Nia Long Is Joining The Cast of Netflix's 'Dear White People'

Pictured, actress Nia Long

Written by Mike Orie of TheConsciousTip.com

The film turned Netflix comedy series 'Dear White People' is adding new stars to it's cast just in time for production.

Continue Reading


Nia Long is joining the cast of 'Dear White People.' Long will play the role of Neika Hobbs. Hobbs will appear as an African American studies professor at the series fictional Winchester University.

Long is most notable for her work as an actress in films such as Big Mama's House, Are We There Yet, Best Man, Soul Food and Friday. She most recently starred in the ABC series Uncle Buck.

Dear White People first made its debut in theaters back in 2014. The film tells the story of four black students at an Ivy League college and the comedy series is based on the earlier released biopic. The 10-episode series is expected to go into production this month, with an anticipated 2017 release.

What are your thoughts on Nia Long being added to the cast?

********************

Mike "Orie" Mosley is a freelance writer/photographer and cultural advocate from St. Louis. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Arts, Entertainment & Media Management from Columbia College Chicago and a Masters in Higher Education Administration from LSU. He is also the co-founder of music and culture website http://ift.tt/1QXC23X. In his spare time, he's probably listening to hip hop & neo soul music, hitting up brunch or caught up in deep conversations about Black music. You can follow him on Twitter @mike_orie or on Instagram @mikeorie

from Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Care http://ift.tt/2de4bpo

Watch This TED Video on The History of African American Dance

Image courtesy of TED TALK

Written by Mike Orie of TheConsciousTip.com

For centuries, social dances have always played a significant part in the history of African American culture. Dances symbolized everything from a sense of community and belonging to artistic expression.

Continue Reading


In this new TED video, choreographer, educator and TED Fellow Camille A. Brown explores what happens when communities let loose and express themselves by dancing together. The video takes us through 25 different dance styles prominent in the African American community. In the clip, you'll see everything from the Charleston to the Nae Nae.

Dance has always been a prominent form of expression in the African American community and its diasporas, tracing back to Africa, and migrating to the U.S. For example, 'The Twist' can be traced back to the 19th century, brought to America from the Congo during slavery. By the 1950's 'The Twist' would be popularized by Chubby Checker and Dick Clark, making its way into many different scenes from White teenagers to Latin America. Dance has brought many different social groups together, and African Americans have for so long been at the forefront of the culture.

In just 5 minutes, the video does an excellent job of highlighting the history of African American dance. Camille A. Brown also shows us how cultural appropriation has become a thing, with many of our cultural pieces breaking into mainstream.

"Why do we dance? To move, to let loose, to express. Why do we dance together? To heal, to remember to say, we speak a common language. We exist, and we are free."

Watch the video clip below. Which is your favorite dance?

********************

Mike "Orie" Mosley is a freelance writer/photographer and cultural advocate from St. Louis. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Arts, Entertainment & Media Management from Columbia College Chicago and a Masters in Higher Education Administration from LSU. He is also the co-founder of music and culture website http://ift.tt/1QXC23X. In his spare time, he's probably listening to hip hop & neo soul music, hitting up brunch or caught up in deep conversations about Black music. You can follow him on Twitter @mike_orie or on Instagram @mikeorie

from Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Care http://ift.tt/2dd8ncn

Seven Years Primal: Healthier, Stronger, and Wiser Than Ever

It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. In fact, I have a contest going right now. So if you have a story to share, no matter how big or how small,  you’ll be in the running to win a big prize. Read more here.

Today’s story is an update (and compilation of lessons learned) from long time Primal veteran, Timothy. As you may know from past “Where Are They Now?” articles, I like to periodically check in with friends that have shared their success stories on Mark’s Daily Apple to see how they’re doing. Timothy’s transformation is an awesome one, and he’s maintained his improvements for years. So his words of wisdom come with a lot of clout.

Enjoy!

“If youth but knew; if age but could.” – Henri Estienne

We don’t know what we don’t know. At 20 years old, I decided to live like a 100-year-old man given a second chance at youth. It changed nothing, of course, because we can’t simply decide to possess a lifetime of experience. I was at the mercy of Estienne’s paradox. But there is a way out.

Wisdom may be inaccessible to youth, but vitality is not inaccessible to age. That is the priceless gift of our primal lifestyle: the option both to retain our youthful capacities and to multiply them by the insight of our years; to live long in the true sense.

Now I am 40, and perhaps these comments addressed to my 33-year-old self might help you, too.

You’re not fat, you’re malnourished.

Well, yes, you could stand to lose a few pounds of fat, although much of what you think of as “fat” is actually chronic inflammation. But you could also stand to gain quite a few pounds of muscle, bone density, and organ tissue. The problem is that you’ve lived most of your life on a diet of empty calories and toxins and little else. You’re deficient in a staggering variety of vitamins, minerals, symbiotic bacteria and other growth factors. That’s why you’re still hungry even when your belly is about to burst. That’s why your moods turn black. That’s why you pack on more pounds every year even as you slowly starve to death. You won’t know satiety, health, or happiness until you repair your nutrient deficiencies, and that is going to take a long time and a lot of real human food. But it will take far less time to heal yourself than it took to drift into your present condition.

