Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Small sheds to begin with compact living...

Small sheds for the asking...

My Shed Plan is a complete guide that explains how you can build a beautiful shed from scratch. Ryan Henderson the writer of the book has given detailed blueprints and step by step instructions that even a beginner can follow. Shed builders can choose from 12,000 shed plans and woodworking patterns.
Once you sign up you will receive the entire package instantly in the Members' Area via downloads. There are easy to follow instructions provided in the members area just in case you have never downloaded anything from the internet before. After making the purchase you will get all the shed plans and woodworking blueprints within 5 minutes. This means that you get the product for a lower price as there are no shipping costs. However, if you prefer buying the CD then you can buy that and it will be sent to you via mail.


Woodworking can be time consuming but making the right plans takes even longer. My Shed Plans Elite provide you a wide range of design to choose from and once you have the design you will be able to construct your shed nicely and it will take less amount of time to build it. It keeps all things simple. The aim of My Shed Plans is to make woodworking a fun activity for you. Once you follow Ryan Henderson's instructions making shed will be a less time consuming and more fun thing to do.


Click on this to find thousands of plans for your small buildings
Some of the plans include a Garden bench, How to Build a Fence, Dog Kennel, Making an Easy Arbor,", Swing Pet, Nursery Wagon, Doghouse Plans, Outdoor Fireplaces, Feed Cart, Storage Shed for Pesticide and a lot more.
My Shed Plans Elite provides plans for garages and outbuildings too. You can learn to build Large Garage, Elevated Sawdust Bin, Lawn Tool Storage Cabinet, Garden Windmill, etc. It's a book that enables you become an expert woodworker and complete projects in far less time than you used to.
The book also teaches you how you can build shed that costs less. You will be able to build a good shed much cheaper than the overpriced ready-made sheds that you see. If you have the resources you can build a decent shed for nothing at all.


My Shed Plans Elite will explain everything in detail and you don't have to worry about running out of ideas anymore. My Shed Plans Elite package comes with 2 bonuses. The first one is about foundation, roofing and the second one is about woodworking secrets and contains tips and tricks that may prove very useful. The Total price of My Shed Plans Elite is 47$ and there is a money back guarantee in case you feel like returning the book. What's more, you keep the bonus books that you get with it.

I hope this information is of us.  I have been building these types of buildings for almost 45 years(maybe, more! hahahaha) and find that they can be not only very useful but now can prove to be the basis for a grand little living stucture.
Quick! Click on this to find thousands of plans for your small/tiny buildings!
Be well; peace....dan
I am wondering if this will show a hop page to find a wonderful offering of shed and small building plans. Thousands and thousands of plans!

http://www.MyShedPlans.com/cb?cb=jadamktng

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Machines only a woman can love...

Outward Bound 101...or how to get a handle on a treed lot

Every day is a new adventure on the land. Buying land with no amenities gives us all an opportunity to learn through each stage of the process. First order of business—surveying the land. If we know where the four corners of the property are, then we can begin to figure out where the various buildings go.

It was a cold, rainy day, but the surveyors came out and figured out the four corners...

Dan rented a brush hog to clear out some of the brush and start making a pathway where we could begin to work. 


After that I was introduced to a skid steer made by Bobcat. They make a small job of getting rid of smaller sized trees.


Before I knew it, I was getting skid steer driving lessons: pedals to manage the bucket, handles to push and pull for forward and backward, how to turn it—handles in opposite directions, and when in doubt you can always turn the key off!


So far so good! My son and his girlfriend came over last weekend and were super excited about learning to drive it, so off we went for nighttime skid steer lessons. Erin was a champ and was driving up a tree learning to fell it with the Bobcat. David went next and snagged his very own tree himself too! That was a fun evening. It made us all re-evaluate what we're currently doing for a living!


Dan picked up a couple of culverts to help with drainage at the place where we are making a driveway entrance.


We ordered a load of gravelly sand to lay over the culverts to start to make a driveway and allow for drainage in the little ditch that is under what will be the driveway.


