“Is it possible for me to get to lowest possible level of leanness", " Can I Maintain This Leanness Indefinitely?” Ever asked these questions before? If so, let's look at the cost of getting 'shredded'.

Intermittent Fasting is what we are talking about today? Is it effective for fat loss? Who should and shouldn't do it? What are some popular protocols and how do I build your own?

In this episode we are taking a look at one the HOTTEST subjects in the nutrition and fitness space - Ketogenic diet. I will try to answer the question that I hear a lot from clients. And the question is - "Does Keto have an edge over any other diet when it comes to fat loss?"

Let's face it, not everyone is excited to log daily what they eat and drink. Not everyone enjoys spending their time working out their meals, making sure the 3 macronutrients are hit perfectly. In this episode I am going to share with you a weight loss method that DOESN'T involve counting calories.

Today we dive into some common hurdles dieters encounter and how to deal with them.

You got your protein, fat and carbs figured out. You have created your meal plan and stocked up on all the groceries..."Now what do I do?" you'll ask. "If I stick to my plan, how soon will I reach my weight loss goal?" Well, let's look at these and some other questions together in today's podcast.

Now we get to the practical part of planning your meals based on your macros. What should be my proteins, carbs and fats? Does it matter how many meals I have? Can I eat late at night? How to make things easier?

In this episode we will take a closer look at macros, their food examples and how to wisely use your daily calorie budget. Step by step macro setup.

Are we too cool for basics of nutrition? Why do we keep looking for the new shiny objects? New diet, new detox, another food group to eliminate in order to lose weight? But nothing ever sticks. Is weight loss THAT complicated?

Today I fill a request of one of my Podcast listeners/ YouTube subscribers by reciting a short poem written by one of Russia's greatest talents - Anna Akhmatova. Лотова Жена - Анна Ахматова (Lot's Wife - Anna Akhmatova). To view the text: http://youtu.be/2fEWD9bqAWkBy Natalia Worthington

The video that goes with this episode can be found on my YouTube channel: Episode 031 Toasting is a huge thing in Russia. Has been for ages. A full glass must be drunk to the bottom after every toast, because “a toast without wine is like a wedding without a bride!” A traditional Russian drinking party usually includes a sequence of several standar…

The video that goes with this episode can be found on my YouTube channel: Episode 030 Asking questions in Russian can be quite a daunting and intimidating task, especially if you try to follow the proper grammar rules of declention, gender agrement, etc. What if you are a beginner? Should you not even try? Of course not. By knowing basic Russian in…

Ever wanted to pronounce the days of the week in Russian like a native? Piece of cake!By Natalia Worthington

Today’s spoonful is going to consist of a useful Russian phrase and a poem in Russian. Don’t worry if you don’t understand the poem. The reason for reading out loud is so that you can get more familiar with the Russian sounds. As you’ve probably noticed I started this podcast with the expression Добрый день translated as ‘Good afternoon’. There is …

Ever wanted to know how to call your family members in Russian? I don't mean nicknames:) I mean official titles.By Natalia Worthington

Almost everybody has a book that they read and re-read in their childhood. When we read it again as adults it takes us back into the wonderful world of childhood fantasies and dreams. I have a book like that too. In Russian it was called "О чём думает моя голова". Translated into English "What's on My Mind". It's a collection of short stories about…

Many of you probably know that Russians have always been big on celebrating the New Year rather than Christmas. After the 1917 Revolution, Christmas was banned throughout Russia, along with other religious celebrations. It wasn't until 75 years later, in 1992, that the holiday was openly observed. Today, it's once again celebrated in grand fashion,…

Most Common Russian Drinking Toasts. There are more, but these will get you started:)By Natalia Worthington

Little Fir Tree (В Лесу Родилась Ёлочка). This is the most popular Russian New Year's song. Every Russian knows it. It's something that no winter holiday can do without. The song was born in 1903 and since then it brings joy and excitement to Russian kids just like that little fir tree from the song. Автор текста (слов): Кудашева Раиса Адамовна Ком…

Borrowing: The best way to think about the borrowed words in Russian is from a historical perspective. The influx of foreign words came in waves depending on what country or culture had influence in Russia: • Byzantine influence and conversion to Christianity: influx of Greek words • The reign of Peter the Great: influx of German and Dutch words (e…

By Natalia Worthington

A fun way to learn Russian is by learning the words with opposite meanings. Here are some antonyms for you. Stay in touch: - site: http://speakrussian.blogspot.com - voicemail: 209-980-7877 (209-980-RUSS) - email: spoonfulofrussian@gmail.com - twitter: @russianspoonfulBy Natalia Worthington

Здравствуйте и добро пожаловать … Hello and welcome to the very first 'Questions and Answers' edition of A Spoonful of Russian Podcast. Coming to you from a small home studio in beautiful Charlotte, North Carolina. Instead of trying to find time to get back to each and everyone of you individually through email, I decided to start accumulating the …

Final Part 3 of Крокодил (The Crocodile) by Korney Chukovsky.By Natalia Worthington

Part 2 of Крокодил (The Crocodile) by Korney Chukovsky. Крокодил (часть 2) Корнея Чуковского.By Natalia Worthington

By Natalia Worthington

Russian Poems series. "Stars" by Sergei Esenin.By Natalia Worthington

Learn some Russian words related to weather, seasons, and pets. Twitter @russianspoonful Email: spoonfulofrussian@gmail.comBy Natalia Worthington

Russian Stress Patterns ( Accented Vs Unaccented Vowels) 1. Greeting by a subscriber (Thank you, Emily) - Спасибо! 2. BIG thanks to all who show their support by: - purchasing authentic Russian food at Russiantable.com also via a banner 3. Lesson - Russian Stress Patterns ( Accented Vs Unaccented Vowels) 4. Contact Twitter @russianspoonful Email: s…

