The Fit Bit Twist: doubt

This month of February, like every February, is American Heart Month. Are you celebrating?

Remember, the heart is like the drum pattern in a song that without, the song and dance would seem irregular. And with the perfect tempo, the rhythm flows naturally as God intended without having to be doctored to fix.

So what are you doing to show that organ that orchestrates the beautiful melodies that God enables to pace in each new moment of life? Are you getting it pumping hard with passion? By passion, I mean exercise.

If you love the beat of life, like the beats of music then, walk hard like you would to a funk song with a song in your heart like, “I want to thank you for letting me be myself.” If you are loving the simple fact that God woke you up this morning in new mercies, you are dazzled in red and those lyrics you groove to are then truth and you are definitely then, keeping up with thine own health; especially with the given fact that heart disease is the number one killer of women. As soldiers, we are equipped to win the battle over health and we definitely can conquer good health.

So what else can you do?

K is for kettlebells. Did you know that in 20 minutes of doing kettlebell workout, you can burn up to 400 calories? Seems like a lot if you are sticking to a 1200 calorie diet. But if you eat a bacon double cheeseburger with large fries and a soda every day, you will only be burning off the calories from the fries. Not so bad but if you love your heart, let’s eat a lil better to show it some true appreciation and love.

K Is for kicking the carbs. Did you know that the serving size of bread per person is really one slice? Take a look at the nutritional facts on the bag of bread that you just copped from the grocery store. What does it say about the serving size? Am I right or was I just really kidding?

K is for keeping the faith. Keep the faith and keep moving forward. We all stub our toes

sometimes and even if we fall, we were built with enough strength to stand back up and face the sun of yet another morning. So how are you keeping the faith? Are you praying? Are you aware that there is more power behind you than any challenge that stands before you?
Because moving towards a fitness goal is not easy at all; takes a whole lot of willpower. So don’t give up. Even if you decide to give up sweets or alcohol for Lent and all your friends flaunt red velvet cheese cakes or Long Beach Iced Teas in your face; if you made the decision to kick the habits, you need to keep the faith and stick with it because it is still your journey alone; even with your family and peers around you. Your true peeps will be your support team and will help you to stay motivated.

Finally! K is for Kill it. Don’t sit around pinning workouts you want to try and never try them or have the tv on with Gillad doing his workout while you just sit back and watch without joining in the excitement and putting in the actual work. No, if you get a chain letter email that tells you to forward it to ten friends to lose 20lbs, you will not lose 20lbs by just typing names in the to box. Also, don't use the excuse of not wanting to sweat out your perm and can't workout. Can't is such a disabling word. You can still look cute and workout even with your perm having sweat in it. Natural sweat actually helps hair to grow. You would probably look sweeter on an assisted weight machine than laid up in a hospital bed somewhere from heart related illnesses. You gots to get with the program and do the job required to do what you are wanting to achieve. If better heart health is it, do it. Walk for it. Run with it. Ride towards it. Kettlebell the inches off. Kut the krap and get your healthy heart-conscious eating and heart-pumping workout on. You can do anything you want so even if doubt comes to stand in your way, let your faith be the weapon that kills it and keep moving forward.

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my blogpost. Please leave feedback with tips or comments in regards to health and maintaining it because we can all use the motivation if you are willing to share. By the way, if you liked the song at the beginning of this post, you can find more original music on my Reverbnation page here: Stephanay JNote's ReverbNation Page

May God continue to bless you in abundance.

“In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air,

anything can be made, any sentence begun.” – Elizabeth Alexander

Did you know that diving into a new lifestyle is easier said than done? Did you know that anyone can begin fresh and new again? Did you know that it only takes the will to be on the way to doing something different than you already are? Many will desire it but only few will jump deep in to do the work that will truly get you there. My suggestion; just do it!

When you go to the doctor because of an ailment, the doctor will diagnose you and most likely give you a dose of whatever medicine will work to maintain that very sickness. If you do not have the proper attire on for the cold winter air, you will be hit with a dose of reality. We listen to stations like WBLS, KTU and WBGO for our daily dose of quality music. We watch CNN for a dose of what is happening right now. And when we go to the gym, we get a dose of the exercises that best suit us.

Today’s blog will feature a dose of D words for fitness and weight loss to consider that might help you along your journey.

Dance . . . Do a little dance. You can shake off some of those calories you add while consuming your meals. Put on some music and move your body like you would if you were at a club for 20-30 minutes.

30 minutes of cardio is a great benefit to your heart.

