Healthy Living- healthy eating, exercise, weight loss, veggie gardening, etc.

@fharlm , the ones in your link are all pretty big. I had a personal sized indoor rebounder for a year or so. I liked it at first, but eventually found it made me a little dizzy. I occasionally have bouts of vertigo, so that's not the greatest fit. If not for that it might have been fine. I do suggest you get one that is made specifically for one-person fitness use and not for multi-kids fun use. And pay attention to the weight limit suggestions.
I switched over to having a rowing machine in my living room, which seems to suit me way better. 😃

Thanks, @Strumelia. I am considering adding a mini-tramp to my home workout equipment. Specifically, I am looking at the "Urban Rebounder". Jumping is supposed to be good for you, and has less impact than jogging (which I hate). I feel like it would keep me in shape for my tap dancing and other activities. I also ride bike daily, and do some light strength training. Anyway I was wondering if you uses one of these ?, and if so, what kind of results do you get, and any other thoughts you may have.

Mangos and watermelon... doesn't get much better than that Ken.

When i lived in Puerto Rico the neighbors had a huuuuge mango tree, and they never bothered eating any. (!) So my two little daughters and i would fill big bags and feast on them for weeks at a time. Good memories.

We've been awash with Mangos from our tree since mid May and the flood is finally trickling away.  I have 30 quarts frozen for mango goodies all winter.   

I've made several new versions of Gaspacho so far this year -- two based on mango and one based on watermelon.  Such a great treat in our warm summer.

We got the blueberry net up just in time a few days ago. Yesterday I picked the first ripe berries, got about 1 1/2 pints. We usually get blueberries for 1 month, and when they peter out the ripe tomato picking starts.
I planted only 13 tomato plants this year. Trying two plants of a new cherry tomato called Black Strawberry that has clusters of large dark cherry tomatoes with purple-y stripes. Also two "Lemon Boy" yellow tomatoes. This year I planted some patty pan squash... so cute!

Well, you are right about dedication. I had a lot of motivation though. I felt bad when I started and even after losing 15 lb or so I started feeling better. 

I think I look older now but friends, family, and coworkers say I look younger lol.

I guess everyone is their own worst critic as they say.

Charlie that is so impressive- in less than a year and a half you lost about 100 lbs!  Sounds like you did it the healthy way too. I'm so glad for you.    It takes real dedication to do that. You have completely turned your life around through you own efforts.

Great seeing folks sharing their health related efforts and successes !

17 months ago I weighed 267 lbs. My BMI was 40 (obese). My a1c was 6.6 (pre-diabetes) and inching up every three months.  My doctor wanted to talk about insulin. So I told him to give me 3 months. Next visit it started going down.

What I did was got online and did my research and educated myself about the glycemic index of foods as well as the glycemic load. I bought a blood glucose meter and started checking my blood sugar before and after eating individual foods. Any that spiked my blood glucose over 125 or so, I eliminated them from my diet.

I started walking and doing light strength training as well.

This past March my a1c was 5.2. Doc laughed and said it was lower than his. He is 44 and runs mini marathons. I'm 64 with a history of smoking.

I finally reached my ultimate goal today. 165.75 lbs which puts my BMI at 24.8. I've gone from obese to the healthy weight range, albeit the higher end of the chart.

Anyhow, when I started I wore a size 46 or 48 waist pants and 3X shirts.

Today I'm sitting here in a size 30 waist jeans, size small briefs, and a medium size tee shirt.

In March doc told me I didn't have to worry about losing more weight but I pointed to my gut and said "what about this visceral fat that's left ?"

He told me that I need to up my strength training and work all my muscle groups especially my legs because short of that any additional weight loss was going to be muscle mass.

So I bought a nice bike, a Specialized Roll 2.0, and the visceral fat is melting away. I also increases my strength training a bit. Supposedly that raises your metabolism.

I feel pretty good. When I started I felt miserable, and had four comorbidities. Hypertension and taking four meds for that, obesity, pre-diabetic, and COPD.

I can't beat the COPD but I can avoid doing things to make it progress further like smoking. It's not bad enough for me to have to reach for my rescue inhaler. It's a rare occasion I ever do especially since I've lost weight and quit smoking. The other three comorbidities I have beat. I'm down to just one hypertension med and in March doc told me I could stop taking metformin.

