Greece... finding inspiration everywhere

What I noticed most on my vacation in Greece was how wonderful everyone was there.
Kindness & warmth greeted us around every corner.
The family that owned the hotel we stayed at ran a warm & fuzzy business.
Just what I love. Service was excellent from the owner to our cleaning woman.

It was synergy.

Besides having an excellent product, a clean hotel & mouth watering fresh food at their restaurant, authentic smiles were always there!
I did spend some time speaking to the owners, a widowed woman named Irini, her daughter Ionna & son Elias.
There's is a lovely story well worth being shared.

I woke up every morning at around 5AM, desperately hoping to see the dolphins (I was told they sometimes swam by).
I would go for a walk & then sit on a perfectly situated couch outside, sipping my coffee.
Admiring the infinite beauty of the Agean Sea in the distance was a perfect way to start my day. Perfect just perfect!

One morning I went down to have a coffee, I was usually the first one there, eager for my morning "cafedaki"!
Irini was there bright and early having her coffee, home made jam & bread. She invited me over to sit.
I asked her how it all began for her & her family at Golden Beach.
She put her bread down & slowly lit a cigarette as I anxiously waited.
I love listening to the story of people's lives & I felt this wonderful woman had a good one to share.

She took one long drag and began.
About twenty five years ago, her husband came home one night and said someone told him about a hotel that was up for sale in Paros.
He was in construction & understood the value of land, she explained, & that was what most excited him about the deal.
I could see her love for this man in her eyes. He had passed away five years ago. As she took another long drag of her smoke, tears welled up in both our eyes.
That night he asked her what she thought about the idea of leaving Athens where they had lived most of their lives.
She told me she cried. She didn't want to leave.

The next day he came home & told her he bought the hotel!
He knew there was a great future there for him & his family.
So she began running the hotel with him & her children.
Irini loves what she does & it shows! She is a warm, friendly, strong woman running the show.
What could I not love about that?

The Golden Beach Hotel will be a place I will return to many times in my life.
I will visit these lovely people again & enjoy their food, that they grow on their own farms (sans pesticides)!
I will walk on this special sand that has golden sparkles... and next time I may even see a dolphin!

Yassis!
Vered.

Week 14

Week 14!

Today's blog is dedicated to answering two questions that I am asked daily, on the subject of weight loss.

1. Are you on a diet?

2a. Do I have to exercise? 2b. Do I have to do "cardio" everyday?

So here it is, for anyone who has been wondering how I lost over thirty pounds in 13 weeks.

I will start with the second question.

No, you don't have to exercise to loose weight, & that is the truth!

But yes, yes, yes, If you don't want to look & feel old before your time.
If you don't want to develop aches, pains, arthritis & many other diseases developed due to a lack of movement.

Yes, you must exercise!

If you want to feel great in your body & in line with this mass you are carrying around everyday you need to exercise.

Most of all, for those of you interested in weight loss & creating a great shapely body, the only thing that will accelerate weight loss & shape your body is exercise.
You got to move it, move it! Like the song says... (any Madagascar fans out there?)

Now, for part two of that question.
No, you don't have to do cardio everyday!
Actually, I would say, "don't do cardio everyday!"

Weight & strength training is key!

Get a program designed for your particular needs by a qualified coach at Latitude.
If you want better results, and quicker, (which most people ask for), train with a strength coach a couple of times a week.
A coach will always inspire and direct you to workout more effectively!

Now back to question #1.

No, it isn't a diet I am following.

It's a fabulous food management program that we have created here at Latitude.
It is a way of life plan. No tricks, gimmicks, or supplements. Real Food!
Whole foods. But yes, there are restrictions.
Portion control is key to this weight loss program.
Even great whole foods need portion control.

No matter what, if we want to create changes in anything in our lives we must change what we are doing!

To quote Albert Einstein, a pretty smart fella,

"Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity."

A bit extreme maybe, but expecting different results from the same actions doesn't make any sense & believe me, I've been there!

People ask me, "Why am I not losing weight?"
I ask them, "Well, what have you changed?"
They say,"Well..."

So as I step away to a long awaited vacation, I will focus, appreciate & embrace how wonderful, uplifting & yes sometimes frigg'n difficult change is!
Because there is nothing I want to miss out on in my life!
Bring on the change!!!

I am committed to living a loving, healthy, energetic & abundant life....

See you in Greece,
Vered.

Week 13

Week 13!

So, here it is, Tuesday evening and I just finished teaching Zumba and a Stretch class.

I love Tuesday evening's routine!

I had a great week following my extreme push last week.
I lost 1 pound and have hit the 30 pound mark!!
Wooohoooo!!!

I feel really proud of my successes. But what continues to clearly be the biggest pleasure on my 16 week transformation are the wonderful people that are on this journey with me! I am a love & connection person all the way.

Each person is on their own journey & witnessing their transformation week to week is nothing less than an honour.

I am nine days away from my 2 week vacation.
I am soooooooo excited!

As I prepare my clothes, it is very exciting to be fitting into clothes 3 to 4 sizes smaller than 12 weeks ago!
I am preparing the protein that I will take with me. I am still on my transformation while away.

Actually, I find it really easy to drop a few pounds on vacation.
There is no stress, plenty of time for walks & exercise & something about being in a bikini all day long curbs my appetite!

So, as I head into a final week before stepping onto a beach, I'm thinking, should I give it a last BIG push??


Live in Health,
Vered.