Fatima Valeras

For many co-eds, summer break is about the three B’s: beach, bikini and beverages of the adult variety. For Kaley, however, it also meant taking time to reconsider what her fitness routine would look like, now that she is no longer a teenager nor under the watchful eye of her high school track coach. Enter three months of focused-training and our hitting the gym for an updated workout routine. One that was (a) repeatable for when she got back to school, and that, (b) complimented her athletic skills. The result was an amazing and hard-earned loss of 3% body fat; 5 lbs and 5 inches gone. More important “I got perspective to last a lifetime”

MEET TRISH. Unboxing strength, power and stretch — on her birthday!

GOT SANDWICH? 🥪

When unexpected events happen in life like the loss of your spouse, you find yourself mid-life, taking care of an eldering parent, and also, providing for the needs of your own children…it can be hard to get back on track with what matters (And no, I don’t mean the having the perfect BLT either). Working out in the gym with Fatima gave me the confidence that I needed to take a step, then another step and move forward with my life. If I wanted to feel good then I needed to take care of myself.
While not every day, I do practice better breathing more often than not, and I do things that challenge my balance so I don’t get hurt with the house stuff or when I’m on the go — welcome to 60 something! A year later, I have more energy and the desire to do more than ever before ~ CR

MEET AL

Playing golf has been a lifelong passion of mine since forever. At age 77, however, I had become acutely aware that I had lost flexibility over time and that my legs were getting weak underneath me.

My wife suggested I contact a personal trainer that she had known for a long time at the Las Vegas Athletic Clubs, Fatima Valeras. She had observed her working with all kinds of members throughout the years and was impressed with her helping them to achieve their fitness goals. It’s a testament to Fatima's professionalism that I felt heard and that I mattered whenever she adjusted a session to suit what I needed to workout (or work thru) on any given day.

I definitely enjoy the increase in my overall flexibility and the feeling that my legs are much stronger than when we first started. I also don’t give up so easily anymore on my physicality, especially when movements get a little tough or maybe just uncomfortable. I know my body, we adapt, and I've lost 8lbs! My golf buddies even tell me how much improvement they’ve seen in my swing ~ AA

Came here to eat, replenished my soul 🇮🇳

Dhanyavaad Mr. Phil 🙏🏻

When

ALTERNATIVES

Interestingly enough, water cooler conversation this week centered around the alternative coffees. One is a w**d, the other a fungus [appetizing already, right?]. DandyBlend claims benefits like liver detoxification, while Ryze aids in focus. Both delete the evils of caffeine which translates exactly as: What is the point? 😎

A) Dandelion herbal coffee instantly reminds me of my parent’s Sanka back in the day. Spooned into hot water the the look is the same, the flavor is similar and the taste is like most instant coffees, acceptable in a pinch. No, there’s no wafting aroma to lure you in, but it’s mild, no acid burn, and the cost is about $2.50/oz.

😎 Mushroom coffee — while not overtly offensive — made me believe I was about to down a gentle cocoa-type of coffee because that’s how it looked and smelled in the bag. It blended into hot water okay, colored sort of like a light roast and the taste, well, it left me reaching for a splash of oat milk to fully embrace the moment. Cost is about $9/oz.

Now don’t get me wrong, when in Turkey, I will sit down for a cup of turkish mud, yes sir. When at the local coffee roaster, I will pay respect to the bean. When choosing an alternative coffee substitute to reduce caffeine intake; reduce acrylamide exposure; reduce acidity down the GI tract and expand my horizons? I’d drink either and accept what it isn’t: Entertainment☕️🍄✌🏼

To CGM or to NOT CGM? That is the question.

Continuous Glucose Monitors have been on trend for more than a minute. You wear a patch with a tiny needle and prick just once, to measure your blood sugar. The accompanying app gives you information about how your body ‘unpacks’ the foods you eat or drink. This is different than menu tracking or even counting grams of sugar because to a CGM, “a calorie, is not a calorie”. It’s pay for play. Period.

Example: Eating fresh coconut meat does not register the same value on a CGM as dried coconut flakes or even a carton of coconut water. Each label reads two items — real coconut, no added sugars. The glucose score, however, depends on the fiber and how well your body tolerates the sweet. Less soluble + insoluble fiber means higher spikes in the numbers and at times, for longer periods 📈

Eating real foods — the stuff that’s alive and comes from the ground, that requires you to chew-it-up like whole fruits and vegetables or the stuff that chews what comes from the ground like grass fed meats, pasture eggs and wild fish — consistently supports lower average blood sugar and stabilizes mood. Bonus: You’ll eat + p**p like a champ 💩

Best results came in keeping a written journal while wearing the CGM, because it makes sense to recognize typical habits over time vs. one time events in how/when/what I ate. Did I chew the fruit salad or did I blend it into a smoothie? Was that a heavy lift day or did I short the sleep?? Were the bowels moving or stuck from too many convenience foods that day??? If I wrote it down, I knew what the CGM numbers meant for me. No guestimating. No real calorie counting, either.

