Hi all,

I worked with Gayle Simmons, author of the “Let’s Learn Mandarin” blog on this exciting collaboration. It has indeed been a pleasure working with her and bring our ideas alive. This blog fuses with my general perspective on staying healthy and finding ways to keep fit. I was interested in the Chinese culture and the way they do things, so here it is!

中国有方法健身

A Chinese Approach to Fitness

In the Chinese culture the symbol Yin-Yang represents opposing forces. These forces show the yin to be cooler and passive, and the yang to be more hardcore and aggressive. In looking at their approach to fitness to put it simply would be to strike a balance between the yin and yang type of exercise. The yin energy helps to soothe your mind and body. This energy replenishes the body and aides in the accomplishment of your goals etc. Whereas the yang incorporates all your decisions for spirituality, physical and emotional that deals with the mind and body. The yang aids your body to move about and shift gear quickly.

Some Examples of Yin Fitness are;

Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, qigong

Some Examples of Yang Fitness are:

Intensive gym, Chinese Martial Arts (Kung Fu), Cardiovascular exercises

Balancing the yin yang approach….

It is said that balancing your exercise as it pertains to the symbolism of the yin-yang is beneficial for long term results. This is because it helps with a person’s endurance level. You would not have to worry that you are not getting enough exercise or it is not intense enough for your liking, it will be at the right pace. When too much of intensive energy is utilized the body can break down or go into crashing modes, however if the right stability is found then a person may last longer. For example, if you go to the gym and the trainer only gives you weights, heavy equipment and intense aerobics then your body will soon be in deficiency for the Yin to help with the replenishment of the body. But if you fuse the two your endurance level will increase and result in better long term goals.

These Four methods of exercise are developed for striking the balance between both forces:

Tai Chi

Tai Chi or Tai Chi Chuan when translated means "supreme ultimate fist". It is a slow and elegant style combination of KungFu and Yoga. It fuses slow movements accompanied by regulated breathing. Tai chi focuses on agility and emotional balance rather than on martial arts as a sport. It is considered a good method for balancing the Yin and Yang because its movements and breathing exercises removes blockages of energy at the meridians, enabling chi to flow freely.

Yin Yoga

it is a extremely slow paced style of yoga with poses that are usually held for long periods of time. It can also help to rebalance yin and yang. It works to stretch the connective tissues at the joints of the lower spine, hips and thighs (the yin parts of the body). it also helps the ligaments, bones and other areas of the body especially after an accident or some form of injury. Poses such as the frog, shoelace, butterfly, swan and sleeping swan are all performed on the floor and held for five minutes. These postures rebalance the yin by increasing fluid movement of several body parts especially the limbs as as improving organ function and relieving stress.

Yoga Poses

These are just some of the various yoga poses that are practised and utilized regularly during yoga exercises. Perform the frog pose by lying face down on stomach. Bend your knees, allowing your heels to rest on your buttocks. Lift your body from the waist as you reach behind yourself and grab your feet. Hold the pose for five to 50 breaths. Use mental imagery with butterfly pose. Sitting on the floor in an erect position, draw your feet toward your groin area. Touch the soles of your feet together and hold your feet with your hands. Flap your arm and folded legs up and down like butterfly wings slowly increasing the speed and then gently slowing down. Breathe normally throughout the exercise. Both of these exercises help restore your yin.

Chinese Martial Arts

Chinese Martial Arts otherwise known as Kung Fu, Gong Fu or Wushu is the Chinese version of several similar fighting styles. This form of fitness is considered to be a Yang form of fitness because of its high energy nature. Kung Fu’s main function is self defence but also serves as body building, weapon training, a technique for instilling discipline and maintaining good health. 

Attribution:

https://experiencelife.com/article/yin-yang-fitness-the-best-of-both-worlds/

Greetings!

I met up with the author of the “Coming Out Stories” Wavel Fraser and we discussed the dynamics of both of our blogs. I left the conversation interested in doing collaboration with her, I decided to take a lifestyle approach to the topic of homosexuality from a different standpoint. I prepared a draft poem and sent it her. She loved it and the collaboration was final. Thanks again for the Collaboration Wavel!!!