Seems pretty loose and squishy. I think we should get something to pack it down with. I'm thinking it looks too loose and we could easily get stuck... What if we bought some plywood and placed it on top of the sand for a while while we drive on it to pack it down...

Moving the RV there... well, let's just say we're still working on that! Those boards might have been a good idea...

Onto selective felling of trees. We like that there are trees, but to put up the work structures some of the trees will need to be felled to make room for the buildings. Dan knows what he's doing when it comes to cutting down trees, but how about the rest of us?!

When I rented the chain saw with the skid steer, it was $55 a day. It wouldn't take too many days of renting one to cover the cost of buying one. Off to the local farm supply store we go. It's getting to be my new best friend. After doing some comparison shopping at the local big box store, we learned the farm supply store is competitively priced on this item. We ended up with the 455 series chainsaw by Husquavarna. It's supposed to be a better brand than some of the others and we didn't want an 'e-series' one—short for economy (read cheap). We have a lot of trees to be felled and cut; we need a machine that will do the job.


Danny had the task of reading the Getting Started Instructions out loud, while Dan got it started for the first time, putting in fuel and oil and then pumping the bulb a number of times to purge the air out of the engine. He had to pull the starter rope quite a few times before the engine engaged, but we met with success.


Ready for the first lesson... basic chain saw cutting... Don't sway the chainsaw back and forth; let the saw cut through the tree—like cutting soft butter—it can do it easily.


Then log cutting... Make each log only about 12-14" long so it'll fit into a fireplace or fire pit easily.


Now it's my turn to practice cutting logs...


Ok, I've got it... Danny.... your turn to learn how to cut logs...


Looks like he'll be able to cut logs from now on...


Now that we each know how to cut logs, let's have a real lesson in felling trees! I learned that first you figure out which direction the tree grows naturally—that's the direction that it will want to fall. If the top of the tree is reaching to the east, then you'll need to cut a wedge, or a notch, into the east side of the tree. I started with a horizontal cut about a third of the way into the tree. 


Then cut straight down to the notch making a notch. The bigger the notch, the easier it is to turn the tree the direction you want for felling. Here's a close up of Danny making his front notch...


Once the front notch is cut, then make a horizontal cut on the back side of the tree at least 1 inch above the bottom cut of the front notch. 


Be very aware at this stage of the tree felling process because if you need to retreat quickly go about 45 degrees back from the direction of the fall—not directly back and certainly not in the front of the tree. This mistake could cost you your life. Here's where you truly need to be careful because what you are doing is certainly taking risk!


With the tree down, the next thing is to cut the small branches from the trunk... of course, Dan made it look more like cutting butter again!


Then he started cutting logs...


We're back to full circle now because we already had the logging lesson...
Oh, time to take Danny to his piano lesson. I'll be back afterwards. Be careful Dan...

Here's a snap of the twig pile and the wood pile Danny and I worked on while Dan was cutting and logging in another area of the woods.


When I got back we had some strategic product placement... That Husquvarna gets the job done!


Look at the size of that tree...!


Today, we decided it was a good day to construct a fire pit/cook stove. We gathered 14 blocks and 6 of the little flat ones... They cost about $18.00 at the big box store, but I had 8 from home. Purchasing 6 of each type.


We placed the six flat ones three wide and two deep encasing them with six blocks and then stacking up from there...


Last week at the farm supply store we purchased a little rack ($12) to use on the cookstove. I placed it on top of what we had so far and with a few minor tweaks, we were good to go. For $30 we have a fire pit/cook stove that can work well for a long time to come. Living frugally gets the job done and can be fun!


Next up, let's gather some dead wood and get something easy to start the fire with. The box for the chain saw could be used as starter fuel and then we'll see if we can get the wood to light. I happen to have some lighters in my car... Having lighters was no accident. Stocking up on lighters when you're making fires frequently seems like a pretty logical thing to do.


I retrieved a newspaper from the car too. It helped get the fire started because it's easier than cardboard. Note to self: Keep some newspaper in the car for starting fires.


