Tracking Your Success

Today I realized how far I have come with my exercise program. I started off this summer running 1.5 miles on the treadmill (in about 14 min) and then I started running outside. Running outside was much harder for me, at first I could barely run a mile. In the past 3 months I have increased my distance little by little.

For the past 3 weeks my furthest non stop distance was three miles. Today I knew needed to push myself after coming back from my conference ( I ate so much and only exercised once). So I pushed myself and added and another mile to my regimen. I was able to run 4 miles without stopping in about 38 min.

Recognizing my progress provides me with the motivation to keep going and run further. My next goal is 5 miles and then a 10 k(a little over 6 miles).

There are many ways to track your success. You may focus on lbs lost or sizes dropped, which is great too! But make sure you take some time out to recognize how you have progressed in your exercise program. Especially for those of us who have little athletic ability it is really great to see how you can re-condition your body.

If you haven't already, start tracking your daily exercise with an exercise diary. Click here for a free online diary.
Others resources for charting your success
*Fitness Calendar (printable version)
*Spark People


Also, make sure you continue to challenge yourself in your exercise programs. If don't challenge yourself, your workout will become boring and you will probably lose motivation.

You can challenge yourself by:
*Adding a couple more minutes to your cardio each week
*increasing your speed running or on the elliptical
* adding more weights to your strength training routine
* adding new exercises to your program (try something fun like a dance class or swimming)

Comment! Please share your success stories to inspire others.

Friends, health encouragers or saboteurs??

Our friends, our sistas, many black women thrive because of our close relationships with other black women. We encourage and cheer each other on through many of life’s ups and downs but what about when it comes to buckling about our health and lack of attention to it? How many can say they are surrounded by women on the same page as themselves as it relates to obtaining and maintaining a healthy lifestyle? It’s important to keep in mind that you cannot discount the importance of a top notch supporting cast, it can in many instances make or break your resolve to get your health in order. I can say that over the years and through my numerous attempts to achieve optimal health and shed pounds of excess fat, the people in my life have been encouraging but then again I am different than most. I don’t necessarily need a cheerleading squad to get what needs to be done done, in fact I work better alone, especially when it comes to exercising. In my neighborhood I’m happy to report that even at 5:30 am in the morning there are a great # of black women out at the track plugging away at their fitness regimens, whether it be walking, wogging (a move that best resembles someone walking with a smidge of a jog), jogging or full out running. It’s quite a pleasant sight to see that more and more of us are taking a collective stand to be healthy and vivacious. Even though I smile as I press along trying to complete my 3-mile jog, I nix any attempts made by anyone to have me join their group. You see I work best alone when it comes to exercise and I tend to have a bit of a psycho drill sergeant attitude about moving my body. It wouldn’t be fair to subject those well-meaning sistas to my psychosis but it warms my heart to see them out there supporting one another.

Which leads me back to the topic of this post. It’s great when your best buds are in your corner, it really is but if you find that they’re not, press on my friend! Let nothing or no one get in your way. You are not doing something temporary here; you are changing and changing for good. Now is your best friend who knows you’ve been giving it your all to revise your mind and body’s relationship with food a full out saboteur?? Maybe, she just might be, not because she doesn’t love you or consciously wants to see you not accomplish your goals but sometimes the people closest to us get comfortable with the person we allowed ourselves to become and it becomes a reflection of who they are. If you change or even start to see the need to change they may be forced to look at themselves, many people don’t want to do that.

I’m not suggesting that everyone be like me and go it alone, a lot of people need the support and encouragement of others to make it happen. What I am suggesting however is that you under no circumstances let anyone get in the way of what you know you have to do. People who are on your team don’t invite you to happy hour nor do they suggest ya’ll go to “Big Mama’s Burger Joint” nor do they say things like “girl you still on that health kick?” They just don’t, period. But when they do, you remember what’s at stake and you forge ahead. Be committed, stay focused.

S.O.S: Links to Fitness III & Weight Wathchers Update

It's week 7 of the Save Our Sister Fitness Challenge (S.O.S.) ! If you still need to join , comment on the post here. It's very important that we continue to motivate each other. So ask a friend to join you in your daily exercise, today!
Sweet Potato Pie and Nubian Fitness Goddess will continue to provide with the best resources and tips.

Get Motivated!

Get some new fall fitness gear to show off that beautifully toned body you've been working on. You'll find fall fitness must haves here.

Reward Yourself!

Reward yourself by trying by trying some "No Pudge Brownies." I came across this in Trader Joes. I'm going to try them this week.

Get Active!

Keep your body active while you're act work. Try these office friendly exercises.

