You Can Have My Prime Rib #24

Guess what?  You remember me telling you about the Levaquin. The prescribing doctor, one I didn't see very often, and the doctor didn't change the Levaquin prescription as agreed during hours.   How Cindy went through a commotion to get the after hours on call doctor to call in a change.  Well ,we went to Walgreens last night to pick up a prescription for Cindy and the pharmacist had a medication for me on "alert hold drug conflict."  Seems my Levaquin prescribing doctor's office did call in an alternative.  We are not sure when it was called in, or which doctor.  Could have been the on call doctor or the doctor who saw me in the office.  The drug called in was Clarithromycin which is a major conflict with Zocor, which I take for cholesterol.  I had given the doctor's office a current list of medications and dosage I take that day before they wrote the prescription.  At least the doctor on call would not prescribe medication for me until I provided him with that information.  He then gave me a medication for the infection.   Walgreens was pretty much on top of this.  Their computer software flagged the Clarithromycin when it cross referenced I was taking Zocor, and would not authorize it's release to me.  I'm not going back to that doctor.

I have been trying to decide if I have been eating too many peanuts.  The more I read about eating them, the more convinced I am about peanut's nutritional and health values.  They are an excellent source of monounsaturated fats.  According to The World's Healthiest Foods, peanuts contain the same healthy fats as found in olive oil.  Various studies have shown "eating peanuts can reduce the risk of cardio disease by 21%."  I should mention articles I have found,indicate eating roasted in the shell peanuts, with skin.  No mention of raw, boiled, or otherwise.  I eat roasted unsalted in shell.  They are rated with strawberries and blackberries in antioxidant content and total health value.  The downside is they are high in calorie content.   I don't know about you, but once I start eating a handful of peanuts, I've gone through half a bag and want more.   I think eating a couple of handfuls 3 or 4 times a week is very beneficial in helping to control your cholesterol.   You're wondering why am I concerned about eating too many peanuts?   Well, I had gotten to where I was eating them daily and probably 5 or 6 handfuls, so I stopped eating them completely.  But the more I read about their health benefits, it was clear they would be good for my cholesterol control.  

I have told you that my cholesterol has remained low and HDL is improving.  I am now only needing to go to my cardiologist on 6 month intervals, which to me is very encouraging.  I am soon to stop taking Plavix, a blood thinner, and hopefully if my health continues to improve at some point my cardiologist may be able to reduce other medications.  That is all great, but you know one thing I think about and  use it as motivation to stay on course? What if I gain all of that weight back?  What if I go back to eating all of that bad for you, good to eat, stuff?  How much longer can I work out regularly?  Answer...I think of how disappointed I would be of myself.  I still consider food  being like the most desirable drug is to an addict.  I have no real will power.  There is no going back just once for that big slab of prime rib.  That would be the end of my healthy eating.  I think as long as I can admit, to myself,  I couldn't control going back to the old ways just once in a while  I'll be okay.
Plus, I just bought a really nice suit that fits well and looks pretty good on me.

Chin Up, Chest Out #23

My fitness club offers a lot of family oriented amenities in addition to the work out and training center.   There is a child care center for parents who are working out.  A couple of basketball courts,  rock wall climbing, an indoor lap pool, family pool, and spa.  And of course an outdoor lap pool, family pool, and spa. They offer classes and training covering most things you would associate with health and fitness,  yoga, cardio health workouts, nutrition and so forth.   Cindy and I have been using the pool (outdoor) quite a lot. We enjoy taking our grandchildren, or just getting some sun and cooling off in the pool.  I work out most Saturdays.  I don't consider that part of my normal Monday through Friday routine, it's a plus day for me.  We usually do the pool afternoons and Sundays.   My daughter Michelle has really gotten into lap swimming and training.  It is excellent exercise, good training, and is competitive.  She trains with a couple of friends, works a lot with a trainer and has began to enter some local triathlons that include running and cycling.   I can tell from her appearance it has really toned her muscles and given her a new sleek look.  She seems to enjoy the training for swimming and the cycling equally well.  I thought about getting a bicycle, as it would give me an opportunity to work out with her and her husband.  I am quite sure I couldn't maintain their cycling pace for long.  Plus those bicycles are pretty expensive. They are not the basic you ride around the block models.  You need to be wearing a uniform with a number on it to ride one of those.

