Going Green

Every family gathering we have, there always seems to be someone who feels the need to comment about my weight. My father is the biggest culprit. They ask why don’t I eat? Am I starving myself? Frankly, food is just too good to let it go to waste like that. So, of course, I do eat. I began to lose weight without knowing how. So then what’s your secret they say?

2013, is the year I finally dropped a jean size. I would give thanks to the 101 stairs I climb every day at UCT upper campus. But also, I found a new addiction… GREEN TEA! Don’t get me wrong, it tastes terrible but with the numerous health benefits it has, I couldn’t give it a miss. I found a box full of it at home and thought ah, why not. So slowly but surely, I started to lose weight - without even trying!

Green tea aids in the increased ability to burn fat fast, reducing cholesterol. In addition, it naturally boosts the rate of your metabolism. So, along with regular exercise and healthy eating (bear in mind, this does not mean dieting) – green tea will just give your weight loss challenge an extra kick start. I really don’t believe in dieting. Salads are not appetising. There are only so many times that leaves could taste good. Ten-to-one, you’re going to end up eating regular food sooner or later so why begin to go through the torture? It’s really all about cutting down and cutting out. I started off with cutting out take-aways. I waved goodbye to McD’s long ago. But every now and then I go to Nando’s, Kauai or even Subway. That’s real good food, the healthy way. Another thing, I stay away from gassy cool drinks. It’s loaded with sugar and tends to make me feel bloated and uncomfortable. However, everybody’s body is different, so just try and see what works best for you. One thing I learnt about weight loss is that you shouldn’t be viewing your body under a microscope. Don’t measure yourself and step on the scale every day. That’s like watching a clock and expecting time to move by fast. The less you pay attention to how much you’re losing, the more surprised you’ll be. To track your progress, go according to how your body feels and how you fit into your clothes. That’s how I began to notice a difference. There is no over-night weight loss secret. Give yourself a couple of months to see some results.

As a university student, sleep is a privilege so I always relied on my daily, delicious cappuccinos from the cafeteria, but then I realised that my green tea actually enhanced my energy levels, naturally. Apparently it also eliminates the excess water stored in your body and suppresses food cravings, making it easier to burn that fat! The antioxidants in green tea helps flush out all the bad toxins that kind of make us feel … “bleh”. Your skin will thank you as well as the detoxifying agents prevents you from signs of aging - like wrinkles. In addition, green tea is packed with nutrients and vitamin C that will help strengthen your immune system by destroying bacteria in your body, making it easier to fight against infections.

Boom.

Great body, great skin and a healthy immune system… why have you not put the kettle on already?

You don’t have to endure the horrible taste. Spice up your green tea by adding perhaps a slice of lemon and some honey for flavouring. 

Enjoy the benefits, here’s to going GREEN!

"Do you think you're more beautiful than you say?"

#RealBeauty

Before reading this post, please make sure you are using a device that is compatible to view videos online as this post makes reference to the clips attached to this post. Thanks!

One of my favourite adverts has to be the Dove Real Beauty campaigns, it just gets me all teary-eyed with goosebumps. I mean, on one hand it’s really sad that society has somehow rubbed off on us. We women are just the worst critics of beauty – we can’t even see the beauty in ourselves yet we are so quick to point out the beauty in others. It’s sad because everyone is beautiful and everyone should be able to see the beauty in themselves, a quality that we all possess. We shouldn’t wait to be complimented to acknowledge this beauty. Then again, half the time we do get compliments, we easily brush it off. It got me questioning why is this so and why do the negative comments create a bigger impact on our self-esteem? Dove has a vision that is "committed to building positive self-esteem and inspiring all women and girls to reach their full potential". The Dove campaigns are such a raw reflection on ourselves and its quite evident that we put a great deal of pressure on ourselves. We all possess beauty, it exists in each and every one of us… it’s just unfortunate that we find it so difficult to see it in ourselves. 

The reason why I wanted to write an article on this topic was to talk briefly about the effects, perhaps the media has on our perception of beauty, as well as our own perception and the unnecessary amount of pressure that we put on ourselves to reach this unrealistic expectation of beauty. Studies show that the greatest source of beauty pressure comes from ourselves. We find this source of ‘inspiration’ from magazines and advertisements inundated with beauty enhancing products. Half of the time, those very pictures are edited and enhanced. It’s unfortunate that we put this pressure on ourselves to reach these high levels of what beauty is perceived to be. We were not made to be perfect. It simply does not exist. 

