New year new you

Happy New Year!

They say the new year is a time for new beginnings. A whole new chance to begin again. New year, new you, or maybe a new me. Possibly the same old me, just one that I haven't seen in a while.

It's that time of the year when we get the opportunity to reflect on the past year and set goals for the new one ahead. For me the last year has really been a great opportunity to grow and expand my awareness of all kinds of things from health/wellness and going almost totally vegan to changes in fitness. The year I began to really love yoga. Which for a girl who spent most of her life doing all kind of crazy workouts, is actually quite surprising. I never thought I would love it as much as I do. In fact it has been the best thing for my back. Having sustained a back injury in two close-dated car accidents years back, really put a damper on the crazy workouts. Since I started to do yoga regularly, honestly my back hurts if I "don't"do yoga.

Anyhow back to my original thought. It happened kind of randomly actually, but it got me to thinking. My acting representative was visiting shortly before Christmas. He started to tease me a bit about the fact that he has a hard time finding jobs to submit me for. As there are far less castings for blondes than for brunettes. If you are at a certain level in an entertainment career you can have your hair any color and mostly people adjust to you, or you change it for a role, then put it back as needed. However, until that point, you kind of need to be able to "be" what is being cast. So if a role says "female 30-40 brunette" he can't send me if my hair is blonde.

Unless, my inside voice started to say "unless I wear a wig". So the next chance I had I dragged the Mr. along to some local wig shops. Just to get an idea of how I would look, because honestly I had not seen it in so long I couldn't even remember how I looked as a brunette.

Yes it is true, I did not come from the manufacturer (the man upstairs)with blonde hair. So I put on a few and of course none of the pictures below are what I have in mind, but making use of what they had in the shop, I took a few fun pics just to see how I looked in a dark hairdo. So here ya go:

Holy 90's hairdo & way dark... but it's what they had!  

Whole lotta hair & super dark with BANGS! (Good gravy)

 As you can see, I look quite different, it was a bit shocking for me. Of course these are much darker than my hair actually grows out of my noggin. However, it was fun to try them on an see a different version of me. So in order to be cooperative with my acting rep, I am going to humor him and comply with his request. Hey what do I have to loose? If it works I can have more opportunities for acting work. If not, I can always put it back if I don't like it.

My plan, is to just go light brown with some blonde in the front more along the lines of Jennifer Anniston. To have even more options, I am also going to order a wig online in a medium brown ,and then have my talented Mr. (being a super awesome photographer is one of his many talents) take headshots of me in both colors. This way my acting rep has more options.

This my friends is how the new year is going to bring a new version of the old me. What are your plans for the New Year? Do you have any resolutions, big ones, small ones? Whatever they are try to keep a positive mindset. I think sometimes we can set big goals and then beat ourselves up if we don't accomplish everything all at once or as quickly as we might like.

Remember to be grateful for the past year and thankful for every day, because it is a gift. We only get one day at a time and that my friends is the best advice I can give as to how to roll into the New Year.

Wishing you and yours a beautiful, blessed and HAPPY New Year!

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com

Best Dressed

Who can resist a furkid dressed in a costume? I can't. Which is why every year one of my favorite fall traditions is picking out cute costumes for my furbabies and taking loads of pics!

My almost twelve-year-old Pekingese Punkin Pie says they are not costumes, rather "torture devices",and that dressing them all up in these costumes is animal cruelty. Then I tell her she has no idea what animal cruelty is. Further, that if she wants to see what actual animal cruelty is to go on Facebook for about five seconds and she will see it with her own eyeballs on the pages of one of the countless rescue groups that work so hard to pick up the pieces for so many innocent creatures. Which is why I always give to as many as I can because without the rescues these animals would never get the second chance they so desperately need and deserve. Of course I talk to my dog... doesn't everyone? 

Anyhow back to a happy topic, pets in costumes. Now I would love to dress my two spoiled black cats up in costumes, but like Punkin says "they don't need a Halloween Costume because they come with a built-in one, they are black cats." Besides putting a costume on Jaxson and Bella would probably go about the same way putting their leash and harness on when they have to travel or go to the vet, which isn't a very pleasant experience.

So it's up to the dogs to fill the cute bucket year after year. So without further ado... I present the 2018 Aston Dogs Howl-O-Ween Costume Parade.

I give you Pepe. My little rescue monkey who is a sixteen plus year old Tibetan Spaniel new hope only euthanasia list survivor from the NYC ACC. He had a lot of issues when he first came to us, but after six years he is a very happy old man enjoying the life he should have had for his entire life.


Next is Punkin Pie. A beautiful Pekingese girl who is going to be twelve in November. We have had her almost her entire life and she is spoiled as it gets and we love her to pieces!




Next is little Lulukins. She is a Shitzu who is also a rescue from the NYC ACC the same shelter that Pepe came from. The vet says she is somewhere under five, we are not exactly sure. She was very young when we rescued her three years ago. Lulu is the without a doubt the happiest little dog I have ever met in my life, she literally bounces when she walks.



 









 And all together.... for the group humiliation shot (as Punkin would say) I present to you below... the Aston Furkids Halloween 2018 photo!

