Bold & Bella

I've been a member of the #fitnessjourney for about 4 years now, ever since I had my second baby and decided I was DONE with being fat. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to body-shame anyone. I'm just saying that from the time I got pregnant with my first kid to right after delivering my second, I was uncomfortable in my own body, so I finally decided to do something about it. Enter Beachbody  If you haven't heard of it, Beachbody is a fitness company that sells and promotes all things fitness. My favorite thing about it is that it's not just a company selling workout programs, it's a group of people who believe that fitness takes place in the mind  just as much as in the body. I was drawn in by the promise of abs in just 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week with a program called T25 (shout out to my favorite trainer, Shaun T!) and stayed for the personal development and soul-healing that came with it.  What You Get Depending on how old you are, you may r

Picture this: You've been working hard for a couple of weeks now. You've been eating better, working out every day, drinking more water...I mean, you are really changing your life! Curiosity gets the better of you and so you decide to step on the scale. Why not get a numerical measurement of the monumental progress you're making, right? So there you stand, barefoot, in your underwear (or completely naked if you are really looking for the best number), you look down between your feet and you see...nothing. Nada. You've lost a grand total of zero pounds in 14 days. Your first thought? WTAF???? Your second thought will be to throw away all of your hard work and effort from the past two weeks (or however long you've been working and not seeing the results you want) and justify it because "the number on the scale isn't moving, anyway." Hear me when I say this (literally, picture my face and hear my voice) ... The scale is a liar!  Losing weig

Most of us curlies are super nerds when it comes to ingredients, products, and treatments that are good for our hair. Personally, the longer I've been on my natural hair journey, the more I've become interested in being more natural in all aspects of my life. That has lead me down the rabbit hole of research on DIY treatments and ingredients.  Early last year, I started hearing about rice water treatments. All the influencers on YouTube and Instagram were going on and on about its benefits - strengthens the hair, restores shine and elasticity, thickens the hair, and most importantly, increases hair growth.  I was pretty skeptical because I don't believe in anything that claims to make your hair grow, but after my FAVORITE curly YouTuber posted about her experience with it (which you can watch here ) I was a little more convinced, but not enough to try it out.  What finally made me do a little of my own experimenting was when my curl pattern changed. How did

Change is hard. For some people, it's nearly impossible, and the mere mention of the word throws them into a state of sweaty-palmed panic. Others get really excited, make lists and buy the things on that list to catapult themselves into this new way of being...only to revert back to their old habits within a week (if that). Change gets a bad rap because, whether you're super into it or not, it's monumentally challenging. Our habits are so much a part of us that any alteration feels like we are on our way to being a completely different person. Regardless of how you view it, though, change is a necessary and inevitable part of life. So how do you make it happen? How does one make a real, lasting change? The answer is going to blow your mind, and not because it's anything out of this world or super complex, but rather because of just how incredibly simple it is. Ready? Do what works for you. (insert mind-blown emoji here). I know what you're thinking... WH