YOUR BODY GIVES YOU WHAT YOU GIVE IT

    Foods of nutritional value are those as close to their natural forms as possible

Basic science teaches that the content of a body is called its mass and its weight is the mass acted upon by gravity. Either ways you may agree with me that both are attributes of a body’s heaviness. What is this body called again? Yes Matter!

In today’s world where almost everybody is having a frenzy about health, looks and weight (which is important) let us bear in mind that humans beautifully come in different shapes and sizes. Understanding how your body works and adapting the healthiest and realistic methods to look and be your best is therefore very crucial.

The human body being a typical example of matter has among others muscles, bones, water and fat as its contents that contribute to its heaviness. Reiterating that humans come in different shapes and sizes I want to emphasize that the mentioned bodily constituents have their percentage contributions to our physical appearance. These, to a greater extent, stem from what we eat.

From my experience and knowledge as a practising medical scientist, weight is usually gained when more calories are packed in, against those that are used or burnt by the body. A calorie is a term for the energy that is acquired from foods and drinks we consume. It is also the energy that is used by the body. I will not get into the scientific details of calories but what I can say is that their right amounts are essential for bodily activities: from heartbeat to brain activities.

There are calories with and without nutritional value and those must be considered before any form of food consumption, even in the least. Another consideration to be made is portion control. I think every individual must have a distinction of the amount of food that satisfies their hunger from the amount that gets them overly full. In portion control, a balance of the various food groups is essential. Eating in moderation and timing are other factors to consider. These play roles in ensuring that the right amounts of calories are given to the body to use. The major sources of calories are carbohydrates, proteins and fats (their roles will be talked about in later posts). Those of nutritional value are best gotten from foods that are as close to their natural forms as possible whilst those of low or no nutritional value are from processed foods.

As the part of calories in weight gain and loss has been briefly touched on, the importance of water should not be overlooked. It is very crucial to stay hydrated, especially in our part of the globe. Water makes the skin, hair and nails look fresh just as green leaves need water to stay fresh. It is very dangerous to reduce the intake of water in the bid to speed up weight loss. I am positive you have heard of dehydration. It simply means loss of water. We are constantly losing water in the form of sweat and urine as well as in faecal matter which needs incessant replacement. Ignoring this will be like forgetting to put water in the cooling system of your car’s engine. It will break down and so will you!

Dehydration causes weight loss in a very unhealthy way and its health consequences include tiredness, dizziness, the formation of kidney stones and muscle damage, just to mention a few. In consciously and unconsciously keeping track of my water consumption, I got myself a really nice yellow 1 litre bottle which I fill with water before I go to sleep at night for the following day. I mostly have it with me, either at home or out of home, making sure I constantly sip from it. I also ensure I fill it twice or thrice in a day and finish the last fill before bed time. You can try it till it becomes a part of you. Do not wait till thirst catches up with you.

I will advise my beloved readers and followers to be aware even of the least of things that gets into your bodies, especially what goes down your throat. Remember that your body gives you what you give it.

Dare to make a difference!

She_Darevel

(Audrey Anim-Ankumah)

fitdarevels@gmail.com

IT REALLY STARTS FROM THE MIND

“…but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

Apostle Paul (Romans 12:2a)

I remember the time, about two years ago (say in February 2016), when I decided to take my health into my own hands. Well I made that decision because I was told upon a health checkup that I had a lot of gallstones. I was not surprised since all I did was to eat fast and especially fried foods. Luckily, it was not obstructive!

Before then I noticed how much weight I had gained in months, as I  anxiously looked at myself in the mirror many times daily. I even packed most of my clothes away and got new ones. On my graduation day, I felt heavy and pregnant, with my friends and some family members unconsciously and offensively commented on my body. The long and short of it all is that I felt very bad about myself.

Initially the decision I made to change was not exactly a decision but a wish. All I did was to stay idle and imagine I looked better. This went on for weeks, still consuming the junk. Seeking an easy way out, I started researching on weight-loss pills and how effective they were. Though I was enticed to try them, I knew for sure as a biomedical scientist, that those pills could most likely be ineffective or have subsequent side effects. My inner person knew very well that taking bold steps to get out of my comfort zone would be the way out but I lacked that kind of motivation.

The first and most important step was setting my mind right for the process. In a “latter-day” world of speed – fast food, fast cars, speed boats and smart phones, it is very normal to want and expect immediate results. There are however exceptions to certain situations which include weight loss and fitness. I have learnt from my journey so far that this aspect of life usually takes time and so adopting the right mindset to the process is the key. That would make anybody stand undefeated! I learnt from my business mentors that if ever an individual wants change in their lives, they must be willing to change first their mindset and then their actions.

Transformation starts from feeding the mind with a lot of what you want to see in your life – a lot of visualization. It is from these that motivation is drawn. I began reading success stories of how much weight individuals had lost, how they did it as well as how they felt during the process. I kept looking at their before and after pictures. I watched a lot of workout videos and studied their eating patterns. I noticed changes in my thoughts as I did these. The motivation I drew got me off my lazy bum and caused me to work on myself. I learnt that it was a process and I had to take it a day at a time. My eyes were fixed on the “price body” (as I call it). I did it for me: my health and my life.

My routine changed. I felt good especially whenever I physically challenged myself. I (my mind) was bent on doing this. I looked forward to people changing their comments from “You’ve put on so much weight” to “Girl you look good!” and guess what? After five to six months of keeping at it, I had my first comment, “Are my eyes deceiving me or you are losing weight?” It came from a classmate at an event. Then I knew my hard work was showing results. What I did was not to please people but it definitely felt good when the comments were coming and I was motivated to do more.

The point I want to make is that the mind is a powerful magnet. Once it is fixed on something good or bad, trust me it will attract. “The Law of Attraction is fairly simple concept: what you think about, you create in your life, so through positive thoughts you can create a positive life” (Andrea Schulman, 2015). No wonder Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans made the emphasis in the first quote above. Indeed transformation starts from the mind. Feed it with good things and you will attract them!

I dare you!

She_Darevel

(Audrey Anim-Ankumah)

fitdarevels@gmail.com

DIFFERENT PATHS!

More often than not we try to compete among ourselves for the scarce resources that nature has endowed us with. Competition is good, but how we compete matters a lot.

In school, we compete for the top position through whichever means. In the place of worship, we compete among ourselves to gain the attention of others through the best hair-do, shoes, dress among others instead of being focused on our Creator.

In the family, we compete among ourselves for the greatest family property, fame/titles, or recognition.
In politics, we compete for the juiciest positions, we fight for titles, fame, wealth and class/status regardless of the means by which such are attained. We deceive the people that we mean well, we get there and show them that we meant wealth for ourselves.

At home and at school, children are taught by their parents and teachers that in order to make it in life, they must fight to beat their colleagues in everything ranging from sports to academics through fair or foul means. They grow up and the circle continues.

In all the above scenarios, we tend to forget that God is not a creator of confusion so regardless of where we find ourselves, our paths are not the same. We tend to forget that we can't all have certain things at the same time but whatever the case may be, God in His own wisdom has created for us different paths (destinies), hence the failure of one man is not the guarantee for another's success and vice versa.

This life can be likened to meeting different people at a transport yard, some will be traveling to the North, others  to the South, East, West and others may not be traveling at all, they just accompanied some of the travelers to the transport yard.

Just as we strive to win almost everything for ourselves, we must learn and also teach our young ones how to lose some battles graciously with integrity, we've got to let them know that, in life you will win some battles and lose some. It is alright to lose sometimes.

You see, the world is becoming too self-centred or driven by selfishness. Life becomes more meaningful when we stay true to ourselves, appreciative of what God has given us, work hard in dignity and stay focused. In that way, we shall all be great if not greater in our chosen fields at His own time because He has created for us, different paths.

Prosper Dzitse

Ghana's Youth Ambassador to the Commonwealth

THE DILEMMA OF A SAINT

Ali and Frank have a friendship that has lasted several decades. They have many things in common, a fact which serves to nourish their friendship even more. There are also many things which they don’t necessarily have in common. One is that Ali is Asante whereas Frank is Ewe. Another is that Ali is a Muslim and Frank is a Christian. The first has no consequence because much of it is socially constructed. In other words, all the cultural differences between their ethnic groups are man-made and there can be no consequence thereto. The second one however has a consequence; in Ali’s mind, being a Muslim will produce a positive consequence namely a divine reward in the form of heaven whilst not being a Muslim will have a negative consequence. Same is true for Frank.

So there you have a Christian who has a Muslim friend. They are so good to each other that he will do whatever it takes to protect the friend from harm. The feeling is mutual and his Muslim friend will do just the same. But both of them believe in Hell fire to be the greatest of all harm, yet Frank must believe that Ali will go to Hell because he (Ali) doesn't believe in Jesus Christ as his Lord and personal Saviour. In the same vein, Ali must believe that Frank will go to Hell because he (Frank) doesn't believe in Prophet Muhammad as the last and noblest prophet. It is their humanity that makes them believe in a spiritual being (God) yet their spirituality insists a betrayal of their humanity. Such is the great dilemma which is better not thought of, let alone spoken about but holds true nonetheless.

Could the solution lie in Ali changing his faith to become Christian? Perhaps! For certainly, he will not have to believe that Frank will be burnt by the fire. He will now believe that both of them are saved from the punishment of the fire. But that is only in respect of Frank. What about Salim, the other friend who is not as close to Ali as Frank but who grew up together with in the same neighbourhood and who he certainly will not want to be in harm’s way? Salim is a Muslim and by virtue of Ali’s new faith must be believed to be a companion of the ultimate fire. For a person who has several Christian friends and several Muslim friends, it is impossible to escape this dilemma.

Millions of people across the world have this difficulty; and it exists even if they have never thought about it. Through their life and work, they come into contact and form lasting friendships with people of different faiths and if they happen to be religious people, then their dilemma is the same as Ali’s. Sometimes it is so unpleasant that one will rather push it to the side of the brain where he will never remember it. But it remains a fact of his life regardless.

Clearly, it is an unending affliction. For as long as people believe in institutionalized religion, no matter what it is, which makes them believe in God, heaven and hell, their dilemma will forever remain. How to resolve it is the question with which all humanity must grapple.

There are those who do not believe in institutionalized religion; they may believe in God but they don’t believe in any religious creed. These people are somewhat free from such an affliction because for them, God does not reward based on belief in Jesus or Muhammad or any intermediaries for that matter. There are yet those who do not even believe that there is God.  For them, everything religion is socially constructed and is of no more consequence than ethnicity. They too have no dilemma. But it is inevitable that their Christian or Muslim friends and family – if they have any – will think of them in the same light that Ali and Frank of each other regarding the hereafter. Indeed in most cases, the Christians and Muslims categorise themselves into “Believers” in opposition to the “Disbelievers” and when this happens, there is the conception among the “Believers” of a higher grade punishment reserved for the “Disbelievers”. The believers are seen as the saints while the disbelievers are seen as the devil. In other words, a believer friend of a disbeliever will certainly believe that the latter will go to hell even if the disbeliever does not think same of him.

In all this, the common humanity between humans is often relegated to the background because it is supposed to be of this world and in the hierarchy of things that follow man to the other world, it is not very high up. For if not so, then why must Christians believe that someone who has done so much good to fellow human beings is headed for hell fire simply because he is not a born again Christian? And why must Muslims believe that regardless of what good you do on this earth, you cannot be rewarded Heaven if you don’t believe in Prophet Muhammad? And why would God create humans but yet make humanity count so less?

Perhaps there is the need for a rethink of what humanity really means and what place spirituality should have in humanity or what place humanity should have in spirituality; for the dilemma of the saint seems perpetual.

Hardi Yakubu

AFTER 53 YEARS OF THE AU, WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESULT?

The African Union, formerly known as the Organization of African Unity is 53 years. Since its formation by 32 member countries in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the union has gone through a number of changes, ranging from change of name to increase in membership.

The AU's objectives as set out in its Charter, are to  among other things promote unity and solidarity of African states; coordinate and intensify their cooperation and efforts to achieve a better life for the peoples of Africa.

The vision of the AU is: “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.”

The question one may ask is, has the Continental organization been able to achieve its aims and objectives taking into consideration its charters, protocols, agreements, treaties and regulations? The answer is an obvious no.

For instance, one of the major challenges that is currently facing the AU is how to fight the insurgence of militants who have risen against its member countries. Despite the numerous security meetings by its leaders, the AU has still not been able to draw any concrete plan of action towards fighting the menace. It is baffling why the AU has not put in place a standby force up to date. It is not strange to wake up everyday to hear of the activities of these unscrupulous organizations which go a long way to affect lives and property on the continent thereby lowering productivity.

One other challenge facing it is youth unemployment. Youth unemployment on the continent as compared to others, is of great worry to many and this if not properly taken care of could become a major security threat.

 When it comes political decision making, one will describe the approach of the AU as reactive rather than proactive. It was disturbing that the AU appeared indecisive on the post election violence in Cote d'Ivoire and the overthrow of  Col. Muammar Gaddafi of Libya. The AU is noted to always wait for countries outside Africa to take action on matters affecting its member states before it comes on board or even sit aloof  whiles things fall apart.

The operations and activities of the AU are hardly made known to its citizens. As of June 2014, the AU has 50 treaties, conventions, protocols and charters. These are  meant to affect the lives of its people, but almost all of these documents remain on paper.

It is estimated that by 2030, there will be roughly 24.6 million people entering the job market in sub- Saharan Africa annually. This growth represents two- thirds of the world's entire workforce. Out of this, more than 63% are expected to be people below 35 years.

In 2006, the AU Heads of States and Governments endorsed an African Youth Charter, in Banjul, the Gambia. This document came into force in 2009 and is to span to 2018. This document is meant to address among other problems, youth marginalization, unemployment, illiteracy and crime, but as of today,  it remains on paper with no visible outcome.

How can citizens build a prosperous Africa when major decisions that are made are not properly communicated to them or when their involvement in making and implementing such decisions is negligible?

An AU that is 53 years should be the one that educates its members on what is expected of them through proper communication.

For an effective AU, its leaders must walk the talk, they must get busy getting results rather than putting together just documents, they must be bold to call their members to order when the need be. They must be proactive towards finding solutions to the political, socio-economic, environmental, and the security challenges that confront members countries.

Prosper Dzitse
Ghana's Youth Ambassador to the Commonwealth

MAKING EDUCATION WORK (2):

Why is Schooling Like Playing a Football Game?

I don't watch football and I can hardly claim to know the best football teams in the world. Actually, I doubt if there is a decidedly best team as that usually depends on who is doing the evaluation, what their basis is and which teams they support. So Hearts of Oak supporters will never agree that Kotoko is the best team in Ghana's Premier League and the other way around is also true. Same way Man U supporters will disagree if you tout Chelsea as the best; neither will Real Madrid supporters ever take it that Barcelona plays better than their team.

But even with my layman football lenses, I can tell which team plays good soccer when I watch a football game. The passes, ball possession, crosses etc define the quality of the game. However is the quality of football a team displays on the field the yardstick for making them win or lose the match? Absolutely not. It is the team that scores the most goals which wins the match.

This is exactly how our educational system is run in Ghana. Indeed, it appears to be the case in many places across the world. There tends to be too much emphasis on examinations. This is to the extent that nobody counts unless they are able to pass exams. I had a friend in primary school who was very good with drawing. We used to pay him with food, biscuits and other provisions to draw pieces of art for us and he could draw practically anything, his imaginations were wild and intriguing and his drawings were brilliant. But he was not so good in class and eventually fell in the cracks and could not continue. Why? Exams.

There are several of such stories that I can recount from various levels of schooling and that is just me. Thousands, even millions of such memories are there with people everywhere. Our educational system is structured in such a way that people's talents are hardly recognized let alone harnessed; students are only as good as the grades they make in exams.

The point has always been made that examination especially as it exists in our schools does not test the holistic abilities of students. Most often, students are tested on their ability to memorise and reproduce to obtain marks. That is why students mainly concentrate on passing their exams in school and not necessarily on acquiring knowledge and this in turn explains why most will complete school without knowing exactly what they learnt. They didn't learn to know or to apply but to pass exams.

In order for our educational system to work, there is the need for us to de-emphasize exams and focus more on skill building. The current orientation plays a huge role in the non-performance of the educational system. In other words, even if the curricula at the various levels are changed, there will be little improvement if emphasis is still on the "Chew-Poor-Pass-and-Forget" mode of assessment of students.

There have been oft-repeated calls - in the context of the discussion on graduate unemployment - for entrepreneurship to be added to the school curriculum. I usually find such calls ridiculous because anything added to the curriculum will only add to the pressure on students. So long as the emphasis is on exams, students will make grade A's in entrepreneurship and still end up joining the Unemployed Graduates Association of Ghana. Wonder why I think so?

Take a look at your primary school curriculum and you will find Environmental Studies; you probably scored 100% in that subject every term but you still drop plastic material indiscriminately without knowing what damage that does to the environment. You might have learnt (no, chewed and poured) several definitions of corruption in a lot of social studies textbooks in JHS and in SHS but you still give bribes and at the least opportunity, you plunder other people's resources to your own advantage.

The point is that as long as exams remain the top priority, students hardly learn. Content is not imbibed. Most of the time, it is only memorised and reproduced because that is what is rewarded. Skills are neither rewarded nor potentials developed.

In much the same way that a football team is only as good as the goals it scores in a game, students are  only as good as the grades they make. If a team does not score enough goals in a season, it drops out of the league. Likewise, if a student does not pass as many exams as are required, they drop out of school.

School cannot work if it is run like a football game.

Hardi Yakubu

Also check out the following

MAKING EDUCATION WORK (1): Merge Technical Training with Mainstream Education

WINNING THE FIGHT FOR QUALITY EDUCATION: LOCALIZING THE GLOBAL VISION

THE TOXIC TRIANGLE: HOW RELIGIOUS FANATICISM, PARTISAN POLITICS AND DISHONESTY ARE DESTROYING GHANA (Part 1)

My late grandfather was a staunch catholic. His love for catholic doctrines was commendable. As a curious young boy, I probed the rationality of many of the doctrines but I was rebuked for “questioning” the authority of God. I grew up in a family where we could not challenge or question the things of God as commanded; “Touch Not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm – 1 Chronicles 16:22, Psalm 105:15”.  This scripture was boldly carved on a wooden plaque in our bedroom.

Fast forward into my university life, I realized I was slowly but surely drifting away from church because of my abhorrence for ambiguous yet unquestionable doctrines in the church. I became a consistent critic of religious dogmatism. In first year, I shared room with four Christian fanatics. They could skip lectures the whole semester with the alibi of attending to ‘spiritual responsibilities’. Though a Christian, I was considered “unreligious’ because I refused to get as deeply involved as they were.

It is very common to see many Ghanaians use religion to escape their responsibilities. Many people complain of hardship but abandon their jobs for long hours of prayer meetings. Many students spend every evening at prayer meetings to the detriment of their books. Pastors are cashing in on many gullible church members. In a synopsis, prayer and church meetings have become full time jobs for many people. The most successful fraudsters use religion as a bait to get to their victims. In my 4 years in Legon, I can recall at least 50 fraud cases involving some “pastors” who duped their victims (mostly females) using false prophecies.

Drive through town and see posters of “Mallams” and fetish priests advertising their illegal activities in the name of religion. Quite surprisingly, the nauseating sight of these posters is yet to provoke an appropriate response from law enforcement agencies. How can we allow people go away with an advert for rituals? 

Is it not ironic, that there is a proliferation of many churches, yet corruption has become pervasive? Can we justify the moral decadence? Despite our Holier than though attitude, we continue to borrow from the same countries that we have condemned as satanic. The USA has endorsed gay rights and Germany has legalized adultery but they continue to flourish whilst we flounder. What is the role of religion in our quest to develop?

Many of us spend the most productive hours of the day on religious activities. The craze for religion without principles is becoming too much. Take a tour to the Achimota forest, Sarbah field, Aburi Mountains and some of the known prayer camps during working hours and you will be amazed at the number of people praying for prosperity but working for nothing. There are disturbing videos of pastors physically abusing the vulnerable but the Christian Council has been loudly silent.

It is dangerous, very poisonous for our generation to place faith in religion when even the Holy Scriptures support hard work and innovation. I dare say, we have become an extremely lazy generation that expects to reap where we have not sown. The subject of religious dogmatism must be given meticulous attention.

Self-styled prophet Obinim has been trending, this supposed man of God has verbally abused people in the past, captured on tape physically abusing a pregnant woman and engaged many unethical things in the name of religion. Sadly, he is just one of the many “pastors” who are carrying out indecent activities in the name of religion.

Quite disappointingly, the Christian council is only able to condemn politicians for indecent acts when they have a bug in their own home. How long can we accept such height of irresponsibility because we are afraid to offend the so called religious people?

Religious fanatism is destroying the moral fibre of our society.

Eric Edem Agbana

Founder of United volunteers Network and former SRC President, University of Ghana