Tag Archives: diet

Feature Friday: Johan Stephan

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Johan Stephan 1
First name: Johan
Last name: Stephan
City: Johannesburg
Country: South Africa
Height: 1.76m (about 5’9″)
Weight: 75kg (165 lbs)
Profession: TV Producer

Follow Him:
Twitter: @jostephan
Instagram: jostephan
Tumblr: http://jostephan.tumblr.com/

When did you start working out?:
I started working out in 2005.

How many days a week do you work out?:
6 days week.

Johan Stephan 2

How long is your average workout?:
My average workout is about 1 hour.

Do you play any sports?:
I used to play rugby, but now only get time for the gym.

Do you have any fitness goals? If so, what are they?:
I would like to reach an aesthetically balanced physique and build ultimate muscle strength and tone.

What supplements do you take or recommend?:
I don’t take any supplements. I follow a strict diet plan.

Can you give a brief overview of your diet?:
I follow a food plan based on the Mineral Body science. It’s a fairly new and relatively unknown science but I’ve been following it on a trial basis for the last 6 years and have only benefitted from it. It’s a complex eating plan to explain and I will be publishing more details on this science via my personal website and Tumblr blog soon.

Johan Stephan 3

Does your diet consist of cheat meals? If so, how often do you have one?:
No cheat meals really.

What is your personal website?:
My personal website is http://www.johanstephan.co.za although it’s currently being upgraded.

What are you a TV Producer for?:
I produce fitness videos, but this site is also being upgraded. The website is http://www.getfittv.co.za.

How much cardio do you do? (Per day or per week):
I don’t do any cardio.

Johan Stephan 4

Do you model? If so, what have you been featured in?:
I have only done exhibitions for major photographers in South Africa.

What has been your biggest fitness accomplishment so far?:
Launching my own fitness media site GetFitTV, which will soon be completely revamped and relaunched.

Do you have any tips for people who are trying to reach their fitness goals?:
Make realistic, short-term goals and reach them first before giving up on bigger goals that are often unrealistically set.

Did you like this Feature Friday Inspiration? Do you want to know more about Johan Stephan? Do you think you have what it takes to be my next Feature Friday Inspiration? Email me at corestrengthalec@gmail.com

Obesity in the USA

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I was reading about nutrition tonight and came across a website that I thought was very interesting. It is obvious, based on the media we see and hear every day, that obesity is becoming a very big issue in the United States. There are countless reasons and theories as to why this is true, but did you ever wonder where the highest percent of obese people were in the USA? Do you want to know where your state racks up in the rankings? Check out http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2011/ (Click Here) to see where your state ranks among the others. You may be very surprised!

Obesity Map from 2011

I was happy to see that my home state, Connecticut, was the third leanest state of the 50, but I was still surprised at how high some of the numbers were.

    – 15 years ago, Connecticut had a combined obesity and overweight rate of 45.2%. 10 years ago, it was 52.1%. Now, the combined rate is 59.8%.
    – The diabetes rate in Connecticut was determined to be 6.9 (up from 5.5 fifteen years ago).
    – 15 years ago, Connecticut had a hypertension rate of 21%. Now, the rate is 25.7%.

These are some scary numbers, and the sad part is that these are the numbers from the third leanest state! I can not imagine some of the numbers in the more obese states.

If you were wondering, the most obese state was determined to be Mississippi, and the leanest was determined to be Colorado. Where does your state rank?

Do you have any questions or concerns? Email me at corestrengthalec@gmail.com

Feature Friday: Dylan Thomas

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Dylan Thomas 1

First name: Dylan
Last name: Thomas
City: Toronto
Province: Ontario
Age: 22
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 210lbs (throughout the year) 195lbs (competition weight)
Profession: Trainer/Online Training Coach

Follow Him:
Twitter: @DylanThomasfit
Instagram: Dylanthomas_fitness_toronto

When did you start working out?:
When I was 16.

How many days a week do you work out?:
While prepping for competition, I’m training 5 days a week with weights and on my off days from weights I will do HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). Throughout the year, if I’m not doing a show, I typically train 4-5 days a week.

How long is your average workout?:
About 45 minutes.

Favorite muscles to exercise:
Legs (I’ve always admired people with great leg development. It’s a sign of true fitness.)

Dylan Thomas 2

Least favorite muscles to exercise:
I dont have one. I enjoy training my entire body.

