« October 2007 | Main | March 2008 »

The next fun thing, Pt. 2

So first I talked about the various new exercise options I'm trying, to keep things interesting and fun as I continue on the journey to better health.
Now it's time for the second, and equally fun part of the equation-FOOD!
I am a regular subscriber of the Washington Post's Lean Plate Club, a weekly e-mail update with health topics, recipes and discussion boards. One time the subject was bento boxes, a Japanese tradition that I would LOVE to try.
Apparently, bento boxes are divided into five compartments. Each compartment is supposed to hold a small portion of a different color and differently prepared food. The colors are green, red, yellow, white and black/purple. The preparations are bitter, sour, sweet, hot, salty and delicate. By eating a full range of colors and preparations, your eyes are treated to a visual feast before you even begin to eat. It's fun, and it's like a game. I don't have a box(see below), but I do try to pay attention to the five colors when I cook at home. And eating those different colors means you are getting several different nutrients all in the same meal. I don't know what it is, but I always end up feeling more satisfied when I go the five-color culinary way.
I don't know if any retailers here in Wichita Falls carry bento boxes, so I started an online search to try to procure one to bring to work for lunch every day. I found several traditional bento boxes but a new take on the bento box caught my eye.
It's called Laptop Lunches, a Web site aimed at providing healthier, more appetizing lunches for kids and grown-ups. Their bento boxes are actually made of colorful plastic, and they have a couple of options for buying them, including lunch sets and bulk purchasing.
They also list several lunch ideas, including fun stuff like cucumber chains and delish-looking berry granola mixes.
The boxes I found online are a little pricey, but enterprising folks could probably come up with their own bento box from scratch. I just think the idea is fun, interesting and could be a solution to the PB and J lunchtime blues.

Posted by Stacy Johnson at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The next fun thing, Pt. 1

So much of our efforts to control weight or to get healthy revolve around steady, consistent action over a long period of time.
For me, that long period of time is hopefully going to be the rest of my life. But I've found in the last two months or so that if I want to stay in the weight loss game, I'm going to have to make it fun, exciting and yes, challenging. If I don't, I get bored. And then, you probably know what happens. I quit. It's no fun to do the same thing day in and day out, for months.
But I've taken steps to ward off this stuck-in-a-rut feeling.
First off, I've added new and different exercises to my daily routine-it used to be all about walking for me. Now I ride a stationary bike and have even stepped into the exciting (BUT HARD!) world of the elliptical trainer, along with staying on the treadmill for 20 minutes or so.
I have also started to discover different areas of the city that before were a little too far for me to walk. For example, on Saturday evening I took Chopper on a GREAT excursion over at Lake Wichita Park. We began at the dam, our customary start point, but we went way farther, all the way over to the little bridge near the little league park by Fairway Blvd. It was near dusk, and with the setting sun as a golden backdrop, the geese were landing for a rest on the lake right over our heads. As a game was going on over at the ballpark, we were cheered on by the excited fans watching their little ones play.
I'm also delving into the world of exercise videos, via my Netflix account. Why buy them when you can rent them? I started with a beginning belly dance video, next I've got some more advanced 'urban beats' dance videos on the way. It's fun, it's in the comfort of my own home, and what better way to burn calories than to listen to some great music and dance the hour away?!
In part 2 of the next fun thing, I'll fill you in on my plans for lunch, from across the globe!

Posted by Stacy Johnson at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)