Bi - Curious

Bi-Curious!!

Yes, That's what we all are

Think I am lying 

You over there

Giving your girl a second look, thinking no one is seeing you

Or emotions jolted by unknown strangers passing

So much that you could not help staring 

Staring at her swag, her walk, her aura

But then you stop yourself and over think it

"I am not a lesbian, I don't like girls"

No You're just Bi-curious

Thoughts racing though your head 

No one really know where your thoughts lie

He is so strong, I wish I can be like him,

He does everything right. Or so you think!

But then you stop yourself over think it

"I am not Gay, I don't like men"

No you're just Bi-curious

Bi-curious I say...

You're straight but your interest is piqued 

By the presence of the similarity of their sex

Don't be afraid its normal

You should know that it happens

So stop over thinking it 

You are not Bi-sexual

You are Bi-curious

By: Khrystyne Sampson

TABLE SETTINGS

Special Occasions come about frequently, birthdays, dinners, business meetings, etc. Proper knowledge of the various etiquette skills can keep you from making embarrassing blunders around colleagues, family or friends. Sometimes you may be visiting another country that may have particular eating styles and customs than what you are not accustomed to. For instance, some countries eat with their hands, sit on the floor or have strange exotic foods. Researching the culture before you go to an event, would definitely be an asset.

HOW TO SET A TABLE?

This is an interesting concept. When you learn about table setting when dinning you will automatically know what you are going to be served. Also, its is great lifestyle tip that would help you when having family gatherings, romantic preparations, business dinner or any other reasons that you are required host an event. I am here to help you better understand and prepare you for such an occasion. It can be used as decorative additions around Christmas time or throughout the year.

When learning about table setting, familiarize yourselves with the following terms:-

CHINA: 

No, not the country. It refers to decorated or non-decorated dishes made from porcelain. Items that are classified under china are:Dinner Plates 

• Salad Plates
• Cups
• Saucers 
• Bread and Butter Dishes
• Charger
• Desert Plate
• Soup Bowl 

GLASSWARE:

Referring to the different types of glasses used in dining. Items classified under glassware are:

• Water Glasses
• Red Wine Glasses
• White Wine Glasses
• Champagne Flutes
• All purpose Glasses

FLATWARE:

All utensils that are used to eat different types of foods. Items classified under flatware are:

• Forks
• Spoons
• Knives
• Salad Forks
• Dinner Forks
• Soup Spoons
• Teaspoons
• Butter Knives 
• Fish Forks
• Desert Forks 
• Desert Spoons
• Etc

Set what you need according to what you would be having. The diagrams below will illustrate formal and informal table settings. 

Fig. 1

 Fig. 2

Check my Facebook page for links to Youtube videos on both dining style and how it should be done.

Happy dining everyone!!!

Attribution:

http://www.etiquettescholar.com/etiquette_scholar/dining_etiquette.html

Herbalife!

For those wanting to know what are the benefits of Herbalife, what it does, and any other questions, please feel free to take a look at the videos below or ask me in the comments section below.

P.S. - Herbalife Trinidad and Tobago is approved by F.D.A. and only carries a fraction of the products. These products available are:

Formula 1 – Health Meal Nutritional Shake Mix:-

Key Benefits

· A healthy meal with up to 21 vitamins and minerals and essential nutrients.

· 9 g of protein and fiber help support weight management.

·   0 cholesterol; 0 trans fats

·   Formula 1 gives you protein and balanced nutrition.

Herbal Tea Concentrate: -

Key Benefits

·          Jump-starts thermogenic (metabolic) activity

·         Boosts the feeling of energy

·         Provides antioxidant support

·         Instant and low-calorie

                                                  

Protein Drink Mix: -

Key Benefits

· A healthy meal with up to 21 vitamins and minerals      and essential nutrients.

· 9 g of protein and fiber help support weight    management.

·   0 cholesterol; 0 trans fats

·   Formula 1 gives you protein and balanced nutrition.

       

    Personalized Protein Powder:-

Key Benefits

·    Helps build and maintain lean muscle mass.

