Fitamins 101

Now that we're acquainted, I decided to dedicate my first blog entry to vitamins because whether you're a bodybuilder or not, let's face it, it's essential that we as human beings take these things to help promote overall good health. I'm not over here saying that by taking glucosamine every day, your joint pain is going to automatically go away, but I am saying that the purpose of taking vitamins is to help give your body extra nutrients that you may not be getting from the foods that you are eating. They're also great preventative sources, which is always a plus.

Here's a list as to some of the vitamins and muscle building supplements that I take on the daily (plus others not pictured).

• Multivitamin: This right here is my numero uno! All it takes is one pill a day. This, to me, is the most important vitamin that EVERYONE should take. It helps promote healthy body function, performance, healthy bones, muscles, tissues, immunity and gives your body all of the nutrients it needs. It comes in both pill and gummy form (my favorite! Pictured above). 

• Fish Oil (Omegas): Another must-have for overall wellness and health. What's great about this too is that it helps aid in both building muscle and burning fat! It's also really great for your joints, brain, vision, heart and immunity. Don't worry, it doesn't taste anything like fish!

• Biotin: One of my favorites! This promotes healthy skin, hair and nails. I mean, who doesn't want that? My hair and nails have never been known to grow and for me, this is frustrating. I love long hair! I started taking Biotin over a year ago and I have seen some significant changes in the growth of my hair so whoo hoo! Literally after only a few months, my hair started growing. It's long, shiny, silky and healthy! People ask me all the time if I'm wearing a Brazilian weave, ha!

• Glucosamine: I started taking this early this year after my joints started hurting me from years of being a runner and lifting so heavy. This aids in joint support and helps with your connective tissue. If you're anything like me and have bad knees, this is my go-to. If you're a heavy lifter or athlete, you know exactly what I'm talking about when it comes to joint discomfort. I pair this up with my fish oil for some extra support. It really is helpful in preventing any of my other joints from failing me. 

• Vitamin C: Sure, I love OJ too, but I don't always have it at home, which is why I take Vitamin C. Now that Winter is drawing near, this is the time where people's immune systems start to die. Vitamin C is essential for putting that bad boy in his place! Not sure if many people know this, but it also helps strengthen your arterial vein walls. Why should we care about this? Here's why... In our vein walls we valves and these valves help with blood flow. We need these vein walls and valves to be flexible and strong in order for that blood to flow steadily. Vitamin C helps with this. The last thing you need is for your vein walls to be weak because once that blood starts flowing and those walls and valves can't hold it in, your blood will start to leak right through. Those are what we call broken capillaries which is what spider veins are. This is no bueno. Your body creates collagen and elastin on it's own to prevent this, but why not help support it even more. Don't forget to take your Vitamin C today!

• Calcium: I love milk. Love, love, love it! It's my favorite drink in the world and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't drink it. BUT if you're one of those people who just aren't into it, calcium vitamins are the next best thing. I don't really take them too often (only sometimes), but I wanted to touch base on this anyway. The older we get the weaker our bones get. It's inevitable. Calcium supplements support bone tissue and helps maintain proper body weight which is crucial. I've never broken a bone and I don't ever plan to, but with calcium consumption, this promotes bone longevity and strength. If you want to maintain proper physical activity while protecting your bones, this is important!

• Iron: A mineral that I've been taking for years! It transports oxygen throughout your body through red blood cells. If you're body doesn't have enough oxygen flowing red blood cells, this can cause a deficiency called anemia. When I had scoliosis surgery at 12, my doctor knew that I would be losing a lot of blood so he informed me of how important it was to take iron supplements. Especially if you're a woman, iron is essential. We lose blood every month for pete's sake! What's important about this mineral too is that it also aids in focus and fatigue so if you're feeling tired all of the time even though you're fit as a fiddle, you may be lacking iron. 

