Healthy, Wealthy, & Wise....Heart & Soul Magazine

I'm a magazine junkie. I love them. I subscribe to many, many magazines - lifestyle, home & interior design, finance, business, and fitness.

I wanted to read a magazine about health related issues with people who looked like me. So imagine my delight when I learned about Heart & Soul magazine. I've been a subscriber for nearly 2 years now. The magazine talks about issues effecting a variety of health issues for black women (and the black community). On top of health, fitness, & nutrition - they also talk about money management and overall positive living -  "healthy, wealthy and wise".

Once a year they feature a reader as the cover girl...How cute is her spread? She's inspiring!

I was just reviewing a few tumblr sites I've seen quite a few bloggers post inspiring or moving pictures and quotes. I liked the quotes/pictures but the lack of variety in skin colors and body shapes made me appreciate this magazine all the more!

 They also have a conference and awards ceremony. I would love to go to that someday....

 I also subscribe to Health, Fitness, Shape, & Women's Health...What health magazines do you subscribe to?

5 Weeks - 5 Pounds to Go (142 lbs)

35 days to get to 137...135 preferably....A pound or so a week.

I started bumping up my exercise about 5 weeks ago. I added back strength training. I also did three weeks of a high intensity, interval training at Urban HITT FITT in Independence, MO. (I think I will separately blog about that). I love training there...it just isn't very convenient to get there. I'm

I started tracking....inconsistently about 5 weeks ago too. Several times a week...Sometimes...everyday.

But, if I am gonna get to where I wanna go...I am gonna have to do two things: 1) be consistently consistent and 2) bump it up a notch.

Consistently Consistent....I was reviewing my info entered into the TargetWeight app on my iphone. I started tracking my weight with this tool in June. June 15th I was 145...some ups and downs...back to 145.2 on July 5th. I ate better, met with my dietitian a few times, add a few double day workout sessions, and strength training...Went to a Zumba Instructor Convention. I wasn't making progress like I wanted. But, I just kept pushing - telling myself...consistently consistent is what gets results. August 4, I was 139.8. How did I get there? I kept up the workouts and the healthy eating - even when I didn't feel like I was making progress. So...I gotta continue the same even though I am not making the progress I'd like. I've gotta keep up the good meals, tracking, and exercise....I will get there!

Bumping It Up a Notch...I've gotta push a little bit more. I read two blogs recently - both by dietitians that were a good reminder...The closer I am to my goal weight...the harder it is to get there...So, I am gonna need to add variety and greater focus. So, I will track more faithfully AND I am gonna try some different cardio/strength training classes/exercises.

Wishing you a successful, profitable, healthy week! 

Happy Thanksgiving, Y'all!

"Thank you, God, for gift of life. The more I respect my body, the more care & attention to my total health and well being" Colleen Zuck. Daily Word for Weight Loss: Spiritual Guidance to Give You Courage on Your Journey -Colleen Zuck, Elaine Meyer  

Ever so appreciative for this healthy body...Got up earlier and worked it out hard with Kri Chay at Urban HIIT FITT this morning! The workout was a mix of high intensity, interval moves. We squatted, lunged, kettlebelled, ran, and so much more. 

And best of all, instead of charging a fee for the workout...he had us donate cans of food!

Gym Shenigans....(143.2lbs)

Just got back from 24 hours...

Walking in I dropped some trash into the bins on the outside of the complex. A bag from McDonalds & Long John Silvers! Oh-Uh! What if someone sees me?!?! It wouldn't matter that I actually got a parfait from McD's and a Grilled Tilapia, Rice, and Veggie Platter from LJS for lunch....The bag makes me look guilty!

  

What in the world was going on at 24 Hour Fitness Today?!?! One chick with no top on ~ only a sports bra & her cups runneth over. Another with shorts so short you could see her cheeks...It's actually against club policy but none of the male club employees said anything!

Earlier tonight I listened to Clifton Taulbert, Author of Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored, at the Kauffman Foundation. Listening to the lessons he learned from his uncle about entrepreneurship through his own business in the segregated South during the '50s that served all racial communities was inspiring! Afterwards, they served snacks...I stirred clear of the cookies and stuck to the hummus, pita, and veggies. They made this AMAZING black bean hummus! Yummy! I wanted to box some up for later...

