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I decided to honor Paul Newman in my own little way tonight – I made a spinach salad and used my favorite Paul Newman salad dressing. As I was filling my bowl with spinach, I contemplated all the kids with cancer that his charitable food line (Newman’s Own) has helped. Then I thought of his amazing love affair and marriage with his wife of 50 years and how her soul must ache with his passing.
As I stared at my spinach I was wishing he would have lived longer. Then the thought occurred to me that even though he made salad dressing, maybe Paul Newman didn’t eat a lot of salad himself. I spent a few seconds wishing for him to have eaten more spinach so maybe it could have prevented his cancer.
There’s one thing that scares me about marriage. Well okay, more than one thing, but the one that’s top of mind is the fact that marriage seems to reduce the sex in a relationship. It seems like all the married people I know are getting laid less often than when they were dating each other.
I would think proximity and access to each other every day would increase it, but what do I know – I’m single and not having to contend daily with the concept that familiarity may in fact, breed contempt.I’ve heard all the reasons from both sides, on why sex dwindles in a lot of marriages.
Men say it’s because women stop wanting it, or become such naggers about other parts of the relationship that men get turned off. Women, on the other hand, say they would still want it if their men hadn’t gotten lazy with the emotional nurturance of the relationship by doing the sweet, romantic things they did while dating. Many women also complain about what I call “diet sex.” This is when men give up the Haagen Dazs brand of sex that was the norm before marriage, and exchange it for sex-lite which is the low fat, less sugar, no flavor version of sex. In other words, men take a lot of the good stuff, that women like, out of the recipe; such as long, passionate kisses, and other ingredients of foreplay. (Hell, I’ve had boyfriends that turn into lazy lovers after six months of dating, so I feel a woman’s pain if she’s stuck with sex-lite for years!)
Am I the only one who reads media blurbs from health studies and wonders why the heck they spend good money to prove something that everyone already knows? There’s a little thing called common sense, that I fear most scientists think we have all lost.
Actually, maybe most of us have, and that’s why there’s a need to do “scientific studies” on common sense issues. Okay, I’m trying not to be negative, but tell me if there is a resounding DUH heard in your part of the world as you read this scientific finding out loud:
Researchers say cardio exercise gives the central nervous system a jolt, naturally invigorating you. (How loud was the DUH? Did it sound like a convention for short bussers? Over here, as well.)
Essentially, the brainiacsat Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics took a bunch of tired folks who sat around on their asses all day and had no energy, put them on a bike three days a week and voila! Their energy rose by 65%. I always thought I wasn’t smart enough to be a scientist. Turns out I was wrong. Gals, this study proves we’re all smart enough. Go get your beakers and lab coats and meet me in the lab; it’s time to cure cancer.
The other day I was working in Santa Monica, otherwise known as the Land Of The Beautiful People Who All Look The Same, and I felt like I was in a Twilight Zone episode - no, not the one where the hot chick is being operated on by the mutant people so she’ll fit their standard of beauty. The one where everyone swallowed a magic pill causing them to morph into exact replicas of each other in size, shape, and facial features. What do you mean that wasn’t a real Twilight Zone episode? Well, okay. But it should have been, because it’s freaky enough to be fiction.
Sadly though, it is reality. The plastic surgery epidemic is a perfect example of a good idea gone horribly awry. Giving people the option to look younger and feel better about themselves is a good thing. But when that evolved into giving people the option to look like a younger version of their favorite celebrity, whom they never looked like to begin with, even on a good day, is when we gave up our seat on the sanity train for a ride on the cuckoo rollercoaster from hell at the county fair. The one with the rickety tracks operated by a carnie from Kentucky named Jeb who is in the throes of a bad acid trip while on his shift.
Of course we all love our dogs and cats, but have you ever considered a chicken as a pet? You may think I am joking, but last spring we added 4 to our family and the rewards have been fantastic! We have a coop in our backyard (yes we live in LA). The girls have helped take care of feeding them and making sure they have fresh water. We have decided to not use chemicals on our lawn and the chickens are fantastic because they’ll eat any garden pest they can get their beaks on (earwigs, grubs, beetles, even moles) and they’ll turn it all into treasure in the form of fertilizer.
On the West Coast, hummus is pretty popular. I love it, and I can’t imagine life without it! I didn’t realize how much I took for granted that hummus is readily available in grocery stores in Arizona and California until I spent some time in the South recently, where it wasn’t as easy to find. If you haven’t tried hummus, here’s a great recipe to use as an introduction to it. And if you already love hummus as I do, you’ll love this vegetarian pita recipe.
