Workouts, Diet, & Lifestyle!

Even though I have be retired for 3 entire weeks, it still does not seem like I am retired! Spending 35 years in education, the summers are still summers!  Although in education, the summer is not the same - the school year has changed - beginning earlier in mid August & ending later in mid June.  Plus Summer workshops, grad classes, and in the technology world the summer is still very busy in education!

So far the only changes are:
1 - The alarm does not wake us, the grand dogs do that, usually around 6 AM
2 - Joined the retired educators golf group that plays Mondays!
3 - Assuming more cleaning & house work duties! (Mr. Mom is cooking, washing, vacuuming, and all the other fun stuff!)

So, workouts are still going well - I usually get workouts in from 6:30 - 8:30 AM
Diet is a constant focus, Breakfast usually oatmeal or Cheerioes - Lunch Salad or Sandwich - And supper - fish or chicken, maybe once a week a hamburger(lean) or a small piece of red meat.

Starting to think about the many ventures starting in the fall, but holding off & planning till September.  I do have the first Albright Tour set for Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County with my retirement bus trip on August 31st!

Golf - Heart Surgery - Recovery!

 Today was another great day on the links!  This again was one of the goals I had as I was facing open heart surgery!  And after 6 months, I feel that there are no more excuses - a BAD shot is not because of my quintuple bypass!!  Remember, my first round was back in April after 19 weeks of healing,  That day I was still in pain when I coughed or sneezed and only had one BIG divot that I could feel some pain in my chest.

The story of Mike Bell is a great on!  He is a scratch golfer and had been a great amateur golfer before his double open heart bypass (Wimp - I had 5!)  He was 3 months out and he played in the US  Senior Open!  And did very well - check out the article below.

Amateur Playing Just Three Months After Open Heart Surgery - Mike Bell

Well, I didn't play in the US Senior Open, but I'm playing again!  And my PVC's do not hurt my game, only missing 4 foot putts!!!!!

The Jogging Experiment Begins

Much to the chagrin of my little sis (the family nurse), I started my experiment today on jogging! (Sorry Ginny!)  The game plan was to add 5 - 30 second jogs into my regular walking workout.  The jogs would occur when I was on flat ground.  Here are the results:

Total Workout = 47 minutes
5 X 30 second jogs (got heart rate from 95-100) I noticed 2 of 5 had PVC's on monitor
Regular walking on downhill & flats HR @ 80-85 & no issues
Regular hills HR at 95-100 and no PVC's on the monitor

Results:  It seems to be the same results, when the heart rate gets to the 95-100 range I notice the PVC's.  I will where my monitor throughout the day and take more readings & check the activity that I am doing at the time.

Looks like I need to do some research on Ablations, because the meds are not helping my PVC issues.  My next doctors appointments are September, I will then have blood work, Stress Test, & wear the heart monitor for a 24 hour period.

Happy Fourth of July

 

This is now 29 weeks after Open Heart Surgery and our countries 235th Birthday!  A great time to celebrate!  Started my day with my longest walk since surgery - 55 minutes.  Heart rate started at 73 & finished at 85.  In the middle, on the hill sections had PVC's around a heart rate of 95.  Did my usual back down & felt fine.  My "Polar T31" heart rate monitor did it's typical reading of a strange signal at around the 95-100 heart rate range.  Remember, it goes from 95-100, down to 41-53, this indicates that I am having my PVC's.  What I do is back down to a heart rate of 90-95 and the "Polar T31" will get back to normal readings.

When this happens, on uphill climbs, I feel winded & a little light headed, but not like I will pass out!

Tomorrow I am starting my 30 second interval jogs on flat ground.  My goal is to do about 5, within a 40-45 minute workout!

Gos Bless America!  Home of the Free & GREAT HEART SURGEONS!

It has been some time that I have talked about diet and cholesterol.  And, the main reason for my Open Heart Surgery was blockage - I had three areas 60%, 70% & 99%!!!  I found this article at the Mayo Clinic -

Cholesterol: Top 5 foods to lower your numbers

1. Oatmeal, oat bran and high-fiber foods

Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol. Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, apples, pears, barley and prunes.
Soluble fiber can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Five to 10 grams or more of soluble fiber a day decreases your total and LDL cholesterol. Eating 1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 6 grams of fiber. If you add fruit, such as bananas, you'll add about 4 more grams of fiber. To mix it up a little, try steel-cut oatmeal or cold cereal made with oatmeal or oat bran.

