- 7 months ago
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hey, you guys. So it's Charlie Penn back again, the relationships and wellness director here at
00:10Essence. Look, if you followed today's guest journey on social media, you know that she's
00:17been on an incredible journey, a weight loss journey, a transformation journey. And she's
00:22not only looks amazing, but she feels amazing too. She's living her healthiest life right now
00:28and inspiring so many of us to do the same every day. Please welcome TV star and host,
00:36singer-songwriter, and my soror, Selena Johnson. Hey, boo. Hey, hey, soror. Hey, soror. How are you?
00:45Happy centennial. Look, we had to get that out, guys. We had to get it out. That's going to be
00:53all the rest of the year. It's happening. But seriously, I was so excited to talk to you.
00:57You inspire me in so many ways. You inspire so many women. And I remember the moment where I was
01:04kind of like, you know, watching on your Instagram. And I was like, wait, is she? What is she? You just
01:09like were transforming right before our eyes. And you were so open and honest about your journey
01:16with all of us. So let's just start there. Talk about your relationship with your body and body
01:21image and that moment where you knew it was time for this wellness transformation.
01:27Well, I have been, I was an athlete in high school. I played basketball. I ran track.
01:33Well, I did field events. I did shot put in discus. And I played tennis. I played first doubles. So I've
01:40always been really, really, really athletic and engaged in athletics. Basketball was my main sport,
01:48you know. And but then, you know, when you graduate from high school and you're going to college,
01:53I didn't play in college. I, you know, I merged into the arts, you know, as we can see.
01:57Yeah. And but I still play intramural, you know, but you gain that freshman 15 and you kind of like,
02:03you know, what am I going to do to stay fit? And so then I got into aerobics and I started teaching
02:08step aerobics and floor aerobics. That was like back then when we were like the leotards and we
02:13were on the step and the one and the Jenny Fonda and the Denise Austin. Right.
02:17So then I started doing, I started teaching step aerobics and aerobics, floor aerobics. And then,
02:24but I was always into like, you know, doing aerobics in the house with my mom and always doing aerobics,
02:31you know, like we were kids, you know, we would do like little tapes and stuff like that.
02:35So I've always been, you know, just active and playing outside and climbing trees, just always
02:40active. But in college, I got into the aerobics scene. And then as I grew older and, you know,
02:45progressed, then I started doing, I got into yoga, like in my early 20s, just regular yoga, you know,
02:51like gentle yoga, ashtanga, vinyasa, and ayangara, those types of yogas. Right. And so then,
02:59you know, from there, I just thought, you know, I was really into, you know, strength training and
03:05lifting weights and bodybuilding and well, not really a bodybuilding at the time, but I admired
03:09the sport because a trainer that I had that I was training for my chapter three album, he was a
03:15bodybuilder. And so I was just so intrigued. And this was like, I was maybe about 25, 26 years old.
03:21And I was just so intrigued by it. And I was just like, man, I probably, I'm probably never going to
03:25have the time or the discipline to do something like that. But I just love their bodies. And I
03:30just loved how disciplined they were. And how, you know, I just I was just so enamored by the sport,
03:36you know, and being that I'm an athlete and didn't have a sport, you know, it's kind of always kind
03:41of looking for that thing to fulfill that void. So fast forward to last year, you know, from yo-yo
03:48dieting from going up and down, I wrote a book about body images called The Weight is Over. And it just
03:54talks about my journey with my body and how different instances in my life dictated how I
04:00ate, you know, and so how I went to college, and well, I was already in college, but how I finished
04:05college, I changed my major to a nutrition science degree, because I wanted to know more about eating
04:10and how the body works. Because I found out, you know, there was really about what I was eating that
04:15was really taking me down. And in my relationship with food and how stress plays a part and
04:21eating, yes, and just so many different, you know, there's so many different aspects to why
04:27we gain weight has nothing to do with overeating, you know, and I didn't know that, especially being
04:32a black woman and having stress and being predisposed for hypertension and things of that nature because
04:37of our soul food diet, you know, so, okay. And so last year, you know, and so before that, I got into,
04:46when I moved to Georgia, I got into hot, hot yoga. And so hot yoga, Bicklin at the time was called
04:53Bicklin. Yeah. And so I just got addicted to it because it was such a strenuous workout, but it made
05:00you feel absolutely amazing. It is the fountain of youth. And it was just the next level up of yoga.
05:06And so after I had been practicing that for about five, six years, I decided that I wanted to be
05:12certified in it. And this was after I got my degree. So I trained for three months and got my 200 hours.
05:17And then I started teaching because I wanted to teach and I wanted to spread the good news about
05:22this hot yoga, especially in the black community, because we're always like yoga, right?
