There Will Come a Time

When sleep will not be so evasive for ye olde broad. Part of the poor sleeping is due to:

The Men O Pause – nature and nothing more I desire to do about it but let it run its course
Snackmaster Flex – my alternate ego who makes questionable food choices at night. Cheez-its anyone?
Drugs – not of the illicit kind, chill! The normal culprit for me is prednisone.

Now, 2 and 3 are both within my control. Both actions are a result of choices I made. I will cop to that. There will come up a time, hopefully before the permanent move to the upper room, that I will get some sleep.

In the meantime? This is not the move.😴

GOOOOOOOAAALS

It’s January 12th, in the Year of our Lord 2018, do you know where your goals are? Some, and I hope many, are crushing it right now. The rest of us mere morals may have already faced tests. Let me know if any of these scenarios are familiar.

It’s the 1st, no one really starts today anyway.

Is that you? If you’re off work on 1/1 you may be hungover and don’t have the head nor the stomach to do anything other than get past it. If you’re not hung over and at home you may just be feeling like a lazy snack monster and munch all day, throw in some college football and it’s a wrap on the diet tip for the day.

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It’s the 2nd, you go to the gym and it is packed!

If you are a consistent gym goer, you know the deal. All the resolution folks are there. On top of it these noobs are using “your treadmill, your leg press etc., ” so you’re out of your routine. Your attitude is now stank and the subsequent workout is trash, because you’re focused on them using “your” stuff.

The holidays are over except at your job. It’s your co-worker’s birthday, cake and ice cream are being served.

You just got back to work, ready to roll on your new program, or restart your old one and of course without fail, here comes the birthday cake. There is always a birthday at work or some event that first week that involves food. I’m not talking about nuts and berries and salad but cake and ice cream and other sweet/salty/rich delights. Whatchu gone do? Eat the cake/chips/enter junk food name here of course.

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I’m here to tell you that it will be okay. The universe is not out to get you and your love handles, this is just life. As a HUMAN we are always tempted by the stuff we are not “supposed to have.” Also as a human, you have choices and there not either or, nor punitive just be flexible. Hungover? Yeah you should probably take it easy. Noobs filling the gym? Celebrate the fact that they made a decision to get moving. Use their addition to the gym as an opportunity to do something different. Try some different equipment. Take your workout outside (weather permitting OR workout at home. There are tons of videos on-line for FREE that will do you just fine.

Don’t throw in the towel folks. Keep up the good work and if you fell off, get back up and try it again. Being healthy and fit isn’t a one day affair, it’s a lifetime of healthy habits. I know I’m going to keep it pushing.

Until next time, see you at the gym, the trail or somewhere else, because there ARE options.

Photos: MsThorns

Eat Clean for What?

I see you all you little clean eaters, with your meal prep, tasty recipes, and pretty smoothies, I LOVE IT. I’ve been inspired by it. I said to myself, olde broad get your diet together, one cannot live by popcorn and milk duds alone so I did it.

Prepping wasn’t hard I’ve always done that. I chop every Sunday for salads, cooked meals and juices for the week. So I continued to do so. Getting junk out of my cabinets and fridge was easy as well, I ate it ALL. I work hard for the money I ain’t ’bout to throw out some perfectly good Tostitos. Having polished that off I was on my way.

Week 1 – my head was hurting, I was having junk withdrawal, and was HOOONNNGGRRRYYY and evil without my snacks but I persevered.
Week 2 – I weighed in and was back to where I was at the start of the summer.
Week 3 – 2 more pounds. Shouldn’t this be faster? Oh yeah I’m old and my schedule was getting crazy so the workouts slowed down.
Weeks 4-5 I’m bored and tired of eating like this. I stop weighing in.
Week 6 – I turned 49 ate ALL the things and have been eating ever since.

In that 6 weeks, the net loss was three pounds. Needless to say with that amount of sacrifice I was sorely disappointed. So much so that I haven’t tried again since. However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Not a day during that time did I have digestive issues. I stopped rolling like a hot dog roller all night and slept well for the first time in foreverrrrrrr, and did not have a headache after that first week. Yet I titled this Eat Clean For What?

