Change!

I've been thinking a lot about quality of life as I get older. Being the primary caregiver for my children didn't afford me the luxury to think about quality of live for the first 25 years of my adult life. Now that my children are grown I've began learning how to change my thoughts, especially when it come to stress, HEALTH, finances and relationships. I've found an outlet that allows me to change all of those concerns and I'd love to share it with you if you're ready to change your world!

http://youtu.be/47ggDmfjwNQ

Are you approaching 50 years old or older and you need to get healthy, lose weight, and you want to look and feel better? Or has your doctor mentioned high blood pressure, heart disease, bad cholesterol, pre-diabetes? Are you ready to make a change yet? Let's see who's serious, checkout the video to see the program that CHANGED my life and then CALL me (850) 702-4521 to join the "CHANGE Your Life Challenge" and say I'm ready to CHANGE!  Everyone who joins TODAY 1/31/13, from 10am - 10pm will receive a ((FREE)) $25 Visa Gift Card + ((FREE)) Fabulously Fit 50 - 30 Day Bootcamp for ((2)) people of your choice!!!

TRANSFORMATION Tuesday

Let's talk about TRANSFORMATIONS!

This is how far I've come, I was up to 218 lbs at one point and fought to get back under 140 lbs. I was in such bad HEALTH that I couldn't even walk to the corner without being out of breath but now I've completed 10Ks, 10 milers, half marathons and two full 26.2 marathons. HEALTH wise, even with racing I very seldom need to use an inhaler anymore, I can honestly say it's been less than four times a year. I have so much more energy and strength in my body that I attribute to Shakeology's antioxidants that helps reduce oxidative damage from free radicals that causes rapid aging in the body and leads to degenerative conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, dementia, and arthritis. Which are all illnesses and diseases that my mother and her mother had with the exception of dementia. So this TRANSFORMATION was very important for me and has helped me reduced my risk to those illnesses and diseases. I get asked all the time how I did it and here is the video that tells what helped me drop the first 40+ lbs. http://youtu.be/47ggDmfjwNQ If you or someone you know is ready to TRANSFORM call me to get started (850) 702-4521. Don't forget to ask about your $$CASH REBATE$$ when you start by January 31, 2013!!!

Fabulously Fit 50 Women Who ROCK!

This group is for women "Baby Boomers or Empty Nesters" who have always taken care of everyone else except themselves. Now it's our time to ROCK! It's time to pamper ourselves, do some FUN things, giggle, let our hair down or just let it all out and cry if necessary...

When I was thinking about forming this group, the main thought that came to my mind was regaining myself as a woman and meeting other women around my age (50 something) that needed to do the same thing. By regaining myself I mean, when I was young I was always referred to as "this is Bobby/Betty's daughter or this is Bob's/Mae's granddaughter." As a young adult I became "...Gary's wife" and after our children started school for many, many years all I ever heard was "... this is Tarita, Jordan, Loren, Shelby and Nelson's mother" Now that I'm officially an 'Empty Nester' I've become "...Ivan, Idris and Mason's grammie." 

It's time to regain the woman in me and I want to have FUN doing it! Like one lady said "...knew eventually the day would come when all of the kids would be out the door! Lots of changes which are a bit scary! Like the idea of hearing how others are handling it!" I want to learn how other women are handling it or have handled that stage of life and have FUN while doing it! A lot of it is scary, like starting over or a second career, for some divorce or being alone with your spouse again after the children are gone, and don't those grand children ask the strangest questions or like I just started menopause and want to learn how others found JOY in getting through that, lol... If you live in the DC, MD, VA area feel free to join me: http://www.meetup.com/Fabulously-Fit-50-Women-Who-ROCK

The 2013 Test Group

My Transformation

Last September I decided that I wanted to really make a difference in the lives of people that are serious about getting HEALTHY and Fit. So I thought about A Million Pound Challenge! I know, I know it's been done several times over so I'll have to make it interesting enough for people to participate. I get hundreds of emails, messages and texts asking questions about my transformation photo above. I wondered if what worked for me would work for anyone else?

So this is what I'm going to do, I'm going to facilitate a national test to see. Therefore, I'm looking for 50 serious people who want to lose at least 50 lbs to take part in a national Test Group. If you or someone you know is looking to lose belly fat, stop the bloating, increase energy, and gain confidence this is the program that can do it. Sign up before midnight January 31, 2013 and be eligible to receive financial compensation for your participation as soon as you start. I'm sure you want to know how to be one of my ELITE selective 50 to lose at least 50 lbs FREE, so call me: (850) 702-4521, email me: fabulouslyfit50@yahoo.com or join me on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/FabulouslyFit50.FAITH Hurry the clocks ticking with only ((5)) days left to sign up.

Time to Sign Up for BOOTCAMP and CHALLENGES!

Of course we all started the year off with lots of things we planned to accomplish and some of them we even started working on. For me I had planned to let go of all the cheese and sweets. Cheese had been a big issue for me several years ago but I thought I had it under control. But over the last three months I've been eating more and more of it. Then came the holidays and all the homemade mac and cheese that my sons made, key lime pie and I went over board. Now it's time to get ready for my baby girl's college graduation, my hot vacation and Mr. RIGHT!