So yes, in my case all I needed to do was educate myself as to what I could do to lose fat and simply be diligent about it. I eat all I want but I eat foods that don't create fat. No bread, no milk, no red meat, nothing with fructose, etc. Whole foods make up around 85% of my diet. Plenty of water and replaced soft drinks with Kool-Aid sweetened with erythritol in place of sugar. I also avoid foods that promote inflammation. Good video here ...

And according to my doc I did it in a safe manner. Iirc in March he said I lost an average of 1.6 lbs a week or so since I started.

I focus on glycemic load and net carbs instead of calories. I don't do the keto thing though.

@ken-hulme Dang heel spur! 

I walked 2 miles yesterday in a local park, with "some discomfort",  as I'm experiencing a heel spur.

It was a nice day here and would've been perfect for hiking.  I hear you on the joints end of things, @slate-creek-dulcimers.  :) 

Flat tire on the bike today so I hiked 7 miles. Perfect temperature for hiking. My joints can definitely tell it this evening. 

Thanks Robin and Lisa!

Yeah Lisa it's a fatbike. More suited for off-road but I didn't have time to go to the mountain today.

Bobby is that on a bicycle? Good for you. Looks pretty there. 

Corvus- lol, whatever floats your boat.

@slate-creek-dulcimers Nothing like getting outdoors to help heal mind & spirit.  We're going to head to the nearby lake in just a bit for a time of refreshing.  Take care, Bobby.

5 miles of mind therapy this morning, (or breakup therapy to be more precise). And of course exercise.

2.5 miles uphill grade and a coast back home.

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This is as healthy as I get. Made it to 70 and still going.

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LOVE Green Salsa and Enchilada Sauces.  Nice to grow your own! 

We've finished Mango season on our tree. 

Have been "foraging" at a large local park/arboreteum this spring and summer when I go with a friend to do t'ai-chi, also around the neighborhood.  Malay Apples and Rose Apples from the park, also now the Chocolate Sapote trees are coming into fruit, and I picked enough wild coffee that is drying that I'll be able to grind a few cups worth after roasting.  Plenty of Starfruit around the neighborhood, plus wild lemon and grapefruit.  .  

That's a lot of tomatillos!

John i had never even tasted tomatillos until about 4 yrs ago. At first i thought Hmmm....odd.  Then got seriously hooked.  LOL  Now i grow both tomatoes and tomatillos as my 'most important' Summer veggies.

Yum-O!  Tomatillo sauce is the spice of life, as they say!

I've been picking a ton of tomatillos in our garden lately.  This week I canned 24 pints of green tomatillo sauce, adding onions, garlic, cilantro, and red peppers.  There were several other bowls of them than fit in this photo. Now we'll have enough green sauce to last til April or May. 

Fig preserves? sounds wonderful!!  No fig trees here... too cold! 

Lisa, congratulations on your weight loss. IMO, a little bit along is better for your health than a sudden gigantic loss.

 It’s blueberry time at your place, and figs at my place.  In another 2 weeks my daughter will make enough fig preserves to last our whole big family another year.  

Also, hello there.  👋

Yay, I picked the first pint of the year of our own blueberries yesterday. They didn't give much last year (I had pruned them severely the year before that) but this year looks like a good crop again. They give berries for about three to four weeks. It's a wonderful thing to look forward to. I just had a bowl of yogurt with our blueberries and a cut up nectarine and a tablespoon of chia seed for good measure.  :)

I've been following a new diet over the past 7 weeks so far, to try and lose weight. (I need to lose 30 pounds total)
Portion control and 'will power' are not things that work for me. I've been doing something I've never tried before- actually counting calories. An app on my iphone makes it pretty easy to do... far easier than laboriously logging in old notebooks and looking everything up in books or charts.

so... in seven weeks I've now lost seven pounds. I'm sort of surprised it's working as well as it has been, and the best part is I don't feel terribly hungry, because I now know things I can eat that have fewer calories but i really like- to snack on when i'm antsy for something. I do have days when I don't bother counting at all, like when we have guests over or some fancy meal that's hard to figure out. It's educating me a whole lot about what foods and choices have high or low calories. That means that eventually i should have a much better sense of how to eat so I don't gain back weight in the future, even without using the app.

It does take some effort and dedication, but it's showing me I don't have to actually 'suffer' to lose weight. That's encouraging! 

Flowers are some of life’s greatest nourishment.

Garden...
I planted my tomato plants and tomatillo plants today. My green sauce seems to be a big hit with my husband, so I will try to make a lot this year and can it again. My final batch from late last summer lasted us all the way until the following April! Green tomatillo sauce really gives a wonderful taste of summer in the middle of the dark bleak winter.

Last year due to the pandemic i tried to grow as much veggies in the garden as possible. It was frustrating because my soil was depleted. This Spring i worked hard to apply compost and straw, and I decided to give myself a break by not trying to plant and tend so many kinds of veggies this year. So, I'm sticking with my tomatoes, tomatillos, some peppers, and of course the blueberries. Much of the vegetable garden will simply lie resting under compost and straw this Summer. Hoping the earthworms come and aerate it.

Instead of my usual other veggies, I'm planting more simple annual flowers just to lift my spirit with cheerful colors and bouquets. I bought some flats with good old fashioned zinnias. Also some tall violet ageratum, blue morning glories, a big blue hyssop plant and 3 purple salvia for the various bees, and several spectacular red tithonia.
I can't wait to see all the new crazy colors in my garden this year for a change!

In Toronto you jog every morning.  12 degrees tomorrow in KCMO.  No way....of course I stroll.

I take a jog around the neighborhood every morning and I think its been a major part of keeping me fit and healthy.

Wow, Ken. Losing weight as well as keeping it off is really hard.  Good for you.  Robert, thank you for recommending Johnny's Selected Seeds.  I'll check them out when I need to re-order.

The broccoli seeds are ready to harvest today and mung beans are beginning to show signs of sprouting.  I've been conservative in the amount of seeds I've started since I'm experimenting with varieties and didn't want to become overwhelmed with too many sprouts at one time.

We had the alfalfa sprouts in a salad last night and really liked them.  Will try them in a sandwich today for lunch.  This is such fun!  Thank you, Strumelia, for your advice and encouragement.  Nina (aka) Dulcinina)

@ken-hulme Huzzah!  I hope the weight loss contributes to your overall health-- as long as we're kicking it's good to feel as well as we can!  

Anniversary of sorts.  After nearly a year, including the stress of Covid lockdown (and we take it very seriously), I am still 40 pounds lighter than I was in September of 2019.  Thank you WW.  No fancy expensive foods, just watching what, when and how much I eat. 

I highly recommend Johnnys Selected Seeds in Winslow ME. They have the largest selection of seed for sprouts and micro greens. All are organic and definitely not treated with fungicides. Check them out.... Robert

Awesome!!!!  So excited for you!    Those look nice and bright, fresh.

Now be sure to measure how many seeds you start with in the jar, they should almost fill the jar when done. I find that 4 level teaspoons (meaning 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon, all level not rounded) will fill my entire quart jar nicely without being so tight I can't pull them out.

For lunch today I had a sandwich made with two thin slices meunster cheese and a BIG handful each of mung sprouts and red clover sprouts, on peasant bread with a little butter and mayo. Yum!  Basically a sprout sandwich.

My first "crop" of alfalfa sprouts.  Uhh, not sure I attached the picture correctly.  Nina

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Nina, I'm excited for you- you GO girl!  I look forward to a few pix later.
I'm convinced that sprouts that are truly fresh (grown at home) are a real powerhouse of healthy nutrients.
Remember to keep them dark while growing, until the last day when you set the jar next to a bright window- so fun to see them get so GREEN within a few hours of being exposed to light!

I ordered lids for my mason jars and a variety of seeds.  The lids came the day after I ordered them! The seeds came yesterday and I've started two jars--alfalfa and broccoli seeds.  I've watched plenty of YouTubes so we'll see how the seeds sprout.  I hope to post pictures once there is something to photograph. Nina

Nice sprouts! I making dinner  and would love a bunch of them NOW.

