The Hot Granny Goals
“Respect your body. Eat well. Dance forever.”
I just got in from the grocery store and the cashier who was checking my stuff out kept saying she wished she could eat this healthy. I tried to encourage her to eat healthy but my eyes kept landing on the rapidly increasing total amount on the register. She grabs a sweet potato from my items and nods, saying she will change her diet. Note, by this time, my bill was already sky high and I was cringing with every beep of the scanner. Arrrrgh, eating healthy is so expensive! But I know it pays off eventually. Like when I'm 87, I'll be doing triathlons!
My goals for 87 are reliant on one of my friend's granny. She is the coolest grandma that ever liveth. She's so healthy too! The last time I saw her was in 2007 I think. She was about 87 years old, I remember because she told me how old she was. How rare is that? An 87 year-old who remembers her age. It gets better, she had no dietary restrictions. Amen to that at 87! Oh, it gets better, right after she had a juicy meaty meal, she picks up her glass of the most delicious glass of orange juice with ice-cubes bobbing around in it and she hollers to her daughter, "Bring my ice- cream o. Bring my dessert."
I think I passed out in my head. Lol!
So she had a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. Something tells me this woman made very good lifestyle choices when she was younger. Exercising and eating right so she could eat whatever later! This is my plan. Eat whatever later!
Oh....... then it got better than better.
We were left together by ourselves, me and granny-goals granny. I think everyone went to sleep after the meal and my mum and granny's daughter were talking outside. So there we were lounging in the sitting room and I remember we were watching the news; she turned to me, gave me a very concerned look and said, "Did you hear about what happened to Britney Spears?"
Passed out in my head...again! Lol.
It was one of those moments I know I'll never experience again.
The Nigerian 87 year-old who asked me about Britney Spears.
She proceeded to tell me that Britney Spears had shaved her head for some reason and that people were being judgmental.
You'd agree that this is a pretty rare granny. I should look for her and get her to be PGI's July Girl! Surely she has a greatly compassionate heart, definitely made great nutritional choices earlier on in life, invested in healthy meal choices and was definitely with in tune with pop culture!
So, as I arrange my leaves (aka salads),my low fat dairy, peppers and Salmon into the fridge and pat my wallet, I know one day I'll creep out some teenager when I'm 87 while eating a mean bowl of cookies and cream ice cream and updating her on the Justin Beiber's of the time.
What life changes have you made in preparation for fab 87?
4 Reasons You Should Try 'Naked Thursdays'
It's time to eden-ize those Thursdays (or whatever your favorite day of the week is)! The scientific benefits of shedding your clothes and just air-bathing for extended periods of time are pretty great. I mean, God knew what he was doing when he plopped Adam in the garden naked and leafless.
Guy or girl; married or single; embracing your naked self is the way! Here are four reasons why you might want to toss them garments into the wind.
(1) Gets you closer to Bae
Being naked had to have had its benefits with Adam and Eve. Right?
Studies show that couples who cuddle or sleep naked experience an increased amount of oxytocin in their neural system. Oxytocin is the hormone which creates that feeling of vulnerability and trust. It also might be the key to exclusivity in relationships (i.e no cheating). According to this study, men who were given doses of oxytocin seem to crave their partners and showed mildly aggressive reactions to strange attractive females. In their words and i quote, the men "....preferred keeping a significantly greater distance between themselves and the temptress....." Ain't God fab? Made us naked, so we could cuddle and get flooded with oxytocin and be committed; everyone's happy.
Naked couples probably fight less too, yet again because they feel vulnerable and it's just not possible to take an angry naked person seriously.
(2) Makes you self-conscious (which is NOT a bad thing)
Being naked often, makes you body-conscious; it helps you appreciate those parts of you that have been hidden under all that fabric! It also nudges you 'to drop and give twenty' or for some people, tells you to eat a little more.
You can imagine that you'll also be hair-conscious.
(No more wax day postponing. The more naked you are, the more Naked Thursday doesn't look like a Tarzan movie set. By the way, Tarzan is out next year, I can't wait! It's pretty star-studded too. Samuel. L, Djimon Hounsou, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz! Christoph Waltz is the villain again! He's like everyone's sweetheart villain!)
(3) Healthy Loins (hehe, loins)
"Breathe Again"(*in TONI Braxton's voice*), this will be your lower regions song to you! Being naked keeps you aired out and fresh underneath, and who doesn't love that?
Un-aired, musky loins can lead to an increase in testicular temperature, which in turn could cause a case of low sperm count, we don't want that. So, get rid of the clammy and let it go, let it go, don't hold it back anymore!
Women also stand the risk of UTIs and infections with dark, musky crotches and this can be prevented by sufficient aeration and healthy breathing. Woosa, anyone?