That's right, it's time to get ready for SPRING! Join me as I get ready by cleaning up my diet, ridding myself of belly fat, cellulite on my thighs and sculpting my triceps. Those Income Tax Returns will soon be on the way and before they're all spent don't forget that high school reunion, hot vacation, wedding, family reunion or big SUMMER event coming up. If you want to look and feel FABULOUS for those events let my BOOT CAMP help us get there. Don't look back six months from now you and wish you had started TODAY!

A Living Legacy

Happy Martin Luter King, Jr. Day 

&

President Obama's Inauguration Day

What a MARVELOUS Monday to have an inauguration on! On the day that we honor a great man who gave his life for our civil rights. I can only imagine what Dr. King and other deceased civil rights activist like him would be feeling if they were still alive to see the second swearing in of an African-American to the highest office in America.

I was remembering back four years ago today when I sat watching the inauguration on television as I held my four week old grandson, how amazing it is to be born when the first ever African-American man was elected president. But even more so, how fitting for the inauguration to fall on the day we honor Dr. King. I happen to see a couple of quotes of Dr. King's that I hadn't heard before and thought I'd share. Abundant Blessings!

"A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

"We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear". -Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Workout Honey...

I want a Workout Honey! Is your spouse or significant other your workout partner? This couple looks so happy and that's something I want to experience in a relationship. My ex-husband and I did do a few activities together before we were married but afterwards it slowed down significantly. Especially after we had children, we made very little time for working out. Now that the children are all grown and some of them have their own children, I find myself wanting a Workout Honey. Not just a boyfriend, a date or a friend with benefits but a real relationship with a man that wants to workout together! Racquetball, half marathons, yoga, Insanity, push-up and squats, anything except golf, lol.

Don't get me wrong I have friends male and female, that I workout with from time to time and have a lot of fun with but it's not the same as what they have in this picture. How special is it to have someone to share what you enjoy most, don't they look like they enjoy the competition... I'll still workout with my friends but I'm going to get me a Workout Honey!

Happy "HEALTHIER You Year"

Ten years ago the top photo is only a quarter of the amount of medicine my mother used to take. Growing up I was terrified that I would have to take a lot of medicine also, but as a teenager and young adult I vowed to never let my HEALTH get so bad that I would need all that medicine. So I did everything to get HEALTHY, so I thought anyway. Little did I know that I had a lot to learn about being HEALTHY! It's not just drinking bottled water and eating wheat bread, which is what I was doing. I had a lot to learn, and I'm still learning.

Over the last three years I've heard the term "eating clean" over and over again I asked a couple of people if they knew what it meant and I got a variety of answers so I googled it like I do everything else I want to know. I'm learning that the foundation is based on whole foods that are unprocessed and to me it seems to mean raw fruits and veggies but I'm still learning. Check it out for yourself and decide if you want to subsidize your illness or invest in your wellness by changing the way you eat!

This is ME!

Whoever made this photo knows exactly how I feel! Although my body is at odds with me and is even trying to fight back, I am determined to continue to do the activities I just started enjoying a few years ago.  That's right, I was not an athlete in high school, I was somewhat cubby in junior high and some of my classmates teased me and called me names. As a young adult I started jogging since it was the 'IN' thing to do at the time but stopped after my knee started hurting and began to power walk.

In my forties, I gain a lot of weight after being laid off of a very stressful job in the worst city to try and find employment. Life just kept getting more challenging everyday until I found myself over 200 pounds. After losing my mother to heart disease I learned I was at risk of stroke, heart disease and diabetes. Being a divorced mother of five children, I had to lose the weight and reduce my risk so I could be around for them. After finally getting down to business and losing the weight I began to enjoy working out, power walking, bike riding and any outdoor fun activity as you can see by this photo (and the photo on my previous days post) from my last birthday.

So like the lady standing on the ironing board surfing, I find myself wanting to do cartwheels and other things I haven't done since I was a child but fear what people would think if they saw me. It's fabulous having grandsons because I can do some activities with them and not look so strange doing them at my age, I'm working on it!

Taking a Look Back to Move Forward

As with most people we all want to better at something in the New Year than we did in the previous year. Well, I'm no different. Since I started this blog in July of 2011 (as part of a business training group), I've not been consistent with posting here for a number of reasons. When I started this blog I didn't know ANYTHING about blogging and I still don't know much more now then I did back then. So I want to try restarting without dropping this blog and starting a new one. I'm going to repost a few of the post that I like most. So here I go!

I've been asked "Why FABULOUSLY Fit 50?"

