Finding courage to start your dream

Written by Babatunde Fajimi - Nigeria

Babatunde Fajimi 

Entrepreneurs require a wealth of courage to start when they are confronted with challenges posed by the difficulties of finding ideal locations for their dream start-ups. Entrepreneurs are wealthy because they are audacious and would-be entrepreneur should have ideas and courage in abundance.

The poor don't do business

Poor people neither venture into business nor have the temerity to do so. Our portrait of the poor is not that of individuals who do not have millions of money in their bank accounts. Money may not be enough, time may not be favourable and ideal locations may be far-fetched but if you have an inexhaustible wealth of courage, that is all you need to creatively jumpstart your dream venture.

Neither do cowards

First of all, you have to overcome your cowardice.

Rachael confided in her counselor. "I have my fears," she said. "Everything is set for my new venture. The business plan is ready. My seed capital is available. The nagging headache I have now is that my real estate agent cannot find me an ideal location. What he got was too expensive than I could not afford it. I want a budget office space in the ideal location and may have to suspend my dreams until I am able to accumulate enough funds," she concluded with dejection on her face.

The courage to start is what separates entrepreneurs from other people. The former launched out with audacity but the latter got intimidated by the environment and post-pone their dreams.

Recover your dreams from inertia

People who postpone their dream ventures can recover them from their inertia and resuscitate your business ideas again.

Good standing posture makes you feel better

~ care2.com

Want to feel more confident and energetic? Stand up straight and strut your stuff because there's a connection between posture and mood.

Vivian Eisenstadt is an orthopaedic and sports physical therapist, postural specialist, and spiritual psychologist. She believes our physical, mental and emotional states interact and affect each other on a moment-to-moment basis.

"Poor posture carries energy with it," she said. "Depression, fatigue, and insecurity are just some of the feelings that are associated with shoulders forward and forward head posture."

Eisenstadt said expressions like "keep your chin up" and "hold your head high" exist for a reason. "Standing straight exudes a sense of pride, confidence, and promotes happiness. By standing straight, you actually feel better. Try it right now. I'll bet you feel sexier."

"Strut your stuff" carries energy with it, she said. "There is a higher self-esteem that good posture gives you."

If you want to get that job, that audition, that girl to go out with you – show good posture, advises Eisenstadt. She said it displays a sense of self-care that others subconsciously read off of you. You'll get more respect from others when you have good posture. "So, stand up straight, sit straight, and feel better in all ways possible."

Posture expert, Dr. Steve Weiniger of Body Zone, says posture breakdown spirals when people habitually move with their body folded (i.e. sitting, texting, computing) in a poor posture environment. Although there is no perfect posture position, there are easy ways to adjust your posture environment. "The key is to keep moving," said Weiniger.

Some of his quick tips for posture awareness include:

Drive taller: Adjust the rearview mirror in your car so you have to sit tall to see.

Walk taller: Imagine a string lifting your chest and the top of your head toward the sky.

Make adjustments: Change the angle of your computer monitor or try putting a book under it. For part of the day, consider sitting on a ball or a pelvic support. Move your car seat on long trips.

Nigerian designer wives

Written by Jide Ojo - Nigeria

Follow on twitter: @jideojong

Jide Ojo

The title of this piece is a copyright from Aisha Falode and her team of co-presenters of "Amazons", a magazine programme on African Independent Television. The phrase was the topic of the episode aired on Friday, August 28, 2015. I watched the fascinating edition and therefore decided to share my perspective on the issue with a wider audience. In the episode, Nigerian designer wives was the ascription given to married career ladies who are trendy, sophisticated, and cosmopolitan but deficient in culinary prowess. They are women who are well-read but lack the ability to manage the home front. They rely heavily on house-helps to clean and cook thereby outsourcing crucial matrimonial duties.

Ace actress, Funke Akindele, in one of the recent episodes of her highly entertaining TV drama entitled "Jennifer's Diary" featured a character that best describe Aisha Falode's Nigerian designer wife. The lady couldn't cook nor do any household chore and only tried to do them when she was about losing her fiancé to another woman.

Is it not shocking that this country now has a sizable number of married women who cannot cook anything beyond noodle? There are even some of them who cannot boil water let alone egg. They have been so pampered that they do not know the way to the market and if they do, they don't know the recipe for soup making; how to identify good fish or meat; which yam is good for pounded yam and which one is good for porridge; how to bargain, etcetera.

