Category Business and Advertising

Ben And Jerry’s New Vegan Ice Cream

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Ben and Jerrys

It was bound to happen. One of the biggest ice cream makers has released a vegan ice cream! Actually, since it is a vegan food item, it would more aptly be referred to as a dairy free frozen confection, but our palates should be fooled into thinking that it is just like its cow’s milk-derived cousin.

How is it possible to get that creamy mouth feel? Ben and Jerry’s used almond milk and coconut oil in place of eggs and milk to get a rich taste, and responded to Ben and Jerry’s ice cream fans (who petitioned for a vegan line) by featuring Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chunky Monkey, Coffee Caramel Fudge, and P.B. & Cookies as the flavors.

I think I might have to check these concoctions myself and do a taste test of my own!

Here’s the verdict, posted on Huffington Post, for all the vegan flavors.

RANK #1 Coffee Caramel Fudge

Creamiest: This baffling creation tasted and felt like it was full of milk and dairy and all the creamiest creations. The coffee extract and caramel swirls balanced really well with the almond milk.

RANK #2 P.B. & Cookies

Less Creamy: You can’t really fool around with peanut butter and cookies — but it was a good call to mix it all with almonds (all the ingredients in all four flavors are vegan-certified, by the way).

RANK #3 Chunky Monkey

Getting Drier: This Ben & Jerry’s classic was nearly indistinguishable from its dairy doppelganger, it just wasn’t quite as creamy. The rocky road was just as crunchy though, with all the classic nuts and chocolate.

RANK #4 Chocolate Fudge Brownie

Oh, No It’s Obviously Not Ice Cream: This was the only one that really stood out as being made with almond milk. It had a much drier mouthfeel, almost chalky. However, the brownies, also vegan, were still delicious.

If you’d like to check out the Huffington Post article which announced the new flavors, click on this link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ben-and-jerrys-vegan_us_56b1215ce4b08069c7a549c7?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000595

A Great Client Transformation

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Front January 7, 2014

Front January 7, 2014


Front December 30, 2015

Front December 30, 2015


Back January 7, 2014

Back January 7, 2014


12.30.15 Darrick back
I am always so proud of my clients when they stick with the program I give them! Transformations can take a while, but they are worth the wait! This client started with me in January of 2014. His first progress pics are seen here in the orange shorts. The pics taken in the blue are from December 30, 2015.

Over the span of two years, my client built quality muscle, and transformed his physique. What is even more amazing is that he was the same weight in both sets of pics. Bravo!

If you are interested in online training and nutrition services with me, please visit:

http://cutcurves.com/

for detailed information on packages and pricing.

Trainers Who Don’t Look The Part

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personal trainer fat

Have you ever seen a trainer who looks like he or she is in sore need of a trainer? It amazes me when I see trainers who are in horrible shape, but who are training others. I have even heard a couple of trainers berate their clients for practicing poor eating habits, then I will see them drinking Starbucks frappucinos or eating food from McDonald’s!

If you work in the fitness industry, you have a responsibility to LOOK THE PART. It’s not about looking like you are photo shoot ready all the time, but you should at least be in decent physical shape, practice healthy lifestyle habits when out in public, and be clean and well groomed for your clients and followers. Your appearance is your business card and your logo, so when you show up looking like you have been on a long break from working out, you lose your power to motivate others through leading by example. The thing is, leading by example is critical to igniting that spark in people to pursue fitness goals and replace bad habits with good ones. No one wants to follow the lead of someone who looks like a lazy pig!

There is one trainer I have seen at one of the gyms I train at who, over the years, has turned into, well…a sloth. She was never in very good shape, though I can tell that she was one of those people who went through a mega transformation and lost over 100 pounds at one point. On the one hand, she should be proud of what she has accomplished. However, just because she got a weekend certification doesn’t mean she knows diddly squat about training people. I have watched her train clients, and I swear I could use those observations as a sleeping aid, because she doesn’t know how to train people, and she is so damned slow and boring!

As the years have passed, she has spread in girth, and walks more slowly than ever, with a severely stooped posture and a belly so big that I honestly thought at one point last year that she was pregnant (no, she wasn’t). What boggles my mind is that she seems to be completely clueless about most of the equipment at the gym!

