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10 Beginner Hiking Essentials, The ultimate guide to follow
When you are landed on this page we assume that you are you looking for a beginner hiking essentials list. Hiking is the preferred term in Canada and the United States for a long vigorous walk usually trails on the footpath in the countryside.
While the word walking issued for shorter particularly urban walks. On the other hand in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, the word walking is acceptable to describe all forms of walking whether it is a walk in the park or backpacking in the Alps.
Top 10 beginner hiking essentials
If you are confusing about what to bring on a day hike? Follow our guide to pick the best gears for hiking. There are tons of gears available in the market to carry a huge backpacking gear collections. These are the things that you really should pack on a day hiking trip. Every hiking activity required specific needs and you should pack your backpack accordingly. We will discuss the top ten hiking essentials you required when you going for urban hike/travel.
Hiking boots
Hiking is solely dependent on the selection of the right pair of shoes or boots for hiking. If you have the wrong pair of shoes you will unable to find the right strides. Hiking boots for beginners featured with a wide toe, arch support, and soft sole. When you walk through the forest, mountains, and rocks, it is a chance to experience severe injuries. These shoes allow you to go miles without worry about serious damage.
Also Read: 8 Best Hiking Boots Under 100; You Need To Know
A hydration system
Water hydration is crucial to stay your muscles active all over the journey. So you want to make sure you pack enough filtered water with you in hydration packs. There are hydration backpacks with a detachable pack sometime called reservoirs or bladders available to assist you to store enough water.
If you put a water bottle in your backpack you will hardly ever drink it throughout your entire hike. If you have a hydration pack, it feeds you right by your face with as much water as you needed.
Take the concern in mind that you also have to carry other stuff while backpacking. So, make sure to check that your hydration pack should be ultra-light. If you are a backpacker you should not stick unnecessary stuff, it will hard to carry all the time.
Read Also: How To Find Best Hiking Hydration Backpack In 2020
Food essentials for hiking
The next system is extra food so pack what you think you're going to need for your day hike. Rule of thumb suggested that do not pack more than you actually need to entire day. If you carry extra food in your backpack, it will hold down space and prevent you from packing other items.
Some of the best options to have food essentials with you are biscuits, some nuts, some butter, and some jerky things. So, make sure you just pack as much food as you think you're going to need.
First Aid Kit
In your first-aid kit, you want to have things like a blister, treatment gauze, bandages of various sizes, over-the-counter medication, antibiotics, and ointments, etc. Make sure they're not expired.
If you're using a kit that is a few years old it's likely that a lot of those medications have expired. You want to go and replace those before you begin.
If you are going to a bigger size group it is obvious to want more things. You should also make sure that your medical kit is tailored to the size of your group.
Navigation is one of the key components of your travel. Suppose, you are middle of a hike in California desert or North American Apls without a guider. How you will find a way to move forward?
Navigation equipment such as map and compass will guide you the exact way to follow. These are very small and simple things to deal make sure that you know how to use these things. You also could bring a GPS and altimeter, watch or a personal locator beacon the
Sun protection Gears
As hiking is an outdoor activity and you have to deal with shining sun all the way. If you have some sun-protective gear to prevent your skin and eyes from ultraviolet rays. You maybe have some sunglasses, sunscreen, a little hat, chopstick, and clothing. You really want to have some protection but also take bag space in mind. So carry only that item actually required in your case.
Headlamp or emergency light
This is really just one piece of gear so awesome to have in case your overnight hike goes a little bit longer. When you thought or you need to hike out in the dark an emergency LED light or headlamp is so useful. You should definitely pack one for yourself while backpacking.
Knife and cutting blades
The next system we're going to talk about is a knife or cutting blade. A knife can be useful for so many things. For example; making kindling for fire emergency situations and fixing food all sorts of things. So, make sure that you pack a multipurpose cutting tool in your backpack for hiking and travel.
Emergency Blanket and shelter
An emergency shelter can protect you from several unexpected elements. If you're stranded out on the trail and you have an emergency blanket reflects 90% of your body heat.
Best hiking clothes
In mountains weather changes drastically and you definitely need some protection. A rain jacket with an extra little puffy jacket layers your body with extra cushion.
The appropriate clothing you bring will depend a lot on where you're hiking the time of year the weather. Things like rain, cold, sunshine, and snow can influence you to pick clothing gear.
Follow blog post: Best hiking gear list for beginners, ultimate guide
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Hi. I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that I may have this problem. Had several instances of having to stop on races after a couple of k...no breath, can't maintain speed etc. Saw the doctor and tried an asthma inhaler but follow on appointment concluded that this isn't the problem or solution. Going back to see dic in a couple of weeks.
Problem goes away after a couple of days,vbut is getting more frequent. Now vfeel I can't raise pace on a nine race run.
Anyone with advice, I would be delighted to read more
Greetings Rob. It was only due to my routine of daily heart rate checks that I knew the cause of my sudden breathlessness.
Do you check your pulse before/after/during runs? It's not something that I sweat about, but it does give me another thread of information.
Hope you get some help from the doc. soon.
Howard Thomas 3 Hope everything has gone to plan. Let us know how you are.
