Wednesday 9 January 2013

She's Finally Here!

Introducing Ticket to the Gun Show

Booking now for 2013 - Video to come soon!

The Pinup Regime

So I am in the process of putting together a regime of diet and exercise tips/ tricks and moves that will transform your body into the perfect pinup hourglass shape.

Of course, before I start telling other people what to do, I need to research ,train and approve it myself. This all begins with a new healthy mindset and attitude! Realising that my old habits were bad, my routine was lazy and my diet was far from ideal

Here is where I am starting, a while ago I discovered the incredibly talented Hollywood nutritionist Kimberly Snyder, Who created the Beauty Detox a great way of getting the skin and body of your dreams, just through a sensible and thought out approach to food and diet.
As you may know already I am a huge fan of her green smoothie and have even adapted it to my own taste. It makes me feel fuller for longer, my skin is glowing and I have oodles of energy!

Kimberly's Blog reveals interesting truths about health, and squashed a lot of the ideas (such as calorie counting and peanut butter) I had been holding onto since I was a teenager.

To begin with on my journey I am going to share some diet myths that Kimberly has adressed and shed some truthful light on.

Prepare to be amazed!


Let’s be honest: there’s an incredible amount of crap out there, as far as misinformation about diet and exercise. It seems that every week there’s a new weight loss miracle diet or pill that claims it is going to magically transform your life and your figure. With such a high rate of obesity in the United States (most states have a prevalence of over 20 percent and some have one of over 30 percent!), it’s understandable that people are looking to drop pounds and get in shape. But that doesn’t mean it can be super fast and super easy (read: yo-yo dieting).
Some myths have real staying power. They’re like gum on the bottom of your shoe that you just can’t scrape off, no matter how much you try to rub it off against grass or the edge of the sidewalk. They harm our collective ability to gain control of our health once and for all. Let’s look at some of the major diet and exercise myths that just won’t go away:

1.    Calories are all that matter

calorie countingThis is simply not true. While it’s true that eating too many calories can, indeed, cause you to gain weight, there’s more to food than just its calorie count. Calories (actually kilocalories), are a measure of thermodynamic (heat) energy. In short, a calorie is the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 °C. While we often refer to calories as food energy, it is in fact a measure of energy for all simple thermodynamic machines. Here’s the problem: your body isn’t a simple thermodynamic machine. If it was, then calories would be a very accurate, one-sized fits all way to measure how food might make us gain weight.
The human body is a complex biological unit. Measuring weight loss/weight gain potential solely on calories is a gross oversimplification of something that is remarkably complex.
Instead of the thermodynamic energy of foods, we need to look at the nutritional content of them. Our body takes macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) from food, as well as micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Loading up on low-cal foods filled with artificial sweeteners and other chemicals, for instance, won’t help you lose weight for the long run.
A food’s nutritional content is far more important than its calorie count; however, that doesn’t meant that if you are eating highly nutritious foods you can eat as much as your heart desires without gaining weight. If you eat a large number of calorically dense nutritious foods, you still may gain weight. That’s why I recommend eating low-cal foods with a great nutritional payoff: vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. You can also eat small amounts of more nutritionally dense plant foods like nuts and seeds, although I recommend eating just an ounce or two per day in order to help keep calories and grams of fat consumed manageable.

2.    As long as it’s low fat or fat-free, it’s good for you

It is true that certain types of fat can lead to poor blood lipid profiles, but you do need some fat, and you should avoid all processed foods that have these glitzy “fat-free” marketing labels. Because it is calorically dense, fat also ups the caloric intake of foods that contain it, so it can lead to weight gain. That doesn’t mean, however, that leaving the fat out of processed foods make them healthy.
Most processed foods labeled “low-fat” or “fat-free” use other ingredients (like sugar and artificial flavors) to amp up the flavor profile of the foods. The result is an unhealthy chemical concoction that, while it may be lower in fat and/or calories, is made up of a bunch of ingredients that simply aren’t good for your health. Whole fruits, veggies and whole grains like quinoa, on the other hand, are naturally low in fat (with a few exceptions) and contain the vitamins, minerals and enzymes your body needs for vibrant health. Plant foods such as chia seeds, flaxseeds, avocados, nuts and seeds can be eaten in moderate amounts and will give you all the fat you need. I do recommend keeping all oils to a strict minimum- get your fat from whole foods instead.