(4) No Laundry
You don't have to think about that day's contribution to laundry or you can plan Naked Thursday on a laundry day! Everyone wins; your clothes are clean, you are airy and healthy, bae is happy! Just chill on your non-leather sofa and watch reruns of your favorite show. Try to avoid going to the kitchen; making ogi or custard or starch; frying; ironing; extreme sports; fights. You are several levels of vulnerable, so respect yourself. Lol!
When last did you try Naked Thursday?
Cold/Flu Hack: Homemade Lemon Ginger Honey Tea
This infusion recipe is probably one of the best things that happened to me in 2015 and a great healthy habit that i quickly imbibed without blinking! Imagine a combo of three Superfoods; ginger, lemon and honey! That's a triple punch of antibacterial, anti-fungal and antioxidant properties that fight colds and sore throats, prevent cancers, aid digestion, flush out toxins, all the while tasting so good. It's perfect for any weather; perfect for that moment when your tummy starts growling at midnight and you know you should steer away from that carb-heavy jollof rice; perfect for recovering from your post lunchtime food-coma; perfect for kicking the flu and colds in the mid-area!
What you need
Lemon juice (1 1/2 tablespoons)
Ginger (chopped into 6-8 fingers)
Honey
Hot water
Step 1
Place chopped ginger in a teapot or mug and add hot water. Steep for about 10 minutes. [For a stronger flavor, boil ginger in two cups of water.]
Step 2
Extract your lemon juice
Step 3
Combine ginger infusion and lemon juice in a mug
Step 4
Add honey!
That's all! Just sip away. It's so easy and the ingredients are easy to get! That cold will think twice next time. If you've made too much (like there's any such thing), store in the fridge. You can always heat it up later.
You should also try it cold. I haven't tried it, because i'm more of a heat-seeker but my friend says it's epic! Try it out and tell us how it went! Enjoy!
My First Give Away!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Pages by Ike is over a month old! Thank you for sticking around, for the likes, shares and comments. It's time to celebrate and abuse exclamation marks in excitement!!!
One winner gets to win a Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity and Sleep tracker!
Yup, it's time to be a doer and not just a reader. Don't wait until 2016 to start to get your physical activity habits right, trust me 2016 has fitness challenges in store for you already, so get a head start by tracking your activity with the Fitbit! Your Fitbit is stylish and makes your lifestyle adjustment to #fitfam a lot more trendy!
To win, all you have to do is hit the adorably blue subscribe button (or click here) and once you are all registered, let us know by commenting below. The winner will be contacted and together we'll draw up a plan to get your fitbit to you.
Entry closes November 14th! (UPDATE: The winner has been sent an email)
(Open to residents of the US, UK, Canada and Nigeria. Delivery time might vary for locations.)
Previous subscribers will be automatically considered for the giveaway but have to comment below as well.
All the best!
Pinktober or nah?
It's October!!! Pinktober actually, breast cancer awareness month!!!! But unfortunately..... (sorry to dampen the mood), most women do not remember to self-examine the other months of the year. I, definitely, am a happy, enthusiastic boob-kneader in October but in April...not so much. And can you blame us?It's because October is the period when breast cancer awareness peaks and when everyone is running a race for the cause or wearing the pink ribbon. Every month should be boob-month! Pagesbyike will be putting up monthly reminders to get us to feel-up our chest hills a little more often.
Here's a 3-point reminder on how to self-examine!
The boob-stare down
Funny, did you know we spend an average of 55 minutes a day staring at our faces in the mirror? Flipping the mascara, dabbing the lip gloss, making ourselves insta-worthy. If we could just let our eyes drop just a bit to boob-level for 5 minutes to stare at our breasts. Just 5 minutes. Know thy breasts. Seriously. Know everything about them. The shape, color, look out for changes; dimpling, swelling in the nipples. If you saw your boobs in a line-up, you should be able to recognize them in an instant.
The ceiling
(Chimamanda has officially ruined this word for me. Lol. Think Americanah)
Lie down on your back with your face to the ceiling and with one hand behind your head (see illustration), check for any lumps with the pad of your fingers (not your finger tips). If you feel a mass, check the other breast at the same location for a similar mass. If it's there too, its probably a-ok.
The shower
The shower is a great place to check too; 1) because you are, well, naked and 2) because your soapy fingers help to glide along the breast, which i find makes the task easier. Check for the same signs in (1).
Best time to check your breasts: A few days after your period, when it's less sore.
If you find a lump, do not panic. 8 out of 10 discovered lumps are not cancerous, pretty good odds. Schedule an appointment with your care provider and have it examined as soon as possible.
Please remember to share. 40% of diagnosed breast cancers are discovered by women who feel a lump. Let's keep reminding eachother, so that one day, we'll watch that pink ribbon go extinct.