How to Eat and Train for a Lean, Chiseled Body

Everyday I observe people working hard to reach their fitness goals. However, most people do not have a clue as to how to go about doing so successfully, although they may think otherwise. Some people drink diet soda (and other “diet” products) and high protein shakes. Others take random multivitamins, drink Gatorade and only do “cardio” on a machine while totally avoiding resistance training. When I ask new clients many of them assure me they either eat healthy or that they have a good idea of what healthy eating is. When I ask them to tell me what they consider to be healthy eating, I immediately realize that about 98% of them have been tricked by the food industry or other pseudo scientific (so called) “holistic” health practitioners. This also holds true for what I observe people doing in the gym and outside in the park. If you have a specific fitness goal, no matter if it is one of aesthetics, health, performance or all of the above, your plan determines everything. What you eat and when, should coincide with your training program and both need to be carefully tailored to meet your goals. If one blindly works out and simply continues to do random exercises with no rhyme or reason behind it they find themselves incredibly frustrated and unmotivated by their lack of progress and achievement.

Muscle cells are very efficient at burning calories and fat. Fat cells are storage cells that specialize in storing fat, toxins and fat soluble vitamins. Thus, the more muscle you have the more calories you burn, which means your metabolism is sped up by an increase in muscle. The more muscle cells (lean body mass) one has the higher their caloric need. If you do not consume enough calories to maintain your muscle it will start metabolizing itself for nutrients and energy. Losing muscle through starvation and/or lack of calories will decrease your metabolism. You want to lose fat, not muscle. Strength training is the  most effective way to burn excess body fat and build lean body mass.

Macro-nutrients are composed of carbohydrates, protein, fat and water. Micro-nutrients are composed of vitamins and minerals. Our brains use carbohydrates in the form of glucose as its main source of fuel. Carbohydrates are also stored in the muscle as glycogen, and are utilized during strenuous exercise of any sort.  Our bodies and brain use carbohydrates as its main source of fuel. Therefore, eating a low carbohydrate diet will result in decreased mental and physical performance. Generally speaking, carbohydrates should make up at least 55% of all calories consumed each day. The exact amount of carbohydrates required on a daily basis can vary up to about 65% depending on their personal profile and activity level. The type of carbohydrate eaten is also critical to this equation. Humans should get most of their carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables and not wheat. Eating too much grain (especially wheat) can result in increased body fat storage and/or a less developed body.  Wheat and gluten sensitivity have been recently linked to several autoimmune diseases, joint and bone problems. Wheat is fed to commercially raised animals to fatten them up and it also makes them sick. The fiber in the fruits and vegetables prevent our blood sugar levels from rising too quickly. When there are more carbohydrates circulating in the blood than is needed at that particular time it goes directly into fat storage metabolism. This is one of the many reasons why it is important to avoid over consuming simple carbohydrates (such as high fructose corn syrup, juices from concentrate, pasta, sugar, white bread, white rice). If you do consume simple carbohydrates the best time to consume them is before and after workouts. You need carbohydrates before your workout because it fuels your muscles and metabolism thus resulting in increased strength and stamina. The more intense your workout, the higher your need for carbohydrates. Once your blood sugar is depleted your body then taps into your muscle glycogen stores (storage form of carbohydrates). In order to recover adequately from workouts your muscle glycogen must be restored or you will not have adequate fuel to get through your next workout. Carbohydrates are also necessary for the muscles to uptake protein.

When one engages in strength/resistance training (which includes, weight lifting, plyometrics & sprints) the muscle is torn apart. Muscle soreness & tightness is a result of ripped muscle fibers. If there is adequate protein present around the time of the muscle damage the muscle will build back stronger and bigger than it was before, that is the purpose of strength training.

