Animal Magnetism

Bettie Page posing with a live cheetah (or is that a leopard?).  This is one of her black and white shots, so it's harder to tell than in the color shots, but she was a sex symbol before the whole tanning craze.  That is just her natural skin, no artificial UV rays needed.  She eventually renounced her sex-symbol status and turned her life over to spiritual growth.  She didn't express shame at her former sex-symbol status, though, insisting that nakedness is not a sin as Adam and Eve were naked in the garden of Eden.  She moved to Portland, OR and preached in public parks.  This was a woman who was comfortable in the skin she lived in. 

Embrace your natural beauty, because it will stick with you throughout life.  It's the beauty that those who love you will see for always.

The Dreaded Spandex...

Let me be the first to admit right here... I hate the gym.  I am so uncomfortable with all of the artificiality of it, the through and through synthetic feel of going to the gym.  Wearing spandex and sneakers to go into a place where you climb on machines designed to work specific sets of muscles, while drinking water from a plastic bottle, and being told how many calories you just worked off.  I even feel like I'm artificial when I go; I look around and see the gym regulars who are compact and muscular, zipping around on the treadmills at crazy speeds and pumping iron, and I feel like I need to act like I want to be like them.  I feel like they look at me and see a weak, spongey woman who needs to "tighten it up."  And I need to act like it doesn't bother me that I see that judgment in their eyes, that their image of me is reality and I'm there to fix myself.  It's the same feeling I get when I visit a church for the first time.  The, "Hello, I can tell you are smiling like that because you think I'm a sinner and I'm there to start on my road to spiritual recovery," feeling. 

We need exercise.  It is important to our health.  It's true, the most efficient way to burn X amount of calories and reach a target weight, but what about maintaining physical activity and cardiovascular health?  What about being out in the world?  The CDC says we need at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day.  Well, I say, if you're like me and you're not ready for the gym, why not save the money you would spend on a membership and spandex and fancy sneakers and vitamin water, and fill up a canteen and go for a brisk walk in the park with some friends?  Go outside, see some trees and bushes and happy children playing, and have a walk and talk.  Eventually, maybe jogging will enter the picture and someday, if you love the sensation, maybe even running.  My point is, maybe the machinery is getting to us.  With so much high-tech calibrated to the nth degree exercise equipment out there, maybe we are starting to try and live up to the machines.  I say we embrace our humanity and our place in the natural world.  Go on some nature walks, even if the closest thing to nature you have is a city park, and go in your natural habitat; a community.  Get in touch with the human element.

Protein-Rich Quinoa and Black Beans

                              

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, a site I visit regularly.  If you are looking for recipes using specific ingredients, this is the place to go.  I found myself looking through my fridge and cupbords and thought, "What can I make with black beans, an onion, and frozen corn?"  I searched those ingredients and found this gem, and I can't wait to make it tomorrow!

Protein is important for your health, but finding lean protein in meat can be difficult.  In addition, a lot of really tasty recipes using our favorite lean meats are embellished with other fats.  One really simple way to get protein without cholesterol is to make a complete plant-based protein.  To do this, you prepare a dish using a ratio of one whole grain to one bean; for each cup of brown rice, add a cup of kidney beans.  In this recipe, the grain is quinoa, and the beans are black beans.  Together they make a complete protein.  A lot of people get sick when they make the transition to vegetarianism, because they don't know that grains, beans, and nuts contain amino acids, which are partial proteins, so when they eat soy nuts they aren't getting the full protein.  Anywho, here is the recipe, and I'll let you know how I like it if you do the same!

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

 

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro. 

 

Here is the link to the recipe on allrecipes: 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quinoa-and-Black-Beans/Detail.aspx 

Craving Curves

I developed a keen interest in Marilyn Monroe during high school, after I stopped using unhealthy means to try and lose weight.  I saw her and thought, "She is so beautiful, but would never make it in today's standards of beauty."  I choose to put this picture up because of the comfort she exudes here.  How many women of this approximate size would even think of sitting in such a posture with anyone present, and in a bathing suit no less?  Well, I say, why not?  Why not be comfortable enough in our own skin to sit comfortably and allow ourselves to laugh?  I hope this image serves as an inspiration to someone today; be comfortable in your own skin, because if you can do that, you will be happy.  And happiness is all that matters.  <3