How to burn excess calories

Did you know that calorie consumption and management can either improve your health or worsen it? The basic truth is that your well-being is partly dependent on the proper management of your food intake and physical activities. The combination of these two activities is crucial for the maintenance, sustenance or improvement of health and life quality.

Most people don’t usually apply this fitness formula properly. In most cases, clients follow this formula in the opposite direction; instead of eating less and burning more, they rather eat more and burn less. Fitness instructions are simple and straight to the point, but it can be frustrating if they are not properly followed.

Here’s how to eat less:

• Engage in portion control by reducing your plate size.
• Eat foods that are less in calories, avoid foods that contain too much starch, fat, salt and so on.
• Go green, eat lots of vegetables and fruits because they will keep you full and healthy.
• Stay hydrated, drink plenty of water throughout the day.
• Never go hungry; eat regularly but eat the right foods moderately.
• Watch your food intake by eating according to a plan.

When you exercise, you use up energy and burn calories off your body; so, to burn more, exercise more or put more efforts in your exercise routine to enable you use more energy and burn more calories. You can achieve this by:

• Exercising at least 30 minutes for at least five days in a week.
• Get an exercise routine that will help you burn more calories.
• Get a calorie counter and set a target for every day.
• Get a personal trainer.

If you eat and don’t make use of the energy you get from the food, the energy from the food will remain in your body and be stored up as fat. The energy stored as fat in your body causes belly fat and, in most cases, obesity, and some health-related challenges.

Contributed by: Onyekachi Kalu, BeFitNaija Fitness instructor +2348050862690 or send a mail to befitnaija@gmail.com

Foods that lower cholesterol

Oats: Eating a diet rich in whole grains is associated with having healthier cholesterol levels. Oats contain a soluble fibre called beta-glucan. If you currently have high cholesterol levels, oats can lower cholesterol by as much as 20 per cent. Oats and oatmeal are also an excellent source of minerals and protein.

Walnuts: Walnuts are rich in both monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids. Eating these nuts may be able to reduce cholesterol levels by around 15 per cent, and may also improve blood vessel function and reduce inflammation. Walnuts are also an excellent source of vitamin E, minerals and B-complex vitamins.

Dry beans: Dry beans, such as kidney beans, navy beans, and black beans, are very high in fibre and plant proteins. Adding beans to a diet can reduce cholesterol levels, as long as the overall calorie count is not increased. Beans are also high in B-complex vitamins and minerals.

Olive oil: Olive oil is probably the best-known source of monounsaturated fatty acids and can reduce cholesterol and inflammation. Olive oil should be included in a heart-healthy diet in place of saturated or trans fats.

Orange juice: Orange juice is best known as a breakfast drink and source of vitamin C. But it’s also high in potassium, magnesium, vitamin A and B-complex vitamins. One research study also found that drinking orange juice every day lowered cholesterol levels and suggested that orange juice might also be helpful for people who didn’t have elevated cholesterol.

Avocado: This is an excellent source of monounsaturated fatty acids and plant sterols that can help to reduce cholesterol. Research suggests that adding avocado to a heart-healthy diet can increase the cholesterol-lowering benefit. Avocado is also rich in protein, fibre, B-complex vitamins, vitamin K, and several minerals.

Source: about.com

Ojukwu never imagined I’d go to war – Gowon

Former military head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon

A former military head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, says the leader of the defunct Biafra, the late Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, underestimated him by thinking that he (Gowon) would never go to war.

Gowon, who led Nigerian forces to defeat Ojukwu’s army during the Nigerian civil war from 1967-1970, said this at the Diamond Jubilee Lecture of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria in Lagos on Thursday.

The former head of state said he was known to be a ‘Born Again’ Christian and Ojukwu, who was the then premier of the Eastern Region, thought his region could secede from Nigeria without consequences because he thought Gowon would not want to go to war.

He said, “During the crisis, my colleague and brother, Emeka Ojukwu, said, ‘We know Gen. Gowon, he is a Christian and he would not like to fight. Do you know the first thing he puts in his suitcase? His Bible; and that will make him not to engage in a fight’. I think unfortunately, he was proved wrong.

