Brother B's poor man's workout plan

Brother B

I spoke to my pal, Brother B, to check on him, and after we talked about the shooting in Colorado, we got into a discussion about health and wellness. He is a fitness pro. He and his wife stay in tip top form.

So I told him how my homegirl went out a couple weeks ago and realized a lot of the women in our area are in poor physical condition. That led to a discussion about the excuses people use for not getting their lives together and paying attention to their health.

One of my biggest excuses is lack of motivation. So Brother B says to me, "You'd better get motivated before that little man in the white coat (doctor) has to motivate you."  Then he told me a story about a guy back home who he'd told to work on getting his health right...the guy waited until the doctor told him he needed to shed some pounds before he ended up having to have someone take care of him.  Brother B was the first person he called.

What are the excuses people use to not work out and get in shape?

• No motivation
• Can't afford a gym membership
• Healthy food is too expensive
• Don't want to mess up my hair (Let me tell you...if your body is banging, no one cares about your hair!!)
• Don't like to sweat
• Can't afford workout clothes
• Never worked out before

So what is Brother B's remedy?

THE POOR MAN'S WORKOUT PLAN

• MOTIVATION-  Brother B says, "If you want to change yourself, sometimes you have to change the people around you."

• If you want to lose weight or get in shape, you might have to lose some friends.
• Find ways to build your self esteem, before you lose the weight...it will motivate you.
• Surround yourself with active people. 
• Do what you like. If dancing is your thing, pump up the music and shake your booty.

• FOOD -- Brother B says, "It doesn't cost you a lot to eat right, you just have to change the way you eat what you already eat." 
• Eat oatmeal and some lean protein for breakfast with a piece of fruit (not necessarily a banana, as it may give you a blood sugar rush)

Oatmeal costs about 3.99 for 18 oz/ 13 servings

• Prepare your food differently. Don't fry it. Bake or grill it. Don't smother it in gravy, marinate your proteins with vinagarettes or light salad dressings. 
• Shop in bulk, shop at the farmer's market for cheaper produce, plan ahead. 
• If you must eat at a buffet...Go to the salad bar first and make selections based on good energy foods instead of foods that give you the "itis" (heavy carbs, fried food, pastries),
• DRINK WATER instead of sugary drinks... it comes out of the tap and you can get a filter for less than it costs you to load up on sodas and juices

• SWEAT-
Brother B says, "Technology has made us lazy, you don't need a shiny machine to workout."

• Use equipment you have at home



My Everlast speed rope






My Reebok hand weights. Got them from
Marshalls

  

• Walk and run... it is free!!!
• Do physical labor... rake leaves, mow grass, plant something. 
• Move to music or whatever it takes to get you just moving your body at least 20 high powered minutes a day. 
• Break a sweat when you move. 
• Jumping jacks and push ups are free.

The truth is...it doesn't cost a lot of money to get in shape. It just takes moving and doing it. You really have to change the way you think in order to change the way you feel and look. 

Thanks for the tips, Brother B!