Do you have any fitness goals? If so, what are they?:
I would like to earn my Pro card this year.

Do you have any fitness inspirations? If so, who are they?:
Arnold, Steve Reeves, Bob Paris, Frank Zane, and before I was into bodybuilding I was inspired by a rugby player, Gavin Henson. I greatly admired his strength and physique, as well as skill, and it inspired me to go to the weight room for the first time.


What supplements do you take or recommend?:
Whey protein, creatine, multi, fish oils.

Can you give a brief overview of your diet?:
It changes from day to day, but at the moment I’m carb cycling so every 3rd or 4th day I’ll have a re-feed day. My Typical day is 230g carbs/275g protein/80g fat and every 3rd day my day would be 470g carbs/250g protein/75g fat.

What does your diet consist of during a Bulking Phase?:
During a bulking phase I am not nearly as strict with my eating habits. I’ll eat over 5-600 grams of carbs a day and about 275-300 grams of protein with 70-80 grams of fat. These types of numbers allow me really to eat whatever I’d like whenever I’d like.

Dylan Thomas3

What does your diet consist of during a Cutting Phase?:
During a cutting phase, I’ll begin weighing my food out and counting everything I eat against my allotted macronutrients breakdown for the day so I do not over eat.

You say you load on carbs every few days… What foods do you eat during these times to load on good carbs?:
My go to carb sources are in no particular order as I don’t view one being better than another: basmati rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, Ezekiel cereal, Ezekiel bread, fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and bananas, as well as my green veggies favorites being asparagus, broccoli & green beans. The important thing is usually to count all the carbs in everything you eat. For instance, you’re eating oatmeal and it is a “carb” source, but you still need to count the protein and fat in the oatmeal otherwise you’ll likely go over what you should be eating for the day without even realizing it!

Do you have any workouts that you specifically like, that you believe are very affective?:
Higher volume on lower body (15+ reps) and between 10-12reps on upper body. At the moment I’ll incorporate a lot of supersets and dropsets though as a means to increase the intensity of my workouts while getting ready to compete (April 27th).

How much cardio do you do? (Per day or per week):
Two times a week I do 20 minutes of high intensity interval training (all out sprints). I also like to walk for about 30 minutes each day on weight training days just to burn a little more calories.

Dylan Thomas 4

Do you have any tips for people who are trying to reach their fitness goals?:
Stay consistent and diet over everything else will determine your success in achieving your dream body.

How do people get ahold of you for your online training?:
If people our interested in my online training services they can reach me at dylanthomasfitness@hotmail.com.

Do you have any other things you would like to say? (Comments, Suggestions, etc)?:
“mens sana in corpore sano – a healthy mind in a healthy body”

Did you like this Feature Friday Inspiration? Do you want to know more about Dylan Thomas? Do you think you have what it takes to be my next Feature Friday Inspiration? Email me at corestrengthalec@gmail.com

Book Review: Food Rules – An Eater’s Manual

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Michael Pollan Food Rules

Because I am considering going into the health and fitness field as my career, and because this blog is getting a lot of views, I thought I should try to start really researching more into Health and Nutrition. A friend of mine on the tour recently lent me this book called Food Rules – An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan. Featured at #1 on the New York Times BestSeller list, this book shares basic rules and guidelines for making better choices while eating.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who would like to improve his/her diet. Now I will be completely honest, I am NOT a reader. I have the hardest time focusing while reading, but with this book, it was so easy to get through (Besides, it is only 139 pages, some of which only have a few sentences on the them). Even though this book may be short, it provides 64 general rules that help you make better food choices and help improve your eating habits.

I don’t want to give too much away in my review because I want you to go buy this book and read it yourself, but from what I took away, Michael Pollan suggests many beliefs of those who may follow a Paleo diet (The same diet Tony Grecco, my last Feature Friday Inspirtation, tries to follow). While reading, he frequently points out his golden rule to eating: Eat Food. Not too Much. Mostly Plants. It sounds very easy, but he goes into much further detail on what this saying actually means, and how to follow this eating habit. Now from the saying, you may be thinking, “Oh, he is suggesting that I become a Vegetarian or a Vegan,” but fortunately he is not saying that at all! I love the fact that he is pro-omnivore! He tells you to eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. The rules are not aimed toward changing what foods you eat necessarily, but rather toward opening up your mind and observing what you eat. When you observe what you eat, when you are more knowledgable of how the food gets from the farm to your table, and when you are aware of how you are actually consuming your food, that is when you may actually question and consider changing your eating habits.

