Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m still sharing Halloween treats well into November. That’s what you’ll get, and should expect from me anyway when I share in the spirit annually participating in the holiday each year. For Halloween 2020, I chose dressing as a Covid Germ. But the Halloween treat featured as Doc’s Thumbs Up this week is hip-hop artist T.ali’s official music video for Faded.
T.ali, formally known as Kaseo, released visuals for his single Faded from his April album Since We’re Being Honest this Halloween. Finally! Listeners anticipated the video dropping as early as mid-September when casting calls for extras were first mentioned. A month and a half later, we can now feast our eyes on what’s been cooking. I just couldn’t wait to write about it because I already knew T.ali would push some greatness.
I was tuned into the hype posted every couple of days promoted on T.ali’s Instagram and other social media feeds. Mini clips of the mini horror film that advertised to us, the audience, as the official music video was finally pieced together into a full masterpiece.
The video is relatable and reminiscent of growing up watching short, but somewhat lengthy-for-a-music-video, films. Music videos like Thriller and Bad created by the King of Pop Michael Jackson always come to mind as the greatest short musicals ever made. So when fresher artists take on the challenges to carefully create references that skew inspiration within their work to reach heights many other talents have previously succeeded in completing, pure greatness is bound to shine through. That’s what’s seen in T.ali’s performance; an artist who’s challenging himself to own and exploring those heights a plethora of talented people blueprinted. And he’s doing it while collaborating with many other dope artists, bringing them along for the ride too.
The video was produced by filmmaker Juba Productions, styled by Al Rogers, and makeup by Yeah Shae the MUA and Kay L.A.. The team of artists putting this project together is phenomenal. It’s right to assume that Faded would be a hit amongst the listeners because of the magnitude of dopeness. It’s not many times a group like this can come together and not produce great art. Some other Baltimore artists, just to name a few, featured in the video were Forty the Plug, Doowy Lloh, Da’Rious, Brandon Woody, Teddy Alexander, Miss Kam, J Lovey, and various others amazing dancers, actors, and singers. These guys really put on a show.
There’s a second release for the album Since We’re Being Honest this week Friday, November 6 for the deluxe edition. Listeners can get an even deeper listen to other tracks from T.ali and hear a few features from some of the artists spotted in the video.
Halloween 2020 is a little different this year because of what’s happening all over the world. People are being more cautious celebrating because of the country’s current status and are uncertain when making decisions navigating how to live during these covid times. Times are crazy and I decided to be a visual representation of what’s causing chaos around the world in 2020.
I dressed as a coronavirus germ this year because it was literally all that was talked about in mainstream culture. I started hearing about Coronavirus towards the end of January before the virus reached the United States. At the time, I wasn’t so sure that disease would reach Americans. It seemed so far removed from my life as Wuhan, China was shut down on the opposite side of the world. Every day I rode public transportation during peak hours to work at the office in Downtown Baltimore. But now, 7 months later, sitting on a packed train never seemed so dangerous in my life.
This world being consumed by Covid 19 affects not only human bodily functions. It’s infectious to our everyday lives affecting us in every area and physical function. People are seeking ways of dealing with mental stress and financial hardships. I’ve even seen churches battle with government policy to continue having Sunday service. This disease affects everyone everywhere even if you don’t contract it.
The holiday season is here. It doesn’t come as a surprise that many people are finally peeking out of their doors to explore the new world. We’re ready to socialize with our friends and family after being quarantined for nearly a year. Sadly, covid cases are still rising. Earlier in the week, American’s were warned of a third Covid 19 surge taking place as predicted. So I chose to be a walking reminder of what’s lurking in our atmosphere ready to penetrate our respiratory systems if we decide to ignore the rising cases.
The makeup artist behind this masterpiece is Nelli from GlambyNelli on Instagram. Nelli is a Baltimore Artist well versed in a multitude of talents but she wow’s us away with this project! I told her my vision and boom! She turned my head into a covid germ and still made me look pretty!
Nelli began taking her Halloween makeup artistry seriously just a year ago in 2019 while doing makeup for family and friends and sharing images of her work on social media. But she’s always had a love for art. While visiting her art studio for my appointment, I found she surrounds herself with inspiration from her own creations. She told me she’s an artist for many years. I learned she’s a makeup artist, painter, and photographer. She absolutely loves creating. I could tell from the creative aura that surrounds her studio.
