no. 28: get off your a$$ gorgeous

Dance Tribute To PRINCE

​IT'S SOOOOOOO HARD . . .
Aside of swimming in quicksand, beginning to work out or otherwise move your body after being sedentary is one of the hardest things to do. But fortunately once you get moving, your body and those feel good hormones make you want to keep going. It's addictive. So the goal is to get into that physiological space. All I (you) need is one good work out and it's like my (our) body (will) awaken(s) from its deep sleep.  
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BACK FAT
Over the last four years I put on about fifteen to twenty pounds. Until then I'd been pretty much the same size since high school. In the last couple of months I've released ten to fifteen pounds, 2.5 inches off my hips and waist, and my back fat is gone!  I knew something had to give. I didn't recognize myself.  I NEVER had back fat until the holidays last year. That had to go! People have always said how small I am, then it stopped. I just recently heard it again. Thank goodness.

DRUGS & COMFORT
I figured that the weight gain had a great deal to do with comforting myself during these years of major transition (empty nest, moving, career transformation, etc.). Walking into the unknown without family close by and the feeling of isolation drove me to reach out for yummy comfort in the form of food. I don't drink coffee or alcohol, smoke cannabis, or otherwise do any kind of drugs. Those things have no appeal to me whatsoever, never have really . . . but have you met Lola Yum Yum, my alter ego? "What ever Lola wants, Lola gets." [Sara Vaughn]

FOOD: MY LOVER
Speaking of harmful drugs, when I descend into my junky food craving, my pantheon of lovers are diverse: that plain donut, crispy bacon, a properly made pizza and why did my formerly veggie sister take me to Uncle J's BBQ over the holidays last year? Although I've never proclaimed myself to be a vegan or vegetarian, I eat a pretty life-honoring, plant-based menu and went about sixteen years without eating chicken, beef or pork. Just because I felt better eating this way, but "Yo! . . . " months later, I'm STILL thinking about how damn good those ribs were and I'm not even a rib girl. Did I mention how good they were?

TA-TA BACK FAT!
So how did I release those inches off my body and melt that back fat?
I MOVED MY ASS. Yup! Every day for about thirty minutes to two hours for twenty-eight days, give or take a few days because I got sick (detox symptoms). 

I knew that just cleansing wasn't going to melt and sculpt my body the way I desired so I followed a fitness regimen by Tracy Anderson who I respect because she has revolutionized body transformation for women by focusing on the accessory muscles. This was the first time in my life I worked out at this level of intensity and regularity. Initially I slept a lot and it was time consuming but the results are so worth it. I'm back in clothes I couldn't get over my hips. I feel like myself again. WHOO HOO!!!

A combination of cardio and muscle strengthening was the key. Cardio melts the fat while muscle strengthening sculpts your body. You require BOTH to get a toned and slim look. I ended up taking a month break due to illness i.e. healing and a million other things (thank goodness I maintained my weight release and size). I'm Day Two into starting up again to finish powerfully and to get back on the beautiful rhythm I was on. I'm an inch away from reaching my goal. 

BLAST YOUR ARSE OFF THE COUCH!
Since people love tips, tricks and hacks ;o), here are some of the things that help me to get moving again after being kidnapped by the couch.

1. CREATE A "FYAH!" PLAYLIST: Think about all the songs that when you're at a club or in the car make you break out into dance without thinking about it. The more aggressive, "making-you-feel-badass," the better. I couldn't believe some of the vulgar songs on my playlist, they make me blush every time I listen, but somehow the grit makes me move harder. Create two or three playlists that you can rotate so you don't get bored with your playlists.  Make them at least forty minutes in length so you have enough music to last your longest dance session.  
2. POST YOUR MUSE: I have this picture of Naomi Campbell's legs that inspired me when I first started my 30-Day program, but when I saw Kanye's "Fade" video featuring Teyana Taylor, I was really inspired. We have similar bodies so it felt within the realm of possibility. I found that having that video playing as I worked out, kept me movin'.  
3. JUST DANCE: Yup! It's like what an appetizer is to a meal. Just put on that "FYAH" playlist and move your arse Beautiful. Go for AT LEAST five, ten or fifteen minutes and continue to build until you get to forty-five minutes a day which is a boot-camp level of activity. You should be wet with sweat before you stop. The sweat is the big deal because you're detoxing and releasing at that point. The key is to dance non-stop so dance classes aren't the best because it tends to be stop and start. Get moving by dancing and you'll activate those addictive pleasure-feeling hormones within. 
4. DRINK & EAT GREEN: Somehow when I start working out I crave healthy foods, green foods. My body goes into high performance, high vibe mode and it's intelligence calls forth LIFE-GIVING FOOD, LIVING food, food with the God principle. Funny, I have no taste for junk when I begin moving my body. 
5. WORK + PREPARE FOR AN EVENT: Perhaps the MOST important driving force of your success is to have an upcoming event or happening that will give you a sense of urgency. Whether you're preparing for a hot date, a reunion, a vacation, a party, a birthday, etc. Having a date that you're working toward is a very powerful pull.

These five actions are JUST to get you off the couch, to put down the bag of chips and signal to your body something different is going down. Once you finally get your body moving again, I highly recommend checking out Tracy Anderson's work. You can sample her a bit through YouTube but I would go ahead and invest in her book The 30-Day Method. I'll be incorporating her fitness program with my Organic Beauty Detox this fall throughout my annual Winter Solstice Observance and the 2017 New Year. If you're interested in joining us reach out to me on Facebook or email me: [email protected]. We'll be meeting weekly at my Wellness Temple (which I'll tell you about tomorrow) and yes we'll be LIVE STREAMING for those of you not in Chicago. 

Progress Photos: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3. I'll post the final progress photo soon.       

Send me a message if you're down for your most powerful transformation. We're going to reach your body, beauty, health and wellness goals - TOGETHER. Remember this is the time when the sleeping giants awaken and the metaphysician, superwoman and goddess RISE.  

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 18 of 10/13 Moons 
Waning Gibbous