The muscle must be supplied with appropriate amounts of high quality protein before and after strength training. Animal protein is the best for muscle building due to the abundance of branch chained amino acids. Branch chained amino acids are the best at increasing lean body mass and increasing post workout recovery. Most protein supplements are high in Whey Protein which can be found in milk. I recommend raw, grass fed (goat, cow, sheep or buffalo) milk from a local source.  Whey protein is the best for muscle building and recovery.  Biological studies show that our muscles uptake the protein in egg yolks better than any other protein. The protein in egg whites is not as bio-available as that in the egg yolk. The egg yolk is also rich in many vitamins and minerals including some of the B vitamins, Vitamin A, Iron and omega-3 fats. The cholesterol that naturally occurs in the eggs is used by the body to produce hormones (testosterone, estrogen, etc) and it is also stored in our brains.  Despite what most people believe, dietary cholesterol is different than elevated cholesterol levels in the body which the body produces when there is some sort of damage in the body.  The body produces HDL (High Density Lipids) and LDL (Low Density Lipid) cholesterol to repair damage. The HDL Cholesterol can be thought of as the ambulance that runs to your aid to pick you up and the LDL Cholesterol is the Ambulance once you have been dropped off.  If the eggs come from chickens that are un-caged, able to graze on the grass and bath in nature’s sunlight the yolks are usually orange and not yellow. This orange color is an indication that it is high in Vitamin A.  Grass fed eggs are also high in Omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fats are an essential fat that is vital for life and can only be obtained through food. Omega-3 fats actually help you to burn fat and decrease inflammation, which can occur after exercise.

We have about a 30 minute time frame before and after our workout to nourish our muscles with some carbohydrate and protein. You should not consume a huge meal but something small like a plain yogurt and fresh fruit, cottage cheese and fresh fruit.  If you do not eat yogurt or animal foods you can try hemp protein but soy protein should be avoided for many reasons that I will not get into here.

The RDA (recommended dietary allowance) for protein is 0.8g/kg of body weight for a non-active adult. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association endurance and power/strength athletes need about 1.5-2.0g of protein per kg of body weight. Roughly 65% of the protein consumed should be of high quality (eggs, fish, poultry, dairy). Individuals on a strict vegan diet may need as much as 2.0g of protein per kg of body weight.

It is also very important to make sure you are well hydrated. Hydration begins hours before the workout. You should be sipping water all day. If you are going to be working out and sweating for longer than an hour you will need more than just water to rehydrate yourself. If you sweat for longer than an hour they begin to lose electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, thus it then becomes necessary to rehydrate with a fluid that contains carbs and electrolytes. When you are in a state of dehydration water will not rehydrate you. The carbs and electrolytes are needed to bring the water back into the muscle cells. So called “sports drinks” are not the best option for pre/post workout hydration because they are loaded with high fructose corn syrup, expeller pressed oils  and artificial food colorings. Coconut water, watermelon juice and fresh squeezed apple juice are all great sources of potassium and are alkaline.  I don’t usually recommend Orange Juice due to its acidity level and ratio of carbs/sugars to potassium. However, You can try a mixture of 100% pure fresh squeezed orange juice and mineral water diluted half and half. You should sip on this mixture during the workout and after so that you may maintain your blood sugar levels. All fruits and veggies have potassium and carbs but tomatoes, avocado, bananas, apples, watermelon & coconut water are a few that are especially high.  Potassium has also been shown to decrease muscle soreness the next day.

In order to make your muscles grow stronger, tighter & thicker you must train them hard enough to tear them apart and eat accordingly. When weightlifting if you can do more than 15 reps of a certain exercise then the resistance is not heavy enough to increase your strength, bone density or muscle tightness and thickness. Generally speaking you should choose a weight that fatigues you in between 8 and 15 reps.  If you lift a weight that is so heavy that you can not exceed 3-5 reps it will not change your look but it will make you stronger. You know when you are fatigued when you can no longer complete another rep with proper form. Fatigue is not when the burn gets to you mentally, at that point it is important to focus on your breathing even more.  Breathing gets you through everything.  When you start compensating your form, it is time to stop. Remember, quality is more important than quantity. When you participate in weight training your muscles are being broken down and torn apart. If you do not supply your muscles with the right amount of carbohydrates and protein your muscles will not have what they need to rebuild and will lead to excess muscle breakdown. It must not be forgotten that rest and recovery is just as important as training. Do not work the same muscles two consecutive days, make sure you get enough sleep and keep your stress levels down.

