Tuesday, May 31, 2011

30 Day Blog Post Challenge: Day 1

Question 1: Five ways to win my heart?


1.) Have a strong relationship with God
This is important to me because I am also yearning for a stronger     relationship with Jesus. There are sooo many things that God has done for me that I take for granted each day. Having a strong foundation in faith is very important to me. My belief is that Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for each and everyone of us and we all should spend time praising Him for being who He is. I also believe that we are saved by GRACE not by WORKS! A man that shares these beliefs with me has taken a GIANT first step towards winning my heart :)

2.) Passion for uplifting urban youth
Most people that know me know that I am very passionate about education. I grew up in Detroit, where the public school system barely produces many students that can read at their grade level. I feel that every child deserves a chance at a great education. A man that not only believes this, but tries to help fix the problem will win some major points in my book.

3.) Educated man
Not much to say here...there is nothing sexier than having an intellectual conversation with an educated man...

4.) People who like to laugh
I love to laugh, in fact I do it ALL the time. I am very silly and I love to have fun. People that laugh a lot are usually very positive and fun to be around. They are also usually very charismatic and charming, definitely a plus ;)

and last but certainly not least...

5.) Guys that like jazz/neo soul/smooth r&b music
I love these genres of music. Instead of doing the typical movie date, I love to go to jazz clubs. I find the music to be wayyyyy more uplifting that the things I hear on the radio. I also love the smooth melodies that make you want to get up and dance!

Stay blessed!
nNb :)

30 Day Blog Post Challenge

Hey everyone!

So...I was on one of my favorite blogs Her Best Hair and I saw he most recent post. She is starting a 30 Blog Post Challenge to answer the following questions each day:
This challenge seems like sooooo much fun, so I've decided to join her. Feel free to join both of us during this challenge as there are sure to many fun responses!

Stay blessed!
nNb :)

Satisfying the Economical Fashionista in YOU!

"A girl should always be two things: classy and fabulous."
~Coco Chanel

Hey lovelies!

As summer draws nearer, people are starting to replace the sweaters with summer tops. As I start to configure my summer wardrobe, I want to make sure that I get the most bang for my buck. In order to do this, I decided to check out some online sources for designer fashions. I came across a few websites:
599fashion.com and  15dollarfashion.com. Both of these websites carry very nice, good quality clothing at VERY affordable prices. 

Ok, so the first thing that you might think is that the websites might be kinda sketch if they are selling clothes for that cheap. I had this same thought too, so I looked up YouTube reviews to make sure that the sites were legit. You can see one of my favorite review videos for 599fashion here: http://youtu.be/LVfUToVMa3I
Make sure you all check out the websites and look at YouTube for more reviews on both of the websites. As soon as I order from the sites, I will post a review about my experience. 

Happy shopping fashionistas,
nNb :)


Thursday, May 26, 2011

Healthy Meal Challenge

5/26/2011 Breakfast: Whole Wheat Bread,
Orange Slices & 3 Scrambled Eggs
When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no "I'll start tomorrow."  Tomorrow is disease. 
~Terri Guillemets

Hey everyone!

I hope everyone is having a spectacular week! This post was inspired by a post that I saw on (now, one of my favorite weight loss websites) www.myfitnesspal.com. One of the members was challeged by his friends and coworkers. The challenge was that healthy meals can't be filling and satisfying while still being low in calories. He decided to start a forum post about the subject, and began posting pictures of his meals on the site as well as the corresponding caloric content. After seeing some of his meals, I got inspired! I have been griping internally, wondering when I would get tired of eating the Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine meals. "Running out of food to eat" was one of my biggest problems that contributed to my failed attempts at weight loss. It was then that I realized that in order for this attempt at my LIFESTYLE CHANGE to be effective, I have to figure out ways to spice up my meals.

First and foremost, I will look up great recipes online for healthy meals (that don't have to be microwaved) and cook more food at home. My goal is to try to post pictures of some of the meals that I am eating online. This will help me get out of the "food rut" that I am currently in :) In addition to looking up great recipes, I will also be posting my feeble attempts at making them on the blog. I'm looking forward to this great new opportunity in front of me. Any support or comments (as well recipes) will be greatly appreciated...

