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Texas Indie Beauty Network Member Has Healthy Message For All

Lately, I am rediscovering the connection between healthy habits and a successful business. I feel fortunate that my business is successful, and I have a lot of people to thank for that. On the other hand, now that I'm increasing my fitness level, I am more curious and inspired by other Indie Business owners who incorporate fitness into their lives on a more regular basis than I have up until now. My blog is a great place to inspire myself and others to combine fitness of body with fitness of mind, spirit and business.

Lucky for me, there are tons of Fit Indies in the Indie Beauty Network. Last month, I profiled IBN member and Fit Indie Candace Sweeney in my weekly newsletter. Today, I'm excited to introduce you to Rhonda Hodge, a Fit Indie and the owner of Diva SpaWorks in Murphy, Texas. Here's what Rhonda is teaching me about the importance of fitness.

dM: How has being a Fit Indie impacted your life and your business?

Rhonda: Being fit gives me, my lifestyle and my products credibility. I look like I live a healthy and fit lifestyle. While I am not thin by any means, I maintain a healthy weight for my height and bone structure, and I have healthy skin, nails, hair and teeth. People are always asking me about the all-natural products I make and use on my hair. This provides a natural way for me to recommend my products in particular and natural products in general.

dM: What is your best selling product?

Rhonda: My best selling product is Diva Glo Spa Ginger Skin Exfoliator. Every time I make a fresh batch, I fall in love with it all over again. It sells well because it's a sensual body and mind experience in a jar. It combines ingredients such as Dead Sea Salt, premium skin loving vegetable oils and essential oils in a whipped cream base. It stays at the top of my best seller list. I have yet to demo this product on a customer who did not immediately buy at least one jar.

dM: What are your best tips to help others become fit?

Rhonda: I have several.

1. Move your body every day. Whether it's walking, swimming, yoga or whatever. Do it for at least 30 minutes a day. Dr. Oz. of Oprah fame, wrote me an email years ago with that advice. I met him last year and his advice was still the same. Move, move, move. Also, eat healthy and get appropriate periodic health exams.
2. Do not smoke. I never have, and am a rabid anti-smoking crusader. Smoking contributed to the deaths of several people that I have loved over the past four years. Two of them were my sisters, who passed away within 15 months of each other.
3. Use smaller plates. Regular plates are usually 11 - 12 inches in diameter. Replace them with 9- inch plates and you will be amazed at how it helps you control your portions. When I first made this change, (3 teens and a husband) asked me why we were eating from saucers! I told them it was a way to visualize how we were changing our lives and the way we eat. I assured them that they could always go back for more, if and only if they were truly still hungry. We all soon adjusted to the new plate size and started to concentrate on how good the food looked on the plate instead of how much food was on the plate. We occasionally use our larger plates, but we all notice how out of place the food looks on them now.
4. Use white plates. There's a reason why most restaurants and cooking shows serve food on white plates! It's because food looks more inviting and plentiful on a white plate. Remember how much bigger our feet and other body parts look when we wear white clothing. Same principle applies to food.
5. Switch to Olive Oil. Use Extra Virgin, if possible, in place of regular Vegetable Oils for most every uses, except for frying. Try combining a dash of really good balsamic vinegar, a grind or two of red chili peppers and garlic and some extra virgin olive oil. Add a sprinkle of sea salt, if you don't have blood pressure issues. Heat gently in the microwave and use as a dipping sauce for whole grain breads. My family loves it and anyone can make it.
6. Throw out white stuff -- sugar, flour, bread, rice, pasta. Go for brown in all of these areas. Concentrate on whole grain, not just whole wheat. Look for organic if possible since pesticides are heavily used in many of these products.
7. Do a whole body cleanse. This helps jump started my system with a new "clean" feeling. An unexpected benefit is that, after a cleanse, my taste buds become more sensitive to sweet and salty tastes, especially sugar. This helps ward off possible cravings that can wreck my healthy lifestyle.

dM: Have you lost weight following these steps?

Rhonda: Yes. I lost 16 lbs over the course of about a year and have kept most of it off. But remember, it's lifestyle changes, not a "diet," that works in the long term. If I venture too far off my "path," I feel it right away. The weight creeps up, the well-being suffers, and I don't feel and look as cute as I know I am!

dM: Sookie sookie now, Rhonda!

Rhonda: That's right. And get regular health exams. I'm going to step on some toes now.

A few weeks ago, I went in for my regular annual physical. I received a clean bill of health, by the way. Anyway, while there, I noticed that I was the only Black woman there for my whole visit. As I left, I wondered why -- insurance, convenience, priorities, what?

The next day, I took my daughter to the hairdresser, and what do you know? Standing room only. Every seat was taken and some women even had small children on their laps. I was startled by the contrast.

How is it that we can't make it to the doctor's office, but we'll wait for hours to get our hair and nails done? This angered me and I was determined to get after my sisters and brothers to take responsibility for their health. Today, I wage a one-woman campaign for better health and well being. In essence, I am a Fit Indie for everyone I meet, and this is a part of the legacy I am leaving my children.

You should see my daughter's refrigerator at college. I am so pleased with her food choices. When I consider the hard times that we have endured, it is validating to know that all of my hard work is not in vain and that my healthy lifestyle choices are benefiting my children, and will also benefit their children for years to come.