Hi Guys. Now back home after a successful op which was cancelled on the original day because of hospital emergencies but took place yesterday. It took about 2 hrs and I was out of it most of the time except for a slightly painful bit during which I was given more sedative. Today after 13 hrs sleep I feel ok and looking forward to a few days resting up. My atrial flutter was a very straightforward one and the consultant said that they knew exactly where to locate it. After suffering a pulse of 28-34 bpm for 6 months with all the related problems of breathlessness when running, dizziness and nausea, and also lightly swollen ankles, I am already noticing the difference and my resting pulse is up to 54 bpm. Of course, I can't report back on the running until after the rehab.
I note that Rob reports breathlessness. Here I would endorse the advice of MrM2 and make a habit of taking your pulse regularly - getting out of bed in the morning and at any other period of rest. I had severe breathlessness and it was only when I noticed that my pulse had dropped from 44-46 bpm to 28-32 bpm that I realised that that I had a heart problem and saw the doc fairly soon after. That was last October and it has taken until now to get into the operating theatre.
So Guys, very many thanks for your help and support thus far, I'll report back on progress soon.
best wishes
Howard. Great to have your first report sounding so positive. I hope and pray that this will continue. Would be good to hear how you progress.
The ship that I am on has been in Durban, South Africa, for just over a week. We've had a real mix of weather, but I've been able to get out for a run on alternate days. They have a great sea-front promenade that is used by walkers, runners and cyclists. It is also used by monkeys, which I don't encounter in Bournemouth!
There is a 'Parkrun' along the prom. which I hope to run on Saturday. It's hard to visualise, but last week they had over 1300 finishers!
This morning's run was a 5' slow/fast alternate miles, and was quite pleased to manage the two fast miles at 8:24 and 8:16. Happy days.
Thanks for the heart rate measurement tip...I will try
Hi Everyone. Thought I'd give you an update 8 days after the op. I felt ok after 24 hrs and have no post op pain. My pulse varies from mid 40s - mid 50s and still skips beats, but this is apparently to be expected. But it now seems to react properly to the demands of exercise, that is, it rises quickly according to need. This data has come from my heart monitor which I have worn on a daily walk of c.1.5m at a gentle to steady pace. I feel as if I could run/jog but I am waiting at least until the 10 days advised by the cardilogist has passed, but I am prepared to wait longer if it's required to make sure the ablation healing has taken place.
Which brings me to my question to MrM2 and Redjeep, did you follow doctor's guidelines re returning to running or did you go by how you felt? Redjeep, I know that you still might not have started up again. Is that because you haven't felt up to it or are you being cautious?
Re the healing process following radio frequency ablation, I have tried to find info on the web about it but have not uncovered much. I also think there is a wide general discrepancy about how the word 'exercise' is understood. For some it's a gentle walk to the end of the garden and back, for runners it's something else of course. In my case the cardiologist was a runner and when he said 10 days before starting up again, I am assuming he meant running. But what have doctors told you guys, for example? (By the way, I do appreciate the caveat that we all may react differently and no one knows how severe the the procedure was in each of our cases.)
Here's hoping that this message finds you all well.,
Best wishes
Howard..Good to have your up-date.
Answering your question...After my ablation I was told to wait a week before considering any physical activities. So I waited 8 days and started cautiously walking at various speeds; really just checking for groin discomforts. By the end of that week I had notched up 18 miles, including an 8' run. The next week I clocked up 21 miles and then 23 miles for the fourth week. In the second month I experimented with pace, and distances up to half-marathon.
My caution at the start was simply following doctor's advice, but I never felt my body telling me to take it easy. I did a lot of heart-rate checking in the first two months, but since then I have rarely checked it during a run.
Redjeep...Hope you'll soon be up-dating us on your progress.
I'm still in Durban, South Africa. Decided to run the North Beach Parkrun last week. My time was 26:03, and I finished 137 out of 1251 finishers! Reasonably pleased with my time, although it is 1:40 slower than last summer, in Bournemouth. It still placed me first in age group (11 runners in the 70-74 category) with an age-grading around 68%.
Not sure how things will work out for running over the next month, as we'll be in a more difficult area, in dry-dock. Happy recoveries everybody.
Hi Howard. Good to see it all went well and you're starting on the road to recovery. I followed my doctor's advice and only started back training yesterday. Tomorrow will be 6 weeks to the day and I did 45 minutes on the turbo yesterday and 60 today. I was taking it fairly easy so no hard interval sessions for a while.
I was thinking of going for a run this morning with my usual Sunday morning crowd, but chose to do the turbo instead as I felt that it'd be a bit more controllable and I was less likely to get too carried away. I'm planning to run on Tuesday evening, but it'll only be for a mile or 2.
I've felt fit enough to start back for a couple of weeks now, but thought that I'd better do what I'm told. I've been doing some longish walks since a few days after the op (about 1 mile slowly to start).
Hi Guys
Many thanks for your responses. Redjeep and Michael, it seems that your doctors have given different advice seeing that M started exercise again after 8+ days and R after 6 weeks. My cardio said no vigorous exercise for at least 10 days but going out for a walk was ok, hence my 30 min gentle to normal pace walks since op day + 2. Today, op day + 10, I walked for an hour around a forest plus another hour or so walking around an NT property. I suppose the issue is less the groin area but the healing of the cars in the heart, and I can't get any hard info on that, so I suppose we each listen to our own cardiologists.
My pulse seems to very from 47 - 60 but is mainly in the 50-52 area. I also experience an occasional, kind of pressure head ache, which under normal circumstances I would cure with a run. Does any of that sound familiar? Whatever, I shall start gentle jogging in the next few days and get back to you.
Good luck with the turbo trainer, Redjeep, it's a great form of exercise and well done M on your brilliant 5 k run in SA. I would be very pleased to run that sort of time again.
Best wishes
Interesting reading this thread ... I had some issues back in the day
but have been clear since having an ablation in 2010.
I ran tonight for the first time since Christmas. However I'm not sure that it could actually be described as running.
I did 3 miles slow, the first 1 1/2 miles with the group I normally run with and I felt like I'd never ran in my life.
Ah well. Another hill to climb.
Dr.Dan Glad to hear that you have been clear since 2010. Long may it continue.
Howard All the best as you get back into running.
Redjeep Early days; you've been out for more than three months. Take it easy, and enjoy getting back to some regular running.
I'm feeling a bit cooped-up at the moment. In a restricted port area and unable to 'just do it' but hoping to get out soon. Have been following the mixed fortunes of Paris runners on another thread. Amazed, as always, by the performances of the elite runners; Kenyan 1,2,3, all finishing within seconds of each other, around 2:07!!! London has a great line-up. Will probably just get the results.
Let us know from time to time how you are getting on. All the best.
After my 3 mile run last Tuesday I didn't stop aching until Saturday. I honestly felt worse than I did after a marathon.
Out again tonight and I struggled to do 2 1/2 miles at 10 min pace. Bit depressed really as I don't know if it's just lack of fitness or a side effect of the op or the meds that I'm on.
I'm not back to see the surgeon until the end of May, so will try to keep getting out and doing short runs until then. I had no idea that I was going to feel like this.
Ablation + 18 months.
Redjeep, Howard, Rob....Haven't heard from you for a little while. How are things?
Yesterday (1st May) was a great day for me. It was my 72nd birthday, and our final day in the port of Durban. It just happened to coincide with the Deloitte Challenge; a day of running events. There was a full marathon, a half, a 10k and a Fun Run, plus a 40k cycle ride. Over 5000 people were signed up, but on the day the total was nearer 4000 competitors.
For the past few months I've been encouraging a much younger shipmate with his running; gradually extending his distance. We have done quite a bit of training together, and I've tried to get him into good habits; working at various paces, good preparations, and a range of stretches to finish with.
Yesterday we ran the half marathon. He wanted us to run together, but with 10k to go, I told him to push on at his own pace. He finished 8 minutes ahead of me! But he has needed to learn how to hold a steady, sustainable pace.
He was delighted with his time of 1:50, and I wasn't disappointed with 1:58. I'm sure he could work towards a time of 1:30 in the near future, if he applies himself.
My Garmin gave a distance of 13.2', and showed a 10k of 53:15, a 5k of 25:56, and a best mile of 7:57 The Age-Graded tables give me 70% for the half marathon and for the 10k, but slightly under for the 5k.
We are sailing up the coast for a few hours, to Richards Bay. I'll be leaving the ship there, and will spend a few days in S.Africa before heading back to England later this month. Hope you guys will get back to enjoying your activities soon.
Hi Guys and happy birthday, Michael. Good news and maybe some not so good news from me. The recovery has been going well and I am back running and it feels very much better than before the op. I can run sub 10 min mile pace easily and I'm quite relaxed and not breathless. I also feel that I could run a lot faster if I need to.
But the bad news is that I have noticed in the last week or so that my resting pulse on waking is low again 39/40 and it is very irregular with lots of missed beats. It picks up again when I move around and during the day it is about 49-54 bpm. Fortunately my chronotopic response seems to be back again (i.e. when the pulse rises in accordance with demand). However one of the sure signs of a problem is oedema around the ankles and this morning I noticed it once more , compared with after the op when it disappeared very quickly as my pulse was much higher and more regular. This new development could mean that the heart is not efficient and is not clearing away excess fluids around the body.
To say that I am hacked off and disappointed is an understatement. I have not yet been signed off by the cardiologist and that is not due until 3 months after the op, which is in 6 weeks time. But shall be checking in with the doctor asap to see if I can advance the appointment. I did not go mad during the recovery and did not start light jogging until at least 15/16 days after the op, and even then it was only for a few minutes at a time. It's only been in the last week or so that I have run continuously for periods of 5 mins building up to half an hour.
Meanwhile I have decided to carry on running on a light programme and going to the gym etc in the hope that it will settle down again. I also go orienteering at least once a week but that is a mixture of walking and jogging.
A running friend mentioned to me today that sometimes an ablation is repeated, but I still have the cardiologist's words ringing in my ears that the AFL ablation is usually 95% successful, and if it didn't work for me, then I would be looking at having a pace maker fitted. Ah well, we'll see what happens.
I'll keep you posted.
Howard. Thanks for the up-date. Quite a mixed result at this stage. Hope that things will either settle or get sorted soon. Glad that you are able to resume some activities.
Yes, I have heard of procedures being repeated, with improved results. Hope that you can get a review soon, and that your specialist will be able to come up with an answer. All the best.
Hi all, thought I would drop back in just to update really i had cryo ablation in August 2013 following various incidents and a blow up at Outlaw 2012.
