Breaking out and trying new things

Thursday morning at MA's house started off with black tea, a 1.6 mi barefoot walk, then my usual smoothie (I forgot my hard boiled egg ... oops!).

I mentioned in an earlier post that I bought a mini air fryer and that I was loving it so far.  This morning I picked up a couple of chicken breasts (with rib meat and skin on) and threw one in the fryer to fix for lunch.  I just added a little seasoning (no breading or oil) and let 'er rip.  It came out amazing!  I ate several bites of it as soon as it cooled enough, and just threw the other one in the fryer and will use it and the rest of the first one for homemade chicken soup (after I eat that yummy, crunchy skin) .  I'm fixing a small salad to round out lunch.

I don't put noodles or potatoes in my soup (those carbs, ya know?), but onion, broccoli, cauliflower, and maybe a small amount of carrots usually make it into the pot, along with the chicken, my own bone broth, and some Better Than Bouillon. As I was cruising the produce aisle this morning trying to think of something different I could add, the bok choy spoke to me.  Mind you, I've never cooked or even tasted bok choy in all of my 63 years (not knowingly, anyway), but I thought it looked pretty, so into the cart it went.  As soon as I'm done typing this post, some of it will be chopped up and added to the soup, which is already simmering for tonight's dinner.  I've got some pretty red, orange, and green peppers to brighten it up too.  I'm making a good sized pot, so it will carry me through several more meals.

I need to get out and rake leaves, but it's windy today, so I might wait until more of them have fallen and just do it once.  Maybe I'll get to them tomorrow since it's an off day as I'm meeting a couple of Team RWB comrades Saturday morning for a walk/ruck/run/whatever, and I don't know how far we'll end up going.  I'm learning that taking a break and not working out every day is better for me, and probably you too, and I'll expound on that another time.

So what will I fill up the rest of my Thursday with?  An exciting load of laundry, and likely TV and crochet.  

I hope your day is blessed!

~ Marie Anne

Hump day ramblings, and tip of the day

Happy Hump Day! The day of the week hasn't really mattered for me for a good while since I'm retired, and I'm sure some of you who are out of work or working from home due to the COVID thing can relate, but I needed an opening, so there you have it.

Today's fun started off with a 3.2 mi slow run after my morning cup of black tea but before breakfast, keeping an eye on my heart rate (more on that in another post).  I wasn't shooting for any speed records, but although I had been walking/running anywhere from 3-6 mi almost daily, I've changed things up lately (more on that later too) and haven't run even 3 mi in a while so wanted to take it easy today.

After settling in for a few minutes, I blended a smoothie for breakfast, out of:

• Couple of ounces of almond and coconut milk (no added sugar)
• Few shakes of ground ginger and cinnamon
• About 3/4 scoop of vanilla protein powder
• Small handful of mixed salad greens
• Chunk of zucchini, avocado, and cauliflower
• A few frozen blueberries and strawberries

I got my fruits and veggies, (good) fat (from the avocado), and some of the protein there, and had a hard boiled egg for more protein, and to have just a little something to chew.  That's pretty much my standard breakfast on most days, although I do change it up once in a while.

Once the intense fog burned off, it turned out to be a beautifully sunny day, so I hitched up the dogs and got another half mile walk in, this time barefoot (that's one of those things I figured some of you might freak out about, but I promise, it's a good thing, and I'll relate more about that later too).

Lunch was a plain hamburger from grass-fed ground beef, cooked in my new mini air fryer along with some frozen mixed veggies, with a pat of butter (from grass-fed dairy cows).   There's not enough fat in that small amount of butter, so a small handful of mixed nuts rounded that out.  I'm not sure yet what dinner will be, but will likely include some of the remaining beef.

If I expounded on all of the 'why I'm doing this' things in this post, it would be pages and pages long, so I'm being considerate and making a list of topics for future posts.  I've added a half dozen things just while typing this one, so now to make sure I follow through.  I guess if you want to know the background on some of the oddball things I'm undertaking, you'll have to keep reading this blog.  😀

Now I'm enjoying a mug of green tea, and contemplating what to do with the rest of my day, which will probably include TV and a crochet hook at some point, and maybe just a little light weights to work on arms.

Tip of the Day:  

I eat a lot of mixed salad greens, and usually buy the large plastic containers of whatever is in season.  I find that, even though I pick through them to find the one with the latest date, some of the greens still get soggy and icky even after the first day.  Every time I use some, I shake the container to try to aerate it a little better, but had an a-ha moment the other day and decided to store it upside down.  Each time I use it now, I shake it a bit and alternate between putting it upside down and right side up.  So far, so good!

What good things are you doing for a better you today?

~ Marie Anne

Reviving, reevaluating, and moving forward

Yes, I've been a bad girl and let this blog die out yet again.  I've also been scarce on social media and since that's so out of character for me, some friends have been wondering if everything's ok.  Yep, it is!  

I've had a couple things pop up health-wise (some old, some new) that had me reevaluate the crappy lifestyle choices that sent me down that path, so I'm once again on a journey to better overall health through proper nutrition and healthier fitness activities suitable for my age and current weight.  I'm happy to report that in just a few weeks I've already experienced a number of very positive effects from those changes, and I'm excited to continue on the journey to be the best ME that I can be!

So instead of posting inane nonsense on Facebook all day (Full disclosure:  I have been playing Farmville, but that's going away at the end of the year, so I'm allowing myself that guilty pleasure for now), I've been devouring books and blog posts, and listening to several good podcasts ... all of which I'll be sharing with you here.  Some of the things I'm doing might seem laughable as they're not exactly conventional, but hey, they work for me, and if I can't make any converts, at least I will have entertained you (and those who see me out on the road), and I'll still take that as a win.

So what positives do I have to report so far?

• 12 lb weight loss since late June (taking it slow and easy, the right way)
• BP is back within normal limits (wasn't extremely high, but still not good)
• Much better sleep, both quality and quantity (NO episodes of insomnia for months!)
• Better balance and coordination (nope, I haven't tripped over my own feet!)
• General overall feeling of wellness

I've been pre-diabetic for years with an HBA1C of 6.2 - 6.4, and my total cholesterol level is always very high (often over 300), so I'm anxious to see what my next round of labs reveal.

No, I'm not selling supplements or snake oil, just eating good food and eliminating the junk, and not overdoing it in the exercise department.  I am taking a few supplements, but no crazy fad diet stuff, and nothing that I'll be peddling for financial gain.  Any books, podcasts, or supplements that I mention will be just to share as a part of the overall better me, not for promotional purposes.  (In the off chance that I do become an affiliate of something down the road, it will be fully disclosed, and I still won't promote it just for what I might get out of it).

My goal is to post at least several times a week, even if it's just to mention what physical activities I undertook that day and how I felt, and any positive progress to report.  I hope you'll follow along on my journey, and maybe learn a little something along the way.

~ Marie Anne