TOI Magazine Feb/Mar 2018 Issue No.6

FEB/MAR 2018 ISSUE NO.6

BREAKING DOWN ETHICAL FASHION MYTHS BONITA

HOW TO GROW MUSCLE MASS & KEEP IT THERE FITNESS WORKOUTS WITH ABI ROMAN & CAITY MACLENNAN

WWW.BOUTIQUEOFTOI.COM

REBEL

"WHEN GOD IS READY FOR THAT ONE DOOR TO OPEN , IT WILL OPEN."

MAKING AN ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE WITH YOUR DIET & TRASH?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EDITOR IN CHIEF: AUTUMN FARR CREATIVE DIRECTOR: TENISHA FARR Contact: (415)689-9465 www.boutiqueoftoi.com services@boutiqueoftoi.com Social Media: @boutiqueoftoi

06

FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN Carly Bergman speaks on one of the hardest battles of her life.Â

10

ETHICAL FASHION?? SEXY? We take you around the world from France to Sweden, to look at some vegan & ethical friendly fashion that DESTROYS the stigma on ugly vegan clothing.

15

VEGAN FOOD HAS FLAVOR!! TASTE FOR YOURSELF Author of Fuss-Free Vegan, Sam Turnbull gets REAL with us on vegan food!!

18

REAL, NO BS FITNESS ROUTINES Abi Roman and Caity show you how to burn fat and GROW your butt with REAL workouts that work as long as you do.

22 IT'S BONITA SEASON Beautifully talented YouTuber and musician Bonita Rebel unleashes Bonita Season and gets personal on her own inspirations in life.

O U R

F O U N D E R S

N O T E

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.�

-Galatians 6:9

WHAT WAS THE HARDEST BATTLE YOU'VE EVER HAD TO GO THROUGH IN YOUR LIFE? I would consider myself vegan for 5 years. However, there is more to the story. I have eaten fish about roughly five times, but that stopped two and a half years ago. The reason why I was still eating fish was because of doctors- they had me questioning my choices and blamed my state of health because of veganism. Here is the story…

OUR Y N I IEVE L E B ION, T A L IBU IN TR

P

P S R E

E V I ECT

by Carly Bergman

@carly_bergman

18

! I would not wish this experience on anyone, but it shaped who I am and made my ethical beliefs even stronger.

I started working at Pure Juice Café at the age of 15 and I became vegan in full force within two months of starting. I whole-heartedly support the plant-based movement and wanted to be the best individual I could be for myself and for the planet.

However, I had message overload with all of these controversies I initially had no idea about. Every shift that I worked I learned something new about veganism. Arsenic in brown rice? Antibiotics in chicken? Oxidizing cells due to radiation?

Genetically modified organisms? I panicked from the message overload. I became the vegan that refused to go out with friends that were nonvegans. I was scared of something as simple as ordering food at a restaurant and my food being cooked with too much olive oil at too high of heat (which would deplete the nutrients and therefore I would be eating useless calories). Learning all of this information too quickly (and at a young age at that) sparked an eating disorder. I HAD to eat the cleanest foods and could not fill my body with the toxic conventional fruits and veggies that were at restaurants! I isolated myself and got into a dangerous routine of eating mostly raw, low calorie foods.

This mindset lasted for a couple of months and resulted in me losing a ton of weight, hair, and friends. It took a toll on my mental state and physical state. Doctors automatically told me that my hair-loss was directly due to my vegan diet. I NEEDED to eat fish in order for my hair to grow back. I NEEDED chicken for protein. I NEEDED sour cream for fats. At this point I was 16 and didn’t know what to think or who to believe. I gained all of my weight back with a vegan diet, but my hair was still falling out. They said that I at least needed to eat fish in order to see any regrowth. I ate fish about five times between the ages of 16-18, and I hated every minute of it. I automatically wanted to throw up since I knew all of the information about environmental toxins in fish, but a part of me wanted to believe that the doctors were looking out for my best interest and wanted my hair to grow back. I knew I couldn’t continue like this. Every single time I tried to eat fish, I wanted to vomit… I have an EXTREMELY guilty conscience that didn’t help this. The truth of the matter is my hair never grew back to its full thickness which upset me for a long time. At the time, I questioned if my vegan diet was prolonging the process, but I came to the realization that it didn’t matter. I will take having thinner hair without killing animals than eating fish and destroying the oceans any day.

