Memoirs of a BadAssBody: Introduction

Growing up I was like most young childen...happy...energtic...not a care in the world but I loved one thing more than anything probably in this world.....FOOD

At the age of 13 I weighted around 210 pounds.  I ate when I was hungry, I ate when I wasn't hungry, I ate before dinner and had a nice little (Im being modest....) snack after dinner.  Not understanding the principles  behind healthy eating and exercise was leading me down a path of destruction!  When I came to the age of dating, imagine became everything.  Thats when my weight and I became true enemies. 

Over my next four years of high school I battled head to head with my weight.  I had been such a tom boy majority of my teenage years I never really cared how I looked or what clothes I wore, how my hair was done and makeup who? But I was ready to get noticed by the boys I teamed up with during a casual game of basketball.  I wanted to be "That girl".  I managed to drop down to 180 pounds my junior year.  Although sadly I remained the cool down to Earth girl everyone knew as Keke...the boys high fived me and cheated off my test papers.  I didnt attend ringdance and felt somewhat pressured to attend prom....

 

My sophmore year of college a gained 30 pound and was beyond disguised with myself.  It became reality for me and I joined Bally's Total Fitness January of 2005.  Who knew in 7 years of hard work and dedication I would conquere this battle and dropped down to a weight of 135 pounds! Whew....sexy!

Lol but in all seriousiness I wanted to share a little bit of my journey with you today. Its been a long and exciting experience for me to see myself transform from that little chubby girl to a true healthy women.  Which brings me to the whole purpose of this conversation.  See I have hit of what seems to me like a dead end road.  My last couple of months in the gym have been so repititive and my body has become bored and complacent.  Ive been attempting to mix things up by getting my dance fever on with Zumba.  Also, pushing my muscles with kickbutt interval classes.  My next venture was cyclying!  But it all just didnt seem to satify.  So I have decided to take on a challenge/dream and turn myself into a die hard fitness competitor! Thats right I said it.....FITNESS COMPETITOR!  I've been training for a total of two weeks now going on my 3rd.  And I have to say....I feel amazing.  No true changes just yet, but each day I see a little more muscle poping out and my abs getting a bit more definied.  So anywho stay tuned for more up coming articles.  This will truly be a time of change!!!

I Like It Raw

First off I want to say....YES.... I know its been some time, but we will continue on like nothing ever happened...ok! Great! Now that we have gotten that out the way lets enjoy a little convo. So today I noticed my hair was looking a little under the weather....which is not my normal. But I will admit since I cut my mane, well....things have been far from the same. Coming from a long journey of damaged hair I put sweat, blood, and tears into repairing my mess, to then cut it all off! Even today I look back and regret that choice but it is in the past now right? Wrong! I ABSOLUTLEY hate my hair right now. And because of those deep, dark, embedded feelings I have been abusing and misuseing my hair. Your probably reading this and thinking Im crazy but everyone has something they dislike about themselves and right now for me, its my hair. So with all that said my hair pretty much needed some TLC...BAD.

I reached out to a friend (@candirayne) on twitter being that she recently went natural. She suggested I try Shea Moisture's Raw Shea Butter line. Now I am the Queen of product searching, and I knew about the brand and had tried it before and was not to pleased. But I trusted her judgement and took advantage of the BOGO sale at Walgreens. And honey!!!!! Im am more than happy that I did. This stuff is awesome!

I purchased the "Moisture Retention Shampoo" and the "Deep Treatment Masque". The shampoo instantly detangled my hair and moisturized each strain. Most times I can notice if the product will weigh my hair down but no worries here. I then allowed the hair masque to set in for about 30 minutes and rinsed. Instant softness and moisture....I was in love :) I twisted is up into several knots and I cant wait to see the end result come tomorrow morning! I did finish my hair with two of my favs Goddess Curls and the elixir oil by Curls (found in Target stores). This gives your hair excellent frizz control and shine.

So real quick I wanted to share this experience with you all and give my review of the product! For those looking to go natural or just
wanna give some special treatment to that relaxed hair try these featured products! Share your story in the comment section below or on my
Facebook. Also tweet me @kiakassie...I would love to hear from you guys!

Chocolate Truffle Pie with Joe-Joe's Crust | Trader Joes recipes

Chocolate Truffle Pie with Joe-Joe's Crust | Trader Joes recipes
This may not seem like the healthiest recipe in the world but it sure is simple and can be made vegan! I whipped the pie up yesterday in all but 20 minutes. After 3-4 hours of chill time it was ready for the final tasting! AMAZING chocolate lovers will die and go to heaven on this one. Try it today for around $7 a pie it's beyond worth it...

Alice in Wonderland in the land of beauty

Alice in Wonderland in the land of beauty

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New Year Reflections

Good morning to all and a Happy New Year to you! This is the time of the year when individuals start their new years resolution and begin their journey to becoming a better person. Sadly most of those promises to yourselfwill end up fading away around March or April and just like that we are back to our old ways. Someone asked me what my new years resolution was....and I gave to common answer of " Oh..I'm gonna try to better myself as a person....blah blah blah". The truth was I hadn't really thought of anything, but I knew in my spirit that some changes were taking place right in the nick of time. My attitude had changed towards my life. The hardships, the fears, everything. I realized the goals and promises I make to myself are all just a matter of guidance. That through divine order it will happen the way it is suppose to anyway. The key to it all is just to become in tune with yourself, understand what the body and soul needs at all times. This is a powerful element to tap into but I'm more than prepared for the challenge. So may you all be blessed on this journey we call life, and stick to what makes you happy and never miss out on a opportunity that helps you grow as a person. Here's to 2010 and many many more to come :)

Acne caused by cosmetics

Acne caused by cosmetics

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Tips for fall fitness and health

Tips for fall fitness and health

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In Honor of Bananas!!!

I once made this bread out of curiosity. Complements of Oxygen magazine (another AWESOME read), the recipe was offered as a meal to enjoy for breakfast, minus the calories and sugar. One thing that I didn't use was the Splenda substitute. All I had on hand was organic sugar so that did kick up the sugar content a bit. Overall I enjoyed it. To make it a grab and go option, I made muffins and threw some pecans and brown sugar on top!

Healthy Banana Bread

Ingredients:

Wet:
3 egg whites
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup Splenda

Dry:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almonds, chopped or slivered (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites, and add the remaining wet ingredients – mix thoroughly. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Then lightly blend all of the ingredients together, and pour the mixture into a loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out dry. Let the loaf stand in the pan for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Life in Evolution

A couple of months ago I posted this note onto my facebook page. I was experiencing major life changes, physical and mental. Sharing my view point of it all really brought back amazing feedback. It showed me that the people around me were experience the same thought pattens. So with the year coming to a end I felt it was time to reflect on our outlook of life once again. We all look at the new year as a chance for change. But amazingly God provides us a chance for change every day. I know I fall victim to looking at next year as my "new beginning". But I then have to remind myself that I can claim that change right now. So reflect of how you have evolved over the past couple of days, months, even years if you must. Encourage yourself today that you have a purpose in life. Afterwards share your outlook through the comments and in return your story could have the possibility of encouraging some one else

According to Webster the definition of "evolution" is stated as so:

any process of formation or growth; development: the evolution of a language; the evolution of the airplane.
a product of such development; something evolved: The exploration of space is the evolution of decades of research.
a process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development, etc

Life around us is always evolving, whether good or bad, the world along with the persons in it are changing. What gets interesting to me is when you have a instant connection with the change that is happening in your life. Its when you see yourself becoming that man or women that you have only dreamed of becoming but now its becoming your every day reality. That's the change I'm talking about, the "evolution" with one's self. I know many of us have heard time and time again," You can't love anyone else, until you can love yourself". Can you say today that you are in sync, in touch, and as one with yourself? I have learned that life will take you on so many journeys. People claim how they want to explore the world and travel, but surprisingly have never took the opportunity to explore life. It is a never ending journey. You go through good times, sad times, tuff times, decent times, hard ass rock bottom times, and all for what? To reach your destiny? To conquer in victory or to gain personality and humility. Or to grow cold, and insecure, worthless, or spiteful. Well that is the gift that has been given to us by God himself, the gift of "choice". Whether it be the right choice it is all up to you. This I understand and can be a bit overwhelm. Its a difficult task making choices for your future. But understand that you as an individual will eventually evolve because your life is steadily evolving. In this process your becoming the person God destined you to be. Life will take you through the mountain highs and the valley lows. But through all this know its only to develop you for the blessings and promises made for your future. Your life is in evolution...

Gobble Gobble With Health in Mind

While sitting here in class, I decided to become productive and let my thoughts flow onto my blog. I have been preparing myself for the Thanksgiving feast! Lol...well not really but I have been telling myself "Akia your NOT gonna feel the way you felt last year after the holidays"!!! Which was needless to say horrible. So my first step in preparation was to begin my yearly colon cleanse. Last year I actually used Dr. Natura's Colonix system which worked great! I felt amazing afterwards...but due to a sistas budget I went for a less expense formula this time around, Organic Bowel Cleanse by Renew Life. So far its been pretty good. The taste is almost similar to that of spiced oatmeal. Also the formula is free of pysllium, senna, and cascara sagrada so you don't have to worry about that gas/bloat feeling and intense urge to go. But anyways I'm not here to run my mouth on colon cleansers lol, but I will provide the websites to each system below if your interested in more information. Back to my original thought, with the Thanksgiving holiday approaching the aroma of sweet potato pie, and warm homemade mac and cheese just cloud my mind. Although the thought your body may have about these rich, high calorie, low nutrients foods is a bit different. The one thing we all fall victim to around the holidays is overindulging!!!! So our goal this holiday season is to keep the peace within our bodies. Lets check out some tips that will help you stay on the path of clean eating and balanced bodies.

TIPS

* If your not on a daily regimen with a balance diet start replacing those cheese crackers with a piece of fruit, or a side of fries with a garden salad. Its all about healthier choices....so make the choice and start TODAY!!!!

* To compensate for the possible consumption of high-calorie foods increase your exercise over the holidays. Take a walk around your neighborhood before or after your holiday dinner. Grab a in-law or visiting family member so you two can catch up!

*When you know your going to dinner or possibly a party, stick to your small meals every 2-3 hours. Don't try and save yourself for the table because this always ends in disaster!!! Control your blood sugar and avoid the ITUS!

* Indulge in one dessert and one dessert only! Don't turn your plate into a sampler of sweets, which I tend to always do lol!!!!

So lets not wait until the first of the year to begin our quest to better health...just start now! If you are looking for examples of possible meal plans to follow next time your in your local grocery store or book store grab a copy of "Clean Eating" magazine. I live for this magazine! I still have each copy sense the day they first came on deck. This can really help you understand the whole concept of clean eating along with learning really delicious recipes. And for my Twitters out there a great way to record your daily calorie intake is to "tweet what you eat" at

http://www.tweetwhatyoueat.com/.

Follow me www.tweetwhatyoueat.com/diary/kiakassie

Happy Thanksgiving and be blessed!

Colon Cleanser Websites:

* http://www.drnatura.com/

* http://www.renewlife.com/

* http://www.herbdoc.com/