HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD'S!

Took a trip down to CT and surprised my Dad with a visit! Found some old pictures of us and took some new ones ;)

Go ahead these laughs are on me :)

Ben and Cherry Garcia

Here's yet another one of those of you STILL holding on to that B & J addiction...you know who you are and so do I ;)


Frozen or fresh Pitted Cherries
scoop of Vanilla RNT Protein Powder
1 banana
a few Ice cubes or 1/4cup water if the cherries are frozen
Dash of coconut milk
Flax seed or oil


CHERRIES have this sharp sweet taste that can go with any fruit...really surprised me in a good way!
P.S. I keep my freezer stocked with frozen blueberries, raspberries, cherries, mango, strawberry's so I can experiment even when I have limited fresh fruit on hand.

Change of plans

Yoga mini vacation on Martha's Vineyard or MYOFORCE debut demo with Aaron Brooks at thestudio, Yoga mini vacation on Martha's Vineyard or MYOFORCE debut demo with Aaron Brooks at the studio, hmmmm lemme think...

MYOFORCE debut demo with Aaron Brooks.

Must be something special eh? YUP.

This morning at 10am Aaron Brooks launched his new product MYOFORCE with Kevin, myself and a few lucky clients.

Stay Tuned for video clips :0

WARNING******My as* and core are already sore******

Kicking Cancer's As*ana

Thursday night I attended my first benefit! The night began a little rough to say the least but ended up being the best night I have enjoyed in a long time :) Liz Katz, a lululemon gal, organized the event herself and I was BLOWN away, to say the least.
The Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies opened in 2000 with the mission of enhancing cancer patients quality of life throughout treatment using both traditional and non traditional approaches.
I love acupuncture, nutrition counseling, massage, Reiki, and yoga, and I use my own money to treat my body to these amazing therapies. We have not yet reached a point where these services are all covered by health insurance but I have a feeling that slowly and surely we will :)

The Zakim Center was one of the first to realize that when you are building your body back from NOTHING, your mind and body need serious help. One of the patients who has since recovered from breast and lymph node cancer moved the audience with her powerful words. She said that after chemo her entire body was in pain and that there was no friend or loved one would could do anything for her, she only had herself. The fact that she could feel two hands on her body during a massage, or treat her pain with acupuncture, eat nutrient dense food as well as meditate was what got her through this time in her life.

The people in attendance where all like minded, positive and enthusiastic of things to come. The silent auction was AMAZING, with donations from Yoga studios, artists, jeweler's, gym's, spa's even ROCK CLIMBING and SURFING lesson's were up for grabs!!!!

I was honored to be a part of the first time event because it will surely be an annual one :) NEXT YEAR WE WILL BE DONATING TRAINING FROM OUR STUDIO!

As of late I have been very frustrated with my own training. I have given myself leeway with respect to my diet restrictions but enough is enough. Ever since I met and worked with Aaron Brooks of Perfect Postures I know what it is like to walk with a long even stride, what it feels like to engage and use my upper back, how to truly utilize my core throughout every movement. When you work hard to get somewhere and then suddenly its gone, its frustrating! I have not been blessed with perfect genetics and the ability to do anything at the drop of a hat (unlike some lucky bastards ;) I have had to teach myself and practice. AND if I don't keep up with it, it WILL DISAPPEAR.

Wednesday I had a turning point. I was contacted by yet another kettlebell enthusiast!!!!! This time was a little different... this particular gentleman was deaf and could not speak.

Admittedly I was little nervous. No make that SCARED. I am so dependent on speaking to my clients to explain things and communicate and NO I don't know sign language. The session turned out to be fascinating :))) We communicated on the office whiteboard for 30 minutes and and on pieces of paper throughout the workout. Sidenote: This gentleman has had a hip replacement as well as knee surgery and is just getting back into kettlebell training.

He loves the Bandit Loop's as well as the Ropes Gone Wild and is a follower of BOTH ART OF STRENGTH AND RKC...I LOVED IT!!!!
He expressed his admiration for Anthony Diluglio as well as his sister Staci, Andrea DuCane the kettlebell goddess herself, and STRONGWOMAN Stefanie Tropea :)))))
This gentleman toted around copies of Strength in Motion as well as 100 Kettlebell workouts from Dave Whitley.

The fact that this man has defied the odds and is so happy and into his training was such a reminder to me to BE THANKFUL EVERYDAY.
Ronnie will be in and around the gym until August so look for him!

No need to stay at home anymore ;)

Gluten-Free Menus on the Rise

More and more restaurants are offering gluten-free dishes like this pasta dish at LA's Hugo's.

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

When Tom Kaplan, owner of Hugo’s in Los Angeles, had a customer get sick after eating his white fish piccata, the seafood wasn’t to blame. It was the gluten in the bread-crumb coating that set off a week long bout of intestinal distress in the customer, who suffers from a genetically inherited, autoimmune disorder known as celiac disease.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It’s what gives bread its elasticity and structure. When people with celiac ingest gluten, it sets off an immune system response, which damages the villi of the small intestine. Once thought to be extremely rare, celiac is now believed to affect almost three million Americans, although up to 97% are undiagnosed. Eventually, it can lead to nutritional deficiencies, osteoporosis or gastrointestinal cancers. The disorder has no cure or treatment other than the elimination of gluten from the diet.