You think you enjoy fake foods, but this is nothing compared to real food.

Life without bread and sugar seems like a depressing, monochromatic wasteland of endless misery and want. You grant that these cravings may end, and that seems even worse: a door closed forever on the pleasures of the table. Your witty colleague says “I could never go on a diet—I love food too much!” You envy his gormless hedonism, but he has it exactly backwards. There will come a time when you will drink a raw liver shake with sour milk and shiver with pleasure. You will devour bone broth soup with beef heart from a giant cake mixing bowl and drink it to the last oleaginous drop. You will eat two pounds of bison with raw onion and garlic until your mouth burns and your body pours sweat and you will keep on going because it’s delicious and it makes you happier than all the fried ice creams you ever ate put together. The human palate working as designed is more amazing than you can currently imagine.

Two simple exercises will grant you Herculean strength: the squat and the deadlift.

You’ve messed around on the gym machines: the lat pulldown; the leg curl; the good-girl-bad-girl knee-separation apparatus. But these are instruments of profit, not health, and bear as much relationship to fitness as statins do to CoQ10-mediated mitochondrial metabolism (okay, maybe you’re not ready for that yet). Strength-building exercises are ancient and uncomplicated: heavy weight controlled by your entire body through space. Learn the barbell back squat and turn the tables on overpowering force. Learn the barbell deadlift and triumph from a position of strength. When you reliably dominate a certain weight, and no sooner, then you may add a few more pounds. There are a couple other lifts worth your time and I’m sure you’ll figure them out, but you will always come back to these basics, for which even a whole lifetime is insufficient to master.

Your ancestors carried stuff back and forth, and so should you.

Everyone around you is running on treadmills, running down streets, hither and thither, panting and flailing—if it worked we’d be a society of supermen. Slow down and pick something up. Carry water without spilling. Carry a heavy bag of stuff on your shoulders and learn to shift it so that as one set of muscles fatigue, another set takes over. Always keep your eyes up, your breath through your nose, and a quiet expression on your face. Discover the true meaning of posture and cadence the same way your ancestors did. Now you’re feeling the real endorphin response. This is what your body was made for: useful excursions provisioning the tribe, not running from fears real and imagined.

Your ancestors worked with tools, and so should you.

Now you are going to discover this by accident on the Internet in just a few days, and it seems a shame to spoil that for you, but I guess that’s what I’m here for. Your ancestors spent countless hours digging, chopping, paddling, hammering, club fighting, sword fighting, throwing spears—and you can simulate all that and much more with a simple sledgehammer! Start heavy, perhaps 12 pounds, because such ungainly weight will teach you principles of leverage, angular and linear momentum. You will learn to work efficiently, as your ancestors learned by necessity. Soon enough you’ll drill the gross motions into muscle memory, and then you can move to lighter weights and discover amazing finesse and precision. Eventually you’ll pick up a broadsword, just like your more recent ancestors, and you’ll learn the real meaning of finesse—but not yet, grasshopper. You haven’t earned it. Talk to me in seven years!

Testosterone is a hell of a drug.

You’ve been deficient in it your entire life. Your inability to grow a beard is not genetic. I’m sorry to say your serum levels are within the upper limit of normalcy for women. Your crippling social anxiety is not because you are a nerd per se, but because you lack the necessary hormones for confident social behavior. Now, you are going to have to be very careful with this. As with any hormone, prolonged deficiency leads to increased sensitivity. When you start eating like an alpha hunter, and training like an alpha hunter, the androgens will blow you away. Painting your face with your own blood during a deadlift workout may seem like a great idea, and it is pretty inspired, but perhaps not advisable in the company gym. Recognize your hormones and don’t let them master you. Indeed, by controlling your hormones, you control your reaction to events, which is as good as controlling reality itself, and true sorcery.

Your carriage will not turn into a pumpkin.

This will all happen so quickly that it will seem like a dream or a fantasy. And perhaps that is all life is anyway. But despite your nightmares to the contrary, you won’t wake up one day fat and sick and weak again. There is no going back. You have taken up the legacy of your ancestors, and forces far greater than yourself now carry you and your descendants into the future. You are a vessel in a mighty current. Just try it: make yourself fat again. Then lean again. Then fat again, then lean again. How many times have we done that now? A half dozen? Each time you only end up stronger, healthier and wiser. You can’t break yourself, you can only adapt and overcome. Now you are a human being.

Timothy

The post Seven Years Primal: Healthier, Stronger, and Wiser Than Ever appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

from Mark's Daily Apple http://ift.tt/2cGlFfX

The Best Black Makeup Artists on Instagram

Why the Health of Your Scalp Matters and its role in Natural Hair Growth

IG @lolamonaija

by Rochelle Farquharson via blacknaps.org

The state of your scalp dictates whether or not your hair grows! Say Whaaaaaaaat? But my hair is always growing! Yes it grows, but only if you maintain a healthy scalp.