So, nearly three years. My MHR before ablation (BA) was about 212, now 185 if I am lucky, 10k PB was just under 50 mins, now about 58. RHR BA was 54, now about 65-68. Erratic beats still? Yes. But usually only for no more than 5-10 seconds maybe. Apparently has to be 30 seconds to count as AF. Lots of issues re acid reflux and this triggering odd erratic beats via vagal nerve we think. Thank God for Omeprazole!
Sprint finish is now about 20 yards, had 80 before. Ticker seems about 80% of what it was before. Runs 8 miles are a problem. At least double hydration with electrolytes needed now for every run.
55 years old now (shut up Meldy and Plum). Still going, done one tri since ablation, like to do another but sprint is probably limit. Feel quite fragile very easily with dizzy spells etc.
Hope this helps someone.
Dustboy. Good to hear from you. Your experience is quite different from mine, but will be of interest to other readers I'm sure.
You seem to have a few issues, but still manage to keep involved, which is great.
Do you find the swimming and cycling are affected as much as your running?
All the best!
Happy Birthday Michael, glad to hear it went well.
Sorry Howard that it's not going well. Hopefully it will all get sorted soon.
Good to see everybody back, it had all gone very quiet for a while. To expand on what Dustboy was saying, my RHR has gone up from around 45 to 60, but seems to respond well to exercise. I was monitoring it on the turbo this week and I seemed able to get it to stabilise at the correct level.
I'm still struggling with running, but was able to run 5 1/2 miles on Thursday at a 9 min 20 sec pace, which is the furthest and fastest I've managed since it all started over Christmas.
Cycling seems easier than running, but I don't know if that's down to fitness, the op or weight gain.
I have a follow up with the surgeon in a couple of weeks so I'll see what he has to say.
Thanks for your greetings.
Good to have your up-date. Some progress with the running, but not as much as you would like, but doing better with the cycling. Great that you can remain positive (?) with on-going difficulties. Sure I'd be climbing up the wall by now! Hope that your follow-up goes well in a couple of weeks.
Don't let weight-gain set in, it will be hard to reverse. All the best. Michael.
Thanks Michael, I'm hoping that this is about as bad as it gets and now that I'm back training it will all sort itself out again. My only concern is that I can't do the volumes that I was doing previously, but I hope that this will start to ramp.
I suppose part of the issue is that until I see the surgeon again, I don't really know what I can set as a target and so no races on the calendar for the first time in 10 years +.
The surgeon did say that I was to do no more marathons ever again , but my regular consultant did make a comment to me before that about how it wasn't his job to prevent us doing things, but it was his job to enable us to do things that we aren't able to do. Hopefully this means that he will reverse the surgeon's (who he recommended and is a close friend) decision.
Hi everyone, I'm so glad I found this thread - it's so encouraging to see that many of you are doing well after your ablation. I had my ablation (for right ventricular outflow tract tachycardia, which was brought on through exercise) 2 days ago and I'm already getting impatient and want to get out and run and see if it's worked (I've been told no hard exercise for a week at least ). The procedure itself was fine - nothing too painful, and I was up and able to walk 4 hours after the surgery (I had only local anaesthetic, so didnt need the long recovery time that is required following general anaesthetic). Now, 2 days later, it hurts a bit to walk because of the puncture site on the top of my leg, and I get the odd twinge in my heart ,which they told me to expect. But other than that i feel fine! The cardiologist said that 90% chance that it has worked and I really hope that it has. My aim is to reach (or even beat!) my previous PB for a half marathon (1.39 - in 2012) which, considering I was running 11-12 minute miles just pre-surgery might be too big a goal. But this thread has definitely encouraged me that getting back to a decent pace is possible following ablation
Helzbelz1984....Thanks for calling in. Glad that you have found some encouragement here. I know just what you mean about getting impatient, to 'see if it's worked'. But do give it time, and you will be giving yourself the best chance of getting back to where you were.
That was my journey, and I can honestly say (almost 19 months post-ablation) that my Atrial Flutter is just a memory; with no current issues to suggest that I am anything other than 100% restored.
I only got back to UK two days ago, after 8 months away in some very warm parts of the world, and I'm keen to get back into some regular running.
On May 1st I enjoyed a half marathon in Durban, and on the 14th I was able to run the Durban, North Beach, Parkrun in a time of 25:30, on very little specific training. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to nearer 24, while at the same time working towards another marathon.
Keep us up-dated with your progress, in the weeks ahead.
Thanks so much for the advice MrM2! It's so good to hear you're fully healed and are enjoying running again. I'll definitely take it slow - just walking up the stairs in my house today has made me breathless, which makes me worry that it hasn't worked :-/ but I'll try and go for a short and slow run next weekend and will report back with my progress updates .
Hi helzbelz (is that an AC/DC reference ? ? ), don't worry too much at the moment, but check your heart rate to see if it's stable. You're bound to feel weak as your heart is still recovering. There's a lot of internal scarring and swelling after the op.
I was very impatient for the first few weeks and went walking 2 - 3 miles per day every day for the first week and then worried why I felt so bad a week after the op. I actually went back to see the surgeon who made the comment that everybody underestimates how serious the surgery is 'because we don't open your chest with a saw'.