 3.    Diet soda is a weight loss food 

diet soda mythIt’s not. It’s a brew of acidifying chemicals and contains the neurotoxic ingredient, aspartame. Do you know anyone that looks truly vibrantly healthy who drinks a lot of diet soda? I don’t (and maybe that’s because I convert everyone in my path away from it!). In fact, drinking diet soda may have more unintended consequences than filling your body full of toxic chemicals. It may also lead to weight gain. A University of Texas rodent study and another human data review linked diet soda to a greater chance of developing abdominal fat in humans, as well as higher levels of fasting blood glucose in rodents. Instead, drink pure water with lemon.

4.    You can spot train an area

The spot training myth is one that just won’t go away. So many girls ask me about cellulite. It’s understandable that if you have a flabby tummy or bat wing underarms, what you really want to do is to make that fat disappear with the minimum of effort. Unfortunately, spot training a body part won’t make fat disappear in that area. Spot training is a myth. Your body tends to lose fat in the reverse order in which it was gained. So if your belly paunch was the first place your body gained fat, it’s likely going to be the last holdout as you lose it.
Spot training is a great way to firm up the muscles underneath the flab so that, as fat disappears, you have great muscular tone and definition. It won’t make the fat go away, however. Only a healthy diet and exercise will help you lose fat, by losing it overall.

5.    Exercise burns a lot of calories 

Many people are surprised to learn that most types of exercise don’t burn nearly the amount of calories they think it does. Because there is a widespread belief that exercise burns so many calories, many people overcompensate by eating even more than they burned. For example, a 135-pound woman walking for 30 minutes at moderate intensity (3 m.p.h.) burns only 133 calories. That’s roughly the number of calories contained in a ½ cup of brown rice.
That doesn’t mean exercise does no good, however. Exercising helps protect your heart, can help reduce stress, and keeps you strong and healthy so you can enjoy a good quality of life as you go about your daily activities. You just need to understand the relationship between exercise and weight loss in order to not overcompensate for your activity with more food.6.    To lose weight, you need to go on a lifestyle (ie permanent) diet. I don’t like the word “diet” in the context of weight loss. A diet implies a temporary change in habits to bring about a desired outcome. Unfortunately, if a diet is a temporary change, then it has a beginning and an end. What happens, then, when you return to your pre-diet eating habits? As millions of Americans discover every year, you regain the weight.
Instead of dieting, it is essential to change your eating habits. Getting healthy once and for all is about making a permanent lifestyle change, not a temporary one. We need to move beyond the desire to be thin and realize that what is really important is health. Making permanent changes to a healthier way of eating that includes whole plant foods and minimizes processed and animal foods and beverages is the best way to not only get your weight under control, but to look and feel better than you ever have.

6.    With diet and exercise, it’s all or nothing 

Unfortunately, this all or nothing attitude is the reason many people give up on healthy choices they are trying to make. Would it be better if you ate only organic plant foods all the time? Would it be better if you got exercise most days of the week? Sure, but sometimes it doesn’t happen. Don’t let life get in the way and rob you of your choice for health. There’s room to slip here and there, and it doesn’t mean you need to give up your new healthy habits just because you did. Aim to make healthy choices a majority of the time, and you’ll start feeling so good you’ll be motivated to continue.
Likewise, you don’t have to suddenly change everything all at once to develop a healthy lifestyle. This isn’t The Matrix where you can only choose the red pill or the blue pill. You can make changes gradually, one or two at a time, and allow those changes to develop as a habit before you make another and another.

7.    If you strength train, you’ll be muscle-bound

strength trainingTrust me on this, it’s not true. It takes supreme effort and special training methods to turn bodybuilders into muscle-bound hulks. While it’s true that some people have a genetic body type (mesomorphic) that tends to build muscle, strength training isn’t going to make you look like Popeye.
There are many good reasons why you should pursue strength training, as well. Along with improving muscular strength and endurance that enables you to enjoy a better quality of life, strength training has been shown to increase bone density.  I feel really strong from my yoga practice, which requires that you hold up your own body weight for many poses.

8.    The best way to get fit is to join a gym

While this clearly provides motivation for some people, you don’t need a gym to exercise, nor do you need to engage in “formal” exercise programs. The best way to get fit is to find a type of exercise that you enjoy. If you enjoy what you’re doing, you’re more likely to do it. So take a dance class, play in an adult sports league, go bicycling, hike, or any other activity option that appeals to you. The most important thing is that you get moving and do it regularly.

