Food, Fitness, Funny and Feedback

Good morning.  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Despite the Dolphin’s rather horrific loss yesterday, it was still a splendid Sunday.  Opening day of the Parkland Farmer’s Market was great and very, very busy.  It was fun running into Jane, Micki, Sam and Nate.  It was nice to stop by and say hi to Charlene at her jewelry booth (her and her partner make some really nice stuff, much out of recycled pieces) who is also the yoga instructor who wrote the article about yoga that appears on this site.  She is a fantastic roll model for NOT letting anything get you down!!   A breast cancer survivor, and having undergone back surgery recently (and not the first time) this woman lets NOTHING slow her down.

We came home with lettuces, tomatoes, a variety of eggplants, purple potatoes, asparagus, sweet onions, limes, stone crabs (very inexpensively) and probably some other items that I can’t remember right now.  Sunday night dinner is always a huge salad, some veggies and Mitch usually has a “side” of something in the animal protein department.  Last night along with a salad, I pulled out the wok and made a red cabbage, sweet onion, mushroom and asparagus stir-fry.  Some of those veggies were about to go bad, and I really hate throwing food out, so I cook accordingly.  I used the tiniest bit of sesame oil to sweat a little chopped garlic before adding the rest of the vegetables.  In the last couple of minutes I added a bit of soy sauce and some fresh grated ginger.  (I have learned to keep a piece of ginger in the freezer and it is always there when I need it–it defrosts as it is being grated).  Mitch said that the stone crabs were very good, as he has been skeptical about buying them out of a cooler.   You only live once!  This particular farmer’s market will next be on November 21.

With neighbors two doors down who have great avocado trees but don’t eat them, we came into a lot of them last week.  After sharing a couple with Dad and Ellie, I took the ripe ones and chopped them up yesterday and added chopped tomatoes from the farmers market and fresh cilantro from the garden.  With a little diced red onion and the juice of half a farmer’s market lime, we had a really nice deconstructed guacamole to eat during the football game.  I put mine in a small wrap with just a little spread of hummus, and some fresh salad greens from our garden.  A great lunch that we try to plan for kick-off time.  I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE THAT I AM FINALLY LOVING FOOTBALL SEASON AND NOW IT’S HALF OVER.

Around this time of year, when time becomes even more precious than ever, I try to remind my students, clients and YOU, that good time management will allow us all to get in outstanding, beneficial workouts without spending hours in the gym.  Setting up a circuit is a great way to get in cardio and strength training and keep the heart rate up in an aerobic training zone.  After a 5 minute or so workout (walking, running, treadmilling, dancing, etc.) move immediately into an exercise that uses big muscles like thighs, shoulders or chest and do a set of 8-15 repetitions before moving quickly to the next “station.”  A good example is warm-up, push-ups, leg extensions, any type of shoulder work, walking lunges and start over again!  You can do a couple of minutes of cardio between sets (jumping jacks work really well, or stepping up and down on a box or jumping rope…or SO MANY CHOICES).  A workout like this can be done in 30 minutes and leave you sweating your butt off!  As we move through this season I will continue to offer some tips that may help keep us focused through the next 8 weeks or so.  When time is an issue, quality over quantity really matters!!!

As I just thought of the treadmill I found myself laughing over the episode of Modern Family where Mitch is on the treadmill doing “troga.”  I NEVER laugh as loud as I do watching that show.  Since laughter comes hard for me and I recognize how important it is for our health, I am committed to recording that show and making sure I never miss an episode.  I honestly cannot remember the last time I found television as funny as I do when I am watching that show.  Each and every member of that cast is hilarious and so good for my mental fitness!

Thanks for the feedback on the site– I will check with Kyle on the spell check tool.  Also please think about wish lists.  These don’t have to be specific to you–maybe just some inexpensive gift ideas that have been well received by others you know.  For instance, one year I bought lots of re-usable bags from Whole Foods as part of a fund-raising effort.  They were $25 bucks a bag and everyone seemed to really like them.  Now they are only $10.0o a bag and they are great for EVERYTHING.  I brought one along on my recent NY trip and it worked great as they fold up into a little square but once opened hold TONS of stuff.  After my last grocery shop, I seemed to misplace mine, and trust me, it is missed.  Gifts don’t have to be expensive, just from the heart.

A special CONGRATS to those that ran the NYC marathon yesterday.  You wake with sore legs but the most awesome feeling of accomplishment and you have my utmost respect for your discipline, desire and follow-through!

With a kind of crazy week ahead of me I am off to dive into it.  Have a magical Monday and remember to find something that makes THIS day special.  ONE LIFE–make sure to live it!