I started this journey after the birth of my twins in 2006 and as an African-American woman in her mid-thirties I realized that I had a long road ahead. 

I was determined to lose my baby weight and was convinced that I was going to do it within the mommy time-table – you know, nine months to gain the weight, nine months to lose it.  I was also hoping that the third time was the charm. It took 2 years to lose the weight with my first son. I never lost the weight after the birth of my daughter because I became pregnant with the twins when she was 6 months old. By this time I figured I knew my body and what it took to lose the weight. Little did I realize that having a 15 month old daughter and newborn twin boys left little time or motivation to work out (sadly, we lost our first son to a brain tumor in 2004). I was desperate!

I decided to get a few fitness magazines in the hopes that they would provide me with some much needed motivation. Unfortunately, I became more discouraged. As I read the various fitness magazines out there I realized that they were not written for me. The women didn’t look like me, they weren’t shaped like me, nor did they seem to have the same issues as me (i.e. hair concerns, weight-loss goals, diet). I started doing a little research into these magazines only to realize that they truly weren’t written for my demographic. That really disturbed me and turned out to be just the motivation I needed. I was more determined to lose the weight than ever despite the fact that these magazines weren’t written with me in mind. 

Well, about 6 months after my sons were born I found out I had developed hypertension for the first time in my life. I told my doctor that I had been exercising regularly, but that I also have a family history of hypertension. He told me that unfortunately, most of the time you can’t beat your genes. He suggested medication and I agreed. I was still determined to lose the weight and change my eating habits now more than ever. I started doing a little more research into obesity and African-American women and began to learn how obesity is crippling us as a people and leading to dramatic increases in heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. I did lose the weight in nine months this time, but I wasn’t satisfied with what I had begun to uncover. African-American women are disproportionately affected by obesity which may lead to heart disease and diabetes and billions are spent on health, beauty and fashion yet, I still couldn’t find one resource committed to focus exclusively on health, fitness, diet and body image as it relates to the African-American woman. Thus, a dream was born!

FIT-BODY Ezine combines the strength of being FIT with the beauty of the African-American female BODY. It’s about what FIT looks like on us! I have spent the past 14 years in corporate America and one thing that I have learned about getting an assignment – you either get it because you are the expert or because you need to be. I am no expert (but, I know how to find them). However, I also realize that I need to be for the sake of my family. The FIT-BODY Ezine has been created to provide all of us with a resource to help us live longer, healthier lives. I am taking this journey too…

Written by: Treza Brooms-Johnson - Founder, Fit-Body Ezine. Inc