In spite of my perceived failure I was on to something. The focus on eating real food affected my quality of life in a positive way and that is very important as you get older. In fact eating whole unprocessed foods can:

Give you more energy
Improve cardiovascular health
Prevent cancer
Support mental health
And…
Lose weight

Losing weight is really the cherry on top of that clean smoothie. I think those benefits plus those I’d experienced during my first attempt are well worth going for it again and I will, as soon as I finish this last bag of Lays.

So how about you? Are you a clean eater? How long have you been? What’s been your experience thus far? Let me know in the comments, on Twitter, or Google+. Until next time see you at the store, in the produce aisle of course.

The Commitment – 30 Days of Yoga

There had to be a way for me to build some consistency in my fitness life but I had to be gentle. Whenever I’ve been healthy I’ve always gone full tilt for about three weeks at a time before some illness or injury occurred. Though yoga is more than a fitness thing for me it seemed like building a better yoga practice was a good place to start. So I made a commitment.

I saw that Yoga With Adriene was holding a 30 Days of Yoga series at the beginning of the year, Ms Overzealous signed up and unfortunately did not complete the 30 days of her program, but a funny thing happened. I actually did practice every single day in January and am still doing so as of this writing. This is no knock against the program as it had a lot of variety but speaks more to my listlessness. I practice with the exception of a few days of “freestyle” and one class at Kaiser, all yoga practice has been with Youtube and primarily with:

A working playlist of videos I’ve done is available here.

I know some of you could care less about Yoga and I’m good with that. What I hope you do care about is Consistency. Are you consistent with your fitness program, your diet, check-ups, rest etc.? Consistency, I’m learning, doesn’t require sweat till you drop, lift till you can’t move dedication, what it does require is effort and a commitment to yourself, to take care of yourself. Can you make that commitment to consistently take care of YOU? Have you already? Let me know how you’re doing so in the comments.

Until next time, commit to consistency.

Photos: MsThorns

Blame it on the… (you know how it goes)

I’m not much of a drinker even though I’ve posted many pictures of

and

but believe me the most I’ll have is one glass or one bottle and I’m shut down. Ye olde broad cannot get down like she used to and I’m thankful for that because alcohol ain’t nothin but trouble. It still troubles me somewhat, for instance if I have a beer tonight, the early morning workout gets pushed to late afternoon or evening because I CANNOT get out of at the bed and I am usually dehydrated or moreso than I usually am. Knowing my experience, I wanted to know a bit more about the science of alcohol, the body and exercise. I found some things that I already knew and one thing was a bit surprising. Here’s what I found out.

Alcohol’s effects on your body and your fitness are dependent upon what type of drinking you’re doing:

Moderate: one drink per day for women, up to two for men
Binge: when blood alcohol levels reach .08 g/DL which is about four drinks for women and five drinks for men in a space of two hours (GEEZ) another standard is 5 or more drinks one one occasion in the last 30 days
Heavy: five or more drinks on five or more days of the last 30 days

Photo: Lamont Doss

The most deleterious effects of alcohol on the body occur amongst binge and heavy drinkers such as:

Brain: alcohol can affect mood, behavior, clarity of thinkingetc
Heart: stroke, high blood pressure etc
Liver: cirrhosis etc
Pancreas: production of toxins
Cancer: several types
Immune system: weakened

What happens in terms of fitness?

Muscle – lessened blood flow leading to weakness and deterioration
Hormone – lessens testerone, increases estrogen, leading to increased fat deposits and fluid retention and…
dehydration, fatigue, weight gain (empty calories and drunk munchies), decreased nutrient absorption

Not a pretty picture.

Here’s the bottom line, moderate drinking is alright and shouldn’t preclude you from reaching your fitness goals. Going beyond moderate can enter you into the danger zone.

One more thing that I found interesting about alcohol consumption that I found interesting was a study at Northwestern that indicates that people drink more on days that they are more active and less when they are less active. One hypothesis is that that extra bit of drinking may serve as a ‘reward’ and I know that’s the case for me. After a week of green food, green drinks and protein, I think I DESERVE a cold brew or glass of wine.

What about you? Do you imbibe from time to time? How does it affect your performance in the gym, on the road or wherever you do your thing? Let me know in the comments and have a great weekend (in moderation of course).

Photos: MsThorns except where noted. Inclusion of photos are for illustrative purposes only.

Where da party at?