I would never say anything to the trainers who don’t look like they have any business instructing others on exercise, but it really bothers me that they have somehow convinced their unwitting clients to train with them.

Allergan Spends $90 Million to Buy Company Developing “Topical Botox”

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Botox topical

I am reposting an article from New Beauty here…the original post can be found at:

https://www.newbeauty.com/hottopic/blogpost/9124-allergan-spends-90-million-to-buy-company-developing-topical-botox/

Liz Ritter , Executive Managing Editor | January 07, 2016

Still hot off the heels of its historic merger at the end of last year with Pfizer, Allergan announced today that it will purchase Anterios, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is developing what they refer to as “a next-generation delivery system and botulinum toxin–based prescription products.”

It all sounds very futuristic, but what makes this particularly interesting is that Allergan (which is best-known as being the maker of Botox) will now be in business with a company that has a “proprietary platform delivery technology that enables local, targeted delivery of neurotoxins through the skin without the need for injections.” In other words, something that sounds a lot like a topical type of Botox.

According to the official Allergan release, executive vice president David Nicholson said the acquisition “demonstrates our ability to apply our tremendous scientific leadership in neurotoxins to further extend our already deep neurotoxin pipeline by advancing a new delivery system and formulations that are appealing to both patients and physicians.”

“Allergan is once again showing their commitment to aesthetics by purchasing Anterios and acquiring the global rights to ANT–1207,” Montclair, NJ, dermatologist Jeanine B. Downie, MD, says. “The absolutely awesome potential of these two products is thrilling for patients that are looking for non-invasive approach is to treat their aesthetic and dermatologic conditions. An enhanced delivery system would be of great interest to physicians, as well as to the general public. I do believe these acquisitions will bring more people that are considering cosmetic procedures into their doctors’ offices for treatment.”

Trends and Outrageous Prices

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lash extensions

I am not the kind of person who is easily lured by trendy items and services, nor am I fooled by the grossly inflated price tags which accompany them. It is astonishing how some businesses will take full advantage of newly encountered popularity by jacking up the prices so much that they end up turning away those of us who aren’t fooled by their greed. I recently checked into a certain beauty service which is incredibly popular, and is considered one of the hottest beauty trends. When I checked into the prices in my area, I was stunned. What I encountered was that the new-fangled service cost 5 to 6 times more than the comparable but more old-school service. Come on, really? There is no way in hell that I am willing to fork over a king’s ransom just so that I can try a new service. It’s not that I am cheap, but I am frugal, and I don’t think money should be thrown away like that.

When an item or service is hot and is accompanied by ridiculous prices, I always sit back and wait for the trend to die down. Once the hype has subsided, and the prices plummet, I begin to entertain the idea of making a purchase. If the item is destined for permanent price inflation, I completely and permanently abandon the idea of getting it. After all, it’s just stuff, and I can’t justify spending my hard-earned money on a THING which may quickly go out of style. You will never see me getting the hottest and latest Nike shoe design (the Nike Air Max 2016 is a great example, at $190!), just because everyone else is losing their minds about getting it. I mean, seriously, WHY do I need to spend almost $200 on an athletic shoe? That’s just stupid.

Nike Air Max 2016

However, I may consider purchasing a trendy service if it still interests me. A good example of a service which is hot right now, and one which I have been considering, is lash extensions. Though I have great hair and skin, I wasn’t blessed in the eyelash department, as my wimpy, sparse lashes can attest to. The problem is that if I go to the best lash extension artist in L.A., I had better be prepared to shell out a considerable amount of money for the service. The question I have been asking myself is, should I pay significantly more for the best, especially since I would continue the touch-ups on a regular basis? I haven’t rushed myself on making a decision, and have decided to take all the time I need to research lash extensions before taking the plunge. I am even considering going through a course so that I can offer the service to my own patients and clients. You can bet that I won’t gouge my patients and clients for the service either. Inflated prices do not necessarily equate with the best service or product!

That Doesn’t Look Like Me!

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headshot gallery
How do you react when you see images, or film or video footage of yourself, in which you don’t look like yourself? I have had this happen to me, and it rattles me every time. Most of the time it can be attributed to bad lighting or camera angles, while at other times, the makeup and hair are so off-kilter that you end up looking incredibly strange or unattractive as a result.

