Dig yourself out of debt!

This world is a place of money, sadly for some people it is hard to obtain and even harder to get them to grow and help. Many years ago I fell into the trap of using credit cards, thinking I had it under control, sadly one credit card became several, I got loans to cover my credit card bill and quite quickly it became a bad spiral! It wasn't until my boyfriend shook me and held me responsible and showed me how much it really gutted my economy. He taught me about the stock market and how I could use it to make money work for me not against. I'm not the most money savvy person around but I learned a few things on the way - enough things to KNOW I will become a millionaire (I'm not telling what currency haha)

All kidding aside, we can all go with a little more money and a little less debt so here are some tips for you to use to get a grip on your economy and taking responsibility for your money!

Make a list: Yes this is nessecary if you're serious about getting in control you must see what's going in and what's going out. Think of calories in and calories out (if that helps). Calculate the exact costs of your current situation, don't forget interest and charges for invoices and your subscriptions (Netflix included) and take your salary and see if it matches, do you have more? Or aren't you getting enough?

Subtract the negotiables: this can sound a bit boring, but if you are not adding up to your costs and relying on credit you need to cut down your monthly costs. Cut down on eating out, downsize you cable tv, cut down on shopping, and yes, you might even need to sell a few things to get a grip on your situation. Strip down to the bare minimum: eating, sleeping and getting to and from you work.  When you do this and find that you are still breathing and happy to pay of the big bad bill you start to feel lighter in your step, future looks a little bit brighter and you can begin to dream about the better things in life you want to do (in my case, traveling)

Got in too deep? Get a loan: if you got yourself into a spiraling credit debt you might need to get a bank loan to get your costs down and the interest lowered. Before heading for the bank, make sure you don't have unpaid bills. Show up with a plan and with power in your voice tell them you will get debt free and have a budget to show them (that impresses them and they might get you better interest on your loan) go hard on your mortgage to get it off your back, impresses the bank, interest decreases as the loan decreases and you will feel relief in time.

Skimp on food: I'm not the one to eat unhealthily just to save a buck but in some cases you need to be smart about the purchases you do, so don't buy food "out of season" and look for no brand foods that are the same as the brand name ones. Go halvsies on meat with a neighbor or friend. Cut the takeout and coffee stops, and for the love of god stop smoking and drinking soda! Water is a luxury we need to appreciate! I'm not telling you to eat pasta and ketchup cuz I'm still a fitness freak and that would ruin your health, period.

Stop with the charades: Stop living like a millionaire and start thinking like one. Put off expensive parties, drinking beers and getting glittery outfits, there's nothing nice about spending your last dollars on a dress or a drink knowing you can't buy food for the rest of the month.. not sexy and not the best stress reliever. Find joy in the small things, getting a good rest sleep on the weekends (instead of a hangover only treatable by a large family pizza), invite people to walks, go jogging or do yoga, it's free and healthy for you! Eat together, invite people and tell them to bring a dish and share a nice meal together. Watch the movie at home instead of the theater (its nicer and you won't be annoyed by chewing and that tall guy in front of you)

Track your progress: Every now and then check in on your payments, see the numbers going down and your heart feeling lighter. Now you might be in a good state to start saving some of the money you are relieved from paying to a credit company. Don't fall back into consuming again, pile those hundreds in your bank account! Get an account with good interest and see your money reproduce into more money, read and maybe invest and get more leverage to get the snowball effect!

Final words:
This is like any process, please be patient and be sure that this takes time, everyday sacrifices and hard work. But know that you didn't fall into debt in one day and you sure won't dig yourself out of it in a day either. Be resilient and be strong, soon enough you'll be out of the woods looking at a bright future ahead. This year I will have relieved myself of debt and begun to see the result of my savings springing to action in a way I thought weren't possible. More on this another post ;)

I will become a millionaire - in time

Dietary fats

With the LCHF (low carb high fat) diets and the hype of Omega 3 fatty acids I feel the urge to shed some light on this topic.

A few decades ago we feared fats and substituted with sugar instead, we know now this wasn't a good idea. Mostly the food industries were happy to do this, sugar is more addictive than fats and more cheap to use in products.

Now we see a shift for fats and the industry is jumping to get a chance to sell you more products and more expensive ones. There are lots of money to be made simply by selling tablets of fish oil, selling more (and more expensive) fish or urging us to pour olive oil into everything we eat.

