Getting Healthy - Easier Than You Think

I hate giving health advice, even though I have a lot of knowledge after doing my own research. I've worked out to lose weight, gain weight, run a marathon, get cut, bulk, and most recently to do a half ironman. I've done the at-home programs included P90X and Insanity and I have eaten, and used supplements to aide me in each of the above scenarios. But, NO ONE wants to hear what I have to say for many reasons. Some people think I'm judging them, some people think I work out too hard, and most people think it's too extreme. It's not - it's just what needs to be done to reach your goal.

So for anybody that wants the secret, or more realistically because I'm writing this blog for me - just allowing me to tell somebody, it's simple.

1. Most important by far is eating for what you want. I'd say 75% of losing, gaining weight is what you are eating. If you want to eat healthy do it. Commit to it. The best part is it's easy. The first thing is to cut out sugary drinks greasy foods and bread. Sugary drinks offer 0 nutritional value. They are a complete waste. Bread can be eaten, just incredibly sparingly. Anything deep fried is not worth it. You can eat amazingly well and still eat healthy. I started cooking for myself and haven't looked back. Simple recipes like a brown sugar, mustard, soy sauce glazed salmon with brown rice and sautéed vegetables easily fill you up and make you feel healthy. If you can't always cook or struggle to eat healthy order protein. You should really do this anyway, but whether you are looking to lose or gain weight, protein is so important to creating a healthy body. Optimum Nutrition is the brand to go for and you should have both Whey and Casein in your cabinet.

2. Work out HARD and work out FAST. Would you rather lose 100 calories walking for 30 minutes on a treadmill or fun it at 8 mph for 7 minutes? Push your body faster and longer than you think it can go for 45 minutes at a time and you will melt fat. In one 45 minute spinning class I can burn about 600 -  800 calories. That's an entire meal. Obviously this depends on what your goals are, but if they are losing weight this is the way to go. For endurance purposes I would recommend still pushing your pace but at a level you are comfortable with.

3. Give yourself reasonable goals. My favorite for people who don't work out that often is to tell yourself you will do this for 3 weeks. You will commit to going to the gym 5 out of 7 days of the week and eat healthy each of those days. This will completely shock your system and you will lose inches and pounds. That motivation will keep you going back to the gym.

That's it. After all the time I spent working out, this is my rationale for people who want to lose weight. Of course, there is way more to it once you start, but the secret is to START. I'm sure I will be complaining here about some of my half iron man workouts and posting some of the recipes I've cooked and you can see it for yourself.

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."    - Thomas Edison

Marea - New York's best Italian Restaurant

A last second decision brought Lauren and I to Marea, a recent addition (2009) to the excellent Columbus Circle restaurants. Marea which means tide in Italian is often called New York's best Italian restaurant with praise coming from major restaurant reviewers. Zagat said, '"Memorable" is putting it mildly at chef Michael White's Columbus Circle "stunner."' In 2013, Zagat gave Marea a 28 rating for food, and Michelin bestowed 2 stars in 2012. I hadn't been to a restaurant of this caliber, at least ratings wise, so I was puuuumped and hungry.

Food:
Lauren and I opted for the 4 course prix fixe which is actually a decent deal - for $99 you get an appetizer, a pasta dish, an entree, and a dessert. Trust me you leave very full.

As an appetizer, I chose Sgombro. Which you can faintly see in the above picture. It included yellowtail fish, gigante beans, olive, cara cara, persimmon, and herbs. It was excellent. The fish was cooked perfectly and it blended well with the sweet cara cara and the beans.

Lauren asked the waitress' opinion and was told to have the octopus or Polipo. This is a MUST HAVE.   This octopus tasted like none I've ever had before. It was not rubbery or chewy at all but instead incredibly tender. It was absolutely delicious. The meal came with smoked potatoes, pickled red onions, radishes, chills, and tonnato.

Marea is well known for their pastas as they make their own in house. Lauren and I accidentally ordered the same one. We didn't know it until after we ordered. We both got the Strozzapretti which included jumbo lump crab, sea urchin, and basil. I wasn't overly impressed with this dish. The pasta was excellent, and well cooked. There was plenty of crab and sea urchin, though we couldn't really tell the difference. It just was not overwhelming. 

Now for the main dish. Lauren and I both order the duck (Anatra), this time on purpose. Marea is known for their fish but the duck sounded too appetizing. The Anatra included long island duck breast, duck sausage, lentils, figs, roasted endive, and jus foie gras.

The duck like the octopus, was incredibly tender. We both had it medium rare, and it could not have been cooked better. The texture of the lentils went well with tender duck and sweet figs. By this time in the meal we were full (I left out the mouthwatering bread that we kept eating) and took some of it home. Dessert was coming and it is just unacceptable to not save room for that!

For dessert, I ordered a cappuccino and (with the recommendation of the waitress) the Strati di Ciocolato - dark chocolate crema, chocolate caramel, and pistachio gelato. I'm not a huge fan of pistachios but I decided to go with her recommendation. Lauren went with the Bombolini, which are basically doughnuts, or zeppoles. I was shocked she chose that after the filling meal we had just eaten. But, I've learned Lauren's ability to eat will always surprise me. For me, the pistachio gelato was tasty and the chocolate and caramel cake was a little rich but still very very good. However, the pairing didn't go that well to me. I tried to eat a little cake with a little gelato but it didn't mesh well. My cappuccino was underwhelming. I like a frothy foam that was curiously missing. Lauren's doughnuts came with melted chocolate (that looked like I could drink it and be very happy about that choice) and honey. I couldn't force myself to eat anymore, surprisingly, and did not get to try the Bombolini, but Lauren seemed to enjoy it.

Marea sent us home happy with a small plate of chocolates. 

A caramel chocolate which was amazing, a pomegranate marshmallow which had nice texture, and a basil chocolate which apparently tasted a little too much like basil and thus after watching Lauren's reaction I did not eat.

**We each ordered a cocktail that was sufficient and a glass of red wine for the pasta and duck. Each went well with the food. Marea has a long marvelous wine list but sadly too expensive to purchase. They also have a $50 corkage fee per bottle for up to 2 bottles of wine, which I love! If you bring a nice bottle of wine, you can really save a lot of money on nice wine.

Service and Decor:

We had a very nice server who was from Chicago. She had some good recommendations and was friendly. The Maitre d was nice, but it took about 10 minutes after our reservation to have our table ready. The service was prompt and they gave what I felt was an appropriate amount of time between meals that allowed for conversation.

I would describe the dining area as elegant. The seating was comfortable and far enough from the next table that you didn't have to be worried about being overheard. This will sound like an oxymoron but it's a quiet room, yet has a lively setting. You could feel comfortable taking a date hear, or going out for a raucous night with some friends.

Overall:

The entire combination of the ambience, delectable food, good service made for a great night. Easily one of the best restaurant experiences I have ever had. The price was a good value for this type of high dining happening. I would rate Marea a 9.4 out of 10