Is Being Healthy Really Not About the Dress Size? You tell us...

"I'm just thick"

"I'm bootylicious"

The labels go on and on for black women who don't consider themselves overweight but women who are genetically blessed with curves and don't fit the toothpick frame we usually see praised and admired in the media.

I recently read an article in Women's Health magazine entitled: "Can You Be Healthy At Any Size?" This caught my attention becuase I truly believe that in our culture, we celebrate thick-bootlyicious body frames instead of healthy lifetyles. In fact, according to the Office of Minority Health, African American women have the highest rates of being overweight or obese compared to other groups in the U.S. And did you know that about four out of five African American women are overweight or obese? We have the highest obesity rates compared to women of different color. We need to take a step back and examine why!

But there is another side to this debate. The government and medical community determine who is overweight by the BMI measurement. I don't personally likee the BMI measurement as a gold standard for determining if your obese or not. I know for a fact that I do not look like the number I weigh. Not every woman can fit the set standards, because no woman is average. Did you know that being heavier helps fend of osteopoprosis and people who fit the "overweight" set for BMI have a lower risk of mortality?

So maybe it really is good to be thin and bootylicious besides filling out those cute outfits!

The debate goes on and on, and I encourage you to read the Women's Health article for more information. (Side note/complaint: I love this magazine, but I find it funny that in this "fat acceptance" article, they actually include pictures of black women: Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce, and Mo'Nique. I like to see these ladies in the magazine more, have a better representative of what our society truly is--multicultural! Just saying...but I guess that's why we need a blog like Nubian Fitness Goddess to fill the void!)

For those that what to get to the point, here are the numbers that everyone should monitor, according to Women's Health magazine:

-Blood Pressure: Healthy range is 90/60 yo 120/80 (systolic/diastolic)
-Resting Heart Rate: Healthy range is60 to 100 beates per minute
-Cholesterol: Healthy range is LD below 100, HDL above 50, VLDL under 40, triplycerides below 150
-Fasting Blood Glucose: Healthy range is 70 to 100
-Waist-to-hip ratio: Healthy range is .6 to .8

So tell us, do you agree that "everyone can't be a size zero, but can be healthy, big people" or do you think it important to focus on the BMI measurement? Can one be "thick" and healthy?

Fitness Goddess of the Month: Tekeema

Tekeema is the founder of Virtual Workout Crew, Inc. VWC is a group of over 70 professional women who motivate, inspire, and encourage each other through today's technology (facebook, texting, email, etc.) to exercise and live a healthy lifestyle. VWC was founded in April 2009 by Tekeema after she was sick of living an unhealthy lifestyle.

She decided to join a gym and workout 5days a week...to date, she's lost 42lbs and several of her members have lost well over 70lbs. They never workout together and the members are all across the US, from NC to Detroit, to Wisconsin, to VA, to NY, to FL to CA. In March 2010, she became a certified Funky Fit Group Fitness Instructor.

In June 2010, about 20 members are taking a trip to Miami, FL to celebrate their one year anniversary and all of their weight loss success. Want to learn more about Tekeema and her member's success? Check out www.virtualworkoutcrew.com

Great job, Tekeema! Your story continues to inspire women all over the country. Congratulations on becoming April's Nubian Fitness Goddess! We look forward to hearing more success stories from your crew!

Do you have a weight loss story to share? Send your story to nubianfitnessgoddess@gmail.com today and include a before and after picture.

Where is Your Heart at?

How do you measure how active you are doing your workout?
Wonder why you are not seeing the results you expect?

We understand you don't have time to waste during your workout. Every minute counts so you need to make sure you are working smart. One way to do this is by keeping track of your heart rate. You may want to invest in a heart rate monitor. A heart rate monitor will help keep track of how hard you are exercising. Working out in the proper heart zone will ensure that you get an optimal workout.
A heart rate monitor is especially helpful for all my ladies hitting the track or treadmill. I've found it really helpful to make sure I'm jogging fast enough. It's also helpful if you do a lot of cardio classes, you can keep checking your monitor to make sure you are within your target zone.

I invested in heart rate monitor a couple of months ago, it was about 40 bucks on Ebay. It was so worth it.

Here's some info from the American Heart Association about your Heart Rate.

Comment!

Do you use a heart rate monitor?

Keepin' Your Hustle and Losing that Weight!

I don't know about you guys, but my life doesn't have a lot of give room to fit in all these healthy steps we need to do to lose weight. Between my full-time job, teaching fitness classes, learning new choreography, taking online courses, planning my mom's wedding, etc. etc., I'm surprised at how little time I have to really focus on ME aka reaching my weight and healthy living goals.

By Sunday, I'm burnt out and to be honest, I don't feel like making a week's worth of meals. I'd rather catch up on my emails or find the latest weight loss trends to share with all of our goddesses.

So I figure I'd share some tips for those that are on the hustle like me. Limited time means you have to strategize to keep up with the weight loss game!

-Pack a lunch. You'll be less tempted to go to that cafe downstairs when you have food waiting for you in the refrigerator. Plus, it's difficult to estimate the calories in the salad or sandwich you got. Know what goes in your body, always!
-Take a breather! No one is going to die if you take a 10 minute walk around the block. Take advantage of the nice weather that's coming our way.
-Tell your co-worker buddies that you are trying to lose weight. You'll notice that people will start to watch what you eat and follow your lead. You'll be more likely to stay on track while being a "weight loss role model".
-Get a good night's rest and wake up early to workout. I've been waking up at 5 a.m. to get to the gym early and get my basic 30 minutes of cardio. This has done wonders for my physical and mental well being. It's forced me to get my 8 hours of sleep as well, which has limited my craving for carbs.


For all my other hustler's out there...what do you do to keep the weight off and keep it coming off?

Strategize to Minimize: Tips to avoid overeating!

When I fall off the weight loss wagon, it’s because of two things: lack of motivation or time to work out and overeating. In our culture, many of our traditions have food as a center point. Thanksgiving, Christmas, family reunion barbeques, etc. And I remember my family always have second or thirds and then have a snack an hour later! As I've lost weight, I've learned about portion control and serving sizes (without needing seconds and a snack later), but sometimes, overating can still get the best of me and hinder my weight loss efforts.

Overeating can come from a combination of factors:

•Stress

•Trigger foods (trail mix, pretzel sticks, anything salty and “carby” and I will scarf it down in one sitting…don’t even get me started on peanut butter!)

•Incorrect portion control servings in a restaurant and at home.

•Mindless eating while watching TV.

•Eating dinner right after a hard workout.

While overeating is hard to avoid, there are some strategies you can do to minimize those slip-ups:

•Find other ways to cope with stress. Perhaps you need to vent to a friend instead of grabbing that ice cream.

•Remove trigger foods from your house. Don’t buy them when you go grocery shopping. If you have to buy a trigger food, portion them out before you even eat anything.

•Learn the correct portion sizes. If you eat a restaurant, ask for half of your meal to be put in a doggie bag before it comes out. Use this helpful slideshow from MayoClinic on learning how to spot correct and incorrect portion sizes.

•Find other things to do with your hands to keep you busy while watching TV. Paint your nails, surf the Web, or even do crunches or stretching.

•When working out, be sure you’re drinking plenty of water and bring a healthy post-workout snack. Perhaps it’s a small banana or a handful of almonds. Something to help quench the hunger. Chewing gum helps the brain chill out before you dinner time, allowing you to make healthy decisions without the grumbling in your stomach.

What do you do to stop overeating?