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Just Put the “H” In It!! Meaning….

Published on January 18, 2018January 18, 2018 by Roshonda B7 Comments

photo above courtesy of bing

PUT SOME HEALTH IN IT!!!

So, you may be wondering what in the world is she talking about now. Well, I thought about the H during the first week of January when we were all settled in (or maybe we just were here on this side of the world) waiting on the snow to go away. Due to the snow coming in out of nowhere seems like, I was stuck in the house for a couple of days….4 to be exact. My neighborhood was so slick and covered with snow, we couldn’t even get out to go to the store – Thank God I went the night before.

While all snuggled in the house, it threw me off of my regular “work” routine – where I would’ve been in an environment that kept me on my feet all day long and on the right schedule as far as eating right is concerned, now here I was stuck in the house with food, allllllll…..dayyyyyyy……longgggggg. I wanted everything “bad” from pancakes, to cookies to fatty foods like a good ole’ cheeseburger and pasta. Now, I know you’re wondering – what are you doing with that stuff in the house, well I have a teenager and a pre-teen – soooooo….okay. Now, I do watch what they eat and I bake all my meats and cook at least one veggie and starch with every meal, they eat healthy fruits and so forth; but I do buy them some sweets as well, I mean I don’t want to totally push it out of their sight and/or punish them just because I’m trying to get on the good foot.

But this particular day of being stuck in the house all day, made those tempting things I bought for them extra hard to resist. Those cupcakes began to look really good, every time I opened the fridge; I felt the urge to want to eat it….

but what I had to realize was that just because it’s in front of you, tempting as it may be; wanting you to devour it’s goodness, doesn’t mean you necessarily have too – there’s one thing you can do to turn that unhealthy option into a good one and that’s to put the “H” in it. Puzzled? Let me explain further…

On that snowy day over a week ago, I had a craving for some pancakes – I’m not much of a pancake eater but for some reason that day – I couldn’t get them off my mind. I had some pancake mix in the cabinet but it wasn’t made out of coconut flour, if you get my drift. It was the regular flour mix – while I wanted the pancakes, the first thing I thought about was “How can I make these a little healthier.” So that way, I’m not just eating plain pancakes, but pancakes that have been healthfully boosted to be actually good for me. I mean, just because I was in the house didn’t mean I needed to go “rogue” with my eating habits. Once I gave my counter a look over, those plain pancakes became a much more healthier alternative than what they would have been had I had just fixed them up.

I measured out a good enough amount of mix that would make two pancakes and added a little coconut sugar, almond milk, chia seeds, unsweetened applesauce, ground flax seeds and a dab of hemp hearts. After stirring it all up, I put them in a skillet with a little coconut oil; once done, I added two tablespoons of SF Syrup and viola, I had healthy pancakes and I must say – they turned out better than I had expected! (see below).

Honestly, if you think about it and if your goal is to really make healthy choices this year; this could be a good start to those early resolutions. You can start small and work your way up. Listed below are some of the things I do to add a little health to my foods.

Other Simple beneficial suggestions you can use to add a little bit of “Health” to your food:

Adding cinnamon to cheerios
Adding chia seeds or flax seeds to salads
Adding slices of avocado to a sandwich
Adding hemp hearts to a Peanut butter sandwich

The list above is just a small number of healthy choices you can use to add to some of your favorite meals. The deal is coming up with healthy ways to spruce up your everyday meals, especially if your budget is tight and you can’t afford to buy into those expensive weight-loss food delivery programs such as Jenny Craig, Blue Apron or Weight Watchers, it’s all about taking out time to read the labels and choosing a healthy option over a non healthy one or adding a healthy one to an unhealthy one.

So, the next time you eat something that doesn’t seem to have an H in it, begin to think of ways you can jazz it up to take it from Fatty to Healthy.

What are some ways you add the “H” (health) to some of your favorite foods, I would love to hear about them!

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of A Blog, A Magazine. It’s JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

On next Tuesday 01/23: I’ll have a pop-up blog post entitled “A Gallon A Day?, No Way! – How do you drink your gallon of water a day, in that post I’ll share and give tips on how I drink mine, so if you’re wondering how to get down a gallon of water….stay tuned, help is on the way.