I want you to think about your scalp and hair, and compare it to growing and maintaining a plant. If the soil is watered and is weed free then that plant is destined to thrive. The scalp is the foundation of healthy hair, and to achieve length you must maintain a regimen that caters to keeping the hair and scalp clean and healthy. Scalp health is not just about maintaining the skin that is visible through your strands, but it’s also about preserving what’s underneath. I’m referring to the hair follicle.

continue!>>>


Hair Follicle

The hair has two distinct features: the hair follicle which resides below the scalp and the hair shaft that is visible above the skin. The follicle is a structure of the skin that produces hair growth, and according to the Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, if that follicle is damaged then you can over time suffer from alopecia. The health of the hair follicle is very important when trying to achieve a healthy scalp along with healthy or long hair.

Some factors that damage the follicle and stops hair growth include:

Dehydration.
Water plays an extremely important role in providing the follicles with blood and nutrients to facilitate hair growth. The daily water intake recommended by experts is 64 oz or 8 glasses of water. However, you should aim to drink as much as you can throughout the day to hydrate your body and hair. So drink up ladies!

Tension.
Tension from tight hairstyles may remove the follicles from the scalp and cause damage. The damage varies from person to person, but tension can create permanent hair loss if the damage is severe.

Chemical treatment.
Chemicals such as sodium hydroxide have the ability to damage the scalp and follicles severely and ultimately prevent hair growth. So be extremely careful when using any chemicals on the hair, so be sure to see a professional stylist for these treatments.

Other factors:
-Medications
-Unbalanced hormones
-Poor diet
-Extreme heat
-Illness
-Unhealthy hair products

The scalp’s role in hair growth
Scalp skin can be viewed as a variant of normal skin in that it has an epidermis and dermis, but it also has a greater concentration of large, terminal hair follicles. The hair follicle has a growth cycle (anagen, catagen,and telogen phases) that can be altered by hormones, medications, diet, illness and many other factors. The health of the hair, scalp epidermis, and dermis is related to good nutrition and hair care products, which plays a major role in hair growth, hair shaft thickness, and the survival and growth of the hair shaft and follicles.

How to identify an unhealthy scalp
A healthy scalp is clean with clear pores, intact follicles, and good blood flow. The characteristics of an unhealthy scalp include:

Seborrheic Dermatitis (Dandruff)
Dandruff is usually caused by too much bacteria or yeast on the scalp which results in flakes and sometimes red sores and spots.

Other factors:
-Consistent itching
-Extreme dryness
-Clogged pores
-Alopecia
-Tenderness
-Excessively oily scalp
-Eczema
-Psoriasis

Stay tuned for my next post, I will be teaching you how you can promote scalp health and keep your scalp healthy for the long term.

(Where I got my sources)
http://ift.tt/1MGv2FY
http://ift.tt/2dwCzu3

from Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Care http://ift.tt/2cQv8j8

Maiden Voyage Chords – Modal Comping Study

Maiden Voyage is is a classic modal jazz tune written and made famous by pianist Herbie Hancock. With a cool groove, hip slash chords, and a memorable melody, this tune has become a jazz jam session essential since first being released.

While Maiden Voyage is a commonly called tune, it can often handcuff guitarists who try and superimpose traditional chords over these modern chord changes.

Because of this, many guitarists sound out of place when comping and chord soloing over this Hancock classic.

To help you avoid this type of situation, this lesson teaches you how to use cool-sounding, modern chords that are easy to play and perfectly outline the Dorian sound.

You’ll also learn how to add chromatic concepts to these three-note chords, taking these shapes even further in your comping phrases.

Check these concepts out in the practice room, then when you’re ready, tackle the chord study presented at the end of the lesson.

This material will guarantee that you’ll be able to comp over this, and other, modern jazz tunes at your next session with confidence.

Dorian Chords

To begin your study of Maiden Voyage chords, you’ll learn how to build chords out of the Dorian scale, the scale used to outline every chord in this tune.

Rather than use traditional chords such as drop 2 or drop 3 chord voicings, you’ll learn how to build three-note chords out of the Dorian scale in your comping.

This approach allows you to outline the chords changes, and bring a modern, modal sound to your chord work at the same time.

To begin, you’ll review a common Dorian scale fingering on guitar.

If this scale shape is new to you, take a few minutes to learn it and memorize this scale as it’s the foundation for everything else in this lesson.

 

Listen & Play

 

Now that you have this scale under your fingers, you’ll look at two notes on each string in particular, those on the 5^th and 7^th frets.

You’ll notice that no matter what string you’re on, you’ll always play the 5^th and 7^th fret on those strings.

Here are those notes highlighted in blue so that you can play through them outside of the scale as a whole.

 

Listen & Play

 

With those two notes on each string isolated, you can now use those notes to build three-note chords.

When doing so, you will play 4^th chords (654 and 543 strings), major triads (432 strings), and minor triads (321 stings).

This mixture of sounds is the key to this chordal approach, as you outline the Dorian sound, but you aren’t just playing one sound, such as triads or 4^th chords.

The mix of chords allows these shapes to sound fresh and hip as you climb up the fretboard.

Give them a try before moving on to the chromatic concepts below. They’re easy to play, using only one finger, and sound great on the guitar.

