Personal should be my word for 2025 cause I’m coming for everything that has my name on it, that includes my health and fitness. In a radical move of self discipline and delirium, I’ve committed myself to 100 days of exercise/caring for my body through a Peloton challenge that includes stretching and meditation. ONE HUNDRED DAYS, that would have me completing the challenge on April 10, 2025.

As an individual that has never completed such a lofty fitness challenge a day in her life, I’ve been thinking of best practices based on my level of self-awareness to ensure I complete this challenge

See below:

1. Take progress pictures and wear cute workout clothes. These Old Navy jumpsuits are my favorite.
2. No overthinking, no forcing anything for the first two weeks. Whatever feels good to my body is what I’ll do. If that calls for deep stretching for a week, it is what it is. The goal is just to get in a routine
3. I’m going to use that Pilates reformer that has been serving as a foot rest in my office as well as that Trek bike collecting dust in the garage
4. I’ll post my workouts daily to my Instagram Stories, hopefully that will hold me accountable/inspire other folks to move their bodies daily
5. Try my hardest to work out in the morning
6. Meal plan, cause even though I’m not so concerned with weight loss, I do desire to build some muscle and tone up. The goal is high protein and less sugar that would mean I’ll be drinking my liquor straight.
7. Reasonably make an exercise plan, switching things up to keep from getting bored
8. Join a Challenges group, these usually do well to keep me motivated
9. Stay off the fitness pages on IG. They make me overthink
10. Post a picture of Tracee Ellis Ross somewhere where I can see it daily. The best of us need relatable motivation.

This might be the one.  Yeah, this the one.

I was born in Washington D.C. and have very early memories of the originator of the “Quiet Storm” Melvin Lindsay lulling me to sleep with his show on WKYS that my mother religiously turned on every night. Come to think about it, I’m not sure our radio ever went off. I remember seeing live concerts as a child at the Carter Barron eating the goodies my mother packed in our picnic basket.  I’m pretty sure this is where  my love for music started and to this day I prefer old school music over new school as it reminds me of how lovely my childhood was.

Speaking of lovely, for Valentine’s Day, I put together a playlist of my favorite old and new school songs that have the word “love” in them. Initially I was  going to include 45 songs since I’m turning 45 in a few weeks, but once I was done “Shower me with your love” popped in my head and I don’t think the list would’ve been complete without that classic, so the list has 46 songs. We’re taking almost 4 hours of hits from Miki Howard,  Phyllis Hyman, Daniel Ceasar, Teyana Taylor, and more. I hope you enjoy and be sure to share!

The playlist is on Spotify. Listen here!