Ginger Up

Ginger is a herb but is often known as a spice, with a strong distinct flavor that can increase the production of saliva. The part that is used as spice on the plant itself is the rhizomes or ginger root. This ginger root is traditionally used with sweet foods in Western cuisine being included in popular recipes such as ginger ale, ginger snaps, gingerbread, ginger biscuits and ginger cake. It is also used in many countries as a medicinal ingredient which many believe in. Some say it can help cure diabetes, headaches, colds, fatigue, nausea and the flu when used in tea or food.

For over 2 thousand years Chinese medicine has recommended the use of ginger to help cure and prevent several health problems. It is known to promote energy circulation in the body while positively increasing the body's metabolic rate.

Ginger is good for your health and has been said by some to be a plant directly from the Garden of Eden. It is also said that consuming Ginger before taking a plane flight can prevent motion sickness. It can make good tea, or you can use it as a spicy addition to almost any recipe.

Ginger has a wide variety of effects on the human body and is known to be effective for the treatment of cataracts, amenorrhea, heart disease, migraines, stroke, , angina, athlete's foot, colds, bursitis, chronic fatigue, tendinitis, flu, coughs, depression, dizziness, fever, erectile difficulties, infertility, kidney stones and viral infections.

Various ways to use Ginger

·         Ginger has many uses in the home remedies department and can be used to help arthritis, diarrhea, flu, headache, heart and menstrual problems, diabetes, stomach upset and motion sickness.

·         Muscle Strains - Apply warm ginger paste with turmeric to the affected area twice a day.

·         Sore Throat - Boil some water and add a dash of cinnamon, a little piece of ginger, 1 tsp honey and drink.

·         For a persistent cough - Take a half teaspoonful of ginger powder, a pinch of clove with a pinch of cinnamon powder and honey in a cup of boiled water and drink it as tea.

·         Asthma - A teaspoon of fresh ginger juice mixed with a cup of fenugreek decoction and honey to taste acts as a excellent expectorant in the treatment of asthma.

·         Headaches - Dilute a paste of ginger powder, about 1/2 a teaspoon, with water and apply to your forehead.

·         Colds - Boil a teaspoonful of ginger powder in one quart of water and inhale the steam - helps alleviate colds.

·         Ginger Compress - This method stimulates blood and body fluid circulation, helps loosen and dissolve toxic matter eg. cysts, tumors. Place about a handful of coarsely grated ginger in a cloth and squeeze out the ginger juice into a pot containing 4 liters of hot water (do not boil the water). Dip a towel into the ginger water and wring it out. Apply very hot to the affected area.

·         Diabetes - Some doctors recommend some drinking ginger in water first thing in the morning to help regulate your glucose level.

·         Ginger Tea - Make with fresh ginger root. Grate a small piece of ginger, about the size of a nickel, into a mug. Add the juice of a half a lemon. Fill the mug with boiling water. Stir in a teaspoon of organic honey.

·         For relief of nausea - Ginger is generally taken in doses of 200 mg every 4 hours.

·         For relief of flatulence - Ginger is generally taken in doses of 250 to 500 mg 2 to 3 times a day..

Garlic: King of all herbs

Garlic is an herb that is grown around the world. It is related to onion, leeks, and chives. It is thought that garlic is native to Siberia, but spread to other parts of the world over 5000 years ago.

Other Names: Allium Sativum ,Ayu (Yoruba)

The part used is the bulb.

Herbal Uses

1.    Antiseptic

2.    Arthritis

3.    Asthma

4.    Bronchitis

5.    Cancer

6.    Cerebra-spinal Meningitis

7.    Cholera

8.    Constipation

9.    Coughs (Whooping)

10. Diarrhoea

11. Dropsy

12. Dyspepsia

13. Eyes

14. Fever

15. Gall Bladder

16. General Immunity

17. Heart (Weak)

18. Hypertension

19. Intestinal Problems

20. Liver

21. Lung

22. Pains

23. Skin

24. Stomach Ache

25. Stomach Ulcer

26. Tuberculosis

27. Typhoid

28. Worms

How does it work?

Garlic produces a chemical called allicin. This is what seems to make garlic work for certain conditions. Allicin also makes garlic smell. Some products are made "odorless" by aging the garlic, but this process can also make the garlic less effective. It's a good idea to look for supplements that are coated (enteric coating) so they will dissolve in the intestine and not in the stomach.

How it is used

Some people chew garlic, but because of the pungent smell, a lot of people run away from this very important herb. There other ways which garlic can be used and you wont have problems with the pungent smell in your mouth.

