Made of Honey

My maiden name is Medovoy, in Russian it means made of honey, so hence the themes of my wedding.  I had those cute little candles, a few of them on each table, with the most brilliant bee pins, they were like thumb tacks, that I pushed right into each candle.  Our wedding was right before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, so our gift for the guests was a jar of honey, which is the tradition, we eat it for a sweet year ahead.  On top of the honey you see a jewel, my husbands last name, Edelshtain means precious stone, even our wedding invitation was designed by me, and it had a stone being dropped into a honey jar.

Last Tuesday was our 5 year anniversary, and today by the Jewish Calendar is the day we got married, so we are getting a babysitter, and going to a fancy dinner, we also got some massages that we will enjoy later on.

Each of my babies, when I smell the top of their head, I smell honey, maybe it comes from me :) maybe it is the smell of all babies.  I cannot inhale deeply enough, it smells so delicious, I want to keep that yummy head right next to my nose all day.

Today we have a birthday party for the kids in the morning, then have to pop into my mother in laws, her birthday is the day after our wedding, she is celebrating it today.  Then we bring the kids home and enjoy our dinner, I am excited, my husband is the most amazing cook, and there really is no place like home for an outstanding meal.  However, I got my degree in Hospitality Management, and enjoy the ambiance of dining out, I enjoy being served, I enjoy tasting new things.  I really do enjoy being served period, love getting the mani-pedi, the massages, you name it, I love it - getting my hair done with Glenda is the best!

I am always trying to see the positive side of every situation in life, I think that is what keeps me sane.  When reality hits, I do everything I can to spin it to my favor, I guess being super positive is as intense as the other option.  Thank God I get it from my mom and her mom, they have been through so much, and are still laughing every day, dreaming, creating, always seeing possibilities - Thank God I have those genes.

Wishing everyone a happy, positive, enjoyable, blessed Sunday
Coach Yulia

Bringing Yesterday into Tomorrow

My amazing hairdresser, Glenda and I at my wedding, seriously folks, she is the best :)

I am reading an amazing book called "The Five Love Languages," and it had the most powerful sentence:  "I am amazed by how many individuals mess up every new day with yesterday."  This really resonated with me, because I see this every day, everywhere, especially in modern media, its always about drama, revenge, and "all about me."

Especially in a relationship it is so important to be there for each other, always focus on moving forward, and checking in with each other, making sure the "yesterdays" get faced, dealt with, taken care of.  Easy to say right?  We grow up in this world of being tough and taking care of ourselves, and then we find "the one," and realize it is work.  It's amazing, and the work makes it more amazing, but while you are doing the work, it is so important to step out of our own way.

Tomorrow by the Jewish Moon Calendar, it is Rosh Chodesh Elul, it is my wedding day 5 years ago, and my baby is 5 months old.  This is a very special month, it is the month before the Jewish New Year, and many important holidays that follow, where we take a look at the past year, forgive and ask forgiveness, and then celebrate starting fresh, with a new awareness.

Yes it is important to learn from yesterday, and know your history, and learn from it, but on a day to day basis, it is all about being present, yes planning for the future is good, yes embracing the past is good.  However living now is what its all about.

Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is a Mystery
Today is a Gift

Coach Yulia

One door closes, another one opens

Just got home from taking an amazing Yoga class, and had my yummy chocolaty post workout shake

Oh life, sometimes we really think its the end of the world, and for many people the only thing they argue about is money stuff.  I love when something amazing happens, and it never would have happened, unless something else didn't fall apart.

I am being very vague, because the details just do not matter - and once again I want to emphasize that it makes no sense to "worry in advance," and to just give up on it all.  It is so important to be open to circumstances that can come your way exactly when you really need them.  That has happened to me all of my life, and Thank God, I just know it will all work out, I really deep down have that trust.

It drives my husband nuts, because he is a realist, and it is good for me to have him as a counterbalance.  Honestly it all comes down to respect - I love the quote that "a good relationship is two independent people choosing to be with each other."  In order for that to really be the case, ups and downs will happen, disagreements will happen, but when its all said and done, you are a team, a support system for life. 

In Judaism it emphasizes that the husband is the king and the wife is the queen, both as important, and as a woman, it is up to us to treat and make our husband feel like the king.  Not always easy for a strong personality like me, who after being single for 34 years, I have either had it my way or go away.  Now, different priorities, especially that we have our babies, time to step out of my "all about me," world.  Not so easy, especially since that is my main message in Yoga, take care of you,or who else is going to do it, its not selfish, its self care.

OY VEY

I am so ready to turn my brain off from this crazy week!  One more week of camp for the kids, then I have to become the "entertainment" before school starts.  Thankful that tomorrow is Shabbat, and I get to sleep in with the baby, while my husband takes the kids to synagogue.