Chao loves!
nNb :)




Monday, May 23, 2011

*Music Review* --> Musiq Soulchild's "Musiqinthemagiq"

"Time waits for nothing, no one and everything"
 ~Musiq Soulchild


Hey everyone!

Musiq Soulchild's newest album "Musicinthemagic" dropped recently on May 5th. I just got the opportunity to listen to it this week, and I have to say that this is some of his best work yet! Usually, there are only a few key songs that I like on ANY album that I hear, but Mr. Soulchild outdid himself this time! I love every single track on his new album! His songs display a very positive message about love, and commitment (as normal) as well as gives listener a catchy tune to jam with. He had a nice balance of slow and fast paced songs on the album, for an overall WIN! I won't go into too much detail about the tracks, because my explanations will not do them justice. I will say this though, my favorite track on the album is "Silver and Gold". Take a listen here:



Enjoy & Stay blessed!
nNb :)

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Weight Loss Journey: Week 1 Results!

"Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.” ~Buddha
 Hey everyone!

I'm excited to say that I made a whole week in my weight loss journey! My diligence has paid off and this week's set of measurements proves it. This past week, I have made it a point (or at least tried...lol!) to do some sort of exercise everyday. The first exercise video that I attempted was Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. That video was (and still is) particularly challenging to me. After the first day, my thighs and lower body ached and burned for a
few days. After the first workout, I became afraid and started to avoid doing the "Shred" and tried to find other ways to work out. Needless to say, the "Shred: video gave me the best AND most thorough workout of my life! For this reason, I have decided to dedicate 30 Days to doing the "Shred". Please pray for me y'all, lol! As for this week's measurements, I do have some very exciting news: 
I LOST WEIGHT and INCHES IN EVERY ATTRIBUTE!
Here are my Week 1 Results:
Weight: 
Wk 0: 198 lbs. |  Wk 1: 193 lbs.
Bust: 
Wk 0: 42 4/8 in. | Wk 1: 42 3/8 in.
Waist: 
Wk 0: 38 in. | Wk 1: 37 6/8 in.
Hips:
Wk 0: 43 6/8 in.  | Wk 1: 43 3/8 in.
Thighs:
Wk 0: 26 in. |  Wk 1: 24 in.
Biceps:
Wk 0: 12 4/8 in.  |  Wk 1: 11 3/8 in. 

Last but not least, I made a video basically restating some of the things I said earlier. This video also contains a tutorial on measuring body parts. I show y'all step-by-step how I will be measuring myself during this journey. Check out the video below (Don't forget to rate, comment & subscribe):


Enjoy & Stay blessed!
nNb :)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Online Weight Loss Comminuities

"My advice is to go into something and stay with it until you like it. You can't like it until you obtain expertise in that work. And once you are an expert, it's a pleasure."


~Milton Garland



Hey lovelies,

So, you all know that I am currently in a middle of a weight loss journey. This is my THIRD attempt at doing this and I want to make sure that this time, I am successful. One of my goals during this journey was to find some online weight loss communities that are supportive as well as informative. I am happy to say that I have found some really good ones. These communities, not only allow you to track your exercise progress, butt hey also allow you to examine your nutrition as well. They contain a wealth of information, and I am ready to absorb it all!




MyFitnessPal has a really great phone application that allows you to instantly track, input, and sync your nutritional changes as the day progresses. Their food database is very extensive, and I haven't come across one thing, yet, it did not have.



CurlyNikkiForums Health & Fitness contain a wealth of information from naturals that are trying to become more healthy and fit. They talk about supplements, exercises, challenges and much more! CurlyNikki also has a great phone application so you can access the forum at anytime! :)



FatSecret is a great webiste to check out a detailed list of all types of foods. They not only gave me the standard nutiritional information, but they gave me much much more! They also have a great online journal so that people can follow and track your progress.



These are just a few of the online communities that I have come across that encompass everything that I am looking for! Hopefully you can check them out and join them as well! Don't forget to add me as a friend on all of these communities, my username is naturalNaijabeauty for all of them!



Stay blessed!



nNb :)

Friday, May 13, 2011

Official Weight loss Week 0 Measurements!

"Money is the most envied, but the least enjoyed. Health is the most enjoyed, but the least envied."
~Charles Caleb Colton

Hey everyone!

