I am reposting this entire series in consecutive posts for those of you who were interested in following the entire tutorial. There are nine total videos in this series. Enjoy!
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National Bikini Champion Stacey Naito Talks About How You Can Get a Booty
National Bikini Champion Stacey Naito Talks about How She Got That Booty
Tips For Glowing Summer Skin
The weather in the United States is starting to warm up, and people will flock to the beaches and lakes for sun and water activities. Since such activities call for bikinis and trunks, a good portion of skin that was previously hidden under layers of clothing will be revealed. Here are some tips to get your skin looking its best.
1. USE A LOOFAH: Loofahs are great for gently exfoliating dull, dead skin and revealing healthy, smooth skin. I recommend using a loofah at least every other day to prime your skin for oil and lotion.
2. USE A SCRUB: I love sugar scrubs and make sure to use them once a week or the day before a photo shoot. Salf scrubs are usually too abrasive for most people and will STING like crazy if you have any nicks or cuts, so I generally avoid them. Sugar scrubs come in so many delectable fragrances now (a favorite is Tree Hut Body Scrub) that you will be tempted to eat them when you are in the shower!
3. PAT SKIN UNTIL DAMP: When you exit the shower, you should use the towel to gently pat yourself so that your skin is a bit damp. A bit of moisture left on the skin is actually good since the next steps will lock in that moisture nicely.
4. APPLY BODY OIL TO DAMP SKIN: A bit of body oil gently applied to the skin does an excellent job of imparting a glow to your skin which is also very sexy. I love Neutrogena Body Oil, but you can use grapeseed oil or any other light oil. Another nice trick is to do this before you step out of the shower. My ritual consists of patting my skin with the towel while I am in the shower, then applying the oil.
5. APPLY LOTION: Apply a healthy dollop of lotion to your skin after the oil has set in for a minute. Brands I turn to are Gold Bond Ultimate, Liquid Saun Rayz, and Lubriderm.
If you plan on being outdoors, make sure to apply sumblock and apply it frequently.
Overcaffeinated
I enjoy drinking coffee and I also take thermogenic fat burners from time to time which have caffeine in them. However, I am well aware of the fact that caffeine is a drug with considerable potential to cause dependence. In light of this, I will play devil’s advocate and present an argument against regular caffeine consumption.
Caffeine is a powerful stimulant which signals your pituitary gland to trigger the adrenal glands to make stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine. These hormones cause vasoconstriction, increased pulse and increased respiratory rate which impart a feeling of alertness. The concern with such a cascade is that chronic daily intake of caffeine in amounts as low as 300 milligrams per day may cause your adrenal glands to burn out. If adrenal function starts to plummet, you may turn to more caffeine to get the same energy boosting results. Caffeine also reduces serotonin levels, increasing the tendency towards insomnia and the jitters. The typical image of the person who has had too much coffee and is hypervigilant is a prime example of this.
Energy drinks pack at least twice the amount of caffeine that a cup of coffee does, and with the surge in popularity of such drinks, it is no surprise that adrenal exhaustion is becoming more prevalent. Another concern with high intake caffeine is the depletion of vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins. There is less concern with individuals who supplement properly and practice balanced nutrition, but such depletion can be disastrous for an overly stressed individual who skips meals and fails to replenish depleted nutrient stores.
Yani Photography – Great Image of Ian Lauer IFBB Pro and Me
A Favorite Poem By Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Cast up
The heart flops over
Gasping “love”
A foolish fish which tries to draw
Its breath from flesh of air
And no one there to hear its death
Among the sad bushes
Where the world rushes by
In a blather of asphalt and delay.
YouTube Video On How I Feel About Training And Competing
Ladies, Lift Those Heavier Weights!
It still boggles my mind how many women are afraid to lift weights for fear that they will become huge and look like big, hulking men. How wrong they are! I often speak with female patients of all ages who lament the fact that they cannot get the sculpted, lean bodies they covet despite working out regularly. The problem stems from a couple of things:
1. They do not feed their bodies properly.
2. They do not lift weights, or if they do, they do not practice a lifting regimen that would bring about the physical changes they want.
I see ladies at the gym who will jump on a cardio machine for 20 to 30 minutes of easy cardio, then, if they had an indulgent night of eating or partying, they may extend their cardio sessions for a longer period of time at the same intensity. Before or after this, they may hit a few sets of uninspired exercises with light weights. These women barely break a sweat, yet they expect their bodies to transform. I’ve got news for you: that type of workout will ensure that you remain at the same level of fitness, and over time, you will see what little conditioning you may have plummet despite all your consistency.
It is a gross misconception that by lifting light weights and taking it easy at the gym, they will avoid getting bulky and will tone their muscles. Women are built differently than men, and simply do not have the testosterone levels necessary to build significant, bulky muscle mass. You need to challenge your body and create the muscle microtears necessary to build shapely, lean muscle. That means you need to lift heavier weights and break a sweat!
There are a multitude of benefits to lifting heavier weights, which I detail below.
CURVY, LEAN MUSCLE:
When you lift heavier weights, you will be rewarded with better muscle definition. Lifting very light weights will never challenge the muscles, so the muscles will never grow. I know I have scared some ladies, but think about a woman who has great muscle tone, but is still lean and feminine. A woman like that lifts weights that are heavy enough to spark muscle growth. If you follow suit, you will end up lean and more defined without being bulky.
GREATER OVERALL STRENGTH:
By lifting heavier weights, you will become stronger, and everyday activities will become easier to perform. You will also gain more structural stability from the greater muscle density which can protect your back and your joints.
IMPROVED BALANCE, COORDINATION AND POSTURE:
By improving muscle tone through weight training, you will enjoy better balance, greater overall coordination, and better posture.
IMPROVED BONE DENSITY:
Resistance training improves bone density by stressing the bones, thus triggering bone growth. This confers a protective effect against development of osteoporosis, especially in petite women.
HIGHER METABOLISM:
When you work out with heavier weights, you create tears in the muscles worked. When you do this, you expend a greater number of calories in order to repair those microtears.
LOWER BODY FAT:
Your body fat stores, particularly in the midsection, will be better utilized when you perform weight training with heavier weights.
PREVENTION OF MAJOR DISEASES:
Challenging weight training with heavier weights will reduce your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. It will also lower LDL cholesterol while raising HDL cholesterol. In addition, your risk of diabetes and breast cancer will drop significantly.
BETTER IMMUNE SYSTEM FUNCTION:
Moderate exercise reduces stress, and by doing so, enables your body to produce more white blood cells to combat infection. In addition, the shift in attention from the troubles of the day while you are weight training will reduce the stress which can suppress your immune system.
GREATER WELL-BEING:
Vigorous resistance training boosts endorphin (natural opiates produced in the brain) levels, which create a sense of well-being. It will also stave off depression and produce a more restful sleep.
REDUCED PMS SYMPTOMS:
As stated previously, weight training is a terrific mood elevator and regulator. It also has a positive impact on hormone levels, increasing blood levels of estrogen, growth hormone, and testosterone. This counteracts the drop in estrogen and rise in progesterone which occurs right around the time before menstruation.
Black Bikini Image Taken By Ian Sitren Of Second Focus Photography
Taken March 7th, 2013