9.  There’s a miracle method for weight loss

miracle weight loss mythThis myth takes many different forms that change over the years with whatever the latest diet fad is. It may be a diet pill, a magic ingredient, or an all-grapefruit diet that’s come to the forefront, and all sorts of people will tout anecdotal evidence that suggests the miracle method has helped them drop tons of weight in a very short time. Remember when resveratrol pills were all the rage? Now it’s raspberry ketones.
When you peek under the skirt of these fads, however, you’re likely to discover that what you’re hearing is marketing hype. Sometimes there is some tiny kernel of truth that started the hype, but the real truth is this: the best way to get healthy and stay healthy is by eating a healthy diet such as the one outlined in The Beauty Detox Solution, and engaging in some form of regular exercise. Everything else is very likely a waste of your time, energy, and money. Weight loss isn’t about miracle ingredients. It’s about committing to making healthy choices.
Don’t let common diet and exercise myths distract you from your goals of getting healthier. There’s a lot of misinformation out there, so keep joining us in The Beauty Detox Community to get straight talk about diet and exercise.

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Search for the perfect body

I do pride myself on being toned, having a wash board stomach and an ass that could crack walnuts, 

However As I have gotten older these things have changed and I have found myself struggling to keep the body that I once had. This could be a number of factors such as fluctuating weight, making my metabolism shot. Varying levels of exercise, being really lazy one day they little miss fit freak the next. the list goes on...

I recently started my hoop training again, which is amazing for over all fitness and toning, however my body seems to be changing in a way that I don;t like and so I need to figure out a way making the change a positive one. Counteracting the weight training with cardio! Laying off of the protein (except when I need it) 

I recently had to go gluten and lactose free, to establish the causes for my horrible skin. So this inspired me to eat better, I no longer reach for the junk food and instead I'm stuffing myself with steamed courgette! nom nom

In an attempt to look after myself and get my body back to the way I like it, here is my daily routine: 

I start the day with a green Smoothie, full of nutrients and far better for you than a bad bowl of cereal (Though I do eat gluten free!) 



The only modification I made to the original recipe was to remove the banana and replace with pineapple (fat burner) and add ginger and coriander. Coriander is really good for detoxifying the skin!  


Ingredients:
1 heaping cup chopped kale leaves
1 heaping cup spinach leaves,
1/2 cup coriander1 1/2 cups almond/soya/hemp milk
1t chopped ginger
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 T peanut butter

Directions:
Remove kale leaves from the center stalk and tear into chunks.  Remove any thick spinach stems.  In a blender mix kale, spinach and milk until smooth.  Add ginger pineapple and peanut butter and blend thoroughly. 

Serves 2... or one giant smoothie

I have this with a slice of Wholemeal gluten free toast. 
Lunch I eat protein to feed my muscles after Yogalaties, Fish, nuts, avocado, a big wholesome salad! You name it! It's so easy being healthy! 

I drink that while I do my 40mins of Pilates or Yoga. Pilates is great for building muscle tone and yoga for lengthening the muscles. Making you look long and lean. (in theory)
I will continue to do this for the next couple of weeks and report back! 

Thursday 8 November 2012

La Musica - Americana

As you may or may not know my family is based in Canada as well as the Southern US states (Florida, Texas, Louisiana)
Since I was a child I grown up to embrace my western roots and this has been something that I have really come to love more and more over the past year or so, ditching a little bit of Rockabilly (though inherently cowboy in itself) and trade it in for western style.
Utility wear, denim, leather, blanket coats, little t-shirts and even chaps when feeling really daring!!!

My new act prompted this change of interest and even the Americana direction my career is taking me.
Listening to the music, learning cowboy skills, throwing myself right in!

This little post is sharing my favourite tracks, from a child to now.

Firstly as a kid I spent a lot of time in Canada, with my Redneck family, beer drinking, horse riding, chopper riding canadians. I spent time on farms, trying to ride horse. Having beer bottle water fights (shaking the bottle and spraying it.....sound familiar??) I'd wear dungarees and nothing else (I was a child!!)
In the car driving through the Rockies or up to Grandma and Grandpas place in Bobcageon we would listen to the Dixie Chicks, Though not Canadian...actually Dixie.
We would sing at the top of our lungs, slap our knees. Such an amazing place to spend time as a kid.




Another song that got us going as kids was thisnext one, I even have a recording of my cousins and I singing it at 10 years old!
This one too..... easy lyrics for kids to pick up quickly (This one is a little odd 

My Father, Having grown up in Tampa, was a huge influence on my musical tastes. As I had mentioned in a previous post. I would listen to Bowie, Hendrix, led Zeppelin you name it. My newest act (as I keep mentioning) is wild western...with a little rockabilly edge. My song choice was a track my father played quite regularly to drive to.

Influenced heavily by important men with strong musical tastes (dad, step dad, Boyfriend) I bring you this track. Pete my stepdad I remember was a fan of this group and would often play the album on the school run, or picking up up from a shit night out in town. This song always brings be down, chills me out, Even though I am not from Alabama and I wouldn't necessarily want to be... You can feel the pride of being from that place in the iconic song!


