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Posts from the ‘Mindset’ Category

What’s stopping you from getting started on your Wellness Journey? • Fly by July Campaign

February 7, 2023

Mia The Diva

Hi Divas!

Here we are into February of this New Year! I hope you found the last post helpful in helping you envision your best 2023!

What’s stopping you from getting started on your Wellness Journey?

So here we are, where do we start? We know everything we need to do but somehow we’re not showing up for ourselves. Turning over when we set that early alarm.

Our beds are soooo comfy and it’s cold outside. We love our pillows, fluffy duvets, and warmth from our beds it’s so cozy here. I realized l didn’t want to get out of bed after having good intentions and setting that early alarm because ultimately it’s comfortable. It’s secure. It’s what l know.

I started thinking about other areas of my life and everything is comfortable, secure and what l know. I found myself having this aha moment of being in status quo.

Especially working from home my days are running into each other and look much of the same from day to day. I realized if l continue to stay in this bed (metaphorically) nothing is ever going to change in my life.

Shortly after the new year started, l was having a conversation and discussing my health goals for the new year with a friend. I work long days and was figuring out ways to make time so that l can get my walk in daily.

During our conversation I asked: “ Is this really realistic? Am l really going to wake up at 6am everyday?”

My friend responded simply and with the most care had said:

“ You have to —-.”

In that moment l realized what was stopping me from getting started on my wellness journey, something shifted. I realized l wasn’t making it a priority and was not given it a sense of urgency.

That night l laid out my workout clothes on my bed. The next morning l got up and went for my walk.

It turned into something that l realized l must do because l’m never going to own my life if l don’t take control of my health and the way l feel.

I don’t hit my workout goals everyday but l’m learning to change my scope of how l view consistency. I’m learning that tomorrow is always another day and another chance. It will never be done. This is truly a lifestyle change.

So this week is the official first week of campaign season! This year’s campaign will run through July 1st 2023. So be sure to Subscribe & Follow a diva!

I am here simply to share information l’m learning as l am on my own wellness journey to improve my health. I hope this blog can be a source of inspiration and motivation to get you started on your own healthy path dear diva!

Taking the first step

Please know we are all doing this for ourselves but not by ourselves. I’m right here with you along the way as we get through this together and hopefully partner up in supporting each other towards something great.

The First Step: Set a Goal

We can not achieve success if we do not have something that we are moving towards. A goal helps us measure where we want to be.

It’s one thing for us to say we want to look like we had a BBL it’s another to have an ultimate goal that is as ambitious as attainable.

What’s attainable?

Everyday we are bombarded with IG Beauty Standards. IG models don’t even look like IG models IRL so stop the foolishness! Don’t let social media and society dictate how you should look and feel about your body.

Having unrealistic body aspirations only sends us down a path of poor self image and not feeling like we are “ good “ enough. – Not a good look for a Diva!

A quick story time. I started seeing a nutritionist about post pandemic 2021 due to some health challenges l was having. I never had suffered from poor body image. I’ve always been a big girl my entire adult life.

My mother was a Big Beautiful Woman and it didn’t stop her or what she wanted out of life which was a husband and a family. She didn’t have to work. She went to work because she chose to which are two very different things.

So in short as l got older and gained weight over the years l never saw it as a reflection of my value as a person, self worth or inability to date or be in a relationship. I’ve always been proud of my body and her strength.

However my scope of health was quite the opposite ironically. Like most of society my ideal of health was having the body of an athlete and eating salads.

I started having some issues with low iron, elevated blood sugar and cholesterol. I went to a nutritionist to help me with the tools to improve my diet, health & get my body into “ healthy “ shape.

My story about going to a nutritionist is for another post but it has been one of the key factors on my healing journey and has really helped put the pieces of my life together.

So during one of our sessions l was asking her ways that l can eat to lose weight and change my body. She had asked me, “ Mia, what if you never lost another pound? “ — l was speechless.

I was taken aback and even slightly offended like she didn’t have belief in me or something. That l was just destined to be this way forever. When l tell you that this was one of the most empowering moments of my journey this was that moment.

It took me sometime to think about it. It was about a week or so and when we met for our next session l was able to share with her that l had come to the actualization that all l could do is be myself.

All l can ever be is my healthiest self that is something that l can change if l don’t like it. Ultimately we are all born with what we’ve got. It was in that very moment that l was finally free from the perfectionism of my wellness journey.