Love my sleep,
Miss my sleep,
Love my balance,
Miss my balance,
Thank God for Shabbat to put it all in perspective,
and then to be ready to face life all over again :)
Shabbat Shalom,
Yulia

One after another...

Still a bit of belly, but definitely tightening up, Everyone is noticing!
  I make my husband  keep taking pictures because
 that is where you really see the progression.
  I look so serious, the sun was in my face :)

Believe it or not, I am not talking about kids :)  I just had a DAY yesterday, and it was just one of those days that I said, what else can happen, and crazy things kept happening.  I just tried to keep going, but man it was nuts.  The morning started really calm, I was planning and organizing, and then as soon as I left the house, the craziness began.

I think my baby is on a cluster feed during the day, which is good, because the nights he can sleep for quite a bit.  I went to visit a friend before I had to pick up the kids from school, and the baby wanted to nurse.  I did not have any milk saved for later, and I had to leave him with my mother in law for a few hours, so I was trying to pace him, so he would be fine with her.  I brought everyone home from school, we all had an early dinner, and I really wanted to get out of the house in time to drop the baby off and take my own workout class at the gym before teaching my Yoga class at 6pm.

Needless to say, squeezing too much in, putting too much on my plate, my husband had to leave early for a meeting, I didn't make it to my mother in laws til 5pm, which is when the workout class began.  I had to make a quick stop before to get her some flowers, it was her birthday, the big celebration is this weekend.  This silly corner flower shack had FAKE FLOWERS! and the only real flowers were not ready to go in a bouquet, I just grabbed something to say it was from the kids.

The baby was already fussy, I brought some rice cereal, a sweet potato, and some almond milk, and I fed him before I left the house.  Unfortunately my mother in law was not feeling good, and said that the baby screamed the whole time, did not want any of the food.  He usually does not scream, so I felt bad for him and for her, she said she couldn't even go to the bathroom.

I ended up getting to the class at 5:30pm able to drop the kids at the kids club quickly, it was a bodypump class, so I did the last half of the class, triceps, biceps, squats/lunges, and the squats that I currently love, jump squats :) finishing up with shoulders, and abs.  See that is the fun about getting stronger, more coordinated, being able to do stuff, when you can do stuff, it gives you a rush, and it becomes fun.  Things are not always fun at first, that is why trying different things out, maybe even for a month, so you can really see if you are really not coordinated, or its all in your head.

Tip of the Day:  It's usually all in our head - we can do anything!  Take the words I can't and it's hard out of your vocabulary, instead I'LL TRY and CHALLENGING, and take the challenge :)

So I forgot my Yoga music, but luckily with Yoga, it is nice to have just quiet once in a while, I was telling the class, I just try to look at the positive in every situation, especially on the crazy day I was having, but it was not over yet my friends.  Get my kids, get to the car, realize I forgot their water bottles, go get them, get to my mother in laws, feed baby while she stays by the car with kids, my daughter climbs out of her seat belt, hops into the front seat, which I did not notice til I got back to the car.  An old man with a lady in a wheelchair is yelling at me that he is going to call he police because I was blocking the driveway.  We are finally on our way, daughter is hungry as usual, older son is tired, baby is ok most of the way, starts crying at the end, mother in law lost the pacifier.

We get out of the car at our house, my son says, I see an animal, I saw something run from my building to another, don't know what it was, but it looked gross.  Got inside to put kids to bed, left cell phone in car, when I finally found house phone it was drained of battery.  OY VEY.

Thank God we always start fresh the next day,
Coach Yulia

I have time...now what?

Being your own boss, especially out of your home, leaves a lot of room for the 10 million other things you have to do.  Of course there is also the case of, its quiet, nobody is home, maybe I should just rest.  I just read an article about parents with older children, and how even after they have grown up and left the house, all the things that changed from the day they were born, are still ingraned in parents.  I love how she said, even when her teenagers were sleeping til noon, she still slept with one eye open, listening for cries, and she used to be a night owl.  For the full article, click on the link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-belkin/patterns-of-a-parents-life_b_1778255.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

So today classes got cancelled, I am doing my workout tonight before my Yoga class, so the day is mine to figure out the "to do" list, and get things DONE!  I love the word done, it feels so good for things to be done :) 

I am excited that my blog is inspiring people to get on the health journey with me, I welcome anyone that is ready to take their health and fitness to the next level to join me.  As I coach I recommend exercises, and a nutrition plan for you to reach your goals.  You can jump on the same one I am doing, it is the Ultimate Plan that is costing me just over $10 a day for two meals, tons of energy, and getting in the best shape of my life.  Recently on my Facebook I posted a before and after of a girl who ended up a size 4 and 142 pounds - I love that example, she was lean, strong, and feminine.  If you would like to see the picture and you are not on Facebook just email me at nutritioncoachyulia@gmail.com and I will forward it to you.