                                                                                                      - Makeda Voletta, CSCS

A freelance fitness/swimsuit and fine art model, Makeda Voletta is a trained and professional dancer in a variety of dance styles from the Caribbean, South America, North America and Africa. She is a dedicated student of the body and all of the methods involved with bringing the body to it’s highest level. Makeda has a B.S. in Exercise and Sports Science with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning and a minor in Nutrition. Having completed two years of graduate work at Columbia University in Applied Physiology and Nutrition as well as plenty of self study, Makeda is a self-proclaimed body science nerd.

Every Woman Should have a Relationship with the Cosmic Yoni Egg

This is a quick little video where I am giving a very brief intro about the various uses of the Cosmic Yoni Egg and why every woman should use it. I did this video myself, so my head is cut off for part of the video...it's nothing fancy. Just want to get the info out. There is SO much to say about the Cosmic (Yoni) Egg. I have radio shows where I am talking about it for two hours and in my workshops I often spend 2hrs talking about it. So this is a very brief intro. For more, check out one of my classes...and look out for my book. CD and DVD that is coming soon.

The Cosmic Egg, Serpent and the Enlightening Orgasm

Sexual energy is our creative and vital life force energy. The health of our internal organs is a direct reflection of the potency of our sexual chi. This is why cultivating our sexual energy is so vital for our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health. All indigenous people had sacred sexual practices; however, the most well known are the Taoist practices from China and Tantra from India. Both have divine feminine roots. They ascend from the darkness. It is impossible to separate sacred sexuality and the Goddess. Throughout many ancient traditions you will find the serpent, the bird and the egg. The egg and the serpent are symbols of female sexual energy, (re)birth, resurrection, and the divine feminine circular eggs and spiritual spirals of the Goddess.
It is in the lower self where the kundalini serpent (jing) resides. The kundalini serpent wraps around the cosmic egg and devours it. The egg arouses the serpent to replicate in two and uncoil up the tree of life (our spine) up into our pineal gland (third eye) which leads us to higher levels of enlightenment. We can also bring it up to the crown chakra so it may combine with “shen” our spiritual energy and can then be brought down to our womb space (right under our navel) and stored as chi (our vital life force energy).

The divine twin serpents represent the unity of two. The twin serpents represent duality and the double helix of DNA. Hence, we see on the symbol used by the medical community, the dual serpent rising up the spine where it is joined by wings. This symbol represents healing. From the elevation of the twin serpents, comes the all seeing bird that flies high. The snake(s) inform the Goddess of the underworld. The Bird informs the Goddess of the Upper world. Don’t underestimate the lower chakras or the flesh. Heat rises. So the power and enlightenment in the crown is depending on its foundation. The foundation feeds the crown.

If we look throughout the world, nudity, owls, cats, snakes, darkness, menstrual blood and sexuality are considered to be “evil”. People are afraid of the dark side. This fear has been embedded in the vaginal walls, wombs, breasts and minds of women all over the world. Many women verbally and violently express extreme hate for their menstrual cycles and will go to great lengths to not have one. Many women speak so negatively about our moon cycles and have never been introduced to the powers inherent in our moon time (menstrual) blood. During our menstrual cycles that is when we are the closest to spirit. It should always be a time of retreat, relaxation, meditation, creation and destruction. It is time for us to divine and receive divine messages from the Goddesses and our ancestors. It is a time for us to conduct rituals with other women who are close to us who are also bleeding at the same time. Our moon time is our most powerful tome, spiritually. This is the reason why a menopausal woman becomes wiser. She maintains her wise red fluid inside of her, to only be transformed into deeper layers of wisdom. Women should not be experiencing super long or super heavy menstrual flows or be in excruciating pain. If we do feel these things it is symbolic of something highly toxic in our diet and/or life. It is also linked to past traumatic issues and weak vaginal muscles.

In the powerful book, “The Great Cosmic Mother – Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth”, authors Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor write,

“ The biblical myth of Eve and Adam and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden is another tale of the separation of the female from the male, at Yahweh’s command. According to Hebrew and Christian teachings, Eve-the “first woman” –is the cause of the “fall” of humanity from paradise into earthly suffering. She is the source of the “Original Sin”.