After blood work and exams at the age of 19, I found out that I have PCOS (poly cystic ovary syndrome) that causes hormone imbalances aka hair loss. This syndrome’s symptoms are actually LESSENED with a vegan diet! After starting to eat rawer, nutrients-dense/high calorie foods combined with Ayurvedic herbs and acupuncture, my hair started to regrow! I would not wish this experience on anyone, but it shaped who I am and made my ethical beliefs even stronger.

I now life a life where I nurture my body and fuel my mind! I lead by example by loving my being and spreading the plantbased and zero-waste movement. For those who don’t know, zero-waste is trying to limit the amount of single-use plastic one consumes. Check out my profile (Instagram: @carly_bergman) and the photos below from some of the many participants involved in my latest campaign called “Futuristic February!”

Labante Bracelet

Hessnatur Blouse

R.E.V by Rêve en vert Skirt

Tragwert Vegan Bag

LIVIA VAN HEERDE INSTAGRAM: @LIVIAVANH FACEBOOK:LIVIAVANH WWW.LIVIAVANHEERDE.COM

MISCONCEPTIONS " I think the biggest misconception about vegan fashion is that it doesn’t look good and that the materials are low quality. Particularly when it comes to leather for example. People think that a vegan leather bag, jacket or shoes look like plastic and that vegan leather shoes are not breathable. This is not true.

Nowadays, there are so many great vegan leather alternatives that are more sustainable, look like “real” animal leather and don’t harm animals. Lots of cruelty-free fashion products are also better for your health. There are a lot of harsh chemicals needed to process leather so that the animal skin doesn’t rot. A lot of vegan labels also try to be more sustainable and manufacture under ethical conditions. They don’t want to harm animals nor humans. As an ethical fashion blogger, I don’t just show people vegan fashion but also fair fashion which is fashion made under ethical conditions so there is no forced labour or child labour involved.

I myself try to promote vegan fashion by showing my outfits and writing about vegan fashion as well as talking about the issues of conventional fast fashion. Everyone can inform people about the unethical and unsustainable side of fashion in everyday life and set as an example. When someone compliments my vegan shoes or bags I say “Thank you! They are from this super cool vegan fashion label.” Raising awareness is the key for any kind of change. It is important to speak about that animals are skinned alive for leather and fur to save time and money or that sheep are injured in the process of shearing because the workers work so fast that they cut the sheep. Animal products are not necessarily products of quality anymore."

-Livia van Heerde

London Based Ethical Fashion & Sustainable Lifestyle Blogger

CREATE CHANGE CLARA INSTAGRAM: @THEVASHIONBLOGG FACEBOOK:THEVASHIONBLOGG WWW.THEVASHIONBLOGG.COM Labante Bracelet Hessnatur Blouse " (The stigma on vegan fashion) That it is hard to find, that it is very expensive, bad quality and that it´s ugly. I think people are not used to thinking about fashion in that way, and they are afraid that it will limit their options too much. That´s why I started my blog, to inspire and show all amazing vegan brands that´s out there.

There are so many innovative materials that are good for both people, animals and the planet.

R.E.V by Rêve en vert Skirt

I believe that in order to create change it has to be easy and accessible. I would love to see more physical vegan fashion stores, and that more big brands start to create vegan collections. We have come a long way when it comes to eating more vegan food, and I hope and think that vegan fashion will be next. "

-Clara Gothenburg, Sweden Based Vegan Fashion Blogger

"I am wearing vegan suede boots from Beyond skin and skinny jeans from Monki. The turtle neck is in the silky material modal from Danish brand Woron store, and then a cotton blazer from I & KK/Klädoteket. "

Treasure your choices.

