• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • BDO TV
  • Find A Doctor
  • Subscribe
Home / Wellness / Weight Loss / Syleena Johnson: The Next Chapter of Life, Love & Fitness

Syleena Johnson: The Next Chapter of Life, Love & Fitness

(Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for OWN TV)

Sisters Circle host, R&B Divas TV star and real-life singer/songwriter Syleena Johnson is known for songs such as “I Am Your Woman” and “Hypnotic” and collaborations with superstars like Kanye West and R. Kelly. The beautiful wife and mother of two has a singing legacy that runs deep, being the daughter of the legendary Syl Johnson.

Johnson’s road to music was hardly easy. Her father, Syl, was not encouraging, and on top of that, Johnson suffered from vocal nodules and had to go through speech therapy. When Johnson was fifteen, her parents split up. Despite these setbacks, Johnson’s relationship with both her parents and her music remained strong. After having nodes removed from her vocal cords, she took two years of speech therapy. She has seven years of vocal training.

Despite her parents’ separation, Syleena has been married for over 15 years to basketball legend, Kiwane Garris.

“Happy Anniversary to my King, my best friend, and baby daddy. I love you with everything that I am!♥️ 13 years and counting,” she posted on her Instagram.

You May Also Like
15 Natural Remedies for Aches and Pains

After marriage, Syleena began growing a family and giving birth to two boys in four years. After her sons were born, she worked incredibly hard to lose nearly 70 pounds. Syleena then took it upon herself to help other mothers do the same. Johnson wants to help mothers get their bodies and souls together with “Mommy’s Got Soul” – a workout DVD specifically designed to help mothers lose baby weight and get in shape. What sets this workout DVD apart from other baby boot camp DVDs?

“I wanted to inspire real mothers who look like real women and make a realistic DVD that will motivate the average sized woman,” says Syleena. She added that it’s time mothers mixed being caregivers with taking good care of themselves as women.

Syleena combines her music career, advocacy for women, and love for health and fitness all into one passion packed workout. The 50-minute DVD consists of different types of workouts, including a kettle bell workout, yoga, and a cool-down. The video features Syleena, as well as her R&B Divas co-star Nicci Gilbert, Chanita Foster of VH1’s Football Wives, trainer Justin Sawochka, and the DVD co-executive producer, Sheena Minard.

You May Also Like
Bacon and other meats May Increase Your Risk for This Lung Disease

Selena also helps women struggling with weight in her blog called, “The Weight Is Over,”.  In it, she dishes out advice on how to not only lose weight but keep it off.

Recently, she challenged herself and her body by committing to being in a bodybuilding fitness competition.

The 45-year-old officially took the stage for the NPC Texas Cup, looking bronzed and toned, posing it up in a sparkling bikini and clear heels while doing the women’s figure category. She took fans through her experience from start to finish on Instagram.

Photo credit: YouTube

The beauty placed third in the competition, fifth place for “True Novice” and sixth place for “Novice.” She went home with three trophies and a sense of accomplishment. She thanked her trainers, past and present, for not only inspiring her to take part in the show, but for also helping her to prepare to take the stage. According to Johnson, “They changed my mindset and body” and helped her to go from 236 pounds down to 179, pushing her through injuries and moments where she struggled.

“I would encourage anyone trying to reach a goal in fitness to hire a coach or trainer,” she told her followers. “I thank God for them.”

While it might have been a surprising move from the star for fans, she shared in her video series, #From1Stage2TheNext, that flexing her muscles on stage was something she’d wanted to do for years.

“This has been a longtime dream of mine. This is not something I just woke up yesterday and said I wanted to do,” she said. “I don’t want to live this life and not do all of the things that I think I can do. I just feel like we can accomplish our goals and dreams, all in this life. And so that’s what I’m doing. I’m just pursuing all of the dreams and desires and goals and wants that God puts in my belly. Being a fitness competitor is one of them. I will continue to compete hopefully with the grace of God, but the first competition, I just want to get on the stage.”