 

Listen & Play

Dorian Approach Chords

Now that you’ve worked on the Dorian chord shapes on their own, you can look at a few ways to spice these shapes up in your playing.

Each of these concepts will be featured in the comping study below, but for now you can use these examples to get started with each concept separately.

The first concept, approach chords, involves you playing a shape one fret higher or lower than your diatonic chord, before resolving into that diatonic chord.

This creates a sense of tension and release in your playing which can be very helpful when comping over a modal tune like Maiden Voyage.

Here are a few examples to get you started before you take them into your practice routine, and study them in the chord etude below.

 

Listen & Play

Dorian Passing Chords

You can now connect each of the Dorian chords in your comping by adding a passing chord between these two shapes.

Because you’re playing 555-777 on A Dorian, for example, you can add in the 666 chord between them.

This passing chord can connect those two diatonic shapes going up or going down. As long as you play a diatonic chord, then the passing chord, and resolve to the next diatonic chord you’ll be fine.

Here are a few examples to get you started with this important and cool-sounding comping concept

 

Listen & Play

Dorian Enclosures

The final chordal approach you’ll use in this lesson is the enclosure concept.

This is when you play a chord one fret higher, then one fret lower than your target chord, before landing on your target chord on the fretboard.

Here is an example of that technique applied to two different A Dorian chords.

You can play with the rhythms using this technique, as with any chord concept in this lesson, as long as you resolve the enclosure before too long.

Experiment with enclosed chords in your practice routine and see where you ear guides you when applying them to comping over tunes.

 

Listen & Play

Maiden Voyage Chords – Comping Study

Now that you’ve looked at the chord concepts in this study, you can learn the study as a whole on the guitar.

Start by working each 8-bar section on their own, and then mix them all together when you’re ready.

Each section uses a particular concept from the lesson, normal chords, approach chords, passing chords, and enclosures.

You wouldn’t separate these concepts that much in a real-life situation, but for the sake of a comping study it’s a good way to organize your thoughts.

After you’ve worked the study with the audio example, you can put the backing track on and play along with the band.

You can either play the comping study exactly as is, or you can use the concepts in this lesson to make up your own chord phrases.

Either way, have fun with this study and enjoy digging into these comping concepts in a musical situation.

 

Backing Track

Listen & Play

 

The post Maiden Voyage Chords – Modal Comping Study appeared first on The Jazz Guitar Blog.

from The Jazz Guitar Blog http://ift.tt/2cF0DOL

Angela Simmons Gives Birth To A Baby Boy

Photo courtesy of Instagram

Written by Mike Orie of TheConsciousTip.com

Congratulations Angela Simmons!

Continue Reading

29-year old Angela Simmons births a baby boy and shares the first picture of her son on Instagram.

"The best part of life has just begun." #Motherhood #ImSoInLove"

News first surfaced of her pregnancy back in May, shortly after announcing an engagement to her fiancé Sutton Tennyson. Angela Simmons is most notable as the daughter of Rev. Run of Run DMC, where she made her debut on the hit television show, Run's House. In 2007, she launched her Pastry Footwear with her older sister Vanessa Simmons under Run Athletics. In late 2015, Simmons would go on to launch her own faux line, Foofi and Bella. She currently co-stars and executive produces television show 'Growing Up Hip Hop' alongside Lil' Romeo. Maybe her family will get their own television show soon? 

********************

Mike "Orie" Mosley is a freelance writer/photographer and cultural advocate from St. Louis. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Arts, Entertainment & Media Management from Columbia College Chicago and a Masters in Higher Education Administration from LSU. He is also the co-founder of music and culture website http://ift.tt/1QXC23X. In his spare time, he's probably listening to hip hop & neo soul music, hitting up brunch or caught up in deep conversations about Black music. You can follow him on Twitter @mike_orie or on Instagram @mikeorie

from Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Care http://ift.tt/2cFi4db

Field Trip.

Hola Chica,

Yesterday the three (four?!) of us took a field trip down to the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.  The tickets are incredibly difficult to secure (I believe they're pushed out to January right now), but Dr. Daddy managed to snag three when they first became available.  He's been excited about the magnificent brown structure since we moved here back in late 2014, commenting on it every single time we rode by.   So it was amazing to finally set foot inside and do some exploring.  And exploring we did... for 3 whole hours, which apparently isn't enough time to see everything!  We would've stayed longer, but the way this second pregnancy is set up... my lower back and hips were like, 'nah, homie', and then I got hungry, so we ended up at Popeye's.  The museum was all the way live tho, folks (OUR people... so beautiful) everywhere with some exhibits so packed we were in there shoulder to shoulder!

continue>>>


To my surprise, they allowed photography and while I contemplated getting some shots of the amazing images, artifacts (they have Harriet Tubman's fork, y'all), and statues to share with you, I decided not to.  For two reasons-

(1) Presence for me.  In the last couple of years, I've made a conscious decision to slow down and appreciate each moment I arrive in.  Because of this, I've also taken far fewer pictures because I like to stop, look and listen without a screen up to my face.  It has greatly improved my quality of life and it's excellent modeling for Boogie who is growing up in this digital world.