“As a Christian soldier, it was my duty to keep my country together.”

Gowon said he was happy that the new generation of Nigerian leaders were also putting the unity of Nigeria above their political ambitions.

He said despite the predictions that Nigeria would break up in 2015, the elections went on peacefully.

He also commended President Goodluck Jonathan and the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, for the conduct and outcome of the election.

Gowon commended the church, particularly Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, for its role in nation building.

He said, “During the civil war from 1967-1970, it was the prayers of the people of God and the military that helped to keep the country together. It was God that helped to stem the tide of coups so that we could enjoy democracy today.

“Even when many predicted the break-up of Nigeria by 2015, the effective prayers of the people intervened and the elections were peaceful. As an observer, I was impressed by the turnout and camaraderie of all Nigerians.

“I said if the elections could be this peaceful, the end would be glorious. And didn’t it become glorious? It did by the act of good leadership in both parties and the acceptance of the outcome of the election even though it went against one of them.”

Also speaking, the Vice Chancellor, Mcpherson University, Ogun State, Prof. Adeniyi Agunbiade, said the church must be active in nation building.

He, therefore, urged all Christians to show the world the way.

“The church is more than just buildings and edifices; it is the lifeline of any society. It is a unique solution that should inculcate change. The church plays a very significant role in the society. It is meant to be the salt and light in the society, being the only organisation in the world with such high morality level,” he said.

Gov forum’s crisis paved the way for PDP defeat –Tinubu, Soyinka

 Tinubu, Soyinka

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Thursday in Lagos said the 2013 Nigeria Governors’ Forum crisis paved the way for the end of the 16-year rule of the   Peoples Democratic Party.

They made the observation during the public presentation of ‘Dynamics of Change: The Amaechi Years,’ a book edited by a former Managing Director of Daily Times, Yemi Ogunbiyi, and author, Chidi Amuta.

They explained that the crisis provided the spark that led to a common sense revolution as witnessed in the defeat of the PDP by the All Progressives Congress.

The NGF crisis erupted from an election organised by the 36 governors of the federation. Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State garnered 19 votes while his Plateau State counterpart, Jonah Jang,   had 16 votes.

However, the Presidency chose to recognise Jang as the chairman, thereby causing a split in the forum and   the defection of five governors from the PDP to the APC.

Tinubu, in comments at the event,   said when the split happened, he quickly wooed Amaechi.

He described the Rivers State governor as the general that   the APC used to secure victory during the just concluded general elections.

Tinubu   said the APC played on President Goodluck Jonathan’s lack of understanding of Arithmetic to defeat him.

He said, “Governor Amaechi and most of the governors thought of a different arithmetic algebra without derivative. Thirty six minus 16 is equal to X and if X is greater than 16, suggest the answer and if you can’t, you have failed democratic arithmetic.

“Amaechi resisted it and we joined him in the resistance. Of course, how can a leader educate and be responsible for the future of our citizens if he cannot do a division of sum total of a number, 36? We are glad today that we decided and we got rid of that leadership through ‘General’ Amaechi.”

Tinubu stated that his message of a common sense revolution gripped Nigeria and opened their eyes.

He said for instance, the Civic Centre on Victoria Island used to be a dumpsite but the state government sold it to the Chairman of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia, who   turned it into a revenue-spinning machine that now pays tax to the state.

The APC leader said it was the same method that the APC would use in redefining the history of Nigeria.

He said, “We are in this hall because of its good construction. The hall is part of a common sense revolution. It used to be a dumpsite   but we asked our friend, Jim Ovia,   to excavate it and pay whatever price to the government.     He took the risk and it is paying off. It is part of the common sense revolution.’’

The former governor also enjoined all APC stakeholders and other Nigerians to brace for the post-election challenges.

He said, “Elections are over and both the leaders and citizens must brace themselves to meet the challenges required to build a better, more prosperous nation. Indeed, even as we subscribe to the tenets of common sense revolution, we must retool ourselves; the new leadership must embark on policies that will improve the general well-being of our people.

