Summertime Breakfast

What did you have for breakfast this morning? Years ago when I was overweight - ranging from 25 to 50 pounds overweight, I never had time for breakfast. I couldn’t stomach the mere thought of breakfast. But by mid morning I could usually be found at the office snack shop wolfing down a Danish with coffee. 

Now that I’m thin and have been thin for 30 years, I eat breakfast every morning. Pat and I quickly whip up some scrambled or eggs fried in a bit of butter and add fruit - this morning we shared an apple and an orange. He jump-starts his day with coffee, I eat an ounce or so of dark chocolate. From start to finish our morning ritual takes about 15 minutes. Unless we get to talking and that’s fun, too.  

Our summer breakfasts usually contain a summer-type fruit - watermelon, cherries, peaches, but not today. We need to do a grocery store run soon. 

From all the research pouring from the news leads every day, we all know that eating breakfast stokes one’s metabolism, that folks who eat breakfast weight less, and that women who eat eggs for breakfast weight less. To sum up the research, eating breakfast keeps weight gain at bay and aids weight loss. 

I have personal prejudices, I admit. I think that a soy or protein shake could possibly be good for a snack, but hardly for a breakfast. A person’s stomach just isn’t well designed by nature to efficiently get much value from soy protein. Perhaps if you put tofu - a fermented soy product in your shake, you’d get more value. I favor eggs or another source of animal protein because when you eat it for breakfast, it can banish the 4 pm hungry blues. (Yes, I’m the one at the continental breakfasts in hotels both in the US and abroad who pulls out a 3-oz. tuna packet to eat with the fresh fruit. I need the energy.) 

Danishes are yummy, but I think they helped make me fat. Ditto the pastries, cereals, and starchy grain-based products. If they stave off your hunger for 4 hours, they’re working for you. If I starches for breakfast, I crave sweets and starches all day long. By dinner, I yearn to hold the real food and instead eat a couple desserts. 

There’s a couple HOT news items on health that will get more and more significant in the next year, so keep an eye out for more. Probiotics (which now include important life-giving viruses and fungi) may dictate your moods, health, condition of your teeth, and aging. Researchers now plan to corral the power of probiotics, etal, to rid the body of bacterial infections in place of antibiotics. Even your skin uses bacteria to create a protective shield that could help prevent wrinkles and infections. 

The zinc in sunscreen isn’t so great after all. When exposed to ultraviolet light, it becomes chemically active and produces compounds that harm your skin. Best idea: wear a hat. For now, wear sunscreen. I anticipate next summer’s crop of sunscreens will find a way around this problem.

I’ve had a problem with my right foot off and on for couple years: plantar fasciitis one year, dislocated metatarsals the next. Last winter it was an inflamed tendon. Finally, I realized that I love to sit on my right foot. I do it at dinner, at meetings, whenever I think I can get away with it. Well, even if no one saw me, I didn’t get away with it. I’m consciously and mindfully NOT doing this anymore and so far I haven’t had any more foot “itis”es or such.  Fingers crossed I have solved this puzzle. 

And about the herniated disc in my neck - which was so yucky last summer. I have placed my computer screen on a 16-inch wooden crate/ box so that the bottom of my screen is at eye height. I no longer bend my neck forward for long hours to write. Watercolor painting was also a problem. The time-old tradition is to sit down and bend over the paper. I can’t do this anymore, so I’m standing up at an easel. It’s confused my various teachers: I set up my easel in the back of class and try to stay under the radar. Only one teacher simply didn’t want me in class anymore. My art isn’t as precise, but I’m still having fun. 

And I really hope you’re having fun, too, this summer. Summer activities here in Utah only last 3 short months - street fairs, art festivals, outdoor concerts, breakfast on the deck, dinners on the patio, balloon festivals, parades, and rodeos. I’ve gotten so relaxed and laid back this summer, that as I was paging through the July Better Homes & Gardens, I read the following note: “Buying in bulk can save up to 50 percent, says, Lucy Beale,” My first thought was, “oh, my gosh, that girl has a name like mine. I wonder who she is.” To continue, “coauthor of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Well on a Budget. But using up 5 pounds of anything before it goes bad or you get bored is tough. Go in on the haul with friends.” 

