Bio: Anayawa Nyambe is a Medical Scientist and Fashion Designer, who is driven by a love for helping others. She assists students with their research and promotes disease prevention. Anayawa has been awarded for writing an educational film script on HIV/AIDS for Scenarios from Africa and she has been successful in raising cervical cancer awareness. In addition to her experience in Public Health and Medical Science, Anayawa has a passion for fashion. She has designed and made ladies the garments of their dreams. Her winning ring design was exhibited during the International Jewellery London Exhibition which launched her work with the Jewellery and Gemstone Association of Zambia.
Anayawa holds a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the University of Antwerp in Belgium.
Contact details: Email: anayawa@gmail.com; Twitter: @anayawa; Facebook: Anayawa Nyambe; LinkedIn: Anayawa Nyambe, PhD
Article: Since August 2017, I have been transitioning back to my natural hair. Last year, I decided to take things further and work on having a healthy body. At that time, I was finalizing articles and writing my doctoral dissertation. I had gained weight because of my sedentary lifestyle. The sedentary lifestyle is basically the physically inactive life e.g. most of your day is spent sitting using a computer, reading a book, etc. This lifestyle can increase your risk of developing obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, certain cancers, etc.
The World Health Organization recommends doing a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week, and more if you want extra health benefits. Since I was not keen on joining a gym, I started doing 30-minute home work-out routines which improved my muscles. I later opted to do a minimum of 10000 steps because I enjoy walking. When it came to diet, I cut down my food portions e.g. instead of eating three potatoes eat two or one. You may consider counting calories if you want a more effective method for losing weight. I was drinking less than a liter of water a day which is very low considering it is generally advised to drink at least eight glasses or two liters. I set my target to three liters which I managed by using an alarm and keeping a water bottle nearby. I also started taking multivitamins regularly to supplement my diet.
Basically, for every day of three months, I was weighing myself, doing a minimum of 10000 steps, drinking a minimum of 3 liters of water, and taking multivitamins. These were the results:
- Weight loss: Despite my efforts, sometimes I noticed a gain in weight which may have been because of an increase in muscle, water retention, hormonal changes, etc. Otherwise, I had lost 4.5Kg by the end of three months.
- Skin: Drinking more water hydrated my naturally dry skin. It became smoother and softer to touch.
- Hair: It was difficult to notice changes in my hair but in general it felt better, and breakage was reduced.
- Improved mood: After taking my steps, I felt energized and ready to face the day.
Keeping up with my routine was not always easy. Sometimes it is just hard to get up early in the morning to exercise and drinking more water means needing access to a bathroom. I stopped because of travel but I still try to keep active and drink water. As a Medical Scientist, I aim to promote health practices that I have done. I can safely say that physical activity and drinking more water help improve hair, skin, and body.
If you would like more information or if you have any other health-related question, feel free to send your questions or comments to Dr. Anayawa