There are many ladies in today's Nigeria that hire people to go to market for them. Thereafter, they go for their cookery book for guidance on how to go about preparing their meals. Some who couldn't cook order large quantum of prepared food and soups from restaurants which they take home to refrigerate and microwave when they want to eat or entertain visitors. Some don't even bother themselves going through all that stress, they simply eat out.

These designer wives do not know how to sweep, wash plates and clothes, mop the floor, dust the furniture, iron clothes, arrange the home and tidy up their environment. While some of them make heavy investment in purchasing washing machines for their laundry; some others hire people to do their home cleaning. Some do most of their laundry at the dry cleaners. All these are done at great financial and social costs.

What then do these designer wives know how to do? Oh, a lot! They are fashionistas and are specialist in the use of information and communications technology. They are connected to all the social media and can ping and chat from morning till evening except when they are busy at work. They regularly upload their latest pictures on their social media accounts such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. They also are good at watching the latest movies and films on satellite television. They have favourite soap operas they cannot afford to miss on terrestrial TV. They know all the major characters in Mexican soaps, Nollywood and Hollywood. They like to gossip and as such spend quality time on phones chatting up friends, colleagues and relations. They also love cars, customised, posh wonders-on-wheel, with which they cruise town.

Pregnant and malnourished? Your baby risks ill health

Written by Solaade Ayo-Aderele - Nigeria

Pregnancy is a trauma to the body; or so physicians want us to know and, I dare say, they know better.

Indeed, when you remember that pregnancy takes a whopping nine months to mature into the delivery of a healthy baby if everything goes well, you will appreciate the physical and psychological changes that attend it, as well as their implications on the health of the expectant mother.

Head of Nutrition at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Chris Isokpunwu, says pregnancy leads to increased oxygen consumption due to the rising metabolic needs of the mother and the developing baby.

He notes that the growth of the size of the uterus, alongside the increase of the progesterone levels, leads to increment of the respiratory rate, resulting in lower level of carbon dioxide in the blood, or what is medically known as hypocapnia – a state of reduced carbon dioxide in the blood that can lead to brain injury.

"When this condition is in a mild stage, the pregnant woman can experience constipation, nasal blockage, constant coughing, etc. She may also have visual disturbances, anxiety, transient dizziness, muscle cramps, blackouts, shortness of breath and vomiting," experts warn.

Consultant Paediatrician at the Calabar General Hospital in Cross River State, Dr. Friday Odey, warns that the health of the unborn baby and his very life hang on the mother's wellbeing; hence, whatever affects the expectant mother is very likely to affect her unborn baby.

Long work hours can mar your health

Written by Solaade Ayo-Aderele - Nigeria

Once you sit down at your desk, how often do you take a break? Do you simply pound away at your computer, probably postponing bathroom breaks, forgetting to drink water, not to talk of eating?

Of course, every job schedule has a time that people should submit their work; especially in a production chain where whoever fails to submit his job on schedule will most likely disrupt work flow and negatively impact production.

Yet, physicians say those who work longer than 55 hours a week have a 33 per cent higher stroke risk and a 13 per cent higher risk of coronary heart disease than people working 35 to 40 hours a week.

Generally, it is eight hours daily, five days a week for the average worker. But so much has changed because of the need for employers to cut staff strength while increasing job schedule in order to beat the odds. So, to keep your job, you may most likely have to put in extra hours that don't necessarily translate into extra pay.

Again, there are some jobs that simply don't specify closing hours! What this means is that you only go home when your schedule is done for the day. For those working such jobs, the probability is that you are spending more hours at work.

However, physicians are saying that the longer the hours you work, the more exposed you are to risks of certain health challenges that include coronary heart disease – a number one killer disease that makes plaque to build up inside the arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle.

Beating the odds

According to General Practitioner, Dr. Patrick Olusanya, the average adult needs between eight and nine hours of sleep if he must function optimally during the day. But in our hectic modern time where most people operate in emergency mode, five hours of sleep is sometimes considered a luxury that could probably be enjoyed once in a week when you are off-duty.

Olusanya laments that staying healthy while having a full-time job can be a tough balancing act, especially with the need to raise a family and maintain a social life while juggling your schedules!

