Seasons Greetings!

To All DIVA Rules Family
,  take this Holiday season and revel in the joy in your life & what joy there is to come! We are very THANKFUL for ALL the participation, support, guest bloggers, & the LOVE we received since the inception of this movement!        
Wishing you warm & heartfelt greetings! See you in 2011!!!!!!
SEASONS GREETINGS 

Think About It Thursdays ~featuring~ Jade of DIVA Rules: Barking Dogs and Sleeping Lions

Hey DIVAs, hope the workouts are going well.  I didn't make it to the gym yesterday.  This cold beat me up, but I will be there today to do both yesterday and todays workout.  Wish me luck.  

-Jade

"A barking dog is often more useful than a sleeping lion."

~ Washington Irving

In October, two young fans of Lupe Fiasco organized a rally in front of Atlantic Records to demand the release of his long awaited album, Lasers.  Across the waters today, students organized to protest 300% hikes in tuition.  I was truly inspired to hear about young, strong-minded individuals exercising their rights and taking a stand for something in which they believed.  However, it left me to wonder about the last time I took such a strong and passionate stance about something, about anything. 

I bombarded the polls, as did many of you, to cast my vote for our President and recently in attempts to safeguard the Democratic majority.  I watched along with you all as they counted the votes, attended various watch parties, and even subscribed to websites.  Yet when they called my phone numerous nights asking for me to get out and go door to door, I never answered. 

When the Don Imus and Rutgers Women’s Basketball Team incident occurred, several of us Black Student Union Members caravanned to the New Brunswick campus to participate in their rally. That was it.  As the then President of the Black Student Union, I didn’t organize our own rally, or petition the radio station.  Too often this is the case for many of us. 

We talk about causes or topics that we are passionate about, however how many have we really acted upon?  There are so many issues that I feel strongly about, yet I have devoted minimal time to seeing them through.   I challenge you as well as myself to pick one cause in the New Year to which you are connected to and take a valiant stance in seeing your cause flourish.  More than likely there is a preexisting organization already fighting your cause.  Call them and find out how you can take an active role in supporting the cause. 

Not sure what you are passionate about?  Next time you get ready to complain about something you see or hear, write it down.  If you find that you complain about this same thing over and over, more than likely this is a cause that you are passionate about.    

Countdown to New Years: The Workout (Jade's Before Specs)

Good morning!

While I already posted the workout, as promised, I have my beginning stats.  I headed to gym and I must admit, had it not been for me putting this workout on here, I probably would have never made it.  This blog served as motivation.  Yesterday was my first interval training day.  I did the interval setting on the treadmill at Level 6 at 3.0 speed which had a 5.5 incline.  The incline was tough (mostly because I haaaate doing cardio) but doable.  Tomorrow I will kick it up to 3.5.  The only bad thing was that I forgot to do the cool down stretch.  I did not realize how critical that part was until I woke up this morning and was feeling a little stiff.  I'm a little under the weather today, but I'm heading to the gym again tonight for Day 1 of Circuit Training.  So here goes...BE NICE!!!! 

                                                    The Before Shots...

                                                  Off to the Gym... (Weighing in at 166.5lbs)

True Expression Tuesdays: Kanye West - New Workout Plan

  Lets

Countdown to New Years: The Work out Plan (4 weeks to go!!!!!)

D.I.V.As  D.I.V.As  D.I.V.As.  The time is here. 

The past couple of weeks, we have focused on mental preparedness and diet.  We all made a commitment to ourselves that we were ready to move into the driver’s seat and take charge of our lives.  The time is now here to get moving…literally.

I was so excited about this that I couldn’t wait until Wednesday.  I also wanted to give everyone an opportunity to be able to get all of their workouts in.  I am also committed to this challenge.  So much so that I am going to bravely post my beginning specs tomorrow, picture included in order to track my progress along with all of you.  While you do not have to post it like I am, I urge you to weigh yourself an take a before picture so that you can track your progress and see your progress.  When weighing yourself , try to do at the same time (ie when you first wake up or before you go to bed) and wear similar items. 

So without further adieu, I bring you…

Countdown to New Year: the 4 Week Workout Plan

[Disclaimer: I am not a certified trainer or health professional, therefore if you have health issues, you should contact your physician before engaging in this and any other types of strenuous activity.]