05:26What's that? Oh, my hair, my hair, my mess, my hair up is not exactly what little do we know that,
05:36you know, hot yoga actually grows the hair. Anytime the scalp is hot, the body is hot,
05:41the hair grows, right? So, um, which is another good time, you know, especially with all of us going
05:46natural, it's an even better thing, you know, and wearing braids, it actually helps your hair grow.
05:51So anyway, last year, I was just like, I gained my weight back, like I lost weight, I gained weight,
05:562016, I lost like 60 pounds. And I was like, Oh, I'm back, you know, and of course, having babies,
06:03you know, you gain, you lose, you gain, you lose. But then I gained it back. And I was like, what
06:08in God's green earth is happening? And I realized because I was working out, I was eating okay,
06:14but I was working out and I was still gaining. And so I was like, what in God's green earth is
06:19happening? So I went to a dietician and he did a stress test on me. And I realized that my stress levels
06:25were off the roof, off the chain. And so it was causing me to gain weight regardless. And so I
06:32was like, you know what? I, you know, I did my capstone in college on African-American women
06:37and obesity. And so I had already been very familiar with this concept. And I was just like,
06:43you know, all my friends go through the same thing. All the black women that I know, my mom,
06:46my aunts, my sisters, all of them do the same thing. We don't eat that much, but we're gaining weight
06:51down. We're trying to work out. We're not losing a pound, you know? And so I realized that it was
06:57my stress. So I started eating, uh, for that type of, you know, I started eating the right things
07:03to combat the stress, but it was still not enough, you know? So then I decided, you know what,
07:10I'm going to need extreme measures. And I said, I'm 42 years old and I'm not getting any younger.
07:17And, you know, a lot of people are probably going to think 42 years old, even though I feel like
07:22it's young. I think that 42 is the new 22. Okay. But, um, but I was like, you know, I need to get
07:30a real, like, I need to get somebody that's like a monster. You know what I'm saying? I have some
07:35amazing trainers that I've worked with, amazing trainers, but I needed somebody that I didn't know
07:40that was going to hold me accountable. So I went and I sought out a professional,
07:45like a, uh, IFBB pro, uh, um, a bodybuilder, because I know that that type of training is a
07:52different kind of level. And so I met him through my friend, Corey Callie, you know,
07:56Corey Callie does, um, revenge body with Khloe Kardashian. And so I was like, you know, um,
08:03Corey, I don't, I don't know what to do. You know, can you train me? He was like, I'm in LA. I wish
08:07I could, but I know the perfect guy. And so he put me with Katie, which is Kevin Wilson. Um,
08:12who was an IFBB pro here in Atlanta, who's a bodybuilder. And, um, I explained to him what
08:17I wanted to do. And I, I pretended like I was trying to get ready for my photo shoot for my
08:22album cover. But I told him, I said, secretly, I want to, I want to compete, you know? And so he
08:28was like, you know, so many people come to me to want to compete, but we'll see. He says,
08:32so the first two months, we'll see what you do. So in the first two months I dropped like 22 pounds.
08:37And then I was like, okay, I'm ready. I'm ready to, you know, I'm ready to go on the program to
08:42compete. And he did my meal prep and everything. But what was most important is I was on sister
08:47circle and I, I decided to announce it. And I said, you know what? I want black women to see
08:53because those were our viewers. I want black women to see me do something, um, in the midst of being
09:00very busy in the midst of having baby, having children, small children, having a full career
09:06in life. And I want them to know that they can do this. Yeah. You know, we can do this together,
09:12but we can, I want them to watch me do it the old fashioned way. I, you know, not, um, go get
09:18liposuction. I did get that. I did try that little stuff on your stomach, a cool sculpted.
09:22Yeah. That didn't even work. It didn't even work. So I still had to do the work. I still had to train
09:28two and three times a day and eat small meals, six meals a day and take my supplementation and things
09:34of that nature. But I wanted to do it, um, on television in front of black women because I
09:39wanted them to be inspired every day. And so I documented every single thing and I'm talking about
09:44no makeup, like just in the gym, dad sweating. We saw it. Oh my God. It was awful. Um, and actually,
09:52I actually documented the whole thing and I have, um, it's a documentary called from one stage to the next.
09:58Yeah. Um, cause I wanted to, I want one. Yeah, I guess I wanted, I wanted women to see,
10:05you know, any, if I can do this, you can, you can do this, you know? So, and now I'm,
10:12I'm now I compete. I'm actually in training for the second one that's coming in November. I was
10:17supposed to compete in June, but obviously we're in COVID-19, so you can't do that, but, um, there's
10:22what, there's the Lee Haney here in Georgia, um, November 14th. So I'm shooting for that one.
