Antioxidants: How much are you getting?

As we age, our bodies will need all the extra help it can get to function optimally. Most times a person's age shows on the skin; the sagging, wrinkles and age spots. However, some people experience accelerated/premature skin aging and this is due to the attack of free radicals in the body.
These free radicals are mostly produced by toxins in the environment like tobacco/gas smoke and ultraviolet radiation from the sun and tanning beds.

Antioxidants are substances that help the body fight these free radicals and protect it from its damaging effects thereby improving the quality of the skin and the general well being of the body.

Source

These are the names of some antioxidants so you might want to check your supplements to be sure you are getting what you should.

• Hydroxytyrosol: Still not well known and primarily found in the olive (fruit, leaves and pulp), this powerful antioxidant is touted to have the highest level of free radical absorption activity ever reported for a natural antioxidant.
Read more about Hydroxytyrosol here 

• Astaxanthin: This carotenoid is still not widely known but is said to improve eye and heart health and also protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation.
Read more about Astaxanthin here

Dear Woman: Care to share your daily beauty regimen?

Mrs Somi Obum, business development manager at LaserDerm Clinics, Lagos did me the honour of sharing her beauty regimen on my blog. I found it interesting that she wanted to share because some women just don't want to. 

Now the bit about seeing a dermatologist is important especially if you have a skin condition. I can't stress that enough

Here is her piece. Enjoy..

I never knew how important it is to take care of ones skin until I started working at an aesthetic and laser skin care centre.It's amazing how a little exposure can awaken you to a whole world of possibilities. There I was minding my business when my sister walked up to me and said "Your face is getting rather dark, or should I say black".I said to myself that's not possible because I stayed out of the sun as much as I could and I used a cream that had 'Fade Out' boldly printed on it...how could I possibly be getting darker on the face.

Mirror Mirror on the wall..omg! Wait, who is that girl??

Ah! My 'skinny like this' days are so over.

I used to exercise at least four times a week. I was all into squats, belly crunches, using the treadmill and jogging. I loved the idea of doing some physical activity to burn some fat which only seemed to stay in my lower body. Then I stopped because I felt I was at my ideal weight and even got skinner than I wanted. (Oh you know that saying 'You can't get too rich or too skinny'? I only believe the 'Can't get too rich part')

So last week, I discovered that I had gained 7kg and my tailor confirmed that my normal (and somewhat stable) statistics had changed.(Yep, a sister drifted from 36-28-39 to 36-29-42).And I decided to start exercising again.

Now this is for people who do not have a lot of time (or loads of energy) but want to lose weight (not lots of it). This is what I do now and it works.

Before anything use a body cleanser. Now some stuff that people sell as 'herbal cleansers are not to be joked with. If you are in Lagos, you will see many hawkers selling stuff in bottles and it claims to cleanse and cure. If used excessively, a doctor told me it would stress your liver. That is why I favour the Aloe Vera gel from Forever Living. One can hardly go wrong with pure aloe Vera gel. So I take a small cup of this first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Then I exercise for 10mins 5 days a week. Belly crunches, squats, then 5mins on d treadmill. I do this before I have my bath in d morning and face my day. I am not big on breakfast. I usually do green or black tea when I feel like it. It doesn't have to be a total gym work out at first. You build on it. 5mins today, 10 mins tomorrow until you are huffing and puffing in the gym for hours. I am barely watching what I eat to be honest but I have cut down on the sweet stuff. Watching what you eat is important.

After a week, you should see a difference. I did. I have lost more than half of what I gained and I sort of like where I am now so I am not in a hurry to lose the other half.

Happy new month guys and I wish you the very best in all you do.

Lily Johnson

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Product review: CLEAR CELL Medicated Acne Scrub.

I have always had issues finding a good facial scrub for my acne-prone skin; one that will not break me out even more or leave my face feeling sore. I got this product and here is my review.

About the product and how to use it.
Use this Sea Salt and Benzoyl Peroxide cleansing scrub to kill bacteria and exfoliate dead skin cells. Oils that clog pores will be scrubbed away with micro exfoliant beads, leaving skin looking refreshed and renewed.

This scrub is excellent for back acne and ideal for acne and acne prone skin. It only takes a small amount, gently massaged into the skin for one minute for a fresh, shine free finish. Rinse off with cool water.

Stronger than the other cleansers,
this can still be used daily, both morning and evening. Benzoyl Peroxide serves as an anti-bacterial and Micro-Exfoliant Beads slough off dead skin cells. Comfrey Root is soothing to irritated skin. Arnica Montana and Horse Chestnut are both Anti-inflammatory ingredients.

