Healthy Habits For Black Women In 2020 (that actually work)
Healthy habits should be something that we should all be able to achieve. Think about it, there is a very simple magical, coveted formula for weight loss. Cutting back what you eat and increasing the amount of activity or exercise that you do. Calories in vs. calories out. If it were really that simple, we would all be paper-thin models. However, we know that there is more to the magic than what we eat! Establishing healthy habits is paramount to getting our weight under control.
Firstly, everyone struggles with their weight, myself included. I would love to drop 20lbs while I’m practicing social distancing. Moreover, the current pandemic has many of us quarantined to our homes, hence we have to become creative without over-eating and becoming even more stagnant with our weight goals. Below are a few simple tips to get you started. Just remember that we did not put the weight on in a day, hence it won’t come off in a day!
Weight Loss Hurdles
Before you beat yourself up, keep in mind that a few studies have indicated that weight loss in black women may also be linked to genetic factors. It appears that our belly fat is different than the belly fat of our counterparts. WebMd highlighted a study by Hisham Barakat, PhD, and colleagues. Barakat works in the medicine department of East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. Barakat and colleagues found that obese black women had more adenosine receptors in their deep abdominal fat than obese white women.
Healthy Habits (Get Started Today)
As simple as it sounds, simply start today! Tell yourself that you are going to start today with simple things that will get you jump-started on your path. The great thing is that if you don’t accomplish everything today, you can, in fact, start over tomorrow.
These simple tricks will help you see real progress that is painless. Take your pick from the list. A few you can do immediately and some will take practice. Gains equal rewards and the goal is to make small steps that yield big results! Above all, getting started simply feels good.
Drink a bottle of room temperature water when you wake up
Do 20 crunches
Complete 10 push-ups
25 jumping jacks
Run up and down the stairs 5 times
Ride your bike for 10 min before you shower
hula-hoop
I’m a huge fan of taking baby steps. Try to get through a complete day of making simple healthy changes. If you can get through 24 hours, then you can get through 48, 72, 96 hours; before you know it, you have managed to complete 1 week of subtle healthy changes.
Drink More Water To Lose Weight
Often times, we overlook this simple, but important aspect of weight loss. You must make sure that you are getting enough water. For example, some of your hunger pains maybe your body looking for water, not food. I can not stress this factor enough. Drink plenty of water. Drinking more water is by far one of the easiest healthy habits to incorporate.
Drinking water at the top of the hour makes it easier to remember to drink water every day. Lastly, add a little bit of flavor to your water. Including crushed fruits and or a small amount of 100% fruit juice to your water. It will make it easier to drink water on a regular basis especially if you are not a fan of H20. Always drink water first before you decide to partake in a sugar-laced drink that adds on calories and pounds.
Watch Your Portions
Recently, I wanted a bowl of cereal. I poured my normal size bowl, then I decided to see how many calories were in a serving. To my surprise, I had poured the equivalent of 2.5 servings and was about to consume almost 500 calories. The point is that we over eat on a regular basis without giving it second thoughts. Portion size is important. Most of us are consuming twice the amount of food that we should eat on a daily basis.
Eat Your Vegetables First
Not only should you eat your veggies first, but you should also plan on at least 3 days out of the week, where you only eat veggies. One of the easiest ways to get your veggie servings in is to make a breakfast smoothie. Put in more green veggies than fruit. Eating your vegetables first will make you feel fuller and as a result, you may not eat as much as you would.
We all want everything to be easy. However, we know that most things worth having don’t come easy. None the less, I promise an air fryer will have you wanting to make tasty veggies on a daily basis. Invest in an air fryer, it will change your life. I made Brussel sprouts and collard greens in my air fryer and I must say they were tasty and healthy.
Don’t Skip Meals
Unless you are intentionally fasting, then do not skip meals. Try eating 4 smaller meals throughout the day. Consistently skipping meals jacks up your metabolism and makes your body think it is starving. On the other hand, meal planning will help you to eliminate skipping meals. Meal planning will enable you to make healthier choices.
