National Body Challenge 2008 Countdown...

National Body Challenge 2008

I just want to thank all of you out in blogland who consistently come and visit my blog. My Locks are growing and changing progressively but photowise (I made that word up) they still look the same, so I am going to wait a little while longer before I post any photos. But one thing I learned that I really love is when I get My Locks retightened. I enjoy seeing my parts and how neat my hair looks. Thanks Creyole for EVERYTHING!

Okay, If anyone would like a FREE 8 week gym membership google "National Body Challenge 2008". Registration begins December 27, 2007. Every year in January they jumpstart fitness by giving free gym memberships and lots nutrition information. I've done it every year, since 2002. Last year I lost 30 pounds. It is just keeping the weight off, that is my biggest challenge. I believe 2008 will be my year!!!

RJQueen10

What has been happening with ME...!

Dear God, (and anyone else out there reading…)

God, I just wanted to give thanks to everyone who has taken time to come visit my blog spot. I want to give special thank yous for those who take additional time out of their schedule and leave me a comment. Most importantly, God, I want to give thank yous to everyone for being patient with me. In addition to being a Mama of 4 year old twins, I am a graduate student. When classes are in session I will make a post weekly, when classes are not in session I will try to make a post daily.

Well I started with 10 test locks. Four in the front and six in the back. Currently I am wearing my hair in two-strand twists. Well this morning as I was getting ready to attend church I re-twisted some strands that had come a loose in the back. I noticed I now only have ONE test Sisterlock™ left in the back. The four in the front are still going strong. I guess it is time to put a call in to my consultant to first verify my scheduled May 10, 2007 appointment, second to express eagerness of accepting any cancelled appointment slot, and three to talk to her about my five back test Sisterlocks™ coming down, disappearing. Will this be a problem area for me when I get my full head of Sisterlocks™? If I notice my Sisterlocks™ are getting loose (slipping) is there anything I can personally do about it? What are my options, if any? I am really not that worried at this point, it is just interesting to note how different sections of my head responded to Sisterlocks™ I knew I was grateful for ALL of this time for some reason.

Note to self: Be real careful about the back of my head when I get my Sisterlocks™!

I am at a new gym for four weeks, well I have about 10 more days left on a four week pass. It has been a great experience, because it is my husband’s gym. I have had several opportunities to actually workout with him, while our children were in the daycare area. I enjoyed this experience a lot. My husband is really noticing my weight loss, and my seriousness about my workouts! He taught me how to use some of the machines I did not know how to use before. He also praised me for my “good form”.

I saw Ms. Y at this gym twice so far, who I met at the Sisterlocks™ meet and greet. On the second day, Ms. Y talked me into taking a spinning class. Well, let me tell you! I represented, I was hyped, Hyped, HYPED! I kept paced with most of the seasoned class members and even exceeded the paced of a couple of spinning class veterans. But my body paid for it the next day-Friday, and the day after that-Saturday, and today is Sunday and still feel slight tenderness in places I did not know muscles existed! It was a fun and great cardio experience I will try it a couple of more times before my free gym pass expires. I am serious about my workouts!

Speaking on that I joined a new gym! My old gym was just that OLD! I don’t mean to sound ungrateful and like a complainer, I am just telling the truth! Thank you God for improving my FREE gym membership options! After I have spent about 15 weeks at new and up to date gyms, it was impossible to go back to the old. I have to drive 27 miles to my new gym, but it is worth the drive! They have childcare options for my children; all of the equipment is new, New, NEW. The equipment is state of the art! There are TVs and radio ON the actual elliptical machines, in addition to surrounding Flat Screen TVs. There is an upstairs and a downstairs area. I did not even make it upstairs on my first visit this Saturday.

I was giddy with excitement and energy! I took an Abdominal and Back Core group exercise class that lasted 20 minutes. Then I got on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes. I cut it short because I wanted to experience everything on my first visit; lately I’ve been doing 30 minutes to 60 minutes cardio sessions. I put on my bathing suit and I was in the steam room for 5 minutes and the Jacuzzi for 10 minutes. I took a wonderful shower and changed into warm street clothes. It actually snowed in Texas USA this Saturday. It was light flaky snow that did not affect the roads, but it was snow and cold none-the-less.

This gym even has a Smoothie bar, so you know I got caught up. I added so much to what started off as a based 20oz Smoothie for $3.25 by the time I was finished, mine costs $7.50. It was a most delicious smoothie, it tasted like a Piña Cola! It was called Tropical Oasis, and it had pineapples, coconut, and mango. I added Wheatgrass powder, Spirulina powder, Soy Protein powder, and Glutamine powder. I have to investigate this further on my future visits, but I believe the lady who prepared it said it only contained about 325 calories. She also said because I added the stuff I added I could use my smoothie as a meal replacement. I consumed the smoothie about 1:30 pm and I did not get hungry again until about 5:00pm.

Thank You God for my outstanding visiting gyms experience--threee different gyms so far, and my NEW free gym In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

If anyone else out there is listening besides God, feel free to share and post a response...