I found Clear Cell Medicated Acne scrub to be better than facial scrubs I have used in the past. I like the minty cooling effect you get when using it. My face was smoother and the acne less obvious with each use.

You need just this much to scrub your face so the bottle should last a while.

Self Assessment Time: Am I a hot headed person??

Steve, a dear friend of mine who is a veteran in social work and human relations thought he should ask me some self assessment questions. I had been telling him about some situations I'd found myself in for some days now.

You know those days it feels like everyone sort of got paid or something to annoy the hell out of you?

Take for example, how are you suppose to react when you pay for something, get a date for the service to be performed and the service provider keeps postponing and postponing without an apology? And when you complain, the person gets angry and even disrespects you? Or a person stands you up after setting a meeting with you and someone you invited for a business talk and didn't even bother to offer a reason or an apology or any word? Pause and think about it.

So the self assessment questions and my answers.

Steve: Do you have a short fuse?
Lily: Not really depends.

Steve: Do you feel a need to fight your corner in most situations that you feel attacked?
Lily: Most times.

Steve: Do you think you are sensitive and sometimes get defensive?
Lily: Sometimes yes.

Steve: Okay exams finished. I am like that too but lately I'm working on me and reflecting on my triggers and responses. I'm choosing my battles and expending less energy on those things I would in the past have considered irritants.

Now, Steve thinks I might be a bit of a hot head and his advice is for me to choose my battles. Which means you don't have to let everything that should annoy you get to the stage of doing so. Or even when they do, you can decide this shouldn't be one of the things I'll expend my energy on. Of course I don't go yelling at people but most times, you are going to hear how I feel about what happened in a voice that isn't exactly 'of good cheer'. Unless of course I don't think it is worth it. Sometimes, I say nothing.

I am one of those people that wonder how some people can disappoint or not meet up with expectations and feel 'Oh, I don't owe them an apology because I was in traffic. I had another appointment. I was overwhelmed with work.' These things happen but that doesn't mean you should not apologise because your actions though with a reason, might have ruined something for the other person. I would be full of apologies because I don't know what damage I had done. Besides, it's courteous.

So how would you answer the questions above and what do you think?

Stay cool.

Lily Johnson.

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Microdermabrasion: All you need to know and more.

Microdermabrasion is a light cosmetic procedure that uses a mechanical medium for exfoliation to gently remove the outermost layer of dead skin cells from the epidermis. It is a non-invasive procedure and may be performed in-office by a trained skin care professional. It may also be performed at home using a variety of products which are designed to mechanically exfoliate the skin.

Many salon machines and home-use machines use adjustable suction to improve the efficacy of the abrasion tool. Recently, cosmetic scrub products that contain fine grit made from the pits of various fruits and from other materials are using the term microdermabrasion in their marketing.

Microdermabrasion is a fairly simple, easy, painless, non-invasive, skin rejuvenation procedure using a combination of a fine abrasive tip or crystals and vacuum suction applied to the skin. Typically there are no needles or anesthetics required for microdermabrasion. The vacuum pressure and speed are adjusted depending on the sensitivity and tolerance of the skin.

Typical microdermabrasion sessions can last anywhere from 5–60 minutes. Minimal to no recovery time is required after microdermabrasion and most people immediately return to daily activity after a session. Makeup and non-irritating creams can usually be applied within a few hours or right after microdermabrasion.

Stress Sweat: It just might not be body odor.

I was reading a magazine and stumbled on an article on sweating and got to know there are two types of sweat; the
ordinary sweat and stress sweat.

Stress sweat smells very different (and more stinky) from ordinary sweat. You get ordinary sweat when you exercise or when a place is hot. But when you are stressed out physically, mentally, emotionally or any other way, that sweat you get is stress sweat and studies show people can smell it and it might even affect how you are perceived. Read here to see how stress sweat changes how men perceive women.

This really means that the offensive odor we perceive on people sometimes and conclude they have body odor might just be stress sweat. The guy might just be overly anxious about that first date or interview and the girl might have crazy confidence issues.

You avoid stress sweat by generally reducing stress. So stay away from people and unnecessary situations that do nothing but give you stress. There are breathing techniques also and yoga.

Read  here  for more information and expert advice on stress sweating and  here for information on how to combat stress and be cool.

Stay lovely!

Lily Johnson  

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Blood, tears and confusion: Which way Nigeria?

For several months now, we have woken up to nothing but bad news in our beloved country, Nigeria. It is not getting any better either. The latest being the abduction of girls in Chibok, Bornu State. Young girls that did nothing but want to have basic education.

