Yesterday I was able to spend a couple of hours in the nicest way imaginable - I perused the replete aisles of books at Borders until I found a book with which I might settle into a chair.
The one I choose, French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano was a delight, full of good humor and timeless advice, although I object to full credit being given to French women since the counsel found between the covers, in reality, could have given by any Italian, Spanish or Grecian woman. Mediterranean women, in general, seem to understand and follow most of the basic principles laid out.
Here are a couple I appreciated remembering:
*It is not necessary to labor at a gym for that weight loss and body toning most of us desire at any age, but especially in our 40s and 50s. I love the part about the gym. Workout machines are likened to torture devices. This has been my take EXACTLY. Instead, workouts are something you do as you complete your daily tasks without breaking into a sweat. Don’t take the elevator when you can take the stairs. Don’t look for the closest parking space, but chose to park a little farther and WALK, for heaven’s sake. Walk whenever and everywhere you can- faire les cent pas-walk a hundred steps. Besides walking, exercise as you clean house, do the laundry, garden, ETC. When you feel fatigue, combat it with some physical activity over caffeine, chocolate (my add, in lieu of Guiliano’s cocktail) Exercise is a mindset!
*Choose fresh healthy foods that are in season. Drink LOTS of water. Learn to “saborear” what you are eating. Drink more water. Then drink some more. Eat the things you like to eat, with good taste and moderation in mind. Choose to be balanced in what you consume.
*Remember good posture – most French girls don’t become ballerinas Guiliano says, even though they all take ballet. What they remember is excellent posture throughout their day and lives.
*Sleep, remember to sleep.
*Dress, even to take out the trash (you never know, she says) – Haha – so European!
So began an article from the Sac. Bee I had stashed away during a busy time in Feb. 2008. Pulling it out from pile on my desk I read that we can actually do SOMETHING TANGIBLE to FIGHT WORLD HUNGER! We can do this without spending any money while improving our vocabularies at the same time. Now, this is exciting!!! It turns out that everytime someone visits the site, freerice.com, and clicks on a correct answer, 20 grains of rice are donated through the United Nations World Food Programme. I LOVE the idea of feeding the hungry AND encouraging world literacy!!!
But, after finding a new home for the goldfish, we were really excited to find some new and tropical fish for our tank! Thus, M. and I picked up R. from her work downtown and the three of us detoured over to Capitol Aquarium. Known in the ‘50s as Froyd’s Tropical Fish at the corner of 20th and Capitol Ave, 
