not having parked yourself on the recliner post-work. Also, have an alternative workout you can switch to if you're not feeling up to your usual routine or if you miss a class: Leave a workout DVD in the player at home or keep your yoga mat at the ready. Women in a study at Columbia University who had a written plan B exercised twice as much as those who didn't.

check out FITNESS
Yvonne-marie

A SHORT UPDATE !!! AND DONATION

2010-10-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone im so sorry that i have not updated recently school has very much taken over my life. However since my birthday alot has happened and i will be positing some more about everything that this month has ended with. But for right now i have a serious favor to ask my sorority is actually attending a walk we must be sponsored to walk the was is for suicide prevention. Some of my sisters have recently lost very close friends to suicide and the walk helps the american foundation for suicide prevention raise money to help those who need to seee help before they attempt somethings they will regret.

Here is the link : my name is yvonne valladares on this please support me or any of the other sisters so that we may walk. OUT OF THE DARKNESS FOUNDATION

Thank you for reading

yvonne -marie

The 22-Minute, 270-Calorie-Burning Swim

2010-09-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

So some of you may know I love swimming its my second passion other than dance. So i found this on /in FITNESS mag my fave mag ever (there is the link to the fitness mag page). I have yet to try it but it is amazing so i do of course recomend it to all those who want to explore swimming and who just want to burn more calories. This is my girft to all of you on my b-day :)
__________________________________________________________________________________
Hit the pool to burn off nearly 300 calories fast with these swimming workout drills.
From the editors of Fitness magazine

Hit the pool and burn close to 300 calories in just 22 minutes with this workout from Dave Thomas, USA Swimming sport-development consultant in Colorado Springs. Performing drills in the water is the best way to improve form and prevent boredom. This routine is based on a 25-yard-long pool lane; we've given times to shoot for, but go at your own pace. If needed, take 20-second rests between each segment.

Stroke Lengths Minutes

1. Freestyle 4 2

2. Alternate freestyle 8 4

and backstroke

3. Use a kickboard 4 4

4. Freestyle using a 4 2

pull buoy floating device held between legs

5. Repeat #2 8 4

6. Your favorite stroke 8 4

(moderate pace)

7. Sprint (favorite stroke) 2 1

8. Freestyle (cool down) 2 1

Happy swimming

Yvonne-Marie

VEGAN BEAUTY PRODUCTS

2010-09-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

I know i did a mass link upload a while ago but i have chosen to upload bits at a time when i find things that are vegan and awesome. Im a huge Cosemetics sucker i love make up Putting it on, matching colors with my outfit everything to do with makeup. So i know there are so many vegans out there that enjoy being fabulous. So for all those vegans here is the list for you.

VEGAN BEAUTY
http://www.eyeslipsface.com

http://www.perfectorganics.com

http://urbandecay.com/vegan.cfm

http://greenridgeherbals.com

http://www.sevicosmetics.com

http://www.beautywithoutcruelty.com

http://www.desertessence.com

http://mvorganics.com

http://www.lush.com

http://www.physiciansformula.com

http://www.cosmeticskitchen.com

http://www.dermaminerals.com

http://www.smashbox.com

http://www.gabrielcosmeticsinc.com

http://www.lavera.com

http://www.sugarpillshop.com/

I LOVE MAKEUP YOU WILL TOO

Yvonne-Marie

make up make up

2010-09-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

hello everyone so i got an e-mail from fitness about make up pallets that can fit comfortably in your gym bag and are Absolutely adorable .

This one happens to be my fave because i never have time and i love the name of it..

For the Nine-to-Fiver

Unclutter your desk drawer with the Mary Kay Compact ($18, marykay.com), packed with office-appropriate shades, a full-size gloss, and three brushes.

Tester says: "I reapply these powders throughout the day; they feel lightweight and never cakey."

-- Karina Dearwood, Brooklyn

here is the link for FITNESS to check out the other pallets
yvonne-marie

Shake up your FALL makeup

2010-09-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

well guys i know i have not done anything cosmetic wise however i will start very soon doing this. so the blogg is going under construction so if u dont get new blog posts please excuse me because im back in the flow of classes work and everything else and on my free time (when i have some ) i do my blogging for the week.
So today some of you may know that my favorite season is FALL ! why ? because its sweatshirt and hoodie season also my birthday is comming up soon and its just a great season.
I have decided to postup makeup tips for the fall season.

