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Getting Another Blood Test

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I got blood tests in January. I’m not 100% sure what tests were run, but I know they were testing my cholesterol levels.

It took a couple of weeks to get results back and I was told that I had slightly elevated cholesterol levels. Not much of a surprise there.

Interestingly enough the doctor’s office called me last week to book me in for another set of tests, as they wanted to see if things had changed.

So tomorrow morning I’ll be in getting jabbed with a needle!

Hopefully my cholesterol will have gone down a bit. In any case it’s always better to know.

 

Finding My Workout Rhythm

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Livestrong LS9.9E Elliptical trainerTrying to do too much exercise at once will simply not work. I need to build up slowly and steadily.

Yesterday I tried to use a “standard” workout program on the elliptical trainer and it was a bit of disaster. I was looking at the display counting down and simply had to give up before it hit zero. That’s not good. It doesn’t help with anything. If I can’t complete a workout program on the trainer then I’m not going to be motivated enough to stick with it.

So after thinking about it a bit I came up with a compromise. Instead of using the standard program length I’d set myself a much shorter time limit and try to stick to it.

Today I set myself a more reasonable time limit and I was able to complete it.

After 15 minutes on the elliptical trainer I had worked up a bit of a sweat and my muscles are aching. But I was able to complete the session.

My next “problem” is to find the right kind of music to listen to when I’m working out. I was going to try the zombie run thing on the iPhone, but since the iPhone isn’t actually moving I don’t think it’s exactly suitable. Or maybe I’m missing something.

Today I was listening to U2 on Spotify, but I’m not sure if they’re the best choice for a workout 🙂

 

Starting Exercising With An Elliptical Trainer

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A few months ago I bought an elliptical trainer, as I knew I needed to get physical exercise.

I chose an elliptical trainer as my research told me that it would give me a “full” workout, while also being quite gentle on my knees etc.,

The model I have is the LiveStrong LS 9.9E which is supposedly pretty good:

Livestrong LS9.9E Elliptical trainerIt’s got some pretty nice features:

  • Resistance     20 levels
  • User Capacity     148 kg / 325 lbs.
  • Heart Rate     Contact Grips & Telemetric
  • Stride Length     50.8 cm / 20”
  • Frame     SixStar Certified Frame
  • Pedal Spacing     0” Q-Factor
  • Flywheel Weight     10.5 kg / 23 lbs.
  • Assembled Dimensions     190.5 x 61 x 165 cm / 75” x 24” x 65”
  • Assembled Weight     88.5 kg / 195 lbs.
  • Incline     Power, 20 Levels (5% Increments)
  • Entertainment     Speakers with MP3 / iPod® Compatibility
  • Console Display     5 Large Yellow-Green LE D Windows and Blue Backlit Display
  • Programs     Manual, Intervals, Weight Loss, Constant Watts, Incline 1, Incline 2, Random, Reverse Train, Custom

The controls are fairly easy to use. Turn it on, input your weight in kilos and choose a program and it does the rest.. Well .. you do the rest really, but you get what I mean!

Of course since I’m completely unfit using it hurts A LOT! I suspect I’ll have to start with short sessions and build up to doing a full 30 minute workout on it, as after 5 to 10 minutes my muscles are screaming.

What’s kind of cool, though, is that it shows you how many calories you’ve burnt off. What’s not so cool is that the number is so damn low!

 

Self Watering Plant Pots and Herb Kits

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Yesterday afternoon based on the advice I’d received in my previous post about growing herbs I headed over to my local Homebase to see what was on offer.

I was pretty impressed with the range of idiot proof kits that they have on offer for growing herbs and vegetables at home easily. The “grow your own” range is a nice option. For less than 2 euro you can get a “kit” which includes the seeds, compost and a pot. Of course you could put your own together if you wanted to, but this removes all the “pain” out of the process.

Grow your own kits from Homebase

I picked up a couple of herbs and some rocket and we’ll see how things pan out.

They also had a pretty good choice of herb plants of various sizes, so I also grabbed one to go with a very handy “self watering” plant pot I picked up.

kitchen herbs in a self watering plant pot with 3 compartments

At the moment I’ve got parley and thyme in it, but there’s space for up to four different plants. Each section is removable and you basically remove a section and then fill it with water up to the level. It should then water itself. I’ve no idea how well it works, but as I travel quite a bit and can be absent for up to 10 days at a time I like the idea of leaving my plants on auto-pilot. If this kind of system works I might be able to get some house plants too!

Having plenty of fresh parsley to hand is nice. I’ve been adding sprigs of it to a wide variety of dishes and even throwing a bit into sandwiches!

 

Grilling Is Healthy

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John's Grill

John's Grill (Photo credit: blacknight)

I used to work in a steak restaurant with an open grill back in the early 1990s. I got used to the taste of grilled meat, so I’ve been using a George Foreman grill of some kind for as long as I can remember.I knew it was a healthier option, but hadn’t realised how healthy until recently.

According to some calculations, grilling, using a George Foreman or any other grill, reduces the amount of fat by up to 42%! That’s pretty impressive. Even if the amount of fat removed is exaggerated the other juices that come out of meat probably aren’t going to do you any good, so grilling probably helps.

Frying a steak is not something I’d ever imagine myself doing. Turning on the George Foreman and grilling it comes naturally.

The only downside to using a George Foreman is that cleaning the grill plates after a good session can be a bit of a chore, though with most models you can easily remove the metal plates and wash them.

Perusing the official George Foreman site you’ll come across some very tasty ideas for grilling and they also have a diet plan (PDF).

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Trying To Grow Kitchen Herbs

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Tomato spinach and mushroom sauce

Tomato spinach and mushroom sauce (Photo credit: blacknight)

For the last year or so I’ve been trying to grow some fresh herbs in my kitchen. Unfortunately it hasn’t always been successful and I’ve probably ended up having to dump as many plants as I’ve been able to keep.

The only herb that seems to grow without issue and can survive my rather sporadic watering schedule is parsley.

Everything else seems to do ok for a couple of weeks and then die off.

Having a constant supply of fresh parsley is fantastic. While parsley may not be the most exciting herb on the planet it certainly adds taste to food when you’re able to cut off a few pieces and chop it up.

If anyone has any tips or tricks on growing kitchen herbs indoors please do share them!

Poached Egg On Toast

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A single broken poached egg on 2 pieces of toa...

A single broken poached egg on 2 pieces of toast bread. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As an alternative to scrambled eggs this morning I had poached eggs on toast for breakfast.

I love the taste of the egg combined with the toast and it’s simplicity itself to prepare.

Removing the eggs from the saucepan is pretty easy as long as you have the right kind of spoon 🙂

Print

Poached Egg On Toast

A simple breakfast packed with goodness
Course Breakfast
Cuisine International
Keyword breakfast, eggs
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1
Calories 310 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 slices of brown bread toasted
  • Low fat spread
  • Black pepper to taste optional

Instructions

  1. Bring some water to the boil in a small saucepan
  2. Break two eggs into a glass
  3. Pour the eggs into the boiling water
  4. At the same time prepare the toast
  5. Remove the eggs after a minute or two. They should be cooked enough on the outside to hold together

  6. Serve with toast and enjoy!