You do need to use caution when exercising in the summer, especially when exercising outside.  The importance of hydration can’t be overemphasized. But beware that you can also over-hydrate, which causes hyponatremia, a drop in your sodium levels.  On that note, make sure to include a sports drink such as Powerade or Gatorade in your hydration plan.  They’re packed with electrolytes including potassium and the much needed sodium. Also, water will get into your blood stream faster (and to the right places) when it’s a part of a sports drink because water follows electrolytes.  Your body soaks up these electrolytes quicker because your electrolytes are depleted from exercise, and they soak up the water right along with it.  Regular water works fine too, it just doesn’t get absorbed as quickly.   It is crucial for you to find the proper balance when it comes to hydration.

Whether you’re a marathon runner or just a weekend runner, knowing precisely how much fluid to consume before, during and after workouts, especially in the heat of summer can help stave off both of the conditions we talked about above!

Happy and safe running!  Until next time…

Brooke

Chef Gary Walker

What you need:

Beets 3-4 medium
Garlic 2 cloves
Thyme 2 sprigs
Black peppercorn 1 tspn
Fennel seed 1 tspn
Tangerine or oranges, the juice of two
Olive oil 3 to 4 cups
Salt to taste
Ground pepper to taste

In a sauce pot place beets, garlic, thyme, peppercorn and fennel seed and cover with olive oil.
Cook on a low to medium heat so that the oil just barely bubbles.
Beets are done when a knife can easily pierce the skin and is soft. This may take up to 45 minutes. Allow to cool in the oil and remove when cool enough to handle.
Peel the beets and rough chop.
Place into a blender along with the orange juice of 1 orange and a splash of water.
Blend until smooth, adding more water if necessary to achieve a smooth consistency.
Season with salt and pepper and chill until cold.
Garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Chef Gary Walker

Tagine:
Eggplant, medium dice
Carrot peeled medium chop
Onion medium dice
Zucchini medium dice
Garlic small dice
Ginger small dice
Peppers, red and yellow de-seeded and ribbed, medium dice
Cauliflower 1 head, plucked into florets
Chickpeas 1 can, drained
Canned diced tomatoes 1
Vegetable stock 1 box or water
Bay leaf
Mint ½ bunch minced
Cilantro ½ bunch minced
Ras el hanout
Olive oil

Make your own ras el hanout blend…start here: 2 tspns ground cardamom, allspice 1 tspn each coriander seeds, nutmeg, turmeric ½ tsp each black pepper, cayenne pepper

In a large pot/Dutch oven over medium heat cook in separate batches all the vegetables in olive oil, except for the ginger, garlic. You want to get some nice color, adjusting the heat when necessary careful not to burn.  Reserve the vegetables once their cook onto a plate and start the sauce in the same pot.

Using the same pot and low to medium heat, by now there should be some dark bits on the bottom of the pot from the other vegetables. That’s love there. Add the garlic and ginger and sweat them to release the aroma and natural juices. After 3 minutes add the stock or water, canned tomatoes with juice, and bring to a simmer stirring with a wooden spoon to release the bits from the pot.

Add the bay leaf and simmer for ten minutes, adjusting the broth with salt and pepper. Add the vegetables and chickpeas and heat them through.  Again taste and season if necessary. Turn off the heat, add the fresh mint and cilantro and serve with love

Herb Yogurt
In a small bowl mix up some plain yogurt, add some fresh lemon juice, salt and fresh mint, or basil.

Green chili harissa
1 roasted poblano pepper, roasted and peeled, deseeded
4 garlic cloves
Olive oil up to ¼ cup
½ bunch fresh mint, cilantro minced
Salt to taste
½ tspn each dried caraway, cumin, coriander plus 1 tbspn dried red chili
Mix in a food processor, drizzle up to ¼ cup good olive oil with the blade spinning, season with salt. Enjoy.

Chef Gary Walker

Fresh rhubarb, diced  2 cups

Fresh strawberries, sliced 2 cups

Sugar 1 cup

Juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange

Unsalted butter 2 tablespoons

Place all the ingredients except 1 cup of strawberries into a saucepan. Cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir every few minutes to avoid sticking. Add the remaining strawberries and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

Use this sauce on pancakes, ice cream, or eat it out of a jar.

