How was your VD? LOL!  But honestly I hope it was a happy holiday weekend, specially since I am sure many got off school or work for Presidents Day on Monday.  I had a fun weekend myself and I even had to work on Valentines day.  I had a lingerie photo shoot Sunday and created some great images working with a new photographer.  Some more awesome photos will be soon added to my lingerie gallery for your enjoyment, something to look forward to

I just finished adding a new gallery for my hair modeling work I have done.  Now to be clear, I am not a hair model in the common sense that I allow cut and coloring of my hair.  I am only a hair model for styling and design.  At the hair show, I had my hair professionally styled by Ted Gibson and promoted his hair products.  The other photos are done by another photographer that does hair styles - I guess you could call it a sculptural art.  He has done hair-does in the past for weddings and wanted to display his work on his website for ideas.  I let him practice and display his hair designs using my hair and we have plans to do more.  I love having my hair done, it is relaxing and luxurious.  I very much enjoy being pampered in that way, even though it may be work, it is enjoyable and how many people can say they love what they do for work

I also had some fun outside work over the weekend and went hiking with my dog.  I am not sure if you remember, but I got a puppy a while ago that was ‘driving me crazy’ lol.  Well, she is now almost two years old and she still has soo much energy its exhausting.  But she is fun and entertaining none-the-less.  So I took her on her first hike and it was quite entertaining, her nose never left the ground.  She has never been exposed to so many new scents.  It was a beautiful day as you can tell in the photo and wasn’t even cold at all.  I had my hoodie to keep warm, but never needed to put it on.  I kept her on the leash the whole time because I was worried she would run off too far or get stuck somewhere she could not climb back to me from.  I’m sure if she had found another animal she would have gotten too excited and ignored my commands.  She does listen well and is very well mannered, but this was a whole new situation and she is still pretty young.  I am looking forward to more hikes in the future with the coming spring weather.  One last note, I have to comment how cool it looks that the sun rays are shining down on us, and that was not only not taken by a photographer, but it was taken by my camera on my phone!  That is what you call a lucky shot and it looks amazing.  Again, I hope you had a great weekend and let me know what you think about my new gallery of my hair modeling

I knew health was becoming a big topic around the world today, but I am pleasantly surprised to find there are readers asking me for more information on the topic.  I would love to share more about what I have learned.  I did mention that I found out I was slightly anemic and that was what drove me to supplements.  At the time I wasn’t the healthiest eater - this was before I gave up McDonald’s :p - but I did not want my symptoms to get worse.  Seriously, who likes to be sick, besides getting out of work, it sucks.  Being tired and weak was not fun for me especially when photo shoots went for hours and sometimes all day.  Those were easy though compared to promotional events where I have to stand and walk around all day talking to people!  So I took a nutrition class in college when I found out about my condition.  I wanted to learn the types of food I should try to eat more of (this was before my training with a nutrition coach).  I learned about vitamins and minerals, healthy levels to be digested, what foods they were in, and how they react with each other in terms of absorption in the body.  So let me talk a little bit about them:

• Iron (anemia is an iron deficiency) - trace mineral found in dark greens like spinach, clams, beef steak, navy beans, and enriched cereals.  80% of the iron in the body is in the blood, because of this women need one and half times as much as men do.  Iron helps red blood cells (hemoglobin) hold and carry oxygen.  Iron is also needed to create new cells, amino acids, hormones, and neurotransmitters - referred to as the body’s ‘gold’.  Overdosing on iron is as threatening as having a lack, it is toxic, so absorption is carefully controlled because once inside the body, iron is difficult to excrete.  Be aware that vitamin C enhances iron absorption, and conversely, calcium impairs iron absorption.
• Calcium - major mineral found in dairy (milk, yogurt cheese), almonds, broccoli, kale, collard greens,  mineral water (hard tap water).  This is the most abundant mineral in the body mostly (99%) stored in bones and teeth.  There is a common misconception that once a bone is built it is inert, when in fact the bones release calcium to regulate concentrations in the body fluids.  The minerals of bones are in constant flux.  The tiny amount of calcium in body fluids is so important because it regulates the transportation of ions important in nerve transmission, maintains normal blood pressure, essential for blood clotting and muscle contraction (heartbeat!), and allows secretion of hormones, digestive enzymes, and neurotransmitters.
• Vitamin C - antioxidant vitamin, but in concentrated levels acts as the opposite (pro oxidant). It can be found in broccoli, citrus, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, and peppers. Vitamin C helps protect & recycle vitamin E, and supports the immune system functions protecting from infections.  Smoking depletes the body’s vitamin C.  In large doses vitamin C can have negative effects and symptoms, but it is not known to be toxic.

