I can't say that I'm the pinnacle of health. I suffer from the corporte american syndrom of stuck in my seat all day. This is the trappings of my cubicle carpeted world. I see beige all day, and the leg muscles I had in college from biking around campus have just about vanished.

This morning I went for a walk. Not a long walk, but a walk just the same. I walked quickly for about 30+ minutes down the street to the park and back. There are hills along the way, so it wasn't as easy as it could've been. I had my cd player with my and was listening to a very up-tempo techno mix of electronica a friend had made me. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. It was before 8, so not many people were out. Beautiful time.

Like many, I'm starting to become conscious of my health. It's not so much that I want to be in shape ("I want a perfect body"), but more that I want to feel good. I want to have the energy that I used to. I want to sleep better than I do. And, I'd love to get rid of my potbelly and maybe put on some muscle.

I eat fairly well, just too much. I drink an awful lot of soda and juice. In the past, when I have switched to water as my primary drink of choice, I have lost weight. And, I feel better. I'm starting this today.

Changing diet. There was a great book I got a year ago about changing ones diet. The basic premise of the book is that dieting isn't about eliminating, it's about making choices. There were fantastic pictures demonstrating the power of choice between something horrible for you and something that looked equally yummy.

One of the other problems that I face is going out to eat too much. I'm much better than I was before I learned to cook, but still I do go out fairly often. Why is going out so bad?

1. Too much food (portion control).
2. Often too much salt (bad for heart).
3. Waste of money (paying a premium for service when service is lacking is sad).

So how do you change that? Learn to cook. I suggest Marion Cunningham's Learning to Cook. No, she's not Richie's mom, but of the Fanny Farmer fame. It's an amazing book that will teach yo the basics. I don't know if all the recipes are healtful, but they certainly are yummy and easy. It will build confidence that will allow you to cook from any recipes.

Here's a terrific summary recipe for a quick salad that will make you feel like you ate something wonderful. I leave it to others to judge the health content:

1 Yellow pepper in 1/4 inch strips sliced
4 Red Tomatoes sliced in wedges
1 cucumber peeled (get rid of the wax!), sliced in half lengthwise, and sliced
1 Green onion chopped
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1/4 cup mint chopped
1/4 cup italian parsley (flat-leaf) chopped
3 cloves of garlic crushed with the juice of one lemon and 1 tablespoon of oil for the dressing

Combine all

It's called a Fattoush. I pronounce it Fa-Too-sh. I don't know what it is really. I think if comes from Syria. Whatever it's called, wherever it's from, it doesn't matter. It's just delicious on a summer day.

Now, I have a problem with the low carb diets, because some people tend to over do it. Excess protien and fat put strain on the heart. And, this is what people replace carbs with. I think, it's better to simply reduce the amount of carbs, not eliminate them. Most people eat way too much food for their lifestyle.

Fruits and vegetables are friends. Be careful not to eat too many fruits, but have some carrot sticks ready for snacking makes a lot of sense.

I always feel like it's a little late to be starting a whole nutrition/exercise program. But it's not. The sooner I start the better off I'll be.

This year is about becoming financially healthy, body well, and mind happy. Wish me luck. And, I wish everyone the same.