Ever since then l show up. I strive to give my best and to be consistent is the goal. I’m not perfect l have ways to go but l am learning more and more about myself everyday. Our bodies are beautiful and can do some pretty amazing things.

I honor my body she shows up for me everyday as long as l have breath in this body. That was such a great question my nutritionist asked me and l am so grateful for her. It was a powerful loaded question that changed the entire direction of my journey.

What’s a realistic expectation?

There are three basic body types. It’s important for a diva to understand her shape and what she can and can’t expect from it.

The Apple Diva

This body type stores fat in the upper torso. The extra fat is usually carried around the tummy area this body type had evolved over time for longs periods without food. It’s important that Apples are health conscious to cardiac disease as they tend to store fat in the upper body.

The Pear-shaped Diva

This body type holds majority of fat in the lower body hips, thighs & butt. This body type mostly are woman and have evolved over time for fertility and breastfeeding so it’s harder to lose but not as much of a health risk as tummy fat.

The Proportionate Diva

This body type fat cells are evenly distributed throughout the entire body. They lose everywhere and gain everywhere. It all adds and comes off evenly.

Weekly Challenge:

So as you can see we all have a shape where our fat goes. Working out and eating a particular way we can altar our bodies to a point. Our genetics will kick in and we will have our reality. Once we get this we can let go of unreachable crazy “lG Model goals “ and replace them with real ones.

I challenge you this week to identify your basic body type and start thinking about a fitness goal of where you want to be by July 1st.

I want you to imagine it’s July 1st 2023 and you have crushed your fitness goal or on your way to crushing & achieving your fitness goals.

What changed in how you’re showing up today vs how you were showing up in your life this first week of February 2023?

What are you doing different these days? What does your daily routine look like? I’d love to hear from you comment below if you’d like to share & have some support & accountability towards your goals! 💪🏽💕

You can follow us @flybyjuly on all the things social tag a diva! We would love to check in on you & support you on your wellness journey as well!

I’m definitely working on getting more active on my socials it’s been a minute but l mostly hang out here on the blog & pod!

Be Healthy Be Fabulous Be You!

Mia Thee Diva

Be Loyal To Your Smiles

August 10, 2022

Mia The Diva

Hey Divas,

When we think about the things we are loyal towards; like our jobs, our families, our relationships our friendships. It serves purpose, fulfillment in life, and an addition to our lifestyle.

Sometimes we are loyal to pleasing others, loyal to putting everyone and everything before ourselves. Loyal to the hustle. Loyal to the grind. Loyal to our grief our mistakes you know our coulda woulda shoulda’s. Loyal to the comfort, living in the mediocrity of our lives.

Where has it gotten us? Did we get what we wanted? If not, it does give us an opportunity to discover what we don’t like and to do something about it.

One of the best life lessons l’ve learned was from a therapist. Where do you expect to see yourself in 5 years? If we make no changes we will be where we are today. When we find ourselves at the fork in the road it’s a life shift that will go in the direction that we decide to take.

If life is not working right now then it’s time to make some decisions and take the direction on the path we would like to go.

If we make no changes life today will be the same in the next 5 years as it is for us today. Not making a decision is still a decision. It’s a decision that’s made for you. So why not take control of your life and make the decisions you actually want to make.

“ When you make a decision that is your truth. “

I’ve made a decision to focus on what makes me smile and being loyal to that. Focusing on what makes me feel good and being loyal to that. Focusing on being curious and being loyal to that. Focusing on kindness to myself and others because you just never know what someone is going through and being loyal to that.

The greatest relationship we will ever have in this life is the one with ourselves everything and everyone else around us gets to experience our overflow. It makes everyone and everything around us better when we are at our personal best.

When we are in our essence of who we truly are doing the things that our heart desires experiencing true joy it’s almost as if we illuminate it seems to have a ripple effect.

No one can steal our energy no one can steal our good juju vibes for themselves because it is ours. However we can give it away through people pleasing and giving in to others demands by not setting clear boundaries for ourselves.

If it doesn’t feel good likely a boundary is being crossed and your energy zapped! You will either feel inspired or drained after interacting with someone so be mindful of the company you keep dear diva.

Be loyal to your smiles.

Diva on a journey! This week’s goal 💪🏽💕 Daily To Do List

Circling back from last post I was successful in getting more activity in and managed to even lose 3 lbs.! I had a pretty active week running around and getting errands done. I actually shop at 3 different grocery stores so I got a lot of steps in going from one store to the next; since being on my wellness journey I’m real bougie about my produce and where I get it. Quality over quantity. I don’t care how great a sale is, if it’s trash I’m not buying it. I work too hard for my lifestyle and I care about what I put into my body.

This week’s goal is setting my up my days with intention and tackling my daily to do list. Call it the Virgo in me but I need structure in my life as I shared in a previous post it brings my life peace and balance so this week I will be focusing on what I need to do for this week and break it down into days. If you’re feeling stuck and trying to get it together yourself I challenge you to do the same dear diva!

Be Healthy Be Fabulous Be You!

Mia The Diva

Disclaimer: All information on this blog is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this WordPress flybyjuly.com blog. Please consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and weight loss or on any opinions expressed within this blog. You as the reader must be responsible for consulting with your own health professional on matters raised here. Flybyjuly.com will not accept responsibility for the actions or consequential results of any action taken by any reader.

4 Questions to ASK yourself before you EAT your Emotions Away

July 27, 2022

Mia The Diva

Hey Divas, 

So as I shared in a previous post I gained 20 lbs during the pandemic. I had also lost my father 2 years prior to the world shut down and people in my life were showing me who they are and their true colors.

It was alot to deal with not dealing. Grieving can be exhausting and emotionally draining if you do not have a proper plan in place. Grieve with purpose either to be better or to get better.

There is no magic timeframe of the grieving process it can last anywhere from several days to several months to several years to a lifetime.

Time eventually does heal but more importantly it’s what we do with this time because at one point or another we will lose someone or something significant in our lives.

How will you deal?

One thing I have learned so far in my life’s journey is to always have a PLAN because if you do not have one like the saying says; plan to fail.

Although my failures have been some of my greatest blessings in life. l did not realize it at the time.

I feel like my life could have been so much easier and would have saved myself a lot of unnecessary pain if I had an awareness and the right tools to deal with life and its’ charade of shenanigans.

The fact is that life is going to happen and much of it we have no control over as much as we like to think we do.

What we do have control over however is how we are showing up and how we respond to life ish because the hard days will come and they will also —- go.

If you find yourself in a crappy space of life right now, take heart that it is not forever it is just right now.

I know it sucks.

Have faith that you will make it through dear diva.

Going through grief and life events can be a roller coaster of emotions it can also be a source of triggers especially if we’ve gone through something traumatic and haven’t properly dealt with it.

Grief is painful it can drain what’s left of our life if we don’t get it in check. There is nothing more painful than wasting our precious time.

So many of us cope with food when things are “ off “ in life some of us drugs, alcohol, binge watching our shows etc. doing anything we can do to not feel the feels of the insurmountable pain we are in. – @flybyjuly

Avoidance can show up in so many ways but for the purpose of this blog food is our drug of choice.

The tough thing about food vs. drugs, booze or binge watching TV shows etc. is that we need food to sustain our life.

So where do we draw the line? When have we crossed the line?

Food serves so many roles in our lives; nutrition, socializing, creativity, connection, holiday gatherings the list goes on and on.

So when does a diva put the breaks on the fridge, the buffet, the online food delivery to your doorstep, the sushi nights, and those Sunday Brunches with your girls?

Where do we draw the line between I need to eat this to sustain my life, I need to eat this for my social needs, I need to eat this because I want to have fun. I need to eat this because I’m sad, I’m angry, I’m anxious or depressed.

4 Questions to ASK yourself before your EAT your Emotions Away

Years ago I learned of an acronym through tribal knowledge that can help with mindless eating it’s called H.A.L.T I’m not sure who the creator is of this but it is genius.

The next time you’re about to eat something ask yourself these four simple questions:

  • H – Hungry? Am I actually hungry? Cause a Diva can get her GRUB on right about now!
  • A – Anger am I angry? I’m mad, fed up and sick of everyone’s sh*t. Where’s the chips.
  • L – Lonely am I lonely? Am I depressed? Ice Cream makes everything ok.
  • T – Time am I busy? Do I just need something quick to get in my stomach? I’m always on the run! Just need something quick before I pass out.

What I love about these questions is that it raises awareness and when we have awareness we can make better choices.

