Day 4 - Birthday Month - Return to the Gym

Oooh, Imma get ya'll.  You guys sat right there and let me drink that coffee, me thinking it was decaf and it was regular!  I didn't go to sleep until after midnight & then overslept this morning!  Aye de me!  Lesson learned!

I really didn't do anything particularly special for my birthday month celebration today.  I worked & volunteered teaching Citizen Schools sharing with middle schoolers how to brand themselves....a very important lesson in the urban community.

Then I went to the gym.  Yes! After over 4 months, I crossed the threshold of O2 Fitness again!  I didn't go too hard.  I did a 30 minute alternating jog/walk on the treadmill & then finished off with 80 squats.


Squat challenge update - 80 squats

I thought I would share the variations that I'm using with my squats.

These first 4 days I have split my squats between squat raises with the exercise ball & body weight squats.  At the gym I also used the squat machine to finish out my 80 today.  I'll change up the type of squats after my rest day tomorrow.

My Birthday Month - Day 3 - An Extra Hour, French Vanilla Cafe, & Being Tall Does Not Define Me

 Daylight savings time ended last night/this morning at 2 am.  And my eyes popped open bright and early at 6:30 am as the sun streamed directly on my face.  Whaa...?  Oh well, I was awake.  I caught up on a DVR'ed show and was ON TIME for church!  Yay!!  (I usually tip  strut in during praise & worship).  I was NOT going to be late for church when we had a whole extra 60 minutes this morning.  I guess the extra hour boosted my energy levels because I was super productive today.  I blogged, bought groceries for the week, walked the dog, cooked dinner & lunch for 3 days this week and got my 70 squats in!  My personal treat for myself today was the Maxwell House International Cafe' French Vanilla. I hadn't had this in a while and thought it would be perfect for these cool fall nights.  I enjoyed a cup while I watched Black Girls Rock! tonight on BET.  Yum!  And yes, I rep UNC all day, everyday.  I even have a Carolina tumbler on my desk at work that I drink my water out of.

Random topic that sorta goes with being a Black Girl who Rocks....I had an interesting interaction with an associate last night.  She remarked that she was amazed that I'm a girly-girl.  She said that with me being 6'1, I'm the only  tall girl she knows that's not a baller but truly a girly-girl.  She said she was trying to "figure me out".  It sorta struck me as odd because, I'm no tnow nor have I ever been an athlete.  While I love watching sports, I am the epitome of a very feminine tall woman.  Competitive - yes.  Strong personality - absolutely.  Soft, tender, emotional, girly, classy, eloquent woman - you better believe it.  What's hard to figure out about that?  #shouldershrug  The comment was posed in a slightly negative way...that there was something wrong with me being tall AND girly. Like I wasn't living up to my potential. For a moment, I started trying to share all the ways that I'm not girly.  I watch, understand, and commentate sports.  I love action films.  I have tons of male friends.  I can throw a football....WAIT!  Hold the line.  I am girly.  I love lavender & hot pink, flowers, beautifying myself, 4 inch heels and clutches.  I sashe' when I walk, giggle, cry over romantic films, and sing all my favorite songs.  I also love all of the Fast & Furious series, UNC basketball, Dallas Cowboys football, and now baseball.  I listen to games on the car radio, call to debate the games with my dad every Sunday, & would rather sit with the guys than the girls at Superbowl parties.  Nothing makes my day more than playing with my godson AND I walk the halls of the company I work for with a power walk that rivals Olivia Pope.  DON'T box me in!   My being tall is a direct result of a 6'7 man (my father) and a 5'9 woman (my mother) loving each other. Being tall does not define who I am or what I should be no more than my dark brown eyes do.  I am a woman.  I have a right to define me the way I choose to be seen by the world.  #dropsmicasIstepoffsoapbox

Ok, Day 3 of the squat challenge.  My quads are burning and my gluts are on Fiya!!! - 70 squats today.

I thought I would give my starting measurements so I can do a before & after at the end of the month.