Learn some sport-related vocabulary words in Russian.By Natalia Worthington

Inspired by last night's thunderstorm, our next poem is by Ф.И. Тютчев "Весенняя Гроза". English translation by Dmitri ObolenskyBy Natalia Worthington

Subscribers spoke. Some of you mentioned you would enjoy listening to Russian spoken without thinking of grammar. I've been thinking of doing it for a while now. Auditory training is an integral part of any foreign language learning. Thus, I created a dedicated playlist within my YouTube channel. I hope to fill it with masterful creations of Russia…

Just to change the pace a little, my daughter Emily and I are trying our hand at covering one of the most popular contemporary Russian songs originally performed by Alla Pugacheva and her daughter Kristina. Those two don't need introduction.By Natalia Worthington

Lesson on bilabial stop consonants [p] [b] and dental consonants [n] [t] [d] 1. Greeting by a subscriber (Thank you, Jeanette, and Happy Birthday!) - Спасибо! С днём рождения! 2. Recommendation of recording apps - Voice Record Pro (for iOS) - Hi-Q mp3 Voice Recorder (for Android) Another way - Google voice 209-980-RUSS (209-980-7877) BIG thanks to …

Russian accented vowels sound much richer and fuller than their English equivalents. That is because Russian is spoken much more vigorously than is English - there is greater muscular tension throughout the organs used in speech production.By Natalia Worthington

Ученье свет, а неученье тьма (Knowledge is light, ignorance is darkness) Век живи - век учись (Live and learn) And the last one is quoted around our house quite often:) Повторенье - мать ученья (Repetition is the Mother of learning) I thought I would start talking about the Russian sound system. Since I want to be true to the podcast's format and k…

Today we'll talk about nouns and genders. Keep in mind that we are going to look only at singular nouns in nominative case (more on the 6 noun cases later). As you know, a noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, event or idea. All Russian nouns are divided into 3 genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. It's important to know the gender o…

'Привет', my old friends, and 'Здравствуйте', my new listeners! Welcome to Lesson 22 of 'A Spoonful of Russian with Natalia'. I am Natalia, your host and instructor. And today we are going to finish the Russian Cursive Letters series. But before we start, I want to thank again all those of you who support this podcast by first of all, keeping subsc…

Today you will learn how to write Russian Cursive letters "У,Ф,Х,Ц,Ч" . (updated on November 25, 2009) To answer Chris' question about forming a cursive 'ф' in the middle of a word I made a little demonstration vid.By Natalia Worthington

8th of March - Women's Day . It's Women's Day in Russia today, a holiday of spring and attention to women. It's one of most important holidays in Russia. The celebration is similar to a combination of Valentine's Day and Mother's Day in the West, but better. This is a national holiday and a day off. Several nations celebrate this, but only a few ac…

Russian Cursive (Letters "Й,К,Л,М,Н") Letter 'Й' is represented by word 'Йогурт' (Yogurt) Letter 'К' is represented by word 'Кошка' (Cat) Letter 'Л' is represented by word 'Лодка' (Boat) Letter 'М' is represented by word 'Машина' (Car) Letter 'Н' is represented by word 'Носки' (Socks)By Natalia Worthington

Video Vocabulary #1 - Common Greetings and Phrases. You can find a PDF file of the vocabulary in the DOWNLOADS section of the site. p.s. Isn't the sound of that BALALAIKA great in the video?By Natalia Worthington

Добрый день, мои дорогие слушатели ( Hello, my dear listeners)! Welcome to 'A Spoonful of Russian' , where we learn Russian one bite at a time. Добро пожаловать ( Welcome)! (Samir's audio message) I thank all the listeners who stuck with the show since the beginning and welcome the newcomers. I appreciate all the mail that you send my way. Question…

(Please follow the video for this lesson. Just click on the title of the blog entry.) Добрый день, дорогие друзья! You are listening to and viewing 'A Spoonful of Russian' podcast, where we learn Russian 'one bite at a time'! I am your host, Natalia. Давайте начнём (Let us begin)! First, I want to take just a few seconds to thank all those who cont…

Today I'll show you how to write Б,В,Г in cursive. (Please follow the video for this lesson. Just click on the title of the blog entry.)By Natalia Worthington

Today you will learn to write Russian cursive "А". I will include more than one letter in my future lessons. Thanks to one of my listeners I was able to upload a "Russian Cursive Workbook" in the DOWNLOADS section on the right. The Cyrillic alphabet was adopted by the Slavs in about the 9th century. Although it is named after St. Cyril (Constantine…

Emily made a little сюрприз for you:By Natalia Worthington

• ❑ Opening Word Ну, здравствуйте, мои дорогие слушатели = Well, hello, my dear listeners! Как вы поживаете? = 'How are you?' 'Как вы поживаете' is basically the same as 'Как дела'. The difference is in the use. I'd never say 'Как дела' to a person I just met, or to someone who's a lot older than I am. 'Как дела' is reserved for close friends, fami…

Добрый день, друзья! Как дела? Хорошо? Отлично. (Hello, friends! How are you? Doing well? Great!) It's December now, and I am a bit late with my coming back to the 'Spoonful of Russian'. I was hoping to get it started again in November, but....like they say in Russia: "Люди предполагают, а Бог располагает!" Which literally means "People make plans,…

Topic - Birthday Greetings • ❑1 intro Добрый день, друзья! (Hello, friends!) Как дела? (How are you?) Надеюсь, что у вас все хорошо. (Hope you are doing well.) Thank you for keeping up with this podcast even though I do not produce them as often as I'd like to. I am excited to get e-mails and comments on the spoonfulofrussian.com site. Your enthusi…