When getting a fire started, it's one thing to get the kindling to start... but will the big logs catch fire is the real question.


With the big log lit, it's time to bring in some campfire furniture...


In high school, that would have been a fellow football player he was carrying. With a bit of seasoning, he's directed that strength to carry wood blocks...


With a couple of these in place, we sat by the fire and watched the birds... we saw robins, bluebirds, cardinals, a meadowlark, sparrows, and geese. It was comforting to see and hear so many birds flying and flitting and singing their songs. At my house, I don't see so many birds. It concerns me because I wonder how many are left and how many have died off because of the toxins killing off so many species.

At the end of the day, it's good to practice fire safety and put out the fire. We happened to have a jug of water nearby... off when the fire!


We stacked a few more logs on the pile... not bad for a first effort... there's enough wood stacked to get us by for six months...


Meanwhile back at home this morning... inside the hoop house the temperature was 51 degrees and the veggies and greens where growing strong...


I picked three grocery bags full of greens and veggies this morning...


Check out these organic multi-colored carrots... growing away when most days hover around freezing...


Check out the harvest... kale, spinach, cilantro, carrots, onions, lettuce, swiss chard, arugula...


I made a fine lunch of fresh salad with a balsamic vinegrette dressing with pinto bean hummus, deviled eggs, tortilla chips, and sweet and sour pickles from the summer.

Bon appetit! at Chez Kansas... : )

Sunday, September 4, 2011

I can can, can't I?

Can I Learn How to Can?

After last week's abundant harvest, I knew the time had come for me to cross over into new territory... grownup territory... stuff my mom, aunts, and other mature women in my hometown did every summer. What they engaged in was hot. It looked labor intensive. It took a long time. And I didn't want anything to do with it. Canning. Preserving food. Putting up stores... for the winter. I remember participating once—at my sister's—and I didn't have fond memories of it. It was hot. It took a long time. And it just wasn't any fun. Why do this, I thought at the time? And I stayed away for as long as I could...

Then I experienced my harvest of this summer. I've been eating cucumbers like there's no tomorrow. I can't keep up! I give them away. I give them to whomever I think would enjoy them. Unfortunately, I'm really the only dedicated cucumber eater in my house. So I started simply, turning to refrigerator pickles. They are innocent enough. Just soak them in salted water for 24 hours, then follow the pickling steps the next day. Put them in containers (they don't even have to be canning jars) and refrigerate. They'll keep in the fridge for up to 6 months. Hey, that's pretty cool. I can do that. And so I have. I think I'm on my fourth or fifth batch this summer. I eat platefuls of sweet and sour pickles—not the typical three slices on the side of a plate. Heck no! They fill my whole plate and I have cheese slices on the side! I call that lunch! So then I thought, heck, I can't keep up with this. These cucumbers and pickles are coming out of my ears! Maybe I better at least buy the canning jars and bottle them up so they look nice. They'll look better for giving away and maybe won't take up so much refrigerator space.

So I did. I bought the Ball jars. I packed the refrigerator pickles in the jars and put pretty labels on them to keep track of when I packed each batch. I put them in the back of my fridge. OK, not bad, but I could quickly see how this too could get out of hand. I have a small refrigerator. How many weeks of this could I take? 


You can see how they are stacking up—columns and rows!


Hmmmm... I guess I'll need to learn how to can—grownup style. Like my mom did. Besides I have some beets in my fridge taking up space and I've been eating them every week too. Wouldn't it be nice to taste some beets in the middle of winter? I went online and ordered a canner. It came. Oh, I didn't buy the right one according to one who knows. I was advised to get a pressure canner because it takes less time and you can use it for pressure cooking too and you always have the option of canning in the traditional bath method without the pressure part engaged. OK, that makes sense. It's like having three pots in one and I don't have that much storage space, so I better just get one canner. I returned the first one—the traditional blue with white/grey specks that we've seen since we were kids and ordered a 10 quart Fagor 9 piece pressure canner. It comes with the pressure canner/cooker, canning cookbook, pressure cooking book, canning rack, stainless funnel, stainless steel ladle, jar lifter, jar wrench, bubble freer, magnetic lid lifter, a DVD on how to do this stuff (very exciting!) and a manual. And... can you believe it, the first one was delivered on Monday, returned on Tuesday, and the Fagor one was delivered on Friday. All in a week's time! I was amazed. Isn't it pretty?!


I watched the DVD... it was encouraging. It looked simple enough and was very explanatory. Maybe I can do this. I boiled the beets from the fridge. It didn't seem like I had too many so I thought I wouldn't have much to can. It seemed like it would be a half of a canning effort. I can start small. If I mess up, it won't be so bad—only one batch of beets.


I washed the canner and all the supplies that came with it. I washed the Ball jars, lids, and the rings. I put the canning rack inside the canner placing the lids and the rings in a container and just two pint-sized Ball jars next to them. I added some water and brought it to a boil. Then I let it set to keep them hot while I made the canning solution for the beets.


I cut the beets in quarters and then sliced them in half inch slices. Wow, they really filled up the bowl more than I thought they would!


The Pickled Beet recipe sounded pretty good. I made the brine with cider vinegar with a 5% acidity, local honey, kosher salt, cinnamon sticks, allspice (I didn't have whole so I used ground, but less in quantity) and black peppercorns. I brought it to a simmer. And voila...


Then I added the sliced beets to the canning solution. I carefully took the jars out of the canner with the boiling hot water using the jar lifter and I removed the lids and the rings too. Then I put the stainless steel funnel on top of one of the jars and ladled the beets into the funnel. The jars filled quickly. I realized I needed two more jars, which I prepared quickly and then filled them. I placed the jars back into the canner. The recipe I was using called for the traditional bath canning, which I did, because I figured I could learn how to do it both ways and then have a point of comparison. Since I haven't canned in over 40 years a refresher in the traditional way didn't seem like a bad way to go. I brought the water (1 inch over the top of the jars) to a boil and let them boil for 30 minutes. This would kill all the bacteria and give them a chance to seal.

I removed them from the canner placing them in an out of the way spot to set for 12 hours. Don't they look amazing! The one on the right in front has a long cinnamon stick inserted front and center. I imagine that they will taste pretty scrumptious...


The next step is to test the lids in one hour. I have to press down on the center of each of the lids; if it can be pushed down, it hasn't sealed, and the jar should be refrigerated immediately. If I can't push the center down, then a seal has been created and it was a success. I'm hoping for that. I have to check them in 23 minutes... wish me luck!

Let me know about your canning adventures and any wise tips that you can pass along. I feel like I'm one step closer to survival living. I might be able to do this enough to actually make it through a winter! Not this year yet, but I'm practicing for the years to come. And Bon appetit!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Lifetime Fitness: On Your Way to A Healthier You

Lifetime Fitness: On Your Way to A Healthier You

Many people end up abandoning perfectly good fitness programs and weight-loss regimens before they even lace up their sneakers.

Why? Because in a world filled with fast food, instant messaging, and a five-second disease-tracking device, anything without a quick payoff goes against the grain of the typical American instant gratification ethic. While it would be nice to actually drop inches in just a few days like what most miracle ads proclaim, managing weight and losing weight through physical fitness is a slow and steady process that takes time and commitment.

Setting weight management goals for you can be a good motivator. Gradual weight loss, for those people who wish to shed off some extra pounds, is usually the safest.

That is why health and fitness experts had come up with the idea of lifetime fitness in order to teach people set realistic goals. These lifetime fitness programs generate dietary regimens that cut your normal calorie consumption for your weight by 500 to 1,000 per day, so will burning the same amount with exercise. In turn, this will definitely encourage healthier weight loss.

Lifetime fitness teaches you how to maintain a physically fit body at the same time enjoy and live a happy, contented life. It gives you the chance to strike a balance between the two (exercise and diet), and make exercise, be it team sports, cycling, or walking, something you will truly enjoy.

That is why lifetime fitness embodies the concept that making a long-term healthy lifestyle change is essential to keeping the pounds off once they are gone.

To know more of the advantages and benefits that lifetime fitness can bring, here are some facts that you need to know:

1. Lifetime fitness programs offer you the most comprehensive and wide-ranging fitness and health encounter with quality services, in which the customers will feel gratified.

These fitness programs provide you the right method in maintaining health, build up and encourage your competence, and take care of your family's physical fitness as well.

2. Because the goal of lifetime fitness is to provide you with long-term achievements as far as physical fitness is concerned, these programs utilizes numerous fitness equipment that will tone and manage your health and the different parts of your body.

There are fitness equipments that will give your cardiovascular system a lift. You can also opt for some sports facilities that will provide you with an alternative way of being physically fit.

3. Lifetime fitness programs and centers also provide nutritional products such as food supplements that will aid in the formation of good blood cells and tissues thereby making your body at its pink of health.

Lifetime fitness centers and programs also provide you with up-to-date fitness magazines that do not only give substantial information about fitness and health but inspirational stories as well. These articles will give you an insight on how to make your life balance and how to live a life that is healthy and fit.

Indeed, staying fit and healthy can be a long and winding road and there are instances wherein you may find your enthusiasm fading occasionally. Nevertheless, with the comprehensive programs provided by lifetime fitness plans, you can start heading back to the right track of a healthier you.

Devote Yourself to Lifetime Fitness

The healthier you are. The more productive you become.

Once a person is healthy there is a great chance that he would have fewer absences, either in school or in work. Most importantly, he is capable of handling stress as well as develops a more positive attitude.

A healthy person may live a longer life. And, enjoy its whole span with a healthy body and mind.

This healthiness can be achieved through a consistent fitness exercise. For you to secure an unfailing health, you must commit to fitness for your lifetime. This is not an exaggeration.

A lifetime commitment on fitness will make you safe from the miserable feeling of obesity.  Dr. David Satcher, formerly a general surgeon, identified that the excess weight of the body is epidemic.

He stated that this type of epidemic caused the deaths of almost 300,000 people yearly. In fact, excessive body weight becomes the secondary cause of death in America.

Most physicians never fail to remind their patients, as well as the whole public that physical fitness is the primary cure to avoid these threatening diseases. But why is it that more and more people have become unhealthy?

The fact that excessive body weight can harm a person's health is not anymore news, for it is a fact that has long been existing. This is neither history, because it is not yet resolved.

Instead, this existing truth is a problem that worsens through time. The health problems mark a dramatic increase. One of its causes is the lack of physical fitness.

The system of the contemporary society requires more of human effort and time. Fast moves, rush paces, almost every adult is always in a hurry. That they don't find some time for conducting a physical exercise.

People tend to ignore the most vital ingredient of a daily routine, exercise. And the problem was worsened by technology.

Nowadays, you can climb staircases with stationary feet, escalators and elevators are everywhere. You never mind to stand up from your chair to take your files from other table for you can just easily move your swivel chair.

So, where else will you place fitness?

Fitness is a thing that needs not to be taken for granted. Everything now is instant, food especially. Certainly, you don't want an instant life too. Then, a lifetime commitment on fitness is your key to lengthen your life. 

Engage yourself to fitness exercises, and make it as a part of your life. Always think that it is an important meal that you should not miss in a day.

If you are truly busy, you can opt for a 24 hours fitness center. The service there will always be compatible to your schedule, undoubtedly.

Consider this; you are doing your best to cope up with time. You work to earn for a living, to support your family and enjoy life as well.

But think, will you really be able to use and enjoy your investments when your health has already deteriorated?

So, you must invest in good health too. And that is through a lifetime commitment on physical fitness.

Seven Fitness Tips: Improving the Quality Of Life

Physical fitness refers to the human body's ability to function without too much fatigue. Thus the energy stored is enough to do leisure activities as well as overcome physical stresses with alertness and vigor. General alertness, muscular endurance and strength, and cardio vascular reliability are the obvious signs that you are physically fit. 

