The Original Queen of Comedy has also now officially taken the crown when it comes to our summer #fitgoals.
Hide your husbands, hide your boyfriends, ladies, because Mo'Nique has a list of fitness goals that have had her snatched all summer, and she and her trainer did not come to play. The comedian recently took to Instagram to share that she's reached yet another fitness milestone on her road to wellness. She explained:
"When [my trainer] first brought me out to this track, he would let me walk half and then I had to run. I said to him, 'One day, I want to be able to run around this track twice without stopping.' Well, today was that day. I made it around this track twice without stopping."
Abuse comes in all shapes and forms. There's physical abuse, emotional abuse, psychological abuse and sometimes, some of the most damaging trauma can come by way of self-harm. When we're talking about the intentional sabotage of self, I don't just mean cutting out alcohol and substance abuse. Food can also be a weapon of self-harm that has the potential to be deadly, and Mo'Nique learned this firsthand after starring in Precious in 2009 when at the time, she says that she weighed more than 300 pounds.
It really doesn't matter how many people are rooting for you if you aren't in your own damn corner, and this is especially true when it comes to making a decision to live a healthy lifestyle. Although her husband, Sidney, tried his hardest to get a handle on her unhealthy eating habits, Mo says that change wasn't an option until she wanted it for herself.
Over the past few years, Mo'Nique has been candid about her personal journey to healing when it comes to both her physical and emotional health, and has lost more than 110 pounds as a result of her hard work.
"Since I was 17 years old, I've been over 200 pounds. Today was the first time in my adult life that I've been under 200 pounds, so I wanted to let you all know it's possible and you can do it and we can get there."
While in the past, some have speculated that Mo' went under the knife to achieve her results, she says that the proof is in the practice. The easiest way to form a habit is to maintain it consistently, and Mo'Nique learned that she had to make a habit out of not quitting on herself.
"I'm telling y'all, if you don't quit on you, you'll get what you're asking for. Just don't quit on you. It doesn't come overnight. It doesn't come through no magic potion or a special wand or processed boxed meals from a weight loss program. It comes from right here [pointing to her heart]."
According to the CDC, Black women have a higher rate of obesity than any other demographic. Four in five black women in this country are at risk of stroke, heart disease, and hypertension, and that's not okay. Mo'Nique has this message for women who say they'll start their fitness journey "tomorrow":
"When I got up this morning, and I read some of y'all's post and y'all say 'Mo, that looks amazing girl and I'm gonna start tomorrow and I'm gonna start next week and I'm gonna start when I get over this or over that,' then you may never get to your start date. Your start date may be 10 years from now and now your health is in poor shape and now you become a burden on your family."
The goal was never to be skinny, sis. Securing the bag is a mood, but sometimes the bag is your health. Secure that, too.
"I say that to you all because it's real. This is no joke. I show you all what I'm doing. It ain't no lie, y'all watch my weight go up and down, up and down, because it's no joke. Get out and move!"
Featured image by Instagram/@therealmoworldwide.
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Again, the answer never changes because, if there is one thing that Shellie Reneé Warren is gonna get, it’s 6-8 (sometimes nine) hours of sleep. However, since my chronotype (check out “Ever Wonder What Personality Traits Make Someone A 'Morning Person'?”) means that I like/prefer to write in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes I will sleep for the night for five hours and take a nap in the day. And y’all, that is just fine with me because I am well aware of the fact that napping does everything from give me more energy, heighten my alertness and even make me more creative to decrease stress levels, strengthen immunity, and reduce my chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
My problem is I will oftentimes go “overboard” with my daytime zzz’s. What I mean by that is, in order to get the most out of a nap, they say thatyou shouldn’t sleep for longer than 25 minutes or so; otherwise, you could wake up feeling sluggish (I don’t but…). Also, it can make resting, soundly, at night a bit of a struggle.
So, what are you saying, Shellie? We should get quickies in? Yeah. And it’s funny that the word “quickie” would come up because just like a sex quickie can do wonders for you (and it can — check out “12 Super Solid Reasons To Have A Quickie Every Single Day”), it’s a full-circle moment when I say that something that can improve the quality of your sex life is to have a power nap (a nap that lasts between 10-30 minutes).