I was drawn to contacting Nelli for my services after seeing her recreation of the 2009 science fiction film Avatar. The makeup was done so well, the client looked exactly like an actor from the movie. I had to see if she would accept my challenge to make me germy. I believe she had it in her to do it. She definitely succeeded.
Afterward, I went to find a safe socially distanced park where I could take pictures of me infecting others with my germs. It was so funny to hear people murmur to each other their guesses of my costume. “She’s so pretty,” was not what I intended to hear but it’s nice to know that I’m an attractive infectious disease. I continued my stroll through Owings Mills Red Run Stream Valley Trail with CtrlMyCamera taking shots of me jokingly pretending to spoil the other walkers on the trail.
View more from my Coronavirus photoshoot in the slideshow below. *I do not own the rights to this music. The song is titled Coronavirus by Imarkkeyz on YouTube.*
I hope that people remain cautious while celebrating the holidays this season. These are crazy times we’re living in. We should have empathy for human life during these times as always. Even though it sucks as our more thankful and merriest time of the year approaches, we’re pressured to keep socially distancing. We should remain vigilant in protecting ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally as best as we can while socially distancing. We can still be there for one another. Humans need to stay connected. But we should be extra cautious and remember what steps to take to remain safe as we visit and spend time with the people we love.
Are dressing up for Halloween? Have you seen any cool costumes? Let me know in the comments below.
On another walk around Baltimore, I came across another outside art exhibition like the Black Lives Matter Mural in Patterson Park in September. This time in Baltimore’s Fell Point to get out of the house for a bit and visit Sound Garden to browse some vinyl and old flicks. A trip well spent because I bought some cool new socks. But also set my eyes upon a beautiful exhibit at the How Great Thou Art Gallery worthy of a PrayForLove highlight on Doc’s Castle Media. Baltimore Mosaic Artist Loring Cornish creates I Can’t Breathe outside exhibition to bring attention to police brutality.
Last month, we were hit with the devastating news of Breonna Taylor’s verdict. And just like when I scroll my social feeds, days later, I strolled by a reminder, in person, that we’re still in the midst of a war with police policy and reform. I’m tired.
Cornish exhibit is a pause in time. It makes you think. I took a moment of silence before I visited the Sound Garden next door. I saw all the names of victims fallen by police brutality represented by burning candles just under the “I can’t fucking breathe” sign. George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s pictures displayed large as day with words of frustration and “I will never understand” written in all caps all around them. This case is the loudest breakthrough we’ve had in recent years. Two pictures of Breonna Taylor stand directly along side the burning candles. The exhibit makes me upset. The build-up of all of this has gone on far too long. I don’t understand, either. So I pause to take it in.
The exhibit is getting quite the buzz as people share their experiences on their social media using the hashtag #LoringCornish. On Instagram, there are over 500+ shared posts of Loring Cornish’s exhibit.
Cornish had many other exhibitions focusing on race and police in previous years. In 2015 following the death of Freddie Gray, Cornish decorated a police box in Station North “to bring attention to police operating practices that have made millions of Americans uncomfortable.” He also received national attention for his Black “lynched” doll exhibition in response to Eric Gardner, Walter Scott, and Michael Brown. Cornish used his passion and talent to raise awareness of police brutality throughout the decade.
The How Great Thou Art Gallery is owned by Cornish and is the home to a plethora of beautiful creations made by the Mosaic artist himself. Check out more art at the Loring Cornish website.
“I will never understand,” either. Would you visit this exhibition? Leave your comments below.
Trying to keep in the spirit of Halloween, as I always do around this time of the year, I wanted to share this throwback costume from last year’s Halloween 2019 because I never had the opportunity of sharing on my blog. My followers know that I dress up every year for Halloween. I’ve shared so many of my costumes; from Tyler the Champion of Courage to Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers. I love dressing up for the holiday sometimes with no destination in mind. But last year, I chose to be “Triggered” for my costume.
Triggered means to be activated by an event or circumstance that is the cause of a particular action, process, or situation. It’s to have an intense emotional or physical reaction to a situation.
Gradually over time as I scroll social media, I sense some annoyance seeping from my gut whenever someone is offended by something most people would consider to be minuscule. Topics that should be intentionally subjective spark absurd debates among peers that wouldn’t usually split relationships, divide, and conquer. More recently, the lines are being blurred on what is acceptable versus what is downright offensive.
