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Sandi Morais is preparing to release her fitness DVD
Tune-Up with Sandi Morais in the new few weeks. Sandi
has been a fitness instructor for over twenty years. Philip
Michael Thomas, best known for his role as Ricardo Tubbs
on Miami Vice produced the music on the DVD. Philip Michael
Thomas and Sandi have teamed up on other projects also.
Sandi, a former elementary school teacher, co-wrote the
stageplay Sacha on Broadway with Philip. The play Sacha
was born from a children's story named Sacha and the
Magic Cookie Maker and other short stories that Sandi
and Philip wrote in 2001. There have been 8 productions
of Sacha on Broadway to date. For more about Sacha visit
http://sandimorais.net/sacha.htm.
How is the day in the life of Sandi Morais now?
Sandi Morais-My day
is hectic. When I get up in the morning the first thing
I do is drink a glass of fresh squeezed carrot juice to
get my motor running. Then I do my 30 min. Tune-up Total
Body Workout. After my workout I answer my emails, return
phone calls and work on Celebrate Life my new health and
fitness newsletter. I became a vegetarian two years ago
so I love to prepare my own vegetarian gourmet meals starting
with my Rainbow Salad that I eat everyday. I spend some
of my time during the day advising and assisting my daughter
Kamla in developing her career in Exercise Physiology.
Even though it is a hectic day I enjoy every minute of
it because I am passionate about health and fitness as
a way of life.
The most current DVD is the Tune-up DVD.
Sandi Morais-Yeah
that's the most current DVD. That should be out in two
weeks.
What can you tell me about the DVD? I read it's high impact
cardio.
Sandi Morais-Yes,
it's high impact cardio. I have seven different segments.
It's a total body work out. Of course we start with a
warm-up. It's very important to warm up. I have a light
weight training segment in there working the upper body.
I have the segment where I work the abs but I don't work
the abs on the floor. I work the abs standing up, doing
standing crunches. I also work the legs. I also use a
total flex exercise band to tone the legs; that's because
the band ads resistance to the work out. I also work the
buttocks toning and firming that area and I use a meditation
ball for my cool down, relaxation and mediation at the
end of the work out. It was shot outdoors by the beach
so I have that beautiful outdoor feel. Somebody that's
watching the video and working out to the video they are
transported near the beach. It's very high energy I have
a cardio work out in there that is high energy and the
music is really jumping. The music was produced by Philip
Michael Thomas. Each segment that I do has a different
type of music and the music really makes you want to move.
It's very important as an aerobic instructor for over
20 years one of the things that I notice in my class that
really pumps up my members and gets them motivated and
wanting to do the work out was the fact that the music
energized them.
That sounds great and that comes out in two weeks?
Sandi Morais-At the
end of the DVD I have a special bonus that is included
with a song. It's a song that Philip CO-wrote called "My,
My, My Miami." That was chosen as the national anthem
for the city of Miami in the 1990's, I don't remember
what year. I'm offering that at the end of the DVD for
a lot of Philip Michael Thomas fans. A lot of them are
not aware of how much of a genius he is in terms of music.
So they'll get a chance now to hear some of his music
and actually see him in this "My, My, My, Miami,"
DVD with him in the studio and clips in the DVD.
Your other video available is The Golden Workout?
Sandi Morais-I shot
The Golden Workout 5 years ago and I shot that work out
with seven of the members of my aerobic class and their
age ranged from 40-75 years old. So it's for a more mature
population. It's a slower pace work out and again the
music for the work out was provided by Philip. The pace
is a much slower pace work out for that population. The
reason why I did that Dorrie was because I realized teaching
exercise for twenty years I realized that population was
omitted. They believe that after you reach 40 that's it.
So I'm showing people out there that women from 40 even
up to 75 years old are still fit and fabulous.
A lot of people are interested in various vitamins or
supplements. Are there any that you personally recommend?
Sandi Morais- I personally
don't take any vitamins so I would not be able to recommend
any particular vitamin to anyone. I eat a variety of greens
and a variety of fresh fruits on a daily basis in order
to get my natural vitamins and minerals. I take a teaspoon
of 100% organic Flax seed oil during the day and in the
evening I grind up 1 tablespoon of organic Flax Seed and
make my Flax seed Tune-up Power Shake (the recipe is in
my Tune-up fitness book). Flax seed helps to build the
immune system, improve circulation and supplies the body
with the Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. I also drink a
green super drink call Green Vibrance.
How do you think parents today can get their children
and teens to incorporate fitness more into their routines
and their lives?
Sandi Morais- I think
the first thing that parents have to do is become an example
themselves. Children have to see their parents eating
healthy and their parents exercising because children
do model behavior. If they see that they will want to
do the same thing they see their parents doing. Parents
have to encourage the children and talk to them about
why they need to eat healthy. Prepare the healthy meals
with the kids and make it fun so the kids want to eat
it.
Are you still teaching classes?
Sandi Morais- Actually
not right now. What I'm doing now is I trained one of
the members in my class, he's a firefighter I trained
him two years ago to take over the class. He has been
teaching the class for two years and I needed the time
to work on Sacha. I was traveling as we were producing
Sacha. I took that time to work on the play. The class
is still going on. What I am really doing now is more
consultation work. Early this year I went to a law firm
in West Palm Beach and spoke to their employees about
health and fitness and exercises that they can do sitting
at their desk. Stretching exercises to relieve tension.
I also get involved a lot of fitness workshops.
When is the next production of Sacha on Broadway?
Sandi Morais- Well
the last production was in New York, September/October
last year. Our ultimate goal is for Sacha to be on Broadway
in New York. What we're doing now is looking for talent
so we are casting for the different roles. What we want
now is the right talent for this production so we are
taking our time to cast the people. Hopefully we probably
will produce Sacha sometime early next year.
What are your long term goals in fitness? You've done
so much with this terrific book and these DVD's?
Sandi Morais- Yes,
I would like to have a fitness show again. I had one in
the 90's it was done for educational cable television.
I'd like to have a national fitness show where I can disseminate
this information to a vast majority of people and I would
like to work with some of the fitness enthusiast that
have done it as many years as I have and to keep brainstorming
about how we as professionals in the fitness industry
can help to encourage and inspire all people to strive
for a healthy lifestyle?
Sandi's books and fitness DVD's and videos are available
from her website.
For more about Sandi Morais visit http://www.sandimorais.net
Sandi Morais interview copyright
Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, and Thabiz.com 2006
Dorrie Williams-Wheeler is the author of Be
My Sorority Sister Under Pressure and the Unplanned
Pregnancy Book for Teens and College Students. She is
the founder of Thabiz.com
and Imissthe80s.com
and writes for the Rap,
Teen, and 1980s
section at Bellaonline.com. She is an ASCAP member as a
writer and a publisher. Please contact Dorrie for advertising
inquiries, lyric writing inquiries, reprint rights,
paying
entertainment jobs, or general comments.
Visit Dorrie on the web at www.sparkledoll.com
or add her as a friend at MYSPACE.
Sandi Morais interview
may not be reprinted, copied or distribute without permission.
You may link to this interview.Interview copyright Dorrie
Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com July 2006.
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