“This revolution is not a violent one to tear things down; it is a revolution to rescue us from violence, injustice and poverty. It is a positive one to rescue, repair and restructure the nation and its institutions in ways that further collective prosperity and well-being. The only violence that is to be done is to violence, injustice and poverty.”

Tinubu said Amaechi, who was the director-general of the APC Campaign Organisation, would be given a key position in the incoming Buhari administration for his role in the party’s victory.

He said what Amaechi and his colleagues in the NGF wanted was a better management of the Federation Account .

The former governor said, “Governor Amaechi and most of the governors want a properly defined federalist relationship with the government at the centre. The President would have none of that as in the notable example of the management of the federation account. This is, therefore, another great opportunity to salute Amaechi’s rare courage of conviction and sense of purpose.

“The APC change agenda is anchored on the three Rs – Reform, Relief, and Recovery. It is the tripod upon which Nigeria must operate in order to unleash her potential.

“Rotimi will go on from here to continue to serve Nigeria in key positions. He will not be alone. He will share the company of many change agents and professionals who have cast their lots with the new political order under the leadership of the President-elect,   Muhammadu Buhari.”

Like Tinubu,     Soyinka pointed out that the NGF crisis marked the beginning of the end of the Jonathan administration.

Soyinka said one of his close friends in Aso Rock had urged him to talk to Amaechi to stop attacking the Presidency as his party(APC) would not succeed in defeating Jonathan.

The playwright, who is a notable critic of Jonathan, said the two architects of the APC victory were Tinubu and Amaechi.

He said, “In the political atmosphere today, whatever you call it, change or hope or cautious hope and or careless hope, I recognise two personalities in particular who led the chant of change. One of them, I call him the architect of the process, the architect in fact, that houses the essence of hope Bola Tinubu.

“The other person (Amaechi) was unconsciously, perhaps, the arrowhead of that charge that led to the change and that is the man that we gather here to celebrate.

“He was the one who said no, we cannot turn the clock backwards. Nothing about the philosophy of the clock runs against what we were hoping for. It was a very unpopular and risky decision to take. But it exposed to us the basic arithmetic fallacy of governance in demonstrating that when 16 is said to be higher than 19, something is fundamentally wrong and the same kind of arithmetic leads to the cooking of figures in governance.

“And it was within that nexus that he stood up and challenged even his own colleagues, and said let’s change the mentality of the stock, let us re-orientate it towards the people and towards the nation and the electorate.”

In his remarks, Amaechi said he and Tinubu had disagreements during the electioneering but   were able to put their differences aside in the interest of the party.

He said Jonathan destroyed the governors’ forum but expressed joy that with the APC victory, things would return to normal.

He said, “I was determined that there should be a change because if there’s no change, things will not move. Even before our   convention, I got Asiwaju Tinubu angry. I went to him and implored that we should not fight or disagree over issues.

“I told him that the important thing was for us to win first and after which, we can disagree. I believe that we must win and make a change. I am ready to make a sacrifice.

“I am proud to be a part of the change process. I am not stubborn but principled. I speak the truth and abide by the rules. In the governors’ forum, we set up a mechanism where we go from state to state to see how the governors were faring, unfortunately, the President scattered the forum.”

I haven’t got useful tips from Jonathan – Buhari

President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari

President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has accused the outgoing Goodluck Jonathan government of not giving him “tips” on how to kick-start his administration on May 29.

He spoke on Thursday when a committee from the   Centre for Human Security of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, presented a five-point policy document to him at the Buhari Support Organisation office in Abuja.

Hours before the event which held behind closed doors, the All Progressives Congress, insisted   that the Federal Government was not cooperating with the transition committee set up by the President-elect.

“Buhari regretted that the outgoing government that is supposed to give him tips on how to take off has done nothing so far,” Garba Shehu, the Director of Media and Publicity of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation, told journalists after the presentation by the committee.

Shehu added that the President-elect “thanked the Obasanjo initiative for the gesture, assuring the committee that his incoming administration will be needing advice as time goes on.”