Just picked the last of my romaine lettuce from the field. I had them on raised beds covered with black plastic mulch so frost never got them. Cold weather really brings out the flavor... Robert

There are many good youtube tutorials if you search there for "growing sprouts in quart mason jars". You can get organic sprouting seeds easily on A*zon, also those stainless steel screen tops that I like to use.  Or just use some cheesecloth and a rubber band. Just make sure to use the wide mouth jars so you can pull the mass of grown sprouts out without damaging them. You can buy either like a 1lb bag of a certain seed (a lb of alfalfa seed last me a year) or try a collection that has several varieties of littler sampler bags of seed to try out. Be sure the seed specifically says it's for sprouting.

Once you've put in the seeds and secured the screen or mesh top, you won't be removing the top until the sprouts are all grown and ready. You just do the twice daily rinsing right through the mesh at the sink. The jars stay upside down so no water pools in the jar, and must stay covered and dark until the last day when you do a final jar rinse and set the jar by a bright windowsill- the leaves will green up within 2 or 3 hours in the light.

A handful of sprouts is actually more nutritious than a handful of lettuce leaves. It's such a cheap and easy way to have absolutely FRESH greens on hand. You'll be amazed at how low the sprouts stay fresh in your fridge- because the sprouts one buys in the store are days or sometimes more than a week old since they were packaged.

Those look gorgeous, too.  It never occurred to me to grow my own sprouts. I just buy those little plastic containers at the green grocer. I sometimes get the spicy broccoli sprouts, too, but I'm the only one in the house who likes 'em.

Today we taste tested the alfalfa vs the red clover sprouts. Alfalfa won again, but both were tasty.
Dusty, the red clover has very slightly more golden leaves and finer texture. The alfalfa sprouts have darker green little leaves and whiter roots, so they are really pretty. Here is a pic of a quart container full of my alfalfa sprouts after rinsing removed most of the empty hulls. They really are purty after being cleaned and drained and tucked into a fridge tub. A quart goes a long way, giving enough for several very generous sandwiches and salad toppings.
It's convenient how the empty hulls float to the top when you rinse the finished sprouts, making them easy to skim away. When you pull the wad of sprouts out of the jar, they really are a packed mass which you have to gently tease apart to wash them before draining well and putting in the fridge. That's why I never use more than 4 level teaspoons of seed for a quart jar!

Alfalfa sprouts:

Those fresh red clover sprouts look so light and delicious!

Wow.  Thanks for posting the pictures.  I ordered my seeds yesterday.  I'm excitted to get started.  Nina

@dulcinina here are a few pix from this morning. The full jar ready to harvest is red clover. The little seeds just soaked overnight and ready to start growing are alfalfa. Then you see the mung beans which have been growing about three days after soaking overnight.
Then pix of pulling the mat of sprouts out of the jar, and teasing them apart and risning in a tub where the hulls float and can be skimmed away. then the finished rinsed drained red clover sprouts in a quart tupperware tub for the fridge.

I tried a variety mix once, but found it problematic that the different types of seeds matured at slightly different rates. I also found the larger seed ones in the mix to be a little too crunchy. But some folks like the mixes especially for sandwiches and salads, so you could try a small package maybe? Other people love broccoli sprouts.
My husband and I like mild   tasting sprouts best, so our mainstay is alfalfa. Every time I try something different, we wind up going back to alfalfa...I guess we're just set in our boring ways. 

Thanks for the quick reply. I looked on Amazon and there is a lot to choose from.  Have y ou tried the variety packs?  Food to Live has alfalfa, broccoli, mung, clover and radish.  What's your experience with any of these?  Nina

Dulcinina, yes cheese cloth and a rubber band works too!  Some people cut plastic cross-stitch mesh into circles to use with the canning jar's metal band top. Others use pieces of tulle fabric or landscaping mesh. Anything that keeps the seeds in but lets water drain out. I just find the stainless steel screens to be convenient to clean and reuse, since I sprout a lot.

Try to use the WIDE-mouth canning jars, so that it's easy to pull the finished clump of sprouts out once they are done growing... usually the sprouts pack the entire jar if you start with 4 teaspoons of seed, and it's hard to pull a big dense clump out with a small mouth jar. You can use a little less seed, or smaller jars or different containers, but don't use more than 4 teaspoons of say alfalfa or radish per quart jar or the sprouts will get too crowded to grow. I read that a 1/4 cup of mung beans per quart jar works well, but I'm trying that out now.
I'll try to get some photos later to add.  :)

I haven't done this in a long time.  But you've inspired me to start again. Post a picture if you can of the jars before and after sprouting. I don't have screw on screen tops for my jars.  Would cheese cloth and a rubber band work?  Thanks for posting.  Going to give this a try again.  Nina

Now that Winter has set in and the veggie garden is dormant, I've started my winter tradition of growing fresh sprouts in jars in my kitchen.

