Not ONE......

Ahhhhhh, the holiday season is upon us! For many people, Thanksgiving through New Year's is their favorite time of year. I too enjoy the holiday season. For me, it has nothing to do with presents (although those are nice too!) but it is more the opportunity to spend time with the entire family and close friends, and just a general sense of warmth and good cheer that is displayed around the holidays.

Admittedly, I tend to tie on the old feed bag around the holidays. My Aunts are some of the best cooks EVER, and I have been spotted around the Thanksgiving table with both cheeks STUFFED with some sort of cake/cobbler/goodie etc. LOL And typically, there are a few more pounds of me to love come January. This year, I have instituted a challenge to myself. This will be the inaugural year of "Tawana's NOT ONE Challenge". I do not intend on gaining even ONE pound during this holiday season. NOT ONE. In fact, I plan to start New Year's in BETTER shape than I am at this moment. Am I going to enjoy myself during the holidays? Absolutely. Am I going to partake in my family's good southern cooking? You bet. Am I going to overeat and stuff myself during the holidays--Absolutely NOT. Moderation is the key!

How about you? Instead of resolving to lose 20 pounds on January 1st (AGAIN), why not start today simply by making a commitment to yourself to enjoy the holidays responsibily? Even if you cannot bear the thought of attempting to LOSE weight over the next six weeks--certainly---you can commit not to GAIN any. Remember, NOT ONE.....

Until Next Time....

Tawana

A Ride in the Park

Today, I didn't feel much like doing cardio inside, so instead I took a bike ride through a nearby park. As I rode along, I saw all different types of humanity, and it struck me how fortunate most of us really are. Whether we are struggling to lose 5, 10, or 50 pounds-we have the ability to get up each day and work at our goal-confidant that if we keep on task, we can make changes for the better. We have the ability to make improvements to our self image.

For so many people-there is little they can do to change their circumstance. No amount of diet or exercise will improve their health or change their outward appearance. I passed people that had lost limbs, that were maimed/disfigured,that were sickly, etc., etc.

This was a reminder to me that--over and above weight loss-- no matter what challenge we are going through in our lives, if we have the ability to change our circumstances-we are extremely blessed. Yes, it may be hard, tiring, uncomfortable, irritating (insert whatever adjective you want to use to describe your battle) but each morning that we are fortunate enough to wake up and get moving-we have the ability to move closer to our goals.
I'm pretty thankful that I have the power to change my circumstances-and I'm grateful for that. And if you think about your own circumstances for a moment, I bet you should be too.

Until Next Time-Tawana

It's Showtime!

It's that time of year here in Chicago-SHOW TIME! I can always tell when there are Fitness/Figure/Bodybuilding shows coming up because all of a sudden at my gym-you see THEM.... :) When these women walk by, almost everyone in the gym does a double take-WOW..... Its funny how they just seem to appear out of nowhere, but there they are-sculpted, lean, and working out so hard that they are damn near giving birth on the gym floor! These ladies are always an inspiration to me because I appreciate the hard work, dedication and discipline it takes to manipulate your body to the point of where it is "stage worthy". Kudos to the ladies working hard at X-Sport Fitness and to all of you out there that are putting in work everday! Most of us are not training for a competition, but we are still making the effort each day to achieve our fitness goals, gettin' our workouts in, and doin our thang! :) Everyone be encouraged and hang in there!

Until Next Time-Tawana

The Death of Common Sense?

WOW-I can't believe I've been away from blogging since July 1st! It has been SUCH a busy summer. Lots going on! I was last seen in New Orleans nibbling on coffee and beignets!(In moderation of course!! LOL)

I've been threatening to return to blogging for the last few weeks and an article I read in Time Magazine last week has lit a fire under me. Titled "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" I am simply amazed that a reputable magazine such as Time would print an article so full of inaccuracies. There are way too many to list here, but these are the top 3 that really grab me:

1) John Cloud, the writer, says that he gets hungry after exercise, so he often eats more on the days he works out than on the days he doesn’t. He then comes to the brilliant conclusion that exercise won’t make you thin and might actually prevent you from losing weight.

