Miami Women-Only Fitness Bootcamp

…and it’s not for Independence Day!

Help us congratulate Ms. Cristina on her superb fitness journey! Mother of 3, Nurse Practitioner and amazing athlete – she makes it all look easy!

1. Age: 36

2. Profession: Family Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner

3. When did you first start training at WOFB and how did you find out about us? My great friend Cathy Patiño referred me to WOFB while she was experiencing a positive transformation in herself. I first started with WOFB November 2019. It has been become a lifestyle I can’t imagine not having.

4. Tell us about your sports & fitness background: Starting in elementary school, I have always been physically active and have played a wide array of sports growing up like soccer, softball, volleyball, cheerleading, flag football, and for the most part dedicated to Cross Country and Track and Field all throughout high school. Fitness has always been a big interest of mine, but I found myself gym hopping, in and out gyms like L.A. Fitness with little motivation to attend and no mental or physical results. Then I found my niche at WOFB and I will forever be growing and grateful!

5. Favorite Exercise (or type of workout): My favorite day is LEG DAY! I really enjoy step ups with the box and hamstring curls

6. Least Favorite Exercise: My absolute least favorite exercise are pull-ups hanging from the bars

7. What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and overall fitness since starting WOFB? I have seen so much positive change in my body figure! My muscles have become defined, lost my love handles, and can now see arm muscles I didn’t know I had! My mental health has grown stronger and more determined that I can circum anything if I put my mind to it. Thank you WOFB for such encouraging women and coaches. I am so blessed to be a part of this beautiful family! Thank you!!

AND a SPECIAL THANK YOU to Miami’s own EL TORO LOCO CHURRASCARIA

The owner and his sister are students here and they have generously donated $50 gift cards to our members who earn STUDENT OF THE MONTH. Their menu and quality of food speak volumes – they started out as a food truck and have grown to one of the hottest spots in Miami! Check out their website https://eltorolocochurrascaria.com/ and social media, @eltorolocochurrascaria.

I love red watermelon, and of course, the juicier and sweeter, the better. I find myself buying the pre-cut version because I struggle with knowing how to pick a good watermelon. After some research, here’s what I found:

THINK 5 S

1. Skin
2. Stem
3. Spot
4. Sound
5. Scale
   
   
   

1. S is for SKIN.
   Look for scars. This is evidence that insects have attempted to steal some of its yumminess. Also, look for a dull or matte looking watermelon skin rather than a shiny one which can mean that it isn’t fully ripe yet.

2. S for STEM
Check the watermelon stem to see if it was allowed to ripen long enough. A green stem like the one on the left means that the watermelon was picked too early.

Look for a brown watermelon stem like the photo on the right.

3. S for SPOT

The watermelon spot is the place where the watermelon sat and ripened on the ground under the sun in the field. Look for a watermelon with a creamy yellow spot.

If there isn’t a spot, skip that watermelon. If the watermelon spot is white like the photo of the watermelon on the left, it wasn’t allowed to fully ripen. Choose the one with a yellow spot like the one in the photo on the right.

4. S is for SOUND

Another indication of a ripe watermelon is a hollow sound when you knock or tap on the watermelon. If you hear a ping when you tap, the watermelon isn’t ripe enough yet.

5. S is for SCALE

For the juiciest watermelon, you’ll want to choose one that is heavy for its size. Find two watermelons that are similar in size and compare the two. The heavier one has more liquid inside.

Of course, a larger watermelon will weigh more than a smaller one so compare two that are about the same size.

Bonus Watermelon S’s

Symmetry: Pick a watermelon that looks symmetrical meaning it is an oval or circle without any oddness to the shape.

Softness: Gently press on the watermelon to check for softness. A good watermelon should be firm, not soft.

Seeds: Check the sticker on the watermelon to see if it has seeds or is seedless. Both are good but make sure you check so that you are getting the kind you want.

If anyone out there loves sweets as much as I do, then you understand how challenging it is to give up sugar!  Besides the fact that it’s everywhere, it’s also hiding in places we least expect (sauces, dips, bread, milk, etc), so be sure to CHECK YOUR LABELS!