Try plum or navy

Jewel-toned liners make you nervous? Plum or navy is a good compromise. "The hint of color makes your irises more vivid without being over the top," says New York City makeup artist Carmindy, who's always up on all of the best beauty products out there. Draw a thin line along the roots of the upper lashes, then gently smudge the color with a brush or your finger to soften the look and make it smokier.

Try griege polish

The love child of gray and beige, griege is the shade of the season. "It has a trendy edge, but it's totally neutral and wearable," says Sarah Lucero, a makeup artist with Stila. Plus, it's low maintenance. "Chips won't be glaring like they are on dark, vampy nails," says Lucero. Paint two coats onto short, rounded tips for a cool look that won't raise eyebrows at work.

Try a burgundy lip stain

Think of burgundy as red's hipper younger sister. "Like red, it's seductive and feminine, but it's more mysterious," says makeup artist Jillian Dempsey, Avon's global creative color director. Use a lip stain because it will last longer.

hope you enjoyed these
yvonne -marie

A Spa day in your house

2010-09-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, so today I realized that yesterday I did a stress relief blog post and nothing is better at helping you distress than a day at the spa. But who are we kidding it’s a recession out there, there is no money coming in or going out. I personally am still going on an allowance with my parents while I’m at school (currently only) until I find a job on campus or off. So how can you treat yourself to a relaxing day at the spa simple do it at home? I found this on FITNESS it’s amazing tips on how to make an at home spa day and just treat yourself to relaxation like you should one a week or even once every two weeks but IT MUST BE DONE .

Sip Super Water

Get your eight glasses a day the spa way by adding five mint leaves and 10 thin cucumber slices to a pitcher of water, suggests Pam Ouellet, spa director of the Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Banff Springs in Alberta, Canada. Mint oil helps flush away complexion-dulling toxins, and vitamins A and C in cukes keep skin healthy.

Hope you enjoy these tips from Fitness

Yvonne-Marie

DE-stress yourself

2010-09-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

So you all might know I’m back in evil school. So for me being a bio student, a sorority girl, dancer, girlfriend, and worker on campus is very stressful many people don’t think being in college is stressful many think we just party and hang out all day long and get to our work when we feel like it (BOY do I wish it were that way). Later possible in my next blog I will show you my handy wall schedule it tells me when I have time and when I don’t. I actually came across this because of a friend who had this in her dorm. However she only had her classes up I have incorporated my dance team schedule and work schedule (if I get the job) and my sorority and workout schedule. It will probably look like one big mess but it will have to do. So as a busy bee whether you are in college or not here are some de-stressing ideas I found on FITNESS. I hope they help you relax and make your day better.

Stop Stress

Savor the zesty scent of an orange and you could feel instantly relaxed. According to a Japanese study, the citrus fruit contains linalool, a compound whose odor has been shown to lower stress levels in animals.

Unplug
If you're on your third straight Law & Order episode, turn it off already! After analyzing data that spanned 34 years, University of Maryland researchers reported that people who described themselves as "somewhat happy" watched 10 percent more hours of TV than those who rated themselves "very happy." The theory: Being glued to your flat screen may temporarily entertain you, but it isn't particularly satisfying in the long run. Worse, the tube time takes away from more fulfilling activities, such as a yoga class and a picnic with friends.

Rev Up Your Playlist
The more motivational your tunes, the quicker you move and the more calories you burn. In fact, research shows that music tempo can increase your endurance by 15 percent. Get your motor humming with this 45-minute workout mix from Bianca Kosoy, senior creative director and resident DJ at Equinox gyms.

"Heads Will Roll" (Tommie Sunshine Remix) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

"Bonafied Lovin" (+ Tough Guys Interlude) - Chromeo

"Gone Daddy Gone" - Gnarls Barkley

"Your Heart Feels" (Designer Drugs Remix) - Thieves Like Us

"Felicia" - The Constellations

"I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You" - Black Kids

"Gold Guns Girls" - Metric

"Beep Beep Beep" - Tiga

"Hey You" (PPRR Dance Remix) - Pony Pony Run Run

"Kids" (Soulwax Remix) - MGMT

"Chillin" - Wale, featuring Lady Gaga

"Beatbox" (Hey Champ Remix) - The Sounds

Top It Off
Sprinkle these spices on your food for a lift that lingers: Cinnamon can stabilize your blood sugar, leading to sustained energy; cumin may raise iron levels; and coriander can help calm by elevating levels of the nutrient magnesium, which gets depleted in times of stress.