Normally, physical fitness is measured according to expected functions of the body associated with endurance, strength, coordination, flexibility, and agility.  Moreover, stress testing also ascertains the accommodation of the body to a sustained, powerful stimuli used in analyzing fitness.

The physical fitness levels are influenced by systematic, regular exercise. Moderate activities keep the person at a certain level enough to deal with ordinary stress. Improving the levels of fitness needs more intensive exercises which promotes changes and challenge physiological systems.

There are seven fitness tips that can help you improve the quality of your life.

1. Daily exercise. Every day perform some movements that can elevate the rate of your heart. It can simply include walking when buying things in the market nearby. Doing household chores like washing clothes, mowing lawns, and other chores may be done also.

2. Eat more veggies. Vegetables and fruits will keep you energized and healthy. Plants in its natural state contain lots of fibers and nutrients. Organic fruits and vegetables must be preferred if possible since it is free from any chemical contamination.

3. Weight train. Muscles are weakened as you age. Do resistance training to create hypertrophy. This helps you look younger and adds more quality into your life.

4. Circuit train.  This is a form of weight training which enables you to continually move from one workout to another. Following this practice can improve your heart rate during the whole workout doubling your cardio session.

5. Train functionally. Incorporate some movements into your daily exercise which benefit or mimic your practiced movements in the actual world.  Sports are good for functional training because the body is required to move in an efficient way. Functional training can keep your body balanced making it more resistant to illnesses and injuries.

6. Stretching your body as you warm up. Muscle contraction is achieved through resistance training making it tighter and smaller. Similar to all types of cardio, simple resistance training is also great. Warming up the body through stretching is helpful after exercises.

7. Hydrate. There are about more than 60% of water in the human body. However, more often you became under hydrated because of some common beverages causing dehydration. It includes coffee, soda, alcohol, and tea. As much as possible, drink a lot of water while following the required eight glasses of water a day. 

These are simple strategies to keep your body fit. But more people have failed to achieve it because they are telling themselves they cannot do any exercise because of their family and job. Never forget that you can stop from working if you get sick. Likewise, if you are dead, you can never be with your family. So, it is your decision to put exercise first on your priorities. After all, those people dependent on you are more important.



Fat Man, Never Think That Weight Has Something to Do With Fitness

Men are considered voracious eaters, besides acquiring some bad habits such as drinking and smoking. They are not aware of their body's health, until one day, they have realized that fats have already invaded their stamina dramatically diminishing them.

However, there is always a misconception that weight is directly associated with fitness. So, the tendency is to look for different methods on how to burn fats. It is a fact that weight has some effects on your fitness especially if you are overweight.

The only thing that will affect your fitness is related on how you do your exercises. You can start to improve your body and stay in shape if you exercise. In return, you can slim down your body.

If your goal is losing weight and maintain it, then you should be thinking about working on your entire physical fitness than simply reducing some portion of your normal diet. This is the wrong way of losing weight. Your fitness plan must start with doing your exercises.

Following a certain diet without daily exercise can be effective in losing weight. But it will just burn your muscle tissues. Later on, you will lose your bodily strength as well as your fitness. It is useless. If you exercise more, you can build and tone your muscles. Your body is burning fat in the right way, losing weight effectively and getting a fitter body. Doing this simultaneously can change your figure, from a fat man to a fit man. 

Whichever cases, regular exercise can improve your fitness compared with someone who never performs any exercise regardless of weights. Take note, combining your diet plan with regular exercise is a very efficient and effective way of attaining a fit and healthy body. Improve your fitness by doing more than one simple exercise. You should explore different types of exercise to burn more calories, like doing cardiovascular exercises and basic strength training.

Cardiovascular exercises can increase the rate of your heart by significant amounts. This will help you build your stamina especially if done on a regular basis. As your exercise progresses, constantly increase both the frequency and time of your exercises.

Strength training exercises are also significant. It does not only increase your actual fitness but also tones your body. Muscular strength can be achieved giving you more confidence. You can feel young and beautiful too. 