Especially now during the pandemic when I want to avoid frequent trips out to buy food, fresh SPROUTS are a terrific substitute for lettuce! We pile them on sandwiches, in tortilla rollups, and as a side for scrambled eggs or anywhere you would want a little handful of greens. Mung sprouts are also good in stir fried dishes. I find that a head of pretty purple raddichio stays nice for three whole weeks in the fridge, so a couple of thin slices of raddichio, some grated carrot, and a handful of sprouts (and some croutons!) makes a wonderful salad.

This year with buying lettuce less frequently, I went all in and am adding two other types of sprouts to our usual favorite of alfalfa sprouts... I'm now alternating growing jars of alfalfa sprouts with mung bean and red clover. (we don't care for the peppery types like radish sprouts though some folks love those)

I use quart jars with screw on screen tops, and because each jar takes 5 or 6 days I keep two jars growing at any given time. I start a new jar every 4 days or so because it takes us about four days to eat through each batch. I just have to remember to rinse and drain the growing sprouts twice a day so they stay moist and clean while growing. I keep the jars upside down (to avoid any water pooling in the jar) in my dish draining rack, covered with a cloth to keep them dark. On the last day I sit the jar near a bright window and they totally green up within a few hours- so pretty and magical! Then I pull them out of the jar, tease them apart, rinse several times to remove most of the hulls, and put them in a plastic tub in the fridge to eat. A quart jar can make a big bunch of sprouts! It only takes 4 teaspoons of alfalfa seeds to wind up with a quart jar jammed FULL of mature sprouts.
I buy organic 'sprouting seeds' on am*zon in 1 pound bags. Don't use seeds meant for planting because those are often treated and/or GMO. A 1lb bag will last you at least a year. 
Just seeing the green jars growing in my kitchen during the dead of winter always brings me a feeling of hope and renewal.

I've cleaned up my modest vegetable garden for the winter (it's fenced in, about 20'x40', with three long 3 foot wide beds). Most of the plants had died already from exhaustion or from our first several mild frosts.
But a little section of young lettuces and a few dozen radish plants still survived and were growing.
I know from the forecast that some hard freezes in the 20s are coming this next week, so today I'll go out and cut a couple last bags' worth of leaf lettuce and pull a few last radishes. That'll last us for another couple of weeks eating.
At that point I'll switch to buying lettuce and doing my usual kitchen growing of alfalfa sprouts in jars. We love having a supply of fresh sprouts during the winter, and it's not so hard to keep up doing.

I do enjoy taking a total vacation from garden chores each winter!

I'm rootin' for you Sandi! 

Even though I'm quiet I still love getting the e-mails updating this thread!  I am a month-and-a-half into eating like a bear (keto, IF 23:1), and I cannot believe the difference already.  I couldn't believe the difference in two weeks~though I do still have a very long way to go.  I know that I will never view the comment, "That's just water weight," over rapid weight loss the same way again.  That was water that meant inflammation, swelling, limited mobility, and needed to come off!  

I do have a very long way to go, but I chose this method because of the possible autophagy helping with loose skin.  I'm going to have loose skin with all I need to lose, but anything to help, please!  LOL!  In all honesty, this has been one of the easiest eating plans I've ever tried, and I am so thankful.

Here in South Jersey we've been continually blasted with rain and humidity since June. My and my neighbors vegetable farms are looking poorly. But I still have plenty of food for myself and family. Lately I have been going stir crazy, stir fry crazy that is ☺. 

Today I'll cleanup another area of the veg garden that is kaput for the year- the cucumbers. The tomato plants are mostly brown now, with a few odd stragglers still putting out some plum or cherry tomatoes. But I'll still be planting lettuce and radish seed every couple of weeks 'til mid Oct- they like the cold weather and will usually thrive until early December here in New York. My pepper plants are doing fine too- they seemed pretty frost resistant last year until Thanksgiving or so. I've found it helps to do the Fall veggie garden cleanup a section at a time... easier on me than trying to do it all in a couple of days later on.

I've actually been keeping up with my trampoline/rebounder sessions. It's been over two months now, and I've managed to go from starting out at 5 minute sessions to now 11 minutes, soon to be 12.  I think my current goal is to be able to do a 15 minute session at least 5 days a week. That doesn't sound like a lot, but try doing jumping jacks or jumping rope for 15 minutes straight and you'll quickly see what i mean.   It's hard work! 
I alternate straight bouncing with jumping jacks and jogging on it. When my 11 min are up, I get off and do some stretches and twists to finish up. So far I'm not avoiding it or feeling bored to death. I like that I don't have to spend a lot of time to feel like I've had a workout. I know it's doing me a lot of good... my legs are definitely stronger. I notice I'm going upstairs much more easily, and it seems easier to tie my shoes and do weeding or vacuuming.
I've lost about 4 pounds in the past two months, but I hesitate to attribute it to anything in particular. But far better than slowly continuing to gain, like i was before.

Thanx, Lisa.  I figured after all these years I needed a change!

We're doing Zoom yoga with our teacher, and I do T'ai-chi in a local park with a couple friends; plus walking when it's not 90F+ and 90% humidity!

I made a vegetarian Picnic Pie for Sunday Brunch today -- roasted veggies and some cheese encased in puff pastry, baked in a springform pan.  When it's done you have a free-standing 'pie' that is 3" tall and 9" in diameter that you slice and serve in wedges.  A little decadent with the puff pastry, but once in awhile you've got to splurge.  It being Mango season we had chilled mango halves for dessert.

We had a nice salad for dinner today, with lettuce, carrots, scallions, peppers, and cucumber- all of that fresh from the garden. I added a few other items we like: cheese, croutons, and pumpkin seeds. I am sure looking forward our first tomatoes, we have lots of big green ones. I'm dreaming about tomato mayonnaise sandwiches.

Hey KenH- very nifty new avatar!

I've been doing my bounce fitness sessions on my rebounder/trampoline for the past ten days now, usually twice a day. I'm am now able to do 8 minute sessions. The first few days, 5 minutes would completely wipe me out. I'm definitely feeling stronger- my legs are stronger already, and I don't get quite as winded even though I'm jumping more. I've lost a couple pounds but that could be water weight so I'll have to wait and see on that. One knee got a little sore when I did some twisting bounces, so I'm avoiding that particular move now and it's helping.
It's really encouraging that I'm seeing obvious progress after only ten days. I'm actually looking forward to it each day.   It's nice to feel energized again!
I got some long resistance bands and having fun experimenting with tying them to the frame to add some arm stretching.

I have kept your place tucked away in my mind ever since you told me about it in Berea.  Nina 

Nina -- anytime.  Our AirBnb listing is open once again (cautiously), and I'll certainly make you a gourmet seafood dinner!

I call my husky/malamute my Trail Buddy and try to get out with him for about an hour every other day.  Recent hot weather has forced me to try doing that in the morning.  (I'm NOT an a.m. person and tend to muddle along until finally alert.)  I've tried night hikes, but he's just not as happy with paved walking, our local parks shut down at sunset, and flashlight hikes in fields and woods can be tricky.  <sigh!> 

Wow, Don.  Good for your grandaughter!  Another Outdoor Woman!  I attended a few KY Outdoor Woman weekends put on my KY Fish and Wildlife.  They taught all kinds of outdoor skills--fishing, archery, orienteering (sp?) survival skills, canooing etc.  I had so much fun.  Alas, I am not a fisherwoman.  But I'm always delighted when I seen young girls doing such sports.

Ken, I can only dream and live on memories of fresh ocean seafood.  Maybe some day I can rent your little place and you can fix a gourmet seafood dinner for me.  

Lisa, I, too, have not been walking regularly because of the heat and humidity.  But I do my yoga stretches every morning. And since we live in a two-story house, I get to climb steps all the time cuz when I'm upstairs, I need something that's downstairs and vice versa.  Nina (aka Dulcinina)

Hardly anyone goes swimming in the sea down here.  Playing "Bobber" is thing.  Or sitting in the shade and watching/listening to the surf roll in and the seabirds.  On a good day you'll be out Bobbing and manatee will come up to investigate you; or a pod of dolphins want to play with you.