Many people arrive in the office early, leave late, and never seem to stop working. Some people, perhaps because of their positions, engage in first-in-last-out schedule, while many work all-night, and others simply do marathon work sessions. "All of these could impact health outcomes because of stress occasioned by sleep deprivation," Olusanya warns.

But then, how do you go about your job once you clock in, such that you neither short-change your employers, nor work your way to ill health?

To start with, Olusanya notes, the human brain is a muscle which, like every muscle in the body, could become tired when exposed to repeated stress that comes with long working hours.

Harvard researcher, Christopher Barnes, says as humans, we have a well-defined internal clock that shapes our energy levels throughout the day, suggesting that if you don't step away from your work, your productivity will take a nosedive as you become increasingly fatigued and stressed.

The teenager and the challenges of sexual pressure

Written by Funmi Akingbade - Nigeria

Funmi Akingbade

A good percentage of our teens and young adults today are under the siege of sexual pressure. Many willing teens and young adults easily give in to the pressure of sex and not because they actually bargained for it or were in full support of the sexual experiencing they were having. But it has been discovered that lack of good parenting and mentorship have led many of our young stars into undue negative early sexual exposure and disaster.

Parents and guardians, in a bid to balance business and parenthood, fail in their responsibilities towards these young ones.

The negative media influences (Internet) cannot be over emphasised. It is from the internet these teens and young stars are polluted as many of our teens get hooked to porn sites as early as age 10 and sometimes below. Masturbation, pornography, sex chatting have now become the order of the day among these teens. It is from internet that these young ones are pressured into bad gangs, sexual perversion etc. Research has shown that many sexual activities are pre-programme into all children's games, phones, ipad, iphones, Facebook dating etc. Then again, the violence-saturated media leads to the ever-increasing acceptance of violence among our young adults.

I am of the opinion that parents and guardians should do a bit more on sex education than they have done. Then, we would be able to salvage our teens and young adults from this impending sexual disaster.

But the greatest challenge is actually how to start this sex education.

Many well-meaning parents want to know the best approach they can adopt with their teenagers when they want to introduce and discuss sex and sexuality with them. Talking to your teenage child about sex and puberty can be quite challenging as some parents even avoid the topic completely because they are ignorant of their teens budding maturity, exposure and even the extent of what he or she knows already.

Others have the concern that talking about sex and their teens' body change would lead to early experimentation. Some other parents hesitate to start the conversation out of unnecessary fears, as such, leaving their teens to chances. I think it is not safe for parents to leave children to chances while wishing all would be well. Why not effect the changes you want to see in them?

A sex therapist expert says sex education is easier passed to the male teen than the female teen. This is the more reason a teen girl should be taught way ahead of her male counterpart. As soon as a girl- child reaches puberty, you should not delay discussing sex and puberty any longer. Many teens turn to friends and the media to get answers, much of which may be way off base. You might be surprised to know that although teens report getting most of their ­­information from the above two sources, the number one source they would wish they could go to with questions is 'you,' their parents.

The Power of Words – You Become What You Say

~TheGuardian-Nigeria

THE power of words has often become debated as to how it can affect our lives. Most successful people tend to agree with the idea that you become what you say. Your words are a deeper reflection of what is going on inside your head. If you speak words of success and praise of yourself you tend to become just that. We will take a look at how words influence who we are.

Blessing or Condemnation – The words you speak can be a blessing on yourself or a condemning attitude that may hinder achieving goals in life. The power of words lies not just in their sounds and syllables but in the emotions that they conjure in your life. When you speak down upon yourself and talk of how you are not good or you will never be rich you draw emotions of despair. 

You then condemn yourself to a life of poverty and low self-esteem because this is what you allow yourself to believe. Those who have prospered and done amazing things for themselves had an amazing skill of never giving up. This does not come easy because life has a tendency to knock people to their knees. Those who tell themselves they are defeated will quit while those who only tell themselves positive things are more likely to keep moving forward when they are taking the hits from life. Every person can choose what they tell themselves so it is within every person's best interest to let themselves know they can win and have good things in their lives.