So Tired (142.6 lbs)

That is all...

Taught Zumba. Got my Nephew. Deposited the $$$ I earned. Headed to 24 Fitness for a strength workout. Misplaced my earphones...found it...misplaced a credit card...found it...forgot my water bottle...got it. Finally got inside the gym. Got the nephew into the kid's center (which he loves for some reason). And then just had 45 minutes to work it out...My strength routine is usually about an 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. :( Got the nephew and headed to Burlington Coat. Got terribly lost on a road detour. Finally got to Burlington Coat...Made the return. Got Home. The nephew had homework to do...Finished that. Cooked me a quick & super easy meal. Bathtime. Book Reading...Night Night.

A new appreciation for (single) mothers trying to get/stay healthy, I have...I have my nephew on Tuesdays and Thursdays nights as his mother is in grad school. Juggling him, Zumba, volunteer work, and trying to squeeze in extra workouts is tough. I'm also working on my ARM, Associate of Risk Management, it's a designation for insurance and risk professionals. I have to do self-study after work. It's work to stay focused and to remind yourself what you really want. I guess I will just see this as practice as I know eventually I will have a family...and I want to remain healthy and active.

If Only It Was That Easy (????lbs - I've been on the road)

***Taking a quick break from working on some choreography for Zumba****

Today's Groupon for Kansas City had two "quick and easy" weightloss options...

1) For only $26 ($71.86 Value), one could get a pair of Weight-Loss Hot Pant.  Zaggora's pants "slim bodies by up to two jeans sizes in two weeks" by "using a...bioceramic material that emits infrared rays". Also, the pants helps eliminates cellulite targeting "thighs and other dimple-prone areas by galvanizing the skin's internal zamboni to promote a deep warming of body tissues and promote lymphatic drainage".  You can wear the pants by themselves or under clothes- whether asleep or active.

IF ONLY IT WERE THAT EASY....I would buy two pair...One to wear while the other was in the wash. As of 9:45, 500 people had purchased a pair of these pants. But...How many will workout? Cut back on fried foods? Eliminate the sodas? Get enough sleep?

 

2) $249 for HCG Weight-Loss Program (a $500 Value).

IF ONLY IT WERE THAT EASY...40 days of an extreme diet and injections improperly prepares anyone for keeping the weight loss off. Those 40 days weren't spent working out 3 to 6 days a week or developing the discipline of making time no matter what and pushing yourself physically. Those 40 days weren't spent forming the habit eating healthy lunches and dinners.

I loved the disclaimer..."HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective therapy in the treatment of obesity. Potential side effects include anaphylactic reactions as well as side effects resulting from low caloric intake."

It served as a good reminder...Weight Loss, Weight Management, and Healthy Living isn't always "easy". It takes effort and focus. Somedays - some weeks it may be "easy". Am I truly doing the things that produce the results I want? What am I really wanting? With 6 weeks (Just 48 days) left of the year...I really want to be back within my "healthy, happy weight" by the end of the year (135-137). But, really, I really want to be healthy, happy for the long-haul. Any positive steps to that effect should celebrated. 

Here's positive to thoughts to a healthy, happy, productive week! 

A Cheeseburger Away (145.6lbs)

That delicate balance between making progress and falling behind...that's where I am right now.

There's not too much room for leeway. Workouts need to be challenging, consistent, and full of variety. Meals need to be nutritionally rich and reasonable portion size. Missing a workout or two...Completing a workout or two that doesn't push the envelope...Eating a few meals over the calorie allotment....A dinner with too much sodium..A lunch without that balance of veggies, fruit, carbs, and proteins.

I've been here two other times this year. In January...I hovered around 139-140..so close to my goal weight...And again, in August. There were valid and not so very valid reasons why my weight creeped back up.

I've got to stay focused...Keep challenging myself. Reminding myself of that seemingly all so small extra serving of  - those moments of not pushing hard during the workout  - equates to that one cheeseburger too many.                                                                                                                                        

How Do You Feel Now?

