Rooibos Tea: The Benefits by a true believer

I am a through and through Rooibos believer. Armed with Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream and some Rooibos teabags I can tackle anything... 

Having spent over ten years of my childhood in South Africa I have grown up with Rooibos and considered it standard, normal tea. Until I lived in the US and UK that is when I realised that Rooibos was herbal and naturally caffeine-free tea.

So, I now go about my life educating others on the benefits of Rooibos, or as the Brits call it by the English translation, Red Bush Tea. 

A Brief History: Rooibos is a red 'tea', natively grown and harvested in South Africa where it is picked, sun dried, then brewed. Locally it is drunk both "black" (sans milk) or with milk and sugar. Personally I like it stewed for a long while, with milk as a standard cuppa, or iced with sugar and cinnamon.  It has a warm and glowing amber colour.

Benefits of Rooibos

1. It is a pure and natural product: no colorants, preservatives or additives
2. It's calorie free
3. It's rich in antioxidants (fight cancer causing free-radicals)
4. It's rich in Vitamin C
5. It has anti-inflammatory properties (soothing to stomach, colic or skin irritations)
6. It lowers the production of cortisol (the body's stress hormone)
7. It is caffeine free

Well, off to make a brew. Drink up and Enjoy!

sources:

SA Rooibos Association

Health24.com - Rooibos

Goals for June

I am a total lover of goal setting, I have enough time in my life to focus on self improvement and therefore have set the following goals for June:

1. Drink rooibos tea everyday
2. Gym 5 times a week
3. Walk 30 minutes a day

Well so far I haven't quite managed to stick to it. I am about 90% there which for me is good enough. Unfortunately I totally fell off the wagon last Saturday at a free flow 'brunch' function where I drank so much wine it ended in me falling asleep at 4pm and not getting out of bed until 8am the next day. I don't think that much wine or 16 hours sleep is that good for anyone. <SO embarrassing>

Anyway, the outcome of all of this so far is:

• I feel good about myself, confident, sexy, healthy (disappointed in the wine-overdose though)
• My skin is much clearer having recently been overwhelmed by spots and grease due to having stopped hormonal contraceptives, finally it seems to be balancing nicely
• Skin texture is improved 
• I am definitely slimmer and more toned

So far so good on day ten. Lets make this week count and get back on track!

Good luck to all you other goal-setters out there. What are your goals for June? 

Expat Challenges: Don't get too attached to your friends

Its been a while since my last post, I have been kept busy lately as I've had a week of final goodbyes to my dearest friend here.

Living the life of an expat in a truly foreign country leads you to cling to the other expat friends you make... well unfortunately these people are drifting through life like you and not laying down roots so you get used to saying goodbye all too many times.

Ahhh, well. This is the life we are leading and "regular" life must go on despite losing an essential pillar to your "regular" life abroad. My friend John who just left was here from the start, my drinking buddy, my 'enabler' I always called him - bringing out the party girl in me, my confidant and little bit of normality in an otherwise surreal life. John would keep me happy and sane in the long weeks my husband is away and I am otherwise alone. The ring-leader of the gossip train within my husband's company and the glue which held our expat communities together: breaking up "the French group" or "the Spanish group" to create just a group of expats who hung out and a family away from family.

But, having such a good friend leave can't only be bad, here are the positives that I can draw from the situation, feel free to add any more:

• You can re-invent yourself: you aren't held back by people's established ideas of your personality
• It gets you out of your comfort zone: make the effort to meet new people and keep busy and you will be rewarded
• You're left re-evaluating your own situation and plans, this isn't good to dwell on and second guess yourself too much, but can stop you drifting along in your current job/situation for longer than you should.

Anyway, I'm off to join a new Yoga class in the hope of meeting some new non-drinking mates. 

Namaste 

Moving Forward - onwards and upwards

Time to pick yourself off the floor, out the gutter, get back in the driving seat. Moping time over!

I think that in life you are one of two characters when it comes to dealing with problems, either the type to: 1) Bury your head in the sand or, 2) Move on.

Dear Husband is quite happy watching TV, swimming, eating, relaxing, reading or playing games to avoid dealing with the issue/problem/failure. 

Us avoiding dealing with the issue

I, on the other hand simply cannot just “be”. I need to deal with the problem whether “dealing” is going to help move forward or not, I need to feel in control and proactively taking steps to remedy the issue in order to feel ok with the set-back. 

Recently DH was not selected for a job we really had our hearts set on. The country, the company, our new life was all a perfect fit and perfectly planned out. All that came crashing down with the rejection email that he unfortunately wasn’t successful in the interview. Cue heartache, disappointment, sadness, helplessness, feeling that life is unfair, frustration… arggghhh. But, life goes on. Ce la vie. 

Personally, in order to feel back in control of our destiny, I want to fire off some emails, apply for the next position, study and rehearse for the next interview, and move forward. DH wants to mourn the loss of this job and mope. But he doesn’t even want to mope which would almost be acceptable… he just wants to exist. Its so frustrating. How can you possibly relax just being left behind as life goes on?!?

I think I need my own focus which I am in control of. If I fail I can pick myself up and move on. What’s happened in this situation is DH has failed which affects me, but I’m not the one in control here, he is, so I can’t pick us up and move on, thats up to him. My destiny is in his lazy hands. 

Alas, being a pilot’s wife means it’s very difficult to have my own focus (ALL/ANY suggestions welcome) because anything I do has to be totally portable to pack up and move along to our next country. So personally I am at a loss of what to do. Need a hobby job. A “jhobby”. I have a job which my heart just isn’t in. I need a passion!