·    Fat-free protein supplement to satisfy hunger.

·    Contains 5 g of soy and whey protein, and all 

    9 essential amino acids per serving.

 

Protein Bar Deluxe:-

Key Benefits

·   Chewy bar with 23 vitamins and minerals.

·   12 g of soy and whey protein blend per   serving.

·   Helps sustain energy.

Herbal Aloe Concentrate: 

Key Benefits

·         Soothes the stomach

·         Supports healthy digestion

·         Relieves occasional indigestion

·         Supports nutrient absorption and intestinal health

Attribution:

http://www.herbalife.com/

                                                                                   

Lifestyle Changing Weight Management Product!

Nothing would ever work! Well, that is what I thought about my curvaceous body. Now, do not get me wrong, I love my body and it is part of my genealogy that I have hips and a certain body shape. However, I love clothes, shoes and everything fashion.

I am not obese, I am a bit overweight and when I go to stores, the clerks sometimes smirk at me and without looking,  use the "it don't come your size" line on me. It is one thing to be on the weight management struggle but it is a other to be ridiculed in every situation. For instance,  whilst waiting on transport to Port-of-Spain with my mother a few months ago, a taxi driver pulled up, jumped out and started surveying the stand to pick his special passengers, then told a fellow taxi driver "I don't carry big people in meh car nah." People can be disrespectful, but I do not take to negativity, I always try to turn it around and motivate myself.

 A friend told me about a product he was using and assured me that its works. I was skeptical, coming from taking fad diets before, I was scared. But then a few weeks went by and when I saw the remarkable results I was bought (lol). I asked around about it and found one of my old school friends who were also took the products and sold it. His weight-loss journey was amazing, he lost 70 pounds. I contacted him via Facebook and encouraged my mother to come along for the consultation. We both made the decision to start the products after it was revealed to us what was real the state of our bodies.

 The mystery product here was Herbalife, which is a weight management product used for both weight-loss and weight gain. It is used by many individuals around the world and has helped a lot of people reach to their targeted goal.

What has it done for me so far, well I started the program at 191 pounds and a month and half later I was 180 pounds. What I liked about the product for me was the fact that the weight loss happened throughout the body, I loosed weight from my face, neck, arms, and back first. 

Now after using the product for two months, due to unforeseen circumstances I was unable to use it for a month.  I used the time without the product to see whether I would re-gain the lost weight. Surprisingly, I did not!

Herbalife's goal is to change a person's lifestyle habits. It is not a quick fix or a magic trick but a real solution (I would say) for persons looking for help. As for my mother who started at 228 pounds, she is down to 211 pounds and feeling wonderful. We are going to start our journey again from Monday and I will keep you guys posted on our progress.

My First Journey

My Coach - Nathan Thomas

P.S. This blog is not for advertisement purposes but merely to provide information.

Unhealthy Weight Struggle

Fat slowly picks up residence within your body and takes hard work to get rid of it.  Many people in today’s society struggle with this dilemma and are always looking for ways to get their weight managed. In this piece I would share my personal struggle with weight gain.

 Listen people, I started working in an office type environment from the age of 19 and four years later I realized that I was almost 20 pounds heavier  and unhappy with the way some of my clothes would often fit. I started the gym but unfortunately work and school was my main priority which made it unsuccessful. I sometimes paid for the monthly subscription for the gym and would make it only twice for the month. I found myself at a point where I felt lazy and unmotivated to move forward. Not being able to lose the weight or keep active began to take a toll on my appearance, my health and my mood. 

I would eat unhealthy and mostly rushed dishes, not paying attention to what was going into my body. Then it struck me that I needed to turn it around and make an effort to at least start eating better. I started having balanced meals and I squeezed in walking once per week with my mother on a Savannah near our home. However, my weight remained the same. I was trying but to no avail anything was working. I went on a couple fad diets which only resulted in me gaining more weight because I deprived my body with an extremely low calorie non-nutritious diet.  