I did nothing from the second week until the 6'th week. I was told absolutely no running or cycling for 6 weeks, so don't try and do anything too soon. I asked if I could at least go for a gentle jog before then and he looked at me like i was stupid and just repeated absolutely no running or cycling for 6 weeks.
I'm feeling much better now, but can still only manage around 6 miles at one minute per mile slower than my marathon pace, but I think that's because I'm only doing 1 or max 2 runs per week, so need to ramp up,
I have a question for everybody else. I still have numbness along the back of my right thigh, downstream from the incision to pretty much the back of my knee. I also have a hard swelling in my groin (oh, err Matron), around the incision.
Did anybody else have this ? I'm not sure if it's normal or not. The swelling creeps me out as it's so odd.
I'm back to see the surgeon on Tuesday so will ask him, but thought I'd ask everybody here first.
Hi Redjeep, thanks for your advice ! It's so easy to underestimate how serious the surgery is because generally I feel fine - it's only when I walk upstairs when I remember that I had heart surgery only 3 days ago ! It's also good to hear from other people who understand the frustration of having to do nothing - I don't know how you coped with no exercise for 6 weeks! They told me that a week off should be enough so I'm hoping that's the case. Good to hear you're better now - keep us updated with your progress .
Re. your swelling, they told me to expect a pea-sized hard lump around the incision site 1 week after surgery. So I guess this is normal, although yours is a lot later than 1 week so I'm not sure how common this is... .
Helzbelz (no AC/DC reference I'm afraid )
I was back with the surgeon today for my check up. He thinks that the swelling is due to damage to the artery and that it'll need a follow up op to repair it.
Hopefully that''ll be in about 6 weeks.
Oh bugger.
He also said to back off on the training.
Double bugger.
Oh no so sorry to hear that Rejeep - that sucks . Could you do alternative training that doesn't use your legs so much ? Like some easy rowing ? Just to keep you sane...
I contacted the hospital yesterday cos my heart keeps going crazy (& it feels like VT) from walking upstairs (I'm now 6 days post ablation). They've booked me in for another 24hour ECG on 7th June so that'll show whether or not i'm still getting it. Did anyone else get these problems after ablation ? Or did you feel 'fixed' pretty much straight away?
Sorry to hear of recovery problems. My return to running, post ablation, was very smooth, although I did take a full month of 'finding out'. I experienced a few strange readings on the heart rate monitor, but never had the feeling that the readings were true (?) and never had a satisfactory explanation.
Hope things start to get sorted out soon, and that you can enjoy your running again.
Hi all,
I haven't posted here since I was told I needed another operation as I've not been on best form. For the record, my lump was about the size of a golfball implanted a little way under the skin.
Anyway I had the operation on Monday and now feel that I'm recovering well. The surgeon told me that there was a small hole on the back of the pulmonary artery and he was surprised how big the swelling was once he opened me up. The op took about 2 hours and when I came around I had to lie flat on my back for 24 hours. I couldn't sit up or roll over. I certainly couldn't get out of bed. After the first 4 hours they raised the head of the bed. In all, the op took longer than the ablation and the recovery so far has been harder.
I got up the following morning and was allowed to do a few brief walks around the ward each day. I think I raised a few eyebrows as everybody else on the ward was much older and stumbled around in traditional pyjamas and zimmer frames, whilst I had on a bright yellow marathon top and shorts.
I was discharged on Wednesday afternoon and have spent the rest of the week lying on the sofa.
I'm planning to start back gently on the turbo trainer next week and probably won't run for another couple of weeks.
However, overall I feel good and woke up on the Tuesday with a real feeling of 'well I'm over this now'. I spent a lot of time when I was flat on my back thinking about a big event to celebrate towards the end of the year and fancy a multi day cycle tour.

subset: commoncrawl


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Eldor: What were you doing before you launched Zvelle?
AyoubZadeh: I was operating a luxury concept boutique that I co-founded. It was one of Toronto's first concept boutiques and featured a wine bar and cafe, spa and retail. We were the first to offer alcoholic beverages while you had your mani and pedi done. It was a beautiful 3,000 square foot space that we designed ourselves. To this day, people are still talking about the space!
Eldor: Can you tell me more about your launch story and the steps you took to make Zvelle a reality?
AyoubZadeh: For us, it's always been about the product and the stories of the global women we share with our customers. The product always comes first, as it should. I traveled to Italy, Spain and Brazil meeting factory owners to find a team that shared the same passion and values as I did. I did this even before we had the nuts and bolts of a brand! I didn't raise money to launch Zvelle, so I was very focused with what we needed to achieve. The sourcing and product development took months and when it was at a certain point, I was able to focus on other aspects of the company such as marketing, branding and an actual launch.
Eldor: A big part of Zvelle is the notion of the female "Global Citizen." What does "Global Citizen" mean to you and why is she so central to the Zvelle brand?
AyoubZadeh: It means having a global outlook and being open to the world, which includes all that comes with it. I grew up in different countries and was exposed to many cultures and religions from a young age. That became my norm and influenced me immensely. I am not my ethnicity, and my identity is much bigger than that. The world is getting smaller and it's time to embrace our individuality and differences all at the same time. This is what makes life so interesting. Whether you've lived in one city all your life or in many, it's about a mindset. The essence of being a global citizen is about embracing the world. Zvelle, at the core, is about sharing stories about global woman through fashion.