In a post on her Instagram page, Syleena Johnson shared a photo of her transformation with a quote from Serena Williams.

“You can be whatever size you are, and you can be beautiful both inside and out. We’re always told what’s beautiful and what’s not, and that’s not right.”
-Serena Williams

(photo credit: Syleena Johnson instagram)
(photo credit: Syleena Johnson instagram)

“Taking care of the mind is equally as important as taking care of the body. One of the methods I use intermittently throughout the day is called the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or tapping,” explains Syleena in her blog.

“According to my favorite naturalist doctor and health advocate Dr. Joseph Mercola, EFT is the psychological acupressure technique based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments for over 5000 years, minus the invasiveness of needles. It is done by tapping lightly on specific parts of the body that release magnetic energy flow, while voicing positive affirmations.”

syleena_johnson

“It is a simple technique you can use anywhere, and it can immediately help you remove negative emotions, reduce food cravings, eliminate pain and implement positive goals. Stress can hinder the journey to health and wellness. EFT can be a key element to help you reclaim control of your emotional state and promote mental well-being. It can create calmness and peace, allowing you to refocus and regain control of your diet, your finances, your relationships or anything that you have anxiety about.”

“For example, I use EFT when I am experiencing a sugar craving. I just tap lightly on the top of my head, my temple, my chin, my chest or under my arm and repeat to myself,…

Continue Reading

The Latest In Weight Loss

life after 40

5 Steps To Fabulous After 40: It Can Be You!

For women, life after 40 can be an uncertain maze of emotional peaks and valleys - riddled with the physical changes that threaten the most toned of bodies and long-held notions of fabulosity. But an increasing number of high-powered women read more about 5 Steps To Fabulous After 40: It Can Be You!
morning routine

5 Ways To Make Your Morning Routine A Workout

Having trouble finding time to fit a quick workout into your daily routine? Working out while you get ready in the morning may just be your solution! Well, this may not be a full-fledged alternative, but it certainly can fill read more about 5 Ways To Make Your Morning Routine A Workout
summer body

Spring Training: 7 Ways To Get Fit For Summer

In case you haven’t noticed, summer will be here any minute and right about now, you’re probably panicking because those last pesky 10 or 20 pounds still haven’t melted off yet and are interfering with your summer body. Not to read more about Spring Training: 7 Ways To Get Fit For Summer
Beyonce

Beyoncé’s Top 7 Workout Secrets

Even though Beyoncé has chart-topping records and has received countless awards, she actually still gets nervous before a performance, and is sometimes self-conscious about how she looks on stage. In order to get ready for each grueling performance, she prepares for read more about Beyoncé’s Top 7 Workout Secrets
sleep

How a Lack of Sleep Can Widen Your Waistline

People who choose to skip sleep to study, work or play late into the night may find they've extended not just their waking hours but also their tummies. Less sleep means more eating A small new study found that the read more about How a Lack of Sleep Can Widen Your Waistline
how to lose weight fast

Three Things That Keep Us From Faster Weight Loss

Everyone wants to know the secret to losing weight faster. While some have found small successes here and there, many are missing the point: which is it doesn't always work, all the time. Even if something started to work, your read more about Three Things That Keep Us From Faster Weight Loss

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • The McGhee Sextuplets: A Family Built On LoveThe McGhee Sextuplets: A Family Built On Love
  • Reality Star Hospitalized After Major Car Accident: “Unresponsive, But Stable”Reality Star Hospitalized After Major Car Accident: "Unresponsive, But Stable"
  • Top 3 Mistakes Cooking Salmon (You Should Never Make Again)Top 3 Mistakes Cooking Salmon (You Should Never Make Again)
  • Aleisha Allen: From Actress to Speech PathologistAleisha Allen: From Actress to Speech Pathologist
  • Halle Berry: Over 50 ‘Just Keeps Getting Better With Time’Halle Berry: Over 50 'Just Keeps Getting Better With Time'

Podcast

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2022, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.