Ms Bliss Fit

Listen up ladies! Normally, I don’t advocate following every trend that comes out, but there is one trend we are seeing more of now that I want you to follow! Weight loss is the new trend for black women and we are seeing many of our beautiful stars following suit. Once you reach a healthy weight, you will have a big boost in confidence, energy, and less risk for cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol and a host of other diseases. These women are perfect examples to follow! Forget what the crowd says, thick is not cute!

Jennifer Hudson was successful with the weight watchers program. Her voice is better than ever!

Raven Symone has been a star since she was 4 years old. We watched her grow up and now she is a sophisticated woman.

Jill Scott is a talented singer and actress and is now more health conscious than ever!

Every now and then you have to take a minute to stop and enjoy the little things in life. I gave myself permission today to take a break. I train very hard everyday but today I listened to my body and rested. Our bodies have their own way of letting us know when to chill out. Rest is just as important as exercise. If we don’t listen, our bodies will shut down before they let us die. I was honestly tired and decided to sleep in as long as I could today. Of course my cat woke me up like he always does when he is hungry or wants to go outside. I got up and fed him and then went back to sleep. It felt soooo good! Tomorrow I will be right back on it even harder and stronger!

Today is a rainy day. Rainy days are always perfect for sleeping in and curling up with a good book. I already slept in so I plan to get into a new book I am reading later on and boy I can’t wait! I went to the grocery store and while I was there I started evaluating the past couple of weeks. I noticed that I have been eating too many processed foods…protein bars, crackers (although they were organic, healthy crackers) etc…I decided to fill my cart with nothing but fruits, vegetables, meats, and whole grain bread. I always keep track of what I eat and have been doing good at staying in my calorie range and carb, fat and protein percentages, but I refuse to fall into the typical “diet’ pattern of eating “diet” processed foods.

On this rainy day, I am making the decision to go back to the basic, simple way of eating for at least this coming week. No artificial sweeteners in my tea, no pre-workout protein bars, or energy drinks, no fancy chewing gum or candy (look at your chewing gum labels that are sugar-free, if they say Aspartame is one of the ingredients, throw them away! A good alternative is Trident cinnamon sugar-free gum because it is flavored with Xylitol…a natural non-harmful sweetener. Trident does make other gum that has Aspartame so make sure you are chewing the cinnamon flavor). I will call this my “fast” from the chemically altered food. My goal for this coming week is to eat all REAL food. My body could use the detox. If you find yourself slipping into the chemically processed trap, take a step back and re-evaluate your eating habits. Your body will appreciate it!

On a side note, while I was in the grocery store, I saw the cover of Ebony magazine, the music edition, and I did not recognize the person on the front. It was Jill Scott and she looks lovely! I always thought she was a pretty woman but she is even more lovely now that she has slimmed down. Kudos to her for taking care of her health!! Another great example for black women out there. You see more and more people are realizing how extra weight contributes to disease and it is NOT okay to be overweight! You go girl!

Let me add one more thing. Just because you are skinny does not mean you are healthy. Ever heard of the term, “skinny fat?” Plenty of skinny people have health problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. You have to eat right to be healthy. A skinny person can have a higher percentage of fat on their bodies which makes them unhealthy. A person that is larger can be healthy if they have more lean muscle. I just wanted to point that out for those of you who think I only focus on weight and looks. It’s not about that. It’s about health!

I don’t care about your opinion
This post is not about being nice. I might actually offend someone. But, I am sick and tired of trying not to step on people’s toes when trying to achieve my OWN goal. Also, this might help those of you who are on your journey to deal with other people. Yesterday was very interesting and I wanted to write this before today but just did not have the time. I remember reading over Tosca Reno’s book, The Eat Clean Diet Stripped and she talked about “sabotagers.” She noted that anytime you are following a healthy lifestyle, you will always encounter “sabotagers.” Now these people may or may not intentionally be trying to cause you harm or maybe in their subconscious they are. Who knows, but it never fails. Everyone around you knows that you eat healthy but yet they continue to offer you unhealthy food or make comments that hurt your feelings about the way you live your life. I thought about her warning yesterday while I was at work. So, let me tell you what happened….and by the way, I am not trying to offend anyone but if you are reading this and you think you are an “offender,” then maybe it can make you aware of what you may be saying that has a negative effect on other people.

