The black Mona Lisa of Pinterest

Who is she, this mystery woman with the secret smile and beautiful natural hair? Ever since I pinned her picture to my Sister Feelgood Pinterest board several months ago, she has been repinned 901 times and liked 281 times! That's a record for me!

With so many sisters going natural nowadays, we all need to know the secret of her hair care regimen. Please contact me!

Love,
Donna Marie

Day 47 – Break down big goals.

If you’re overwhelmed by the bigness of your health goal, break it down into small, manageable pieces.

Women who choose weight loss over weight maintenance can feel overwhelmed by the numbers—the number of pounds you want to lose, the amount of time it’s going to take to get there, the number of calories and fat grams you’re allowed per day—it’s enough to make you scream for mercy. What’s needed is some good ole Black woman ingenuity. Reframe in your mind the parameters of your goal. Think of smaller, more manageable short-term goals. Achievement of these smaller pieces will give you that feeling of accomplishment you so desperately need along the way. So instead of saying, “I want to lose one hundred pounds,” give yourself a weight loss goal of ten pounds. Reward yourself when you succeed. Most of weight loss is a psyche job. It’s a process of mental toughening and imagination work. Olympic athletes often attribute their success not to physical ability, but the strenuous mental work they did prior to competition.

I will rethink my narrow definitions of success. 

R.I.P., Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou kindly gave me permission to reprint her story "New Directions" (Wouldn't Take Nothin' for My Journey Now) in my book Black-Eyed Peas for the Soul. Here's one pearl from the excerpt:

"Each of us has the right and the responsibility to assess the roads which lie ahead, and those over which we have traveled, and if the future road looms ominous or unpromising, and the roads back uninviting, then we need to gather our resolve and, carrying only the necessary baggage, step off that road into another direction. If the new choice is also unpalatable, without embarrassment, we must be ready to change that as well." ~ Maya Angelou

Still We Rise

by Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may tread me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Do you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops.

Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard

'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it comes as a surprise?

That I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame

I rise

Up from a past that's rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.

And she rose! Thank you, Ms. Maya.

Love!
Donna Marie

Day 46 – Don't quit!

When you don't feel motivated, and nothing – no affirmations, no visualizations, nothing – can get you exercising, that's when you need to close your eyes and just do it anyway. Don't think about how hard it is to take that extra mile. Just do it. Think instead of the new wardrobe you're going to buy once you've met your goals. Think of sex, anything to get you through. The hardest times, if you master them, can push you to higher levels of health and fitness. So now is not the time to stop. Do something different. Sing while you work out. Change your walking route. Buy pretty new sweats.

I'm not going to stop. I'm going to keep on keeping on. I can do this.

Day 45 – Don't forget the ivories.

Unless the dentist is cute and single, probably our least favorite activity in the world is having our teeth examined. Something about the drilling so close to our brains. As women, however, we can't afford to be lax about the ivories that CHEW OUR FOOD! Our teeth are particularly sensitive to all the hormonal changes we experience during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause; and because Western doctors tend to treat pieces of us rather than all of us, we forget that all of our cells, organs, and systems are interconnected and interdependent. Teeth feel a bit shaky? To make sure nothing's wrong, by all means have your teeth checked. Get annual cleanings (or more frequently if your dentist says so). Go easy on sugar-loaded foods. Some of the latest research says that a stick of sugarless gum a day will keep the dentist away. Or try massaging your teeth and gums with a wooden licorice stick (you can buy these at most health food stores). Our African ancestors swore by them.

I don't want raggedy teeth. I'm calling my dentist today.

Day 44 – Watch out for the carbs!

What do you and body builders have in common?

Carbohydrate-rich foods! If you love potatoes, sweets, spaghetti, rice, and bread, then you share a dependence on a common food type. While body builders scientifically load up on certain carbs for energy and to deliberately gain weight, we tend to use foods like pasta, rice, and potatoes (loaded with fat) to help us stretch meals and to leave us feeling full. Current diet industry wisdom places the blame for heaviness squarely on fats, but for many of us, the problem may be caused by a biochemical disorder called "carbohydrate addiction," according to Drs. Rachael and Richard Heller of the Mount Sinai School f Medicine in New York.

The basis for the addiction is a chemical ménage a trois gone bad among carbohydrates, insulin, and serotonin. Not every overweight person is addicted, nor is every addicted person overweight. However, this disorder may prove an important clue in the journey to health and fitness for many Black women. The Hellers cite years of research, interesting case studies, and a self-test in their best-selling book, The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet. Your homework assignment: study your body and read the book.

My body is the laboratory, and my will and intelligence are the keys to unlocking the mysteries of health for my body.

Day 43 – Listen to your body.

Pay attention to what your body is saying. Don't ignore persistent aches and pains.

Believe it or not, our bodies talk to us constantly. Every growl, ache, and sneeze has meaning. It's unfortunate that we don't understand the language of our bodies. So when we have an ache, we run to the medicine cabinet. Even Western science is now beginning to admit that most of our diseases and ailments are rooted in poor nutrition and our maladjusted ways of coping with stress. Although doctors have their place--and you should always check with one if something is wrong--try to listen to what the ailment is trying to tell you. It might feel strange, but ask the ailing body part what lesson it has to share with you. Then, and this is important, trust what you hear. If a persistent cough is trying to tell you that you need to stop eating mucous-forming dairy foods, then try fasting on dairy. If chronic knee pains are begging you to lose weight, heed the warning. If high blood pressure is telling you to let go of your anger, then, honey, let it go.

I will pay close attention to what my body's trying to tell me.