Create a Fitness Inspiration Board
Clip out pictures and words that inspire you (your favorite athlete, a yoga chant, you on a gorgeous running trail), make a collage out of them, and hang it where you can see it, suggests Patricia Isis, PhD, a board-certified art therapist in Miami. Every time you lay eyes on it, you'll feel good

Sip Smart
To beat an afternoon slump, back away from the office vending machine and pour yourself a rejuvenating cup of green or black tea instead. The caffeine in the brew will give you a boost and the amino acid L-theanine will enhance your concentration, according to a study in The Journal of Nutrition. To maximize the benefits, Mark Ukra, owner of Dr. Tea in West Hollywood, California, suggests steeping the leaves for two minutes.

Here is a yoga video from FITNESS hope you all enjoy this.

NAMESTE

Yvonne-marie

Brazilian Butt Lift

2010-09-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

We always think of our bellys first then we realize our bootys need work too. dont niglect the booty here are some moves to lift your bum.

Brazilian Butt Lift
Minutes: 1-2
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed forward.

Squat down until knees are bent 90 degrees.

Squat with Kick-Back

-Stand with legs shoulder-width apart, arms at sides.

-Sit back into a squat keeping weight on heels, then lift right leg straight behind you, keeping hips pointing forward while extending arms.

Plie

Minutes 0:00-1:00

-Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, arms at sides, toes turned out.

-Tuck tailbone under and contract glutes.

-Lower body into a plié squat as low as you can go without allowing knees to creep past toes.

-Simultaneously raise arms to shoulder height in front of body, palms down. Hold for 2 seconds, then return to starting position.

-After 20 reps, pulse at the bottom for 20 seconds.

-Watch the video: Get the complete Brazilian Butt workout here

-Get video demonstrations of exercises in the Brazilian Butt Workout

Happy but lifiting

Yvonne-Marie

Beat Desk Job Drain

2010-09-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Do you work in an office I did thankfully now I'm back at school.
However i know alot of women gain weight due to their jobs so i found handy tips to beat the drain of having a desk job.

Power Suck

Sitting for hours slides your tush down in your chair, forming a C-curve in your back, says Mike Siemens, clinical director of exercise physiology.
Pick-Me-Up
Every hour, stand up, put your hands on the small of your back, and gently arch as far as you can for one second, leading with your head. Do six to eight reps

Power Suck

Hunching over to text or read the cell phone screen pulls your neck out of alignment -- a kink that can cause neck pain and fatigue.
Pick-Me-Up
Placing a thumb on your sternum, make an L by pointing your index finger up. If your chin touches it, move your head back. Do six chin-to-finger-and-back reps hourly

Power Suck

Getting a candy fix within 90 minutes of gym time will send energy levels crashing 10 to 20 minutes into your workout, Siemens says.
Pick-Me-Up
Don't go more than three hours without eating, and make your preworkout snack a mix of protein and carbs, like peanut butter on apple slices.

Power Suck

Stress can cause you to breathe shallowly, depriving you of energizing oxygen, says life-management therapist Peggy Holt.
Pick-Me-Up
When tension starts to build, spend three minutes taking slow, deep breaths and use all your senses to visualize something soothing, like lying on the beach.

Where did i find these helpful hints : Originally published in FITNESS magazine, July/August 2010.

Happy Blogging

Yvonne-Marie

YOGA Pose of the day

2010-09-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

A tricky pose day.

Garland Pose

1)Squat with your feet as close together as possible. (Keep your heels on the floor if you can; otherwise, support them on a folded mat.)

2)Separate your thighs slightly wider than your torso. Exhaling, lean your torso forward and fit it snugly between your thighs.

3)Press your elbows against your inner knees, bringing your palms to together in Anjali Mudra (Salutation Seal), and resist the knees into the elbows. This will help lengthen your front torso.

4)To go further, press your inner thighs against the sides of your torso. Reach your arms forward, then swing them out to the sides and notch your shins into your armpits. Press your finger tips to the floor, or reach around the outside of your ankles and clasp your back heels.

5)Hold the position for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then inhale, straighten the knees, and stand into

Yvonne-marie

Creamy Cumin Dressing

2010-09-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

So i did some browsing OK alot of browsing and realized i have been eating my salads with oil and vinegar still and its ok just too blah for me so i found this. which adds a great taste to the salad. hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as i have its by little house of veggies she is so sweet and makes killer food.

Creamy Cumin Dressing:

juice of 1 lime

juice of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp Veganaise

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

pinch of black pepper

YOGA Pose of the day

2010-09-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

Who's mans best friend?

Downward-Facing Dog

Step by Step

1)Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly forward of your shoulders. Spread your palms, index fingers parallel or slightly turned out, and turn your toes under.

