Saturday, February 07, 2015

How To Make a Hawaii Boy Happy

It's been a while since I featured food, so here we go....

It's not hard to make a Hawaii boy happy. Just put some healthy ono grinds on the table.

For example:


(Beer not shown)
To continue eating what we want, the calorie intake of eating delicious meals must be offset by burning an equivalent amount of calories. We all know this requires two things: 1) strict portion control and 2) exercise/fitness routines.

The key words here are controlfitness and routine. Once portion control and fitness become as routine as making coffee in the morning and brushing your teeth at night, they are no longer arduous to maintain.
The key to making anything a habit is to do it everyday. This why Aristotle wrote,"We are what we repeatedly do."

I tend to emphasize fitness rather than exercise because fitness includes a broader range of goals, such as maintaining muscle mass. Studies have found that sustained exercise builds muscle mass even in 90-year olds. There is no age limit on adding muscle mass.

The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn just moving around. Getting lean reduces the pressure on knees and other joints--something that becomes more important as we age (I'm 61.)

Walking is excellent on many levels, but some other work is required to build and maintain upper-body and core strength. It's also important to build up some endurance via running, swimming, burpees, jumping jacks, bicycling up hills or some active sport. Getting fit and staying fit does not require a gym membership or any costly machinery; a 6-foot by 6-foot open space is enough. Some prefer a gym or classes--whatever works for you.

Those considering starting a fitness program should consult a physician and get a physical exam to establish a baseline and become informed about their current state of health/fitness.

OK, enough about burning calories; let's go back to the fun part (cooking/eating).

Here's a random selection of recent meals in our Hawaii family households: 



Kabocha is a Japanese pumpkin variety that is grown locally.



This looks like saimin/ramen but it's somen noodles; kamaboko is fish cake



Nasubi = Japanese eggplant



Homemade dumplings with long-rice noodles in a soup base



Nothing better than locally grown fruits and vegetables--especially if they're from your own yard or neighbors



And for dessert--Rachel's homemade cheesecake with fresh lilkoi topping. The seeds can be removed with a strainer but they're fun to crunch.... 



Get a Job, Build a Real Career and Defy a Bewildering Economy(Kindle, $9.95)(print, $20)
go to Kindle edition
Are you like me? Ever since my first summer job decades ago, I've been chasing financial security. Not win-the-lottery, Bill Gates riches (although it would be nice!), but simply a feeling of financial control. I want my financial worries to if not disappear at least be manageable and comprehensible.  And like most of you, the way I've moved toward my goal has always hinged not just on having a job but a career.

You don't have to be a financial blogger to know that "having a job" and "having a career" do not mean the same thing today as they did when I first started swinging a hammer for a paycheck.

Even the basic concept "getting a job" has changed so radically that jobs--getting and keeping them, and the perceived lack of them--is the number one financial topic among friends, family and for that matter, complete strangers.

So I sat down and wrote this book: Get a Job, Build a Real Career and Defy a Bewildering Economy.

It details everything I've verified about employment and the economy, and lays out an action plan to get you employed.

I am proud of this book. It is the culmination of both my practical work experiences and my financial analysis, and it is a useful, practical, and clarifying read.

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"I want to thank you for creating your book Get a Job, Build a Real Career and Defy a Bewildering Economy. It is rare to find a person with a mind like yours, who can take a holistic systems view of things without being captured by specific perspectives or agendas. Your contribution to humanity is much appreciated."
Laura Y.

Gordon Long and I discuss The New Nature of Work: Jobs, Occupations & Careers(25 minutes, YouTube) 



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