Before shot - 11/3/2013 (after 2 days of squats)

Measurements:
39 inches around my derriere
22 inches around my left thigh
22.5 inches around my right thigh

Recap: Black Girls Run! Sweat with Your Sole Event! September 8th! Charlotte, NC

So for those of you who followed my couple of postings about my Journey to 10K you know that in July and August I was training for a 10K race to support my best friend.  It was a great hurdle for me because I previously did not enjoy running.  After learning how to pace myself, I rather enjoyed the challenge of seeing how far I could go without stopping.  As we approached the time of the race, Christina informed me that she wasn't prepared for a 10K (neither was I) and we could do the 5K.  Whew! Hooray! Since I had been training for a while, I felt way more prepared for the 5K than the 10K.  I got excited.  I went down to Charlotte on Saturday to spend some time relaxing and to mentally prepare for the race.  While down there I also had some time to visit one of the local jazz restaurants downtown, Deltas.  The food and the setting was amazing. There was a live jazz band playing and I ran into Nicole, one of Christina's cousins, who I remember meeting when she was a young girl.  She has grown into a beautiful young lady!

Me & Nicole!

Me standing in front of Delta's 

My pre-race dinner.  Probably not an appropriate choice but it was so delish!

The morning of the race we were up early but I was super excited.  There were SO MANY WOMEN there, excited about exercising!  Christina and I walked to the 5K line and took a few pictures and stretched prepping for the race.  I was so proud of myself.  I ran way more than I walked.  I would have to say that I probably ran over 1/2 of the 3.1 miles.  The thing I was not expecting was the hills.  I'd trained on flat courses so that was a shocker.  We've already been told if we plan to go to Atlanta next year for the race, the course is even hillier. As I approached the finish line there were those who had finished ahead of us who had come back down the last 1/4 mile of the course to cheer us on!  The supportive environment was amazing.  As I waiting and watched for my best friend to come I watched & encouraged other ladies towards the finish line.  I got so emotional seeing women with strollers, golden women, and even one lady in a wheelchair finish the race.  What an amazing accomplishment!  When I saw my bestie coming I jumped back on the course & finished with her.  Of all the races she'd done, she always said she never had friends or family waiting at the finish line for her so it was important to me that we finished together. And this time she had both!  Her mom & dad were at the finish line too!  Overall it was a great event.  I felt great right after the race, but needless to say as the day progressed, my 38 year old body started to let me know that I had done the most that day...LOL!  I will definitely plan to keep running as a part of my cardio regimen and plan to run another 5K or maybe a 10K in the future!  To your health on our journey to 100!

My bestie cheerfully greeting a friend from Cali

Us before the race

After the race with my metal!  Success!

Just a snapshot of a few of the women

My official results

Your Health or Your Hair? Working out with Natural Hair

So it's that time of year again. It's the beginning of the year, people have made New Year resolutions, and they have hit the gym to lose weight.  Well, some have. According to a new study published December 17th 40% of African American women avoid working out because of their hair.   Yet, 4 out of 5 African American women in this country are overweight or obese, the highest rate in the country according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.(source)

Being natural doesn't necessarily remedy this concern. No one wants to spend hours on a twist out to see it turn into a drawn up afro due the sweat of a hard workout & in the cold winter months walking out of a gym in the morning with a wet head is a no-no.

Well never fear, I am here to help.

When I work out, I usually wear my hair in 1 of 2 ways,

1. In twists, pulled back into a ponytail (for my morning workouts)

Twists pulled back

2.  Pulled back into a curly puff (for my workouts after work) -
I retwist my hair everynight anyway, so I don't lose any definition.

This isn't before a workout but it's the same look.

 
After my workout in the morning, I just blow dry my roots on a low heat setting, untwist my hair and go.  I recently heard about the Bondi Band from Chescalocs and decided to give them a try.  I bought 2 for me and 2 for my bestie Christina who walks/runs with BlackGirlsRun in the San Fran Bay area.  (Hey girl!)  Her hair is relaxed.  So we'll both report back to let you know how well the wicking qualities of this product is & if it helps maintain our respective hairstyles longer.

Nonetheless, we can no longer sacrifice our health for our "look".  There are things we can do to maintain our hairstyle and take care of our health.

What steps are you taking to maintain your hair while working out?