Furthermore, there’s no denying that we all get sugar cravings every now and then, and some more than others.  So what is a girl to do when she is trying to eat right AND keep her sweet tooth in check?!

Here are 3 ways I’ve learned to help curb the cravings when they rear their ugly heads:

1 – CINNAMON ….  Yes, I sprinkle it everywhere!  I usually turn to coffee when I get hungry (but it’s not time to eat), and I sprinkle some cinnamon in my coffee.  Works wonders.

2 – GUM OR MINTS…OR BOTH!  And I don’t mean the sugar-free kind either!  Well, sometimes you just have to give in and have the sugar….but not too much of it.  I keep a little box of Tic Tacs handy and that helps – plus it freshens my breath!

3 –  POPSICLES – Again, sometimes you just need the sugar, and a little bit will do.  I don’t usually buy anything that is artificially sweetened, but if you don’t mind it, even better for your calorie count.  One of these popsicles is 40 calories.  If you opt for the sugar-free kind, it’s only 15 calories per serving.

July is around the corner, and we kick off my favorite month with INDEPENDENCE DAY!

MONDAY, JULY 5th (observed) we will have 1 workout at 10am to celebrate this beautiful country we live in!

Everyone who normally trains on Monday is welcome to attend.

Show your spirit by wearing

The numbers are constantly fluctuating, but at this time 102 people have been accounted for, while 99 people are unaccounted for, according to officials. Of these, 99 people, it is unknown if they were not in the building at the time, or if there are other factors that have left them unaccounted for.

Here is the latest information available:

Bhavna, Aishani and Vishal Patel: The Patel family lived in unit 311.

Alfredo and Lorenzo Leone: Alfredo Leone and his son Lorenzo Leone were residents of unit 512. Alfredo’s wife was not home.

Margarita “Maggie” Vazquez Bello, Apt. 411: Her family says she lives in Pinecrest, but stays at the Champlain Towers in the summer months. They are “desperately holding on to hope to find her.”

Edgar Gonzalez: According to family members, Gonzalez’s wife and daughter are hospitalized at Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center, but they are not able to get in touch with the 45-year-old father. All three were in the same unit when the collapse took place. It is unclear how the family was separated.

Bonnie and David Epstein: The husband and wife were on the ninth floor when the building collapsed. Their son, Jonathan, who lives in New York City, says he hasn’t heard from his parents.

Members of The Shul in Surfside: Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar of The Shul in Surfside says several members of the synagogue are missing. “There are very few words that could give anybody consolation because you are dealing with an unimaginable, horrific tragedy that struck in the middle of the night,” Lipskar said.

• Nancy Kress Levin
• Jay Kleinman
• Frankie Kleinman
• Arie Leib
• Yisroel Tzvi Yosef
• Tzvi Doniel

Fabian, Andres and newly adopted daughter, Sophia, Apt. 803: An apartment owner from Argentina told Local 10′s Glenna Milberg that she had friends staying inside her unit who had just adopted a daughter. That owner has not been able to contact the family, she said.

Deborah Berezdivin and Ilan Naibryf: Deborah Berezdivin was listed as one of the members of Shul of Bal Harbour missing. Family members said Ilan Naibryf, her boyfriend, is also missing.

Cassondra Stratton: Mike Stratton, Cassandra’s husband, told Local 10 News though his PR representative that he was on the phone with his wife when she expressed some concerns about the building, and then the line went dead. Cassondra Stratton, 40, is a pilates instructor. The couple have been married since 2015.

Sophia Lopez: Lopez traveled here from Uruguay with her daughters. Her family has been unable to get in touch with her.

The Pettengill family: Luis Alberto Pettengill and Sophia Maria Margarita Pettengill and children Anna Sophia, 6, Alexia Maria, 9, and Luis Vincente, friends say they are from Paraguay and have not been heard from since the collapse.

Ray and Mercy Urgelles, Apt. 211: Mercy Urgelles is the director of pharmacy at Coral Gables Hospital, according to friends. She and her husband, Ray. both remain unaccounted for.

Brad Cohen: Soraya Cohen said her husband was on the 11th floor when the building collapsed. She has hopes that the doctor will be found alive after she believes he possibly might have stayed behind to help people.

