Andreva.Shaw: OUR HEADS OUR ALL!

Andreva.Shaw: OUR HEADS, OUR ALL!: The first, last and only slap I received from my dad was a resounding and resetting (corrective) one that I promised myself “never again...

Andreva.Shaw: WHEN LIFE BECOMES UNBEARABLE

Andreva.Shaw: WHEN LIFE BECOMES UNBEARABLE: About three days ago, while crossing over from one side of an expressway to the other in town, one was faced with a scene which for a mo...

Andreva.Shaw: BELLY FATS AND ITS HAZARDS

Andreva.Shaw: BELLY FATS AND ITS HAZARDS: Visceral fat, what a number of people call belly fat, is obesity around the waist that is not in any way fashionable or healthy. It’s th...

BELLY FATS AND ITS HAZARDS

Visceral fat, what a number of people call belly fat, is obesity around the waist that is not in any way fashionable or healthy. It’s therefore a thing of great concern to still hear some people, especially the men who still erroneously believe that pot belly is a sign of good living.

A couple of years back, (feeling cool with herself then) was this small ‘waisted’ flat bellied teenager. A family friend told her on one of her visits that she once had a waist as tiny as hers and was  according to her “wondering” how she got to her present state at the time. Years later, even though she’s not weighed down by belly fat presently, (being one who’s very conscious of weight gain) that same teenager is now also however wondering what happened to her once ‘flat bellied waist’. Well, it is what it is. “Change”, the say, “is the only constant thing”. *laughs.

If you walk into some eateries, especially the nowadays very ‘tushed’ mama puts or bukas, you’d be amazed to see the plates of some ‘dignified men’ (and in some cases women too) when they take their orders. Their plates would look like the world is coming to an end hence the need to eat everything on the menu at once. And for many of them, that wouldn’t be the last meal for the day as they’d still eat at home later in the night after ‘downing’ enough alcohol while ‘hanging out with the boys’ at the close of work that same day.

The above scenario, to many of them, is ‘living the good life’. Unfortunately, they are slowly killing themselves.

Interestingly, ask any of them “do you engage in any form of exercise”? Some of the answers you’d get include “I work too hard so don’t have time for that” or “ha! At this age, you want to kill me? “The work I do is enough exercise”. And so on.

 

The bad news is that diseases tend to hide or incubate in some belly fats for a long time before they start to manifest. That’s why one could be seen looking healthy this very minute and the next thing, he/she is dead. Thereafter, medical reports would reveal that the disease had been in the person for some time. Therefore, it’s wise to see a doctor if you’ve been struggling with too much belly fats or pot belly as they have the tendencies to lead to diabetes, heart diseases and many others.

The good news is that not all belly fats have underlying diseases hence you can work on that belly. Work on it by doing some form cardio/exercise for at least 20 minutes thrice a week for starters. It would do a lot of good to avoid saturated fats, too much sugary foods and beverages, too much alcohol and even stress. Yes stress.

According to reports, too much stress can cause the release of stress hormone known as cortisol which is produced by the adrenal glands thereby causing increase in appetite which may lead an individual to overeating.

The better news is that you cannot go wrong with eating more of vegetables, fruits and fibers. Especially soluble fibers as they can give you a quick filling, thereby preventing you from eating too much.

Also, whenever you are thirsty, instead of that carbonated drink, grab a bottle of water.

The best news is that it’s a lot cheaper to eat and live healthy than paying huge medical bills or losing your life. We all know life is transient, but then let’s make it worth ‘the living’.

©Stella Ene – Inyang

WHEN LIFE BECOMES UNBEARABLE

About three days ago, while crossing over from one side of an expressway to the other in town, one was faced with a scene which for a moment looked like some mischievous person was throwing  a huge bin bag on the expressway from the flyover only to get to the other side of the road to meet people standing over the body of a young guy (who would not be anything older than 22years of age) in a pool of his own blood. He had just hauled himself over the bridge hoping to be knocked over by the time he reached the ground, fortunately no car owner fell victim as there was no oncoming vehicle at the time he landed on the expressway.

I’m not sure that guy made it as he was bleeding profusely from his head whilst resisting any assistance from the people to take him to a hospital. I sure hope he made it, but I really doubt that.

As I walked away from the scene, shaken by what I just witnessed as though from a scene in a movie; I muttered “Lord show me your mercy, do not let us be pushed to that level of wanting to end it all”.

