Archive for Mind Set

Making the Adjustment

What an appropriate title for what I want to share. Sometimes it’s hard making adjustments, even the smallest of adjustments can be difficult. Just ask yourself when was the last time you had to change the way you do something? Was it easy? Fun? Worth the change?  Taking an all or nothing attitude sometimes is the best approach…especially when it comes to health and fitness.

Ladies in the 21 Day Challenge know all too well what I mean when I talk about making the adjustments.  We spend 9 days preparing and making the necessary adjustments before actually starting the challenge. You can’t expect different results if you continue with the same behavior. That’s called insanity. Women make the mistake at looking at other women and become jealous and sometimes envious of their bodies without knowing the adjustment they had to make in order to get the results they have. Not only with matters of health and fitness but also being successful as well. We see the end result and automatically think “I can do that”, without factoring what it cost them to get where they are.

There are 2 ladies in particular that come to mind as I write this blog. These ladies recently completed the 2 session of the I Love MY Body fitness class. Not only did they complete this 6 week class they did the first 6 weeks as well. They made the adjustment in their schedules to come workout after working 12 hours in a busy Atlanta trauma center ICU. 12 Hour shifts can be long, busy, and physically demanding, I know I do them as well; but when you have something you really want to accomplish you’ll do what it takes and make the adjustment.

KUDO’s to Shahana and Beatrice you ladies are awesome! As much as they may want to go home after work they were determine to come to class and get in a good workout. Nope I didn’t take it easy on them, even fact I pushed them even harder because I needed to prove to them that they could do it. Plus it gave them a sense of accomplishment  as they  pushed through the tiredness.

Let’s take for example you want to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks. This is a realistic and measurable goal. The average weight loss should be 1-2 pounds a week. There may be several adjustments you will have to make here are a few to get you started:

1. Avoid/decrease fast food consumption
2. Avoid/decrease soda intake
3. Avoid/decrease consumption of fried foods
4. Eat every 2-3 hours
5. Eat more fruits and vegetables
6. Eat more lean protein
7. Drink lots of water
8. Start some type of workout regime
9. Be consistent

This sounds a lot easier than it really is and it takes practice, patience and a plan.  Instead of trying to do all the above suggestions start small. Start with 2 week and build add 1 more every week. People often fail when their expectations are too high and they give up. Only YOU know what you need to do to eventually see the body image you want. If you see an area in your life where you need to make some adjustments stop putting it off, you’re only delaying the results.

A Mother’s Journey to Health

The 21 Day Challenge has given me some of the most memorable experiences that I will never forget. When I started this journey last summer I didn’t know that it would be what it is today. Though I knew the concept was very important my main goal was to change how women looked at their body and to love their body. The one person that I have impacted the most is my mom.

My mom was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease Polymyositis several years ago. An autoimmune disease in simple terms is where the body’s immune system attacks itself. With Polymyositis involves inflammation of the muscles and the muscle fibers. The main symptom is weakness. The treatment is the use of corticosteroids. Steroids help decrease the inflammation. Now if you know any thing about steroids they cause a woman’s #1 fear… WEIGHT GAIN.

Weight gain was the issue my mom had. Despite taking the medication at first to get her strength back once she saw the horrible side effects she decided not to take the medication. Now that was several years ago. She would have period of weakness where she couldn’t do any type of activity for an extended period of time. Shortness of breath, paralysis of muscles,  and soreness.  You may know my story about my grandfather and why I feel that taking care of your body has to be a priority. Well in my mom’s case this was something that couldn’t be prevented. The cause of this disease is still unknown. I major concern was to make sure she did what she needed to do to stay alive.

After years of having good and bad days still not taking the steroids she finally decided during my wedding that enough was enough. On Sept 14, 2009 she started the 21 Day Health and Fitness Challenge. Starting weight was 175 pounds and a size 12. Then on January 5, 2010 she joined the I Love MY Body Fitness class. On April 3, 2010 after successfully completing 12 week of the fitness class and 3 months of the 21 Day Challenge she is 149 pounds and a size 6 I am so proud so say that she met and passed her weight loss goals. Not only that she has gained muscle strength and toned and reshaped her arms and legs.

She has not complained of a stiff or sore muscle (outside of the workout soreness). She can now run a mile, do 30 minutes on the stair master and more. If you would have asked me a year ago could she do this I would have said no way.  But today she has developed this determination and will power to complete every assignmen and task I give, and she does!

As a medical professional I still have to take in consideration her age and past medical history but to be totally honest she probably the healthiest she ever been. I shared her story to say that no matter how old you are and what the doctor has diagnosed you with you have to take control of your life and make a decision on to get healthy for you.

