Fitness and Nutrition Coach Arielle Simone Speaks on Her Health Journey
Fitness and Nutrition Coach Arielle Simone Speaks on Her Health Journey, Being Influenced by Dr. Sebi, The Best Diets for Black Women and More.
As we move forward with Women’s History Month, we want to continue to highlight amazing women within this creative space that we’re in but more importantly have these women personally shed light on their talents. With everything that’s currently going on throughout the nation and the world, this is the perfect time for us to highlight a woman who knows more than enough about getting healthy and staying healthy. Arielle Simone, a fitness and nutrition coach, uses her platform to promote wellness within the black community but primarily targets black women throughout her mission. From holding plant-based events to expound on her knowledge of plant-based diets to tweeting long lists of foods to eat to help maintain a healthy body, Arielle Simone is striving to increase the awareness of a healthy body, mind, and soul.
I had the pleasure of catching up with Arielle to discuss her nutrition and fitness inspirations, why she felt it was necessary to target black women in her mission, the role of a holistic nutrition coach, and what’s to come for her and her brand in 2020.
1 - Did you have any personal or professional motivators growing up that made you want to be a personal trainer or a nutrition coach? If so, who or what?
Queen Afua, Dr. Sebi and Dr. Llaila Afrika inspired me to learn more taking care of ourselves on a holistic level and understanding how to eat for our bodies. My biggest motivation is healing myself. I was a fashion model for a few years and I was extremely malnourished and underweight. Learning how to work out and eat helped me transition into a healthier, more holistic lifestyle.
2 - Why did you feel that this was a necessary field to be in? Secondly, why did you feel it was necessary to target black women specifically?
Once I started to learn more about how the body works and what we need to not only survive but thrive I began to heal myself. Healing myself has inspired me to help others to heal themselves through dietary and lifestyle changes. I specifically want to target Black women because Black people in general are the leading statistics in obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It’s scary out here. Doctors don’t believe us or think we are being dramatic when we talk about our pain, aches or trauma and they do not take us seriously. They are very quick to give us a pill and ask us to walk away before focusing on changing the way we eat, move, and treat our bodies. It’s sad. They assume we wouldn’t change our diet or exercise more. They assume the worst and treat us the worst. And of course, this doesn’t apply to all doctors but when you look at the statistics black women are leading in the deaths during childbirth. Why is that? Because in the health industry, our lives don't matter. That’s why I want to help Black women learn how to eat for better health, better skin, better hair, better energy, a better body, a better mind. Just everything.
3 - For those who are unaware, can you explain your role as a holistic nutrition coach?
I teach people how to eat for energy and learn new ways to nourish the mind, body, soul. What that looks like is learning how to eat for your body, discovering what works for you and what doesn’t, understanding your cravings, learning who you are as an emotional eater. I help people create better lifestyle changes like drinking more water, getting more quality sleep, finding movement they love, having a fulfilling relationship with food, using a creative hobby to heal emotional wounds, etc.
This is all a part of wellness and how we take care of our bodies and our lives. In order to heal one part of your life or to improve one part of your body you need to see wellness as a whole. The way we eat affects the way we think which affects the way we feel and vice versa. The mind, body, soul is interconnected. Oftentimes in traditional medicine, the average doctor sees the symptoms and just treats the symptoms. They don’t see the body as a whole. That’s the problem. Everything is connected and I’m here to help them not only connect the dots but to understand and heal the missing links.
4 - What are some of the best wellness practices for black women? Secondly, in your opinion, what are some of the best food diets for black women?
I think it’s really important for Black women to practice a lot more self-care and self-love. That looks like taking care of yourself before anybody else. It means pouring back into yourself so you’re not pouring to others from an empty cup. Pouring into yourself looks like setting time to meal prep, to relax, to go to bed early, to have a morning routine, to making breakfast, to exercise. Shit like that. The best wellness practice would be making more time to take care of yourself and developing a morning routine and meal prepping/home-cooking more. Less eating out for sure!
