All Or Nothing Fitness With Dizzy: DON'T EAT CARBS

DON’T EAT CARBS!
DON’T EAT CARBS!

The enemy? What a joke of a statement and extremely misleading. I've read a lot on how much you need to cut out carbs while you're trying to lose fat, and most of the methods just seem all wrong, terribly wrong, I'd cut right to the chase. Run far away from anyone that tells you carbs are the enemy. I really don’t think there are “bad foods”, but for the purpose of this article I’ll distinguish between “Good and Bad”.

There are good carbs (complex carbohydrates), these aid in fat loss as they are slow to digest and require more energy to digest them and are also more filling, so you get satisfied and have less cravings after eating them. While the "bad carbs"(simple carbs), the “bad gang” you should be warned about while trying to cut down body fat.

 These "bad carbs" spike up your insulin immediately after taking which will give immediate energy, but are absorbed just as quickly and normally would result to fat stores, there's a lot of science to it, but I usually write in plain English for all of us to get the basic scope. So basically, these so called bad carbs will inadvertently cause you to store up fat in the long run and that you do not need. Then there are also the fibrous carbs with could be negligible in terms of effect and spiking of the insulin.

So which foods are in the category of the complex carbs? Well don't look too far;
Yams, potatoes, brown rice, beans, whole wheat bread, e.t.c.
The foods in the category of the simple carbs, well you guessed it; soda, added sugar, syrup,  candy, white rice, white pasta, e.t.c.

While trying to shed body fat, it's important that you make healthy choices. Those that will get you closer to your goals faster. Substitute the simple carbs for complex carbs.
By the way this does not give us a reason to overload on complex carbohydrates, it still has to be kept in check.

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Music Mondays With Femi Samuel: God Over Everything Album by Patoranking Review

ARTIST NAME: PATORANKING
ALBUM NAME: GOD OVER EVERYTHING
LABEL: FOSTON MUSIK/VP RECORDS
Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie better known by his stage name ‘Patoranking, is a vibrant, energetic reggae-dancehall artiste. Coming off the shoulders of being Timaya's protege, he has developed himself as a force to be reckoned with, not just in the reggae-dancehall scene but the entire Nigerian music industry with his versatility. Patoranking proved himself with the very much accepted Alubarika featuring Timaya which set the path to greatness for this dancehall act.

He has dropped hits after hits, getting consigns from the crème de la crème of the industry and also being featured on the right records. It only seemed right that this young man could do no wrong and topped it all off by winning the Next Rated Artiste at The Headies in 2014 which had the likes of Skales, Yemi Alade, Orezi and Runtown in the highly competitive category but He came out on top. He followed this feat by not slowing the buzz down and putting out massive singles to keep up with the pressure of being the next rated artiste and eventually not disappointing his fans, so basically he needed to put out a body of work to show how hardworking he is and what differentiates him from the regular Nigerian artiste; and here you have it #GodOverEverything, his first album.

The album opens with the track "Patoranking", with Patoranking's mother taking the introduction to the song, it's set to set the pace into what the album should sound like. It really kicks off with a cheering sample over a heavy kick beat which Patoranking took over with below average lyrics because the entire song fell off because the supposedly simple introduction turned into a ridiculously boring record; at the point of when the crowd started cheering him the song should have ended there with the tag "Welcome To The Album God Over Everything". The next track "God Over Thing" which is supposed to be the heart & soul of this body of work as the album is named after it,is really a below average performance from Patoranking. The content of the song is just too typical and there's nothing exciting about the song. He couldn't even tell a better story of his musical journey as he did on Alubarika. The song is really just set up to put one to sleep.

 Track 3; No Cheating Zone is actually a feel good reggae type of song but the record lacks the much needed depth and quality. The beat to the song is too weak. Patoranking chose the wrong producer and beat to that song. He just delivered what could look like the gospel artiste, "Buchi" type of early 2000 record. Fast forward to the sixth track "This Kind Luv" featuring Wizkid is when the album actually picks up, the entire arrangement of this record is excellent, superb guitar strings and the right percussion that this kind of record actually needed and obviously the Wizkid impact made this record a 100%. Pato got everything right on this record, brilliant song writing too. The follow up track "Killing Me" is actually a shadow of the one with Wizkid. An average song because it lacked the right arrangement and it actually exposed Patoranking vocally.. probably the mixing and mastering engineer's fault.

