VIDEO: BENEFITS OF BELLY DANCING

I was quite adventurous this year with my workout routine. I added bikram yoga, belly dancing and Burlesque to my list and I enjoyed all of them, especially the physical benefits. My first few weeks of belly dance training left the mid-section of my body in pain.
You would think with all the crunches I did daily, that would not be the case. Bellydancing is both a relaxing and enlivening dance that can help tone the body and improve body confidence. As with general dance, Belly dance is great for burning calories and toning muscles. Unlike a standard gym equipment workout, dance also work on balance, coordination, and flexibility. These forms of conditioning are essential to creating better body awareness, improving posture, and preventing injury. Belly dance emphasizes fine articulation of the core, pelvis, and gluteal muscle groups. These are stimulated in several ways. Movements like shimmies utilize a rapid contraction and release mechanism, while circles and eights tend to elongate and strengthen muscles simultaneously. Here is a short clip of my practice session.

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NUTRITIONAL/HEALTH BENEFITS OF PLANTAINS

P lantains are widely eaten in West Africa. Plantains are similar to bananas but larger in size. While bananas are termed fruits, plantains are vegetables. Bananas are mostly eating raw, while plantains are usually cooked before consumption. Plantains can be eaten unripe, ripen or over-ripe. When unripe, plantains are usually green in colour, when ripen, they turn yellow. In Nigeria, for example, unripe plantains are usually used to cook plantain porridge, ripe plantains are mostly fried and used as a supplement to main dishes like rice and beans. Over-ripe plantains are used to make snacks like plantain fritters.

COOL-CUMBERS…FIVE REASONS WHY CUCUMBERS ARE GOOD FOR YOU

A nyone would agree that cucumbers are one of the most handy and common (fruits) vegetables. In Nigeria, for example, it would be rare to arrive at a market and discover that they have run out of cucumbers. I love having cucumbers at home, as they make perfect snacks. Cucumbers are great ingredients for salads and juices. Plus, cucumbers have other uses besides eating them. For example, placing cool cucumbers on the eyes relaxes them and reduces puffy eyes.

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF ZOBO/SORREL DRINK

z obo/sorrel was a must have during family gatherings. As children, we loved drinking it, not only because of how nice it tasted, but also because it coloured our lips and tongues red. Zobo (Nigerian) or Sorrel (Jamaican) is a red coloured drink made from a flower called Hibiscus sabdariffa. The sorrel plant contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, calcium, niacin, riboflavin and a group of compounds called flavonoids. Flavanoids not only gives the sorrel plant its deep red colour, but, are also rich in antioxidants which rids the body of toxins. The sorrel plant also contains nutraceleuticals, which are said to be helpful to the health. Nutraceleuticals can help prevent and treat several diseases including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer.

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