sturdyblog

Unpasteurized sauerkraut, under my nose all along!

2012-01-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying great-tasting Kissel Sauerkraut for a while now, but just this minute found out that it is in fact unpasteurized meaning that it still has all the great, gut-healthy, probiotic bacteria still living in it, ready to aid your digestive tract in doing its job! To celebrate I'm going to pick up another package (or two!) on my way home!

St. Albert real food bargains: 6 January 2012

2012-01-06T10:38:00.001-07:00

Continuing on with my theme started a week ago, Sobeys has some food at some good prices this week. Here are some of my favourites:

Aroy-D Coconut milk: $1.48 per can

Avocados: $1.00 each
Green Onions: $1.00 for 2 bunches

Kiwis: $1.00 for 3
Organic carrots: $2.99 per bag
Radishes: $1.00 for 2 bags

Stock up while you can!

Man's best friend: Icer's

2012-01-04T20:15:00.003-07:00

Well, to be precise, Lee Valley Tools Icer's allow this guy to walk his best friend in the terribly icy conditions, thanks to lots of freezing rain we've been getting recently. Luckily, I don't always need to wear these (see below, Oregon Coastline, Summer 2011, somewhere near Lincoln City), but I appreciate them when I do need them.

sturdyrant: Getting a hate on for needles

2012-01-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know whether this will be a recurring series of "rant" posts, but I am sure my wife, colleagues, friends, and neighbours will be happy to see me channelling my energy into writing blog posts that they can choose to ignore rather than me bending their ear for an indeterminate amount of time about things that irk me. The point of the post below is just that, a rant, and is my opinion alone, and not that of my employer, or of anyone else of importance. Just me. It is also not meant to serve as a "pity party". Just a rant. Pure venting.

I have been on a so-called "Disease Modifying Drug" (or DMD) since June 2009. I can safely say that any infinitesimal amount novelty that may have existed around the idea of injecting myself 3 (first DMD: Rebif) and then 7 times a week (current DMD: Copaxone) has long since vanished. Lately, I've been getting a healthy hate on for needles and the nightly "routine".

Don't get me wrong, the current drug appears to be "working" (or is it my Whals-esque paleo style diet and lifestyle?) at preventing relapses, and maybe even reducing the number and size of lesions in my brain observed on a 4.7T (strong) MRI, but finding spots to "stick" it is becoming increasingly difficult. (This is at least a step up from the awful, flu-like side effects I had with the interferon and that it kicked the snot out of my bone marrow. I eventually dropped it after two failed "attempts".) Not to mention that I think I may be developing a spot of lipoatrophy on my abdomen as a result of the injections. (It's interesting to note that lipoatrophy caused by Copaxone is one of only two listed causes on the Wiki page, the other being caused by an adverse reaction to medication for HIV/AIDS.) I am not certain about the lipoatrophy, but it is worrisome. Besides appearing unsightly, lipoatrophy causes you to be unable to continue to inject in the affected location. If this happens enough and in enough locations, you may not be able to continue to self-administer your Copaxone. And here's the rub.

You need to maintain a "healthy" layer of adipose tissue to facilitate injecting Copaxone (a product that costs my insurance company almost $17,000 per year, by the way). No fat, or damaged fat, and no injections. Forget being healthy any avoiding all the other ills that can still befall an MSer (such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, etc.) or the fact the the food you used to eat that made you chubby (and a good candidate for injections!) also very likely contributed in a real way (i.e., caused) your MS in the first place. No, don't worry about that. Just be sure to have a little extra junk in the trunk to pump the medication into each day.

In closing, I must add that my nurse, an RN who contacts me periodically to ensure that things are going well and to offer advice, has been excellent. This post has nothing to do with her. I am just choked in general about the situation that is fraught with contradictions.

Primal Ham & Cheese "Quiche"

2011-12-30T12:37:00.002-07:00

I made this variant (above) of a recipe that Lisa first saw on Canada AM. Below is a shot of the "original" made just about exactly the way the recipe noted (but no muffins and butter not "Pam"). The variant above is made with a scrambled egg (rather than whole egg) with some grated cheddar cheese and a few small slices of green onions mixed into the egg, and topped with grated cheddar cheese. I really need to use a better camera, but you get the idea from these shots.

Real food bargains: St. Albert edition

2011-12-30T09:40:00.002-07:00

My friends, Ken and Lisa, told me some time ago that I should blog about bargains from stores in the St. Albert area on real food and related items, since finding such deals is one of my hobbies. So here you go, my inaugural post of such things, with just a few items I saw at the Real Canadian Superstore on a recent outing.

Ocean spray cranberries* (340 g bag): $0.46 per bag when you buy in groups of 2
Sunny Fruit dried figs (200 g package)*: $1 per package when you buy in groups of 3 (*no preservatives)
Giant yams: $0.46 per pound
Lactantia whipping cream (1 L carton): $1.50
Brita replacement filters: $2.94 for a 3 pack (there are a lot of complete filter pitchers on sale, too)

* I made a variant of the cranberry recipe on the bag by replacing the sugar with 2 tablespoons of honey; very tart and tasty with much less sugar!

Save time, the environment, and your health

2011-12-28T08:36:00.003-07:00

The Edmonton Journal reported a new study earlier in December that actually quantified yet another benefit of taking stairs over an elevator: stairs are faster. So now people have yet another reason to bypass the line for the elevator and get some fitness on their way to the office (or wherever the upward-bound destination happens to be) . This is even more important in our world today when the destination is an office chair, prolonged periods of sitting, and otherwise sedentary employment given the recent evidence that we should avoid excessive (sitting) "down" time.

The tables have turned: Look who's the experimental test subject now

2011-12-26T22:49:00.002-07:00

For the past two years or so I have been participating in an MRI study examining the relationships between MS, disability, and iron in the brain. The study was headed up by my neurologist, Dr. Gregg Blevins and Dr. Alan Wilman, both from the University of Alberta. I also participated in the media release: click here to view Global Edmonton's piece.

When it comes to nutrition, we're on our own

2011-12-02T08:33:00.001-07:00

The Canadian government cancelled a program to verify nutritional and purported health benefits of products sold in grocery stores. What does this mean for us, the consuming public? My take of this news is that it is all the more reason to stick to real, whole food, rather than packaged, processed nonsense that comes in beautiful packaging covered in slogans reflecting the latest health craze (omega 3 enriched [insert crappy food here], for instance).

UPDATE: Apparently, the government is "scaling back" testing, not cancelling it outright, as was originally reported (see first link in this post). None-the-less, consumers would do well to not purchase "food" that is packaged and touted as "heart healthy" etc. If the product needs marketing to sell it, you probably shouldn't but it. You don't often see any health claims on whole food in the produce section.

Carbohydrates anonymous

2011-12-01T22:49:00.001-07:00

A news piece in the Edmonton Journal (originally published in the Vancouver Sun) a few days ago does a nice job of summarizing some of the issues around excess carbohydrate consumption. There are many factors to consider that the piece does not get into (read: all carbohydrates are not evil) but it gets the main point across nicely, namely, that too many carbohydrates (i.e., more than you can readily burn off) are not a great plan if you want to lead a healthy life. The problem is compounded if you select highly processed carbohydrates that have the additional strike against them of containing industrial oils high in pro-inflammatory omega 6s.

21.4 minutes or 4 years - you decide

2011-11-29T12:53:00.002-07:00

This is my 100th blog post and it may be one of the most important I have written (some might argue that none up until now were important, so at least I am marking the 100th milestone by upping my game).

Many people feel that they don't have adequate time to eat properly (i.e., eat real, actual food, not the latest cure-all supplement or meal replacement) or to exercise (read: move your body). Well, in a new study reported on today, that 21.4 minutes per day that you save not exercising (they recommend a paltry 150 minutes a week or 21.4 minutes a day) will cost you 4 years that you could have lived. It's your choice: 21.4 minutes per day of some form of activity, or meet your maker 4 years sooner. Moreover, consuming 5 or more servings per day of fruits and vegetables can also add an extra 1.3 years on average to your life. The arithmetic is simple: a little investment now will pay dividends later.

Well, that was fun! Ancestral Health course, 2011.

2011-11-28T16:49:00.001-07:00

We just wrapped up my first Ancestral Health course, and I have to say, it was a blast. I think the class liked it too. I think we might have a winner with this course!

St. Albert Deliveries: Big Coulee Farms

2011-09-18T13:16:00.000-06:00

Here is the content of the new delivery leaflet from Big Coulee Farms (BCF).

Please call to order: (780) 675-9458

We are coming to St. Albert Centre parking lot near Hwy. #2 in front of the Bay on the following dates from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. with orders only.

(Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Pork and Eggs)

October: 22
November: 5, 19
December: 4 & 17
January: 7, 21
February: 4, 18
March: 3, 17, 31
April: 14, 28
May: 5, 19
June: 2, 16, 30
July: 14, 28
August: 4, 18
September: 1, 15, 29
October: 6, 20
November: 3, 17
December 1, 15, 22

While product is available.

Please pay with cheque or exact cash. You will be contacted thre Friday before delivery with the amount of your order.

Love dark chocolate but you eat Paleo/Primal? No problem!

2011-05-01T09:33:00.025-06:00

Aerial view of dark chocolate...

One of my graduate students (thank you!) gave me the link to this recipe. I made it last night and it was great, even my 12 year old daughter liked it! I like it because you can control exactly what goes into it, it takes very little time to make, and it costs way less than store bought chocolate bars. Here is the recipe (Ingredients and Directions) copied from the site with my modifications in parentheses.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil (Omega Nutrition)

1/4 – 1/2 cup organic cocoa powder (I used 1/2 cup of regular, non-organic)

1/4 cup coconut milk (Native Forest Classic)

dash of Celtic Sea Salt (regular sea salt, about 1/2 turn of the grinder)

1 teaspoon organic vanilla (regular, non-organic)

Stevia (honey) to taste (about 3/4 tbsp honey)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil on med/high to thin it out; then add cocoa, coconut milk, vanilla, salt. It will thicken when you add the coconut milk so keep it warm while you add stevia a little bit at a time. (If you are using the steviva concentrated powder, just use a little dusting at a time and keep tasting it. If you add too much it will be more bitter. You can always add a little more coconut milk if it gets too sweet.)

2. Once you are satisfied with the taste, take it off the heat and pour it into molds or spread on a small plate and freeze. Even if left at room temp if will harden because of the coconut oil. (I left it on the counter for 5 minutes, stuck it in the freezer for about 5 minutes, then stored it in the refrigerator. I poured it onto a regular dinner plate.)

3. You can add other ingredients to the chocolate before letting it set – coconut, almonds, walnuts, etc. (I made it plain - see photos)

Plate full of yum!

Too pretty to eat? Nah!

2011-04-28T16:56:00.000-06:00

Lisa and Meg are still at a dance festival so I had to fend for myself for dinner (and Mackenzie, too, but that's another story). This is what I came up with for my dinner. It took me about 10 minutes. Poached sockeye salmon, some greens (spinach, mixed, celery), onions, avocado with extra virgin olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. There might be something to this Paleo/Primal thing...

What to do with leftovers?

2011-04-25T23:20:00.000-06:00

We had a nice turkey dinner yesterday with plenty of leftovers for today. One option would be to eat the turkey in the same manner as yesterday. Another option would be to turn them into Turkey Madras (pictured below).

I sauteed the turkey and 3 green onions in some coconut oil, added some curry powder and water and let it simmer (covered) a while (5 minutes or so) then added the chard and spinach and covered it again for about 5 minutes to steam the greens. I added a dash of freshly ground sea salt and then enjoyed.

Stand UP!

2011-04-13T16:45:00.004-06:00

Here's my most recent "invention" - a stand-up workstation in my departmental office. I have been using this for about a month and really enjoy it. I encourage all to give this a whirl. There have been recent studies related to the perils of all the sitting we do each day (see Mark Sisson's post here, for instance), so, I got off my keester, literally, and did something about it.

I finally got around to posting this after seeing similar posts on Richard Nikoley's blog on John Durant's blog and with some prodding from one of my students (thanks to AM for that!).

Another reason to *not* sit too much. And here too (and the pressures between work and life).

Get cracking!

2011-04-13T08:08:00.001-06:00

This tasted as good as it looked so I had to share! Big Coulee Farms eggs (of course) fried in triple-smoked European bacon grease from the Grapevine Deli. (Blog post borrowed from an Egg Farmers of Ontario slogan I remember from when I was a kid.)