Pump some iron! Check out this article on weight training for African American women.

Hair Health
Revitalize your hair with this great conditioner for gymaholics. This article also has great tips on other products you can use to revitalize your hair. Check it out here!

Get Moving!

* Build Your own Workout Video at Fitness Magazine's site

* Today we have a playlist from Danielle. Also, check out Danielle's magazine for women of color.
Enjoy!

*Ricky Blaze- Cut Dem Off
*Tony Matterhorn- Goodas Fi Dem
*Problem Child-Party Animal
*Machel Montano- Down D Road,
*T-Pain-Church, Flo Rida & T-Pain- Get Low
*Walk It Out and Cupid Shuffle

Want to share your playlist? Email me at hypothesis1913@gmail.com and I will feature it in my next post!


Weight Watchers Update:
This is week 3 of weight watchers for me. Weight Watchers has really helped me understand my eating habits. My weekend eating habits are the worst. I need to put more effort into making better choices on the weekends. My exercise has been really consistent. This past week I ran outside 3 times ( 4 miles) and I did 4 days in the gym on the treadmill, elliptical, and strength training. So I think my goal is still within reach ( 17 more lbs by Thanksgiving).

Don't forget I'm participating in "Lose For Good." So for every pound I lose Weight Watchers will donate a pound of food to two charitable organzations. It's a great cause and I'm happy to be a part of it!

Now for the Winners of the Weight Watchers Subscriptions:
*M. Braxton
* J. Cruse

Thanks everyone for your submissions! I wish I could have given everyone a subscription.

Comment!
New to the Fitness Challenge? Updates from Fitness Challenge members?
Share your thoughts and share your resources!

Babies on the Brain

Considering having a child sometime in the future? Is your body in it's optimal condition?


Yes, I have babies on the brain. No, I'm not pregnant (got to finish grad school first) or thinking about getting pregnant in the near future.


For the past few days I've been learning a ton about pregnancy and new borns. I'm taking a Human development class at school and this book has brought some astounding stats to my attention. Reading this book is actually disheartening, there are so many things that can wrong during pregnancy or in the neonatal period. Some things are out of the parents control (i.e. hereditary disease) but there are a lot of factors that are within the parents control.


Some of you may be wondering what this has to do with health and fitness. Well, the physical health of both parents is huge factor when it comes to determining the health of the baby. I know some of you are don't plan on having children for a while. But this article is still worth reading because some decisions you make today will affect the health of you child.



First some general stats:

*African American women are more likely to have low birth weight babies than any other races (13.4% of all births)
* Black babies are nearly two and half times as likely to die in their first year as white or Hispanic babies.
*The neonatal and postnatal mortality rates for Black babies is more than double the rate of white babies.

So what do all those stats mean?
Low birth weight babies have increased risk of diabetes, cognitive deficits, behavioral problems, decreased IQ, brain abnormalities, and low education achievement.



What are the causes of low birth weight and Infant Mortality?

*Obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, drugs and lack of prenatal care* We all know that African American women have the highest obesity rates.


How can you increase your chances of having a healthy baby

*Fight obesity with exercise and healthy eating prior to pregnancy. Of course you should avoid alcohol consumption, smoking, or any other toxins that can cause damage to the baby.

*Women of child bearing age are encouraged to take folate supplements and to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables even before becoming pregnant. The more fruit, vegetables, and protein that women eat 1 year prior to becoming pregnant will lower the risk for leukemia.

*Regular exercise is also helpful during pregnancy (consult with a doctor to see what works for you). Moderate exercise prevents constipation, improves respiration, circulation, muscle tone, and skin elasticity.

Resources for Mom's 2 Be

Childbirth Connection

Black Parenting Blog

The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy

Comment!

What are thoughts of the stats mentioned above?

Share any other thoughts!

All the stats and suggestions come from Human Development by Papalia, Olds, and Feldman

Helpful Tips From You Tubers...

Hey Guys! This is Cruz, I am very pleased to be a contributor on this blog and look forward to sharing and getting to know everyone as we press forward to reach our individual fitness goals. I am somewhat of a you tube junkie (I'm sure I'm not the only one) and figured it might be a good idea to share some helpful videos I've come across on a weekly basis. The videos I posted to this entry are from a you tuber I subscribe to named "TonyaTKO". I chose these videos in particular because she talks about something I strongly believe is the biggest factor in trying to change bad habits, our minds. Anything good I've ever done in my life was accomplished because I summoned the strength to get my mind in the right place to insure success and to me the same rules apply when trying to change our bodies. She is a very funny and honest woman who like the rest of us struggles with her weight. In these videos she shares tips on making small changes (as I suggested in the previous entry) and making minor adjustments that pay off in the long run. For so long I wanted to do things that promised "20 lbs in 2 days" or some other ridiculous claim and that is totally not the way to go. I know we hear it all the time but slow and steady truly wins the race and after all this is about our health (and looking smokin hot!) so we are not in it for a quick fix, this is for life.

Anyhoo, the videos are informative and entertaining as you will see Tonya has a very pleasant disposition. Feel free to elaborate on her tips or share some of your own. There are 4 videos so take a look at them and let's discuss!

"Better Skin, Healthier Hair, a Beautiful Body, and Sex : A Male Perspective"

Like I mentioned before, I think it is important to check out the male perspective on fitness issues. My friend at the Black Fitness Blog wrote his perspective on the benefits of exercise. His post is a must read. Ladies, the benefits of exercise just keep getting better and better!

Here is the beginning of the post.

So you say exercise helps with skin, hair, nails and body? How about you look better and as a male I’m more sexually more attracted to you? How about this “new you” has revved up your self confidence and it makes you more appealing? A person’s physical appearance can be beneficial on an emotional level.

“If health and fitness aren’t enough to get you to exercise, how about improving your sex life? Sure, exercise can help you look good and maybe that will help you get more sex, but I’m talking about increasing your drive, ability and making sex more fun. You already know why exercise is so important for your health, but you may not know the sexual benefits. So, exercise can make your sex life more enjoyable. ”

I’m thinking about my ex who use to run track and boy we use to...........

click here for more!!

SOS: Better Skin, Healthier Hair, and a Beautiful Body.

Here is some motivation for my S.O.S. participants. If you haven't joined the Save Our Sister Fitness challenge invite a friend to workout with you this week! Be sure to check out the latest S.O.S tips at sweet potato pie, Hips, Butt and Thighs...OH MY!

The Benefits of Exercise:
Get Better Skin, Healthier Hair, and a Beautiful Body.

How can you get healthier skin, hair, and a beautiful toned body?
Exercise! A healthy body equals healthier hair and skin.

Your Hair is a reflection of your Health
For many black women hair is a barrier to exercise. How ironic is that considering that exercising and eating right can actually improve the health of your hair. I've experienced it first hand. I have battled dry scalp since high school. But when I started exercising I learned to care for my own hair. I deep condition once a week so now my hair is always moisturized and dry scalp is no longer an issue. It's even starting to grow a little bit.

Exercise increases the circulation of blood to your head. Proper blood circulation allows for the hair follicles to become nourished and this results in healthier hair.
So get your body in balance with a healthy diet and exercise.

Need more proof?
Healthy Hair Link
Afrohairsecrets.com

Healthy Skin
I've read that exercise can also help keep your skin clear. I haven't had to many problems with acne since high school but I do tend to breakout when I'm really stressed. So far this year I've been handling my stress really well, I attribute this to to Exercise. As a results my breakouts have been minimal.
As mentioned earlier, lack of exercise causes poor circulation. It makes you more prone to acne and breakouts. You have to exercise to make sure your body has the optimal amount of blood circulation. If you are exercising regularly you will increase the blood and oxygen flow through your body and increase the nutrients your skin gets.

Need more proof?
Healthy Skin link


Exercise allows you to take control of your body. You can improve yourself physically (hair, nails, skin, etc.) I think it is important to realized how much control you have and be the most fabulous you can be!

IS YOUR AMPLE BOOTY KEEPING YOU UNHEALTHY?

I'm so excited to post this article written by Cruz. She will be contributing articles here at Nubian Fitness Goddess, I'm so excited to have her! Here's her first article....Enjoy!


This question is addressed to me as well. You see one of the things I find troubling in the African American community is the myth that having extra blessings in the rump area somehow excuses you from getting your health in order. I mean let's face it, most of our men (most, not all) love extra poundage in the booty area and because many of us base our self worth on the feedback we receive from the opposite sex we oftentimes think it's all good to remain overweight cause we fill out a pair of jeans nicely. Now this certainly applies to me. Getting my health on track is no new journey for me, I've been exercising on and off for many years and to be honest I would probably be at my goal weight had I not consistently let others get in my head "girl you look great" "yeah but you carry that extra weight so well" "you are just super curvy", I could go on and on but my point is I constantly gave up on myself because people, men to be specific insisted that what I had going on was the stuff black men's dreams are made of. Now don't get me wrong, I am totally sexy and I am quite fond of my figure but the truth of the matter is that there needs to be a lot less of it if I have any plans on maintaining extended health and vitality as I approach 40 years old in 2 more years.