It does not necessarily mean becoming a weightlifter. You don't need bulging muscles through your exercise. Small amounts of strength training are enough. There are many options besides lifting weights. You can choose from a lot of strength training workouts that suits your needs. Some can even be done at home without any equipment.

As a result, a more fit body is achieved. Weight does not matter, what it takes is your determination. You don't need to stay and be satisfied with your present look. There is always a room for change and it begins from you. Never think of your weight, just do your exercises.

The Importance of Physical Fitness

One of the simplest and most effective ways to bring down  blood glucose levels, cut the risk of cardiovascular disease, and improve overall health and well-being is physical fitness and exercise. Yet, in our increasingly sedentary world, where almost every essential task can be performed online, from the driver's seat, or with a phone call, exercising and being physically fit can be tough case to sell.

In reality, everyone should exercise, yet survey shows that only 30% of the United States adult population gets the recommended thirty minutes of daily physical activity, and 25% are not active at all.

Inactivity is thought to be one of the key reasons for the surge of type 2 diabetes in America, because inactivity and obesity promote insulin resistance and other factors that trigger other kinds of diseases.

The good news is that it is never too late to get moving, and exercise is one of the easiest ways to start controlling the onset of any kinds of diseases. For people who are already candidates for some serious diseases like diabetes and heart failure, exercise and physical fitness can improve the condition of some parts of the body like insulin sensitivity, lower the risk of heart disease, and promote weight loss.

In 2003, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism had published an issue regarding the result of their study and found out that lack of exercise and physical fitness were the key factors behind obesity and other serious diseases like diabetes.

Hence, it is extremely important for a person to stay healthy and be physically fit in order to avoid such illnesses.

Getting Started

The first order of business with any exercise plan, especially if you are a 'dyed-in-the-wool" couch potato, is to consult with your health care provider.

If you have cardiac factors, your doctor may want to perform a stress test to establish a safe level of exercise for you.

Certain complications of some diseases will also dictate what type of exercise program you can take on. Activities like weightlifting, jogging, or high-impact aerobics can possibly pose a risk for people with diabetic retinopathy due to the risk for further blood vessel damage and possible "retinal detachment."

Health experts also contend that patients with severe peripheral neuropathy or PN should avoid foot-intensive weight-bearing exercises such as long-distance walking, jogging, or step aerobics and opt instead for low-impact activities like swimming, biking, and rowing.

If you have conditions that make exercise and physical fitness a challenge, your provider may refer you to an exercise physiologist who can design a fitness program for your specific needs.

If you are already active in sports or work out regularly, it will still benefit you to discuss your regular routine with your doctor.

The bottom line is that physical fitness and exercise should not have to be a rigid activity and should not come off strong. Your exercise routine can be as simple as a brisk nightly neighborhood walk, walking the dog, or simply taking the stairs instead of the elevator. The important thing is that you keep on moving. Every little bit really helps a lot.

In the end, you will realize that the many things that good food can bring you are equally the same as what physical fitness can do for you.

Keeping Fit, Be a Hit!

Whether you’re under 30, a yuppie in your mid-20s or a teenager in college, loving your body and engaging in a regular exercise work-out plan is always a fool-proof way to a healthier you. Physical fitness is your body's ability to do tasks and leisure activities. It is your body's capacity to withstand stress, endure and perform certain tasks under certain circumstances.

Physical fitness talks about an over-all focus on the body – the heart, the lungs, the muscles, and the other organs of the body. Your body's fitness is dependent on your physical limitations and capacities as well as your lifestyle – the food you eat and your daily habits.

Here's a backgrounder on the different components of physical fitness. There's endurance, the body's ability to sustain oxygen and nutrients to tissues over a sustained period of time. Strength, on the other hand, is the ability of the muscle to exert force for a period of time. Flexibility is the ability to move joints and use muscles in a wide range of activities and movements. Swimming, running and jogging are some of the activities that can build endurance while pushups and weight lifting are good for building muscle strength.

