Get Hooked!

 I was rescued by the  Green Pirate on my way to GreenPoint, Brooklyn the other day.  I have utmost, thanks to this super swank trunk for making me 2 Green Juices - 1 for me and 1 to bring my friend.  This stuff is the best and helps me score extra GLOW points.  Sometimes i make it at home but most times I order it from the juice bar.  that's if, you have a juice bar where you live.  If you're out in the boonies, then i suggest you invest in a juicer.  I have this one.  Green juice is my morning coffee except better. you know why?  It personally wakes up every single cell in my body and provides the optimum amount of vitamins & nutrients possible to make me say HEY!

I used to drink coffee because i thought that's what your supposed to do as a "grown-up" in the morning.  You know, drink a cup of coffee and eat a bagel.  In the meantime, i would be itching out of my skin as my left eye was twitching.  I didn't know any other way.  I didn't think there was an option.  i thought this was the normal and socially acceptable state to be.

Well, it's not. 

I also used to drink it because i thought i could stay skinny by just drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.  That gave me the sought after, ever-so-popular malnourished, impoverished hungry look everyone wanted - and miserable i was.  Contrary to the coffee "speed like" sensations that you body experiences, your metabolism actually slows down much more than it would have - had you not drank the coffee.  It's kinda like a sugar high - crash and burn we slowly go down to the ground and can't figure out why we're always so tired.  Yet, complaining about it makes things all better.  of course.   

Make-up artists would complain and try to clue me in - "No More Coffee Heather - it's super dehydrating for your skin - look at it!"  I shrugged it off because i couldn't IMAGINE NOT having coffee.  Caffeine is a stimulant.  If you use artificial stimulants too much then your body will stop creating it's own stimulants like adrenaline, so basically your body will become dependant on artificial stimulants.  this is true about those those crappy energy drinks and even soda too!

Anyways, I got sick of complaining because most of the time it was ME who had to hear it all the time.   So, what did i do?  I started drinking ONE green juice a day.  At first, I was super scared of these things  It looked extremely TOXIC!  I am such a baby when it comes to this kind of stuff.  I started getting used to it - It actually tasted really good when i started making it at home - kinda like lemonade!  So, I kept everything in my diet the same and replaced my morning coffee with one green juice every day.  What did i find?  the cure all. be all.  my skin cleared up considerably and i was beaming with energy.  Just Remember:  Keep it simple.  Be consistent.  Try making this recipe at home or order it at your juice bar. 

DRINK THIS JUICE RECIPE:  

the only thing you need to do to start feeling better now  

(and after 2 years, it's still the only green juice recipe i stand by!)  

KALE

SPINACH

CUCUMBER

CELERY

PARSLEY (or i like Cilantro a lot)

GREEN APPLE

LEMON

GINGER

Don't worry - i'm not a coffee hater.  To be honest, sometimes i realllly want it.  but then i remember how it makes me feel and i opt for a green juice instead.  It takes a little time for your body to acclimate but once it does - you're on fire!  your body is gonna be craving this stuff- i promise.  and each of your cells in your body will personally thank you.  If you're still not convinced why it's so good for you, read this:  6 Reasons Why to Drink Green Juice Everyday 

  

Recipe of the Week :: Italian Gazpacho

Chill with my absolute favorite ::  Italian Gazpacho 

It's the perfect concoction of flavors for a light summertime dish that is high in GLOW GIRL nutrients! Make sure you use only the freshest, highest quality (organic) ingredients.  Takes a total of 5-10 minutes depending on how fast you pick the basil off the stems!

Ingredients

3 large red tomatoes

1/2 a red bell pepper

1 c. sun-dried Tomatoes (i LOVE the brand, 'Mediterranean Organic' packed in olive oil)

3 tbl pine nuts

1 small clove garlic 

1 handful of FRESH basil leaves

2 tbl Olive oil or Flax oil 

pinch of sea salt

pinch of cayenne (optional :: i like it hot!)

Directions

Soak pine nuts in water (they say for 7 hours, but if your impatient do it for at least 20 minutes -better than not at all - Why? Because when you soak nuts it improves your digestion and you'll feel less sluggish.  Plus, the nutrients & enzymes increase tenfold when soaked!) Chop tomatoes into big chunks and add ALL ingredients into blender (you have to watch this!) and cover with 1/2 cup of water (or more for desired consistency)  Blend thoroughly.  It's as easy as that and Mamma Mia!

C r e a t e C r e a t i v i t y

Right now, I'm reading,  The Artist's Way by: Julia Cameron. (for the third time, yet this time i promise i'll finish!)   This book is a classic tool when it comes to helping artists open up their creativity.  That's where i'm at - coming back into my creativity as of 4 weeks ago - Thanks to the first week of reading this book again, it sparked me to create this blog! 

