Yesterday was Valentine's day. The much loved day of flowers, chocolates, and romantic dinner by candlelight. However, much of my day I spent thirsty, hungry and strained. Yesterday I took new fitness photos. Glad to be done, can't wait to post and share. I have so much respect for models, who make a living by standing under lights, trying not to sweat off all the makeup, while posing, holding your body in just the right way to flatter your assets, while still looking relaxed and comfortable. Anyway, for me the hardest part of a photo shoot is the months leading up to that day. Having to consistently put down the fork when I'm full and not when the plate is empty, turning down dessert, not buying candy in the subway, motivating to run outside when my breath is fogging in the air... it goes on and on, endless small decisions that all contribute to tighter abs and thinner thighs for one day (keeping in mind that a picture lasts a VERY long time)!! The other challenge you run into when aiming for fitness perfection is that there is no one book, or person, or plan you can just follow. Everyone has different bodies and will run into different challenges along the way. So it's just doing it, eating right, working out hard and figuring out what works and what doesn't for you.

I've found what I think works the best for the last week before, and this could be for any occasion, wearing a sexy dress, being at the beach, class reunion, any specific day that you want to look your "skinniest". So my shoot was on a Sunday, which meant last week on Monday I really started to pay attention to what I did w my body. Cardio is very important in the last 7 days. When it was possible I did twice a day, lots of running and lots of hot yoga. I made sure to always be drinking water, and drank a detox tea twice a day. I feel that on the day, you want to have as little extra baggage in your body as possible, so I try to keep everything moving through. You play a trick on your body, keeping it as hydrated as possible gives it a confidence that means it will hold onto less extra water bloating. I stopped drinking water except for small sips here and there on Saturday afternoon. Being dehydrated, however unhealthy, will make for better muscle definition. Just start drinking again as soon as your done!! Also, it helps me to play around w carbs on the past 4 days. Two low carb days and then two high carb days works best for me. I did a light jog the morning of just to sweat out the last bit of water. Sounds like fun? It's not. So I won't really recommend it. Anyway, I think I found the true secret to photographing well. Your inner beauty. It's shines through no water what is going on with your physical self!!