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In self development February 14, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

OYIBO HOSANNA: WHY YOU NEED A DETOX

Either as a single or married woman, working class or full time wife, daily you are in contact with harmful organisms, and toxins that pose a threat to your wellbeing.

Detoxification is the cleansing and nourishing the body from the inside out, by removing and eliminating toxins, then feeding your body with healthy nutrients. Our body has a natural detoxification system that functions to clear these toxins, but you can increase its efficiency by timely nutritional and lifestyle changes.

These toxins are in your water, food, and the air you breathe; it’s tough trying to get away from them, but you can have a defense against them. They include metals, chemicals, pollutants, artificial food additives, pesticides, and herbicides.

SIGNS THAT YOUR BODY IS SCREAMING FOR A DETOX

You frequently feel tired and stressed.
You experience unexplained headaches, mental confusion and lack of enthusiasm.
You repetitively feel colds and contract infections.
You have puffy eyes and distress sleeping.
You’re not at your ideal weight and experience irregular menstrual cycle
You have allergic breakouts and blemishes.
You’re exposed to common environmental toxins via smokes, household chemicals (perfumes, shampoos, paints etc.
You consume a high amount of fried foods, fast and processed foods
You always have irregular stomach bloating, indigestion and difficulty in defecating.

If you experience any three or more signs above, a detox is surely needed.

WELLNESS CUES: HOW TO DETOX

Having known the signs to watch out for, don’t you think you owe it to yourself to purify your body? Here are wellness cues on how to cleanse, balance and energize your body.

Increase your Water Intake. Your body basal function is driven by water, hence you can see it as the most valuable tool for detoxifying your body; we are advised to consume a minimum of 3-5 liters of water daily to aid its detoxifying function. Water first in the morning and last at night.
Decide to Eat Rightly. Choose to eat freshly cooked meals with organic fruits and vegetables over processed, fast food, alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, refined sugars, and saturated fats.
Detoxifying your body is not only about what you avoid, but also about what you consume. Fasting and adding natural foods like fiber foods, garlic, vegetable stews, cabbage, lemon, bitter leaf, broccoli and drinking green tea is vital in detoxification.
Develop an exercise and meditation routine to help you sweat out, release toxins through your skin pores, improve your mental attitude positively and boost your body energy levels.
Keep the Environments Air Clean. You can’t control the air in the environment you move in, but you can control the air in your home to reduce the number of smoke fumes, mold, mildew, and other microorganisms that are dangerous to your health.
Visit a Spa. The use of natural green herbs, brushing and oiling of your skin helps your skin peel off old cells and dirt, unclog skin pores to allowing the skin to perspire freely, which in turn stimulates cellular rejuvenation and slows aging.
Body Detox Packs. There are nutritional packs that offer a complete body detox, it is a step-by-step process of drinking health products that focuses on cleansing organs of the excretory systems (lungs, colon, skin, liver, and kidneys) of harmful organisms, chemicals, and toxic metals. Consult your doctor before using any health detox packs.

BENEFITS OF DETOXIFYING

It protects you from disease and refuels your body to maintain optimum health
Helps your body organs rest through fasting
Promotes the ease of elimination of body wastes from the excretory system.
Improves blood flow and mental alertness.
It provides your body with healthy nutrients that protect against free radicals, strengthening the immune system.

The source of many health problems is the toxins that have built up in our bodies over the years; to stay healthy and enjoy total wellbeing, DETOX.

About Hosanna

I am Hosanna Oyibo, a Public Health Coach. I am an avid reader, personal development enthusiast, network marketing professional and a volunteer. I’m also interested in travelling, gardening, and sports. You can read about me and visit my blog with a click on this link https://about.me/hosannaoyibo.

In self development February 13, 2019 By Women of Rubies

LOLO CYNTHIA: BATTLE OF THE INNER VOICES

4:35 AM- Almost time for Lolo’s 5 am run. She is awake but still laying in bed; her body aches from the workout of last night but she knows she has to run to also release her muscles.

