How would you judge someone’s health? Society has led us to believe that being healthy is determined by how we look on the outside. Weight and clothe size has been what many women use as a guide when they feel they need to lose weight. As women we often look at other women and say “I want her body”. My question to you is why? Why do you want to look like someone else? You are an original design, unique and divinely created. That’s one of the reason I decided that the vision for the 21 Day Challenge was to assist women in developing the I Love MY Body attitude. Weight and size are NOT the determining factors for health and fitness. For years we have followed the “normal” or “ideal body weight” standards. Ideal body weight doesn’t work for everyone. Just because the chart says a 5’3 woman...

As I say hello to another year (my birthday was Feb 28) that God has blessed me with, I can't help but be thankful and grateful. I believe that having an attitude of thanksgiving will open the door for many more blessing to come. Regardless of the situation you face at the time, there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. Just waking up is something to be thankful for. I recall a saying that my mom use to always say “Be grateful, because there is somebody somewhere a little worse than you”. That stuck with me and I find myself thinking about that statement a lot. When it just seems that nothing is going right in your life, think on that statement. If you don’t believe me just talk to some people and hear all that they're going through, you’ll find yourself saying “Thank You Lord, it’s not as...

The cell phone, IPod, Mp3 player, Xbox, PSP, Wii, Notebook, Portable DVD, Kindle and now the Apple Tablet, sometimes I am really amazed at how far we’ve come with technology.  I remember the days when I begged for a pager. Having a pager meant you were someone important, or least made you think you were important. No one carries a pager except my husband.LOL!!! (If you know him then you know why that’s a funny statement.) Then there was the BIG block car phone (aka mobile phone), OMG that thing was ridiculous!! From there the cell phone changed; analog cell phone. That was big too but not as big as the original mobile phone. In today’s society the cell phone has almost replaced the home phone. EVERYBODY has a cell phone now, kids as young as 8 to  even our most senior adults. But I have a question…How is it that...

The today’s woman is busier than ever. We have so many different responsibilities that I often wonder how we do it. Some women act like the engergizer bunny “they keep going and going”, until one day their body stops, it’s had enough.  So what do you do when you tire out? Drink another cup of coffee? No! Take 5 hour energy? No!
Let’s explore 20 things that I think will help boost energy.

1. Get a good night’s sleep
2. Always eat breakfast
3. Regular eating schedule
4. Decrease sugar consumption
5. Eat healthy snacks
6. Eat protein
7. Consume whole grains
8. Eat lots of fiber
9. Cut down on coffee
10. Drink water
11. Lose weight
12. Take a vitamin or supplement
13. Get your thyroid and blood count checked
14. Exercise in the morning
15. Exercise on a steady gradual basis
16. Talk to an energetic friend.
17. Avoid complaining people
18. Eliminate worry
19. Be thankful
    
20. Pray

Things are the things that I feel can help increase your energy. Send me your suggestions and I’ll add them to the list.

What's one of the first things you do when you're stressed, besides pray? EAT!!! Ladies, let's be honest for a moment. When we're under any kind of stress healthy eating is the last thing we want to do. Most of the time we look for comfort food like sweets, salty and or fried foods. These are foods that make us feel good when we eat them. Did you know that with chronic stress you're prone to gaining weight? The body is a unique work of art. In response to stress or a stressful situation the body secrets a hormone called cortisol, also known as the "stress hormone."  Cortisol has several functions: Regulates blood sugar Aids in energy production Decreases inflammation (swelling) Helps the immune system Promotes healing. Any kind of stress causes the body to release cortisol. The different types of stress include but are not limited to: Environmental Chemical Physical Psychological Biochemical Regardless of the type of stress, it produces the same physiological results, increase...

 I received an email today from one of the students of the 21 Day Health and Fitness challenge. She asked  me about an appetite suppressant she was thinking about taking. I am personally am not a fan of any type of stimulants or suppressants when you're trying to lose weight. The natural way is not the easiest way, but I do not endorse using any type of artificial stimulant or suppressant to lose weight either.  Appetite suppressants do just what they say; they suppress or decrease your appetite. But when you're trying to lose weight you need to increase your metabolism by eating  frequent small meals every 2 ½-3 hours.  Some appetite suppressants can be very addictive and that's why they’re not over the counter medications that you can get without a prescription. Many have been classified as controlled substances that can lead to addiction. Even though you might consider taking a stimulant or appetite suppressant, I would highly advise you...

Sometimes it takes an uncomfortable situation to cause you to think and re-evaluate your life. Often times we are afraid of the unknown but when the facts are so vivid (in black and white) it causes you to stop, pauses, and step back and see what's really going on.  You may be wondering, "What is she talking about?" I'm talking about your health. Do you know your health status? When was the last time you had a good head to toe physical. Not just going to get your height, weight and blood pressure checked but a thorough physical? Including having your blood drawn. We focus so much on the external and neglect the internal, until our bodies starts to talk to us from within. When the body talks you better listen. You can try to ignore it until it things become overwhelming and  you get scared. So scared that you are now fearful about what could possibly be going on within your body. Things that you...

It's a beautiful Saturday morning in Oct and I just finished the Heart Walk, now I'm on my second fundraiser walk  at Stone Mountain Park. As I stroll around the park I am so at peace and decided to share my thoughts with you... Thank God for blackberry :-).Just being outside in elements of nature is really relaxing: the fresh air, the amazing hot sun rays, autumn leaves, green tress and of the course The Mountain. All of this makes me so grateful that I'm healthy enough to walk and enjoy it. There are so many thing we take for granted until their gone. Especially when it comes to our health. Just being able to breath takes very little effort when the body is functioning properly. Now image if you have an illness that required effort to breath like asthma, emphysema or even if you smoke. Smoking decreases the vital capacity of...