Ethical livestock: Big Coulee Farms

2011-04-05T20:54:00.002-06:00

This is the brochure for the family who raises our eggs and meat. Click on the following images for details of pricing and products available. You can check them out at the St. Albert Farmer's Market Starting in June. They also have bi-weekly deliveries available to St. Albert and also to Edmonton. Call Vicky for details.

Showdown at the Canola corral

2011-03-30T22:59:00.000-06:00

There will be more posts on this topic, but I had to get something down after my conversation with a representative from the Alberta Canola Producers Commission this afternoon. They had a display set up in the Students' Union Building at the University of Alberta this afternoon. I noticed it on my way back to my office after my Ashtanga Yoga practice and thought I would check it out. There was a large version of the graph on the top of this figure (below) that caught my eye.

Canola oil is listed at the top of this chart because it has the least saturated fat content of the oils listed. The representative asked if I used canola oil. Here is a paraphrased excerpt of our conversation.

Me: No I don't use canola oil.

Rep: What oil do you use?

Me: Coconut oil, lard (bacon grease actually, butter and olive oil.

Rep: Don't you know those have a lot of saturated fat?

Me: Is that bad?

Rep: Yes, saturated fat has been linked to heart disease.

Me: What studies showed this?

Rep: Studies as far back as the 1960s.

Me: Did you know those researchers selected countries for their studies that fit their theory that saturated fat is bad, and that if all the countries were included in their analyses, there would be no relationship?

Rep: That's one interpretation.

There was more back and forth about rates of heart disease increasing in countries in Asia that have increasing use of saturated fats that I countered with the question of refined carbohydrate use also increasing in these countries - to this the reply was that there are a number of factors. I then asked why focus on saturated fat? The rep asked about my blood work, to which I replied that it was even better now that I used saturated fats more and no canola oil. I can't remember if I mentioned that I also don't eat any grains.

Here's my "unhealthy" breakfast this morning. Fortuitous, I know. A two free-run egg omelet (eggs from Big Coulee Farms in Athabasca; they sell pastured chickens, beef, and pork too), with German salami (from the Grapevine Deli in St. Albert - go there for gluten/preservative-free deli meats and imported goodies, tell them I sent you), mushrooms and asparagus all fried in bacon grease (gasp!) from triple-smoked European bacon from, where else, the Grapevine Deli!

I then asked about the high percentage of omega 6 in canola oil and pointed out that the n6:n3 ratio is already a problem in society so why would we want more in a product like canola oil? The reply was that the 6:3 ratio in canola was respectable at 2:1. I noted that the fraction of n6 in coconut oil was tiny by comparison to canola (2% in coconut vs 21% in canola). No real answer. (I didn't get into the other issues like the production process and the issues with GMO plants.) The rep had not much more to offer at this point. I left the display and went back to work.

I'm not sure anything was accomplished, except that I engaged the rep in, what I thought, was a meaningful discussion, and presented a counterpoint to the conventional wisdom that canola (and other seed oils) is good for health.

My student Ashley suggested that I put some information up about where to source coconut oil in the greater Edmonton Area. Here is the brand I buy I get mine from the Great Candaian Superstore for $8.99 per 454g (1 pound) container. In honour of my conversation(s) (there was another one that I had with nutrition students about grains and carbohydrates in diet - I'll post on that later) I ate a large tablespoon full of the oil pictured below when I returned to my office.

Bacon night!

2011-03-25T19:34:00.000-06:00

Our "bacon night" dinner night looked like this tonight. Simple, delicious and nutritious.

Lisa's had tomatoes.

Mine had the sauteed chard. Yum.

It's all about you

2011-03-20T10:29:00.005-06:00

People are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of good nutrition as a part of good overall health and well being. This is good. The problem is that everyone wants a quick fix to their problems, whether it is carrying too much weight, hypertension, digestive issues, or whatever. And they want their quick fix to "fit into" or to "work" with their very busy lives.

But at the end of the day, the only person responsible for your health and wellness is you. Not your spouse, children, friends, relatives, neighbours, colleagues, and certainly not spokespeople for the current "solution" du jour.

You.

And while you may be busy, or busier than the next person whom you compare yourself with, you control your health choices. And if you make poor, or suboptimal decisions, do you know who is going to pay the price?

You.

Oh, your family, friends and the like will be saddened that you have to spend time with doctors, in hospital or whatever. But they'll get over it. Eventually. You may not. In fact, your choices may result in very serious consequences and even contribute in a very real way to your eventual demise.

Now I'm not claiming that I have always made excellent, or even mediocre decisions at some points, when it comes to my health and wellness. It has been a long, ever-evolving process. I have made plenty of missteps along the way. I like to delude myself into thinking that I have learned from them and will avoid them in the future. Who knows? Only time will tell.

What I do know is that each one of us as individuals have to decide for ourselves how to make the most of our time here, and that nutrition plays a key role. And nutrition starts with the consumption of food. Real food. Not as Michael Pollan calls it, "food-like substances". Food.

My own road has led me to adopt a Primal/Paleo style diet, that is leading more and more towards strict Paleo (started with no grains, legumes, sugar, processed food, and now moving towards an elimination of dairy too). I feel great, eat great food, and exercise in a manner that is consistent with our evolutionary history.

I encourage everyone to more carefully consider their health and wellness as the primary focus at the centre of their busy lives, and not something peripheral that only needs to be dealt with when an MD directs them to "eat healthier and get some exercise".

Here's some banana-almond pancakes as a reward for reading this long-winded post.

sturdyteam registered for the MS Walk 2011!

2011-03-15T08:57:00.002-06:00

sturdyteam at the 2011 St. Albert Enerflex MS Walk

It is time to start building an increased awareness of multiple sclerosis and to start fundraising again as the 2011 MS Walk is only 2 months away (15 May 2011). This year, we are participating in the Edmonton Enerflex MS Walk instead of the St. Albert MS Walk because of conflicts with the girls' dancing schedules. Like last year, we'll be doing the 10 km walk. Please click here to donate to sturdyteam or our individual members.

I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis in May 2009. I am currently taking Copaxone, a standard MS disease modifying drug (DMD), via daily injections. Before this I was on Rebif for two stints, but it caused nasty side effects so I moved over to Copaxone (Glatiramer acetate is its generic name - Copaxone is the trade name used by Teva Pharmaceuticals).

Although there are many new therapies being researched and introduced all the time (here's a new pill-based therapy introduced in Canada just two days ago), my goal/hope is that research will be directed towards uncovering what causes MS so that people can avoid "modifying their disease" through DMDs and instead live a long, healthy life, free of MS. Here is an example of the direction I think we need to be pursuing more vigorously, especially the dietary suggestions that are in line with a Paleolithic diet (and related to a recent blog post of mine).

The western diet and lifestyle and diseases of civilization

2011-03-13T14:27:00.004-06:00

The western diet and lifestyle and diseases of civilization

This is a very important article just published in an open access source, that clearly, and with all of the appropriate materials cited (including counters to the standard counterarguments), outlines why we as a society are suffering needlessly. It also outlines what can be done about it by identifying patterns of nutrition, fitness and other lifestyle factors that can be easily modified to avoid diseases that are by and large a product of our modern world. I was directed to this paper by Jamie Scott on his blog and Julianne Taylor on her blog (I am sure many others in the blogosphere are commenting on and linking to this very important paper.

And now, following the recommendations in the paper, here's some vitamin D (Melbourne Beach, FL, March 2011; Conference on Comparative Cognition)!

Don't forget the Paleo/Primal approved meal (prime rib, veggies, red wine and dark chocolate @ CO3's banquet honouring Alex Kacelik)!!

Please send this paper to any/all who may benefit from reading it (basically, anyone who hasn't yet read it, Paleo/Primal practitioner or not).

Too many things to post about, too little time!

2011-02-26T00:22:00.002-07:00

Breakfast a la Sturdy (Big Coulee Farm egg omelet with asparagus and blueberries).

There too many things to choose from to post about, so I'll start with a shot of a great breakfast from a while back. Some notable happenings include: Meghan's relay team qualifying for the Edmonton Journal Games, Mackenzie getting braces, my wife joining me on a Primal/Lacto-Paleo diet and me trying acupuncture for my knee discomfort. Throw in the normal business of kids busy with school, dance and friends, along with a career for Lisa and I, two dogs that want lots of love and there you have it. Our life in a nutshell. Oh, and throw in an upcoming conference in Florida, some new graduate students admitted into the program and my lab, along with a new course prep (Ancestral Health) for this fall, and the needle is officially at "Full". Actually, it is over filled as there are many cool details I am omitting (or am I sticking my head in the sand?) but I'll get to them eventually. Over the next while I am going to start posting more regularly on various happenings and topics that interest me, but I am going to try to keep each post focussed on one main topic rather than the scattergun approach of this "catch-up" post.

Waiting for the walk (Libby and Finlay).

Finally going to Physiotheapy

2010-12-11T21:57:00.002-07:00

I finally started seeing a physiotherapist about my knee just over three weeks ago. He thinks that the pain sis from some roughening of the cartilage or a small tear, likely due to my prior time as a runner. One more good reason to avoid running, I guess. I would like to keep sprinting when this resolves, though. The therapy essentially involves strengthening my quadriceps and hamstring coupled with some other "Frankensteinian" electrical-current-based therapy to increase circulation and promote healing. I have incorporated the exercises into my routine at home along with starting back doing some weight training. It is nice to be back hefting the iron, but I am trying to take it easy so that I don't overwork the knee or anything else.

Long time, no post

2010-11-07T08:31:00.001-07:00

I need to get back into a rhythm of posting again. I am in a good reading groove, but not so good on the blogging. Of the many things that I have done since the last post was to read Robb Wolf's book.

It is a great read. You learn things you never had any idea about with respect to nutrition and exercise and you do it without even realizing it, it's that easy to read.

As for the 100 rep challenge...I kept that going for quite some time - I'd have to check my journal to see how long - but in the end I came to the conclusion that it didn't fit my style. That is to say that one thing I have tried to do is shift my "fitness" program to make it less structured so that it fits our busy lives, so that I don't get stuck in any exercise ruts or feel stupid/useless guilt if I "miss" a workout. Doing 100 reps every day was not in keeping with this plan, such as it is, so I got off that wagon.

I'll close by noting that while the pain in my knee has improved since the initial onset back in the late spring/early summer, it still rears its ugly head more often that I like, so I may have to get some rehab advice from a professional. In defense of my procrastination from seeking rehab, I have managed to at least be sensible and not do sprinting on land (okay, maybe twice) since the pain started. Instead I do intense sprint swimming sessions in the pool. And I have stayed away from weights and crazy high intensity work, too. I miss sprinting with my dogs and the other workout types, too. And while it certainly has helped my knee repair itself, I need to get it fixed up so that I can return to those activities that I have stopped because I really miss doing them.

Enough rambling for now. I better save something to write next time!

100 rep challenge

2010-08-31T21:08:00.001-06:00

It's been a long time since I posted. One recent thing of interest (perhaps) is that I stumbled across this 100 rep challenge on the Conditioning Research Blog and decided to give it a shot. So, for the past 3 or 4 days (I'd have to check my log, I don't recall) I have been doing 100 reps, usually 50 push ups and 50 prisoner squats and a few pull ups for good measure (like today). This takes about 5 minutes and fits nicely into the business that is back to school time and this bodyweight routine complements my approximately one hour or walking with the dogs that I do each day. My knee is much better compared to how it was in June when I initially noted the pain and scaled back my workouts (no LHT/HIT/SS, LHT, HIIT, sprinting or yoga since then, so now for almost 2 months) but I don't want to be stupid and rush back into everything and re-injure it. Interestingly my body mass is right where it was when I cut back. I am not sure if there was any redistribution of muscle and adipose tissue, but my unscientific assessment (looking in the mirror) tells me that if there is any change, it is undetectable to me. At least I can walk up the stairs now without wincing.

Summer Vacation and Primal Grannie

2010-07-12T12:47:00.003-06:00

Here is a recent dessert; blueberries, grapes, walnuts and cream.

We are on vacation for the next little while so my posting will be limited. My knee is healing up, but still a bit twingy here and there. My fitness has mostly been walking and some limited bodyweight exercises. Also of note/interest: My 99 year old grandmother just joined me for a primal lunch of mixed greens, avocado, cold grilled strip loin with apple in a olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing! More posts may or may not follow in the next few days.

Choosing healthy foods now called a mental disorder - Really, it is!

2010-07-02T17:39:00.001-06:00

This is so weird you couldn't make it up!

Choosing healthy foods now called a mental disorder

Thanks to John Durant at http://hunter-gatherer.com/blog/assorted-links-2 for posting this.