The next track "Writing On The Wall" produced by the famous music director "GospelOnDeBeatz" is headed in the direction of a well-written smooth reggae song but Pato got it all wrong with the song's content; the case right here is that he was disorganized as what to say on the song, one minute he was counting his blessings the other minute he just got lost in the song and kept deviating. With the well recorded fusion of the saxophone and other related instruments the next track "Forever" is a massive record ,Patoranking brought his own sort of feel to what he feels R'n'B should sound like he gave a brand new Flavour to this huge song, with the female additional vocals that gave strength to this song. He says a lot about the feelings he has for his special woman and hope she listens; one of the stand out tracks on the album. A song that makes you want to move a part of your body without even forcing it.


Track 9 "No Kissing Baby" featuring Sarkodie, the lead single of this body of work is already a fan favorite, a brilliant record that Patoranking delivered effortlessly, he got everything spot-on on this record. This was the foundation of this album but Patoranking had other plans.

Patoranking worked with Major Bangz on this record and decided to feature Mainland's finest "Olamide baddo" on this track titled "Mama Aboyo" which is an epic failure of a record and I'm utterly disappointed that it was included in this album. Here you have the perfect beat for a galala type of song but Olamide didn't even fuse well with the song, the chorus and entire content of the song is just too poor. Pato got over excited on the song that he even seemed confident to record a below average vocals to this, then at a point they switched up the levels to try to put in a bit of that techno which just showed the poor arrangement of the song. Stammerer produced by Wizzy Pro the maestro behind the hit single "emergency" is a decent record, above average song writing with witty lyrics and Pato had fun with his acceptable wordplay over this smooth highlife beat; this love song type of record is what I should believe is what Patoranking had the plan that track 2 "God over everything" would sound like. Patoranking did a decent live performance rendering on this record. Pato shows how talented he actually he is on "Love town" which has the Jamaican Caribbean reggae feel to it that set it and himself from the regular reggae song & artist. The Marley brothers should really be proud to hear this one. Patoranking had fun throughout the song and stayed true to his art. The hook of the song gets to you and sets you in a really happy mood; as great music affects your mood. The next track "Hale hale" has Patoranking singing nicely over this well-orchestrated ekelly produced smooth beat. A laid back effort from Patoranking but is a really good song; but it has a boring content to it. The next track "Beautiful" to me is what deceit should feel like, It's song that starts off with putting the listener in suspense as to whether we are about to get a sample of the hit song Damien Marley & Bobby Brown did together with the same name "Beautiful"; and again Patoranking had other plans and changed the entire mood to this song which resulted into a boring record but the song picks itself up in the middle with its perfect recording & production.


The second to the last song on the album has Jamaican dancehall recording artiste on it "Elephant man"; "Daniella Whine" is already a big song in the market in which he got so many recognition for including his Absolut vodka endorsement. I'm glad Patoranking added something different to it and gave it a special rendition by allowing the energy and charm of elephant me to give the song a different twist to the already amazing dancehall record. The complete package that a dancehall song should have. The OGs of the dancehall/reggae genre came to finish work on this record.


What perfect way to end this sixteen-track album than to feature the legendary Fuji musician King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall. The song "Ayinde" is easily the best song on this album; it's different, Patoranking broke the norm and showed how versatile he can be. He got everything spot on this record and even delivering vocals in Yoruba and paying homage to Yoruba carefree owambe party scene. K1 picked up from the intro of the song rendering the much needed oriki to the song, even greeting and praising Patoranking in the song and obviously doing why he does best in his delivery and giving that legendary factor to this record. The song was produced by Major Banks who fused in the right bata drum and the smooth kicks that the record needed. From the arrangement to the lyrics of the song, it's a perfectly rendered orchestrated record.
With the below par records this album had it wouldn't hurt to have had two songs that had the same Fuji sound on the album.

This album lacked the needed ingredients that a debut should have; it lacked the proper creative direction that it should have had, it lacked proper A&R direction that it should have had. Patoranking got the producers selection list wrong on some tracks on the album. My opinion is that he should enlisted the help of his mentor “Timaya’ on this album. The album was already two years late from Patoranking and in my opinion I feel he rushed the entire process on the album. The album can only be saved by the right publicty and promotion or less this entire body of work won’t be around for a long time. And also Patoranking and his team did not actually get the perfect timing as to making a strategic decision as to when to put out the album.


