Showing posts with label Health and Fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health and Fitness. Show all posts
It's that time again. My birthday is approaching quickly and I am not looking forward to it.  I will be turning the big 4 0 this year (and my heart drops).  The reality of it is that I can't do any thing to slow down the clock. So I just have to embrace my age and getting older.  But one thing that I do not want to embrace or take into the next phase of my life is my major health problems and unhealthy eating.

I have hired an awesome personal trainer and I have also decided to try eating Vegan for 30 days.   After my 30 days, I will see how I feel and what adjustments I want to make to my diet. But so far I am excited.

While researching, I found some great channels on YouTube of woman that are educating the public on how you can transition into eating Vegan, tips, recipes, information and more.  The first YouTube page I want to highlight is Food Heaven Show with Wendy & Jess.  Their Facebook page is also full of information and meal ideas. "Food Heaven Made Easy with Wendy & Jess is a web series with a mission to bring healthy cooking to your kitchen. The show is hosted by Nutritionista Wendy Lopez and Registered Dietitian Jessica Jones, who both hold Master's Degrees in Nutritional Science. These nutrition nerds demonstrate how to cook nutrient dense, delicious and affordable plant-based recipes, while providing scientifically sound nutrition information you can trust."

I also want to highlight another great youtube page FullyRawKristina.  Kristina's page also has great colorful, vibrant videos full of information, recipes and more on how to transition into a vegan or healthy eating lifestyle. Check out her Facebook page here.


I will be checking in every once in awhile to talk about my experience with trying the vegan diet and if I have experienced any benefits.
"I am Michelle Clark, owner of Double Dutch Aerobics. Double Dutch Aerobics is my hearts passion. Our classes are bringing Child like joy to fitness. As a world champion in Double Dutch, I have the skill to teach anyone who can jump up and down how to jump Double Dutch in less than 1 min! Teaching rate 100%. Our class consist of both street jumping and competitive style jumping which includes - jumping jacks, pushups, mountain climbs, popups and more! The smiles, high fives and laughs that happen during Double Dutch Aerobics reminds me that I must continue to build my Double Dutch Aerobics Empire. Currently I have Certified Double Dutch Aerobics Instructors in NYC teaching classes and I am currently certifying more teachers in Atlanta. Expansion across the world is 100% the next step.  As a working adult, we are super busy, but things that we have to include in our lives in happiness and fitness. At double dutch aerobics we combine the two. Our saying is "Double Dutch Aerobics, where fun is the experience and fit is the result"."

To see more about Double Dutch Aerobics, check out this article on MyBrownBaby.

I am excited to write about Chef Ahki. Not only is she beautiful, but she is a celebrity Chef, natural food activist and blogger. It's my birthday today, and it is a day of reflection.  I am realizing that my health is the worst that it has ever been, and I am at my heaviest weight ever in life.  Part of this is due to be having a new business that is very demanding and being a full time mom to teens and a baby. I am busier than I have ever been and my health is paying the price. I have have not slept well for two years and my diet is horrible.  You hear all the time that good sleep is a great way to keep your weight down, well it is true. One is because your body needs that time to recover from your day and replenish itself.  So that when you do wake up, your not overeating to try and make up for feeling tired. Also when you stay up for longer hours, you end up eating more than you would if you went to bed at a regular time. So besides my never getting enough sleep, and always eating more meals in the day that I should - my food choices have been pretty bad.   So with today being my birthday, and me health being at its worst - I think I want to make a promise to myself to try and make better choices when it comes to eating better, getting more rest and working out more.  

That is why I am excited to have found Chef Ahki's facebook page.  I knew about her before this time,
because she was well known beauty in the natural hair community. But today, my appreciation for what she is doing is because she centers her craft of being a Chef around healthy eating.  "Different from other "veggie heads" " green- smoothie fads" and the likes, AHKI's content is laced with amazing personal style, intelligence, real -time relevent science, and surpisingly Hip-Hop. She is known to express her fury about our current food state with phrases like Your Tastebuds have been Hijacked" "Illness is Unnecesary" Diabetes is Reversible" "Because we ain't Supposed to be Sick" "You Ain't depressed, you just malnutrtioned". "Friends Don't let friends Eat at Waffle House" etc. She has used controversial figures like Che Guevara and Malcom X to "artistically express" her ideas and considers herself a though leader. In short, she cares not if she ruffles your feathers, as long as you walk away empowered and inspired to Get Healthy..By Any Greens Neccasary.

She transitioned to a plant-based diet at just 18, and became a colon-therapist. She decided to study under Dr. Mark Armstrong and recieved a bachelors in naturopathic science and holistic theology and was intrigued by the healing power of herbs, and eastern healing modalities.

