Author: jacquelineobyikocha

A wordsmith with a vivid imagination, an eager mind and a burning desire to carve out tales. As I journey with my muse to that land of all possibilities and self discovery, I hope my personal evolution will serve as a beacon of inspiration for anyone who chooses to stop by.
Lifestyle

How To Refind Your Lost Motivaton to Make a Lifestyle Change

jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

Motivation, Inspire, Refind Your Lost Motivation, Be You, Love You, Life Tips

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Are you rapidly losing interest in your healthy lifestyle changes? After the high of some initial success – perhaps you lost a few pounds or managed to take part in your first running event – it can be a common feeling to have a bit of a slump, where your motivation seems to have fizzed out. When this happens, how do you get a jump- start and refocus on your intentions to lead a healthier life? Here are some simple ways you can get back on track:

Love Yourself Now

Too often, we embark on a lifestyle change from a negative place, telling ourselves we aren’t good enough as we are. But being too negative about your current state can actually be very demoralising. Give yourself permission to love you, just the way you are now. See your journey as a positive, a change you are making as a gift to yourself- not a punishment. Reading some self-help books can guide you to a more positive place – there are lots of recommendations at https://www.selfdevelopmentsecrets.com/best-self-help-books/.

Change Your Role Model

Setting unrealistic expectations for yourself is a recipe for disaster, so make sure that whoever you are using for inspiration is not so far out of reach that you want to give up. It’s fine to aspire to be like a celebrity but understand that it’s literally their job to look good, and they have an army of professional support, from nutritionists and personal chefs to life coaches. If anything, it’s better to compare yourself to the best version of you. Keep it within reach. Select positive role models that are confident with their shape and are strong and healthy.

Identify Your Triggers

Life is fraught with danger points that challenge us and make it harder to stick to diet and fitness goals. But knowing in advance what is likely to prove difficult for you- and finding other ways to handle whatever it is- is crucial. Perhaps you use food as emotional comfort. Maybe you get lazy on busy weeknights after work and end up snacking. Understand your pressure points and know how to deal with them in advance. Stock up on healthy snacks that fill the same need but won’t compromise your hard work, and find out other ways of coping with stress and upset.

Make One Small Change

If you’re struggling to get going again, then implementing one small, easy change can five you the boost in momentum you need to get back on track. It could be cutting out sugar for a week, adding in an extra 10 minutes to the treadmill, or having a couple of extra portions of fruit and veg a day. That one simple change can be the catalyst to carry on with everything.

Lasting change takes time, so you need to have patience, forgive yourself for minor slip-ups and accept that your journey will all be worth it in the end. Getting frustrated and experiencing set backs doesn’t have to mean giving up- there will be ups and downs. If you can pick yourself up, you’ll soon find another milestone that makes you feel on top of the world again!

November’s Featured Blogger: Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
Uncategorized

November’s Featured Blogger: Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

jacquelineobyikocha8 Comments

It’s not every day that I’m honoured with a feature on blogs such as Roberts own. This is truly a pleasure. Thank you, kind Sir Robert, for finding me and my words worth giving the time of the day. 🙂
Take a peek, folks.

Lifestyle

Just A Teeny Update

jacquelineobyikocha17 Comments

It’s been slow, but it’s been steady. I have whittled my excess kilos down by 5kg – 11pounds through mindfulness.

Trying to practice what I’m preaching about health and wellness is paying off bit by bit.

Healthy living, measuring tape, weightloss

Remember that a lifestyle change need not be drastic. It can be baby steps heading in the right direction. Keep moving…

Health · Lifestyle · Wellness

Stock Your Kitchen with These Medicinal Foods

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Health Food, Natures healing spices, Kitchen, Lifestyle

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You’ve probably heard a few people say that food is medicine in your time, and you know what? They were absolutely right. If you want to live a long, happy and healthy life, you absolutely do need to eat the right foods in the right amounts.

Obviously, there is always going to be a place for proper medicine and the use of pharmaceuticals, and a lot of people wouldn’t be able to get by without wheelchairs, bandages, CPAP Machines and some of the other medical supplies you’ll find at http://medsupplynow.com/, but when it comes to preventing illness and helping to heal from simple ailments, food can be pretty powerful!