Eldor: As a founder, the struggle — and juggle — is real. Do you have any tips for achieving work/life balance and hopefully avoiding founder burnout?
AyoubZadeh: I'm definitely in the process of still figuring it out! I really like what Zaha Hadid said, that "You have to really believe not only in yourself; you have to believe that the world is actually worth your sacrifices." I think as long as you have a belief in what you are doing and hold on to that belief, you can push through the ups and downs and there will be plenty of both. Experience helps and so does keeping the endgame in mind. It's important to recognize all the different parts of your life that help fuel your creativity and energy, which you put in to your company. Health, family and personal relationships all help you become a better person and entrepreneur. My business is complex but I keep everything else in my life very simple and real.
Eldor: You name your styles after rebellious women, who challenge the status quo. Why is this important to you?
AyoubZadeh: Our mission is to share stories of global women around the world through our shoes. It's our way of engaging our customs through fashion. Women who challenge the status quo, are not afraid of being a trailblazer or being an outsider, or simply of living in their own authentic truth, these are the women who've always inspired me. They embody the spirit of Zvelle. I didn't go to fashion school and I didn't come from a fashion family, and I've experienced being an outsider many times in my life. The strange thing is that what we consider to be a rebellious act can be relative to where you live or come from. In a country like Saudi Arabia, Manal al-Sharif was considered a rebel for driving — something I and many others take for granted in North America. Our shoes are soulfully crafted with a lot of love and passion and we want our company to stand for something. It's our way of honoring the women, their stories and their journeys.
Eldor: What are your 3 biggest tips for female entrepreneurs looking to start their own company?
1. Cut out the noise as much as you can.
2. If you have a life partner, make sure your life partner is supportive of your ambitions, and if they are not, then figure out a way to get them there as it's going to have a big impact on your life.
3. Don't second guess yourself and if you do, forgive yourself as you would forgive others and move on.
Eldor: What's your career mantra? Basically the quote that's on your vision board!
AyoubZadeh: I'm inspired by Rumi: "Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth."
I'm the host of the Share Of Voice podcast, which is about the power of discovering your voice and sharing your truth in the process. Hosted by journalist Karin Eldor,…
I'm the host of the Share Of Voice podcast, which is about the power of discovering your voice and sharing your truth in the process. Hosted by journalist Karin Eldor, each episode features compelling conversations with the wave makers and game changers on our radar. I'm also a contributor for COVETEUR, Create & Cultivate, Teen Vogue, Monster, and other publications. My mission is to offer guidance and mentorship to women by aligning with brands that value self-expression, integrity and impact. I'm also a regular contributor to Shopify's blog, where I offer founders retail advice and profile success stories. Female empowerment and encouraging women to live their best life makes me tick. When I'm not writing for magazines or developing branded copy, you can find me flipping the pages of fashion magazines (I am still obsessed with print; shhh, it's our secret).


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Last night, the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville released a consultants' report to be considered by the Center board today that is said to "verify" the need for a new 600-seat performance hall in Fayetteville and a 2,000-seat new performance center in downtown Bentonville.
Here's a summary of the report, which indicates the new mid-sized performance hall would be built on the University of Arkansas campus in a renovation of the old field house for primary use by the UA music department. The new Bentonville center would be slightly smaller than the 2,200-seat facility originally envisioned. A renovation of the existing facility is also recommended. The study touches, too, on hopes of developing a 6,400-capacity amphitheater for the outdoor music pavilion recently relocated to the Washington County Fairgrounds.
The changing shape of the organization is demonstrated by the news release. Though existing Walton Center facilities are solely in Fayetteville, the dateline read "Northwest Arkansas." There was a bit of bruised feelings in some quarters about the first indications that the center, established in part with Fayettevill tax support, would branch into Bentonville with a larger performance venue. But it was an inevitable development and the board confirmed the idea last year. It will be a complementary addition to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and related activity in Bentonville.
A Walton Center spokesman tells me there are only preliminary costs estimates. Financing and fund-raising are the next phases of the study.


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ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet at NASA's Johnson Space Center, in Houston, USA, in September 2016.
Thomas is travelling the world preparing for his six-month adventure on the International Space Station.
He will be launched into space together with NASA's Peggy Whitson and cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy in November 2016.
His mission is called Proxima.
Follow Thomas via thomaspesquet.esa.int


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Romford sales assistant receives new eye surgery treatment
PUBLISHED: 10:00 06 March 2018
A woman whose vision has always been a challenge due to her eyes not being fully formed when she was born prematurely, has received successful treatment from new laser eye surgery.
Ieva Bikulica, 30 from Romford, was born six weeks premature and her eyes grew to an abnormal shape leaving her extremely short-sighted.
In addition, an abnormal blood vessel formation in her eye, which is very common for premature babies, caused damage to her retina.
Due to get married this year, Ieva took advantage of new advances in technology, in particular SMILE, the third generation of laser eye surgery which means her vision has been corrected despite weakness and previous surgery.
After three decades in glasses, Ieva said the three-minute operation, "literally changed my life".
She said: "I felt almost blind really, I just could not do anything without glasses, and I did try contact lenses three years ago, but because of my strong prescription I needed monthly ones which needed to be washed every day.
"It was so much hassle and my eyes were getting very tired, red and dry.