Michelle and her husband compete in some of the same triathlon events.  You know there are a ladie's class and men's class within the same events.  I know they enjoy competing with each other.   Her husband is a very good athlete, plays basketball, cycles, runs, and works out.  He and Michelle are at the same fitness center as I.  I know several of the guys he plays basketball with and they too play to stay in good shape.  I guess playing basketball for over an hour 3 or 4 times a week is great exercise.  And they are intense when they play.  No casual game atmosphere, I mean they are there for the competition and exercise.  They start around  6:00 a.m. play for an hour or so, shower, change, get dressed and they're off to the office.

I have been using a workout machine, a Precor Ab-X.  The purpose is to exercise your stomach muscles.  After years of being overweight and out of shape, if you lose much weight, there is more to do. It means you've got lots of what use to be muscle to be tightened up. Unfortunately, walking will not do that as well.  Walking sure will help get rid of weight but building some muscles involves more exercises.  When I started doing pull ups, 10 was my limit and 8, 9 and 10 were a real struggle.  I'm now proudly up to 30.   The pull ups are part of the new exercises I'm doing to improve my  posture. They are not the typical pull ups, or chin ups as some would call them. You begin by using an adjustable horizontal bar used for normal pull ups. You lower the horizontal bar to a height of 45" my preference.   You then angle your body by having your feet on the floor out in front of the bar.  Imagine a side view you would see someone with their chin touching the bar, with their body at a 45 degree angle with their feet touching the floor 3 or 4 feet in front of the bar. Your head is kept aligned with your body looking straight up when you do your pull ups, touching your chin or chest on the bar.   Looks goofy but this is one of the exercises I got from working with a trainer to help the posture.
Try it,  see how it works for you.

What If's.......................#22

I do not go back later and read everything that I have posted, so occasionally I may repeat some details.   I write quite a bit about exercising and most of you know how important, I feel, exercise was in my recovery and returning to good health.  Many times I think about how different things could have been if I had changed my health lifestyle 20 years ago. If I had exercised regularly and had eaten healthy, I could very well have avoided all of my heart problems. I know one thing for sure, I would have been healthier, and enjoyed the benefits of such.  I have had friends and relatives ask me about what kind of diet I went on and how did I lose the weight?  Almost all are my age, and were mostly fitter and healthier looking than me. Like me as they got older they have found how much more difficult it is to control your weight, and began to think more about having serious health problems, and needing to take better care of yourself.  That is why I write and speak out so often about exercising and how important it is in your getting into a healthy lifestyle.  I'm motivated to write this blog to tell other heart attack survivors my story, and encourage them about health lifestyle changes at a late age in life. 


I have a friend, my age, (business friend) not a close friend but someone I have known and been in contact with for 35 years.  I had not seen him in over 4 years and about 7 months into my rehab, I ran into him my first few weeks at the fitness center. This guy was a collegiate athlete and for a long period of time, had stayed physically fit and in good shape. We had not seen each other in a few years and I told him about having a heart attack, surgery, weight loss, and working out to get back to healthy.  He was very inquisitive about me having a heart attack, the symptoms and such. More so about before the heart attack than my recovery. I could sense he was concerned about his cardio health from the questions he ask me.  He had gained a lot of weight and was not the same athletic looking guy as before.  I ask about his workout routine and he told me he stayed busy in his work and tried to get to the fitness center once a week, sometimes not that often. We started talking and I told him about my routine, going regularly, being consistent, about eating healthy and all of that sort of thing.  As I said, he was genuinely interested in how I had changed my health lifestyle.  You know, he said he didn't see how I could work out the first thing in the mornings.   Well guess who now shows up usually before me, and 5 days a week.  Yep, he got his routine going several months ago, he has lost weight and has changed his eating habits.  He told me a couple of days ago how much better he feels, and by working out before work each day, how much easier it is to stay in a regular exercise routine. Any time is better than not at all.  For those who go early, trying to go after a busy daily schedule there can be too many things that can happen to change their plans.  Feeling tired, long day at the office, being out of sorts, so many things can make it too easy not to go to the fitness center for a workout.  For some, after work is good, others go mid-day, the point being finding the right time for you is the key. That can make working out easier to do consistently.

During the week I was sick with a sinus and ear infection,  I missed working out four consecutive mornings.  I have not missed that many days in one week since I started working out, and each morning I regretted not going in, and being out of my routine. Every day not there, I felt like I was missing out on something. It sure was nice getting back into my daily routine.