4:45 AM- Sports gear is worn; she’s trying to fit her foot into her sneakers when she hears something.

Lolo 1 – Why are you jogging today? Your body is so sore, rest a bit.

Lolo 2 – Rest? Put on your sneakers and let’s go!

Oh! Oh! They are here again- battle of the inner voices- Who’s going to win this morning, Lolo thinks to herself. She puts on her sneakers, ready to stretch at home before walking to the road to start her run.

Lolo 1 – Babe o! Oya after this stretch why don’t you just do abs at home or something- shea its workout na.

Lolo 2 – Don’t stretch at home; walk to the junction and stretch – It’s a trap! And also, play your favorite motivational audio as you walk to the junction.

I will not stop by Ben Lionel Scott is playing in her earpiece as she walks to the junction- she decides not to do her normal routine stretch but instead substitute it for a light jog as the warm-up.

She begins to jog.

Lolo 1 – This pace no bad o! Why don’t you maintain this pace until the end?

Lolo2 – She’s barely breaking a sweat- what exactly is your mission here? Lolo! Warm up is over – Let’s Run!

She is tired, she wants to run but her body is giving up on her. She begins to step – Left foot! Right foot until she was fully immersed in the euphoria from the jog.

Throughout the run, she continues to listen to Lolo2 because she knows that the more she listens and obeys, the weaker Lolo1 gets; but she’s also aware that Lolo1 is relentless- she doesn’t quit even when one is almost at the finish line.

Two minutes away from her final destination- it’s time for the sprint, she begins to hype herself for it

Lolo1 – No go wound yourself o! See those guys over there will just laugh at you

Lolo2 – Why do you care if they laugh?

I don’t!

Lolo2 – Good! So sprint and oh! Hope you didn’t forget the 100 squats and wall push-ups waiting at home.

Lolo is done with her run, squats, and wall-push up. Another day of defeating Lolo1 – wow! Almost unbelievable considering how close they used to be! God pass Devil last last! Tomorrow we fight again!

Mental Toughness

There is a tale that goes something like this:

An old Cherokee told his grandson, “My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth.”
The boy thought about it, and asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins?”
The old man quietly replied, “The one you feed.”

Every one of us have many voices within us but the one we feed and nurture becomes the default voice we hear!

How can we be productive and achieve our goals relying on something as fickle as motivation?

So many of us have set goals for ourselves but we feel that we need the motivation to start or continue. We like the voice that makes it easier for us.

We want to drop 10kg but that puff puff woman is right at our doorstep- and even when we know that it’s not on our meal plan, the voice convinces us that just 3 small puff puff won’t do any harm.

We want to write more or shoot that video but my goodness! We don’t have the zeal yet. We post one week and the next week – radio silence. We are unable to follow our schedules because we need the motivation to work.

But how can we be productive and achieve our goals relying on something as fickle as motivation? We fail to realize that we need to train our minds to follow what we want.

Have you not seen some people who are not as talented or intelligent as you are but they keep soaring? You don’t understand it because you know you have the right recipe for success but it’s not forthcoming. The truth is that our talent doesn’t count here, that intellect we take pride in can’t always be there to help us!

Researches have shown that intelligence only accounts for 30% of our achievements and that’s the extreme upper hand – What makes a bigger impact is our MENTAL TOUGHNESS.

The ability to do what we need to do, when no one is watching and willing to reward us for your decision – even when we are frustrated, our ability to look past it and train that voice of faith to be so powerful that it drowns the other voices.

Developing mental strength requires that we make conscious decisions to do what needs to be done on a DAILY BASIS and not only when we feel good or motivated. We need to continue to work the muscle of the mind because many times, we are not weak, just our minds.

And just like James Clear says- Mental toughness is an abstract quality, but in the real world it’s tied to concrete actions. You can’t magically think your way to becoming mentally tough, you prove it to yourself by doing something in real life.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Do Have a great week and I hope you continue to prove it to yourself that you can achieve anything you want, once you set your mind to it.

