Acrofit
Feel good
I didn’t know there was a name for the ascetic diet I put myself on about once a year, but there is: the “RAVE” diet. It entails going beyond veganism, eschewing all processed or refined foods, and even vegetable oils. It supposedly wards off cancer, heart disease and reality TV. My regular diet is already about 75 percent vegan. But it includes a lot of breads, a lot of meat substitutes and an occasional night of binge drinking. So last holiday season, instead of partying until my liver shriveled and my stomach burst, I decided to detox. No alcohol, no soda, no dairy — only fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes, all raw when possible, for 10 days. Despite early hunger pangs and a weird, dull headache at first, the benefits — increased energy, improved digestion, getting less fat — quickly became obvious. Of course, so was the decreased size of my wallet after every trip to Trader Joe’s. Will I ever go fully vegan? Hard to say, but so far, no cancer, no heart disease, and no “Real Housewives” to be seen anywhere. That’s a start. I tried it. Verdict: I like it. Once a year, anyway. — P.J. Perez
DC BONUS!
We take even more diets and exercise regimens for a test drive at www.desertcompanion.com.
Dedicated Woman Hey ladies! Locally based Dedicated Woman claims to be the only nutritional manufacturer of health supplements designed for women. All of their products are gluten-free, so stop rubbing bread on your face and try this stuff now! 405-7816, www.dedicatedwoman.com Kim Erickson’s Everyday Organics Kim Erickson created an organic line of cosmetics that are cruelty-free and vegan. In other words, lipstick that doesn’t murder bunnies. Buy them online or at Cloud 9 Salon and Day Spa. 3211 N. Tenaya Way, Ste. 110, 871-8663, www.everyday-organics.com Princetta’s Beauty Secrets How do you know Princetta’s products are pure? Because everything — from the lotion to the hand cream to the massage oils — are handmade. And you can’t handmake evil things, can you? Thought so. 900 E. Karen Ave. C-214, 253-7546 Total Health Essentials Inc. This group of health practitioners takes a holistic approach to health by promoting vitamins and organic foods. Their services include hydrotherapy, raw and non-cooking classes. Non-cooking? Isn’t that what my wife does? Ba-dum bum! 796-5044, www.alternativehealthnv.com
Get fit Barry’s Boxing Center Dawn and Pat Barry know how crazy kids can get: Their law enforcement backgrounds have given them plenty of exposure to angry teens. Barry’s Boxing Center aims to give a healthy physical outlet to snots, er, kids and adults of all ages. 2664 S. Highland Drive, 368-2696, www. barrysboxingcenter.com Bikram Yoga Summerlin Stephanie Dixon opened this “hot yoga” studio after suffering from sciatica and experiencing chronic lower back pain. Today she can touch her pancreas with her elbows. 7520 W. Washington Ave. Ste. 150, 367-9642, www.bikramyogasummerlin.com Boe Boxing and Fitness Retired professional boxer Steve Boe runs a dynamic but safe boxing gym to give everyone an intense fitness experience. Tone up that flabby eye of the tiger! 1801 E. Tropicana #19, 682-8096, www.boeboxing.com
Raw food diet
I hate gyms. Not honest gyms in honest neighborhoods, local Ys, rec centers and the like. I mean those vacuumsealed, 24-hour Temples of Fitness, crowded with clinical weight machines manned by beefy guys with thick brown leather belts strapped around their waists, lined with treadmills and Stairmasters dutifully overseen by serious-looking women with razor-sharp ponytails. So, early last year I tried something new. Acrofit. It’s run by Alvin Tam, a former Cirque acrobat, in a yoga studio at Town Square’s Whole Foods. Acrofit (www. acrofit.com) is a deceptively simple mix of acrobatics and cardio. Some of the moves are child’s play — literally. Cartwheels and forward rolls. Leaps in the air. Hopping on one foot. And yet, very quickly, Acrofit becomes challenging. When you try to turn a forward roll into a pushup, when you try to elongate your legs upside down in mid-cartwheel, when you try to quiet your breathing after an ab-busting set of gentle boat rocks, suddenly you’re sucking wind. Acrofit activates a kid’s desire for uncomplicated play, but it appeals to the adult’s — this adult’s — need for focus and discipline. I may not be ready to take the stage with Cirque du Soleil, but I’ve found something immeasurably more valuable — the feeling that I am more fully awake, more settled in my own skin. I tried it. Verdict: I flippin’ like it. — T.R. Witcher
RAVE diet
When I have money to spare and am running low on impulse control, I’ll stop by Go Raw Café (www.gorawcafe.com) and drop $9 on a pack of raw curry sticks. That’s right: nine bucks on a few ounces of uncooked crackers. I’d buy a box of saltines if they were equally delicious and good for you. Maybe. This is not a diet for the lazy and undisciplined eater. In addition to feeling mentally energized and alert, I also felt neurotically preoccupied with what I was going to eat next — the raw diet requires a tremendous amount of preparation and planning. And eating such light fare means eating more often to feel satiated. Without an apple with raw almond butter in tow, I’d get hungry, and my resolve would melt at the mere glimpse of a Doritos bag. I lasted two and a half days before surrendering to a convenient, delicious — and filling — slice of pizza. But oddly, I missed the grace of uncooked ingredients: massaged kale salad tossed with lemon tahini, ginger miso dressing with unpasteurized soy sauce, chilled avocado and tomato soup. Not cooking your food is surprisingly timeconsuming — not to mention expensive. And while raw pad Thai is, indisputably, tastier and more dynamic than the kind you can heat up in a microwave, peeling zucchini into noodles is no 15-minute meal. I tried it. Verdict: I like it. My wallet and schedule: Not so much. — Sarah Kokernot
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