Heart Healthy

For the three sections of his golden rule, Eat Food. Not too Much. Mostly Plants, Michael Pollan gives a set of guidelines in order to help you follow these three steps. He knows that following every rule and guideline he suggests can be hard and a huge change from what you are used to, so he openly suggests picking at least one rule from each section and practicing those in your daily life. For example, the rules I would like to try to follow are:

    Eat Food – It’s not food if it arrived through the window of your car AND Avoid foods that have some sort of sugar listed among the top three ingredients
    Mostly Plants – Drink the Spinach Water
    Not too much – The banquet is the first bite

I am not going to explain exactly what these rules mean and how to follow them since I want you to go get the book, but just by reading about how these rules work, and applying them to my diet, I hope to start eating healthier and smarter. I recommend you find which rules you are willing to try out. Some may sound farfetched or too hard to do, but I can guarantee you that you will be able to find some rules that you would like to try. He makes some excellent points and backs up most of his guidelines with reasonings that should hopefully help you better understand the importance and benefit of each rule.

Now go out there and purchase Food Rules – An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan if you would like to start changing some of your eating habits! If you have any questions about this book or my review, please feel free to email me at corestrengthalec@gmail.com.

Forming Healthy Diet Habits and My Diet Challenge

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Alec Gym Post 2
As I have said in previous posts, diets SUCK! I still wish I could eat whatever I wanted and still be as healthy and fit as possible, but unfortunately that is not how the world works. I have learned through experience; however, that diets can also be a lot better than you think… It really comes down to how your prepare yourself for your diet.

How many of you have tried starting a diet, and then eventually given up? I will admit that I have… numerous times. I have talked to countless people who have started crash diets and put in a ton of effort to eat well and exercise regularly, but most of these people end up reverting back to their old ways. My big question is WHY? We know we want to look and feel better; we are willing to put in the effort; we are even able to stay on a pretty strict diet for some time. Why then do so many people end up reverting back to their old eating habits?

I got to thinking, and although this is totally based on my personal experience, views and observations, I ask you to just be open minded and dare you to try what I am about to suggest. I believe people don’t succeed on crash diets, because although they want to lead a healthy lifestyle, they jumped right into a diet with little to no preparation. Your body and mind sometimes need to warm-up to an idea in order to really make it work and become a habit. For example, if you had never been swimming before, why would you jump into the deep end of the pool and hope for the best? Surely, many people would come close to drowning. This is the same for diets. If you are so used to eating one way, and all of a sudden change everything you are doing, your body and mind are honestly not ready for the change, leaving you with uncontrollable cravings and needs.
Think about the last diet and exercise plan you tried. Is this what happened to you?

Right now, after about 2 years of constantly working on improving my diet and exercise routine, I can say that I have formed some strong views and habits that have helped shape a healthier lifestyle. Before I started really working on creating this lifestyle, I would go to the gym, maybe twice a week, if that, and I would honestly eat anything I wanted (I would eat fast food and unhealthy foods at restaurants all the time). Now, if I don’t work out for more than 2 days, my body literally feels sluggish and almost sickly and although I hardly ever even want to go near a fast food place anymore, if I even attempt to eat fast food, my stomach almost immediately rejects it. How have I been able to create such habits while I see other people stopping in my local Wendy’s every day?

Donuts

After doing some research of how to form habits, I tried to determine on how long it actually takes to create a lasting habit such as eating healthy. Although some researchers say 21 days is all you need, most psychologists cannot actually put a number on how long it takes. They all seem to agree that different habits obviously take different amounts of time to form. From what I read, I concluded that the smaller the change from someone’s current lifestyle, the less time it takes to actually become a habit that the person will eventually not have to intentionally think about doing. A small change in someone’s lifestyle, such as drinking one more glass of water a day, can take two-three weeks to become a habit. A much larger change in someone’s life, such as going to the gym five days a week, can take hundreds of days to actually become a habit.

After realizing this, I remembered the first diet I ever tried that actually worked for me, that I still unintentionally follow today. It worked because it was a small change from what I was already doing, which made it easy for my body to adapt and form a long lasting habit. I made this little diet up myself in my head one day, but it has helped train my mind and my body to really create healthier eating habits and also prepare me for future diets I was going to try.