The best, best diets for Black women would be plant-based eating. We operate from the highest place when we eat foods that have a high vibrancy. Foods with a high vibrancy are whole foods, fruits, and vegetables that are colorful, vibrant, and natural. We want the majority of every plate to be green and colors. Less white bread, white pasta, white rice and more spinach, kale, bok choy, swiss chard, asparagus, green beans, etc. try some new vegetables! We usually stick to what we know and there are over 2,000 vegetables in the world. We need to expand our palette.
5 - I read on your website a brief paragraph about deconstructing your cravings. Can you elaborate on that because I found it to be very interesting.
Thank you for reading that!Deconstructing your cravings looks like no longer being a slave or obedient to your cravings. It’s about understanding where your cravings are coming from. We are all emotional eaters figuring out the root cause of that craving.
Our cravings say a lot about what we’re actually lacking in the rest of our lives. We tend to eat to fulfill something else. Sometimes when we think we crave something sugary, we’re really craving intimacy. When you start to notice what you crave and when you crave it - you’ll begin to take better care of that craving.
Are you really craving cake? Or do you hate your job? Or did you not give yourself enough attention throughout the day? Or do you want a really good laugh? Do you want a hug or some sort of intimacy or touch? Do you really want a fulfilling job? A job that makes you feel purposeful and happy? Do you want to spend more time around friends or family? Do you want to start making more time for yourself?
Before we go eat what we think we’re craving there are other more fulfilling ways to feel satisfied. Things like calling an old friend, putting on a comedy, reading an exciting book, doing a household chore. Sometimes it’s even as simple as taking a pause and just drinking a cup of water. Basically it’s all about understanding your cravings, peeping when they come up, and learning new ways to satisfy other areas in your life. You do that and you really won’t crave the “bad” foods anymore.
6 - I like to see your twitter posts every now and then about healthy foods to eat to treat or boost certain things in the body. What have been some of the responses you’ve gotten from people about that and have you received any feedback from your following about whether or not these things worked for them?
People say the nicest things!!! Sounds cheesy but my heart literally does tingle. I’m such an empath so the second someone writes me I feel so connected to their growth and their pain. People are always writing me telling me how much a tweet inspired them to do simple things like wake up an hour earlier, drink a little more water, hit the gym, make a smoothie, go plant-based - all these very amazing lifestyle changes. It literally makes my heart feel so full. Like I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing in my life right now. People even show me the meals they make inspired by the things I post and their noticing huge differences in the way they feel, think and move. Me inspiring them inspires me too - it’s a boomerang effect.
7 - As you continue on with your mission, what are some of the biggest messages you’re trying to convey to your audience and to black women in particular?
My biggest message to all Black women is to take the time out to learn about our bodies and what works for you. Learning how to listen to your body and to practice intuitive eating. I want us all to be more intentional with our food choices and lifestyle habits. When we’re done eating it’s important to check back in with ourselves: how did this food make me feel? Did this give me more energy or take it away? Am I still hungry? Am I happy? Am I fulfilled?
It’s also important to check in with your soul and what really* feels good. Do I need more sleep? More water? Therapy? Better friends? A better job? A healthier relationship? More movement? What is it? This is understanding what your life really needs. We already have the answers and it’s all about knowing what to do and when to do it. Because healing looks different for everyone.
8 - What can we expect from Arielle for 2020? What are some things you’re looking to accomplish this year as a holistic nutrition coach and personal trainer and just overall with your brand?
I’m mostly looking forward to my workshops and retreats! I’m really excited to see and meet people in person. I am hosting my first international holistic wellness retreat in Mexico this Fall 2020 and I am stoked! We will be learning how to cook and eat more plant-based, exercising, and developing a healthy spiritual practice. I’m also starting a podcast and a YouTube channel this Spring so stay tuned!