I was quite impressed and motivated when I began reading the book, “LL Cool J’s Platinum Workout.” A quote that sticks out was one he mentioned at the beginning of the book, when he was discussing the foundation behind having the body that you desire. He says, “But the key to this whole thing is doing what you’re supposed to do even when you don’t necessarily want to. That’s discipline, and discipline creates consistency, and consistency breeds success.”
Part of LL Cool J’s motivation for writing the book was to explain how he got his current body. He said people were making comments about him like, “Oh, he must be doing steroids” or “He must be on some type of drug.” In his book he counters those statements by explaining what people are really trying to say, “I don’t have the strength and the fortitude and the ability and the wherewithal to endure the pain that it must take to get into that kind of shape.” He said he has the body he has because he uses “maximum intensity when he exercises and is totally focused.” Being focused in getting a great body can and will also effect other parts of your life. LL Cool J’s book also discusses his diet which includes brown rice instead of white and protein shakes, etc. His book advocates or supports taking a multivitamin/mineral.
The above message of discipline is so timely because we do live in a “substitute world” as Minister Farrakhan has mentioned in the past and we want a substitute for exercising. (Please get the lecture “God’s Healing Power,” a dynamic lecture by Min. Farrakhan that divinely discusses exercise). Many of us want the “quick fix” and that is exactly what we get, a “quick fix” that is here today and gone tomorrow. It’s interesting when you look at the fine print at the bottom of the ads for many of the weight loss supplements on the market. The fine print will usually say, “for best results, utilized a healthy diet and an exercise program.” Or it will say that participants, “utilized a restricted diet and exercise along with the dietary supplement.” Therefore, there is no pill that is going to magically make you lose weight in a healthy way.
I have supplemented my diet with a multivitamin on occasion, but my foundation is “How to eat to live” and my monthly fasting. I always feel my best when I exercise and practice eating to live. (Note: “A supplement”, according to Random House Dictionary, means “something added to complete a thing, supply a deficiency, or reinforce or extend a whole. Dietary supplements are designed to help complete your diet. For example, a person who doesn’t drink milk or otherwise consume dairy, may be recommended to take a calcium supplement.)
“I don’t generally promote or recommend supplements unless you have a medical condition or allergies that requires it,” says Registered Dietician Jan Schilling, MS, MPH, who is the owner of Weigh of Life, a weight loss program which includes exercise and nutrition classes in Richmond, CA. “Our food contains the nutrients we need, in the combinations we need. The synergy between nutrients and our food are not well understood by our scientists. I have never taken a supplement or vitamin pill in my life. I’m 67 and I recently ran a half marathon in San Francisco. I don’t eat pork, red meat or fried food. I get all my nutrients from healthy food and the proper combination of food.”
Even though supplements may be useful to a certain extinct, we still must deal with the question of “What happens when you take a substance out of nature and refine it to a man-made chemical or pill? How to Eat to Live Book II states, “When the vitamins and proteins have been taken from natural food (where nature put them and where they should be eaten) you then do not have the original pure vitamins and proteins.” Would I rather have an organically grown orange or a pill that will give me some vitamin “C?” Are you taking the vitamins/minerals in the proper combinations and are they being absorbed properly by the body? It is up to you to do research and obtain what is the best for your body. If you use supplements, buy the highest quality (ex. ones from whole food, not the synthetic vitamins produced in laboratories.) But most importantly, “supplement” your life with a healthy diet and exercise.
The same logic can be used in reference to these gadgets and equipment that claim to help you lose inches off your waistline. The people in the commercials and ads usually all exercised on a regular basis and ate healthy to get that body. You don’t get “six-pack” abs and bulging biceps from simply taking a pill; exercise is involved.
Nevertheless, it is time to get “back to the basics,” which is the current theme of the Right Four Life Program from now until Saviours’ Day (rightfourlife.com). The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said years ago that the food would have poisons in them and that we should fast because “it cleans the impurities out of the blood and causes the body to eliminate the poison stored in it from previous meals” (How to Eat to Live Book II). When you fast, not only will you help to cleanse your body, but you will also be strengthened spiritually.
We should buy and eat the best food money can buy. Support the growing of high quality food at Muhammad Farms in Georgia (visit www.muhammadfarms.com) as well as local health conscious farmers, and exercise on a regular basis. Sometimes we just need a word of encouragement that we have the ability to work hard and succeed. What is our “word of encouragement?” Someone came to tell us that “we are of the best, the righteous and the powerful.” Allah (God) gave us the best advice so that we may have the best mind and body. We must do what the scripture says, “In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, by the time! Surely man is in loss, except those who believe and do good and exhort one another to Truth, and exhort one another to patience” (Holy Qur’an, Chap. 103)
May Allah (God) bless us all with the patience to work on developing a healthy lifestyle so that we may have peace, health, wealth and happiness. If you need some extra inspiration, call the “Right Four Life Program” every Saturday at 9 p.m to hear spiritual and physical health information from Dr. Alim Muhammad, Dr. Ridgely Muhammad, Minister Ava Muhammad and others. To tune in, call (712) 432-8700, Pin 4830091).
A Million Moves to Fitness Tip of the Week: During and after walking 4 times a week, practice good posture while standing and sitting.
(Audrey Muhammad is a certified personal trainer and aerobic instructor. Please consult a physician before beginning any new workout or dietary plan. Send questions and comments to [email protected])