The most recent situation I found myself in was with headshots I had taken two weeks ago. I trusted the process and didn’t think of questioning the photographer’s abilities or asking to see the viewfinder. I wish I had. If I had seen what was being captured, I would have cut the shoot short and left graciously. Instead, I went through the entire shoot, gathered my things, and headed over to a CVS to look at the images and print out some proofs.

The instant I saw the first image, I was stunned. Who was that wide-nosed, unattractive woman staring back at me? It honestly didn’t even look like me. My face looked FAT, there were wrinkles on my face in weird places, and I just did NOT look good at all. The lighting was terrible, the backdrops looked cheap and bad, and even the poses which I was put in looked awkward. The images were so awful that I didn’t even keep the proofs or the disk. Why would I, when the images almost made my stomach turn? Yes, they really were that awful.

So what do you do if you see images which you don’t like? Well, if the images were shot for a paid assignment, or if you did TFCD, then you can’t really do anything. As a matter of fact, you should never second guess the makeup artist, wardrobe stylist, or photographer/videographer unless you see something glaringly wrong with the setup. I have shot commercials and photos which I absolutely HATE, but I can’t do a darned thing about them because I signed away any rights to the images.

However, for headshots, there is never an obligation to use any images you don’t like, especially if they are unflattering and do not portray you the way you really look. You are paying for a service in which the images are supposed to present you in the best way possible. Would you really want to use headshots you hate and which make you look like someone else?

Thankfully, I was able to shoot more headshots three days later with another photographer who got some incredible images. The image below is the main image which I will use from that particular shoot, but there were so many outstanding images from that shoot that it was difficult narrowing down our top choices. That’s a good problem to have!

Maroon Small (819x1024)

Uncompromised

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Breaking stereotypes!

Breaking stereotypes!

I am always being challenged to pick one career that defines me, and it drives me nuts. When people find out that I am a medical doctor, they struggle with the stereotype of what they expect doctors to be like, in other words, very conservative in dress and demeanor, and without any flavor or personality. Well, I’ve got news for you. I will NEVER be a typical doctor. And please don’t doubt my credentials or schooling. I am NOT a nurse (not that there is anything wrong with this highly respected profession), I am a fully licensed and board certified physician.

A huge project came my way recently, and I was selected for it, only to have the decision-maker flip out over my fitness and modeling images and reverse the decision. I was stunned and dejected, but after reflecting on the whole incident, I began to get angry. Part of the problem was that the decision-maker was a complete hypocrite, pretending to be squeaky clean, but who openly praised one of the dirtiest human beings to ever alight on the entertainment scene. To coin an analogy, at the root of this was a case of the bride being upstaged by another lady wearing white. Mind you, I never intentionally wore white, but hey, my doctor’s coat is white.

I am every bit as much about fitness as I am about medicine, and I shouldn’t have to choose one over the other. I am damned proud of what I have accomplished in fitness, especially because I took things to the next level in my forties, not when I was a young whipper-snapper. If people are confused by the sampler plate philosophy by which I live, too bad. Yes, I am a board certified physician AND a degreed fitness professional, IFBB Pro, certified nutrition coach, writer, sponsored athlete and contest prep coach. I know it’s unusual, but why is that so hard for people to grasp? I mean, here I am, doing all of that, sending a message to the world that no one should have to be one-dimensional and boring.
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I don’t hide from myself. I am honest. I have sass, and I speak my mind. I am proud of what I have achieved in my life, and I will NOT hide parts of myself which some overly judgmental people may have a problem with. I am NOT going to apologize for having a sense of humor, for using cuss words here and there (though I don’t use them while seeing patients). I am not going to paint a false picture of who I am. If you don’t like what I am doing, no worries. Move on.

If you find that you are compromising your own vision, dreams, or goals, perhaps you need to re-examine why you are allowing that to occur. If you subscribe to the no limits philosophy, then you would never even consider pulling the reins back. I will always encourage driven people to go for whatever they want, and if it doesn’t fit in with the conventions of one of their chosen careers or hobbies, even better. Break stereotypes and show people what you are made of! Don’t hide all the facets which make you who you are!