I did a little research. I spoke to a couple of my friends about what they find to be beautiful about themselves and what they dislike about themselves. Like the Dove advert illustrated, we women are very hesitant to compliment ourself or unable to list a couple of our best qualities. Yet we are quick to point out our faults and say what needs to be changed.  Do we fear that we may come across as vain? It saddens me because we should be bold, we should confidently accept ourselves. Why do we, women have all these body insecurities. It’s always the issue when we are trying on new clothes, or dipping into the swimming pool. We’re always quick to cover up or quick to say “don’t look at me”. Why are we undermining ourselves? Like I said, we are the worst critics of our own beauty.

I spoke to a couple of my guy friends to get their perception about what makes a girl beautiful. Majority of them go along with the idea that "looks attracts but personality keeps" – in other words, one’s personality has the ability to overcome one’s looks. Yes, first impressions are really important. The way you carry yourself or present yourself gives another person a little bit of an insight into who you are or what you’re all about. However, physical appearances are not the be-all-end-all. I think we should really just work on ourselves and our character more than how we physically look. We should stop trying to constantly enhance ourselves. 

One of my biggest dislikes, is when people feel the need to surgically enhance themselves. Hollywood known to be the home of plastic surgery – its filled with people who are not satisfied with themselves, nor does it seem they’ll ever be. One would only need to take a look at Joan Rivers – an example of someone who could simply just not get enough of altering herself. These Dove adverts really opened up my eyes and made me ask a whole lot of questions of what beauty really entails.

I have a friend who time after time undermines how beautiful she really is. This saddens me. I so badly just want to give her my eyes so that she can see for herself this incredible quality that she possesses. That no matter what she's wearing, no matter whether she has make-up on or not, she will continuously remain beautiful for the mere fact that she is who she is. I know you will read this post sometime and you will know without me having to tell you. You are beautiful my friend, just accept it.

Nonetheless, I hope that these advertisements have impacted you as much as they have made an impact on me and my perception of beauty.Let's work at finding our inner beauty, something that we ALL possess. Don't let the media fool you, don't let this unrealistic 'idea' get the best of you. Let the beauty shine through all our faults and imperfections. Let's be OK with the way we are and the way we look. I can guarantee you that if YOU see yourself as a BEAUTIFUL being and you're confident about that... people will be convinced to think the same.

Stay beautifully beautiful

XOX

Tribute to the Father of our Nation

Our Hero!

www.apple.com

Blessed am I to have lived in a time and country as you, Nelson Mandela. Never have I been more proud to be a South African than I am today. The effect you have on us is palpable. Pick up a newspaper, tune into the radio, flip through the news channels – everywhere you go there is a tribute to the great hero that you are to us all. I cannot be more grateful for the freedom that you have given us today. I may not have been born in the years of the apartheid struggle, but through the stories my folks have told me, you have been the rock for our country. You have provided a brighter future for our people and for that, we are forever in your debt.

We were prepared for the end, but the end is not something we wanted to accept. My heart aches for you. It’s like a light went out in our country. I wish I was privileged enough to have been in your presence. I wish you could live forever. But now it is our time and our duty to let your legacy live on forever. 

“You may have closed your eyes, but you have opened up the eyes of the world”. 

Thank you Madiba, Thank you!

The Empire State Building

Sand sculpture in India

Eiffel Tower, Paris

On behalf of the free youth of today, I vow to continue to uphold your moral values and always strive to create a better and equal South Africa for us all. One of my favourite quotes from you: “No-one is born hating another person because of the colour of their skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite” - powerful words from an inspirational being. It shows the potential us humans have of changing the course of history and I hope that the youth of today will honour his wishes of creating a world of harmony and equality.

South Africans from all walks of life
came together to celebrate the
life of Madiba outside the
City Hall, Cape Town

 Our rainbow nation mourns your passing but we also celebrate the life you had. May you rest in the peace that you have provided us with and may your spirit continue to radiate throughout the land. 

Paying my respects at the Grand Parade, outside the
City Hall, Cape Town

Long live Madiba! Long live!