Your workout should include activities that should develop these components. Remember to have a warm-up before starting your work-out. A warm-up conditions and prepares the muscles for the more rigorous activities of your work-out plan. At the same time, it should end with a cool down, a moment wherein the muscles are given time to relax after a heavy work-out session. Remember not to overdo your exercise. A daily walk may sound good, but a daily session of pushups may do more harm than good to your muscles. Space your physical activities such that the body is used to a variety of physical activities, ranging from the simple to the more complex, from cardiovascular exercises to strength exercises. Two to three work-out sessions for a week is a good way to start. As you progress in your activities, you can now increase the frequency or duration of your exercises.

Take note of your diet. If you’re exercising because you want to lose weight at the same time build up your fitness, then the less calorie intake you have the better. Cycling can burn 240-410 calories while jogging can burn 740-920 calories. In general, avoid salty food and sweets. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. Lessen your intake of saturated fat and take lots of water.

Of course, keeping fit and staying fit means listening to your body. Allow your body to adjust with each change in routine and exercises. If you’re experiencing cramps, dizziness or prolonged weakness, stop your work-out and consult a doctor. And most of all never be discouraged. Take note, achieving the body you want is not an overnight miracle.

A physically fit body does not only spell abs to die for and a flab-free stomach. It also means lesser chances of acquiring lifestyle-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease. It also spells a more active and alert mind, improved ability to cope with stress, and more reserved energy for your daily activities. And let's not forget a more confident YOU!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Gardening, cooking and living!

Solar Cooking Experiment

Today's the day! I'm going to try to bake brownies using a homemade, makeshift solar cooker. There are some easy, schmeezy directions online that show a person how to put together a solar cooker without much money invested. First off, I had to gather the supplies and mix the brownie dough. We bought some dark outdoor cooking pots and pans at a super discount specifically because they are dark and will attract the sunlight to them. I like adding chocolate chips to the batter because when you're eating the brownies it adds just that bit of extra gooeyness to them that makes them so much more yummy.


Then I pulled out the biggest box I had available and lined it with two long sheets of aluminum foil, shiny side up.
Before:


After, with the pot of brownies placed inside:

I decided that I'd also use this white board I have and place it outside so I can keep track of what's going on with it and, perhaps, be a bit informative for the passersby. I'm a teacher by training, so these experiments that I engage in are also good for instructional uses and I think the world is my classroom!


Next, I took some of the insulation that was left over from doing the steel roof (this was Dan's idea) and, since it has a silver, reflective coating on it, use it to make the parabolic dish that one sees in the solar cookers online. I took two attached sheets and bent them on the diagonal, so they'd be able to bend like I needed them too. Additionally, I saw that they used clip clothespins online, so I thought I'd try that.


Facing it toward the sun... bam-O! Let's see how much this baby heats up and how long it takes to bake a batch of brownies. We have lots of sun here, so we might as well use it. With these Kansas winds, however, they tend to blow things around and in the redirecting of the cooker, I learned that the traditional clothes pins don't have the stamina that's needed. I removed those and replaced them with the binder clips you can get at office supply stores.


That's better... those clips really do a much better job in holding the pieces together. 

Dan suggested that I take the thermometer out of the oven and put it on the solar cooker to see what temperature it's getting to. Good suggestion. I did that and checked on it a bit later and it was registering 150 degrees Farenheit.


The guess is that at 150 degrees, it'll take about six hours to bake. Maybe by the time I'm back from the Martyrdom of the Bab, the brownies will be ready. We could have them for dessert tonight. Ahhh... anticipation...!

Solar cooking isn't the only thing I was up to today. I brought in a bountiful harvest again—making the fourth one this week!
Zucchinis, cucumbers both English and burpless, jalapenos, green peppers, and tomatoes.


And... while walking around the garden beds, we happened to notice six cantalope developing and being close to picking time.


Doesn't it look luscious! Can't wait til it's ready for picking!

This cooking and gardening stuff is really fun. I hope you enjoy reading about it and looking at the pictures as much as I do in going down this path to simpler living.

Bon appetit!