Dare . . . to go beyond the limits! If you are used to getting on the treadmill and walking at 3 miles an hour, increase the speed by 5miles or add an incline to it to make it a little more intense. If you are not breaking a sweat, your body is now used to it and might need a little push.

Energy!!! Just add it.

Dine . . . In or out. Out can be tricky because you have to try to figure out what to actually get. So you go to a salad bar and you add all the toppings you could find and the dressing and you are still having a high caloric meal. Or you can make your own salad at home. I am pretty sure you would not add the eight or nine toppings you added at the salad bar at home. Would you?

Fried chicken wings and fried plantains from the Chinese restaurant or oven roasted chicken wings and boiled plantains at home? Okay so if you were at home, would you really eat four chicken wings at dinner time or an entire box of plantains? Slice a whole plantain at your dinner table just to see how many plantain chips it would actually be. Now compare it to the portions given at the fast food restaurant. Which is more? Would the one that is less still fill you?

Dine in or out? Your choice! But nine out of 10 times, cooking your own meals will provide a much healthier meal. Cook and save calories. And while cooking, also burn calories because it is also considered housework which is a cardiovascular activity. And while waiting for that quinoa to cook or for the timer to go off, do a quick 20 minute circuit and include jumping jacks, burpees and pushups. That would be a cool and different experience.

Do It . . . You want to but! But, what! The only thing keeping you from going is you. If you want to do it, do it. Nobody can put the pep in your step. Nobody can force you to get up and get in the spirit of things. Nobody can do the work for you to help you to accomplish your goal. It is your choice. You either want to do it or you don’t. But if you do, put on your shoes and do the do. You got this so don’t let anything block it and get with it.

Donuts . . . "Did you know that one plain cake doughnut can have up to 18 grams of fat? For many, this can be about a third of their total fat allowance for the day. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2010) recommend adults keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of total calories. Read labels carefully. Doughnuts can pack a hefty dose of unhealthy saturated and trans fats. If you have a choice, consider a whole-wheat bagel or English muffin with a tablespoon of peanut butter or nonfat cream cheese. Your arteries will thank you." - (Emblem Health Daily Fitness Tip)

Doubts . . . Just because you do not see the weight coming off as quickly as you’d like does not mean that you should stop working towards your goal. Remember it takes a lot of work and determination so continue on the fight until you get right to where you want to be. You’ll get there. Just be patient. And just because you see all these slim, model type people up in the gym, does not mean you have to feel discouraged about putting on your cool work out gear to go and join them out there on the gym floor. Even they started somewhere.

Remember you have to start at point A to get to point B; see my point?

Drinking . . . Hey, nothing wrong with a drink now and then; but what is in your cup? Is it something sugary sweet? Do you have cup full of junk that will only enhance your trunk? Or is it one of those 400 calorie alcoholic mixed drinks? For the occasional drinker, change that mixed drink to a simple glass of wine to reduce calories. It still is alcohol. But if you certainly need something harder, go for the clear drinks like vodka and mix it with fruit punch.

Go a little bit more extreme and can the alcohol for a non-alcoholic mojito. Which one of your friends would be able to say that you weren’t hanging tough with them? Would they even be able to tell? Does it really matter if you want to truly go strong with your new lifestyle? Your choice! But out of all the drinks, be sure to include eight glasses of water into the mix. If you drink soda, coffee, or green tea, be sure to add two extra glasses of water to replenish. Especially if you exercise, your body needs that water. So please be sure to add some water to your cup.

Vitamin D . . . Who wants to be cramped up in the confines of a gym all the time? Actually it might be fun to workout with others who have the same types of goals as you in a place where you will not be judged doing what you have chosen to do. But, it is also a great feeling to get out in the sun and enjoy the wonderful day that God created. Why not workout outdoors sometimes? It might be too cold to put your hands on the metal bars and do tricep dips, but not too cold to do an all-terrain walk, jog or run or interval walk/run/jog. Not only will you experience breaths of wonderful fresh air, but you also take up a nice supply of natural vitamin D from the sun. Isn’t that awesome!!!

Thank you so much for stopping by and dabbing into my diet and exercise blog post. I hope that in some ways, it might be some kind of help in your quest to continue with your new fitness journey for 2014. This is definitely the year to do what you didn’t do when you said you wanted to do it in 2013. But since you are determined, why not? As we come to a close for this post, I'd like to invite you visit a few links below:

Web MD Discussion in Vitamin D

CNN's How Much Sex is Considered Exercise

Warning: Dieting Increases Your Chances of Gaining More Weight

Toning The Jigglings

Lose 75lbs in Less Than A Year