Dad's Corner, Post #3

When I talked to Jessie yesterday they had just finished a wine tour in the Sonoma Valley and were chasing the wine with some brews at Joe's Crab Shack. I thought she said "crap shack" cause my rock n roll drummer's ears don't always get it right on the first try...so we had a good laugh over that one. They are having a great honeymoon and I will keep you all up to date with mini updates.

...and now we get to some nuts and bolts, or nuts and fruits and such.

Jessie comes by her good eating and exercise habits naturally. When she was a teenager we didn't think she was paying attention, but she not only took notes, she is showing us up...and I can't have that. So here is what I call my "turning 60 freak out diet and exercise program", which is really what I have learned over my journey through life of learning and applying. I wish I knew this stuff when I was 20 something, although I learned a lot of it then and I would love feedback on my diet, exercise and views from any of you. I've been reading some of your blogs and am impressed.

As I stumbled out of bed this morning, I put it in autopilot while I made my coffee and toast, 2 slices. My bread is Oroweat whole grain winter wheat, slathered with either fresh ground organic peanut butter or Barney Butter's Crunchy Almond...gee thanks for another addiction Jessie! No picture of this. This is my daily kick start.

Exercise: Floor stretching with back and abs, followed by an alternating program of either a weight workout or a bike ride; road or mountain. My ideal is to alternate these and get 6 workouts a week. The leftover day is free from all restrictions and I go with the flow and do whatever and eat whatever I want. That's my ideal, and it tends to vary weekly but I've been at it for many years.

After the workout:

I nearly always have a power packed protein smoothie after every workout. This one contains:

• 1 cup well water
• handful of ice
• a squirt of golden flax oil
• 3 or 4 big leaves of romaine lettuce
• a handful of blueberries
• a handful of raspberries
• a big glob of Dannon Low fat Vanilla Yogurt
• and 2 huge scoops of whey protein powder from Vitamin Cottage (40g of protein)
  

The ice is present in all of my smoothies because it facilitates complete mixing and makes it go down easier.

This one is a bit on the gray side, but the blueberries saved it.

Snacks: I usually have a varying variety of nutritional snacks sitting on the counter. It keeps the unhealthy munchies under some semblance of control, which is a good thing. This grouping contains trail mix, raw almonds, spicy roasted pumpkin seeds, and raw sunflower seeds.

Lunch: Salad with ruby red butter lettuce and baby spinach with sliced red bell pepper, spicy pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
The main dish was Gini's fabulous chicken enchiladas, chased by well water. I saved the banana for later.

My afternoon smoothie is usually quite different than the morning one. This one has:

• 1 cup skim milk
• handful ice
• squirt of Hershey's chocolate to stave off my sweet tooth
• big T of peanut butter
• 1 package of plain instant oats
• 1 banana
• 40g whey protein
  Supper: Another fabulous green salad with extras, oven baked sweet potatoes(thanks Jessie) and an Applegate Farms Spinach and Feta organic turkey sausage. I had 2 of these bad boys. For anyone who has a closet love affair with bratwursts and that sort of thing, these are a good choice. I also had about 3 times this much salad. My primary drink throughout the day is well water, but I usually have 2 cups of coffee and enjoy some fine spirits in the evening. Limit 2 drinks.
  
  My final mini-meal of the day was Dannon Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt with blueberries and raspberries.