10:27Congratulations, Lena. Cause that's such an exciting transformation and pivot. And you were
10:32so committed to it. Right. And it's interesting. You talk about going public, right. With your
10:37journey, because I think when we do that, we inspire so many women, but also it's an inspiring
10:42commitment to ourselves. You know what I mean? Like if I say I'm going to do this and you're all in it
10:47with me, then maybe I might just stick to it a little more. Yes. It's an accountability. I literally
10:53made all of our viewers, my accountability partner, because now it's like, yo, like you,
10:59you made a commitment to do this and to step on that stage. So come Hill or high water through
11:04injuries, through whatever, I was like, I'm getting on that stage. And it took me eight
11:08months to do it because I had a back injury. I went through so much drama just to get on that stage.
11:12Plus I was in the middle of a tour. I was in the middle of a tour. I was training overseas. I had to
11:18take my trainer with me. It was nuts. But I was like, I have to get to the finish line. It's so
11:23important because if I, if I let myself down, I let down all of these other women and now they have
11:28an excuse to say, well, see, I knew she wasn't going to be able to do that. And that's why I can't
11:33do it. You know what I'm saying? So I, I crawled to the stage.
11:37And you made it. And you made it. And you know what else you mentioned to us that I think it's
11:42so important that we talk about giving ourselves the grace because as black women, so babies,
11:48stress, work, like we all know we hold the weight of the world on our shoulders, right? We deal with
11:54it quietly and we battle. And sometimes our weight just goes up and down and we have to give ourselves
12:00the grace. So can you talk about that? Because you've had your ups and downs in your journey.
12:05How can we give ourselves the grace, but keep moving again?
12:10Well, the first thing that I had to do, and especially, you know, a lot of women go up and
12:14down, up and down. You have to forgive yourself for going up. Okay. And wait, it happens. You're
12:21not alone. I know fitness competitors that go up when it's time to compete again. They do what they
12:27need to do. They get back to where they need to be. That is their job. So they're going to go up 15.
12:33And then, you know, when it's time to compete, they don't. So up and down, up and down within
12:36a 15 pound range is not a big deal for them. However, I'm just saying that to say,
12:42don't beat yourself up about going up. Because what happens is you beat yourself up because you
12:47went up. And so now you just keep going. Well, forget it then. I'm going to start Monday,
12:51you know, because Monday is the day. Yeah. That's another thing. Monday. After my vacation,
12:59on Monday, after the summer, you know, after 4th of July, you know what I'm saying? Don't start
13:05Monday. Start right now. Okay. And so the first thing you have to do is forgive yourself and not
13:11start on Monday. Start the day that you decide. And you don't have to stop eating. It's a process.
13:17Yeah. So like, if you say, and I have this challenge on my, on my she lean life.com called
13:22the, uh, the 21 day challenge, because it takes 21 days to break a habit. And so the challenges is
13:27filled with things like cleaning out your pantry. Like it takes time to get your mind in a space
13:33where you can be committed and disciplined. And then you have to surround yourself with like-minded
13:40people and entities. Don't, don't, don't put yourself in predicament that you know you're going to fail,
13:46because then again, you'll start beating yourself up again. It's okay to make mistakes. Understand
13:52that you have to learn from them, but at some point you are going to have to make that choice
13:57and stick to it. And you just have to ask yourself, how bad do I want this? And this isn't even about,
14:03you know, I want to fit in these jeans anymore. Right now we're dealing with COVID-19 that is
14:08disproportionately affecting African-Americans. So now it's more so about our health, you know what I'm
14:14saying? And survival and being around for our children and see these graduations and
14:18play with our grandkids and things like that. Things that are going to matter later,
14:22you know what I'm saying? So, um, we just have to really choose ourselves and that's a big deal
14:28for black women. You know, it sounds real easy, but we have to really, we really have to choose
14:35ourselves over our children, over our husbands. And it doesn't mean that you don't love them, but if you
14:42don't take care of you, you can't take care of them. That was a good word. Okay. Hallelujah.
14:49Okay. Hallelujah. Let the church say amen. It's true. And you are living proof of it, Selena.
14:54Yes. I love you. I can talk to you all day,
14:57so we're going to have to sidebar. I'm going to have to slide through your DM. Okay.
14:59Well, just calm, right? But thank you for sharing your journey and continuing to share your journey and
15:05for just truly inspiring so many of us who just keep having to, you know, fall and get on back up.
15:11Yes. We can all get to greatness and we thank you. We're so proud of you and you look amazing.
15:15Thank you. I know you feel amazing. Thank you.
15:17Which is the most important part. Yes, ma'am. And through it all,
15:20even though, and another thing really quickly. Yeah.
15:23We are going through very stressful times. So that's another thing. If you're gaining weight
15:30in the pandemic and through this, these social injustices and all this protest and all this
15:35negative stuff that we're seeing that is happening to us, give yourself a break.
15:40Okay. We are going through stressful times that you have no control over. Allow yourself to feel how
15:47you feel and then get back into it. You heard it from Selena. Y'all feel those feelings. Bet on yourself.
15:53Thank you so much this day. Thank you. You're welcome. Peace.
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