This album is rate 6/10.
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You can follow Femi Samuel on Twitter @Femi_RichNation

New Music: Dan Iska - Smallz

Dan Iska Cover Art 

Smallz is an Abuja / Brighton based artist. After working underground for years, he has decided to release “Dan Iska” as his first official single . This is a teaser into his world of hausa influenced trap music and more. Expect a whole lot of singles, videos and an EP this year from Smallz.

Dan Isks is performed mostly in hausa. “Dan Iska” is a hausa phrase which refers to someone that is Crazy.

The song wasmproduced by Smallz's alter-ego (Producer name: Deep Architect).

#SabonSauti

Instagram : @Thareal_Smallz


Twitter : @Thareal_Smallz

Listen and share Dan Iska by Smalls here





Dan Iska is #DodoGangEndorsed

All Or Nothing Fitness with Dizzy: Competitions

“Guy why you like light weights?”, “Dude you should be lifting heavy”, “Light weight king”, These are all remarks that have been made about my style of lifting from people that have absolutely no idea what my goals are. Oh, there’s actually a lot more than that! 

When I’m working out, in the gym or at home I always give everything I have, when a player is said to leave everything on the pitch after a football match? Yeah that’s me in the gym. I have never admitted to being a “heavy lifter”, neither am I all about light weights, but apparently there’s some sort of competition going on that I've never know about – Unlucky me, why wasn’t I told?

Oh well, there’s an even bigger competition going on in a place none of them know about and that’s in my head. I’m always competing against myself and I always, ALWAYS try to beat me, call it self abuse or whatever. But they’d never know, and they don’t have to, because I’m all that matters to me and I’d always strive to improve myself. You should too. Do not let what others say affect your work, if it’s positive take it and see how you can incorporate it in your work. At the end of the day only you can beat you. 

Ask yourself how many of these people know where you are coming from and how many know where you are headed, the answer is most likely zero, so why should they force their personal strive for supremacy on you? You know what, I say F@#K them, do you, be you, and improve you. It doesn’t matter if you’re a light weight king or you’re a heavy weight queen (cause “as a lady you ought not to be lifting so heavy”), if at the end of every workout you can look in the mirror and smile with what you have achieved,then be proud. Lift light, lift heavy, just lift yourself up because that’s where you’re really headed.  

Music Mondays with Femi Samuel

This week I take you guys on a journey through some of the quality songs released by Nigerian artists that you should have on your playlists.This list features some of the latest Nigerian music and also provides an analysis of the songs in  no particular order.

Babylon Cover Art 

1. Babylon - 2Baba & M.I
Both outright legends in their genres come out with this well recorded track with a very smooth hook, over a matured & intriguing beat. 2Baba came through with his verse, started off with a very engaging intro building up to his verse. M.I also came through with the delivery of his rap verse and they both killed the bridge they shared. Both artistes have actually come out with better collaborations together on M.I's albums but Babylon is actually a big song, a great production and definitely one for the record shelves.

God Over Everything G.O.E Album Cover   

2. No Kissing Baby - Patoranking ft. Sarkodie
Reggae/dancehall act, Patoranking got almost everything perfect on this record. A feel good song from the beginning to the end. He had a nice time over the azonto-cum-dancehall beat and it was only right to have featured Ghana's finest, Sarkodie on the record. This here is a club banger that would be around for a very long time.

Outta My Head Cover Art 

3. Outta My Head - Simi ft. Praiz
Simi's latest record, Outta My Head reminds us exactly why we love her and have always taken her seriously. Simi brought everything to this record, her delivery and catchy hook gave life to this high tempo Oscar produced beat. She also enlisted the help of fellow label mate and  X3M Music front man, Praiz who also did a decent job on this song.

Ogene Cover Art

4. Ogene - Zoro ft. Flavour
There so much potential for the 042 crooner, Zoro who has a distinct flow with his rap, not just his indigenous sound. Ogene in my opinion, is what a complete record sounds like. The song doesn't seem to deviate from the message it's passing across . It can be regarded as a high life dancehall hip hop record. He also featured the leader of high life music in Nigeria, Flavour who delivered over the Major Bangz produced record, the maestro behind fan's favorite, Parcel.

