SALAD DRESSING

A lot of us are eating more salads, but most salad dressings leave much to be desired.  The salad dressings that taste good often are loaded up with calories, additives, etc.  Recently I came across this salad dressing recipe and I suggest that you give it a try...

1 large avocado

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves

3/4 teaspoon salt

Here is a TIP FROM A MAN.... the best stuff doesn't usually come in a pre-packaged bottle.  Notice how fresh and natural the ingredients in this recipe are.  Plus, there is a certain satisfaction that comes from gathering ingredients and making things yourself.  Another benefit is that this salad dressing will likely cost less than what you buy in a bottle.  You can do this and this success will lead you to find other things that you can do yourself.

Enjoy life!

CHERRY PROTEIN SHAKE

Yum, a little taste of summer.  As you may recall, last June I bragged and gushed excessively about the production of our cherry tree.  Well, because the tree was so prolific we couldn't eat or give away the abundance of produce before it started to spoil.  Then the thought occurred to me that I should pit the cherries and put them in small freezer bags for use in the winter.  Winter is now upon us and in the morning I add these wonderful frozen cherries to my protein shake.  It is so good and so simple.  Here is what I enjoyed this morning:

Crushed Ice

Frozen Cherries

Walnuts

Protein Powder

1 Cup Cold Water

I mixed these ingredients to perfection in the Magic Bullet blender and man oh man was it good.  So here is a TIP FROM A MAN... in order to enjoy life to the max, a bit of planning is usually involved.  In my experience, the more you plan the less you have to react to circumstances.  So think ahead about your nutrition and your fun.  Being spontaneous has its place, but planning ahead can produce some tasty and rewarding results.

Enjoy life.

CANCER UPDATE

During past posts I have discussed how we can make our bodies hostile to cancer through diet and exercise.  I even recommended the reading of a book called the China Study.  Below is a link to an article that probes this subject in great detail and offers specifics as to how we can make our bodies hostile to cancer.  Please click on the link and read the article.  Following the article is a statement from a medical doctor that I have personally met that offers his support of the information contained in the article.

http://premaseem.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/how-to-avoid-cancer/

"In my medical training and current practice and personal journey to health and fitness (including getting a nutritional counselors degree four years ago) I find every point in this article to be true. Please read and share with others. I am exploring different ways to boost health and ward off disease by strengthening the body so it can heal itself. Stay tuned..."  Dr. Lee
________________________

Here is a TIP FROM A MAN... please, make your body a hostile environment to cancer.  We need our health to enjoy life to its fullest.  Begin making these choices a little at a time until you have made the necessary lifestyle choices that are sustainable and easy for you to follow.  This may not happen for you overnight but first make the resolve to change and then work toward making the functional changes that are required.  You will need to learn where to find the correct foods and ingredients in your store or perhaps you will need to find new places to shop.  Next you will need to learn how to prepare meals that comply with your goals.  Lastly, it will take some thought and planning when eating away from home.  Let's face it, most food manufacturers and restaurants are more interested in profit than our health so finding the meals we need to eat may take effort but it will be well worth this effort if you have made the resolve to do so.  Let's do this for ourselves and for those we love.

Enjoy life!

QUOTES - GOALS / RESOLUTIONS

 

At the beginning of a new year it is trendy to make some new resolutions then to quickly break them and go back to doing things the same old way.  People love to make jokes about this topic.  I hear it all the time at the gym this time of year - guys predicting that they will fizzle out in a week or so.  And by the drop in numbers by the end of January, you know, they were right.  Self fulfilling prophesy.

To me, setting and keeping goals if absolutely critical if you want to improve and elevate yourself.  Following are a few of my favorite quotes from outstanding leaders regarding setting goals and keeping resolutions:

"Try a little harder to be a little better."

           Gordon B. Hinckley

"It’s in the doing, not just the thinking, that we accomplish our goals. If we constantly put our goals off, we will never see them fulfilled."

