FOR THE LADIES: HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT A MENSTRUAL CUP?

I met some interesting people on Tuesday while waiting at the car wash. One of them, a lady, asked whether I had heard about a menstrual cup, and I repeated after her "a menstrual what?". She was not surprised at my reaction as this was something she was used to. I got a good lecture on menstrual cups and got a free sample. I also had lots of questions to ask. I got back home and did some more research on menstrual cups. What is a menstrual cup?

HEALTH BENEFITS OF TAPIOCA/CASSAVA

Cassava is widely consumed in West Africa. Cassava is cooked in various ways around Africa and the world. From research, I understand that it is also popular in the Caribbean and Asia. Research also shows that cassava is used to make desserts...I would love to try that. For us in Nigeria, the most popular food derived from cassava is eba. Eba is widely consumed in Nigeria, the next famous food, I believe, would be indomie noodles. I have always wondered if there were any health benefits from eating eba. The first thing anyone would say is that eating eba would contribute to developing a pot belly. As a result, I have seen many weight watchers eliminate eba from their diets. 

5 SIGNS YOUR EFFORTS ARE PAYING OFF

The top motivating factor for exercising, for most people, is weight loss. When little weight is lost, most people tend to lose hope and stop exercising. Weight loss does not have to be the only reason why you exercise. There are so many other benefits you gain from making exercise a lifestyle. If you pay attention to only weight loss, you most likely would lack motivation to exercise if you don’t see results. There are so many other factors you could use to monitor your progress.

4 EXERCISES FOR TIGHTER ABS

 In my article "We All Have Six Packs", I highlighted some benefits of having strong abdominal muscles. Besides looking good physically, other benefits include: better breathing, improved posture, resulting in less back pains, helps a person avoid injury when performing tasks that put stress on the back and torso, and helping the body to heal faster after an injury or surgery to the spine.

No doubt, exercise helps strengthen your abdominal muscles. I have highlighted below four exercises which I have found effective. I currently do these exercises at least thrice a week.

Long Lever Crunches

You start by lying face up on the floor, one leg up and the other extended, just like in the image below, both arms should also be extended. 

HEALTH BENEFITS OF LIME AND HONEY

Lime 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.

DID YOU KNOW WE ALL HAVE SIX PACKS?

You may or may not know this, but, we all have the six pack muscle, and by all, I mean man or woman, fat or thin, athletic or not, ALL. This muscle is called the Rectus Abdominis meaning “straight belly”. The reason why many people do not see their six pack muscle is because of the accumulated fat in the tummy region. If your goal therefore is to make your six pack muscle more visible, you should aim at shedding your tummy fat and strengthening the muscles. Exercise does not create six packs, God did, exercise only helps to enhance them.