(2) Presence for you.  I want you to acquire tickets and go in there excited, with an open mind ready to slow down and have your own experience.  And maybe you'll be less inclined to view it through the screen of your camera as well!

I implore you to plan your trip.  It was an incredibly powerful and uplifting experience and journey through our story.  One that I'm sure Boogie will never forget and one that I wish Gma could've been here to see.

overlooking the National Mall  

#Squad 

     

from Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Care http://ift.tt/2dcO8cm

7 Ways to Deal with Food Anxiety

People frequently wax sentimental for what they call “simpler” days—presumably times when the rules were fewer and clearer, when choices weren’t so overwhelming, when demands were less and common sense was more prevalent. Eating, of course, is no exception to this. If you listen to the dominant voices in the social-media-marketing-medical culture, it’s enough to ruin your dinner and make you feel guilty for skipping breakfast (Don’t buy the guilt trip). We’re fed contradictory studies, warned of the latest threats lurking in our food supply, told every bite squashes the life out of another ecosystem, and led through fluorescent-lit warehouses filled with more food options and label claims than one person should ever be reasonably expected to handle. It’s exhausting, frustrating and on certain days defeating. So what’s a reasonable approach in an age when anxiety too often overtakes enjoyment of eating?

Of course, the problem here isn’t the intention for healthy eating itself. In our primal ancestors’ time, healthy eating was a thoroughly mindless endeavor. No one knew anything about nutritional science in the Paleolithic Era, but it didn’t matter. Their consideration never wandered past the straightforward (albeit dramatic) question, “Is it poisonous?” Beyond that single inquiry (which usually offered quick feedback), bad choices didn’t exist.

Unfortunately for us modern folks, we don’t have the luxury of tapping into the food of our immediate environs without at least some degree of reflection.

We have the burden of choice and the burden of (often conflicting) information. From here, reflection can turn to chronic, tiring, or even oppressive deliberation—hence, the anxiety, the excessive worry or unease about the outcome or impact of what should just be a simple food choice.

Is it any wonder we may feel so much apprehension with the call to make every choice smart, informed (and then re-informed), socially-conscious, environmentally conscious, fair trade provided, humanely sourced, forward-thinking, allergy-friendly, coupon savvy, good fat proportioned, antioxidant rich, and lean tissue supporting, pesticide-, hormone-, and additive-free, etc.? Unless we’re farming, raising and foraging our own with Grok standards in mind, we’re bound to screw it up on at least a few levels.

So, what then would sanity look like in this scenario? How do we recover enough mental space to feel some degree of ease, not to mention pleasure in eating again? Try on a few of these modest proposals.

1. Reclaim eating for sustenance

It’s common to talk about “eating to lose weight,” “eating to fight illness,” “eating to gain muscle,” “eating to prevent aging.” Let’s put the truth back in that, shall we?

You’re eating to live—to survive, to allow your body enough nutrient and energy input to keep you alive and functioning. Each day, that is your main goal. Very simple in fact. That said, you can eat toward nourishing ongoing physical vitality as your primary goal. You can eat with a nutritional emphasis on building muscle mass. You can eat in such a way that prioritizes optimum metabolic functioning and fat burning.

And, no, it’s not just semantics. It’s mindset, which makes all the difference when you’re talking about emotional perception.

If you’ve been feeling wrapped around the goal of eating “for” anything but living, take a step back and reframe the picture. Each morning, each meal, make a point of telling yourself you’re eating to live, to enjoy time on this earth. The rest is Primal gravy.

2. Don’t politicize every choice you make

The morality of eating these days can careen a decently sensitive and conscientious person off a cliff. How many labels and certifications does it take to satisfy a Portlandia standard? From what I can tell, the number keeps growing.

Do I understand the usefulness of these standards? You bet. Organic and pastured offer in most cases substantive health benefit. Heritage breeds of produce and livestock may be more nutrient-rich. And I believe, as I’ve said before, prioritizing environmentally sustainable, humane farming practices wherever it’s practical. I make personal and business choices in keeping with that principle whenever I reasonably can.

But I don’t get wrapped up in questions of morality every time I put a bite of food in my mouth. I don’t deal in guilt or play a game of self-reproach. I view social, environmental and humane choices around food as interests and not inviolable prerequisites.

3. Dump the idea of perfection

I came up with the 80/20 rule long ago because I didn’t want the Primal Blueprint to ever be seen as a pursuit of perfectionism. Food is important. Good food choices can help you claim good health and lifelong vitality, but parsing out those exact choices, structuring intakes with precision, giving yourself no room for choice in the moment, adhering to the principles with exactitude sounds like a miserable way to live.

A short-term bout of Primal rigor can gain you momentum in your fat loss or energy reclamation, but there’s no need to equate Primal eating with meticulousness. I consider it one of the best attributes of the PB that it’s a simple, adaptable blueprint that offers plenty of space for everyday living and regular imperfection.

4. Don’t dramatize your missteps

In truth, some days people leave the “20” of the 80/20 principle in the dust. Maybe it started out as a well-intentioned gesture toward moderation. Or maybe it was always going to be a dive off the deep end. Whatever led to the “misstep,” there’s no reason to dramatize it. It happened. Don’t give more energy to it by moaning in regret or bewailing the slip.