First off, I was asked if I wanted something to eat from the store and I politely said, “no.” I mean, I always bring my food and that has not changed. Minutes later when the person arrived back, they handed me a bag of fruit snacks. The first thing that came to my mind was, “didn’t I say I did not want anything?” I did not say that but what I did say was, “I really don’t eat these that much, so you don’t have to continue getting them for me.” A look of confusion came across that person’s face and they said, “Well I thought you liked these?” I said, “Yes I do, but I don’t eat them that much and I don’t want you to continue to waste your money buying them for me when I didn’t ask for them.” (This was the second time this week that they purchased them for me). They insisted that I take them, so being the polite person that I am; I did and kindly gave them to someone else later. First of all, I am on a plan. I don’t eat haphazardly and people don’t seem to understand that. A little snack here, and a little snack there, can easily add up to 500 extra calories and a but load of sugar in one day. That was the second time this week that person bought me something I did not ask for and they know I plan my meals. I know they thought they were being nice but listen up people….if someone says they don’t want something…don’t insist that they eat it! You are only causing added stress which is unnecessary….you eat what you want and I will eat what I want. Ok? Why do people want to impose their habits on you all the time? On top of that, they try to make you feel guilty for refusing what they offer to you.

After that incident, someone else approached me and said, “Vivian, I don’t want you to lose any more weight!” Now for God’s sake, why can’t people be happy and make positive comments about my figure? Like I said before, this lifestyle is not about doing what everyone else is doing…I do not have the average mind and I don’t want the average body either! In the south, Black women love the fact that they have big hips, butts, and breasts. But, I think that is VERY UNHEALTHY! I don’t want that and I am sorry if it does not fit into the average person’s standards. This person must have assumed that I would actually care about what she wants for my body! I just smiled because, people will never understand. When I told Rephel about this, he said that I have to understand that people are not used to being around fit people that are in shape…to them it’s skinny but to us it is healthy. I am so glad I am in a relationship with an athlete that understands health and fitness and encourages me to reach my goals. Many people have told me what they don’t want for me which is very funny because when I was overweight, they did not encourage me to get healthy! So why would I listen to you now?

Later in the day, another coworker offered me coupons to a restaurant called Sticky Fingers! This person hardly every talks to me and never gives me anything! Now what in the world possessed them to give me a coupon for hot wings and peach cobbler confuses the heck out of me! I smiled, put it in my bag and plan to give it to someone else. Now all the people I mentioned above might have good intentions but they all are trying to impose their own belief or opinion on me in one way or another. These are the times in life when you have to just grin and bear it. Or, if you want, start giving people a piece of your mind by telling them “no” or nicely saying that you don’t appreciate what they are doing or saying. If they get offended, then that is their problem. Most people think that just because they feel a certain way, you should feel that way too. Remember, they don’t have to get up and put in the work you do to get what you want. The only opinion that matters is YOURS! Like Cam Newton said in an interview one time…everyone has an opinion but that doesn’t mean they are true. It does not have to be true to you! Let opinions be the fuel to your fire to burn it up in the gym and push forward towards your goals. In the end, you will be happy and running on the beach in your bikini and they will be sitting on the sidelines like they always are with everyone else. Get a little attitude about yourself and gather up a little confidence to stick with your plan and let opinions fall off your back like water off a duck!

Check this out…Asian Food Pyramid. We could learn something from this. They even included exercise! Wow.

On the way to work this morning, I was listening to the radio and heard that Whitney Houston has voluntarily put herself back into rehab for crack addiction. Man, I thought Whitney had cleaned her act up. The hosts of the show I was listening to made a comment about the importance of her attending her meetings with fellow addicts that are supposed to keep her on the straight and narrow. They were kidding around a little bit but were a little shocked to learn that she had regressed back to her old habits. One host talked about her cousin that had to attend his weekly AA meetings so he would not go back to his old lifestyle. It is kind of the same concept with any bad habit or addiction that you are trying to get rid of. Once your brain has made the connection of feeling good to a habit that is not so healthy for you, it never forgets. Old habits die hard!

So maybe eating a container of ice cream after you’ve had a stressful day is your habit, or eating too many cookies and candy before you go to bed is your habit, or every time you are down and depressed you go in the kitchen and grab a fattening unhealthy snack. If you have a desire to change, you have to constantly check yourself to make sure you are not falling back into your old habits. Oh my how I wish I could just wave a magic wand and the cravings would disappear and my brain would forget how delectable that chocolate cake is! LoL! Unfortunately, I have to constantly remind myself what the consequences are of over indulging. After a while it becomes automatic to grab a healthy snack instead of an unhealthy one. This may sound extreme, but just like Whitney Houston has to keep herself off the crack and attend her weekly meetings to remind herself that the way she was living was destructive to her health, we have to check in with ourselves to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

I say all this to say that it actually takes a CONCIOUS EFFORT to do what you need to do for your body. You have to take the necessary steps or else you will fall back into your old pattern. If that means throwing all the junk food out of your house, then do it. If you have to make sure you eat before you go grocery shopping so you won’t buy up the whole candy aisle…then do it! If you have to carry food with you EVERYDAY…then do it! Remember, this blog is not about doing what everyone else is doing…filling their bodies with junk food every day. It is about living a clean lifestyle that you can do all the time if you choose. Your health is worth it!! It can be done. I know someone personally who has lived this way for years and has kept her health and weight in check. She has inspired me and I see that it can be done.