I found that the more adulterated, packaged, pouched, refined, processed, or instantly gratifying the source (think: morning latte, afternoon soda, evening adult beverage, or after yoga coconut water, etc) = the noisier the app got with its alarms and notifications. It was an experience in gluttony or sloth. Ups and downs. Moment on the lips, lifetime on the hips. And who likes that?!

Thanks Dr. Tang 🧑🏻‍⚕️

Two years after total hip replacement and I never imagined that I would be able to consistently run again. Not to race, to medal, or get the t-shirt and much less to compete with anyone but myself. This month’s run calendar (like last month’s), however, reframes all of that noise and shuts.it.down. And, no, I don’t always want to run, and most days the stiffness sucks at the beginning, blah, blah, blah… 🐢🏃🏻‍♀️

Because today she gave back twice: Ran a 5k in the morning to raise money for the food bank and also, volunteered to serve dinner this evening for people in need

“If it wasn’t for my strength and conditioning routine, I would be using my LTC”

W.P.

HAPPY TRAILS 👩‍👧🚴🏻‍♀️🚂

Downhill speedy says: “Mom, you get me until 7:45am…” as if there was an option to blink her way ten miles uphill and back to bed 🤣

🏋️‍♀️🤠🤸‍♀️

Meet Paige: competitive cheerleader; effervescent teenager; and the first client to wear The 30lb Ruck for an entire workout session [ intended!]. Like many parents of active kids, Mom reached out for strength and conditioning in the gym to supplement what was being offered at school. Our goal was: a) to enhance her athleticism during season; b) prevent injury. Despite the nature of having to train hard enough to hold a 100 pound person in the air during a stunt, we also focused on the larger picture of creating an environment of joint stability and emotional resilience. Cue music because it was time to get UNCOMFORTABLE & GETAFTERIT. As a result, our fitness programming has gone so far beyond any one sport because she is stronger…beyond any one workout session because she uses her gym membership most days of the week...and such is life, beyond any one boy-that-is-a-friend because it is what it is! As her personal trainer, it is simply a pleasure to witness the embodiment of a true athlete. Paige had to endure an all-year season in a sport with inevitably lots of bumps, bruises and aches when physically and mentally, growth-was-happening and reorganizing, at well, the rate of a teenager. A year later and now retired from her organized sport, it is amazing to see what having a go-to habit like the gym can do for a young adult's self-esteem and who she is becoming as a person. Her discipline to follow-though on the the homework I assign when there aren’t necessarily team mates; and her delivery of straight A’s in school when college credits are already complete before senior year ARE NOT RANDOM. Paige earned all of it, in sweat. Period. Time to look cute in the outfit y’all!

These two foodies will walk 7M a day for matcha anything; Japanese sweet potatoes, okonomiyakis, wagyu beef, gyozas, yaki-guri and unagi onigiri (to name a few!) , , 🍵🥢🇯🇵🍙🥟🌰🍠⛩️🎂

“Chasing that which makes humans harder to kill…makes it easier…to live”.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover the author of perhaps the best story I’ve read in a recent years (think: Born to Run, Into the Wild), is a local from UNLV. Go Vegas!

The Comfort Crisis not only resonated with my understanding as to why exercise fails so many of us, it inspired this old-dog to learn a new trick.

Formula. 30lb ruck + Dog’s got to go out anyway = This is no longer a chore, but a daily lesson in resilience.

Thank you Professor Easter for curating a mecca of respected and highly relevant multi-hyphenates in an absolute pleasure of a read. Looking forward to your upcoming book in fall 2023.

