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Notes on living longer, better from Istanbul to the world
Sharing my journey in business & life
Modern success on my own terms
@thenextyouglobal

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You lose the weight. But sometimes your face pays the price.

“Ozempic face” isn't caused by the drug itself. Rapid weight loss, by any method, can reduce the fat pads that keep your face looking full and youthful.

Hollow cheeks, loose skin, and a face that suddenly looks older. And when skin loses its elasticity, it doesn't always bounce back.

That's why some people turn to facelifts and neck lifts after major weight loss.

Weight-loss medications can change lives for those who need them. But aging well isn't just about getting thinner. It's about staying strong.

👇👇 Have you ever noticed changes in your face or skin after losing weight? by @dalyanotes

14 hours ago

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What does your handwriting reveal about you?

The simple way you write the numbers 7 and 1 can instantly tell where you went to school—whether in the US, Europe, or Turkey.

From forensic experts reading stress and personality in your strokes, to Leonardo da Vinci’s famous mirror writing that baffled generations, handwriting is as unique as a fingerprint.

The biggest irony? Bill Gates built an empire putting screens and keyboards on every desk, yet spent over $30 million to own a handwritten notebook written backwards by Da Vinci.

Maybe the pen truly is smarter than the keyboard.

How do you write your 7s: with or without the crossbar? by @dalyanotes

115

2 days ago

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When you write by hand, your brain lights up in a way it doesn't when you type.
In 2024, Norwegian researchers measured students' brain activity while they wrote and typed. Handwriting lit up far more connections, especially in areas linked to memory and learning.
When you type, your fingers tap. When you write, your hand draws every letter, and your brain has to shape, steer and choose.
Some countries stopped teaching cursive. Now places like California have brought it back.
And nobody keeps a text in a drawer. But a handwritten note from someone you love? You keep it forever.
Your turn: write tomorrow's to-do list by hand. And this week, write one card to someone you love.
👇 When did you last write someone a letter? by @dalyanotes

420

3 days ago

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Humming airs out your sinuses.
Think of your sinuses as a closed room full of a helpful gas, nitric oxide. Breathe normally and the door stays shut. Hum, and the vibration opens the window. Swedish researchers measured about 15 times more of it in the nose while humming.
The discovery of how nitric oxide works in the body won the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Try this: hum, then pinch your nose. The hum stops, because every hum goes out through your nose. It's one reason nose breathing beats mouth breathing.
Yoga calls it bee breath. And mothers everywhere hum to their babies, because a slow breath out calms the body.
Your turn: one minute of humming a day. Hum like no one's listening.
👇 What song do you hum without thinking? by @dalyanotes

110

5 days ago

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Most adults have stopped laughing, and they don’t even notice. Here’s the strange part: your body can’t tell a fake laugh from a real one.
Laughter is older than language. Apes laugh when they play.
We’re about 30 times more likely to laugh with other people than alone. It’s not about jokes. It’s about connection.
Studies suggest even forced laughter can lift mood and ease stress. It’s the idea behind laughter yoga, which started in a park in Mumbai.
Your job today: laugh for ten seconds, for no reason. It always turns real.
👇 Who makes you laugh the most? Tag them. by @dalyanotes

189

6 days ago

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This pill is not a fish. And your body knows the difference.
A major US trial gave about 25,000 adults fish oil or a dummy pill for five years. Overall, fish oil didn't lower heart disease or cancer. Yet people who eat fish regularly have lower heart disease in study after study.
Why? A fish is omega-3 plus protein, vitamin D, selenium and iodine, all together. And tests have found some capsules rancid, or with less omega-3 than the label says.
The twist: fish don't make omega-3. They get it from algae. Algae oil is the closest plant-based option.
Don't eat fish? Walnuts, flax, chia, hemp seeds, edamame and semizotu (purslane). Your body converts plant omega-3 only partly, so they help but aren't a full swap.
Prescribed omega-3 by your doctor? Keep taking it.
Your turn: fish twice a week, a handful of walnuts, and ask your doctor if you still need the pill.
👇 Be honest: is there a bottle of fish oil in your cupboard right now? 💊 by @dalyanotes