Worldwide Shipping Available On www.independentfox.com Instagram: @independentfox Facebook: IndependentFoxShoes

WILD PARTY Manufacturing of the early magazines were done via an archaic form of the printing press, using large hand engraved wood blocks for printing. When production of magazines increased, entire production lines were created to manufacture these wooden blocks. The development of the magazines showed an increase in literary criticism and political debate.

CAMP WHOA @itdoesnttastelikechicken itdoesnttastelikechicken bonappetegan itdoesnttastelikechicken Blog: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/

SAM

The early periodical predecessors to magazines started to evolve to modern definition in the late 1800s.

Works slowly became more specialised and the general discussion or cultural periodicals were forced to adapt to a consumer market which yearned for more localisation of issues and events. In 2011, 152 magazines ceased operations.

Between the years of 2008 to 2015, Oxbridge communications announced that 227 magazines launched and 82 magazines closed in 2012 in North America.

Furthermore, according to MediaFinder.com, 93 new magazines launched between the first six months of 2014 and just 30 closed. The category that produced new publications was "Regional interest".

Behind FussFree Vegan & My Transition to Veganism / BY SAM TURNBULL Author of Fuss-Free Vegan, Canadian YouTuber, and Blogger

You might be surprised to learn that when I first went vegan I was completely and utterly bummed about it.

Let me explain. I NEVER thought I would be vegan. You see, I grew up in a family of foodies, chefs, butchers, and hunters. (Yep, it’s true). I loved meat and cheese, and I enjoyed my steaks rare. There were even real animal heads on the walls of my parents house.

So how did a proud meat-eater like me swap overnight to never touching a piece of meat again?

One fine day I watched a documentary about being vegan. Well that blew my mind, so I followed that with every documentary and book I could get my hands on about health, the environment, the food industry, and the animals. The result? You guessed it, here I am today: a vegan. Hi! �� After all of my research it made 100% logical sense to be vegan. The problem was, I actually

hated the idea. I remember being so frustrated, almost wishing I could unlearn all of the facts I had learned.

Well, I couldn’t un-learn, so I had to come up with a new plan of attack. Be the best damn vegan I could be!

As someone who has always loved to cook, I hit the kitchen and started whipping up all the vegan recipes I could find. But I was so disappointed.

The recipes seemed to be all about bars, balls, juices, smoothies, and salads. Everything had weird and hard to find, and expensive ingredients.

This wasn’t going to cut it for me. I missed my favorite comfort foods. So, I started experimenting in the kitchen and writing my own recipes- a funny thing happened. I fell in love with my new recipes. In fact, I loved them more than the animal product based recipes!

Not only were they satisfying, hearty, full of flavour, and straight up delicious, but they

were just as easy to make as any other meal. With limitation came inspiration, and before I knew it, going vegan was one of the best decisions I ever made!

Gone were the days of feeling bloated after eating, of getting drowsy midafternoon, of unbuttoning my jeans, and feeling guilty and grossed out when I thought of what my dinner really was. I was now healthier, leaner, more energetic and just overall happier. The best, and most surprising part of going vegan was that I absolutely loved it! were just as easy to make as any other meal. With limitation came inspiration, and before I knew it, going vegan was one of the best decisions I ever made!

Gone were the days of feeling bloated after eating, of getting drowsy midafternoon, of unbuttoning my jeans, and feeling guilty and grossed out when I thought of what my dinner really was. I was now healthier, leaner, more energetic

and just overall happier. The best, and most surprising part of going vegan was that I absolutely loved it!

2 1/2 years later I quit my job as an art director and took my blog full-time.

