health fitness diet exercise

The End of Overeating!

Nice post from theLawRawtory.com site featuring the author David Kessler M.D.

Oddly enough I’ve been feeling like crap since Memorial Day weekend. Constipation, stomach pains, bloated, headaches and straight up tired…I think we know what time it is…DETOX!  Usually, when I detox I work harder on house projects and on my rental properties, I consider this my personal time.

We all know what’s important here slimming down, eating better, and enjoying high quality food instead of high quantity food. I’ll keep you posted…

Turbulence Training: Can't Out Train Bad Eating Habits

You can not out train bad eating habits trust me I know. Diet, exercise and recovery are the three pilars of fitness.  At 212 and 18% bodyfat I workout 3-4 times a week. Sometimes as intense as you can be and sometimes just to goof off. Either way the past month I’ve been up since 5 A.M. working hard…but I’ve also been eating more as if I deserve it. Diet is the name of the game. You can workout till you are blue in the face but poor nutrition will sabatoge everything. Working out will actually become second nature, almost a no brainer.

Dieting will become 80% of the game. It will be the difference maker and the hardest part of your day.  Craig Ballantyne makes a simple but true point here…check it out!

Before and After Weight Loss Success Photos: How'd she do it?

The beautiful thing about blogging is how huge a solid network of bloggers can be. From web surfing to active community bloggin, I have been fortunate to meet and work with a lot of people. One of those people being Elizabeth, a 37 years young (she might kill me for the age disclosure) sister from Indiana. One of the reasons I love working out, is not only does it change you physically but also mentally. Below is her story…please share it as an example.

In 1997 I began having severe pain and cramping… I found out that I had endometriosis. I had surgery, thus began my ongoing battle with this disease. Every two years I would have to have surgery to scrape down my uterus, and to try to contain the growth. This was unsuccessful time after time. In between these surgeries I was given different medications to combat the pain, to try to slow the growth of the disease. By the time it was all said and done, I was on 6 different medications, including medication for hypothyroidism. In September of 2007, I had one final surgery that was supposed to take care of the problem once and for all. That surgery was also unsuccessful because in February of 2008, I ended up in the emergency room with heavy bleeding and pain so severe I couldn’t walk in. My doctor informed me that we could no longer try to prolong a hysterectomy. I had emergency surgery that Thursday to remove my uterus and my right ovary. Luckily, he was able to save the left ovary. When I left the hospital, I weighed a whopping 170 lbs. A month later I found a lump in my left breast. I had to have an ultrasound and a mammogram, which showed nothing. However, the right breast was the one that showed the fibristic tissue and could be a problem the doctor said. He also added that if I lost at least 40 lbs. I could severely cut my chances of developing full blown breast cancer my more than half.

That was it, I decided that I didn’t want to be unhealthy anymore, and I could see my quality of life lessening more and more daily. I decided that I was not going to be unhealthy anymore. That I wanted to live a productive life, that I was too young to be sick. That I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. And that I didn’t want all the diseases passed on from generation to generation from my grandparents and their parents. That I would be the one to finally break the mold of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer. My doctor released me to begin exercising in May of 2008. I bought an elliptical, and began doing cardio 4 times a week for 30 minutes. I cut out all pop, all sugar and all processed food. I also stopped eating anything that was dyed white. I started making sure that I got at least 7 hours of sleep every night. I also joined my local gym and began lifting weights. I read everything I could find about healthy eating, weight lifting, cardio, etc. By August of 2008 I had lost 30 lbs.

However, I was stuck. I couldn’t seem to lose that last 20lbs that I wanted. I still felt heavy at 5’0 tall, and still 140lbs. I ended up meeting a trainer at the gym who completely changed the rest of my life so far. I began training one day a week, and the other days he told me what to do for my exercise routine. He gave me an eating plan, and the guidelines for exercise. I started working out 6 days/ week. I started weight training 3 days/week. I began eating 5-6 small meals a day, which consisted of high protein and complex carbs at every session. I began ingesting at least 1 gram of protein per lb. of body weight. I changed my cardio from evenings to mornings. I began increasing my cardio from 30 minutes to 60 minutes / day. I started looking at life differently. I no longer lived to eat. I began eating to fuel my body to perform. To feed my muscle to continue to help it grow. The weight began falling off. I trained for 3 1/2 months, and am now currently at 107 lbs. with 11 % bodyfat. I never believed it could happen. I am healthier than I have been my whole life, even when I was younger. I am no longer on any medications whatsoever. I drink at least a gallon of water each day, get lots of green veggies. I started looking at working out differently. It no longer was a chore. It has become a way of life. I look forward to going to the gym and sweating all the toxins from the day out, and lifting weights to feel my body molding the way I want it to. To be able to manipulate the muscle, and to see the shape taking place.

I am a work in progress, just like we all are, but most of all, I want to be encouraging to others. Especially other black women. To let them know that they can succeed with their goals. They can change their bodies. They can be healthy and strong. That our genetic makeup does not “have” to predetermine the people that we are. WE are the ones to determine who we are, and what we will become. And that our daughters can look at us and be inspired to continue in our footsteps on the journey of life in a healthy and happy way.

How’d she do it? Leave a comment, email me or subscribe to BlackFitness and I’ll send you her personalized workout!

Black Health Magazine & Journey To Wellness

Current Stats: Weight 210, Waist 32.7, Moral OK, Eating: Poor The year is coming to and end it is easier than ever to throw the towel in…but in the word of Jay Z ” I will not lose.” What I do is read fitness mags and stay active. I’ve stumbled on a few blogs, magazines and websites that I wanted to share

Reggie Bush Abs

MAGAZINES I have a love/hate relationship with magazines, since I’m in a good mood, I’ll share the love part. After ordering fitness magazines and having them lying around you can’t help but pick them up every once in a while. They serve as a good source of inspiration and motivation. I don’t have a subscription but over the weekend found Black Health Magazine. It was a little simple, but a good effort for a first issue and a good alternative to Heart & Soul although Heart & Soul gets the edge.

Heart & Soul

WEBSITES & BLOGS Since I’m online more than I should be I can endorse some websites and blogs with confidence. Journey To Wellness is a website I like; simple, clean and informative. It features a podcast and snippets from WNPR with Dr. Mary Harris. I’m also on BodyBuilding.com’s BodySpace a lot. It’s like a myspace for bodybuilders where you can track progress, share ideas and checkout good looking people. There are some blogs that I follow for no particular reason except for the fact that these people are doing their thing!

1. www.thefitnessdiva.blogspot.com

2. www.thefitnessgoddess.blogspot.com

3. www.sweet-potatopie.com

4. www.blackhealth.org (not a blog, but good network)

Again, I really don’t care how you do it. Use a magazine, music or statement to keep you motivated. Just do it!