It’s not overnight, the chips and ice cream will win somedays and that’s ok we may actually need the ice cream and the chips in that moment but not every moment.

As time goes on and we become more conscious of what we are putting into out body we can understand what’s driving us and we discover other ways to deal with our pain.

What’s Your Vice?

I love seafood. Sushi is my vice, I know not terribly unhealthy but the “ All You Can Eat “ can be too hard to resist on a diva and caused me to over eat too much at times, it can also be expensive.

It takes time dear diva to discover the code that will crack your vice. I like a lot of people am an emotional eater it served many purposes for me during some pretty dark moments in my life.

Emotional eating isn’t always sitting in a dark room with a bucket of ice cream it can be snacking, going out to eat in excess, still eating when we’re not hungry or even when a diva is just bored.

When I was feeling especially isolated I would go out for sushi two to three times a week. I now go once a month as a treat and order half rolls because I honestly love sushi even when I’m truly happy it is one of my favorite things to do.

Over time I now picked up taking a drawing class again, something that is nostalgic that reminds me of my earlier days it gets me out of the house l’m able to express my creativity and it allows me to be social.

I use to go out and eat sushi to connect and catch up with my friends. I have great memories having sushi with my friends. The pandemic happened. Life changed and then I found myself in a space where I was alone and would go out by myself to feel better.

I would go out to eat just to get out of the house, see some people even if they were strangers so I did not have to be at home looking at my 4 walls anxious and depressed.

Not a good look for a diva!  So I swapped my solo sushi dates for art class. 

So take some time to reflect. What can you swap your VICE for? What’s a lost hobby you have? Is there a big project that you’ve been wanting to tackle?

Once you ask yourself these 4 simple H A L T questions before you grab that bag of chips or whatever your vice you will be able to eat a little bit more mindfully and hopefully have some clarity on what’s bugging you so that you can make some better choices on your journey to flyness!

Diva on a journey! 💪🏽💕 This week’s goal: Making time for movement during my day

So circling back from last post I did not quite make it getting up 1.5 hours early everyday it was too early for me to start working out but I do have the habit of getting up early, making my juice and smoothie for the day.

I realized what was stopping me was organization. It’s probably a Virgo thing but I crave stucture in all aspects of my life so why wouldn’t my wellness journey be any different. I did not hit my intended goal but I did learn more about my self and what is working and what’s not on this journey.

So going into this week with my new found knowledge, I’ll be gettin’ it in! My movements that is 😜 anywhere I can.

Be Healthy Be Fabulous Be You! 

Mia The Diva 

Disclamer: All information on this blog is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this WordPress flybyjuly.com blog. Please consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and weight loss or on any opinions expressed within this blog. You as the reader must be responsible for consulting with your own health professional on matters raised here. Flybyjuly.com will not accept responsibility for the actions or consequential results of any action taken by any reader.

How to begin your day with intention in 3 easy steps!

July 11, 2022

Mia The Diva

Hey Divas,

I have a confession:

Self Care Sundays are a real thing for me!

It’s my only true day of rest. I love and live for my Sundays these days. So l get as much as l can get done during the week to enjoy some much deserved designated chill time on any given Sunday.

Prioritizing basic self care; self care isn’t always spa days and bubble baths it can be, but not always.
Not all of us have the time or the coins.

Self care can look like getting enough sleep, eating clean, getting outside and doing something you find fun that’s active. Drinking water. Yes simple things like drinking water is telling yourself daily I LOVE YOU and I want to keep you ALIVE!

Keeping on top of our mental health, such a big one it can creep up on a dime.

So take care of yourself dear diva.

All of these things together show us how much we care about ourselves, so always send that good juju and positive vibes your way on the daily!

What we do with intention is what gets our attention and depending about how we feel about ourselves is the action that we will take. @flybyjuly

That can look like having the ‘ intention ‘ to get up early to work out to keep active & healthy we will give it our ‘attention’ set our alarms, meal prep and do all the things… but some how when that alarm goes off if you’re feeling crappy about life yourself etc. or you may get distracted by someone or something.

We either turn over or hit snooze if we are feeling anxious, depressed, or go off and do that other thing to distract ourselves, attend to whomever is needing our attention like kids, spouses, partners, pets and skip the work out.

We find ourselves in a rut and then shame ourselves for not working out or maybe we did not get enough sleep from being up all night being anxious or depressed the night before. Awareness is everything it gives us choices, that’s why it is so important to get our mental health together.