Before 21 Day Challenge 9/09

Bye Bye Winter, Hello Sunshine!

Burr! It’s been a cold winter in Georgia. I can’t recall it ever being this cold. But you’re talking to a person that keeps the portable heaters all at all times plus the central heat. I’m always cold! When you think about the winter do you envision your self-exercising in or outside and eating healthy? Probably not. Matter of fact your excuse is “It’s too cold to exercise.” So now that we’ve established that you don’t like exercising in the winter what about the food you eat? Cold, dark winter nights lead many women to over eat, crave fattening comfort foods and let’s not get started with the Holidays. I won’t revisit that lecture, but I will say that the average holiday plate has 3000 calories!

Did you know that a lot of the foods we eat, we eat them because of the season? Here is a list of some of the foods that are considered to be the worst fattening winter foods a person can consume:

• Macaroni and cheese
• Beef chili
• Creamed based soups
• Casseroles
• Stews loaded with beef
• Pasta with thick creamed sauce
• Fried foods
• Crusted top and bottom pot pies
• Heavy frosted cakes and or syrup fruit filled pies

As always there are alternatives to these foods by replacing some of the ingredients with healthy and nutritious foods without sacrificing the flavor. These foods are high in calories and saturated fat and can add several unwanted inches to your waist.

That leads me to a question. Why do you think we don’t crave (desire) these foods in the spring/summer time? In my opinion, during the summer months it can get hot, humid and sticky (at least in Georgia) and I like to feel light, cool and refreshed. Not weighed down, bloated, tried and uncomfortable which is what normally happens after you eat a fattening meal. Maybe that’s why we tend to gain weight in the winter months.

Spring/summer is a time to really get in shape.  Women all over the world aim at looking their best in the summer and why not. It’s a time to show off that great body you’ve worked so hard to obtain. To me the sun is my biggest motivation. It’s something about sunlight that makes me feel happy want to get outside and do something.(We’ll discuss summer outdoor activities later)

As winter closes make a pledge to decrease the fattening foods and start becoming active. That way when spring does arrive you won’t have to work so hard to get swimsuit ready!

Mental Workout

21 and Done, If the Pain is Real the Results are Real! These are 2 of the slogans that I use for the 21 Day challenge and the I Love MY Body fitness class. They really don’t need much explanation, they speak for themselves. If you’re a student or have been a student of the 21 Day Challenge then you know why I say “21 and DONE”. “If the Pain is Real the Results are Real” is one that my brother came up with for the ladies in the fitness class. LOL they know it all too well. Don’t you ladies?

This week as very busy for me, I had a long, busy day promoting the challenge on Tuesday at a local corporation here in Atlanta, and then did 2 fitness classes with a small break between classes. These were not just any fitness class but a total body weight training fitness class with cardio at the end. That’s right cardio was at the end of class!

Don’t get me wrong I love doing anything that promotes the 21 Day Challenge but how many of you know that mentally you may want to do something but physically your body says “no ma’am not today”. That was me on Tuesday. My mind was willing but my body was weak. On top of all that I did on Tuesday I had to work a 12 hour shift at the hospital then next day.

As women we often have the right intentions on doing something but your body has a plan of its own. As tired as I was Tuesday I knew I HAD to make it to my fitness classes. Not going wasn’t an option. All I kept saying to myself was “These ladies are depending on me, I can’t let them down”. That’s a lot easier said than done. But I want to point out something. I spoke to myself. I told my body what it was going to do. I didn’t allow my body (flesh) to dictate to me what I had made up in my mind I was going to get accomplished.

Let me break it down a little more. When you commit to doing something your body will speak loud and clear with all kinds of excuses and will try to prevent you from achieving what you set out to do, especially when it involves exercise.

• Body aches
• Pain
• Hunger
• Tiredness
• Weakness
• Fear

For me it was being tired. I had just had a very busy weekend plus I’ve been going nonstop for the last 5 weeks with class, work and promoting. Not to mention I’m a wife, so I still have to take care of home .

Just because you think about doing something doesn’t mean it gets done, right? You have to put corresponding action with that thought. Thinking about working out is not going to help you get in shape. You have to actually workout. GET MOVING. While I’ll be the first to commend you on at least thinking about your fitness status I also be the one to tell you that the weight won’t melt on its own.

Speaking to your body is one way to maintain control. If you allow your body to do what it wants, eat what it craves when it wants it, this could lead to self-destruction. Leaving you asking the question so many women ask today, “How did I end up overweight?” We speak to other thing in life why not to the body. Don’t allow your mind to be on one path and the body on another. Work them together as a team and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

So the next time you feel like giving in to your body while your minds what to be active. Listen to your mind and speak to your body!

