The Long Journey to a Healthy Life Style.

Many days if the weather is good and it is not too dark,  my dog an I do a few laps around a part of the park that lies adjacent to where  I live.    Many people walk the loop and dog and I have a lot of dog friends we say hello to. Over the last month so,  I have noticed an overweight 20 something year old woman walking every day no matter how hot it is.   I hope for her sake that she keeps this up,  and that she is also making the changes in her diet that need to be accompanied by an exercise program.  

I saw an ad on TV yesterday for a product called Lorcaserin,  which, based upon what I read,  stimulates satiety (absence of hunger) in your brain.  This product is FDA approved for its intention and I think it is a good thing for people who suffer from obesity related diseases like diabetes.   I, however, cannot believe that a person will be able to use this for the rest of their lives and I wonder  what the long term effects of using this product for years will be.   This is where I go back to my first paragraph, in which a person is "getting off the couch" and doing something for themselves.   With help from a nutritionist, and maybe an exercise coach and lots of support from friends and family,  she can turn back the clock and not be in the position to need products like Lorcaserin.   It is not an easy path to choose as the easiest thing to do in this country is to get fat.

Taking control of your diet and exercise life should be quite easy but for some reason it is not.   Things like family and work take priority but also,  procrastination and the ease of sitting on the couch comes into play.    It is much easier to pop in a microwave meal than it is to cook or even make a salad.    Much of the food that is available pre-made in our stores are filled with sugar of one form or another.     Reading ingredients is always a good idea.    It is a long road,  and watching what you eat and getting adequate exercise is something that needs to be done in the long haul.       The current exercise guidelines from the federal government, based on  recent scientific evidence,  recommend that healthy adults engage in 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking or cycling.   Yoga would fit into this as well as long as it is a flow type.  That is probably 3 Yoga sessions or five 30 minute walks.    It is not too much time.    This exercise, however, must be combined with a scrutiny of the food that we put in our bodies.

Namaste. 

Southwest Quinoa Bean Recipe

Chock full of protein,  vitamin C, fiber and flavor.  Very easy to make. Great summer salad.  You can almost live on this.

Ingredients

1 Cup uncooked quinoa
8 oz black beans
1 cup fresh raw corn
2 tsp cumin seeds or 1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 lime
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 bell pepper chopped


Cook the quinoa  as per the package (usually 2 cups water to 1 cup of quinoa)
Let cool
Toast the cumin seeds in a un-greased pan until they pop
Add beans, corn, seeds, cilantro, lime juice, coriander seeds and pepper
Salt to taste.
Add a cut up jalapeno for added kick.
Give it 1 hour to settle the flavors. 

Server cold or room temperature.