But I knew I was really on to something when I was contact by three separate publishers all interested in a potential cookbook! I signed a deal with Appetite by Random House, and my first cookbook “Fuss-Free Vegan” is now available worldwide. It was my goal to write the cookbook I wish I had when I went vegan. I put everything I had into the book- writing and testing each recipe multiple times to ensure they will work perfectly for everyone. I also did all of the photography myself, even the cover shot (the ultimate selfie!), I made my handwriting into a font, and included lots of design details so that the reader will have lots of fun in the kitchen with this book. All of my approachable, comfort food favorites, and everyday meals, made vegan. No fussing about, just good ol’ food that everyone will love, vegan or not.

(What inspired you to write Fuss-Free Vegan?) When I first went vegan, I started cooking up the vegan recipes I found. The recipes used weird, expensive, and hard to find ingredients. All of the recipes used the words such as “energy”, “glow”, “detox”, or “power” and were filled with kale, quinoa, sprouts, and super foods.

This is not how I wanted to eat at all, so I decided to toss out the weird ingredients, and wrote my own recipes that were fuss-free. Quick and easy to make, using ingredients you could find at your local grocery store to make totally satisfying comfort food recipe.

Before I knew it, I was loving my recipes more than I had the original animal product based recipes, and I was feeling better than ever! I wanted to write the cookbook I wish I had when I went vegan.

I have a lot of followers on my blog that are not vegan, and that’s wonderful. I encourage everyone to try a vegan recipe, because after all, good food is just good food, vegan or not.

I’ve actually received several emails from fans, who went vegan because they fell in love with my

recipes and as they said, no longer had an excuse. Insert huge grin here! Haha.

I know putting the word “vegan” in the title of my cookbook might scare away some people, and I could have used a less threatening word such as “plantbased”. But that’s kinda the point of my book. I want to take the “weird” out of vegan. To show people that you can eat vegan and be totally normal too.

Pancakes, waffles, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, pasta, cakes, cookies, and pies, all veganized.

You can have your cake and eat it vegan too. ;)

www.kokobrill.com

I love them al( recipes in Fuss-Free Vegan cookbook) they’re my favorites! But if I had to choose the one that I make the most often it would be “OMG It’s So Good, Tofu Bolognese” because it’s (shocker) SO GOOD! In this recipe I season and then dry out tofu crumbles in the oven, and then stir them into the sauce. This makes for an amazingly chewy and hearty Bolognese texture that blows peoples minds. It’s total comfort food heaven.

FITNESS

WITH CAITY MACLENNAN & ABI ROMAN

ABOUT CAITY MACLENNAN

LEG DAY WORKOUT FOR MASS WWW.BODYBYROB.INFO @CAITY_MACLENNAN

TRAINING WITH CAITY

Los Angeles Based Fitness Model, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Precision Nutrition Coach, Pilates Method Alliance Pilates Instructor, and Head Coach with Body By Rob. Caity is well-known for her very inspiring health background. From struggling with an eating disorder to being the mentally and physically strong woman she is today. Her convenient Instagram workout videos that include quick exercises you can do in a hotel room!! She gives her insight on growing your mass in your glutes naturally!! .

Let's is!! do th CIRCUIT 1:

SETS:

REPS:

Barbell Glute Bridge on a Bench (Hip Thrusters!)

3

15

Straight Leg Barbell Deadlifts

3

12

Stability Ball Hamstring Curl

3

15

"Treat the barbell Glute Bridge as a compound movement. Make it heavy. Keep your abs tight. Pause at the top for 2 seconds to make sure you get that good burn. SQUEEZE your glutes like your cracking walnuts. For the deadlift, KEEP YOUR BACK FLAT! No hunchbacks whatsoever. Enjoy the hamstring curls, if it’s easy try a single leg variation…but it shouldn’t be easy…."

CIRCUIT 2:

SETS:

REPS:

Goblet Squat

3

15

Step-Up to Reverse Lunge

3

12 ea. leg

Kettlebell Swings

3

15

"For the goblet squats, use a heavy kettlebell or dumbbell, but check your form to make sure your knees don’t forward past your toes. Press those knees apart, strengthen your outer hips. For the step-ups, pick a box to step up on that’s challenging, but not too high that you’re hip flexors feel pinched and you’re wobbling to balance. Kettlebell swings: it’s a HINGING motion. Keep your back flat, your feet planted, send your hips back with the kettlebell going between your legs and THRUST your hips forward. Hold on tight to the kettlebell….don’t be that person who accidentally lets it go haha."

