Livin' Healthy and Gluten-Free in Kansas

On top of everything else...

2012-01-10T15:42:00.000-06:00

I am a type 2 diabetic. I was diagnosed with diabetes around 14 years ago. I have taken various oral medications since then. I took the pills - faithfully but I didn't do much else. I seldom took my BG. I made up the #'s I told my doctor (like he wouldn't be able to tell I was lying from the A1c he was about to have drawn). That was then.

2 years ago I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. This changed my life a lot. I had to go gluten-free and I was good about it. I attended support group meetings and I read all labels before eating anything.

1.5 years ago I had a heart attack.

Now, I am going all out and taking care of my diabetes. I'm testing. I'm eating well. I'm exercising. I'm happy. I found the DOC and I love it here.

More later... I just wanted to give this a start and to come out of the closet with my diabetes.

Thanks for reading.

Things I'm lovin' right now

2011-11-04T13:45:00.000-05:00

Fall - taking long walks through the multicolored leaves
Barnes & Noble - just spending a Saturday afternoon browsing in the books and reading all the magazines I can't afford to buy
Spending time with my daughter and baby grandson, Ivan, who's 6 months old (see photo above)
Pumpkins - on my porch, in a smoothie, in pie, pancakes, in a bowl, in a glass or any old way
Coffee drinks - I'm addicted to skim, sugar-free, non-whip vanilla lattes
Twitter - mostly reading other's tweets
Cookbooks - I have 80 at last count
My front porch - I love to sit out there and read magazine
Magazines - I won't tell how many I subscribe to but it isn't enough no matter how many there are

What are you lovin right now?

The Mercury hit 112* F for the first time since 1936

2011-08-03T10:15:00.001-05:00

No matter how you measure it, Yesterday it was hot in Topeka

THE TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL

"If there is a silver lining in the searing heat wave scorching the Midwest, it is of its historic nature. Topekans can one day tell their offspring how they walked to summer school uphill both ways in temperatures that reached a staggering 112 degrees, melting the sidewalks.

Kids and grandkids may roll their eyes, but a portion of that story actually will be true.

Topekans on Tuesday sweltered through the capital city's highest temperature in nearly 75 years.

The National Weather Service reported the mercury topped out at 112 degrees Tuesday afternoon at its office near Philip Billard Municipal Airport.

Temperatures previously had last gotten that high locally on Aug. 15, 1936, when they reached 112 degrees, said Shawn Byrne, a meteorologist for the weather service's Topeka office.

The 112-degree reading also eclipsed the city's past record high for Aug. 2 of 106, set in 2010. The city's top heat index Tuesday also was 112.

The weather service reported Tuesday's temperature was among the six highest ever recorded in Topeka.

The other mercury readings on that list were:

■ The city's all-time high of 114, on July 24, 1936.

■ The city's record high for August of 113, recorded on Aug. 13 and Aug. 14, 1936.

■ 112, recorded on Aug. 10 and Aug. 15, 1936.

Byrne said Topeka set an unofficial all-time high Tuesday when the mercury reached 105 before noon, which was the city's highest such mark since the weather service in 1978 began keeping unofficial records of the highest temperatures recorded in the capital city by noon.

The weather service has been keeping weather records in Topeka since 1887.

Tuesday marked the 21st day this year that triple-digit temperatures had been recorded in Topeka. The city's record number of 100-degree days in a year is 59, set in 1936.

Topeka's highest number of triple-digit temperature days in a year since 1954, when it saw 30, came in 1980, when it recorded 24."

I'm praying that fall comes early.

How about you?

Astraphobia

2011-06-17T07:52:00.000-05:00

What's that you say? It's the fear of lightning and thunder and yes, I have it. I've been afraid of lightning since I was 9 years old. I remember walking beside an old brick building with my mother. A bolt of lightning hit the chimney of the building and bricks scattered all around me. I don't remember being hit by the falling bricks but my mother said that I opened my mouth to scream and no sound came out. I was struck dumb. Since then I cringe when I see lightning. It's a reflex. I don't run and hide under the bed like my cat does but I absolutely experience fear. Fortunately it's not bad enough that I need to seek treatment. I guess having a phobia makes me human and that's a good thing.

What's yours?

More later...

Oh what a tangled web

2011-06-15T17:09:00.000-05:00

Spent a few minutes this morning sitting on my front porch in the mid 60 degree temps, holding my big black lap cat, and watching a crafty little spider make its web. The web spanned several feet from pole to pole. I watched quietly. No need to destroy all the work that went into spinning it.After all, spiders help get rid of insects and the web wasn't in my way. I simply enjoyed the early morning example of the glorious things we can see in the natural world.

Then I went to work.

More later...

Fishing for new ideas

2011-06-14T15:32:00.000-05:00

Recently I had one of those amazing "ah-hah" moments. You know the kind where you stop what you are doing and let the thoughts ripple through your mind. It's the kind of feeling that is shown in comic strips as a light bulb glowing over someone's head. I love eating fish. I grew up in south Louisiana during a time when seafood was clean, plentiful, and definitely local. We used to buy directly from the men who were responsible for the catch. We didn't have to worry about oil spills in the Gulf. We didn't know about the dangers of overfishing because most of the folks out on the water were from small outfits with men who lived in the area. Often the fish was still thrashing around. Now that's a fresh catch folks. I was absolutely spoiled by what was available in the marketplace that was south Louisiana in the 60's. Not to mention that what we bought was inexpensive.

That was then. Today I live in a landlocked area in the middle of the country. Most of what is available has been frozen. I've been here for 16 years. I left the south on July 4, 1995. I don't remember buying fish to cook at home since then. I remember what I had then and wouldn't be happy with what I found in Topeka, KS. During my "ah-hah" moment that changed. I decided to seek out information on buying the best, most sustainable fish I could find locally. What kick-started my sea change (pardon the pun) was reading this article The Truth About Fish from the June 2011 issue of Self magazine. It got me to thinking. I decided to learn more about sustainable fishing and to start combing the area to make the best choices I could regarding buying seafood. I will begin eating fish again.

More later...

Gratitude for a Wednesday

2011-04-20T08:21:00.001-05:00

This morning I was standing in my doorway waiting for my ride. The sun was coming up over the houses across the street and I saw the yellow flowers blooming on the dandelions growing across my yard. They were beautiful even if they were just weeds. The sun's rays were glowing through the branches of the newly budded trees and I was thankful for the glorious morning I was enjoying. I started thinking about all the things I was grateful for. I have a home to live in - a roof over my head for protection. There is plenty of good healthy food in my kitchen waiting to be prepared. I have enough clothes to cover my body in between trips to the laundromat. I own a car even though it is currently not licensed to drive. A sweet cat purrs at my feet as he rubs against my legs and I have a job that I love to go to each day. My health is getting better every day with all the changes I have been able to make . I found myself content and happy and that is enough for me.

Are you grateful for what life has given you?

See what a free dozen eggs caused

2011-04-06T11:45:00.001-05:00

I was shopping at my local grocery yesterday and because I had a coupon for a free dozen I was checking out the selections of eggs. This is a small grocery for 2011 and their selection isn't always the greatest but I go by it on my way home from work every day. Convenience wins out on some days. I observed that they had some labeled cage-free. I was surprised but I know that cage-free means just that. The chickens may not be in cages but they can still be overcrowded into large buildings. It doesn't have to mean humanely treated. I don't eat eggs for the most part. I use them in making other types of food like pancakes on occasion. So it's not an overwhelming issue for me. However, yesterday I was reading a new blog I've found called Nutrition By Carrie. I noticed she also authors another blog Carrie's Urban Farm. Her most recent post showed photos of her chickens. In one photo someone was holding one of the chickens and their feathers looked so healthy and shiny. I started reading her posts about her experiences raising them and caring for them and I decided right then that I want my eggs, even though I only buy a couple of dozen a year, to come from hens who are cared for like them. Yes, I picked-up a carton of the regular eggs (that's what the coupon was for) but I've become politicized about eating eggs. From now on I'm only going to buy eggs from humanely raised chickens from local farms. Living in Kansas I assume they are available somewhere within reason.

Off of the soapbox for now...

A Healthy Tuesday

2011-04-05T08:55:00.000-05:00

It's a little after 8:30AM and here's a glimpse of what I've done for my health so far this morning:

Eaten two servings of fruit

Had two tablespoons of ground flax seeds

Enjoyed a 15 minute ride on my indoor bike

Drank a cup of green tea

Experienced a full range of upper body stretches

Applied sunscreen

Brushed and flossed my teeth

Taken my prescribed meds and supplements for the day

Not a bad start for being two and a half hours into my Tuesday.

What good things have you done for your health today?

Supermarket Vegan

2011-03-07T10:09:00.000-06:00

It's been nearly a year and a half since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I remember wondering what I would be able to eat. It seemed as though everything I ate on a normal day contained gluten. I was lucky to find a local support group who helped me find my way into the world of gluten-free foods. I found some excellent blogs and began reading how others handled day-to-day life with Celiac. Over the last year I've phased out processed foods. I prefer eating foods that are naturally gluten-free: fruits, vegetables, some dairy, whole grains such as quinoa and millet and every now and then a little meat. I love collecting cookbooks and over the year I've gotten quite a few gluten-free ones. The problem is that most of them no longer meet my needs. They focus on baked goods using processed foods instead of whole foods. About two weeks ago I found the world of vegetarian and vegan bloggers and am finding all kinds of new things to try. This weekend I purchased what may turn out to be my favorite cookbook of the year Supermarket Vegan by Donna Klein. I've already earmarked several recipes to try. I like the fact that she focuses on foods which are easily found in the average grocery store. No runs to the health food store every week.

It's amazing how small changes added up over time can turn life in such a different direction.

What's your favorite cookbook?