Now we’re dealing with the emergence of a mob of individuals who make up what we call Cancel Culture, “a form of public shaming that aims to hold individuals and groups accountable for their actions by calling attention to behavior that is perceived to be problematic, usually on social media.” It’s like modern-day biblical stoning, except with mean trendy hashtags on our Twitter and Facebook timelines.
Some of these stars may rightfully deserve being canceled. But there are times where mob mentality gets so triggered that pop culture turns to cancel people for simply having an unpopular opinion. That can be dangerous because we become afraid to make our next moves. Just look at how comedians have to move in this climate. Comedians nervously share new content in worries of their careers ending saying or doing something labeled unacceptable. They’re comedians. They’re supposed to make fun. Entire lives change when society resorts to canceling things, ya know. But do we think we could be going a little too far to rid society of what we feel is unpopular?
Cancel culture is a phenomenon at the least because it leaves me astonished at how basic someone’s stance could be, yet they can go to ridiculous lengths to make a point about it.
A bit much, I’d say. But it’s quite the example of someone pushing their opinions on other people as the “is all, be all.” The sensitivity is out of control. Telling someone “no” when we don’t want to agree with someone is starting to cause everyone to be cautious about what we say or do. Why can’t we respect other people’s opinions and go on about our day?
How did I do being Triggered for Halloween? Did you get it? Leave your comments below.
Baltimore rapper Eze Jackson released the visuals for his single to Goals mid-August, and I’ve finally gotten around to seeing it! Eze gets in our face about taking ownership of his crafts and surpassing all those people who “bluff” about what they do. Baltimore rapper and president of arts and entertainment brand Epic Fam tells us what he means when he envisions goals.
Watch the official video for Goals.
The first time I caught wind of Eze was in 2014 attending open mics around Baltimore City. But it was after I volunteered at Baltimore’s 2018 Artscape festival when I saw him perform Unapologetically Black, that I knew I was a fan of Eze’s music. His content has the ability for movement in people that not many artists can’t capture in their art. It’s also a rare commodity in “Baltimore Rappers,” and more generally, the crab artists of Baltimore City, as mentioned before in my blog series Quality vs. Quantity (Part 1): The Saturation of Wanna Be Artists In Baltimore’s Art Culture.
I wanted to share this video because it’s a humbling message to inspire moving in silence when working towards your goals.
The visuals in Goals look chaotic which brings my attention forward and alert. Words swarm across the screen. Silhouettes and images pop up in weird places. The video is everywhere. But as you listen to the lyrics and watch the video, all the same, you start comprehending Eze’s message. Everything is blah blah blah (means nothing) unless you’re really out here making things happen. This dude has tunnel vision for the chaos and “work” that other artists broadcast. He’s a veteran in his field with receipts to back up his accomplishments. The message is to hold what’s important to you, like your goals, at close range so that people who prey on your downfall won’t bring ill-will.
We all know that person who’s always blasting to the masses their next move. Or we know someone who gets way ahead of themselves blasting what they plan to do but never gets around to it. These people leave no room for mystery when it comes to what they have coming next, then ponder thoughts of why bad things happen or don’t happen at all. They leave room for their competition to plot and enemies to prey on their demise. It’s a rookie mistake. Honestly, do you see rap and hip-hop moguls like Diddy and Jay-z blasting their next business venture? Eze is making it known that that type of person isn’t allowed in his circle.
Starting before I was Ready provoked my search for finding what’s necessary to get through my #Thirsty30Body journey. It was when I made the conscious choice to get fit and take the initiative, I learned how frequently I should think about my health, small tasks I could include throughout my day to motivate me to remain active, and the essential tools that will assist me on this quest. Today I’ll be sharing the essential tools I use for reaching thirsty 30.
Last year, I trained at Hero Fit with only my gym attire, which was an old work T-Shirt for Baltimore’s HFS Alternative Rock station, a pair of navy blue sweatpants, and a cheap pair of easy slip-on tennis from Wal-Mart. I quickly learned that that wasn’t enough gear for this journey after attending class for 2 weeks. I needed to invest in my health, fully. As mentioned before I started Thirsty 30 Body on a mission to strengthen my will-power muscle. So I thought of registering for Hero Fit as enrolling in an expedited college semester because the program was in total 12-weeks (if you didn’t meet the initial 6-week challenge to lose 20 lbs of 5 % fat.) I already bet money towards joining so I equated investing in fitness attire and equipment similar to preparing for college coursework, like buying the textbooks needed for class.