Never before have the humans ingested so much oil and fats, the culprit is that the fats we are eating is out of balance due to overindulgence of Omega 6 fatty acids, according to the science. Many then supplement with Omega 3s to counteract this - the problem isn't that we are underconsuming Omega 3 fatty acids - but OVERCONSUMING Omega 6s!
       The ratio of these two uses to be 1/1 up to 1/4 (the first being Omega 3s and the second representing Omega 6s). Nowadays we have upped the consumption of 6s due to meat consumption, processed oils, poultry and some seeds making the ratio out of whack. The ratio of today is between 1/25 and 1/30, what the industry is quick to tell you is to increase your Omega 3s when in fact you'd be better off decreasing the 6s.

Reducing the amount of animal protein and fats you eat will prevent heart disease not increasing the consumption of fats. Let meat be a treat and use it as a flavor enhancer but let greens and vegetables be the main course. I can tell you, no one ever got heart disease eating kale!

I'm not saying you should give up fats entirely but be wary of the type of fat you consume, natural fats in nuts and seeds aswell as avocados and coconuts are good sourses of fat. Eat sparingly of oils, these fats are heavily processed in a way that humans have a hard time to process (where in nature can you take a gulp of oil?) and eating meat, poultry, fish and eggs in moderation since the feed that all these animals are fed are processed, GMO and chemical laden soy and corn. The toxins in these accumulate in the tissue of the meat your eating, a safer way of eating animal protein is to go grass fed and organic as often as possible.

Fats and calories, people who  say that fats make you thin are not really saying the dietary fat itself is burning calories, the theory of this is if you consume a large amount of fat you get full (maybe even sick) and don't want to eat more, hence consuming less calories. This isn't entirely true, a calorie still counts and if you are able to overconsume you can still gain fat.

1 gram of fat is 9 calories (twice the amount of calories found in protein and carbs)

I recommend watching the documentary Food Choices 2016 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6hJNayG6dxk

I don't agree to all the things said in that documentary but it is a good informative film with lots of knowledge built in, enjoy!

Mother Thailand

For those who has not yet visited Thailand...

It's like being embraced by a gentle mother, welcomed by a friendly stranger and teased by a silly sister.

Having been in Thailand several times I always am surprised by the hospitality and eager to help out (although some try to squeeze you for a couple of hundred baht)

The people
I find the Thais to be very friendly, they are happy to flash a smile and have a silly sence of humor, if you do something wrong they love to call you out and laugh and point (in a sweet childish kind of way), they are helpful when they can and open to share with you the good things in life. Somewhat proud the Thai will something's say Yes (as if they know what you're talking about) use simple English and go slow when speaking. They are mostly soft spoken and very polite, if they do not know English they might be quiet. Most Thai are Buddhist and some are Muslim, all are peaceful and respectful if you are.

Getting around and shopping
At first glance Thailand can be dirty and hard to navigate due to their alphabet and language but with a simpler use of words and some hand gestures you can go a long way. However be aware if someone tells you something is closed or they try to sell you something else instead of your chosen activity or route (this is the usual scam). Be price savvy, if you suspect they are overcharging for something (yes taxi trips, boat tickets, scooter hire, anything really) try to haggle, if they are not budging go see the stall/shop next to the one you're in (most often they stop you on your way out). You can haggle on almost anything, exemption is food though, if you find yourself in a pricy restaurant pick another one, back alleys, small food stands or bazaars is a super cool way to get to taste Thailand!
      When getting around a scooter is your best bet it can be as cheap as 150 baht per day, taxis are cheaper by taxi meter (you have to remind them to turn it on) local buses are the cheapest but very loud, warm and noisy, tourist buses have air conditioning and snack on board, flying is cheap with AirAsia but not always on time clocking in from 700 baht in low season. Waiting for bus/flight/ride can be a while, grab a seat and a coffee, they will show up..