2)Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor. At first keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis and press it lightly toward the pubis. Against this resistance, lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling, and from your inner ankles draw the inner legs up into the groins.

3(Then with an exhalation, push your top thighs back and stretch your heels onto or down toward the floor. Straighten your knees but be sure not to lock them. Firm the outer thighs and roll the upper thighs inward slightly. Narrow the front of the pelvis.

4)Firm the outer arms and press the bases of the index fingers actively into the floor. From these two points lift along your inner arms from the wrists to the tops of the shoulders. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then widen them and draw them toward the tailbone. Keep the head between the upper arms; don't let it hang.

5)Adho Mukha Svanasana is one of the poses in the traditional Sun Salutation sequence. It's also an excellent yoga asana all on its own. Stay in this pose anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. Then bend your knees to the floor with an exhalation and rest in Child's Pose.

Psst this one has a video at the bottom :) yoga journal

yvonne-marie

An Interview with Craig from Earth Cafe

2010-09-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Interviews are an awesome inspirations, i know this myself because after i read the interview on vegan hope on HappyHerbivores page and i felt like i could go the distance with being vegan. As new vegans we need to see that others (Many others) are vegan too and that it has changed their life in a very positive way. The interviews i will do here will be not of just great vegans or vegans in the cookbook biz but also plain every day vegans who have made a change in their life even in the life of others. Today i have ready for you guys the interview of Craig one of the partners for EARTHCAFETOGO.COM if you dont know this website check it out you will be mesmorized by all the delicious cakes they have. Which are all raw and vegan. He is their marketing representative. He is also the one who handels their twitter @earthcafe. Personally i love having him as a friend on twitter because he leaves the most empowering and insightful posts of all from tips on health to empowering quotes. He is a very nice polite man who is very funny and intelligent i hope all of you enjoy reading this interview and much as i have giving it.

This is just one of their delicious creations are you drooling yet :)

Check Out EarthCafe

The first must ask question " how long have you been vegan and what made you go plant base."? I became vegan some time during the spring of 2005 & there are a couple of reasons as to the 'why'. First, one of my partners, Candy, was a great influence as to what being vegan was all about. Both from an animal rights position & from a nutritional point of view. Even prior to becoming Vegan, I was never a big meat eater by any stretch. I ate mostly pastas. salads, veggies & such. But as a single dad converting over totally to being vegan was unfamiliar territory for me.

Becoming Vegan happened like this, while shopping w/my 3 kids, my oldest daughter turned to me and said out of the blue,"dad I think we should become vegan". And that is how it began. The timing was right because I was having some moral challenges being a partner in a vegan based company but not totally 100% vegan (EC in the summer of '04). So again, the timing was right. Candy was a huge help with meal preparation, education, support etc.

- I have to ask how did you jump from mortgage banking to raw vegan food marketing? Well like many things it just sort of happened. A rather long dull story cut short.... Candy (who in my opinion is one of the best raw chefs period. And I'm not just saying that at all. If you see the various foods on our website they're her creations & they all are of the same taste quality as our cheesecakes.) at the time she was a good friend of mine and had a great following in the raw food community in LA. Everyone enjoyed her raw food a ton especially her raw cheesecakes. I made the suggestion to her that she should approach a few stores to carry her raw treats. She asked if I could help, which I did. The orders actually came in right away and EC was created. I went full time into our biz in January 2008.

- Have you baked any of the good your company sells or have you tried to bake any of the goods? No, they would all melt..:)

- what goods other than the Famous cheesecake i hear so much about are in stock at earthcafetogo.com? Hmm, we keep talking about opening a restaurant at some point.

-Was it hard getting the younger children to become vegan ? It truly was shockingly easy. There was no complaining at all.

-What is your favorite cake or good from your business? Well, if I had to pick one - 'Who's Your Daddy'. I'll get hooked on another for awhile but I always come back to 'Daddy'.. ha, ha..:)

This is the "Who's your Daddy"

-Do you have a favorite raw food that you love to add to your dishes? I'd say either our 'Lovioli' our 'Raw Pizza', I like them both a lot, they're excellent (at least I think so). We only offer our cheesecakes in stores but if we do decide to open a cafe they would for sure be on the menu.

-Do you have any words of wisdom for new vegans ? Yes, get all of your friends on board & stay the course for all the right reasons..:). Obesity, & health related issues tied to being overweight, are out of control in our country & we need to educate everyone that there are better food choices out there. Not force it down their throats but share with them the benefits. Many people get turned off about 'vegan' just because they don't know better. With education & patience anything is possible....