Cheats (if we’re going to call them that) aren’t catastrophic. Long-term, repetitive behaviors are.

5. Scrutinize your motives

I’ve seen plenty of people over the years lose themselves in anxiety over their eating because they put their identities in their choices. Maybe they feel invested in a self-righteousness or perfectionistic compulsion that goes back psychic decades. Or maybe they’re distracting themselves from other behaviors or unhappiness they don’t want to own. They impose excessive control and experience emotional anxiety with food while some other part of life feels wholly overwhelming. It’s a coping mechanism, a grounding means to feel security or authority in their lives.

This is no way to live. Clean eating is a great action step, and real vitality feels great. That said, health isn’t a panacea, and it won’t ever cover for a life that doesn’t serve you.

6. Get back to the actual experience

Stop telling a story about what you’re eating and start feeling yourself eating it. It sounds so obvious, and yet this obsessive story-telling, script running, relentless monologuing is exactly what we do.

Forget the health story of what’s in front of you. Forget its sourcing. Forget how somebody on Food Network would judge it. Forget what your coworkers or mother-in-law would say about it. Cut off all language, and just be with your food the way a young child is.

Exchange words for sensation. Forgo judgment for mindfulness. Give yourself over to the sensory experience of what you are putting in your body. Smell it. Feel the texture. Take it in visually. Get in your own body’s responses to it.

7. Be grateful for every bite you take

It’s not a huge step from mindfully experiencing your food to being grateful for it in the moment. When we drop the story about something, we can finally be present with it. There’s a lightness to the moment. We’re open to enjoyment of it. How could we not be grateful for the chance to nourish our bodies?

If anxiety is fear of outcomes or impact, it has us in the future. If it’s unease about where something comes from, it has us in the past. Gratitude flows most strongly from the present. When we’re here in the now, when our minds are in the same time as the meal in front of us, we can at last enjoy that meal in peace.

Thanks for reading, everybody. Has this kind of anxiety ever been part of your story? What changes helped you? I’d love to hear your comments and additions here. Have a great end to the week.

The post 7 Ways to Deal with Food Anxiety appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

from Mark's Daily Apple http://ift.tt/2dxh3t9

Solange Is Dropping New Album 'A Seat At The Table' This Friday

Album Cover for 'A Seat At The Table' by @carlota_guerrero

Written by Mike Orie of TheConsciousTip.com

Solange is releasing her third studio album this Friday.

Continue Reading


Yesterday, Solange announced via Facebook that her third studio album, 'A Seat At The Table' will release this Friday, September 30th. The album will feature guest collaborators Tweet, Lil Wayne, Q-Tip, Kelela, Nia Andrews and Sean Nicholas Cage. The project features 21-original tracks.

In 2012, Solange release her last LP, 'True' but has been relatively quiet since. If you follow her on Instagram or Snapchat, you've most likely seen her teasers in the studio and heard a few small snippets. Although four years since the release of her last project, in 2013 she released her compilation album Saint Heron, which would ultimately spark the now popular online media outlet of the same name. Solange has become known for using her voice and online platform to speak out about inequality and racial injustices. She sometimes even shares personal experiences, like the one we wrote about here. If 'A Seat At The Table' is anything like the content she's produced on her site Saint Heron over the last couple of years, it's definitely something we should all be excited for.

While there's not much more info available, we'll all have to wait until Friday to hear the new project. Check out the track listing below and visit Solange's website to check out her new digital book here.

What are your thoughts on a new Solange album?

********************

Mike "Orie" Mosley is a freelance writer/photographer and cultural advocate from St. Louis. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Arts, Entertainment & Media Management from Columbia College Chicago and a Masters in Higher Education Administration from LSU. He is also the co-founder of music and culture website http://ift.tt/1QXC23X. In his spare time, he's probably listening to hip hop & neo soul music, hitting up brunch or caught up in deep conversations about Black music. You can follow him on Twitter @mike_orie or on Instagram @mikeorie

from Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Care http://ift.tt/2dm7s3p

How Should You Balance Your Fat Intake?

We’ve put to bed the misguided notion that saturated fat is out to kill you, clog your arteries, make you fat, and disfigure your unborn children. We’ve scrutinized the widely-held assumption that processed seed oils rich in omega-6 linoleic acid are the healthiest fats available, made a strong case for a fat-based metabolism, and sung the praises of monounsaturated fat. Fat is back. Fat’s been back for a long time now. But is that all there is to it? Should we eat all the saturated fat we can get? Should we avoid linoleic acid at all costs? Where does MUFA come in? Fish oil?

How much of each type of fat should we be eating?

How should we balance our fat intake between the various types?

What’s the optimal dietary fatty acid ratio, Sisson? Include decimals if you can.

There’s no single right answer. It—sorry, folks—depends on a lot of factors.

It depends on your goals, your activity levels, the rest of your diet, your genetics. Almost everything, to be honest.

But there’s one universal factor determining an optimal fat balance that everyone needs to get right: their mitochondria.

That’s what we’ll be discussing today.

