This is my first week back exercising after a week off and for the next 6-8 weeks, I have decided to switch from strength training to straight cardio. Because of this switch and to have a good way of judging my progress, I am starting to keep track of my heart rate (beats per minute-bpm's). I am going for a goal of reducing my immediate post exercise bpm's by 50+ within 1 minute. This is a very lofty goal, but something that I can strive for. This 50+ rate is what athletes are expected to achieve, not just regular folks like me. However, it is a goal and while I may not be able to attain it within the next several weeks, it will be interesting to see how close I can get.
This week, my immediate post exercise bpm was 149bpm's, after 1 minute, the average was 124bpm's...difference of 25. This falls into the normal catagory, but now I have a goal and, since I was stupid enough to post this, I also have motivation to continue :) Oh, I do not have a fitbit, so I'm doing it the old fashioned way...OH NO, MATH!!! :0
I made a zucchini
casserole last night. It was fairly easy to do, I basically just chucked whatever veggies I
could find and added them to the zucchini. I then added some feta, Parmesan, and some
panko breadcrumbs. This is a good recipe to use if you want to empty out some veggies that you might not know what to do with.
What you Need:
Zucchini, large
Veggies (you can use frozen or fresh)
Feta cheese
Parmesan cheese
Breadcrumbs
Putting it together:
Take your zucchini and remove the skin
Remove the seeds. The easiest way to do this is to slice the zucchini lengthwise and use a large spoon to scarp out the seeds.
Cut the zucchini into bite-sized cubes
Steam the zucchini until tender (takes about 10-15 minutes)
Once cooled, in a large bowl add the zucchini and all the other ingredients, except the breadcrumbs
Add some salt, pepper, and any other herbs and spices you like
Mix together
Put everything into a 9 x 13 baking dish
Sprinkle top with breadcrumbs and extra cheese
Set oven to 350 and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes
My daughter just recently got back from vacation and one of the things she brought back with her, is a fun whirligig. Of course, the next day, I put it up out back and have been enjoying it ever since.
Yesterday morning while I was washing dishes, all of the birds that were feeding in the backyard suddenly disappeared. I was wondering what could have caused them to scatter so quickly so, when I looked out the window, I saw this guy, most likely a Sharp Shinned Hawk, sitting on the fence...
Yeah, if I were a bird, I would have scattered too.