I've been in a renovation/pre-holiday planning/end of the school year and packing frenzy so no time to post. I am also taking it easy as the knee is still a bit sore, but much better. I hope to post some while I am on our family holiday.

Get yer sleep!

2010-06-22T16:34:00.000-06:00

In case you thought you were getting enough sleep by skimping and only getting 6-ish hours of sleep a night, think again. Recent results from a two week sleep study show that there are many problems displayed by subjects who were deprived, and that these were worse than the subjects themselves were even aware of.

For years I skimped on my sleep, but in the past year or so (since my MS diagnosis) I have made a real effort to get enough sleep (i.e., more than 7 hours a night). So far it has gone pretty well and I feel good. This study makes me think I had better keep at it.

Where I'm at

2010-06-17T21:07:00.003-06:00

I haven't posted in a while; too busy with work, home renos, and a lack of interesting workouts for the past bit as I am nursing a sore knee. Because of this, I started a new joint formula supplement called SierraSil that is supposed to decrease inflammation by providing trace minerals that we are deficient in. I'll post later on how that works out.

I have received Mark Sisson's "Primal Cookbook" recently though, and tried his indirect method to grill steak (to help keep the free radicals and charring down). It worked great, and had our top sirloin about medium in around 20 minutes. Very tender, too. Unfortunately, the camera was not located in time to snap a photo! Next time...

Here's the deal as usual for the first bit and then the start of recovery week(s?) with mostly walking and swiming:

Monday 7 June: Walk 20 min; Swim 1,000 yds, 20:11
Tuesday 8 June: Walks X 2, 45, 20 min; Walk up 9 flights of stairs to an appointment (maybe the problem with my knee)
Wed 9 June: Walks X 2, 20, 45 min; LHT/Wicked Awesome Dumbbell Workout
Thursday 10 June: Walks X 2, 25 min each; Ashtanga Yoga at University, 50 min
Friday 11 June: Walks X 2, 20 min each; Mowed lawn; Started removing baseboards and acasing
Saturday 12 June: Walks X 2, 20, 25 mins; Remove baseboards and casing
Sunday 13 June: Walks X 3, 20, 30, 20 mins
Monday 14 June: Walks X 3, 25, 15, 25 mins; Painting
Tuesday 15 June: Walks X 2, 20, 45 mins; Swim 1,000 m, 24:15
Wednesday 16 June: Walks X 2, 20, 15 min
Thursday 17 June: Walks X 2, 20, 40 min; Swim sprints (500 yd warm up in 9:57, 6 X 25 yds in 18 s on 60 s gos, 200 yds cool down)

I hope that between resting the knee from weight, yoga and sprinting combined with the mineral supplement, that the pain will subside and I can resume some more vigorous activities. I'll just have to wait and see.

Work outs and a 4 X 4

2010-06-06T15:03:00.002-06:00

Here's my fitness activities for the past bit. I am still not feeling 100% and the exercise that I have done is reflective of this - just trying to keep active and not do anything to crazy. Lots of walking, some weights and yoga. And here's the 4 X 4: Dinner of a 4 egg omelet and 4 pieces of European bacon (to start) with sautéed mushrooms and tomato for filler.

Now that's an omelet!

Too big for the plate!

Here's the work out deal:

Friday 28 May: Walks X 2, 20 and 27 min
Saturday 29 May: Walk 25 min
Sunday 30 May: Walks X 2, 15 and 30 min
Monday 31 May: Walks X 3, 45, 20 amd 25 min; LHT/Wicked Awesome Dumbbell Workout - 60 s jumping jacks, X 10 pushups before each of 4 sets (20, 25, 30 30 lbs dumbbells; Total TUL = ~ 10 min)
Tuesday 1 June: Walks X 3, 20, 20 and 30 min; Mowed lawn - Very long grass! (I use an old school "Reel Mower", 100% person power) = 60 min of mowing
Wednesday 2 June: Walks X 2, 20 min each; Children's Festival with the girls!
Thursday 3 June: Walks X 2, 20 min each; Ashtanga Yoga at the University, 55 min
Friday 4 June: Walks X 2, 20 and 25 min
Saturday 5 June: Walks X 2, 35 and 20 min; Children's Festial with family and friends!

Sunday 6 June: Walk 25 min; Bodyweight/HIIT workout: A 3/4 "Holy Grail" of Burpees - descending sets from 15 (i.e., 15, 14, 13...1) with about 30 s between each, barefoot and shirtless in our backyard, made some Vitamin D, too in the beautiful 22 C sunny afternoon, 17 min total time and kick my BUTT!

And here's dessert...Greek yogurt with sunflower seeds and grapes.

My little Avatar thanks to the very talented face painter at the St. Albert International Children's Festival!

Good morning, great breakfast

2010-06-03T09:43:00.000-06:00

Simple and delicious. Full fat Greek yogurt (Olympic Krema) with fresh strawberries, raw pumpkin seeds, and 2% cottage cheese, with a cafe Americano made with 18% cream. This, or something very much like this, is a standard breakfast for me. (Click the picture for the higher resolution shots.)

One bowl of goodness.

Cuppa yum.

Grilled chicken and herbs

2010-06-02T20:48:00.000-06:00

Starting to grill. The chicken was marinated in parsley, sage, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Getting there...

Plated and ready to eat!

Mmmmm....melting butter!

Ooooh, Eggy I love your way

2010-06-01T21:38:00.001-06:00

I am pretty happy with the quality of these photos, especially compared to the old Palm Treo camera. Here's tonight's "Go To" dinner; omelet with spicy paprika salami, cheddar and tomatoes with a mixed green salad.

After the turn...

Ready for demolition.

One more look, just because.

Out with the old

2010-05-31T20:59:00.003-06:00

Yummy omelet and mixed greens salad; nasty picture. I think the lens on my Treo Pro has gone south.

Yummy sautéed European wiener (preservative and filler free, from the Grapevine Deli), mushroom and green onion with mixed green salad; amazing picture from my 9 year old's Sony Cyber Shot! I think I'll have to keep using Junior's camera from now on. I haven't been doing my food shots justice.

Excellent bacon and eggs; terrible hazy shot.

Same meal as above, still excellent even with no flash!

Workout round up

2010-05-28T07:37:00.007-06:00

Where does the time go? Here is an abbreviated version of my week (and then some) of fitness activities. Here's the deal:
Wednesday 19 May: Walks X 2, 20 min each Thursday 20 May: Walks X 3, 20-25 min each Friday 21 May: Walks, 15 and 30 min; Eoin Finn Magically Hips Yoga, 57 min Saturday 22 May: Walks X 2, 25 min each Sunday 23 May: Walk 25 min Monday 24 May: Walks X 2, 35 and 25 min; LHT/Wicked Awesome Barbell Workout; Mowed Lawn Tuesday 25 May: Swim Sprints; Walks, 20 and 35 min Wednesday 26 May: Walks X 3, 20, 20, 25 min Thursday 27 May: Walks X 2, 25 and 30 min; Ashtanga Yoga at the University, 55 min

Well, there you have it. Not too many details, but you get the idea. I took it a bit easy this week as I wasn't feeling 100%. Until next time.

Riding the Omega 3 train: More salmon!

2010-05-24T10:33:00.000-06:00

Yesterday's brunch: Sockeye smoked salmon, green onion and goat cheese omelet with avocado, strawberries and banana. We ran out of plates, hence the camping plate, in honour of the Victoria Day long weekend.

The only "problem" with opening a package of smoked salmon when you are the only one in the house who likes it is that you have to eat the whole package yourself in 3 days. Too bad for me - NOT!

Salmon weekend part two

2010-05-23T08:39:00.005-06:00

Marinating: 2 sockeye salmon steaks in cilantro, dill (from our herb planter out back!), green onion, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Grilling: about 15 minutes.

All done, time to eat!

Plated: with mixed greens and avocado.

The second steak will be for a cold salmon salad today. Dessert was later. I didn't get a picture as I was too busy eating it: strawberries swimming in whipping cream (un-whipped, straight from the fridge), two bowls (hey, it's a holiday weekend).

Pseudo eggs Benedict, Primal style

2010-05-22T10:07:00.003-06:00

They aren't quite traditional eggs Benny (these eggs are over easy with no hollandaise sauce) but they sure were tasty and definitely from the real food category! Included was one ripe tomato, half a package of smoked, wild, sockeye salmon, one green onion and three Omega 3 eggs done over easy (in bacon grease!). The banana that I used to "mop up" the egg didn't make it into the picture, but it did make it into my stomach, and gladly! This was all washed down with some Greg Danks' Coffee (Mexican this morning) and cream. A great start to the day for sure.

Now to figure out something to do for the Victoria Day long weekend with Daughter #1 away with friends camping but with Daughter #2 and her friend hanging out with us. I think some floor tile shopping and a trip to the indoor pool and leisure centre is on the menu.

Back on track

2010-05-19T13:17:00.013-06:00

I have been very remiss in posting these, so for the sake of brevity and catching up, I'll get right to it.

Sunday 9 May

LHT/Wicked Awesome Dumbbell Workout:
10 X push ups
One arm (right) neutral grip dead lift, biceps curl up to standing overhead press, Turkish getup, standing overhead press and biceps curl down to one arm deadlift down; repeat on left side
Two arm deadlift up, lunge left/right, split squat left/right, two leg squat, two arm biceps curl to standing overhead press, biceps curl down, neutral grip deadlift down
Repeated this X 6, first 2 with 2 X 20 lbs dumbbells and the last 4 with 25 lbs dumbbells; TULs between about 1:48 to 2:00
Walk, 1 hr 35 min (with > 60 min walking) to the pet store (via Starbucks!) with the whole family on a nice sunny day!

Monday 10 May

Walks X 2, 20 min each
Swim sprints; 250 yd warm up in 4:40, 6 X 25 yds in ~ 16-18 s with about 60 s rest between each, 250 yd cool down in 5:14

Tuesday 11 May

Walks X, ~1 hr 40 min, 20 min

Wednesday 12 May

HIIT/Bodyweight
Done outside, bare feet, no shirt (vitamin D/UV!); 60 s each of: jumping jacks (X 57), burpees (X 16), plank, prisoner squats (X 28), triceps dips (X 43), lunge jumps (X 78), reverse bench/pull ups on rings (X 15 - hard!), side plank right, wall sit, side plank left, air squats (X 35), pushups (X 26), wall sit, plank
This took about 16 minutes, what a workout!
Walk, 25 min

Thursday 13 May

Walk, 20 min
Ashtanga yoga (at the University), 50 min
Yard work (dethatching/raking, moving) 60 min+
Walk, 60 min

Friday 14 May

Walks X 3, 20, 25, 15 mins

Saturday 15 May

Walk, 50 min

Sunday 16 May

Sprinting
10 min walk warm up, 6 X 60 m @ ~ 60%, 10-12 s, with ~ 60 s rest, 6 X 60 m @ ~ 85%, 8-10 s, with ~ 60 s rest, 10 min walk cool down; hot and sunny
Walk, 25 min

Monday 17 May

Walks X 2, 25 min each
Swim, 1,000 m, 21:48

Tuesday 18 May

Walk, 20 min
LHT/Wicked Awesome Dumbbell Workout
10 X push ups
One arm (right) neutral grip dead lift, biceps curl up to standing overhead press, Turkish getup, standing overhead press and biceps curl down to one arm deadlift down; repeat on left side
Two arm deadlift up, lunge left/right, split squat left/right, two leg squat, two arm biceps curl to standing overhead press, biceps curl down, neutral grip deadlift down
Repeated this X 3.25, first 1 with 2 X 20 lbs dumbbells, the next one with 25 lbs dumbbells and the last one with 30 lbs dumbbells; the 0.25 is because I started a 4th set but my body disagreed with me, so I stopped early in the routine; TULs between about 2:10-2:34

That's it for now. Until next time.

One way, or another

2010-05-19T12:38:00.005-06:00

I started taking Rebif (interferon beta-1a) as a disease modifying drug (DMD) for treatment of my MS in July 2009. Injecting myself thrice weekly was no joy, but then again neither is the prospect of MS progression, so I learned to work it into my routine. Unfortunately, Rebif and I did not agree with one another. I came off Rebif in late November, and then back on it again in January 2010. That lasted only until about the end of March when I came off it for the second time, again because my lab work showed that Rebif was affecting my bone marrow and blood counts.