• Nitric Oxide: My boyfriend introduced me to this last year and I fell in love! Nitric Oxide not only promotes healthy blood oxygen, but it also aids in muscle growth and muscle pumps. This is exactly what I wanted to help me grow. We take BSN's Nitrix (6 pills a day - see photo) and it REALLY works. I saw such a difference after a few weeks in both my muscle size, in my workouts and in my vascularity. I can't live without this stuff. It's definitely a must have if you're looking for all of these things!

Of course, there are many more vitamins out there, but like I mentioned, these are the ones I take on the daily that I personally feel are extremely important for me. If you don't take vitamins, I highly recommend that you start. It's very important that you take care of your body, inside and out, the best way you can. Remember, you only have one!

** If you're looking for a great way to keep your vitamins organized, here's where I bought my 7 day pill organizer**

A Fitroduction

I'm Nastassja and this is me. 

A young woman who believed she could, so she did.

While growing up in NJ, working in NYC and mentally residing in California, my life is anything but ordinary. Or so I'd like to think. 

Within the past few years, I managed to graduate college from an accredited university with a BA in English and Journalism, become a non-licensed teacher for both elementary and middle school grades, become a print and runway model, act and appear in an independent film that debuted in AMC theaters in NY, write and self-publish a book that is sold internationally (Down the Rabbit Hole), go to culinary school and get my degree in pastry and baking arts, work for 2 well-known bakeries, start my own business, become more involved in the world of bodybuilding, compete in my first fitness competition and celebrate a couple of great birthdays here and there!

This is only the beginning.

I lead a life that is filled with nothing but great expectations for myself and a family who supports this girl who can't stop and won't stop. Boredom and laziness are words that do not exist in my dictionary. My favorite words are diligence and exuberance and my lifestyle and personality exude nothing but the like. 

I am a bodybuilder by morning and a cake decorator by late afternoon. (And baker at home somewhere in between).

How do I balance these two opposing lifestyles and still manage to stay fit? It's simple: moderation. Oh, and a little trick where I make cakes for my family and friends so the fatter they get, the thinner I look... hehe.

I kid, I kid.

In all seriousness though, it's all about balance and knowing what to eat, when to eat and how to eat.

This is where I come in!

I decided to start this fitness lifestyle blog because I wanted to share my experiences, knowledge and fit journey with all of you and I couldn't be any more excited! I'm here to become your fitspiration because I want nothing more than to be able to inspire, motivate and help all of you get to where you want to go. 

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to let me know. I'd love to hear from you!

And if you would like to get to know a little bit about me, here are some fun (and random) facts:

• I ran cross country, indoor and outdoor track all throughout HS winning over 100 medals. After HS, I continued running on my own, both leisurely and 5Ks for causes.
• I have an obsession with everything and anything 1950s (hence the name Shredded Betty) and Marilyn Monroe. 
• I had scoliosis surgery at the age of 12 to keep my spine straight. My entire spine is covered in rods and screws and will be until the day I die.
• I own over 100 dresses. Last time I checked it was 104.
• I wear make-up everyday unless I'm staying home all day or going to the gym. What can I say, I'm an artist!
• I LOVE coffee. The only kind I drink is iced coffee and it has to be flavored. DD > Starbucks. And I hate tea.
• I suffer from migraines. Really, really bad ones. And they occur almost every week.
• I'm Puerto Rican and I don't speak Spanish. I can get by though. Yo tengo hambre!
• My boyfriend is my best friend and we've been together for over 5 years. He's the smartest, most talented person I have ever met.
• I have the most loud, obnoxious laugh in the world. No, really.
• I can't live without music. From the minute I wake up until the very moment I go to sleep, music is playing.
• I still have insecurities about my body, even with all of the hard work I put into it, but I have learned to love myself. One day at a time.
• I have 18 piercings and 7 tattoos. It's really not a lot.
• I love the smell of cookies baking in the oven, Christmas trees and fresh laundry.
• I collect candles, mugs, nutcrackers, anything Marilyn Monroe and vinyls. I still have my record player from when I was a tater tot.
• My idol is my mother. She is my everything. #FamilyFirst
• I am on a bikini to figure journey in the fitness competition world and will be making my figure debut in 2016! I am riding the gain train hardcore!