I'm currently trawling these great websites for inspiration, check out these sites if you have time, very motivating:

careerinyoursuitcase.com

Babes, Blogs & Business

Nerves, Excitement, Butterflies, Anxiety

So today is my husband's big interview day.

While sitting around waiting for the time for him to leave today and doing various limitations, interview questions, run through's I find myself feeling nervous and anxious for him.

Staring at the clock til the time he has to leave, counting down the minutes so my stress levels will go down once he leaves I realise the poor guy still has another 12 hours of stress ahead during the interview, test, simulator etc... argh!

What a stressful career!

So now he's gone and its time to keep occupied. Once he finishes at midnight tonight the next wait begins for a week or so to find out whether he was successful or not. Whether we are moving country or not. Whether all that Ikea researching, car researching, apartment researching for our "new destination" was worth it or not.

Oh the life of a Pilot's Wife. Just sit around being helpful to your husband and pushing him forward, being positive & hopeful about each choice and wondering what your next job will be at the new destination since clearly your job in the current environment isn't important enough to consider as a factor to stay.  No, you should go through life being the "behind the scenes" backup/organiser/motivator/creator with nothing to show for your hard work (nevermind all the shit moods, shouting, grumpiness, laziness and frustrations you have to put up with from your partner when he's under stress).

Relationship under pressure - hell yes!
Relationship stronger than ever - hell yes!
In need of a holiday - hell yes!

Roll on the relief of finishing, whatever result of the interview it will be nice to move on (and start it all again!) or get excited and anxious about the impending move!

Risk VS Returns: Dare to Dream!

You gotta have a dream!

So my lovely Pilot husband is preparing for an interview. I’m not going to lie its not easy… he is dreadful at tests, pressure, studying, (he’s convinced he’s dyslexic), and overall is a total dreamer so battles to concentrate on actually getting the job done in terms of preparation as in his mind he’s already decided where we’re going to live, what car we’re going to drive and where we are going to shop. 

So my dilemma is constantly one of pushing, nudging, guiding, moulding. 

Helping by being a study buddy, doing call-outs for PF/PM, practising emergency procedures, doing limitations tests...

Helping by shopping, cooking, washing up, laundry, banking, admin, organising, emailing, booking sim practise slots, booking flights, hotels…

Helping by taking shit. I swear I am the stress punching bag. The iPad doesn’t work… shout at the wife. The internet doesn’t connect… shout at the wife. He can’t remember his air systems flashcards he just studied… shout at the wife. His notes are misplaced… shout at the wife. 

Is it all worth it for the dream of the next job. Do you DARE TO DREAM. What if it doesnt come thru. What if he doesn’t get the job offer. 

If you’ve ever read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne you will know that you should never think like that. Quash the “What-if’s”.  Amazon "The Secret" Book

I can’t wait for the interview. I can’t wait for the phone call of the interview run-through by my husband with a blow-by-blow account of what happened, what he nailed, what they asked. I can’t wait for the email confirming his job. I can’t wait to celebrate and feel the YESSSSSSSSSS. F**k yeah! YESSS!!

The return will be so worth it. Just take the risk and believe. 

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Dealing with the "Four Day Schedule"

So my husband is away for four days. This means I am alone for four days. Literally not a soul to speak to.

Here are my top ten activities to keep busy while he is away to avoid going insane:

1) Catch up on all emails, whatsapps, texts, face books, tweets etc. Write to friends or family you haven't heard from in a while and make sure you keep in touch.  Follow me on twitter @imupforlife

2) Go to the GYM! We've covered this already: gym = positive body, positive mind, positive attitude. Check out Pop Sugar Fitness Website or Pop Sugar Fitness YouTube Channel which are both amazing for motivation & have ten minute workouts you can do from Yoga, Treadmill, Weights, Cardio......

3) Go for a walk. Not related to "exercising" but simply related to clearing your mind, having some peace and embracing the alone-time

4) Put down your cellphone. Stop playing Bubble Witch/Candy Crush/Tetris or whatever your poison is. You're wasting your life and getting a headache

5) Cook. Google a recipe you're craving, go grocery shopping and cook up a storm. Cake? Pancake? Curry? Gnocchi? Find something on Pintrest and give it a go!

6) Sort out your computer. This sounds super duper dull but don't you have a load of crap on your laptop? I do. 5 photos of the same thing really aren't needed. De-clutter and organise your life starting with your tech.

7) Sort out your junk drawer. Again this sounds dull but this time its not the act that counts its the feeling it gives you. This is a tip from a book I read which deals with depression. The act of sorting out a stationery/junk/kitchen drawer, as small an act as it is empowers you to sort out the rest of your life. I dare you to try this 'crazy' idea. Worst that happens: you get an organised junk drawer

8) Do the laundry. Boooooringgggg, but it will keep you busy. And if all the washing & ironing is done before hubby comes back it means more Quality Time together coz the administration of life is done.

9) Change the bedsheets. Mmmmm... nothing like crisp fresh linen. This one is for you and your soul. Relish and enjoy laying in fresh bedsheets before the wild animal husband comes back and sweats/crinkles/'dirty's your blissful bed.

10) Lastly, to keep yourself busy, feel good and get ready for hubby's return; Shower, Shave, Pluck, Paint nails, Blowdry, Exfoliate, Tone skin, Fake tan, Moisturize, Whiten, Floss... you get the picture. Get yourself totally beautified. Not just for him, for you to feel good and worthwhile.

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