A little over 10 years ago, urban America fell in love with the beautiful spirit and to-die-for body of BET 106 & Park’s former host, Free. She and her co-host AJ interviewed anyone who was anyone in the entertainment world, capturing the attention of millions of viewers and landing Free the cover of King Magazine.
Before the days of BET, Free was a Manager of Information Systems. After BET, she has been a radio personality, speaking at colleges across the country and working on TV shows with her production company Roxbury Bean Productions. Despite this hectic schedule, Ms. Free still manages to find time to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.
Free loves mixing up her workouts to keep them fun, fresh and to keep from getting bored. She states, “Boxing is amazing and gets the stress out at the same time. Hitting things works!” Free also enjoys the challenge of bootcamps and anything outdoors like hiking, walking, and running. She practices Bikram Yoga and mentions how amazing it is for flexibility and strength. “It’s 90 degrees in the room so be prepared for the sweat,” she warns.
Eating clean on the go takes effort. Free says that the only way it works for her is if she plans ahead. “If I know I’ll be out all day it’s a must to pack applesauce, celery, cranberries, salsa and other healthy snacks,” she says. If she cooks dinner the night before, she’ll take some leftovers for the next day’s lunch and may even stop at the corner st
ore for an orange or apple. Free has made it a point for many years to drink lots of water and learned a long time ago how important water was to a healthy body. She adds that when she needs a little fizz, she will use seltzer water and mix it with a little cranberry juice.When I asked Free her key to eating out, she says “the truth is you can always choose something healthy or ask for something prepared specifically, and don’t eat it all at once. Save some for later.” She adds, “Think about it. They serve the same plate to women as they serve to men. Surely at 5 feet I’m not supposed to eat the same thing a 6 foot 2 man eats.”
Free mentions that her favorite meal is egg whites with spinach, peppers, and tomatoes with grilled chicken. She boasts that it’s fast and easy. She loves to cook, so veggie lasagna is also one of her specialties. You can even find some of Free’s “Sunday Eats” on her site, Freesworld
and snag her amazing recipes.Like anyone with a busy schedule, Free admits to having many setbacks, but says that she is managing them better now. One such setback is PMS. She mentions that it’s something not talked about much because it’s considered taboo. Like many women, a week before her flow she gets cravings and mood swings. Every month she fights through it and does her best to stay away from the salty and fatty foods she craves.
Another setback Free mentioned was an injury to her Achilles heel. She couldn’t work out as she normally does, which taught her to respect her body and not take it for granted. Her advice for the busy professional is “no matter what happens in your day, you can’t let anything stop you from taking care of your body. Without being in great shape you can’t’ really enjoy anything anyway.”
The Dream Job, Dream Body series aims to motivate business men and women in managing hectic professional/personal responsibilities with healthy and active lifestyles. Here, we highlight how a few inspirational people have done just that!
BE Health and Wellness Contributor, Deanna Jefferson is a Celebrity Trainer, Health & Fitness Expert, NIKE trainer and Owner of Fab Body Factory. Tweet with her @deannajefferson.