Upper Body Time

2011-01-28T11:23:00.000-06:00

I keep singing "It's upper body time, it's upper body time" to the tune of the Howdy Doody theme song. I know, I'm really dating myself. Since I can't do much cardio due to the tear in my meniscus (at least til after I get the cortisone shot next Tuesday) I've been focusing on doing upper body strength work.

I'm doing dumbell lifts to strengthen my forearms, biceps, triceps, shoulders and upper back. I love weight work. I do 3 sets of decreasing reps 15-12-10 using 5-10 lb weights. It's a pretty good workout. I follow it with some good old fashioned stretches from Bob Anderson's book Stretching for about 15 minutes. My muscles are nice and warm and tingly after that. I've used his movements for many years and they never fail me.

I do the weight workouts on alternating days and the stretching everyday. Love it!

More later...

Sleep

2011-01-25T09:21:00.000-06:00

There's been a lot written in the press lately about the lack of sleep and obesity. There appears to be a correlation between the amount of time one spends sleeping and the amount of weight one carries. I find these articles disturbing because I've had a hard time sleeping more than 5 hours a night since my heart attack and my weight loss has stalled since then. For reasons other than my concern over my weight my primary care doc scheduled me for a sleep study. I put it off for several months but finally had it done on January 10, 2011. I was absolutely certain that I wouldn't be able to sleep hooked up to all those wires (head, chest, and legs). The room looked like one that could be found in any high class hotel. The bed was comfortable and quite cushy. Only the bathroom looked like any other hospital bathroom - clean, but sterile. It took nearly an hour to hook me up to the monitors. They even use glue to get the leads to stick in your hair (they use acetone to remove them). Strangely I had the best night's sleep I'd had in months. I decided that a lot of my problems had to do with sleep hygiene (that's what they called it). In other words, I had some poor sleep habits. Since then I turn out all the lights. I don't go to sleep with the TV on. I got new pillows. I make my bed every morning so that my sheets don't get covered in cat hair (it makes me itch). I also have cut way back on my caffeine intake. I don't drink caffeine after 9AM. It's all made a difference. I'm sleeping much better. I still get up between 4AM - 5AM but I go to sleep earlier. The lab report came back this week. I only snore lightly and occasionally which I was happy about. There are no signs of sleep apnea (which is what they were trying to rule out). They did notice periods of arousal associated with leg movements so there's a possibility of Periodic Limb Movement Disorder which is kind of like Restless Legs Syndrome. I can live with that. It's a funny thing about the caffeine and the sleep hygiene stuff. I would have sworn that none of that stuff mattered but it turns out that making changes has paid off. I now get closer to 7 hours a night and the weight is coming off again, slowly but that's ok.

How's your sleep?

Hypoglycemia

2011-01-21T09:06:00.001-06:00

Lest I begin to sound like Pollyanna I want to let you know that I faced a challenge yesterday. I am a type 2 diabetic and last night after walking for 20 min on the treadmill I had a low blood sugar event (for those of you to whom this will mean something it was 79). Not so low as to be dangerous but low enough that I was having symptoms. I get sweaty and shaky and I want SUGAR. Of course, I wasn’t prepared to treat the low right away. That’s a mistake a seasoned diabetic should never make. I waited until I got home and by then I was stumbling through the snow and ravenous. Let’s just say I didn’t make good choices. I ate way more than I needed. It was all healthy food but the quantity was much more than my body required. I was uncomfortably full and disappointed that I handled it badly. Today I brought extra snacks with me and I have my glucose tablets to take to the gym. If I have a low I will treat it immediately instead of waiting. Lesson learned – again.

More later...

Self-talk

2011-01-20T11:01:00.000-06:00

Self-talk. I didn’t think I did it but last night while riding my recumbent exercise bike I realized that I do. I found myself thinking things like:

I love riding my bike.

The energy I get from doing this is incredible.

I’ll sleep so well tonight,

I’m so glad I’m doing this.

Someone, a very long time ago, tried to get me to do affirmations and I couldn’t. I didn’t feel right saying positive things to myself. My self-opinion was too low at the time. I guess that’s changed because now I find that I am giving myself affirmations spontaneously at all hours of the day. I consider that to be a good thing. When those thoughts pop into my head I’m going to try and remember them so that I can write them down in my fitness logbook. That way when I need an extra dose of motivation I can read them and give myself a boost.

Do you engage in self-talk?

One small step..

2011-01-19T09:32:00.000-06:00

I've been working on building up my endurance since I broke my ankle at the end of July 2010. Yesterday, I walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill at 2.5 miles per hour for a total of 1.22 miles. That's the longest I've walked at one time since the surgery. It felt good to walk for that long. I'm very lucky to have a Fitness Center next door to my office. It makes coming up with excuses not to go a little difficult which is a good thing. I can't wait until the weather clears up and I can walk outside. My first goal is to make the loop around Washburn University's campus again. That's about a 2.5 mile walk and I was doing it daily before the accident. I can feel that reaching my goal is getting closer.

Today we're forecasted to get 10 inches of blowing snow. We already have several inches on the ground which is very pretty but not good for outdoor exercise.

More later...

Either change my habits or...

2011-01-18T12:44:00.000-06:00

I love being around folks who are working on their lives. I seem to be drawn to them and the process they go through on the road to self- improvement. How does one effect change? Just do it? Plan? Strategize? I’m working on an idea based on a quote that got me to thinking about my own life. I found it in a magazine article on heart disease. A woman stated that she needed to “either change my habits or die”. I understand how she feels. I’ve come a long way these past two years but there’s still a lot of stuff that needs work. I’d love to wave a magic wand and be in the place I’d like to be in a few years. One example is getting off sugar – but I know it only works if I do one small thing at a time. So for now I’m cutting out the caffeine. I’m down to no caffeine before 5AM or after 10AM. I tell you that some days 10AM feels awfully early but I’m hanging in there. In a few weeks caffeine will be history in my life. I never thought it bothered me but I am sleeping so much better these days and I find that I’m calmer in general. It may be all in my head but that’s ok. I like the feeling and I plan to continue to feel this way.

More later...

Mr and Mrs Logan Boese

2011-01-04T14:52:00.001-06:00

May I introduce to you my daughter and her husband. They got married on October 30, 2010 in Atchison, KS. It was a Hallween themed wedding and everyone was supposed to come in costume. I came as the mother of the bride.

Tea

2010-12-08T16:36:00.000-06:00

I started my morning around 4:30AM with a strawberry, almond milk, and whey protein smoothie. It was quite filling. After that I hopped on my recumbent bike for a 30 minute all out ride. Followed that with 45 minutes of a yoga DVD I’ve been trying to finish without stopping for a rest. Only one rest break today – yay.

I'm hooked on Davidson's Tea. My favorite flavor is Rooibos Spiced Chai. There's something so relaxing about holding the warm cup in your hands and slowly sipping the warm spicy brew. That's what I've asked for for Christmas - a box of tea bags in that flavor. Before I eat dinner in the evening I have a cup and drink it slowly over about half an hour. It helps me to slow down my eating and fills me up, too.

I’ve got to get a camera so I can put pictures up here. My daughter is supposed to be bringing me one on Friday. Can’t wait to try it out.

More later…

Goals for 2011

2010-12-06T14:54:00.000-06:00

Today I want to share a post with you from Caitlin's blog Healthy Tipping Point. Today she shared her list of non-mileage related goals. I love her list. Many of them are also on my list of goals for 2011.

In 2011 I want to:

Learn to hold a full plank for 60 seconds.

Do 25 squats without a rest

Work on hamstring flexibility to a plus 3 - 4

Walk around Washburn's (a local university) campus again

Walk 3.o mph at a 2.0 or greater elevation for 30 minutes

Meditate every day for 30 days working up to 20 minutes per session

Finish a 60 minute yoga DVD without resting

Walk the Shunga trail from Washburn to Fairlawn and back

These are just a start. I'll add to the list as I come up with ideas.

Ya'll check out Caitlin's post and blog. You'll love it as much as I do. The photo is of Caitlin from her blog. I hope she doesn't mind me using it to introduce her to my readers.

More later...

Early morning

2010-11-30T09:06:00.000-06:00

Started my day at 4AM with a “Green Monster”. I made the basic, no frills, version:

1 c vanilla almond milk
1 frozen banana
2 large handfuls of baby spinach

Whirl in blender until smooth and enjoy.

For those of you who have never had one, you can’t taste the spinach. They’re really good and good for you, too.

I followed the smoothie with 30 minutes on the stationary bike and an hour of yoga. It felt so good. My muscles were all warm and singing.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T16:51:00.000-06:00

How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was much better than expected. I went to my cousin’s in Leavenworth, KS. I was worried that there wouldn’t be anything to eat except what I brought but my cousin (who fortunately loves to cook) decided to experiment with gluten-free flours and cake mixes. I got to have lots of stuff. It was a pleasant day made more so by starting with some wine and cheese. I mellowed out and just plain enjoyed the company. Thanks for inviting me Cathy.

Today, I am thankful for family.

More later...

Thoughts of exercise

2010-11-05T12:48:00.000-05:00

I’m going through a period where all I can think about is exercise and food. When I’m not actively in the process of exercise I’m reading about it. I read food labels on every little thing I buy. I bought honey yesterday that didn’t have a label and I wondered what was in it. I assume it was 100% honey but with no label who knows. I’m eating cleanly and it shows in my energy level and my desire to stay up off the couch. My new favorite magazine is Oxygen. It’s published by the same folks who publish Clean Eating. It doesn’t have all the fluff that some other fitness magazines have. I’ve even subscribed to it. Can’t wait until the next issue.

I’m starting to add elevation when I walk on the treadmill. I’m still not very fast after my ankle injury but I’m building endurance. Yesterday at 1.0 elevation and 2.2 mph it felt really good. I felt like I was working and not just rehabbing an injury. I think I might be in the market for a Garmin thingy. I like having all the data. Any suggestions from those who use one?

