My Afflation

Taft 2012: A Novel by Jason Heller My rating: 4 of 5 stars No wonder Americans had devolved into such a petty, sarcastic lot. They no longer had to look each other in the eye. I don't know much about Taft's presidency, but this book comes at a great time in our history. Can you imagine it? A Republican with Progressive values? My, how the party has changed. The book does go into a little history of the time so you can understand where and when Taft is coming from and how he relates to existing a century later. And how confused we are! Heller writes a few speeches for Taft that actually resonated with me. Chapter 29 is probably my favorite: "If there is a problem with America today--as I see it--it is that we look for self-worth in consumption, rather than in the pursuit of personal achievement. I may seem a hypocrite for pointing out such a finger, for I have obviously engaged in quite a bit of overconsumption myself! Nonetheless, it is true. We cannot fi...

Last Tuesday I had the opportunity to attend a Miel Pura/National Honey Board Natural Energy event with Barbara Trujillo-Gomez, author of "...Barbara por Atras" A Latin Woman's Guide to Fitness  at the beautiful Japanese Garden of the Kyoto Grand Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. I learned there really are no excuses when it comes to working out. Instead of aiming for 30-60 minutes of straight exercise, I can aim for 10 minutes 3-6 times per day. I can wake up ten minutes early and do some planks and jumping jacks (OK, jumping jacks). Instead of coffee I can have a pomegranate apple honey shot. There are so many beneficial uses of honey for athletes, I think you'll be surprised. Some fun facts: Honey is an all-natural energy booster . It's a carbohydrate that your body can easily use to give you a little extra oomph when you need it. Honey has 17g of (good) carbohydrates per tablespoon . That's fuel for your muscles pre- and post- workout. Honey is great f...