-What does being vegan mean for you and how has it changed you life? to live a life free of animal products & be consciously aware about the exploitation of animals & our planet. The impact our negative actions have had on our planet are huge & I try to do my part to make things a little better. I would say this also holds true for my close vegan friends.

I actually found my can't wait to try cake of choice. I picked this one because well i LOVE Bananas !

I hope you guys have had fun reading this interview and learned alot about Craig. I hope you try some of their treats im sure you will enjoy them.

Happy blogging

Yvonne-Marie

YOGA Pose of the day

2010-09-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Their cute and friendly and my favorite sea creature and im dedicating today to the dolphins !

Dolphin Pose

Step by Step

1)Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly below your hips and your forearms on the floor with your shoulders directly above your wrists. Firmly press your palms together and your forearms into the floor.

2)Curl your toes under, then exhale and lift your knees away from the floor. At first keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis and press it lightly toward the pubis. Against this resistance, lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling, and from your inner ankles draw the inner legs up into the groins.

3)Continue to press the forearms actively into the floor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then widen them away from the spine and draw them toward the tailbone. Hold your head between the upper arms; don't let it hang or press heavily against the floor.

4)You can straighten your knees if you like, but if your upper back rounds it's best to keep them bent. Continue to lengthen your tailbone away from the pelvis and lift the top of your sternum away from the floor.

5)Stay between 30 seconds to one minute. Then release your knees to the floor with an exhale.

Yvonne-Marie

BELLY BUSTER of the day

2010-08-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

hate being on the ground ?

Upside-Down Crunch

1)Start on ground in plank position, balancing on forearms and toes, hands clasped, so body forms a straight line from head to heels.

2)Tip tailbone up, arching back slightly, then tuck pelvis under, reversing arch to flatten back and pull abs tight; hold contraction for 5 counts.

Do 8 to 10 reps.

YOGA Pose of the day

2010-08-31T10:56:00.000-07:00

Take a seat and relax your muscles today . After i get ten followers i will post a sequence and it will be a yoga tribute day so help me get to ten followers and i will post a yoga sequence to help you relax.

Chair Pose

Step by Step

1)Stand in Tadasana. Inhale and raise your arms perpendicular to the floor. Either keep the arms parallel, palms facing inward, or join the palms.

2)Exhale and bend your knees, trying to take the thighs as nearly parallel to the floor as possible. The knees will project out over the feet, and the torso will lean slightly forward over the thighs until the front torso forms approximately a right angle with the tops of the thighs. Keep the inner thighs parallel to each other and press the heads of the thigh bones down toward the heels.

3)Firm your shoulder blades against the back. Take your tailbone down toward the floor and in toward your pubis to keep the lower back long.

4)Stay for 30 seconds to a minute. To come out of this pose straighten your knees with an inhalation, lifting strongly through the arms. Exhale and release your arms to your sides into Tadasana.

Check out the video on yoga journal tv

Yvonne-Marie

YOGA Pose of the day

2010-08-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

WHERES MY BIG TOE !!??

Big Toe Pose

Step by Step

1)Stand upright with your inner feet parallel and about six inches apart. Contract your front thigh muscles to lift your kneecaps. Keeping your legs completely straight, exhale and bend forward from your hip joints, moving your torso and head as one unit.

2)Slide the index and middle fingers of each hand between the big toes and the second toes. Then curl those fingers under and grip the big toes firmly, wrapping the thumbs around the other two fingers to secure the wrap. Press your toes down against your fingers. (If you can't reach your toes without overly rounding your back, pass a strap under the ball of each foot and hold the straps.)

3)With an inhalation, lift your torso as if you were going to stand up again, straightening your elbows. Lengthen your front torso, and on the next exhale, lift your sitting bones. Depending on your flexibility, your lower back will hollow to a greater or lesser degree. As you do this, release your hamstrings and hollow your lower belly (below your navel) as well, lightly lifting it toward the back of your pelvis.

4)Lift the top of your sternum as high as you can, but take care not to lift your head so far that you compress the back of your neck. Keep your forehead relaxed.

5)For the next few inhalations, lift your torso strongly as you continue to actively contract your front thighs; on each successive exhalation, strongly lift your sitting bones as you consciously relax your hamstrings. As you do this, deepen the hollow in your lower back.

6)Finally exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides, pull up on your toes, lengthen the front and sides of your torso, and gently lower into the forward bend.

