Have you ever found yourself wondering why wellness and living a healthy life can feel like they’re unattainable or expensive? If you’re nodding your head in agreement, it’s not just you; mainstream wellness has made us believe that expensive gym memberships, Pilates classes, subscription-based green juice, and meal prep services are what you need in order to be well.
As a Black wellness expert, I am here to tell you - that is the furthest thing from the truth. Wellness should be nothing else if not sustainable and accessible. While there are many benefits to each service that I just named, they are luxuries that not everyone can afford. Additionally, as Black people, there are systemic barriers that impact our access to fitness, nutrition, and adequate mental health services.
While I am in agreement that the start of the new year is an aligned time to develop healthy habits, they don’t need to cost you. There are many free lifestyle changes that we can freely access and allow for us to focus on an aspect of wellness that we often overlook - financial wellness.
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Juicing At Home
Don’t feel pressured to join the trendy subscription service. Grab a juicer and your favorite fruits and veggies, and start experimenting with your different recipes! This option is not only cost-effective, but it allows you to create juices based on your varying needs. My favorite at-home juice is a DIY recipe for this smoothie from Jamba Juice. Give it a try if you’re a peach and ginger lover.
YouTube Pilates
Take it from someone who has attended an in-person class as well as online, Pilates Body Raven is out here doing the Lord’s work y’all. Raven Ross is offering free Pilates workouts on YouTube. Free! The certified Pilates trainer, fitness instructor, and movement fanatic has always had a passion for learning new methods of movement in order to strengthen, lengthen, and balance the body. Grab a mat and pull up YouTube so Raven can show you how it’s done.
Running Outdoors
Cardio doesn’t have to happen inside of a gym. Heading to your local park or taking a jog or walk around your neighborhood can be just as fulfilling. You can also consider a run club to find like-minded people who are passionate about outdoor activities and workouts so that you can find friends who will keep you motivated and are just as excited as you are to get that heart rate going.
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Affordable Therapy Resources
With resources like Better Help, Open Path Psychotherapy Services, and Talkspace, the financial barrier to accessing therapy is not as severe as it used to be. Often, one of the many things that we can tell ourselves about why therapy isn’t for us is that it costs too much. With various affordable therapy resources, you are able to begin your mental health journey.
Following Wellness Communities Online
There are endless benefits to following online wellness communities like brands such as Therapy for Black Girls, The Loveland Foundation, Transparent Black Girl, A Safe Space Mentor Group, and more. The first has endless free resources and access to a host of offerings and practitioners that you can learn from. The internet does not have to be a negative experience; allow yourself to use the apps on your phone as tools for knowledge.
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xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
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Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
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Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
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