More later…

My first original recipe

2010-11-05T09:41:00.000-05:00

Go to breakfast:

1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup chilled crushed pineapple in its own juice
Splash of good quality vanilla extract
Cinnamon to taste
Sweetner of choice to taste (I use 3 packets of Equal)

Stir until well combined and enjoy.

Serves: 1

Not listening to your body?

2010-10-20T10:32:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. It was late, considering the fact I’ve been getting up around 4:30AM, and all I did not want to get up. It took a few minutes but I got up anyway. I took my Calcium tablets which are supposed to be taken before a meal and got on the recumbent exercise bicycle. About 5 minutes into the ride I saw a lump laying in the living room floor. I had to get off to see what it was. I stopped the timer and walked over to the lump. It was a present from my cat – a freshly killed mouse. I disposed of the mouse and got back on the bike. I rode for a full 20 minutes. I felt better but still sluggish. It’s 10AM now and I feel like exercising. I’ve done two full Anderson stretching sessions (they last about 10 minutes each). One was meant to be done before you take a walk and one is titled Computer & Desk Stretches. Both felt really good. I have some energy now.

On the other hand – what about listening to your body. Wasn’t my body telling me that I needed sleep? Should I have listened to it and gotten a couple of extra hours? What about taking a day off every now and then? Isn’t that ok? I’m so new to all this that I don’t have answers, just questions. Any help would be appreciated.

More later….

Truman Capote

2010-10-19T09:49:00.001-05:00

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.- Truman Capote

Healthy Ashley and the Urbanathlon

2010-10-18T11:24:00.000-05:00

Check out Ashley's posts on her experiences with the Nike Urbanathlon in Chicago. Great posts and great pics. Thanks Ashely for the inspiration one more time.

http://healthyashley.blogspot.com/2010/10/men-health-urbanathlon-race-recap.html

Cholesterol

2010-10-15T13:39:00.000-05:00

I had my blood drawn this morning for a lipid panel (cholesterol test). The blood was drawn at just after 7:30AM and I got the results before noon. I was quite surprised. My cholesterol values were:

Total: 146, optimal is less than 200

LDL: 75, optimal is less than 100

HDL: 33, optimal is greater than 50 for women
Triglycerides: 192, optimal is less than 150

Looks like I still have some work to do. The nurse told me to keep exercising because that would help bring up the HDL. In fact, it was 28 when I had my heart attack so it's already come up some.

Have you had your cholesterol checked lately?

Quote from a Shape Reader

2010-10-14T08:41:00.000-05:00

"I think about how lucky I am to have a body that can be so active -- health is a gift, and it shouldn't be taken for granted." -- Candida Junor, Shape Reader p. 199 Sept 2009.

Bill Cosby

2010-10-12T10:03:00.000-05:00

"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."
Bill Cosby

Early to bed...

2010-10-11T11:22:00.000-05:00

Early to rise. I don't know why but I've been waking up around 4AM for the last couple of weeks. My alarm is set for 6:15AM so that's a BIG difference. I've been using the time to do such things as pick-up the house, sweep, do dishes, clean the bathroon and EXERCISE. This morning I rode my recumbent exercise bike, did 30 minutes of yoga on the mat, and did an entire upper body workout with 5 pound weights. 5's are really too light but I can't manage a full well-executed 8 reps with the 10's. I need to find some 8's. I'm really enjoying getting things done. I have so much energy. Then at sunrise I take a walk. This morning it was raining so I didn't but hopefully I can when I get home this afternoon. The orthopedic doc hasn't released me to do too much on my ankle so I only walk around my block but that's more than I could do a week ago. I see him in 2 weeks and I'm hoping he'll release me from some more of the restrictions. Wish me luck.

Essayer de vivre une vie saine

2010-09-28T10:32:00.000-05:00

Trying to live a healthy life.

Today Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point wrote about what she eats before a long run and I realized that I don't plan to eat anything before a walk. Of course, up until now, my longest walk has been just a little over an hour. I plan to drink water while I am walking but I don't fuel myself before I go. Maybe I am missing an important part of the process. So, I read her post and all the comments and the fuel seems to be a mixture of a good protein source with some carbohydrate thrown in for good measure. Oatmeal seems to figure prominently in many of the concoctions and I can't eat oatmeal. When I can walk again I'm going to make a point of finding a good pre-exercise meal to give me the strength and stamina to complete the walk without feeling so wrung out that I just plop down on the furniture and don't move for about 30 minutes. Anyone with any ideas that don't involve eggs or gluten let me know.

More later...

Yoga without bending your ankle

2010-09-24T11:37:00.000-05:00

I'm working on a 5 min routine I found on The Fitnessista's Facebook page. I love the flow of the moves but I can't bend my ankle so I have to modify some of the poses. Anybody got any ideas? While I can't DO as much I'm reading MORE but I am missing the movement and the aerobics aspects of exercise.

Today I did a wheelchair run to the other end of the hospital and back. That's about 4 blocks. It felt good in my arms.

More later...

My kettlebell is a funny shade of green

2010-09-18T13:45:00.000-05:00

I went to Wal-Mart today and bought an 8# kettlebell. Several weeks ago my cousin who has been helping me since I broke my ankle got one and I sat in my wheelchair on the sidewalk in front of the building where we work and did triceps presses. The next day my triceps didn't hurt but the surrounding muscles did which I thought was need cuz it meant the motion was working something and my triceps were strong enough for that exercise. I wanted my own to play with and now I have it. I haven't taken it out of the box yet but I will tonight when I get home. As I've said in several responses and on my FB page I'm having some trouble being motivated to keep exercising since I can't walk. Ya'll beam me good thoughts and ideas on things to do while I can't walk for more than a few feet at a time. I've been instructed that I can do weight bearing as tolerated on the right foot but that's not very much and it's disappointing to be able to do so little. Let me hear from you...

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

2010-09-15T16:48:00.000-05:00

Go Hawks !!!!

Celiac Folk Meet Saturday Morning

2010-09-13T11:23:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning was our local Celiac Awareness Group. There were about 40 people (including the non-celiac family of the celiacs) and lots of food. It's so nice to be able to choose what to eat without worrying whether or not you'll have symptoms. Very freeing. I brought a pineapple upside down cake which is my favorite in the real world. Let me assure it was well received. Lots of people brought samples of things they'd found in the stores and had found enjoyable to prepare. Coffee, water, and of course, I brought my diet-coke. There were lots of new members and therefore lots of misconceptions to be cleared up. Sharon (the president) is a whiz and I always bring my library skills along. It's good to be reminded that eating food with gluten in it can hurt us even though we can't feel it hurting us.

If you have Celiac Disease find your own group locally and go regularly. You'll be glad you did.

More later....

Thera-band Day

2010-09-03T09:59:00.000-05:00

Today was thera-band day. YAY!!! My Home Health Aide brought me a sheet of exercises for people who are wheelchair bound and I had such a good time. I moved from the green band to the blue (up one level) because the green just doesn't challenge me anymore. There were 10 exercises, all pretty basic, but fun. I want to get a book of thera-band workouts but I can't find any in Topeka. Will have to order from Amazon (not a bad thing - I love Amazon).

I also did my floor stretching routine, mat leg stretches, and a bunch of wheelchair push ups. Lets not forget wheeling the chair all over the hospital. I go as fast as I can. Feel like I'm getting back in the groove. Feels better. The thing I was most afraid of about this injury is that I'd lose all the endurance and flexibility I'd worked so hard to build up. Guess I'm doing ok.

More later...

Missing the Exercise

2010-09-02T09:59:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how you can get used to something and when it's gone it feels like such a loss. I miss the 3 mandatory and 1 1/2 hours of exercise I was getting at KRH. I'm still getting in quite a bit of exercise but I miss the apparatus which were available in rehab. I don't have the arm ergometer for aerobics and I don't have the blueprint of the the required sessions. Most of all I miss the raised mats for yoga and stretching. I'm still doing the mat exercise but on my bed which isn't the best surface, some stretching, upper body weights, some thera-band, and seated leg exs. It's not nothing but I need me some aerobics. Anyone have any ideas on getting the old heart rate up there while sitting in a wheelchair? Please chime in I need the advice.

I'm back at work. Today is the third day. I'm getting around pretty well. I went for a bone density test first thing this morning. The break happened so easily that the doc wanted to check things out. I don't have any osteoporosis on my Mom's side and I don't have any way of knowing about my Dad's genetics so the test will tell. I hope to get the results back by the time I see the doc next Thursday.

My food is good. For breakfast I had cottage cheese with crushed pineapple, a drop of bourbon vanilla, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Yum.

More later...

Goodbye-Tuesday

2010-08-23T06:49:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my last day at Kansas Rehab. I've really enjoyed my stay, Got in lots of exercise, learned tons of new stuff and met some nice people. The environement was one of healing and getting better and although some folks fought the process most were willing to do whatever it took to get better. I have mixed feelings about leaving. Part of me wants to stay and be taken care of and take Andy's thera-band class, and do PT with Francis, and all the other fun physical training I've been doing. But it's time to go home and get back to work. I won't be able to bear weight on the ankle for at least 3 more weeks which should make getting around home quite interesting. I have a wheelchair, a walker, and a cute little bench for the shower. I'm hoping I can get my wheelchair up the new ramp built onto my front porch. Tomorrow will be the test. I don't know what I'll do about my laundry since the washer/dryer are in the basement and I can't go down the stairs. I guess I'll have to ask for help. That will be difficult. I've already asked so many people to do so much for me that I feel I'm running out of goodwill.

More later...

Signs of a Stroke

2010-08-18T10:12:00.000-05:00

Got this info from my Fort Worth friend Ken and Carrie. Thanks for the good info. I havent' had to live through this one but my mother did.

