OUTDOORS!

Who of you can honestly say that they have changed their eating habits and that they are now looking more at the contents of foodstuffs? Who also can say that they are moving regularly and making a point of loosing a couple of kilos? And who is smoking less? One of my colleagues Sabyne, working here as a Sales Manager told me yesterday she found the column a bit boring! I asked her what she would like me then to write. “Talk about the outdoors!” Spring is finally there and then the summer. It is time to get the winter clothes in the cupboard and to get the outdoor activity stuff from under the layer of dust. Indeed, we should take opportunity in all the nice things that can be done in the outdoors in and around Vilnius. I personally enjoy horse riding at Elena Railiene’s stables. We often go outside in the fields or woods. Now it is ideal as the fields are soft and lush, a bit muddy maybe. In the hall she gives us lessons and my jumping has improved. An hour on a 500kg horse is like running a marathon! Next to this have we purchased mountain bikes that are perfect for the rugged terrain around the hotel. Moreover a jog on the track here around the lake is ideal on Weekend mornings. This is followed by a light snack and a round of 3 holes golf on the academy. Perfect for keeping the swing in place is also the driving range. Lithuania has finally got a golf course, the Capitals Club (since last year); it is the perfect setting for a good round of golf, followed by a light meal in Sorrentina at the clubhouse. A round of 18 holes, takes one about 4 hours. There are not a lot of sports where one is busy in the fresh air for 4 hours, believe me! And if you are a bad player like me instead of walking the course normally, some 7 kilometers, you are walking 10!! These are my favorite outdoor activities here in Vilnius. Now after the cold winter months and the detox during January and February it is time to start eating fresh vegetables and fruits. Stock up on the essential minerals and vitamins! I love this period of the year; lots of fresh salad leaves, green herbs, young vegetables, spring chicken, soon the asparagus, the herring and strawberry seasons. All this is good for you! Keep on using olive oil for everything in the kitchen and the other oils for additional flavor and omega intake. Sabyne, the one who finds the column boring, has actually a little success story attached to her. She started working out in the gym and has changed her eating habits. Since she started she has lost some 5 kilos and build up a good workout routine. When she started running a maximum of 10 minutes running on 7 or so was what she did. Now, she runs flat-out 20 minutes on 8.5, a drastic improvement and that in less then 3 months. Consequently, every day she goes in the gym here at the hotel. She changed also her eating habits, less fatty items or calorie rich dishes. More often she has a tomato mozzarella salad or a clear soup, dips her bread in olive oil instead of spreading a thick layer of butter on it. Maybe she finds the column boring but I still see a little influence there… For those to look a bit further in these matters I suggest two very good books; the Mediterranean Diet from Marissa Cloutier and Eve Adamson, ISBN; 0-06-057878-5 and the Omega Bible; The Omega Diet by Artemis P. Simopoulos and Jo Robinson, Harper Collins, NY. In German the book; Fit mi Fett, Ulrich Strunz and Andreas Jopp, Wilhelm Heyne Verlag GMBH &Co, Munchen.