It comes from Norene Gilletz’s book, Healthy Helpings. If you make them in the miniature version, they are perfect for snacks or appetizers. I took these little guys to a party recently and the plate was emptied! If you have the time, make your own homemade hummus to make them even better!
Kangaroo Pita Pockets
6 medium pitas or 24 mini pitas
1 c. hummus
½ c. chopped red pepper
½ c. chopped green pepper
3 tomatoes, cored, halved and thinly sliced
½ c. thinly sliced Spanish or red onion
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
½ c. alfalfa sprouts
Preparation
Cut medium pitas in half to make 12 pockets ( or slit mini pitas open along one edge). Spread insides with hummus. Fill with peppers, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers, top with sprouts.
Yield
Twelve medium pockets or 24 minis. One medium or 2 minis make 1 serving. Do not freeze.
In this article I’d like to explain more about the three doshas or constitutions that exist in our bodies, and how to use this information in a practical, everyday use scenario.
The pitta element is present in our small intestines, stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas, eyes, blood, and sweat. The vata element is present in large intestine, pelvic cavity, pores of the bones, skin, ears and the thighs. The kapha element is present in the upper half of the stomach, chest, head, plasma, and in all of the liquids of the body.
First of all, does it sound too weird to say that I think of her as a prophet delivering the gospel on vitality, rejuvenation, sexiness, and well being? It’s not that weird that I’m on my knees bowing right now, saying the words “I’m not worthy”, is it?
Forget about her stupid Chrissy Snow character on the TV show Three’s Company. It made her a household name in the 70’s, but it is her ongoing crusade to educate people on how to stay healthy, her commitment to turning a negative into a positive, and her brilliance as a business woman that makes her a true phenomenon, and the reason why she is our female f.a.t.ty(Fit After Thirty Hotty) pick of the week (and century). There are so many reasons I admire this woman, that if I could choose the same person every week without boring you gals, I would choose her every time, because there is that much to say.
In the spirit of showcasing a dude who can live up to our female f.a.t.ty pick of the week (Suzanne Somers), we chose a man who also beat cancer to go on to achieve amazing things in his career. We choose Lance Armstrong as our f.a.t.ty (Fit After Thirty Hotty) dude of the week, because we heard he is coming out of retirement for the 2009 cycling season and we think he is the closest thing to the Bionic Man that we can think of!
We Can Rebuild Him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world’s first bionic man. Lance Armstrong will be that man.
In 1996 when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, it had already spread to his lungs, brain, and stomach. He had brain surgery and a drug therapy treatment and battled back to return to cycling in 1998. It sounds unbelievable that this guy was back on a bike only two years after beating a deadly disease!
I recently had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Shahram Jacobs who runs an Internal Medicine practice in Encino, California. He has also studied mind-body medicine extensively, and is currently writing a book on the topic. Mind-Body medicine is a subject I have had great interest in for a long time, so I am excited that Dr. Jacobs will be a regular guest contributor to Fit After Thirty. The following is a recent interview I conducted with him about the topic of mind-body medicine.
Suzy: Can you describe the basic premise of mind-body medicine?
Dr. Jacobs: It is the idea that your mind and emotions affect your physical body and overall health. It involves various practices aimed at improving and maintaining health and promoting spiritual growth. These practices include meditation, hypnosis, visual imagery, intercessory prayer, biofeedback and others, all of which focus on a sense of awareness and presence.
Suzy: One of the things we want to do with this site is to help women create a new image in their mind of what fat means (Fit After Thirty), thereby training their mind to associate themselves with a more positive vision. Is that kind of the same concept that you are talking about?
Dr. Jacobs: Absolutely. The way a person perceives herself has a profound effect on his or her health and wellbeing and that includes weight. I’m glad you brought this up since it gives me a chance to let you know what a great service I think you’re providing for all women by starting this site.
Suzy: Thank you very much. And thank you for your willingness to participate to help educate our readers.
Dr. Jacobs: Your goal will not only help women feel better about themselves, but will help them become more motivated to live healthier and more active lives. Simply stated, if someone has the self perception of being fat they’re also prone to think of themselves in other negative ways which our society has come to associate with being overweight or fat, such as laziness and overeating.
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