Motivation Monday: Happy Halloween 2016!

I know Halloween culture requires one to dress up as either a popular pop culture icon, someone who motivates you or anything just for the fun of it.

This Halloween I dare you to dress up as yourself. Embrace who you are, be the kind of positive influence in your part of the world so much so that, someone will want to dress up as you because you've made an impact in their lives.

Instead of daydreaming into magical virtual reality world,  embrace your flaws, embrace your quirks. embrace your perfect imperfections.

Happy Halloween!

(and dont eat too much candy)

Woman Crush Wednesday - Kokonanga

My woman crush Wednesday is the lovely beauty and brains behind the fashion brand Kokonanga 

I could write an expose about why I love her brand and how she embodies her panafricanism beyond her fashion statements but i'll let you be the judge of that by sharing snippets of it below.

Follow her on social media

Twitter: @KoKoNanga 

 Instagram: Kokonanga

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KokoNangaOfficial/
Etsy: Enanga

You know you want to ^_^

For more information how you can work with her please email info@kokonanga.com

3 benefits of Steam Rooms

Today after wrapping up an evening game of soccer, I was in dire need of the steam room to relax my aching muscles. Since my fitness center was closed for the night, I had to make do by being creative at home.

Steam rooms ( wet/moist heat) are an amazing recipe for relaxing muscles. If you don't have access to a health club , a steamy hot shower mimics the same environment  and benefits of being in a steam room. Another option to recreating a steam room at home is buying a steam shower head or a high pressure body massage shower head.

It's important to keep in mind that you need some form of ventilation system to dissipate the humidity when you're done. This will prevent condensation from forming on your walls and creating mold & mildew.

Another benefit of steam rooms is its effectiveness in opening up your pores and improving circulations in areas that may have otherwise been limited. An increase in circulation relaxes tense muscles while open pores promote sweating, the body's cooling & cleansing mechanism.

Are you 

Team Saunas (dry heat) ?

or 

Team Steam rooms (wet heat)?

Or will you rather relax in a warm bathtub with relaxing bath salts and a good book.

At the end of the day, they all serve the same purpose through different mechanisms.

How do you unwind after a long physically stressful day?

My Harvest Month Shopping Cart

October has been such a harvest month full of blessings for me.

I am very grateful to everyone who's shown me love during this season

And it's with this state of mind that I decided to go grocery shopping.

Grocery shopping is no different from eating out when it comes to making healthy food choices

If you go shopping when you're in a sad mood or in a rush, you're more likely to stock up on comfort sugary or salty foods like chips, ice cream and everything chocolate. 

On the other hand, if the trip is carefully thought out and planned when you're surrounded by positive vibes, you're more likely to be conscious about;

What you're buying, 

 Reading Food labels

 Coupons and discounts so you're saving $$$

Meal planning ideas for bring a lunch bag to work

I decided to go shopping because I'd been eating out a lot lately. 

It's so easy to just eat out or grab something on the go when you live alone and have a crazy work schedule

But when you add it all up, spending $20-$35 on a lunch or dinner meal at a restaurant after you've most likely already spent $7 - $10 for a breakfast bagel with coffee can become an expensive habit.

I've never understood why we consumers will willingly pay $5 for a breakfast bagel with cream cheese when we could go to the grocery store and buy a whole bag of 5 - 8 bagels that will last you a week for the same price?!

Or pay $4 for a Starbucks coffee when we could spend less buy brewing coffee at home and using a travel mug

My goal for this FALL season is to spent more time in my kitchen.

Specifically use my crock pot to its maximum capacity!

I don't believe in dietary restrictions unless its for allergies or medical reasons.

I believe that eating everything in moderation while keeping in mind how they affect the body, is a good practice to live by.

Ive watched so many fads come and go in the western worlds and we are still not living any older or healthier than other countries.

What habits are you focusing on this Fall Season? With less than 3 months shy of the end of the year, how are those new year resolutions coming along?

Leave your responses on my twitter @mapetiteniche or my google+ +Mapetiteniche Wellness 

Acai Bowl - Fall Edition

This post isn't so much about 

how to make an acai bowl

(which you can google a million different recipes based on your dietary needs  or just purchase one like me)

 but it is about my ramblings/opinions of this new nutrition fad*

What Is an Acai Bowl?

How does is differ from a smoothie? Juice? Protein Shake?

Components of the typical acai bowl

oatmeal

fruit

peanut butter

Or is it just the same basic smoothie with supplements that has been repackaged, renamed, and re branded to sound like a nutritional elixir that fell off the heavens? or planet mars?

given that the seeds are from the mythical amazon jungles of Brazil?

This particular version i'm having, the acia primo bowl from jamba juice, is delicious. It's a perfect frozen bowl for summer weather or after a hot sweaty fall workout. I wouldn't reach for it during the cold weather unless I am hot and need something to cool me down. 

We started with the oatmeal trend, then we had the flax seed and  later quinoa trend and now the acai berries trend. Next will be the millet grains trend which I have already started to see being talked about in nutrition coaching circles.

I enjoyed eating millet as a child in the northern regions of  Cameroon. My curiosity can't wait to read about the fairy tale  branding spin the nutrition blogs are about to put on this upcoming fad.