Enough Excuses

Do you know someone that every time you talk to them they have an excuse? If it’s not an excuse it a long list explanations as to why they did or didn’t do something? Often times I think it’s the guilt that people feel and they think they have to explain themselves. When they really don’t.

I hear this all the time from people that know what I’m doing with the 21 Day challenge. Today I finally had an “Ah ha” moment. Their excuses or explanations are really not for me, it’s their way of trying to feel better about not being true and honest with themselves.

Hears my take on it. When you get to the point when you’re ready for a life style change guess what? You’ll change. Stop trying to find every excuse in the world to stay where you are. Regardless if it’s your health, relationship, job, or finances. Do what YOU need to do to make that change! Change is not change until YOU change. You can’t expect a new outcome if you continue to have the same old behavior. That’s called insanity doing the same thing expecting different results.

No more excuse. Either you will or you won’t. Like I stated the excuse helps you feel better but in reality they only hinder you from taking the first step at change. Start small. Nothing drastic. Sometimes it’s the small thing that count. For example, if you tell someone you’re going to call them back, do it. If you know you’re not, or even if you won’t get around to it tell them. Don’t make up an excuse just so that they won’t be upset.

Look at how often, and the people you normally give excuses to and try to be honest with them.Try this for a week. And you just might be surprised at how much peace of mind you have because you didn’t have to come up with another excuse or as my mom use to say…a lie.

KNOW THE FACTS

Today is the first Monday of the New Year, know what that means? RESOLUTIONS!!! I teach a spin class at a local gym and every year the gym is packed with people that made resolutions to lose weight. And by June half the people have dropped off. January is the time of the year where gym membership increases, people try any and all kinds of diets, plus health and fitness advertisements are everywhere. From TV commercials to magazine covers. They all talk about losing weight, getting healthy and working out.

The problem is many of the ads don’t address the main issue…Your Mindset. You can follow the fad diets, starve yourself, workout until you can hardly breathe but guess what? It’s all useless if you don’t look at your relationship with food. I’ve talked about this topic before and it’s one of the staples of the 21 Day program. How you look at food and your relationship with food is vital to you obtaining your body image goals.

Take the Taco Bell new Fresco Menu for example. They now offer 7 items for less than 500 calories. While that’s a BIG step in the right direction toward a health conscious lifestyle, I don’t want you to be misled and think you can just go and eat whatever you want, whenever you want. Yes you can eat items from their new menu just be mindful of the saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium content. Taco Bell put a disclaimer on the website that many people may not even pay attention to; it stated that the menu is NOT a weight lost program.

That’s why learning to make health conscious decisions are very important. If you know what to eat, how much and when to eat you it helps keep you on track with your body image goals and you don’t need to pay attention to disclaimers. Know it’s OK if you fall off you eating schedule every now and then but don’t make it a habit. Being a student of the 21 Day program I equip you with the knowledge to know how and where to make the adjustments to stay on track.

If you made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight or eat healthy let me help you understand how to obtain and maintain YOUR body image goals so you can have the “I Love MY Body” attitude. I would love hear from you, leave me your comments or questions and let’s make 2010 a year to Reveal a New You!

2010 Is Just Around the Corner…Are you Ready?

Wow 2009 is almost over.  Can you believe how fast this year went? I can remember January 09 like it was yesterday. I must say that this has been a wonderful year for me! I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy.  I don’t want to sound as if I didn’t have any trials, Lord knows I did. This year was filled with ups and downs but far more ups than downs. I learned alot about myself when it came to dealing with friends and family and how to love from a distance rather than not loving at all.

 As I write this blog I am truly thankful to all the ladies that have allowed me the opportunity to share with them my passion for health and fitness.  Seeing the students on the 21 Day Health and Fitness Challenge overcome some bad eating habits and make life style changes is a great feeling. There were women that started out on the program on fire and ready to make the change, but somehow all the excitement and fire for the change went away .  And then there where ladies that had really considered making a life style change but just didn’t know where to start.  Since 2009 will soon be behind us I have some questions for you…

Are you ready for 2010? Are you truly tried of being unhappy with your body image? How about not having enough energy throughout the day?  Have you already started to make resolutions on some things you’re going to change? If so, that’s great and I applaud you. You’re at least thinking about things that you and only you know need to be modified. As we move into a new year let me help you with making the adjustments and sticking to them.

In order to be successful in 2010 there are some basic things you need to do.