Healthy Snacks
There is nothing wrong with eating a healthy snack. As I’m typing this, I’m snacking on a few carrots. When possible, replace your junk food with a few healthy snacks. If you have a craving sweet foods, then consider eating grapes. Try some new fruits that you have not eaten. I just became addicted to Cotton Candy flavored grapes and I promise you they are all that! I love eating watermelon as well at room temperature!
Keep a Record
I use MyFitnessPal to track all of my food. It’s so simple and easy. The app has a huge database of food and you can add to the database as well. The app connects you with a wealth of info and other users that are on the same journey to eat healthily. Knowing the caloric intake of food as well as the sugar, etc., really does help you to make smarter food choices.
Keeping a detailed record of what you eat (use MyFitnessPal) will help you to see the bigger picture on how many calories you are actually consuming on a daily basis. Trust and believe that you will get use to tracking and it will simply become a habit like brushing your teeth twice a day. Seeing everything in black and white makes it have more of an impact. It will help you to make better choices. You will become hyper-aware of how little choices have a major impact on your weight loss journey!
Find An Accountability Partner
Find that one person that you chat with on a daily basis in regards to healthy eating and fitness. Having an accountability partner is key to staying on track. You can link your goals to see what each one is doing on a daily basis. In addition, I simply like touching basis with my best friend on a daily basis. We literally start our day off in the am, planning out our day, and providing positive reinforcement for one another.
Get In Your 10,000 Steps
A few years back, I went to DC for a class. I managed to get in 29,000 steps in one day. Let me tell you, I visited a ton of monuments, museums, and parks. Our daily goal should be to get in 10,000 steps. If you don’t have a step tracker, consider purchasing one. I’m currently rocking my Samsung watch, but I’ve also had a Fibit Versa as well.
I get super excited when my Samsung watch vibrates and lets me know that I have achieved 10,000 steps. With so many of us currently being homebound, it is easy to fall into a slump of not getting your steps in on a daily basis. Sometimes it’s the little things that motivate us.
I’ve incorporated getting my exercise in before 9am. I try to walk my neighborhood at least 3 times a week in the am.
Plan for the Week
Take 15 minutes and meal plan for the week. Plan out your daily exercise schedule. Having a plan will help you to stick to your goals. If you don’t want to plan then let Daily-Harvest help you jumpstart your meals. You can by all means use Daily Harvest to supplement your meals. They are 100% organic and might I add, absolutely delicious.
Preparation is also key and having a Prepdeck system has enabled me to make meal planning easy as 1, 2, 3! This is my latest gadget and it definitely helps with my meal prepping.
Weigh Yourself
I believe in weighing myself, and I weigh myself daily and log into my Weight Gurus App to track my weight loss goals. Having a scale that tracks my weight, BMI, bone density, fat weight and water weight is a game-changer for me.
I know that there are individuals that don’t recommend weighing yourself on a regular basis, however you have to have a starting point. Personally I weigh myself daily and connect with the weight guru app to keep myself accountable.
Traditional Cooking
Embrace traditional ways of cooking that come from our ancestors. Here are 7 African Heritage Inspired Tips.
Use lean healthy meats and opt for smaller servings.
Jazz up your food with natural spices & herbs instead of salt. Put the salt down.
Cut out seconds. If you feel the need to go back, then fill your plate with veggies only. Cabbage helps you to loose weight. Get a second helping of beets or green beans.
Use fruits as deserts and skip the cakes & pies.
Eat real food. Processed food is a no, no. Try and go one week without processed food and see what happens,
Don’t forget your water- add some ice & fruit.
Turn dinner time into healing time. The dinner table should be a place of healing. Share family time and good healthy food with your family.
Don’t allow eating healthy to overwhelm you. Everything takes time and you will get into the habit of eating healthy.