Welcome to the most narcissistic video I’ve ever made.
It’s all about making me look as good as possible.
Strong.
Flawless.
Professional.
[record scratch & music stops]
Well that didn’t last long.
Hi it’s Emily from Bite Size Vegan and welcome to another vegan nugget.
I typically shy away from content focused on my body and physical appearance
as I have so many educational topics to address that are of far greater importance than my abs.
That said, there is validity in providing a visual example of what one can achieve
without animal products. So I’ll bust out the final pictures
at the end of the video after sharing the shoot experience.
Be sure to stay for the finals but here’s a lil’ sneak peak.
So, this past August I flew out to Los Angeles for a photo shoot
with my friend Melissa Schwartz for the book she’s writing.
I had a lot of work to do to get into shape for this shoot
and about two and a half months to do it.
But after literally working my butt off, though not all the way off
thanks to squatting heavy, I was ready for my close up.
For those interested, my routine consisted of a core weight training regiment
that varied in reps and sets over the two and a half months,
ample outdoor bike rides, sometimes twice a day,
and some high intensity interval training in the form of TABATA and PACE sessions.
For some tips, tweaks and ample moral support, I consulted with the chiseled Derek Tresize
and the stunning vegan fitness model Crissi Carvalho,
both of whom you can find in the vegan athlete series playlist
linked in the sidebar and below.
I’m so thankful to them both for their guidance, wisdom,
and for putting up with my photo-shoot-prep-induced insanity.
So, on to the shoot itself.
Melissa Schwartz is an incredibly gifted photographer
and the mastermind behind the vegan revolution website
and upcoming book. I’ll let her tell you a little about it herself.
Hi, I'm Melissa Schwartz.
So the book is aimed at helping people transition to veganism.
And it's kind of-- everybody gives their own little story
about how they became vegan and what works for them
for their health and fitness.
So today we shot some great pictures of Emily.
Emily: And those great shots have everything to do with Melissa
because I had no idea what I was doing. I’m not a terribly photogenic person,
nor aware of how to position or angle myself, so luckily she gave a lot of direction.
And of course, as always, I went makeup free,
save for my home-made vegan chapstick, which you can find out how to make
in the video linked up there and below.
While I had Melissa, I asked her about her own vegan journey.
It wasn't until I moved to L.A. and I was down on Third Street Promenade--
and now I'm friends with the people that do this, but there were people out there
showing on a screen slaughterhouse footage and I had never seen that before.
And I was just shocked that it took till that age for somebody to show that to me.
Anybody that shows that kind of stuff to people, the people react not so much badly
to the message, they react badly to the messenger.
So it takes people with a lot of balls to come out and say what needs to be said.
And that's one reason I have tremendous respect for people like Emily.
And not only that, but she does it in such a way that is very...
you know, she's not talking down to people,
she's just telling you the truth.
And often that is what people are doing; they're just telling you the truth.
Even when they're showing you some violent, graphic video.
We're not doing it to shame anybody, that's the truth!
There it is. If you feel ashamed that's something internal for you.
Melissa’s book will cover the “why” of veganism
with her own rigorously-researched writing, and the “how” with the stories
and advice of the impressive array of vegan contributors she has put together.
And somehow I’m in there too.
The accompanying website, which is in development but viewable,
will eventually have a social functionality whereby you could hire the contributors
for personal training, coaching, or whatever services they may have to offer.
But back to my body.
Because that’s what’s really important here.
So, let’s see the final results, shall we?
So here’s me doing a nice squeeze side pose,
looking down to be sure I’m flexing my abs.
And on the insistence of Melissa, a booty shot.
Then the stare down. And the booty pop side view.
A black and white option, more subdued. The same one in color.
And for some fun, yoga. There’s camel
and crow.
So there you have it! My vegan muscle shoot.
If you want to see some actual athletes of the vegan variety
and get some serious fitness inspiration, check out my vegan athlete series,
which still has more videos to come!
If you liked this gratuitous display of my musculature,
do give the video a thumbs up.
If you’re new here, I’d love to have you as a subscriber.
I put out fresh content covering all aspects of veganism
every Monday, Wednesday and some Fridays.
Not typically consisting of my own body.
To help support Bite Size Vegan’s educational efforts,
please see the support link below
or click on the Nugget Army icon or the link in the sidebar.
Now go live vegan, build some vegan muscle,
and I’ll see you soon!