5 Healthy Tips From Chef Will Artley

"At 32 years old, I weighed 331 pounds. I had never run a mile in my life," says Will Artley, executive chef of Evening Star Cafe.

"My first goal was to get to that mile. Seven weeks after my first mile (my pace was 15 minutes a mile), I completed a sprint triathlon. That’s a 500-meter swim, 12-mile bike and a 3.2-mile run. Believe in yourself! This year I will drop 40 pounds and run a half marathon."

For any of you making those standard New Year's resolutions, Artley offers five tips for healthy living and a nutritious recipe.

1. One of my favorite tricks: Compare the time I spend on the treadmill to something I do in my every day life. For example: roasting a brined chicken from start to finish takes about 22 minutes. I get on the treadmill and in my mind roast a chicken. By the time it's done, I’ve already run two miles.

2. Remember the food you’re putting in your body is its fuel! You need to feed your body the correct food. It will perform at its best when it’s on high octane. Do this and you’ll notice a huge difference in all aspects of your life.

3. Greens, greens, greens ... and lots of them. Try eating them raw. When it’s cooked over 115 degrees it looses some of its nutrients.

4. I'm not a huge calorie counter but when I eat something I know isn't good for my body, I look at the calories and remember how hard it was to burn off 700 calories at the gym. It’s the only time in my life where laziness had paid off.

5. Eat local! This is probably the most important thing to my lifestyle and success. It’s key in getting the best, most nutritious foods available. This is the fuel your body yearns for! People don't realize that their produce might travel up to 1,500 miles and that doesn’t let your food reach its full flavor and nutrition potential. Local food is picked when it’s ready to be eaten.

Roasted Cashew and Basil Vinaigrette
Artley loves this vinaigrette on greens, and also recommends adding a hint of sesame oil and drizzling it over chicken and soba noodles.

1/2 cup roasted cashews
1 cup of water
1 tbsp agave nectar
4 oz basil
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper

Place everything in a blender and add half the water. Blend and use the remaining water to thin it out until it reaches a desired consistency.

Comments

Q. said…
Great tips. I esp like the one about comparing the time on the treadmill to something you do in your every day life. Sometimes you have to trick yourself to get on the treadmill and STAY THERE! :)
1/05/2010 10:24 AM
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