Laila Ali On How She Keeps Her Body & Her Marriage On Point
From doing the laundry and washing the dishes to paying the bills and picking the kids up from school, the mundane routine of everyday life can make us want to take a one-way ticket to Cabo and never come back.
Adulting is hard enough without adding our personal health and love life to the equation, but nevertheless, we persist and like the superwomen we are, we push through. We all know that no matter where we go (even Cabo), responsibility will follow, but Laila Ali wants you to embrace a new perspective by taking inventory of what's most important. The undefeated boxing legend recently sat down with Madame Noire and spilled the tea on how she keeps both her marriage and her body on point in the midst of a budding entrepreneurial career and being a mother of two.
When Laila was 15, she was diagnosed with Grave's Disease, riddling her to a lifelong battle with thyroid problems and hormonal imbalance. It was then when she decided to follow in her father's footsteps and pick up boxing to offset her medical issues. Since then, she's devoted her life to all things healthy, even more so since becoming a mother. She told NWA Online:
"Much of my inspiration to make healthy lifestyle choices came from being an athlete. Then when I had children, I became more aware of the importance of choosing foods and products that are good for my family and the environment. It was a very natural transition for me, and I also use my platform to share information that I know is helpful for everyone to live their best life."
Although some days are better than others, Laila encourages women to be persistent in their fitness journeys, even when they aren't seeing the results they want. The 41-year-old business owner explained that as someone who struggles with constant weight fluctuation, she knows what it's like to fall off the wagon, in a recent Instagram post she wrote:
"5'11...200 pounds. I am far from MY best. NOT EVEN CLOSE! I have to admit, I've been so busy getting my nutrition line and spice blends ready to launch...and everything else I have going on that I have been slipping when it comes to workouts. Haven't been consistent! I've also been struggling with weight gain due to my thyroid disease. Well, I'm officially recommitting on Monday! I'm starting fresh...with my own YouPlenish 14 day Cleanse! I will keep you posted on my progress!"
Laila explained that to be truly successful in your fitness goals, consistency is key. According to her, when it comes to getting serious about your personal health, it's all about making it a regular part of your routine.
"It has to really be a lifestyle, otherwise, if it's not a daily routine, then you fall off track. Every day you have to make decisions of what you're going to eat, what types of products you're going to buy, how much me-time you spend on yourself, whether you're going to carve out time to work out. So I think it really comes down to, like I said, having your priorities in order."
So how does one of the most well-known female boxers of all time do fitness? By resorting to old tactics, of course. Although she retired (undefeated, might I add) from boxing in 2007, she still uses boxing as a way to stay summertime fine all year long.
"I have a home gym, and I have a heavy bag in my gym so that's part of my workout. I use it kind of as a warm-up. I'll hit the heavy bag for 15-20 minutes and I'll start the rest of my workout. Boxing will always be a part of my workout because it doesn't feel like a workout for me. I put my music on, I just kind of get into it and next thing I know, I look up and I burned a lot of calories. Worked on my muscles, my upper-body muscles and I've got a good sweat going."
With a body like Laila's, it's hard to believe that she would have any trouble keeping things hot in her 10+ year marriage to former NFL player, Curtis Conway, but she says that like all relationships, it takes work. The boxing heir told Madame Noire that along with frequent, healthy communication, it's also important to not forget why you fell in love in the first place.
"We communicate with one another on a regular basis and I think it's important also when you're busy and you have children to not forget about the things that attracted you to one another in the first place and how you spent your time together."
The Home Made Simple host added that it doesn't hurt to add a date night in the mix every now and then too.
"So for example, before kids were in the picture, we were dating and having a good time. So we want to make sure we have that date night and I can be his girlfriend and he can be my boyfriend and not mommy Laila always talking about the kids and what needs to be done around the house and vice versa. Don't hand me your laundry to do! Take me out for a nice dinner and romance me [laughs]."
Check out Madame Noire's full interview with Laila here!