          Thomas S. Monson

"To avoid some of the deepest regrets of life, it would be wise to make some resolutions today."

          Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"You are doing better than you think you are. But we can be better."

          Julie B. Beck

"You can set your goals to make you reach and strain.  Growth comes from setting your goals high and reaching for the stars."

          Spencer W. Kimball

"We can become the masters of our own destinies by practicing self-discipline and by setting worthy goals."

          M. Russell Ballard

"Where performance is measured, performance improves. Where performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates."

          Thomas S. Monson

"When change is thought through carefully, it can produce the most rewarding and profound experiences in life."

          Marvin J. Ashton

"Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better."

          Gordon B. Hinckley

"There is room for improvement in every life. Regardless of our occupations, regardless of our circumstances, we can improve ourselves and while so doing have an effect on the lives of those about us."

          Gordon B. Hinckley

"We don’t have to be perfect today. We don’t have to be better than someone else. All we have to do is to be the very best we can."

          Joseph B. Wirthlin

"Act now, so that a thousand years from now, when you look back at this moment, you can say this was a moment that mattered — this was a day of determination."

           Neal A. Maxwell

"To reach a goal you have never before attained, you must do things you have never before done."

          Richard G. Scott

 

"Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead."

          Jeffrey R. Holland

Well there you go.  If that doesn't get you fired up to make your life better or to help someone else I don't know what will.  Here is a TIP FROM A MAN... set some goals.  Be realistic but stretch yourself.  Set goals that you can control.  Set goals that you can measure.  Tell someone else about your goals and ask them to check up on you.  Here is a simple example of a goal that you can accomplish:

GOAL: Run a 10K over Memorial Day weekend (almost 5 months from now)

Here are the steps for success:

1) Find a race and pay the registration fee.  You are now officially invested.

2) Find a friend to run the race with you and make sure that they register and pay the fee.

3) Tell everyone you know that you are going to run the 10K.  Positive peer pressure!

4) Begin a training regimen now - today - immediately.  Start slow and build up over time.  Don't overdo it in the beginning and get too sore or worse injure yourself and quit.  Build up your body and your confidence so that when the day of the race comes you are chomping to get going and not wondering if you are ready.  Train with the friend that is going to run the 10K with you whenever possible.

5) Invest a little bit in the right equipment.  Proper shoes and socks for sure.  Also, get some clothes appropriate for working out / training.  You must like how you look.  It builds confidence and helps you feel like you belong, that this is you and what you do.  If you are in a cold climate, get some gear so that you won't be cold when training outside.  If you think you are going to be cold, that may be all the excuse you need not to train that day.

6) When race day comes, have a great time!  Enjoy running with your friend.  Run the race for a time or run just for fun.  You decide.  Have family or friends at the finish line to cheer for you!  Celebrate this accomplishment.

7) Repeat.  You have officially made a lifestyle change.

This method works just as well in any area of life that you would like to improve... relationships, volunteering, employment, spirituality... everything.  2014 and beyond will be the best of times for you and for me!

Enjoy life.

CHRISTMAS DINNER

The common thought is that during the Holidays that weight gain is just part of the deal.  People are conditioned to believe that with all of the yummy foods that are offered that if you want to have a good time that you have very little chance of getting through the Holidays without adding a few pounds.  I choose to disagree...

There are so many food choices that fit within the TIPS FROM A MAN lifestyle.  Feast your eyes on the photo above.  A portion of King and Snow crab.  A serving of pasta salad also featuring crab.  A serving of beet salad.  A squeeze of lemon.  And the splurge is a little bit of butter for the crab.  This meal was so festive and so amazingly tasty.  It was filling.  The good thing about cracking the shells of the crab is that it makes you eat more slowly so that you feel full.  To confess, I did take a second portion of the beets.

Here is a TIP FROM A MAN... don't think that you have to sacrifice fun or taste to enjoy this or any other holiday throughout the year.  With a little planning and a little self control you do not have to give back any of what you have worked to accomplish.

Enjoy life!