Lolo Cynthia Is a public health specialist, sexuality educator and founder of the social enterprise LoloTalks, that employs all forms of media (online and offline) to create awareness and sustainable solutions to our contemporary social and health issues in Africa. She also doubles as a documentary and talk show producer and lends her voice on issues regarding interpersonal relationships, sexuality, gender, and social issues through her YouTube channel LoloTalks and her blog.

In Career Gems February 13, 2019 By Women of Rubies

VETERAN NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS, JOKE SILVA TO ATTEND THE 2019 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL TO DISCUSS WOMEN IN FILM

Veteran Nollywood actress, Joke Silva will be joining a long list of Nollywood practitioners at the Cannes International film festival 2019.

The veteran actress will be attending the film festival as a Nigerian ambassador and panellist. She made the announcement via her Instagram page.

57-year-old Silva will be joining panellists at the film festival for two sessions to discuss women in the business of film and introduce herself to the world as one of the legends from the African cinema.

The veteran actress will be attending the festival in association with Pavillon Afriques, a business platform dedicated to Pan-African film industry professionals & financiers@ Marché du Film at the Cannes International Film Festival 2019.

Credit: fabwoman.ng

In self development February 13, 2019 By Women of Rubies

HOW TO THINK POSITIVE EVERYDAY

Many of us may have heard of the importance of positivity but few can really tell why it’s important. When we are trapped with a reduced number of choices as a result of emotions coming into play, we make wrong regretful decisions.

So it’s really important to think positive.But… how?

Thousands of articles online teach us how to think positive in the most clichéd ways possible. You should cheer up, crack a smile, look on the bright side of life…blah…blah..blah…

Don’t worry! The tips you are going to see below are nothing like those. We aim to offer some practical and specific tips for you to start making REAL changes.

Start with your posture: sit up straight! It’s more than etiquette

While one may think cultivation of positivity always requires conscious effort, indeed it doesn’t.

Sitting up straight may appear irrelevant to positivity. But a study reveals the association between posture and positive thoughts.

The result shows that people are more likely to generate positive thoughts and recall positive memories when they are sitting up straight.^[2]

So, sit up straight right now! Sometimes tiny things in life all contribute to our well-being without us noticing.

Have a teaspoon in your pocket

What else can a teaspoon do other than stirring our refreshing cup of coffee? Well, a Quora user, William Peynsaert, thinks of a brilliant idea to use a teaspoon for our evasion from negativity. ^[3]

All we need is a teaspoon. Nothing more.

Well, technically, we also need a pair of pants with pockets. In case we are not wearing any.

What we do is to put the teaspoon into either one side of the pocket. Whenever we feel like formulating a negative thought, put the teaspoon into another pocket. Just that simple.

The principle behind is that the action occupies our brains so we don’t have spare resources to bring up any negative thoughts. Usually we are quite impulsive to have negative thoughts and by the time we finished transferring the teaspoon, the urge is long gone and SNAP! We successfully stop a negative thought.

At first we may find ourselves doing it over and over again. But eventually, we will do this less and less.

After all, we can choose whatever utensils or stationery or anything that fit us. It’s just a medium.

It may sound silly but it does work.

Instead of news, read something uplifting in the morning

It is common to watch morning news reports. For the sake of keeping abreast of the latest news. This is definitely good not to block ourselves off the outside world. But, what news is mostly about?

Car crash. Terrorist attack. Natural disaster. All sorts of disheartening incidents.

I am not suggesting us not read any news but a trade off. Devote part of your morning on something more uplifting.

Start our daily confidence programming habit. Instead of news update, begin our day by reading a chapter of an empowering book. We can also go for our favorite spiritually boosting and inspirational materials.

List 3 things you’re grateful for every day

It is simple and easy to do. Try to list at least 3 things we are grateful for every day. In the end, we won’t realize how much it helps us.

Researches ^[4] reveal a multitude of benefits in expressing gratitude on a daily basis. Being grateful is associated with our well-being. It can also improve relationships and help with emotional maturity. Gratitude can simply promote happiness.