In Genesis all recognizable elements of the much more ancient Mother Goddess myth, symbol, and ritual are present. Here is the Garden of the Goddess and her wise cosmic serpent, the tree of knowledge with its dark soma fruit, the fig of the Cretan Goddess-which became, for Westerners, the magic apple of the European “White Goddess.” Here also is a strong trace of Near Eastern creation mythology, which tells how the Great Mother shaped the first human beings from earth dust and her own saliva and breathed her breath of life into them. Eve means “life”, and Eve is called the Mother –of-All-Living. Adam means “son of the red Mother Earth.” These legends, these creation myths, go back thousands of years before the Hebrew patriarchs wrote the Bible.

But in Genesis, it is a Father God who creates all life. And the first woman is born from a man’s body. A very interesting biological reversal! In this opening book of the Bible, this historic-political ideology of the patriarchs is clearly stated: The new male God forbids Adam and Eve to participate in the sacred mystery rites of the Great Goddess. They may not eat of her fruit and gain transcendent knowledge. Of course, Eve, who was the priestess of the Goddess, disobeyed Yahweh’s command. She tries, with the magic aid of her serpent, to persuade Adam to partake with her the narcotic fruit and sexual rites leading to ecstatic illumination and rebirth in the Goddess’s Garden of Immortality. And this is “Original Sin” in the established doctrines of the Hebrew and Christian religions.

Lilth, in Hebrew legend, was the rebellious woman created before Eve. She was portrayed as part snake and wearing wings-“the winding serpent who was Lilith”-and was blamed by Yahweh for having tempted Eve to reveal and initiate Adam into the mysteries of the garden. Lilith represented the ancient Canaanite worship of Astarte-Asherah, and also Ishtar of Babylon. Her relation to the very old Snake-and Bird Goddess is obvious, and her rebellious naughty mysteries were those of yoga, of kundalini and spinal illumination (mysteries and techniques indigenous to the Near East, as well as to Europe and India, until the Hebrew patriarchs set out to censor them). Far into medieval European Christian imagery, the serpent in paradise is pictured with a woman’s head and breasts.

Significantly, Eve’s punishment for her “sin” consists of patriarchal marriage. Her desire must be only for her husband, she must leave her Garden and follow him over the barren male-ordered earth, condemned to unwanted pregnancies and painful childbirth. In other words, patrilocal marriage, in which she is isolated from her women’s collective and deprived of her ancient knowledge of herbal contraception and narcotics used for painless labor. She is no longer priestess and midwife to the Goddess. She will now bear children bitterly and they will “belong” to the man. She must also passively male love to Adam on her back, he enacting as the male Sky Father over her meek female Earth. She must play the role of “corrupt matter” chained to a husband forever striving to “free” his immortal spirit from her.”