Turns out that girl is me. Have a wonderful summer. 

Love, 

Lucy Beale Partridge

Author, books at www.lucybeale.com

801-501-8240

New GI Snack Cookbook, Healthy Skin Care, Sleep Position

Snacking is often our preferred way to eat – unless, of course it’s sitting down for a full Thanksgiving dinner. But then again, I know I snacked on Thursday, and perhaps you did, too. Finding and/or preparing healthy snacks is so challenging. To make this easier, I wrote a new cookbook, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Glycemic Index Snacks. It offers you recipes for over 250 low-glycemic snacks that are under 300 calories each. Available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Glycemic-Snacks/dp/1615640827/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322497481&sr=8-1 and also at Barnes and Noble. Yes, the recipes are varied and scrumptious. Enjoy!

In search of healthy and effective skin care: one of my favorite stores for discovering the newest and healthiest skin care is New Frontiers (a natural foods store) in Sedona, Arizona. If you’re in the area, check it out. In August I found two treatment lines with distinct advantages – they are inexpensive, totally affordable, and effective. The first is made in Hawaii from honey, beeswax, bee pollen, and royal jelly - Honey Girl Organics. I’m using the Face and Eye Cream and looking forward to ordering additional products online at www.honeygirlorganics.com.

Peak Scents and Super Salve Company offers an excellent Vitamin C repair solution, the best sunscreen I’ve ever found (Sierra Madre Sun Cream SPF 30), and a Power Repair Face Cream. I just reordered these online at www.supersalve.com. I once thought that it was cool to use very expensive skin care products. Today I know that price doesn’t imply better, more effective, or healthier. Read the labels on the department store brands and decide if you want unpronounceable chemicals on your skin.

And now about sleeping. Oh my gosh what an odd journey I’ve taken in the past 4 months. One morning in July, my right arm stopped working. Yes, I know this seems impossible, but this is a true story. My arm had no strength. It sort of hurt to move it. The feeling was, in a word, weird. Since I had absolutely no frame of reference for this and was scared, I cautiously drove myself to the chiropractor.

He said I had a herniated disc in the right side of my neck (C5-6) and that he could make it better in three weeks. Huh? I wanted to be a believer. And, sure enough within just a couple sessions, my arm worked well and the odd sensations abated. In addition to going to therapy three times a week for a grand total of 4.5 hours including drive time, I made serious lifestyle changes.

I raised my computer monitor so I didn't need to bend my neck forward. I used a lap desk for reading books and magazines, again so I didn't need to bend my neck forward. Rather than bend over my watercolor paper when painting, I set up a field easel in my studio and now stand when I paint. I stopped slouching as much as possible, even asking my husband to let me know when I slouched. At my chiropractic sessions, I did a series of neck-strengthening exercises, traction, and received adjustments to break up arthritis in my neck. Which I didn’t even know that I had.

Three weeks extended to three months and although my arm and neck were greatly improved, my situation was at a standstill. Seemed to me that something I was doing was somehow re-injuring my neck or at the least preventing it from healing. In other words was I doing this to myself?

When I asked some experts, no one had any substantive suggestions. Then I mentioned to a massage therapist friend that I have slept on my tummy all night long every night for as long as I can remember. Bingo!!! In order to avoid a face plant when sleeping on my tummy, I turned my neck sharply to the left. Night after night for 8 to 10 hours for years and years. Yes, this was truly a "DUH" moment.

That night, it was hard but I did it anyway. I slept on my side. I've have since taught myself how to sleep on my side. Hugging either a pillow or Patrick helps. And guess what? My neck is finally really healing. I've worked myself back up to all but one Bikram (hot) yoga pose. It's rabbit, for those of you familiar with Bikram.

During the past 4 months, though, I was unable to do my morning Tibetan exercises. And I noticed some undesired changes in my body. Without this wonderful metabolism-boosting daily treat, my waist began to expand. And

some clothes were getting tight. But, hurrah, I’m back to doing the Tibetans every morning and I’ve jump-started my metabolism into normal high gear. (You can find the 5 Tibetan exercises at my website, www.lucybeale.com .)