Magally Delgado: Magally Ramsey describes her mother, Magally Delgado, as a strong 80-year-old who was living in an apartment on the ninth floor. Her daughter immediately drove to Surfside from Orlando when she found out it was the building her mother lived in that had collapsed.

Linda March, Ph. 4: Local 10 broadcast video of the exposed area of the Surfside condo collapse. That video showed white bunk beds and a desk chair. Moments later, Local 10 News reporter Glenna Milberg was contacted and was told that the penthouse apartment belongs to Linda March, an attorney who moved back from New York to Surfside. The friend said they have been texting March, but they have gone unanswered.

Bennie and Malky Weiss and Harry Rosenberg: Friends say Harry Rosenberg was visiting his daughter Malky Weiss at Champlain Towers. Rosenberg and Malky and her husband Benny are all missing at this time.

Michael Altman, Apt. 1101: His family and loved ones are looking for him. They have checked hospitals and filed a missing persons report. Any assistance in locating him would be greatly appreciated, according to a statement from the family.

Alfredo and Lorenzo Leone, Apt. 512: A close friend of the Leone family said the wife of Alfredo and mother of Lorenzo was not home at the time of the collapse, but that the other two are missing.

Oresme Gil Guerra and Betty Guerra: According to friends, the couple reside on the 9th floor, but they have not been heard from since the building collapse.

Julio Cesar Velasquez, Angela Maria Velasquez, and Theresa Velasquez, Apt. 304: A friend of Theresa Velasquez, 36, wrote to Local 10 to say that she was visiting her parents from where she lived in Los Angeles. Her parents, Julio Cesar Velasquez, 67, and Angela Maria Velasquez, 60, lived in Champlain Towers South in Apartment 304 and all have not been heard from since the collapse.

The Guara family: A friend notified Local 10.com to say that family of four Marcus and Ana Guara and their two children, Lucia and Emma, lived in the condo building and are not accounted for.

Leon Oliwkowicz and Christina Elvira Oliwkowicz, Apt. 704: The daughter of the Oliwkowicz couple contacted Local10.com to say that she has not heard from her 79-year-old father and 74-year-old mother who lived in the Champlain Towers.

Graciella Cattarossi and her daughter, Estella: A friend wrote to Local 10 and sent a photo of Gabriella Cattarossi and daughter, Estella, who are missing after the Surfside building collapse. The friend said Cattarossi’s elderly parents are also missing.

Luis Andres Bermudez and Ana Ortiz: Bermudez’s cousin contacted Local 10 to say he has muscular dystrophy and can’t walk.

Nicole and Ruslan Manashirov, Apt. 703: Friends say the couple moved to Apt. 703 of Champlain Tower South two months ago after they were married. They said Ruslan did not show up to work on Thursday and no one has been able to reach either of them.

Judy Spiegel, Apt. 603: Judy Spiegel’s daughter, Rachel, said she spoke to her 65-year-old mother around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. She hasn’t heard from her since.

Simon Segal: The niece of Simon Segal sent in a photo of her uncle who lives on the 11th floor of Champlain Towers and she says the family is hoping sending his photo will help find him.

Rosi Maza-Saez: Loved ones say she didn’t live at the building but was staying overnight when the collapse occurred.

Richard Augustine and Elaine Sabino: Both were in PH10 when the collapse occurred.

Ricky and Maituca Rovirosa

Myriam Caspi Notkin and Arnie Notkin

Maria Bonnefoy and Claudio Bonnefoy

Nicole Langesfeld and Luis Sadovnic

Juan Alberto Mora and Ana Mora

Citizens of four foreign countries: There are currently citizens of at least four foreign countries — Uruguay, Venezuela, Argentina, and Paraguay — unaccounted for in the Surfside building collapse including Paraguayan nationals. The Foreign Ministry of Paraguay reports 6 Paraguayan nationals are missing in the collapse, according to ABC News. They named 3 individuals: Luis Pettengill, Sophia López-Moreira, and Leidy Luna Villalba and there were 3 unidentified minors.