The Goddess and her Garden are more ancient than the bible. The Goddess and her abundance of succulent fruit (symbols of female sex organs) was turned into the “evil temptress.” The world’s main religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, guided by patriarchal ideology, are highly responsible for drilling the idea that sex and sexual desire is sinful into the minds and laws of practically every nation of people. To deny your lower chakras is to deny your roots. It is to disconnect from your source of life. It is to cut off your divine connection to your mother, the darkness, the divine feminine. Sexuality is certainly divine. Sexual energy is spiritual energy and the flesh is sacred. To deny our physical flesh and deep, dark center is to deny ourselves. The laws of physics demonstrate that the farther we are away from our center the more off balance we become. In order to remain balanced as we walk across the tight rope called “life”, we must connect to and strengthen our center. That is where we access the truth, our ancestors and our strength. It is vitally important for all of the muscles in our body to be strong and tight. Despite this fact, most people do not think of strengthening the muscles that support their reproductive organs. Pelvic Prolapse is a condition in which one’s internal organs begin to sag and fall down into the pelvic and urogenital diaphragms. While this complication occurs in both men and women, this article will focus on women. Pelvic Prolapse is a serious condition that can cause pain during sexual intercourse, problems urinating, chronic constipation, back pain and tissue bulging through the vagina. Becoming a common occurrence in much of the world. Giving birth vaginally takes incredible strength and coordination of all of the core muscles. It is important for women to know that they are able to give birth vaginally to all of their children without having this situation occur. However, just as an athlete trains before competing, it is important for women to train for giving birth. It is important to note that women who have not given birth can also develop this condition if they do not put in any work to strengthen those muscles. Over time, all muscles weaken and atrophy if stress is not put on them.
Many women have heard of Kegel exercises but that is analogous to doing bicep curls with the air. In order to for our muscles strong and tight, we must put stress on them. There is a long documented legacy of vaginal strength training and vaginal weightlifting in ancient China. The royal women in China used a Jade Egg several thousand years ago as a way to strengthen and control their vaginal muscles. Remember, it is one thing to have strong muscles and another thing to have superb control over them. The Jade Egg is an egg made from the Jade stone. It works by inserting it into our vaginal canal and learning to manipulate it in a variety of ways. We can eventually learn to pull the egg up and down, side to side, squeeze it, twirl it, flip it, and everything in between. Our vaginal canal is one huge muscle so over time, the use of the Jade Egg makes our vaginal walls wetter, thicker, stronger and tighter. The added benefit is the fact that manipulating, squeezing, tugging and focusing on the Jade Egg enables us let the egg increases our sensitivity and transforms negative energy. All of these intense, focused contractions build a lot of sexual energy our clitoral and genital region. Thus, it is analogous to starting a fire. It causes our libido to rise and so will the intensity of our orgasms. As women, it is vital to have frequent and deeply intense orgasms because it helps us to increase our estrogen and shorten our menstrual cycle. The more that we are in a moist, aroused state, the more enjoyable our menstrual cycle becomes. Another added benefit is being able to hypnotize your partner with your vaginal dexterity. During sexual interactions your partner can certainly feel the contractions and it is extremely also pleasurable for him (or her).

Jade is believed to stimulate white blood cells. Jade opens up the heart chakra to love energy. Jade is a good luck stone that helps facilitate prosperity, deep wisdom, compassion, peace, balancing of male and female energies, courage, wisdom, justice, stamina, love, fidelity, humility, generosity. It is associated with the astrological signs of Libra, Aries, Gemini and Taurus and it vibrates to the number eleven. The element associated with Jade is water. In all of the sacred sexual practices I have studied, female sexual energy is considered to be water and male sexual energy is fire. This is why it is so important for women to orgasm often and to be wet often. It is not in anyone’s best interest to let the rivers run dry. Female sexual energy is associated with water because it takes a little bit of time to get to its boiling point. Work must be put in to make the molecules go crazy and thus turn into vapor. Male sexual energy is analogous to fire because it is quick to get hot and quick to burn out. Since men are visual creatures they can get incredibly aroused just at the sight of someone they find attractive. But it makes sense because men are programmed to spread their seed and women are programmed to be selective.

Black Jade enhances expressiveness, intelligence and perception. It is thought to be a magic stone by the Mayan and Aztec cultures. It is used to treat disorders of the Reproductive Organs. Many women store trauma in their womb space and their vaginal canal. It is important for women to heal these issues before giving birth, because the baby will grow in the womb and come into the world via the vaginal canal. The new born baby can then pick up all sorts of imbalances and trauma that the mother never dealt with. The Jade Egg also helps to calm the nerves because it stimulates all of the reflexology points in the vagina, which in turn help to balance the meridians associated with all of the body’s organs. And my favorite thing about the Jade Egg is that it makes a woman more sensitive and more orgasmic. Women have more than one G-spot. We have many, and you will discover them once you start working with the ancient cosmic egg.
By: Makeda Voletta
A freelance fitness/swimsuit and fine art model, Makeda Voletta is a trained and professional dancer in a variety of dance styles from the Carribean, South America, North America and Africa. She is a dedicated student of the body and all of the methods involved with bringing the body to it’s highest level. Makeda has a B.S. in Exercise and Sports Science with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning and a minor in Nutrition. Having completed two years of graduate work at Columbia University in Applied Physiology and Nutrition as well as plenty of self study, Makeda is a self-proclaimed body science nerd. Along with finding gems of her knowledge and captures of her beauty here, you can find