Diet and Exercise

[Serenity]

When I was a kid I never had to seek out exercise. It was all around me. I got up in the wee hours, got the grain for the horses, walked to the pasture, made sure they had water, gave them hay in the winter, grained them as necessary, mucked out stalls, went back, gathered chicken eggs (in the summer), did the rest of my chores, got cleaned up and either went to school or did more chores. I got my own breakfast most of the time because everyone was busy. It was life on the farm and it was good - and when I was a teenager I was 103 pounds of muscle and bone. I could pick up my Mom or my Dad and carry them around like kids.

Nowadays I ride around in a horseless carriage and I don't have any arduous chores. I don't even whip cream by hand with an old whisk. Instead I get up before god lights the sky and go to the gym. This morning I ran into an exercise buddy who is one tough mama. We don't speak the same language so we use our own pigden form of sign. It works. For two hours we run, bike, arc train, elliptical, do free-weight training, sit ups and stretches. When I get out to the car the seat tries to crawl away from me since I shower at home.  

I don't think I'll ever be 103 pounds again and if I got there I'd probably look like an apple doll head. 

Then I get home and instead of having the Denny's or MacDonald all-american breakfast I sigh and throw lettuce (yes, lettuce), carrots, cukes, a locally grown apple from the farm stand, some protein powder and a banana into a Ninja blender and let 'er rip. Since I have problems digesting salad this makes an easy way to get my veggies, even if it is not exactly thrilling. 

Lunch? I'll make another thrilling veggie and protein drink so I am a healthy gal. I can take it with me, so it is easy enough to fit in with my 64 ounces of water and pot of coffee or green tea. Yes, coffee is healthy. Honest. 

Dinner? Maybe another drink. Yes, I am gastronomically boring. Maybe some fish. Maybe an egg and some soup. Or some porridge.

Maybe if/when I get to my fitness and desired weight I'll change my eating habits. Or maybe not. These days if I look at food it attacks me and hangs off my body. 

[Serenity]

Food has always been my enemy. I am allergic to grains and today grain is in almost everything processed so forget that! I avoid soy because of the plant hormones - plus it is mostly rancid and you cant tell with soy.  I won't eat any meat has been soy fed because it makes the animals ill which means antibiotics in the feed, and so on and so forth. On the farm we didn't feed any soy and our chickens mostly ate bugs.  I sometimes get fresh eggs from a farm in Groton and they are not at all like what we see in the store, but they're not available this time of year.  (No bugs to eat) Mostly I get my protein from medical grade quality whey protein.  

My family was mostly slender on Mom's side. My tendency toward seeing food and wearing it great slabs comes from Dad's side.  Oh, well...  My family either died young from accidents or they lived to great age.  I think the eldest died at 105.  

Happy noshing of your choice.  I have a great recipe for chicken wings crusted in parmesan cheese I make once a year when I get antibiotic free, hormone free chicken.  :) 

[Mandy Muffin]

It is a shame that food becomes our enemy.  There is too much of it and is all tastes good.  I eat tofu for breakfast at lot.  Now the Japanese love the stuff but it just is tasteless when you microwave a couple of slices for a 90 calorie, high protein food.  Green beans for french fries are another substitution that is not to my liking.  It has been so long since I had a fried chicken piece that Col. Sanders was still alive then.  And forget anything that even looks like desert, when I substitute the 80 calories low-fat yogurt for the real thing. There was a time when it was acceptable to pack on few pounds when you got older.  But then again, people dropped dead in their 60s a lot when that was the style.