Encourage Yourself – We all know that words have the power to dishearten or can conjure extreme enthusiasm about something. If you have the talents and desire to accomplish something in your life than start with using powerful words and images that spark motivation. Remind yourself of the victories that you have experienced and you came out on top. Then remind yourself with words of how great you are at something or how determined you are. 

The best way to use words is when you mix them with emotions and let them spark enthusiasm in you for something great. Words alone have power and when you mix them with power visualizations they become a deadly weapon. They can either be good or bad depending on what you want. Those who are miserable tend to dwell only on disheartening words and always bring up past failures. This produces low self-esteem and is toxic to your morale. Meanwhile, a person of happiness blocks past failures after the lesson has been learned. Rather, they dwell on success they have enjoyed in life and remind themselves of how worthy they are for something. This equals the most powerful emotion a human can have: UNCONDITIONAL love for yourself. If you can achieve this than there is nothing within your skill level that is not obtainable.

In Conclusion – The power of words can prove to be very destructive or very motivating depending on what you want them to have. If you remove all limiting and damaging words from your vocabulary and head and move to a more positive place you can become your best friend. Choose your words carefully because they tend to become reality.

Avoid engaging in these discussions

Written by Ife Adedapo - Nigeria

Some discussions have been identified by human resource managers as inappropriate in the workplace.

This is because they have been discovered to cause loss of concentration and focus among employees.

Moreover, business owners believe that main objectives of the organisation in the long run may not be achieved if such discussions continue unchecked.

Professionals say it is common to have such discussions in the office because most people spend a better part of their day in the office and their confidants are also their colleagues at work. However, experts advise that the discussions people should have within the confines of the office should be work-related.

Human resource experts have pointed out that professionalism should be maintained at work and personal discussions left till after work hours.

According to them, some of these topics that have high engagement can lead to arguments, uproar or create an avenue for gossip.

It has been discovered that the consequences of uncultured deliberations may also affect the people involved and can tarnish their reputation or damage their chances of promotion.

Experts have pointed out some issues which should never be discussed at work and they include:

Family problems

Professionals say talking about the problems you have with your family will reveal your weaknesses. When you discuss problems you are having with others, your co-workers and your boss may wonder if those problems are distracting you from doing your job. They say this should be avoided, especially if the person involved is not in a position of authority.

The Managing Director, Bestway Corporate Services, Mr. Victor Abayomi, says the co-workers may share this information with the management, which could lead them to believe that your family problems could affect your work.

He says, "The office is strictly a business place; therefore, marital issues should be kept away from it. It also brings disrespect to the person involved."

Sexual exploits

Experts say no one is interested in listening to what you and your partner did last night in bed. Sex should never be a topic of discussion at work because your partner probably will not be happy that you are relating intimate details of your sex life to others and such discussions may make other co-workers feel uncomfortable.

Male organ is prone to damage, protect yours

Written by Sola Ayo-Aderele - Nigeria

When we talk about sexual health, the focus is usually on women because of their many peculiarities. However, sexual health goes beyond gender, as it affects men and women alike. Indeed, experts aver that reproductive health is an important component of men's overall health and well-being.

One of the things that make men who they are is the male sex organ; its overall well-being cannot be over-emphasized if men must function optimally biologically, mentally, physically and physiologically.

Physicians advise that routine visits with a health care provider can help prevent serious illness, as they can readily diagnose and treat the common conditions that affect men before they spiral out of control.

The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy laments that for much of their lives, men need a range of medical and, in particular, educational and counseling services to protect their own health and well-being, as well as to equip them to be good partners and fathers.

It notes that though policymakers are beginning to focus on men's roles as fathers and husbands, little attention is being paid to their sexual and reproductive health needs. "Available data illustrate that those needs are substantial and long-term," the report further says.

What are these health peculiarities that men should be aware of for overall well-being? Read on.

Peyronie's disease

Also known as induratio penis plastica or chronic inflammation of the tunica albuginea (the fibrous covering of the testis), physicians say this disease is caused by scar tissue along the length of the male sex organ, causing it to bend. The condition can make sexual intercourse painful or difficult outright, physicians say submit.

'Men have shorter lives because they are more prone to heart disease'

Culled from dailymailuk - The Guardian Nigeria

ACROSS the world, women can expect to live longer than men.

Now a new study has revealed that heart disease is the main culprit between the differences in life expectancies.

