Move your body: Official Videoclip

I want to share with you my third music video of the song «Move your body». I had so much fun shooting it because I was between friends and we didn’t stop laughing.

I wanted this video to have a fun twist and we came up with a nice idea. Let me tell you I obviously didn’t have any experience in pole dancing and I truly admire anyone who does. (I had bruises everywhere).

This music video was shot in 2011. Just a fun fact: my boyfriend is the «Mafia guy» (he was more than happy to be between the two gorgeous models.)

Here I present you the video and the behind the scenes too. Hope you guys like it.

The secret garden: how I keep my plants alive

My mom has an incredible green thumb. In the other hand, I used to kill even a dead plant. I love plants but there was a time in my life that I couldn’t keep them alive. Until I moved into our apartment and found my new favorite place: the balcony. This space was destined to be my little garden.

When we first got into the apartment, everything was empty except for a pot with soil that had only two brown stems. I thought it was going straight to the garbage until I moved it and a stem broke uncovering a green piece. I put it in the balcony and hoped for a miracle. I decide to re-pot and water it. I found myself secretly hoping to recover this anonymous plant.

Two weeks passed by and not a sign of life in there. It was really depressing looking at the empty balcony with only an almost-dead plant. I was almost ready to throw it away but when I got a closer look a small leaf was coming out of the broken stem. Bingo.

Let me tell you that this miracle plant survived and with time it bloomed with incredible colored leaves. From there on I started to pay more attention to plants and nowadays I’m proud to say I have my small garden. (Yes, almost three years and they are still alive).

To the left my small Pine and to the right my miracle plant that I found out is called Croton Plant. I water them two times a week and keep their soil moist. My mom taught me a little secret: put some ice once every two weeks in the pine’s soil. It keeps it nice and happy.

This is my succulent spot. I have different kinds. They don’t like a lot of direct sunlight and they need little watering. I water them two times a week, waiting for the soil to get dry between watering. It is very important for this plants to have drainage under the pot because if not they will have a short life.

The same goes for the cacti. No direct sunlight and little water.

I have a hard time with flower-plants, also called «gift plants». They seem to be very difficult to keep alive but this one has been here for a year and it’s holding on.

I recently bought this Bromeliad and loved it. I water it once a week and spray it with water twice a week.

These are some of my indoor plants. This guy here is my snake plant. I have more all over the apartment. You can neglect this fellows as long as you wish and they will still be happy. Water two times a week and wait for the soil to dry between watering. It also purifies the air and looks pretty, so that is a double plus.

And finally the Aloe Vera. Water once a week and tons of light.

 

Do you guys have indoor plants? What is your favorite?

White manicure inspiration

There was a time were my nails were usually painted burgundy, in a french manicure, or from time to time red.

When neon colors started to pop on runways and salons it was love at first sight but I have to admit that white was always a classic.

I am having an affair with chalk-white polish right now and this is my inspiration for this week:

Here are 27 interesting nail hacks for the DIY manicure.

Good morning sunshine: Breakfast Omelette

Having this omelet for breakfast guarantees you a share of protein and veggies. I usually use one whole egg and two egg whites but sometimes it’s ok to mix it up and use the whole three eggs.

I’s easy, fast, and yummy. Feel free to make it for lunch or dinner ( I made this tutorial last night and my boyfriend had it for dinner. I’m proud to say he loved it. At least that’s what he told me.)

Ingredients:

– 3 eggs

– 1\2 cup chopped spinach

– 2 tablespoons chopped red peppers

– 1 tablespoon chopped onions

– 1 tablespoon chopped tomato

– 2 teaspoons olive oil

– Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) In a small frying pan, pour 1 teaspoon olive oil and sauté the pepper and onion for approx. 2 min. Then add the spinach and tomato and sauté for another 2 min.

2) Whisk the eggs and add salt.

3) In a medium pan, pour the remaining olive oil and wait until the pan is hot. Pour the eggs and decrease the flame. When you see that the borders of the omelet start to detach from the pan, add your veggies on the half of the omelet as shown above:

4) Close is in a half-moon. (Be really gentle here, this is the tricky part.) Cook for 2 minutes and serve hot. (I like to sprinkle mine with a pinch of pepper.)

Enjoy! 

The silent killer: how I quit smoking.

I started smoking at 16. No body forced me, no one offered it to me. I just thought it looked glamorous and it would make me look like an adult. Time passed and this trend became addictive. I started to smoke more at home and when I bought my first pack of cigarettes I felt that I was in the reign of adulthood.

Back then, I was a full-time ballet student and I was planning on making it my long-term career. Rehearsals were getting more arduous and I was getting out of breath more quickly. I smelled like an ashtray and had to constantly wash my hair, my teeth and my hands. Sure, pretty glamorous.

I have an early memory when my mom used to smoke in airplanes.The thought just makes me cringe. All that smoke trapped in an pressured aircraft. I tried to quit smoking 3 times and fell in this cycle for a long time.

Then I realized I had to be patient with myself. It doesn’t matter if you have to start over a thousand times. What it matters is that you are determined and have started in the first place.

1) Know what works for you.

I always did it cold-turkey. That doesn’t work for me. I am an obsessive-compulsive person and if I make a big change I tend to get anxious. So I took it one day at a time. Yes, like an addict.

2) Instead of no smoking at all, try decreasing the amount.

I smoked 30 cigarettes a day. I made sure to write it down. I started to count my cigarettes. For 1 month I limited myself to 20 cigarettes a day. For the next month 15, then each month I would subtract 5. When I reached the final number I smoked 3 a day for a week until my body started to need them less.

3) Dont worry about the weight.

The infamous quote: «I don’t want to stop smoking because I will gain some pounds». Well how did you lose those pounds in the first place? You will get anxious but you have to get it together. Your mind is stronger than your urge.

4) Try some exercise to drain the anxiety.

I started doing yoga while I was «quitting». It helped me focus on my health instead of smoking. I was more calm and more focused. I did notice that I was not getting out of breath while running.

5) Dont tell yourself «never again».

This may sound a little controversial but has worked for me for 6 years. I don’t tell myself «I will never smoke again». My mind simply does not process the «never again» fact. I just take it one day at a time. I tell myself in the morning «today I wont smoke, maybe tomorrow, but not today». Yes, I do this everyday and I’m feeling wonderful.

You know what is really glamorous? White teeth, amazing breath and a healthy body.

Dance me to the end of love: Ballet Photoshoot

When I heard this song for the first time I smiled. I loved the phrase «dance me to the end of love». The original song is from Leonard Cohen but I loved Madeleine Peroux version.

This photoshoot was my first of many photoshoots with my friend Jose Joaquin Figueroa. He was doing a project and we got inspired by dance. Here are some of my favorites.

Lets make it: DIY Tin Planter

This tin box was lying around the apartment. It was a protective box that came with a watch. I adore boxes but my collection has become somehow overwhelming.

After I saw this on Apartment Therapy and I got inspired.

I rescued a lonely succulent from my balcony and plant it in this little square. I used the top of the box as I drainage plate. Yup, that simple. am I a genius or what?

One important thing: nail holes in the bottom of your tin because if you don’t, you plant will have a short life. 

1) Hammer

2) Nail

3) A tin box (you can also use tin cans)

4) A succulent (cacti work perfectly too)

Instructions:

1) Nail holes in you tin.

2) Plant your succulent.

3) Put it a nice, sunny spot.

 

 

Hear me roar: leopard print

Prints can get tacky if you don’t wear them wisely. Sometimes they can even look cheap. Certainly you don’t have to spend thousands for a nice piece but you do have to be selective. I love how this print can be mixed with red, emerald-green and the classic black. My inspiration for this week is leopard print.

1) Airy jungle shirt

2) Safari ballet flats

3) Love the cut in this dress

4) Casual romper

5) Makeup pouch

Do you guys like to wear animal prints or just stick to the basics?

Mix it up: side salad

Salads often are a great dilemma for me. I wash my greens, toss them in a bowl and that’s it. Normally I open my fridge, grab some vegetables and mix them up.

Well let me tell you that sometimes I find myself with no inspiration at all and the mix gets repetitive.

So here I present you an easy side salad I made today for lunch to break the daily routine.

Ingredients:

-6 big leaves of lettuce (choose the one you like the most)

– A handful arugula

– 3 small leaves of red radicchio

– 1 1/2 tomatoes

– 1 cucumber

– 1 small onion

– 3 mushrooms

– 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

– 2 tablespoons olive oil

– Pinch of salt

-1/2 lemon

Instructions:

1) Cut all ingredients. (I like to cut my green with my hands because sometimes the knife makes them soggy.)

2) In a small pan roast the sesame seeds until they become golden.(That my friend brings out the real sesame flavor.) Toss the vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle them with you roasted sesame seeds.

3) Squeeze the lemon and add the olive oil and salt.

 

Fantastic right?

How to stick to your workout routine

There is a little magic trick that boosts your energy, promotes better sleep, controls weight, prevents high blood pressure and improves your mood. You got it: exercise.

To have a healthy lifestyle and feel good you need physical activity. Since a teenager I tried all kinds of activities. I did ballet, I ran, I loved yoga, pilates and all kinds of dancing. When I had the time I went swimming and sporadically I did some spinning. Obviously all these were in different points of my life but nowadays I still like doing my ballet barre, yoga and running.

What I noticed is that with time I lost interest and simply stopped and started another practice. What I also learned was that perseverance brought endurance and endurance brought a life full of vitality.

Here are 5 tips to stick to your workout:

1) Get organized.

Write it down. Make a workout calendar. Don’t give me the excuse «I don’t have time». As I wrote in another post, an hour is just 4% of your day. So instead of hitting the couch of watching TV go for a walk. Remember to include in your calendar «rest days».  Don’t get burned out because you’ll end up quitting soon enough.

2) Choose an achievable goal.

Long time ago I used to set goals so high that I ended up giving up, frustrated and really pissed. I used to have this unrealistic goals: lose 20 pounds in 30 days, exercise for 2 hours 7 times a week, swim for 1 hour, hit the gym and then have a 2 hour ballet class. Realistic? No. Crazy? Probably. So choose one goal at a time and strive to achieve it. Make your workout all about being healthy and stop «punishing your body» with crazy goals.

3) Make it interesting.

Come on, don’t expect any changes if you are doing the same thing every time. If you want different results then try to change the exercise. If not it gets really really boring. I like to mix my week with yoga, running, ballet barre and sometimes I just walk. Try something new and switch from time to time.

4) Stop beating yourself up.

So here is the deal: you have started a thousand times a workout plan, an exercise resolution or a cardio class, just to drop it a month later. Its ok. We have all been there and done that. Your body is not the one giving up. Your mind plays a main role here. Get determined and remember why you started in the first place. Don’t forget the famous quote «the body achieves what the mind believes».

5) Remember that everybody has limits.

If your neighbor does 4 hours of cardio and 45 min of strength training everyday, it doesn’t mean you have to do that too. (Let me tell you that he might be a little obsessed or probably crazy). Talk to your doctor, a specialist or a trainer before starting any arduous activity. Do not push yourself to the limit because you’ll end up injured. Take care of yourself and have patience.

So, what are you waiting for? Get you butt off that chair, find yourself a physical activity that you like and get your heart pumping! You’ll thank me later…

Happy Valentines Day

I know some of you out there like Valentine’s Day and some of you don’t. There is no right or wrong. I just want to remind you that any day is a special day to show your loved ones how much you appreciate them. No holiday needed. (Chocolates and flowers are welcomed all year-long.)

Also remember to love yourself because you are special and pretty wonderful.

I wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day and a lovely weekend.

Table for two: purple inspiration

Let’s be honest: Valentine’s Day can be chaotic when it comes to dinning out. In the last couple of years my boyfriend and I have come to the conclusion that making a special dinner at home can be as romantic and as fun as going out.

I love eating in our small balcony and I always try to make it as special as I can. When I saw this cheat sheet I decided to give the «dinner set» a go with my own variations. I got inspired by purple this year after bumping into this picture on Pinterest.

I gave it a small touch of purple and white

You can use this for any occasion. You can also swap the purple for any other color or simply go with the classic red and pink for Valentine’s Day.

Sometimes the small details can make a big difference.

Have a wonderful day!