This is good info--pass it on. Blood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue STROKE:

Remember the 1st Three Letters.... S. T. R. STROKE IDENTIFICATION:During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this... A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough... RECOGNIZING A STROKE Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn! Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions: S *Ask the individual to SMILE.T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)(i.e. It is sunny out today.)R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

Titanium

2010-08-15T07:11:00.000-05:00

Well guys, this is the second Sunday I have spent at Kansas Rehabilitation Hospital with a broken ankle. Two weeks ago (on my birthday of all days) I fell and broke it in two places. Had to have surgery and now have two titanium plates, a small brace and a bunch of screws in my right ankle. I am unable to put weight on that foot and will be for awhile so I am in rehab learning how to deal with living on one foot. I think I get out on Tuesday.

While I was in the hospital my house was robbed. They took all my appliances includeing my new window air conditioning unit and all my electronics. Going home will be a lot of fun.

Has anyone tried Theraband? I am in love with it. We use it in one of my rehab classes. I was surprised at the great workout I got. I'm looking for a book with some instructions so I can continue to use it at home.

More later....

Tastebuds are screwy

2010-07-13T07:46:00.000-05:00

I thought I was doing better in the produce department but it seems not. Strange things are going on with my tastebuds since the heart attack. Before I was eating 5-7 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. I drove everyone around my crazy with my counting to be sure I was getting enough. Now I can barely look at a fruit or veg without gagging. I brought a nice ripe (overripe to most people, lots of brown spots) chilled banana to work this morning and I had to force myself to eat it. What is going on? I am able to eat my favorite breakfast of gluten-free granola, organic vanilla yogurt and frozen blueberries so I guess that's a start. It's going to stay one meal at a time for awhile. will keep you posted.

BTW I'm on facebook now. My daughter convinced me that I needed to be on it to keep up with all my cousins and nieces. It's really fun so far. I got involved with the C.A.T. Association of Topeka through facebook networking. They're a no-kill shelter.

More later...

One meal at a time

2010-07-07T16:36:00.000-05:00

With every passing day I get stronger. For the first three weeks I had an unshakable "Why bother with this" attitude about exercise and eating healthy. After all I did those things and I still had an MI. But not that I've been ok'd to exercise between rehab sessions I feel better. I've exercised for four of the last five days. The fourth of July was a washout here. The old feelings are starting to come back and I'm starting to crave fruits and veggies again. I can probably count on both hands the # of servings I've had since I was discharged from the hospital. I just couldn't get interested in them. Last night I wanted pickled beets and brussels sprouts. Not a very good combination but I ate them anyway. Tonight I'm having a salad beast. The ingredients will depend on what looks good at the salad bar. One meal at a time.

More later...

Know the Signs

2010-07-05T13:18:00.000-05:00

Hi fellow bloggies, It's been five weeks since my heart attack and I'm doing great. Yesterday was the first time I walked around Washburn's Campus. It's a 2 1/2 mile walk. The first mile was easy, the second I felt like I was working and that last half was hard. I possibly shouldn't do it during the blazing heat on a day with high humidity. But I'm alive and very thankful for that.

The cardiologist said that the heart muscle was strong from all the exercise and that is why I am alive. The occlusion was in the LAD (lower anterior descending) artery which is also known as the widowmaker. It was in the proximal portion which means it was at the top and more of the heart was exposed the the ischemia (lack of blood flow and therefore oxygen). I was in the CCU for 24 hours and then in a regular room for 2 days. I am in cardiac rehab 3 mornings a week. While there I walk 17 laps on a track (which is a mile and boring), then I do 7 minutes on a recumbent bike, 12 minutes on the treadmill at 3% elevation, and 5 minutes on the arm ergometer. During all this I wear a heart monitor and my blood pressure is taken during every exercise. For those of you who are interested my BP goes down when I walk and up when I do the bike. They really don't want your heart rate to get into a good training range. They keep it about 130 bpm. Still, by the time I am finished I have worked up a good sweat. I don't have the stamina or energy I had before the cardiac episode and I may never have as much again but I can continue to add time and distance as I feel fit.

Over the last year I lost 70 lbs, walked for an hour or more a day, climbed to the 7th floor on the days I worked, practiced yoga several times a week, and ate mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. I was doing all the right things and still it happened. The doc said it was my genetics. On my Mom's side everyone is healthy and living into the 90's but on my Dad's side everyone died young from heart disease. My Dad was 53 when he died and he had already had several major heart attacks. My younger brother was 46 and he had already had two.

I am alive because I recognized the signs and got myself to the emergency room quickly. If you think there is ANY chance that your symptoms may be heart related do not wait. Get yourself to an ER. Better to be a little embarrassed than be dead. You can read about the signs and symptoms at this site American Heart Association.

Heart Attack

2010-06-09T11:23:00.000-05:00

I will be back full strength in a couple of weeks. On Sunday, May 30, 2010 I experiences a heart attack. The blockage was in one of the main arteries of the heart. I am out of the hospital and am resting at home. I am in cardiac rehab group that meets once a week and I'm fighting with them to let me do more exercise.

Good wishes are appreciated. Thanks.

I'll bet you didn't know this about me

2010-05-28T15:42:00.000-05:00

Kath at KERF had some photos of her in dance costumes as a child which got me to thinkin. I never took dance. I sang in a children's choir from age 7 to age 15. There were about 30 of us and we travelled all over the south - Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma. If was fun. We stayed in people's homes and sang mostly in churches. I wouldn't have missed the experience. Got to meet a lot of nice people and saw a lot of the country. The photo is of the Rachel Sims Memorial Mission in New Orleans. It's where we practiced. I spent a lot of time in this building. The lower floor has been boarded up since Katrina. I'm not sure when the picture was taken.

Today so far I've walked to work, done 20 bicep curl plie squats, 20 push ups off the bookshelves, stretched my upper body and done the stairs. I'll also walk home and no telling what I'll do after that. Have 3 long walks planned for the weekend.

Have a good holiday and keep it exercise filled.

Mother's Day revisited

2010-05-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

Last night my daughter and I went to Chili's. She gave me a gift card for Mother's Day and we hadn't gotten around to using it yet. One of the reasons she chose Chili's is because they have a gluten-free menu. I ordered one of the new items on their menu - the Caribbean Chicken Salad. It's also offered with shrimp but the shrimp is not GF. The salad had slices of fresh pineapple, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries and the normal lettuce mix with a sliced chicken breast on top. It's served with a honey-lime dressing. The chicken was very tender and the fruit was very good. I ordered the large which is big enough for 4 people. I brought most of it home. I would order it again.

I started working on squats. I'd kinda forgotten about doing planks every day. Guess I'd better add those back in. Squats used to hurt my knees. Yesterday I watched several You Tube videos on beginner body weight squats and I think I've got the hang of it. I can't get my thighs parallel to the floor but I can still feel it in my quads so I hope with practice I'll get lower down. I walked to work again this morning. I love starting the day with a good walk. The whole day seems to go better.

The gift shop in the hospital has started carrying KIND bars. At last, a bar that's GF and healthy. They charge $2.00 for them but I don't really mind. I sent an email to the manager to tell her how much I appreciated the healthy choice. She also carries Blue Diamond almonds. The available package is about 1.5 oz and I tend to eat the whole thing before the day is out but again they're healthier than chips.

More later...

Boxing at Anne's

2010-05-26T13:05:00.001-05:00

I've been following fANNEtastic Food for some time now. I have really enjoyed Anne's experiences at LA Boxing. I wish we had something like that around here because I'd definitely give it a shot. If you'd like to read her lastest post check it out here. I've included a photo from her blog. She makes exercise look like fun.

I walked to work today and have done my upper body stretching routine. I'm still off the stairs due to my ankle injury from Saturday. I'll give it a few more days and then I'm back to doing basement to 7th floor.

More later...

Blood Drive

2010-05-25T16:37:00.001-05:00

Today was our blood drive at work. I donate every chance I get. In fact I take it as a personal failure if I am unable to donate. Today my hemoglobin was 14.3 which was high enough to donate two units of packed red blood cells but the phlebotomist blew my best vein and I had to donate whole blood instead. When I get home I have to put ice on my arm to keep the bruising and swelling down. I know some people are afraid of the stick but it really doesn't hurt but for a second and the whole process is over in about 20 minutes. You, too, can save a life.

I know it sounds cheesy but go for it if you can.

Bye Bye Pants

2010-05-25T10:08:00.000-05:00

Just a quick report. Every hour or so I get up from my cubicle and do some stretching or a couple of yoga moves or something to get my blood flowing. A few minutes ago I was stretching with my arms over my head and my pants fell down around my ankles. Guess I'll have to retire this particular pair of pants or buy a belt.

Lucky turn

2010-05-24T16:42:00.001-05:00

Saturday afternoon I was walking home from the Health Food Market with my arms full of groceries. I buy lots of produce there. I was walking through my neighborhood which is in an older part of town and was thinking that the trails are easier to walk on. I'd rather step over roots and rocks and have scenery than to step over cracked pavement and limbs which had blown down and trash in the street. As I was thinking this my right ankle turned. As I was losing my balance my left ankle turned. I did not fall all the way down. My first thought was will I be able to make it home. I still had4 or 5 blocks. I was happy because it didn't hurt too bad. I wondered if it would swell. I walked 3 miles on Sunday and it ached a little toward the end. It never swelled and it didn't bruise but when I got home Sunday I iced and elevated it. You know - the RICE thing. I drive a standard (when I drive) and I can't use the clutch and I can't go up or down stairs without some pain but I can walk on the flat just fine. I am lucky. The injury could have been much worse.

Looking forward to a good walk tomorrow. It's supposed to be stormy again this week so I guess I'll be spending time on the treadmill.

I'd like to congratulate Caitlin from Health Tipping Point on her completion of the Echelon Gran Fondo on Sunday. She completed the 100 mile ride in 9 hours and 30 minutes. Also congrats go to Jenna of Eat, Live, Run who completed it as well.

More later...

TGIF one more time

2010-05-21T14:59:00.001-05:00

It's Friday (yay) and I get off an hour early because I had to come in at 7AM this morning. Tonight is the school of nursing pinning ceremony and it's kinda expected that we attend. It's not bad. The graduates get a pin which represents the school they attend and it's actually more important to them than the graduation ceremony on Sunday. There's good music, healthy food, and a lot of speeches and awards. Oh well, it's only twice a year. The photo is one of our nursing students from several years ago.

The sun was out last time I peeked and I plan to take a walk around the campus before tonight's event. Tomorrow I'm going to walk on the Shunga trail - outward for 45 minutes and back for 45 minutes for a 90 minute total. I haven't decided what I'll be doing on Sunday yet. Looking forward to reading the magazines I checked out of the public library - Outside, Runner's World, Backpacking, and Bicycling.

Have a exercise filled weekend...

Bricks are hard

2010-05-19T15:11:00.000-05:00

I did the brick! I guess I did it backwards. From what I read today it should have been bike first but since it's just fitness and not training I don't think it matters. I did two different types of aerobic exercise back-to-back. My legs were like jello.

Today I'm having some minor GI problems. I probably got glutenized without knowing it. I'm very careful but sometimes I forget to read labels and I used a different brand of yogurt on my granola this morning. Read the label, read the label, read the label.

My co-worker's adult daughter was thrown from a horse this morning and then stepped on. She has a broken back and they are waiting to see if she'll need surgery. Send good thoughts their way. Thanks.

More later...

Sunshine at last

2010-05-18T13:24:00.001-05:00

Monday afternoon I went home, changed into my old shoes and walked the loop around the campus. It was dreary but there were a lot more people out in the late afternoon than there are on weekends. Guys zipping down the street on motorcycles at 40 mph without helmets. They need to spend time observing trauma cases in the ED. I stopped at one point to stretch out my lower back before starting up walking again. The achiness disappeared so stretching was a good decision. It took me a couple of minutes longer to make it home this go around. Then after I got home I had an episode of low blood sugar complete with chills. After eating some simple carbohydrates I got in the shower for 20 minutes with the water on hot. I finally warmed up. I haven't had to deal with low blood sugar since my doc took me off the glyburide. Guess I should let him know.

Today I walked to work in heavy fog. By lunch the sun had come out and the day is turning out pretty nice. After lunch I did about 15 minutes of yoga. I love warm muscles. I'm going to walk home then do 20 min on my bike. After reading Ashley's race recap over at Healthy Ashley on finishing her half-ironman last weekend I'm inspired to do a brick. At least I think that's what they call it.

More later...

Please shine sun

2010-05-17T11:09:00.000-05:00

We had a dark, cold, rainy weekend. I bought new shoes from Payless, browsed at Barnes & Noble, walked up and down Wanamaker (THE shopping street in Topeka) in the mist. I was glad I schlepped an umbrella around because when I got off the bus to walk back to my house it started pouring. I fixed a fresh fruit salad with lots of citrus to brighten the day and then hit the stationary bike for 20 min. I'm working on adding to the time I spend on the bike. I tried to pedal as fast as I could to work up a sweat. I've never been on a spinning bike so I don't have a feel for the cadence.

Sunday it was supposed to rain all day so I had my mind set on the bike again and maybe a yoga DVD but around noon the sidewalks were dry so I walked to and around the Washburn campus and got in a good hour. It felt good. I was dripping even though the temp was only in the 50's. Why don't I feel like I get as good a workout on the bike? I added romaine lettuce and baby spinach to what was left of the fruit salad. At least the food was springy.

I've started investigating a walking/hiking tour in Vermont for the fall of 2011. I found a company in the back of Outside magazine called Backroads that offers walking, hiking, biking, and multisport vacations all over the world. I sent for one of their catalogs and have been dreaming ever since. As soon as they publish the dates for 2011 I'm going to make a reservation and look forward to doing this. Working toward having the fitness to walk 5-7 miles a day for several days consecutively should keep me motivated. They have trips for all fitness levels. I chose a lower one for my first adventure. (BTW the photo is from their catalog)

More later...

Happy Weekending

2010-05-14T16:00:00.000-05:00

I'll be back on Monday with news of my fitness exploits and healthy food choices. Today I managed 20 min on the treadmill at 3.0 mph, a 30 min yoga DVD during lunch and upper and lower body stretches. I've also done the stairs up to the 2nd floor but haven't made it up to 7 yet. I have planned an excursion on the bus to buy a new pair of walking shoes. Mine are definitely past their prime. The left one has a hole by the big toe.

Have a great weekend...

A moments respite

2010-05-12T10:33:00.000-05:00

I won't bore you with the details but I'm having some family problems. They've been ongoing for several months. What's strange is that I am sleeping better the last few nights than I have in months. I think it's because I have decided what to do about the problem - nothing. I've done everything I can to help. I've thrown all the money at it that I can without selling all my belongings and moving into the local rescue mission. So, I'm going to let them sink or swim on their own without any more help from me. They are adults. It was a difficult decision but I have to take care of myself. There is no one else who will take care of me. Exercise helps with the frustration and eating cleanly helps with energy. I will continue to take my life one day at a time.

It was hard to admit that there is nothing I can do. I'm used to fixing everything for everyone. Thanks for listening...

Out of the way

2010-05-11T15:13:00.000-05:00

I nearly got flattened on my way up the stairs today. One of our cardiologists was actually running up the stairs. I jumped out of the way when I heard him round the corner where I was trudging up. It must be good aerobically if a cardiologist was doing it.

I also did 40 min on the treadmill at .5 elevation and 3.0 mph. I'm getting a little faster each time.

For breakfast I had 1/2 cup gluten-free granola with organic vanilla yogurt and 1/2 c frozen blueberries. The granola had raisins in it that were like rocks. I ended up picking them out. For lunch I had a slice of ham with cooked zucchini, a baked sweet potato and a banana. As a snack this afternoon I had a rather large apple and I'm going to eat my container of yogurt after I finish this post.

Good day so far. Kansas had quite a few storms last night including 3 tornadoes down south. While I was in my kitchen cooking I heard water dripping and it sounded like it was coming from my ceiling. There was no wet spot this morning so maybe it was my imagination. I hope so anyway. I hate leaks.

More later...

Shunga Trail

2010-05-10T13:48:00.000-05:00

Saturday afternoon was beautiful. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and the wind was light and cool. I did 43 minutes around the neighborhood. At first my legs felt very heavy and I didn't think I'd make it very far but after I'd warmed up a bit the heaviness left and I enjoyed the rest of the time. In the morning I took the bus to Hy-Vee to stock up on things I can't find anywhere else in town, e.g. Fage yogurt. I absolutely love their honey one and the good news was it was on sale for $1.49 instead of the $2.49 I paid last time. They also have two aisles of gluten-free products which I enjoyed looking over.

Sunday I walked part of the Shunga Trail. It's paved but it runs along Shunga Creek and is very pretty (see photo of an unpaved section). The trail runs pretty much from one side of Topeka to the other. I did a good 50 minutes and the time passed very quickly. I was surprised I'd been gone for that long. I'll have to walk that way again. I also did some yoga and stretches in the afternoon before my daughter came by for Mother's Day. We both missed Grandma. This was our second mother's day without her.

Today I've done the stairs from the basement to the 7th floor twice. I saw a story on a race up the Hancock building in Chicago and it's 96 floors. Whew. Something to shoot for. When I was 18 a group of girls went on a trip to New York City and walked up the Empire State Building. I don't remember how many floors it was but about 18 of us did most of the way up. I was younger then.

Enjoyed catching up on your posts this morning. Happy Monday...

Salad Day

2010-05-07T13:13:00.001-05:00

Friday must be salad day at our cafeteria. Everything on the hot food line was breaded or battered. I mixed spinach, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, a couple of cubes of swiss cheese and I added a small can of tuna from my stash. I also ate a banana. I imagine there will be a container of yogurt this afternoon and an apple which won't survive til Monday.

I walked on the treadmill this morning for 30 min at 2.8 mph and 1.0 elevation. It wasn't long enough but I didn't want to clock-in late. I parked as far away from the building as I could and I did the stairs from the basement to the 7th floor. I'm going to do some stretching this afternoon and this weekend I'm going to curl up with a green monster and two issues of Outside that I borrowed from the library.

Yum.

Have an exercise filled weekend...

Adventure at every turn

2010-05-06T13:14:00.000-05:00

The exercise workshop was fun. About half-way through the first aerobic segment I asked myself why I was doing this and my answer was that I want to try new fitness things. Being in a group setting brought out my competitive spirit. I was probably the youngest one there and I wasn't going to let those seniors do better than me. I was determined to finish each set. I loved the water part. I haven't been in the pool in years. I even swam a few laps after the second water segment. It felt so good. I love the water. One of the things on my life-list is to learn to swim using alternate side breathing and do those turns like "real" swimmers do. Anything to keep moving. I find inspiration all around me and it seems that the more I do the more I want to do. Is that true for you, too?

More later...

Healthwise 55

2010-05-04T16:38:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I am going to a 4 hour exercise workshop. There will be two hours of water movement and 2 hours of aerobic movement. It's being held at the YMCA. They have a heated pool although it may not be necessary this time of year. I am looking forward to the experience. In fact, I am taking the day off from work. Hopefully I'll learn some new moves and meet some like minded folks. Wish me luck and stamina. I'll let you know how it went on Thursday.

More later...

Race Against Breast Cancer

2010-05-04T09:52:00.001-05:00

I signed up for the Topeka area Race Against Breast Cancer. It's a 5K Run/Walk and will be held in September. The money raised from the entry fees is used to provide free mammograms for women who can't afford them. I am lucky in that my company's insurance provides an annual mammogram at no charge to us. I'm looking forward to participating this year.

More later...