I’ll keep it simple. What was beneficial for me to have last August at the start of Thirsty 30 Body Challenge as tools for getting ahead were all of the following that still remains essential tools in mid-progress. These are items that anyone could have lying around and don’t require you to go out of your way to purchase.
Perfect Pair of Tennis Shoes (or prepare to be barefoot)
So this is a little embarrassing. My shoes completely came off in Bootcamp class while working out. It’s because of the cheap shoes I decided to workout in weren’t being my friend at the moment. A couple of mountain climbers into the routine, my shoes started sliding off my heels. I had to take my shoes completely off in front of a class of about 20 people to finish the routine. When two of those people walk up to me suggesting where to buy some good tennis, I sort of thought maybe my feet stank? Reality settled in that nobody wants to see the feet of a stranger even if they’re decked out with 90’s Nickelodeon cartoons. Tennis is the first essential tool to have towards Thirsty 30 Body.
I scrolled through the Nike online store in search of the perfect shoes for HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), which was the majority of the workouts conducted in Bootcamp. Shoes suited for this kind of fitness training is what I felt best in investing. After I purchased tennis for HIIT, I also used them while participating in 5K walks such, as the Black Light Run, and even some free local Zumba classes hosted at a neighborhood elementary school. The shoes are good for most activities. Get a pair of great HIIT tennis and your feet will thank you. Maybe even your Bootcamp class, too.
A Sports Bra or Compression Shorts
People with extra cushion can attest to their bodies willingly flopping everywhere when they’re being active. So when working out during Bootcamp I spent 4 weeks struggling to breathe because my breasts kept hitting me in the face every time I did jumping jacks in Bootcamp class. Lawd, all my life…!
The other heavily blessed women in my Bootcamp class sympathized and pointed me in the direction to where I could purchase a sports bra suited for a woman of large breasts. Amazon was the spot. While I was at it, I made sure to get some yoga pants and compression shorts to hold the rest of my cushion together. These are all beneficial for anyone looking for that extra help during high-intensity workouts that sometimes makes us too jiggly for our liking. Compression attire is the next best essential equipment to have in your weight-loss journey.
Fitness Watch (Tracker)
Mi Band 4
Have you ever tried tracking your steps or your workout activity using a fitness watch or fitness tracker on your phone? It’s the perfect way to help form personal accountability and builds a view of individually-tailored goals. Almost all smartphones come equipped with fitness apps used for tracking physical activity, heart rate, and daily steps. I use the stats in fitness apps to give me a visual of my progress over time. It helps to keep track of the habits I already have and highlights things that need improvement.
Mi Band 4by Xiaomi Technology is the fitness tracking watch I use for monitoring my physical activity. The band cost me less than $50 and has a battery life that expands pass 15 days. That’s this watch’s valued features. The watch comes with a Mi Fit app for download to a smartphone that tracks all progress using your personal profile. You also learn your progress measured amongst thousands of other Mi Fit users, which is beneficial for the competitive folks. It doesn’t have the full functionality as many popular smartwatches, like FitBit or Apple Watch. I like that because I believe it limits the multiple notifications and distractions that could occur using either of those smartwatches. Mi Band and Mi Fit are simple and straightforward with keeping its fitness features catered as a priority. That’s perfect for me for keeping focused on my physical activity.
Google Fit is a great and free app to download if your phone doesn’t have a fitness tracker. I would say it has all the generic functions you’d want to use for starting off and very similar to Mi Fit in having the same exercise tracking features.
Lose It App
I’m an active user of the Lose It Calorie Tracking App community since my college days when I used to live off bags of popcorn from the University convenience store telling myself that eating fiber from the popcorn would give me the energy to get through mid-day lectures. In turn, eating popcorn just made a lot of noise during class.
Lose It is a calorie counting app with“the goal of helping members reach a healthy weight by providing them with the tools they need for success.” Users can set goals, track meals, learn about the foods they eat and reach their goals to set new ones to build towards a healthier lifestyle. I use it mainly for calorie tracking. It has definitely been a challenge to use the app. But after spending literally 8 years using Lose It, I can say I now have a habit of calorie counting that Lose it has contributed to making healthy eating a lot easier.
In the next coming weeks, I’ll share on Thirsty 30 Body series a more in-depth Lose it App walkthrough of how I use the Lose App as a tool for meal planning and calorie counting.
