Rosarita Beach Cafe

Because, it’s easy and we don’t often have the time to put in the work to get things the hard way.  We want the fastest, easiest, and most efficient way of getting what we want, and when we want it.  Usually, that when is yesterday.  I’m not trying to suggest, that people are lazy, because I certainly don’t believe that.  Ultimately, I believe people want to accomplish goals, and finish tasks.  It’s just that were so distracted with trying to get through our daily lives, that we end up looking for stuff like the best weight loss pills, and hope they will take care of just one more thing we don’t have the time in our busy days to get done.  I wouldn’t mind if they worked for me.

But, ultimately it’s not usually quite that simple.  We do need to put in a little effort get what we want.  If that means weight loss, then I can pretty much guarantee you, your going to have to put some sweat equity into the process to get the results you want.  I actually do believe, that the first thing you need to do, is to change your focus a bit.   I don’t believe, that anyone should have the goal of losing weight.  The goal they should be aiming for, is to be more physically fit.  They are not really the same thing, but they share many of the same results.  Getting fit, however has extra benefits.

Getting fit also means, you’ll be stronger, faster, more flexible, and generally happier.  In order to get fit, your going to have to exercise and educate yourself what you eat.  Both are manageable, and nothing to be scared of.  Exercise doesn’t have to be overly strenuous to the point of failure and nutrition is simple if you understand it.  It can actually be fun.  Finding new things to eat that you enjoy is a fantastic way to improve your life.  Just think, if you can come up with one new healthy dinner meal every week or two, how much healthier your regular diet will be after a few months.

Working out can be fun to, if your a goal oriented person.  I like numbers, and keeping track of how far, how fast, and how much I can do of my exercises every time I workout.  That way you can see your progress, and you only have to compete against yourself.  Maybe not as easy as pill popping, but certainly a better long term solution.

Knowing what are the Read more…

There’s nothing much more painful to be suffering from than hemorrhoids. If you don’t know what hemorrhoids are, your one of the lucky ones. I know, I’ve been there before, and used the creams and other hemorrhoids treatment products. Those are not really long term solutions, and one of the better approaches you can take, is paying more attention to what your eating.

Diet has quite a bit to do with your current condition, which is kind of the bad news. As, it’s probably the stuff your eating that has gotten you into the condition your in. Now I know your thinking right now, how difficult this is going to be to correct if you have to change your diet. The thing is you shouldn’t really look at your diet that way. There is a lot of very healthy food out there, that is quite good for you, and can help to alleviate your condition. The trick is finding the foods that are both healthy and that you like.

The reason we get into the bad habit of eating so much bad food, that is that’s it’s easy and more accessible. The food manufacturing companies are really good at producing large amounts of processed and cheap food that tastes really good. At least it appeals to our hunger cravings, like salty and sweet tasting foods. That’s a good thing for the food manufacturers, but not necessarily a good thing for us. It’s good for them, because they can sell large volumes of product at a relatively cheap price. The bad news for us, is that it can be harmful for our bodies and end up giving us conditions like hemorrhoids.

The good news on the other hand, is that if you spend a little time researching and reading labels, you’ll be amazed at all the healthy foods available that you probably like. I ran through this little exercise just last summer. I was starting a new fitness exercise program, that had a rather intensive workout regiment. It also had a rather extensive nutrition program to follow while on the program. I contemplated early on, how closely I would stick to the nutrition guide, but ultimately decided to jump in with both feet. A good decision in the long term. Because the program had such a big list and menu of good food, I was able to pick and choose the stuff I thought would taste good to me.

The first few weeks of the program was difficult. Not so much the exercise, as controlling what I ate. But once you do it for a while, it becomes habit forming. Your basically breaking bad habits, and starting new ones. What I ate during that program, has changed my eating habits for life. Still 6 months after the 3 month program, and I’m eating healthier. One of the tricks I found to start eating right, is to use spices generously. A lot of healthy foods may seem bland at first, because your so used to the overdose of salts and sugars found in the current processed foods your indulging in. Using natural spices (cayenne, chipolte, garlic, etc) will keep your taste buds happy during the transition.