According to the research, a gap in life expectancies between the sexes first emerged as recently as the turn of the 20th century.

As infectious disease prevention, improved diets and other positive health behaviours were adopted by people born during the 1800s and early 1900s, death rates plummeted.

But women began reaping the longevity benefits at a much faster rate.

In the wake of this massive but uneven decrease in mortality, a review of global data by the University of Southern California has found heart disease to be behind most of the excess deaths documented in adult men.

"We were surprised at how the divergence in mortality between men and women, which originated as early as 1870, was concentrated in the 50-to-70 age range and faded out sharply after age 80," said USC professor, Eileen Crimmins.

The study examined the life spans of people born between 1800 and 1935 in 13 developed nations.

Life expectancy at birth

Focusing on mortality in adults over the age of 40, the team found that in individuals born after 1880, female death rates decreased 70 per cent faster than those of males.

Even when the researchers controlled for smoking-related illnesses, cardiovascular disease appeared to still be the cause of the vast majority of excess deaths in adult men over 40 for the same time period.

Bag ladies beware!.

Written by 'Nimi Akinkugbe

Nimi Akinkugbe has extensive experience in private wealth management. She seeks to empower people regarding their finances and offers frank, practical insights to create a greater awareness and understanding of personal finance. For more personal finance tips, contact Nimi:

Email: info@moneymatterswithnimi

Website: www.moneymatterswithnimi.com

Twitter / Instagram: @MMWITHNIMI

Facebook: MoneyMatterswithNimi

Bola was at her friend's father's 80th birthday party last Saturday night. It was a huge party in the banquet hall of a major hotel. Hundreds of people were milling around, the music was far too loud and there was much food, drink and festivity.

The master of ceremonies announced a special dance for the celebrant's children and their friends. Bola is usually very careful with her handbag "discretely" placed it under the draped table by her seat, assuming that no one was watching. Her secure world changed in an instant.

What was stolen?

Bola's handbag and all its contents were stolen including her Passport: she had recently returned from a trip abroad and had not changed her handbag. Other items included an ostrich skin wallet with cash sums of N16,000, $610 and £400, three bank debit cards linked to her current accounts, one credit card, an iphone 6 and a blackberry, both without password protection, her Driving Licence, Vehicle Insurance Card, Tax ID Card, car keys, house and office keys, a bank statement addressed to her home address, company photo ID card with the company address, mini Canon digital camera with hundreds of photos from her recent holiday, iPad mini, reading glasses, Versace sunglasses, make up bag, pocket diary and address book, and two phone chargers.

Combination therapy in diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a long term and mostly lifelong disorder characterized by resistance to insulin action in the liver, the muscles and the fat cells in the body. It is also characterized by progressive reduction in the ability of the body to produce insulin, abnormalities of intestinal functioning, satiety and weight control. These abnormalities lead to elevated blood sugar levels, obesity, cholesterol abnormalities, hypertension, heart and blood vessels abnormalities and damage to the kidneys, the nerves and the retina of the eyes.

As a result of its multi-factorial causation, control is often difficult to achieve and oftentimes requires the use of multiple medications that have different mechanisms of action and will thus produce synergistic effects. Long-term use of a single medication to control blood sugar levels will thus ultimately end in failure. Most professional societies involved in diabetes care have thus emphasized the need for systematic and progressive use of combinations of various types of blood sugar lowering medications.

Metformin is often the preferred first line medication. As the disease progresses however, it will be necessary to combine it with additional medications. It is also known that a time will come when combination of oral medications will also no longer be able to keep the blood sugar levels at bay, at such times one or more injections will be required. The choice of combination therapy to be undertaken will need to take cognizance of factors such as duration of the disease, complications that are present, life expectancy, risk of hypoglycaemia, the patient's personal preferences and capacity for self-care, social support and financial capabilities.

21 Things Your Boyfriend Will Never Admit

Culled from The Guardian - Nigeria

Those boyfriends of us are darlings, but no angels. There are a few things that they keep hidden from us. Here are the 21 things your boyfriend will never admit.

