[The photos are of some 'tarka dhal' that I cooked this week. I enjoy cooking and also like middle eastern foods. It wasn't bad for my first attempt--I think it was very good. Can you tell which one is mine and which one is from the cook book?]
A couple of weeks ago I had some blood drawn, not for donation but for testing. Today I got the results in the mail. Much of it I will have to look online for to see what it means. I will also take it with me when I go see my heart Dr later this month. But some of the things tested for I recognize: Cholesterol, Total (139), Triglycerides (40), HDL Cholesterol (58), VLDL Cholesterol Cal (8), LDL Cholesterol Calc (73) and that's probably enough for now. The bottom line for me is that I think what I'm eating (and not eating) is looking good in my blood. Having good blood isn't a guarantee of health; but for me I see it as affirming that the caution and extra time and cost in the area of nutrition is bearing fruit.
I take a fair bit of teasing and harassment on what I do and don't eat. Many people say it doesn't matter or make that much of a difference. To that I say: show my your blood work! Now I exercise and try to get proper rest...I realize and practice a more holistic approach to good health. Nutrition is just a main thread, not the only one. But it is indeed a player in our health. (Some of my biggies: filtered water, soy milk, very little red meat, no pork, daily onions, daily garlic, daily spinach, supplements, no butter or margin (only olive oil), no trans fats, no nitrates or nitrites, no hydrogenated oils (even in ice cream), low sodium, lots of fruits and vegetables, routine fasts, ...)
This evening I was wanting something sweet, so I went by the grocery store after my meeting and started reading labels: sherbet, different flavors of ice cream, licorice...I usually go for the Sherbet but was surprised to see it so high in sugar-even higher than the good ice cream. So Sherbet was out. I know I can't manage my ice cream quantity, so I have to say no in the store and not bring it home: so ice cream was out. Licorice: 40 calories per piece...again I can't just have one or two but would have 6 or 10: again no. A short prayer and then it was off to the yogurt. It will satisfy the sweet craving, it's got nutritional benefits and it comes in a single serve container-a good thing for someone who is "Portion Challenged": done. Fifteen minutes of reading labels and knowing myself; I left the store with a yogurt for tonight and 9 more for the future (buy 10 and save $1).
Exercise today: day 4 of the planned 4 days of 40 miles. With the hour on the trainer on Sunday setting up the test saddle, I've ridden between 10 and 11 hours this week: ~175 miles. That's the most miles I've ever ridden in one week, and I am planning on a long ride on Sat.
The ride this afternoon was a little later than normal (started ~1:45). At the dam (a 4 mile stretch) I had to ride through a swarm of bees. That was a bummer. Thankfully I didn't get stung but did have to stop once I was sure I was through all of them to make sure there weren't any in my helmet or hair. It was really windy so I was very hopeful that they would be gone on my way back across later, but they weren't, and that time I got stung. Just once, but it was like fire! Again there were hundreds of them. I hope they don't stay for long as I like to ride across the dam for most of my rides, but I really don't like getting pelted and stung.
Now the ride was tough on the leg out: strong winds (20-30 mph +). The total time for the ride was 2:21. Six minutes slower than yesterday. I don't know what it is about the wind, but the cost of riding into it is always less than the benefit of it pushing at your back. (If anyone knows why, please enlighten me.) Some Numbers from the ride: 45 mph Max (down hill section), 17.2 mph Avg, no HR data. There were several sections again when the speed was in the 30's, and as I said yesterday--That's Fun!
The highlight of the ride was towards the end on the bridge section that has some how turned into a time trial gauntlet for me. Today I entered the bridge at 29 mph and exited at just over 40. This is the first time I've seen 40 mph on the flat's (even with the aid of a tail wind). That section of the bridge is .54 miles and it took 56 seconds today for an average speed of 35 mph. That was cool and a memory highlight! (The cars passing me at 50 mph weren't going much faster...)
If any of this is of interest and you'd like to talk further or hear more-just let me know. Or, if you have similar or opposing ideas or experiences, please share those too. But, if it's only something you think about and don't practice...maybe it's time to start 'Doing'. A simple way to start is just adding one thing you want in your life and removing one thing that you don't want in your life: habits, foods, ... etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment