Just Open the Door and Go Outside
What a week of weather contrasts. We have gone from bitter cold with frost delays on the golf course to gorgeous sunshine and warm breezes. Walking has been a challenge because of the cold. I just never seem to know what to wear. Monday was 35 degrees and sunny. I bundled up and headed out the door with my loyal walking buddy, Wyke, for a fast trot around the island. We did stop to admire the heron in the pond (I’m in the picture too, that’s my shadow) We did 3.48 miles in 55 minutes which is just under a 16 minute mile. A great pace working towards my goal of doing the 10k on February 3rd in an hour and half. My pup motivates me as he likes to walk fast and once we get his ablutions taken care of he is terrific. It has taken some time to get him to be a good companion but he is certainly getting there. I am actually following a training plan towards my goal so I don’t go out every day but alternate with other activities that help to strengthen and move those muscles. Zumba is a favorite and totally different with a lot of upper body movement. Yoga is a must. If I didn’t do the restorative yoga twice a week I am not sure I would be able to keep going at the pace that I am right now. Muscles get sore and sometimes overused and even strained so taking care of them is a priority. Wednesday’s training was a 5 mile with a goal of under 17.42 minutes per mile. I am definitely an over achiever as I averaged 16.14 but I felt so good I didn’t want to slow down. The temperature had warmed up to a whopping 45 degrees and it felt balmy. I was soaked when I got home. Way over dressed again. Thursday was a wonderful yoga workout and stretching that really is improving that sore butt of mine. Again on Friday a 3 mile this time as fast as I could go and I came in at 15.46. Was really happy with that one and this time not so overdressed. Saturday came along and what a glorious day. Different kind of walk, I split it in half with a two hour workshop on Dynamic Aging given by our yoga teacher Carol. We worked a lot on balance and dexterity but the real take away was how to integrate things on a daily basis. Short of putting a 2 X 4 in my living room, what other things can I/we do to challenge ourselves each and every day to use those muscles that we need so very much to keep us going as we age. Push ups on the kitchen counter, squats when loading the dishwasher or emptying the dryer, stretching the calf muscles on the stairs or a front step, sitting properly in a chair, using a tennis ball to massage your feet or your lower back. There are endless ideas. I have just ordered two books that hopefully will help me get creative and find ways to incorporate movement that will keep me strong. How about taking an elastic around your fingers at the first joint and then trying to open your hand as far as you can. My hands are weaker than I would like them to be despite being a mad typist, so I love that exercise and I use the elastic that comes off the broccoli cause it is thick and strong. Plus the broccoli is good for you!
The books I ordered are Dynamic Aging: Simple Exercises for Whole-Body Mobility by Katy Bowman and Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement Expanded Edition also by Katy Bowman. You can get them through Amazon. Stay tuned, there will be more once I actually get to read the books.
Why I have White Hair on Everything!
I don’t often have an opportunity to take a photograph of the fur crowd all together as they are either running around the house like they are on speed or they are sleeping somewhere separate from each other. As you can see, there is a color code for being a fur baby in this house, and that would be white, with a dash of color on the girls. It seems there is more pet fur around this house than normal and I am beginning to think it is the fact that we have been more housebound than normal because of the cold weather. The cats do not go outside as we were told they are so friendly they don’t know there are situations where they might need to defend themselves. However, the little one, seen here on the back of the chair, cries incessantly when Wyke goes outside and even goes so far as to throw herself at the door if she sees John go out with Wyke. Not sure what to do about it except to put her harness on her and take her out too. Both cats are devils when they get near a screen and try to push it out so we open windows from the top. We’ll see where this goes.
Cooking Big Pots of Chili and Making Chicken Salad
I love it when I have go to my own blog to get a recipe. That was the case this week when I was asked to make a Vegetarian Chili to take to a church supper. Yes, said I, I know just the thing. So I went to the blog from last week and made the Sweet Potato Chili. It was delicious and I came home with a mostly empty crock pot. I doubled the recipe as it was for a crowd and discovered that doubling the cayenne pepper wasn’t such a great idea. However, I did discover that true chili lovers like it spicy. Hold back a little on the cayenne though.
This leads me to this week’s recipe. It is courtesy of Crème de la Crumb a really fun recipe blog that I found while perusing for something different to make for dinner. I enjoyed it but I think I would just use cut up chicken and not bother with the shredded chicken. I did toast the pine nuts and they were yummy. The dressing was really, really good and would make an excellent low fat dip if that is what you are interested in. I used regular mayo and regular Greek yogurt. The salad really is a lovely mix of flavors and textures. I forgot to take a picture of it. Sorry.
Greek Avocado Chicken Salad
Ingredients
2-4 cups shredded chicken
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/2 cup halved kalamata olives
1 12-ounce jar julienned sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and gently rinsed
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted, optional)
Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil extra virgin recommended
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt I use 0% fat
1/4 cup reduced fat mayo may sub extra Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried dill or 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar white wine vinegar recomended
juice of 1/2 lemon
In a jar or bowl, combine all dressing ingredients. Whisk until well blended and set aside. In a large bowl combine all salad ingredients. Pour dressing over the top, then toss well to combine. Serve immediately or cover tightly and store chilled up to 3 days.
