Green Smoothies!

Recently I discovered a book by JJ Smith, a nutritionist and weight loss expert. The book is called the 10-day green smoothie cleanse and you can loose up to 15 pounds in 10 days. I decided to give it a try and posted a note on Facebook to see if any of my family and friends wanted to join in. Well I got three takers and we started on June 1st. The cleanse consists of smoothies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The book has specific recipes for each day and suggests snacks you can eat throughout the day. Days 1-3 were very tasty. I guess I was not particularly fond of day 4 because kale was the green for that day. Days 6, 7 and 9 were also tasty. I made it through the cleanse with a few headaches but nothing that was unbearable. I even gave my group a name, Absoulsmoothly sistas getting it in: winning and losing at the same time! We lost a total of 37 pounds and counting. I decided to continue on the cleanse for three full extra days and then do the modified version that consists of two smoothies and a one healthy meal with snacks in between. I strongly recommend this cleanse to jump start your weight loss process.

Cheers for Green Smoothies!

Houston Happenings

Houston is a great city. At any given time, there is something to do that appeals to everyone. This past weekend, I had the most fun enjoying many of the things the city has to offer. I attended a play at the Ensemble Theatre, the oldest African American theatre in the southwest. The play, The Old Settler is set in the 1940s in Harlem in which a middle aged woman invites a roomer to board in a home and has a fling with him. It was most entertaining as I love live theatre.

On Friday, I went to the Motown Revue at the Miller Outdoor Theatre. It is a free concert in the park which covered timeless classics of legendary Motown artists and many, many more soul music greats. It was indeed a grand time. Part of the enjoyment is waiting for seats and chatting with people in line. We had a great time at the show as usual. Love listening to good R&B tunes.

Long Live Htown!

One Random Act of Kindness Goes a Long Way

This past weekend, I went to Atlanta for Funk Fest. It is two days of concerts with various R&B and rap artists. I stopped by the reception desk at my hotel to ask some questions and met a young lady named Ashley. I was with my fellow NE fan Conesha and we told Ashley we were going to the concert. She had a somber look and said that she wished she could go. I asked why she was not going and she noted she did not have the funds at the time. So I asked her what time she got off work. She said three and I said well I am going upstairs to buy you a ticket and you are going to the concert with us. She was so excited and could not believe someone would do this for her. She came from behind the desk and gave me a big hug. I proceeded upstairs to check for a ticket and wouldn't you know, there was one seat at my table in the VIP section just for her. The concert started at 8pm and Ashley texted me about 7:30 that she was there.

The artists performing that night were SWV, Goodie Mob and Heads of State. I really enjoyed seeing Cee Lo Green perform as I had not before. Of course all the artists were great but everyone who knows me knows my favorites are Heads of State. When they came on stage, we migrated to the front. This venue had a barrier in front of the stage but we were still close. The show was great and when they guys started giving out roses, I made sure Ashley was in front to try and get one and yes she got one from my favorite guy Ralph Tresvant. Here is a picture of us and our roses as Conesha and I got one from Johnny.

Ashley was so appreciative and thankful for the kindness. On the way out, we saw a guy who was working with the show. When he asked if we were going the second day, I said no because I was heading out. When he asked Ashley, she said she was not. I chimed in that if he had a few extra tickets perhaps she would be able to. Sure enough he said he could accommodate that request. I do believe in asking for what you need. Ashley was excited because she knew just who she would take with the second ticket and that was her mom. The next day she posted pictures of performers and her and her mom having a great time. She even got to go backstage. So excited my random act of kindness had a ripple effect and she was able to enjoy the weekend with new friends and family.

My Black Is Beautiful

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending an event sponsored by My Black is Beautiful(MBIB, Essence and Walmart. MBIB is seeking six women to serve as Ambassadors.  As an MBIB Ambassador, the women will be provided tools for engaging and inspiring their communities to deliver the “Imagine A Future” mission to reach and teach one million Black girls that their Black is beautiful.

I was selected as a semifinalist for the Dallas search location. The other locations include Atlanta, Chicago and Maryland/DC. The event was a full day of beauty, fitness tips and entertainment by several artists including Avery Sunshine, Sevyn Streeter and Tank. Semi-finalists came from all over. In my group there were ladies from Los Angeles, Arkansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, etc. Everyone was positive and encouraging of each other. The interview consisted of two questions. I felt pretty good about my responses so we will see how it goes. Either way it as a great experience being a semifinalist and meeting so many inspiring women. Kudos to MBIB!