Sis. RJQueen10

Exercising In My Aftro...

Dear God, (and anyone else out there reading...)

Day One
On Wednesday, I was waiting to see Creyole in aerobics. She was not there when I got there, but I was all prepared for her to take up close pictures of me with her digital camera to post on my blog.

So in a earlier e-mail I told her I would be wearing my afro. Well, I strutted confidently into class for the first time wearing my own natural hair.

Then I could not contain myself. Since class was late starting, many ladies were already there sitting around waiting for our instructor and class to start. I said, "Hey everybody, do you see my hair?" Many gave positive comments and some were silent. I started singing about how free I feel.

These pictures in this post are AFTER the workout. Which I think came about pretty good. Now the BEFORE the workout, you just have to take my word that I was-- my hair (which I had freshly styled) and my little lip gloss, and my outfit were --too cute! I will try to recreate myself next week and see if I can make another photo appointment with Creyole.

I hardly heard anyone as I told them I am going to get Sisterlocks™ real soon like the ones Creyole sports. Some began relate, by making comments about such as , "do I know such and such who wears her hair natural ?" and other ladies they know in class who wear their hair natural. Eventually with both Creyole and RJQueen10 in class being free to be natural they ALL will want to make the change.

It IS personal and it IS a process (like all healings that don’t come directly from Jesus Christ and God Himself. The bible declares that whenever Jesus healed, the miracle was immediate, instantaneous.)

In aerobics class, I told them not to laugh if my afro shrunk up by the end of class. I was really surprised that it did not shrink up after sweating up a storm for a little over 1 hour and then taking a hot shower afterward. I sweat so hard, that even by the time Creyole came into the dressing room (I left class 15 minutes early to shower etc.) I could not stop my body from sweating. However, my hair performed “exceedingly and abundantly” above all of my expectations and without shrinkage. You can see my sweat in this photo. My husband gave me a pretty good edge up! Thanks, hubby! I would have preferred a softer edge-up but beggars can't be choosy!

Day Two
okay, Okay OKAY here is FREEDOM and PEACE. I went to aerobics class again on Thursday, sporting my Afro day 2. There were a different set of ladies in the Tues/Thus. class vs. the Mon/Wed/Sat class. I did not make a big to-do about my hair today. However, I received several compliments on my figure (so far I have lost 24 pounds since 10/18/2006) and MY HAIR. I believe my strut is just so much more confident than in the past, so much more “phenomenal” (as Maya Angelou might say).

Okay I came home and today my 4 to 6 inch afro shrunk up like crazy (that did not happen yesterday, thank you, God because I went to church immediately after my workout)! I was like okay I have to do something to my hair or else tomorrow it will be totally unmanageable. I stepped in the hot shower with my large tooth comb. The heat and steam were perfect. I wish I had some eucalyptus to clear up my nasal passage (well actually I do have some I just did not know how to apply it during my shower, I usually take it to the gym with me and use it in the steam room). I let the strong water flow thru my hair. Whew! That felt so very, Very, VERY great! I just rinsed the impurities out, because on Satudays I like to do "No Poo" shampoo sessions with my hair and it is just was not time for that again, yet.

My hair became soft. I was able to comb thru easily. After I got out of the shower, I applied about 16 or so large Two-Strand Twists to my damp hair and foam rolled the ends. Let's see how my afro comes out in the morning... I am excited, refreshed, and renewed!

Day Three
I like the way my hair came out! I am actually forcing myself to like and LOVE my hair. I wanted to cover my hair up, because it was kind of unruly. However, I reasoned. I look less unnatural being natural than I did when I went about with braid extensions with lots of new growth coming in and fake ponytails extensions. I am glad I did not cover up my natural hair. I wrapped a black scarf around the edges and went to workout at the gym. I felt cute, I may not have looked cute, but I felt cute. And that I believe, is half of he battle. Understanding my natural hair is maturing me into the phenomenal woman that I want to become.

I completed the workout with another one of those great steamy showers. This time I applied a Moisturizing Spritz to my hair-- 1 teaspoon of aloe vera juice, 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin (I don't have this ingredient--I need to go to the whole foods store), 3 drops of your favorite essential oils (I used about 1o drops of Jojoba Oil, 1 teaspoon of Tea Tree Oil). For water I used 2 Cups Dasani purified bottled water a product of The Coca-Cola Company, that I drink about 80 to 100 oz of daily. I picked up this recipe from page 45 in a book called "Going Natural" by Mireille Liong-A-Kong, http://going-natural.com. I Two-Strand Twisted my damp hair and foam rolled the ends. Put on my black nylon bonnet with while ruffles. Then I chilled with the twins and my neice the rest of the evening.

Sisterlocks™ here comes RJQueen10, my appointment is 13 days away on March 16, 2007!

In Jesus's Name, Amen

Sis. RJQueen10

If anyone out there besides God is listening, feel free to share and post a response.