Ladies and Gents we’re about one hour from kickoff of:

How’s your festivities going? PBS wants to know. Send us pics of your festivities here with your name and location and they will be featured on Powered by Soul for your halftime enjoyment. That is if you’re not watching Katie Perry or back at the table for some more fixins. 🙂

BrotherJR – SC

O – IN

RedStripe

Ant – NC

MsThorns – GA

The National Holiday Called the Super Bowl

Sunday February 1, 2015 marks the celebration of Super Bowl XLIX (49) with the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks battling (hopefully not a blowout) for the Lombardi Trophy. Why a national holiday you ask? Because we party like it is and we sho’ nuff eat and drink like it is. In the U.S., Super Bowl Sunday is the 2nd largest food and drink consumption day behind Thanksgiving. In fact Americans are expected to eat 11 million pounds of chips, 1.23 billion chicken wings to be chased by 325 million gallons of beer two the tune of 2400 calories per “meal” and that’s just during the game. What happens in my household? The same thing. Did you think I would give up the chance to go for broke on a national holiday?

Puhhhhhleeeeeeeeze.

I love the NFL AND I love food and libations so I’ll be enjoying it on Sunday and returning to normal consumption on Monday. I’m no killjoy either so if Super Bowl Sunday is pig out day for you, enjoy it. For those who don’t indulge but stay true to their dietary habits, God Bless ya!

How are you celebrating the Super Bowl? Better yet what are you eatin’ and drankin’? Let me know in the comments and feel free to send me photos of your super bowl spread on Google+ or Twitter on Sunday. They will be posted right here.

Until next time, see you at the gym, where I will be rolling in like a teletubby but with a smile on my face 🙂

Photos: MsThorns

Powered By Soul Spotlight – Sonya Strider

This profile was actually completed at the end of last year, however as scheduling or lack thereof would have it, it’s being published now. We’re three weeks into the new year and I’m guessing that some of our eat better, exercise more, lose weight resolutions/intentions/goals may have fallen by the wayside. Here’s hoping that this young lady will help you get back on the wagon.

I met Sonya, or should I say Sonya pranced (yeah you should see her walk) into my life 5 years or so ago at a sorority party. She’s an all eyes and all ears on her type of woman, not that she demands it, folks her just drawn to HER. I was one of the moths drawn to her flame and she has been my GURRRLLLL ever since. She is a brainiac scientist, fashionista and the best friend an old broad could have, introducing my partner in crime and Soror Foxy Brown, er Ms. Sonya Strider in her own words.

You are?

Sonya Strider, originally from Norfolk, Virginia, living in Atlanta, GA. I’m 46 and am a Health Scientist at CDC

Tell us about your fitness routine?

I walk/run 4-6 miles at least 4 days a week. I also do soul line dancing 4-6 hours each week and bootcamp 5 times a week.

Do you follow a particular nutrition plan?

I try to put out more than I take in 🙂 I have at least one green smoothie per day and at least one salad.

How long have you been engaged in your fitness and nutrition plans?

Almost two years.

Do you have a success story/testimony relating to fitness, nutrition or your overall health?

Since beginning racing I’ve gone from a 20 minute mile to my current 13.5 minute mile and have completed 29 5K races and one 10k since November 2013. I kicked off 2015 with a 4-miler followed by a 12k. Since losing weight, I have been able to discontinue blood pressure medication and reduce the amount of insulin that I take daily.

What keeps you motivated to continue your healthy lifestyle?

The hopes of living a long healthy life, without diabetic complications. Of course being able to wear clothes that don’t end in “W” is a huge motivator too..:-)

Your motto or personal philosophy?

Each new day is another chance to get it right.

Whew, did you get all that? If that doesn’t motivate you Powered by Soul will keep trying. In the meantime, many thanks to Sonya for sharing her story and being an inspiration to hopefully get you (and me) back on the stick.

If you or someone you know would like to be featured in the Spotlight drop a line in the comments, on Twitter or on Google+.

Photos: Sonya Strider, MsThorns

Big Red Sausage

Sunday January 4, 2015 a day I won’t soon forget. This was the day that the Lord had made, I SHOULD have rejoiced and been glad in it but ummmm, well this is what happened.