Here are some of the most medicinal foods you should consider stocking your kitchen with right now:

Basil

This delicious herb, which goes great with spaghetti bolognese, is known to aid individuals suffering from the discomfort of indigestion and stomach cramps and many people believe it can help with constipation too, which I’m sure you’ll agree are all good reasons to stock it in your herb rack!

Ginger

Ginger is a popular root, which you can find in many kitchens, in either its natural or powdered form due to it’s strong, exotic taste, but did you know that it can help relieve nausea? Many pregnant women drink ginger tea or chew on crystallized ginger when they have morning sickness that isn’t serious enough to require medical attention. You can use it to relieve nausea at any time, and there is a good chance that it will work.Of course, if your nausea is persistent, you should see a doctor because ginger might not cut it if you’re experiencing something more serious.

Cayenne Pepper

Have a lot of phlegm in your throat? Finding it hard to breathe with ease, if you haven’t got the time to wait for a delivery of decongestant from https://www.healthwarehouse.com/pharmacy or you can’t get out to the store to buy something that will bring you relief, you’ll be glad to have a jar of cayenne pepper to hand. Why? Because cayenne pepper, or more accurately the capsicum it contains, will clear everything out and make you feel like a whole new person.

Capsicum, when applied in a topical treatment to aches and pains, including backache, can also have a very relieving effect on the body.

Cinnamon

Healthy foods, natures bounty, lifestyle, healing

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There are lots of promising research papers that seem to suggest that cinnamon could help to lower the blood pressure and cholesterol levels in individuals who have diabetes. All you need to do is sprinkle half a teaspoon of the spice on your food daily to get this benefit. Obviously, if you have diabetes, you need to talk to your doctor before you try anything different or start meddling with your diet, and the science is, as yet, far from conclusive, but cinnamon is safe and delicious, so it couldn’t hurt to sprinkle it on your oats or bake some into your apple pie, could it?

Garlic

This pungent allium has long been known to have medicinal properties. Even registered MDs will quite often mention to their patients the benefits of taking garlic daily id they have high blood pressure, because of its ability to lower it, and most people will know that eating garlic when you have a cold can help to sort you right out, which is why it’s imminently sensible to keep a stock of garlic in your kitchen at all times.

Fennel

It has long been known that chewing on fennel seeds, which taste a little like aniseed, is a good way to get rid of trapped gas. Not only that but drinking fennel tea will aid with digestion if you have an upset stomach and some women swear by it when they’re having trouble bringing on breast milk to feed their babies. It may also help babies who have colic too!

Turmeric

Turmeric, Natures bounty, healthy foods, spices

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There is lots of interesting research into this yellow curry spice which claims it can do everything from preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s to ease arthritis and even protect the body from cancer, and although a lot more research needs to be done to confirm any of these claims, the fact that scientists think there is enough in them to be worth studying makes it a food worth adding into your daily diet.

Please Remember, you should always consult your doctor before making changes to your diet, especially if you’re sick in any way, and your doctor should always be your first port of call if you’re experiencing serious symptoms or symptoms that you can’t shake. That being said, using these foods as medicine, is sure to make your life easier and your body better!

Poetry/Poems

You Keep Waiting…

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you said that you’ll board
when the time was right

it’s not there anymore
it sailed away without you

next time you say;
you’ll be ready and waiting,

yet you set some fire
to sit with all those cowards in here

who have waited
for as long as life can count

and you didn’t see it pass again
you are still waiting

©

Jacqueline

Poetry/Poems

Dark Secrets…

jacquelineobyikocha3 Comments

secrets, closet, poetry

Dark secrets you buried,

light unearthed it;

skeletons in your closet

refuse to stay forgotten,

they rise, they rattle;

their whispers reach out

and sends chills

deep down

to

your marrow.

©

Jacqueline

#teamwork · Inspiration - Motivation · Just A Thought · Life

Together, We Are…Little Lessons From Ants

jacquelineobyikocha7 Comments

Lessons from ants, working together, benefits of working together, cooperation, teamwork, nature

Taking a brisk work yesterday morning, I came across a little drama on my path and paused to observe a colony of ant work briskly together to move the dead beetle which must have seemed mammoth-sized in their eyes.

