Run for it.

Nike Men's Shox R4 Running Shoes Sneakers Gold Fire Black, available online from GeeeShop.com

Part of my work, specializing as a health coach, is to give my clients a hands-on introduction on how to make those changes that we talk about during sessions.

Sometimes this means that we do a cooking session in their home or in my LA based kitchen-office, and at other times I simply show up on their doorstep to ensure that they get going - using the outsides as our gym; stair climbing, rollerblading, circuit training in the park or simply training mindfulness and stretching techniques to overcome the urge to grab those after-work drinks. 

For work-out sessions with my clients, I need to be able to wear work-out gear that is a tad bit more respectable than my lovable albeit torn-to-shreds baggy sweats. And there is nothing more motivating than having a pair of awesome sneakers to make you want to run for it! And right now, I'm loving these gold torch sneakers from Nike - available in black and white.

Desire it. Feel the fire. Now run for it!

The white ones have a slightly more feminine touch to them, so this is my personal pick.

YOGA babes keep their cool by boosting GABA!

You can still get your eye-candy fix by winding down 

with yoga after work instead of those Martinis.

A study conducted by researcher Chris Streeter, MD, from Boston University School of Medicine (Massachusetts) published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal, found a direct correlation with yoga and the communicator in your brain that acts like Xanax on your central nervous system!
In Streeter’s 12-week study, a group of 34 randomly selected physically and psychologically healthy young men and women were divided into two groups, one that walked for an hour three times a week and one that practiced Iyengar yoga for the same amount of time.
At four-week intervals, Streeter used a technique known as magnetic resonance spectroscopy to monitor subjects’ levels of a brain chemical called gamma-amino butyric acid, or GABA, elevated levels of which are associated with improved mood and decreased anxiety. She found that the yoga group reported a greater boost in mood than the walking group, with GABA levels matching those improvements. The study is the first to demonstrate the GABA-mood-yoga connection by looking at actual changes in the brain.

Loving Victoria's Secret cute-as-a-button yoga pants.
Candy cane multi stripes, $40

So here's one more reason to stretch out after work rather than having those after-work drinks, which people low on GABA are especially drawn towards to help them wind down. Just remember that alcohol BLOCKS GABA receptors along with disabling you from reaching those deep layers of REM sleep where you rebuild your brain; and thus you set yourself up for a cycle of chronic stress where sedatives become your addiction of choice.

Reference:
Streeter et al. Yoga Assana Sessions Increase Brain Gaba Levels. THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE Volume 13, Number 4, 2007, pp. 419–426

A day in Marrakech.

Never have I been a place with so many contrasts in one space.
Marrakech is like a melting pot.
A fingerlicking delicious blend of colors, flavors, smells, people, smiles, hustlers, players, magicians and elegant French expats sipping their cafe noir and inhaling their velvety smooth mousse...
Marrakech is exactly like Aladdin. It makes you want to wrap yourself in pink silk, live on fresh-squeezed orange juice and mint tea so sweet it melts your heart.

Morocco is where magic was born...

From the eardeafening silence of the Sahara to the souk maze of Marrakech to the sleepy fisherman villages of Essaouira and the St. Tropez like resort of Ouilidia by the coast.

Yes, it is a muslim country and it's one of the safest places I've probably ever traveled through as a sole caucasian blonde. Dress appropriately and you're totally fine
- they do not judge you for not covering your hair, just keep it in a knot or some updo of sorts.
Marrakech is filled with French expats living the sweet life outside the old medina if that makes you feel more comfortable to travel to this part of the world.  But really, you want to stay in the old medina where the charm is and the people are awesome.

Indian silk lounge pants from a guy I work with in Marrakech on designs.

Available via my Health Shop site Www.ChristinaSantini.com

Stay at one of the so-called riads - they are butique hotels
- small mansions made into guest accomodations.
It feels like you are transported straight into Aladdin. Simply amazing.
And the woman in charge of each riad cooks made-to-order meals for you daily.
Place you dinner order with her in the morning,
and she goes to get fresh produce at the local market
and slow-simmers your food for the evening.
Talk about awesomeness.

Lava beaches, Olive oil and Spicy mojo of Santiago, La Gomera

Excerpt from Gypsy tales™

Color: Pink
_________

Location: Playa Santiago, La Gomera
___________

Food: Joanina restaurant, Spanish - Gomerian, Rating 7/10

Watercress soup

Boiled tuna in evo and vinegar with onion, tomato and black olives.

Canarian potatoes with mojo verde and rojo

Still water
Americano

Super fresh no-frills food and everything down to the mojos made from scratch.
Both mojo verde and rojo wrapped around your tongue like silk and had that slightly salty-sweet earthy roasted flavor to it.
Canarian potatoes - perfect crunchy, saltbaked exterior and soft center.
The evo vinaigrette was surprisingly deliscious on the otherwise slightly dry boiled tuna; also deliscious were the added raw onion and tomato that gave it a nice crunch and added some zing to the sweet evo heavy vinaigrette.
Perfect Americano with espresso crema finished the meal.
View could not have been better - ocean, mountain and harbour view all in one.
Only slight downside: the watercress soup although delicate and smooth a bit too blah; some crispy bacon would have perfected it. That or braised ox-tailes. If strict vegetarian I would have added some roasted garlic and black pepper alternatively.

_______________

Style: 

Men's white translucent shirt, Express ($25)

Granny pants used as hot pants, lingerie department Forever 21 ($6)

Gold flip flops, Old Navy ($5)

Pink ipod nano, Amazon.com
_______________________
On the ipod: Moves like Jagger, Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera

Italian Vogue: Fat is beautiful

Yeah right.

