Before the year was out, Weight Watchers released trailer teasers showing television mogul Oprah Winfrey explaining why 2016 was the year for her to finally tackle the problem behind her weight issues and live her healthiest life. One of the most recognizable faces in pop culture, Winfrey has been candid about her struggles with weight loss and weight management. As someone who appears flawless in most other areas, weight has oddly been one obstacle Winfrey has not been able to defeat. Like Winfrey, many of us are able to jump the hurdles of life and pass with flying colors, however when it comes to weight management, the Black community fails as a whole. According to numbers reported by the CDC, over half of Black women are obese and nearly 40 percent of Black men are obese. In fact, no group of people have a higher population of obesity than Black women. Winfrey isn’t alone, instead her weight acts as her kryptonite connecting her with her audience and fellow Black sisters. We start out ahead of the game with new gym outfits and the latest sneakers, however by mid-March our protective hairstyles and health and fitness goals are long gone and we’ve returned to the eating habits and behavior that result in high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and much more. So how can you make 2016 a consistently healthy year that ends just as strong as it began?
Fitness expert Lauren Whitmore Powers, owner of Atlanta’s Total Fitness Revolution, says self-sabotage is the most common issue with people not sticking to their health and fitness resolutions.
“People come in at the beginning of the year going 10,000 miles an hour, but nothing they are doing is sustainable. They are exercising three times a day, not eating any carbs, taking weight loss supplements and drinking nothing but water. That’s not realistic for an ongoing lifestyle goal. If it’s a lifestyle commitment, it has to be reasonable, otherwise it’s going to phase itself out,” Powers says.
As owner of one of Atlanta’s premier CrossFit and cycling gyms, Powers says she sees this trend happen every year.
“Right now my gym is packed. People have signed up and are excited about achieving their goals. Many of them are in the gym and don’t have a real plan, they are just there to work out. It’s important to get a professional plan that works for your body. If you don’t have a plan you’ll do something crazy to get to your goal and then end up slacking up slowly but surely until you’ve reversed the entire process,” she says.
Whitmore’s advice to get a plan is echoed by TLC’s Chilli. Recognized for her six-pack abs and lean frame, as much as her vocals, Chilli says consistency is key when it comes to embracing a healthy lifestyle. “I have always eaten healthy and I’m constantly looking for ways to get better and eat healthier. If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready,” she says. “I think if more people would find something they enjoy doing for exercise they would be more successful. I don’t like running, but I love dancing. Dancing gives me that cardio workout everyone needs, but it’s something I enjoy so it doesn’t feel like working out. You have to find something that you like doing that allows you to sweat. That’s the key, you want to get that heart rate up and make sure you are giving your muscles a work out; be it calisthenics, yoga, weights, whatever it is that you do to stay toned. If you add clean eating to that, you are good,” Chilli says.
As a part of her commitment to a healthy lifestyle, Chilli recently became a partner for Beachbody products. She partnered with P90X trainer Shaun T on a new dance workout video called CIZE. The routine involves easy to do dance routines that get the heart pumping and make you sweat. “I was excited to do this project with Shaun T because I am a big fan of P90X, ” Chilli explains. “It was the perfect fit.”
Chilli and Shaun T’s new CIZE routine is perfect for those who enjoy working out on their own time, but many people need to get out of their own environment in order to motivate themselves into getting active. Powers suggests sitting down with a personal trainer. “The National Academy of Sports Medicine lists getting a personal trainer as the No. 1 trend for getting the results you want. Talking to a professional and getting a plan made for your body type is key. After you know what to do, if you follow the steps, success is inevitable. Many people approach their workout routine without an exact plan. I’m a fitness professional and I have a personal trainer — it tells me what I’m supposed to eat and how I’m supposed to train,” she says.
Finding a fitness routine that you enjoy is important, but anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows that eating habits are possibly the biggest key to dropping pounds and keeping them off. Powers suggests eating clean on weekdays and then allowing yourself to splurge responsibly on the weekends. “If you are working out at least three times a week and eating clean Monday through Friday, [you will stay on track]. By eating clean I mean limiting your carb intake, eating greens and fruits and vegetables, drinking your water. If you are doing this during the week, if you allow yourself to have a break on the weekends, within reason, you will be able to maintain your weight and won’t see a lot of fluctuation,” Powers says.
Letia is a 55-year-old Black female who managed to flip a major weight loss into a lifestyle. “I lost over 100 pounds five years ago and everyone thought I would gain the weight back,” she says. “For me that wasn’t an option, because I could tell how much better my health was after losing weight. Not only did my blood pressure go down, but I also could sleep better. I used to have sleep apnea. I knew I had to make working out a part of my daily routine.”
Today, Letia is addicted to CrossFit and works out six days a week without fail. “A lot of my friends will start with me and then stop either when they get the results they want, or when they get tired of dedicating the time to working out,” says Letia, whose health was the motivating factor in keeping her focused on adopting a healthy lifestyle.
Ebony, a 33-year-old makeup artist in Atlanta admits that she has never been able to segue her New Year’s resolution into a permanent change. “Every year I do this and I end up falling off by March, maybe even earlier,” she admits. Ebony says she does better when she has something to focus on to reach her weight-loss goals. “If I know I have to lose weight for a specific event I can do it, but after that I usually end up falling back off,” she says. Ebony acknowledges her pattern of yo-yo dieting isn’t healthy but says she hasn’t found the right motivation to keep her committed.
Aside from the external issues due to extreme yo-yo dieting, maintaining a healthy weight decreases the risks of dealing with many diseases associated with being overweight and practicing an unhealthy diet. Cancer, heart disease and diabetes are high risk for anyone dealing with obesity.
“There are no shortcuts to weight loss and living a healthy lifestyle,” Powers says. “You can try everything; pills, surgery, waist trainers, etc. but there is no substitute for getting your heart rate up by moving your body and putting the right food into your body. You get out what you put in.”
Make this the year you commit, not to a New Year’s resolution, but instead to a new lifestyle. Instead of focusing your energy on the first 30 days of January, map out a plan for the entire year. Looking and planning ahead is the only way to keep from repeating the same song and dance January 2017. Happy new lifestyle!
