1. The month May was named for Maia, the Greek goddess of fertility.
2. In any given year, no month ever begins or ends on the same day of the week as May does.
3. May’s birthstone is the emerald which is emblematic of love and success.
4. May was once considered a bad luck month to get married. There is a poem that says “Marry in May and you’ll rue the day”.
5. The United Kingdom celebrates May as the National Smile Month.
6. On May 1, 1931, the Empire State Building was officially opened.
Days in May~ Celebrations
Since this month is flying past us, I will only post days after May 16th.
May 16: Mimosa Day
What would brunch be without them?
May 17: National Bike To Work Day
We can’t promise you won’t arrive to the office slightly sweaty, but we can give you permission to skip the gym after completing your cycling commute.
May 17: National Pizza Party Day
Party is a relative term, by the way. You and a pizza is definitely a party.
May 18: International Museum Day
On this day, the entire planet celebrates museums and all the amazing things they have to offer. We recommend checking for events and activities in your area: Hundreds of thousands of museums join the party every year.
May 20: Eliza Doolittle Day
Today is a good day to channel your inner Eliza (either before or after the etiquette lessons).
May 22: National Maritime Day
A Presidential Proclamation issued in 1933 made this day an official holiday dedicated to recognizing the maritime industry. It is set to coincide with the date in 1819 that the American steamship Savannah set sail on the first ever transoceanic voyage under steam power.
May 22: World Goth Day
They’ll act like they don’t want/need/care about having a day in the calendar, but come on, everyone wants to be celebrated.
May 23: World Turtle Day
May 24: International Tiara Day
Who’s a pretty princess? Anyone who wants to celebrate Tiara Day.
May 25: National Tap Dance Day
The perfect day to put on your dancing shoes.
May 25: Towel Day
To honor author Douglas Adams, fans carry around a towel all day. The tradition is a nod to a passage in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy about the importance of towels: “A towel, [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.” Good enough for us.
May 30: Loomis Day
This is a day to honor Mahlon Loomis, an oft-forgotten Washington D.C.-based dentist who received the first U.S. patent on a wireless telegraphy system in 1872—before Guglielmo Marconi, who is credited with inventing the first radio, was even born.
Health and fitness expert Jillian Michaels says that in order to burn fat, you need to strengthen your muscles and burn calories.
Michaels says that moves like crunches aren’t always effective on their own, Instead, she suggests focusing on exercises like push ups and planks, which target multiple muscles and therefore burn more calories.
Michaels also says eating foods high in healthy estrogens, getting enough sleep, and managing stress can help combat stomach fat.
Weight loss is achieved by focusing on two things: diet and exercise.
Fat burn, similarly, is achieved by building your workouts around two goals: strengthening muscles and burning calories.
That’s according to Jillian Michaels, health and fitness expert and creator of the Jillian Michaels app.
Michaels says that many people fall into the trap of thinking that they can “spot reduce fat.” As a result they come to rely on moves like crunches, which specifically target the abs. Moves like these only condition and strengthen the ab muscles, though, and Michaels says that alone won’t get you a six pack.
In order to burn the fat off the top of those muscles – or any other muscle on the body – you need to burn calories, and to do that you need to focus on exercises that target multiple muscles, Michaels says.
According to Michaels, exercises that work more than one part of the body simultaneously are extremely effective at burning calories. She uses planks as an example, saying that they target your entire core, as well as chest, shoulders, triceps, and quads.
She says push-ups are another exercise that works other muscles in addition to the abs.
Besides working out, Michaels says managing stress and estrogen levels can play a role in burning stomach fat specifically. She says that where you store fat depends on your hormone levels.
Jillian “The more testosterone dominant you are, the more you’ll store belly fat,” Michaels said. “The more estrogen dominant you are, the more you’ll store fat in your lower body, which is why you don’t ever really see men with cellulite unless they have some sort of severe hormone imbalance.”
Jillian Michaels recommends eating foods high in healthy estrogens, such as flax, yams, and fermented soy to help combat stomach fat. Otherwise, she suggests getting enough sleep and trying to keep stress at a minimum.
Ramadan, the most sacred month of the Islamic calendar, is observed annually by a majority of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims. And not only is the holy month marked by strict fasting from sunrise to sunset, it’s also a time for prayer, reflection, introspection, and charitable acts. Though the month of Ramadan is marked by full days of fasting—yes, that includes water—it’s a joyous occasion for celebrating and re-connecting with God for those who adhere to the Islamic faith. Curious how exactly Muslims spend the month of Ramadan?