1.    Peel a few pieces of garlic, dice it, pour it into your mouth and swallow with water of your preferred juice of beverage

2.    Garlic Tea - Grate a few pieces of garlic, pour into a cup and add boiling water, cove rthe cup and let it steep for 10 minutes, drain the garlic water and add  honey to sweetened

3.    Garlic Tincture – peel a good quantity of garlic, cut each into two, get hot drink (preferably gin), soak the Garlic into the gin and allow it to stay for 2 weeks. Shake the bottle every day. After 2 weeks strain the gin. Add a few drops of the gin infused with garlic into a glass of water and drink. You will hardly feel the pungent smell of the garlic

4.    Garlic Oil – peel a good quantity of garlic, cut each into two, get pure virgin olive oil, soak the garlic inside the olive oil for 2 weeks, shake the bottle once a day, after the 2 weeks, you can strain the oil. Take a tea spoon of garlic oil preferably in the morning before breakfast

How to Brisk Walk

Good afternoon friends. How was the weekend? I trust it was great? I have been a lot busy than expected and as such I wasn’t able to write last Monday. Today again I am preparing for a trip to Lagos and you know what? Lagos is a city I dread so much that I will need to psyche myself to accept the reality that I got no option but to be in Lagos. Today I will be sharing a short video on how to do brisk walking. I trust some of us must have hit the roads with our brisk walking programmes, if you have not started then you need to give it a rethink. I will like those that have started to share their experience so that we can rub minds together and see how your walking programme can be improved.

I will pause for a while on brisk walking and as from next Monday, my write ups will be on herbs that I use constantly and their health benefits, and after this we will begin to talk about how change in diets and what we eat can help us to attain improved health.

Sorry I have to go now in order to get myself in the right frame of mind in preparation for my trip. I wish you a very enjoyable week. Thank you

A new Beginning

Hello friends, I want to welcome us all into the New Year 2020 which incidentally is the beginning of another decade.

Like I said in my last post, for everything we do in life we must have the WHY which will lead us to the HOW. If like me you have identified your the WHY which now necessitate Exercise, change in diet and  lifestyle modification in general, then we are good to go. I will start by talking about one of my the HOW today - Daily Brisk Walking.

To get started, if you are above the age of 40 or you are on any maintenance medications, the first point is to consult your doctor to discuss your plans about getting started on a walking program. Incidentally one of the easiest exercises to do is walking, because virtually everyone walks.

After you must have gotten clearance from your doctor, what you need most next is a determined mind. Another thing you need to do is to record your body weight and your blood pressure level before you embark on the program, this will enable you to track your progress as you go on with the program.

After doing all the above, then we are almost set to begin the worthwhile journey and you still need to do the following to get fully set and be good to go:

1.    You have to determine the time most suitable for your walk, i.e. morning or evening (in my own case, I do my walks in the morning between 6 – 7 am and it has served as a good daily morning tonic to set me up for a productive day)

2.    You need to determine the distance you want to start with. If you have not been exercising for a long time, you will need to start with a short distance and then increase the distance to be covered as you progress with the program (in my case, I started with 2.5 kilometres and after six months I graduated to 5 kilometres which I have maintained for well over a year now).

3.    After deciding on the distance you want to start with, the next and very important step is to determine the route you will be walking through. It is very important to choose your route very carefully, a route that will have less traffic but at the same time that will not be too deserted for security reasons (it is always advisable that you have more than one route so that you can alternate your walks for security reasons).

4.    You must get the right kits. To start and maintain a walking program you need to be properly kitted. You must be properly dressed, if you are walking during the hot period you will need to put on light clothing and if it is the cold period like what we are in right now, you will need clothes that will cover your body very well and produce the necessary heating. Next is the foot wear which is of utmost importance, you will need a nice fitted shoe and it must be light weight so that it will not make your feet to get tired easily due to heaviness.

When you have put all the above in place, then you are set to embark on this interesting journey.

In my next write up I will be talking about my experience in starting and I will surely post a short video to guide you on how brisk walking is done.

Have a wonderful week. Cheers

NB: for Health and wealth follow this link - https://bit.ly/2OUXfRc

The WHY, the HOW!

In everything we do in life, there must be a reason called the WHY. The WHY can also mean the vision or the reason. When the WHY is strong enough, it gives birth to the HOW. The HOW is the vehicle, the process that will take us from where we are to achieve the WHY, i.e the vision or the desired goals.

After I failed in my first attempt to start a sustainable program to reduce my weight and embraced healthy lifestyle. I had to go back to the drawing board to plan and put in place a sustainable program. My desire was fuelled by the why. What were the why that got me going?

1.    Intense desire to get into good shape in order to have a desired figure

2.    I have pains in my knee area which makes me uncomfortable especially when I am taking stairs

3.    My blood pressure had rising to a level I am not comfortable with

4.    The desire to live an healthier life

With the above four WHYs, I went on to design a program that will be less stressful and that will be something i can sustain overtime, this led me to researching about walking for healthy living, use of herbs and change in diet (these are my the HOW).

I studied my schedule and came to a conclusion that the best time to take my walk is in the morning time. I started with short distance of about 2.5 kilometres daily (Monday to Saturday). I was doing this in about 40 minutes and I did this for 3 months. After that I increased the distance to 5 kilometres daily and I was doing this in about 60 minutes. So between 6 and 7 am daily, I cover 5 kilometres, I always get home in time to have my breakfast and still be at my desk in the office by 8.30am.

I introduced a lot of fruits in season and vegetable to my diet, I try to reduce my intake of carbohydrates and starchy food and embrace more of proteins, grains and nuts. Also i began to use a lot of herbs almost on a daily basis – Ginger, Turmeric, Garlic, Cinnamon etc became part of what I use every day.