HERE IS MY DIET CHALLENGE (aka the first diet that worked for me):
Pick one food that you eat regularly (at least twice a month), that you know is bad for you, that you could live without. Some examples of foods would be french fries, pizza, ice cream, bacon, cake, etc. For me, it was doughnuts. Now totally delete this one food from your diet. I am only asking you to pick ONE food. Whenever you are tempted to eat this food now, just simply say no, or replace it with something much healthier. That’s it! I know it sounds so stupid and easy, but trust me, it will help you in the long run with making healthier choices and help you adapt to other diets in the future. To put it into perspective, I used to eat about 2 Chocolate Frosted Doughnuts from Dunkin Donuts a week . I liked eating them, obviously, but I realized I ate them usually out of convenience rather than out of a craving I was having or out of a need. Without eating these 2 doughnuts each week, I saved myself 540 calories and 30g of fat (14g of saturated fat) per week… that’s 28,080 calories and 1,560g of fat (728g of saturated fat) a year. To burn that off, I would have to run for about 35 hours… and I hate running :(. From this diet, I have not had one doughnut for over four years, and now I honestly have no cravings or wants to even try a doughnut again. Right now I am attempting this diet with waffles, and so far, I have gone almost three weeks without eating one waffle, which has saved me bad calories, fat, and a lot of carbs.

So now, I challenge you to try this easy diet out. It is easy! All I am asking you to do is pick one food that you can live without. If you can make it through one month without having this food in your diet, you should be able to start forming healthier habits. NO CHEATING!!!

What are your thoughts on this post? Are you going to try my challenge? Let me know by emailing me at corestrengthalec@gmail.com

PB2 – Powdered Peanut Butter

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PB2 - 1
I have been hearing a lot about this product called PB2. PB2 is a Powdered Peanut Butter that has less calories and fat than regular peanut butter. I was definitely curious to see what it tasted like, but to my surprise it was better than what I expected. Here are my thoughts on PB2…

Why PB2? What makes PB2 better than Peanut Butter?
PB2 offers a much lighter version of peanut butter to people. As you may notice, there is a lot of fat in Peanut Butter. Although in organic peanut butter, most of the fat is considered good fat, many dieters still steer away from having it. PB2 is only 45 calories and has 1.5g of fat (It also has 94mg of sodium, 5g of carbs, 2g of fiber, 1g of sugar, and 5g of protein). With lower calories and fat content, PB2 can be a very nice alternative to dieters everywhere.

How is PB2 made? Is it made with bad chemicals or highly processed foods?
PB2 is made by pressing out most of the oils and fats from roasted peanuts. This pressing process then leaves a powdered substance. This powder is then mixed with salt and sugar to create PB2. It is as simple as that… just 3 ingredients.

Do you just eat the powder? What do you do with it?
For one serving, you mix 2 tbsp of the PB2 powder with 1 tbsp of water. It mixes pretty easily together, but you may need to add a little more water if all the powder doesn’t mix in well enough. After stirring for a few seconds, it takes on a consistency similar to that of regular creamy peanut butter. If you would like to mix the powder in something, for instance a smoothie, you can just toss the powder directly into the blender and not worry about mixing it with water beforehand.

PB2 - 2

How does it taste?
I definitely would not say that it tasted bad, but it doesn’t taste as good as regular peanut butter. It is not the type of thing you would just eat on its own. As long as you are eating it with something, like a banana, toast, or anything else, PB2 tastes just fine.

Who would I recommend PB2 for?
I would recommend PB2 to anybody, but specifically to dieters who are very calorie and fat conscious. I personally think that I will still stick to organic peanut butter because I am not trying to lose any weight (in fact I want to try putting on a few more pounds). Organic peanut butter offers a few more grams of protein, fiber, and significantly much more fat and calories which is good for someone who is trying to bulk or keep weight on. PB2 is perfect for someone who needs to get his/her peanut butter fix, but does not want to feel guilty about eating it.

Hope you like this food review. Have any questions? Email me at corestrengthalec@gmail.com 🙂

Diet Tip #1: How to Set Good Goals

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Alec Varcas Diet Tips 1Lets face it… DIETS SUCK! No one really likes going on a diet. We all wish that we can eat whatever we wanted and still maintain amazing bodies. Unfortunately that is not how the world works and we have to watch what we eat, not only to look good, but also to lead a healthy lifestyle.