Shortly after we already assembled the group for the humiliation, we rescued a Japanese Chin who we have named Yuki. Since he is still settling in and learning what life is like around our house, new smells, new things, new people, new stuff... we did not want to stress him out by dressing him up in a torture device too ;o) So his humiliation pic will have to wait until next year when he can join the bunch for the Halloween Costume Parade. So for now, this normal un costume pic will have to do. I give you the newest member to the Aston pack... Yuki.

Happy Howl-O-Ween!

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com

Cute Overload

Halloween... the holiday where pet owners everywhere dress our pets in silly costumes. Attend pet parades and swap pics of our furkids going gaga over the cuteness. Isn't that what the holiday is all about? Well for some of us it is. So like always, I dressed my furbabies up in silly costumes again this year.

I swear if my almost eleven year old Pekingese "Punkin" could talk she would be cursing at me. Every time we put a costume on her she makes herself heavy and stiff like a little corpse. Maybe she thinks it'll keep her from having to don the costume, who knows, but the faces she makes the entire time just kill me.

Not just on Halloween, but Christmas and all throughout the year my fur babies have an entire wardrobe of outfits to keep them cute and in style. So without further ado, here is Aston furbabies "Howl-o-ween" Costume parade for 2017.

Punkin "I'm too old for this crap!"

Pepe is an NYC ACC "Urgent List" Survivor.

Lulu is also an NYC ACC Survivor.

Pookie "Is it almost over?"

For the grand finale... the group!

The cats just sit around looking at the dogs and probably thanking their lucky stars that their momma has not decided to add them to the costume parade. Although... you never know, I can think of two little black bomaby cats I know who just might start wearing silly costumes one day too.

Hope everyone has a fun time and stays safe. Happy Halloween!


Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo

www.avaaston.com

Beachbody

It's that time again. The official start to summer is just day's away, time to get buff for the beach. Time to break out the Bikini, skinny jeans, tank tops and all the fun clothes made for people with the body of a Greek god or goddess. For some this is what comes to mind when they hear the word "beachbody".

I would like to put a different idea into people's noggins. Yes "beachbody" is a word often associated with the things I mentioned above. However, it is also a company that helps people literally transform their lives for the better. (No this is not a paid review). I just know that this time of year can be stressful with unrealistic images bombarding people on a daily basis. It puts unnecessary pressure on people to be fitter, and it can be confusing to sort through all the information and programs available out there. Many people have injuries that have made physical activity difficult if not impossible sometimes. So, I would like to offer a little insight into my experience as a beachbody customer since 2002.  

It all started with Slim in 6 with Debbie Seibers, a program put out by Beachbody. I've always been active and loved exercise. At the time I had been working out with Tae Bo by Billy Blanks for about a year and I wanted to try something new. So I ordered it and loved it. Then I discovered Tony Horton and the original P90, oh what fun that was.

I have always been fascinated by the fact that people who exercise and eat right look so young. Tony Horton at the time was about forty-four and he looked no where near it. I was thinking wow if this guy looks so young and healthy this program is definitely something I want to try. To this day he still looks nowhere at all near his age, and like one of my other fitness heroes Jack LaLanne, he has continued to defy the norm, giving a new face to what the human body can and should be at a particular age.

Anyway without going off into a novel of my fitness journey over the last fifteen years, the point is that there are always options. Since that time, Beachbody has produced countless programs for nearly all fitness levels. Almost every program has modification options, which makes "excuses" for not putting your health first obsolete.   

I have many fitness heroes, some not even affiliated with Beachbody. I love Jillian Michaels, Jackie Warner, and I also really like the Firm fitness programs. Not every body is the same and even the same body will not always need or like or even be capable of doing the same program forever. Which is why it is important to always stay in the game no matter what is going on with your body. It's not about getting a ripped hard physique (although I'm guessing everyone would like that). It's about being the best possible you that you can be. To get and stay healthy and strong so you can enjoy life to the fullest. 

Injuries happen to the best of us. Slips, falls, work, overuse injuries, accidents, you name it. For me it was two close dated car accidents. People with herniated disks simply should not jump, period. So that takes things like running and plyometrics training off the table. Does that mean you can't exercise? No, it simply means you modify your workout. So for example; if you're doing a workout program like say 21-Day Fix (which is not an extreme program by any means) but there are jumping jacks, etc., what do you do? You modify the jacks, by doing step jacks instead. Almost every program will have a modifier doing the workout so you can see exactly what options are available if you are not able to jump or do the advanced version of a particular move.

There are so many options, walking, yoga, pilates, one workout program I particularly love, love, love, (did I say love) is Piyo created by Chalene Johnson. Piyo combines yoga, and pilates, and gets your heart rate up like crazy. It sculpts, and stretches your body and you feel like a million bucks after a workout. The best part is no jumps, no weights, so it is fantastic when traveling. Which by the way, is a major excuse people use for skipping workouts.

The thing is you can make excuses or you can make results. The choice is up to you. There are super short workouts, even as short as twenty minutes. Everyone has twenty minutes. Endorphins really are God's medicine. Exercise is good for your mood, and really should be something you do every single day, just like brushing your teeth.

So what are you waiting for? Get to that phone, computer, or iPad, and find out what you      like and get started on that beachbody ;o) or shall I say healthy body. One that will carry you into your golden years if you treat it right. Remember the saying... use it or lose it. Happy working out!   

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com