**us

MEET MIKE 👨🏻‍⚕️
I am a registered nurse and I thought I knew everything about health. Because of the stress I'm getting from my work as well as juggling my family, studies and personal time, I forgot to eat healthy and exercise. Recent bloodwork revealed a 600 triglyceride and very high cholesterol levels. My doctor challenged me to shape up before he would give me meds to help fix this. He assumed that since I am nurse then I already knew what to do. Well, it took me roughly a month to figure out what my game plan would be: I decided a gym membership and that I’d train myself for weight loss! Eventually, however, plain laziness caught up with me so I need to find a way and some motivation to finally do it. I looked for a trainer to help me do this right and when I saw Fatima's profile, I knew instantly that she would be the right choice for me. She has the most comprehensive credentials I've ever seen among the trainers I looked for online. Her being an RN like me was a no-brainer. She uses all her background, knowledge and experience during each of our training sessions. Fatima is very detailed, explains the purpose of exercises we do, asks me what muscles are working to make sure we’re working the correct spots. She is always well prepared for our sessions and has a game plan on how we’re gonna get things done. Every session is different and I love that she gives me ‘homework’ to make sure I understood what she taught me in the previous session. I have a crazy schedule! And having Fatima oversee my meal plans and water intake is feedback I can use. I even attended one of her yoga classes as part of my workout and it really did wonders for me. She has changed my whole perspective of what fitness training is all about! After 3 months of working with her, I lost almost 20 lbs and became leaner. My triglyceride levels went down below 200 without any medications! Credit goes to Fatima. EmojiEmojiEmoji. Thank You. For me, Fatima Valeras is probably the best trainer here in Vegas. And I highly recommend her to be your fitness trainer. Thumbs up!

“Mind, body and spirit in harmony…That’s what makes Fatima Valeras special when it comes to training, discipline, and focus. Her efforts have allowed me to competitive and dedicated, even as I [bypass] 60 years of age. Still testing and pushing my limits”

With her trusty balaclava, we braved 60mph gusts for some fun in the snow — et pratiquer notre français — in the most European city in North America! 🛷⛸️☃️

Train, eat, SLEEP, repeat. It’s not just a logo on my Ta**us t-shirt and it may be what your workout program is missing says sleep guru and podcast favorite, Dr. Matthew Walker. After a deep dive into all the online content I could find — both for and against — as well as a through read of his book, I am convinced that getting less than 7-9 hrs of quality sleep per night is detrimental to the human health span. More important, it’s an awareness that I can’t honestly say has ever been covered in any of my fitness, yoga, massage therapy or nursing texts to this extent, ever, yet sleep is 1/3 of our existence! Witness the emotional liability in yourself, when we “drag" ourselves to the gym; when the morning cup of coffee “fails" to kick in; and when even the most disciplined of us eaters “stray". It’s not personal (whew!), but rather a biological/sociological fact: without a full spectrum of sleep negative.shift.happens. Thank you for your bravery, your charm and your message. It put me to Zzzzzz.

ANATOMY OF THE HIP REPLACEMENT

It’s been 4.5 months since I got my hip replaced, not repaired, not rehabbed but made bionic. I had been running 6-8 miles per day, hiked 16 weeks in a row to 10K ft in the summer of 2020, did yoga regularly, maintained a whole food, plant based diet and lifted weights several times per week. All occupational 'hazards’ as part of the 30 years I’ve habituated in the health and fitness industry. Enter studying for 6 hrs/day, 6wks straight for the nursing board exam, and literally, the day after the test I could not run up street (read: sitting + stress = blowout). I spent the good part of a year and a half doing everything I could to avoid the metal: two chiropractors; four orthopedics; one neurosurgeon; two injections; five massage therapists to include three rolfers; gyrotonics; an acupuncturist; ice/heat baths; an inversion table and swing; electrical stimulation; bands; balls; bikes; swimming; walking instead of running and more rest in-between. When I couldn’t even make it up the driveway at home, much less the stairs, I decided to forgo orthoscopy and even the promise of stem cells and get my hip replaced at age 48. Truthfully, the ball and socket were just worn out and I needed to accept that. The compensation patterns in my ankle and low back were suffering terribly. It sucked to get in/out of the car and tie my shoes, and my sleep was miserable. I spent two nights in the hospital after surgery, too medicated and broken to move without a walker and a trapeze. I left the hospital day three without medication and have done my own movement therapy for 1-3hrs/day, everyday, to get me where I am today. Today, I am hiking up to 8 miles, deadlifting 135lbs, on the stepmill for an hour, and taking on yoga shapes I haven’t been able to access in two years. Progress is 90%. To anyone considering hip replacement, best thing you can do is enter the process as healthy in your body and in your mind as you can be. Get with passionate professionals who have been there, done that, listen and care. And most important, be willing to student-up, because there WILL be homework.

MEET BOSTON 🐶

You know it’s gotten real-ish when even the inanimate in Vegas are sporting a mask. Even though I’ve seen this exhibit before down the street (and, yes, we have TWO bodies exhibits in Vegas because: why not?), leave it to the resiliency of this town and our peeps, to keep things moving, sprinkle a little light hearted self-edumacation and entice folks into coming back!