EXERCISE: YOUR STRESS RELIEF AGENT

Stress is an everyday occurrence for most people. Deadlines to meet, traffic rush, relationships, exams etc. While some stress factors can be avoided, some are out of our control and cannot be avoided. Unavoidable stress needs to be managed by avoiding situations that will cause stress as much as possible.

Exercise, besides helping you lose weight, is a great way to relief anxiety and stress. Many people may consider relaxing in front of the television, downing a bowl of ice-cream or alcohol consumption as stress relievers. But this does little to reduce the damaging effects of stress. To effectively combat stress, the body's natural relaxation response needs to be activated. You can do this by practising relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, and rhythmic exercise. Exercise can decrease ‘stress hormones' like cortisol, and increase endorphins, your body's ‘feel-good’ chemicals, giving your mood a natural boost. To benefit from exercise, it needs to be regular. Exercise needs to be part of a daily routine. Rather than work during lunch hours, try taking a brisk walk or exercising at your desk. Exercise will reduce stress and reducing stress can increase your productivity.

I have listed a few activities you could incorporate into your day:

Taking a brisk walk can help clear your mind. If you have something bothering you, you could call a friend to accompany you on your walks, that way you can exercise and talk.
Rhythmic exercise like zumba would engage your mind and body.
Yoga
Working out on a punching bag.
Weight lifting
Engage in a sporting activity that interests you, e.g. swimming, tennis, football, basketball etc.
Running on the treadmill. Listening to your favourite playlist as you run would help motivate and relax you.

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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.

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.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF LIME AND HONEY

L ime and Honey are two must haves in my house. I use honey as a substitute for white sugar. I remember a friend of mine visited me once and she wanted to drink garri (drinking garri is local to Nigerians, i.e. eating dried cassava with cold water as opposed to hot water), she was astonished when I told her to use honey to sweeten her garri. I'm not a tea person, but my parents are, and a cup of tea for them is not complete without limes.

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