You know they say networking is a great thing and I love it because you never know whom you’re going to meet, well next Thursday 01/25: I’m going to be sharing the story of my new friend Kristi Data whom I instantly connected with via Instagram, her empowering persona and paying it forward attitude had me at “Hello.” Kristi will be sharing her ups of being active in organized sports to her downfall of having an eating disorder in college, so how did she bounce back? You’ll have to tune in next week – you don’t want to miss her inspirational story.

The Next Step is Meal Prep!

Published on January 11, 2018January 11, 2018 by Roshonda B1 Comment

Photo above is courtesy of Pinterest

Now that the new year has officially gotten underway, the number one goal on everyone’s agenda whether for the first week, month or entire year is to get healthy, cut out the sugar, go to the gym and eat clean!

Well in order to achieve those goals, the other number one thing you have to do outside of getting healthy is prepping your meals. Trust and believe, I’m no expert at doing this and if I can be honest, I find the whole cooking everything on a Sunday for the rest of the week to be very cumbersome and plus if you’re an avid follower of mine, then you already know this girl, HATES COOKING! LOL!

But, my light at the end of the tunnel came last year when I noticed the money in my pockets were getting slimmer and slimmer and this wasn’t due to the bills I had but the food places I frequently visited on a daily…..Yes….every….single….day. If it wasn’t Burger King, it was Mickey D’s or Taco Bell or anything FAST that I could get my hands on and while that was a good quick fix, that fix became a habit that continued to get out of control very quickly. It was then that I had a “come to Jesus” meeting with myself and vowed that I would take my lunch, even if it was a PB&J but I was determined to save money.

It’s been almost a year now and I can attest that I “planned my work and worked my plan!” I think I can count on one hand the times I went out to get lunch and for me?, that’s a HUMONGOUS accomplishment to say the least and that was all thanks to biting the bullet and starting to meal prep. Now, don’t get me wrong – this girl still hates cooking but what I had begun to do was cook more at dinner and take leftovers to work and if I didn’t do that, I made sure that I had something to take to eat – no excuses! In times past I was also the person that would successfully take my lunch, butttttttttt….if a co-worker or friend wanted to go out to eat, I would helplessly tag along and vow to eat my lunch the next day….which almost never happened. Not only was I spending money, that I didn’t necessarily have to spend but I was wasting good food that could’ve been eaten.

Last year, I gave snacking meal prep a try – you know those healthy snacks that you need in between eating breakfast, lunch and dinner? I’ve learned that eating 5 times a day keeps your metabolism burning, making you to continually burn calories. There was a young lady whom was doing snacking trays last year and because I love to support people, I thought I’d give it a try and it was great – but once mid-summer ended, so did the special she had running of getting five trays in which all consisted of either fruit, turkey and ham, veggies and cheese and you even got a small packet of ranch dressing for dipping. It was then that I set out to do my own trays for a cheaper cost of course, listed below is what I found, the prices I got it for and the trays I made up for the week.

Meal Prep6 — The Price was cheap, the meat alone at reg. price was $6.88 and the tray at reg. price was $10.00. The cheese is a Walmart GV brand, it was $1.84 and the strawberries were on sale for $1.00 a tray

Meal Prep7 — Once I divided up what I had, this is what I got!

Meal Prep5 — All fixed and ready for the week, I even did me a ranch cup! Don’t mind the donut holes on the side, those were my son and daughter’s holes…lol. I promise I didn’t eat one. #Keepingit100

Meal prepping can be as simple or as hard as you make it but I always like to choose the simple route, so save those left overs and go to the grocery store and search out the low prices on fruit, greens and etc and make up your own snack trays. Hey, you got goals this year and I’m sure you want to make those goals a success, if I can do it – surely you can. There’s a quote that says “Don’t fear failure, Fear being in the exact same place next year as you are today” – No matter what your health or life goals are for this year, make them count and make them work!!

In last week’s post I stated that I would share a breakfast meal prepping recipe from a certified trainer and here it is

Aaron Summerville is an Elite Trainer of Burn Boot Camp Greenville, NC, where he and trainer, Eric D. Kea help shape, inspire and train women of all ages and sizes. They put the “A” in Awesome! Listed below is a meal prep breakfast recipe that Aaron fixes up to stay healthy and charged on a busy schedule.

