Yesterday

Day by day my friends, that's all we can do as people, wives, husbands, parents, etc.  It is so important to realize that we all have walked different walks, and even if it was the same walk, each person sees it from a completely different angle.

I always tell moms, no pregnancy, birth, or baby is the same, and when people tell you stories, even family, always do your research, ask your doctor and make your own informed decision.  If the story seems to be going in a scary direction, just tell them that "my doctor said not to listen to stories!"

So Yesterday in the morning I was all full of energy for the day, and then boom, I crashed, I was exhausted, it was a combination of things.  First of all I am nursing non stop, and not sleeping much, all good reasons, but since my baby was a preemie, I am feeding on demand, and Thank God he is just 3 months, and chubby in the right places :)

Second of all the day before on Tuesday, I was in "Super Hot Mama" mode, did 2 workouts, had a class in the evening, and had the kids with me most of the day while trying to reorganize the house, get rid of stuff I do not need.  I was going on Adrenaline, and maybe because Wednesday most of the country was off, I felt that energy too, just heavy, tired, lazy - I tell you the energy of kids really drains me - Thank God for schools, camps, educators, and anyone else that has the gift, talent, and energy to work with children.  Honestly sleep determines my mood big time, before kids I used to nap all the time, that was my recharge.  Now after 3 kids in 4 1/2 years,  I think I have had the luxury of sleep right before the baby was born, both my kids were sleeping through the night, and the kids were in school most of the day.  I am grumpy, annoyed, complaining, not a very nice mommy to be around, especially with high energy kids.

Lastly, in order to operate at your optimal level, you have to fuel yourself correctly.  On Tuesday during my non stop workouts and busy all day, I had my 2 shakes, one meal which was dinner, and snacked non stop throughout the day.  I feel like my metabolism is non stop, and sweatier than usual, I used to never sweat, sorry for too much information, but if this helps me lose weight the natural way, bring it.  Yesterday my husband made a delicious breakfast so I did not have my shake first thing in the morning, and it totally had me craving food non stop, and making the wrong choices all day.  When you do not have a protein and vitamin based breakfast in the morning, your blood sugar is like a roller coaster, and leaves you exhausted.

I am feeling better today, had a nice hot mama walk, and now home trying to get some stuff done, do you ever really get anything done? :) ! OY VEY

I feel blessed for my adventure of being a wife and mother, you get what you asked for right? I wanted someone a little nuts and I got a whole bunch of "little nuts."

Thank God for it All,
Coach Yulia

Independence

I loved experimenting with my looks, this is the first wig I ever got, and I was working at an alternative bar as a cocktail waitress and bartender.  People really thought I cut and colored my hair, I was hooked.  I always loved my own wild locks, so I never wanted to cut them, and I had these twists that I wore, it was my signature look.  Kind of looked like dread locks but not, like goldilocks but not - just locks.  It was perfect in the Miami humidity, I have frizzy, poofy hair, the shirley temple curls kept it tamed.




I just reposted a video on my Facebook page from my cruise ship days, find me at Yulia Medovoy Edelshtain, and you can see me working this wig.  This pic was taken during my college years, early 20's, in a car on my way to a lollapalooza with some friends.  Ahhh the days of free spirited fun, good times, no plan, just going with the flow.  I went to Florida International University first for International Relations :) then realized it was all government stuff and stuffy, and switched to the 2nd best program in the country, Hospitality Management.  Basically business for the tourism industry, hotels, restaurants, etc. that is how I decided to work on cruise ships.  I figured fun, travel, money, meeting people from all over the world, room, board, and food - it was a no brainer.  The fun part was at first it was out of Miami cruising the Caribbean, so I was home every week.  Later on it was fun getting away for 4 months at a time seeing every corner of Europe. 

During my college days I do not think I slept much, Miami is a 24 hour city, this was before the hot spot it is today.  It was in its transformation stage, and it was so much fun, from South Beach to Ft. Lauderdale, people were partying non stop.  Sometimes I would show up in class directly from a night out.  As long as I was getting good grades, my parents let me be free to make my own choices.

Choice is a very powerful word, everything we do in life, every direction we go is a choice.  There are no excuses, so important to take full responsibility for all of our actions.  Every choice we made has gotten us where we are today.

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY SETS YOU FREE

Coach Yulia



Super Hot Mama

My day so far:

Woke up just before 5am to get kids lunches and bags ready for camp, and to sneak out with my baby before they woke up around 6am.  Drove to Santa Monica Fit Club, hung out with my baby on the beach til everyone started getting there around 7am.  Was putting into the universe that I really wanted for the baby to sleep so I would be able to work out.

