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FOOD AND FITNESS WITH
SHIGEKO
by Shigeko Leveque
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Are you connected?
January 1st. A lot of people have some sort of "New
Years Resolution" on this day. "Losing weight" or "Start
exercising" are very common ones. So, of course, all of
the sports gyms in the whole town are packed with health
conscious New Years Resolutionists. It seems
Thanksgiving morning is the busiest day in the gyms, and
from New Year's Day until Valentine's Day is the second
busiest time. It is so hard to find a parking space,
find a machine that is not being used, or a class that
is not full. The clubs are full of energy and
excitement. But I wonder "How many people are really
enjoying their exercise? How many people are actually
connected to their workout, their body, their breath,
and themselves when they exercise?" Are you really
connected?
A lot of people ask me, "I’ve gained so much weight over
the years. But I want to get back in shape. What should
I do? What should I eat?" It's easy to say, "Just eat
the right food." But I wonder “What is the right food?”
Each body is as varied in design as their faces. Some
diets will work for some, but doesn’t work for others.
To find YOUR right food, you have to listen and connect
to your body before you eat. What does your body need
right now? Are you enjoying the flavor, taste, smell,
texture, temperature and color of the food when you are
eating? Are you really connected?
Spend some time to really get to know what your body
needs. Communicate by listening and watching your body
and it will tell you what exercises and foods it needs
to stay healthy. Connect with your body!
Because New Years Day is the most important holiday in
Japan, I will close by sharing with you a Japanese
traditional New Years meal which is called “Osechi Ryori.“
Here are some pictures that my dear friend Mayumi was
kind enough to provide. All of the copyrights belong to
Mayumi O’Neal.
Pickles, Tazukuri (Anchovy), Ebi(Shrimp), Datemaki(sweet
rolled omelette mixed with fish paste or mashed shrimp),
Yawatamaki, Nishime(Various kind of vegetables)
Kuromame(Black soy beans), Konbumaki(Seaweed), Ika(Squid),
Kamaboko(broiled fish
paste)
Osechi Ryori, or New Year’s cuisine, is a preserved food
that is intended to last for several days. Osechi Ryori
is richly fortified with cultural metaphors and visual
symbolism. Traditionally this was the only time of the
year that the mother of the family would get a holiday.
Also, each dish has meanings (i.e. wishing a rich
harvest year, having lots of children, everybody’s
health.)
May Peace be Your Gift at New Years and Your Blessing
for the New Year!
Shigeko Leveque
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Shigeko Leveque
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Shigeko was born and raised in Japan and moved to
Colorado in 2000.
Her passion is teaching. She teaches Martial Arts (Tae Kwon Do,
Kenpo and Kickboxing), Tai-Chi and Yoga on a daily basis.
She believes that it is extremely important to stay connected to
your heart. And all the exercises she does is a bridge between
the body and mind.
Shigeko and her mother are both nutritionists. So, of course,
the food is a big part of her and her family's lives. She loves
to explore any kind of new food.
As she learned about nutrition, she realized how important it is
to eat the "right food". To her, eating should not only "taste
good", it should be "good for your health".
She also enjoys photography, drawing, cooking, reading and
taking care of her little cairn terrier, Ben. Shigeko loves to
meet new people, and is drawn to other food and exercise
enthusiasts
She updates her life on her blog everyday @
http://kickpop.exblog.jp/ Sorry, it's in Japanese, but you
can still enjoy the pictures! |
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