#BringBackOurGirls is a campaign got the whole world talking and offering help even when we can't say we know the whole truth about it all. What with the many conflicting reports that we hear daily. It is heart breaking to know that some girls are in some forest or some unknown place away from their families and loved ones abused, brainwashed and scared out of their wits. This amongst other things show that there are people in this country who think the girl-child should not be educated and this senseless act might just be their way of showing it.

#BringBackOurGirls because they are innocent and holding them and doing this evil won't do anyone any good or solve the fundamental problems we have in this country.

#BringBackOurGirls instead of making much noise and doing little.

#BringBackOurGirls by being vigilant and not the whole 'I don kia' 'No be my business' 'E no concern me' attitude we have about everything.

From the bombings, the kidnappings to the jungle justice that is still happening on our streets, (I saw pictures of a woman who was suspected of kidnapping some children. She was of course lynched and burned.) We need to not only pray, but to be our brother's keepers. We need to do the right thing and not just talk (scream, debate all day) about it. We need to do what we can as citizens to help and not spend our time and energy blaming the government for everything. (Don't think I don't know there are inadequacies.)

God bless Nigeria and give us the wisdom we need to tackle this situation.

Blessings.

Lily Johnson

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Rest in peace Amaka Igwe.

When I heard this news, I hoped it wasn't true. But it is and very sad. Amaka was not just a multi-talented producer and script writer who gave us good movies and TV soaps, this woman was a force! She will be greatly missed.

My heartfelt condolences to her entire family. May her soul rest in perfect peace.

Lily Johnson.

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Featured! A-BetaCare (Antioxidant formula with Vitamins A and E)

Your body needs all the antioxidants it can get to slow down the signs of aging and even protect you from harmful diseases.This powerful antioxidant formula contains Vit A (Beta Carotene of vegetable origin which protects against infections and cancer) and Vit E which protects cells from damage.

This formula which comes in a soft gel form helps night vision, improves skin problems, aids wound healing and fertility.

You can read more about it here

**I only feature/review products that I have used.
 
Have a wonderful week ahead!

Lily Johnson

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Waist training with corsets: The Facts and the Myths.

For ages, women have been using corsets for waist training. A smaller waist being mostly the ultimate goal. It is becoming popular among ladies in Lagos and corsets and waist cinchers are being sold with promises of a thinner waistline. Now, I found out that quite a number of people do not read up about stuff that they are about to do. Don't always take a salesman's word for it. Of course he/she might be telling you the truth but you can go online to read reviews and articles about the product to make an informed choice and to know what exactly to expect. Maybe not to the 'T' but at least you will have some useful information.

Here are a few pointers about training your waist.

* No bae, a corset isn't the same as 'body magic' or the popular brand Ardyss. It is not the regular girdle either. So it won't do the same thing.

* Waist training takes a while to see results. Several months of wearing the right corset for at least 19hrs a day. So you will need two corsets so when one is hanging on the line, you are still doing your thing.

* Your corset must be steel boned to make an impact. Not plastic boned. Some ladies are sold corsets with no bones at all with promises. Won't work. And experienced women say for you to get good results, your corset must be custom made. Made exactly for you. In fact, they say buying a corset off the rack won't do much. But if you must, make sure you get one that suits your waist measurement. Get a fitting. Walk into a shop, test it, learn how to tie it before you part with your hard earned cash.

* Know when to stop. Or calm down so you don't do internal damage. Read here to see women who take waist training to the extreme.

Read here and here for more information about waist training.

Have a lovely week.

Lily Johnson.
  

  

   

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Dear Woman: What successful women are made of by Sade Adebayo.

Sade Adebayo is a freelance editor who writes for local and international blogs and news sites. Lovely article. And I like that the number on the list is ‘She loves herself’. If you are looking for reasons to love yourself despite the situation you find yourself in right now, you will find quite a number of them here. Enjoy!

What Successful Women Are Made Of

A lot has been said about successful women. Many can't even define what they are, thinking it's just something linked to a woman's professional career or becoming something important. The truth is that the term “success” is quite subjective and it doesn't mean the same thing for everyone. For some women it can mean being able to have a happy family and a career at the same time, for others it may mean to be a good mother, and for others just feeling happy with their life. So how do they achieve these goals? Here are some of the things successful women are made of:

Source

She Loves Herself - This is the first secret to being a successful woman. Indeed, a woman who loves herself will always know what is best for her in order to follow her dreams and achieve happiness.

She Has Goals – The most important thing a woman who wants to achieve success should keep in mind is having both long-term and short-term goals. They must be specific and not vague, and they must be achievable at some point of your life. Sometimes, in order to obtain better results, long-term goals can be fragmented into smaller steps which must always be kept in mind and focused on.