Ire Cover Art 

5. Ire - BOJ
Boj just secured a record deal with HF Music so hopefully he would remind us that he isn't just a seasonal artiste. His brand new single, Ire is a decent record from him. The great part of the song is knowing that he hasn't changed his sound for anything and so there is still a lot of potential for the DRB Lasgidi starboy. Boj tries to be witty with the whole content of the record so you'd actually pay attention to the lyrics which creates an avenue for the song to grow on you. But really, there's nothing special about the song. It doesn't set itself apart to be a big single.

*The above list is in no particular order. Update your playlist right now & have fun!

Follow Femi Samuel on Twitter @Femi_RichNation

All Or Nothing Fitness with Dizzy: Calisthenics Vs Weight Training

Calisthenics or weights, which is better off?  Well it depends on your goals. But first we need to understand what each of these mean. 

Calisthenics are a form of exercise that consists of a variety of gross motor movements, often rhythmical, generally without using equipment or apparatus. They are intended to increase body strength, body fitness and flexibility through movements such as bending, jumping, swinging, twisting or kicking, using only one's body weight 

for resistance.(Wikipedia.com)

Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity (in the form of weighted bars, dumbbells or weight stacks) to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction. Weight training uses a variety of specialized equipments to target specific muscle groups and types of movement. Sports where weight training is central are bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting, and strongman, highland games, shotput, discus throw, and javelin throw. (Wikipedia.com)

Good,  now let me just state that, I started off with Calisthenics and then moved to weights, and I now incorporate both. I started off with Calisthenics because I always believed I had to build my discipline at home first before taking it out. I always advise my clients to do this too. Try out 2 weeks to a month of calisthenics, use it to build your strength, find your self motivation, confidence and endurance so when you start going to the gym/using weights you'd be self motivated and would have built yourself up in terms of endurance and natural strength. This doesn't apply to everyone,  many peole also believe that investing their money in a gym will force them to be motivated. Fair enough! A lot of people believe they can't get their desired body goals by just bodyweight training. This may be true as research shows that variations bring about maximum results.

Everything in fitness and health also depends on your goals. They both have their advantages and you could make arguments for or against each. Calisthenics gives you strength, agility and flexibility while weight training helps you build and improve on your overall strength, power and muscle size.  If you ask me a combination of both give the best results.  As a matter of fact many people actually combine both without even knowing. The moment resistance is added to a calisthenics workout, it immediately becomes a form of weight training. And those at the gym doing pulls ups and leg raises don't realize that those are forms of calisthenics. So while it's about your goals, I'm only here to say that both are great forms. And you shouldn't bash either one or the other. So, rather than worry about which is better of, or try to downplay any, it's best to find a way to incorporate both in your workouts to maximize your own potential and if you can't, pick the one that best suits your goals. 

Here are some calisthenics + weight training programs. Enjoy. 😃

Calisthenics:
Perform 15 seconds of each with 1 minute rest at the end.

Pull ups
Push ups
Pike Push Ups
Burpees
Bodyweight cross Lunges
Plank
Spider Crawl
Chair Dips
Closed Grip Pull ups 

Weight:
Lat Pull-down (4x12)
Barbell Bench Press (4x12)
Military Shoulder Press (3x12)
Deadlifts (3x12)
Leg Press (4x10)
Rope Crunches (4x15)
Woodchopper (4x10) on each side
Dumbbell Extension (4x12)
EZ preacher Curl (4x12)

I've written it in a way that the weight exercises takes the place of Calisthenics counter part according to order, so there could be a combination for those that'd like. It's a total body routine. Every muscle group is targeted.

Please search online for any body movements or excercises you do not understand. 

Keep up with me on social media:

Twitter: @AONFitness

Instagram: @AONFitness

Facebook: https://t.co/GougsGtIkw

E- mail: aonfitnessnigeria@gmail

Music Mondays with Femi Samuel: Gold by AdekunleGold album review

Artiste: AdekunleGold

Album: Gold

Label: YBNL Nation

First, stating the fact that Olamide is king; it's really crazy how one person can make an unknown alternative act blow up in less than two years in a country that is trotted with the kpangolo sound. Olamide believed in AdekunleGold and assisted him to carve a niche in the music industry. Coming off as a superstar act with the success of the highly regarded One Direction "Story Of My Life" cover,Sade with further huge songs that have messages in their lyrics like Pick Up, Orente and Ready. 