He was awake and saying hello to everyone while everyone was playing dodgeball to warm up, so I decided that if he did not sleep, then I would do the walking club with the stroller.  Everyone went on their warm up run on the beach, and I started walking, the baby is so good to me, fell in a deep sleep.  I jogged back to the workout, they were just getting started in the circuit training section, it is so awesome, 25 people per section, we had over 100 people on the beach today.  One of my fellow coaches was there with her 5 year old son meeting with a client, so I asked her to keep an eye on my sleeping baby while I got my workout on.

YAY!  My wish was granted and I had an amazing idea, I would join my partner Ashley every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 7:30am to do the Hot Mama Power Walk, one of us can do the walk and the other could do the workout.  Ashley was excited about it, and I cannot wait to get into the routine of it. 

That is the secret my friends, find an activity or exercise that you enjoy, that is fun for you, even walking your dog, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING works, when you have the right nutrition to go along with it.  Forming healthy lifestyle habits is the key, and having fun along the way.

So now its almost 10:30am, I am at our Active Nutrition Club waiting for my fellow Hot Mama's to do our Power Walk in Culver City, and I am planning on adding Yoga once a week.


Me and my business partner having our post workout shake at Active Nutrition after our Hot Mama Power Walk

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME :)

I am declaring it, I am staying consistent, summer has just begun my friends, who is gonna get it on "full on" with me?

After this I will hang with my kids after camp, have a Pilates class to teach tonight .  Too bad I cannot stay, Dr. Heber the head of the UCLA School of Human Nutrition is coming to speak with us - I actually missed the NON STOP.

LOVING LIFE
Coach Yulia

My Lean and Fit Program

You have heard me talk about Herbalife and my shakes, so in this post I wanted to break down exactly what I am taking, and the different programs that there are for different goals.  I am so excited, I did my measurements today and my body fat and inches are dipping down, although my weight is just 5 pounds down.  I will give all the details at the end of the post, the best part is that I feel great, and I am eating whatever I want for my meals and snacks, even pizza once in a while.  For some people they want it super strict, but for me, this is something I want to do forever, who doesn't want to be healthy and fit forever?

Down 5 pounds, 3% Body Fat and 11inches!

What exactly are these shakes?  They are 100% of the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of the food and drug administration.  I never knew before if I was getting all of my vitamins and minerals, and now I don't have to guess.  There are some for a healthy meal and there are others for post workout, so I sit down with each client and customize a program especially for their goals.  The best part is compared to other programs out there, we are the most affordable, the shakes basically cost less than $5 per day, and most people are spending more than that on their coffe and everything else not good for you.

Here are the programs that are designed for simple, easy, delicious, nutritious success, I am on the Ultimate Program which includes extra vitamins, and absorption aids:

Lean and Fit on a Budget

Your shake, choose from 8 flavors, today I had our Allergen Free Vanilla with banana and peanut buter.

1.Water, Protein Drink Mix, Formula 1 Nutritious Shake
2.Herbal Green Tea Concentrate (4 delicious flavors to choose from) burns 80 calories per cup
3.Celluloss - helps with water weight and great for skin

There are also things we can add in the Advanced and Ultimate programs, and the Get Ripped programs focus on the other end of the spectrum.

Please feel free to ask me any questions anytime - that is my job :) and I LOVE IT!

Have a fabulous week everyone,
Super Excited for my Beach Workout tomorrow,
Who's coming with me?
Besides my baby, Matisyahu :)
Coach Yulia

Fit Club

 

I went to an amazing training today on why our company and specifically the amazing people I work with at Active Nutrition are changing the way people think about health and fitness.  Above is a glimpse into our Fit Club, which happens three days a week on Santa Monica Beach.  I am excited to start going again now that my baby is 3 months old.  On Tuesday and Thursday morning it is at 7:30am, and on Sunday morning its at 8:30am.

 

Who would like to get in the best shape of their life with me?

 

The reason why my company and my team are so amazing, is that everyone really is in the best health and shape of their lives.  It inspires me to live it and to be it, and show people along the way how to do it to.

 

I have declared back to my wedding weight by 40, I have a little over 3 months to do it full on.  3 months is a good amount of time to set a goal.  Many people in our society want a quick fix, and yes it is exciting to see the numbers drop fast.  For me this is scary and temporary, I want to learn healthy habits, and enjoy eating, and be healthy for the rest of my life.

 

I told my husband I am going to start going with the baby Tuesday and Thursday this week, usually if I feed him right before, he will sleep for a few hours, and I could get my workout in, while he has some ocean fresh air.  I am so excited to get my workout on, my body really responds, and now that I have the best nutrition to back it up, watch out world here I come!