Not sure when exactly i got shut down? My classical training as a violinist for 9 years helped me explore my gift as an artist.  At 17, i was touring all over Europe with my symphony and training with the best instructors at Northwestern University's School of Music.  It was a very intense part of my life - practicing for hours and hours a day.  When i was 19, i stopped playing after not getting into the music conservatory that i auditioned for.  And instead, modeling and traveling started to take over.  It was definitely possible to have both exist in my life simultaneously however, for some reason modeling did not support my musical endeavors - or, at least i didn't allow it. Actually, i had many offers to play my electric violin w/my friend, DJ Erin during Milan's Fashion Week - In fact, they heard me play and i was invited to play Roberto Cavalli's after party.  i turned it down.  Ha! If anything, that probably would have helped me get a few more modeling jobs!  Instead, my self-esteem was so low i could not even recognize or give myself any credit for having a little talent.   

Playing the violin was such a love/hate relationship.  and actually modeling was too!  kinda like being stuck in a bad relationship for just way too embarrassingly long.... kinda like wearing a velcro jumpsuit and getting stuck to everything until you're too restless to move - thanks bruno! 

 

Nonetheless, my life had become flat & miserable.

So,  in this book there's a bunch of weekly assignments and exercises.  Each day, first thing in the morning, i write 3 "morning pages" in my journal and once a week i have to take myself out on an "artist's date" That means you (and ONLY you) take yourself out and nurture your inner child/artist. Last night, my date and i took myself to see, Bruno

It was very funny.  Be aware: it's almost on the verge of porn.  Something i probably wouldn't take mom to go see or the young ones.  Anyways, the date was successful - Other than the fact that my date called me FAT!!  Crazy, right?  Can't believe how bad we can treat ourselves and think nothing of it.  kind of like an unspoken secret kept between you and yourself.  whereas if your real date (or anyone for that matter) called you FAT you'd be on the phone with your best girlfriend- in shock & awe!  

The first and most important thing to do is become aware of the bad body thought.  The moment you can send awareness to the internal voice that is telling you that you're other than beautiful for being just the way you are  - the less power it will have over you.  Next step,  apologize to the body part that you are attacking (be it your hips, thighs, belly, arms etc)  Think about it this way:  If you lived with someone who was as abusive to you as you are about your body, you would have the option to move out.  Well, unfortunately you don't have that option here.  Day after day our body suffers from our remarks and endless attacks on its size and shape.  So next step is to challenge the attacker that taught you to look at yourself with disgust.  Who says that my hips are too big? is the question you must always have in mind. Allow yourself to create a little dialogue between you (the attacker) and your specific body part (i.e. your hips) Ask your hips what you can do to be more supportive.  Lastly, let it go.  

These are the first steps to putting an end to the swamp of self-sabotage.  From here on out, we both can start to develop a safe atmosphere where thoughts and feelings can exist minus the disgust & ridicule.

NYC Embraces Growing Number of Non-Meat Eaters

So, here it is... GLOW GIRL's first piece of press featured today in AM New York!  Very encouraging for me to see that my story made it to the cover! (including my photo) It was originally a story about 'Vegetarianism' in New York.  I met journalist, Sheila Feeney in Central Park while i was on a hike with my friend Susan last month.  Sheila asked what i do and became intrigued by my story and wanted to add a "Vegan" sidebar to her story titled, "Being Vegan Still Hard Work"  I am very happy to bring the term 'Veganism' to the public eye at this scale. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been covered at all.   

It's been a long time since i've seen myself on the cover of something... and to be honest, it's a bit challenging because it brings up every little insecurity in me.  The first thing my mind said when i picked up the paper was, "you're face looks chubby!" & "ewww. look at your arms!" I know & understand that this has been well ingrained patterns that i learned very early on. that's all i would hear from my agents at Ford - constantly.  and so, all i ever knew how to do was pick myself apart and feel other than beautiful & worthy for gracing covers of magazines, catalogues & editorials.  pretty sad to not be able to acknowledge one's own beauty - simply for being alive, beautiful & unique.  I was always trying to make myself something that i was not. and yes, it's a very distorted skew on reality and very far from the truth.  so, if you ever have these feelings - rest assure - you are not alone and it is not the truth of who you are! 

Anyhow, I am finding a whole new meaning to modeling - one that actually fills a deeper sense of purpose inside.  To experience this and get acknowledgement for being me is beyond the best feeling ever.  and i am excited and sure to say that this is just the beginning....  