At this point my neurologist suggested I switch over to Copaxone (Glatiramer acetate) because it is not associated with the same side effects as Rebif (fever, aches, chills, headaches) and because it doesn't typically affect the same things that the interferon was affecting in my lab work. The downside, of course (there always is a downside) is that you need to inject Copaxone every day, not three times per week like Rebif, and Copaxone can cause skin irritation, lipoatraphy (damage to subcutaneous fat so that you develop "pits" in your skin) and it can cause muscle spasms if injected into or too close to a muscle.

I have had few to no skin issues so far, but this may happen in time. On the other hand the muscle spasms have been an issue when injecting my legs and arms because I have almost no fat to inject into (contrary to the training nurse who visited me a week and a half ago who claimed I could use an 8 mm injection depth on all sites - wrongo!). Using the automatic injector (autoject) in my legs and arms also turns out to be a nonstarter and part of the problem because controlling the depth of the injection is tricky. When the spasms start, your muscle dances as if it were hooked to a car battery and feels as if the meanest, biggest guy you know just gave you a charleyhorse. Then did it again just for fun. The stiffness lasts through the next day.

The support nurse from Shared Solutions (who is very helpful) suggested that I manually inject at a 45 degree angle into my arms and legs to avoid the spasm issue. Two nights ago the injection into my arm was much better done manually than the previous night with the autoject, and involved much less swearing post injection. Other than some burning, all was basically fine. The manual leg injection last night was another story. I did not manage to get it into the tissue at 45 and the muscle was jumping before even half way into the injection. My SO couldn't watch it was so intense. Rah! I sent an e-mail to my support nurse and she suggested to dump using the legs and to use my abdomen as two areas to give me a total of 6 areas (abdomen X 2, butt X 2, arms X 2). Good call.

Spring is here! (For now, at least)

2010-05-11T11:55:00.002-06:00

Here's the view from my front window about one week ago.

And here's the view on my walk this morning.

Needless to say the weather has had a hard time making up its mind lately, but it looks like spring is actually here to stay. I have a fair bit to post about, but for now will just stick to an update on my workouts, post back tweak. I modified my exercise routines and took it easy when my back was stiff/sore and changed my LHT workout to one with dumbbells instead of a barbell. I also took a pass at sprinting on land and instead did a swim sprint workout and skipped my HIIT/Bodyweight workout (lots of jumping around in it). Other than that, and having a couple of extra easy days, all was as normal and now my back is, well, back (to normal). And with no ibuprofen or other meds.

Here's the deal.

Saturday 1 May

made some vitamin D on the deck
Walk about 1 hr 40 min to the lake (above, different day) and back

Sunday 2 May

Walk ~ 30 min
PM Yoga ~ 25 min

Monday 3 May

Walk 20 min

Tuesday 4 May

Yoga, 45 min, Rodney Yee's Energy Balance
Walk, 25 min
PM Yoga, freestyle ~ 25 min

Wednesday 5 May

Walk, 20 min
Swim, 1,000 m, 21:14 (much better than the last 2 weeks), 150 yd cool down
Walk, 30 min

Thursday 6 May

Walk, 20 min
LHT/Wicked Awesome Dumbbell Workout
One arm (right) neutral grip dead lift, biceps curl up to standing overhead press, Turkish getup, standing overhead press and biceps curl down to one arm deadlift down; repeat on left side
Two arm deadlift up, lunge left/right, split squat left/right, two leg squat, two arm biceps curl to standing overhead press, biceps curl down, neutral grip deadlift down
Repeated this X 10, first 2 with 2 X 20 lbs dumbbells and the last 8 wit 25 lbs dumbbells; TULs between about 1:30 to 1:50; need to keep really slow but a great workout; may need some heavier dumbbells!

Friday 7 May

Walk, 25 min
Swim, 1,000 m 21:10 (ish - watch FAIL stopping the timer) plus 50 yd cool down
Walk, 25 min

Saturday 8 May

Walks, 45 min, 20 min

That'll have to do for now...at least I am one less week behind. Soon I hope to turn to more posts about what I am up to or thinking about besides my workouts.

On the lookout for fitness

2010-04-30T21:13:00.004-06:00

The MS Walk was a great success on many fronts: fundraising, family bonding, raising awareness and a real sense that people with MS are not alone. And the 10 km walk was a great, relaxing way to spend the morning getting low level cardio the way we are meant to get it.

Here are my workouts for the past week. The only hiccup is a sore lower back that flared up after Wednesday's LHT/HIT session. It didn't happen until later after sitting for some time at my desk. The pain and stiffness in my back has been brewing for a bit and I think it is a combination of poor posture and extended periods of time sitting (especially at my desk in front of my computer) combined with less yoga/flexibility work than I should be doing (my yoga class at the University ended at the start of April and a new one starts in just under 2 weeks) and, possibly, a sight lapse in lifting form. I am more inclined to think it is the posture/sitting/reduced flexibility that are the more likely causes than the lifting, since I have been lifting for months with nothing similar, but have spent even more time sitting recently.
Anyway, I have been taking it a bit easy, as you'll read, to let things heal up. I'll just focus on walking, some swimming and yoga but not pushing any of these activities too hard.

Here's the deal.

Saturday 24 April

Walk ~ 25 min

Sunday 25 April

St. Albert MS Walk 2010 - 10 km, 1 hr 43 minutes
Walks X 2 ~ 58 min and 15 min (with the dogs who stayed home from the MS Walk - that is them "On Duty" in the photo at the top, not pining for us to return as they stay in their crates when we are out)

Monday 26 April

Walks X 2 ~ 25 and 15 min
Swim, 1,000 m, 21:55 (faster and easier than last week)

Tuesday 27 April

Walks X 2 ~ 20 min each
Yoga, Rodney Yee Strength and Flexibility DVD (did the "Flexibility" workout) ~ 28 min

Wednesday 28 April

Walks X 2 ~ 20 min each
LHT/HIT/SS:
Bent over rows X 8, TUL = 1:42, 70 lb barbell
Standing overhead press X 3.5/4.5, TUL = 1:08, 70 lb barbell
Deadlifts X 5, TUL = 1:20, 110 lb barbell
Bench press X 5, TUL = 60 s, 90 lb barbell
Squats X 9.5, TUL = 1:53, 90 lb barbell
as usual, having a rach to walk into for squats would make it easier to get to positive failure and then unload
Yoga forward bends etc. to loosen stiff muscles in lower back

Thursday 29 April

Walks X 2, ~ 20 min each
Swim ~ 550 m, slow, 13:28

Friday 30 April

Walks X 3, ~ 20, 20 and 30 min each
back still a little stiff, maybe some yoga later or else just rest

I was going to add some food shots here too, but I think I'll save that for another post including tales of my first attempt at Thai red curry beef soup with coconut milk and cilantro! Until then.

sturdyteam at the 2010 St. Albert MS Walk

2010-04-26T23:00:00.005-06:00

Well, we did it; 10 kms in 1:43, including the girls, sick spouse, and the girls' friend from school (who took the photo above). It started out quite gray and cloudy, but we didn't get rain or snow and they were forecasting both. There were a lot of people participating and tons volunteering. It was a great time and we plan to do it again next year for sure. The last time I checked we were over $3,400 in pledges. Thank you to all who donated! Here is the story in photos.

Morning weather.

Let's do this!

Lots of people up early for the walk.

And we're off!

Past St. Albert Place and the Sturgeon River.

Nice scenery on the walk.

About 3 kms in and still smiling.

We're on the right path at least.

Stroll around Lacombe Park Lake.

In the home stretch.

There it is!

Almost...

Success! Now where's the coffee?

Approval from my former student, Scott, who now works for the MS Society. Irony = lots.

Aren't they cute?

They're the reason why I walk: to find a cure so they don't have to deal with MS.

I love my food - so here it is!

2010-04-24T13:13:00.000-06:00

My kids (and SO, too) think it's funny that I take photos of my meals. She jokes that it to help me remember what I like to eat later in life when I have memory issues. Maybe not a bad plan. I like to post it to show those folks who don't quite get what I am doing with my dietary choices what real food looks like sans grains. I think it looks pretty good!

Cheddar and green onion omelet.

Fish and egg fried quinoa with kim chee and salad.

Fish and egg fried quinoa with kabocha squash.

BBQ beef ribs and salad.

This morning's breakfast: 3 eggs, bacon, strawberries, kiwi and a banana.

Typical BAS for work.

Top sirloin, sweet potato, broccoli and tomatoes.

Full fat (11% milk fat) yogurt.

Fish (BBQed in foil) with kaboch squash, salad and broccoli.

Work outs of the Week (and a bit)

2010-04-24T12:54:00.013-06:00

I have been remiss in posting for a while. The end of the academic term is always busy and this one is no exception. The SO, kids and I are participating in our first MS Walk tomorrow morning at 9:00 am; 10 km and hopefully no rain or snow, or at least not too much of it.

Here's the workout deal for the past little while.

Thursday 15 April

Walks X 2, 20 and 30 minutes, respectively

Friday 16 April

Sprinting:
walk ~ 10 min warm up; 6 X ~ 40-50 m @~50% with about 20 s between each; 6 X ~ 50 m @~ 75-80% with about 60 s between each (some of these ended in "tag" with Finlay); walk ~ 10 min cool down (nice, warm and sunny, ~ 18 C)
Walk ~ 25 min

Saturday 17 April

Walks X 2, 15 and ~ 35 min, respectively

Sunday 18 April

HIIT/Bodyweight:
60 s each of: Jumping jacks (X 57), Burpees (X 15), Plank, Triceps dips (X 41), Prisoner squats (X 36), Wall sit, Side plank (left side), Lunge jumps (X 78), Side plank (right side), Wall sit (no push ups this time b/c of stiff lower back and tweaked right wrist)
Walks X 2, ~20 min each

Monday 19 April

Walks X 3, 20 min (kids to school), 50 min (from department around Hawerlak Park and back) and 40 minutes (very warm and sunny 20 C+)

Tuesday 20 April

Walks X 2, ~ 20 min each
Swim, 1,000m, 25:10 (slow!)

Wednesday 21 April

LHT/HIT/SS:
Bent over rows X 6, TUL = 1:23, 70 lb barbell
Standing overhead press, X 3.25, TUL = 1:07, 75 lb barbell
Deadlifts, X 4.5, TUL = 1:05, 110 lb barbell
Bench press, X 3, TUL = 43 s, 100 lb barbell
Squats, X 11, TUL = 1:43, 80 lb barbell
Walk ~ 20 min

Thursday 22 April

Walk ~ 35 min

Friday 23 April

Yoga - Eoin Finn Daily Dose of Bliss, 42 min
Walks X 2. 25-30 and 35+ minutes

In virtually all cases, unless I am at work, all of my walks are with my small furry partners, Libby and Finlay, pictured at the top of this post. Finlay is hidden under the comforter behind Libby.

Three mornings, Three sweet breakfasts

2010-04-18T09:53:00.002-06:00

I've been on an steak eating roll since gilling up a bunch of top sirloin on Thursday. And I love eggs. Put the two things together, and this is what you get. Well, the last two photos anyway. Here's the delicious deal.

Friday: Cheddar omelet with kiwi and apple.

Saturday: Eggs over easy with avocado and rare top sirloin.

Sunday: Sirloin, tomato, green onion and cheddar omelet with strawberries an excellent post HIIT meal.

Primal food selections

2010-04-15T20:59:00.003-06:00

Here are a few, randomly selected dishes from the past little while. Some people ask whether I miss grains. Take a look and judge for yourself. I think not.

Here's a breakfast from a while back. Primal pancakes (made with eggs, bananas and almond butter; recipe from Mark's Daily Apple) fried in and topped with butter with blackberries and strawberries on the side.

Then, onto an appetizer. Roasted nuts (pecans, almonds and hazelnuts) with sea salt.

A main course (from tonight). Grilled, rare top sirloin on mixed organic greens with tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and Balsamic vinegar.

The salad above pictured with the side of sweet potatoes and butter (of course).

Grilled chicken breast on mixed greens with EV olive oil and Balsamic vinegar.

The salad above pictured with the side dish of sautéed mushrooms and green onions (in butter).

Similar to salad above, but from a different day, this time with avocado, goat cheese and fresh-peeled mandarin oranges.

Kind of a poor photo, but side salad, kim chee, two eggs over easy (in butter) with Bavarian smokie (also in butter, the day after I had grilled it).

So no, I don't miss grains. I love what I eat. I don't worry about how many calories are in what I eat. I eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full. Simple, healthy, satisfying and very tasty. Until next time.

Catching up on Fitness

2010-04-14T19:41:00.020-06:00

Above is a photo of my dinner one night while I was in Florida at a conference at the end of March - a huge sashimi boat filled with fishy goodness. I shared a couple pieces, but all the rest went down the hatch! After being very slack about keeping my posts up to date, here are the balance of my workouts. In general they have been pretty good. I need to keep slow and good form on my LHT/HIT/SS weight workouts, and it was a bit painful getting back into the pool after 3 to 4 weeks out of the water, but overall, pretty fair.

Here's the long deal.

Monday 29 March

Walks: X 2, ~ 20 minutes each

Tuesday 30 March

LHT/HIT/SS
Bent-over rows X 5/6, TUL = 1:19, 70 lb barbell
Standing overhead press X 4.5, TUL = 1:11, 70 lb barbell
Deadlifts X 6.5, TUL = 1:50, 100 lb barbell
Bench press X 4, TUL = 55s, 90 lb barbell
Squats X ~ 11, TUL = ~ 2:10, 90 lb barbell
Walks X 2, ~ 20 minutes each

Wednesday 31 March

Ashtanga Yoga @ home ~ 35 min
Walks X 2, ~ 20 minutes each

Thursday 1 April

Walks X 2, ~ 20 minutes each

Friday 2 April

Sprinting
walk ~ 10 minutes to warm up; X ~ 6 ~ 50 m @ ~ 60% with about 30 s rest between each; X 6 ~ 50 m @ ~ 80% with about 60 s rest between each; walk ~ 10 minutes to cool down
Walk ~ 30 minutes

Saturday 3 April

Walk ~ 20 minutes
LHT; Changing winter to summer tires X 4 vehicles!

Sunday 4 April

Walks X 2, ~ 30 minutes each

Monday 5 April

Walk, ~ 25 minutes

Tuesday 6 April

LHT/HIT/SS
Bent-over rows X 4/5, TUL = 1:36, 70 lb barbell
Standing overhead press X 3.5, TUL = 1:09, 70 lb barbell
Deadlifts X 5.5, TUL = 1:24, 100 lb barbell
Bench press X 4, TUL = 60s, 90 lb barbell
Squats X ~ 8/9, TUL = ~ 1:35, 90 lb barbell
Pull ups X 2, TUL = ~ 15 s

Wednesday 7 April

Walks X 2, ~ 20 minutes each
Ashtanga yoga @ University, ~ 50 minutes

Thursday 8 April

Walk, ~ 20 minutes

Friday 9 April

HIIT/Bodyweight: Burpees Mini Grail
Descending sets of burpees, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 1 = 55 total with about 20 s between each
Walk, ~ 55 minutes
Painting!

Saturday 10 April

Walks X 2, ~ 20 minutes each
Painting!

Sunday 11 April

Walks X 2, ~ 25 minutes each
Painting!

Monday 12 April

Walk, ~ 15 minutes
Swim, 1,000 m, ~ 22 minutes

Tuesday 13 April

Walks X 2, ~ 20 minutes each

Wednesday 14 April

Walk, ~ 20 minutes
LHT/HIT/SS
Bent-over rows X 5.5, TUL = 1:27, 70 lb barbell
Standing overhead press X 5, TUL = 1:10, 95 lb barbell
Deadlifts X 5.5, TUL = 1:24, 100 lb barbell
Bench press X 3/4, TUL = 60s, 95 lb barbell
Squats X ~ 7.5, TUL = ~ 1:30, 95 lb barbell

Phew. I'll try not to let it get this out of hand again.

2010 MS Walk - sturdyteam

2010-04-09T13:21:00.006-06:00

For those who don't already know, I was diagnosed last May 2009 with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Things are going pretty well for me and my family all things considered, but there are many others who are considerably worse off than me. Not to mention that it would be excellent if future MS treatments didn't involve injections and the associated side effects. Please consider donating and sponsoring us while we walk for the cause.

My SO, kids and I will be participating in the St. Albert 2010 MS Walk as "sturdyteam". The plan at this point is that we'll be doing the 10 km version (at least I hope we will) this April 25. You should be able to pledge online through this link. You are also be able to join our team online if you are so inclined.

I apologize for the short notice. I'll be better prepared next year and get this arranged earlier. The link below should take you to our team page.
link to "sturdyteam" on MS Society Web Site

Florida Fitness

2010-04-06T22:03:00.001-06:00

I have no other good reason for not posting for over two weeks other than the fury that characterizes the end of the academic term. Throw in a conference on the other corner of the continent (Melbourne Beach, Florida - the view one morning from my balcony is above) and a reasonably successful attempt at getting more quality sleep and well, here I am with some catching up to do. Because of this I may beak it up, posting the lost weeks of fitness and other miscellanea in separate posts.

Here's the Florida fitness deal:

Monday 22 March

Walks X 3, ~ 20 min each

Tuesday 23 March

Travel to Florida
Ashtanga Yoga; ~ 40 minutes just before bed

Wednesday 24 March

Walk, 60 minutes, barefoot on the beach (!!!!)

Thursday 25 March

Ashtanga yoga; 40 minutes, sun salutations to the sunrise through the sliding doors and large windows that face the ocean in my room!!! See the photo above for a representative morning. What a way to start the day.

Friday 26 March

HIIT/Bodyweight/LHT
60 s each of: Jumping jacks (X 53), Burpees (X 13), Wall sit, Plank, Prisoner squats (X ??), Side plank (Left side), Lunge jumps (X ??), Triceps dips (X 40), Side plank (Right side), Plank, Child's pose
unreal, 11 minutes of exercise, < 15 minutes total duration, all done in my room, and all done in when complete

Walk ~ 30 min on beach, barefoot

Saturday 27 March

Sprinting (on the beach! wore shoes - need some 5 fingers):
walk 5 min to warm up
6 X ~ 15 s @ 50% with about 30 s rest between each
6 X ~ 10-15 s @ 75-80% with about 60 s rest between each
walk 5 min to cool down

Walk ~ 40 min barefoot on the beach

Sunday 28 March

Travel back to Edmonton/St. Albert
Sprinting from one end of Denver International Airport Concourse B to the other, carrying briefcase!

I'll get last week's fitness posted shortly...one more class to teach this term, and then it's time to make some progress on our research. Until next time.

Week of Fitness and Rest

2010-03-21T22:23:00.002-06:00

Kind of an oxymoron of a title but true. I have made, and for the most part, succeeded at getting good, quality rest this week, on the order of 7-8 solid hours. No mean feat given that I have been waking at 6:00-6:30. This has really impacted me, I think, in a positive way. I have also decided to reduce, but not eliminate my caffeine (coffee) intake. Sad but true. I need to aim for low single digits in the number of total cups per day, preferably somewhere in the vicinity of 2-3. So far, so good. I had far less Friday, none yesterday, and 2 espressos today.

Here's the deal for a week of working out etc:

Sunday

very short walks and some strolling while shopping; essentially a rest day

Monday

Bodyweight/HIIT/LHT; 60 s each (with about 10-20 s between exercises):

Jumping jacks X 57
Prisoner squats X 28
Burpees X ~15
Wall sit
Lunge jumps ~ 60
Push ups X 26
Air squats X 28
Triceps dips X 31
Plank
Side plank (left side)
Side plank (right side)
Unilateral plank (left leg)
Unilateral plank (right leg)
Burpees X 10
Wall sit

This took about 20 minutes total and I was done, dripping and breathless. I think I will sprinkle the planks throughout the workout next time, because 6 minutes in a row is too much.

walk: 20 minutes

Tuesday

walk: ~ 70 minutes

Wednesday

Ashtanga yoga: ~ 50 minutes at the University of Alberta

Thursday

walk 20 minutes in morning

LHT/TUL/SS "Big 5 for Free Weights" in afternoon:
Bent over rows X 5.5, TUL = 45 s, 90 lb barbell (too heavy, bad form)
Standing overhead press X 4.5, TUL = 50 s, 70 lb barbell (good!)
Deadlifts X 13, TUL = 2:11, 70 lb barbell (need more weight!)
Squats X 12, TUL ~ 1:20, 90 lb barbell (could use more weight but unloading it is an issue)

I knew that I worked after this, but not the same way as the Bodyweight/HIIT/LHT workout. I think I will have to work on going really slow with great form on these workouts to get good results. I also think that I will add a bodyweight HIIT routine back into my week cause it was just so much fun to kick my butt with it!

walk ~ 28 minutes in the evening

Friday

walk in the morning and in the evening about 25-30 minutes each time

Saturday

brisk-paced walk midday about 25 minutes

Sunday

Sprinting (at the park in the beautiful, warm, sunny afternoon with both dogs; lots of fun)
walk to the park ~ 5 minutes to warm up
6 X ~ 50 m @ ~ 50% with about 30-45 s rest between
6 X ~ 50 m @ ~ 75-80% with about 30-45 s rest between (about 13 minutes for all of this)
walk home from the park ~ 5 minutes
all done in under 25 minutes

This was a fun workout. I didn't wait so long between each sprint, so I likely didn't recover as much as I should have, but the dogs were great and have caught onto the fact that they should run ahead and I should catch them. Libby, too, by the end, which was fun to see. All in all a great week for fitness. I think I'll have to try some sprints on the beach this week in Florida...

Food Fair: Shepherd's Pie, Bavarian Smokies, and Full Fat Yoghurt

2010-03-21T21:52:00.004-06:00

There were some yummy dishes whipped up this week. Here are a few from last Sunday's dinner. Shepherd's Pie made with ground beef, onions, carrots and parsnips topped with mashed potatoes mixed with butter, Parmesan, Romano and cheddar cheese baked for about 45 minutes at 350 F. Yummy! Dessert was black berries and strawberries with cream.

On Thursday I found these great Bavarian smokies with no preservatives or fillers at my local deli, the Grapevine Deli, in downtown St. Albert. They were amazing. I had them on Thursday (Upper photos with carrots, parsnips, green onions, sauerkraut and hot mustard) and again tonight (Lower photos with mushrooms and onions sautéed in butter with butternut squash and spinach salad with dark chocolate with almonds for dessert!).

I leave Tuesday for a conference for 6 days. I hope I can keep up the solid real food selections when I am away.

Gold for the Girls' 8 X 200 m Relay!

2010-03-21T21:36:00.000-06:00

I have to give one stand-alone post to daughter #1, her teammates and coaches who yesterday evening won the Edmonton Journal Indoor Games for elementary girls! Pretty impressive when you consider that 228 teams started the competition and her team finished on top! The finals were exciting from start to finish. Congratulations to all!

Time keeps flying

2010-03-14T11:39:00.008-06:00

Once again the week passed by in a blur. Lots happening at work and at home. I visited the kids' school twice, once to talk about my work (that seemed to go well) and once with the SO to see informational/fundraising presentations by Daughter #1's grade (very well done I must say!). Things are ramping up a bit at work with talk and poster preparations for a local conference this coming Friday and then an international conference the following week. This on top of the usual manuscript editing, lecture preparation and lecturing, midterm administration etc. All in all, running on all cylinders. At least everything seems to be going more or less as planned.

On the exercise side of things, the workouts have been pretty good, even great. The only slight hiccup this past week is that my knees are giving me a bit of a twinge here and there. Nothing major, just letting me know that they are there and that I should pay attention to them. I am not certain what is causing this but I have played around with wearing my orthotics and, for the most part as I have been doing for a while, going without them. I don't notice any difference in the knee department but I do feel like the orthotics seem to overstretch my plantar fascia.

One thing I am thinking of trying this week is to replace my LHT/TUL/SS workout using weights with a bodyweight workout, in case the weighted squats and/or deadlifts are aggravating my knees. Richard over at Free the Animal recently posted about changing up his LHT routine and the positive results that he felt. Reading this and with my knees talking to me, I figure I should give it a whirl. Not to mention that I have been on the weights for a while now, and with reducing my LHT workouts to once a week I miss the bodyweight workouts that I used to do in addition to the LHT weight workouts. I came up with a couple of bodyweight/HIIT type workouts that take between 10-15 minutes of actual exercising and will work just about every muscle group and, if history holds, will leave me out of breath and wishing I was on the weights! I'll post again to update with what specifically I use for the workout; I plan to do this tomorrow morning.Here's the week in review deal:

Sunday

Brisk, 37 minute ~ 3 km walk

Monday

20 minute walk
LHT/TUL/SS weight workout:

Bent over rows - X 12, TUL = 1:30, 70 lb barbell
Standing overhead press - X 5.5, TUL = 55 s, 70 lb barbell
Deadlifts - X 11, TUL = 1:38, 80 lb barbell
Bench press - X 6, TUL = 49 s, 100 lb barbell
Squats - X 10, TUL = 1:05, 90 lb barbell

35 minute walk

Tuesday

55 minute, ~ 4 km walk in morning
30 minute walk in evening

Wednesday

20 minute walk in morning
Ashtanga Yoga (~ 50 minutes at the University)

Thursday

20 minute walk to school
50 minute walk later in the morning

Friday

25 minute walk in the morning
Swim - 1 km, in 21:49
20 minute then a 31 minute brisk walk in afternoon and evening

Saturday

26 minute brisk walk, 2-3 km-ish

I'll try to take some more photos and post a bit more about the various real food selections that we are indulging in over the next week. The whole week was very good nutritionally. Yesterday in particular (especially since I can remember!) was excellent, with bacon, steak and eggs for breakfast, left over turkey curry for lunch with fresh strawberries and cream for dessert. Dinner was barbecued pork chops (with homemade blueberry applesauce that most couldn't get enough of) along with carrots, parsnips and mixed green salad for dinner and strawberries and blackberries in cream for dessert! No time for pictures as I was too busy eating. Yum all day long.

