About 20 years ago I lived in the region of the country near York, Pennsylvania. During those years I began a collection of York dumbbells starting with a single set of 5lbs. There may be nicer ones on the market but I love these. Eventually I added 8s and 10s and 12s. The last purchase was a set of 15s. Frankly it took me years to have much I could do with this last pair though now I use them regularly. York still sells this style of weight. They’re called “legacy” dumbbells which is a synonym for “if you own these you were probably born long ago.”
I’ve now put together 16+ and 18+ pounds sets from plate weights, little threaded weight bars and collars. I’ve been wondering if it might be time for a set of 20s from York. An alternative course would be taking the plunge and buying a pair of those dial-controlled adjustable dumbbells. I gave a pair of these to my dad as a gift last father’s day. I guess the best gifts are the ones we really want ourselves… For him it was a good idea because he has access to a good gym at work but seemed to have pretty little equipment at home. I was hoping mom might take advantage of them also. For me the benefit would be that my house is tiny and all the separate weights take up more room. That said, I must confess an emotional attachment to my weight set. It would probably be hard to give them up.
Monthly Archives: November 2011
Breakfast of Lunatics
mine's green
Here’s a breakfast that has 224 calories and 25 grams of protein.
- 1/2 cup cooked instant brown rice
- some raisins
- 10 drops stevia extract
- 1/3 cup Now Egg White Protein
- 6 oz water
- Vanilla extract and cinnamon to taste
- Spray oil sufficient to coat microwaveable bowl
Mix the protein with the water in a shaker bottle. Spray the bowl wth oil. Put the rice in the bowl. To the egg and water mixture add the stevia and cinnamon. Shake some more. Pour the foam into bowl. Sprinkle the raisins on top. Microwave on 80% for 3 1/2 minutes.
Essentially I have a sweet version of this breakfast–this one–and a savory version which has no spices and 1/2 oz of cheese for flavor. On that one I add mild salsa. It’s a bit time consuming for mornings on which I am in a hurry but it’s a way to start the day feeling great.
Vanity is Your Friend
Over the years I have found myself often more motivated by preserving or enhancing my looks than my health. Probably I realize that while my health has been generally good in the looks department I really can’t afford to cede any ground. Vanity just motivates me in a way that health doesn’t. Maybe it’s because I realize that as much as I can do to support my health I will die eventually. Who knows? Mainly I think that it’s good to take advantage of whatever I can that keeps me actively pursing health and wellness. It doesn’t matter what my reasons are for hitting the weights as long as I keep hitting them.
Go, go, go, go: STOP
Green Tea
I tend to exercise at night and in general I’ve evolved a lifestyle that includes go-go-going until I am ready to flip the switch into relax and sleep mode a process which usually does not begin until at least 10:30PM. Of course the body doesn’t work that way. Months ago I began drinking a cup of Tension Tamer tea when I am finally ready to settle down. I have also tried L-Tryptophan which seemed beneficial though the form in which I was taking it was expensive and when I switched to a cheaper one it was not as pleasant to use and I stopped using it. One beverage that is always relaxing is alcohol. I would sleep even less if it weren’t for this standby.
I do drink less caffeine now than I did even six months ago. I accomplished this by swapping out routine daytime coffee for green tea which I carry around in a really scary looking water bottle. Green tea is good to drink–Tom Venuto recommends about 4 cups per day–because it contains Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which helps the body use fat as fuel when exercising. About 15 years ago I actually completely stopped using caffeine when a doctor recommended it to reduce fibrocystic breast disease. I was amazed at what a difference that made. The road back was slow and began with my gateway drug Diet Coke. I am happy to report that I have primarily cut that out of my diet–I used to buy it by the box; now it’s a “treat.” I don’t know what the research is on this but I have a feeling that it gives you brain cancer.
My current philosophy is that being aware of and reflecting on my habits is important even if I can’t do the optimal thing at every turn.
Brute Force 