I usually eat all the ingredients anyway for breakfast, but this recipe will help save me time and energy every morning to cook breakfast and help hit my goals! If you work crazy hours like me or struggle with getting a healthy breakfast in this might be the recipe for you. Aaron Summerville

Yum, Yum Breakfast Muffins

Protein: 15g
Carbs: 11g
Fats: 5g
.
.
6 Whole Eggs
2 Cups Egg Whites
1 1/2 Sweet Potato
10 oz. Turkey Sausage
6 Tbsp Tomato
6 Tbsp Onion
1/2 Cup Spinach
4 Oz. Cheese
25-Minutes @ 350.

I just want to add, for this recipe you will mash up the sweet potato and put it in the bottom of the muffin pan and pour your mixture on top.

You can follow and get to know Aaron Summerville on the following social sites below:

For more heath tips and meal prep ideas, follow him here Facebook

Get to know him! check out Aaron’s vlog post here YouTube

Need some Inspirational gear for the gym?, then sign up and be the first to know when his new t-shirt line Peak Clothing is available.

Hey and if you like strength training, cardio or if your gym classes aren’t giving you that extra push in your workouts, there may be a burn boot camp in your home town or near you. Did I mention that I currently do burn boot camp and have lost a total of 10+ inches off my whole body?, the workouts are tough but they really do work, I’m not only a fan but a witness! check to see if you have one near you here

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of A Blog, A Magazine. It’s JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

Just put the “H” in It!! – Put the H in what?, What is the H? Well, you just have to come back next week to find out = )

NO! Is the New Sexy for 2018

Published on January 4, 2018January 3, 2018 by Roshonda B18 Comments

photo above courtesy of bing

Hey You! Happy New Year!!!

I don’t know about you but I could have used another week of rest, 2017 came in as fast as it went out and honestly it went so fast until there are only a couple of things or months I should say that I really remember, let’s hope and pray that this year goes by a little slower because I can’t do Christmas again in 2 months….get it?…LOL!

Okay, so here we are in 2018 – Isn’t it exciting when a new year rolls around? It’s a fresh time in which we all declare for the 18th time that we’re going to finally get our life right! We make our list and promise to really stick to it this time – more than we did in years past and while we’re working on finally loosing those extra pounds, getting our finances in order and actually SAVE money this time around or get up the nerve to go back to school to get that degree, there’s one more thing that I am adding to my “resolved” list this year and that’s to exercise my right in saying NO!….let me explain..

Sometimes I can be a people pleaser and I’m easily pressured into doing things that I wouldn’t normally want to do….BUT!….because I don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or make someone feel bad or have someone not like me; I say YES. I constantly have to catch myself at times because I’m known to do things out of impulse because I feel that’s what people want me to do or I’ll stall on giving a complete answer and when I do say yes to something and my yes doesn’t work out, I hide in a corner or duck and dodge around to keep from facing the individual or the truth of the matter – all because I’m people pleasing.

Recently, I asked a young man (he’s no more than 12 or 13yrs old) to wash my car. He washed it once before and did an amazing job, I mean he’s really good to be his age and if he keeps it up, I really see a bright future for him in business. However; when he came by the house, I asked him to come back the following Saturday and he could wash the car then; well as my luck would have it, I had the money but something more important took precedence over me getting my car washed that day. I didn’t know what to tell him because I knew he was coming, it was close to Christmas and he was looking forward to working to earn money, needless to say he didn’t come to the house until much later that day, I heard him knock on the door but I couldn’t open it to face him to tell him the truth. He came back a day later and knocked again and the following day after that and knocked again. With each knock, my heart pounded and I grew sorrowful and weary. I just couldn’t get up the nerve to face him to say “Look little guy, I can’t afford to pay you right now” simple words huh?, no – they’re really not. A couple of days later, I had a credit come into my account of a purchase that I had cancelled, it wasn’t much money and again, I had something else that I had to do with it, but the Lord began to deal with my heart and said “Follow peace with all men” even this young man.

While I didn’t have the money to really give him, I asked the lord to bring him by the house as I didn’t think he would come due to seeing my car sitting in the driveway but not receiving a response. He didn’t even have to wash the car, I just felt obligated to give him something for his time and that’s exactly what I did. The look on his face said everything and the yoke on my shoulder suddenly melted away. The lesson I learned in all of that is that things could have been a lot easier, had I just had the courage to tell him No or No, not right now.

Do you have trouble with telling people No? Why is that?

Listed below are just a few tips to consider when you have to say the treacherous “N.O.”

1. Who are you trying to Please?

The first thing you have to ask yourself is “Why am I saying Yes” If this is to please someone or if you feel that individual will like you if you less if you said No, then maybe you need to re-evaluate your relationship with them. There are many people whom would love nothing more than for us to do what they want but you have to consider the person that means the most in this situation and that’s YOU & YOUR WANTS!

2. NO is Empowering!

You know what?, you have to protect yourself. Saying “Yes” all the time is not a good thing, don’t allow your mind or emotions to play tricks with you in thinking that saying No is a bad thing because it’s not. There’s only one you and if you don’t want something or are not feeling something or someone for that matter – it’s okay to say NO! This is your life, think of it as you being the president of your own world and you have to make the decision on what will pass and what won’t. What are you willing to allow and what are you willing to let go.

3. STAND UP!

Fear is the number one thing that keeps us from doing the things that we really want to do. I’ll tell you, I wasn’t always good about standing up for myself – I’d rather just sit and let the chips fall where they may, whether they were right or whether they were wrong because for so long I allowed myself to have a silent voice. If you don’t stand up for yourself, then who will. We live in a world where partially everyone is out to get what is rightfully theirs, so what’s stopping you from getting what’s yours including your voice back, it’s just waiting on you to open up and take charge.

This year, go after what you want for your life. It’s time out for allowing people to step all over you, It’s time to speak up and take control of your destiny. The word NO holds so much power in it and you have a right to use it, who cares if someone gets mad and who cares if they talk about you. You only get one shot to make a difference and that little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, could be held in two little words…..NO!

Now go get your NO, Sexy Back!

Thank you Martha Brown for this thought!

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of A Blog, A Magazine. It’s JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

Do you want to take your lunch to work more this year, than last year? Well, make sure you come back next week, I’ll be giving you some grocery shopping tips on how to meal prep for cheap and provide a delicious meal prep breakfast recipe from a certified trainer.

Holiday Family Survival 101

Published on December 14, 2017December 14, 2017 by Roshonda B4 Comments

photo above courtesy of bing

Okay, so Christmas is a little over a week away and I’m sure if you’re like me and millions of other people, you’re going to be getting your bags packed to travel to the parents and/or in-laws house and depending on your relationship with either – it could be a dreaded day of pretending to like the current situation but in your mind, you’re on some deserted island with a margarita, a TV and your feet up (or maybe that’s my wish..lol), but anyways wherever your mind is taking you, I know it’s far far far away from where you want to be.

And, I get it because all families aren’t created equal, however it’s the holidays and you have to deal with the shenanigans and get through it especially when you have nosy or “busy” I guess I should say, family members whom ask you the same ole questions every year such as “So when are you going to get married?” or “When are you going to settle down?” or how about this one “So what happened to your last relationship?” andddddd…..”When are you going to get a real job, why did you quit the last one?” “You know you’re getting older right, so when are you going to give me a grand-baby” and the list of questions go on and on and on and on and on and, well you get my drift.

So, while I can’t provide you a magic wand ….to make you disappear when that annoying uncle comes to you with another sob story of why he wants to borrow money, knowing good and well he’s not EVER going to pay you back…I provided a couple of tips that hopefully will help you sail through the day until you get back to your “normal” life.

1. Get Those Positive Vibes Cooking Before You Head Out!

You know the environments we encounter can really be changed, if we change our outlook on the environment. When you have what I call “stinking thinking” it causes everything around you to stink! Suddenly, instead of looking at the situation with a positive view, the only thing we allow ourselves to see is the negativity of everything and soon everything everyone does begins to get on your nerves and while the situation may not be the best one, we can only control our actions within it; for our actions are the only ones we have control over. If you change your outlook, you just may see things differently than what you’ve seen before.

2. Don’t Be Rude

Yes, I know you’re saying “That’s easier said than done” and while I truly understand; you have to understand that people will be people (family or not) and you have to take them with a grain of salt, It’s nothing wrong with speaking and holding a light conversation, if you have busy bodies for family members (as we all do) and if a conversation turns south or makes you feel uncomfortable, just let them know “Hey, you know what?, I’d rather not talk about that right now but what I do want to talk about is Aunt Rubies sweet potato pie, she put her foot in that pie” this way you’ve dodged them getting into your business and turned the conversation onto something else. Hey, they may be family but your life is your life and no one needs access to that unless you give them a ticket to sit in the front row of it.

3. Be A Team Player

Ever heard the saying “There’s no “I” in T.E.A.M” well that statement is very true, if your family is anything like mine, usually (it hasn’t always been) but it’s the time of year where people put old feelings to the back-burner for the day and everyone “pretends” to get along so well. Whether it’s just a show or not, take glory in the fact that for one day your family is actually deciding to get along. Join in on the conversations, games, laughs or whatever is going on – don’t just sit on the couch with your mouth poked out looking at people as if to say “If you say one word to me, I’m going to go off” Remember, someone out there wishes they had a family and our minor situations could always be worse off than what it really is. Enjoy your family for this special time, because we never know whom will or won’t be with us the following year. Life is short, enjoy the small moments even if they are only for a second….

4. Shift your Focus

It’s so easy to recognize the faults in people, we can pick those characteristics out like popcorn but when it comes to seeing a positive attribute, we struggle because in our minds we only want to see the worse. Each of our family members, including us are not perfect – someone may have said something to you that really scarred you, so much so until you don’t think you can forgive them. We’ve all suffered “family scars and hurt” unfortunately it’s more common than need be. My family is dysfunctional, they all have issues and I’ve had times in which I’ve said “They’re Crazy, I ain’t got time for that” and have distanced myself from them and while that little grudge lasted a little while, if they were to call me now, I would talk to them as if nothing happened. Every one of us have a little crazy in us, but someone still puts up with us regardless; someone took a chance on us, knowing we weren’t lovable or easy to get along with. Your family members may not be perfect but each of them have a special quality about them, choose to find and see that quality in them, instead of the worse side of them.

This will personally be my last blog post until January 2018. I pray your holiday season is filled with love, joy, happiness and PEACE! Spend time with your family, you never know how special they are until you lose them.

Wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas & a Very Happy, Prosperous New Year!

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of A Blog, A Magazine. It’s JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

Let’s Live Well, Laugh Loud, Inspire More & Love Harder!

8 Free Gifts You Can Give To Anyone, Anytime of the Year.

Published on December 12, 2017December 6, 2017 by Roshonda B4 Comments

As the Christmas season heavily gets underway, and while we all rush to get that awesome gift for the special people in our lives, I wanted to share a few gifts that we all should remember to give each day of the year. These gifts are all free and won’t cost you a dime out of pocket. The only thing these gifts require is a heart.

So, just in case you don’t have the money to spread a lot of Christmas cheer. I’m sure these next 8 gifts will fit the bill for their cost is far more precious than anything you can buy out of a store, as a matter of fact their all PRICELESS!

Check below and see which one you would like to give to someone this month, next month or years to come for all of these gifts can be used every single day.

#1. THE GIFT OF LISTENING:
But you must REALLY listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response, just listening.

#2. THE GIFT OF AFFECTION:
Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family,friends, spouses or etc.

#3. THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER . . .
Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, “I love to laugh with you.” Laughter is the best medicine, it heals in ways you can only imagine.

#4. THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE:
It can be a simple “Thanks for the help” note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life. While buying a card is nice, actually making one or writing a note is better. It let’s the person know that you actually took out time to care.

#5. THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT: A simple and sincere, “You look great in red,” “You did a super job” or “That was a wonderful meal” can make someone’s day. The smallest of words hold the most value.

#6. THE GIFT OF A FAVOR:
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind for someone else outside of yourself.

#7. THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE:
There are times when we want nothing better, than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

#8. THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION:
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone, really it’s not that hard to say, Hello or Thank You or How are you doing today?, sometimes people just need a smile or happy face to let them know, it’s going to be okay.

Well that’s it, sometimes the smallest things/gestures are the ones that are never forgotten, people will lose a gift or even forget what was given to them but making someone’s day; is a feeling that will last a lifetime……Because (see below)