In the midnight hour (and the rest of the week, too)

2010-03-06T23:07:00.008-07:00

Given the time I am finishing this post and the subject of the photo above, I figured the title of the post was fitting. Not to mention, I haven't been away on purpose at this time of night very often lately.

I can't believe that here it is Saturday again. The week was filled with the usual things like taking the kids to school and to their activities and the normal work stuff (lectures, manuscript editing/writing etc.). We also had a prospective graduate student visit the lab so there were meetings and meals out to chat and for her to get to know what we are all about. On Friday, I participated in a "work/life balance forum" for the graduate students in the department. I didn't feel particularly "balanced", but my wife and I seem to make it work most times, so I guess I had something to offer.

Speaking of balance, I did manage to maintain a good diet and keep up the exercise in spite of the busier than normal week. When going out to dinner I chose the grilled tuna salad for dinner and for lunch the next day wings with sweet potato fries. The fries were "lightly breaded" with something (likely a grain product) but on balance there was a higher sweet potato content than whatever the breading was made from. Tonight there were some wings and sweet potato fries again (habit? rut? you be the judge) and then some dry ribs. There was no breading on these fries (different restaurant) but there was something that may have been corn meal on the dry ribs. I need to ask about these things before ordering, but again, there was way more rib than the light coating, whatever it was made of.

There were also some fitness activities of many varieties this past week.

Here's the (long) deal:

Sunday:

About a 30 minute walk at a brisk pace with the dogs.

Monday:

LHT/TUL/SS;
Bent over rows - X 13, TUL = 1:30, 60 lb barbell
Standing overhead press - X 7.5, TUL = 1:09, 60 lb barbell (need to keep slow)
Deadlifts - X 13, TUL = 2:31, 70 lb barbell (stopped when form broke down)
Bench press - X 8, TUL = 56 s, 90 lb barbell
Squats - X 10, TUL = 1:15, 80 lb barbell
Curls - X 6.5, TUL = 59 s, 2 X 25 lb dumbbells

I also went for a walk with the dogs in the morning (~ 40 min) and at night (~ 20 min brisk).

Tuesday:

Yoga;
I did a home practice using Rodney Yee's "Flexibility" practice on a DVD; I couldn't find it listed on his site, but here's his site anyway
~ 28 min (no Ashtanga yoga at the University this week)

I also added about 20 min walking in the morning and in the evening on Tuesday.

Wednesday:

Sprinting;
walk to the gym as warm up
stretching
6 X ~ 60 m (~ 15 s/60%) on the straights, walk on curves (about 5 min total)
6 X ~ 60 m (~ 11s/85%) on the straight, walk/jog back for about 1 minute rest between each (about 6 min total)
warm down walk/jog/walk/jog/walk, 1 minute each
was pretty good, really tired after and for a few days afterward, let me know I did really work hard; no orthotics this time; no ill effects with the feet

I also walked for about 25 minutes with the dogs in the morning when I took the kids to school.

Thursday:

I took it easy with just a couple of 20 minute walks.

Friday:

Walk (~ 20 min) in morning to take the kids to school
Swimming;
1,000 yds in ~ 19:30 (felt pretty good)

Saturday:

Just took a nice sunny walk with the dogs (~ 35 min) in the afternoon to hopefully also make a little vitamin D while I was out.

Here are some photos from the past week. One is of a neat moon on an evening walk that was very nice and still. The other two are of some of the grub I threw together. One is a beef madras curry with potatoes, tomatoes, onions and carrots (I dumped it on top of other cooked carrots and parsnips). The other bowl is a breakfast of quinoia cooked with dried cranberries, walnuts and apricots. I did it from memory of something I think I read on Mark's Daily Apple a while ago.

My week in review

2010-02-27T18:53:00.003-07:00

This week was a busy one. Maybe a bit busier than normal and next week promises to be even be busier. I didn't even realize that it had been almost a week since my last post. I don't think I have any photos of my family, dogs, or cooking exploits, so I'll just stick provide a quick activity overview here.

Monday's exercise consisted on a 45 minute walk with the dogs after dropping the kids off at school, and another short one at night. Tuesday was much the same with a morning and night time walk. Wednesday I has a great Ashtanga yoga practice at the University and the usual short amble about to get the dogs to deliver their messages. Thursday I walked with the dogs in the morning and at night. Friday I had a solid 1,100 yd/1,000 m swim.

Here's the deal:

250 yds free in about 4:40
250 yds pull in about 4:38
250 yds free in about 4:40
375 yds pull in about 7:30

I felt pretty darn good, I think in part because I rested (other than some walking) on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Today I helped out one of my students by stacking some boxes in their moving van and may go for a short walk tonight, but I believe that allowing my body to really rest on days that I do not lift, swim, sprint or practice yoga is working out for me. I do kind of miss not sprinting this week, however, so I'll have to try to squeeze one in next week. If my body agrees with my decision, that is.

Pass me the butter and cream, please!

2010-02-23T22:51:00.012-07:00

If you are one of the three people who read this blog, you may have noticed that I have adopted a dietary lifestyle that does not shy away from saturated fat: my posts include photos of eggs fried in butter, coffee with 18% cream, and fried bacon. Here's another of Italian sausage, first grilled and then fried with onion in butter along with a side of boiled carrots, parsnips and a small potato, also covered in butter.

For some time now I have been reading in a number of places (Mark's Daily Apple is one of them; there are others listed on my profile) about the benefits of reducing carbohydrates (and the inflammation that comes with them, especially from grains) and increasing my intake of "good" fat. This includes saturated fat from dairy, meat, nut and olive oils. Here is a recent link to a story in the Edmonton Journal talking about a recent study debunking, or at least casting doubt, on the notion that saturated fats are all bad news and that they may in fact not be linked to cardiovascular disease. I don't profess to be an expert on this topic by any means. I am on the very early and steep portion of the learning curve with respect to nutrition, but I do believe that by severely reducing and/or eliminating my intake "Frankenoils" and turning back instead to real foods, and real fats (both of which were more common in years gone by) is providing me with health benefits.

Second half of the week and weekend round up

2010-02-21T21:06:00.010-07:00

Thursday the SO and I walked the kids and dogs to school. Later on I channelled some of daughter #1's sprinting fever and took Finaly and Libby along with the SO to the park at the kids' school for some outdoor sprinting in the snow, the first sprinting outside since last fall. .It was a great day, bright, sunny and right about +4 C.

Here's the deal:

walk to the park ~ 10 minutes for warm up; stretch
6-7 X ~15s/~ 60 m @ 50% with about 20-30s rest between each
6 X ~12s/~60 m @ 85% with about 60 s rest between the first 3 and then less between the last 3
walk home from the park ~ 10 minutes for cool down

Later on we walked to and from the school again to retrieve the kids.

On Friday, we (the SO and I) walked the kids to school and went for a bit more of a walk afterward (~ 25 minutes) and then I made it to the University and had a very good 1,000 m swim.

Here the swimming deal:

250 yds freestyle
250 kick (mostly all flutter kick, but some whip kick)
350 yds pull
250 yds free (a length or two of breast mixed in here)

It was pretty fair considering I am only swimming about once a week, down from the 2-3 times I used to swim.

Saturday I took it easy and just went for a walk with the SO of about 25 minutes before the pub night fundraiser - I had more confirmation that I am not young any more, and after that little excursion, I think it is just as well!

On Sunday the dogs and I took our kids and our friends kids (who slept over) sledding at the park. Here's a shot of our very own future skeleton racer, daughter #2, literally "heading down" the hill.

Later on that afternoon I cut my rest between lifting workouts from 7 to 6 days and did my LHT/SS (Lift Heavy Things/Super Slow) workout, with a couple of twists. Instead of only doing the "Big 5" a la Body By Science, I added 2 more exercises to make it a "Big 7".

Here's the LHT/SS deal:

bent over row - TUL 1:06, 13 reps, 70 lb barbell
standing overhead press - TUL 56 s, 7.5 reps, 70 lb barbell
dead lift - TUL 2:00, 12 reps, 70 lb barbell
bench press - TUL 1:26, 12 reps, 70 lb barbell
squats - TUL 1:35, 14 reps, 70 lb barbell
curls - (a) TUL 27 s, 2.5 reps, 70 lb barbell (b) TUL 1:43, 12.5 reps, 2 X 20 lb dumbbells
pull ups - TUL ~ 20 s, 2.5 reps

I need to keep my form, but did a better job at it this time. I also need to start my watch before the barbell is on my shoulders for squats! For this workout I defined "failure" as when my form seriously broke down. This may not be "true" failure, but I think I will still get benefits while keeping myself safe and injury free by maintaining good form. Tomorrow, maybe I'll do some yoga in the morning.

Here's a couple of shots of my tasty brunch; a red onion, blue cheese and Hungarian salami omelette. This with a French press of my Greg Danks Burundi coffee and 18% cream was just about as close as you could get to a perfect brunch meal.

Oh, and here's a shot of Finlay watching the Canada-USA Olympic hockey game. His interest reflects the way the game went for Team Canada.

Family Day LHT/TUL workout through to Hump Day

2010-02-17T20:04:00.006-07:00

For the Family Day Holiday I did a LHT/TUL Body By Science Big 5 for Free Weights workout. I am still tweaking things here and there, but this is coming along, and I think that lifting heacy only once a week (with some yoga, sprinting, swimming and walking) seems to be working for me.

Here's the deal:

Bent over row - 16 reps; TUL = 2:03; 60 lb barbell

Standing overhead press - 9.5 reps; TUL = 1:21; 60 lb barbell

Deadlift - 14 reps; TUL = 2:02; 90 lb barbell

Bench press - 6 reps; TUL = 48 s; 100 lb barbell

Squats - 17 reps; TUL = 1:50; 70 lb barbell

I still need to watch my form (back) on the deadlifts and maybe up the weight a bit on squats and the overhead press. The one issue with the squats is that I could really use a rack to get the bar heavy enough and into position more easily that just man handling it up the way I am doing now.

Later on Family Day the SO and I went for a nice, brisk 35 minute walk together with the dogs; I did the usual putzing with the dogs to get the "job" done before we all went to sleep. Tuesday I went for another walk with the dogs after taking the kids to school (about 35 minutes again) followed by the evening stroll.

This morning I got up early after a solid 7 hour(ish) sleep, and did a 53 minute Eoin Finn Yoga practice ("Strong, Free and Happy") before walking the kids to school with the dogs and SO and getting to work.

I got to sneak a peak at daughter #1's track meet at the University, but missed seeing her team win their heat (but I did see one of the boys' teams from her school win their heat). I'll try to channel their enthusiasm when I do my own sprint workout tomorrow, possibly on the same track!

Family Day and Valentine's Day Long Weekend

2010-02-14T13:56:00.007-07:00

After I walked the kids (and dogs) to school in the morning, I managed to get some work done on a manuscript and then make it to the pool at the University on Friday for a steady 1,000 yard (20 minute) swim before an afternoon meeting. A good start to the day all around.

I started yesterday off great, receiving the new Blue Rodeo Double CD, The Things We Left Behind, and a large, dark chocolate heart from the local Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory from the SO - thanks honey! I reciprocated with the strawberries from the same local shop pictured here.

For lunch I fried up some French fries (done in bacon grease - no photo, I ate them too quickly!) and with half of an avocado and some fresh cut pineapple for dessert. After lunch the dogs and I went for a nice 40 minute (plus?) walk on a breeze, brisk day, before the SO and I went out for a fancy Valentine's Day dinner at a local restaurant. (I may blog about this experience later.)