Areas covered by committee in the   document    include the economy, security, power, education and infrastructure.

He said that Obasanjo had set up a think tank to carry out a study on the challenges facing the country in the five key areas.

The study, he added, was started four months ago “so that the outcome will be made available to the incoming administration after the election.”

He also revealed that Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Christopher Kolade, who headed the power committee, gave various stages of the proposed power sector development plan to include short-term, medium-term, long-term solutions.

Under the short-term solution, the plan seeks to raise the country’s power generation to 10,000 MW within a very short period of time.

He added that the president-elect described the   intervention of Obasanjo and his team as a great impetus for the incoming government.

The vice-chairman of the committee, who is a former Minister of Finance,   Kalu Idika Kalu, said, “We have looked at education, security, economy, power and Infrastructure. Those are the areas we have made recommendations and which we hope the new administration would be able to work on.”

He further explained that the president-elect was very happy that they had been thinking about how to help him hit the ground running.

The   Chairman of the centre’s   governing board,   Akin Mabogunje. who also spoke to journalists after the event, said the committee had been working on a number of critical issues for the development of the country.

According to him, a delegation of the committee members involved in the preparation of the policy document was sent to present the report to the President-elect.

Earlier on Thursday , the APC described as untrue, a statement credited to the spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party, Oliseh Metuh, that the   Jonathan administration was cooperating with the transition committee constituted by the President-elect.

It also described Metuh in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, as a man with “an incurable disdain for truth.”

The PDP spokesman had   in the said statement accused the APC of raising a false alarm over happenings within the Jonathan and the Buhari transition committees.

However, Mohammed insisted that the uncooperative attitude of the Jonathan team   had continued despite its public posturing.

The   APC statement Read, “We say with all sense of responsibility that as of today, May 14, 2015, just about two weeks to the May 29 handover date, no shred of information as to the status of governance from any ministry, department or agency of government has been given to our transition committee.”

“If that qualifies, in Metuh’s lexicon, as cooperation, then there is a problem somewhere. We dare Metuh or anyone for that matter, to controvert the fact that not a line of handover note has been handed over to our transition committee.”

The APC also restated its earlier call to Metuh to urgently undertake a course on how to be an opposition party spokesman so that he would not talk or write himself into avoidable troubles in the days ahead.

It equally admonished him to always verify information available to him in order to separate rumours from facts.

The statement further read, “Metuh decided to put his foot in his mouth when he latched on to the statement made by our Transition Committee Chairman, forgetting that in making his statement, the chairman was only advising him against anything that would put the Federal Government in a bad light.

“A discerning party spokesman, rather than a rabble-rousing one, would have understood the elder statesman’s stand for what it is instead of using it as a peg to issue a needless, hollow statement that puts his party and government in a bad light.”

The APC said it had decided to allow bygones be bygones, but now that Metuh had stirred the hornet’s nest, it was time to put out the facts for Nigerians to judge.

It added,   “What happened was that, following the request by our transition committee to meet with them, they invited us to what was the first formal meeting between both transition committees.

“But the meeting was a mere photo-op, as it yielded nothing concrete as far as handover notes are concerned.

“In fact, what we met at the so-called meeting was far worse than what we had thought. Whereas we had hoped to get their handover notes on May 14th (the date they had indicated to us informally), they told us point blank that the notes won’t be ready until May 24th.

“Because this date falls on a Sunday that means we won’t be getting the handover notes until May 25th, just four days before the May 29th handover date.

“How do they honestly expect us to peruse thousands of pages of handover notes, ask pertinent questions and seek necessary clarifications within four days? Because we want a smooth transition, we asked if we could meet with some of the ministers pending the release of the handover notes, but they said no.

“When one of their members even suggested that the whole process be fast-tracked, they did not budge.

“Despite this setback, we decided not to put the whole issue in the public domain, until the babbling Metuh decided to look for trouble, describing the deliberate stonewalling by the Jonathan Administration as cooperation.”