Gluten is ubiquitous in American cuisine – wheat flour is used as a thickener in sauces, a coating on meats and as an additive in soy sauce, salad dressings and even ketchup – and few restaurateurs have worked to offer alternatives on their menus.

But Kaplan is one of the happy exceptions: “The time seemed right to make a commitment to getting rid of all hidden glutens in our restaurant,” he recalls about his decision to develop an extensive, gluten-free menu at Hugo’s that includes french fries cooked in an uncontaminated fryer, and a variety of pancakes and desserts. Looking to replace the semolina pasta, his head chef came up with a recipe for vegan, gluten-free pasta made from rice, tapioca, and white and yellow corn flours.

Vanessa Matlin, Director of Programming for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, believes chefs shouldn’t view gluten-free cooking as a great challenge. “There are hundreds of ingredients that chefs can use in their dishes,” says Matlin. Her group provides training programs to help restaurants implement gluten-free practices in their kitchens, such as encouraging chefs to “store gluten-free ingredients above regular ingredients, use separate cutting boards and keep food prep areas clean.”

While restaurants that offer gluten-free options are usually conscious about avoiding contamination, in a hectic kitchen, things can happen. Someone who knows a thing or two about the risks this creates is Betty Alper, chef-owner of The Balanced Kitchen in Chicago, an entirely gluten-free, all-vegan restaurant (it’s currently doing catering and events only until it reopens in the eco-friendly business center Green Exchange this fall). A celiac herself, Alper says, “I’m really sensitive and always get sick when I eat out, so I don’t do it anymore."

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Ms. Alper experiments with different flours and oils to find combinations that approximate the taste and consistency of conventional baked goods. Her greatest successes have come from using brown rice flour, tapioca starch and various nut flours: “I made graham crackers the other day using teff, and I also made funnel cakes.”

Restaurants that serve only gluten-free fare are paradise for celiacs. However, many eateries find it more practical to offer both a gluten-free and a wheat-intensive menu, to suit both celiac customers and their gluten-loving companions.

At the regional Italian restaurant Rialto in Cambridge, chef-owner Jody Adams says, “We plan the menu so that all of the dishes will be adaptable in some way.” This includes ensuring that a dish contains no hidden glutens, and that any obvious ones (such as pasta or bread) can be easily omitted.

Opus in New York offers celiac diners a dozen pasta dishes made with corn-based penne or spaghetti, but non-celiacs can still order traditional, homemade pasta. Brothers Enzo and Giuseppe Lentini also serve an array of main plates, beers and desserts, half of which are gluten-free. “We do this for people who say they haven’t had a good pasta dish or a good cheesecake in years,” says Enzo.

– Liz Curry

Hold the Gluten, Bring on the Flavor

Nearly 1% of the U.S. population is allergic to gluten – that combo of proteins and starch found in foods such as breads, ice cream and ketchup (it’s often used as a stabilizer in the latter two items). Fortunately, a few local restaurants have started to pay attention to the growing number of guests in need of gluten-free options, offering special dishes and, in some cases, special menus.

Legal Sea Foods: The seafood chain that helped pioneer the removal of trans fats from menus long before it was a criminal offense has had a gluten-free menu for a few years. Options include items like Caesar salad with gluten-free croutons, mussels fra diavolo (sans linguine) and a special treatment of fried seafood, including calamari, dipped in egg wash and coated with cornmeal rather than the usual clam-fry mix. The menu is available in the upwards of 30 locations along the East Coast.

Marco Cucina Romana: At his North End Italian, Marc Orfaly is serving gluten-free pasta dishes like linguine and littleneck clams in garlic, white wine and capers, as well as bread crumbs made with rice flour, special desserts, bread and more. The gluten-free ingredients are kept in a separate area so there’s no cross-contamination, and are prepped and cooked separately.

Skipjack’s: This seafood staple is also getting ready to launch its own gluten-free menu, which will be available for perusal on its website by the end of the month. In the meantime, the staff has been trained to field requests and chefs will create gluten-free dishes.

UFood Grill: The healthy hamburger quick-serve restaurant, formerly known as Know-Fat, will customize gluten-free items upon request.

Burton’s Grill, The Elephant Walk, Rialto and Wagamama also all offer gluten-free dishes or appropriate substitutions.

Special Visitor

Last night Greg Pappas, fellow RKC and SOUTH BOSTON BADASS ;) came to check out my 7pm class. Greg is the RKC I spoke to when I decided to fly to California this year to get my butt kicked by Pavel and the crew.
Greg loved what Kevin and I are doing here at Punch and had some awesome compliments to throw our way. This meant a lot to me because Greg has owned his own business for a long time and been in the industry (almost as long as I've been alive :0) Also he has only seen me whip around the bells not actually instruct clients. I cannot say enough about the network of friends that Kevin and I have amassed since we started in the fitness biz.

Greg promises to return so keep your eye out for a tatooed and pierced Bostonite who loves to train WICKED HAAADSTYLE :)