What can you do to preempt the pounds?

1) Get up a little early and walk while the temperature is still temperate – or bearable.

2) Taste a little of what you like. Savor the flavor.

3) Use smaller plates, which give the illusion of more food.

4) Organize excursions which involve walking or other active efforts. Even a walk in a mall – with them paying for the A/C- can give you some time to exercise.

5) Join a gym and seek refuge from the heat while you exercise. You might even meet new friends.

6) When you cook, put some of the food away in the freezer for future meals. That will keep it from being too accessible for nibbling.

7) Try some yoga – a kinder, gentler, but good meditative exercise that stretches and limbers you up!

Swimming is also a great, cooling exercise.

Enjoy!

First  - TA-DAH!

Our brand new book

Hiking for the Couch Potato Kid: Birds, Bugs, Butterflies and Other Beasties

is now available to tempt kids to get off the couch and go explore the outdoors.

Our new, full-colored, interactive children's book!

We have also set up a special page for kids to see on this website – (Just have kids hit the “Kid” button on the tool bar.)  On the kid’s page, there is space for them to record what they like about the outdoors.  We have some samples from the children’s book posted as well.

COUCH POTATO KID is a full-color book intended for children ages 5-8.  And, the good news – kids can write or draw in the book since it is meant for them to record what they see and think about when they are outdoors.

(At this time, we are not planning an e-book version, since that would defeat the idea of kids getting out and experiencing nature first-hand.)

Also, we have added more items to the STORE, so you can purchase the kid’s book right here, as well as a cute T-shirt.  Paypal is available to pay for all of the store items now.  This is secure and we will not personally ever see your credit card account numbers!  (However, we will need your mailing address and email to send you your purchases and confirm shipment.)

If you would like more than six books, please email us at orders@forthecouchpotato.com, so we can discuss a discount.

We are now offering workshops where the Couch Potato would come to your school, organization, or meeting and provide a group with individualized outdoor workshops. Please contact us at info@forthecouchpotato.com to discuss this!

ALSO – CHECK OUT THE FORUMS! THEY ARE NOW USER FRIENDLY – YOU CAN EVEN SIGN IN USING FACEBOOK AND TWITTER!

So much new and exciting happening – we can’t wait to get all generations excited about getting active in the outdoors!

Here are some ideas to get started:

(Do one or more.)

1. Start with what you do as you get out of bed! Think positive thoughts about how your day will be.

2. Do a short exercise routine – before you even leave the bed. Wiggle and rotate each foot and hand.  Bring your knees to your chest.

3. Smile! (Smiling uses less muscles than frowning and it makes you look so good!)

4. Once you are up, if you have time, do a short yoga or stretching routine.  Be peaceful with it – no jolting movements.

5. Have breakfast! —

I know, I never seemed to have time for breakfast, either.  But I usually was starved by mid-morning.  Not a good way to fuel your body.  Try eating something like eggs, yogurt, or a high fiber cereal. Try stevia to sweeten things – no calorie, natural sweetener.

6. Prep some crunchy items to bring with you to eat instead of empty, sugary calories.  Carrots, celery, fruit.  Ah, Ambrosia apples – crunchy, juicy and sweet!

More ideas to be posted tomorrow…

Couch Potato and Shelley Gillespie were guests of Five Star Publications at the Tucson Book Festival on March 10, 2012

The new book is:

HIKING FOR THE COUCH POTATO KID: BIRDS, BUGS, BUTTERFLIES, and OTHER BEASTIES

.

Couch Potato Kid will join the Hiking for the Couch Potato in outdoor adventures

Couch Potato Kid, a full-color, child-sized book to give children a focus for an outdoor adventure and a way to get active, will be for sale on our website by mid-April. The book will be a fun way to explore nature with fun illustrations and interactive sections for children to record their thoughts. (Check back to learn more.)

Couch Potato and Couch Potato Kid were guests of Summit Hut at the Tucson Festival of Books on March 11, 2012

Couch Potato’s mentor, Shelley Gillespie, will be offering workshops to schools, Scout troops, and other organizations soon in conjunction with the book.

At the printer now, the book, and some really cute children’s shirts (children’s sizes small and medium) will be available by mid-April.

Share the fun!

On Saturday, March 10, meet Shelley Gillespie at the Five Star Publications booth 142-144.

Sunday, the 11th, Summit Hut will host the Couch Potato at booth 320.

Come on down!

An alien on Mars? No, this is the rock formation known as Skull Rock on "Park Boulevard" in Joshua Tree National Park.

An Oasis in the Desert

Entering from the Oasis Visitor Center, we took the opportunity to see the exhibits, and then headed out to the wheelchair-accessible Oasis of Mara trail.  Only a half-mile long and paved, the trail gives a good view of the shaggy California fan palm trees that benefitted from the water at the oasis.  There are interpretive stands along the way to explain what you are seeing.  For instance, Indians left the area about a century ago and settlers planted cottonwoods and willows.

The Oasis of Mara at Joshua Tree National Park is an easy beginning introduction to the park.

After seeing the Oasis of Mara, we headed into the rest of the park.  The entrance gate, where you would pay $15 for a carload of people – with the pass good for a week – gives you miles to drive until you reach the campsites and hiking trails.  The trail descriptions in the brochure do not begin to provide a complete view of what each trails offers.  We arbitrarily chose the Hidden Valley Trail first.

Hidden Valley Trail

With only about a mile to hike, the Hidden Valley Trail would appear to be an ideal Couch Potato hike.  There are sections that are totally flat, but there are areas where you would climb step-like granite rocks.  The trail is definitely not for wheelchairs and, if you are a beginning hiker, you would want to pace yourself and bring water.

A flat area of the Hidden Valley Trail offers some contrast of colors and contours.

The granite rocks are rounded, golden-colored mounds that are quite unusual.  As you weave your way on the trail, you find yourself looking at the climbers, spiderlike on the nearly vertical surfaces.

A climber has climbed the vertical crevice in this formation in Hidden Valley at Joshua Tree National Park.

Pets are not allowed on the trails, so it was with great surprise that we saw a dark, furry Samoyed dog heading toward us on the trail.  The poor thing had gotten away from his owner.  We briefly adopted the dog and a kind person offered a plate to give the dog water.  Eventually, the owner turned up.

Note: Cell phone reception is extremely poor in the park, so we couldn’t contact the park rangers or the dog’s owner, whose number was on the dog’s collar.

There are restrooms, but they are the open pit in the shed variety, so best to use the restrooms at the visitor center.

Barker Dam

With a late start in the park, we ran out of time to try out the Barker Dam trail. Although only a one-mile loop, there was a mob of tourists who descended at the same time, so we opted just to see the entrance to the trail, which was flat.

Anyone who makes the trip to Joshua Tree National Park will find some new vistas to explore.  There is not much going on in the adjacent towns, so enjoy your slice of nature and the peace.

And, as we always caution, bring water, sun block, hats, a hiking pole and comfortable, protective shoes.  Bring your own snack and food supplies if you’re going to be visiting, since there is no snack bar inside the park.

How to get there, where to stay, food options

Located near the Marine Corps base in Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree National Park has three entrances, two on the north off route 62, and one off Interstate 10 near Indio.

If you’re visiting, several accommodations are available in Twentynine Palms.  We enjoyed our stay in the one-year old Holiday Inn, which has terrific amenities, including the complete breakfast, plus heated pool and spa, and a great workout facility. The staff was also friendly and extremely helpful.

There are other name brands like Fairfield Inn and some local motels to spend the night in the Twentynine Palms area.

We picked up some great sandwiches at Staters, a local supermarket.  There are restaurants with cuisine options ranging from Mediterranean, to fast food, to ribs, etc.

Enjoy your hike!

This low calorie soup is warm and filling. Courtesy of Joe Corinti, – a modified version of the “G.M. Wonder Soup”

Prep time is mostly just cutting things up.
The cooking does the rest:

Ingredients

1 head of cabbage – any size – cut the cabbage into quarters, rinse and then chop up
1 can (large or small) of tomatoes or 4 fresh tomatoes
2 celery stalks – chopped
1 small onion or 4 scallions – chopped up
1 quart of good chicken or vegetable broth (canned, packaged) or use bouillon cubes with water to equal 4 cups or Lipton Onion Soup mix with water required
Herbs,flavoring, Salt and pepper to taste (no sugar or sweeteners)

Optional: any other vegetables you like in whatever quantity you wish. I added broccoli, corn, garlic

Directions:

While you are heating the broth or bouillon in a large pot or Dutch oven, chop everything up into bite-sized pieces that isn’t already small. You can use a food processor to speed the effort, but don’t process it too long. You want it to still have chunks and pieces.

Add all of the vegetable ingredients to the heated broth.

Heat on a low flame, covered, for about an hour until the cabbage is soft and the flavors have a chance to blend.

This soup tastes even better the second day.

Enjoy!!

Note: After trying the original recipe, I discovered that I did not like using a full bunch of celery. Once I only added two stalks, it was more to my liking. Feel free to adapt as you prefer.

A new year is like a great, shiny package: You can’t wait to unwrap the gift and see what’s inside.

Depending on what we anticipate, we never know what we might find and whether we will be excited or disappointed. A lot of what we receive is entirely due to our own attitudes and our expectations. —

Which reminds me of my recent boot purchase. When my old hiking boots had worn out (the tread was gone and I was starting to feel rocks much too intimately), I decided it was time for new boots.

Choosing boots is a BIG decision. My feet would bear the brunt of a wrong choice and discomfort would be the result.

I arrived at the REI store with no preconceived notions of which brand to purchase, just a desire for comfortable shoes. There were many choices, but only one pair was going home with me – I hoped. There was a possibility I would not find a pair in my size or that passed the comfort test.

First, I gave the clerk my size and discussed options. Apparently, I had been choosing my boot size as if boots were shoes. Wrong! Feet need more room to spread out when you hike. My shoe department maven, Ric, set me straight on brands, sizes, and other issues. This was no time for vanity!

We started with a well-known brand, but after walking for a few minutes, I put them back in the box. They pinched. After some collaboration, Ric brought me some larger-sized shoes. After three different tries, none of the candidates were a match. They hit my feet wrong and would have caused pain after hiking just a few minutes.

Finally, Ric suggested that I try men’s sizes, which are cut wider. Great idea!

I tried several different well-known brands again. And, again they didn’t suit. Ric offered a new brand that had recently been launched by former owners of a popular brand. The boots were not stiff the way many new boots are. Craftsmanship was apparent.

By this time, I wasn’t sure what felt good anymore. My feet were tired, but I thought we were on to something.

My husband, along for the trip, shook his head as I walked up and down a ramp, back and forth on the carpet, and continued to wear a path in the carpet.

I kept walking.

Eureka! I was excited to have found these new boots that had extra padding at the ankles, appeared sturdy, and were comfortable.

The boots I bought!

Now, exactly what has this to do with a new year? The analogy is actually quite apt.

A new year has many possible variations, some happier and more comfortable than others. Trying something new, out of my comfort zone, ultimately brought me something that was a better fit than the old varieties that I knew.

So, begin the new year with hope and an open mind. Challenges may confront you. Things may take longer than you expected to succeed. The rewards will be worth it.

I hope each of you gets the “package” – or new pair of boots – that will lead to a healthier, more joyful existence.

Happy 2012, everyone!

(For more information about choosing hiking boots, see the blog on choosing hiking boots.)
(Note: This is my New Year’s column of “In Her Boots,” which is also published on copanews.com)
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Shelley Gillespie is an Arizona Newspapers Association award-winning author, senior staff writer of The Communicator/copanews.com, and author of Hiking for the Couch Potato: A Guide for the Exercise-Challenged. “In her boots” discusses matters of health, hiking, happiness, and things that improve our lives.

My gift to everyone is an easy recipe for making gravy.  Shouldn’t life offer some gravy?

And, the gravy I’m suggesting is probably the most healthful you could have. (You will also find this recipe in the Forum under Home recipes.)

GRAVY

This is good for any kind of gravy – chicken, beef, ham, fish – or even vegetables.

Start with the drippings of a cooked protein source.  If there is fat, take the drippings, and put them in the freezer until the fat has congealed.  Once the fat is solidified, scoop it off and proceed.

1. Take the liquid you have saved and taste it.  If it needs more “oompf,” add some bouillon (either liquid or a cube, diluted with boiling water), and maybe a little tamari or soy sauce or whatever herbs, seasonings (salt, pepper) you like.

2. Heat the drippings and additions in a pot on the stove on a medium flame. When the liquids reach a slow boil, add the following: 1 teaspoon of corn starch per about 2 cups of pot liquid added to a little water, stir, and add slowly to the liquid.

3. Once the gravy is thickened, turn the heat down low until you are ready to serve it.

This gravy could be made for a non-meat item like tofu or vegetables with just the bouillon, seasonings, and cornstarch.

The fabulous National Parks Service has published the days in 2012 when people can get into the many National Parks for free.

The dates are:

January 14 to 16 (Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend)

April 21 to 29 (National Park Week)

June 9 (Get Outdoors Day)

September 29 (National Public Lands Day) and

November 10 to 12 (Veterans Day weekend).

If you have been reading our blogs on this site and, perhaps, our affiliated travel blog – traveltipsandadventures.com - you will notice that we really like national parks. National Parks include a multitude of parks, national monuments and other locations that are generally well-signed and can offer a variety of great outdoor activities.

We have traveled to National Parks in many states and will offer recommendations as we revisit some that we have not seen for some time.

My personal favorite is Bryce Canyon National Park (in southern Utah), which is as if the earth created a play land with varying rock colors and formations. It has overlooks for those less physically able, but hiking trails that are easy for most. The win-win situation at a National Park is that you get the health benefits of hiking – or walking at a more leisurely pace – while seeing the most fabulous scenes of nature.

Plan to have extra charged batteries if you like photography when you visit the National Parks because you will want to take photos – galore! On my first trip to Bryce, I think I took 12 rolls of film (that was when digital cameras were not yet available).

You will find great experiences when you visit National Parks – especially terrific Park rangers who seem to have endless patience for the many tourists who probably ask the same questions hundreds of times a day. How many people could have the same questions asked over and over and still smile!

Even if you are contemplating visiting a National Park when it is not free to get in, it is still very reasonably priced. (Rates vary, but there are special park passes for those 62 and over – buy it once for $10 and you get a permanent pass for life that is good for everyone in the vehicle!) Depending on the park you might pay just a few dollars, again for everyone in the vehicle. Or, you could buy an annual pass that is currently $80.

So, pick your paradise! There are National Parks in every type of environment from “sea to shining sea,” so take the opportunity to visit a National Park. (State Parks are often great, too, but today we’re featuring the National Parks.

In the USA, we are fortunate to have these National Parks! Thank you to Ulysses S Grant for setting up the first National Park in 1872!