Raised by four generations of medicine women in her native Oklahoma, Ahki was introduced to indigenous foods and alternative modalities early on. Growing up working in her grandparents garden, she knows what real food is supposed to taste like, she believes that humans are electrical, and that we need electrical foods for optimum health. She uses seasonal, organic, fresh non-hybrid fruits and vegetables to create living food recipes designed to heal bodies and enhance lives." - about Ahki

READ THOSE LABELS...
"Theres' nothing worse than going to a health foods store and rollin' up on some delicious "sounding" health item only to be shocked at the overwhelming amount of CRAP that's hidden inside. Let's face it. The Health food game is sewed up too. The aisles are filled with just as much crap as you'd find at Kroger. The Good thing is...with a little research, (and some discipline) you can avoid alot of these Fraud Foods disguised as health food items. Look for MSG. Sugar. Monondiglycerides.FructoseCorn Syrup.Whey. Rice or Potato Starch. Aspartame. Casein. Corn and Canola Oil. These are just a few to begin. More on these later." -Chef Ahki
African American women sometimes have problems with their hair breaking, slow growth, and split ends. By adding some essential foods to your daily diet, you can prevent your fragile hair from these annoying problems. According to Seymour M. Weaver, a Houston-based dermatologist, “There's an epidemic of hair loss taking place among African-American women. It is partly because of damaging grooming techniques and styles that pull the hair back. Changing your hair care routine can promote growth---and so can the food you eat.

Vitamin B Enriched Foods
According to Seymour,” B vitamins---along with amino acids---are the building blocks for protein, so they are critical if you want to grow strong, healthy hair. Vitamin B also plays a role in producing red blood cells, which transport oxygen and nutrients to your scalp and follicles. If you suffer from vitamin B deficiency, Bauer points out that your hair is likely to shed, grow slowly and break. Eat foods such as whole-grain cereals, garbanzo beans, bananas, soy milk, oatmeal and beets, to get your daily vitamin B fix.”

Foods Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Eating foods that are rich in omega – 3 fatty acids can help prevent the loss of hair and help it to grow. A traditional Western style diet often tips the balance towards foods rich in omega-6 fatty acids. When in fact your hair actually needs the foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids not in omega- 6 fatty acids. You can design a healthier diet by eating fatty fish like as sardines, salmon, mackerel, and herring three times a week. In addition, to adding flaxseeds to your breakfast cereals or salads at lunch and dinner will help a lot in making sure you are getting enough omega – 3 fatty acids in your diet.

Iron
According to public health experts, iron is the leader of nutritional deficiencies in the US. When the body is low in iron, the blood vessels cannot transport the oxygen to the tissue and cells, including the tissue and cells that the scalp needs to maintain the hair follicles. Iron is necessary for the cells to grow. Many women have low iron levels or iron deficiencies caused by the menstrual cycle.
To increase your iron intake you can take iron supplements (always consult your doctor before taking any supplements) or if you prefer add more iron to your daily diet. Foods that are high in iron include iron-fortified foods, lean beef, beets, poultry, beans, lentils, and lamb.

Protein
Protein is also beneficial for health hair. Eating 3 ounces of lean protein twice a day in addition to other foods high in protein can do wonders for your hair health. If beef is not part of your diet, you can eat food such as legumes, beans, peanut butter, low-fat dairy, and seafood. 
If you incorporate all of the suggestions above you will have strong, beautiful hair again in no time!

Articles Author - Tammy Mahan has worked in the healthcare field for over 20 years. She often shares her knowledge on Healthline.Com. 
These days one of the hot topics is healthy living.  We as moms want our kids to eat healthier foods and snacks.  We all want to workout more regularly.  We want the companies that we support to be more health conscious.  Well, it sure sounds good, but how many of us actually stick with it?  Why is it so hard to lead a healthy lifestyle long-term?  Well I’ve got at least 3 reasons....

First, leading a healthy lifestyle takes commitment.  Many of us can’t even commit to an outfit let alone a lifestyle change.  Committing to something this drastic is just something that many of us really aren't ready for and may never be.  It’s like saying “I do” at the alter all the while cringing at the idea of all that we’ll have to give up.  Then it becomes all about what we’re losing rather than the better life, longevity and overall happiness that we’re gaining.

Second, its just not in the budget.  Let’s face it, gym memberships, yoga and Pilate classes, the latest diet trends are expensive as heck!  More than that, the last time I checked we were still said to be in a recession, which means less of us have the disposable income needed to keep up with the latest healthy living trends.  Thus, as a result when times get hard, we swap our healthy living practices for mere survival tactics which usually consist of cheap, processed food, longer work hours and blood pressure pills (which by the way actually far exceed the cost of healthy living). 

Third, it’s just too damn hard.  Now, I must say that in reality healthy living is really all about perception.  In our minds that have been so programmed by the media, advertising schemes, and even the medical community and some government entities we have been made to believe that living healthy takes a lot of effort.  Yet, the fact is that healthy living is more natural to us than not.  Think back to when you were growing up and how healthy your lifestyle was.  You ran around outside from sun up to sun down, or at least until the streetlights came on lol.  Your favorite snack was peanut butter and jelly and you liked cream of wheat or oatmeal for breakfast.  Back then you did all of the things that we consider healthy living today and you did it with ease, without prescriptions, or the need to follow a trend or a PSA announcement.  We were healthy because it was in our nature to be so.