 

Everyone I work with is just at their Level 10 best, you look good, you feel good, you are confident, your significant other likes it, you inspire everyone around you...sounds good?

 

So excited,

Jump on the bandwagon,

Lets do it together,

No matter where you are in the world,

Let's combine the best nutrition program,

With a Healthy Active Lifestyle,

Who is ready?

 

Coach Yulia

Milk

I read an article today about milk that really bothered me, I have felt in my gut that it is not healthy nowadays with all the processing, and all the vitamins are added, only the commercials claim its health benefits for sales.  Apparently milk comes from not one cow into one bottle, it is a mixture of farms from all over, and nobody knows from exactly where.

Since I got married, we keep kosher, and the laws are very detailed and make a lot of sense, where animals are concerned, they are checked thoroughly for diseases before a Rabbi deems them Kosher.  Where dairy is concerned, since the animal is still alive, you cannot check their organs and tissues for disease, and many dairy cows have infections in their lungs, and their mammary glands are infused with bovine growth hormone so they are large and produce more milk, this leads to health problems.  Another interesting kosher law is that an animal is not kosher if it will die within one year.  This article was saying that how the industry is now, milk on the shelves is not kosher, and even Cholov Isroel milk which is supervised by a Rabbi, does not guarantee how the animals are treated.  I was reading that the cows feel an electric shock periodically to keep their backs in a certain position, so their wastes go into a certain area, and are chained by the neck.

Don't get me wrong folks, I eat meat, I am not an animal activist, although I believe in treating animals with respect.  What I am specifically talking about is how an animal is treated, the stress as well as the hormones and antibiotics are ingested by us when we eat them.  There are some organic farms that let their cows graze in the fields, but for them its hard to compete with the big guys.  The food we eat affects our mood, weight, energy, even spirituality. 

As a nursing mom, I feel so lucky that my baby is getting the best food, immune, and nutrients through my milk.  I have heard that after we don't need milk anymore, we really don't need any milk anymore.  Cows milk is not for humans, saying that, growing up in Russia and in Russian culture, I love everything dairy, cottage cheese, cheese, yogurt - and those processes make the milk products healthier.  Milk however I have never been a fan of, there are many ways to get calcium and vitamin D from other foods.  Nowadays there are amazing substitues, I love my almond milk, which is really just almonds and water.  Our body needs healthy fats, and my philosophy is a little bit of everything is ok.


Here I am, probably 6 months old, do you see a resemblance?
 I think Matisyahu looks more like my father,
will have to dig up his baby pics :)

I nursed my older two for 10 months, and hoping to nurse my baby for a year, and the first six months just my milk - feeling blessed - tomorrow is the first day I have a full day seminar, and my husband will be giving him my pumped milk.  Thank God for modern technology!

Happy Sunday - Have a Great Week - Shavua Tov

Coach Yulia

My cute 3 month old, maybe when he turns 6 months
he will look more like his mama :)

La Familia

Thank God for family, for the good and for the not so good.  Once you get married you also marry your other half's family, for better or worse.  Your own family has seen your worst, so you can be  yourself all the time.  Your partners family is another story, you want to be civil for yourself and the grandkids, and you just want to get along, but also not have them in your business - whoa, this is not an easy feat.

To the right is my family in Atlanta, my parents, brother's family, and his wife's family.  To the left is in front of our place in LA, my sister in law's family, my mother in law, missing is my father in law and my fabulous brother in law.

 

 

I have been really blessed in this life, and appreciate it every moment.  My family has always supported my brother and I, but also let us be independent, free spirited, and make our own decisions.  Other families love to always be involved, and helping, and knowing every little detail.  I feel once you get married and have kids, that is your family now, your priority.  Yes, gatherings, communication, support is still very important, but up to a point.  I really value privacy and keeping things to ourselves, kind of funny since I'm writing this blog, right?

 

Well as they say with family, you love them, but you don't necessarily have to like them.  Lucky for me, I really do like both sides of the family, but luckily I got my mother's personality of getting along with almost everybody.  I am really conscious of keeping good positive energy around me, so that is the only time I will be nice, but not let someone get close, if they are draining or dark.

 

I used to be attracted to the dark, but mostly for the fashion and fun, I have never been into emotional darkness.  I feel blessed that although I have experienced ups and downs, they have made me stronger, and I feel I have learned, and moved on, and have attracted exactly what I want into my life.

 

I WOULD NOT CHANGE ONE THING

 

Can you say that?  I have an amazing audio set that really has helped me focus in on visualizing what I want in my life.  I would love to share it with my friends, family, and blog fans.  Please email nutritioncoachyulia@gmail.com or call/text 323.377.0707.

 

Shabbat Shalom

Yulia