Golden Goddess..Ravish Sands Competition Bikini For Sale

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This suit is GORGEOUS! It’s a custom Ravish Sands competition bikini, perfect for the NPC or IFBB Bikini competitor who wants to be a golden goddess! The base of the suit is a hologram yellow, and the top and the front of the bottoms are heavily crystallized with Swarovski crystals. The gold and rhinestone chain connectors are so flattering to the hips too!

I paid $500 to have this suit made, and wore it on the IFBB Pro stage at two events in 2014. The suit is in fantastic condition, with no missing crystals or signs of wear, and there is only a minimal amount of staining on the inside of the suit from competition spray tan.

This suit will fit a 34 to 36 C or D cup, and the bottoms will fit a 33 to 35 inch hip. For reference, I am 5’5″, 119 lbs., with 34-24-34 dimensions.

Price is $250 and includes shipping.

Please message me at stacey@staceynaito.com if you are interested.

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I Don’t Need To Compete

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People still ask me, “When’s your next show?”, despite the fact that I haven’t competed in close to two years (my last event was in June of 2014). Somewhere along the way, I lost the desire to allow every square millimeter of my body to be scrutinized by judges onstage, and decided to shift my focus to other goals and projects. It can be pretty brutal to put oneself on the chopping block all the time, to be analyzed and judged on the basis of balance, symmetry, and conditioning, especially when the IFBB Pro Bikini pool is teeming with spectacular physiques which seem almost superhuman.

That being said, I wouldn’t trade my experiences for the world, and I feel so blessed to have competed for the six years that I did. As a matter of fact, I still feel that competing is very much in my blood. I am also so grateful for all the opportunities which came to me while I competed. I even have a few suits in my armoire (one of which I am still trying to sell), and the tangerine suit which I won my Pro Card in will never be sold.

Part of me doesn’t want to abandon the idea of possibly stepping onstage again. However, it has become increasingly more difficult for me to get the razor sharp, shredded look that is necessary for the stage, and I lack the time to hit the gym for three to five hours each day in preparation for a contest. The drive to compete has been replaced with a fierce desire to make a bigger name for myself in the world, and I truly believe that if I clutter my world with contest prep strategies, I will dilute my energies too much and will lose the forest for the trees.

I know the question still remains: “When’s your next show?”, and I really can’t provide a clear answer. Despite the fact that each passing day pushes the notion of competing further and further away, I might just decide to grace the stage again at some point.

You never know.

My Video Review Of The Hot Logic Mini

Please check out my review of the Hot Logic Mini on YouTube. It’s a portable mini oven which you can take everywhere with you! All you need is a power source, and you can heat up pre-made meals or even cook something from scratch.

Go to http://www.hot-logic-mini.com/staceynaito to order, and enter discount code STACEYNAITO at checkout for 20% off your order.

My Mother Versus A Flight Of Stairs

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I recently took my 83-year old mother to visit a dear friend whom she had not seen for 20 years. On our way to see our friend, I had a moment of panic, because I hadn’t factored in the flight of stairs which we had to ascend in order to enter our friend’s apartment. Even getting my mom out of my car was quite a process, since her severe arthritis and lack of strength in her lower extremities always makes getting out of a seat a major challenge.

Once we reached the stairs to our friend’s place, I asked my mom which side she felt stronger on (her right), and had her take hold of the stair rail on the right. She lifted her left foot and planted it on the first step, and we made our slow climb. At step number eight, my mom blurted out, “I can’t do it”, in a voice filled with desperation and fear. I told her, “Mom, just rest for a second. You’re almost halfway there!” But there was no beast mode, no dogged determination in my mom. She just stood there, clinging to the stair rail for dear life, and I could see that she had given up. Thankfully, a male neighbor offered to help, and essentially hoisted her up each step until they reached the top.

After we settled into our friend’s place, we had a nice lunch and wonderful conversation, and my mom forgot about the stair-climbing incident. When we were ready to leave, another very nice man helped my mother descend the stairs, a task which was much easier since gravity was on her side, and also since it didn’t require the lower body strength that going up the stairs did.

