How fit are you?

Hi everyone, for this post we'll be delving into the world of fitness, with a little help from my lovely friend and colleague Dannielle Palmer-Gutzmer. Let me know if you like the content because there is much more where this came from. Enjoy!

A few weeks ago, I had gone downstairs to fix myself something to eat before I got settled down to work. I had popped a bag of popcorn and picked up a medium sized Julie mango for dinner (I prefer to eat light in the evenings to avoid the almost inevitable energy dip after eating in addition to the fact that I’m just tired). I took my meal up to my bedroom but realized I had forgotten my bottle of water. As I was making my second trip upstairs, I decided to run upstairs as I had usually done not more than a few months ago. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised when I found that these stairs aren't that easy to sprint up. I know my exercise routine had been on hiatus for a while but surely walking up and down these stairs everyday must have counted for something. So it got me thinking: what does it really mean to be fit? How do you even really know how fit you are? And, how can you improve fitness?

Your level of Fitness refers to your body’s ability to meet the demands of physical tasks while still having energy and strength to feel as good as possible. This doesn't mean you have to be an athlete but it does mean that you should be able to be and feel at your best at all times. This lowers your risk for certain non-communicable lifestyle diseases.

The basic components of fitness include:

Agility - your ability to perform a series of power movements in rapid succession in opposing directions

Balance - your ability to control the body's position, whether its stationary (e.g. boat pose) or while moving

Cardiovascular Endurance – your the heart's ability to deliver blood to working muscles and their ability to use it (think long distance running)

Co-ordination - your  ability to put together all components so that effective movements are achieved

Flexibility – your ability to achieve an extended range of motion without being impeded by excess tissue, i.e. fat or muscle (think of a leg split)

Local Muscle Endurance - a single muscle's ability to perform sustained work (riding a bike)

Power – your ability to exert the most muscular contraction immediately in a fiery burst of movements. The two components of power are strength and speed. (think of Usain Bolt in a sprint race)

Strength - the extent to which your muscles can exert force by contracting against resistance

Strength Endurance – your muscle's ability to perform a maximum contraction time after time

So now that you know what fitness is and the components that are involved, how do you know how fit you are – or if you’re even fit at all?

I’ve found a few simple tests that will help you to determine your fitness level. Feel free try them out.

Petulance towards Food

"Why can't eat anything I want?"
This is a question that I have asked many times and I am sure you have as well. In reality, no one is stopping us from eating what we want, but we often deny ourselves the foods we enjoy in order to achieve and maintain what we believe is will allow us to reach our  'goal weight'. This habit of denying the things we enjoy sometimes backfire in harmful and undesirable ways. While there are no foods that are inherently bad or good, the rule of moderation as always will come into play when preparing  and planning your meals. There needs to be, balance variety in the foods we eat.The most effective way to avoid this is to educate yourselves as to the options.
Here are some tips on how to overcome this:

JFS Beauty: Bad beauty habits: Sins you shouldn't be committing

Welcome to the first in a series of posts that will be geared towards improving your aesthetic beauty. Guest Blogger Alia Haley is back to share some tips with us.

When it comes to skin and beauty, things can get complicated. Skin experts suggest many rules that can help to maintain good skin but rules get broken. When you try various beauty regimens and products, it's likely to damage your skin. According to skin type there are specific care one should follow. We always try to look great but while doing effort to look good, we hurt our skin. Bad beauty habits which will damage your skin permanently are no less than sins. Hence, here are must avoid mistake for beautiful skin. Avoid these bad habits and your skin will glow for sure.

How to tip for Hospitality and Service

With Restaurant week so quickly upon us, I would like to share with you an invaluable tool that was shared with me by a member of www.HospitalityManagementSchools.org. The design team there created this graphic to help us with the do's and don't when tipping individuals of service.

According to the graphic basic rules of tipping are as follows : 

1. Do tip pre-tax.
2. Do tip at buffets.
3. Do tip when using a discount or voucher like Groupon.
4. Don't tip the owner.
5. Don't tip extra when gratuity is already on the bill.
6. Don't leave a bad tip if you plan on visiting the establishment again.

I think this tool is extremely well designed and well thought out. It is easy to use. I have only tried to use in on my laptop but I would love to be able to use it when I am on the go. I don't know if i can already do so. But this would really be great to use as an app. 

I am pretty clueless where tipping is concerned but I  have a strong appreciation for foodservice and what it really takes so I am very grateful for your graphic.

The currency used does not correspond with the one we use in Jamaica but I can convert. 

You can check it out here: http://www.hospitalitymanagementschools.org/tipping/

Elliot's Pepper Farm and other cool things!

View from the farm

On my trip to Elliott's scotch bonnet pepper farm last month I discovered many cool things. Today I'll show some of  my amazing finds.

Tumeric Plant

Tumeric

Ginger  plant