It’s true that we can always find dissatisfaction in life. Same to satisfaction. Half-filled and half-empty glass.

It’s actually a piece of cake to find things we can express gratitude on.

Start of weekend. Cats and dogs outside. Hiking trip cancelled. Meh!

Well, at least we have a home sheltering us. We even have Netflix to entertain ourselves.

Or, year review.. NO pay raise. Can it be worse?

You are not sacked, aren’t you? You still have a stable job.

Or even, back to very basic. We are still alive, right? We are still living in this world of mystery and amazement. We still have lots to explore. There’s nothing to mourn on.

There are always angels and devils in our brains. While we are usually the devil’s advocate, try to stand on the angel’s side now.

Use the app “Happify” to cultivate positivity scientifically

Ever imagined an app to ‘happify’ ourselves. An app to delight ourselves and brighten our day?

Then try Happify, an app designed specially for us to handle our negative emotions. It provides us with scientifically-proven tools and techniques to promote our emotional well-being.

It consists of short activities and games for us to relearn situations and be more aware of the subtle little things we should be grateful for.

While we usually the gadgets are taking a toll out of us, it is now possible to cultivate positivity right back from it.

Celebrate your small wins every day

One easy way to start cultivating our positivity is to write down our small wins on a daily basis. And research has reassured the potential benefits of doing so.

Progress is a lot more than just a step closer to success, as Amabile and Kramer suggest. In fact, if we properly record our progress, no matter how small it is, we instantly receive a confidence boost!

Teresa Amabile from Harvard Business School and Steven Kramer read through approximately 12,000 diary entries written by 238 individuals from 7 different companies. The employees were asked to write about their emotions and moods, motivation levels, and perceptions of the work environment as well as what work they did and what events stood out in their minds on a daily basis for 4 months. ^[5]

The result showed that any accomplishment, regardless of its size, activates the reward circuitry of our brains. Once activated, a chemical dopamine is released and this chemical is associated to the feeling of pride and achievement.

More importantly, the chemical also motivates us to continue on with the taking challenges and to attempt to repeat the same achievement next time. This forms a positive reinforcement loop that makes us more likely to be successful.

So pay close attention to what you achieved. Ran for 400m? Got up 10 minutes earlier? Mark these down and recognize yourself! It’s never too much.

By: Jefferey Lau

For: Lifehack.org

In Interviews&profile February 13, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

#PROFILE| AGELESS BEAUTY REGINA HALL

Regina Hall 48, was born in Washington, D.C., to Ruby, a teacher, and Odie Hall, a contractor. She graduated from Fordham University with a degree in English Language in 1992. At 26, she began appearing in commercials, and then made the transition into movies. She has starred in several movie productions including the series Ally McBeal (2001–2002), The Best Man (1999) and its sequel The Best Man Holiday (2013), Love & Basketball (2000), Malibu’s Most Wanted (2003), Think Like a Man (2012) and its sequel Think Like a Man Too (2014), About Last Night (2014), Vacation (2015), Girls Trip (2017), The Hate U Give (2018) and Little (2019).

Prior to pursuing acting professionally, she made a detour from journalism, having earned a master’s degree in the profession from New York State University.

“One of the reasons why I pursued journalism is because I read Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, which weighed heavy on me a lot. It talked about the importance of journalism to democracy, and the responsibility a journalist had in what they wrote — the truth they uncovered. I thought it was such an honourable profession, and I still do. I didn’t pursue it because my dad had a stroke and life took me in a different direction. With everything going on politically, I value journalism even more and realise how difficult the job is — the risks they take in their life, what it takes to sit down and write a story. I’m very conscious about my news sources, too. I know a lot of people who only get their news from Facebook. I can’t imagine that. I probably love journalism even more, now. There’s days where I’d be like, “Ah, I’d want to tell that story,” because it’s so imperative. I don’t think people realise how connected journalism is to freedom of speech — they just think about what they want to say personally. Democracy is so connected to our press.”

