That's cold!

...and so it begins

off topic, again

Oh, J - Don't let it anger you. Just call the off-topic policeman. And tell him not to forget the handcuffs. (just another Nathan-ism, or is it mine? )

About dietary stress-reducers...
There are a few foods I find extremely effective at maintaining calm. The first would have to be salmon. I'm not overly versed on the chemistry of it but I do know, when eaten with some regularity (more than three times a week) my mood is invariably pleasant. The fatty acids DHA and EPA in the fish reduce stress hormones including cortisol, improve cholesterol ratio and reduce the stickiness of your blood, leading to a drop in heart attack risk. Anecdotally, I feel my joints and muscles are more flexible, accompanied by a noticeable improvement at the piano. All that and a great source of protein. So, eat your fish!

Tomatoes (especially tomato paste) are saturated with lycopene, a potent antioxidant. Early studies show a decrease in muscle fatigue after intense exercise, along with an increase in post-workout recovery rate. Lycopene also appears to increase the skin's resistance to UV light. (People in the study ate 70 grams of tomato paste a day for three months. It's pretty good on toast.)

Citrus fruits, need I say more?

Ginger. Nothing wakes you up in the a.m. like a throat-searing shot of fresh ginger juice. Definitely not for the feint of heart, the juice (which is delicious in lemonade, BTW) has potent anti-inflammatory properties.

I could go on forever...skim milk, brown rice, olive oil, red bell peppers, green lima beans, steel cut oats, canola oil, dark chocolate, avocado, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, cherries, the odd glass of red wine, celery, yogurt, green tea, flax oil, beans of any kind, tuna, garlic, what else....sushi! (gag)

IMO, diet is THE most important variable in the wellness equation. If I neglect mine, life's stresses become far less tolerable.

Anyone else notice diet's effect on stress or piano playing in general?

Pete

I eat decently. Absolutely no fast foods, soda (pop depending on where you live in the US ---if outside the US, then let's just call it 'carbonated sugar water'), junk foods are minimum.

The only bad thing about my diet is that I carb-load in the morning (mmmmm cereal yummy!) when, instead, I should be pounding down the protein.

I too eat lots of salmon because the Old War Horse (father) and I go fishing on Lake Michigan. We have too much salmon in our freezer.


It's always interesting to see how the "little things" make the difference between raging over a lost penny and simply asking the parents for 1cent (anyone get the pun?)

Vice versa, here celebrities (and politicians) follow Papa Ratzy.

And that's the real reason why our ancestors moved over here, of course...to get as far from papa as possible.

Oh my! A freezer full of salmon is my dream come true! If I want the fresh stuff way down south, I have to pay 12.99/lb. I wonder what John Robson has to pay, the poor sod. Needless to say, canned is usually how I get it.

Indeed, junk food is just that. Junk. It should be treated as all other junk and put into a local trash receptacle. Don't get me started on trans-fat! Isn't hydrogenated oil banned from much of the EU food supply? When will we Americans follow suit? (When the majority of a nation's populous having heart disease becomes perceived (correctly) as socioeconomic suicide, that's when.)


ANYWAY...I was very stressed out today. So I ran my tri-monthly long run, 12 miles one way, 12 miles back. Of course, I failed to take note of the wind, S@30mph. So (running north) I had a 30mph tailwind going out and, you guessed it, a 30mph headwind coming home. Yikes. So, my day ended with my stress-reliever (running) becoming a BEEOTCH of a stress inducer. Ah, you know what they say, whatever doesn't kill ya....and I feel more than half dead already. I may be ready to begin training for that ultra-marathon I've been fantasizing about these past few years....I'll send pictures! (BEFORE Hell freezes over.)

PS I don't get the pun, Juufa (how did you get that name?) lol:

Anyhoo, that's a wee bit o' the rant for ye lads 'n' lassies.

Pete out.

It has been rather windy lately. I was in NO earlier today (yesterday?) and it was just as windy there as here in Hattiesburg. At least it's not as cold as it was when it first got windy about a week ago.

Well, guess what? We are going to get more snow this week! It's been our snowiest winter in about 30 years, or something like that. And it always snows during the middle of the night. My husband leaves for work early in the morning and does not have time to clear the driveway. So I get to do it. He says, "just use the snow-blower." hahaha I try but the darn thing weighs more than I do and when I do get it turned on, I can't get it to go in a straight line. That's why I then use a regular, old shovel. This is my 'running' or 'exercising' time, as it is really physically hard work. At least I lost the five pounds I gained from the holidays.

Oh, and I saw a robin the other day. Made me very, very glad since that is our annual sure sign that Spring is coming.

And Pete, you sound like an Irish leprechaun. Getting ready for St. Patrick's day? (that green smiley is the closest thing we have to a leprechaun)

Come on Nathan, the joke writes itself!

Where's my pot o' gold?!? (That would relieve some stress. )

Ha-ha I get it! That reminds me of the signature that I once had:

Foolish man gives wife a grand piano; wise man gives her upright organ.

I get it now, too!

Well, I've nothing on which to vent today, tomorrow or probably the next day as I am paralyzed from the waist down, due to running for three and a half hours headlong into a gale yesterday. Dee-Dee-Dee! (Ow.)

I do not get that.


Guess my snow blower and I can't turn you on then. (cracking myself up)