Getting Fit After 40 - One Really Motivating Success Story

It's amazing what you learn about people after many years. Shari Duncan and I went to high school together and really didn't know each other. But thanks to Facebook and connecting with many of my high school friends we have recently been in touch and began to know each other better.

Shari's story is such and inspiration to so many of us that are trying to get/stay fit after 40 that I need to share it here for all to see. You see, Shari was just like so many of us - trying to juggle her family and career full-time and her fitness on the side. Then, one of her very good friends convinced her to take fitness to the next level. This friend was very fit, a health nut and Shari was (as she describes) the scrawny one. So, being concerned about the Osteoporosis that runs in her family, and after having spent years in the health industry - watching people who didn't worry about their health until after they got sick - she tagged along and started to take fitness/health more seriously.

This same really good friend who had convinced her to take better care of herself, was soon diagnosed with breast cancer and Shari stood by her as she went through her treatment. Shari made a promise to her before she died that Shari would work hard to take better care of herself.

At the age of 45 - Shari began competing as a body builder!

Her passion has changed all aspects of her life. She no longer works in a hospital. She manages a gym, her own training, and represents a company which specializes in nutrient and nutrient timing. She is giving back by helping other people reach their fitness potentials as well.

Take a look at her website @ http://www.shariduncan.com/. I promise you will be inspired!

Tomatoes are Good For Your Skin! (and a recipe)

In my quest to forever join my 2 passions of anti-aging skin care and food, I've come across some information about tomatoes! Did you know that tomatoes are good for your skin (I didn't!). OK, I'm not suggesting you slice a tomato and rub it it on your skin but I am saying that a diet rich in tomatoes can do wonders.

Why?

In a word, Lycopene! Lycopene is found in including tomatoes (as well as watermelon and grapefruit - but to a lesser extent). In addition to its cancer fighting properties, Lycopene is good for your skin because:

* It protects you from environment damage, including sun damage (and pre-mature aging!). 
* In reduces roughness of skin
* It helps the skin to produce collagen by reducing the enzymes which destroy collagen.

More good news... if you like cooked tomatoes, you are in luck! Tomatoes actually contain higher amounts of Lycopene when cooked!

Recipe: Oven Dried Tomatoes
One thing I like to do is make oven dried tomatoes. They are great and can be used in salads, pasta, on sandwiches, or as a side. I make it to taste so the recipe is not precise (sorry!)... but here it is:
1. Slice 3-4 plum tomatoes (about  1/4 inch thick) and lay them in a deep baking dish.
2. Mix together some olive oil, (low sodium) soy sauce, herbs de provence, and sugar and spoon it over the tomatoes. (This is to taste. Play with the ingredients until you find the right combination for you.)
3. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and add a little onto each tomato slice.
4. Bake at 250 until tomatoes are cooked through (not burnt).
5. Store in the mixture you made in Step 3 (make more mixture if necessary).

(I always refrigerate this.)

Enjoy!

Would you host a stranger for dinner???

In this week's Travel Section of the Sunday NY Times, there was an article called "Mangia, Mangia." It discusses the authors experiences with going to stranger's houses in Italy for dinner.

The idea is brilliant. The hosts register with an organzition called "Home Food." The consumer, also registers with the same organization - afterwhich they can select a region in Italy and then view available menus at different homes. What a great way to try the local food. Of course, I'm sure there are plenty of restaurants which offer local cuisine, but why not experience in someone's house?

This makes perfect sense to me. My husband and I often recall that the best meal on our last trip to Paris was in my friend Herve's apartment - and mind you, we can't say that we had a bad meal in Paris - but Herve's apartment added a local feel that we just wouldn't experience in any restaurant. If there was a "Home Food" organization in Paris (and there may be) I would strongly suggest Herve register.

Back to Italy... In the countryside, you not only get local food but what Matt Gross (the article's author) called "hyperlocal." Even the meat is local - which I'm guessing does not happen often in more urban settings. This must be a phenomenal experience. Now I need to think about a trip to Italy - just to try the "hyperlocal" cuisine!