Sometime earlier in the month, I saw a mock video of Dino Melaye with a tray on his head hawking (what I can’t remember) and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Seeing that video, my thoughts were filled with images of those petty traders who display their wares on trays or tables by the roadside, at parks or hawk about and just by a mere look at the entire things displayed may just be like a total of three thousand naira or even less and yet these people say they are ‘selling to make a living’. And I’m wondering how do these people do it?

Most times when I buy things from these petty traders, I find it difficult to haggle or bargain with them every time because no matter how much they add, you cannot be that cheated. Sometimes, (I mean sometimes) please don’t bargain, just take it that you’re evenhandedly helping a family ‘get by’. After all how much is the entire tray?

It is with that petty business they feed their families, (at least that’s what they say) pay fees and other bills yet we expect that the crime rate in the country would drop?

A child who grows up in such a family would definitely not want to end up like his parents hence would do just about anything to get out of poverty. If he finds himself with the wrong set of friends, he may be pressured to do crime.

But let’s say he does not do crime and then tries every way ‘legit’ he knows to make wealth yet poverty seems to cling on like an everlasting plague; he may be pushed to the extent that since he cannot do crime, the only other option is to end it all by jumping off a bridge like the young man mentioned earlier at the beginning of this post.

Where am I going with all of these?

The times are tough. No matter how little you think you have, there’s still that ‘someone’ out there you can save from committing suicide with that ‘token’ that seems like nothing to you. A word of encouragement goes a long way as well.

Let’s look out for each other in these present times as people are going through a lot. People are getting depressed on a daily basis and even the counselors and psychologists are getting depressed as well.   

And if the counselors are getting depressed as well, who will then counsel us? So let’s all do the job together by looking out for each other.

©Stella Ene – Inyang

OUR HEADS OUR ALL!

The first, last and only slap I received from my dad was a resounding and resetting (corrective) one that I promised myself “never again” will I ever put myself in any position where  such a slap would be warranted from him again. The shock and the lasting effect gives me the shivers till today even though I was barely a teenager when it happened. Just imagine that kind of slap from an angry uniformed ‘oga’ commandant at the barracks, then you’d understand the kind of slap I’m talking about. Even though he later apologized when he found out I was wrong accused, I didn’t feel any better as the horror was beyond explanation.

And so it is with such a horror I watch any boxing match and always wonder how the boxers cope with the heavy blows received on their heads and faces. I keep wondering that if a single slap did what it did to me (as I saw many stars hovering about my head) then one can only imagine what the blows would feel like. Forget about those headgears! I think they do little or nothing in protecting them.

I’ve always feared for them, wondering if it wouldn’t lead to head concussions or brain injuries. Thus it didn’t come too much as a surprise when I heard on sky news that young Patrick Day, an American boxer has just died at 27  as a result of a brain injury he received while in a fight with Charles Conwell in Chicago barely four days after. I wasn’t too surprised.

Head injuries are some of the most complicated injuries in the world today.

People mostly get head injuries from accidents anywhere, including domestic accidents. Sometimes from just ordinary play to hitting your head against a wall or even as little as while getting into a car and hitting the head against the door frame, can cause issues in the head. Those are examples of accidents.

Even some parents and guardians are very guilty of hitting their wards on the heads and this is a "no no" that should  be stopped.

But then, how does one handle the boxing sport? What are the kinds of steps taken to ensure that these injuries are reduced or completely eradicated? No one would suggest that it should be stopped; as it’s a means of livelihood for those involved and also an exciting game for some. So what measures should henceforth be taken?

As the world mourns the exit of Patrick day, we hope that the issue of injuries during these money spinning fights be looked into in order to save other young ones like Patrick, premature deaths.

©Stella Ene – Inyang

VAGINA CLEANSING: DO YOU REALLY THOSE....?

There are all categories of cleansing vagina products flying around the place right now and of course a lot of ladies in a bid towards giving their vaginas the best cleansing are quick to buy without first finding out if they really need it or not. Many of the ‘networking’ schemes are not even helping matters as a good number of people who are involved in some of these schemes are all about making money with no idea whether the products are (un)healthy.

Now, hear this!

Don’t waste your money any longer. There is no such thing as ‘vagina cleansing cosmetic’ as the vagina is self-cleansing and the best thing you could do to keep it healthy when it comes to cleaning is simply by washing with ordinary water.

Not scented or perfumed or soapy water but simply ‘plain’ or ordinary water. That’s the safest way to clean and nothing else as the vagina takes care of the rest by cleansing itself out from within.

