Let’s face it, strong looks good. Aim for strong, not skinny.
Have you set any goals for the month of July yet?
After some careful reading and obsessive re-reading, I’ve decided to change things up on my end and really focus on my eating. After years of going back and forth from thick to …more than thick, I’m tired of just saying, “Oh, it’s just my genes.” Something tells me it’s more about what I’ve been putting in my mouth, than my grandmother’s thighs.
So starting this Monday, I’ve committed to eating clean with my eye on the Paleo pyramid which I’ve included below. Here are my goals:
- Eat Breakfast Every Morning - Simple enough right?
- Walk 2-3 miles daily - I live in New York and have a dog so that’s not so hard either. Mark Sisson writes a lot about the importance of slow constant movement here. I personally can attest to losing the most weight of my life not from running the New York Marathon last year, but from having to walk miles and miles every morning with my (at the time) very new and very hyper puppy who would tear up my damn house if I didn’t. We’re talking 30lb lost from just walking and a little lifting. Why did I stop you ask? Laziness? Hubris? Moving on.
- No bread, rice or outside sweets (80% of the time) - I’ve worked hard to clean up the eating in my house over the last few weeks. We joined a CSA, so we have lots of fresh organic veggies coming in. I’ve been poking around farmer’s markets for our meats. My man is very supportive and thankfully enjoys my cooking so is always happy to eat what I make, even if there’s a little more green on the plate now. 20% flexibility gives me some lee-way to have a few cheat meals or to say yes to a glass of wine with my wicked clean dinner sometimes. Like for example, today is July 4th and though I’ll forgo the buns on my burger and say no thanks to any chips or fries, I will be circling the sangria table and can’t be held responsible for my behavior when the pie gets brought out.
- 1,000 Kettlebell swings/week: We have 4 kettlebells at the house and I love them. I want to get a lot stronger this summer and expand my usage of them. This is the best way I can think to do it. Sounds like a lot but when you do a lot of swings during interval training workouts, it really isn’t.
What are your goals this month? Are any of your black fitspo seekers out there on the journey to making clean/Paleo eating part of your life? How’s that going for you?
M.I.A.
I apologize, family. I was at a wedding (in the bridal party) this past week and have been lax in my posting duties. More inspiration to come!
Are You Working Out For Yourself or Black Men’s Ideal Body?
“We all work out for different reasons. Some of us for health, some of us for beauty and some of us for the wrong reasons…”
Why do you work out?
I am so happy to have found your page. I am a 21 year African American female and recently have turned to tumblr for weightloss inspiration. Through my search, i found that there wasnt any fit blogs catering toward African Americans or African American woman, and then there was you! Thanks for shedding the light!
AnonymousThank you so much! I’m glad you’re enjoying Black N’ Fit! If you have any fitness inspiration stuff you want to see up, please send it along!
