GOING WILD Only For Those Who Can

Introduction

Ever since I holidayed with my late grandma, Saint Emilia Ononuju, accompanied her for tuber farming, the harvest of fresh herbs and wild vegetables from her garden and the slow gril ing of grass-fed beef over a low, open fire, I have loved the beauty and flavor of nature, so freely given.

Then my father, Dr. Emmanuel Ogbenna slumped from blood sugar related issues. My world seemed to have turned topsy-turvy until I watched nature help to stabilize him for another 10years until he passed. I strongly believe that a good God graciously arranged everything we could ever need for a good life. It’s left for us to discover what has been made available on earth.

Really, the best things in life are wild and free.

 

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Acknowledgement

It is total y possible that without my mum, I wouldn’t have ever written this book. Thanks mum, for always insisting on and being committed to the best for me. Now that I have a daughter and a son, I total y understand. I too wil accept nothing less than the very best for God’s treasures entrusted into my care.

 

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Chapter One

THE THIN LINE BETWEEN HEALTH, WEIGHT AND HAPPINESS

There’s so much more to health than weight loss. What do you weigh? What’s your height? How many calories do you consume daily? These are the questions most people ask and are being asked these days. However, the question we should be asking is how healthy are you? How can you get healthier? Asking questions about weight and daily calorie intake is tantamount to putting the cart before the horse. We al know the horse is what counts and the cart just mirrors the capability or incapability of the horse.

 

Being healthy is far more than having an ideal weight. Though a healthy weight is many times a result of being healthy, you can attain and maintain the expected weight for your height and stil be unhealthy. Far more important than how much or how little fat is deposited around the body is how they relate to the organs of the body and how healthy these and other cel s of the body are. These have so little to do with how much calories you consume, it’s a wonder why there is so much talk in health circles about calories. The ideal for everyone should rather be staying happy in the body you occupy while harnessing the goodness in that body and over time transforming it into the body of your dreams. The skinny guy of last month can become the thick guy of today and the curvy lady of last year can become today’s slender lady. Bodies change; sometimes almost overnight.

Some of the most common precursors to body changes are change in lifestyle, sickness or relationship status. So, it’s important to know where you are in your life and grasp your reasons for doing the things you do. No other human can understand you more than yourself. People sometimes change jobs and find that the job demands a certain level of physical activity, you can be sure sculpted arms are around the corner. The reverse would be the case if the nature of a new job is sedentary. Sometimes people become couch potatoes when they find themselves suddenly out of a job.

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The most common lifestyle change that affects the body is when a baby is expected and the body takes up the additional task of nourishing another human being from conception to delivery and many times through the postpartum year up until the child is weaned. When people are ill, they tend to shed a lot of weight. In rare cases though, they could add weight. That’s why it’s a good idea to see your doctor about any unusual weight gain or loss that you cannot attribute to your own conscious effort. Health requires close watching.

 

Emotional stability or instability many times tells directly on the body. In certain parts of Africa, particularly in Nigeria where I grew up, once a young man gets married, he suddenly begins to put on extra weight. He has found his partner for life, now he is at ease. Whereas, the ladies tend to add weight from when they begin dating. Dating many times comes with a lot of eating out as the guy tries to woo his lady. Once married, the lady begins efforts to keep her man especial y by maintaining a trim figure.

 

There are different types of eaters and different ways to eat. Some people are forever nibbling on something. They probably have 3meals a day and just as many snacks. Some eat with the TV turned on or scrol ing through their phones. Some eat while working. Some eat and take a few minutes break and come back to finish up. Some rush their food so they don’t get tired of the meal before they finish. Some don’t chew completely before swal owing. Have you ever considered how you eat and why?

 

On the other side of what we eat and how we eat, is the mind with which we eat. This is usually a function of our emotional stability. Happiness is a key factor in our health and our weight management. When we are happy, we have the mental strength and boost to take proper care of ourselves which results in a healthy and trimmer self. A healthy relationship with the people in your life can easily transform into a healthy relationship with food. It’s like the next logical step.

Happiness is the key to a healthy life.

 

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In the journey to a healthier weight it’s vital to not only do it from a happy place, but to do it in a happy way. Decide to do what comes more natural y to you. Try not to cut out the foods you enjoy, rather reduce the amount of you eat and the frequency or find healthier replacements that are close to the real thing.

 

Build your meal plan around your favorite foods. Work your favorite sport or activity into your exercise routine. Do and eat what promotes your happiness. If you find you love spicy food, build your meals around spices. Have pepper soups chock-ful of veggies, healthy herbs, protein and peppers. If you love hanging out with friends, team up with friends for your evening strol or workouts. When we do this, it quickly becomes clear that living healthy isn’t that hard. Al it takes is a little planning from a happy perspective.

 

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