Miscellaneous Thoughts-Vegetarism, Exercise

In my fathers generation and all generations before that, I think, there was very little thought given to the "proper" diet for optimum good health. They just basically went by the idea that you eat what tasted good and that made it alright. Basically meat was eaten three times per day with little regard for how it was prepared and how much the quantity was. Just eat till you pop, but must certainly you had to "clean" your plate of all the food that was placed on it. In just the opposite direction of that era we find more information than we can possible "digest" whether it be from the newspaper, tv, Internet, or the latest book to be written on diet and exercise. In consideration of the perils of eating too much meat or say beef and dairy products, I kind of blame God a little on this dilemma, since he placed the cow on the planet for no other reason that to be fatten and slaughtered to be fed to humans. After all the cow is not a good pet, it doesn't have hardly any brain cells, it can't run fast so there are no cow races or derby's to go to, and it just does 4 things in life(eat, poop, pee, and sleep, unless it is a bull then you have to add that fifth activity of creating new little calfs to be raised, fattened and slaughtered for human consumption). So, we have this creature that provides us with the tasty rib eye, t-bone, sirloin, and hamburger steaks that are real hard to resist, and then it gets blamed for all our ill health. Well, based on this the cow has also taught us some good lessons on proper eating, since it is a true vegetarian. Have you ever seen a 1500 pound cow sit down to a 16 oz. medium well done rib eye, baked potato, and salad for a dinner? No, what they do is eat grass, feed, and special supplements provided to them so they will gain weight and be real tasty. While there have been vegetarians in existences since the beginning of time(Adam and Even were the first actually) it has no come full circle and is looking better every day. I have observed our household diet change to the vegetarian style over the past year and the results are looking good. The master mind of all this around our household is my wife and she has gone 100% in that direction and I would say I am 50% there, since I have to have at least 12 oz. of lean rib eye steak within a week. Other than that I am moving closer to the vegetarian diet and liking it real well. When I venture to JD's bar and grill on my motorcycle I find myself eating the beyond delicious famous hamburger that they prepare, but I do not do the french fries and then will limit my other meat intake during the rest of the week. Last night the meal of choice in this house was pinto beans, butter beans, green beans, and rice. This morning for breakfast a special very healthy biscuit, watermelon, grapes, and grape jelly. To throw in the breakfast scent I ate 3 extra crispy lean bacon strips with water to drink. Now you say, but I don't know how to cook a vegetarian diet and get all of the proper vitamins and minerals I should get. Sorry, but that is no excuse in this day and time. Too much information is out there to miss it, but here are two good books that have some great recipes in them: "Skinny Bitch", yep that is the name and is authored by two former fat ladies who are now skinny because of the vegetarian diets they now follow. I don't have their names right in front of me, but it is a best seller, and beware there is some rough language in it, but great ideas. "Vegah Planet", written by Robin Robertson with some great recipes. Try it, you will find these meals tasty, filling and good for you. Do remember though, that most of the "bad" foods out there are white, with a few exceptions. So, always think darker is better when choosing your foods at the next out to dinner excursion. Also, when you open the frig you should see greens, reds, purple, and the only whites should be onions, hominy, some beans, etc.

Exercise-While I will never venture too far from exercise as one of the best things we can do for ourselves I must always consider the diet factor as mentioned above. While there is also all kinds of exercise information out there I still insist the exercise calling for sustaining aerobic exercise keeping your heat rate to the 75-80% of maximum for 20-30 minutes, 3-4 times per week is the best way to maintain minimum fitness. There are also augmenting exercises that can target certain areas of your body that may need them more than others. In men it would be the stomach muscles, that tend to graduate to the "pot" belly if we don't watch out. Many time this happens because of food or beverage intake, i.e. the "beer pot belly", even though it is just the area that tends to loose itself over a period of time. In the ladies we have the rear end and upper thighs that tend to get out of normal shape with aging. Why this happens is any one's guess even though many theories are out there. But, there are exercises that will help these two problem areas, i.e. setups for the men and stair steps for the women. Other thoughts along this exercise subject are fairly simple, 1. Keep exercise goals realistic, 2. Do some deal making with you mind and body, i.e. swap a coffee break for a brisk walk, 3. At a social function(party), move, dance, mingle, etc. 4. If you are going to the 3rd or 4th floor for a meeting, walk the stairs. 5. During a business meeting break drink water, eat fruit instead of the coffee, and donuts.

Since politics has been in the news lately it will be interesting to see what the diet of Mr. McCain's running mate is. Gov. Sarah Palin, is 44 with five children and looks very healthy and energetic. What is her secret? Well I haven't found out yet, but I will. With the awesome schedule she must follow, even though she says she is "just a soccer mom", she must be very disciplined to do all that she does.

Mike Greer