Those Foster Farms Chickens!

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I have always gotten a kick out of the Fosters Farms commercials, because the chickens on the commercials are hilarious! True to their previous track record, the folks at Fosters Farms have produced yet another funny commercial which is currently airing. What a brilliant advertising campaign! If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here:

To Compete, Or Not Compete…That Is The Question

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389009

The experience of being onstage at an NPC or IFBB bodybuilding contest is unique and exhilarating, and I miss it. What I don’t miss, though, is the maddening prep which precedes the event, and the constant self-scrutiny which always surfaces during prep. I remember when I couldn’t wait to step onstage again, and would always make sure that I had a contest lined up to prep for, but my priorities have shifted dramatically over the past year. One thing I grew tired of with prepping for contest after contest is that I had to be so disciplined all the time, and was unable to ever let loose and have fun for fear of messing up my prep. A few of my closest friends even remarked that I no longer knew how to have fun, and they were absolutely right. Though I understand that the sacrifice is essential for success onstage, I don’t want to live in a constant state of physical and spiritual deprivation. Life is short, and I certainly don’t want to look at my life and think, look at all that fun stuff I missed!

last Fall, I visited Hungary, Sydney, and Bali, and quickly realized during these trips that despite all my efforts to maintain clean eating and regular exercise, there was no way that I would be able to hold onto a goal of competing once I returned home. I had been struggling with significant metabolic issues, and though I ate relatively clean during my travels, I didn’t follow the seven daily meal regimen I had been accustomed to. Here’s another shocker: I had wine while in Hungary because that country is known for its wine, and I am a wine lover. I wasn’t about to deprive myself because of some orthorexic thought process which in previous years would have had me convinced that the fermented libation was evil. I also had little to no access to weight equipment, and though I made every effort to use exercise equipment whenever it was available to me, I didn’t follow the six-day workout regimen which I follow when at home. Was that a bad thing? I think not. I was able to see parts of the world which I had always wanted to see, and I had an amazing time. Thank goodness I didn’t obsess over what I was supposed to do and complain about the lack of resources in these countries.

arrival
Though I always want to win, I am not going to have a nervous breakdown over the fact that my placings as a Pro have been underwhelming. I don’t feel pressured to step onstage, and I honestly wouldn’t have a problem with retiring completely from competing if that is what I decide to do. Yet I still get that question, “When’s your next show?” One person (NOT a competitor) went so far as to say, “Hey girl, you need to step up your game!”, which I thought was extremely rude and presumptuous. I am tired of trying to balance a very busy schedule with two-a-day cardio sessions and double training. At the peak of my contest prep, I was training FIVE HOURS daily, six to seven days per week. Every part of my body hurt. I did plyometrics with a foot strain, and trained nonstop with hip bursitis, sciatica, a rotator cuff tear, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, and a wicked skin reaction to the latex corsets which I would wear. I have been through the paces and have paid my dues. I AM good enough, I just choose to focus my efforts on showing off my brain now. So please don’t tell me that I need to keep running in the race when I already won.

In case you are wondering if working towards a personal best and finally winning my Pro Card was worth all the sacrifice, I can say without hesitation that it absolutely was worth it. Would I do it again? Absolutely. But I will no longer sacrifice balance in my life for the sake of getting to the next level. I have come to terms with the fact that I won’t ever qualify for Olympia, and to be honest, I wouldn’t want that pressure anyway. Life is good, and I have settled into a really nice groove.

Some very well-meaning people in the industry have warned me that the competition in the Pro ranks is getting even stiffer, and I have seen proof of that with my own eyes. Let me be very clear: I am NOT going to get myself all worked up and feel self-conscious because other Pros have raised the stakes. I am quite content to avoid the stage if need be. To be honest, the vast majority of IFBB Pros don’t even compete, so I feel no remorse over my casual attitude towards competing in future events.

Life is about balance, and the way I choose to maintain balance now is by working on my careers, passions and talents fully, without being distracted by notions of returning to the stage. Yes, I love the bodybuilding stage. But I also love my life and the freedom which I reclaimed after shifting my priorities.