Ken that sounds pretty divine, bouncing in the sea waves. I wouldn't mind smelling the salt air and hearing the gulls for a bit.. I do crave that once in a while even though I'm not really a swimmer. But will be just staying home for now .   I'll vicariously enjoy imaging the seafood you had there.  ....Hey wait, I think I'll play a nature sound track on my ipad of beach waves and gulls right now in my office, while I get to work on a job! 

Bouncy, bouncy, Lisa -- it's good for you! 

We got our "bounce on" two weekends back.  We took a short stay at Manasota Key up near Venice, FL, over 4th of July.  Olde Florida kinda beachfront motel seriously doing social distancing and mask wearing, etc.  Private beach so few people about.  Summer rental rates. Gulf of Mexico was 90F and so was the air temp!!  Afternoons there was a 'good' sea swell, and  needless to say, standing out in chest to neck deep water, we did a lot of bouncing in the waves.  Enough that even though we were eating more than at home (dinners at a nearby fabulous really socially conscious restaurant) we still each lost a pound or so over 4 days!

I've been keeping up with my small vegetable garden. We had lots of lettuces, but now green beans are what i'm picking a lot of, and just got a nice first cucumber. It's been very hot and mostly dry, so I've had to water about twice a week though. The tomato plants are looking good, with lots of green ones developing.   These days it's too hot to be out there midday, and that goes for walking too. We've been eating pretty healthily lately.

But... I have not kept up with fitness walks as I had wanted to (it's been so very hot and humid out), so I've been slowly getting more out of shape and gaining weight.   Because of Covid, there are no contra dances happening and that was my biggest form of exercise for the past 10 years. I miss it!

One of my daughters bought a small (38" diameter) indoor fitness trampoline (it's often called a 'rebounder') and was telling me how much she and her wife love it now- they can do their workouts now right in their apartment and it's fun!  Sometimes they put on music to do a bounce routine.
This inspired me to get one for myself, I could see a similarity to dancing which has a lot of bouncing steps too.
     So... my rebounder arrived a few days ago and I started with 5 minute beginner level bounce sessions both morning and evening- so far nine sessions. It's quite an intense workout, so that's why I'm starting out with only 5 minute sessions at first- it wipes me out!  I'm still getting used to it, and am glad I attached a side safety bar I can hold when I get a little off balance. Just today I was able to increase to 6 minute sessions. It really gets all my muscles burning and my heart rate and breathing way up. It's supposed to be a full body workout without joint stress.

It IS fun to do, even though it's hard work right now due to my being so out of shape.
I like that it doesn't require a lot of preparation- it's quite convenient. This feels pretty do-able for me!  My goal is to eventually build up to 10 or 15 minute sessions twice a day, and then maybe switch over to a single 20 minute session once a day. I'm going to try hard to stick with this bounce exercise routine- I absolutely need to get moving again!

I plant five acres of vegetables by myself for my roadside market so I get plenty of exercise. Around here in zone 7b there are hundreds of vegetable farms planting already. But for exercise, I would rather be riding my bike. Especially since traffic is alot less now. Only about 350 cases in my county so being out in the fresh air is quite liberating. I pray everyone gets through this... Robert.

Ah, my Berea Roomie, @Dulcinina"> @Dulcinina , back before I found my health better w/o cats we had a cat who tolerated a leash, but moving at a cat's pace won't help you much (except for your sense of humor ) .  My 10 year old husky/malamute would probably go more, but I try to get out for a roughly hour-long walk every other day, weather permitting.  (I'm NOT a walk-in-the-rain Pet Mom, although sometimes the white stuff still trying to assert itself here in Michigan doesn't always stop me.  BRRRR!)  My "Beast" is nearing the age when my mals died, so I'm hoping the husky in him keeps him longer.  When I think about losing him: I know not having to arrange for care when I'm on the road would be helpful, but he's my trail buddy & I'm well aware I wouldn't be doing it w/o him.  <SIGH!>  This is starting to sound like it should move to the Show Us Your Pets, & I'm always hearing how gorgeous he is, but think when he goes I'll probably try fostering for a while, but know what that will lead to. . . a new trail buddy.

Yes, @Strumelia"> @Strumelia , like you, I'm having to pick my walking areas to avoid people crowding some parks, although I'm not bothered by the way dogs just don't believe in "social distancing", while I talk to their human at a distance.  My husband's truck has an extended cab where my boy rides.  Decided to use my gas points expiring this month on the truck since that travels a bit more than my SUV these days.  The worker at the gas station saw & commented on how he's, yes, gorgeous.  It's a rare time I don't hear that.   Thank heavens a nearby golf course & the fairgrounds (yep, read your note on that!) are near and still available.  Just a bit of walking on our dirt roads leaves me wondering if we truly have that many Essential Workers & people only out 1x a week for groceries! You're still taking your life & that of your dog in your hands traveling on the road.

Whether with a Trail Buddy or earphones, may we all have the opportunity to walk as even online exercise and dance isn't helpful if it must take place in a crowded office.

I know.  Why is it we have to force ourselves? Even if It's beautiful and sunny and a perfect temperature, it's a struggle.  But once I get out there, I'm OK.   I was hoping I could teach my cat to walk on a leash but she's having none of it.  One incentive I have, however, is listening to Hearts of the Dulcimer (all of which I've listened to before) and the Very Pink knitting podcast.

Anywho, I'll get out there today. Nina 

It's always a struggle to force myself out of the house to go for a brisk fitness walk somewhere. Usually i get my exercise from going to contra dances, but no dances while the virus is on.
I did manage a 2 mile walk a couple days ago, and another 1 mile walk today. I get creeped out when I have to pass by someone on the road (I try to hold my breath!) but it's not too much risk since we are about ten feet apart and outdoors.  But still...

Anyway, I know it's important to get exercise and leave the house occasionally.  So I force myself.

It's still been mostly cold and wet here in NY, so the various seeds I planted in the garden for lettuce, radish, carrots, and scallions are only just now little half-inch tall baby plants.  BUT... with warm weather in the 50s coming real soon on a regular basis, these babies should start shooting up much faster them.  So I'm glad I planted the seeds a bit early. They did not freeze and die.

Yesterday I planted a second batch of various lettuces, radish, scallion, and carrots.  The trick is to plant only a small amount of each, and then do another batch in two weeks, and a third yet another two weeks after that.  That way they won't all mature at the same time. Some types of lettuce do well planted all through Summer, others can't take the heat.

Meanwhile, I pick up an order of produce, milk, eggs, and bread from the contact-free store once every two weeks.  And I am growing a constant supply of alfalfa sprouts in the kitchen. Enjoying making yogurt.
Baking choc chip cookies occasionally as a treat. They came out 'ok' but I rationed the precious chips to like 4 or 5 per cookie. Even so, my mediocre choc chip cookies tasted sublime!  At our house we consider small doses of dark chocolate to be essential for both our medicinal and psychiatric well being. For the past year or so I've been using a teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder in my coffee cup instead of 2 tsp sugar like I used to for many years.  That must surely be good for me.

I had to order a big bag of dark choc chips online as we are running low. Baking staples are now more expensive than they used to be, for sure. Brian was shocked by the online price, but then he realized how important it was to us to have some dark chocolate here for cookie making and snacking... and how dreary it would be to not have chocolate to perk us up.

They were the strong, dominant alfalfa sprouts that like to take command, known colloquially as alphalpha sprouts.

You should feel guilty Dusty... that sounds a bit over the top uber deluxe! 

...are you sure it wasn't alfalfa sprouts?

Late last night or early this morning, I received my bi-weekly delivery of fresh produce from the farm-to-table service I subscribe to.  Everything is grown within a 200-mile radius of my home, and it all arrives super-fresh. I just prepared a salad for lunch, with red-leaf lettuce, radishes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and alphalpha sprouts.  I added some cold sliced beef left over from dinner last night and made a nice vinaigrette highlighted by some fresh-squeezed meyers lemons from our tree out back. I haven't even eaten it yet, but it looks so yummy!  The beef came from a delivery service, too, so I was able to put all this together without leaving the house.  Now where's my fork?

I feel a bit guilty for living so well while this viral cloud has shut down nearly the whole world.