They Don't Hold Back - A successful woman knows what she's worth and she won't settle for less, at least not for long. She will never stay in a relationship in which she feels unappreciated or in a job she's not satisfied with. If this is your case, don't wait for change to happen but make it happen: look for jobs in your field in order to follow your career dreams, and if you're not happy with your man don't settle for less than perfect!

Featured! Charly Boy’s The SEE FINISH Syndrome [For couples only]

After reading this article, I decided to put it up here [after asking for and getting Charly Boy’s approval] especially since Valentine’s day is here when many couples who might be going through the See Finish Syndrome are probably trying to get each other gifts. Maybe not. What is funny is many people who are courting/dating after a few years, break up because of this. This article makes a lot of sense. Charly Boy went there! It is a long read, a bit explicit and funny but not boring at all so buckle up.

The article

When two people, lovers, friends, partners or even team mates can consistently predict one another’s moves like clockwork, it is called SEE FINISH.

See finish can help one in fully understanding your partner. However, See finish in a marriage has its own bad sides and if not checked can lead to the death of DESIRE in a marriage, especially, sexually.

That’s when couples start to take each other for granted and no longer as granted. SEE FINISH in a marriage is when one spouse is desperately yearning for more sex, connection or physical closeness, and the other for whatever reason, seems a bit unconcerned about their partner’s feelings, or just not with it anymore.

Source

For instance, if in the beginning of a marriage, a couple enjoyed going out together and five years into their union as husband and wife, both of them begin to hate the idea of hanging out with each other,hmmmmmm SEE FINISH has entered the matter.

See finish is when your spouse is no longer attractive sexually, when you start looking at your spouse as a sister or a brother. For married people, it when making love has become a chore instead of the affirmation of love and intimacy.

The worst stage of See Finish in a marriage that there are couples who haven’t made it to their 10^th year in marriage and already there is little or no action in the bedroom? If their desire has finally kicked the bucket before year ten, we that have survived 37 years should ask for a divorce or what? There are couples who have lost all intimacy in their marriage, some of them live under the same roof like total strangers and some are just co-habiting. It is crazy but it is true.

Of poverty, breaking and entering and kids.

When you read newspapers and see armed robbers caught by the Police, do you ever wonder if some of them started stealing from childhood or was it just borne out of extreme lack? I witnessed something mind boggling this evening and even took some pictures. Two primary school boys between the ages of 9-11 broke into their headmaster’s office in search of anything to sell for money if the confession of one of them is anything to go by.

Caught in the act.

I watched from a balcony in horror as one of the boys used a stone to break the padlock and instructed the other boy to ‘watch out’ for him while he went inside.  He was there for a few minutes when I and a relative of mine alerted one the school security men who had seen the ‘look out’ boy and was asking what he was doing there. The man went in and dragged the boy in the office out. This is one of the craziest things I have witnessed in my life. Small boys!!

The 'look out' boy. Cried his eyes out when they were caught.

Happy New month people and some talk about sexual harassment.

May this month bring us love and joy and all things bright and beautiful. February will be good to us all. Just when I thought January had refused to go, February came and I’m like ‘Wow, we are in the second month already? Lol

Source

Anyway, a lady told me this story. She was in a bus and a guy came in to sit next to her. He began to chat with her, asked her where she was going and all that stuff. She answered politely. Then as the normal Lagos bus can be, he had to ‘shift’ so people can sit beside them. But what this guy did was more than adjust. He put his hand behind her head and another hand was almost touching her boobs. His perfect excuse was the stuffy bus. He was practically feeling on her. She was confused as at what to do because she felt she couldn’t ask him to adjust back because the lady sitting at the end wasn’t even sitting well. She endured this throughout the journey and the guy was even chatty and made it seem like ‘they were together’. 

And she returned with apologies and New year greetings.

Hello beautiful people! Happy New year! *covers face*Now this has to be the latest [as in late] New year greeting ever but better late than never. I have been around and busy and when I carry my laptop to write a post, I am either too tired or too lazy. So what do I do? I tweet. Lol. Share your handles though so we can talk and stuff there if you do that kind of thing.

I have done a couple of radio interviews and something for TV too. Several days ago, I was at SnapTv studios. Met with young and very talented guys who have a number of unique concepts. I recorded something for a programme called ‘My Flyer Spot’. There, you get to talk about your album art, the photography, the concept, etc.

Here are a few of the pictures that were taken at the studio.

Lily Johnson's Flyer Spot on SnapTv

Believe it or not, I was thinking of a 'pose' and checking out the lovely magazine cutouts. Lool

I will post the video when it’s done. Time to do a blog round. It’s good to be back! 

Have a lovely week.

Lily Johnson