Eating
The restaurants are mostly built simply, a shed some bamboo walls and some colour slapped onto a concrete wall, don't be fooled, they have a great palate! Tastes like Tom Yam (80-120 baht in price range) - a soup with either tofu, chicken or seafood seasoned with lemongrass, kaffir like leaf and chili, it's both sweet and sour with a world of flavor!
Another homerun is the Thai spicy papaya salad, sweet and sour with green papaya as a base, refreshing after a whole day in the sun. Almost no one missed the green and red curry, they are different flavors not an indication of spicyness (most people think green equals less spicy) but more varieties can be found, Penang curry is the red curry but more spicy using black pepper, massaman curry means Muslim curry and have a serving of hearty potato and sometimes pineapple and peanuts in it (not too spicy).
        Don't miss out on the desserts, the Thai have a special pancake that is called Roti and is delicious like puff pastry with fruit, condensed milk or sometimes Nutella, be sure to try coconut ice cream if you get a chance, it's a cooling treat dairy free to keep you tummy happy.
The best prices for food I found was the small but still super tasty family restaurants (not always the fancy looking ones) you can get a dish for as low as 30-40 baht. To get seafood you can walk past most restaurants and point to the food you want to eat, note, these can be very pricey so ask before you sit down. I would advice against eating endangered species and/or shark since this is not ethical nor sustainable for future generations.

Sleeping

Getting a hotel, a bungalow or a home stay is easy in Thailand, no need for prior booking if you are not staying in a fancy resort, you have a myriad of options if all you need is a room, and air conditioner, internet booking sites like hotels.com and booking.com have a higher rate and yes, you can get a better price from the hotel/hostel in person by saying you can stay a couple of nights. Although a trial night can be good so you know if you have a bar or a noisy road, a rock hard bed or something else you'd rather trade (it's not nice to agree to stay for two hours weeks and the first day you know why the room is so cheap) look out for noisy road, roosters, clubs hard beds, ensure a fully functioning air conditioning, moskitos (if possible read the reviews of the place you're staying in)


Nature!
See past the trash and busy streets filled with old mopeds. You can really see the nice things of this special place. Turquoise waters and coral growing meters from shore, lush forests teaming with life, chickens, goats and cows loose to wander where they please.
A diving or snorkeling trip is almost mandatory (snorkel from around 600 baht for a whole day, dive from around 3000 baht), take a trip with one of the many tourist information offices and be sure to get one with some snacks or food since thais can really drag out time and a hungry tourist is not a happy tourist, get a good deal and ask them for best price. Shop around for a good travel agency and if your happy with the first one go back for more ;) Hiking is a good opportunity to see some things the normal tourist often misses, take a trip to one of the waterfalls or caves or go hike up to the view point. You can see eagles, monkeys, snakes, spiders, millipedes and all sorts of butterflies! As well as houses built in the most off grid location ever imagined - don't be surprised if you hit a wifi spot in the middle of nowhere, water and beer can be found too. Ask your guide if you need to carry water or if there will be stops on the way.
 I would strongly advice against tours using elephants, chained monkeys, photographing with tigers, caged birds or aquariums, they are often very poorly cared for, drugged or even beaten or
dismembered to not be dangerous to people.



Need I say I love #thailand ?

Har du läckande tarm?

Jag läser ofta (nästan jämt) om kost, hälsa, träning och psykiskt välmående och inför min julsemester så köpte jag lite ljudböcker att lyssna på, ett intresse den senaste tiden har varit tarmbakterier och dess innebörd och hur viktigt det är att vårda ditt inre ekosystem. 

         Boken som jag  laddade ner heter "Eat Dirt" av Dr Josh Axe. 

Boken handlar i det stora hela om hur vi tvättar oss och vår omgivning tills vi blir sjuka och vad vi stoppar i oss har stor påverkan på vårt inre ekosystem. När den här balansen rubbas av klorerat vatten, antibakteriella rengöringsmedel och hormonstörande ämnen får kroppen svårt att försvara sig. 

       Maten vi äter har ämnen som retar tarmväggen som i sin tur kan bli genomsläpplig och släppa in större molekyler och proteiner som klibbar fast och skapar problem på olika ställen i kroppen. 

     --> Nu vet jag vad du tänker: "jaha, men det här rör inte mig" men då vill jag fråga dig; har du diabetes, ibs, gasig mage, psoriasis eller exsem? Har du eller någon släkting en autoimmun sjukdom som MS, PCOS, sköldkörtelbesvär, dålig ämnesomsättning? Kanske har du bihålebesvär, snuva i tid och otid, pollenallergi, matallergier eller har astma? Kanske har du envisa huvudvärkar som inte går över och du känner dig konstant trött eller sötsugen? Listan kan göras längre... 