It’s now the Monday after Thanksgiving and I’m back to work after 4 days of enjoying our semi-marathon feasting, snowshoeing, and museum hopping. I hope your Holiday was satisfying and fun. I also want to thank you for reading my newsletter, for sending your comments, and for your encouragement. I appreciate you.

The Three Machines

Yes, these 3 machines have saved us money and improved my health and sense of wellbeing. And, they are NOT kitchen appliances. In other words, no juicers or dehydrators.

Ten years ago, a dentist in Fort Collins, CO said he wouldn’t be my dentist unless I used a Waterpik every day. Within 6 months, those annoying gum pockets were history for both Pat and me. For Christmas that year, all of our terrifically fortunate children received – guess what? – Waterpiks.

We’re still using the Waterpik successfully – in fact, we’ve worn out the first and are now on our second. It’s so nice to not pay for special gum scraping and such.

Last year one of our sons (this must run in the family!) raved about his electric toothbrush. Not to be outdone, I purchased the Oral B Braun from my dentist. Pat and I use it morning and evening. It’s heaven – my teeth never felt cleaner. Or looked brighter.

But ah, the moment of truth arrived at my recent checkup. Poke and prod as much as he could, my dentist failed to elicit even a slight twitch or ouch. All of my sensitive spots were gone. Gone. Amazing. This is the first time ever in as long as I can remember that I earned an “A Plus” for a dental exam. Which means no –absolutely no – out of pocket charges.

The next big surprise found me while browsing at Nordstrom’s cosmetic counter. I wandered in to purchase lipstick and was greeted by a brilliantly smiling enthusiastic young woman who was clearly on commission. By the time I walked out of the store I had purchased a Clarisonic face brush machine. Not inexpensive since I purchased the model that included a larger brush head for use on my body. Hand held. Just add some soap or cleanser and run the gently whirling brush for a minute or so over my face and neck before rinsing. Stephanie promised a plethora of beautifying results: exfoliation, clearer skin, smoother skin, better absorption of face cream and moisturizer. Everything a gal could possibly want.

I felt so much like a guppy escaping a shark tank that I couldn’t tell Pat about this purchase. I couldn’t much hide it either, as it was whirring on my face as I prepared for bed that night. I still can’t tell him what it cost. But I sure can see visible obvious results. I’m not kidding. This gizmo makes my skin look like I just had an hour-long facial that costs upwards of a hundred dollars or so. The difference between the facial and the Clarisonic is that I can look that good every single day. If I were to put the results into one word it’s “brighter.” Next would be baby-skin smooth. Is it saving me money yet? Not exactly. But if I were to pay for monthly hour-long facials, it definitely is saving money. (My husband insists this is not the correct way to apply any accounting principle he knows.)

A special note to our children: most likely you won’t receive a Clarisonic under the tree this year. But an electric toothbrush? Perhaps.

I highly recommend all three machines. If they fit your needs. Let me know how you like them.

Have a terrific month. All the best,

Lucy

The Big C

I’m writing this to you especially if you’ve reached the age of 50 or over. A friend asked me to write this for you. Said it could save many lives – because this information saved her life. When I first heard about her situation as second hand news – she’d had 27 polyps removed from her colon. Oh, my gosh.

Later that week Pat and I ran into her and her husband at the theater. She corrected the offhand rumor, her situation was different, but just as dire. Having put off getting her much dreaded first colonoscopy, she finally gave in to her husband’s increasingly urgent requests. The doctor found cancer and removed 9 inches of her colon. Good news – she’s healthy and thriving. Doc said she wouldn’t have lasted 2 more years.

As I listened to her story, I felt fleetingly guilty because I had been so reluctant to get one. Most insurances pay for the procedure. A couple days later at lunch with some girlfriends, the C subject came up. Half had already undergone the procedure, half of us hadn’t. Oh, my gosh – in simple words, I was truly taken to task. How could I be avoiding this simple procedure when I wrote books on HEALTH? Cause I’m a chicken, that’s how.

I went home and made an appointment. My fear and terror grew and grew as my appointment approached. “What if’s” rattled through my brain. The one-day prep was, in a word, unpleasant but doable. The morning of my procedure, Pat drove me to the surgery center and entertained me for a couple hours as we waited. The procedure took all of 15 minutes before I was back in the recovery room wide awake chatting with Pat and my best girlfriend.

The doc came by and whew! remarked that I had the insides of a 12 year-old. Let me tell you, my results are somewhat the result of eating basically well and getting plenty of exercise. But mostly, luck and good genes.

I want luck to be on your side, as it was for me, and my friends. Yes, one friend needed serious surgery, but today she’s enjoying her two granddaughters, a doting and relieved husband, and a terrific and exciting career. So luck was on her side, as was a pushy and devoted husband.

Having a colonoscopy is important. So Just do it. Everyone you know will be glad you did.

Lucy Beale, author

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss Version 2

The Complete Idiot's Guide Glycemic Index Cookbook

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well on a Budget

www.Lucybeale.com, http://lucybeale-weight-loss.blogspot.com/

801-501-8240

In Search of the Mediterranean Diet

The much touted Mediterranean Diet – which sounds positively delicious and enticing – both for its culinary delights and it’s weight-loss potential may be a mere fabrication. After all, who wouldn’t want to be sitting at a café in a warm sunny clime eating succulent tomatoes flavored with basil or oregano, knowing that what’s sensational for your taste buds is great for your heart and your waistline?

I need to tell you, I searched for this enticing food on our recent vacation to Italy. We ate near Naples, in Rome, in Florence, in Siena, and in the Chianti countryside. We all – our whole family - loved the food. It was quite Americanized as you would guess, it being that we saw far more American tourists than we did genuine Italians. Our grown children raved about the pizzas and pastas. I passed on their high-carb choices, and instead, when I could, ordered main courses with meat or fish, which oddly enough, seldom included a side vegetable.

Our entire 10 days in Italy, we never saw ristorante menus that included the famed Mediterranean ingredients: whole grains, abundant olive oil, balsamic vinegar, heavy breads rich in whole grains, polenta, abundant fresh vegetables, or fruit. We did see fabulous fresh fish. I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret these results.

Was the Mediterranean Diet a mere fabrication? Someone’s good idea for a healthy eating regime? Or were the ristorantes truly catering to American food tastes – I mean we did see plenty of bready pasta with virtually no healthful toppings on every street corner – kind of like you could in New York.

Upon returning home and after sorting through many emails, bills, and advertising fliers, I found a tiny research item on the Mediterranean Diet. Turns out the Italian town on which this diet was modeled, Pioppi, has abandoned their past way of eating. For a couple reasons: the young folk don’t want to eat as their parents, but instead prefer to imitate the American way of eating – yes, they’re gaining weight and having health issues, and because the cost of the healthy vegetables, fish, and fruit is too high for many budgets.

When Pat I were in Rome for our honeymoon 10 years ago, the ristorante food was different – more authentic - and much more aligned to the “Mediterranean Diet.” Of course, I report this with very fond memories of our romantic time in Rome which could be clouded by time and wistfulness.

What’s a person to do? Keep on eating the healthy foods. Find ways to pay for those vegetables and fruit which keep you healthy. If you occasionally cheat on your eating plan, you can make up for it by eating those 7-10 servings of vegetables and fruit daily while never overeating anything.

I need to tell you how I survived the high-carb overload potential of the ristorantes. Before the trip, I packed 12 packages of tuna, and 12 small serving-size tubs of peanut butter. I ate the tuna instead of the pastry at the continental breakfasts offered by our hotels, and I ate the peanut butter in emergency snack situations when I needed real food. And asked whoever in our group walked by a fruit stand to pick me up an apple or two.

So I guess it’s up to us as health-seeking, in-the-know folks to keep the vision of the Mediterranean
Diet alive. Good health is its own reward.