We live in a world that gets caught up in the hype on a regular basis. The same holds true when it comes to taking charge of our health and our bodies. No one else can tell you what's good for you but you and men drooling at your ample hind parts does not excuse the extra pounds you are carrying around. Don't believe the hype that losing weight will cause you to lose your assets, no way, no how. I have been thinner than I am currently and trust me my milkshake still had boys coming to the yard.

It's nice to be curvy and to celebrate those curves but it's also nice to wake up with energy, to have joints that don't ache, to have control over your body and how you nourish it. You don't have to subscribe to a life of eating trees and berries, just change a little something everyday and move as much as you can. That's all. I'm down 14lbs since June (WHOOO HOOOOO!!!!). Could have been more but as I said, I fell into the "girl your body is hot" hype and lost my focus. Won't happen again.

BOOTYLICIOUS SISTAS UNITE AND GET YOUR WEIGHT RIGHT!

Written By Cruz

S.O.S. Links to Fitness Pt. II

It's week 5 of the Save Our Sister Fitness Challenge (S.O.S.) ! If you still need to join click here.
It's very important that we continue to motivate each other. So ask a friend to join you in your daily exercise, today!
Sweet Potato Pie and Nubian Fitness Goddess will continue to provide with the best resources and tips.

Get Motivated!
A new study show that keeping a food Diary can double your weight loss. It sounds really tedious by I'm motivated to give it a try. Click here for more.

Food diary Resources:
My Food Diary.com
Spark People


Get Active!
Make a small change and change your life! Taking the stairs decreases your chances of dying prematurely by 15%. Check out the article at fitsugar.com here!


Get Moving!

* Build Your own Workout Video at Fitness Magazine's site

* After spending 4 years on the East Coast and coming back to the MidWest I found mine self missing the Reggae music. I like dancehall and it's great to workout to, especially the fast songs.
So here is my reggae playlist from my favorite musice playlist site www.inthegym.net

• Collie Buddz. Mamacita.
• Sasha ft Fatman Scoop. Dat Sexy Body (Remix).
• Kat DeLuna ft Elephant Man. Whine Up.
• Munga. Flippin Rhymes.
• Collie Buddz. My Everything..
• Million Stylez. Miss Fatty.
• Sean Paul. Pick It up and Drop It.
• Beyonce ft Collie Buddz. Ring the Alarm (Tranzformas Remix) .
• Eve ft Sean Paul. Give It to You.
• Baby Cham ft Rihanna. Boom Boom.
• Kevin Little ft Sean Paul. Turnin Me On (Remix).

Want to share your playlist? Email me at hypothesis1913@gmail.com and I will feature it in my next post!


Weight Watchers Update:
This is week 1 of weight watchers for me. I weighed in today and I lost a 1 lb. My goal is to lose 20lbs in the next 3 months. So, it's going pretty well I guess. I'm doing the Points Plan so I have to keep track of everything I eat. It's kind of challenging but it's also a wake up call. I won't just throw something to my mouth without thought. Now, I think about the portions and if I really want to use my points on it. I really recommend keeping a food diary if you are not already. It can be quite eye opening.


As I mentioned I am giving away 2 three month subscriptions to Weight Watchers. If you are interested please email me at hypothesis1913@gmail.com. I would like to give the subscriptions to people that frequent my blog and people who really need the subscriptions.
Email me:
1. Your Weight Loss goals
2. Why I should give you the free subscription

Email me by 9/15/08

*Priority will be give to readers that frequent my blog and comment, but everyone is welcome to try!*



Comment!
New to the Fitness Challenge? Updates from Fitness Challenge members?
Share your thoughts and share your resources!
*********I'm still looking for people to contribute articles to my blog**********

I LOVE YOUR BLOG

I'm spreading the Love with the "I Love Your Blog" Awards. So here are the blogs that I nominate.

Black Women Blow the Trumpet
This blog features some really interesting articles about issues that affect black women.

Hairlicious
You can find great hair care tips here!

Glennisha Morgan
This sista has always got something to share on a variety of topics


Claudette Jameson
The honest writings of a young black woman in College, and whatever obstacles she encounters.


Now The Rules:

1. The nominated is allowed to put this picture on their blogs.
2. Link to the person who hearted you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other people and link to them.
4. Leave a message on those people's blog to make them aware that they're nominated.

You Are What You Drink

I have always known that soft drinks and sweetened juices are really high in calories. But I was shocked to learn that for most Americans almost a quarter of their daily calories come from these high calorie drinks. As I get more consicous about my eating habits I am also going to try and count down on all the sugary drinks. I'm going to try and substitute the sugary drinks with Crystal Light or Minute Maid Light Lemonade (it doesn't taste too bad).