Mitochondria are the power plants of our cells, converting incoming fuel into ATP—the universal energy currency used throughout the body. Without ATP, we can’t walk, run, think, climb, speak, or perform any of the tens of thousands of physiological processes required to maintain life as we know it. Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in almost every malady we know of and wish to avoid. I like to think of a cell’s mitochondrion as an R2 unit, keeping the X-Wing running smoothly as Luke approaches the Death Star for the final trench run. If our mitochondria don’t work, bad things happen.

As it turns out, mitochondria are surrounded by two fatty membranes whose degree of saturation regulates how well our mitochondria work. The more unsaturated the membrane fatty acids, the unhealthier the mitochondria, the less energy they produce, the more susceptible they are to oxidative damage, and the more reactive oxygen species they create. If your mitochondria are too unsaturated, the Empire wins.

Don’t believe me?

Here are some big reasons to keep your mitochondria saturated:

• Long-lived animal species tend to have fewer unsaturated fatty acids in their mitochondrial membranes. The lower the degree of unsaturation (or higher the degree of saturation), the less oxidative stress their mitochondria generate.
• Increasing the degree of unsaturation of mitochondrial membranes increases oxidative damage to lipid, protein, and DNA.
• “Inhibition of fatty acid desaturation” in the mitochondrial membrane —or preventing saturated and monounsaturated fats from being converted into polyunsaturated fats—helps kill cancer cells.
• “Aging mitochondria” have increased membrane unsaturation.

Okay, that makes sense. Unsaturated fats do tend to be less stable. But where does diet come in?

Do the fats we eat determine the composition and unsaturation of the membranes surrounding our mitochondria?

Yes.

Perhaps the most important fatty section of the mitochondrial membrane is cardiolipin. It’s the “heart of mitochondrial metabolism,” providing stability to the enzymes involved in ATP generation. Mitochondria with unstable cardiolipins produce less ATP and generate more reactive oxygen species. As animals age, cardiolipin grows more unstable and even begins to disappear altogether.

In most modern people and lab animals, cardiolipin contains mostly linoleic acid. The majority of studies accept this as normal and even ideal. But that’s probably due to their (and our) overwhelmingly linoleic acid-rich diets. If the “normal” diet contains a ton of vegetable oils, having lots of vegetable oil in your mitochondrial membranes is going to be “normal” too. Doesn’t mean it’s optimal.

An older rat study (PDF) found that feeding rats a diet “deficient” in linoleic acid and high in oleic acid (the MUFA found in olive oil) shifts their cardiolipin fat from 58% linoleic acid to 70% oleic acid. That’s a huge jump. What happened to these “deficient” rats?

Nothing. They were clinically normal.

Later, a study using mouse embryonic mitochondria found that replacing the cardiolipin linoleic acid with oleic acid protected the mitochondria from cell death when exposed to a toxin. In addition to resisting cell death, the LA-deficient mitochondria were also clinically normal, able to perform all the expected functions of embryonic mitochondria. Furthermore, when they introduced a substance that blocked oleic acid from entering the membrane, the mitochondria lost its resistance to the toxin.

A rat study from 2003 placed the animals on one of two diets—an extra virgin olive oil diet or a sunflower oil diet—and tracked changes to their liver, heart, and skeletal muscle mitochondria. The EVOO diet resulted in less unsaturation of mitochondrial membranes, reduced oxidative stress, and less aging than the high PUFA diet.

A recent study examined the effects of different fatty acids on mitochondrial structure and function in calorie-restricted mice. One group was placed on a non-restricted control diet. The rest were given either fish oil (high omega-3), soybean oil (high omega-6), or lard-based (high in MUFA and SFA) diets. The clear winner was the lard diet, which reduced reactive oxygen species and “maximize[d] the effects” of calorie restriction.

Does that mean we should avoid all PUFAs for the sake of our mitochondria?

No. Other studies have found that feeding DHA, a long-chain omega-3, can restore the age-related decline in omega-3:omega-6 membrane ratio and mitochondrial energy production, protect against cell death, and even produce more cardiolipin. It has these beneficial effects despite being a highly unsaturated fat—more unsaturated than even linoleic acid. And it doesn’t take much to get the benefits of dietary DHA incorporation into mitochondrial membranes, just around 2% of calories in one animal study.

And we shouldn’t avoid omega-6s altogether. Many healthy, nutrient-dense foods contain omega-6 fatty acids. I’m thinking of nuts, seeds, eggs, avocados, olives. 

You might have noticed that the majority of the studies discussed today used animals, often rodents. This is a necessary thing. Humans don’t really like being sacrificed or even having their internal organs plumbed for biopsy fodder. Still, take everything with a grain of salt.

Fat balance for mitochondrial health?

Since we don’t eat fats but foods, I’ll dispense with any pretense of knowing the “optimal” numbers and talk in terms of the latter:

Eat more avocados, avocado oil, olives, and olive oil, some seafood, some bacon and eggs, and don’t go wild with the nuts and seeds. Always eat fresh, unprocessed, ideally virgin fats that haven’t been damaged by heat, time, or light. Saturated fat is neutral, a staple component of mitochondrial membranes. If you don’t eat enough, your body will just make more.