When we do things with intention there is an energy we place on it. The more love and compassion we give ourselves with non judgement shows self kindness, so sprinkle that Love onto yourself on the daily dear diva!

This is not a one size fits all approach we just have to find what works best for us that is in alignment with our lifestyle, desires and goals. However on the same note if we continue to do what we’ve always done we will continue to get what we’ve always gotten.

3 Ways How You Can Start Your Day With Intention

I know easier said then done but one day you will wake up and decide you don’t want to feel like this anymore or ever again and you’ll make a change just like that.

It’s a process and that’s why it’s called a journey. Taking just one extra step each day that’s in the direction of where you want to go will add up over time.

  1. Start Everyday with a MUST!

Like the saying goes where your attention goes energy flows so start your day with a MUST! List everything you MUST do for the next day the night before. This will set up your subconscious mind while you sleep and rest for the following day.

2. This week I will ______________everyday.

I challenge you to do one thing this week towards a better you let’s start with a goal. This week l will ____________ everyday.

3. Track Your Progress

Track your progress write a word or phrase on a sticky note and place it on your mirror about how you’re feeling or capture it in a notebook if you choose for privacy.

Diva on a journey 💪🏽💕 This Week’s Goal: Getting up 1.5 hours early everyday!

As for myself this week l will be getting up 1.5 hours early to workout everyday. ( Yikes ) but Ima do it. Let’s see how l do, l start an early day so l’m up for the challenge!

You can follow a diva on all the things @flybyjuly

Be Healthy Be Fabulous Be You!

Mia The Diva

Disclamer: All information on this blog is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this WordPress flybyjuly.com blog. Please consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and weight loss or on any opinions expressed within this blog. You as the reader must be responsible for consulting with your own health professional on matters raised here. Flybyjuly.com will not accept responsibility for the actions or consequential results of any action taken by any reader.

Are you your Biggest Critic or Biggest Fan?

June 21, 2022

Mia The Diva

Hey Divas,

Sometimes we are our own Biggest Critic;

If anyone ever talked to us the way that we talk to ourselves we would not be friends with them.

So why do we hold such value on the opinions of people who do little to nothing for us, even people we don’t even know?

Like the saying goes everyone has an opinion like everyone has a ________ fill in the blank.

It’s just an opinion and it can change like the weather.

Take heart dear diva and be kind to yourself, the world is hard enough on us. 

We do not have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. 

However many of us, WE are carrying the weight of our lives.

  • The weight of all the pain.
  • The weight of all the hurt.
  • The weight of the forgotten dream.
  • The weight of the heart-break.
  • The weight of missed opportunity.
  • The weight of grief.
  • The weight of self hate.
  • The weight of being late because it takes everything in you to get out of the bed.
  • The weight of the diet that never actually starts on Monday.
  • The weight of giving up before even getting started.
  • The weight of never going swimming because your thighs jiggle and don’t like how you look in a bathing suit.
  • The weight of laughing and pointing jokes at yourself to take the focus off you.
  • The weight of saying that you are “ Good “ but feel like you’re dying from the inside out so you don’t have to do anything about it.
  • The weight of making ourselves a joke of every conversation to ease our anxiety.
  • The weight of success.
  • The weight of failure.
  • The weight of never enjoying the beach because of the stretch marks on your stomach and hips.
  • The weight of never being yourself.
  • The weight of trying to be the perfect daughter, sister, wife, partner, mother.
  • The weight of not letting go.
  • The weight of the pressure to look “ perfect “
  • The weight of hiding yourself from the fear of being real.
  • The weight of years of hating yourself through self-sabotage.
  • The weight of knowing in your heart of hearts that you are imperfect but perfectly you.
  • The weight of knowing you deserve better.
  • The weight of knowing your are enough and always have been.
  • The weight of surrounding yourself with people who have limited beliefs.
  • The weight of not being free.
  • The weight of not holding ourselves accountable.

The good news is we can turn this around; it’s never too late to become your very own Biggest Fan!

It’s never too late to be what you might have been. – George Elliot

Get quiet with yourself, by visualizing your best future self try a daily check in with that Diva and ask her what you can do today to get an inch closer to whom you want to become.

Be Healthy Be Fabulous Be You! 

Mia The Diva