Level Up Your Health With The Pillars Of Wellness
Do you want to lose ten pounds? Gain muscle? Have more energy? Make more money? Build an empire? Here's a little secret: Your body needs exercise, proper nutrition, and a healthy mindset in order to thrive and help you achieve those goals. Now, this may sound obvious at first, but hear me out: Many people with the goal of losing weight or building muscle fail to address all three pillars.
They may start going hard in the gym, or they may start counting their calories, but within a few months, they've seen little to no progress and become burnt out. In order to achieve a true, sustainable transformation, you have to keep all three of those pillars of wellness in check.
There is a strong correlation between your health and your wealth, much stronger than you may imagine. By taking the time to care for your health, you are building the foundation for success in all other aspects of your life. How can you make it to the top if your body just can't keep up? When you focus on your wellness, your energy, productivity, and mental fortitude grow exponentially, allowing you to tackle any challenge life will throw your way.
Courtesy of Charlene Izere
So if you're ready to level up and start taking actionable steps toward conquering your goals, let's break down these three pillars of wellness so you can get out there and do the damn thing:
Exercise
Pick a style of movement or exercise that aligns with your goals and that feels fun to you. If you don't like running on the treadmill, then don't force it. Try other styles of cardio like HIIT (high-intensity interval training). No matter your goal, your body needs to move so find something you love. If you enjoy it, chances are you'll stick to it.
Courtesy of Charlene Izere
Nutrition
You are what you eat, and what you put into your body will affect how you feel and perform. The key to nutrition is to make realistic and specific goals. For example, instead of saying "I'm going to eat healthier," make the specific goal of cutting back from three sodas a day to just one. Just like exercise, nutrition is a marathon, not a sprint. This is a much more sustainable approach to wellness.
Mindset
You can eat all the greens in the world and exercise five times a week, but if your mental health isn't on point, then it's all for naught. How you think will manifest in your day-to-day actions, I encourage you to take a moment and "check in" with yourself. Be intentional about how you speak about yourself, identify the stressors in your life and think about how you can remove or reduce them, and find some time to mind your thoughts.
When your exercise, nutrition, and mindset align, your wellness journey becomes much easier than you can imagine.
Want more stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter here and check out the related reads below:
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xoNecole Founder Necole Kane On How Bodybuilding Helped Her Battle Depression
How Entrepreneur Tory Dene Integrates Fitness Into Motherhood
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Originally published on March 1, 2019
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Public health specialist turned wellness coach Charlene Izere helps busy female entrepreneurs turn wellness into an accessible lifestyle. Founder of the BossFit Method, Charlene teaches on health + wealth, routine optimization, and mindset shaping so that her “BossFit Tribe" can maximize their income and impact. When she's not strategizing with her clients or speaking at events, Charlene enjoys playing video games, making cocktails, and binge watching Love & Hip Hop. Follow her on Instagram @charleneizere.
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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Sheila Rashid's Androgynous Approach To Unisex Clothing Is A Lesson In Embracing Individuality
The ItGirl 100 List is a celebration of 100 Black women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table.
For Sheila Rashid, it all started with some free-hand drawings and a few strokes of paint.
The Chicago-based clothing designer and creative director of Sheila Rashid Brand recalls using her spare time in high school to hand paint designs on t-shirts and distressed hoodies, distributing them to classmates as walking billboards for her art.
Rashid sought to pursue fashion design at Columbia College in Chicago but eventually took the self-taught route to build upon her knack for crafting one-of-a-kind, androgynous pieces.
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Thanks to the mentorship of local designers taking her under their wings, Rashid was able to gain valuable experience in putting together collections and creating patterns; equipping her with them with the necessary skills to pursue her own collections.
After two years of living in New York, Rashid returned home to the Chi and uncovered the unique flair she could offer the city. “I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world,” she tells xoNecole. “That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
For the Midwest native, inspiration comes from her time around creative peers and the city’s notorious winters — known to be a main character in many Chicagoans stories. “It's a different perspective and mindset when I'm making stuff because of the weather here,” she explains. “When we get summer, it’s ‘Summertime Chi’ — it's amazing. It's beautiful. Still, I find myself always making clothes that cater to the winter.”
"I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world. That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
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Many designers have a signature aesthetic or theme in their creations. In Rashid’s design story, dancing between the lines of femininity and masculinity is how she’s been able to distinguish herself within the industry. Her androgynous clothing has garnered the eye of celebrities like Zendaya, Chance the Rapper, WNBA star Sydney Colson, and more — showing her range and approach to designs with inclusivity in mind.
“I think I do reflect my own style,” she says. “When I do make pieces, I'm very tomboyish, androgynous. My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes.” From denim to overalls, and color-drenched outerwear, Rashid has mastered the structure of statement pieces that tell a story.
“Each collection, I never know what's going to be the thing I'm going to focus on. I try to reflect my own style and have fun with the storytelling,” she shares. “I look at it more like it's my art in this small way of expressing myself, so it's not that calculated.”
"My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes."
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Still, if you were able to add up all the moments within Rashid’s 20-year career in design, one theme that has multiplied her into becoming an “ItGirl” is her confidence to take up space within the fashion industry as a queer, Black woman. “Being an ItGirl is about being yourself, loving what you do, finding your niche, and mastering that,” she says.
No matter where you are on your ItGirl journey, Rashid says to always remain persistent and never hesitate to share your art with the world. “Don’t give up. Even if it's something small, finish it and don't be afraid to put it out,” she says, “It's about tackling your own fear of feeling like you have to please everybody, but just please yourself, and that's good enough.”
To learn more about the ItGirl 100 List, view the full list here.
Featured image Courtesy