The Root: Focus on Obesity

Today I attended the Root's Focus On Obesity Conference in D.C. We discussed the challenges that the Black Community faces in terms of Health and Wellness. As I am sure you all know our community is in crisis with 60 % of Black folks overweight or obese. It is great to see the Root.com doing something to help our community.  This conference was a part of the Root's Black Fit and Healthy series. It was very inspiring to hear from the panelists: Mayor Ron Dellums; former Trenton, N.J. Mayor Douglas Palmer; President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Outreach Director Lauren Darensbourg; Black Women's Health Imperative President Eleanor Hinton Hoytt; health writer Sheree Crute. They discussed topics ranging from healthier community planning to strategies for narrowing health disparities.

Attending this conference really reminded me of how important it is that we each do our part. So what are you doing to make a transformation???  Also we have to encourage each other to engage in healthy behaviors. So invite your friends, sister, mom next time you go to your favorite workout class.

Oh and they provided a yummy and healthy Breakfast and Lunch (see below).

Hair Product Giveaway by Just Naturals Organic Care

Last week I was raving over how great Just Natural Organic Care Products are. If you missed my post check it out here.  Well I love them so much that I am going to share them with you! Two lucky winners will win a "Fitness Goddess Sweat and Refresh" Haircare pack by Just Naturals Organic Haircare. This prize includes their Shampoo and Conditioner. These products retail at 45 bucks but two of you will get to try them for free! All you have to do is enter the random drawing below. Good Luck!

This creamy organic shampoo has been formulated to naturally
revitalize dry hair from your roots to the tips. Leaves your hair soft
and full of shine without weighing it down.

This creamy thick natural conditioner penetrates to protect and
moisturize from the inside while closing cuticles on the outside for
hair that is left healthy, shinier and silky smooth.

USE THE WIDGET BELOW TO ENTER !  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Queen Latifah: Fit and Curvy

Queen Latifah's Transformation shows that you don't have to be stick skinny to be healthy. The experts say losing 5 to 10% of your current weight over a 6 month period can have dramatic effects for your cardiovascular health and other diseases. Get started on your fit and curvy journey by making food swaps. Go Brown: eat whole wheat bread, brown rice, and other whole grains. Reduce your sugar intake by cutting down on soda (squirt some lemon and lime in your water instead). Of course eat tons of Fruits and Veggies.  For more tips look at my articles on Clean Eating, click here!

Eat your Fruit, Drink you Veggies!

I've posted a few tips about Juicing on my FB page and I've found that a lot of folks don't really know the benefits of juicing. My hubby started juicing everyday about a year ago and lost 30 lbs. I joined the bandwagon earlier this year. Juicing has helped both of us maintain weight loss. Juicing is a great way to stop cravings. Also, I find that my skin is much clearer and it helped with some digestive problems I had from a super high protein diet that I did when I was in the People Magazine Challenge  (I do not diet any more, I just eat whole foods and avoid the processed stuff).

 We make vegetable juices daily (sometimes twice a day) with veggies like Kale, spinach, celery, carrots, and cucumbers. Juicing is a great way to make sure you get enough veggies for the day. When you juice you get a high concentration of all of the vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals (phytonutrients) found in the whole vegetable. Trust me it is much easier to juice 4-5 cups of veggies than to eat them. Also, when you juice your body can absorb the nutrients much better because it does not have to break anything down.  You can juice fruit too but I recommend keeping the fruit to a minimum because it so high in sugar. It is much better to eat fruit whole. So drink your veggies  (well you can eat them too) and eat fruit!

If you are new to juicing here are some quick tips

1. Select veggies with lots of juice like celery and cucumbers (make this your base)
2. add veggies with more flavor like carrots (but use less of them)
3.  use a leafy green like spinach or kale to boost the nutritional value
4. use ginger, lemon, or limes to spice a bit and add flavor
5. toss a couple of strawberries (or half an apple) in if you want to sweeten it up a bit

My morning juice recipe:

2-3 cups kale
1 cucumber
4 celery stalks
1 lemon
2 carrots
4 strawberries
small piece of ginger

It's quite delicious!


Do you juice? Share your recipes