Excellent workout attire such as a good pair of training shoes and compression pants are essential for your training uniform. Fitness trackers and calorie counters are essentials for keeping all your logistics in order. These are 4 tools that’ll always be great items to have at all stages of your workout journey. They’re all affordable and readily accessible at any time in your process, too. So the pressure for getting them can be very low, but the benefits of having them still remain.
What other essential items do you think are good tools to have during your weight-loss journey? Feel free to leave your essentials in the comments below.
Procrastination is a bitch. That’s why when I catch myself doing it, I revert to remembering that procrastinating isn’t productive at all whenever I’m pursuing a new endeavor. No one has the perfect solution to battling it. Everyone has to deal with it eventually.
To keep me on my toes and away from procrastinating, I know I need to always push myself to start things before I think I’m ready and to never give up by becoming my own pest. These two things will also push you towards a pathway towards fighting through procrastination too. Starting now and just keep bugging yourself.
Start before you think you’re ready by 1st finding one healthy goal to pursue and just do it.
The 1st healthy goal I chose was figuring out how to incorporate a consistent workout routine into my weekly schedule. We should have a goal to be active daily. I am not that. So to start off simple, I needed to think of ways to fit working out within my schedule outside of my job. I wanted to complete this at least for a month. If I can say I incorporated a consistent workout routine in a month, I’d be proud to say I scratched it off my goals list.
In the early fall of 2019, Facebook decided to advertise a lot of fitness ads in my timeline, which became the path chosen for whipping myself into a routine. Hero Fit’s 12-week workout challenge was one of the many Bootcamp campaigns in Maryland at the time that had a very enticing program and incentive I opted not to turn down. The challenge granted me the opportunity to take a chance on a whim to bet on myself to meet a goal. If I could lose 20 lbs or 5 % body fat by the end of the 12-week challenge, I could win a trip for two to Las Vegas and $500. While losing weight was already on my mind, money and vacation became the objects of my desires. I contacted Hero Fit to inquire more about their fitness challenge, and next thing I knew, I was attending 30-minute boot camp classes 3 to 4 times a week as if I was registered for a class in community college.
I didn’t think about creating an immaculate workout plan. I knew the structure would come as I go. I just wanted to make getting moving part of my regular schedule as soon as I clock out of work. Bootcamp helped their participants in doing this by holding them accountable for checking in to every class using a login system only accessible in the class. The rule of the challenge was to log in at least 3 times a week.
In my next #Thirsty30Body blog, I’ll share with you the makeshift 6-week workout challenge I made at home using a grid book for tracking days that I workout.
#Thirsty30Body 6-Week Challenge
Make it a habit to become your own pest.
I love stationery! Notebooks, planners, and sticky notes are reminders, outside of my daily reminders app on my phone, which helps keep me focused on what needs to be done. My to-do lists are posted everywhere I frequently look so tasks can stay at the forefront of my mind to complete. This secretly annoys me deep within, but I know through lifelong habit, it works. I’m eternally grateful for this habit I’ve gained because I reap so many benefits staying up with note keeping. I’m my own pest when it comes to getting what I want to be done.
Whenever I want to start a healthy eating habit, I challenge myself with this 28 Day Rule. It’s my way of being a pest. I’ve done this with multiple challenges that I’ll later highlight in the #Thirsty30body blog series. For now, I’ll share an easy one that you can begin with on your healthy journey; forming the habit of drinking more water daily.
Drinking my daily average water intake is one of my easiest healthy habits developed over the course of #Thirsty30body, and all it took was reminding myself to carry my water bottle with me and to not purchase drinks while out, daily, for 28 days. I purchased a water bottle from Amazon and carried it with me like a purse every moment I could. My water bottle had time measurements labeled along its side to help me stay on track for where my level of hydration should be in my day. I don’t always follow the timestamps, but I’m reminded by just looking at my bottle that if I finish this bottle twice in one day, I’ve had all the water I need.
When you’ve got the hang of your new habit, set a new healthy goal to pursue. I find that when you set goals this way, tackling them one at a time and creating a routine, it becomes painless going for new healthy habits.
Start now! Don’t overthink your masterplan for how you’ll lose 30 pounds on the first day you choose commitment. Sometimes drafting an entire blueprint in one day can be overwhelming. Start off simple, like drinking water daily for 28 days, conquer it, then move on to your next healthy goal. One step at a time, you’ll devise a working healthy plan. The important part is getting started.