It's a new day

2010-05-03T13:05:00.000-05:00

Exercise-wise - excellent weekend

Food-wise - ugh

Saturday I joined the NAMI group walking around the campus. I kinda held back and let them go ahead so that I could walk at my own pace. It was warm and sunny. I used sunscreen which ran into my eyes. I see sportscreen in my future. I didn't time myself but I know I kept up about a 2.8 mph pace for most of the walk. My eating wasn't good. I had two peanut butter sandwiches and about a half bag of white corn chips. No fruit or veggies except for a couple of overripe bananas. Corn chex for breakfast with organic nonfat milk.

Sunday I stopped at the KwikShop just before I got to the campus and got a bottle of water with a pop top. I know, I know - bad plastic bottles. I needed the water thought and until I can get a green container to carry on my walks I'll reuse the plastic one. Time 1:01:59. That's counting the trip into the store so I imagine that took a couple of minutes. Eating not good again. I ate a whole bag of caramel rice cakes.

My weekend inspiration came from the May issue of Outside. I used to read this magazine all the time but let my subscription lapse when I quit taking care of myself. I picked it up at Barnes & Noble which is my favorite bookstore. I used to work there as a second job and I made good use of the 30% discount. This month there was an article on the Moab Utah bike race. It sounds like fun and I started making a list of things around Topeka that I could take part in. It was nice to make plans related to getting fit and healthy. In June there's the annual Tinman Triathlon. No, I'm not going to participate in the race itself but I'm going to volunteer to be a part of the event. I'm looking forward to watching the competition.

Today it's 1:20PM and so far I've eaten 6-7 servings of fresh fruit and veggies. I've got to keep them stocked at home because I know that by now if I have them available that's what I'll choose.

More later...

Falling off the plank

2010-04-30T10:29:00.000-05:00

I was so excited about my success with the plank pose that I decided to practice it again when I got home last night. It wasn't so easy the second time. My arms shook and I didn't feel steady. I guess that's why they call it a yoga practice, huh? When I tried to lower into low plank I just fell out of the pose. If at first...

I did about 25 minutes on the treadmill this morning at .5 elevation and 3.0 mph. I now have a blister on my big toe. It's my first "injury". Fortunately I had some moleskin in my desk drawer and I applied it and now it feels ok which is great since I'm planning a long walk for tomorrow. I just now tried the plank again and I got into the position ok but my arms still shake and I can't hold it for very long. Something to work on for the next few years.

We're having tornado weather so no outdoor play today.

If I don't post again before Monday (I don't have access to a computer on the weekend) have a great weekend and keep on moving.

Magazine mania

2010-04-29T11:21:00.000-05:00

I am a reader. Reading has always been one of the greatest joys of my life. Mysteries are my favorite relaxation reads but I'll read almost anything in a pinch. During the past year I've subscribed to and read many fitness and health journals. A couple of days ago I found the May issue of Health in my mailbox. It's pretty light reading but I enjoy it. (Remember I work in a medical library - our journals are heavy duty, need a dictionary to read stuff) This month there's a yoga sequence for beginners. It's just what I've been looking for. I have learned a lot of poses but they're just disjointed movements. I've longed for a routine I could learn and practice. For the next few weeks I'll be doing the one in this issue. I tried to find it online so I could include a link but it doesn't seem to be anywhere but in the magazine. Check it out if you're interested. I'll be sure to keep you up to date on my progress. I just did the first three moves. I'd never tried a plank before. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

My walk to work this morning was aided by 35-40 mph gusts of wind. Lots of pollen and dust in my face. I felt the need to shower again when I got here. I tried a new route home yesterday and I prefer the different streets. For one thing there was less traffic.

Lunch was interesting today. The cafeteria was serving baked white meat turkey with sweet potatoes. I also got a big plate of raw veggies from the salad bar. Lots of chewing and volume from the veggies.

More later...

Keep on moving

2010-04-28T12:59:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about functional fitness. I've begun to notice that I'm able to do some things much easier now than I could even a month ago. I don't get the same strain or pain in my right shoulder when I shelve or pull books from the top shelf (I'm a hospital librarian for those of you who don't know.). I can roll over in bed without having to get out of bed and then lay down on the opposite side. This is so nice to do. I can get up out of a chair without getting dizzy. I can walk to the south tower (the far far away other end of the hospital) without getting out of breath. I'm not lifting weights (yet) but I am doing yoga poses which require the use of the shoulders and upper back (down dog anyone?). I think even this minimal effort is helping me to gain strength and balance. The walking is helping me to develop overall strength which makes moving in general so much easier. It's also building up my cardiac endurance and giving me more power from my lungs. I simply breathe easier. I can now lay on my back to read without feeling like I am going to smother. That's do to the weight loss I'm sure. Simple things that most folks take for granted.

Enjoy moving your body today. I know I will.

I walked to work this morning. One of the nursing students saw me walking and offered me a ride. I didn't want to seem impolite but I told her no I was walking for a reason but thank-you. I've also walked to the 7th floor and done lower body stretches. Good day so far and I still get (not have) to walk home.

More later...

Stressed out Tuesday

2010-04-27T09:32:00.000-05:00

Whew - I hate snafus. I know, who doesn't. I got a second denial letter from my FSA provider for a claim I sent in properly. The first time they said I hadn't signed the form. I had a fax confirmation form showing that the form was properly signed. I called. A nice young man told me what I needed to do. I did it. Got a denial form yesterday because I hadn't sent the receipts along with the form which the young man told me I didn't have to do if I put the reference # of the signed form. Sigh. I think it's been straightened out.

Then last night I went to sleep ok. Woke up at 1 something in the AM and could not go back to sleep. I did all the things I know work to get myself back to sleep and none of them worked. I counted my breaths. I read. I remained awake. So this morning I didn't want to get up. I hit the snooze. I talked to myself about getting up. I hit the snooze alarm again. Finally I told myself that if I got up, got dressed, and walked to work I could have a container of chocolate skim milk. I walked to work in 38 minutes (counting all the lights I had to wait at) and got my chocolate milk. It tasted so good. I told myself that the rest of the day would feel better because I got in my exercise. So here's to less hassle and more relaxation.

BTW - I have the t-shirt with the cat on it. I get lots of comments when I wear it.

Washburn

2010-04-26T13:17:00.000-05:00

I had a great walk on Saturday. I live a few blocks from the local university and for some time now I've wanted to walk the perimeter of the campus. It's two miles not counting walking from my house to the campus. I did it in 59 minutes and a few seconds. The weather was cool and the sky was mostly blue. It's a pleasant neighborhood, the sidewalks are in excellent shape, and there were lots of folks out running, walking animals and riding bikes. I felt like part of the fitness community and look forward to other walks in the coming weeks.

This morning I did my 40 minutes on the treadmill at 2.9 mph. The woman on the one next to me was doing 4.6 mph at a 10.0 elevation. I'm impressed. Something to aspire to right... I also did my 7 flights of stairs and some stretches for my lower body.

More later...

Ripple Effect

2010-04-23T12:16:00.000-05:00

I'm getting to a point where when I run into people I haven't seen for awhile they want to know what I'm doing to lose weight, what skin products I'm using, and can they follow me around and do whatever it is that I'm doing. I am at a loss as to how to explain it. I'm not "on a diet" and I use soap, water, and a lotion with SPF. This journey started about a year ago and I changed one thing. I started putting frozen blueberries in my cereal. When that became a habit I started having two servings of vegetables for lunch. I kept adding healthy foods and the healthy foods just kinda pushed out the unhealthier ones. I didn't give up anything. After a few months I started doing some yoga every day, I then added walking around the block everyday. I kept adding blocks until I was walking for half an hour. Now - the only thing that has changed about my life is everything. It's the ripple effect in action. But everyone wants a quick solution and this journey hasn't been quick. I seek progress not perfection and I do these things one day at a time and it's working for me. I've got a long road to go but taking small steps makes the process nearly invisible.

Today was a 40 minute session on the treadmill at 2.8 mph. It felt good. Did I periodically want to stop - yes. Did I stop - no. I kept telling myself how the rest of my day would go knowing I'd gone the entire 40 minutes. I also thought about how disappointed I would be if I didn't.

Then for lunch my boss is out of town today so my co-worker and I decided on Mexican. I had a bean tostado, a ripe banana, and a big container of ice water. It tasted good. It wasn't diet food and it satisfied me for now.

Sorry about the rant...

Stairs

2010-04-22T11:21:00.000-05:00

I woke up to rain and thunder this morning. I also woke up too late to do the treadmill before work so today I'm doing the stairs. Our hospital has 8 floors if you count the basement. I'm starting in the basement and going as high as I can. It should be interesting. My goal these days is to keep moving as much as I can in the time I have and with the venues around me. I guess that's kind of what's meant by cross-training - a little bit of everything.

******** EDIT ********

On my way to the cafeteria I stopped at the stairs. I was determined to make it to the 5th floor but I made it all the way to the 7th - the TOP floor. WOW !!! I was a little out of breath, not painfully just a little and my forehead broke out into a sweat. One more activity under my belt. If I start putting them all together I'll have a nice workout.

Last night I baked an organic sweet potato. It was the best sweet potato I've ever eaten. I put a little cinnamon sugar on it. It filled me right up.

Happy earth day folks.

Treadmill morning

2010-04-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

This morning was a wonderful 40 min walk on the treadmill. I'm up to 2.7 mph which may not sound like much but a couple of months ago I could barely do 2.0 mph. I'm working on endurance more than speed right now anyway. It felt good. I worked up a healthy sweat. It is definitely neat to have a gym so close to my cubicle. It's a benefit of working for the hospital.

Last night I fixed some brown basmati rice with french cut green beans, brussels sprouts, onions and a can of tuna. Very satisfying. I think I'll add some canned tomatoes next time. I've ordered some garlic sprinkles from Kath's (KERF) Open Sky store. I love adding garlic to everything and she seems to like this brand a lot.

Glad it's hump day...

Spring fever

2010-04-20T15:35:00.000-05:00

I don't usually get spring fever but this year I have a serious desire to hang out outside. This has been such a nice spring. The weather is beautiful (except for the storms) and with walking back and forth to work I'm getting to spend some serious time in the great outdoors. Saturday I thought about walking one of the trails near my house but I couldn't figure out where it came out near me so instead of driving to where I knew it was I just walked in my neighborhood. Everyone was outside working in their yards putting in flowers. Anyway on the news that night I heard that a woman had been knifed on another trail in the north part of town. Maybe I don't want to walk the trails after all. Topeka doesn't have much crime. I guess it was an example of being in the wrong place... I think I'll stick to more populated areas or find a buddy to walk with.

Treadmill trials

2010-04-16T11:39:00.000-05:00

It was stormy this morning and I do not like walking while carrying an umbrella so I left at the same time I would have if I were walking to work. Parked my car, left my stuff at my desk, and walked down the hall to the fitness center. I love that it's so close - no excuses. I used the treadmill. It was one of those mornings when I simply sailed along. I could have walked a lot longer but my director would not have been happy if I told her I was late because I couldn't bear to hop off the treadmill.

Last night I tried sweet potato fries for the first time. Yum. I couldn't stand to eat them with ketchup though so I sprinkled them with a little cinnamon/sugar. It's a good thing I didn't fix the whole bag because I would have eaten the whole thing.

Looking forward to the weekend.

More later...

Driving/Walking

2010-04-15T12:41:00.000-05:00

I drove to work the first couple of days this week. Today I walked. I'm at a point where my mood definitely shifts for the worse when I miss a couple of days of walking. I find my mood sours and almost a sense of depression creeping over me. I read in the current issue of Health magazine about a woman who refers to running as her Prozac. I understand that. Walking is cheaper than Prozac for sure.

Produce Binge

2010-04-13T12:38:00.000-05:00

I didn't eat many fruits and vegetables over the weekend but I've made up for it in the past two days. Yesterday I had blueberries with my breakfast of yogurt and GF granola. For lunch I had a handful each of raw broccoli, cauliflower, grape tomatoes and cucumber slices. I also ate a cup of fresh summer type fruit. Then for dinner I had steamed brussels sprouts, broccoli, corn and a huge Johnagold apple. So far today I've had blueberries, broccoli, french cut green beans, and stewed tomatoes. I also ate a flavorless apple. The cafeteria is not a good place to buy fresh fruit. Don't assume that what I have listed is all I ate - it's just the fruits and vegetables.

More later...

Crescent City Classic

2010-04-08T11:46:00.000-05:00

My first (2nd, 3rd, etc.) 10K was the Classic in New Orleans. Back then the route started in the French Quarter went up Prytania Avenue through the Garden District and ended up in Audubon Park near the river. High school bands were stationed along the route to cheer you on with rousing music. I remember walking under the finish banner for the first time. I threw my hands into the air and I was so supercharged with excitement. Those of you who have done races know what I mean. It was a fun run/walk and I enjoyed walking it for many years. The route has now changed but it still starts in the quarter and ends up in a beautiful park. Anybody wants a good excuse to go to New Orleans - do the Classic. This year it was on April 3 and I'm in Topeka but I thought about the racers and some year I'd like to go back and do it again.

More later...

My favorite quote

2010-04-07T11:37:00.000-05:00

On the wall of my cubicle hangs a postcard with the words:

You'll learn more about a road by traveling it than by consulting all the maps in the world.

I feel like I'm finally getting "there". I'm not reading about exercise. I'm not thinking about exercise. I'm not telling myself I'll exercise tomorrow. I'm actually doing it. I get up (albeit reluctantly). I shower, get dressed, and walk to work. During the afternoons I plan what I'm going to need to fuel my walk home. I'm doing it one step, one day at a time.

More later...

Baked Potato Bar

2010-04-06T12:45:00.000-05:00

Today was the cafeteria's baked potato bar. I had the potato with steamed broccoli (over steamed but steamed nonetheless), caramelized onions, about a half cup of chili, diced fresh tomatoes and a little sprinkle of cheddar cheese. I am stuffed. I brought a GF brownie yesterday but I didn't eat it so I'm having it later as a snack.

Looking forward to a bike ride and a yoga DVD after work. I've got a new yoga DVD from Yoga Journal that I've been wanting to try and today seems like a good day.

More later...

Waking up to hail

2010-04-05T12:15:00.000-05:00

About 6:20AM I woke up to the sound of a big black furball yowling outside my window. He sounded insistent so I let him in. He hid under my bed and continued yowling for another few minutes. Finally silence then hail, lots of hail hitting my window and rain and wind. Now I know why my Smokey cat was so upset. He hates storms. Welcome to Kansas in the spring.

Anyway, by the time I had showered and gotten dressed the rain had stopped so I walked to work. It was an easy walk this morning. I even went by the library to drop off some materials which were due today. Errands - on foot.

I also had a doctor's appointment this morning and it was a very satisfying one. I'm now one half pound from losing 60. Yeah me!!!!!

More later....

Walking the walk, Part 2

2010-04-02T11:11:00.000-05:00

My walk home wasn't as easy as my walk to work. I was walking directly into 30+ mph winds which were stirring up tons of dust. The dust got in my eyes which are dry anyway. That was no fun. I felt like I was walking much slower even though it only took a couple of minutes longer to go the same distance. I think I'm going to like walking. I know it will be good for me. Today was spring stormy - rain, thunder, wind... so I drove but I'm going to buy some paraphernalia to make it easier to walk in the rain. Like shoes without holes and maybe a poncho or a raincoat (do they still make raincoats?) This is a long-time adventure not a quick fix. Wish me luck.

More later...

Walking the walk

2010-04-01T11:16:00.000-05:00

Today I walked to work. It took me about 35 minutes. The weather was mild but windy. It was a good walk. My feet didn't hurt. My back didn't hurt and I was somewhat exhilarated when I finally got to my cubicle. I drank some water and ate some Bakery on Main GF nutty cranberry maple granola with organic vanilla yogurt. Satisfied. I did it. Last night I could hardly sleep for worrying that I wouldn't be able to do it. Now here I am at my desk writing this. Of course, I still have to make it home this afternoon but I'm not concerned about it any more. Tomorrow is supposed to be stormy so I may end up walking with an umbrella. Fun - not. But I'll do it. I guess a little water never hurt anyone. I'll just carry an extra pair of socks so that I can change into dry ones (there's a hole on the big toe side of my shoe).

Veggie Juice

2010-03-04T09:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon my daughter and I went to the Juice Stop for a refreshing beverage. I haven't been in there since I got "the diagnosis" and was unsure of what to order. Most of their drinks are calorie dense and I wanted something light but different than the stuff I drink everyday. I decided to try one of their veggie blends since I don't have a Vita Mix. I got the carrot, apple, celery blend. It was good but I wish it had been over crushed ice. It was kinda warm. The celery taste was very obvious but the color was definitely carrot.

100 Top Gluten-Free blogs site

2010-02-24T15:32:00.001-06:00

I just joined a site called 100 Top Food & Health Blogs. If you're interested in joining or seeing who else is there go to this link. I hope lots of gluten-free bloggers join in.

Gluten-free burrito

2010-02-19T12:16:00.001-06:00

I just had my current favorite lunch at work - a glutenfreeda's gluten-free vegetarian bean & cheese burrito with lots of salsa. Yum! The tortilla wrap is not strong enough to pick-up and eat it out of hand but the superior taste more than makes up for having to use a fork. I ate it with plain old thick & chunky Old El Paso salsa. Excellent! They're kind of expensive. My local Health Food Mart charges $3.59 for one. I'm willing to pay the price about once a week but I'm going to ask them if I can pick-up a case and maybe get the cost down some. If you're in Topeka and looking for GF items this little store is the place to go.

Top 10 Favorite Foods

2010-02-11T09:54:00.001-06:00

Numero uno is gulf shrimp (good ole south Lousiana style with head and shell on) boiled in Zatarains Crab Boil and served cold with fresh lemon juice.

2. Georgia peaches right off the tree and at the peak of ripeness

3. a plate of homegrown tomatoes in July

4. Chateaubriand for two cooked medium rare at Cattlemen's Steak House in Fort Worth, TX (this was our anniversary dinner every year)

5. White chocolate raspberry cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory

6. My mother-in-law's fried chicken.

7. My mother's peanut butter fudge.

8. Blue corn chips with lots of salsa.

9. Bordens' chocolate milk (do they even make Bordens anywhere anymore?)

10. Banana Pudding made with instant pudding and Nilla wafers.

What are your favorite foods? It was Tina over at Carrots n Cake that got me to thinking about what my favorite foods are. You can see her post here.

Dark Chocolate Crack Butter

2010-02-10T15:38:00.000-06:00

I am hooked on apples with a schmear of this Dark Chocolate Dreams from Peanut Butter & Co. I feel deprived if I don't have one every afternoon. I seem to go through a jar about every week. I tell myself that I'm getting some good protein along with the deliciousness. I haven't made a sandwich with it yet. Maybe when I find a nice fresh loaf of Udi's Whole Grain bread I'll try it that way. BTW it says Gluten-Free right on the label.

More later...

Quinoa

2010-02-04T10:08:00.000-06:00

Clean Eating is one cooking magazine to which I subscribe. GF Recipes are marked. This gives me a nice jumping off place to start looking for recipes I'd like to try. Some of their recipes aren't already GF but can be easily altered so that they are. Last night I tried Kathi's Curried Quinoa Salad. This recipe is not in the magazine. It's only available online at their site. It was super easy and tasty. I've eaten quinoa once before and I enjoyed it but this was the first time I ever tried cooking it - nothing to it. I couldn't find quinoa in my local grocery but the health food market had it in bulk. I bought a pound, which seems to be 2 cups, to start. I'm having left overs for lunch today.

More later...