Lessons from ants, working together, benefits of working together, cooperation, teamwork, nature

Several lessons came to my mind from this display of unity:

a. Increased performance: You can’t move that mammoth in your life single-handedly. most times, you need to work in unison with others to achieve major goals.

b. Increased productivity: Working together has assured this colony of good food in their belly for many days to come – I suppose.

c. Knowing more about yourself: collaborating with others helps you to identify your strengths and weak areas and to build on them.

d. Skills development: I could imagine the head of the ant colony giving out instructions as the leader and the others cooperating to get their hustle done – wish I had ears to understand ant whispers 😉

d. Team building and mutual support: no member of the ant team is left hungry. Your journey need not be a solitary one.

As I ruminated on these few points, it buttressed in my mind the fact that every successful person out there enjoyed the support of others. In other for one or a team to excel,  individual members must learn to work well together. They have to be able to put thoughts of their own personal accomplishments aside to work for the benefit of the team which invariably benefits all.

Are there other lessons you can decipher from this act of togetherness?

Featured Blogs

Featured Posts – Share Your Post Links

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Sharing, Blogs, Networking, Growing Readership, Connection, Bloggers, Blog Posts

‘PLEASE SEND IN YOUR LINKS.’ 

Today’s featured blogs are:

The last fragile whispers

I started my morning reading this lovely piece and commented:

Oh my, this is absolutely delightful and tender. A life cycle covered in a heart-tugging, well written short prose. I totally love this Oneta

The unspoken truth

Have you read ’13 Reasons why?’ I haven’t. Consequent to reading Jamila’s post, I’m inspired to watch and read the book.

It’s important to treat others right. Treat them with kindness you would never know but it could save a life. Also, it’s important to be aware of our actions, aware of the words we are saying. It’s impossible to know what’s going on in someone’s life and how we might be adding to his/her pain.

Indoor walkways

These fabulous, timeless walkways will inspire you to go clicking your camera.

The struggle for human rights

The struggle for human rights has literally gone on forever. Sometimes, it seems we are going backward.

Let’s talk

Short and evocative. There’s a stanza in there just for you to ponder on.

Do step in, explore these blogs and show some love.

Do you want more eyes on your words?’

Well then, add your LINK INTO THIS LOOP.

Comments are disabled here to keep the loop tidy. Any comments or link you want to send can be added through the link in the post.

Thank you for your understanding and regards.

‘Remember, we create a cohesive community when we come together.

My Thinking Corner

Renew Like An Eagle – My Thinking Corner

jacquelineobyikocha15 Comments

When one clocks 40, the tendency is to have mixed feelings; the good feeling of coming of age and the silent panic at the thought of growing older.

The year my age clock ticked forty and passed it, I could try to tell you that I didn’t care less at that point in time, but if the truth is told, I had pressure on my mind to just go after my dreams without delay. I felt that I had been held back by incidents of life, however, it was still up to me to change things and make the life that I want for myself. Call me slow, but it’s taken me 40+ years to figure a number of things out.

Renew like an Eagle, Inspiration, Encouragement, Life Lessons, Life After Forty, Motivation, Follow Your Dreams, Isaiah 40:31

Now that my knees are acting as though they belong to someone else – I must say I no longer feel so spritely and each day I am reminded that I no longer have the luxury of being in my twenty’s.  Some of us are able to get all their ducks in a row early in life, whilst some of us have our boats battered by the winds, pushed off course as we row as hard as we can to keep it from capsizing. The great thing is that if we keep going we will surely get to the shore.

In seeking ways on how to generate a better lifestyle for myself and to find out if the cliché ‘life begins at forty’ holds some truth, I remember the Bible passage: Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

I did a little read up on Eagles and learned that Bald Eagles go through a process of transformation at 40. They make a life-changing decision not to give in easily to the strictures of aging but it strategically breaks off its beak and rips off its feathers in order to grow new ones. This excruciatingly painful procedure takes solid 5 months of risk and hunger but extends the eagle’s life by another glorious stretch of 30 years.

It’s said that the eagle has only two options: to make these changes or to die and this brings me to my question: what are your options?

