The Queen of Hip Hop, Mary J. Blige sings these words in her new self-empowering song, “Good Morning Gorgeous”. Do you tell yourself that you are beautiful each day? I bet you don’t, but maybe you should. What would happen if you did? Take a moment to appreciate your curves, the way your body is solid and sure with strength in some places or sensuous with softness in others. End quiet moment you spend appreciating is a gift to you. Good thoughts become good feelings and feeling good on the inside is expressed on the outside, too.
Kind and gentle self-talk has helped Mary J. Blige overcome many obstacles in her life. She is not living with diabetes but she had a rough childhood. Her father, a war veteran who suffered from PTSD, left when she was just a young girl leaving the young Mary and her two siblings in the hands of an alcoholic mother. She was sexually abused by a family friend at the age of five. She turned to alcohol, drugs, and promiscuity to deal with the pain of her experiences.
“We numb ourselves with drugs and alcohol and people and shopping and shit, to cover up what’s really going on inside,” she said in an interview with Self.
Her resilience like her fame has grown over the years.
“People are watching,” she said to Self. “So much painful, embarrassing, public stuff has happened from the time I came out in this music industry. This stuff happens so that we can talk.”
Loving the body that you have and celebrating it makes you want to take care of it better inside and out, and all of that beauty just grows and grows. If you say it and hear it enough times I bet you’ll begin to believe it.
Enjoy Mary J. Blige’s song, “Good Morning, Gorgeous!” We believe in YOU!
Need a boost? Join us tomorrow night for Divabetic’s free Holiday-themed Baking Party with the Diabetic Pastry Chefon Thursday, December 9, 2021, at 7- 7:30 PM. EST.
We will be hosting two raffles during our virtual program. First, we will be giving away a beautiful Splenda Gift Basket filled with different Splenda products for you and your loved ones to enjoy. Then, Divabetic Image & Style Advisor, Catherine Schuller will raffle off a gift from Gem Desire. Catherine is the newest Brand Ambassador for Gem Desire, a curated jewelry brand at affordable prices. You must be present during our virtual program to qualify for the random drawings.
Are you frustrated or confused about what to eat for type 2 diabetes?
Enjoy this exclusive interview with nationally recognized Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Care and Education Specialist Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND about what to eat for type 2 diabetes.
Q: A lot of people with type 2 diabetes are fearful of working with Registered Dietitians because they believe they will tell them that they can’t eat any of the foods they enjoyed before they were diagnosed. What is your philosophy?
Jill Weisenberger (JW): I had all the bad habits. Eating large portions, going from one junk food to another to “get it out of my system and start fresh tomorrow,” berating myself for my apparent lack of willpower – I did it all. I’ve managed my weight for a very long time now by adopting a more suitable frame of mind. I treat myself with more kindness, and I don’t look at food as good or bad. I’ve figured out how to treat myself daily and still have a terrific diet. It was a long process, but I’m happier, healthier and have tons more energy.
JW: Although it looks like an e-book and it’s 80-some pages, I think of it more as a course for people new to or struggling with food choices for type 2 diabetes. I see people so confused and frustrated. They tell me they eat the same things over and over because they don’t know what else is “safe” for them to eat. Or they tell me they stay hungry all the time. And when we get into longer conversations, I often see that they think they know how food affects their blood sugar levels, but they’ve got some very fundamental misunderstandings. I wanted to create a guide that people could use in a stepwise fashion to move from the very basics of how food affects blood sugar – to what my food choices are doing – to how to count carbs and how to plan meals even if I’m the only one with diabetes.
JW: This guide is similar to how I might structure my appointments with clients. The first module is all about blood sugar management with lessons on carbohydrates, snacking, meal planning, carb counting, label reading. It has worksheets to help the reader figure out their usual portions and most common foods with carbohydrates. There’s even practice for meal planning and carb counting and charts with helpful info. The lessons in the second module cover the big picture of healthy eating with emphasis on heart disease and cancer prevention. There’s also a chart of healthy food swaps, among other things.
Sign up now for Divabetic’s free Diabetes Virtual Cooking Partywith Jill Weisenberger on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, 7-8 PM, EST on Zoom.
We’re talking about ’Eating Right, Being Bright’ during the holidays with musical inspiration fromHarry Connick, Jr. and his 16 piece big band on December’s Diabetes Late Nitepodcast scheduled for Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST.
Harry Connick, Jr. is among today’s most successful and multi-talented artists, who has garnered acclaim in both music and acting. His won both Grammy and Emmy awards as well as received Tony nominations.
Harry Connick, Jr.’s wife, Jill Connick is a breast cancer survivor. The couple credit timely screening and early detection for her good health and well-being. Together they have teamed up to encourage people 50 years and older to talk with healthcare providers about colon cancer screening, including the modern, noninvasive options.
Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Harry For The Holidays album courtesy of SONY Music. Harry Connick, Jr.’s second Christmas album, Harry for The Holidays is as much a salute to his New Orleans musical roots as it is to the season.
Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with special guest, Stacey Harris aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Thursday, December 10, 2020, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom.