Having Friends Can Save Your Life

It feels good to have someone to talk to when times are rough, and someone to celebrate life’s biggest moments with. Having good social relationships is fulfilling, and new research suggests that friendships can also add years to your lifespan.

According to research, the benefits of having healthy relationships are comparable to that of quitting smoking. Researchers conducted 148 studies of 308,000 people or various ages and health statuses. The study found that people were 50 percent more likely to live longer if they had strong social relationships. The study suggests that people with low levels of social interactions have a lifespan equivalent to alcoholics and obese people.

The following types of relationships are especially helpful to your health. Cherish and nurture these friendships for your health’s sake.

1. A Childhood Friend

Longtime friends are special because they have most likely seen you at all different points in your life. They are the friends who can say “who would have thought?” These friendships remind you of how much you have grown. Nurture these friendships by staying in touch on a regular basis. Schedule days to meet up for lunch, or plan nights out with old friends to keep these friendships close over time.

2. A New Friend

Unlike school friends, newly acquired friends only know the you that you are today. They have no preconceived notions about you, and that may be a good thing. What’s even better about new friends is that they can introduce you to new things and fresh perspectives. Find new friends at work, your kids’ school, the gym or through old friends. Networking for a career change can also lead you straight to some rewarding friendships.

3. A Workout Friend

Experts agree that exercising with a friend is the best way to get yourself to stick with your workout plan. A good friend who will drag you off the couch when you have every excuse in the world is good for your health in more ways than one. Set a mutual goal with your workout buddy to make sure you’re both on the same page.

4. A Spiritual Friend

A study from Duke University Medical Center found that people who regularly attended religious services or engaged in activities such as prayer or meditation had a 50 percent lower risk of dying over a 6-year period than others of the same age and health status.

Regularly attending activities and volunteer opportunities through your religious organization is a great way to bond.

5. A Younger Friend

To your younger friend, you must have super powers. How can you juggle it all and make it seem so easy?
Research shows that an element of a happy life is to feel useful to other by passing on what you've learned through experience. Mentoring young men or women can give you that feeling. To get the most benefit from this type of relationship, make sure you take advice as well as give it. Give your younger buddy career advice and let your younger buddy share with you how to navigate the latest social networking site.

6. Your Partner’s Friends

Your friends are like your family, and that means they should also become a part of your partner’s family to an extent. Studies show that the more a couple’s friends and family intermingle, the better the chances of the relationship lasting past one year.

7. Your Mom

No matter your inevitable conflicts with your mom, mothers have a strong bond with their children. If you want to be closer with your mom but keep running into obstacles, consider what you can do to overcome those issues. If you find it hard to enjoy the time you spend with your mom, stop picking her apart and focus on her good qualities. Don’t take your mother’s criticism personally. Instead, look at it as a reflection of her own habits and traits.

8. Yourself

When others are in need you are there at the drop of a hat, but when you are in need you forget to take care of yourself. Become your own friend by getting to know yourself. Understand what you want, what you don’t want and what makes you happy. Write down seven simple things that make you happy (walking, reading, or watching movies) and make sure you do at least one thing each day to care for yourself.

The road to Fitness

Guest Blogger: Adun Okupe (Fitness enthusiast)


Traditionally, there is something about Africans that always seemed to puzzle me. How we accepted that the older we got, the bigger we were allowed to become.
I never fully accepted it. Yet I can understand why. Whilst at school, exercise was easy as it was included in the routine. Yet, as we reach our mid-twenties, what with the pressures from work, social life and family, the one thing that we give up, the easiest thing to give up is our commitment to exercise.

We all know about the benefits of exercise for being fit, slimmer. Did you also know about the benefits of exercise for clearer skin, better hair, nails, and even long-term health? Could it be possible that 30 minutes of walking/running/jogging can yield all the above? YES! I tell you! Yes!

I was speaking to my neighbour recently. She saw me stretching after running, and she stopped to tell me that I should never give up exercise, as it helps reduce the arthritis, the internal organs. She went further to tell me about how she exercises 4 times a week, nothing too strenuous, but enough to keep her going. She is in her 80s and she has cancer, and she has survived the estimated number of years that the doctors gave her to live.

This is not to scare you, but to make us appreciate the values of exercising and fitness, now while we are younger, and then we can incorporate this into our routine, and it can stand us in good stead for our later years.

So, a little bit about me, I love to exercise, jogging, swimming, running, tae bo, kick boxing, body combat, aerobics, hockey, you name it, I’ve tried it and I love it. I also have pressures from life, what with work, schooling and maintaining an active social life, but I know the benefits, and my, are they substantial!
This column will be to guide you, to encourage and motivate us in our quest to look good, inside, and outside, that is, to do away with the African myth of not exercising. If we can take good care of our cars, bags, shoes and gadgets, why not our bodies?

Are you really doing your body any favour by ordering a Salad?

Many of us believe that eating salad at a restaurant is good for us. Sometimes we may be right but in most cases it is far from the truth. Most restaurants serve a salad made from iceberg lettuce. This lettuce has no nutritional value, it is very basically fiber held together by water. In the digestive system iceberg lettuce has the nasty habit of turning into a slime that your body then has to break down.

On top of this leafy non-nutritional plate or bowl full, we pour all sorts of different types of salad dressings. Most of these dressings are a creamy sort that is full of fat and sugars. Why do we use these dressings in such large amounts on this particular salad? Because by itself iceberg lettuce has very little taste and this is because, as I said before, it is simply fiber and water.

So next time you think you are going to suffer through a salad in order to feel like you’re doing your body some good, consider this article and maybe decide to go with soup instead. The soup may not be all that good for you but at least you are getting some good flavor for your trouble and you aren’t telling yourself stories.

If a salad is available that has deep green vegetables of all kinds, that one will be healthy for you, but again, dousing it with a large dollop of dressing will negate it’s value to a degree

Health and You!

I am quite astonished at the fact that a lot of young people in Nigeria do not have the slightest clue about certain heath topics and conditions. i also realise that this has nothing to do with access to information because a lot of people that actually live in western countries and have access to information dont really care much. In Nigeria, people have the internet but really dont care about taking matters regarding health into their own hands rather they sit and blame Nigerian doctors (which we know arent able to do their best due to the economy, government, insert other socio economic problems here). They think because they "look" healthy they probably are..so they leave conditions till it worsens without even realising it. we all know the situation in the country, isnt it time to work around that? we do it in all other sectors/industries so why not health? i mean the fact that Girls dont know wearing "G strings" or "thongs" all the time instead of 100% cotton underwear causes thrush is abysmal ..yet they have thrush more often than not and still think dirty toilets are the main causative agents. the other day someone asked me if you could get STI from kissing...like seriously?? even a 5 year old in england can give you an answer to that. some people still dont know the difference between STI's and STD's. i really feel people should start educating themselves because at this point it is called "ignorance" and there is no excuse for such random ridiculousness. you would think Nigerians living in the diaspora are different...WRONG! people are more interested in educating themselves on fashion trends, latest hair piece, basically things that make them look good on the outside but forget about their insides. i am not insinuating focusing on your looks is wrong, all i'm saying is include your health to your list of priority.