  • What are those crucial decisions that you need to make?
  • What are those dreams that you need to hunker down and pursue with every ounce of breath in you?
  • What are those lifestyle changes that you must make to give your body a fighting chance to go the long haul?

Are you going to brave up and renew your strength like an Eagle or are you just going to roll up your mat and whine about everything going on in your life?

Remember, that the energy of silent panic can be turned into something positive.

Be at peace.

Jacqueline

Health · Lifestyle

Health and Wellness Through Nutrition

jacquelineobyikocha37 Comments

As we get older, we often complain about our knees cracking, being stiff or just feeling rundown. Aches and pains should not be a common occurrence. These grievances are usually the result of our sedentary lifestyle that includes lack of exercise, poor eating habits and being overweight. Do remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all standard, so if the pain is not going away and you dread it is something chronic, then seek medical treatment.

Aging, Health, Exercise, Lifestyle, Wellness, Taking Care of Yourself

So, when your body speaks, listen up! Being healthy is more than simply being pain or disease-free. It is about becoming attuned to your body, changing your lifestyle in order to develop and incorporate the highest level of wellness within. So, how do you achieve this? Sometimes, knowing where to start is half the battle. Below are some tips to help you on your way to healthier you!

Diet

In 2015, the World Health Organization suggested limiting sugar intake to less 10% a day and to cut to 5% for added health benefits. Cutting down on sugary foods and beverages is not the only way to go. You don’t have to drastically overhaul your diet, a modest change will go a long way toward improving your health. So start by eating more whole grains, nuts, vegetables, fruits, and fish and avoiding foods with a high glycemic index, which cause water retention, swelling of the joints, and discomfort. Cutting back on processed foods and the consumption of red meat may also reduce the risk of premature death.

Aging, Health, Exercise, Lifestyle, Wellness, Taking Care of Yourself

So, swap sugary foods and beverages with a piece of fruit and a tablespoon of peanut butter. You will satisfy your sweet tooth and fill that hunger pang at the same time. Swap out a single daily serving of red or processed meat for a serving of nuts or legumes, and you will add years to your life. Adding dietary supplements is also an easy way to add nutrients and vitamins to your body. For our recommendations, click Research Verified reviews here. Stick to small changes that you will be able to commit to for a long time.

Exercise

Start your day by stretching and exercising. You will be glad you did since by doing so, you will ease your muscle pain and stiffness. You will also be able to maintain your body mass index within normal limits and avoid becoming overweight or obese, and avoid putting stress on your back, legs, and other body parts from those extra pounds.

Getting yourself to the gym is a good way to start and a great way to form a habit. Exercise should be a part of your day, like brushing your hair. If it is routine, you will be more unlikely to skip out on it. You don’t have to be a gym rat and live there, you can do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts that are based on this “less is more” philosophy. Just remember to do at least 30 minutes of exercises, at least 5 days per week for a total of 150 minutes.

 

Aging, Health, Exercise, Lifestyle, Wellness, Taking Care of Yourself

Hydration

Staying hydrated throughout the day is crucial to staying healthy and maintaining the function of every system in your body, including your heart, brain, and muscles. A healthy person needs about 30 to 50 ounces of fluid per day, which can be derived from drinking liquids or by eating water-rich foods, like cucumbers, cauliflower, eggplant, red cabbage, peppers, and spinach.

However, drinking fluids is very important in order to eliminate toxic substances, produce digestive enzymes, maintain healthy skin, hair and organs, and to help your body absorb essential vitamins, minerals, and natural sugars.

Essential Oils

Essential Oils are not just nice for producing pleasant aromas. They are organic compounds extracted from natural plants (barks, flowers, fruit, leaves, seeds or roots) with tremendous healing properties and health benefits.

Aging, Health, Exercise, Lifestyle, Wellness, Taking Care of Yourself

Just adding some of the most common essential oils like lavender, lemon, peppermint, and tea tree oil can you fight colds and flu symptoms, improve digestion, alleviate pain, balance hormones and relax your body and soothe sore muscles, just to name a few things.

Whatever you do, you will greatly benefit and you will be closer to achieving health and wellness. Be good to yourself by taking care of your body and soul.