Wanna know how the two things correlate? Honestly, it’s no secret that sleep and sex work together to optimize both (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”). Today, though, we’re going to tap into how a nap, specifically, can have you partaking in some of the best sex that you’ve experienced in a minute. I’ll explain.
Naps Reduce Stress
GiphyIf you’re feeling super stressed out right now, you are not alone. There is plenty of data out here that says that most of us are stressed for at least a couple of reasons at a time — and that can impact your sexual health on a few levels. For one thing, it can bring about feelings of depression and/or anxiety. Stress can also throw your hormone levels off (including your cycle) which can weaken your libido. Stress can make you want to put distance between you and your partner (yes, literally).
Stress can also make it challenging to get aroused or to have an orgasm. And just what can help to decrease stress? Taking a nap. Since sleep has a way of helping you to “get off of the clock” and relax a bit, that can lower your stress levels and “reset” your body so that you are calmer — and that, in turn, can do wonders for your sex drive and ultimately your sex life.
Naps Improve Your Mood
GiphyThere is one person in my life, and fairly 80 percent of the time, she’s in a super good mood. Oh, but let that girl go without sleep, and…who is this woman? LOL. There’s research behind why this happens. When a person is sleep-deprived, it messes with their brain chemicals, and that can amplify emotions like anger, restlessness and sadness. In fact, one study revealed that people who had their sleep disrupted throughout the night, they ended up having their positive outlook on life reduced by about 30 percent.
And geeze, who wants to have sex when they’re not feeling very good? Anyway, since serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate your moods, your sleep patterns, and your libido and sleep is what helps to keep it in balance — by taking a nap, not only can it help you to feel better, it can also increase your desire for sex (it can also build up your endurance which is also…sexually beneficial).
Naps Increase Your Focus and Concentration
GiphySomething that some of my clients bring up is how, when it comes to having sex, sometimes the flesh is willing while the spirit is weak because, although the desire for intimacy is there, so much is going on that they aren’t able to get still enough to focus on experiencing copulation with their partner. This also tracks because, when you don’t have enough rest, your brain finds itself not working in harmony and that can make it hard to do everything from approaching life with a sense of flexibility to making necessary decisions.
Certain data also reveal that a lack of rest can cause you to have a really poor attention span and not process things in context (the more you know). So, if you really want to get some yet it’s hard for you to focus long enough to make it happen, ask your bae to lie down with you and take a nap. Between the sleep and the snuggling (check out “Fall's Coming: 8 Wonderful Health Benefits Of Cuddling”) — you may wake up with your mind and body totally on the same page. #wink
Naps Can Make You Feel Better About Your Body
GiphyEven if, overall, you feel really good about your body, I think that we all have moments when we feel less attractive than others — and who wants to have sex when they don’t really feel…very sexy? Well, something else that sleep, in general, can do is increase your confidence in your body.
For one thing, if you want to lose a few pounds, sleep can actually make that happen by helping your body metabolize the glucose (sugar) that’s in it so that you can better manage your appetite. Other studies go on to share that since sleep deprivation can impact one’s mental health and emotional stability in a negative way, of course, getting enough rest would increase body positivity.
Shoot, science even goes so far as to say that insomnia can cause people to have an elevated level of dissatisfaction when it comes to their body image. Don’t take their word for it, though. Look in the mirror before a nap. Then look in a mirror after waking up from me. Do you feel better? I’d be surprised if you don’t.
Makes Your Brain Bigger…Which Could Make Your Orgasms Better
GiphyI saved the best for last by design. Now if you’re wondering how in the world a nap can improve (and possibly increase) your orgasms — oh, there is a method to the madness…trust. For starters, the saying that your biggest sex organ is your brain? That isn’t a myth. Long story less long, the brain is what houses your central nervous system and that is what controls how men and women sexually function (yes, literally).
And since the brain also releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin during sex and brain activity significantly increases in women during sexual activity (especially right before she orgasms) — well, would it trip you out to know that when you take a nap, your brain actually expands? A bigger brain (that’s healthy) can potentially intensify your sexual experiences (and your climaxes) — and who doesn’t want that to go down?
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Like I said earlier, I never have to be convinced to get a nap in. However, if your sex life has been a bit stagnant lately, you’ve been feeling a little sluggish and you’re not sure what to do — I’m hoping that a nap can get you right.
There’s enough science to prove that it can. All you need to do is give it a shot.
Now where’s your pillow and sleep mask, chile?
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