Solo Trip to Havana, Cuba

I went on a trip to Cuba by my lonesome for my birthday, April 2nd. Yesss, I am an Aries baby! Cuba definitely had its ups and downs but I must say that this trip challenged me in ways I could have never imagined. I do not speak Spanish fluently but this trip has inspired otherwise. I would not recommend going to Cuba alone AND not being able to speak and understand Spanish. I've traveled alone several times. I've been to London, Paris, Costa Rica, and Mexico all alone. English is usually the second language in these countries and much easier to get around. But there are very, very little English speakers in Cuba so it was really tough for me to communicate and understand my way around. This gave me the opportunity to explore, to get lost, and to discover a few things about both Cuba and myself. 

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My Top 20 Most Inspiring Women in Holistic Health

In celebration of Women's History Month I've decided to come up with a series of Inspiring Women doing their damn thing. This week's Womencouragement is all about Holistic Health. My Top 20 list is a list of holistic influencers that I personally follow that inspire me every single time I get on Instagram. Instagram has the tendency to infiltrate our minds with fantasies and dream lives having us feel a little insecure about our very own lives. These Instagram accounts do quite the opposite for me. They motivate me to be great, to be challenged, to love myself.. and my life. They encourage me to just be kind to myself and my journey. They get me excited for my own personal goals toward holistic health coaching, nutrition, exercising, traveling and just outright being holistically amazing...

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Thirsty Thursday: Pre-Workout Smoothies

What better way to quench your thirst with a smoothie to help elevate your workout before it even begins. This Thursday, I will be discussing pre-workout smoothies and how to maximize your workout. For you to maximize your workout you need to know what is actually happening to your body during exercise. When we work out we are stressing our muscles out. We are essentially breaking them down to build them back up through sleep and other recovery processes. They heal and grow bigger, better and faster. In order for this process to operate we must be effectively fueling our muscles. 

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Moving Monday Motivation: Workout Dance

My best friend Melly and I were in no mood to get on the treadmill or stairmaster for our cardio session at the gym. We decided to come up with a dance workout routine instead! In just under an hour we created this routine to one of our favorite, favorite tunes. Anytime we hear Your Number - Ayo Jay at a party our waistlines go crazy so it was only right that we came up with a workout routine to it. 

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BLACK Friday: LIT Bklyn Candles

LIT Bklyn Candles are 100% Natural Soy Wax and scented with the finest fragrance oils. It is a Brooklyn-based Candle Company. A friend of mine, Denequa, is the founder of LIT Bklyn. I must say that I am just so proud of this woman. From the very first day that I met her in an Africana Studies class at the University at Albany she has been an incredible person to know. Her energy alone will have you feeling UNstoppable. She is inspiring, motivating, uplifting, and hilarious! Denequa is extremely beautiful on the inside AND out and it's so amazing to witness her creating her own business and motivating others all in the process. Denequa launched LIT Bklyn Candles December 2015 and it's been lit ever since. 

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Arielle's Going Away Halloween Party - African Royalty

I threw an AMAZING going away party. I had a ton of jello shots, some jungle juice, a DJ that turned the entire party UP (Mr.Ferron), and a photobooth!! Looking back at these pictures, my heart is filled with warm, loving, and giving energy. I tend to use the word grateful a lot but I truly am overwhelmed with gratitude. I'm so thankful that I was able to see my friends from kindergarten, junior high school, middle school, HIGH school (Acorn Community High School), college, and new friends along the way. Everyone I loved came out and I really, really appreciate it. I am going to miss everybody and the memories that we made will forever be in my mind, heart, and soul. I means that. 

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Alkalizing Bodies: How to Eat for Optimal Health

Like anything in life, balance is key. When it comes to your body’s pH levels, it’s the key to life! pH is how we measure how much alkaline or acid a food contains. An abundance of acidic foods creates an environment for yeast and fungus. When we eat acidic foods we make it much harder for the body to store important vitamins and minerals so it gives the body no choice but to pull these vital nutrients from other parts of the body such as our teeth, bones, and organs.

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Black Owned Nail Salon Owners: Raven + Niya (Free Edge Beauty Studio)

Supporting in Black Owned Businesses is essential for Black communities. This allows our communities to be more economically efficient. We need our youth to grow up seeing more Black Owned Businesses thrive in their very own communities to show that this is ALL very POSSIBLE. We need to introduce entrepreneurship in our Black communities and what it means to create wealth, power, and knowledge within ourselves and also our communities, our neighborhoods, our schools, our libraries, our communities centers, our parks, etc. This is great people doing great things. 

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30 Day Weight Loss Program: Sept 1st!