I was probably really lucky I took that nutrition class, otherwise I was on track for making myself sicker in trying to make myself healthier.  When the doctor told me I was anemic I went out and bought iron supplements, not paying attention to the dosage.  I found out that iron supplements are actually the leading cause of fatal accidental poisonings and it turned out I had chosen a pretty high dosage iron pill.  Once I got the right dosage I still wasn’t home free.  I was taking my iron supplements in the morning.  Unfortunately, coffee and tea inhibit the absorption of iron as well as some fiber (phytates) in whole-grain cereals, aside from the calcium in milk.  Now that I had the right dosage, I was basically preventing its absorption due to the food I was eating.  Today, I take my calcium supplements in the morning and my iron supplement at night before I go to bed.  I actually find it helps me wake up refreshed and I am less groggy, but I have no medical backing for that claim

Oh, and one last note, believe it or not, cooking in an iron pan increases the amount of iron in the food - that fact came straight out of my nutrition book so I’m not exaggerating!

Check out the supplements I take (called Isotonix) at nykisdiscounts.com

I believe health is a most important aspect of living a fulfilling life. I am not a model that starves in order to keep looking good - I love to eat! I get frustrated by the stereotype held in many people’s minds about how models stay skinny.  Granted there may be some that do have poor health and eating habits, but I eat the right things and stay healthy.  Exercise is of course important but I hate to say it, I slack off more than I would like to admit.  Having said that, my success is in my eating habits.

So what is my diet like you ask?  Well, first off I stay away from processed food as much as possible.  I do eat fast food, but not often.  Processed food actually includes store bought pre-made food as well, like the frozen burritos or frozen lunches.  I cook as often as I can and try to stick with fresh organics.  I also supplement my meals with things like antioxidants, essential vitamins, and plant enzymes.

• Antioxidants are substances or nutrients which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce free radicals as a by-product which can cause damage.  Antioxidants act as “free radical scavengers” and prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals.  Antioxidants may also enhance immune defense and therefore can considerably lower risk of serious health problems.  Eating a diet rich in antioxidants may interfere with aging and the disease process.  Specifically, the antioxidant resveratrol may have the power to simulate a calorie restricted diet, increase lifespan and more.  Antioxidants also have the health benefits such as helping the digestive process by breaking down proteins, aiding with high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
• Probiotics are helpful bacteria that normally inhabit the human digestive tract. With these beneficial microbes, the digestive process is complete. There is also evidence suggesting that with out probiotics the immune system cannot function properly and lessens your resistance to infection.  Antibiotics generally wipe out this “friendly” intestinal bacteria along with the bugs that cause infection.  Symptoms of low or no probiotics can include diarrhea, cramping, bloating, or other digestive problems. Probiotics also help create a hostile environment for Parasites, Worms & Bad Bacteria. Digestive waste can sit stagnant in your colon for years causing you to feel bloated, tired, fatigued, stressed and can cause more serious health problems. Colon Cancer is the #2 cancer killer in the nation and taking a digestive health supplement with probiotics may be more vital today than ever before with all of the junk our bodies consume and breathe every single day
• B-Vitamin Complex influences several important bodily functions. Vitamin B1 (thiamin) and vitamin B2 (riboflavin) help the body produce energy and affect enzymes that influence the muscles, nerves, and heart. Vitamin B3 (niacin) has a role in energy production in cells and in maintaining the health of the skin, nervous system, and digestive system. Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) influences normal growth and development. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) helps the body break down protein and helps maintain the health of red blood cells, the nervous system, and parts of the immune system. Vitamin B7 (biotin) helps break down protein and carbohydrates and helps the body make hormones. Vitamin B9 (folic acid) helps the cells in the body make and maintain DNA and is important in the production of red blood cells. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) plays a role in the body’s growth and development. It also has a part in producing blood cells, the functions of the nervous system, and how the body uses folic acid and carbohydrates.  Deficiency of certain B vitamins can cause anemia, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, depression, numbness and tingling in the arms and legs, muscle cramps, respiratory infections, hair loss, eczema, poor growth in children, and birth defects in the fetuses of pregnant women.

