Coily Encounters: Meet Lynnieluve!!

Meet Lynnieluve

Wife, Mother, and Physical Fitness Queen!

I met this lady over a year ago on Curlynikki.com

She is such a beautiful spirit, always there to extend her helping hand. Lynnie has the most beautuful styles. I tried to copy one with NO LUCK at all!! Enjoy the read!

1.How long have you been natural? As of June 9, 2010, I have been natural 10 months. 2.Did you transition? If so, how long and why? Yes, I transitioned 4 months. I wanted to transition just long enough to about an 2 inches of hair.

Also, what was your transitioning process? I washed my hair once a week. I wore curly styles most of my transition...roller sets, straw sets, bantu knot outs, twist and curls.

3.Did you have any support going natural? or negative experiences when going natural? The only person's support I was concerned about was my Hubby. When I told him I wanted to go natural, he told me to do what makes me happy. When I told my mom I was going natural, her exact words were, "Your hair is going to be nappy." I told her that was what I wanted. LOL!! I am happy to report she is now natural too. She transitioned 5 months and big chopped Easter weekend. I have not had any negative experiences since going natural.

3B.In the words of Michael Baisden...What did your huzz-bun think? My hubby supported me from the beginning.

4.What is your regimen? I recently finished a six week twist challenge and found out Roxie (my hair's name) loves to be shampooed every week. So this regimen is fairly new.

Shampoo once a week
Co wash if I feel I need a mid week wash
Deep condition once a week (rotating between moisturizing treatment and protein treatment every other week)

5.What is your nightly routine? I wear my scarf and/or bonnet every night. Because I wear two strand twist about 90-95% of the time, I only have to moisturize once or twice during the week. I also try to apply oil or shea butter to my ends twice a week.

6.What is your go to style? Two strand twist/twist outs

7. What is the best thing about being natural? The best thing about being natural is the versatility. I can start out with two strand twist on Monday, twist out fro on Tuesday, add two strand flat twist to one side on Wednesday, pin back both sides for a twist out fro hawk on Thursday and turn it into a twist out puff on Friday. I wouldn't do that but I could if I wanted too.

LOL!!

8.What advice do you have for an aspiring natural/transitioner? The best advice I got was to do my research. I always pass this advice along to others. I would also suggest getting to know your hair before you big chop. Learn how to do some of the styles you would like to wear once you become 100% natural. So many times I hear of ladies transitioning with kinky twist, micro braids, sew ins, etc their entire transition and when they big chop, they dont have a clue what to do with their natural hair.

The last thing, which can be so hard, is not to purchase every product you hear/read about. I made this mistake while transitioning. I went out and purchased almost $100 worth of products. I didn't use most of them until I was fully natural and they didn't work for my hair. Purchase the basics (shampoo, conditioner, styler), use it for a month, if it doesn't work, then move on to the next product

Let's talk life...

I notice you are into physical fitness.

How do you find the time to work out? Being a stay at home mom, finding a time to workout was hard for me. Hubby's schedule is so unpredictable...he would get home at 5pm some days and 10pm on other days.

First I started trying to workout after my son went to bed, but at that time I was ready to go to bed myself (LOL!). Once the scale hit 172 pounds and my size 10 pants were getting too tight, I decided I had to do something different. The only time for me to go to the gym is 5 am. That's before my son wakes up and Hubby is home with him.

Please share the work out routine
I currently workout 4 days a week (still trying to make it 5 days a week)....45mins to an hour of cardio and light weight training. My fitness journey started at the same time as my natural hair journey. I have been working out consistently a little over a year now. I decided this couldn't be another "Get Sexy for Summer" weight loss. It had to be a lifestyle change.

What recommendations do you have for someone starting a physically fit lifestyle. Based on your PERSONAL experience.
I know how hard it is to start working out and keep working out. We go consistently for about 2 weeks and then we stop again. When I started this time, I decided I would take baby steps and I would not deny myself the foods I love. I started out working out 3 days a week for 30 minutes. I increased my water intake. I cut down on my portion sizes. Instead of french fries, I get a salad or fruit. I cut back on red meats and pork. Instead of purchasing ground beef, we now eat ground turkey. Instead of white bread, get wheat bread. I cut back on fried foods. I started eating 5 meals a day...breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. The foods I love, I eat them in moderation. The 100 calorie snacks were a lifesaver for me because I love junk food. LOL!!
My advice would be to take baby steps. Implement realistic things for yourself. You can't eat tuna, salads and drink water only for the rest of your life. LOL!! Plan your meals. When you don't plan your meals for the day, it's hard to make healthy decisions, especially when you are hungry. Now with taking baby steps, you can't expect "Biggest Loser" results. STAY OFF OF THE SCALE!! It is NOT your friend. LOL!! It's best to assess your weight loss with the way your clothes fit. My original goal was to loose 20 pounds (pre baby weight). I got down to 152 pounds but now my weight hovers around 154-156 pounds....but I am smaller now (clothing wise) then I was before I had my son. Before I got pregnant, I was in a size 10. I am now a size 8. So don't totally rely on the scale.

Lastly, it's good to have a workout buddy but in the end, every thing falls on you. I tried the buddy system and didn't work for me. If my buddy didn't work out, I didn't either. Learn to be self-motivated. Once you start working out about a month straight, it starts to get addictive...which is a good thing.
Is there anything special that you do to your hair before a work out? After a work out?

I work out with my hair in two strand twist. I've worked out with my hair "out" a few times and had a mess on my hands afterwards. I only wash my hair once a week but I have a aloe spritz (water, organic aloe vera gel, tea tree, peppermint, and rosemary oil) I apply to my scalp to keep it "fresh.

Here are some additional photos of Lynnieluve!

This one is my personal fave!
Pin-up Twist