After doing some research, it is estimated that about 80% of weight loss New Years Resolutions fail. There are many theories as to why, but I have suggestions on how to reach your goals and not be part of that 80%.

My First Suggestion: Don’t say your goal is “To lose weight!”
You are already setting yourself up for failure because you are really not giving yourself a defined goal. Losing a pound and losing 30 pounds is a big difference, but technically in both situations, you have lost weight. You need to give yourself something to really aim for. For example, a good goal to set would be, I want to lose 15 pounds in 90 days. With this you have set a real goal and something to really aim for. This will put your mind in the right place to achieve success.

Alec Varcas Diet Tips 1-2

My Second Suggestion: Don’t set a goal that is too far in the future.
Setting a weight loss goal a year from now is not as affective as setting one two months from now. Why? If you have a goal to reach in ten months, you are more likely going to forget about it and make some bad diet and exercise choices than if you have a goal to reach in 2 weeks. If you would like to set a big goal, such as losing 50 pounds by the end of the year, or being able to bench press 100 more pounds by the end of the year, that is fine, but you must achieve those goals by setting smaller more frequent ones in between (ex: I will lose 5 pounds this month, I will bench press 10 more pounds this month)

My Third Suggestion: Don’t wait until January 1st to start a new goal.
According to an article by John Norcross that was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, approximately 50% of Americans make New Years Resolutions. I hate New Years Resolutions because it gives people an excuse to slack off until January 1st. If you want to be healthy and fit, START NOW! There is no better time to start. You are not getting any younger and you are just wasting time if you are putting it off for a specific date. Being healthy is a lifestyle, not a goal to reach! So start making better decisions now and you will be able to maintain a healthier lifestyle in the future.

Any questions or concerns? Want to know more about this topic? Contact me at corestrengthalec@gmail.com

Creator: Alec Varcas

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One reoccurring topic I would like to have on this blog will be “Feature Friday.” On every Friday, I will post a small bio and some pictures of the people I have looked up to in order to reach my fitness goals. I thought I would start with a mini bio of myself today and on this upcoming Friday, March 8th, I will post my first Feature Friday Inspiration.

Alec Varcas Model Shot 1

First name: Alec
Last name: Varcas
City: Wolcott
State: CT
Age: 22
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 166 lbs
Profession: Dancer/Actor/Singer and hopefully a Certified Personal Trainer in the near future.

Follow Me
Twitter: Alec2austin
Instagram: Alec2austin

When did you start working out?:
Around 2009, but I didn’t start seriously working out until the summer of 2011.

How many days a week do you work out?:
When I am home, about 6 days a week. Right now I am on tour with ‘Monty Python’s Spamalot’, so I work out as often as I can, which is usually around 3-4 days of cardio and 2-3 days of lifting.

How long is your average workout?:
My average workout is usually around an hour and a half. I try to focus on about 2 muscle groups per workout. I like to superset exercises switching between the muscle groups to keep my body moving and my heart rate up, but not totally exhausting my muscles and giving them proper rest time between each set. (Example: I may do a day of Triceps and Chest. One example of a workout would be doing a dumbbell fly chest workout, then waiting about 10-15 seconds and going into a tricep pull down exercise. Once I finish that, I will wait about one minute and repeat the superset 2-3 more times.)

This is my personal transformation over two years.

This is my personal transformation over two years.

Favorite muscles to exercise:
My Chest. I love working out my chest because I never had one when I was younger. I have seen decent growth in my chest since I have started working out, but I still see a lot of room for improvement. Any time I get a chance to pound out a good chest exercise, I feel great because I know I am really working toward reaching my fitness goals.

Least favorite muscles to exercise:
Shoulders. I have a bad rotator cuff that tends to hurt when I lift weights, so I have to be careful when doing shoulder exercises. Because I don’t want to injure it further, I usually am too afraid to really push my limits with my shoulder exercises. I would must rather be safe than sorry because I would not want to do any permanent damage, but because I sometimes bother my rotator cuff when lifting, I believe my shoulders are not progressing as well as the rest of my body.

Do you have any fitness goals? If so, what are they?:
I have a ton of fitness goals. I have already reached some of my old fitness goals, but now I have many more. Before, my fitness goals were to be able to bench my body weight, see my pecs, get a six pack, be able to run a 5K in under 30 minutes, and a few other things. I have already reached all of those goals, but now I have improved on my old ones. My new goals are to be able to bench press 1.5 times my body weight, get obliques, get an even larger chest (specifically an inner chest), increase my leg press to over 700lbs, run a 5K in under 24 minutes, increase my flexibility, try new forms of exercise such as Crossfit and Yoga, and many others!

Alec Varcas Body 1

Do you have any fitness inspirations? If so, who are they?:
I have many fitness inspirations. You will get to see many of them each Friday for my ‘Feature Friday’ topic, so keep an eye out for them.

What supplements do you take or recommend?:
I usually take 2 scoops of whey protein and mix it with skim milk and water after I workout. Also, when I am home and I am on a more steady workout plan, I take casein protein before I go to bed. Right now I am tossing around with different pre-workouts to find out which one I like the best. So far, I really enjoy using 1 scoop of Jack3d before I work out. It does not give me the jitters and it gives me more energy before I train. I have heard that it is not that good for you though, so I am definitely interested in trying some other pre-workouts as well.

Can you give a brief overview of your diet?:
I usually start my morning with a cup of Greek yogurt, some fruit, and granola. I also may make some whole grain toast with organic peanut butter, or even some scrambled egg whites if I am hungry. Before I go to the gym, I have about two handfuls of almonds and maybe a small snack if I need some more energy. After the gym I have a protein shake and then a small meal to help refuel my body (example:Tuna Avocado Sandwich). For dinner I try to have a lean protein (chicken or fish), vegetables, and usually a sweet potato. Later on in the night, I will have some more vegetables and dip them in hummus, and I may have some more nuts. I try to eat steadily throughout the day when I am home, and I try to eat about 3000-4000 calories a day… usually more if I am trying to put on weight. Now that I am on the road however, I try to eat about 2500-3500 calories and I really eat whenever I can… and I try to eat as healthy as I can, which unfortunately is not very easy.

Do you have any workouts that you specifically like, that you believe are very affective?:
I really love some of my core workouts that I do. I have experimented with different workouts people have showed me and have even altered them to make them work a little better with my body. I will show them to you over time on this blog so stay tuned.

How much cardio do you do? (Per day or per week):
I usually do at least 15 minutes of cardio a day to warm up before I exercise, but about 3-4 days a week I do a 30-45 minutes of cardio when I am trying to stay trim. If I am really trying to bulk, I just stick with my cardio warmup.

Alec Varcas Gym Shot 1

Do you have any tips for people who are trying to reach their fitness goals?:
Do your research! I am creating this blog to really help people reach their fitness goals, but the more research you do, the better. Also, just working out will not help you reach your fitness goals, DIET is just as, if not more, important than going to the gym. Lastly, stay motivated! Many people have a hard time staying motivated because they don’t see their beach ready body in the first few weeks they exercise. It does not happen over night. Losing weight and building muscle takes a lot of hard work and time, but staying motivated is the most important thing. Find something that will help you stay as motivated as possible. For some people it is having a workout buddy that will drag them to the gym. For others it is posting pictures of the body they want around the house or even on the boxes of foods they know they shouldn’t be eating. For others it is putting a trip to the gym in their daily planners, that way they know they will have the time to go to the gym. Find what works for you!

Do you have any other things you would like to say? (Comments, suggestions, etc)?:
Do not be scared to try something new. Remember that everyone starts somewhere. I have talked to many people that are not happy with their bodies and the main reason they don’t go to the gym is because they are scared. They are scared people will judge them and they are scared of trying something new. DONT BE! There is nothing but respect for people at the gym, because by being there and putting in the effort, we all know that we are working toward a common goal of bettering ourselves. Also, don’t be scared of trying new types of workouts either. Recently I started going to gymnastics classes to help my tumbling for an audition, and now I go just for the amazing workout. I have never had a better whole body workout then the one I get after a 45min-hour gymnastics lesson (I usually cant walk for days). Have you ever wanted to try Yoga, Pilates, Karate, Swimming? DO IT!!! You will regret it if you never tried. My mom started Karate in her 40’s and got up to a second degree Black Belt! It is never too late to try something new and get in shape!

Hope you liked this mini bio I put together. Keep an eye out every Friday starting this Friday, March 8th, for my ‘Feature Friday’ topics. Do you have any questions for me? Do you want to be considered as a ‘Feature Friday’ Candidate? Email me at corestrengthalec@gmail.com and I will get back to you as soon as possible.