Let me tell you how. You know I exercise almost daily both aerobics, Pilates, yoga, and some strength training. Well, a couple weeks after we returned my right arm stopped working. And it really hurt. I had a hernia in my cervical spine brought on my years of lying on the sofa reading books or working puzzles with the book or puzzle propped in my lap. I actually did this to myself. I have hated sitting up straight when I could more comfortably slouch. The good news: it seems to be healing really fast. Most likely because I am a terrifically compliant patient, because I work with a stellar chiropractor, and because I’m in good physical shape and otherwise healthy. The bad and good news : I MUST sit up straight and totally stop slouching or else.

So now it’s time for watermelon, cherries, and fresh basil, garlic, and pine nut pesto. Long live the Mediterranean Diet.

Lucy Beale, author
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss Version 2
The Complete Idiot's Guide Glycemic Index Cookbook
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well on a Budget
www.Lucybeale.com, http://lucybeale-weight-loss.blogspot.com/

The Benevolent Boring Basics

Just like you I wish there were a pill that would solve all of my inclinations towards being, well, basically, a slug. I know you’ve wished for one of these, too. You know – the pill that does your exercise for you, that lets you eat whatever you want whenever you want with no undesired side effects, the one that keeps your muscles toned, that fends off the ill effects of not enough sleep, and of too much stress. And while we’re still wishing, the one that instantly changes gloomy days into ones filled with sunshine.


Please, now is NOT the time to send me information on the latest greatest nutritional supplement you sell that promises to makes my slug-ness dreams come true. Alas, the slug pill doesn’t exist. I already know I’m going to be running away from entropy the rest of my life. For those of you who aren’t familiar with entropy and the second law of thermodynamics, it basically states that systems in order tend to go into disorder. Toned muscles today mean less toned muscles tomorrow, unless you exercise tomorrow and the next day and the next day. A clean desk today breeds a messy desk within a week. That is entropy. On this planet, it’s a law of nature.

A dear friend of mine recently had a blood test in which her cholesterol lowered to healthy levels – yeah! But those darn triglycerides are so high she’s at high risk for diabetes. She MUST do aerobic exercise often to run away from this malady. Alas, she’ll be running away from it the rest of her life. I just returned from checking out stationary bikes with her at Sears. I scream inside me – this is so unfair. For a wonderful happy mostly sedentary person to be told that she needs to start doing heavy-duty exercise and, oh, yeah, by the way, cut out all the fats she’s loved eating for a lifetime – cheese and butter and ice cream. French fries and steak. But, no it’s not unfair. Life hasn’t singled her out. We are all in this together and totally alone.

Alone because no one can do your exercise for you. Right now I have assumed responsibility for making sure that 2 people I dearly love get enough exercise. Neither will exercise by themselves – so, yes, I do it with them. This should indicate that I do twice as much as I need to. Perhaps this is actually good for me and some of my slug-ness problem is solved through my concern for loved ones.

I’ve been missing sleep lately because it’s so much fun to stay up late with my husband. But I’ve noticed that my usually friendly moods are more likely to unravel around the edges by dinnertime. My new “rule” (at which Pat merely rolls his eyes) is that I need to be in my jammies getting ready for bed by 10:15 pm except on evenings out. Hey, come on, it’s worked one night so far.

And need it tell you how much I love sugar and chocolate? I found a super brownie pan that looks like a maze such that every brownie comes out with 2 baked edges. Yum, so delicious. But with two people living here, what happens to all those brownies? I usually have Pat take them to share at the office on Monday mornings so I’m spared their annoying chatter as they talk on and on throughout my work days about how good they’ll taste. I’m not even sure I want a pill that takes away my enjoyment of these 2 non-nutritional foods. Yes, I know chocolate is supposed to contain nutrition, but I probably have enough stored up in me to last for the next 5 years.

You may be wondering how I stay thin with all this slug-ness going on inside me. It’s simple. Good genes, never overeating, keeping my metabolism really high through exercise, and not eating the toss away foods I could care less about. I mean, I think of sandwich bread as a wrapping that’s supposed to be tossed, pasta as sticky goo, and dairy products as being made by nature for baby cows and not humans. Just so you know that I’m no health food angel, I love Mexican food, steak, butter, vegetables, fruit, pate, sardines, anchovies, and other foods that may seem in-palatable to you. In-palatable being another word for disgusting.