The year my paternal grandmother, Anna Mae Smith (affectionately know as Ma-Mae) turned 100 was such a special year for me. This photo is of her in 2002 at her 100th Birthday Party with the Mayor of Clinton, NC present. I had never known anyone who had lived that long and Ma-Mae was the only grandmother I had ever known, since my maternal grandmother died before her 41st birthday due to stroke and heart disease. As we planned for the big event I tried to imagine what it must be like to have lived that long. Finally the day came to pack up the family and head to Clinton, NC. It would be the first and last time that my mother and grandmother would meet face to face or ever see each other again. We arrived a few days before the event so that we could spend time with Ma-Mae. I remember her telling me "Shug, I don't know what Walter (my uncle) is making all this fuss about just because I'm turning 100, I'm gonna be around until I'm at least 106."  It was at that moment that I told my grandmother that I hope to be as active and full of life as she was when I reached half her age. From that moment on I hoped to be active like my grandmother by the time I turned 50!

This is me on my 53 Birthday!

Next year I will be 55 and it's also the 10 year anniversary of my mother passing away from heart disease, so I have set a couple of goals to reach for. I want to raise $10,000 for the American Heart/Stroke Associations in honor of my mother, I want to have helped 55 people reach their HEALTH/Fitness goals, I want to complete 55 races (10Ks, 10 milers, half marathons and marathons), be able to hold plank pose for 55 minutes and to do 5500 sumo squats in an hour! I've got my work cut out for me to I better get going. Thank you again for your show of love and support, please let me know if I can help you reach your HEALTH/Fitness goals this year. Abundant Blessings from FITNESS Focused FAITH!

"End the Trend"

I happened to see this photo on someone facebook wall and began to wonder if the average person would know what it meant. Believe it or not I still meet people everyday that have never heard of Beachbody or P90X, Insanity or Hip Hop Abs. I find this unbelievable because the commercials run non-stop 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

For me "End the Trend" reminds me of why I started using Beachbody products back in 2005. I had loss my mother to heart disease the previous year and learned that I was at risk of the same thing happening to me if I didn't make some lifestyle changes. I made the necessary changes and now what "End the Trend" means to me is saving lives. I'm sure for some people they may think how can working out save lives, but as you start to workout you also change the way you eat. Together working out and changing your diet can help to reduce blood pressure, risk of strokes, heart attacks and developing diabetes.

What better way to start off the New Year then to become a Team Beachbody Coach and help save lives. Take a look at these Top 10 Reasons to Become a Team Beachbody Coach to see if any of them interest you. If so, I'd love to have you join my team. Take a look at this short video and if you'd like more information about being a Team Beachbody Coach feel free to leave me a message here, email me at: fabulouslyfit50@yahoo.com or call me: (850) 702-4521. Abundant Blessings from FITNESS Focused FAITH! http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/CoachFAITH?bctid=632106888001 

10 Top Resolutions for 2013

What's Yours?

In the coming weeks we're sure to be inundated with images, messages, emails, tweets, texts and calls telling us how we should look and that there is a quick fix to get "that perfect body" we ALL want. Keep in mind, that there isn't a SAFE quick fix and that the only perfect body is a HEALTHY body. However, to get a HEATHY body we have to work hard towards achieving our fitness goals by starting with a PLAN.

Lets start by going through these:
1. What are our 10 top resolutions?
2. Prioritize them and group the ones that are similar.
3. Tear the list off at number 5 and work with those first.
4. Determine what will be needed to achieve each of them.
5. Develop a way to stay focused when it starts to get hard.
6. Know when to ask/seek HELP. It can be helpful to have a success partner to work with.
7. Evaluate the success/completion of the first 5 resolutions before moving on to the last 5.

These are a few things I plan to try this year to see if my success is better than in previous years. Let me know if you need any help and how this PLAN worked for you. Wishing you ABUNDANT SUCCESS this year with all your goals!

Habari gani? IMANI

Habari gani? 

IMANI 

This is the last day of Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa was created to introduce and reinforce seven basic values of African culture which contribute to building and reinforcing family, community and culture among African American people as well as Africans throughout the world African Community. Imani, which means "faith" is observed on the last day. 

Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa represents a principle or value that stands at the heart of the origin and meaning of Kwanzaa. These principles/values are not only the building blocks for community but also serve to reinforce and enhance them. The first day of Kwanzaa is Umoja, which means unity in the family, community, nation and race.

I share this tiny bit of information about Kwanzaa because it's been about 20 years since I went to my first community Kwanzaa event and stated teaching it to my family. This year I used the principle Kuumba, which means "creativity" for all my gift giving. I made everything that I gave throughout the holiday season. I had patterns to get me started but then my Kuumba came into play and I started creating from there. The items pictured here are a few of the Zawadi, which means gifts that I gave to my family. 

From top to bottom, a hat, bracelet, iPod caring case and a cell phone caring case with a short handle. Not pictured are pillows, slippers and cell phone caring case with a long strap. I also baked my world famous Oat Meal Raisin Walnut cookies.

This year I'm going to be using the seven principles a lot more often. Ujamaa, which means cooperative economics. I'll be making more items to be sold in order to raise money for the American Heart/Stroke Association's Train To End Stroke program, which is the Ujima, which means collective work and responsibility and Nia, which means purpose. Lastly, I'll be using Kujichauglia, which is self-determination. I'm determined to reach my goal of raising at least $5,000 for the AHA in memory of my mother. If you'd like support by making a purchase or donate please contact me (850) 702-4521. Fitness Focused FAITH!