Dr. Lakita Long is a woman desiring to live out her full purpose and call in helping people worldwide be their best selves.

She is dynamic in nature, energetic with purpose, and intentional in action. Spiritual is her make-up and loving is the way she prefers to be. She is a sister-friend, coach, speaker, and strategic thought leader. She is a forever learner and student, teachable and willing to teach. She is a mom of two and counts that as being the most challenging and rewarding aspect of her life.

Tell us about the Walk it Off Program?

Walk It Off is one of the Wellness brands that I started about 11.5 years ago when I was deep in the need of losing weight. At that time I was a clear 195 pounds, had just had my son Jailen and totally 50 pounds overweight. I had read some information by Dr. Ian Smith about walking/running 10,000 steps which is equivalent to 5 miles per day. So I got some pedometers which were given to me by a State Farm campaign that Dr. Ian Branch was over at the time, and I started walking religiously 10,000 steps per day, every day which was 35 miles a week. Many times I didn’t hit the 10,000 step mark initially, but the fact that I was pushing it every day with an intentional desire to see different results, I started losing weight quickly, I became complacent and gain some back. In 2017, looking at a picture at a dinner party, I said enough is enough. I weighed 196 pounds and was just tired of it all. On May 1, 2017, I said I will walk/run 5 miles or more every day until I go into the grave. This is the essence of the Walk It Off. Sober. Discipline. Intentional (the values we live by).

Do you think there are psychological, spiritual, or cultural issues that interfere with women and self-care?

Yes, there are many psychological, spiritual, and cultural issues that interfere with women and their self-care. The first issue is the lack of information and feeling disempowered. If more women knew the risk they had when it comes to being stressed and overweight, they would reconsider how they ate and responded to situations. Our psyche is pushed by our beliefs, actions, and behaviors, and if these things are not properly aligned we will not treat ourselves well, and self-care will be almost non-existent. Culturally speaking, some feel that how they look is what they should look like, “big-boned” etc, and this is not the truth. You can change your body and your mind. Spiritually some feel very ashamed, or guilty because it looks like vanity or self-indulgence. Even scripture admonishes us to care for ourselves. Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Getting started is often hard. What are some things women can do to launch a self-care routine?

One of the many things that you can do to get started is said YES right now to you being better than you were the day before. Start here, and say YES. Go ahead say, YES. Secondly, start looking at what you eat. Where can you cut back on? Then afterward, get involved in things that you can do like Walking Challenges. Walk It Off Girl offers a powerful walking challenge that helps you in many different ways: mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Why do you think some women are not staying consistent with self-care?

Consistency in anything requires focus and when it comes to women focusing on their own self-care, well it is not there. Sometimes women feel guilty doing things for themselves and I encourage women to remember that there is only one of them, and they need to make sure it is the best version.

Provide 3-5 tips to help women get motivated to workout?