Fitness Files: Deazie Gibson
Acacia TV, RLJ Entertainment's proprietary digital fitness channel features even more diverse, user-friendly routines with four new themed workouts added every month. New York City fitness instructor Deazie Gibson is one of the featured instructors. As a way to offer continued support for National Military Appreciation month I wanted to highlight another fitness professional (last week I interviewed Liz LeFrois) to bring awareness to the cause. Continue reading my fitness files interview with Deazie to learn more about her passion for fitness and her favorite workout moves.
NMF: Has fitness always been a major part of your life or was there a catalyst/point in your life when you made it more of a focus and priority?
AD: Yes, fitness has always been in my life. I was constantly involved in sports growing up realizing the continuous change in my body. I learned at an early age that your body is your temple and to respect it! I was always in the sport that had minimal clothing, lol; Gymnastics, cheerleading, dance and track and field. However, It wasn't until I moved to NYC that I began more of a focus in fitness. I started to instruct and personal train full time and become more involved in the holistic approach to fitness, proper nutrition and recovery in addition to the creativity of working out.
NMF: What are a few of your go-to healthy snacks/drinks that help keep you on the straight and narrow?
AD: I looooove sushi! I love good healthy food and I eat a lot or I guess I should say I eat often so sometimes sushi is a snack for me, lol. Kind bars, almonds/almond butter, dark chocolate from Trader Joe's (sooo good), mango, pineapple, and green apples. I really appreciate a fresh green juice! For example: spinach, kale, parsley, collard greens, cucumber, celery, lemon and apple-delicious! As for drinks, seltzer water helps to definitely keep me on the straight and narrow with making sure i get the proper daily water intake with my active lifestyle. Sometimes I need a change from drinking water and seltzer is the perfect answer. It mixes it up just enough to appreciate water the next time you drink it. Kombucha is another love of mine. It has a little flavor with bubbles, good for the gut and taste great!
NMF: At Nadia Murdock Fit our motto is “Train Your Mind, Change Your Body” so we must ask: How do you train your mind and stay motivated?
AD: I gotta have "Deazie time." That is my time to relax, recharge, reflect, absorb and learn. But that time also involves me working out. It's my form of meditation. It has to be intense or I feel unsettled and unsatisfied. It clears my mind of stress and clutter and I'm better able to focus and motivate. I love to challenge myself with something new or something I haven't done in a while, to see if I still got it! For example; take an adult gymnastics class, take a dance class in a style that I'm not good at or get on a track and do some sprints and drills to remind myself, I use to do this and still can (of course, with a little longer warm up and cool down, lol). I also eat clean. I feel eating clean keeps your mind healthy, strong and sharp. I believe, you are what you eat. I try and live a balanced lifestyle of fitness, family, friends and fun - in that order! Although, I put fun last on the balanced lifestyle list, it is the most important in all the aspects of living a balanced life. It feeds the mind and soul and creates happiness by allowing you to look forward to and sustains your motivation.
NMF: How do you change your body? What are your fitness favorites?
AD: By changing my eating. I hate to call it a diet because eating healthy and clean is a way of life for me. I find that if I just tweak my eating just a bit, it makes all the difference in the world. My fitness favorites...If your talking exercises, a movement that works multiple muscle groups. I feel that you get better results if your efficient which means using the most muscle groups at one time like the squat, deadlift, snatch or clean and jerk.
For more information visit: (www.MilitaryFamily.org ) non-profit, National Military Family Organization.
Nadia
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