Thursday, February 26, 2015

Gettin' Over the Hump: Red Meat


One of Hub's New Year's resolutions was to give up red meat and I'm really happy for him. And I didn't put him up to it either, I was surprised when he came out with it - "I'm giving up red meat!" Although we never eat meat at home, Hub would eat red meat at restaurants and it's easily done here in Rio. Often times when we go out, we'll end up at a traditional Brazilian restaurant and people want to order picanha steak which is always to share. I think this is an amazing step for his health and if you are interested in giving up the cow, here are few good reasons why.

Eating red meat causes inflammation in the body and a chronically inflamed body is the perfect environment for cancer.

Farmers fatten up cows with hormones - usually estrogen - and we're still not sure if it's 100% safe, but the research so far is kind of worrying.

When we think of Type 2 diabetes we automatically think sugar, but eating too much red meat increases our risk for the disease too.

A great slide show with 10 Reasons to Quit Red Meat.

If you can't give up red meat then it seems like grass-fed organic is the best way to go, but be prepared for a hefty price tag.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Gettin' Over the Hump: The Big 33


So I turned 33 a few weeks ago. Gosh, where did the time go? I can still clearly remember the days of frolicking around NYC with my best friend Jess in tow and wondering what life would be like in our 30s. Sometimes I still feel like I'm in my 20s, but my body on the other hand...definitely 30s.

I can no longer stay up partying till 4am and be fully functioning at work the next day. God that was amazing. To be honest I can barely keep my eyes open past midnight, unless there's 80's music to dance to. I've also noticed that I can no longer stay fit with cardio alone, as I did in my 20s. I used to be able to burn off an indulgent night out easily, but now it's getting a little bit harder. Our bodies start to really change as we approach our mid-30s and we can no longer pull off the shenanigans we did at 21. So I did a bit of research for us ladies in our 30s and here's the 411:


Which slows down our metabolism making it easier for us to put on the timber. F&*K.

Stamina also begins to decline, which is why I can no longer run as long as I used too.

But don't worry, not all is lost! By incorporating strength training into our workouts, we can rev up our calorie-burning metabolism and look good.

A few tips on simple changes we can start today!

(Picture of me at the tender age of 21)

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Working in Rio


Working in Rio has been an interesting experience so far. I'm a chefe de fila or junior manager for a restaurant/bar at a posh hotel in Copacabana. It has been exhausting not only because I'm on my feet all day, but the work week in the service industry in Brazil is 6 days a week. After being a lady of leisure for a year this takes time getting used to and one day off a week is not enough rest. 

Part of my job involves managing schedules and vacations for my team and that has been truly eye-opening. What's impressive is that in Brazil employees get 30 vacation days, 30 sick days and about 25 public holidays per year. It sounds wonderful, especially compared to the US and UK, but it can be problematic at times. It's nice to know that I'm compensated when I'm sick here, whereas in all my previous restaurant jobs I didn't get paid if I didn't come to work. However, I do get the impression that people take the piss and abuse their sick days in this industry. On one hand they are there for the taking, but when you know people call in sick and aren't sick it disrupts the whole team. There is one catch though - in order to get compensated for your sick day you have to provide a doctor's note. I've never had to do that before and I hate going to the doctors.

It's also very difficult to motivate a bad employee. In Brazil if you want to dismiss someone for whatever reason, you have to pay 6 months salary compensation. Can you believe that! So apparently companies avoid letting go staff at all costs and employees know that they can get away with a lot of shit, especially in the industry I'm in. What's also challenging is that most of the people I work with aren't really into food or the restaurant industry. It's a stark contrast to my experience in New York and London, where people had to consistently perform well to keep jobs but there was also a kind of foody passion within the team. I really miss that.

I'm also aware that salaries and culture play huge factors. My income pales in comparison to London, but the cost of living here is really high. I make about a third of what I was making in my last job, but our rent is just slightly below what we were paying in Hackney. Also Rio's food culture is centered around butecos, dive bars and street food. I feel like the growing restaurant culture here is driven by the small percentage of gringoes like me and affluent Brazilians. 

On the positive side everyone at the hotel has been so welcoming and my Portuguese is really improving. I've noticed that I'm translating less in my head and able to speak more fluidly and naturally. Next week is the beginning of Carnaval, so that should be interesting. I'll let you know how working that goes.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Inspiration


I recently came across Australian fitness trainer Kayla Itsines Instagram feed and saw this post and felt totally motivated by it. When we flew back to Rio I planned to get into healthy mode and wanted to eat clean and stay off the booze until my birthday. However, that motivation kind of fizzled out after about a week and personally I don't feel like I've bounced back from the holidays. That's why I love this message, it's exactly what I needed to hear.

To be fair though January was a busy month with a new full-time job, a new puppy and we were hosting a few visitors. I've been trying to find a new balance with all these changes and now February is a new month. I look forward to sharing more about George, about working in Rio and our journey towards health living. Stay tuned.

L

(image taken from here)
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