So the bottom line is that those boring basics are one’s wellness salvation: doing challenging exercise almost daily, never overeating, enjoying the most pleasurable foods in small amounts, sleeping 7-8 hours in a darkened room, and doing the best you can in this increasingly stressful world.

My advice: take those slug pills in tiny doses all day long – exercise, eat enough and not too much, laugh as often as you can, luxuriate in sleep, and find two friends who need an exercise buddy.

Love, light, laughter.

Lucy Beale, author
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss Version 2
The Complete Idiot's Guide Glycemic Index Cookbook
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well on a Budget
www.Lucybeale.com, http://lucybeale-weight-loss.blogspot.com/

The Exercise Problem

I’m fascinated with all the current exercise choices. How does a person determine which modality is right for his or her body? At my local rec center, the choices are Power Pump, Water Aerobics, Zumba, Jazzercise, Yoga, Spin, Core Fusion, Pilates, Flow, Step Interval, Pilates Beam Fit, and Intro to Step. Choices at other clubs include Boot Camp, Sun Salutations, Power Yoga, and Power Pilates. Most exercise facilities offer a full weight room filled with elliptical trainers, treadmills, stationary bikes, and a plethora of weight machines. At home we have a fitness rider (collecting dust), a Pilates reformer, a stationary bike (not collecting dust), fitness balls, an inversion table, flex bands, workout DVDs, and hand weights.

But wait, there’s more: My iPhone lets me download the wonderful Tara Stiles yoga podcasts which I rate as 5 stars. I can also download dozens of exercise podcasts. YouTube has 18,600,000 – that’s over eighteen million – exercise routines.

Personally, I divide my exercise time among several favorites: 2 sessions of Bikram (hot) yoga per week (at a studio up the street), Pilates mat class, weight training for posture and Madonna-style upper arms (I wish!!!), snowshoeing in winter, and hiking in summer. Most days I do the Five Tibetan exercises in the morning (print from my website at www.lucybeale.com). On days I’m not at the gym or studio, I do 10 Sun Salutations (these are so hard) or ride the stationary bike for a mere 15 minutes while reading a magazine (easy).

I need to tell you a bit about my personal motivation for exercising. I started exercising at age 23 by taking a killer aerobics class at the YMCA in Denver. I stopped exercising after several years and discovered I had high levels of anxiety. Since I prefer natural healing modalities, when given the choice by a therapist between taking “happy” pills or doing daily exercise to manage depression and anxiety, I opted for the exercise and have been faithful ever since.

I’m really NOT an exercise junkie, I just try to stay fit - mentally and physically. For the most part, my days are quite sedentary. After all, writing, coaching, and watercolor painting are not what anyone would deem aerobic activities.

So, here’s my question to you. With all these great modalities to choose from, how many people do you think are actually exercising? Not that many. I think most folks prefer the sofa. Actually, I do, too. I’m convinced we’re all biologically programmed and hard-wired to prefer the sofa.

How many folks do you know who exercise 3 or 4 times a week? What makes the difference between a person who exercises faithfully and one that doesn’t? My quandary is how to get my clients, newsletter readers, and blog readers to exercise faithfully day after day, year after year. I know they’ll feel better. I know they’ll have happier moods. I know they’ll look better. They’ll have fewer medical concerns, more energy, and more fun. They’ll sleep better. They may or may not lose weight, but the rest of their lives will work better.

So let me know. What would you do to convince another person to adopt the habit of regular exercise? How do you keep yourself motivated to get to class or to put on the running shoes and hit the pavement? Why are there so many fitness modalities and why do so few folks actually work out?

Desperately seeking solutions,

Lucy Beale, author
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss Version 2
The Complete Idiot's Guide Glycemic Index Cookbook
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well on a Budget
http://www.lucybeale.com/, http://lucybeale-weight-loss.blogspot.com/