Day 26 – A strong will makes for a strong fitness program.

You may not think you have a strong will, but you really do. Remember when you were two years old? You tried to run the house. Mine and no were your favorite words. The battle of wills fought between you and your parents drove everybody crazy. It's a difficult time, and parents usually cope by suppressing a girl's spirit, her will. Parents need to learn how to maintain their authority in the home while allowing a girl to retain her strong will. Many of us were crippled when our spirits were broken. The good thing about a break, though, is that it can be mended. Everyday you exercise, everyday you eat right, you're repairing the damage that was done to your will. Every time you say no to a cigarette or drugs or excessive alcohol or unprotected sex, you're building your will.

My will is strong enough to help me meet my health and fitness goals.

Day 25 – Take it all off!

Get in front of the mirror, butt naked, and take an honest appraisal of your body.

That's right, take it all off. To make it easier on you, turn this moment in front of the mirror into a real production. Turn on some sexy music, and start stripping. Have fun with yourself. Don't be embarrassed. It's your body, after all. The point is not to criticize yourself, but to honestly and lovingly look at yourself, perhaps for the first time in years, with love and acceptance. It's going to be hard. Images of Kate Moss will compete with what you see in the mirror, but resist that other woman. Know that the gorgeous creature in the mirror, rolls and all, is you. Sure, there may be parts of your body that you want to fix. Nobody's perfect. So is your stomach too big for your tastes? Do sit-ups! Is the booté going on and on and on? Walk it down! One more thing--while you're looking in the mirror, make sure you keep the lights on.

I will look at my body today with love and acceptance.

Day 24 – Love your body

"Damn, baby, how'd you get all that in that dress?"

Heavy women from coast to coast are busting out of society's skinny definition of how they should look. Slowly but surely they're dismantling the socially imposed rules and regulations of behavior and dress. Stores are cropping up all over the country that cater exclusively to heavy women. They're selling sexy lingerie and brightly colored dresses with space for cleavage. Vivacious women are learning that a healthy, fit lifestyle begins with self-confidence, self-love, and self-acceptance. They don't feel they have to apologize any more for anything because they're proving the old cliché to be a truth: True beauty comes from within. They're learning that a woman can be sick and unfit no matter what her size. The converse is also true: Heavy women can do anything skinny women can do, including dance, play volleyball, roller-skate, and make love. After all, it ain't nothing but some extra pounds.

I'll be my own woman today.

Day 23 – Don't get trapped by unhealthy stop-and-go cycles.

It's a vicious cycle. We start exercising or moderating our eating in a fit of passion. We go strong for a couple of weeks, then something happens. We lose our drive. We get tired. And we quit. A month later, we start all over again. Years go by like this, and we wonder why we haven't made any changes to our bodies. You may not be conscious of the pattern of starting and stopping then starting all over again, but it's one that is controlling many of our lives. Think of your major successes in life. You weren't able to make them happen by starting and stopping. You had to press through no matter how tired you felt. To find ways to jump-start your program, ask yourself, "What turns me on?" "What makes me really happy?" Go dancing, or take a long, leisurely walk by the beach. Or try a physically challenging activity, one that you've never tried before, such as skiing, hiking, or horseback riding. Be creative.

No more starting and stopping. I'm going to take a deep breath and press ahead.

Day 22 – Mold your body into shape

Believe it or not, Black women have the world in the palm of their hands.

Black women are coming from a lot of different places today. We're in school, we work, and we're housewives. No matter what we are doing, there's a common thread that weaves its way through all of our lives. We don't feel in control. There is a greeting card that depicts an African woman holding Earth in the palm of her hand. What an empowering image! The things we could do, the strides we could make if we really believed that we do indeed hold the world in the palm of our hands. It's there to shape and mold as we choose. Imagine your body as a clay figure standing right there in your open hand. The clay is soft and pliable, perfect for molding into your ideal shape. Our world--our situations, our bodies--are there to mold as we choose. We have much more power than we ever imagined.

I see myself molding my body into the shape I desire it to be.

Day 21 – Food is good!

Food is good; food is not bad.

Dieting is such an intense activity because so much is riding on the attainment of the perfect body. It feels as if a war is raging within us. We see the enemy as food. Food calls our names; it seduces us. We forget that food is good; food is not bad. Food gives us life. It nourishes our bodies so that we can work, play, and love efficiently and energetically. Food is not the enemy, not even high-fat food. It's how much and how frequently we eat that gets us into trouble. We have got to say stop! when we are no longer hungry. We can't allow ourselves to eat just because we're in a fit about something. Food is good. It's our miseducation about the purpose of eating that must be fixed. Let's try to see food differently today, because food is our friend. Why not go out and buy a healthy snack food today? Remember, eating isn't bad. What's important is what you eat and how much you eat.

I love food, so I will not abuse food or my body by overeating.

Day 20 – Are you giving away your power?

Rather than listening to our inner voices, we tend to be swayed by the desires of other people, especially our mates. Black women suffer because many of our men have accepted a body ideal that is not our own. When they tell us that we're too fat, we try to accommodate them by crash dieting or taking diet pills. When we see them (or think we see them) wistfully eyeing thin women, something inside of us dies. We give away our power to decide for ourselves what is best for us, and we rush right out and charge a new health club membership. We want to please and hold on to what we've got, so we try to oblige our men's fantasies (or what we think they are). We only end up hurting ourselves in the long run. We are seldom able to reach the goals that they, or anyone else, may have for us. Stop giving away your power. Decide for yourself your ideal body weight. If you choose to lose weight, lose it only for you.

I will not allow anyone to make decisions about my body. I will keep my power and use it to accomplish my goals.