Lead poisoning kills 27 children in Niger State

The Federal Government has confirmed the death of 27 children in a fresh outbreak of lead poisoning from illegal mining in Niger State.

The Minister of State for Health, Fidelis Nwankwo, stated this during a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja. He said 63 cases of the outbreak had been confirmed by the government in the state while many animals in affected communities had died.

He said there is palpable fear among neighbouring communities in Kaduna State. However, he said the disease is not contagious.

The communities affected are Shikira, Magiro Ward and Kawo, all in Rafi Local Government, according to the Director of Port Health in the ministry, Dr. Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, who led the Federal Government’s team to the areas.

Gwarzo emphasized that the outbreak was deadlier than the one which broke out in Zamfara in 2011, in which 400 people were killed.

According to him, the public should not have excessive fear over the outbreak but should instead take all precautionary measures against its spread.

On his part, Nwankwo said the Ministry of Health received report of the outbreak on May 7 and immediately swung into action.

He said, “The lead poisoning was confirmed and it is confirmed that most of the people affected are children below the age of five years. The affected children were found to have high serum lead levels of between 171.5 – 224ug Pb/dl (normal is less than 10ug Pb/dl). That means, 17-22 times higher than the acceptable limits, as established by the World Health Organization.

“The rapid assessment by the NCDC/FMOH/MMSD revealed that as at May 12, 2015, 65 cases and 27 deaths had occurred, giving a case fatality rate of 43 percent. All the 27 cases were children below the age of five made up of 17 females and 11 males.

“Additionally, the finding revealed a serious impact on our livestock with cows, goats and chickens most affected. The devastating impact of this outbreak is associated with new mining sites which were found to contain more leaded ores which are often brought home for crushing and processing.”

He listed efforts made by the government to include advocacy meeting with community leaders in the state, including sensitization of communities in the state.

Nwankwo explained further that the government had commenced the process of establishing incident command structure to enhance routine coordination of the outbreak response.

Besides, the minister said government was already mobilizing health facilities in Nigeria and Zamfara State to commence action.

He ordered that all laws affecting mining in the country should be respected while illegal mining should stop in the state.

Why I challenged past presidential elections – Buhari

 President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari

President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday explained why he went to court to challenge the results of the presidential elections, he lost in 2003, 2007 and 2011.

Buhari, who stated this when Delta State All Progressives Congress members visited him in Abuja, said that he took the decision because he believed Nigeria must be free.

Buhari, who contested and lost 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections, said, “Going through the court is not easy, both materially and physically, and I maintained that consistency because my view about my country is that Nigeria should be truly free.”

He condoled with the delegates over the killing of some people during the last general elections.

The president-elect stated, “I understand why many of you, who were denied the opportunity to choose those you want to represent and lead you are taking the line I took in the last 12 years – in line with our constitution.

“Whether you get it or not, the most important thing is that you believe in the system and you should continue to try until the system is perfect.

“I express my condolence to you for the people murdered and I assure you that my objective of remaining consistently in partisan politics is to make sure that Nigerians are given their inherent right to choose whoever they want to lead them,” he said.

The president-elect said that he would never support anybody who undermined that right of Nigerians.

He added that arming unemployed youths and sending them to kill their own people was the worst thing anybody aspiring to leadership could do.

According to him, he would concentrate on what Nigerians would be proud of, adding that Nigerians would be respected globally.

Buhari said that the first objective of the APC would be security, adding that insecurity destroyed the economy.

The leader of the delegation and the APC governorship candidate in the state, Otega Emerhor, alleged that the PDP disenfranchised the people of a Delta and the South-South at both the presidential and governorship elections.

He stated, “ As our submission to the tribunal in respect of the governorship and state assembly elections will demonstrate, in truth, the majority of Deltans were ready for the change you represent and were geared to vote massively for you and APC.

“Unfortunately, a grand design executed by the PDP in the South-South and South- East and particularly in Delta, Rivers and Akwa Ibom made sure that no proper elections took place.”

He alleged that result sheets were confiscated and results fabricated, adding the PDP resorted to violence and intimidation.