It was pretty agonizing for me to watch my mom go up those stairs. I know she has slowed down a lot, and I know that physical challenges like stairs are massive for her. For this reason, I unfortunately cannot bring her to my place for a visit, because there are stairs everywhere in my residence. I also find the idea of decreased strength and mobility completely terrifying.

If only we could all enjoy sprightly motion throughout our twilight years! This is even more motivation for me to keep training every day like I do.

Ben And Jerry’s New Vegan Ice Cream

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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

I’m Smaller Than I Think

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I have never been overweight a single day in my life, but since everything is relative, and since there is tremendous pressure on fitness models and competitors to be extremely lean, I definitely experience fat days. You know those days when you just feel fluffy, bloated, tubby, like a stuffed sausage? Yep, I have those days too. However, I guess I am retaining less water, mostly due to following a pretty clean food regimen, and as a result have been awarded with a tighter appearance. My measurements are still the same, yet a bunch of people have asked me if I lost weight, and will tell me I look tiny.

I got confirmation of my tiny dimensions lately when I tried on two different articles of clothing in my closet. One item was a pair of jean leggings from Hue which I had purchased in a size Small, based on online reviews which suggested that someone with my dimensions (5’5″ tall, 120 pounds, 24 inch waist, 34 inch hips) would fit better into a Small than an X-Small. Much to my surprise, I put on the leggings, and they were so baggy on me that they looked ridiculous on me. Then I tried on an old pair of MEK Denim jeans in a 24 which I had avoided because I assumed that I wouldn’t be able to wear them. Instead, they fit like a glove. I had almost gotten rid of those expensive jeans because I thought they didn’t fit me anymore!

I realize that my immersion in the world of fitness has made me more neurotic about having more of an off-season body, but the truth is that my off-season appearance is actually quite acceptable. I admit that the increasing laxity of my skin has caused me a certain degree of distress. However, even though the half-century mark looms several months away, I am making every effort to give myself credit for looking pretty damned good for my age.

I no longer live in waist trimmers in order to squeeze out subcutaneous water and shrink me down. I am well aware of the fact that an excessive degree of body dysmorphia exists within the fitness community, which is the inevitable result of constant pressure to look almost superhuman, with defined muscles, ripped abs, and unnaturally low body fat. Though I adore that look, I am also tired of having every square millimeter of my body scrutinized.

By no means am I saying that I am giving up on being as fit as I can possibly be, but I will no longer allow myself to feel as if I am out of shape or huge when I can fit into a size 24 jean!

Spending The Weekend With Great People From Active Interest Media!

I am so blessed and honored to be able to represent AIM at various fitness expos! This weekend I am representing them at the Los Angeles Fit Expo.

Here are some fun photos from expos I have worked in the past with them.

With Ian Lauer last year at the L.A. Fit Expo

With Ian Lauer last year at the L.A. Fit Expo

With Vladimir Dan and Theresa Jenn Lopetrone  from a previous expo...good times!

With Vladimir Dan and Theresa Jenn Lopetrone from a previous expo…good times!

This amazing lady Ashley Kaltwasser added a third gold medal for a three-peat Olympia Bikini win since this photo was taken in 2014!

This amazing lady Ashley Kaltwasser added a third gold medal for a three-peat Olympia Bikini win since this photo was taken in 2014!

Goofing off at the Arnold a couple of years ago...

Goofing off at the Arnold a couple of years ago…

Come By And Say Hello This Weekend At The L.A. Fit Expo!

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If you live in Los Angeles, or will be in town this weekend, you should check out The Fit Expo Los Angeles! I will be working at the Muscle and Performance/Oxygen/Black Belt/The Box booth (Booth number 722) on both days. Please come by to say hi, get free magazines, and get signed magazines and photos from me and the other incredible athletes who will be at the booth as well!