Crop-Top-o-phobia: The Fear of crop tops
Last Summer, I tried wearing crop-tops for the first time and rightly so because we were in Vegas, baby! And it was hot, baby. *Straight face* Very hot. They should have been handing out crop-tops at the airport!
Anyway, I suggested in this post that the best way to get over the dread of crop-tops is to wear it with high-waist bottoms. I still stand by that suggestion. If you are thinking about baring some tummy but are a little hesitant, try a high-waist bottom, it works wonders for your confidence and as I advised someone on Twitter, also works wonders for preventing mosquitoes from feasting on your bare midriff, assuming you live in the tropics!
Although, I think the whole point of crops is to expose your glistening, toned midriff, baby steps are required for some of us.
How to wear a crop successfully
Get rid of added sugars and limit your carb intake. Yes, you can! I just drank a latte without adding any sugar. Was it gross? Yes, indeed! Was it a decision that would help me get an even midriff and be rid of my bashfulness? Oh, yes indeed! Studies show that reducing your sugar intake gets rid of tummy fat more effectively than tummy exercises! Who knew?!
Also, switching your meal proportions around help a great deal. Let your proteins and vegetables make up at least two-thirds of your meal, and carbs, a little less than a third; which implies that my edikaikong and assorted meats should be more than my Garri/Eba.
Hey, ever tried wearing a crop-top? Do you love it or does it make you feel like food for the 'quitoes? How do you maintain a toned core? Have you ever tried cutting sugar out of your diet?
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Heat Hack: 3 Zobo Recipes You Must Try
If you haven't had chilled Zobo (hibiscus leaves) out of an oblong transparent polythene bag on a torridly hot day, life is trying to rob you of an amazing experience! My childhood was sufficiently Zobo-ed but my adulthood, not so much. My last drink must have been when I was 12.
Therefore, the plan this summer is to make my own amazing Zobo coolers, so I can manage the amount of sugar I put in and play around with all those great flavors. It's going to be epic! *Chin Palm* Where am i going to find fresh Zobo leaves out here?? Where there is a will, there sure is a way!
Here are 3 recipes from Funke Koleosho, 9jafoodie and Fabila's fitness blogs! I'm so excited to share. Hit the links below and hack that crazy heat! #HowZoboTookOver #HackthatNigerianHeat #Summer
1. Pineapple & Hibiscus Flower (Zobo) Cooler by Funke Koleosho
2. Ginger-lime Zobo by Fabila's Fitness Club
3. Iced Zobo Lemonade by 9jafoodie
Zobo is rich in vitamin C, flavanoids, calcium and niacin! Any Zobo-enthusiasts? Please share your recipes below!
Special thanks to Funke Koleosho(Funke Koleosho's New Nigerian Cuisine) , Funke Edoho (9jafoodie) and Ibifaka Ben-Kalio (Fabila's fitness) for granting permission to use these awesome photos!
Almost Married to Jake- 2,555 days of Summer!
Conversation I imagined between Rachel and her dad, Laban:
Rachel (beautiful and dramatic, screeching at the top of her voice, yanking at her hair): But dad, I love him and he loves me!!!!!! Why can't we be together?!
Laban (rolls his eyes): Because of the goats, my daughter, because of the goats
Rachel: What does my love life have to do with your goats?!
Laban: You used to be my chief operations officer! You used to be my best shepherd, then you meet some run-away kid who goes around making stew and stealing people's birthrights! You were my COO! Now who will be in charge of operations and Supply Chain Management?! Let your boyfriend work for me, if he can promise me returns on my investments, increased productivity and increased randiness among the sheep, then you can be married. I might even consider giving him some equity, a few goats and sheep.
Rachel: Ok, dad. How long do we have to wait?
Laban: 7 years
Rachel: What?!!!!! I'll be like a hundred by then!
Laban (puffing his shisha and looking over his spectacles): Don't be so dramatic, Rachel, what do you want Leah to say? Plus no sneaking into his tent at night. I got eyes all over this place........No making out either!
Rachel (mutters under her breath): Yeah, right.
The bible said none of that by the way that's all me, however, I can imagine Rachel, miserable and anxious, waiting to be allowed to marry the man she was in love with.
She was made to wait 7 years and so was Jake. Yeah, just a couple thousand days, approximately two thousand five hundred and fifty-five days. During that time, God was working. He was working on Jake (as he always does on us), preparing him to be a better man, a better husband, purging him of his Yoruba Demon ways, showing him that there were other ways to succeed other than being deceitful and stealing stuff! He was refining him and equipping him to be that tenacious man who wrestled with God and prevailed! He was preparing him to be Israel.
So, I ask Rachel, would you rather walk down the aisle with the whipped teenage boy who ran around making stew and stealing birthrights, or the mature, resourceful, refined business man who wrestled with God in prayer and prevailed!
God works overtime, he never ever ever clocks out. And guess who he's working for--you. If you are like Rachel waiting for a guy, wouldn't you rather let God expunge his Yoruba Demon-ness before you meet him? If you are building your business and it's taking forever, wouldn't you rather let God set all things together working for your good, even things you are unaware of? Take your time, while God gets your "ish" together for you, chill and enjoy your (±) 2555 days of Summer!
P.s: This post was supposed to be about how Jacob waited 7 years and we were supposed to laugh about how whipped he was and how he wasn't allowed to get laid but he was so deep in love he didn't care. And then I was going to ask if love like this still existed today. Clearly that post didn't go according to plan! Feel free to comment on both the intended and unintended post!
Illustration by @poetolu