That was my first reaction to Italian Vogue with the new June cover consisting of lingerie lounging curvy plus-sized women.
No doubt they look gorgeous and confident on this cover, however, usually this size would be described as obese in the fashion industry.

Well, then, if this is obese then I don't know why we are fighting the obesity epidemic - because quite frankly these chicks look pretty damn hot.

I always get this suspicious feeling when I read yet another headline stating that "they are now all for curves" in one of those skeleton high-fashion magazines; considering that the average runway model has a BMI of 16, and the size of their thighs resemble my right arm.

I mean, HELLO! Seriously, if you think Gisele is curvy, then I don't want to see skinny.

Really, what is this...
Is this fashion or sickness being exploited?

Voluptuous can be far more alluring than the stick straight waifs we’re so accustomed to seeing in magazines and on runways.

Many of the women who have a few extra kilos are especially beautiful and also more feminine.

Flipping through this issue is the cure for anyone who thinks curves are a curse.

While curves are hot, you still want to make sure that the type of fat in your body does not promote cellulite nor release of inflammatory producing cytokines.

The Nutrition Doctor can design your body according to your desires and lifestyle. Make an appointment today to get started with The Body Designer™

James Bond's got it. Do you?

What is STYLE worth without SUBSTANCE?

Nothing.

Style without substance is, in my humble opinion, the very definition of ugly.
What's the point of a shell that tricks you into thinking there is more than there really is.
It is a trick. A mind game if you will.
It's like a push-up bra - giving you the illusion of something grande, yet when the curtain falls, so to speak, you are left with nothing.
It is those who have been raised and praised for their looks their entire life that end up never developing other skills; so whenever they open their mouth to speak, it makes you cringe and wish that they'd just follow the adage "shut up and look pretty", knowing that in ten years, age will have caught up with them, and another pretty, younger face ready to take over. Their shell is threatened by time.

James Bond being the very definition of an icon who masters style & substance, and thus he is timeless.

Those who do not master the art of style & substance end up as shells. Shells so empty and hollow; so easily crushed.
Shells that are void of substance will always end up being crushed under pressure.

Style and substance. It is a balancing act.
Can you handle it?

The Model's Secret to look hot in a bikini...

Obviously some killer ABS don't hurt. And you can get yours by starting on The Body Designer™ program with The Nutrition Doctor.

But really, the secret to looking great in a bikini is to know what flatters you - right NOW!
A great body can look absolutely terrible in the wrong cut bikini.
And if you are among the 90% of women trying to shed some pounds for the coming season, you will most likely fall victim to boy-shorts and other disaster cover-ups that only makes your derriere look like it needs a zip-code of its own. Really, not the type of real-estate you want to look like you're investing in these days: The market is not buying.

Instead, do the opposite: Don't cover up your curves, accentuate what you got.
If you got it, flaunt it. Simple, really. Covering things up only make them seem bigger... as in all areas of life.

So being driven by vanity, yet in need of functionality for surfing and after years of trying this and that, here are the top 3 things to look for in a bikini that will accentuate your curves in a positive way, whether you got a skinny flat ass or some serious junk in the trunk.

Miraculous bikini by Victoria's Secret

1. Choose a low-rise bottom; it makes your derriere look smaller, but rounder and curvier at the same time. The Brazilians know it. And it looks hot. End of story.

2. Choose bikini straps that tie around your neck for max cleavage and support when running around and engaging in water sports.

3. Choose light & bright colors that clash with your sun-tan. Black bikinis are boring; polka-dots and prints are feminine and take focus away from less-than-perfect body-hang-ups such as cellulite, scars etc.

This summer I love the polka-dotted miraculous bikini from Victoria's Secret. It's comfortable and gives great support when running around the beach surfing and playing volley-ball. And there is a sentimental streak of naivety to it as those polka-dots remind me of the fifties. Totally adorable. Gotta love it.

How Victoria's Secret Marisa Miller remains sane: Surfing

Do you remember...?


What passion feels like.
The tingling sensation of rain hitting your skin.
The rays of the sun caressing your soul.

Do you remember what it feels like when everything flows.
Nothing really matters.
Do you remember what happiness feels like.
Do you remember what motivates you in life.
Do you remember what LIFE feels like?

Or did you lose yourself and your values along the way...

Everyone needs a crotch in life. Everyone needs something to fall back on when times are tough. Everyone needs that wake-up call that reminds them what truly matters in life.
Because we are only human and lest we forget our humble needs and human shortcomings we stand to fall.

The key is to choose a crotch that is not self-destructive. One that reconnects us with our inner values and call in life.

Being one with nature, experiencing how small I am compared to how grande everything that God created keeps me sane. Surfing keeps me sane.
Does your crotch in life keep you sane or add to insanity?

That's a beautiful can...

(Remember to turn off the music player at the bottom of the right sidebar, before watching this clip)


Does this make you want to drink Pepsi?
That car. 
That stare. 
That hair.
...Heck yeah!

This is such a classic - and I adore Cindy, as she has that timeless class and confidence about her.
The power of her is so strong that whatever she does, you want to do it too. And don't give me that "Not me! I'm above emotional manipulation!" Darling, you are tricking yourself. No one is above being driven by their emotions; it's all about whether we are conscious of the game or not.
That can is going to be in your hand next time you grab something from the minibar. Although, it's not going to satisfy your thirst for passion...

Use the power of emotions to add passion to whatever you value in life. Passion is what draws people in. Passion is what makes people copy you and your actions. And that is ultimately the goal in life: To do something worth having others copy.

Never forget the power of action vs. empty words. People do what they see you doing, not what you say. Whether it comes from a can or you're on a quest to save the planet.

Choose your passion and others will follow. Passion leads to fatal attraction.