7)If you have very long hamstrings, you can draw your forehead toward your shins. But if your hamstrings are short, it's better to focus on keeping the front torso long. Hunching into a forward bend isn't safe for your lower back and does nothing to lengthen your hamstrings.

8)Hold the final position for one minute. Then release your toes, bring your hands to your hips, and re-lengthen your front torso. With an inhale, swing your torso and head as a single unit back to upright..

Did you fine your big toe? I did :)

Yvonne-Marie

Yoga Pose of the day

2010-08-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

Its Sunday lets take it easy.

Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose

Step by Step

1)Sit on the floor with your torso upright and your legs wide. Bend your left knee and snug the heel into your left groin. Then slightly bend your right knee and slide the heel a few inches toward the right buttock.

2)Exhale, lean to the right, and press the back of your right shoulder against the inside of your right knee. Lay your right forearm on the floor inside your right leg, palm facing up. Lengthen the right side of your torso along the inside of the right thigh. Turn your right palm toward the inside edge of the foot and take hold of it, thumb on the top of the foot, fingers on the sole.

3)Remember, the pose is anchored by the femur bone of the left leg. Press the left femur firmly to the floor, as you inhale and slowly extend your right knee. Keep the back of your shoulder connected to the inner knee as you extend it; you'll find that your torso is drawn out by the straightening knee. When your knee is straight, twist your torso toward the ceiling.

4)Inhale your left arm straight up toward the ceiling, lean it back slightly, and then, with another inhale, sweep it behind your left ear and take hold of the outside edge of the right foot. Press the elbows away from each other, using them like a crank to help twist the upper torso further. Turn your head to look at the ceiling.

5)Hold for a minute. To come out, first untwist your torso, and without coming to upright, sweep it to the left midway between the legs. Then inhale and lift to an upright position. Remember not to come up directly from the twisted position.. Repeat these steps to the other side for the same length of time.

Yogajournal.com (check it out)

Yvonne-Marie

BELLY BUSTER of the day

2010-08-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

Hope todays move gives you a kick in the CORE
Advanced: Squat Jump

Targets: Arms, abs, butt, legs

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, hands by sides.
Squat, keeping knees behind toes, then jump straight up, lifting arms overhead.
Land in a squat with arms overhead.
Lower arms by sides.

Do 12 reps.

Enjoy

Yvonne-Maire

YOGA Pose of the day

2010-08-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

AHOY Mates!!! hope you feel the burn of this pose:

Full Boat Pose

Step by Step

1)Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Press your hands on the floor a little behind your hips, fingers pointing toward the feet, and strengthen the arms. Lift through the top of the sternum and lean back slightly. As you do this make sure your back doesn't round; continue to lengthen the front of your torso between the pubis and top sternum. Sit on the "tripod" of your two sitting bones and tailbone.

2)Exhale and bend your knees, then lift your feet off the floor, so that the thighs are angled about 45-50 degrees relative to the floor. Lengthen your tailbone into the floor and lift your pubis toward your navel. If possible, slowly straighten your knees, raising the tips of your toes slightly above the level of your eyes. If this isn't possible remain with your knees bent, perhaps lifting the shins parallel to the floor.

3)Stretch your arms alongside the legs, parallel to each other and the floor. Spread the shoulder blades across your back and reach strongly out through the fingers. If this isn't possible, keep the hands on the floor beside your hips or hold on to the backs of your thighs.

4)While the lower belly should be firm, it shouldn't get hard and thick. Try to keep the lower belly relatively flat. Press the heads of the thigh bones toward the floor to help anchor the pose and lift the top sternum. Breathe easily. Tip the chin slightly toward the sternum so the base of the skull lifts lightly away from the back of the neck.

5)At first stay in the pose for 10-20 seconds. Gradually increase the time of your stay to 1 minute. Release the legs with an exhalation and sit upright on an inhalation.

Hope you liked the pose

Yvonne-Marie

BELLY BUSTER of the day

2010-08-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

Enjoy todays Move !!
Intermediate: Hands-Up Hop

Targets: Arms, abs, butt, legs

Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, hands on hips.
Step forward with left foot and simultaneously lift right knee to hip level as you hop straight up on left leg and extend arms overhead.
Land with feet together, hands on hips.

Do 20 reps, alternating sides.

Yvonne-Marie

Todays activities

2010-08-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone
So yesterday was kind of a crummy day for me until i got out of work. I'm at work from 9am till 6-7 pm. and this is my last week so its been extra horrid because before i leave i have to finish training the trainee and all the work we have. But however my night turned out great once i got a call from my best friend Rocio ( you might know her as rosey21 on twitter) Go check out her blog she is amazing i love her dearly and she is an American obsessed with the European music . I wanted to go out to eat so we did and my little brother came with us we hit a sushi joint close to my house i got an avocado roll and they shared a teriaki sandwich. Once i got home i saw i had MAIL. I'm still like a child when i get mail (yes even if its a bill) this is what i got.