Speaking on her decision to become a nun at 40, she says

“I wanted to do it because I find that my happiest places are when I’m in a really spiritual place. It’s almost like the rest of the world becomes background.”

More reason why we love Regina Hall are:

She is committed to volunteering for senior citizens.

She is the first African-American to win the New York Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.

She has won the Boston Online Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress,
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress for the movie Naked (2017).

She has won the African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress for the movie Girl’s Trip (2018)

She is 49 and flawless!

In Career Gems February 13, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

BET APOLOGISES TO NICKI MINAJ AFTER “LACE FRONT” SHADE

TV network, BET has apologised to Nicki Minaj following the network’s inappropriate shade at her after Cardi B won at the Grammys.

“Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj is being dragged by her lace front,” the station had reportedly tweeted alongside a post about Cardi’s win.

However, BET has taken down the tweet and issued an apology on all their platforms.

“The respect we have for Nicki was violated by a post that should never have been written,” a statement by BET spokesperson reads.

“The post does not reflect how we feel about Nicki. And further does not reflect our company values.

“We deeply apologise for the hurt, disappointment and confusion that this post has caused. We are committed to doing everything we can to address the situation.

“We are also conducting an internal audit to assure these types of posts are not published again.

“We have apologised to Nicki and her team. The post has been removed and we have taken additional appropriate action.

”We understand Nicki’s position and look forward to continuing our dialogue with her. Finally, we apologise to all of her fans. This should have never happened.”

Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj will no longer perform at the BET Concert in April. She announced the decision Monday, following the network’s attempt to ‘shade’ her in the aftermath of the Grammys.

The singer announced the decision on Twitter saying: “Young Money will no longer be part of the BET Experience or award show.”

Nicki Minaj then thanked her fans for supporting her.

In self development February 13, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

LUPITA NYONG’O’S COVER FOR ANOTHER MAGAZINE‘S NEWEST ISSUE IS ALL SHADE OF ”WAKANDA”

Another day, AnOther Magazine cover for actress Lupita Nyong’o.

The movie star is simply described as “Majesty” on the cover of the magazine’s latest issue.

The magazine describes the Academy Award-winning star as “A Gracious Role Model for Our Times. Principled yet unpredictable, considered yet authentic…”

She talks to the magazine about her new movie “Us”, working with director Jordan Peele, her role in “Black Panther” and so much more.

Read excerpts below.

On working with Jordan Peele in Us: “I’d walk off a cliff for Jordan Peele. I was madly in love with the mind of Jordan from the Key & Peele days, and I remember putting him on my ‘one day I’ll work with’ list. Then I saw Get Out. I saw it in the cinema five times in one month. I was just so fascinated by it”

On how a meeting with Ralph Fiennes early in her career helped: “I was having lunch with Ralph (Fiennes) one day and he asked me about my interests, and I told him that I wanted to be an actor, I think. He said, ‘Only do it if there’s nothing else you want to do, if there’s nothing else you feel you could do.’ It wasn’t, ‘Here’s my number, I’ll be your mentor.’ It wasn’t that but he gave me a lot of food for thought.”

On Black Panther: “When I think what Black Panther has done for Africans and Africans in their diaspora, it’s this allegorical story about the relationship between Africa and America, reflected in the relationship between T’Challa and Killmonger. It’s a chance for both to consider each other’s perspective in a way that I don’t think popular culture has been effective at doing. It’s really the start of a long-overdue conversation. In no way does it call for answers, but it’s the opportunity to begin to [rexognize] what it is we have in common.”

For more from Lupita, visit AnotherMag.com.

In Career Gems February 12, 2019 By Women of Rubies

CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE HONORED WITH 2019 EVERETT M. ROGERS AWARD FOR REFRAMING THE DISCOURSE ON RACE, GENDER & IDENTITY

It was announced in 2018 that Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie had been named the winner of the 2019 Everett M. Rogers Award. She was honored for reframing the discourse on race, gender & identity.

The award has been presented every year since 2005 in honor of Everett M. Rogers, whose “Diffusion of Innovation” is the second-most cited book in the social sciences.

