Surf and Sun in Thailand
Another amazing beach day in Thailand on the Andaman Sea where the sand is soft and the water is body temperature. Soaking up the sun and loading up on my vitamin D!
Eat Your Sunblock
I do love the sun! Just 20 mins a day is enough to give us our recommended daily levels for Vitamin D. But, when I'm in the sun, I do make sure to cover up my face with a huge hat and sun glasses (to avoid those dark spots us Asians get…they are our 'wrinkles')….vanity! LOL. Beware of chemicals in most sunblock lotions. Instead, we can EAT our sunblock. Here are some raw, vegan, gluten-free super foods that are high in antioxidants to help destroy free radical damage from the sun: Spinach, kale, broccoli, carrots (lutein) - Dr Salvador Gonsalez of Harvard University says “our data is the first of its kind to suggest that lutein may have the potential to act as a preventative agent against UVB-induced skin cancer. In addition, these data suggest that lutein protects the skin against damage caused by exposure to UVB light, further validating our position that lutein is a critical component to overall skin health.” A study in the International Journal of Cancer found that a serving a day of leafy greens reduces the recurrence of skin cancer tumors in patients by more than 50%! Green tea, black tea, cacao (polyphenols) Brazil nuts (selenium) Tomatoes (lycopene) Chia, flax, walnuts, algaes like chlorella and spiraling (omega 3s) So eat up, and get outside! Summers here, and there are many fun trails to hike…like this one in Joshua Tree National Park…my favorite place on Earth!
Urban Hiking at Magic Hour
Today is what I call "Fitness Friday" because it's when I like to post an activity we can all enjoy over the weekend that will help us keep active and get outside. Something as simple as an urban hike, aka walk (LOL), is a fun way to discover a new neighborhood with friends and/or your canine companion. As you may know, Kanga and I love to urban hike. We found an industrial area in West LA at the end of the afternoon that was bathed in golden sunlight. The lighting was magical. I guess that's why it's called 'Magic Hour' or 'Golden Hour', which is the one hour before the sun sets. (We took this photo without a filter!) I guess you can say our Happy Hour is Magic Hour! What will you do to get outside this weekend?
Loose Weight Dancing at a Pool Party!
When the weather's nice out, all I want to do is play outside. I love hiking, biking, walking, swimming, and most of all...dancing! Yesterday, my ladies and I spend our Sunday Funday a Beverly Hills rooftop pool party where my friend and DJ Eric Sharp was spinning the best beats ever here in Los Angeles, CA. Swimming and dancing are both great ways to soak up sunshine while burning calories. Dancing burns about 350 or more calories an hour and aides in weight loss because it takes about 3500 calories to loose a pound. I'm targeting to loose about 3 pounds in the next couple weeks. So, dancing is a fun way to workout and get in some accidental cardio. For the next 3 months, I'm avoiding wheat and gluten, refined sugar, starches, and alcohol. Enjoying nuts and seeds in moderation, lots of vegetables, and some fruits. Focusing on upping my protein with sea vegetables, buckwheat, spirulina, and legumes. I'll keep you posted on how this makes me feel and how it changes my body. Hoping to get leaner and stronger for my Powerlifting Competition in November. Let's all keep active this summer, while remembering to eat clean too. xo
Kanga’s 9-Year Birthday + Dogversary
Kanga, my dog, rescued me 9-years ago on Labor Day Weekend in Portland, OR. To celebrate, we went to Huntington Dog Beach on the final hot day of summer!