This isn’t the final word on fat balance. It’s an important starting point. Everything flows from the mitochondria. You get those right and life gets a whole lot easier.

Thanks for reading, all. I’m curious to hear how your fat intakes measure up.

The post How Should You Balance Your Fat Intake? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

from Mark's Daily Apple http://ift.tt/2df9OTM

The Best Nighttime Routines for Natural Hair Care

IG @sarasilvasa 

by Sabrina Perkins of SeriouslyNatural.org

What to do with your natural hair at night is just as important as what to do with it in the morning. While relaxed we really didn't worry much about it other than making sure to not ruin the style but as we learn more about how to care for our natural tresses we find the importance of everything we do!

When developing a regimen, the same points are pounded into our heads- cleanse, deep condition, moisturize, do protective styles, and etc. but when it comes down to our nighttime routine, we’re given general tips, some that aren’t really universal.

Caring for your hair as you sleep is just as important as caring for it when you’re awake, and even more-so because what you do before bed can be the difference between your curls being on point and being a big matted mess in the morning. Whether you’re rocking a TWA or waist-length Locs, it is important to protect your hair as you sleep in order to retain moisture and preserve your style.

Continue!>>>


Remoisturize and Seal
If your hair is feeling a bit on the dry side, you’ll want to remoisturize the hair before bed. Spritz your hair with a little bit of water or leave-in and seal with a light oil. If you’re rocking a twist/braidout, you can retwist/braid the hair after sealing in order to lock that moisture in and decrease the chance of your hair frizzing.

If you don’t really like spritzing your hair, you can invest in a handheld steamer like Q-Redew which opens the cuticles and moisturizes the hair without actually wetting it. This is a great option for those with low porosity hair, but works well for those with medium and high porosity hair as well and I have and love this tool on my high porosity hair.

Nighttime Scalp Massage
Everyone wants have long healthy hair and one of the easiest ways to achieve that can be done at night with a simple scalp massage. Scalp massages (with or without an oil) can increase blood circulation to the hair follicles, condition the scalp all the while boosting the strength of the hair roots.

You just use your fingertips with a light oil (or without) and massage gently in a circular motion. Great oils for scalp massages are coconut, olive, jojoba, lavender or rosemary. You can blend some too. I love using jojoba oil with a drop or two of lavender since lavender is excellent at aiding a dry, flaky scalp and has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and analgesic properties. A few nights a week is all you need.

Pineapple Or Put Hair Away
I am not a fan of the pineapple method as my hair does not work well using it but it is a great way to preserve your style for the next day. The pineapple is basically just gathering your hair to the very top of your head, securing with a loose hair band or a scrunchie, and leaving the ends loose.

Pineappling preserves your curls by alleviating the problem of mashing your curls down as you sleep. Since the hair from the nape is what you’ll be sleeping on, the curls at the crown portion of your head will still be intact in the morning. If this is not the ideal method for you, simply wear a satin bonnet, a satin scarf or place hair in twists or braids to keep hair fresh for the next day.

This is one of the secrets to getting 2nd, 3rd and even 4th day hair. I rock a Loc Soc at night and it hold hair in place without completely smashing my curls.

Sleep On Satin
Now, you have remoisturized your hair, pampered your scalp and put your hair away, make sure to keep that goodness going by further protecting your hair by keeping it away from drying fabrics that can snag the hair. Even if you wear a bonnet/headscarf quite often they come off at night so having the satin pillowcase is extra protection.

It's even better to have as some nights we forget to do our nighttime routine all together! Sleep on a satin pillowcase as you will need to keep your hair away from the cottons and wool while you are sleeping.

A great nighttime routine will save styles and save hair. Whether you need to retwist or simply give yourself a much needed scalp massage, make sure your routine is more than you just flopping down on a cotton pillowcase and being sorry in the morning. A little nighttime prep makes for better mornings and as always, your hair will thank you for it!

What's your nighttime routine?

from Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Care http://ift.tt/2cBnKEW

How to Refresh Your Wash and Go!

by Brirose of brirosecurly.com

I refresh my wash n’ go’s every 3 or 4 days in between my actual wash days. Refreshing wash n’ go’s takes less time (less than co-washing) and less manipulation. In my opinion it also adds back the moisture lost from leaving your hair out. The biggest plus is that refreshing your curls is super low maintenance. This technique can be done at night and dried in the morning. With these three simple steps you can refresh your curls in no time.

Continue!>>>

1) Section your hair how you want it to lay
I normally section my hair in four parts (right side, left side, middle and back).

2) Mist each section with water
Once your hair is damp, using your wide tooth Conair brush, brush hair from root to tip.

http://ift.tt/1O2TftO

3) Apply styler in each section
Some naturalistas use leave in conditioner, and some use a styler. Sometimes using both can yield you better results. I suggest trying all three methods to see what works best for you.

http://www.revlon.com/

4) Let it air dry over night/ diffuse
I normally air dry over night, but depending on the amount of time and if my hair doesn’t completely dry I will diffuse.

These four simple steps will refresh your wash n’ go which will also stretch your wash days as well.

How do you refresh your wash n’ go’s?

from Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Care http://ift.tt/2d9Jk5O