1. You don’t eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset.
For the month of Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating or drinking anything from dawn until sunset. This fast is all about spiritual and physical discipline and cleansing the mind and body. The practice is mandatory for all adult Muslims to save for those who are traveling, sick, pregnant, breastfeeding, menstruating, or have a health condition like diabetes that would prevent them from being able to fast safely. In other words, if fasting will adversely affect your health or cause undue suffering, then you are exempt from it until your condition improves
2. You abstain from gossiping, cursing, complaining, and arguing.
Ramadan is not just about fasting from food and water; it is also about fasting from bad deeds. Instead of gossiping about others, it’s about focusing on yourself; instead of cursing, it’s about exercising restraint; instead of complaining, it’s about exercising patience; and instead of arguing, it’s about communicating more calmly and productively. The key is to be more intentional and deliberate with each thought, conversation, and action.
3. You also abstain from self-indulgences.
While pre-marital sex is forbidden in Islam always, even married couples are not allowed to have sex from sunrise to sunset during the holy month. The idea is that practicing self-control and restraint in this regard enables you to focus on yourself and your spiritual growth. Other things that are banned from sunrise to sunset include smoking and chewing gum.
4. You wake up extra early to eat.
Suhoor or sehri (among other names) is the morning meal Muslims eat before beginning their fast at dawn. The types of food people have for suhoor vary depending on their culture and their family—but since this is the only meal a person will have until sunset, complex carbs and something high in protein are typically included in order to prolong feelings of fullness. And of course, there is water—lots and lots of water.
5. You break fast with dates.
Iftaar is the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily fast. While you can break your fast with any food or drink item, Muslims around the world typically break it with a date to keep with tradition advised by the Prophet Muhammad. After eating a date and drinking some water, Muslims will dive into the actual evening meal, which can include everything from samosas to chicken stew.
6. You read the Qu’ran.
Ramadan is a time during which Muslims aim to re-connect with the Qu’ran, the holy book central to the Islamic faith. Since the Qu’ran has 30 chapters, many people will try to read one chapter per day during Ramadan, while others will read the entire book multiple times over the course of the month. The idea is not just to recite the Qu’ran but also to study it, make meaning of it, and implement some of its teachings into one’s own life.
7. You perform additional nightly prayers.
Every night during Ramadan, Sunni Muslims add additional prayers called tarawih into their routine. There are 29 or 30 days of Ramadan and 30 chapters of the Qu’ran, so at a Sunni mosque, the imam, or prayer leader, will read approximately one chapter per night until the entire book has been covered. Tarawih happen some time after salat al-isha, the night prayer, and before dawn.
8. You reflect.
Ramadan is all about reflection. Throughout the month, you are meant to contemplate your relationship with God and ponder what kind of person you want to be. The holy month is also about practicing gratitude. By refraining from eating and drinking for a prolonged period of time, the goal is to put yourself in the shoes of those less fortunate who may feel those pangs of hunger on a daily basis, even when it’s not Ramadan. By experiencing this firsthand, you might just find yourself more compassionate, more empathetic, and even more giving.
9. You learn.
Ramadan is a time of learning, engaging, and seeking knowledge. As such, local mosques and community leaders host classes and seminars all month long
10. You perform charitable acts.
In Islam, charity is a much broader concept with a spiritual component. Therefore, not only is donating money or giving away tangible goods considered charitable but so is every good deed done selflessly for someone else. The idea is that you do not have to possess material items in order to be a charitable person.
11. You prepare for Eid al-Fitr.
Eid al-fitr, or the Festival of Breaking the Fast, is the religious celebration that marks the end of Ramadan. Traditionally, Eid—as it’s also known—is a three-day celebration spent with family and friends, often commemorated with large feasts and gifts.
12. You decorate.
For Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, decorations can range from lanterns and lights to the Instagram-famous crescent moon Ramadan trees. You can even buy ornaments with Islamic sayings to adorn these trees, just like a Christmas fir!
13. You enjoy unique food and beverages.
Depending on the culture and specific household, different food and drink items might only appear during the holy month. For many Muslim families, for example, dates are only eaten during the month of Ramadan. And in South Asia and the Middle East, fruit salad and Vimto (a sweet purple soft drink from the U.K.) respectively are daily iftaar staples that are seldom seen in stores once Ramadan has ended.
14. You spend time with family and friends.
With endless iftaar gatherings, Ramadan is an extremely social time for many Muslims. Since Ramadan is also a time for community building and forging friends, Muslims will often eat with people they aren’t well acquainted with at their local mosques during this breaking of the fast. Some people even have early a.m. suhoor parties, during which they feast on copious amounts of food with friends before the sun rises. 1. You don’t eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset. For the month of Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating or drinking anything from dawn until sunset. This fast is all about spiritual and physical discipline and cleansing the mind and body. The practice is mandatory for all adult Muslims to save for those who are traveling, sick, pregnant, breastfeeding, menstruating, or have a health condition like diabetes that would prevent them from being able to fast safely. In other words, if fasting will adversely affect your health or cause undue suffering, then you are exempt from it until your condition improves.
Mws R Writings 