Procrastination

Hello out there! It has been so long since I posted, early February. I am not sure where the time has gone. We all start off with good intentions when we take on tasks or projects but somewhere along the line we sometimes veer off course. I am going to try and get on the right path again and do more blogging. Writing is good for the soul.  Here's to me staying on course!

Happy Happy Joy Joy

My last post was about the fun I have in bootcamp. I must admit today I felt very sluggish but I pushed through the workout. Warm-up consisted of jumping jacks, jump squats, butt kicks and suicide drills. After a series of stretching exercises we did 7 stations (pushups, jumping lunges, leg lifts, v pushups, up downs, squats and press and the superman), Once the class was over, my trainer brought out his dreaded scale that I had not been on in forever. Well to my surprise I was down 14 pounds since I started. YAY!!!! I cursed his scale when I initially got on it, now I praised it. :) I have a long way to go but I'm going to get there one day at a time. 

Bootcamp Can Be Fun!

I have been doing boot camp since November 2013. When I first started, we did a fit test to gauge where we where. I was huffing and puffing out of control trying to do all the jumping jacks, situps, pushups, running, etc. I started off going three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Day by day, I could feel myself getting stronger.  For the next six weeks, I decided to go four days a week. We also did a fit test with the start of the next six weeks and I did more pushups, squats, walk downs and ran my two laps faster.

Sometimes weight loss can be a slow process but results do come. I posted a picture of myself during the holidays with the caption, boot camp does the body good. One of my friends responded just think how you will look if you keep this up until this time next year. I had not thought about continuing boot camp that long but since I am enjoying it and making progress why not? I have a goal weight in mind so I will aim for it and check back November 18, 2014 with my final results. In the meantime, I will continue working it out. It is not all bad either, just a few days ago we cooled down by doing the Cupid Shuffle. Good Times!

SoloHealth Station

I was shopping in Walmart and came across the SoloHealth Station. The station, is an interactive kiosk that allows you to take a free vision, blood pressure, weight, and body mass index (BMI) tests in a few minutes. It also gives you an overall health assessment, access to a database of local physicians, and other health recommendations. They are also in CVS and Sams Clubs. Check it out!

Get Fit & Stay Fit

I recently ordered Darrin Henson's DVD, Get Fit & Stay Fit. Darrin is an actor known for his role in Soul Food and Stomp the Yard among others. He says he is going to be our celebrity fitness coach and I am all for it.

The DVD is an hour workout with breaks in between sessions. It begins with a run so its great if you have a treadmill otherwise running in place works too. I really enjoyed this workout. It included squats, weight training working shoulders, biceps, and triceps, calves, the dreaded abdominal workout, and it concludes with a boxing session. This is just the program I needed. This will be a nice addition to my program as I wanted to get in some workouts with free weights and having someone instructing makes it easier. 

 

So if you are looking for a total body workout, check it out!

“My goal is to get people fit and teach them how to stay fit,” . “Its a DVD program I have designed to get you to lose weight, get in shape and enjoy doing so! Most people diet and feel like they are dying when they do. I am going to show you how to live it!” --Darrin Henson

Shredding Continues with Super Shred!

Dr. Ian Smith as done it again! His new book, Super Shred is for short, quick weight loss in a healthy way. Super Shred is not something you do long term so if you want a long term plan try the original Shred diet but if you have a big event coming up cruise, reunion etc. this one is for you! The average weight loss is 20 pounds in 4 weeks and some testers have lost more. This plan can help jump start your weight loss if you have hit a plateau. Since I am a Shredder I am taking it to the next level. I started Super Shred January 1, 2014. Let's do this!

 

Here's a segment on Good Morning America about the diet, a menu for week 1, grocery list and recipes. LET'S SHRED!

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2014/01/super-shred-diet-week-1-menu-grocery-list-and-bonus-recipes/

Happy New Year

It's 2014!

A new year to start fresh and accomplish all that you desire for yourself. I am not making resolutions per se but will live by a theme to do better and be better. I will Claim it, Work it and Receive it! I will claim positive things out of life by believing and having faith. This includes all areas like healthy living, increased finances, abundant travel, spiritual guidance, positive and strong relationships, creative abilities etc. I will put in the work regarding all of these areas because without it, I cannot expect these things to come to pass. Finally, I will be prepared and ready to receive all the blessings that are in store for me.

Let's do this!

Accomplishing Big Things in 2014!

 

Claim it, Work it and Receive it!