Iʼm not perfect.  I want to do better and sometimes that has to be enough.  I have struggled the last two weeks just to keep it all together.  I am usually the positive one, but not lately.  A series of events have left me despondent.  No doubt I have made it worse on myself.  I did all the things I know not to do.  It all started with me injuring my hip while running.  The trainer told me to only run a mile, but I thought that was not enough.  My body was still healing from the half marathon and I pushed too hard.  Then I had to deal with problems at work.  All this was very stressful.  My coping skills went right out the window.  I starting eating badly and continued for about a week.  It was so easy to fall back into those old habits.  I knew that what I was doing was wrong, but I just couldnʼt seem to stop myself.   I have been eating right now for the last 7 days. Starting a diet on Monday never works, so I jumped back in on a Saturday.  There is no time like the present.  When I had the courage – I did it.  Why put it off?  Now I have get back to the exercise.  I know I will feel better.  Exercise is like an anti-depressant, sort of smooths everything out.  I am still amazed how hard being healthy and exercising is for me.  This is why some people gain all of their weight back.  Old habits die hard.  For me itʼs a new day and a new week.  I’m looking for the thing or person that will inspire me this week.  So many amazing people around – I just have to remember to reach out and ask for that help.  My first step was telling the trainer, (the one that scares the hell out of me), that I have done nothing while he was away.   It was not as bad as I thought, but we will see what happens when I see him again.

Slice the baguette into rounds and generously brush with good quality extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on a sheet tray and bake in a 350F degree oven until golden brown, approximately ten minutes.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add a large pinch of salt and add the beans.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the beans for five minutes.  Fish out the beans and dump into a bowl of ice water to shock. When cool enough to handle peal the skin from the pod and place into a bowl. Smash with a fork until a coarse paste and add the lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and spread on crostini. Enjoy.

Chef Gary Walker

Here’s a quick way to enjoy one of Spring’s best offerings: Asparagus

Steam or boil a bunch of asparagus. Cook until tender but not overcooked. Approximately 5 minutes.  Puree the cooked vegetables in a blender, adding a couple of peeled garlic cloves, a handful of almonds, pinch of salt and pepper, and olive oil.  Pour the hot puree over cooked pasta sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and chopped basil. Enjoy.

American novelist Peter De Vries said “Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us.”  Nothing describes my former life better.  It wasn’t like I ate 4 bags of chips or 2 gallons of ice cream, but I overate at most meals, and I ate whatever I wanted.  Overeating still is a part of my life, except that now when it happens, it is usually something like salad, egg whites, or almonds. Trying not to overeat is something I have to work at every day. It does not go away just because I have lost weight or because I work out.  Overeating was my emotional escape, and so now I have to be really cognizant of every bite that I put into my mouth.  Emotional eating used to help me keep bad feelings at bay.  I went years without being hungry – a growling stomach was a foreign concept to me. Losing weight and getting healthy has meant that I have to put time and effort into my diet.

My tips:

I always try to eat something within 30 minutes of waking up.  Studies prove people who do this lose more weight than those who eat later in the morning.  Eating early starts your metabolism.  Usually for breakfast I have egg whites and turkey bacon.  I try never to go more than 3 hours without eating something.  I keep packets of raw almonds in my purse and in my car.  Lunch is usually a salad with protein, light or no dressing, Dinner consists of protein, and vegetables with beans.  None of it is very exciting, but I try to eat for sustenance instead of pleasure. I also allow myself a cheat day each week where I can have something that I really love!

* Eat two servings of green vegetables per day
* Give up red meat
* Eliminate sugar
* Exercise 5 times per week.
* Meditate 30 Minutes per day
* Infrared Sauna Treatment
* Supplements to reduce stress
* Organize (this week it will be drawers with lots of stuff i them).
* Get out into nature at least twice

Highlight: Meditation

About ten years ago I went to my first meditation retreat.  It took place at a beautiful center in Los Angeles, and it promised to teach me a way of life that would reduce stress and bring a sense of purpose and calm to my life.  At the time, I knew that I was having a problem handling the everyday stressors that life brought on, but I really didn’t know what meditation had to offer me.  It turned out that this program pioneered by Eknath Easwaran offered a lot more than
simple meditation.  It offered a new way of life.

Easwaran taught meditation based on the memorization of inspirational passages from the world’s great religions.  The secret is to recite the passage slowly in your head, separating the words so that you don’t focus too much on an individual word, allowing the meaning of the passage to make its way into your soul.  I have been doing the Prayer of St. Francis (Lord make me an instrument of your peace…)  verse.  I already knew this one, and I liked its message.

Although meditation is the foundation of the program, I admit that this has been an ongoing struggle for me.  Finding the time to sit quietly for 30 minutes a day sometimes seems impossible.  I keep trying, however, as I know the rewards are many.  I also find that the other steps in the program have been just as helpful in my life.  Easwaran stressed slowing down, and giving full concentration to the matter at hand.  He also encouraged “training the senses”, which means enjoying what is beneficial for your body, instead of going with your conditioned habits.  For practice, he once suggested going into an ice cream store and ordering your least favorite flavor.  After you eat it, and you realize that it was not a big sacrifice, you will no longer need to be a slave to your likes and dislikes.  It is amazing how freeing it is to actually take time out from constantly making the “right choice”.  For me, it was an a-ha moment.  When you realize that you don’t need to cater to your every like, you can make healthier choices and not miss your old ways as much.

Easwaran also encouraged putting others first, spiritual fellowship, and spiritual reading.  What I admire most is that he respected all religions, and his eight point program can work for anyone. For more information, go to www.easwaran.org.