I was diagnosed with anemia when I was younger and diabetes runs in my family so I became very conscious of my health even before I began modeling.  In fact, I began to lose weight as a result of healthier eating habits and that is what led me into modeling.  What if you could harness the power of antioxidants, all day energy, essential vitamins, rich anti-aging micro nutrients, weight loss, and internal health?  I hope you use the information I have given you here and have provided you with a link to the supplements I take in the left sidebar under “my favorite links”  In case you are interested in learning more, check out this link: Nutritional Health

  My Tomb Raider Gallery is done!

There are some pretty awesome images so be sure to click through.  I had a blast at this photo shoot.  I had a friend there who was feeding me & the photographer more ideas for images to create, having a collaboration of people really brought out some amazing pictures.  I did more than the photographer expected because as you know I am not afraid to climb (bikini shoot jumping off the top of the waterfall).  I saw the tree and didn’t even hesitate to jump up in the tree and start climbing around posing with the guns.  I did consider posing with the whip, swinging from a branch like Jane, but I wasn’t sure the whip was strong enough.  I was not about to break the whip and land hard in a fall and have to explain breaking someone else’s whip - funny part about that though, the person that lent me the whip decided she didn’t want it back.  So I now have this awesome bullwhip and I will have to use again in coming shoots.  If you have some ideas for themes I can use it for comment about it and I will set something up.  I had fun playing with it and got really good at cracking it.  I will admit I did whip myself once or twice when I first started messing with it, but I didn’t get face so no harm done.  I can take it, it was a little different feeling than taking a softball to the shin, but I can take pain I did lots of action shots with the whip and spinning my guns so I put together a slide show to show them off.  It is a short video but I put some music to it and posted in on a new page with a link named ‘video’ that you can see off to the left in my sidebar.  I plan to post more videos, that’s why I created a new page for them.  I have stage performances of doing Trixie at the Rocky Horror Picture Show that I am working on posting next.  I will also be making more slide shows; hey, maybe I will just make a slide show for each theme I have in my galleries…hmm…that sounds like a fun idea. Tell me your thoughts, comment on what kind of slide show should I do next?

I hope you are all having a great holiday season and I will talk to again before the new year!

Have you ever seen me in curls?

Well now you finally get to see my hair styled in curls. The curls got so overwhelming for me I had to pull them back into a clip to keep them out of my face!

I worked a Hair Show Monday and got my hair styled by the professional and charming Ted Gibson.  He was great to work with and I very much enjoyed having him style my hair.  He had a booth at a cosmetology convention and he was the only one who had live models (like me) to show people how he worked with hair.  Other booths had wigged mannequins and some did work on the patrons attending the convention (nail polish and make up).  There was even a booth dedicated to hair extensions and asked me to stand by them for while, but that would have been false advertising I think.  I was constantly assuring people it was my natural hair and I had no extension and no coloring, I guess they term it ‘virgin hair’ which I guess seems fitting :)  After having my hair styled I got to walk around the convention to explore what others had to offer and got some free samples and met some very cool people.  Some of the vendors near Ted Gibson tried to convince me to let him cut my hair, but I am not ready to let go of my luxurious locks.  As I walked around I acted as a brand ambassador and told people about his products and I was of course a walking advertisement for his styling work.   People loved my hair and I felt like ‘Hollywood Glam’.  A few people said my hair looked bigger than my body - which if you had seen it before it started going flat you would probably definitely agree.  I love my hair in curls, but I now understand how much of a chore and hassle it can be and I was just working in it for few hours.  So needless to say, I love my naturally straight hair and I sympathize for those who fight with naturally curly hair daily.  Check out my curly hair pictures in my Casual Gallery.

I am so thankful for all of you who enjoy reading, Happy Holidays!