Alla dessa symptom är länkat till läckande tarm, faktum är att man oftast har läckande tarm FÖRE sjukdomar uppdagar sig och forskarna börjar komma fram till att nästan alla sjukdomar börjar med din bristande tarmbakterieflora och koppla autoimmunitet (ett tillstånd där kroppens immunförsvar attackerar egna celler). 

DET visste du kanske inte, men frukta ej, det går att vända på, dr Axe själv fick meddelandet av sin mamma att hennes cancer som efter flera års strålnings och giftcellbehandling kommit tillbaka, han ändrade hennes kost och tog sig an uppdraget att hela hennes läckande tarm och microbiom för att några månader senare chocka hennes läkare att cancern hade tillbakabildats. 

Våra kroppar är fullt kapabla att läka sig själva, problemet ligger i att vi badar i antibiotika så snart vi får en förkylning, vi spritar händerna efter att ha åkt tåg/flyg, vi häller i oss socker och klagar på olika krämpor som sedan smetas över med medicin, efter det andas vi in cigarettrök, får i oss tungmetaller och gifter i besprutade grönsaker. Våra kroppar hinner inte med att bekämpa sjukdomar, vi förorenar våra kroppar tills den endast har förnödenheter kvar att lösa det allra viktigaste - den dagliga driften. Därför  hinner cancer utvecklas, problemen gror utan att vårt immunförsvar hinner agera.  Detta med bristfällig kost som inte ger alla de vitaminer och mineraler den behöver för att läka.

Om vi istället försöker ge vår kropp allt det den behöver, vi rör på oss och lever ett liv som ger oss energi och näring kan kroppen göra sitt jobb och laga det som är trasigt. 

Tyvärr i denna moderna värld kräver det att man är lite påläst och tar ansvar för det man utsätter sin kropp för, men kortfattat kan vi vara överens om att frisk luft, solljus, bra mat som är så lite processad som möjligt, bli lite smutsig ibland är inget farligt, motion och goda relationer till familj och sig själv är grundpelare till ett fantastiskt härligt långt liv! 

Ha en fin jul och ät gott (med måtta) 

Låt äventyret börja Ekoturism

I skrivande stund är det 4 dagar 7 timmar och 37 minuter tills vi åker, det är dags att packa ryggan och bege sig på en planlös semester i härliga Thailand! Fem veckor av nya intryck och laddning av mina ack så uttömda batterier! 

Anledningen till att jag är slutkörd är att jag stod över min semester i somras på grund av sjukdom så nu är det på tiden att jag får lite semester (inget illa om mitt jobb, det älskar jag, men lite avkoppling behövs) 

Så nu är det sista dagarna på jobbet på en tid och packning som gäller i helgen, sedan är det bara att luta sig tillbaka och låta British Airways ta mig till paradiset - jag vet vad ni tänker "Thailand så klyshigt" "alla har varit där" - det jag gillar med Thailand är det lättsamma trevliga folket, den goda maten och den fina naturen, jag siktar på massa dykning, hiking, lite thaiboxning skulle jag gissa på och allt som kan tänkas vara ett äventyr i min smak! 

Dock undvikes sådana aktiviteter där djur far illa, hålls i bur och/eller kedjas fast för att visas upp för turister. 

Jag vill resa för att se så mycket autentiskt som jag kan utan att påverka miljön, jag dyker för att då ser jag det som kommer min väg (och inte tillfångatagits och placerats i en för liten tank som sedan ska hoppa genom ringar inför betalande turister), jag vandrar för att få chansen att se vilda djur (jag går inte på zoo där djuren mår dåligt och drogas för att kunna fotograferas med turister) 

    Jag handlar på nightmarkets och köper mat från gatustånd - för det är faktiskt godast!! Besöker lokala små restauranger där man har bilder på maten och knappt kan prata engelska men för det mesta blir det rätt ändå på nåt sätt. 

          Jag bor på små hostels och liknande för att jag tycker det är härligt med det enkla och gillar att gynna de thailändare som lever på att ha boende till oss som reser - (stora hotellkedjor betalar oftast inte skälig lön till sina anställda och är ofta ägda av västerlänningar som tjänar massor på turismen)

Hur reser du, vad är viktigt, vad vill du se? Kommentera gärna!