I started my official weight loss journey yesterday and I am still super excited! In order for this journey to be successful, I am not only going to weigh myself each week, but I'm also going to be recording measurements for other parts of my body. This is so that I don't get discouraged when I look at the scale 2 weeks in a row and see the same weight. Looking at the change in the rest of my body measurements will help make me feel so much better. I took the my initial measurements yesterday. Here they are:

Weight: 198 lbs.
Bust: 42.5 in
Biceps: 12.5 in
Waist: 38.0 in
Hips: 43.75
Thighs: 26.0 in

I plan on measuring myself at the end of each week and I will be posting my progress on this blog as well as other weight loss communities. Stay tuned for more details/developments!

Stay blessed!
nNb :)

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Measurements for Weightloss Journey...

Hello beauties!

So, as you all know, I am starting my weightloss journey today. Each week I will video taping or blogging the following measuments:


  • Weight

  • Waist

  • Hips

  • Thighs

  • Bust

  • Arms

This will allow me to keep an accurate account of all of my weight loss. There will be some weeks that I won't see a weight loss change but I will see a decrease in another measurement. I will be measuring myself today and recording all of these measurements on the blog. I'm super excited to start this journey and I hope that I can motivate others to begin taking control of their health.


Be blessed,


nNb :)

New Exercise Journey!!!

It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor.

~Marcus Tullius Cicero


Hey everyone!


I'm come to you all with great joy in my heart! I'm finally going to start my exercise regimen! I picked up a membership at a popular gym about 2 months ago, hoping that I would be motivated enough to start my workouts. The only thing that I was able to do was allow my membership card to collect dust.


The recent boost of motivation for me came from an incident that occurred last weekend at my cousin's graduation party. I took a picture with my cousins in a row, and afterwards, when I saw the picture, I was saddened. I felt like I looked very large and super wide in comparison to the rest of the women. Now, I'm not saying that being large is a bad thing, but I started to feel very insecure after seeing the picture. I carried the feeling of sadness for most of the evening. I remembered dressing myself before the event and feeling SUPER cute, and I almost started to tear up. I couldn't really figure out why I was feeling that way.


Fast forward to the yesterday, those feelings of sadness resurfaced after I saw the picture again. After some thought I determined that the only way that I will be able to remove those feelings of sadness is if I begin taking better care of my health. So, I am going to blow the dust off my gym membership card and start on the track to good health. Although my goal is to lose weight and no longer be considered obese, I also want to make sure that I start eating better and drinking more water. One of the things that I have fallen into a bad habit of doing in drinking more juice (or kool-aid) than water. Those things are filled with sugar and all it does is make me wayyyy more sluggish.


Now, you might be saying, "Michelle, haven't you tried to do this in the past? What will you do this time to make sure that your motivation doesn't fade?" I'm proud to say that I have also been thinking about correcting past failures. It doesn't matter how much you pay for a gym membership, if you don't go to the gym, then you are just waisting your money. Below are some of the things that I want to do to keep myself motivated:




  1. Post about my weight loss progress each week


  2. Continue visting exercise forums and websites to keep getting more tips


  3. GO TO THE GYM!!!! or find another place to workout if money gets tight


  4. Post the types of healthy food alternatives that I am consuming


  5. Post my workout regimen


  6. Drink 1/2 my body weight in water


  7. Learn to have fun while working out!


  8. Join an online workout community where I can post my results to keep myself committed

My hope is this time my exercise journey will be a success and can be documented so that the world can also see. If you have any tips or pearls of wisdom that you think might be helpful, please feel free to share.


Be blessed,


nNb :)






Wednesday, May 11, 2011

It's been a while...

Hey y'all!

It's been a while sinnce my last official post so I just wanted to let everyone know that I've got some great ideas in the works. For starters, I'm starting up a new weightloss regimen that is guaranteed to get me some results (b/c I've been reading some nutrition and exercise books, lol!). I'm also going to be starting up another edition of the 10-week weekly challenge to uplift someone. Also, I'm going to be making so big decisions about my natural hair in the next coming weeks (don't worry, it won't involve relaxer but it may involve a possible BC) and I will keep you all posted on those developments.

I will be back in action soon y'all!
Love,
nNb :)

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