The album opens with a very touching intro "Gold" that sets your mind as to what to expect from the album. It is a short story of how his musical journey started. He signifies this by saying "he is made of gold". Followed with the next track on the album, "My Life" that has batta drums in it, more like the new dance-along-Fuji-type-of-song, and of course praising God; telling all nay sayers to quit hating and forget about what he is doing. The bridge of this song is also really dope as it is well written, arranged and of course has a catchy hook.

The next track "Beautiful Night" is actually the down side of the album for me. It's just too typical with the content, there's nothing exciting about the song but it's decent all the same. The /ka Jo ma rocky/ old school infused hook saved the song. There's just a seemingly nice link between the follow up track "Orente" which sets in motion the romantic input he tries to paint in the album.

Track 5; "Nurse Alabere” a massive record produced by the super talented  "Pheelz" is one of the major highlights on the album. The content is 100%; a heartbroken Adekunle who wants his heart to be mended by a certain Nurse Alabere. Lol. ‘Friendzone’ is up next, also produced by Pheelz is one of my best songs on the album; somewhat an alternative-kpangolo record with carefree lyrics and funny storyline. 

Paradise is also another romantic song on the album with AdekunleGold stating that he would die on the line /ibi ni ma ku sii/ if it meant that the girl in question would be his in the end. A decent love letter in my opinion which expresses how much the girl means to him. The only song with a feature with on the album "No Forget" shows the huge chemistry between AdekunleGold and his rumored boo, Simi (who mixed and mastered the album) ; with both showing how great they are vocally. Simi obviously delivers over the Oscar laced beat, the maestro behind her break out single "Tiff". 

The next two tracks that sit beside each other on the album are clearly the result of a top notch creative direction on this jewel body of work; tracks 9 & 10. Pick Up and Work. The idea behind these songs would come to stipulate the fact that AdekunleGold is a fantastic song writer; ‘Pickup’ which is already a highly regarded record in the country as it was number 1 for weeks just had a competition with its better half "Work". Decent kicks and mild drums on this record topped with the content which personifies animals with the basic reality of life in the well-written lyrics. /Swagger Ko n se fun o le/ with the relationship /cut your coat according to your size/ which settles the fact that one must "Work" for baba God to "Pick up" your call.

The next song "Temptation" starts off with a soft rock vibe to it. AdekunleGold takes us to church with his vocal dexterity. The content of this record shows the wicked vices of life that leads to betrayal and shows how a simple man like AdekunleGold doesn't give in, in order not to have strange results. The stand out reggae-like record on the album, "Ariwo Ko" which is also my favorite song on the album is nothing short of mediocrity. Simi also delivers with the Indian smooth sounds and additional vocals fused with further strings to add flavour to this amazing record. The content states that it doesn't pay to be proud, no need to loud anything unjustly, do what you have to do and keep it moving with saying  that "empty barrels make the loudest noise".

Track13, "Fight for you" is a laid back effort from Adekunle, he almost delivers like he doesn't feel the need to impress on the record. Trying so hard to hate on the next track "Ready" was just a way of people heaping up the pressure on AdekunleGold to put out an album. But we can't lie that "Ready" is also a very good song; regardless of its monotonous sound with that of Pick Up. All the same, it's still a wonderful song. Track 15 was produced by the indigenous highlife producer "Masterkraft"; the entire package of this song wasn't just meant to happen. Nothing worked on this record, AdekunleGold didn't deliver on this highlife beat, and he was even so confused as to what lyrics to record to this beat. He was all over the place. Another feature on this album could have helped the song. I believe  he should have enlisted the help of "Flavour". Thank God it's the second to the last song on the album, so it won't be noticed at all. And the album draws to a close with the fan favorite "Sade" the song that set the motion for this massive talent to put his mark in history, brilliant record.

Gold Album is a well-produced album which had proper co-ordination and direction. Listening to this album is a pleasure; the imageries that the album paints in the minds of the listeners through the excellent story lines are really impressive. It really takes a lot be a decent performer & a talented artiste. AdekunleGold is a complete artiste. Not just the hype. Open your heart to listen to this album the creativity is top notch; Sean Tizzle failed us with his debut body of work. But AdekunleGold has come to save the day. Long live alternative music amidst the kpangolo sound.

I rate this album 8/10

You can follow Femi Samuel on Twitter: @Femi_RichNation