We had a great time and lots of laughs. I think she is a closet food critic. My meal was 98% Primal, with only a small stick of phyllo pastry invading my yam and potato soup. My main course was bison rib eye (rare) served over tasty mashed potatoes, asparagus, yellow beet, bok choy, with a fruit compote and mustard sauce. More about the meal in a later post. The day ended with the normal "all business" dog stroll before bed.

The dogs and I went for a brisk 25 minute walk in the bright sunshine this afternoon. When I returned, I made this lunch that I dreamed up (and drooled about) on the walk; Smoked oysters on radishes or cucumber with old cheddar cheese, and avocado, polished off with a couple of squares of dark, 85% Lindt chocolate. Yummy!

More sleep, more better, more often

2010-02-11T20:05:00.002-07:00

I have been trying, for the past few nights, to make a real effort to get more, quality sleep. Sunday and Monday night were pretty good with great sleeps in the 8 hour range; Tuesday and Wednesday weren't quite so good, but better than average. I think this is making a real difference in how I feel, so I am motivated to keep at it, in spite of the fact that I easily find things to keep me up at night (reading stuff online, for instance), but I need to balance this off against the real benefits to good solid rest and how it is critical to maintaining good health.

The exercise this week was great so far: Tuesday consisted of a couple of short walks (am and pm walks to the school and at night so the dogs could do their business respectively); Wednesday was a short walk in the morning (kids and dogs to school), Ashtanga yoga at the University at noon (a tough, satisfying 50 minute practice), and then another bedtime stroll with the dogs; Thursday (today) started with a nice about 25 minute walk with the SO and then at noon, sprinting at the University's indoor track.

Here's the (sprinting) deal:

walk to the track (used as warm up in lieu of walking/jogging at the track)
stretching
6 X ~ 60 m in about 15 s (~ 60%), walk back to the start, go again, about 40 seconds rest between each
6 X ~ 60 m in about 11 s (~85%+), walk back to the start, go again, about 60seconds rest between each
5 minutes walk/job warm down (4:1, walk:jog)
stretch

This was a great workout. Things I learned: left Achilles is still a bit tender so best to sprint flat footed and not so much on toes; didn't wear orthotics this time and no ill effects as of typing this up, 8+ hours later, so we'll see, maybe wear them next time? All in all a good workout that went better and was easier on the knees by doing straight line sprints not sprints on the corner using the inside lane as I did last time that led to a tweaky knee.

Tomorrow I will try to make it to the pool for an easy swim, a great, relaxing way to end the week.

Where did the weekend go?

2010-02-08T19:23:00.006-07:00

I never did make it to the pool on Friday, and instead just did a few pull ups (5 to be exact, slowly in 42 s) and then went for a short walk with the dogs at night. Saturday I did a 50 minute Eoin Finn yoga practice ("Strong, Free and Happy" practice from the Power Yoga for Happiness DVD) and then took a lovely brisk 30 minute walk with the SO.

On Sunday the dogs and I went for a very long walk, about 55 minutes, that was nice and relaxing.

Back to the reality of the work week, there was no relaxation, as it was my LHT day and the third time I did the Body By Science Big 5 for Free Weights workout. (Although, as a side note, I did get a good 8+ hours sleep last night as part of my continuing resolution to get more, good rest.)

Here's the deal:

Bent over row - X 11, TUL = 1:40 (70 lb barbell)
Standing overhead press - X 5 (+0.5), TUL = 1:12 (70 lb barbell)
Deadlift - X 4, TUL = 57 s (90 lb barbell)
Bench press - X 7, TUL = 1:09 (90 lb barbell)
Squats - X 7, TUL = ~ 60 s (90 lb barbell)

I really should have read my notes from last week, because I would have seen that then I used 70 lbs for deadlifts; it was plenty then and would have been plenty today, too. I will drop the weight down to 70 lbs for deadlifts next week so that I can move slowly through the reps but with good form. I also think I should drop the bent over rows back to 60 lbs (and maybe the standing overhead press too) so get a few more reps and a little more TUL with good form. I know that I worked though, because by the time I reached squats, I didn't put the bar behind my head because it was a struggle enough just to get it to chest height, so I did the squats with this modification and didn't risk muscling the bar behind my head just to get it stuck there after completing my set.

Once this was done (early this morning before 7:00, easy to do since it takes less than 15 minutes), the SO and I readied the troops, took the kids to school and then went for a nice 25 minute-ish walk. Nice!

Work was an array of editing/meeting, meeting, seminar, meeting. Busy, but productive and enjoyable. I'll take the dogs for a stroll later in hopes of them, and us, settling in for an early and restful sleep. Here's a sweet omelette I made this weekend...mmm...eggs, cheese and ham!

End of the week, start of the weekend!

2010-02-05T06:03:00.008-07:00

Wednesday was a great, relaxing day (on the exercise front anyway) with a nearly 60 minute walk in the morning with the dogs (the duration extended in part due to 2 dropped dog boots and associated back-tracking) followed by a great Ashtanga yoga practice at noon. My feeling of "Zen" didn't last as long as I might have liked, but it's a process, right?

Yesterday I just tooled around the nearby "home" blocks in the morning and at night with the dogs for some fresh air and for them to make a few "deposits" and send their, as someone on the MEC site once commented, to send their "p-mail". I'll have to take them for a longer walk today, but limited my activity to those short walks made it restful in spite of working and then delivering a lecture.

Today I have an early morning talk (9:00 am) to attend, will flounder around the pool for a few lengths (update to follow), meet up with some colleagues at the University and then take Libby for her shots at the vet with the kids and the SO. And then there's also the ongoing reading, reviewing and editing that I need to continue to make headway on.

Here are a couple of "creations". One is a nice mix of quinoa, halibut and hot sauce with a large salad with Red Swiss Chard; the other is a "tropical" snack that I made the kids the other night (that I helped to eat, of course!).

No sprints, no cry!

2010-02-02T21:40:00.006-07:00

To badly paraphrase Bob Marley, the sprinting went well with no major problems. The SOP for the day was typical; SO seen off to work, kids to school, dogs for a stroll (stopping to chat to some friends- here they are barricading the door so we don't forget them!) then some work (and coffee) at home before heading into work and a lunch time sprinting workout at the indoor track.

Here's the deal:

1 minute walk, 4 minutes light jog warm up
stretch
6 X 20 s ~ 65% sprints on 60 s gos (40 s rest)
3 X 20 s ~ 85 % sprints with 60 rest between
3 X 12-15 s ~ 85 % sprints with 60 rest between
6 minutes walking cool down

I changed it up part way through to stop sprinting on the corners (hard on the knees) and to simultaneously do shorter, more intense sprints. It all went well, no tweaks and a good workout. And I wore my orthotics and they felt just fine. That said, the glutes are getting a little stiff sitting on the couch typing this post! Yoga will be much appreciated tomorrow.

Heavy lifting

2010-02-01T21:53:00.006-07:00

The weekend was relaxing on the exercise front. I did a few chin ups (5 reps then 2, 2, 3, 2 - fail; 3 more later for fun!) on the new chin up bar on Saturday while I was doing some minor renos so that it would install properly. The dogs and I went for almost an hour-long walk yesterday and another 35 minute plus walk this morning.

This morning I did my second TUL- Body By Science free weight workout. I think I am getting the hang of this now. I read further in the book and came upon the "Big 5 for Free Weights" work out.

Here's the deal:

60 s jumping jacks to warm up
stretching
bent over row - X 11 or 12, TUL = 1:50, 70 lb barbell
standing overhead barbell press - X 6, TUL = 1:18, 70 lb barbell
deadlift - X 13, TUL = 2:22, 70 lb barbell
bench press - X 5, TUL = ??? (forgot to write it in my book - crap!), 90 lb barbell
squats - X 10, TUL = 1:42, 90 lb barbell

I am plus or minus a rep for all exercises as I find it hard to count, breathe, and keep my form under the heavy load. I didn't realize until just now that I forgot to record my TUL for bench press! I started lifting at 6:16 am and ended at 6:29 am. Given this and the number of reps that I did for bench (only 5) I estimate that my TUL for this was about 1:00 give or take (about 10 seconds per rep, 5 s up and 5 s down, nice and slow). Apparently keeping track of reps and TUL is just as challenging as the workout! I would put my total TUL at about 8-9 minutes, taking just enough time to get the bar and weights adjusted for the next exercise. This workout was much better than last Monday. It was slower, more controlled, with more appropriately challenging weight and definitely lead to shaking of muscles and fatigue. I'll need more weight on the deadlifts next week to get the TUL under 2 minutes. And to keep track of reps and TUL for everything!

I think I'll do my sprinting tomorrow at the University's indoor track. I am unclear whether I'll use my orthotics in my running shoes or not. I used them the once this year but not the last two times. I like the feel not using them during the workout as I feel more connected with the track, but I wonder if my slight left heel pain is from sprinting without them. I think it is a trade off between some (now small) amount of pain and strengthening my arches, because while using the orthotics "protects" my arches and plantar fascia, they also don't likely help to strengthen them. Perhaps I'll use them tomorrow and see if the intermittent heel pain goes or stays.

Custard!

2010-01-31T14:32:00.005-07:00

Not bad for my first time. A Better Homes and Gardens modification to make it sort of Primal like at Mark's Daily Apple.

3 eggs
2/3 cup milk (could have used almond milk but I had none on hand - had to go with skim)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon
beat eggs, combine with milk and vanilla, top with nutmeg and cinnamon
cook at 325 for 45 minutes in the oven in a water bath (baking dishes filled with 1 inch of boiling water before placing into preheated oven) until a knife comes out clean

Et voila! Yummy!

Relay day and weekend decompressing

2010-01-30T15:05:00.004-07:00

Yesterday I followed the normal weekday SOP:

SO seen off to work
coffee consumed in adequate quantities (one whole French press + 18 % cream)
kids, dogs and me fed, dressed, prepped and then walked to school with the dogs (and then a little more, about 40 minutes)
midterm prepped for next Tuesday (thanks for to my TA, JF for the help!)
hit the pool for a slow 1,000 m (in 22:57)
eat some lunch and some more work back at the office
purchase some running shorts for daughter number 1 (for the track meet later on last night) and a sweet pull-up bar (I'll post on that later) for me
pick the dogs up and walk to and retrieve the dogs from school
get ready and go to the Harrier Relays in Edmonton at the Kinsmen Sport Centre

I'll post some photos later.

Rest day

2010-01-28T22:30:00.009-07:00

From exercise, at least, it was a restful day. (Unfortunately the same can not be said for work etc. but that's life and the weekend is almost here!) The dogs and I went for a slow walk after dropping the kids at school, about 45 minutes of so in a crisp -20 C (with the newly exchanged down jacket that performed perfectly, I might add!). Then I did some work, went to the University, did some more work, taught a lecture, came home...and cooked this dish that started as left over roast beef and veggies and ended up as a curry.

Follow up: After a 20 minute putz around the block so the dogs could do their thing, and thinking about some of the great points in this post by Leo at Zen Habits (that I was pointed to from Fitness Spotlight that I also read) I thought I should add this as we all can use some more Zen in our lives. Namaste.

Ashtanga yoga (and Eddie Bauer) to the rescue

2010-01-27T23:07:00.004-07:00

The kids and dogs and I walked to school in the "brisk" weather, - 20 C or so (and picked them up via a walk at the end of the day, too). On the morning walk I again noted a cold spot on the arm of my new Peak XV down jacket and called Eddie Bauer about it. They exchanged it with no questions asked. Very good service, and now my warmest jacket ever is warm all over, even on my right forearm!

I got worked pretty hard in my Ashtanga Yoga class at the University but I needed it after the "cramping" incident yesterday. The legs are almost back to normal. A nice slow swim tomorrow will be good.

The lecture for tomorrow is fixed up and posted, and the practice exam is ready. Tomorrow I will spend the day before and after class working on various research projects. When are we going to invent a 48 hour day so I can get more done?

Cramp my style

2010-01-27T06:31:00.003-07:00

I did a sprint workout yesterday (Tuesday) and it started great with a good warm up. After about the second faster (~80%) sprint I got a wicked cramp in my right calf. Being the clever fellow that I am, I kept going and simply stretched and walked between each sprint from that point onward. I got through it and this morning it feels pretty good. The Tiger Balm likely helped too and yoga today will be timely.