CIRCUIT 3:

SETS:

REPS:

Cable Donkey Kicks

3

15 ea. leg

Cable Hip Abduction

3

15 ea. leg

Box Jumps

3

15

"This circuit is performed using the cable system for the first 2 exercises. You’ll need an ankle strap to clip on to the cable, but if your gym doesn’t have one, you can makeshift one of the handle straps and loop it over the arch of your foot for the donkey kicks and loop it over your ankle for the hip abduction. Keep your core tight in the cable exercises and don’t try to swing your leg super far…trust me that does nothing. Keep your hips still and in a neutral position; this will limit your range of motion, but will target the intended muscles. For the box jumps: pick a box size appropriate to your height…it will not feel good to bang your shins on the box if it’s too high. Start from the ground on both feet, jump straight up an onto the box, landing on both feet, stabilize finding your balance BEFORE you hop back down."

TOTAL BODY FAT LOSS WORKOUT

BY ABI ROMAN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ARSENIK STUDIOS

Abi's Fitness History ABI

ROMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY WEST STUDIO

M y name is Abianna Roman, but everyone refers to me as Abi. I am from King City, Ontario, Canada and I am a health and fitness coach. As a certified Personal Trainer and National Bikini Champion, I help others achieve their health and fitness goals for both lifestyle and bodybuilding competitions. I have had a passion for health and fitness all my life starting from growing up on a farm, riding horses since I was 5 years old and then entering my first fitness competition in August 2014. I have competed in 13 fitness competitions spanning from August 2014-October 2017, and will be doing my fourteenth show this August 2018. My personal goal is to win my IFBB Bikini Pro Card this year at the Canadian Nationals.

Prior to entering the fitness world, I was a National Level Equestrian Competitor in the sport of 3 Day Eventing. Academics are very important to me and amongst all my athletics, I have a Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Toronto, a High Honours Post Graduate Certificate from Seneca College in Sports and Event Marketing, and two Personal Training Certifications. I love to learn.

I love my career in helping individuals reach their potential and fitness goals, but what I love most is teaching how to live a healthy lifestyle both emotionally and physically.

Nothing is more rewarding than helping someone feel confident in their own skin, and teaching positive thinking that can be applied in any facet of their life.

@ABIROMANFIT

@ABIANNAROMAN

ABI ROMAN

May 2015: Fouad Abiad Championships Overall Bikini Winner June 2015: OPA Ontario Provincial Championships 10th place in Bikini Medium-Tall June 2015: Inside Fitness Championships 1st place in Athletic Model Division July 2015: FeFA Fitness Model Search Overall Winner in the Bikini Division August 2015: OPA Natural Provincial Championships 1st place in Bikini Class D August 2015: Canadian BodyBuilding Federation Natural Nationals 15th in Bikini Class D June 2016: OPA Ontario Provincial Championships 12th place in Bikini D June 2016: Canadian BodyBuilding Federation Natural Nationals 1st place in Bikini D March 2017: Arnold Amateur Classic 5th place in Bikini D October 2017: Ben Weider Legacy Cup 4th place in Bikini Medium-Tall

WEBSITE : WWW.ABIANNAROMAN.COM

WORKOUT #1: FULL BODY WORKOUT A1 DB Walking Lunges A2 Bodyweight Jump Squats A3 Bodyweight Lunge Jumps B1 Cable Lat Pull Down; Neutral Grip B2 Seated Cable Row C1 DB Jumping Jacks C2 Bodyweight Plank (hold for 30 seconds)

VISIT HER SITE, COMING SOON AT WWW.ABIANNAROMAN.COM FOR HER 8 WEEK TONE AND SCULPTING PROGRAM AND SO MUCH MORE TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR FITNESS GOALS!!

-3 set of 15-20 reps for each exercise Once superset is completed, rest for 45-60 seconds and then repeat

ss : eir fitne NOTE off in th ur fitness g in rt o ey. her sta g towards y are eit e journ a in se who y work enjoy th ve For tho r are currentl an offer is to body will ha u yo Ic our yo journe best advice u’re doing, y e the results d n v e a yo ie th , t h , a c rd ls h a a a l w go wil rk h joy in your nd you ent, wo you en When e response a er to be pati you will susta positiv Just rememb That is how ted. desire. e fun with it. d stay motiva hav , an always results

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ARSENIK STUDIOS

BONITA

REBEL

a t i n o B ebel R

"Bonitaseason" is available on all streaming services

YouTube · Instagram · Twitter- @bonitarebel Snapchat · @bonita.rebel

FOREVER DETERMINED Toi: When did you start creating music? What pushed you to go public with your music?

I started creating music when I was 11.

Been writing since I was a little girl, script writing for horror movies and poems was my first passion but fell in love with rap when Vixen ENT came out.

I had a small YouTube channel and had my songs in the intro so I won’t get a copyright strike, next thing you know each video people asks for the song info. Then boom, Bonitaseason.

Toi: What inspires you when writing your songs?

My songs like a diary , each song has a meaning, either if it’s break ups , friends or a situation made me upset .. it’s all how I felt , no sugar coating. I wrote all my music either in Orlando while I was in college or in Cali.

Toi:What is your personal favorite song on "Bonita Season"?

Get Out My Way and Are You Okay are def my favs. I didn’t write those lyrics

down . I had the hooks and just free styled n recorded in my room. Get out my way is more of a statement telling people it’s my turn, this is my time, so get out my way .

Toi:What motivates you to keep striving in your music career?

A lot of people think only lighskin gets recognition and I wanna put an end to that and show , black is beautiful and it’s about your talent, as long as You have God , good music and confidence, you will be heard!

8)Have you run into any battles so far with your music? How have you overcome them?

Oh yes, Patience is a big problem. I want everything to just happen now and not realize it takes hard work ethics to get a good result. I don’t want anything given to me , I wouldn’t value it. It takes time to build a brand and I gotta have patience in that area n focus on my goals.

Bonita Rebel is a versatile, determined, and EXTRAORDINARILY talented woman from Los Angeles,CA. With a Bachelor's in the entertainment industry, she continued to pursue school for creative writing, but actually, "changed it last minute to more of a feel of the music industry."

We are glad she made that transition!

Many also know Bonita Rebel from You Tube as one of our many favorite beauty gurus. From makeup tutorials, hair reviews, and spicy food challenges she never ceases to impress her 33k YouTube subscribers.

We are more than grateful to have the opportunity to get an interview with her and share it with you all!!

Her realness and transparency is so inspiring that you will not finish this article without feeling motivated to start taking action on your own personal dreams and goals.

Toi: If you could do a collab with any artist, who would it be and why?

Cardi B most def... her music I believed in since day one .. I was a fan before she was on Love and hip Hop. Al my Dominican friends loved her n introduced me to her and she was pretty hilarious, but when I heard “ Foreva” I knew she had it in her. The aggressiveness New Yorker style I loved it and love the way she flows. I respect her hard work n how she proved everyone wrong. She seems sooo humble and would love to put a crazy record together.

Toi: How would your describe your style of music? Who does it cater to?

My style of music is hmm very different when you hear my pop/ trap album.. I’ma just say one word ..

Unpredictable.

Toi: The life of a musical artist is not an easy one. How do you balance your personal life and musical career without being stressed?

I’m still learning to accept what I want may not be what God wants . I gotta trust the process more and live life and when God is ready for that one door to open , it will open. I must surrender to him and walk by faith. I listen to motivational videos like everyday or read motivational books.. keeps me at peace.

MAGAZINE