Do you have another healthy habit that you want to form during #Thirsty30body Challenge? Leave what great habits you think would be good starter goals in the comments below.
I did a poll via the Doc’s Castle Instagram and Facebook pages and found out 88% of followers would like me to share a few tips towards my #Thirsty30Body.
Eff the 12% of haters who said no. 😂 Agreeing to share what I know about becoming more fit will help me stay motivated to stay on track, as well. So boo to you and hooray to everyone else who’s helping me stay motivated. I will be posting blogs, videos, and tips regularly to Doc’s Castle in hopes that some of you will want to join in with me.
As I am entering into the second half of Thirsty 30 Body Challenge, I want to share four starting tips that I keep in mind as I prep for these next coming months. Here they go:
Get in the mind frame to get healthy, not only to look good.
When thinking of getting healthy, I frame my thoughts to focusing on what makes me feel good and what are good habits to have. I’m not the type to worry about having an hourglass figure or needing a big butt or chest because the attention it awards isn’t what I want. It’s already hard on women when we feel the pressures of wanting to feel attractive and there are thousands of images being pushed of models and celebrities half-naked in the mainstream media. Those pressures I’ve never embraced. It’s nice knowing that I look good. But I welcome compliments that uplift me and enjoy getting attention based upon my intellect for what I do. I want to keep it like that. So what makes this weight loss journey a “Thirsty” one?
“Thirsty” defined in the urban dictionary means:
An adjective used in describing a person deliberately fishing for compliments, attention, etc.
Too eager to get something (especially play)
Desperate
But I’m defining what “Thirsty” means for me in year 30. I’m encouraging healthy living and hopefully aspiring to be thirsty for a healthier lifestyle. So it begins with what it means to look and feel healthy. It’s not about the physique though I will reap those benefits. The #Thirsty30body is the perfect body for ME! Thirsting for wealthy health.
Spend time getting to know yourself.
Knowing how much I weigh, though it’s good to start with, wasn’t enough for me to get moving and actively exercising because, as I said in the intro to the #Thirsty30Body Blog Series, I never looked at myself to be “big.” My motivation sparked after hearing results from my doctor’s visit to my primary care provider. As preventive care, it’s important that I know everything inside of my body is copacetic because I have things to accomplish, goals to achieve, and a life to live with people that I love. So I like to get bloodwork and vitals taken annually. I do this to be aware of what’s happening in my body so that I can control what happens to and within me.
I like to live by this saying: No one should know you more than you know yourself mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It just seems foolish to me to go an entire life doing what is told of you at all times. If you live your life questioning things, you learn new things about the world and yourself. I apply this to everything I do. It makes sense to do it while on this journey as well. So I say do more than weighing yourself on the scale. Really get to know your body past the numbers. Really get into the anatomy and understand what makes you feel good or bad.
Set your Goals and tracking system for accountability.
After getting my measurements, vitals, and all that is needed to understand my body, I went into the “Taylor University” mode, which is when I spend time meditating with my journal. Healthy living is better than simply losing weight because I prefer to not hear the same disappointing results again the following year. So I use my journal to make goals writing out everything about my body in its current state, and I keep track as often as I want of my progress.
There are multiple other ways that helped with tracking that don’t necessarily require you to drag around a notebook, like joining and participating in fitness groups and clubs online where people can help encourage you, taking and saving pictures whenever weight loss milestones are met, or simply regularly recording your weight loss in a monthly calendar. All these activities helped hold me accountable and motivated me in some way to stick to #Thirsty30Body.
Be kind and patient with yourself and keep pushing through it.
This is probably the most important tip I could give because at the end of the day, you are responsible for holding yourself accountable for getting healthy. People forget how hard they can be on themselves when critiquing their own work in whatever they do. They can start off strong, then fall off so fast because they didn’t pace themselves to be realistic in their journey. After that, they give up. Be kind to yourself and don’t get lost in disappointment if you haven’t quite met your goal. Be patient and allow a realistic timeframe to meet those goals. But also know when to pick yourself up to get the work done to achieve what you’ve started.