Total Workout Days:  5 days per week

a.        3x per week (nonconsecutive days)-   Circuit Training

a.       2 days Circuit Training Routine

b.      1 day Core Challenge Routine

b.      2x per week (non consecutive days)- Interval Training

Circuit Training Routine (Repeat routine 3x)- Click on the exercises for descriptions

a.  Warm Up

b.

Exercise (Rest 30-60 seconds between ea. Exercise)	Resistance	Number of repetitions (Goal is to complete reps within 1 minute)
Renegade Push-Up Row	5-10 lb dumbbells*	12-15 reps
Incline Dumbbell Press	10-15 lb dumbbells*	12-15 reps
Bent-over row	10-15 lb dumbbells*	12-15 reps
Squats	10-15 lb dumbbells*	12-15 reps
Ab crunches on physio ball	Body Weight	20-25 reps

     *If you cannot do 12 reps with this amount of resistance, use a lower weight.  If you can do 15 reps        with this amount of resistance, increase weight*

c. Cool Down

Core Challenge Routine (Repeat routine 3x)- Click on the exercise for descriptions  

a.  Warm-Up

b.

Exercise	Resistance	Number of Reps
Sit-ups	Body weight	10-12 reps
Dumbbell side-bends	5-10 lb dumbbells	12-15 reps
Bicycle Crunches	Body weight	12-15 reps
Reverse crunches	Body weight	10-12 reps

c. Cool Down

Interval Training Routine (Choose any cardiovascular activity that you wish)

a.       Warm Up (light movement for about 5 minutes to get the blood flowing.  Can include walking, stretching, etc)

b.      Alternate between moderate exercise and intense exercise (ie. Walk 5 minutes, Run 2 minutes)

a.       Many cardio machines have the option for interval training

c.       Cool Down (refer to warm-up)

d.      Click here for Sample Interval Training Routines.  You can utilize this with any cardiovascular activity.  Bob Harper suggests:  Spin class, swimming, tennis, racquetball, water aerobics, hiking).  The trick is to pick something that you like and will keep you engaged.

Good luck D.I.V.As and stay tuned tomorrow for my personal plan and the before shots!!!! 

SIRve It Up Saturday's!! featuring Dawun Al-Islam (Founder and Creator or Young Black Professionals.org)

Greetings My DIVA Rules FAM! I hope your Saturday is relaxed & smooth!

For today's post is featuring a young SIR who truly is passionate about life & building up the minority young professional community.

Enjoy!

Generation of Fulfillment!

Most of us are familiar with Jesus feeding the multitude with very little, yet many of us are not aware of where he got the material. Only John (6:9) reveals that a young lad was present. He was at the right place, at the right time, born into the world at the right moment, carrying the right material, and following the right path – that accordingly, a multitude could find fulfillment through the young lad. The world is hungry, tired, and ready for what young people have. The challenge today is young people have to understand what they carry inside and then turn it over to the right source that can expand their material exponentially.

As young people, especially young Black men, if we look carefully at ourselves we will find that we are carrying something of value that can heal multitudes. We must appreciate what we each carry and where it has come from so we do not make waste of it. Then by following a good path your destiny will unfold before your eyes as something marvelous. This is what young men and youth in general must be made aware of.

Young Black Professionals today are not the generation of promise, but of fulfillment! We are brilliant, vibrant, and without bounds. Yet we are tied up like the young colt of Mark 11. We are tied to a system that has failed us and must be replaced with something better. This system has also created in us a dependent mindset on it, creating somewhat of a set-up-to-fail syndrome. We amass enormous debt, time and resources only to realize we are living at the end of a system that can hardly provide for us anymore. Our way of thinking must be loosened from this and allowed to be used by a mighty source that historically always makes society new. THIS, is our destiny! Join us and bring what you have to the platform. A Master Mind has need of you.

Latest YBP Newsletter: All-Male Special Edition!

Dawun Al-Islam, 28 and native/current resident of Greenville SC, is the Creator and Founder of YoungBlackProfessionals.org (YBP℠). In just 5 short years Dawun obtained a bachelor and three master degrees in Atlanta, GA; thereafter pursuing a career in Finance and Human Resources spanning over 5 years. Also an accomplished poet and self-help co-author, he has spoken in 5 states to audiences of up to 5,000. Yet and still, Dawun finds no greater satisfaction than encouraging the progress of young professionals wherever they are found. He can be reached at dawun@youngblackprofessionals.org.