It’s all about balance

A little while ago, I was decompressing from a day’s stress by enjoying a session of Fit TV yoga, when I realized something…exercise feels good.

It’s something I realized a few years ago, when I lost a ton of weight by eating less crap and more good-for-me foods. (Interesting note: Now, when I indulge in junk, the way it sits in my body after pretty much always makes me regret it.)

I’m not a stable person, alas- I need balance - and apparently, Dr. Sears (founder of The Zone Diet) agrees. His diet is pretty ingenious - it’s all about just that - balance and moderation! No punishment, no forbidden fruits (actually, are fruits ever forbidden???), it’s all about achieving the right balance.

Diet is not a dirty word - in fact, its root is a Greek word meaning “way of life”! If you incorporate that concept into whatever your healthy eating plan is, it will all make a lot more sense. Just living! We all know how to live. Kinda.

Any diet that uses the word high or low to describe it is not going to work. It just won’t. It’s all about moderation, which is what the Zone diet is - low-fat proteins, low glycemic-load carbs (mostly fruits and vegetables), and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

This is all very similar to the concepts I used to lose my weight, and it’s how I try to live to keep it off. But the Zone makes it even easier in that they have some delicious products to use when cooking that fit perfectly into the ideology.

Two of my favorites (which I have already cooked with!) are their all-natural Zone Pasta (formulated with protein ingredients from natural sources of peas and soy which both contain essential amino acids) and their Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (super rich in antioxidants and essential fatty acids).

The people at The Zone Diet want to help add a little balance (and yummy pasta) into your lives, and have offered to award five readers a special care package of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a box of pasta. To have your chance to win, please:

1 - Write me a haiku (free verse is also acceptable, but haiku will show true effort!) about your weight-loss efforts (positive or negative) or aspirations.

2 - For extra credit, share three things you’ve learned reading my blog this week!

Deadline to enter is June 1. Good luck!