My hairdresser asked me today....Now that you are healthier....(Another client had just finished her annual health check-ups and we were just chatting about those tests & doctors --- then health overall)...

I told her outside of the lower number on the scale...my numbers such as blood pressure and heart rate really haven't changed (they were good before...but I also know that was only a matter of time).

BUT

I have so much more energy, I feel better, my skin is clearer, my periods are better...

Yesterday I all it could think about was that which I haven't quite gotten a hold of.... 

Brothers and sisters, I can't consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don't look back, I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal...Phil. 3:13 and 14 GWT

{BONUS...She said it looked like I was losing some weight :) I'll take that!}'

I Don't Want To Do This Again (143.8)

I looked at myself in the mirror and stepped on the scale today and thought that...

I just don't want to do this AGAIN. I don't want to do the hard work to lose these last 7 to 10 pounds...

I am frustrated with myself...How could I forget all the hard work? the workouts? the sacrifices? the tradeoffs? the prayers?

2 years ago...exactly...I was the same weight I am now....by December 31, I was 135. Something about this is all too familiar....

But, do it again I shall.....

15 to 20

I realized today that I have maintained a 15 pound weight loss for 2 years. 20 pounds for almost a year.

That's an accomplishment!

How did I do it?

1) Exercise...I exercised 3 to 6 days a week. 2) Good eating...Fruits, Veggies, Lean Proteins, Healthy Carbs...AND still treating myself to a soda, a dessert, etc. here and there... 3) reversing gains/unproductive behavior - for example...got back from a business trip and I didn't exercise or eat healthy for a week..get right back to work the next week - working out and eating healthy....

BUT....

I feel/look better at a 25 pound loss....SO, what will it take to maintain that for a year? 

I think I need to comtemplate this further....

I Need A New Drug (142.6)

I need a shakeup up to the workout routine..."a new drug", if you will. I am either un-impressed, bored, or unispired by the options that are readily available to me at 24 hour fitness. Not interested in bodypump or step or cycle. I teach Zumba 3 times a week and so that cuts into my ability to try out different workout classes. I'm trying to figure out something that would be a good challenge/routine for the next 6 to 8 weeks. I don't particularly like home workouts and I want more of a challenge then working out by myself at the gym. I need something that's affordable....

I'm not sure what to do.... 

(I'm thinking about blogging every day for the next 60 days...That'll be a bit of a challenge as I can't blog from work and I don't care for blogging from my iphone. So...we'll see)

60 Days (144.4lbs)

Left of 2011!

I am determined to start the new year as healthy as possible.

Here were my 2011 goals I set at the beginning of the year:
1. Exercise - 4 to 6 days a week including 1 to 2 days of weight training
2. Eat Healthy - Daily strive to Eat 3 servings of fruit, 5 servings of vegetables (starchy & non-starchy) a day, 6 servings of protein, 7 servings of Carbs/Starchs, 2 servings of dairy, and No more than 3 servings of fat/oil, 6 to 8 cups of water -
3. Teach Zumba Classes!
4. Maintain a healthy weight of 132lbs to 137lbs..

How did I do? I think I did a fair/to good job on these...I exercised at least 3 days a week most of the year. 4 many weeks. I want to bump that up to 5 to 6 days a week through the end of the year. Eat healthy - i did an okay job on this. I ate well...mostly. My dietitian mentioned that I need to check portion sizes and stay a little more focused...Teach Zumba! I am ecstatic to say that I'm still teaching...and have had some amazing experiences teaching zumba...including the Zumba Instructor Convention 2011, helping teach/organize a breast cancer awareness zumbathon party, and teaching in Colorado Springs, CO. Maintain a healthy weight of 132 to 137....This one...I just haven't done. Most of the year I've been in the low to mid 40s...Except, for the month of August, I was in the high 30s/140 flat. I really want to conquer this.

So, in these next 60 days...8 weeks...I will focus on getting the weight down to an acceptable range, boosting my exercising levels - particular weight training, and eat as healthy as possible.

I can do this thing!!!!!