In taking a holistic approach to one's health and physical fitness, one has to look at diet. All the current data on healthy eating is pointing to what has been called "lean green" which refers to leaning in the direction of vegetables and away from a diet heavy in meat.  Many doctors are also promoting the recognition that our bodies are the healthiest when we are slightly alkaline in our food intake rather than acidic.  (http://www.acidalkalinediet.com/Alkaline-Foods-Chart.htm )

There is a very informative TED talk from a few years ago that speaks to the “lean green” philosophy while addressing longevity.  It focuses on a study on longevity and breaks it down into a few basic points (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYxZluIilLo ) that are the core principles of what one need to do to stay healthy for a long time.

For Ombretta and me, we put in a good 6-8 hours of exercise a week by rollerblading, running, swimming, kiteboarding or karate. Health experts say that it is critical to move our large body muscles as much as possible to maintain an optimum physical health. And that is what we do. Granted, that is a lot of workout time, but it has become a part of our lifestyle and we are happy that it has. 

We also eat healthy. Breakfast is fresh fruit and a fruit juice smoothie everyday, along with either Greek yoghurt and honey or (healthy, non-sugar coated) cereal, with a cup of tea.  Lunch consists of an ingredient rich salad (adding in different kinds of beans, or tuna fish, avocado or egg to the mixed greens, onion, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, etc.), whole wheat bread, humus (and some cheese a couple times a week). Effectively, we eat as much raw veggies as possible. Dinners are a broader range of foods including fresh fish, shrimp, pasta, boiled chicken, and from time to time, some steak.  What is important is that we rarely combine carbohydrates with protein (e.g., steak and potatoes); rather steak and spinach or some other vegetable.  The bottom line is we are working with our bodies to give them what they need for energy and rejuvenation rather than make them work overtime breaking apart the incompatible parts that leaving us sluggish and feeling stuffed.

And once per year we try (accent on "try" because sometimes it can go to two years) to do a fast/cleanse/detox called the Master Cleanse. (http://themastercleanse.org/ ) It is designed to clean out your entire system from impacted food in your intestines/colon, while giving the body a rest from coffee, alcohol and other such stimulants.  It is not an easy exercise, but if there are two of you, you can encourage each other when it gets challenging - and it does get challenging watching food commercials on TV or walking past outdoor restaurants and smelling great-tasting food, or going to a cocktail or other such event. BUT, when you have done your 13 or 15 days, your eyes are bright white; your skin looks and feels great; your energy levels are up; and your sinuses - like your mind and your taste buds - are really clean...

Well, today marks the last day of our Master Cleanse... We got back on a day of juices yesterday, and today we are having our first plates of fresh fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch, soup (a vegetable broth) for dinner.  All of these things taste phenomenal – as you can imagine.  We have surely dropped a few pounds of weight and our stomachs have shrunk, as well, so we don’t need as much food to feel comfortably full. Another plus point.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back to our normal diet, and by Saturday night, I’ll be enjoying some sushi with a glass of sake…

So, I hope that this blog post acts as an encouragement to some of you to try a cleanse/detox, to others to reconsider your diets.  We only have so many years on this planet, and living a healthier lifestyle can only enhance our enjoyment of it.