A family reunification hotline has been set up at 305-614-1819,and people can also open a Missing Person Report Online.

I’m sure the news has reached your ears by now. The devastation is real. As I type this, 4 dead and 159 unaccounted for…..

• The Coral Gables Community Foundation, the Miami Foundation, and the Key Biscayne Community Foundation are asking Miami-Dade County residents to contribute to The Surfside Hardship Fund.
  Donors can use PayPal or credit cards. Here is the page >
  
• The Greater Miami Jewish Federation established an emergency fund for short-term and long-term needs. The federation is accepting checks with the notation Surfside Building Collapse at 4200 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33137. They are also accepting donations via credit card.
  For more information about the fund, call 305-576-4000 or visit this page.
  
• The Shul of Bal Harbour is accepting donations for those impacted by the collapse.
  To donate visit www.theshul.org/8777.
  
• The Miami Heat Charitable Fund is working with the humanitarian organization Direct Relief and raising funds to help survivors and first responders. Here is the page >
  
• GoFundMe launched a centralized hub identifying all verified fundraisers. Here is the page >

Volunteering

The town of Surfside activated a form online for Miami-Dade County residents who want to help the families of the victims. They are in need of support. You must specify the service you can provide. Here is the official volunteer form >

Family Assistance Center

There is no longer a need for items to be brought to the town’s improvised Family Assistance Center at the Surfside Recreational Center. Officials said they will advise if more physical donations are needed in the future, but they are requesting people no longer come there with donations.

Information

Officials are asking the survivors of the collapse to fill out this Wellness Check formand relatives of the people who are unaccounted for to fill out this Missing Person Report.

Make a wish!

Whatever you wish for or ask the universe to grant you, the underlying motive is always HAPPINESS.  Think about it….  money, a new career, a fitness model body, Prince Charming, etc….  these are all vehicles we think will lead us to living happier lives.

However, being happy starts from within.  Being happy is a state of mind, an attitude.  It’s an “inside job” that begins with how we view ourselves and our surrounding.  It’s being honest with ourselves and trying to maintain a positive attitude in every situation.

Here are some helpful hints to staying fit…mentally.

1. Learn to say no

It can be hard to say no – especially when that person is close to you.  But how can you care for others, if you are not well.  YOU are responsible for caring for yourself, so if you’re at your rope’s end because you’re always trying to help everyone else, redirect your focus on making your needs a priority first.  You may feel guilty initially, but you need to acknowledge that you can’t please everyone, all the time.

2. Let go of comparisons

We all have different strengths! Comparing yourself to someone else, such as saying, “I’m doing the same training but not seeing the same results as her” creates self-doubt. Remember that everyone has their own strengths and differences, and everyone’s journey is different.

Next time you are about to compare yourself, STOP and think of something you’re good at or something you’ve recently achieved. This can help you embrace a more positive mindset!  FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE! Social media has made it really hard to avoid comparing ourselves and our lives to others, but just know – appearances are just that, appearances… IT IS NOT REAL LIFE! Don’t let Instagram fool you!

3. Look for the positives

START EVERY MORNING with a positive thought.  Find something to be thankful for.  Even on days when you feel everything’s gone wrong, there is still something you can be thankful for – focus on that!  Make a habit of appreciating the good around you and you’ll soon notice your mindset changing and becoming happier.

4. Educate yourself on areas you want to improve

I’m sure you ladies know that I believe education is incredibly important!  Self-education can help you to feel happier because it increases your confidence.

That doesn’t mean you have to go back to school and study.  Do your own research, sign up for a short class or ask someone to teach you. Learning a new skill or understanding something of interest can be a great boost to your self-esteem.

5. Do more of what you love

It’s so obvious, isn’t it?  When you do things you enjoy, you feel happier!  If you love reading, try to read more.  Get into bed 30 minutes earlier than usual and read.  Do you love taking a walk at sunset?  Plan your dinner before sunset and enjoy a stroll after your meal.

Do things that help to recharge your mental batteries and you’ll find that stress and other pressures diminish.  Small actions like these can make a big difference to your happiness level!

While these steps are no ‘quick-fixes’ for finding happiness, it’s a great start!