There are many reasons that the body gains unwanted weight over a period of time. My reasons were simply because I skipped my most important meal of the day which was breakfast, I ate late at night, and I often took to crash dieting. I would get an idea and start a 10 day diet and when it is over I would lose a few pounds but quickly regain the same amount and more shortly afterwards. 

In my next blog I would provide a personal review on how I jump-started my weight loss and how it works for me. 

Stay tuned!

Making that time

Throughout the year, we are all busy with work, and school and other hectic schedules, but making time for the people around you should have no excuses. Taking the time to show love, care, kindness and appreciation in little ways can go a long way. Do not make your world all about you and disregard the people around you.

I am very passionate about the people I hold dear to my heart. My now deceased grandmother always said that "you never know when the people you cherish the most can be taken from you, so appreciate them while they are on earth or you will regret it when they pass." Being an only child, it is just my mother and I which makes it easy. I did not grow up with a lot of people around but she always taught me the importance of appreciation.

As I said in my previous collaborative blog, my mother is a phenomenal woman with whom I owe my life. Her birthday is strolling around on Saturday and I want to surprise her. Unfortunately she has to work all day, so made plans to pick her up after work and carry her out as a token of my appreciation. 

Important things we must all remember is to always give back to those who has helped you to be who you are, never forget where you came from in your pursuit of happiness and keep the positive people around you appreciated.

Congratulations

to a Phenomenal Woman

Not everyone is cut from the same cloth but that does not say that you have to succumb to what society says your cloth is. You can change your lifestyle and what would normally be the norm in your society beginning with yourself. Here is my story!

Growing up in a Single Parent home, I did not understand what it meant. I did not know what a father was, or that kids had one of those. (Laughs) I remember in primary school around father’s day we would have to make cards, my card would always go to my mother without further thought. I respect my mother’s choice back then to not talk about my father due to the harsh situation that involved the relationship between him and my mother and not wanting to be a part of my life then. She saved me a lot of stress and heart ache for a dad that would never care about me.

Being a product of a Single parent home, as I look back meant that we had struggles for money and necessities. My mother placed her life on hold and ensured that I was brought up with dignity and respect in my community. I remember days when we did not have enough to go by and she would feed me and remain undone. When I went to school, or anywhere, nobody would have a clue that we did not have enough, because she would always have me neat and well put together. I can never disrespect her or not love her unconditionally for the undying love she bestowed towards me being our sole provider.

My father, or as I often refer to him now “sperm donor” showed up on our door step for the first time in my life at fifteen years of age. My step-sister grandfather had died and he used the opportunity to come back to Trinidad on visit. He resided and still resides in Brooklyn, New York. I was speechless when I saw him and ran away in shock because he was the splitting image of me in a male form, and although I never physically saw him I knew who he was.  I hid for about an hour and realized that my nightmare was real because he sat like nobody’s business chatting with my aunt. I came out and he acted like he was the best man since whenever, I was always a no bullshit type of kid so I read through him, he waited for my mother to come home and asked her for me to come meet my step-sister at the wake. After he left Trinidad, I am now twenty-five and I am yet to see him again. We do not have a cordially relationship because he cannot accept his wrongs, apologize and now that I am an adult move forward. I will not stand for anyone disrespecting my mother to make them look good.

My mother continued to struggle as being the sole provider for us. She would always tell me, “with an education, nobody can ever take it away from you, and our only way out of this poverty is with an education.” That motto transcended in me, although whilst I was younger I did not quite understand it and rebelled a bit; I never made her shame and always vowed to make her proud.  She is my rock and my role model because whilst taking care of me she still did her CXC O’level subjects on the side and got a proper job as a Supplemental Police. If was not for her strength, and her ability to fight against the odds, and stand for what was right, I could have been a victim of my environment. I could have been what society expected, maybe with a teenage pregnancy, illiteracy or being dependant on a man or society.

Many people have stigma against children growing up in single parent homes, and believe that they cannot do as great as those growing up with both parents. But once the parent has that drive like my colleague Oliva Andrews to make a difference in your generation and ensure that cycle does not repeat itself, I know it would be a better tomorrow. I see women who are in these situations as phenomenal beings, because it takes greater strength and spirituality to rise above.

Bless