Breaking the habit of drinking kool aid, soft drinks, lemonade, etc. is a hard habit to break because most people in our communities grow up drinking this stuff. It's cheaper than 100% Juice and it tastes great. I admit is difficult for me, I crave fruity drinks from time to time sometimes water just doesn't cut it. But decreasing my caloric intake by 21% is definitely worth switching lemonade for lemonade light. It is clear that sweetened fruit drinks and soda are causing problems in the African American Community. Several studies have found that Soft drinks are linked to increased risk for Diabetes in African America Women.

In a study at Boston Univerisity they found that Women who consumed two or more soft drinks a day had a 24 percent increase in incidence of relative to women who drank less than one soft drink per month. A similar association was observed for sweetened fruit drinks, with a 31 percent increase observed for two or more servings per day relative to less than one per month.


If you haven't already starting adding more water and cutting the soft drinks these articles should convince you!

Study Links Soft Drinks and Fruit Drinks with Risk of Diabetes in African American Women


You Are Also What You Drink

Lose for Good!

Last week I said I had a special announcement, here it goes.......

First I want to thank you for your support of Nubian Fitness Goddess. Blogging has been a great experience for me. I've learned alot from you all and I hope you find the information here valuable.

Thanks to the support from all you of you my Blog was selected to participate in Weight Watchers new Lose for Good campaign and fitness challenge. As a part of this challenge I will participating in Weight Watchers and blogging about my experience and weight loss. I will also be advertising for the Lose for Good Campaign on my blog.

Here's is the best part!
I will be awarding 2 free three month subscriptions to Weight Watchers to you guys. Look for details to come!


What is Lose For Good?

Lose for Good is a charitable effort that addresses two important epidemics: hunger and obesity, by empowering people to get healthier while also doing good for others in need.

For every pound that Weight Watchers members will lose during a six-week period, Weight Watchers will donate the cost of one pound of food -- up to $1 million dollars -- to two hunger fighting organizations.

The chosen organizations are Share Our Strength, the leading organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry, and Action Against Hunger, an organization that helps feed people in troubled parts of the world.

Click here for more information

I think this is a wonderful cause I am glad to be apart of it! Please share your thoughts.

Exercise for your Sanity

The more I exercise the more I learn about the benefits...

Life is getting quite hectic for me right now. I have made physical activity a priority in my life so no matter what I still start my day with 35-40 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of toning and strength training. I commit 1 hour a day to myself and it really is helping me deal with the stressors I encounter during the day.

My summer is officially over and I am back in school, applying for PhD programs, studying for the gre, working 2 jobs (2 part time), and planning a Regional Conference (by myself) for the National Black Graduate Student Association. Despite all this I continue to find ways to squeeze exercise in to my life. No matter how overwhelmed I get I know that I did one positive thing for my body. I am actually starting to find exercise therapeutic, I sometimes even look forward to it ( crazy, huh?)

I know many of you have lives that are just as jam packed with work and other activities. But I hope you continue to make your health a priority. You are really never to busy to exercise you just have to make a few sacrifices.

If you really feel that you are to busy for exercise then check out a few of these articles to find creative ways to fit in fitness.

* Working Out at Work
*12 Tips to Fit Fitness in Your Day
*How to Fit in Fitness

So Please make your health a priority!

Look out for more information about the Save our Sister Fitness Challenge, this week!

* I'm looking for people to contribute to my blog. So if your interested please hit me up at hypothesis1913@gmail.com

Comments?
Does Exercise Bring Sanity to Your life?

Does Size Matter Pt. II: A Male Perspective

This blog's focus is on Black Women, but sometimes it may be helpful to hear the perspective of a Black male. Black men are also concerned about the physical health of our people. So from now on, I will include the perspective of my friend at Black Fitness Blog (on relevant issues). He has written his perspective to my recent article "Does Size Matter?".

Here is the beginning of his article.

"In this day and age it is clear and absolute that we see images of sexy more now than ever before. My parents didn’t have an example of what fresh was besides the images on Soul Train. Now there are magazines, TV, Internet and all other kinds of media. In addition to the said media you have the fashion and image critics. We all know body image is connected to self- esteem. Women are rated/ranked on looks and desirability instead of personal achievement like their male counterparts. So would it make sense that somewhere down the line our sisters, who have been told what to do for years, might rebel? Rebel, by eating what they want and not subscribing to said images. When I think rebel…. I think of the comedian Mo`Nique........

Read the rest : Does size matter II: A male perspective