What is beyond being poor?

13244775_1142513485798829_7128016630007376506_nThere is a land not far from where we live; I’d say about 4-5 countries far away (depending if you count side to side)… too far to walk to yet many do so every day, where several communities seek to learn new ways to be sustained. Where women and men are rich in land and are learning to cultivate the dirt with no water, no shovels, and for many no plan. The other part of the land is green fruit filled, where bees are kept, they make honey that helps their communities grow.

I recently traveled to Nicaragua for a long weekend to meet a group of people who are creating positive social change. They are beyond working bees. They are leaders in communities helping advance people lives. Raising communities the way they’ve been taught how.

In this team there are leaders, one traveling and telling people all over the world of his non-profit. His job takes him everywhere and through what he makes he started this act of love his name is Vince. I call his Cosgrove. His partner Victoria, she operates the non-profit that is literally saving people’s lives. This non-profit is called Sweet Progress. They help communities help their people become entrepreneurs so they can stand on their own. There are women, children and men with undiagnosed disabilities, people who don’t have the ability to talk, or walk, and people that have no control of their body and children with resiliency far beyond what poverty is known to create. And just because they have such resiliency should they continue to live in such ways? They are choosing not to and choosing to advance in life.

How you ask? Here is one of many ways:

13241230_1142512055798972_738077219938598669_nI met a woman, she could not speak, she has two children, and she is learning how to make dresses so she can sell her works and feed her children, pay for her children’s schooling needs. A typical story you hear in the “third world scenes.” What you don’t know is that she lives in iron wooden stick hot open shelter home with little to no water. You only get one hour to pour and fill your buckets for every few days. The water wells, ponds and lakes have dried up, there use to be water all around them. Now, there is no walking 5-15 miles to get a gallon of water (it takes me 1 hour alone to walk 3.5-4 miles alone, imagine that). There is no water to cultivate their lands. A few years ago they where finally given the deeds to their lands. These communities created in old cane fields were given to them as payment for their hard work as a company they worked for broke during the Nicaraguan wars. This once was a land of the biggest company that grew sweet cane in Central America they once had sweet lands.

She is but one of many social 13240540_1142512262465618_6163187979074509963_nentrepreneurs I will tell you about in my next few posts. All I can tell you now is to buy their honey, to help them mend their lives and lands.

www.SweetProgress.org

More later: What is beyond being poor

Have a positive and giving day,

Jes

 

Beauty is Everything…or is it?

 

We live in a society in which we are constantly inundated with beauty. Advertisements constantly tell us what we need to buy to be beautiful and accepted. Instagram gurus are now making thousands, if not millions (see: Michelle Phan) for making tutorials on how to conceal that pimple or rock that smokey eye. Don’t get me wrong, I love make up, and I love checking out all the latest hair trends. But where are the ads that are calling us to become the best version of ourselves? Why is society so driven to create images rather than character?
Growing up, my parents, well my grandparents who raised me, did their best. I look back now, and being a mom, I realize they weren’t perfect, but they gave me all that they had. My grandmother, whom I miss dearly, in a misguided effort to keep me focused, used to tell me that I wasn’t pretty, like my best friend…that I had better focus on my grades. In her effort to keep me from being boy crazy and self-obsessed, she did some damage to my self-esteem that she didn’t realize. I literally thought that I was ugly, well into my late 20s.
Now before you start feeling sorry for me, let’s take a look at this in a different perspective. Because I didn’t think that I was beautiful, it allowed me to cultivate and work on other aspects of who I was becoming. I wanted to be considered generous, kind, helpful and supportive. I wanted to be an accountable and trustworthy person. I wanted to be unselfish, thinking about the big picture and needs of the team vs. me.
Realizing that looks aren’t everything allowed me to look for traits and qualities in others that had nothing to do with their looks. I wanted friends and lovers who loved others, who were generous and hard working. It didn’t matter to me what someone looked like, I wanted to understand their heart, their work ethic and their values.
So based on those values, and hard learned lessons, it’s interesting to interact with people today who are literally obsessed with appearance…yet have empty hearts and selfish perspectives towards others. We are constantly fooled and made to feel inferior by others highlight reel via social media.
Beauty is really about how you treat others, how you value yourself, your true self, and what you contribute to the world around you. Beauty is found in serving in a soup kitchen, or holding an open door for someone else. Beauty is on display when we put the needs of others before our own. We are at our most beautiful when we are seeking a life that serves the needs of others. We are beautiful when we are living out the purpose for which we were placed on the earth. We are beautiful when we choose to do what’s right, even when no one is looking. Beauty comes from building character, and working to become the best version of ourselves…a lifelong work.
So while selfies likes, and advertisements seem to dictate what beauty really is made of, remember that true beauty comes from within.

Stay Beautiful,

Brandise

BeautybyBrandise.com

Fitness For Busy Professionals

By Helen Troncoso

RENEW. REFOCUS. REINVENT.

Let’s face it, not everyone has a few hours everyday to spend at the gym. To top it off, our obesity epidemic continues to rise despite the increasing number of gyms available each year. Lucky for you, fitness doesn’t only happen at the gym. Here are three tips to get healthy and fit for even the busiest professional. Thirty Minutes To A New You Anytime you can do less work, and still get great results is a deal in my book. A 2012 study published in the American Journal of Physiology found that thirty minutes of daily exercise is just as effective for losing weight as sixty minutes. Get in there, and get it done! If you can read a magazine, text or play on Facebook while exercising, all you’re doing is wasting your precious time. Look for exercise plans that combine interval training, strength training, core exercises and stretching. Don’t forget to mix it up so you’re body doesn’t get used to a particular routine. If you’re strength training, change your routine every two weeks. Like to run? Add in some crosstraining and circuits to see a boost in your running time and performance. The best thing you can do is to be consistent, and emphasize quality over quantity.