"I did not expect there would ever be a day that I could open my eyes and see without glasses on, and now that day has come."
Half of premature babies suffer poor vision or unhealthy eyes due to their eyes not being fully developed or high risk of abnormal blood vessels.
Alex Shortt, consultant eye surgeon at Optegra Eye Hospital London, said: "Premature babies often have bleeding in the eye, as Ieva did, as the blood vessels within the eyes have not properly formed.
"In Ieva's case the bleeding in her eye led to scar tissue in the eyes at the time of birth.
"All these factors mean that the advice her mother was given at the time, that Ieva would always need glasses or contacts to help her see clearly was correct. However, thanks to advances in technology, once the eyes are fully formed - around the age of 20-21 years, we can now take steps to help with more complex cases and higher prescriptions."
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Romford Recorder. Click the link in the orange box above for details.


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At it's very core, Perfection Plastic Surgery provides optimal patient care by a dedicated team with far reaching expertise. Dr. Kay is highly trained, has years of experience and is recognized as one of the leading plastic surgeons in the southwest. In all areas of plastic surgery, ranging from office-based excisions, to cosmetic makeovers, to complex reconstruction following trauma, we believe that it's our personalized and broad-based experience that allows us to offer the best care to our patients, regardless of the procedure they require.
When to Consider a Facelift
- If you show signs of facial aging, but still have some skin elasticity.
- If you are looking to lift the cheeks, soften the nasolabial folds, minimize marionette lines, lift the jowls, define the jaw line, tighten the neck, remove neck fat and/or decrease facial wrinkles.
- If even when you are healthy and energetic, people say you appear tired or sad because of aging in the midface, jawline and neck.
Dr. Kay's Approach
I strive to achieve a natural, rejuvenated appearance with long-lasting results through my approach to facial rejuvenation. I devise a plan to meet your specific goals, with consideration to your facial skin, bones and volume. The face is evaluated in thirds, assessing the brow, the cheeks and the neck. We can do procedures on each individual third of the face or combinations. The most common combination which people call a 'facelift' is the cheek-neck lift combination.
- A facelift will remove sagging skin and restore normal facial contours.
- A natural, rejuvenated appearance with long-lasting results can be achieved.
- Facial surgery is not designed to change your fundamental appearance and cannot stop the aging process.
- There is downtime associated with this procedure.
Related Procedures
For the face that has lost tissue volume, fat transfers can be done at the time of the facelift procedure. This not only delivers facial volume, but stem cells contained in the prepared, autologous fat can improve the overall quality of your skin. As an alternative, the use of dermal fillers can restore facial volume and fill in specific, deeper wrinkles and folds. If skin conditions such as discoloration, uneven tone, texture, fine lines, wrinkles and poor elasticity are present, fractionated laser resurfacing at the time of surgery is performed to improve the skin's quality, leading to a more comprehensive, balanced result.
What is the difference between a facelift, cheek lift, and a neck lift?
The most common combination, which people call a "facelift," is the cheek-neck lift combo. A neck lift is the procedure of choice when you have sagging skin of the neck only. It involves removing excess skin and fat as well as repositioning the underlying muscles and tissue. The result is a better defined neck and jaw line. When facial sagging in the cheek area is pronounced in the presence of a more normal neckline, a cheek lift alone may be suggested.
Where are the scars placed for a facelift?
The placement of the scars depends upon the exact procedure performed. Ideal scar placement is in the junction between the face and ear, under the hair or at the hairline and underneath the chin with meticulous precision. The goal is to make the scars as inconspicuous as possible. It should be noted it takes up to 18 months for scars to fully mature. The final appearance of the scar has to do with each individual's ability to heal.
Do you perform the Quick Lift or Lifestyle Lift?
These procedures are widely marketed with promises of great results with minimal cost, low risks and negligible downtime. In reality, they are only limited skin lifts. These procedures are not widely accepted by Board Certified Plastic Surgeons, because they have not been scientifically studied, nor have the details of the procedures been specifically defined in peer reviewed journals. It would therefore seem the 'Quick Lift' and 'Lifestyle Lift' are merely terms created primarily for marketing purposes. Dr. Kay has observed that most minimally invasive surgical procedures are deceivingly pricey and provide limited, short-lived results. In an article published by the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, a patient survey on facial surgery discovered that 60% of the participants felt the duration of results from a procedure was more important than the cost when deciding on a treatment. This negates the idea that everyone is only looking for a quick inexpensive fix. Both the Quick Lift and Lifestyle Lift fees may exceed the fees of most of the board certified plastic surgeons in this area.
Will I have a "pulled" or "operated" look after surgery?
The goal of facial surgery is to rejuvenate the face in a natural way, without changing your overall appearance. You will look refreshed and rested, without looking tightly pulled. The pulled look often comes from exclusively removing skin without doing any work on the deeper supporting layers of the face, specifically the muscle-facial layer (called the SMAS, short for superficial muscular aponeurotic system).
What are the age limitations of facelift surgery?
There is no defined age range for facelift surgery. Dr. Kay has performed facelifts on patients slightly under 40 to slightly over 80. More important than age, surgical candidates must be healthy without a medical condition that would make surgery a risk for you.
How long will my facelift last?
