How to be fit?

Like me. Well, I don't want to brag, but I am pretty fit. My BMI is 21.6 (desirable range is 18.5 to 24.9) is and waist to hip ratio is 0.86 (desired number is less than 0.9). My good cholesterol (HDL) is too high and my bad cholesterol is too low (LDL). I have not had to see a doctor for an illness for about 10 years (I am so tempted to cancel my health insurance). So I recently emailed my younger brother how to be fit; his cholesterol level was not acceptable. Here is what my daily diet and exercise program looks like:

Morning

• Drink a big glass of water on waking up
• Coffee
• Minimum 30 minutes of exercise (I love running fast, not walking, on the treadmill and some stretch exercises)
• Steel-cut, organic oatmeal, cooked in skim-milk and eaten with maple syrup/honey, prunes, and almonds (soaked overnight)
• Vitamins and supplements

Mid morning snack

• If I am hungry, I eat a fruit

Lunch

• Brown rice
• Vegetables (here is one recipe and then another one for soba noodles)
  
• Beans (I am trying to cut down my meat consumption but you can try chicken, fish, etc. but stay away from red meat)

Afternoon snack

• Fruits, sometimes with cottage cheese or with walnuts/pistachio
• Or smoothie (fruits, skim milk, and no sugar)

Dinner

• Whole grain bread
• Vegetables
• Dessert: Only rarely do I eat dessert but some of my favorites are fat-free versions of yoghurt or sorbet or plain milk. Occasionally, I might eat a piece of cake or ice-cream

Other tips

• Use only extra-virgin olive oil.
• Try not to eat out more than once a week and eat fast-food only if you will starve to death (when I travel, I always bring energy bars for those situations when you can't find good food)

Review of Oga's Japanese Cuisine Restaurant

As I have written previously, it ain't easy to find authentic food at a reasonable price. That is why I like Sharaku in New York City for Japanese food. Unfortunately, it took me some time to find Oga's Japanese Restaurant (Natick, MA), despite the fact that we have driven by it for years - in the meatime we were happy with our very own soba recipe. In many ways, this is THE Japanese restaurant with the best value in the Boston area, particularly if you go for lunch.

I like the ambiance and the manner in which the food is served. The service is so good that I was reminded of Japan. I had a chicken teriyaki dish while Lorena had a selection of maki rolls. We were very pleased with our dishes. Strongly recommended for fans of Japanese cuisine.