Would you host a stranger for dinner???

Airline Madness? What do you think?

So now airlines are offering reduced airfare but charging for every little thing (including one airline that proposed charging for bathroom usage!). Does anyone else see the insanity in this?? I just don't understand. If it will ultimately cost the same amount once you add in all the incidentals, why not just charge one price? Also, if people feel as though they are being overcharged - because they are being charge for this and that, will they stop flying? If enough people stop flying, won't they need to raise the price of tickets? Does anyone else think this is crazy??

Think about it... What would you wear???

Elvis was much more than a musician, an actor, an icon. He had a real sense of his own style. His style was so unique it is easily imitated. So just think about if you could wear anything, I mean ANYTHING and get away with it... Not have to worry about what anyone thought... Not worry about how much it cost... What would you wear??? ..And I'm not talking about the people that just don't care and throw on anything - I mean to actually create your own sense of style.

What would by your unique style?? Would it be certain prints? Would you only wear tall hats or wide lapels? I've thought about it and I can't answer this question for me. I can't imagine what TOTAL freedom of fashion expression would be. I'm guessing that only few people can imagine this, let alone experience it.

...just think about it.

Food Photography - The Obsession Continues

Yes it's true, I admit it, I'm obsessed with food. Not in a glutonous kind of way (although admittedly I like to eat), but in a more general way. I like to taste food. I like to prepare food. I like to photograph food. Here are some of my food photos....

 

Yum!

Elvis, Memphis, and Ribs

I wrote yesterday about our trip in Nashville. We also spent 3 days in Memphis. Memphis is very different from Nashville and has its own sense of charm.

We arrived pretty late so of course the first thing we did after checking into the hotel was to grab some dinner. We walked down to Beale Street and went to Blues City Cafe - known for their ribs. It has a great atmosphere, full of life. I have to say I LOVED the apple cobbler. We walked around Beale Street for a little bit before heading back.

We found a few other restaurants we really liked...

We accidentally stumbled onto Pearls Oyster House and decided to check it out. The Oysters that are char-grilled in a chipotle tabasco sauce are amazing!!!

Texas de Brazil is a brazilian steak house with an amazing salad bar. Delicious!

The Rendezvous is an institution in Memphis, known for its dry ribs. We had to go! The ribs were great, but completely different than the ribs we had in Nashville. You would think by now we were done with ribs, but nope! We just kept going to more rib places! Since there is no dessert at the Rendezvous, we went to the Kooky Canuck. We wanted to go there because we had seen this restaurant on the show "Man vs. Food." My girls got the "make your own smores" and couldn't be happier.

We also saw many things while in Memphis.

First, we had to see the ducks at the Peabody Hotel. That's right, they live in the hotel and show up in the lobby at 11:00 and 5:00. We found them in the lobby fountain.

We tried to get into the Gibson Guitar factory tour, but if you don't make a reservation ahead of time (and you also can't make it too far in advance, it needs to be just right), you can't get into the tour.

We got to see the Lorraine Motel and a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. (connected to the Civil Rights Museum).

We also went back to the Rock and Soul Museum. What a great history of music in Memphis.

Graceland is a site to see. It was amazing to me that the house is actually right on the highway, but then I realized the area must have been built up after Elvis had died. I loved walking through the house. It is amazing how creative Elvis must have been. You see it in all parts of the house, from decor to fashion. My favorite sections were the Trophy Room and the Racket Ball Court. To see this all in one place really shows how much this man accomplished in such a short time. Wow. I have a new admiration for Elvis.

We spent alot of time on Beale Street, just walking around and listening to music. There's lots of music to listen to!

Out of town, and out of the way (about an hour or two), we went to Corinth and Shiloh to see the Civil War memorials. I didn't know the story of these two places in depth and both museums were full of information. Especially in Shiloh, where after the movie about the battle there is a driving tour and you see all the places that are discussed in the movie. It was really informative and well done!

Memphis is totally different than Nashville, but just as much worthwhile.