Something my mother would say whenever we’d talk about going through hard times is “There’s Always Tomorrow.” She’d say this whenever we’d hear crazy things happen like mass shootings or awful dealings that ended in demise or turmoil. Though resulting in thinking like this might be a little extreme for pursuing losing weight, it works perfectly for me. It won’t hurt me if I haven’t met a goal to lose 2 lbs in one week. I can dust myself off for the following week, and I’m not saying that without revisiting “Taylor University” to make changes to finally meet that goal at some point. I just keep pushing through it. Eventually, I’ll lose those two pounds. So be kind to your mind and body, and also remain determined.
What are somethings that you do to help prepare to lose weight? Leave your answers in the comments below. Also, subscribe to get updates to your email for the next #Thirsty30Body post via subscription form below.
My weight-loss journey started in 2018. Nothing to do with it being about losing weight because I never viewed myself to be “big.” I was going through a moment I was falling off of a path of knowing what I wanted to do in life. It’s the first time I would publicly admit I was going through a moment of depression. I had recently quit my job as a dental business assistant, was dumped by my boyfriend at the time, and unfortunately was getting physically sick very often. I wasn’t feeling like my usual self. My journey started as another escape route from my self induced coma of writer’s block from updating DCM, as well. I thought why not go to the gym because I’m not doing anything else but working just to get off work to lounge all day. After hitting the gym a few times, I notice I felt more energized. Then I connected losing weight to feeling better which was the little motivation I needed to get out of a bad mood.
In 2015, I took an interest in studying how to strengthen my “will-power” muscle as a way out of some “drama.” So much so, self-discipline was my focus word coming into 2015, before I started making vision boards. It was another dark period for me. But I considered it an era where I truly started to understand my place in Baltimore’s Arts and Underground Culture, as well. I started taking the same mini habits and principles I learned and valued about myself during that time as a blueprint for how to get back to my sane place in 2018.
By little habits, I mean, I used my knowledge of the small habits about myself I’ve jotting in my notebook to push me forward. I already knew so much about fitness and weight loss because I’m a daughter to a dietitian. Since elementary school, I’ve known the food guide pyramid from corner to corner. Ask any of my friends about the foods I like to eat when we’re dining out, and they’ll say I’m the only person they know who’d order a salad as an entre for a meal. In this new journey, I decided to focus on the little parables, habits, and principles I valued as a way to help me set and achieve goals towards losing weight.
Here’s five examples of what I mean by habits, sayings, and principles I jotted in my notebook:
If I carry a small notebook and flip through reading its pages often, it’ll inspire me to write and track new ideas in it often. (Using a notebook to keep recipe notes, nutritional tips, and shopping lists).
If something is constantly in your face, view it as a notification that needs to be swiped away. (This helped me with posting notes of weight-loss goals everywhere I looked often and taking them down whenever I completed them.)
“It takes 28 days to form a habit.” (Kept this in mind to help build my habits to eating new foods and drinking water daily.)
The rule of 3 and 5 when completing my To-Do lists. (I used this while following Meal plans and completing challenges.)
Making and completing mini-challenges are additional ways to developing steps for reaching your set goal. (Knowing this helped me to set squat challenges and not eating white carbs for a week challenges.)
I used simple ideas I always thought about as a foundation for building a productive lifestyle and as a way to form a healthy persona I wanted to meet.
I officially began pursuing what I now call the #Thirsty30Body challenge at the end of summer 2019 on a whim when I decided to join a 6-week fitness Boot camp named Hero Fit in Columbia, MD. I did it seeking to find another way to “self-discipline” and strengthen my will-power muscle because I reached another period in my life I believed I needed to regain focus. But this time I thought, “Hmm, what if I put a deadline on it?” That’s where 30 came into play.
Hero Fit reeled me in with their enticing incentive to reward anyone who met their challenge of either losing 20 lbs or 5 % body fat by 6-weeks. Winners could get $500 reward, have a trip for two to Las Vegas, and a 6-month membership for the fitness gym and resources. Hero Fit provided all their clients with an accountability coach and nutritionist to assist each member with carefully crafted fitness plans provided at the start of joining the 6-week challenge. People who join the boot camp gain friendships and plenty of useful information to aid in achieving a healthy lifestyle.
I didn’t win the Hero Fit challenge though I was short of the reward by only 3 lbs. I continued to take everything I did while enrolled in boot camp with me because what I found out was that my accountability coach and nutritionist knew as much as I did about my body. My meal plan and workout routine remained the same regardless of being enrolled there. It’s the accountability that gets me to where I needed to be and the best results.