Remember, anything worth having is worth working for and if you actually work at it on a daily basis, you can learn how to live this way for the rest of your life! Don’t underestimate yourself…you have unlimited power and can live your life anyway that you want to.

Sometimes we get caught up in the everyday ho hum workouts and it starts to make us lose our motivation. Doing the same routine day in and day out can be detrimental not only for our mental sanity but for our physical body as well. Our bodies are amazing machines. The body is great at adapting to different situations and stress. When that stress becomes constant, your body knows what to expect and as a result stops growing or changing. This is what we call homeostasis. Homeostasis is the reason why humans have lasted all of these years on planet earth. Our bodies have evolved to adapt to the changes in our environment. A wonderful thing because we do want our body to be able to balance itself, otherwise we would be in a state of constant turmoil. However, when you are trying to lose weight, this is not a good thing. Many people reach what we know as the dreaded “plateau.” Inevitably it will happen to us all and cannot be avoided. Your body is going through a big change and sometimes you might not see results every week because it is still playing catch up. Don’t worry, plateaus don’t last forever and can be minimized with changing workout routines and the food you eat. In my opinion (and many other fitness and sports enthusiasts), you should change your workout routine at least every four weeks. This will help to keep you motivated. One reason I stopped working out before is because I was bored! I had been doing the same workout for months and just burned out. Variety definitely is the spice of life.

 This is what I do to stay motivated to work out.

• Subscribe to health and fitness magazines. A good example is Oxygen or Muscle and Fitness Hers. Reading these magazines keep you motivated because they feature real women in addition to professionals who are committed to a healthy lifestyle. They even have posters that you can cut out and hang in your house for inspiration.

Clean Eating magazine is new to my list of reads and teaches you how to prepare your favorite recipes in a healthy way.

• Go to YouTube: Online videos are a great source of inspiration. I have found plenty of workout videos on YouTube which help me to vary my routine.
• Read a book for God’s sake! There is all this information out there just waiting to be discovered. The other day, I went to my local public library and perused the health/nutrition section. There is a book out there for just about every topic you can think of. They have all the answers to all of your questions.
• Challenge yourself when you are tired. When I am tired, I give myself mini goals to accomplish while I am working out. If I am running on the treadmill, I say, “Ok, just make it one mile…or just make it to a certain time,” and I usually end up going beyond that. When I am lifting I say, “Ok…pull out this last rep.” You have to talk to yourself sometimes when there is no one else to motivate you. 9 times out of 10 you are just mentally drained but not physically so you still need to work out.  
• Track your progress. I keep track of how well I am doing by either weight or the way my clothes are fitting. You can also measure yourself…or just look at yourself in the mirror. You need something visual to keep you going. If that is weight for you fine, if it is your favorite bikini, that works too. When you see how far you’ve come, you don’t want to go back by not working out. (It is impossible to maintain a healthy body and be fit without exercise).
• Take a class or join a sports league. Yes I have my routine that I do in the morning but I also attend Zumba, Yoga, and Step classes. This helps me to stay motivated because I am around other people who enjoy exercising. Dancing is so much fun and it burns a ton of calories.

Today is mother’s day and even though I don’t have any children and my mother is no longer here, I feel that I try to live my life in the spirit of her on a daily basis. There are times when I get off track, get discouraged or lose focus, but all in all I think she would be proud. Who knows, if she were still here if I would have the same story that I have now, probably not but as they say, things happen in ways that we don’t always understand.

I can’t say that this is my favorite day of the year but I am fortunate enough to know many mothers who inspire me or are like mothers to me. I am blessed in that way. This day just reminds me to keep going even though sometimes it feels that I will never reach my ultimate goal. This whole lifestyle is not always easy. When the world says, “do this or do that, or oh it’s okay, it won’t hurt you,” It feels like you are going against the grain and you are the only one who truly wants to do what is right. When you get pissed off at work or feel like you are just going through the motions, the last thing you want to do is exercise or even eat chicken and salad for that matter. That is when you have to pick yourself up and say that you are better than any negative feeling you may be experiencing at the time. The outside world should not define who you are or what you want to be. If you just do what everyone else is doing, you will be just like everyone else…just here and settling. You can’t become great living like that. If my mother was here, would she allow me to give in to circumstances? No, she would encourage me to keep pushing forward. If I can’t commit to my goals in this…I can’t accomplish anything. I have really come a long way.

So, if you still have your mother, you need to live your life in a way that would make her proud…and if she is no longer on this earth, live in the spirit of her. Does she not deserve that much? Don’t you deserve that much?