Happy 95th birthday to my Aunt

2010-02-02T14:56:00.001-06:00

Last week was my Aunt's 95th birthday. Her daughters planned a big reception in her honor at the assisted living facility where she lives. There were tons of people there. I think she knows pretty much everyone in Olathe.

Before the "party" a few of us met at the Granite City Food and Brewery in Olathe. I'd never been there and was concerned about the GF properties of their food. I asked for the allergy menu and they actually had one - not specifically GF but at least wheat free. With that I felt a little more comfortable ordering. I ordered the Vegetarian Santa Fe Salad. It was excellent. It had a blend of chopped romaine, assorted spring greens and fresh chopped cilantro tossed in a tequila vinaigrette dressing. It also had black beans, diced tomatoes, sweet corn, shredded cheddar cheese, diced avocado, pico de gallo and strips of crispy tortilla chips (corn). It was $7.09 for a large filling serving. I enjoyed the salad immensely and I would go back just for it. Yum.

More later...

Luvox CR

2010-01-28T07:49:00.000-06:00

Well, yesterday I finally heard from my doctor. He'd been using his PDR to research GF meds for me and found out that the PDR no longer lists the inactive ingredients which makes it impossible (or very nearly impossible) to find out which drugs are GF. Being a medical librarian I went to the other classic drug guide and found that Drug Facts and Comparisons (an expensive big brown brick of a book) not only lists the inactive ingredients (where the gluten likes to hide) but also says Gluten-Free when appropriate. Of course, neither of the drugs he wanted to switch me to was GF but I found one in the same class that is. He gave me enough samples for one month to see how it works for me. My pharmacy doesn't normally carry the drug but they will order it for me and have it available within 24 hours. I feel like a weight has been lifted off me. Success - sometimes you just need to keep on pushing to get what you need.

More later...

The only thing that's past is 6 days

2010-01-26T15:25:00.001-06:00

I just called my doc to see why he hasn't called me back. I am having definite withdrawal symptoms in the form of a never ending headache. So, here I sit hoping he'll call back this afternoon. I'm not generally a pest but I do believe he has a responsibility to find me a new drug to replace the one I can no longer tolerate. Anybody agree/disagree with me?

More later...

The medication saga continues

2010-01-20T10:00:00.001-06:00

I finally heard back from my doctor and he told me to keep taking the drug while he researched a replacement for it. Why not? It's only a little poison. I'd rather go through the withdrawal for a few days. I am not taking it and hopefully I'll hear from him today. One would think a doctor would know this stuff. One would be wrong. It's up to us to educate them at times.

More later...

Meds DO have gluten in them

2010-01-18T11:40:00.001-06:00

When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease my gastro's nurse told me to be sure and check out my medication to make sure that none of them had gluten. I tried to get the pharmacy to help but was told was that gluten was wheat and medications didn't have wheat in them. I sent the pharmacist who told me that (and it was a hospital affiliated pharmacy) a couple of chapters from different books explaining that gluten in medicines could be a problem. This weekend I ate cleanly - absolutely no gluten. I woke up Sunday morning in terrible pain. I got my book out again and read the section on medications and one of mine was listed as not gluten free. So I got the name of the company off my Rx bottle and called the company and sure enough the medication has gluten in it. So now I've got a call in to my other doctor to get him to switch to another medicine. It seems that everything that is manufactured by Pfizer or its subsidiaries is tainted with gluten. Good to know.

More later...

Black Bean Soup

2010-01-11T10:09:00.000-06:00

It's still cold here. In fact we had a record low of -15 degrees on Saturday so I decided to make soup. I found a good recipe in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Eating Well for Black Bean Soup. It was quick, easy, and tasty. I've been reading Gluten Free Girl - the book and the blog. I like her idea of eating naturally GF foods instead of trying to recreate the goodies I ate before I went GF. This soup fits that idea - no substitutions or figuring out which flours to use. I've been using packaged foods for the last couple of months even though I really enjoy cooking. I got a couple of GF cookbooks for Christmas so I think I'll try to cook something a couple of times a week. I live alone so I end up eating leftovers for a couple of days after I make a meal. Try the soup. It's very good.

More later...

Amy's Kitchen Products

2010-01-08T08:42:00.000-06:00

I recieved this statement in an email yesterday from Amy's Kitchen. I noticed that most of their boxes claimed to have no gluten ingredients but they did not say Gluten-Free. I contacted them to find out what they meant by this statement. Were the products contaminated since they used the same equipment to process wheat. Here's their response.

"From Amy's:
Our gluten free products contain only the ingredients listed in the ingredient statement. There are no hidden, unlabeled ingredients. We understand that it is critical that these products be free of gluten and we take this very seriously.

A wide range of activities and cross-checks are completed to ensure that cross-contamination and/or inadvertent use of the wrong ingredient does not occur.

Examples include:

-Full shift manufacture of products with complete clean-up of all food contact surfaces between products. Pieces of equipment that come in contact with the food are cleaned and sanitized prior to the manufacture of the next product.

-Separate item numbers for all ingredients; these are checked by two individuals on receipt of the ingredient and three people on use of the ingredient to confirm the correct item is used.

-Use of colored tags, papers and containers in production as an addition visual check to ensure intermediate components are not interchanged.

-Designated areas for flour use to control airborne gluten and minimize its spread.

-Bar code readers at packaging lines to ensure correct package is used with each product.

-Spot screening of ingredients and finished products at University of Nebraska (FARRP - Food Allergy Research and Resource Program) to confirm there are no unlabeled allergens (utilize tests for gluten, soy, milk and peanuts)."

I'm sure it was written by lawyers but it did make me feel better about using their products.

More later...

Happy 2010

2009-12-31T16:26:00.000-06:00

Today is the last day of 2009 and I can't imagine where the time has gone.

I finished the year with one of Amy's Kitchen frozen meals - the Asian Noodle Stir Fry. It was the best thing I've eaten from Amy's and I love their Mexican meals. The noodles were tender without being soggy. The tofu was crisp and the vegetables rounded it out nicely. Bright green broccoli, peppers, and mushrooms. Best of all it was GF! I will be buying it again and again.

I'm driving a 24' moving van to Kansas City tomorrow. My daughter Rachel is moving. We're expecting more snow so I will be driving slowly and carefully.

Happy New Year to everyone.

More next year...

Christmas Eve Blizzard 2009

2009-12-29T07:54:00.000-06:00

We were going to work a short day on Christmas Eve. Mid morning the UPS man came in and said it was starting to ice on his windshield. I decided to move my car into the parking garage which is a definite no-no at my place of employment. Only the bigwigs get to park there. I walked to my car on a very slippery sidewalk and when I got there I couldn't open either door or my trunk. I walked back to the library got a big pitcher of hot water then walked back to my car and poured it around the door frame. The door opened at last and I got in and turned on my defroster. After a few minutes the ice on the windshield was scrapable (is that even a word) and I cleaned it off, drove to the building I work in and told my boss I was going home. By mid-afternoon it was snowing heavily and by evening the winds were gusting at 50 mph. So we were in a blizzard warning and ended up with 15 inches of the white stuff by Christmas morning. Unusual for Topeka. The roads were impossible. Everything was closed, if not by Christmas, then by snow and ice. Beautiful but deadly. My daughter and her boyfriend came over. We opened gifts and ate dinner. Then they went home. I spent the afternoon watching season 4 of "Bones". It was a quiet day.

More later....

2009-12-18T15:58:00.000-06:00

Today the library staff and the Baker University School of Nursing faculty and staff had our Holiday celebration at the Brickyard Barn Inn. I called ahead and told them I needed to eat GF. I got to talk to the chef and he was quite familiar with GF dining. He looked at the menu for the luncheon and told me what I would be able to eat without fear. They brought me out a flourless chocolate cake kind of thing (he said it had almond flour) and they gave me a chicken breast that didn't have sauce on it. The potatoes and vegetables were safe. I was comfortable with the way they handled it and I was able to enjoy the meal without worry. Our waitress told me she understood and was being extra careful because she had an allergy to latex and had ended up in the ER during a dental procedure where they didn't pay attention to keeping everything latex free.

More later...

Lots of GF blogs out there

2009-12-16T13:43:00.000-06:00

I am enjoying looking for and finding new (to me) GF blogs. It's quite comforting to be part of a large blogosphere of folks with Celiac or other gluten sensitivities. Today I found a blog with great recipes - Carrie over at Ginger Lemon Girl. She has a recipe for Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars that I can't wait to try. Hop on over and check her out.

More later...

GF Holiday Partay

2009-12-15T11:36:00.000-06:00

The local Celiac Support Group had their holiday luncheon on Saturday. There were 64 in attendance and most brought 2 dishes so their was an abundance of food. The menu included:

turkey (smoked and baked)

dressing

mashed potatoes

gravy

sweet potatoes

cranberry relish

fruit salads

pasta salads

jello molds

rolls (I guarantee you couldn't tell the difference from non-GF rolls)

pumpkin pie

cheesecake

lemon pie

brownies

and many other goodies

It felt so funny to be able to eat from all the bowls and platters without having to worry about whether it was GF. The group's president is going to make a newsletter out of all the recipes and we'll each get one attached to an email (or snail mail for those who don't do computers). I can't wait because there are some I'd love to try.

More later...

Recipe for GF Apple Compote

2009-12-10T09:50:00.000-06:00

Apple Compote for Pancakes and Waffles

Recipe by Delores Gunther of the Topeka chapter of the CSA/USA, Celiacs helping Celiacs

2 med apples, diced
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp corn starch
½ tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup water

Place apples in saucepan. Add all other ingredients and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a soft boil. Lower heat and simmer until mixture becomes thick and apples are soft. Spread on pancakes or waffles (GF, of course).

Personal Note: The original recipe called for one cup of water. I found the resulting mixture to be too thin. If you feel you need more water to make a thin sauce to pour over your pancakes/waffles just add more.

More Later....