I am extremely excited to be FINALLY launching my very own 30-day Weight Loss Program on Sept 1. My availability has opened up and allowed me to take on this project. I am really excited to see this project blossom. My clients will learn so much about nutrition and discover so many new things about their very own bodies. This program is going to be a journey for them. This journey will require discipline, perseverance, and commitment.  My clients will learn so much about dieting, nutrition and how their body responds to both. They will begin to discover and learn who they are as an eater. They will learn how to revolutionize their relationship with food. When you eat what foods, how do you feel? That is going to force them to tap into their emotions and notice the link between how they feel and how they eat. 

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Black Owned Burgers: Action Burger

Supporting Black Owned Businesses is essential for Black communities. Being economically conscious with your money to support Black Owned Businesses helps to create more businesses that then helps to create more jobs that then helps to builds these communities. This allows us to be more economically efficient. We need our youth to grow up seeing Black Owned Businesses thrive in their communities to know that this is all very possible. We need to introduce entrepreneurship in our Black communities and what it means to create wealth, power, and knowledge within our communities. This is great people doing great things.

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Black Owned Ice Cream Shop - Mikey Likes It

Support Black Businesses! It is critical. They are here to help Black communities throughout New York City. Today I got the pleasure to visit Mikey Likes It Ice Cream Shop. It is a Black Owned Ice Cream Shop in the Lower East Side. This shop has offered a variety of flavors that I have never seen before. This is great people doing great things. 

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Black Owned Nail Salons in New York City

We NEED to bring awareness to Black-owned businesses and we need to understand the importance of giving money back to our very own communities. Blacks spend less money in black-owned businesses than any other racial group spend in businesses owned by members of their groups.

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From Fashion to Fitness

Tons of people have been asking me if I am still a Model. And yes, yes I am. I've been working extremely hard on my body before I start up with these photoshoots again. I started a 10 week program that incorporates a very strict nutrition program along with a fitness regimen. This program along with discipline will get me to my fitness goals and I am really excited about that. I just recently got NASM certified to be a Personal Trainer and that is what I am doing now. Now I am mixing the best of both of my worlds: Fitness Modeling

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Photoshoot Fun w/ Brooke DiDonato

Last weekend I met up with Brooke DiDonato again. She's one of my very few photographer friends that loves mac&cheese just as much as I do. She introduced me to Autie Carlisle (designer: http://www.autieautie.com), Britt Layton (stylist: http://brittlayton.com) and Stephanie Cappiello (model). Together we created magic in just a few short hours. We ordered in some delicious Thai food (Brooke's & I go to order in food while on set, loll) and discussed the dynamics of living in NY vs California and other states. It was really refreshing to converse with other creatives as myself. It reminded me to never forget to make time to create and share great positive energy with others. Then the magic began...

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New York Fashion Week 2015

O.M.G. New York Fashion Week 2015 was SOOOOO hectic and crazy! It is every model's dream to be a part of! Even throughout the chaos, I enjoyed myself. Saw a few models that I recognized, got to meet some really cool designers, and networked my ass off! It was super dope! 

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Skincare 101: Less is MORE

Who doesn't want perfectly clear skin? Don't we all. I am going to expose ALL of my Top Beauty Secrets! Below you will find out my favorite go-to products that I use to promote clear, soft, and nourishing skin. For my models, this is critical especially with the stress behind the preparation for fashion AND during fashion week. And for all of my beautiful women these are some awesome, legit products that I use. I want to start off by saying LESS is definitely MORE. I do not use a lot of products and most of all I do not use them very often. I use them about 2-3 a week. It is SO important that you let your skin and body build their natural oils and do the work! 

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Eating for Success: Having Clean Habits

Feeding Success: A Nutritional Blueprint to fuel Busy Professionals and Business Travelers. The perfect book for getting on the right track with your diet when you have an extremely busy life. Models often travel and we're extremely busy so we may not have the opportunity to always catch a workout, but clean eating is even better. Remember, what you eat on the inside shows on the outside! She is also the Co-Founder of Goji Fitness and Zenberry. She has such an amazing spirit and it was a pleasure to have a pre-session with her. In my pre-session we discussed so many things that I am going to share with you guys.

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Energy Cleanser

After work today, I stopped by Brooklyn Crepe and purchased an energy cleansing drink. I'm really into sweet drinks and foods, so if you have a sweet tooth like myself this would be awesome for you. It does have an acquired taste but for the most part its really good. 

Ingredients: Cucumber, Beet, Lemon, Apple, Carrot, and Bee Pollen. The Bee Pollen is what is supposed to give you all the energy you need for the day.

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