2. Fish and omega-3 fatty acids

Eating fatty fish can be heart-healthy because of its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce your blood pressure and risk of developing blood clots. In people who have already had heart attacks, fish oil — or omega-3 fatty acids — reduces the risk of sudden death.
Doctors recommend eating at least two servings of fish a week. The highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids are in:

• Mackerel
• Lake trout
• Herring
• Sardines
• Albacore tuna
• Salmon
• Halibut

You should bake or grill the fish to avoid adding unhealthy fats. If you don't like fish, you can also get small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from foods like ground flaxseed or canola oil.

3. Walnuts, almonds and other nuts

Walnuts, almonds and other nuts can reduce blood cholesterol. Rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, walnuts also help keep blood vessels healthy.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, eating about a handful (1.5 ounces, or 42.5 grams) a day of most nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts, may reduce your risk of heart disease. Just make sure the nuts you eat aren't salted or coated with sugar.
All nuts are high in calories, so a handful will do. To avoid eating too many nuts and gaining weight, replace foods high in saturated fat with nuts. For example, instead of using cheese, meat or croutons in your salad, add a handful of walnuts or almonds.

4. Olive oil

Olive oil contains a potent mix of antioxidants that can lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol but leave your "good" (HDL) cholesterol untouched.
The Food and Drug Administration recommends using about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil a day in place of other fats in your diet to get its heart-healthy benefits. To add olive oil to your diet, you can saute vegetables in it, add it to a marinade, or mix it with vinegar as a salad dressing. You can also use olive oil as a substitute for butter when basting meat or as a dip for bread. Olive oil is high in calories, so don't eat more than the recommended amount.
The cholesterol-lowering effects of olive oil are even greater if you choose extra-virgin olive oil, meaning the oil is less processed and contains more heart-healthy antioxidants. But keep in mind that "light" olive oils are usually more processed than extra-virgin or virgin olive oils and are lighter in color, not fat or calories.

5. Foods with added plant sterols or stanols

Foods are now available that have been fortified with sterols or stanols — substances found in plants that help block the absorption of cholesterol.
Margarines, orange juice and yogurt drinks with added plant sterols can help reduce LDL cholesterol by more than 10 percent. The amount of daily plant sterols needed for results is at least 2 grams — which equals about two 8-ounce (237-milliliter) servings of plant sterol-fortified orange juice a day.
Plant sterols or stanols in fortified foods don't appear to affect levels of triglycerides or of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol.

Check it out at:
Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol/CL00002

Final Retirement Day - Heart Holds UP!

Another day the heart experiences new feelings!  This one was a "GREAT" feeling of memories & feelings!  My last retirement function, and a special one - from my "tech" buddies at school!  As I mentioned earlier, before Open Heart Surgery, one of my goals was the finish my last year in education & today that was accomplished!


We started with a golf tournament at 4 Seasons and ended with a nice celebration at "Hot Z Pizza"!  Beautiful day of golf, great time with friends, and a successful finish to an eventful year!

My HEART says thanks tooooooo....
My tech bosses!  Young enough to be my son's, Mike I had in class & Doug I saw come in to a pool I managed when he was little guy - THANKS for the support & hard work for our school!

My techie buddies, thanks for the support and taking the load of making sure our school technology always was there for the kids & teachers!

My Tech Integration buddies, A BIG THANKS, Joanne - sharing your time & growth into taking our district to new worlds!  Rae Ann - my buddy that goes wayyy back to CCC days & making those little elementary techies grow!  Sue - taking care of my middle schools, I KNOW they are in great hands!  And VICKI - what can I say, Thick & Thin, you have been there for many years - YOU know that you made the last part of the race special - Hard Work, Caring for kids, & Tech Friend BIG TIME!

Yes, the heart felt GREAT today, a come to think of it - NO HEADACHES!  It seems like the BEST MEDICINE is still and always will be GREAT FRIENDS!

THANKS TO ALL!!!!!!

Busy Day - Heart Holds Up Well!

Today was a busy day & the Heart & PVC's & new Meds held up well!  Here was the schedule:

5:30 AM Wake Up
6:15 AM Meet Gold crew to drive to Wyncote Golf Course - Oxford, PA
7:30 AM - 1 PM - 18 hole of golf (Played bad - blame it on headaches)
1:00 PM - 2 PM drive home from golf
2:30 PM - 3 PM pick up pole for pole vaulters at the school
3:00 PM - 4::45 Rest & eat something
5:00 PM - 10 PM track meet at Millersville
10 PM arrive home
11:30 Bed Time!

So, seemed to have plenty of energy & the headaches were not that severe, but were there for about 4 hours.  Will continue to monitor the new medication.