I got up hit the mat for yoga practice with this, ate, showered and prepped for church. This Sunday was dreary and rainy so my attire needed to be appropriate for that and be comfortable as I’d be shooting some photos of service. I selected a variation of my go-to uniform, long sleeve tee, pencil skirt, boots and tights. Standing in the closet I take the skirt off the hanger and step into it, pull it up and WHAM, my butt got in the way of the zipper, I did a spin maneuver to zip it most of the way, when BAM I hit the final obstacle my gut. I sucked it in, spun that skirt around and asked can I move without the skirt RIDING HIGH and will wearing it be a distraction, remember I am moving during church? To answer I did some fancy pageant walking, checked my hind parts in the mirror and added a long sweater over the tee and a scarf, deemed myself presentable and headed out the door.

Once moving the skirt was fine, sitting wasn’t a problem either, truly the Lord was WITH ME as he KNEW my skirt struggle and how it almost derailed me. I enjoyed service, got my shots, talked to my buddies after church and flew home to remove the red sausage casing from my body and exhaled.

Ye olde broad’s new body was borne of changing hormones with a dose of grief but the main culprit was food, specifically obscene amounts of snacks chased with red wine and Guinness. Do I like this new body? Nah, but with age comes wisdom, instead of performing the self beat down, I just copped to it and am continuing with modifications that I’d already begun to make. I also know that I am not alone.

Some of you fine folks out there may have indulged a bit during the holidays, maybe you’ve been sidelined by an injury or illness, been crazy busy or have never felt a need or want to exercise or be mindful of your diet until now. It’s okay, as long as you’re upright and above ground you can make a change.

What’s your red sausage? Are you ready to let it go? Let me know in the comments. 20130421_151607

Until next time see you on the road wear I’ll be wearing a red skirt, looking like a HUMAN instead of a sausage.

Photos: MsThorns

Powered By Soul Spotlight – Damon E. Johnson

My work group moved to a new office and it wasn’t pleasant. I had this big file cabinet that the movers just plopped down into the new office and it was too heavy for me to move it on my own. In pops, Damon to save the day and move that big thing in one fell swoop. Being his next door office neighbor we had plenty of good times and plenty of laughs as he is a great teller of tales and jokes. Did I mention that he is also a published poet? Yes he’s that, a father, husband and a Kappa (I’m surrounded by them I tell you) and a great friend. Introducing Damon E. Johnson in his own words.

You are?

Damon Johnson, I’m 47 years old and was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. I currently work as a Public Outreach Specialist however, my passion is poetry. My first book, Rhythm in My Blues was published in 2011. I am presently working on my second book and hope to have it published by January 2015.

Tell us about your fitness routine.

My fitness routine consists of working out 3 to 4 times a week at Planet Fitness in Stone Mountain using machine weights and riding the stationary bike. I also like walking a few miles in the evenings when the weather is cool.

Do you follow a particular nutrition plan?

As far as nutrition goes, I have a few food restrictions due to being a dialysis patient. I have to limit my dairy foods and liquids as well as cut back on fried foods. Lately I have been eating more salads, fruits and vegetables.

How long have you been following your fitness and nutrition program?

As an ex football player I have always been somewhat of an active person. However, I realized that over the last few years or so I had not been as active as I once was. So after putting it off for several months I decided last summer that I was going to finally get it together. That’s when I started making the necessary changes to my lifestyle.

Do you have a success story or testimonial you wish to share?

Since I changed my diet and exercise last summer I have lost over 100 pounds. I can’t tell you how great I feel and how much more active I have become. Life is Good!

What motivates you to maintain a healthy lifestyle?

Every time I look into my 9 year old daughter Sydney eyes I am motivated to stay on the healthy track. I need to make sure that I am around to watch her continue to grow into the beautiful young lady she is becoming.

Do you have a personal motto/philosophy you wish to share?

A motto I try to live by is… Good things come to those who wait. But only the things left behind by those who hustle…

Powered by Soul thanks Damon for sharing his successful health transformation with us and we wish him continued success is maintaining his lifestyle and in his artistry as a poet.

If you our someone you know would like to be featured in the spotlight, drop a line in the comments, Google+ or Twitter.

Photos: Damon E. Johnson

	MsThorns on Airplane Mode
	Ant Pruitt (@ant_pru… on Airplane Mode
	MsThorns on No Pumps for You Sis
	Basimah on No Pumps for You Sis
	Robert M Knight on No Pumps for You Sis

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