Day 19 – The power of journaling

"Girl, I hate to write. Why I gotta write down all this stuff?"

A great tool of personal empowerment and self-discovery is a food-emotions journal. Most of us don't eat because we're hungry. We eat because we're tired, sad, bored, anxious, angry, lonely, depressed, even happy. We eat when we're sexually satisfied; we eat when we're not. We eat to satisfy emotional unrest, not hunger. To change from an emotional eater to one who eats to satisfy hunger, you must first bring your eating-emotional patterns to your conscious awareness. Writing down everything you eat and how you felt when you ate on a daily basis will prove an enlightening experience. Did you exercise today? Jot it down. Some experts suggest recording your weight on a weekly basis. Others say to throw the scale in the garbage and record, instead, changes in dress size. Whatever works best for you.

I want to learn more about why I eat. I will start my eating-emotions journal today.

Day 18 – Eat your heart out?

We think that holidays, special occasions, fluctuating moods, and PMS all give us license to overeat. Let's be honest with ourselves. We are a gluttonous society. We eat way beyond the point of satisfying hunger.We eat foods high in fat and low in nutritional value. Such wanton eating has led to a vast number of diseases and ailments that have sprung up in our community, and the leader is heart disease. More Black women die of heart disease than any other group. And heart disease is totally preventable. We now know that exercise and food programs that are low in fat and high in fiber and nutrients are the tickets to health and longevity. We've got the answer, so let's get busy. Cut food portions in half. Eat slowly, savoring your fod. Take a breather before that second helping. You may decide you don't want it after all.

I'm going to be good to my heart today. I'll eat only when I'm hungry, and I'll eat only nutritionally rich foods.

Day 17 – It takes a community to create a healthy body.

The original African proverb, "It takes an entire village to raise a child," can be reinterpreted in light of our need for support as we pursue a healthy, fit body. Our health care must treat the whole person, not an arm here or a kneecap there. We must communicate our need for support to families and friends. Fast-food joints selling grease and sugar that proliferate in our neighborhoods should be phased out. Grocery stores must be forced to sell us only quality produce. We must fight against the overabundance of cigarette and alcohol billboards in our neighborhoods. Is it any wonder that we lead the nation in most ailments? One of the reasons why losing weight or sticking to an exercise regimen is so difficult for many of us is because we exist in unhealthy community climates. If we are serious about becoming healthy, we must become activists. We must continue to struggle against the current, while we eliminate those unhealthy influences that abound in our communities.

I will do what I can to create a healthy climate in my own neighborhood.

Day 16 – Don't quit!

Did you think that miracles were going to happen overnight? The miracle will happen, but its manifestation will be stretched out over time. The achievement of your goals won't look like a miracle, because it will happen so slowly, naturally. But really, what is a miracle but the ability to make dreams a reality through the power of mind, intent, and persistence? You're walking on water, converting water into wine, but you're doing it inch by inch, which is the healthy way to manifest health and fitness. Taking it slowly will have long-lasting benefits. You are changing a lifetime of bad habits and laziness, so do not expect that you'll become the paragon of perfection overnight. It will take time, which you have plenty of. Just know that you are moving steadily toward your goal. Don't allow boredom, weariness, or laziness to take over. Keep on moving. Don't stop.

I will not stop at making a miracle happen in my body today.

Day 15 – What is your dream?

I have a dream. -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

We all have dreams. The challenge is to turn dreams into reality. For those of us who are struggling with health and fitness issues, Martin Luther King, Jr. offers an excellent example of the power of persistence. He was beaten, cursed, thrown in jail, and murdered for refusing to give up. Dr. King and many other brave souls faced Jim Crow with courage and dignity. Remember what it felt like to be denied, disrespected, and rejected, simply because of your skin color? No, life in America is not perfect today, but it was blatantly worse then. Today, the war is being raged on a mental level. If your mind can be chained, then they've got you and can profit from your unhealthy habits. Persist in resisting. In a sense, it was easier for King, Malcolm X, and all the other freedom fighters to go to war because they could see their enemy clearly. For those of us who are striving for a healthy lifestyle, our enemy is not so obvious. It masquerades as ad campaigns, confusing governmental policies, public opinion, and fragmented approaches to health care.

There are lessons to be learned from the civil rights movement. I will persist in resisting. Knowledge is power.

Day 14 – Stress weight

"Girl, them pounds ain't nothing but stress weight."

The word stress has become our favorite catchall word for whatever ails us. Got an ache? It's from stress. Gained (or lost) some weight? It's from stress. Our understanding of stress as underlying most of our body's predicaments is right in line with emerging research theory. More and more health researchers and practitioners are attributing diseases and ailments to high levels of stress in American society--on our jobs, at home, walking down the street, driving our cars. Some say stress may account for 85% or more of the diseases and other ailments our bodies manifest. So, what's a body to do? Take a break. Pray, meditate, take a leisurely walk in the sun, get a massage, talk, cry, take a nap, exercise, go outside and take a deep breath, breathe deeply wherever you are, take a trip, hire a babysitter for an evening, go dancing, or just don't do anything at all.

Today I will do something nice for myself to reduce the stress level in my life.

Day 13 – The road to health is paved with knowledge.

If you're really serious about improving the overall health of your body, you've got to do your homework. This is a critical step that should not be given a pass. Our people are perishing for a lack of knowledge; Black people lead the races in this country in disease and death rates. And for what? If information is power, and if information is plentiful, then we have no excuse. Go into any library, book or grocery store [or on many websites] and take your pick. There are tons of information on nutrition, exercise, and health. Check out the new health-oriented cooking shows on TV. Talk to people who have made great strides in their own programs. Once armed with knowledge, begin to apply what you know. A great mind once said, "Faith without works is dead." No truer words have been spoken. Let's get busy.

I'm going to do my homework today. I'm going to study ways to improve my body. Then I'll apply them.