1. I will NEVER say you became fat, even it's true

2. And I think some of the clothes you wear aren't nice

3. I often don't know what you're talking about, but I just nod yes

4. And sometimes it's really annoying to hold your hand

5. I will never tell you what I really think about your family

6. I find your best friend / sister / neighbour / ... quite attractive

7. Sometimes I dare to look at pretty women

8. And yes, sometimes I fantasize about someone else

9. I don't say no to sex, even though I didn't really want

10. And no, I really don't want to talk after sex

11. Yes, sometimes I will lie to you about your cooking

12. But I also don't have an idea of what I'm doing

13. Sometimes I like to watch a chick flick

14. But I also want to do something alone

15. Sometimes I text with a girlfriend, without telling it to you

16. And yes, sometimes I tell things about you to them

17. But I hate it when you are too well with a man

18. Sometimes I freak out if you don't immediately respond to my text

19. And yes, I'm afraid you're going to dump me

20. Because: I see you becoming sweeter and sweeter and sweeter and sweeter and sweeter...

Milk intolerance in infants

Written by Rotimi Adesanya - Nigeria

Dr. Rotimi Adesanya

A concerned mom shared her experience with other mothers about the likely causes of diarrhoea in children:

"When my daughter was two months old, she started having diarrhoea. I let this go on for a couple of days and then took her to our family doctor. The doctor told me that she had gastroenteritis (infectious diarrhoea). She was prescribed oral rehydration solution and Flagyl syrup.

"After a couple of days, she still wasn't any better and I was at my breaking point. So, I scheduled an appointment with another doctor in order to get a second opinion. The new doctor that I now call my daughter's paediatrician said she didn't think that the baby had gastroenteritis. She said that she was likely to be lactose intolerant and had colic.

"She told us that when a baby is developing intolerance to cow's milk, a symptom of that is diarrhoea. So, she advised us to change her baby formula. We did and, immediately, the diarrhoea stopped."

Lactose (milk) intolerance happens when the body cannot break down a sugar called lactose, which is present in all milk – from breast milk, to dairy (cow) milk and other dairy products.

Lactose makes up around seven per cent of breast milk, similar to the amount in infant formula. Lactose provides around 40 per cent of baby's energy needs, helps absorb calcium and iron, and helps ensure healthy development.

Usually, the enzyme, lactase, which is produced in the small intestine, changes lactose into glucose and galactose – sugars that are more easily absorbed. Sometimes, babies don't produce enough lactase to break down all the lactose, so the unabsorbed lactose passes through the intestine without being digested. Undigested lactose irritates the intestine and causes a build-up of wind and diarrhoea.

Most children or adults who are diagnosed with lactose intolerance can digest small amounts of lactose, which would not cause symptoms.

Losing hair to chemicals and tight weaves

Written by Solaade Ayo-Aderele - Punch, Nigeria

The most important beauty asset a woman has is her hair. However, physicians express concerns that many women are going bald because of the treatment they give their hair. 

The various hairdos, ranging from plaits to perms, have been leaving women bald in droves

The attention that was commanded by the 1,000 braids on Esther's head was enviable. Anywhere she went, women – old and young alike – wanted to know which hairdresser made it for her.

The long and neatly done hair became her fashion signature for eight weeks, after which she decided to loosen it. Then trouble started. The false hair, otherwise called attachment, having gathered dirt over the weeks, was tightly wrapped around her natural hair and it became a Herculean task freeing her hair from it.

She resorted to cutting the hair along with the attachment. Although she succeeded in loosening the entire hair, her odysseys were just beginning. At the hair salon where she had gone for washing and conditioning, she discovered that her hair was just falling out in clumps.

Although her stylist recommended more hair treatment and specialist creams for her, Esther simply couldn't regain the beauty of her hair again. To compound issues, she discovered that she was losing hair each time she attempted to comb. In desperation, she visited a hair clinic where her case was diagnosed as traction alopecia.

Welcome to the world of baldness among young women.

Until very recently, baldness was regarded almost totally as exclusively a male thing. Again, it's common among older men, and only seen among women who have advanced in age. But not anymore.

Female Traction Alopecia

The CEO of Vinci Hair Clinic Nigeria, Dr. Ayo Otubanjo, notes that the way modern women treat their hair is cause for concern, as the various styles and processes of hair styles have been known to not only damage the hair, they also cause extensive damage that usually necessitates specialist hair treatment. Those who cannot afford specialist treatment or who are impatient to wait for the natural rejuvenation of their hair where possible, readily take to wearing wigs.