Heart Attack

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...