The most extreme way to banish cellulite

After a recent sparring session, I gawked at the knotty, tangled mess that had once counted as a hair ‘style’ and reluctantly acknowledged that the luxury of looking good has been sadly absent from my life for the past few weeks. Even at the best of times it’s debatable whether I, with my amateur hair skills, can pull off trendy and tousled looks, but evidently I do dishevelment with ease.

Who needs a Halloween costume when you can go three rounds and get the look for free?

Read the full article, as published in the Vancouver Observer.

When training for combat sport means losing pounds, Thanksgiving may be toughest battle

This is the start of an article I wrote recently for the Vancouver Observer. There’s a link below to the full piece. Has anyone else been through cutting weight? Did you make it? What were your secrets?

Cutting weight is never easy, especially when faced with temptations. Of which nothing is more teasingly tantalizing that a slice of home-cooked pumpkin pie. It takes all the willpower in the world to say no to all the best bits of Thanksgiving. Turkey: yes; veggies: absolutely; stuffing: well, maybe just a really small amount; pie: no; whipping cream: absolutely not. See how much that sucks? Especially when you look around the table and see everyone else’s plates are piled high with everything you wish was on yours.

When faced with this, there’s only one thing to do. Daydream.

Full article

Top 10 adventures for thrill-seeking women

Vancouver’s fun-loving lifestyle isn’t just limited to zenning out yoga-style or sweating your stuff jogging along the beach.

For ladies seeking a little more oomph from their local adventures here’s a piece I wrote for the Vancouver Observer about ten action-packed, adrenaline-fuelled activities to satisfy even the most hardcore thrill-seekers out there.

Have you tried any of these out? What adventures make your top 10?

Heart of a fighter = Jay

Look up “heart of a fighter” and you’ll see Jay’s name in the dictionary.

For the past four weeks we’ve watched him evolve from a guy we train with to a real fighter who we’re absolutely in awe of! Someone who actually said “I want to fight” and had the heart, courage and determination to see it through.

We couldn’t be more proud of him and a group of us from Universal screamed our hearts out last night supporting him at the Pinnacle Hotel’s IFC 9 in North Vancouver.

My dodgy camera work doesn’t do Jay justice but for three 2 minute rounds he fought his heart out and gave it his all.

Enjoy your well-deserved time off Jay and look after that nose!

Ps. You might want to watch this with the sound turned down to tune out my screaming!