HAPPY LEAP DAY FEBRUARY 29 2012!
If I live to be 100 - I have 10 more leap years to celebrate
I'm going to celebrate them all folks
A few little facts for you about leap year -
Why we need it. Paul Simons in The Times explained why we have one. It actually takes the Earth 365.25 days to whizz round the Sun, which means we need an extra day in the year every four years to keep up with the seasons. If we didn’t, we’d “gradually grow out of step … so that February would be in summer."
The tradition of "ladies' privilege"
In keeping with the theme of nature gone awry, a whimsical tradition dating back at least four centuries holds that leap years confer upon women the "privilege" of proposing marriage to men instead of the other way around. The convention was (in literature, if not in reality) that any man who refused such a proposal owed his spurned suitor a silk gown and a kiss — provided she was wearing a red petticoat at the moment she popped the question.
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Day 3 Exercises
There are people following this blog that exercise on a regular basis, there are folks that have good intentions but don't do what they know they should and there are crazy-fit wild people (yes, that would be you Emily TRX queen, you Alexander and you Thuy Mountain Climbers, you Cindy marathon queen, you Jayne aerial dancer and you Kristina triathlete queen and my massage guru) who do extreme forms of exercises.
When our son Alex wrestled for UMD - The Saddle Back Carry was one of the exercises they did - and I'm telling you they did this going up and down the bleachers. It is one of the Guerilla Exercises I found in my U.S. Army Physical Fitness books for strength and endurance.
For the rest of us normal folks - warm up any way you'd like.
If you think you know these exercises, yes - you might, but...... you might not be doing them exactly right. A little review is always good.
CRISS CROSS CURL
Keep your elbows out to the side and neck relaxed.
Exhale as you curl your head, neck and shoulder blades off the mat. Rotate your torso, not your arms. Think of bringing your left shoulder toward your right thigh as you pull your belly in, in, in. Long exhale, long in, in, in goes the belly.
Slowly return to start position.
Do 8-16 reps on one side and repeat on opposite side.
SIDE ARM RAISE
This will make your shoulders so beautiful and strong.
See how Kathy's palms are facing in toward her thighs to start?
EXhale while you EXert and slowly lift your arms out to the side (not in front) to shoulder height.
Pause and lower back down.
If you are lifting heavy weights do 2 sets of 8. Light weights do 16-24 reps. Of course, rest if you need to. Control, control, control the lift and the lower.
FRONT OF HIP/CHEST/FRONT OF SHOULDER STRETCH
This feels so good.
Notice how her right leg is off the chair in a lunge position with the knee bent. Her left leg is fully supported by the chair. Feel this stretch in the front of your right upper thigh and hip.
Keep your body upright. Relax your neck muscles and breath. Keep your gaze soft.
This is a very restorative position. Enjoy it.
Switch sides.
I hope you enjoy these exercises. Any questions? email me at donnaraesmith@yahoo.com
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Last week a 93 year old woman was featured on the news for her volunteer work and for her youthfulness. The reporter asked her the key to her longevity and she said she eats one cookie every day! I love cookies. This is a great recipe. Enjoy!
The Heart-Healthiest Chocolate Chip
Cookies in the World
Vegetarian Times Issue: February 1, 2009
p.69
Yummmmmm!
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When you replace butter and eggs with ground
walnuts, and all-purpose flour with a blend of oat flour and oatmeal, you get a
moist, chewy, vegan cookie that’s loaded with good-for-your-heart ingredients.
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with
cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.
2. Blend walnuts in food processor 30 seconds, or
until ground into a fine meal. Add canola oil, and blend 2 to 3 minutes more,
or until mixture has the consistency of natural peanut butter, scraping down
sides of food processor occasionally. Transfer to bowl.
3. Whisk together brown sugar and ½ cup water in
small saucepan, and bring mixture to a boil. Pour brown sugar mixture over
ground walnut butter, add vanilla extract, and stir until no lumps remain.
4. Whisk together oat flour, baking soda, salt, and
cinnamon in separate bowl. Stir oat flour mixture into walnut mixture. Cool 10
minutes. Fold in oats, then chocolate chips.
5. Shape cookie dough into 2-inch balls, and place
2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten cookies with bottom of
drinking glass dipped in water. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies begin to
brown and tops look dry. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire
rack to cool completely.
Member Rating: ingredient list
Makes 30
cookies
3
Tbs. canola oil
2
cups walnuts
1
cup light brown sugar
2
tsp. vanilla extract
1½
cups oat flour
1
tsp. baking soda
1
tsp. salt
¼
tsp. ground cinnamon
2
cups rolled oats
3
3.5-oz. bars bittersweet vegan chocolate, chopped, or 1½ cups vegan chocolate
chips (12 oz.)
Nutritional Information
Per
cookie:
Calories
|
173
|
Protein
|
3g
|
Total Fat
|
10g
|
Saturated Fat
|
3g
|
Carbs
|
21g
|
Cholesterol
|
0mg
|
Sodium
|
122mg
|
Fiber
|
2g
|
Sugar
|
12g
|
With every best wish,
Donna Rae
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