Give me a break. You mean that you won't lose weight if you choose to put the calories you just burned right back in by stuffing your pie hole with an IHOP Lumberjack Breakfast? Say it ain't so! No-you won't lose weight if you choose to exercise and not exhibit some dietary restraint by eating clean foods in reasonable portions. Muffins, donuts, fast food, and drinks are probably not the smartest choices.

2) The writer states that fat can be turned into muscle. This is flatly untrue as fat and muscle are two totally different things. One doesn't turn into another-you can lose fat and gain muscle. A supposed "fitness journalist" writing for Time Magazine doesn't know this basic concept???

3)The writer proposes: Could pushing people to exercise more actually be contributing to our obesity problem?

Where did they find this guy?!?! Over and above weight loss, exercise has been PROVEN to help PREVENT many diseases, including coronary artery disease, osteoporosis, cancer and others. (Not to mention, people who exercise regularly live longer).

I could go on but I won't. I implore people to use a little common sense. Don't be hoodwinked by someone in the media spouting half truths and bogus facts. I love the quote "Make time for exercise now or make time for illness later. Certainly the beautiful Monica Brant (pictured here) did not get her physique by NOT exercising. Get up off that couch and get moving.

Until next time-Tawana

Greasy in the Big Easy.....

I've spent the last week in New Orleans-specifically in the French Quarter. For those of you that have any familiarity with New Orleans, you know that it is known for good eatin'! (And a whole lotta drinkin' if Bourbon street is any indication).

On my first morning there, I set off in search of a nice healthy breakfast-oatmeal and maybe an egg-white omlette (cooked with spray not oil of course). NEEDLESS TO SAY the natives here looked at me like I had sprouted an extra head. LOL I'm SURE that there are places to eat healthily in New Orleans, however, I did not happen to come upon one.

In an effort to "live a little", I decided to loosen the dietary restictions and partake in some of the local fare (when in Rome, right?). Well, my first stop was at Cafe Du Monde, a famous spot that strictly sells beignets and coffee. Beignets are basically French donuts, served warm and covered in powdered sugar. O-M-G!! Talk about GOOD! Absolutely YUMMY! The rest of the day consisted of various other New Orleans staples in all their wonderful fatty goodness.

As much as I enjoyed the food, I began to notice that I could not find one native person that looked to be reasonably fit. NOT ONE. This was a great reminder that although it is nice to treat ourselves on occasion, no good can come from constantly eating fried/buttery/sugary/salty foods. Consuming alcohol-especially those sugary cocktails/mixed drinks (Hurricane anyone?)--will do us no favors as well. The picture I've added of the lovely Alicia Marie Harris is a nice reminder to me of the type of body I would like have. So, tomorrow instead of my fabulous beignets (and I assure you they are FABULOUS) I will find a healthy breakfast. A diversion is fine for a moment, but always make sure that it is the exception-not the rule.

Until Next Time-Tawana

Wishing You a Peaceful Journey

Rest in peace Michael. The genius of your music will live forever.

Tawana

Firing on All Cylinders

Today was one of those rare days....a day when everything simply fell into place beautifully. I managed to accomplish everything on my "To Do" list, spent time with family, completed TWO workouts (woo-hoo!) and ate cleanly all day. Ahhhhhh, all is right with the world at the moment! :)

I had a great leg workout today! I did the following exercises (high reps/4 sets):

Alternating Leg Extensions, Leg Extensions, Heavy Leg Curls, Walking Pump Lunges, Pop Squats, Straight Leg Dead Lifts, Seated Leg Press, Standing Dips, Quad Jumps, Walking DB Lunges, Squats.

Later on in the day I had the opportunity to take a long run. Today was a GOOD Day! Life so often throws obstacles in our path which can easily get us off track. It can be a struggle to accomplish everything that you need to in a 24 hour period. But every now and then we are blessed with a day where the universe aligns in our favor and we are firing on all cylinders. Today was one of those days for me. Here's hoping that each of you have experienced the same today!
Until Next Time-Tawana