How to stay fit and youthful with Aunt Mo

1. Who is Aunt Mo?
My name is Maureen Moriah Mukisa commonly known as Auntie Mo. I will be 47 on 4th September. I am married to Pastor Mark Mukisa for 19 years now, and a mother of five and many more.
I am a business associate with Jeunesse Global, an anti aging company.
My passions are; fitness, dance, youth, women and family as a whole. Seeing people well is my goal.

2. How have you kept looking good for all these years?
Looking good must be seen in balance; Body, Soul and Spirit; each of those areas affects the other
I consider my mum Betty Semakula the best life coach and my big brother Peter Kisaka, who I watched for years.
Great habits lead you to a great destiny. This is my foundation;
a) Your spirit:
Total Devotion to God brings wholeness to your being
b)Your soul: mind will and Emotions
Feed your mind with wholesome information
Choose positive emotion, no matter the situation
Walk in forgiveness
Build healthy relationships with friends and family
Follow your life’s purpose and dreams
This gives me a sense of peace and great feeling of well being
(c)The body:
Just like you warm up a car engine before you drive , the body needs a 10-15 minutes warm up routine and stretches at the start of each day. This gives a great kick start in your day and keeps you lean too!
At least 40 min of my Genotype exercise three to four times a week
My diet is mostly organic and guided by my Genotype blood type A warrior.
I drink four glasses warm water at wake up and sips through my day.
It is a must for me to supplement my diet with reserve
I dance play and run with my children.
I go to my doctor once a year for a general check up

3. What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
The first thing I do when I wake is have my Me Time, where I do three things:
•Pray/ meditate.
•Drink my water.
•Warm up and stretch

4. What is the one thing you swear by regarding health?
The one thing is not to neglect any of the three areas;
Spirit, soul and Body

5. Do you feel any kind of pressure to always put on the “best face” for any situation?
I learnt from the best mentors; my mother and Marilyn Skinner, the importance of good character and being confident... thus;
•Putting on your best face becomes your DNA
•An excellent spirit is what I do my best to cultivate on a daily basis
•It is not pressure but it is a joy seeing the results it brings in relationships and in projects

6. How do you deal with all the expectations of people from you?
People are very unique in personality and desires, meeting their expectations requires you to be an angel of sorts
I am learning daily to multiply myself in other people /mentor women and youth empowering them to do the same for others ...the cycle goes on

Why do I do that?
Life is not about me but about helping others reach their potential and meet their needs
Building others is my focus so I focus on the contribution I am making as who am I and my purpose is concerned. When you do that, you go beyond the expectations.

Early in our marriage - The first five years;
People always made comments ‘why don’t you put on weight?’ You are too small. Are you not eating? As a pastors wife, you need some flesh.’

I have always been a low weight person and my husband loved that about me. The only time I went beyond 55 kilogrammes was during pregnancy. That is when I got the best comments ever about how beautiful I looked and I was told ‘please stay that way!’ In other words without a certain amount of weight on you, you are not beautiful!
These comments came from relatives, church members, pastors wives and so on.

I went to the extent of seeing Dr Ian Clarke because all these comments made me think there was something wrong in my system. He smiled as I explained my plight. He affirmed me and said it was merely a belief in our kind of society and he changed hats and spoke to me as a father.He told me how beautiful I was! (Fathers you have a job to do )
I left that clinic feeling great about myself.

I held my head high and did not let anyone speak to me that way, again. I would affirm myself in front of them and tell them how beautiful I am. That ended the song!

What nailed it is when one day we went for a swim with one of my critics who always called me a Mulalo (slender like a herdsgirl). She was amazed at my tone and shape which was a result of my habits; marathons, years of resistance training, hill climbing, long walks, dance, and stretches.She never criticised again!

Now armed scientifically that I am by genotype a Warrior ...thanks to Dr Tamale, I know my natural body type is thin and long and that explains my lifestyle and things I enjoy.

