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Health and Wellness

Fast Me Long Time

Fast Me Long Time

I would’ve never imagined that dreaded obligatory rituals and traditions from childhood would become self chosen regular practices in my adulthood. High holiday prayers set me up for meditating and the annual Yom Kippur, or “Day of Atonement,” would be my first introduction into fasting. In Judaism, during the most holy day of the year we ask God for forgiveness and as a way of repenting for our sins, we abstain from food for an entire day. Needless to say, I really did not look forward to the day of “no eating” growing up. I now welcome regular fasting into my life, albeit the reason has nothing to do with soul cleansing or repentance. The day I struggled with for almost four decades of my life has now become something I do regularly with eagerness for the breaks it gives my body and mind from eating or even thinking about food. My fasting practices have evolved over the last couple of years depending on current routines or personal goals and can range from intermittent fasting to water fasts, all for different periods of time. Let me dive into some of their awesome benefits, the drastic ways it has changed my health, and the different types of fasting out there.

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Baby Got Back Pain

Baby Got Back Pain

My struggle with intense back pain led me through a variety of different therapies, some that worked better than others, but all worth sharing with the hope that one may help you too.

Back pain is one of those ailments that unless you experience it yourself, you don’t fully understand how debilitating it is and how much it permeates throughout your daily routine. It quite literally affects your entire life not to mention your mood (constantly being in pain can lead to constantly being pissed off). You’ve heard of ‘hangry’ - the mood you get when you haven’t eaten in a long time? Someone needs to come up with a term for those of us with back pain. It makes ‘hangry’ look like a trip to Disney World. Some people have back pain and it goes away over time. Some people have it and it never goes away; it’s a constant part of their life that they just have to cope with and manage. I don’t yet know which category I'll fall into but it's been ever present for several years now.

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Working On My Fitness

Working On My Fitness

From Animal Flow to the GNC InBody Machine - There’s no boundary I won’t cross

Last week I shared with you the diet that helped optimize my body, energy levels and blood work. Much in the same way people ask me what I eat, I get a lot of questions about my fitness routine. And while I post a lot of stories on Instagram about my peculiar “animal flow” workouts, that’s actually only half my formula.

I’ve always generally been what would be considered “in shape.” I was on the track team in high school. I played sports. I exercised (somewhat) regularly. As fitness culture evolved, so had my repertoire with the likes of Barry's Bootcamp, boxing, pilates, yoga (in all its various forms and temperatures) and other types of classes at least once a week. Cardio was a constant thrown into that mix.

Usually when doing cardio I’d go super intense because I was under the impression that I’d get the best results by dedicating an hour to accelerated running or sprinting intervals. I thought that would get me the physique I wanted and burn calories to lose fat quickly. I was wrong. It definitely got me a great sweat but it didn’t transform my body.

Finally after years of trial and error, I completely transformed my body with one pivotally crucial workout: weight training. Compared to cardio alone or cardio with a mix of “body weight only” activities, weight lifting is far more effective. And while pushups, situps, and lunges are great, if you aren’t using actual weights with those movements, your muscles and overall physique simply aren’t pushed into true transformation. Granted a few years ago I was doing lunges with a ‘spare tire’ around my waist but that’s not the kind of extra mass I’m talking about here!

The Counter-Intuitive Diet that Changed My Life & Body

The Counter-Intuitive Diet that Changed My Life & Body

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve likely seen some of my out-of-the-box fitness practices (Animal Flow) and over-the-top nutrition habits (green juicing & tons of carbs?!). I practice a way of life that incorporates and prioritizes healthy living into every aspect of my daily routine. But I wasn’t always like this. I didn’t always feel or look healthy; nor did I pay attention to what went into my body (tons of processed junk) and the havoc it was doing to my body.

Everyone I know commits to 30-minute workouts at least a few times a week. We live in a newly health-obsessed culture, and perhaps besides LA, nowhere is that more obvious than here in Miami. But I don’t know many people who take a daily 30 minutes to plan or prep their meals. In fact, NOT planning your meals after a solid workout is like getting a car wash on a day you know it’s going to rain. You simply aren’t reaping the full benefits of your actions. I’ve learned over and over again, that no matter how rigorous my exercise, without the right diet I wont see good health or fitness results. On any given day, presented with the choice to workout vs stick to my healthy food, hands down I skip the workout and choose to feed my body right. Obviously if you can do both the results and gains are optimal!

Feb 2nd 2020 Roundup: What I am Reading, Watching and Listening To

Feb 2nd 2020 Roundup: What I am Reading, Watching and Listening To

What I am reading:

Nicholas Pelham, the Middle East Correspondent for the Economist gives a rare glimpse into the conditions in modern day Iran. His account is particularly fascinating to me because my parents immigrated from Iran in 1977 and I have never been able to go back to visit given safety concerns. Warning this is a long read.
1843 Magazine - Trapped in Iran

Howard Marks is one of the most successful investors around and in my opinion his brilliance exceeds even Warren Buffet's. I look forward to reading his famous Memos that typically come out every quarter. His latest one speaks about the parallels between real life situations and investing with game theory. After reading it I have been actively looking for a poker coach for myself and my daughter.
Oak Tree Capital - You Bet!

I love watching nature and animal shows and am particularly fascinated with exotic animals like Giraffes (although I dont have any pets). If you are too, then have this quick read about some fascinating facts about Giraffes I bet you never knew.
Quartz - A tall drink of water