On twitter i won a body by Bethany DVD its yogatastic (i shall be trying this tonight ) and with it came an acacia catalog that I'm still looking through and my fitness magazine i subscribed to in June I love this magazine its the best. Check out Fitness mag to subscribe or look at all their friendly advice online.

That was my night and of course some blogging which i have NEWS I'm thinking about posting a who's the top blog this week section, and although I'm not comfortable with my body yet my own work outs that i must say have been working but not a very camera loving person. But if you guys are supportive i shall be posting the workouts I do and have worked for me on here in its own little section on THE MASH.

hope you enjoyed today's activities

Yvonne-Marie

Happy reminder: today's activities is usually posted from the night before :)

YOGA Pose of the day

2010-08-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Can you say MOOOOOOOOOO

Cow Face Pose

Step by Step

1)Sit in Dandasana (Staff Pose), then bend your knees and put your feet on the floor. Slide your left foot under the right knee to the outside of the right hip. Then cross your right leg over the left, stacking the right knee on top of the left, and bring the right foot to the outside of the left hip. Try to bring the heels equidistant from the hips: with the right leg on top you'll have to tug the right heel in closer to the left hip. Sit evenly on the sitting bones.

2)Inhale and stretch your right arm straight out to the right, parallel to the floor. Rotate your arm inwardly; the thumb will turn first toward the floor, then point toward the wall behind you, with the palm facing the ceiling. This movement will roll your right shoulder slightly up and forward, and round your upper back. With a full exhalation, sweep the arm behind your torso and tuck the forearm in the hollow of your lower back, parallel to your waist, with the right elbow against the right side of your torso. Roll the shoulder back and down, then work the forearm up your back until it is parallel to your spine. The back of your hand will be between your shoulder blades. See that your right elbow doesn't slip away from the right side of your torso.

3)Now inhale and stretch your left arm straight forward, pointing toward the opposite wall, parallel to the floor. Turn the palm up and, with another inhalation, stretch the arm straight up toward the ceiling, palm turned back. Lift actively through your left arm, then with an exhalation, bend the elbow and reach down for the right hand. If possible, hook the right and left fingers.

4)Lift the left elbow toward the ceiling and, from the back armpit, descend the right elbow toward the floor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back ribs and lift your chest. Try to keep the left arm right beside the left side of your head.

5)Stay in this pose about 1 minute. Release the arms, uncross the legs, and repeat with the arms and legs reversed for the same length of time. Remember that whichever leg is on top, the same-side arm is lower.

Enjoy this cow friendly pose

Yvonne-Marie

BELLY BUSTER of the day

2010-08-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hope you like todays move :)
Intermediate: Lunge Reach

Targets: Shoulders, abs, butt, quads

Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms by sides.
Lunge forward with left leg, bending both knees 90 degrees, and reach arms toward floor.
Explosively push off left leg to return to starting position and lift arms straight overhead.

Do 8 reps. Switch sides; repeat.

CHICKEN FRIED TOFU YUMMMZ

2010-08-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

So this recipe is not mine it is actually was given to me by JCLOV because the otehr day i had a fight with tofu and felt that i needed to fix things and make up because its a basic something in all or almost all vegan recipe i have not tried it yet However i will be doing a review on it once i do but if you want to try it before me go right on ahead.

Chicken Fried Tofu!

1 block extra firm tofu (cubed, rectangular prismed, whatever shape you'd like really)
-olive oil
-nutritional yeast flakes
-tamari, soy sauce or bragg's liquid aminos

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu (it might be best to do half a block at a time, especially for tofu newbies). Cook tofu until golden brown. Toss on nutritional yeast flakes until the tofu is coated, stirring to mix it up. Drizzle soy sauce on top and mix. Don't overdo it on the sauce.

Hope the recipe turns out well

Yvonne-marie

WHO'S THE TOP BLOG !!

2010-08-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

This week the top blogger has been (insert drum roll here :))

COOKING FOR A VEGAN LOVER

Her birthday is actually tomorrow she has great recipies and an amazing OPENSKY SHOP that you all should go and support and is just an all around very wise person go check out her blog and leave her lots of BIRTHDAY wishes.