Vaginas have their natural cleansing secretions and so do not need any help with perfumed products to make it any cleaner. The ONLY assistance it needs from you, as mentioned above is to use plain/clean water in making it cleaner while washing up.

According to a post on SELFhealth  by Zahra Barnes,  Dr Lauren Streicher, an associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology was cited that “you never wash your vagina under any circumstances. The best thing to cleanse with is plain water. Anytime you use any soap or anything else, there’s a chance of causing irritation”.

And many of us know from experience that once this irritation starts it could lead to more problems if it’s not handled properly.

She also added that one ought not to be deceived by any cleansing products out there that claim to help with pH balance even though “inside the vagina pH is critical, but pH inside and outside are completely separate”. She likened it to one who is told to use toothpaste to wash his/her face instead of  brushing the teeth in a bid to stop bad breath, it definitely won’t do anything for the person’s bad breath at the end of the day.  

However, Dr Mary Jane Minkin, a clinical professor at Yale Medical School another expert who was also mentioned in the same post,  suggested that  you can  “gently” use an unscented or unperfumed cleansing bar to wash around the vagina or inner thighs (if you so wish) but NEVER the vagina. “Washing” according to Dr Minkin “can deplete the lactobacilli bacteria that will keep your vagina at an acidic pH and prevent infections”. This means that when this “deplete” happens, the vagina could be susceptible to infections such as vaginosis, leading to burning sensation during urination and also foul smell from the vagina. And most of the time, when this occurs, one is tempted to wash harder or more which could make the situation even worse. Thus it's best to use just water.

Dr. Minkin also added that the discharge from the vagina is meant to cleanse the vagina and also that although the vagina has its own odour, but if it becomes unusually too strong or discharge changes overtly, the best bet is to see a doctor as it could be signs of simple bacterial infections to serious diseases.

So ladies, do away with those cleansing bars or douche items. Save your money for other things.

And oh! Did I also mention that you really may not need that ‘vagina steaming’ process? Perhaps we’d talk about that some other time. Until then, wash with just ordinary water.

©Stella Ene – Inyang

WHAT WOULD THEY SAY?

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Many people who were doing very well in life before until some sort of misfortune happened are suffering in silence today, not because there’s nothing more they can do to at least have three square meals a day but because they are dwelling too much on “what people would say”.

Who cares about what the people would say?

If it’s the same people who would not give you a dime are the ones who’d always laugh when they see you trying to fight poverty off by doing some ‘humble’ legit jobs? Then let them laugh.

Nobody has any excuse to die of hunger!

You may not have that luxury car or other luxuries of life at the moment, but you have no excuse to die of hunger if you are not physically impaired,  ill, bedridden or something.

Just the other day, I boarded a bus but got held up in one ‘terrible’ traffic for almost an hour. Yes, an hour! Which shouldn’t be news for many in this part of the world.

Anyhow, the core of this post is not about the traffic but about the conductor of that bus.

While in the traffic, I engaged Tunji (by far the most respectful conductor I’ve ever encountered in my entire life) in a discussion.

First of all, I got on the bus; he greeted me and then asked if I was “okay”, properly settled on one of the seats before he asked the driver to move. Then he proceeded to collect his money in a very good manner “aunty please, your money”. I gave the money to him and he gave me my change and said “thank you”.

After a short drive, another passenger boarded and he extended the same courtesy towards the passenger, it was at this point I took an interest in him.

Unlike the many bedraggled ones seen on the roads, Tunji was well dressed in a simple traditional ‘ankara’ attire with hair well cut and of course no mouth or body odour, as I was seated next to him and furthermore well-spoken too.

In the course of the journey, I found out that he’s not only a graduate who had at a time worked in one of the blue chip organisations in this country but also a father of two.

He talked about how things went from ‘very awesome’ to ‘very appalling’ and then couldn’t stand to watch his family get hungrier than they later got so he decided to take up the job of becoming a conductor until something better comes up.

Of course by the time I disembarked, I was convinced without doubts that not too long from that moment, Tunji would get back on his feet again given some of the plans he talked about in the short journey with him.

What am I trying to say here?

Don’t die of hunger simply because of “what would people say”?

What is that thing you can start doing right now? Start from wherever you are and with whatever you have. There is nothing to be ashamed of.

It will pay off in the end.👌

©Stella Ene - Inyang