In conclusion, you can treat hemorrhoids in the long term more effectively with a well balanced diet. Don’t skimp on the fiber, and be sure to drink plenty of water as well. Leafy green vegetables are a good choice. I particularly like a spinach / chicken / almond / pepper salad with raspberry balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Don’t forget your fruits as well. Apples are a good choice as they also contain good fiber. Remember, with a little perseverance, your hemorrhoid problems will be totally under control.

If you want a healthy and tasty fruit juice then a freshly homemade juice will beat a commercial juice hands down. With no added preservatives and the sparkle of freshness, a homemade juice offers a distinctive and superior flavor. Fresh juices are also considerably more nutritious than commercial juices due to the loss of nutrients, antioxidants and enzymes during processing methods. Here is a list of some mouth watering fruit juice recipes you can try at home and a short explanation of the juices health benefits. Read more…

OK, I’m not normally the overly religious type, but I really need to have a few words with the guy (or gal) in charge of everything.  And yes, I’m not talking about your boss at work, I’m talking about the guy who designed and built the entire planet/universe/galaxy.  He really messed up when it came to food and taste buds, as far as I’m concerned.  I mean, what was he thinking, when he decided that everything that tastes really good is bad for your health, and everything that tastes really bad is good for your body?  Hello, were you trying to guarantee that nobody lived past the age of 60?  It’s either a major bug in the software, a cruel joke, or just planned obsolesce.  Personally, I’m going with choice number 1, the software bug.  Either wise, it’s just too hard for me to imagine the nasty intentions of an evil creator.

But seriously folks, I may be exaggerating my point just a little bit.  Not everything that tastes good is bad for you and vice versa.  I really think it’s just the way the food industry has been marketing to us over the years that has things all mucked up.  Perhaps, what I should have said, is that everything that tastes good and is cheap to manufacture/package is bad for you.  You know the stuff I’m talking about.  Basically all that stuff that comes in pretty packaging that couldn’t possibly be grown from the ground, or raised on the farm.  The stuff with too much sugar and lots of crappy carbs.  Yeech.  Sometimes, though it can be hard to resist.

Just this summer though, I did a little fitness routine for my body called P90X, that changed the way I look at food.  There is a whole nutrition guide that goes with the workouts that pretty much is a necessity if you want to be successful with the workouts.  It’s got the usual list of ingredients.  Protein, dairy, fruit, vegetables and carbs (the good ones).  There was also a big long list of a whole bunch of menu items that you could choose from.  I ended up picking and choosing the stuff that looked interesting and tasty to me.  What I found, is that with a bit of experimenting, I came up with a weekly menu that works pretty darn good for me.

Generally, for breakfast I eat one of two things.  Either a protein shake or a mushroom omlette (egg whites only) and cottage cheese.  My protein shake has skim milk, rasberries, a banana, vanilla protein powder, and a few ice cubes.  It’s very creamy, almost like having ice cream for breakfast.  But way more healthy for you.  The trick I found to spicing up the omlette was to basically spice it up.  A little cayenne pepper, garlic powder, or chipolte powder make a huge difference.  Some salsa and mushrooms in the middle make it even more interesting.

For snacks I do pistachio nuts, protein bars (chocolate/toffee/peanut butter), or almonds.  All foods I like.  Lunch is either a spinach/chicken/almond/pepper/raspberry vinaigrette salad, or a spinach/turkey/hot mustard flat bread wrap.  Again all foods I like.  That’s the trick really.  Finding the foods that work for you and taste good too.  Oh, and one other thing.  After working out every day, I get to indulge in a big 12oz glass of chocolate milk.  It’s really one of the best recovery drinks around, and it’s full of chocolate . . . mmmmm.