Featured image courtesy of Tj Maxx.
Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Another season of Love Is Blind has come to a close, and almost two months later we’re still unpacking the drama that is Clay and AD. The finale, reunion, and post-interviews with Clay and AD after season six of Love Is Blind left millions of people wondering - why couldn’t AD see the signs? Clay told her he had a fear of marriage, his parents experienced infidelity, and he seemed to have many doubts about saying, "I do."
After changing his mind at the altar and hearing AD question why she feels like she’s never enough, I was finished watching. I didn’t need to hear anything else because, at that moment, I realized this wasn’t about Clay; this was about AD feeling inadequate before she ever met Clay.
If I’m honest, I don’t watch much dating television. TikTok keeps me updated with the clips that I need to see in order to be kept in the loop, but it’s difficult for me to watch an entire season of dating TV because seeing Black women settle for less and questioning their beauty is a trigger for me. In many ways, there were points in my life where I was AD, settling and ignoring red flags because I wanted to be loved.
Now, on the other side, it doesn’t feel good to see Black women lower their standards on national television. There have been many hot takes on this couple and who was in the wrong. Did Clay play in AD’s face or did she not listen to the truth of what he told her from day one? Was his reason for joining the show to promote his business and not to find the one?
We’ll never know the truth, but what we can do is learn tactics to better our self-worth. Founder and CEO of The Self Love Organization Denise Francis shared her expertise with xoNecole on what tangible steps to take to improve feelings of worthiness. “Self-love blooms in a garden where self-worth is planted, nourished, and whole. However, when your self-worth is challenged, displaced, or broken, it could be difficult to rebuild," Denise explains.
How To Rebuild Self-Worth
During her self-love coaching sessions, Denise likes to walk her clients through the cornerstones of rebuilding self-worth: grace and self-compassion. To her, self-worth is never lost, it's only displaced, so practicing self-compassion and giving yourself grace is a must. "We tend to place our self-worth in entities and people of ourselves such as relationship status, physical appearance, material possessions, social media followings, what others think of us, and more. Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth.
"Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth."
"When we place our value into people or things, we tend to feel that we are not enough, worth it, special, or important when relationship status, job titles, friendships, and physical appearances are lost or changed. We then tend to feel lost within ourselves because we’ve placed our value outside of ourselves. Using grace and compassion, you can rebuild your self-worth by returning home to who you are at your core," she concludes.
How To Return Home To Yourself
Denise advises taking a step back and using self-reflection through journaling by answering the following journaling prompts:
First, ask yourself, "What do you tend to attach your self-worth to and why?"
Is it your relationships, your job title, your finances, your appearance, etc.? Why do you think you place so much emphasis on external status? How does it make you feel when you are defining yourself through these entities and/or people outside of yourself?
Then, ask yourself, "Without these things, who am I?"
Once you have your answers, show yourself kindness, remove the shame, and, as Denise says, "Redefine yourself by detaching your value from the things and people you have no control over and no longer serve you. Challenge yourself to define yourself outside of titles and societal values."
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person. You begin to find value in the way you love instead of your relationship status, your compassion instead of your popularity, your drive instead of your income/job title, and your heart instead of your physical appearance," she adds.
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person."
"Be intentional with healing your self-worth by leaning into the people and things that nourish your core values. Surround yourself with the people who love and cherish you, they will always remind you just how valuable you truly are."
It all goes back to self-compassion and grace. As Denise explains, leading with those two things as you heal and rebuild your self-worth allows you to reduce negative self-talk that might come up for you. "This weakens thoughts like, 'I am not enough... why am I never enough?'" she shares, "And 'I don't deserve this while strengthening thoughts like 'I deserve better,' 'I am enough,' and 'I am worth it.'"
Denise continues, "Once you return home and remember the irreplaceable person you are, you can rebuild your self-worth by placing it back where it belongs. It belongs to you."
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Featured image by LaylaBird/Getty Images