The longevity of a facelift depends upon many factors. These include, but are not limited to your age at the time of surgery, history of large weight loss, sun exposure and resulting skin damage, smoking history, and genetics. Going beyond only removing excess skin, Dr. Kay tightens the underlying muscles and tissues (called the SMAS), which he has found increases the lasting effects of facial rejuvenation surgery. Some of the Dr. Kay's procedures held up for 20 years, but we find the average longevity is between 8 and 13 years.
Is a facelift painful?
Most of our patients do not find the neck, cheek or "facelift" procedures to be particularly painful. One contributing factor is the targeted injection of a long-acting, local anesthetic, in addition to the intravenous sedation administered by a board certified anesthesiologist. Patients frequently comment on tightness in the neck, below the chin, where separated muscle bands are stitched together to sculpt the neck, numbness of the cheek and neck, and occasionally pressure or discomfort where the drains are placed (the drains are removed the day following the procedure). Discomfort can be expected, but not pain.
How much downtime is involved in facelift surgery?
This can be very individual, in part because there is no clear definition of downtime. We frequently refer to two types of downtime: physical/prescribed downtime and social downtime. Some individuals are ready to resume daily activities as soon as sutures are removed, while others, who don't want anyone to know that they had surgery, wait until most of the swelling is gone. In general, most patients are able to have makeup applied at 10 to 14 days post-surgery, and feel comfortable being seen in public.
When can I resume exercise?
It is important you do not elevate your heart rate for 10 to 14 days post-surgery. If laser resurfacing is done in conjunction with surgery, this time may be extended. Unrestricted exercise can usually be resumed in 4 to 6 weeks.
Why do you continue to follow my care for at least one year after surgery?
As the name of our practice suggests, Dr. Kay is a perfectionist. He likes to keep tabs on how the healing and scar maturation are progressing. By following you for a year, it allows time for the progressive, natural resolution of swelling and relaxation of the tissues to occur, and affords Dr. Kay many opportunities to intervene with the healing process if need be. As added incentive, we offer a standard, complimentary microdermabrasion at 2 to 3 months after your surgery and at your one year anniversary.


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Babies need all the nutritional food that they can get for their bodies and brains to develop rapidly. Feeding them nutritious food is also essential for strengthening their immune systems. Once your baby reaches six months of age, they are recommended to begin eating solid foods. Solid foods in baby terminology are soft foods. It has been common practice for parents to feed their babies with pots of baby food that they can easily find in their local grocery stores. However, you never know what preservatives are added into them. If you are conscious about this matter, then do know that you can actually create your own baby food for them.
Creating your own baby food is not really that hard. It is actually simpler than you thought, and what is great is that there are many varieties that you can make when you do it on your own. You just have to get your own blender and a small pot and obviously, your own ingredients. Once you get these, you can now begin to prepare your own baby food. In creating your own baby food, you have to keep them as natural as you can. Thus, you can start with fruits and vegetables. It is a bad idea to be adding some additives, sugar, or salt on what you are making them.
If you are going to be making your baby fruit-based baby food, you can start with one or a variety of fruits. You can start to mash strawberries or banana as their sweet treat. For an interesting combination, you can also combine the two together. You can also use apples as an option. Be sure to peel the apple, cut it into slices, and cook it until they become soft. You may blend it or use a fork to mash it.
For vegetable-based baby food, you can also come up with different varieties. You can cook carrots, butternut, potato, and sweet potato. With the use of your blender, you can blend the potato with either of the mentioned vegetables. As another option, you can also blend and serve one kind of vegetable only on its own.
You may try to put chicken into these meals. A good chicken part that you can use are chicken breasts. Just be sure to cook it thoroughly before blending it. For a smoother consistency, you can add a little milk or water so your little one will not have a hard time digesting it.
When preparing food for your little one on your own, it would be best if you go with a high-speed blender. In this way, you can easily blend your vegetable and fruits to a soft and smooth consistency.
By preparing the food of your baby yourself like using fruits and vegetables, you will not be guessing anymore what you are getting your child like you do with baby food in pots. As a parent, you exactly know what you are giving your child and what is in the food you give them. Basically, you are giving them a more natural and wholesome meal. If you have made a lot of baby food, you can use it for another day by storing them in ice cube trays or little food pots and then freezing them.


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The Entrepremomer
Behind The Scenes Of A Mom Who Turned $100 to 6-Figures
Hey there, I'm Kim
And I'm teaching mothers how to build scalable and sustainable businesses that don't require them to work 40+ hour weeks so they can have more time for their families and themselves. This website is dedicated to the mompreneur who doesn't want to do it
See What Others Are Saying About The Entrepremomer
Kim was fantastic to work with, it felt like she read my mind and was able to put into words exactly how I wanted to sounds and my voice, even when I wasn't able to effectively communicate it with her! She was pleasant to work with, quick and made the whole process seamless! She made something I really don't enjoy doing, so much easier! Thank you, Kim!
If you are looking for someone to help you with marketing and writing copy, I definitely recommend Kim!
Thanks so much for all you shared about skills to learn, information to read and your approach and thinking on so many different aspects of the business. It was incredibly helpful and I've learned so much. After our meeting, I feel like I have a really great starting point for figuring this all out and I'm really grateful.
Can I just say thank you so much once again for our session the other day? I feel so relieved! I feel so much more in control now too! 🙌🙌