Here's the deal:

very light stretching
warm up jog for (5:30)
stretching
6 X ~20s ~60-70% sprints on 60s gos, walking in between (around the track; 6:00)
6 X 20s ~ 80% sprints with ~ 60 - 90s rest (calf stretching; 9:00)
walk, run, walk, run, walk, walk (60s each; 6:00)
stretching

The sprints were not likely as intense as I would have liked, but I was still in a lather when I was done, so mission accomplished, at least it was the best I could muster at the time.

Speaking of time, its time to ready my wee charges for school and a walk (kids and dogs) and myself for work. Oh yeah, did I mention it's also coffee time?

Super slow Monday

2010-01-25T21:25:00.006-07:00

I saw the SO off early and then tried a super slow LHT workout similar to Doug McGuff's Body by Science type of workout. It would have been optimal to use weight machines, but the free weights worked fine. This was my first time attempting this kind of workout, and I learned a lot.

I confirmed what I already thought, that it would give quite a burn in not much time. I learned that it looks easier than it actually is to perform the exercises super slow, with good form, and keep track of repetitions and time under load (TUL). I did each exercise for the number of reps and TUL noted and took just enough time to get to the next exercise and begin (as it turns out, less than a minute according to the math).

I'll make some adjustments next time but for now, here's the deal.

Jumping jacks - 60 s (warm up)
Biceps curls - 22 reps, TUL = 4:11, 2-20 lb dumbells
Shoulder press - 10 reps, TUL = 2:25, 2-20 lb dumbells
Squats - 20 reps, TUL = 3:43, 70 lb barbell
Bent -over rows - ~ 16 reps (lost count), TUL = 2:49, 2-15 lb dumbells
Bench press - 7 reps (that's it!!), TUL = 1:36, 70 lb barbell
Total TUL = 14:44

This was all done, from start to finish, in 20 minutes. I hope I can move tomorrow! Next time I have to move even slower to get more burn with fewer reps. Either that or up the weight, or both.

Later on the dogs and I took the kids to school and went for a nice, slow ~ 3 km walk in about 50 minutes. It was nice and brisk at - 17 C. I think I need another one tonight. Or not. Tomorrow is either and easy swim (tender arms!), sprints, or perhaps I'll just crawl to the van to drag my carcass to my lecture and hope I don't seize up in the process!

Here is a neat picture I snapped in our back yard a few days ago after some cool frost action.

Finn yoga and buttercup squash soup

2010-01-24T22:31:00.007-07:00

Had a relaxing day starting with a steaming pot of El Salvador Pacamara coffee and my "Daily dose of Bliss" 40 minute yoga practice with Eion Finn's DVD.

Later on I made some crazy good Buttercup (not butternut) squash soup. I overcooked (read: dried out) some squash yesterday, so I made it into soup today. It wasvery easy and wicked tasty. I checked out some recipes online and just took the bits I needed, keeping it very simple with only

Here's how:

in a large pot, sautee 3 cloves of garlic and about 1/3 of a diced onion in 2 tablespoons of butter (cultured, non-salted); add some ground sea salt and ground pepper
add cooked and hand-mashed squash to pot
wisk in 4 cups chicken stock and about 1 cup of 18% cream
bring up to heat; add some ground sea salt and ground pepper to taste
puree for about 1 minute in blender and eat

Here's what it looked like.

After all that cooking, we were invited to our friends' house for dinner! We had a good time and some laughs (and a good dinner); the soup will have to wait until tomorrow night with our roast beef dinner...

The dogs and I went for a saunter around home this afternoon and will go for another short one tonight before bed. We all seem to settle in for a sleep better by taking a slow walk right before bed. I need the rest, as I have a LHT workout tomorrow morning, and I am attempting to do a super slow set keeping track of Time Under Load (TUL). Gulp!

Sprinting into the weekend

2010-01-23T22:49:00.006-07:00

I had a reasonably busy Friday of seeing the SO off early, dropping one kid at a track try out, walking the other kid to the school, getting some work done, running errands, booking some flights for a conference and a trip to Costco for some essentials (like 3 dozen Omega 3 eggs, for instance). I also worked in sprint workout at the University's indoor track.

Here's the deal:

5 min jog warm up
stretching
6 X ~ 20 s sprints @ ~ 60-70% on 60 s gos (6 minutes total)
6 X ~ 20 s sprints @ ~ 85%+ with ~ 60-90 s rest (~ 13 minutes total)
5 minute cool down, run/walk/run/walk/run alternate laps
stretching

The whole thing was all done in less than 30 minutes. I definitely got a great workout. The only lasting effects one day later are some slightly tender Achilles tendons, but otherwise, pretty fine for an old guy.

The dogs and I and then the SO and I went for a short (~ 20-25 minute) walk last night and today, and I think I'll go for one tonight, too. Nutritionally today was great for a recovery day: bacon, eggs and a banana for breakfast with a French press of Dark French; chicken wings and a huge spinach salad for lunch; baked chicken breasts with some buttercup squash and steamed broccoli for dinner washed down with some yogurt and 90% dark chocolate. Yum and yum!

Tomorrow: Yoga for the impending, and increasing, leg stiffness, and coffee (lots) for grant reviewing, manuscript revising and whatever else needs doing.

An "easy" day

2010-01-21T09:42:00.004-07:00

Yesterday the dogs and I had a nice 35 minute-ish walk in the morning before work. I then had quite a workout at my aptly named Ashtanga Workout (~ 50 minutes) at the University. By the end of it my muscles were done and so was I especially after having swam 1,000 yards on Monday and done a LHT/HIIT workout on Tuesday. Last night's walk was just enough for the dogs to do their thing and then back to the house and to bed.

With all this in mind, today's activities will be limited to walking (with the morning 35 minute-ish walk- the-kids-to-school-and-keep-on-trucking-walk, or WTKTSAKOTW, already in the books). Maybe another short walk tonight, but I need some rest as I plan on ending the week with a sprinting workout tomorrow at indoor track. Now to finish some reference letters, review grants and edit manuscripts before class today at 2:00.

At home and with child

2010-01-19T22:29:00.003-07:00

Not really "with" in the reproductive sense, but rather at home with my sick daughter #2. Spent the day doing all manner of catch up work (office and home varieties). I threw together a LHT/HIIT workout just before I received Body By Science...it was a bit of a mixture, but effective, I reckon. According to what I have read of the book thus far, this will be my last intense LHT/HIIT WO until next week. Let's hope yoga isn't too tough tomorrow!

Here's the deal.

Prisoner squats - 60 s
Lunge jumps - 60 s
Wall sit - 60 s
Plank - unilateral each leg once then normal - 60 s per leg with ~ 20 s while switching poses
Tree - ~ 30 each side (thought I had better prep for yoga tomorrow!)
"Large muscle lunatic combo" were all done with a 70 lb barbell consecutively - bent over row (10), deadlifts (10), squats (10), calf raises (10), squats (10), deadlifts (10), bent over rows (10)

That all was more than enough and all done in less than 15 minutes. My arms feel it tonight typing this post. The dogs and I also managed a 35ish minute walk picking up daughter #1 (we took the long way to the school).

Monday, Monday

2010-01-18T21:22:00.003-07:00

Today went pretty darn well. Especially for a Monday.

SO off to work - check!
Coffee brewed and drunk (1 entire French press with 18% cream) and some breakfast downed - check!
Kids up, dressed, fed and off to school - check!
Dogs fed and taken for a 35-40 minute walk - check!
Swim 1,000 yards in 19:25 - check!
Lab meeting - check!
Submit manuscript & troubleshoot/plan other projects - check!
Productive procrastination consisting of rearranging office and shredding old materials - check!
Drive home, eat, shuttle kids - check!

That'll do for one day.

Friday ice time

2010-01-16T08:28:00.008-07:00

Yesterday (Friday) morning I was up early, as has been the norm lately, to see the SO off to work. I then went to the basement and, perhaps against my better judgement, did a LHT workout. My left shoulder was, and still is, a little tweaked, so I made sure to do my moves slow and controlled and did not do any overhead shoulder press or pull ups that might aggravate it.

Here's the deal:

Pushups - 4 X 25
Squats - 3 X 10 (70 lb barbell)
Bent over rows - 3 X 10 (70 lb barbell)
Lunge jumps - 60 s
Biceps curls - 3 X 10 (25 lb dumbbells)
Plank - 60 s

I also made a vow with myself that there would be nothing other than walking with the dogs for at least the weekend to give my old body time to repair itself. I really need to get the book, recommended to me by Aaron Blaisdell, Body by Science, that talks about intense 12 minute workouts followed by 7 days of rest! Here is the link to the author's blog...ok, I just went to Amazon.ca and purchased this before finishing my post - I can't wait to read it!

I got the kids off to school with no fuss, and then went for a long, slow, meandering walk with the dogs. In sum we were out and about for about an hour and fifteen minutes. About and hour of this was spent walking and the rest spent chatting with friends (human and canine) along the route. I think every day should be required to start, and possibly to end, this way.

Later on the whole family went into Edmonton to the Ice on Whyte festival. The sculptures were amazing and we had fun tooling around, drinking some coffee and hot chocolate and listening to the Karaoke singers/entertainment. The outing was finished off with a trip to a donair shop on Whyte Avenue (the name escapes me). Ice sculptures, hot coffee, and donair meat; works for me!

Thursday night hockey

2010-01-14T21:22:00.006-07:00

Not for me, but as per usual there was a game going at the neighborhood outdoor rink so I snapped a pick on my nightly stroll with my furry buds (about 33 minutes in the perfect -2 C weather).

Other than the walking I took it easy on the fitness front with just a short nearly 30 minute Rodney Yee yoga practice (for flexibility, nominally) done this morning after the SO left for work and before the kids were awake. I got them off to school and took a bit of a walk (30-40 minutes) and upon returning home I taught the remainder of the Indonesian Parcamara who was boss (delicious) whist completing some work at "Campus St. Albert" as I like to call our house. I went into the office following this for more work, teaching, meeting etc. When I returned home I cooked a great coho salmon steak (baked with butter, garlic and dill) and ate it with a large mixed green salad with olive oil and balsamic. No pics this time, I was too busy eating it!

Olympic torch relay day

2010-01-13T22:30:00.008-07:00

The torch relay came through St. Albert today and the kids and I were downtown to check it out. It was quite cool, and luckily, not too cold (about -6 C) given that we were outside for about 2.5 hours. Here are some shots of the torch including former Olympian Tim Barret who competed, if I am not mistaken, in 4 games in race walk.

The dogs and I had a short 20ish minute walk in the morning and one at night. I resisted the temptation to lift, practice yoga, or any other form of strenuous activity and instead took it quite easy and just had a great day and soaked in the atmosphere. The question now is what to do tomorrow. Yoga? Swim? LHT/HIIT? None of the above? Who knows - I'll decide tomorrow.

Back-tracking follow up: Here is another fantastic sunrise on our way to school. I had to add it.

"Duathalon" Tuesday

2010-01-12T21:44:00.004-07:00

The weather has been outstanding lately with lows of about -5C and daytime highs of about 0-5C, perfect for walking. The dogs and I went for a 35 minute walk yesterday morning before the sprint session and the SO took them again last night for about the same so they are getting seriously spoiled.

Today, I did a "Duathalon" of sorts, but this one involved walking with the dogs this morning (about 35 minutes), swimming at lunch (about 1 km in a little over 22 minutes - I took it 'easy' but it wasn't easy, if you know what I mean) and then the dogs and I wandered around for a little more than a 50 minute walk tonight. My shoulders are a little tender, most recently from the swimming, so I think that there may be no LHT or HIIT workout tomorrow if the shoulders continue to feel like this tomorrow. I'll just have to see how I feel tomorrow. This was definitely a "Move Slowly" kind of day, to paraphrase Mark Sisson.

I should get some work done before hitting the hay. Or perhaps I should just go to sleep, perchance to dream...they say getting a good sleep makes you smart(er). I think I can use some more 'smart' in my life.

Indoor track sprint session

2010-01-11T20:20:00.003-07:00

I was going to swim, but decided to do a sprint workout indoors at lunch today instead. The University of Alberta has outstanding athletic facilities including an excellent indoor track and I decided to use it. I haven't done sprints (other than swimming sprints) since the snow flew, so I was looking forward to it.

Here's the deal:

~ 5 min of alternating jogging/walking on the track warm up
stretching
6 X ~ 60 m sprints @ 50-60 % with ~20-30 s walking between each
6 X 60 m sprints @ 85% in about 12-14 s with ~ 60 s rest between each
~ 5 min of alternating jogging/walking on the track
stretching

I definitely felt it when I was done. I need to do this more regularly. This break led nicely into a productive afternoon and undoubtedly will lead to a solid sleep tonight.