1. Write down your goals
2. Have a plan on how you’re going to obtain those goals
3. Have a support system (someone you  can be accountable too)
4. Be consistent
5. Reward yourself when you accomplish a goal then set a new goal
6. Do self evaluations
7. Become a student of 21 Days To My Healthy Body Fitness Challenge

 I have always believed that there is no failure when you put forth some kind of effort in accomplishing a goal or task. Take the rest of 2009 and seriously think about what you want for your life, whether it’s to lose weight, get a new job, or even find a mate. Whatever it is YOU hold the power to make 2010 the best year of your life.

Small Changes BIG Results

I recently posed a question to the members of my 21 Day face-book group, and I’m going to pose the same question to you. If you could do 1 thing to get healthy what would it be? I was amazed at the responses I received. Women came up with so many things they would do, from hiring a personal trainer to not eating.

Ladies I say this all the time WE MUST TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES!!! This is the only body and life you have. Value and cherish it because at anytime it can be gone. Getting healthy is only 1 decision away. I can’t decided for you, your husband and kids can’t decided for you. The responsibility to get it together is up to you. 

Start small. Change doesn’t always have to be drastic. Small changes can yield big results. For example, if you drink 2 sodas a day cut it back to 1 better yet try diet. Sodas contain at least 240 calories per can. So if your drinking 2 sodas a day  that’s 480 calories a day, 3360 calories a week. FYI 3500 calories equals a pound. So you can basically lose 1 pound just by cutting out soda from your diet. I have this saying that I will rather eat my calories than drink them!  There are alot of sugar free drinks now that you can have that taste just as good as the regular. One of my favorite drinks besides water is Hanes soft drinks. They contain no carbs, sugar, aspartame and no calories. Plus they don’t leave the after taste that most diet drinks do.

Another small change that will yield big results is walking. When going to the store park  further away from the door, take the stairs instead of the elevator,  even walk around in your neighborhood. Again change doesn’t have to be drastic to yield results. Sometimes we make things harder than it has to be. The hardest part I believe many women have is deciding to change and get healthy. If you start by taking small steps you will become motivated to make even more changes later.

I  challenge you to re-reevaluate your life and decided today to make small changes that can lead to change. You can use the example’s I gave a starting point but stop putting if off.  Start now, tomorrow is not promise.

Quitting Is Not An Option

Being successful at ANYthing takes dedication.  If you don’t believe me as someone you know, What did they do to achieve their goal or become successful? 99% of people will say that it was dedication. Dedication is something that comes from within. I can’t make you do anything , it has to be something that you want.

I’m telling you this from experience. When I decided come a nurse I knew that getting into Southern University  School of Nursing was not going to be easy. So once I was accepted I made a decision to graduate with my degree in nursing no matter how hard I had heard it was.Long story short I did graduate, with honors might I add, but it was tough. It took alot of dedication to reading, studying and praying.

The same is true with weight loss. Ladies, you have to make a decision to stick with the  plan in order to be successful. Success does not come over night. There will be days that you want to give up and throw in the towel, but don’t. Stay with it. Trust in your self and know that you can accomplish ANY thing you want to. My husband has this saying ” People do what people want to do” and I agree with that.  There’s nothing or anyone that can stop a woman  with a made up, predetermined mindset to succeed. That’s a gift that God has blessed us with.

 So, don’t quit you can make it!

Embrace Change

My Change

Today I made a drastic change in my appearance. I cut off all my hair. You may ask “Why did she go and cut off all her hair?” I did it because I wanted a new look and besides it’s  just hair and it will grow back. I was bored with the same look. I cut it back in April and it grew back so fast that you couldn’t even see the style.  So this time I made a drastic change. The same is true with many women. They know they want to change their physical appearance but don’t. Why? Fear. Fear that:

• 1.They won’t know what the outcome will be
• 2. They’re not sure if they will like the change
• 3. They’re use to looking or being a certain way. 

Ladies let me tell you change is good, matter of fact it’s great.  Change can represent growth and maturity. Change is not easy, matter of fact change is hard, uncomfortable and requires discipline. 

Let’s use working out as an example. Many women don’t like to go to the gym. Why? Time. You have to change your schedule to make time to go, and that in itself is a challenge. Women today are busier than ever and going to the gym is normally not on the list of priorities. Sorry to let you know that in order to get to the health status you want you have to make time to workout. Another example is changing your eating habits. The other night I was watching the Mo’Nique show and during her opening she stated that she had been married 3 times and that the marriages and divorces were easier than dieting.  If that’s not and example of how hard changing your eating habit can be I don’t know what is.

Change isn’t change until YOU change. You can wish, pray, fast, do all kinds of thing but until you have an all of nothing kind of attitude about change, you won’t do it. Trust me when I say, I KNOW change is hard but once you decided to change, it can become one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. Remember the more you do something the easier it becomes.