Teyana Taylor is having one heck of a year.In fewer than 12 months, the 25-year-old embarked on a successful multi-city tour, got engaged to Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert and?gave birth to the couples first child, Iman Junie Tayla Shumpert, Jr.She became the living embodiment of having it all?-- the theory developed and popularized in the early 1980s by former Cosmopolitan?magazine editor-in-chief Helen Gurley Brown?--?which proclaimed that the modern woman could balance career, sex, love and money with ease.Yet, according to Teyana, thats not always a reality. Admittedly, shes a work in progress. I feel like the world makes us woman feel like we have to be on a certain pedestal, and thats not the case at all.During the MTV Video Music Awards, which aired on Aug. 28, Teyana delivered a brilliant Flashdance-inspired solo dance routine in Kanye Wests Fade video. To which the Harlem native notes, I dont know why he randomly chose me as the lead, or what idea Kanye initially had in his head.We were all in the [recording] studio -- just talking, and he congratulated Iman on his [NBA] championship win, and we started planning from there, recalls Teyana, who is an artist on Kanyes G.O.O.D. Music record label.He said that he thinks my friendship with Iman and our love for one another is really dope. I think that was part of his overall vision. I went back into my recording room, and just 30 minutes later one of my [managers] called and was like Hey, Ye wants you to be in his video for Fade. Of course, I was all in.That bond between Teyana and Iman was also projected in the visuals. One scene in particular transformed her into a lioness (feline face and all), posing alongside her fiancé and baby. The image [from the video] showed a lioness protecting her family. Theres definitely something strong and powerful about that as a whole, she adds.Her fierce movements, bold choreography and overall badass-ness sent the social media world into a frenzy. And her svelte body became the main topic of conversation.Everyone wanted to know how she achieved her chiseled physique, especially having given birth to baby Junie just eight months prior. Much to our surprise, Teyana openly admits shes not a fan of going the gym, or other traditional forms of working out. She also doesnt follow a strict diet at all. Instead, she uses one of her passions to keep her in shape.Dance is my form of exercise. Thats literally all I do. Theres no running. Theres nothing special. Just dance. I really think that people underestimate [the art form] as a workout. And its done my body good, she explains. I toured until I was about four months pregnant. Probably almost halfway through my [gestation], I stopped dancing and took a break to have Junie.She is also athletic by nature, adding, I love sports. From streetball to football, we played it all growing up. And almost everyone in Harlem thinks they can play basketball.Although Teyana was born with an athletic frame, it took her quite some time to be completely comfortable in her skin. When she arrived on the music scene in 2007, at just 16 years old (she was formerly signed to Pharrell Williams Star Trak Entertainment group), she fashioned herself a tomboy.Oversized jeans, loose-fitting shirts and high-top sneakers were her wardrobe staples. She didnt want her sexuality to define her, but rather her talents.Fast forward, nine years later, shes evolved into a woman who is self-aware and confident in her personal appearance. It went from just always loving to wear Air Jordans, to knowing that I look good in a cut-off shirt, Teyana says with a giggle. I became a mom, and as a person, Ive changed a lot. I feel like Im becoming a better me.I want to inspire other new mothers. However, I dont want them to feel like, I have to be on this treadmill for a whole hour to get this body, based on what they see in the media.On her quest to inspire sans pressure, shes also developing a dance workout DVD set (to be released by the close of 2016). I just want the ladies to feel sexy.Plus, the multi-talented performer has got a pipeline of projects in the works.Ill also be in Kanyes fashion show for New York Fashion Week, which is [scheduled for this Wednesday], and Im releasing my third sneaker with Reebok on Oct. 7. I have a lot of little surprise projects coming up as well. Im also going to the studio and working on my album in between. Im really excited about that.Additionally, Teyana was recently added as guest on VH1s Hip Hop Squares (think the modern-day version of Hollywood Squares), and has a recurring role on the networks scripted drama,?The Breaks, which explores the rap music industry circa early 1990s. Both premiere dates are tentative.Lastly, shes a woman whos just living in the moment and enjoying it: Im excited about all the things that have evolved in my life. And Im just thankful. Im loving every minute of it.Laureen Irat is also the founder/editor of BeyondTheW.com Hydro Flask 32 Oz Graphite . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. White Hydro Flask 32 Oz . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. http://www.cheaphydroflaskstore.com/ . The 27-year-old Scrivens will be joining his third NHL club since signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2010. The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies. Hydro Flask Coffee Mug . Schenn scored the game-winning goal and added two assists to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday. Hydro Flask Wine Tumbler Sale . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The game was supposed to be about the national anthem that wasnt played. Thursdays friendly against Thailand will be the first public look at the U.S. womens national team since its exit in the quarterfinals of the Olympics, a tournament that ended not with The Star-Spangled Banner but with the Germans standing as their anthem played at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.Instead it is about the national anthem that will be played at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus. It is about what Megan Rapinoe will do. And about what she should do, in this setting in particular.It sounded Wednesday like that isnt quite what anyone wants. Perhaps even including Rapinoe.Nearly three weeks have passed since San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernicks protests, first sitting on the bench during the national anthem and more recently kneeling on the sideline, initially came to national attention. Nearly two weeks have passed since Rapinoe did the same in solidarity, kneeling during the national anthem as a member of the Seattle Reign of the National Womens Soccer League. Numerous NFL players kneeled during anthems this past weekend, even amidst the remembrances of the 15th anniversary of 9/11.But if the story is no longer new, what might transpire Thursday night is new. To date, those protests were done while representing professional teams. Doing so while representing the country would call back to American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos standing on the medal podium with fists raised in protest during the 1968 Olympics.The anthems place at professional sporting events is nebulous to begin with.It is inseparable from international sporting events.U.S. coach Jill Ellis, while supportive of Rapinoes intent, left little doubt about her perspective. (Ellis said Wednesday afternoon the two had not spoken about the anthem and any possible protest specifically but would chat later that evening.)I totally understand where Megan is, in terms of her willingness to talk about hard social issues, Ellis said. I respect that. I support that. Those conversations should be had. Me personally, in this environment for a national team, I dont disassociate playing for your country. I think thats a part of a national symbol. So in terms of standing for a national anthem, I think thats an expectation of a national team player.In an interview earlier Wednesday with ESPNs Jeremy Schaap, Rapinoe said she had not decided what she would do during the anthem. She indicated that was still the case when she spoke with media Wednesday afternoon before the teams training session. She also sounded like someone who, while unshaken in her belief, was frustrated that so much of the talk surrounding the protest centered on what she is doing instead of why she is doing it.Asked if she had found some of the productive conversations she hoped to spark, she mentioned talking to people in her life and activists in the movement. She didnt say anything about conversations with people who might disagree with her or be made uncomfortable.To be honest, not as many [meaningful conversations] as I would want, or not as many as I would think that would be appropriate for what Im trying to talk about, Rapinoe said. A lot of the conversation has been about the medium of protest and if there is offense to that and me having to defend myself against claims of being anti-American or anti-police or anti-military. So while there has been a lot [of conversation], I also think its something that a lot of people dont want to talk about and will try to deflect in any way to not talk about it.She told Schaap she wasnt sure how efffective her protest was if it meant 20 percent of people instantly tuned out because they were offended by the means of delivery.dddddddddddd In that arrangement, the argument becomes one about the anthem. About the symbol, not what it represents.Racial injustice, the sort of either explicit or unintended bias toward black people in this country, Rapinoe said of what she wished was the focus of public debate about the protests. Police brutality against people of color, communities of color. The sort of massive revamp that we need in our police system, not only for the better treatment of people of color but also for police officers as well. I think that a lot of these cops have been put in very difficult situations and tasked with very difficult jobs with very little training and very little help. Thats not an excuse, by any means, for any of the brutality or any of the intimidation, killings or violence that has happened on their watch. But I think its a very complex issue that needs to be looked at holistically. Its not just one person doing something wrong or one side doing something wrong.That is a long quote, which is part of the problem. Kneeling during the anthem is an excellent way to get people to pay attention. But the people who pay attention exist in a modern world of 140-character takes, 30-second television debates and the short attention spans they serve. To expect people, in the face of an image as powerful as kneeling during the anthem, to engage in calm, nuanced debate -- each side willing to hear the other -- is optimistic bordering on naive.But its equally difficult to have that debate if no one is paying attention in the first place.This is my lane, Rapinoe said. And I feel like for me personally, this is, I think, the best way I can do it. Obviously to be on this team, to be able to represent my country and have the platform that I do, Im incredibly grateful for it.Which brings us back to what happens Thursday night in Columbus. No womens team in this country, perhaps the world, has the profile or the platform afforded the U.S. womens soccer team. Players, including Rapinoe, have used that platform often in recent years, making the case for equal turf at the World Cup, equal pay within the national program and a variety of other social issues. They use their voices individually and collectively.But is there ever a line that can be crossed? Rapinoe said she spoke with her teammates Tuesday night to explain her motivations and answer any questions. She said she offered no apology for adding her voice to the issue. She offered no hint that others were ready to join her.What I always think about is the team ahead of the individual agenda, Ellis said. [That] is probably where Im at, in terms of theres a myriad of things that our players are concerned about. But I also think when you bring it to the team, you bring it to everybody and people that maybe dont even want to be embroiled in that discussion.For all the talk about conversations, debates and chats, it will come down to what one person decides in the hours before a game about how best to represent what she believes in.A list that includes both the national team and social equality.It seems like Im thinking 400 hours a day, thats kind of how it feels, Rapinoe said. I will continue to talk to the people in my life that I trust, and take all sides into account. Ultimately, it will be up to me and what I feel convicted about, whats in my bones and what I feel like is right. Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '