Staying Healthy BBQ Style

Image courtesy of picjoke.net

It is very hard staying healthy when you run your body ragged. Now maybe my life may seem a bit different than yours, but so many of my friends and family seem to have busy lives--some working more than one or two jobs just to make ends meet. Running around crazy for activities with the children, balancing work and home life, it's all relative.   In my life it seems I'm traveling sometimes over 1000 miles a week and working crazy hours. I'm at the festival three states away setting up while most people are still tucked in their beds getting some extra weekend rest. What is rest? I think that's something I'll get when I die. This is a few things I do to help combat the military type lifestyle I have endured for so long. Each weekend I'm off to battle.

Rule #1 : Drink a lot of healthy energy supplements like these LeVive drinks which help fight free radicals.

This LeVive dietary supplement is made with superfruits, I drink the hell out of these. Order it from here.

I also drink tons of water when I'm not downing my supplements.  I have to stay hydrated so I don't wither up from the heat of the 350 degree BBQ pits I'm cooking on. This is also important to you, when you are running around missing meals and getting run down. Downing a LeVive can make you feel full, give you a juicy boost of free radicals, and curb your hunger.



Rule #2 :    When you don't have a lot of time to eat, snack accordingly throughout the day. 

I snack on fruit and small bits of meat to keep me going.

I munch on small amounts of meat, no bread, just to keep me going.  While most people are still still dreaming of the barbecue. I'm cooking the barbeque and burnt up to a crisp. I want to eat breakfast, but no time for that.   I really think it's important to do as much healthy eating as I can on the road.  And so it seems that while most people are still having morning coffee and reading their email, or having breakfast,  I'm still cooking like a crazy fool and preparing  lunch for the masses.  Burning my ass up.

Rule #3 :    Keep moving.

I stay busy. Moving burns calories.

If I stop, I will drop. So, I stay moving. It seems my body is in full work mode and the day goes faster when I stay busy.   While people are on their way to the actual festival with the family, I'm prepared for battle. After the kind folks visit me for lunch and dinner, they go home, but I'm still there cleaning up from the big surge of business. I have barbecue sauce all over me, hickory wood soot on everything I own and I'm so tired I can't stand up.  It doesn't end there.  I'm tearing my stands down and getting on the road 2am while they are in bed with a full tummy snoozing away.  I haven't stopped since 4am. What a long day.
                 
Rule #4 :    Everything in moderation.

I'm in a wine club. It's all good.

Everything is in moderation. My snack intake. I will eat a  few oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies with toasted coconut from Pinch and Swirl, but that's in moderation. My steak intake--balanced with veggies.  My poultry balanced with fruits.  Even my wine intake - and yes I don't think anything is wrong with a glass of red wine once in awhile.  I belong to this Red Wine Club and have been very pleased.  If you are clueless, ask the Wine Witch (she's not a witch at all but that's what they call her.)

The Bottom Line :   In theory, it's not the size of your butt--but how you maintain it!

Sporting the "Hogging Up Barbecue Festival Logo" Image courtesy of picjoke.net

The bottom line is you have to stay healthy. Your body is your vehicle that moves you through life, and much like a car it needs tuneups and repairs, but the better maintained you keep it the better off you will be.   This article gives you a good outlook on cooking tips to help you lose weight.

You may also enjoy reading these healthy posts:
Gluten Free Recipes 
The BBQ Workout