Happyblogging :)
Yvonne-Marie

If you want to be mentioned for blogger of the week please send me a message to my twitter stating why you want to be the blogger of the week.

TODAYS ACTIVITIES

2010-08-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone so last yesterday i did ALOT of blogging so much i have blogged for a month.LITERALY i have made updates for every day till my birthday on my birthday im going to try and do a give away for vegan goodies beauty products and handy gadgets for the kitchen. But i will need atleast 50 ppl to apply for the auction on my b-day ill realease a post a week before and then the count down will start from there. But on another note i also use this blog to write down what I eat.
this morning (meaning yesterday morning ) i had a bagle with jelly and earth balance butter.
for lunch a boca burger with fries (i was bad)

and for dinner this :

so now i wanted to here the thoughts of my followers what would you like to see and what questions do you want answers to?

oooooand BIG NEWS next week i shall be moving back into the dorms at school so there will be a dorm and pic tribute to moving in :)

happy blogging
yvonne-marie

YOGA pose of the day

2010-08-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

Relax to this pose

Half Lord of the Fishes Pose

Step by Step

1)Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you, buttocks supported on a folded blanket. Bend your knees, put your feet on the floor, then slide your left foot under your right leg to the outside of your right hip. Lay the outside of the left leg on the floor. Step the right foot over the left leg and stand it on the floor outside your left hip. The right knee will point directly up at the ceiling.

2)Exhale and twist toward the inside of the right thigh. Press the right hand against the floor just behind your right buttock, and set your left upper arm on the outside of your right thigh near the knee. Pull your front torso and inner right thigh snugly together.

3)Press the inner right foot very actively into the floor, release the right groin, and lengthen the front torso. Lean the upper torso back slightly, against the shoulder blades, and continue to lengthen the tailbone into the floor.

4)You can turn your head in one of two directions: Continue the twist of the torso by turning it to the right; or counter the twist of the torso by turning it left and looking over the left shoulder at the right foot.

5)With every inhalation lift a little more through the sternum, pushing the fingers against the floor to help. Twist a little more with every exhalation. Be sure to distribute the twist evenly throughout the entire length of the spine; don't concentrate it in the lower back. Stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then release with an exhalation, return to the starting position, and repeat to the left for the same length of time.

Stretch and enjoy

Yvonne-Marie

BELLY BUSTER of the day

2010-08-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

Todays belly buster will be fun :)
Beginner: Step Hop

Targets: Abs, butt, legs

Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, hands on hips.
Step forward with right foot, then lift left knee to hip level as you hop straight up on right leg.
Land with feet together.

Do 16 reps, alternating sides.

A NEW GREAT LINK

2010-08-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

So i have been thinking about running lately because my Dr.'s appointment is on the 9th and i want to be somewhat fitter than i am now and youdailyvegan sent me this link that i just thought was an awesome help. And i wanted to share this with all of you.

couch to 5k

Hope some of you try this i know i will try to get my but off the couch and bed

Yvonne-Marie

YOGA Pose of the day

2010-08-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

So along with a belly buster of the day i have chose to add a yoga pose of the day :)

Bharadvaja's Twist

Step by Step

1)Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Shift over onto your right buttock, bend your knees, and swing your legs to the left. Lay your feet on the floor outside your left hip, with the left ankle resting in the right arch.

2)Inhale and lift through the top of the sternum to lengthen the front torso. Then exhale and twist your torso to the right, keeping the left buttock on or very close to the floor. Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor to keep the lower back long. Soften the belly.

3)Tuck your left hand under your right knee and bring your right hand to the floor just beside your right buttock. Pull your left shoulder back slightly, pressing your shoulder blades firmly against your back even as you continue to twist the chest to the right.

4)You can turn your head in one of two directions: continue the twist of the torso by turning it to the right; or counter the twist of the torso by turning it left and looking over the left shoulder at your feet.

5)With every inhalation lift a little more through the sternum, using the push of the fingers on the floor to help; with every exhalation twist a little more. Stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then release with an exhalation, return to the starting position, and repeat to the left for the same length of time.

Relax and Enjoy

Yvonne-Marie

BELLY BUSTER of the day

2010-08-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

So here in the mash section i decided to make things fun after all i can do anything with this blog so im going to pick a belly blaster move every day . today is
Beginner: Lunge Twist

Targets: Abs, obliques, butt, quads
Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, elbows bent 90 degrees by hips.

Lunge forward with right leg and rotate torso and arms to right.
Rotate back to center as you quickly push off right foot to return to start.

Do 16 reps, alternating sides.

Hope you enjoy this move :)

Yvonne-Marie