THE HEALTHY PATH: Everyday Health Tips for a Stronger Body and Mind

  10 Everyday Habits That Are Secretly Draining Your Mental Health Let me guess… You feel tired all the time. You’re snapping at people over little things. You don’t even remember the last time you truly felt peaceful. But when someone asks how you’re doing, you smile and say:  “I’m fine. Just tired.” Ah., The international lie of the century. Truth is, you’re not lazy.  You’re not dramatic. You’re just mentally exhausted. And the scary part is, you might not even know what’s draining you. Let’s break it down. Here are 10 sneaky habits you probably do every day that are quietly messing with your mental health and what to do instead. 1. Checking Your Phone Before You Even Pee in the Morning Be honest. You haven’t even opened your eyes properly, but you’ve already scrolled through 3 WhatsApp chats , checked Instagram , and read one depressing headline. The damage? You’re feeding your brain chaos before it’s even fully awake. No wonder you feel anxious by 9 AM. Try this ins...

10 Nutrition Myths That Are Secretly Ruining Your Health. Let me guess. You stopped eating rice because someone on Instagram said it gives you belly fat. You bought one “detox” tea and spent the next 24 hours in the toilet, wondering if your ancestors were punishing you. You’ve been trying to eat healthy, but everywhere you turn, someone’s shouting: “Carbs are the devil!” “Fat is the enemy!” “Don’t eat after 7 PM or you’ll explode! Chill. 😅 Let’s fix that today. Because some of these so-called “healthy” rules you’re following are actually making things worse. Let’s bust 10 popular nutrition myths that are secretly messing with your health (and sanity). 1. “Carbs Will Make You Fat” When I told my aunty I was eating yam, she looked at me like I was drinking poison. The truth? Carbs are your body's main source of energy. It’s not the carbs making you gain weight.  It’s the excess calories, fried everything, and no portion control. Rice is not the enemy. The mountain of rice with 5 sp...

In recent times on social media platforms like Twitter, there have been ongoing discussions about PCOS, PCOS management and what it is.  If you have heard about this term and wondered what it is and its effect on women, you should read this post Why am I gaining weight without eating? Why is my period always doing hide and seek? Why is my chin growing a full-blown beard? Why do I cry over ice cream and then yell over toothpaste? If you’ve ever asked these questions, congrats sis… Your hormones are probably misbehaving  and PCOS might be behind it. Let Me Tell You a True-Life Story Once upon a time, in the mighty city of Port Harcourt, there was a lady named Ada.  Ada was your typical 25-year-old, smart, beautiful, funny, and in love with shawarma. But one day, Ada noticed her body was acting somehow: Her period vanished for 3 months (and she wasn't pregnant). Her skin turned into a teenage war zone. Her jeans suddenly stopped fitting, even though she hadn’t changed her d...

So, last year, I was feeling on top of the world. I was working hard, sleeping less, skipping meals, adding “just small salt” to my food like it owed me money , living the typical hustle life. No headaches.  No dizziness.  I felt fine.  Until my body said, “Oga, you dey play?” The Wake-Up Call I went to the clinic to support a friend. He was getting his blood pressure checked, and I just joined for vibes. Nurse: “madam,  do you want to check yours too?” Me: “Sure, why not? I’m as strong as an ox.” Nurse checks. Pauses. Looks at me. She says, “Your blood pressure is high.” I laughed,  It's not. I thought it was stress.  Or maybe I hadn’t eaten.  We checked again. Still high. That was the day I met Hypertension  the silent killer that almost caught me off guard. Let Me Break It Down for You…, what exactly is Hypertension  Hypertension ( High Blood Pressure) happens when the force of your blood pushing against your blood vessels is too high for ...

If Sickle Cell Affected the Majority, Would We Have a Cure by Now? Let me take you into a living room in Lagos.   Picture this scenario ; A 10-year-old child is curled up like a comma on a threadbare couch. His eyes are swollen from crying.  He hasn’t walked in two days. Every breath he takes sounds like a small war is going on inside his chest. He looks up at his mother and says in a voice that's barely more than a whisper, “Mama, why is my blood fighting me?” Boom. Right there. That line alone should make you stop scrolling. Because that’s what a sickle cell crisis feels like.  Your blood turning against you.  Your very life source becoming a battlefield.  And if that doesn’t make you want to understand more about sickle cell disease, maybe you’ve never met someone who lives with it.  But don’t worry, you’re about to. Meet Tega. He’s Not Your Regular Guy. Tega is 27. He loves plantain (the overripe ones, fried until golden, don’t judge him).  He...

Hey You. Yeah, You With the Salt Shaker. Your Heart’s Trying to Tell You Something. Let’s set the scene. You’re halfway through a greasy, glorious double cheeseburger at 11:43 PM. You’re on the couch, watching reruns of that show you pretend not to like, and suddenly, BAM. Tightness in your chest. You pause. You think: “Probably indigestion. Definitely not a heart attack. I’m too young. I’ve got stuff to do. I just bought almond milk.” But here’s the truth ; your heart doesn’t care that you still get carded at bars.  It doesn’t care that you do yoga twice a year. And if you’re not listening, it might just file a resignation letter, sudden and dramatic. So pull up a chair. Let’s talk about the two big heart things people get mixed up more often than socks after laundry day: Heart Attack vs. Heart Failure They’re not the same, and if your heart could talk, it’d say, “Please, for the love of arteries, get this right.” Heart Attack: The Cardiovascular Ambush Imagine you’re throwing a p...

Let’s get real for a second:  menstrual cramps are the unwanted party guests that show up every month, stick around for way too long, and have zero chill.  You can try ignoring them, but they’re like that one friend who never stops texting, always needing attention.  If you’ve ever curled up in a ball, cursing the universe, questioning all your life choices, you know exactly what I mean. But here’s the good news;   It doesn’t have to be this way.  Let’s talk about why cramps happen, what you can do to keep them from turning your uterus into a battlefield, and, of course, what to eat to put an end to the madness (well, at least the food part of it). The Why Behind the Cramps Let’s start with the science-y stuff. Menstrual cramps (also known as dysmenorrhea, but who wants to say that?) are essentially your body’s way of saying, “Hey, I’m shedding the lining of your uterus, and this is going to be a bit of a party.”  The muscles in the uterus contract to ...