More recently, as I have dug up my roots and given them some time to grow, I have been listening to more folk (and being introduced to them by Targ of course) I recently saw this band live, only to find out less than 12 hours after that they have split up :( Well....at least their only album was killer!





And that's it for now...I have a song stuck in my head that I am for the life of me trying to remember the name of so I can share it too! arghghg don;t you just hate when that happens!!!???

River of No Return - Almost there

I have been working on my Bullwhipping act for some time now....since August 2011 in fact and it is finally looking close to completion! Hurrah!
I have long since finished my amazing boots, pasties, bra and panties... and a mini sombrero OLÉ!

I am turning my gloves into fire shooting pistols with these really cute appliqués I picked up in California! Yeehaw!!!
Just a dress to finish and bullwhipping badass moves to complete and them it will be coming to a stage near you!
Bullwhipping has actually been a lot easier than I'd originally thought (and what some people had told me...undoubtedly to put me off)

I have mastered target work pretty quickly and slowly my rhythmic whipping is picking up speed. The only difficulty is at the moment is the double whips....my retarded left hand, I don't trust it...it freaks me out! Here is a little video of why I have learnt after 3 classes!
I will be applying to BHoF with this act, and I hope that I will be granted the opportunity to show it on that incredible stage to my idols, my peers and fans.




Watch this space!

Friday 2 November 2012

So it's been a while since I wrote anything on here, Due to a very busy schedule and being far too lazy to make the time to sit and write. But I promise that will change.
Copyright Matt Hind

The past 6months has brought an immense amount of change and endless exciting opportunities, I have to pinch myself daily! It has been, and will be an incredible future 12months, and I look forward to sharing it with you all!

September and October I was asked to fly back to the USA (following my performances at BHoF in Las Vegas in June 2012)
The first stop was to New Orleans, the home of Jazz, Blues and Grind, a magical city, albeit a little creepy. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end constantly. It was like going back in time, horses and carts, 17th century filigree balconies, winding ivy, and ghosts wandering the street at night.
I was asked to perform and compete at the Bad girl's Show and The Queen of Burlesque. I had met all of the contestants at the BHoF, so the tension was certainly a little lower than it had been in June.
Copyright Matt Hind
A kick ass show, I was given the opportunity to meet my idols, rock another stage and get the banbury name out State Side.

My second trip came 2 weeks after my flight touched down from Dixie. Los Angeles! I was being flown to recreate the immortal images of Eve Arnold on the set of the misfits in the Salt Flats near to 29 Palms, CA.

It was hot, but I couldn't complain, dressed in designer denim, singing blues with the real life mustang hustlin' cowboys, it was bliss.
The week was full of an assortment of shoots, all based around Marilyn.. working out, drinking milk, on the beach.
I also went to visit Marilyn at Westwood Memorial. Recharge my spiritual batteries and let her know that I was still on track. So amazing being there again! When I move, I will visit everyday.

Copyright Matt Hind
I am currently working my new act for my US tour next year! Bullwhippin' and Nude Orleans! Bring it on!

The photographs will be featured in Men's File (Style magazine, denim issue) out in January.

That's my little quickie update. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures soon!



All images Copyright Matt Hind DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Monday 5 March 2012

La Musica, Part 2: heartbreak

A bit of a depressing post this time folks.... I wrote before about my childhood love with music and the development of my musical tastes.


As my current mood is not a particularly great one, one of deep sadness, hurt and heartache, I thought that I would write a little post about the music of a break up. Some to ease the pain, some that are the musical equivalent of rubbing salt into an open wound.


1)
Throughout my relationship history, there has been one band that I have never associated with a partner, they have been mine, the soundtrack of my life and the only thing I can listen to and not cry over the loss of something truly beautiful. Their music makes me look to the future, gives me hope that I will get through and reassure me that I am beautiful, talented and something worth holding onto.


This band (as mentioned before) is incubus:





Plus looking at Brandon Boyd makes me feel a whole lot better!


2)A little self pity is inevitable during a break up, so there are a few songs that I like to listen to that just rub the pain in, ones that I can cry to,or scream to. Torturing myself over the loss of love is something I like to draw out.


Minus the Bear:





My favourite line "We look good side by side, walking back to the hotel" - something I used to think everytime I would walk alongside him.


3)
This is another one that I love to cry to:





4)
and another:



5)
This one is a little unusual, But it was one of the songs that when I listened to it, I would always think of weekends together, brunching together on a hangover. He stopped me from taking myself too seriously, learning to enjoy love and enjoy life...and what beautiful and precious miracle life is. 
Live each day to the full and experience everything that is possible. 





And on one final note: if I was to end it all, this would be the last song I listen to: