On my second day in Tokyo my hosts took me on a tour of the famous cherry blossoms, for “hanami”, viewing flowers. Cherry blossoms are indigenous to Japan and only bloom once a year, for a period of 7-10 days. I was lucky enough to be in Japan exactly when the blossoms were in the height of blooming. I walked under a canopy of cherry blossoms, along with my friends Yuki Kato and Zoey Trap (and thousands of other people). It was breathtaking!

On my day off I took a bus tour of Tokyo. I went up Tokyo Tower, visited the Meiji Shrine, toured the East Garden of the Imperial Palace and then spent the afternoon shopping in the Ginza district. OMG! Japanese department stores are to die for! Each designer, or brand, has its own storefront. We’re talking a distinct storefront and unique design for each, and every, brand. It’s like walking into a whole new store, every 20 feet.

I enjoyed the best sushi of my life, as well as delicious Korean food. And my hotel, the Shinagawa Prince, was so interesting. It had a bowling alley, movie theaters and an aquarium, (all inside of the hotel)! Again, I’ve never seen anything like it, (and I’ve been a lot of places). Don’t even get me started on the toilets. They’re so cool and futuristic that I could go on, and on about them.

Overall, my quick trip to Japan was fantastic! I loved every moment and hope to return again soon. But in the meantime, it’s time to clean up my act. Feel free to join me, on the Clean program, if you’re finding that you:

• have more headaches than usual
• have allergies or hay fever
• get bloated after eating
• get heartburn
• have dark circles under your eyes
• tend to get colds or viruses each year
• get cravings for certain types of foods, especially sugary or starchy foods
• get pain or stiffness in joints or muscles
• have bowel movements less frequently than after every meal
• get congested or mucousy

The list goes on. If you’re ready to experience optimum health check out the Clean Program, and join me in detoxing and rebooting your system.  In preparation for the Clean Program, today I started the “Elimination Diet” portion of the program. Click Here to learn more about the Clean Program and Click Here to purchase the New York Times Best Seller Clean by Dr. Alejandro Junger (Board certified in internal medicine and cardiology, as knowledgeable in Eastern medicine).

I’m excited to get “clean” and would love your support. I’ll post my progress on FaceBook. Domo arigato.

“Done properly, compliments on your glowing skin and svelte figure are just the frosting on the cake; your body’s natural healing abilities will be restored, insulin levels regulated, and your liver detoxified.”

Vogue.com 

In celebration of the vernal equinox the Iconic Equinox Sports Club West LA will be hosting an amazing Vernal Equinox party on

Tuesday, March 20th from 6:00-9:00PM

1835 S. Sepulveda Blvd

Los Angeles, CA  90025

310.473.1447

Join me for special fitness classes, performances (including my own), music, drinks and more..

RSVP  at ana.caban (at) equinox.com

Growing up, a very dear family friend, Mabel Garis, always made a special dessert at Thanksgiving time. It was her amazing Cranberry Apple Crumb Pie. A few years ago I asked her if she might reveal the secret recipe, and she kindly obliged. Today I’d like to share this deliciously sweet-tart recipe with you. I hope that you will enjoy it this Thanksgiving as much as I have, over the years.

Ingredients:
3 cups fresh cranberries
3 cups coarsely chopped pealed apples
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp. salt
whipped cream of vanilla ice cream

Combine first 3 ingredients
Turn onto a buttered 9″ pan
With pastry blender or finger tips blend together the remaining ingredients
Sprinkle on the fruit and bake for 1 hour at 350F

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Buen provecho!

I have to say that I have been blessed with amazing, lifelong friends. Some I met in grade school and some as an adult. No matter where, or how I met them, I feel so fortunate to have them all. Friendship really does make life fuller and helps when times are tough. I hope that you always feel surrounded by friends and that you are a good friend to many.

I recently found a great FREE app for my iPhone called “Thankful For”. It’s basically a little journal where you can post anything that you are grateful/thankful for. What’s great is that you can chose which notes are kept private and which get shared in a gratitude newsfeed. It’s super uplifting to read what others are thankful for, whether it be a sunny day, electricity or their favorite dessert.

Click Here & head on over to the Apple Apps Store to download your Thankful for app!

It’s a Dogs’s Life!

Play them off! With the new Kinect Sports: Calorie Challenge from VBox Live ($4; Xbox.com) you can go cabeza-a-cabeza against a virtual treat, and burn off the item’s calorías (100-plus for the Super Soda avatar, for example).  Enjoy activities such as running or boxing.

Jump like a kid! Did you know that jumping on a trampoline not only tones your legs, butt and abs but also burns 100 calorías in only 27 minutos.  And, it’s super fun, of course! So go ahead, be silly and jump around!

Be a tourist! Climb the steps of the Great Wall of China (or any ancient ruin) and burn 100 calorías in only 14 minutos.  No ruin in sight?  Hit your local museum, where you can quemar the same number of  calorías absorbing the art for 37 minutos.

Meet a pal on the mat! Join a friend in a local park for a mini-workout.  Start with 5 minutes of jogging (30 calorías) then have her hold your feet for 5 minutos of ab-work (40 calorías).  Finish up with 3 minutos of lunges (30 calorías).  You had fun and you’re done!

These are just a few ways to get your body moving and up your metabolism.  Curious what your waking day metabolic profile is (how much energy you expend in YOUR day)?  Stay tuned for my NEW Metabolic Profiling Program! Coming soon!

All participants must:

1. Be available to train with me, in Eagle Rock, Mondays and Fridays at 8:00AM and Sundays at 10:00 during the weeks of 8/22-10/2.

2. Be willing to sign an N.D.A. (non-disclosure agreement).

If you are interested in being a part of this test group please email me at info@anacaban.com.  Again, there is no fee to participate in this group.  Please include your name, age and telephone number in email.

Muchas gracias,

This is a great place to showcase your services.  Check it out!  Just click the purple link above.

How about you?  How is the Challenge going for you and what did YOU do today to move your body and inspire others to do so?

Click Here to check out the crunch Cardio Salsa Workout DVD.

Click Here to see my Day 4 video.

Can’t figure out what to do today?  Here are some ideas:

So now what will YOU do to move your body today?  Share below!

Tonight I headed to Hollywood, to “get melted”.  Curious?  Check out my video, LIVE from Hollywood, CA!

Click Here to watch!