Last night Bobby and I went to NJ for my sister’s high school graduation. It was great! I’m so proud of her. Afterwards we went out to Uno’s where I wolfed down a Cobb Salad. My dad came back with us to the city because he has a super-fun pension conference here today.
This morning’s workout:
- 46 BodyRock Take Me Burpees
- 15 sun salutations
Some yogis like to do 108 sun salutations at each change of the season (spring to summer, summer to fall, etc…). There are many answers to the question, “Why 108?” and one of them is that there are supposedly 108 names for Buddha. HuffPo has some more.
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I’ll share another French moment. This IS a food blog after all. (I got the best comment ever yesterday.)
- Coca-cola. (Bobby’s. Real sugar coke! I still don’t like it.)
- Pain au chocolat. (To share.)
- From La Mie Câline in Saumur.
Since I am generally a healthy eater I have no qualms about indulging in buttery, chocolatey, French baked goods when I’m on vacation. They’re not as sweet as they are in here in the states, and they are tiny. The “gargantuan” croissants were the size of our regular ones. Even the bottles of Coke are smaller.
In France, most food ads come with this message (or a similar memo) at the bottom:
Pour votre santé, évitez de manger trop gras, trop sucré, trop salé. www.mangerbouger.fr
It means, “For your health, avoid eating food that is too fatty, too sweet, too salty.” Manger-bouger means, “eat, move.” I certainly didn’t see many overweight people in France – though I am not sure it’s because of this campaign. I did see a lot of smokers and wine and coffee drinkers. So while they may have a good thing going in terms of food and portion control, I think they are a little bit behind the times when it comes to other areas of health. (No, coffee and wine are not bad, in moderation. There is never an excuse for smoking.)
I have lost count of the number of pain au chocolates I have had here. It’s an obscene amount, I know that much. And you know what? I don’t even care! Having a croissant/macaron/pastry in the afternoon for a snack has been such a joy. And you’re right, they usually aren’t too huge. And French people aren’t fat. They must be doing something right.
I have seriously been eating SO differently here. I am going to have to do a post about it soon….
I agree with you Maggie – if you eat healthy 95% of the time, you can squeeze in indulgences every once in a while – like tonight I am going to froyo with my daughter – can’t wait! And they have a sugar free option. 😀
I wish it were mandatory to put nutritional information at restaurants – but with so many variables, not sure that is really possible.
Your dad if funny. I would never make it through 46 of those burpees, and as far as the mandatory messages go, I lean towards no. I don’t think companies should be forced to label their food, and if people want to buy it, it’s their choice. If they’re not wise enough to know that something is bad for them, their own fault. People need to take more responsibility for their decisions.
Mine would say: “shut up and eat! don’t let guilt drown the deliciousness of what you’re about to enjoy!”
i have mixed feelings about the messages aimed at educating or scare tactics. i mean, everyone knows that cigarettes are bad, so is a picture of a black lung going to stop someone from smoking? BUT, if it does stop people then i’m all for it.
I love sun salutations, they make me feel so good! But WHOA – 108?!?!?! My arms would kill me the next day! 😀
mmm, pain a chocolat is so yummy, as are nutella crepes! I do not think the warning labels on food in France are the reason French people are thin – I think you hit the nail in the head – smoking, plus lots of walking makes them thin. Although I did see lots of portion control in France by and larger everyone there smokes (I know, gross generalization, but still, …)
A few years ago I was killing time at Penn Station in NYC (where they’re required to put a calorie count on everything). I saw the number for a Mexican Pizza (my old fav) and ran out of there. I haven’t touched Taco Bell since. I don’t know if a warning is necessary, but a simple number of calories sure does make me think twice.
Love this site. Wow! 108 salutations!? My shoulders are sore after 5!
That’s an interesting idea to break them up though…were/are you sore?! I don’t practice yoga much…and apparently have noodles for arms? 😉
@Baking ‘n’ Books: Hehe, I should actually update this post – I still haven’t finished them!! I got through about 15 the first day, and have done several each day since then. If I had done all 108 in a day I don’t think I’d have been able to move.
LOL – good to know your not superhuman! 🙂 I seriously thought people were supposed to do all 108 in a row….like in one day!