7 days ago

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The cheapest fish on the menu is the smartest thing you can order.
Big fish live long and eat smaller fish, so mercury builds up in their bodies. Tiny fish live short lives and carry very little. Even the FDA's fish guide puts swordfish on the “avoid” list and sardines and anchovies on the “best choices” list.
Fun fact: Chilean sea bass isn't sea bass. It's the Patagonian toothfish, renamed in the 1970s to sell better.
No fresh fish where you live? Tins and the freezer work. Fish frozen soon after the catch can be just as good as fresh.
Remember SMASH: Salmon, Mackerel, Anchovies, Sardines, Herring. Rich in omega-3s, low in mercury.
Your turn: go small this week. Eat low on the food chain, live long on the timeline.
👇 What's the fish you always order? Tell me and I'll tell you if it's SMASH 🐟 by @dalyanotes

367

8 days ago

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I ordered twelve dishes. And it was the healthiest thing I did all week.
“Meze” comes from a Persian word for taste. It was never meant to be a meal, just a tasting. In Istanbul, you don't read the menu. You point.
People who eat 30 different plants a week have a more diverse gut. One meze table can give you ten in one meal. The olive oil in those dishes even helps your body absorb the plants' protective compounds.
Eat vegetables first and bread last for a smaller blood sugar spike. And slow down: fullness signals take about 20 minutes to arrive.
The honest part? Variety makes us eat more. The secret is small plates, mostly vegetables, and no rush.
Your turn: tonight, five small plates, mostly plants, bread last.
👇 What's the one meze you'd always point at? 🫒 by @dalyanotes

209

10 days ago

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From bar snack to pure luxury: the fascinating story of caviar.

150 years ago, American bars served caviar for free just like peanuts—simply to make patrons thirsty. Today, it’s known as "black gold."

Did you know the word caviar comes from the Turkish "havyar"? Or that the sturgeon swimming with dinosaurs 200 million years ago is now one of the most endangered species on Earth?

Here is why it’s served with a mother-of-pearl spoon, why metal ruins the flavor, and the truth behind caviar skincare.

Have you ever tried it? by @dalyanotes

143

11 days ago

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$Legend says Casanova ate fifty oysters for breakfast. Every morning. Giacomo Casanova, the Venetian so famous for romance his name became a word, sailed into Istanbul in 1745. Was he onto something? Oysters are one of the richest foods on earth in zinc, which your body needs for healthy hormones and immunity. The aphrodisiac part? Proven… in rats. Mostly legend. The Istanbul upgrade: midye. Mussels stuffed with spiced rice, packed with B12, iron, zinc and omega-3s, for a fraction of the price. And farmed mussels need no feed. They filter the water they live in. Your turn: skip the fifty oysters. Have a plate of mussels this week, from a place you trust. 👇 Oysters or midye? Choose your side 🦪 by @dalyanotes$

123

12 days ago

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Don't take the bones out. That's the best part.

This is hamsi, the Black Sea anchovy. Not the salty kind from a tin: fresh, fried whole and crunchy. And the Black Sea is just up the Bosphorus from where I'm sitting.

Most of us pick the bones out of small fish. But that's where the calcium is. A small tin of sardines, eaten with the bones, gives you about as much calcium as a glass of milk.
The clever part? Oily fish also contain vitamin D, which your body needs to absorb calcium. The fish brings the calcium and the key.

No fresh hamsi where you live? Tinned sardines or salmon with the bones in work just as well. Small whole fish like smelts or whitebait count too.

This matters more as we age. Women can lose bone quickly after menopause, and strong bones keep us walking, travelling and living on our own terms.

Your turn: twice a week, order the small fish or open the tin, and eat it whole.

👇 Bones in or bones out? Be honest 🐟 by @dalyanotes

211

13 days ago

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Look at this water for three seconds. You're a little calmer already.

Scientists call it blue space. Poets call it azure, the clear blue of sky and sea. And this colour, turquoise, literally means “Turkish.”

A study across 18 countries found people who spent more time near water reported better wellbeing and less distress.
Why? Water holds your attention without demanding anything, so your busy brain gets to rest.

Fun fact: Blue Zones, where people live longest, aren't named after the sea. Researchers circled them on a map in blue pen.

A study of 20,000 people in England found those spending at least 2 hours a week in nature, green or blue, reported better health and wellbeing.
Your turn: two hours by the water this week, sea, river, lake or fountain. Start with ten minutes today.

👇 Where's your water? Sea, lake, river… tell me 🌊 by @dalyanotes

128

14 days ago

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Dalya Sulaiman

@dalyanotes

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