Happy Centennial Delta Sigma Theta!!

Congratulations to the Devastating Divas of Delta SIgma Theta Sorority Inc. on reaching 100 fabulous years!! Enjoy your year ladies!!

Ring in the New Year Positively!!

First things first:

I hope everyone enjoyed whatever festivities you got in to!!!

This time last year I posted New Year = RE-New You about setting your goals for the coming year. I still suggested the tips from that post, but I want to focus on going into the New Year with a new attitude. A new way of thinking. I’m a firm believer in the power of positive thinking. Your outlook on life and situations within can affect how you handle those issues and what you learn from them. Here are a few tips that I use to increase the flow of positive energy around me:

1. Start your day off with positive thoughts.

Every morning when you wake up, have 3 or 4 affirmations that you say to yourself. “Today, I will smile more than yesterday.” Failure is an illusion.” Whatever you like to say to yourself. They can and should be unique to you. Put them somewhere you can see them everyday, i.e. your front door, your refrigerator, you desk at work. Make sure you see and read them everyday.

2. Surround yourself with other positive individuals.

Nobody likes a Debbie Downer, and misery truly loves company. If you have individuals in your life who constantly complain, never have anything nice to say, and who just always kill a good vibe, maybe you need to distance yourself from them. We tend to forget how much we influence each other and vice versa. Surround yourself with positive and watch your mindset begin to change.

3. Stop trying to do it and DO IT!!

When Morpheus and Neo had their sparring match in the beginning of The Matrix, Morpheus said to Neo, “Stop trying to hit me and hit me!!” We should apply the same principle to our lives. We often spend so much time planning and analyzing a goal that we take away from the action of actually completing the task. Now I’m not saying just jump into something head first. By all means, plan out your goal. But once you’ve done that, stop staring at the plan and get out there and do it!! Sometimes stalling in carrying out a goal is a defense mechanism that we switch on because we are afraid of pursuing our goal. But that’s where your positive friends come in. The uplifting and optimism you get from them may be just what you need to get the ball rolling.

I pray you obtain whatever goals you set out for yourself. 2013 will be a great year for you!

Here is a little inspiration to get your year started off right:

Martin and Davis Discuss Image of Black Women in Media

A few days ago, political and cultural analyst Roland Martin welcomed image activist Michaela Angela Davis to his program Washington Watch with airs on TVOne. The two discussed the image the of Black Women in the media and the damage it is causing.

Watch below:

Happy Holidays!!

[Edit: This was supposed to go out this morning. Thanks alot WordPress.]

Happy Holidays!!

To all of those who are celebrating a holiday this week, Happy Holidays!! I have one post coming tomorrow and then it’s vacation time….well until the New Year lol. Enjoy these last few days of 2012 and let’s gear up for 2013!!

Health Nut Wednesdays: MADFREE #30For30 Movement

Image activist Michaela Angela Davis is well known in the fashion and media community. She was the fashion editor for Essence, the founding fashion director for Vibe, has styled celebrities such as Oprah, Beyonce’ and Mary J. Blige. She is also vocal when it comes to the image of women and she has appeared on numerous television programs and documentaries discussing issues affecting black women as well as discussions regarding race. She was most recently seen on CNN’s Soledad O’Brien’s “Who’s Black In America” which aired last week.

Michaela recently launch #MADFREE, a platform for women to discuss image and beauty. #MADFREE recently launched it #30for30 Movement where participants work out for at least 30 minutes a day, every day, for the month of December. The initiative has a loyal following on Facebook and Instagram and I suspect that it will continue to grow throughout the month.

I suggest everyone participate!! Find 30 minutess a day to do some type of exercise. Walk, run, do yoga, something!! Just get moving!!

Black Girls ROCK! Accepting 2013 Program Applications!!

Black Girls ROCK! Inc. is accepting application for it 2013 program. Know any young black girl would who rock and would benefit from this program? Download the application today. Deadline is Decemeber 30!!!

Health Nut Wednesdays : Couch 2 5K

Success!!!

I’ve been working on getting back on the healthy road. A friend of mine suggested I look into Couch 2 5K. C25k is a mobile app in which you can train for a 5k marathon with out paying for a trainer. I had recently rejoined my gym and thought this would be great to try out. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it so I figured why not give it a try. I wasn’t necessarily the running type so I figured this would be a great way to get me moving.

The way the app works is it builds your resistance up. You only run 3 days a week and it alternates between walking and running. So the first week you run for 60 seconds and then walk for 90 seconds. Week 2, run for 90 seconds, walk for 2 mins.

This week I started week 3. I admit I was extremely hesitant because this week it got intense. Run for 90 seconds, walk for 90 seconds, run for 3 minutes, walk for 3 minutes.

Yes 3 minutes.

I’ll admit it. I doubted myself. I’m not the smallest person and I didn’t think I’d be able to do it. I was really nervous. So what did I do?

I went to the gym, got on the treadmill turned on my music and started the program.

And guess what? I ran for 3 minutes without stopping! TWICE!!

I believe that 50% of exercise is physical, the other 50% is mental. When I was running, my legs were hurting. It was hard. But I had my music pumping in my ears and I just push myself.

“Keep it going, Malikah. You got this.”

So happy right now!!

After I finished, I felt so GOOD!! I had the biggest smile on my face. Running for 3 minutes straight was a personal threshold for me. I would have never thought I’d be able to run for 3 minutes non-stop. After I got done, I felt like I could run for 30 more minutes. My mind set completely changed at that moment. Physically it was tough, but mentally I loved it. My inner runner has been born.

I’ve made the decision to not look at exercise as just something to do. It’s a lifestyle. I’m incorporating it into my life. Since I’ve adopted that mindset, exercising has become much more fun. I used to say “Running isn’t for me” not because I didn’t like (I never did it) but because I was afraid. Now that I have overcome that fear, I love it. Can’t wait to do it more.

What are you doing for exercise? Leave a message below!!

*sidenote: Both times I ran, J*DaVeY was playing on my iPhone. Go figure!!