On Monday I did my favorite Bodypump class, why do I like it?  Because its a little bit of everything, full body workout with weights, to fun music, and the best part its, we are stronger than we think.  I put a little more weight on this time, and totally kept my form, and was not even that sore the next day.  I definitely felt it, but it is a low weight, high repetition workout, so its about keeping the heart rate up, so the cardio factor helps you burn more calories, while accentuating and forming your lean muscle, it looks great and helps keep your bones strong.

Little by little my friends, getting it back :) (sorry for the appliances in the background, office is in the breakfast nook)

I coach my clients to find what they find fun and do that for their workout, whether its in the gym, a hike, a sport, anything and everything works.  We literally have to fit it into our life, even with all the changes and stages of life, as long as we keep setting goals, recommitting, being consistent, and focusing on feeling our best, then health is yours for the taking.

I am happy to talk about options, give suggestions, and I would love for you to join me in my workouts as well - come aboard the happy, positive, and healthy ride I am on, I don't even want to think about the other option of tired, giving up, no hope, settling, its all up to you - DECIDE - JOIN ME- LETS GO HAVE FUN!

Coach Yulia
323.377.0707

5 Years!

Wow, time does really fly, especially when you are living :)  Five years ago I said yes to a wonderful man, and a new life.  I am happy that my personality just dives right into things, because this definitely has been an adventure.  We met January 2007, engaged in April 2007, and married in August 2007.  In 4 1/2 years we had 3 kids, our oldest turns 4 this September.  We decided to dive right into it since we were both in our 30's and were ready to move on from single life.  We also decided to have children right away, not only because of our age, but my husband's father is 11 years older than his mother, and he didn't want such an age difference between him and his kids.  Also for me, Thank God we met when I was 34, since I really wanted to finish having kids by 40, and luckily everything went according to plan :)

Our wedding day was magic, all of our friends from all different walks of life came and celebrated our finding each other.  An open bar had everyone happy and appreciating each other's differences.  From childhood friends, to night club friends, to family, to my husbands religious community.  Everyone had a great time, it was definitely and amazing ceremony and an amazing party.  I had fun planning many details, and was happy that it all flowed, and was a blast.  I also feel so blessed that I "married" my amazing community, my husband's friends got married around the same time, and now our kids are friends.  Through my Yoga I have met so many amazing people, and now that my kids are going to school, I keep on connecting with the most amazing families and women. 

It is so important to have gratitude for all the blessings in our lives.  Even when times are challenging, just know that things keep changing and moving forward.  I really believe that if you work at something, communicate, and stay true to what is important to you, then you will keep growing, learning, and enjoying the beautiful parts of life.  How would we know how good the ups are if we didn't know the downs.

Thank God for it ALL,
Coach Yulia

Hunger

The first thing I ask someone who wants to get on a Nutrition Program with me is, "what do you usually eat for breakfast?"  It is amazing how there are a variety of answers, from nothing, to coffee, oatmeal, or a full breakfast with eggs.

Since I have started having my shake every morning for breakfast, I wake up STARVING, which is great because it means that the metabolism is moving and the body is being very clear about what it needs.  My mother was telling me that is the difference between what you need and a craving, and listening to when your body is actually hungry might make a big difference in maintaining a healthy weight.

Any personal trainer will tell you to eat small meals every 2-3 hours, that way you can keep the portions small and keep the metabolism moving.  It is amazing how my daughter is always hungry, my older son used to be, but now he is busy playing, and is picky about whether he wants to eat or not, food wise he will eat anything, but it has to be his decision whether he is ready to eat or not.  My little Matisyahu, Thank God, is a great eater, and I am excited to start him on solids, we already started on the rice cereal and bananas, I would rather supplement with food than formula, that is just my personal preference.  He is 5 months just around the corner, my older son we started food at 4 month because of a condition he had that made him projectile vomit, he needed something solid to keep food down.  My daughter I believe it was also 5 months, she was just ready.  Nursing for me is a pleasure, and I was going to try to go 6 months just nursing with the baby, but he is ready for more, and to all you moms out there, listen to your gut, you know what is best for your baby.

Healthy Mama, Healthy Baby

Another kind of hunger is the hunger for success, and unless you are really hungry, then the "comfort zone" is where most people will stay for all of their lives.  I have always dreamed big, but also have complete trust that everything will turn out ok, and just follow my instincts.  However, in order to achieve big, planning, work, action, and the right support all come together to help you achieve your goals.  I am so happy I found that with Herbalife, I am going to take an amazing course called the Next Level which I look at as business school, although I have a 4 year degree, in the environment I am currently in, I have no specific experience.  I am excited to take my business to the next level, and am ready to commit to my homework, to accountability, and to be a good example, inspiration, and motivation for everyone around me.

Anyone else interested to jump on board with me and reach your dreams and goals?
Coach Yulia
323.377.0707
nutritioncoachyulia@gmail.com