Now there may be 3 main reasons for why we get bored with healthy living, but there’s over 100
reasons why deciding to lead a healthy lifestyle is the best decision we’ll ever make.  Let’s start with... high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, asthma, celiacs, MS, cerebral palsy, obesity, Parkinson’s, psoriasis, ulcers, stress and the list could continue forever.  How about we flip the script here?  Rather than getting bored with healthy living let’s get bored with the alternative and go back to what is our nature.... Love, health and nappiness!!!


This article was written by the Naturally Beautiful Hair Blog's guest writer - Amirah Bellamy.  Amirah is the owner of www.AmirahBFit.com.
I am excited to be staring the new year off with a healthier diet and brighter outlook on life. I have been increasing my veggie and fruit intake and have increased my exercise routine. I have also made an effort to look for great vitamins and supplements to help me to be a healthier and better me. I recently found out about Canfo's BeautifyMe.

"Beauty is simply a reflection of the body's condition: every woman has the ability to become beautiful. Hair, skin, and nails are often the most obvious reflection of the body’s condition. When the body and more specifically, when a woman's reproductive system is deprived of nutrients, hair often appears less full and vibrant; nails have bumps and ridges and are even brittle; skin becomes drier and more prone to inflammation. BeautifyMe™ works to replenish and enhance the reproductive system and its ability to absorb and maintain nutrients. As the reproductive system more efficiently absorbs nutrients, the byproduct is a healthy, replenished body with healthy, hair, skin, and nails." To learn more about Canfo and their pro-better-health products, go to Canfo.com.  I am excited to add BeautifyMe to my new healthy diet!
With the new year coming in, I am all about self empowerment and bettering my health. My friend and I got together and created a list of our 2012 goals. We also decided that we are going to encourage each other to lose weight, have better out health and make better choices over all.   With this, I have started eating better and working out more... I am already feeling so much better.   As of today, I have lost 6 pounds and I am off to a great start.

While watching the new tv show The Revolution, they talked about how with age, women's breast start to sag a bit.  They also suggested some great exercises that will help to strengthen your chest and back muscles.  I search for a few key words on youtube and found some great exercise videos that demonstrated the recommended exercises. The recommended exercises to strengthen your chest and back muscles are Reverse Fly, Bicep Curl (Helps to strengthen upper body. If you don't have and exercise band, you can use hold two bottles of water or two cans of food, and still do the same moves.), and the Superman (strengthens back and front muscles).  Here is an example of the Reverse Fly below.
One of the great ways to enhance your confidence is to take class that help you embrace and love being a woman. 

"GoDiva Studio is an exotic dance studio located in Bloomfield, New Jersey that specializes in pole, belly and erotic fitness dance classes.  Founded in 2010 by three friends, Ty Smith, Nikki Philip and Sonya Miller, GoDiva Studio strives to assist women in discovering their sensuality while simultaneously confronting the negative stereotypes associated with exotic dancing, and using it for a positive purpose."
 
Not only have these ladies successfully put a spin on erotic fitness, they proudly represent the natural hair community while doing so. For more information, visit the GoDiva’s website at Go Diva Studio.


Every single week, I look forward to my favorite exercise class: Afro-Belly Boggie.  I enjoy this class so much, that I want to share information about the class with everyone. This class is full of positive energy and beyond fun.  It never fails, every week, to remind the women in the class, that we are strong, beautiful women. And sometimes, we do need that encouragement in our lives. The instructor Angel Thacker, is always encouraging and knows how to make everyone laugh. I always leave the class, completely soaked with sweat, but feeling amazing.  And what makes the class even more fun, is that we can bring our own belly dance hip skirts to wear, which adds to our ability to embrace our feminine beauty. 

"Created by Angel Thacker, Afro-Belly Boogie™ is a dance fitness program making noise across Northern California and beyond!  Since it's full launch in August 2010, the workout has gained a following of loyal participants who've enjoyed the weight loss an toning benefits that Afro-Belly Boogie™ brings.  Combining the cardio and toning aspects of African dance movements and toning and conditioning aspects of Bellydance, this fitness program combines the best of these worlds with a dash of club mix to bring the grove come to life. Great music, fabulous dance moves and big fun make this workout a revolution in dance fitness.  So join your local Afro-Belly Boogie™ workout class and "Join the Dance Revolution!"  - Afrobellyboogie.com.  

 
Angel's classes can be found in numerous cities in California. She also has instructors that teach the classes in various gyms. To find a class or request that the class be taught you in your area, go to class schedule.  Besides being an amazing instructor and inspiration coach in our classes, Angel is also a life coach and has a great 30 Fitness Program that she offers to any one that wants to improve their health and life. 

Thank you Angel, for offering this class, that helps us to embrace life and our beauty as woman.  

To and read more, go to - Afrobellyboogie.com,  Facebook.com, Meetup.com,  Examiner.com

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