The result of the above led to my shedding of 20 kg of weight in about 18 months of strict adherence to my plans. My the WHY was strong enough to help me stick to my the HOW and gradually i was able to retain my goal. Right now, i look real trim (the physique I had desired), my blood pressure has returned to normal, I am energetic and i don tire out easily and above all my early morning walk has become like a tonic I take every day and it has always kept me energized and ready for the day’s tasks.

You too can achieve what i have achieved only if you can think out your the WHY. Next Monday as I will be taking you through on how to start your own walking program that will be result oriented and sustainable.

Have a wonderful week and see you next year!

NB: For health and wealth visit - https://bit.ly/2OUXfR

A False Start

A world renowned management consultant said, if he was given an axe to cut down a tree, he will use 90% of his time to sharpen the axe and use 10% in cutting down the tree!

Everything in life requires adequate and proper planning. What the consultant above tried to pass across is that we should make out good time to plan before we delve into any venture and this also applies to putting in place a good exercise or walking program.

When I returned to Ilorin, the burning desire to get into shape that was kindled in me while I was in Lagos was so hot that I immediately started some form of exercising. I live in a building that was built decades ago and you know those building were built without being economical in the use of space. I live in a four bedroom apartment and the sitting room alone measures six by four meters. The rooms are quite spacious too (the area covered by my flat can easily be used for a twin standard three bedroom flat). I started doing light jogging covering the sitting room and other rooms in the house, I combined this with other exercises I knew while I was growing up (I used to be a sports person in my teens, I was involved in athletics and martial art).

Because I didn’t draw the exercising program well, I missed most days, sometime due to tight schedules and sometimes I wasn’t just motivated. Within three months of this, I lost interest and I stopped completely. This was around June 2018. Early July I went on a visit to a friend who is a pharmacist and i saw the digital BP measuring device in his pharmacy, i prompted him to take my BP and lo and behold it was high, 143/90 (I always take measurement of my BP once iin about three months and it has always been normal 125 – 135/ 80/85). I was alarmed by this reading and then I knew I really had to do something about my weight since going by the Body Mass Index (BMI) I am overweight. At that time I was weighing 85 kg.

I sat down and made out a plan on how to drop 20 kg from my weight and i started off in the month of July 2018 and till date i have followed my plan strictly and i have been able to achieve the 20 kg weight reduction through early morning walk, use of herbs and trying to eat as healthy as possible. How was I able to draw the plan and follow it, keep a date with me next Monday as I go into the details of my plans and the herbs that I introduce to my everyday usage which has benefited me immensely.

Have a great week ahead and i wish you a Merry Christmas in advance.

NB: For Health and Wealth visit: https://bit.ly/2OUXfRc

How it Began!

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that by 2020, 3 out of every 4 deaths (75%) will be caused by improper diet and lifestyle induced diseases like Cancer, Diabetes and Heart diseases. Scary!

As the training Manager of my organisation, part of my duties is to ensure that during training, participants (those attending our training) and facilitators (our faculty team) are well taken care of, during the training sessions and even after the end of the sessions. It is my duty to ensure that they are all well catered for. Usually after the end of the daily session, I go round the hotel rooms of our facilitators to ascertain that they are comfortable and I will take their orders for dinner.

In March 2018, we held a capacity building workshop for the staff of NNPC at Dover Hotel, Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja, Lagos. The team of our faculty for the training was led by a renowned Professor (whom I will refer to as Professor A), we also had one of the facilitators in the team, a PhD holder (whom I will refer to as Dr D). As my usual routine, after the training on a particular day, I went to the hotel room of Professor A, in order to take his order for dinner, when I got to the room he had already undressed and was in his briefs. As I entered the room, my attention was drawn to his stature; he had a very huge upper body which was supported by tiny legs. I was taken aback that day as if I was seeing the professor in that form for the first time. The professor was in his late sixties. I took his order for dinner and I left, but the image I saw was really troubling my mind. When I got to the room of Dr D, it was almost the same image that confronted me, huge upper body supported by tiny legs. Dr D in his mid sixties.

After ensuring that their meals had been delivered, I rushed back to my hotel room, pull off my clothes and looked at the mirror, the sight that I saw was of a guy who is gradually going to look like those two men when eventually I get to their age range. I was visibly shaken as if I had never seen myself in the mirror before, but this day the image was not palatable and there and then I decided that something must be done to arrest the situation so that I don’t grow to end up with a huge upper body and my legs will be like toothpicks. A decision had to be made and there and then I made up my mind that I have to work something out. Prior this time, I have been having issues with my joints, especially when I am climbing stairs, I usually experience pains around my knee cap which I know is a sign of rheumatism and arthritis, even I experience pains in the joints of my fingers too. Throughout the remaining days of the training, I was thinking of what to do and how to go about it immediately I return back to Ilorin.

Immediately I got to Ilorin, I put things into motion, how did I fare in my attempt to get in shape and enjoy a better and healthier life, join me next Monday as I continue my gist. Do have a wonderful fun filled and productive week. Cheers

NB: For Health and Wealth issues visit: https://bit.ly/2OUXfRc