Know who you are and get comfortable in your skin.
Pick up some good habits that can better your life but do not spend all your life trying to be what people want you to be whether it is colour of your skin, size or career. Your self acceptance will push you to your Destiny. Be you!

7. How do you deal with criticism of you or your husband?
You will always be criticised if you are achieving in life. If no one is saying anything, ask yourself what you are doing. Criticism for me is a stepping stone, it gives me and Mark a stronger drive for what is ahead.

8. What is the greatest blessing and what the greatest burden of being a pastor’s wife?
I have the greatest privilege helping to create systems that will eventually transform the community through the church: seeing lives change is my greatest blessing.

On the other hand, you will always have people with a measuring tape of what a pastor’s wife should be, but that has not burdened me because of a supportive husband

9. How do you deal with stress?
Every situation will be handled according to its root cause
This is what I do:
Praying always gives me a sense of peace and release
Dance and play with my children
Talk through issues with my husband Mark or life coach; Jordan
Read a book.
Enjoy a beautiful walk.A regular call chat to a girl friend or brothers Andrew and Peter Kisaka lift my spirit.
An excellent fitness routine is amazing.

10. How do yo advise women to deal with stress?
•Through exercise, give your body an opportunity to burn unwanted calories, get rid of toxins that dull your mood and make you sick.
Also do the right exercise for your type so that you can be consistent.
Eating right for your blood type will keep your hormones, blood sugar levels and moods in balance.
Eat organic as much as you can; You will be amazed at how great you look and the good feelings that follow
Declutter your home
Remove everything you do not use or have in excess
Give to the community or do a garage sale
Clean up all corners you will be amazed how great you will feel.
Invest in your relationships greatly. It is how much we cared that matters at the end of our lives.
Sleep is a great way to rest and refresh.
Walk in continued forgiveness
Delegate responsibility and mentor others to do what you are doing, especially your children.

11. How can a woman grow spiritually?
Spend time with God alone on a daily basis talking and listening
Study the word of God, individually and in a group
This will challenge your faith and help you grow
Exercise your talents and gifts and use them in your worship place and community e.g. Outreach to the needy.
Have a spiritual mentor who challenges you and keeps you accountable
Daily purpose to please God as a lifestyle. This is your spiritual act of worship

12. Share some parenting tips
1- Each child is unique and a gift from God! Do not compare them at all!
2- Call each child by name and help each develop their unique abilities
3-Model for the children what family life should be! They catch it as they watch their parents! It’s almost impossible to instruct them with words
4-Give your children boundaries so they learn respect and self discipline! It gives liberty and confidence when they know what to and how far to!
5- Never discipline without instruction and when you do, they must clearly know their offence and own it! Do not do it in anger lest it is taken as torture or abuse!
6- Reward good behaviour not only punishing the negatives!
7- Do not focus on academic excellence but on living life! Many were educated, qualified and got their doctorates in academic studies but failed to make a living in life!
8- Preserve great family traditions like praying together, having meals at the table together, going out together.These strengthen family bonds and say to the children that family is important to you!
9- Teach the children respect for each other and for the sexes! Model it as a couple to them!
10- Remember, you remain a parent all your life and keep your respect and availability at all times!

Blood type diet
Could eating a diet based on your blood type -- O, A, B, or AB -- help you trim down and get healthier? That is the idea behind the Blood Type Diet, created by naturopath Peter J. D’Adamo.
What You Can Eat
Here’s what D’Adamo recommends for each type:
Type O blood: A high-protein diet heavy on lean meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables, and light on grains, beans, and dairy.
Type A blood: A meat-free diet based on fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, and whole grains -- ideally, organic and fresh, because people with type A blood have a sensitive immune system.
Type B blood: Avoid corn, wheat, tomatoes, peanuts. Encouraged to eat green vegetables, eggs, certain meats, and low-fat dairy.
Type AB blood: Foods to focus on include; dairy, and green vegetables. He says people with type AB blood tend to have low stomach acid. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and smoked or cured meats.