The event was held on the 7th of February and the writer repped Nigerian design brands by wearing a piece from Fia Factory.

Dean Willow Bay and Marty Kaplan of the Norman Lear Center provide opening remarks, followed by Danai Gurira, actor on Walking Dead and Black Panther.

Watch the award show below.

See photos below.

Credit: Bella Naija

In Career Gems February 12, 2019 By Women of Rubies

CARDI B MAKES HISTORY AS THE FIRST SOLO FEMALE TO WIN BEST RAP ALBUM AT THE GRAMMYS

Cardi B made history as she became the first solo female artist to win best rap album at the Grammys after being honoured for her debut album ‘Invasion Of Privacy.’

Cardi won the award ahead of other nominees Pusha T, Travis Scott and the late Mac Miller.

Accompanied to the stage by her husband, Migos rapper Offset, the 26-year-old thanked the couple’s daughter,Kulture, who was born in July last year.

She said:

“I’m not just saying thank you because she’s my daughter. It’s because, you know, when I found out I was pregnant, my album was not complete, like three songs that I was for sure having.

“And then you know, you know how it was, we was like, we have to get this album done so I could still do videos while I’m still not showing. And it was very long nights.”
Credit: LIB

In self development February 12, 2019 By Women of Rubies

4 QUALITIES OF A KEEPER; HOW TO RECOGNIZE A GOOD GUY

I have a dear friend who was once vivacious and cheerful. As a teenage girl, she had a promising future. She was beautiful, warm, smart and talented. She dated a lot and was widely admired. She had “the pick of the litter” as far as guys went. In college, she met a charismatic guy who made her laugh. He swept her off her feet and they married.

Soon enough, she found out that Prince Charming was really a sociopath. She stayed with him for the sake of her children and suffered in an unhappy, abusive marriage for many years before leaving.

Marriage is a hugely exciting prospect, but when you’re in love with someone, sometimes your emotions can cloud your judgment. Maybe he’s a fun guy, but is he worthy to take your hand in marriage? Can you imagine him as the father of your children?

Of course, you don’t want to spend your life with “Mr. Blah,” but bear in mind the long road ahead. Before committing to the wrong guy, consider the following all-time top four qualities of a keeper. Remember, this is your future we’re talking about!

He is kind to young children and old women

A guy who is both tender with kids and respectful to the elderly is worth a second look. I have a brother-in-law who adores my kids. Even after having children of his own, he makes my kids feel special and cool. He loves roughhousing with them and blending fruit smoothies for them. Similarly, a guy who is a gentleman to his mom and other women is a keeper. A man’s behavior toward women says volumes about the type of person he is.

He is willing to get his hands dirty

When the car stalls or the gutters need cleaned, it’s sure handy to have a manly guy around. Even if your guy isn’t a skilled mechanic or handyman, it’s nice to have someone who will dig in and not shy away from hard work.

A guy with a strong work ethic will teach your children the value of hard work. Don’t settle for someone lazy or someone who won’t pitch in to help maintain your home. A man who extends a helping hand to others is someone worthy of your love, too.

He isn’t in love with himself

Steer clear of the guy who moons over himself. You know – the guy who never saw a mirror he didn’t like.

Who wants to spend her life with a vain man? It’s fine to want to look nice, and no one wants to be with a slob – but pay attention to your man’s ego and make sure he’s not a slave to fashion (for example, too hipster) or his physique. You don’t want a selfish or narcissistic hubby.

He is honest

When you’ve snagged an honest man, you can be assured of several things. Your husband won’t be unfaithful to you. He’ll be true to his co-workers, boss, friends and family members. He’ll be upfront in his financial dealings. When he makes mistakes, he won’t hide them from you because he is a man of honor.

You’ll enjoy peace of mind and feel more secure in your marriage with an honest man.

Each of these four attributes points to another attribute: humility. Find and marry someone who is humble, because he will regard you more highly than himself.

By: Megan Gladwell

Originally for Familyshare