Schedule your success

In a perfect world we would have all the time in the day to exercise. Then reality hits and you need to get the kids out the door, and fix yourself so you’re not doing your makeup while driving, once again. Schedule the time to workout. Lay out your clothes the night before. As a matter of fact, sleep in your gym clothes if it will help strike one more excuse why you can’t workout. You don’t need to plan a routine that’s overly complicated, but you also don’t want to “wing it” either. Go for something in-between. Write out short term and long-term goals so you know if you’re progressing or not. Use technology to help keep you on track and in shape. Apps like MyFitnessPal, GymPact, Nexercise and Nike Training Club are just some of the great tools you can use to save time and automate your schedule..

Never neglect nutrition

Here’s the thing, you can never, ever out train a bad diet. Eating well is often the difference between success and failure. Especially if you have one of those super busy days where you absolutely can’t do a quick workout. Think about it, this is the only body you’re going to have, so why not treat it well? Feed it food that will help you power through any boardroom meeting, and especially while you’re catching up on those late night e-mail. A general rule of thumb is to skip the nonfat, low fat, too many ingredients you can’t even pronounce trap. Feed your body real food. Planning and prepping meals for you and your entire family is healthier, will save you money and give you more time to spend on yourself. If you don’t take care of your health, it will eventually catch up to you and you won’t be around to take care of that family you sacrifice so much for. Change your perspective on exercise, and find inspiration and motivation from everything around you. It will help to keep you on track especially when your mind is screaming at you all the reasons why you can’t do this. Matter of fact, stop thinking about all the things you can’t do, and make a true commitment to living a healthier and happier life today. Disclaimer: Always consult with your medical doctor before starting any rigorous workout, especially if you have a preexisting condition. Start off slow and build from there to help avoid burnout and injury.

Source:

  1. Rosenkilde, P. L. Auerbach, M. H. Reichkendler, T. Ploug, B. M. Stallknecht, A. Sjodin. Body fat loss and compensatory mechanisms in response to different doses of aerobic exercise – a randomized controlled trial in overweight sedentary males. AJP: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 2012

Dr. Helen Troncoso is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, health expert and founder of Reinventing You, LLC where she helps busy people get healthy and fit. For more health and wellness tips, visit her website at: www.helentroncoso.com

 

5 New Year Resolutions You DEFINITELY want to make for 2014

By Brandise Brockington

In a media driven, beauty inundated society, we are pressured to work on our outside appearances, and sometimes, our insides, the true essence of who we are, can be in serious need of T.L.C.

While pursuing a new diet, to get rid of those holiday pound cakes, or starting a new workout regime, add these tips for use in the New Year, and all year long as well.

  1. Pursue Peace:

Our lives can get very busy! Work, Relationships, Responsibilities….all of these can leave us wiped out and stressed out. What can you schedule into your list of busy life demands that fosters your peace? I say schedule, because it has to be non negotiable. Here are a few ideas: a walk on the beach, sing in the shower, get a pedicure, read a book….

  1. Love Yourself:

Sounds easier said than done, but I mean it in a balanced way. Love your strengths, be aware of your weaknesses, and celebrate whom you are and how far you have come. Don’t spend any time comparing yourself to someone else’s journey. I have always believed that true beauty radiates from the inside out, and we can’t truly love others, until we love ourselves.

  1. Forgive:

Yes I said it! When you read this, was there a certain person whose face came to mind? Is there a situation that happened last year, or before, that still boils your blood?   I read once, that forgives is like drinking poison, and expecting the other person to die. Isn’t that crazy? Forgiveness is for YOU, not them. Forgiveness means you release the offending party in your HEART, so that you can be healthy. It in no way justifies or makes acceptable whatever they have done to you. You may need to find someone to help you walk through this process, but I promise you, in the end, you will be healthy and whole inside!

  1. Laugh Loud and Laugh Often:

Did you know that laughter is good medicine? Have you ever had one of those good laughs, the ones that make you cry? I have a friend, and she is soooo funny! When she calls me, it’s usually to tell some silly thing that happened to her, and we literally are crying tears of joy on the phone! Sometimes, it’s just those moments that are so timely, and extremely effective in relieving stress.   I also remember once having an awful break up. I was so sad. I called that same friend’s mom because I needed some advice on how to cope. She told me to watch some part of my favorite funny movie everyday, even if it was just a few minutes. It helped! It got my mind off of the break up, and I felt better! Laughter is healing!

  1. Focus on the Positive:

Let’s face it; it’s much easier to focus on what’s WRONG. Turn on the news, and the reports are filled with the negative and horrible things that happened today in your neighborhood, and around the world.   We have to put forth effort to find the good, and focus on that. I am not suggesting that we live in a happy bubble, ignoring problems that arise. Make yourself write a list of the 5 things that went RIGHT today. Also, make a jar, and for every good thing that happens to you in 2014, make a note and drop it in the jar. Fill the jar with positive quotes as well. When you are having a bad day, pull something out, and remind yourself to focus on the positive.

Beauty radiates from the inside out. Let’s spend 2014 working on our hearts, minds, and our spirit. Here’s to a beautiful 2014!

BOH Beauty

Brandise is a stylist working from Hawaii to New York. She is an advocate for children and health as she knows that Self-esteem is concern in the Beauty community.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Brandise has always had a passion for all things beauty. Brandise recalls, “I remember playing in my grandmother’s make up as often as I could when I was a little girl. And I have always been the family hairstylist for as long as I can remember.”

Brandise specializes in bringing excellence and simplicity to the complex beauty process. She is adept at bringing beauty to your everyday life, and enhancing that beauty for special occasions.