Recipe of the Week :: Tender Kale

Sick of feeling like crap, moody and no motivation to do anything? i was and i couldn't figure out why.  Psychs put me on anti-depressants & the best dermos in nyc put me on serious acne medication (Accutane - the scary stuff that deforms unborn babies) Twice a week i'd get fancy state-of-the-art laser treatments at the dermo office and top notch facials at Haven Spa on Mercer.  It took me about 6 years to figure out that this was not working for me.  I was numb to everything and could not feel.  And to make it worse, i was being turned away from modeling jobs: including a major job that i booked for L'OREAL.  They literally called my agent and told me to leave the booking.   i was 19 & devastated.  This job was something a lot of girls, including myself, dreamed and worked really hard to get!  

What was i doing wrong?  Well, no one ever asks, "what are you eating?"  In the meantime, i was eating nothing but sugar.  That was the basis of my diet.  Sugar and cigarettes. (i don't recommend it) I was moody, cranky, low-energy, depressed and had very low self-esteem.  And my food was the last thing i was willing to look at.

  

My dermatologist, Dr. Cornbleet, in Chicago had a BIG glass bowl of 'Hershey Miniature Chocolates' on his desk.  Every time i would visit his office - i would pick out all of the "Mr. Goodbars"  He would say, "Yes, Yes, please help yourself!"  He told me diet had NOTHING to do with my acne.  And so, i became a VERY loyal patient with hopes of some improvement.  And still, no significant changes.

I was willing to go to any lengths to have clear skin & more energy.  i started to eat more "healthy" and  realized that even the "healthy" packaged foods were loaded with refined sugar and stuff that you can't even pronounce.  Even though it says it's "healthy," it's not.  That was not working...

  

I was a lot more sensitive to food than i realized.   I decided to take a look at my eating habits a little bit closer.  About 2 years ago, i started incorporating green juice, raw organic fruits & vegetables & more water.  The results were getting better day by day.  And yes, this was probably one of the most challenging things I've ever done - cleaning up my eating habits.  It was scary not to have sugar.  I was in total withdraw and had to deal with a lot of emotions that alcohol & cigarettes had once covered up.  When i couldn't deal, i would go back to the pizza & chocolate as a way to soothe and comfort myself.  But as my system was getting cleaner, that stuff made me feel ill afterwards.

Long story short, i found there is no solution in crappy food.  These past 2 years, i have made a lot of progress and i finally understand that phrase, "You are what you eat."  It seems to be working for me beyond belief.  My skin has never been this good.  And now, i am looking and feeling more like a model than i ever had in my modeling days.  Ha! In fact, i was waiting for the bus earlier today and a guy turned around to take a second look at me and hit his head on the side view mirror of the bus!  ouch. watch it dude!

So, check it out -  This is what i made for lunch today:

Tender Kale Salad

1 bunch of Kale (any kind - i used curly)

Pinch of Sea Salt (to desired taste)

Generous amount of Olive oil (and/or hemp oil for nutty flavor or flax oil for buttery flavor)

Handful of Dulse  (sea vegetable, high in Iron and boosts flavor in everything.  kind of like salty beef jerky without the beef.)

3-4 spoons of hemp seeds (the most nutritious seed in the world, 33% protein w/ Omega 3's)

1 Diced Avocado

4-6 Sun-dried tomatoes chopped (i like 'mediterranean organic' packed in olive oil)

1/3 cup chopped olives (i like kalamata. buy the pitted ones)

Wash and remove center stems of Kale.  Rip leaves into small pieces or chop them.  Massage kale with sea salt and olive oil.  The oil & salt soften and tenderize the leaves. Massage is key. Tear Dulse strips into bite size pieces.  Toss all your favorites in: i.e. avocado, hemp seeds, olives, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, red peppers, cucumbers, chopped red cabbage, parsley, onions, sunflower seeds, pine nuts etc...  super simple or deluxe. up to you.

You can find all of the ingredients listed above at Whole Foods or any health food store.  So, come with your list and you'll know exactly what to get.  FYI :: Some of these ingredients may be a bit more expensive than you're used to buying -  yeah, i know. it was a shock for me too!   BUT i am actually saving money this way.  I have not gotten sick in 2 years and i don't have expensive doctor bills or prescriptions to fill anymore.  Plus, i feel happier than ever before. This is a deal i can afford!

Make Friends...

Make Friends... Especially with your fruit stand guy!  Meet Bill from Turkey.  He's like my 'Giving Tree.'  Such a kind & generous heart.  Every single time i pass by - which is at least 2 or 3 times a day - he gives me a bag full of his favorite fruits in season.  He is a reminder of the abundance that i live in!  i am so grateful especially since i have just about tripled my living expenses since going raw, organic and living in Manhattan. 

Plus, he orders organic for me.  Just ask!  fyi: Eat as much ORGANIC fruit & vegetables when possible and available. Organic produce has more nutrients because they're grown in good soil. Conventionally grown produce uses harmful chemicals that actually penetrate through the skin of the fruit and contaminate the inside.  Extremely toxic and not good for you.