Ding ding! It’s accountability and tracking that literally keeps me together in anything I choose to do. So I stuck to my notebook of simple notes and habits as a way to stay on track of my fitness goals. I believed in myself. I believed in my own accountability to reach my goal so much so that I betted on myself to do it without throwing money at things I wasn’t contributing to using on a regular basis, like my Planet Fitness Membership or subscribing to detox or fasting. All these things some people would think are absolutely necessary to lose weight. I canceled my subscriptions, memberships, and attention for everything I currently used for weight loss, and resorted to free resources and “habits” I knew I would actually enjoy doing to get me to my halfway mark of the #Thirsty30Body challenge.
At the start of the #Thirsty30Body Challenge, I weighed in on the scale at Hero Fit at 226 lbs. At the halfway point of July 1, 2020, I weighed in at 204 lbs. I lost a total of 22 lbs and I feel great! I’m not done. But definitely feel better. And weirdly so…this journey doesn’t feel hard at all because I’ve created new healthy habits that become normal daily actions. My body is starting to look like BAM and I like it.
Hey! Support Black Businesses! The above photoshoot was taken at the new production studio located in Baltimore, MD. TR3 Productions & Distribution Inc. is “a total solution to all media and audio production. From music production to radio broadcasting, TR3 supplies the resources needed for shaping and building a company’s branding message.” TR3 is currently renovating a new production studio in West Baltimore and is expected to open for operation in late summer 2020. Follow TR3 Productions & Distribution Inc. for more updates via their Instagram @TR3.Productions.
As I shared my pictures on my IG, people reached out for advice on how I stuck to losing weight. If you would like me to share some challenges I do to keep up with my #Thirsty30Body challenge, write “Do it” in the comments section below.
We’re living in the foreshadowing of what really happened during the time of our ancestors. For two years, Texan slaves didn’t know they were actually freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. Today in 2020, we have the president of the United States taking credit for making the holiday famous in the midst of rescheduling his first 2020 presidential campaign in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Though there could be some truth to that statement for many Americans, Trump is not the reason why I know about Juneteenth and also many other people who are fortunate to be educated on the true history of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteeth 2020 was more proactive because of the current social climate of our country. Since the death of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police department on Memorial day, daily protest bringing attention to police brutality and excessive force has remarkably surged throughout the nation. People are making it their duty to protest in support of their stances against systemic racism and support or police reform. Every day there are new updates around the country changing legislation and proposed laws. It’s liberating to see.
But it was a first for me to see black people telling others how to celebrate Juneteenth. Entertainment site xoNecole shared a series of infographics encouraging how people could celebrate their Juneteenth. While I am a black woman, I have never had a tradition for this day. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that there are many black people who honor it.
I felt like I needed to do something to bring more awareness of my history, especially currently with what’s happening. Until June 19th, I’ve remained in my home social-distanced, and my only knowledge of what’s occurring in the outside world is met through the Internet. I needed to get out of my selfmade COVID-19 dungeon. So Juneteenth, I thought of doing something safe that could give me an escape and purpose.
After George Floyd, my boyfriend and I talked about our feelings about our current social climate in America. Both of us expressed a desire for wanting to do more with our brands in support of the Black community. I don’t know what it was, at that moment we felt like we weren’t doing enough. It’s like a kick of activism sparks in your spirit when something you know that isn’t right eludes in fairness. So boom I had an idea. Taking pictures of BLM signs, morals, businesses in support of #BlackLivesMatter while driving around Baltimore could give us that oomph we were missing. We can still do this and remained social-distanced.
Defund the Police. Need I say more?
I don’t think it’s necessary. We haven’t kept quiet since Floyd. I think people are fed up and won’t keep quiet.
CtrlMyCamera takes the credit for all these photos. That’s why I want to bring attention to supporting this talented black artist.
It’s always fun to catch an artist at work. It’s even more fun when you can get a class from it. Haha. Akeel is the most skilled photographers that I personally know in Baltimore city. So if it came down to finding the perfect person to coach me during a photo walk, no doubt it would be Ctrlmycamera.
A nice night hanging by the fire with friends in our blackness 12 am on Juneteeth.
Akeel Shabazz is the owner of the photography brand CtrlMyCamera. CtrlMyCamera specializes in portrait, event, wedding, landscape, and nature photography. Check out more from Akeel found on his Instagram @ctrlmycamera.
When did you first hear about Juneteenth? Leave your comments below.
