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tuna steak and cauliflower rice with veggies
In What We Eat

Tuna Steak and Veggies

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My husband seasoned Ahi tuna steaks with Bragg  Liquid Aminos (a soy sauce alternative), a hint of ginger,  a dash of Himalayan sea salt, and ground pepper.  Like with any fresh fish, you want to rinse and pat dry with a paper towel prior to seasoning. He cooked them on the grill at about 500 degrees for two minutes each side on a grill mat(see below).  They were perfect! While a bag of cauliflower rice was cooking in the microwave, I sautéed about 10 stalks of asparagus, half a red pepper, a small sweet onion, and half a small head of cabbage in a large frying pan. I seasoned it with a touch of olive oil, Nature’s Seasons, 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed, and a touch of Himalayan sea salt.  I mixed the rice and veggies together, and it was delicious, too! Great easy meal! Enjoy!

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In How We Move

Arm Day

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This workout will be the same Tabata style as Leg Day. As with any workout, you should do a quick warm-up before getting starting. Click here for our warm-up video. In Arm Day, you will do one exercise for 45 seconds then take a 15-second rest then repeat three more times before moving onto the next exercise. Arm Day can be done with no equipment, but it may be more beneficial if you have some type of weight, whether it be two water bottles, a dumbbell, or even a jug of laundry soap and a step or chair. You will repeat each exercise for 4 minutes before moving on to the next one.  For example, do push-ups for 45 seconds, rest for 15, do push-ups again for another 45 seconds and rest, repeat two more minutes. Then move on to the next movement.

Movements:

  • push-ups (on your knees)
  • bicep curls with push press with light weight
  • tricep dips on a step or chair
  • plank shoulder taps

Modifications: Besides modifying the movements as directed below and in this video, you can also modify the time as well as the number of rounds you do for each exercise. For example, instead of doing each exercise four times, you can do it twice. Or if you need more, you can repeat the entire workout for 32-minutes. Or if you would like you can do Leg Day and Arm Day for a full-body 32-minute workout.

For the beginner

  • push-ups=against the wall
  • bicep curls with push press= no weight but squeeze and hold the curls for 3 seconds and push overhead for another 3 seconds, repeat
  • tricep dips=on the ground, legs closer to your bottom
  • plank shoulder taps=hold a plank for as long as you can each minute instead of tapping

To make it more challenging:

  • push-ups=regular push-ups, no knees on floor, bring your chest to floor,
  • bicep curls with push press=use a heavier weight
  • tricep dips=legs straight out, hold a weight
  • plank shoulder taps=plank up/downs

 

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howmanydogs
In Adventures with Gram

How Many Dogs Do You Have?

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On one of our summer road trips, we stopped at my sister-in-law’s house in West Virginia. They have four dogs, three of which probably weigh more than Gram. Although Gram loves dogs, she gets a little anxious around them, especially if they jump, bark, or lick. When we walked up to the house, the dogs came running 🙂 Wide-eyed Gram said, “I don’t need your kisses.  No no no.” Then she asked my sister-in-law, “how many dogs do you have?” She seemed to be in disbelief at the number of dogs around her. Gram doesn’t usually say too much, but when she does talk, she is pretty funny and delightful. Usually…

two dogs

For the next three hours, all we heard over and over was, “How many dogs do you have?” We would say four. Then, she would count them. Then, five minutes later she would ask again, “How many dogs do you have?” She would count them again. It was funny but also sad and slightly frustrating that she just couldn’t remember how many dogs were around. Then every third time, she would say, “They have four dogs and you won’t even let me have one” with a sad look on her face. I see how parents get roped into buying things and getting pets. I mean, how can you say no to such a sweet face?

The next morning as she was sitting eating her egg and toast, she counted three dogs and she said, “Hmm, one is missing.” We were the ones now in disbelief that she finally knew how many dogs they had!

threedogs

We have learned to accept the fact that her dementia brain isn’t going to remember the short term. She’s going to ask the same questions again and again and again. Yes, we could and sometimes do get very frustrated, and we could make her feel bad by saying, “Can’t you remember, you just asked that question.” But we try to roll our eyes, laugh, and just answer the question again hoping it will sink in eventually. Sometimes, we try to make her laugh as well by giving her some off the wall answer to her repetitive question. Then, she is the one rolling her eyes at us.

I have tried to rely on the strategies I used as a special education teacher for being a good caregiver. Gram has definitely tried my patience and those around us. I mean how many times can you answer the question “How many dogs do you have?” But she’s so cute 🙂 and I have also learned I need to find and celebrate what she can do. It really doesn’t do any good to dwell on what she can’t do anymore.

If you are a caregiver or know someone with Dementia or Alzheimer’s, Teepa Snow is a fabulous resource. She is a psychologist, and she has several helpful videos about being a good caretaker. She explains how to handle stressful situations, how to understand the person with dementia, and how to diffuse aggressive situations.

I am just thankful we have amazing family and friends who understand her and just keep answering the question “how many dogs do you have?”

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