SHARING PRODUCT REVIEWS

I think it is important that people share experience with consumer products.   You get a lot of spin when you do a web search for products, and it is often difficult to make an informed purchase.

I have posted about my Total Gym and highly recommend it – provided you make a self-commitment to use it.   I have had mine for a number of years and use it almost every morning for fifteen minutes.   I honestly feel that my physical conditioning, here in my eighth decade, is due largely to the exercises I do, year- round, on my Total Gym.  The product is well built and models can be had for around two-hundred dollars.   If anyone is interested in the exact routine, I do on the TG, let me know and I will share.

 

 I do most of the cooking, my wife does most of the cleaning.   Cooking is a creative experience for me, and I like to eat.    I have three Cuisinart products.  A pressure cooker that I bought over thirty years ago.  It is heavy stainless steal and still serves me well.  I have had to replace the rubber gasket one time.  I do not think they make this model any more, and doubt if Cuisinart’s current models are as well built as this old one.

  

I had a Walmart thirty-dollar toaster for years and it worked OK.   It was a light weight, cheap, colored plastic model made in China.   I complained about the flimsy workmanship for years, but it toasted toast.   When it gave up the ghost, I broke down an purchased a Cuisinart, about a year ago.   It is supposed to be stainless steel, but it is very light weight.   The toast tends to come out dark in the center and light around the perimeter.   It is made in china and I have a feeling it probably has the same heating elements that the cheep Walmart brands have.   I am not really pleased with this toaster and will probably replace it with another Walmart toaster sometimes in the future. 

REMINESS:  My grandmother had the same toaster my entire childhood.  It was heavy steel; you could probably drop it from a second story building and not damage it.   Back then (1940’s and 50’s) they had appliance repair men.  If your radio, or stove, or lamp, or refrigerator, or toaster…  didn’t work you would get it repair.  I seem to remember we had new heating elements put in that toaster at some time.

Two years ago, I bought a Cuisinart three-in-one slow cooker.  I love it.   I can sauté onions, celery and garlic (the trinity) in the slow cooker; then brown my meat with the trinity; finally add any liquid and vegetables, all in the same unit.   However, there is one big negative: The aluminum, removable pot with the non-stick coating is pitted in the bottom.  I have never used anything other than wooden spoons in the unit and I clean it with a sponge and soapy water, yet it looks like someone stippled the bottom of the pot.   Tiny holes in the non-stick: I suppose we have eaten it.  I am going to order a new pot and stay with the unit as I do love its convenience – being able to cook all phases of a slow cooked meal without dirtying other pots and pans.

That's all for now.  The weather here in western Maine in mid-May is still cold and damp.  The high today will be in the forties and overcast.  We have had heavy rains at least two days a week all month - actually we had snow one day last week.  I hate to say I am looking forward to warmer weather, which also means bug season, but I have so many outdoor projects waiting for the weather to dry, I feel antsy to get them started.  

the Ol'Buzzard   

STAYING FIT AS YOU AGE

There is so much emphasis on dieting and healthy eating as you start to age, but other than mention the need to exercise there is very little prescription.    Perhaps that is because we have to eat daily but we don’t have to exercise, so it is easy to just veg out in front of the computer or TV.

Some people try the gym; but that requires the effort to daily dress and travel, and a cost that is prohibitive - and very few make the gym a lifetime option for exercise.   Some people buy DVD or TV exercise programs – but most people won’t stick with these.

    

As an octogenarian, I’m in pretty good shape.  I have good upper body strength.  My arms don’t sag, I can tighten my pecks, and though I am somewhat overweight (205 lbs.  – I would like to be about 180) I can even crunch my stomach muscles.

I have posted about this before.    For about the last ten years I have (pretty much) daily worked out for 15 minutes on a Total Gym. 

About ten years ago I bough mine through Target.   I have the Total Gym 1400 that now cost about $250.  There is the Total Gym Optima that is just as good as the one I have that you can get online of $180 – there is no need to spend more than this. 

Optima 

I have mine set up in the room with my computer and first thing in the morning I drink a small glass of orange juice to replace electrolytes and then spend 15 minutes on the TG and 5 min. meditating.    I do my exercises without a break in-between so there is an aerobic component in my program.

  

During the summer I mow the lawn and take care of post-winter maintenance; and during the winter I snowblow my drive, shovel where needed and haul firewood for the wood stove.   Sometimes I try to walk a couple of mines on the road in the summer time – but fine it boring after a while.    But the Total Gym is easy, available, quick and effective.

People that read my blog know I don’t advertise products, but when I find something I like (slow cooker, bread maker…) I post about it. 

Strength is so important as we age.    If you are retired, aging and sedentary you might consider a Total Gym for a daily fitness routine.

the Ol’Buzzard

A PEP TALK FROM THE OL'BUZZARD

As you grow older, staying fit is the most important part of remaining healthy.    What we eat and how much exercise we get and how we handle stress are the major defenses against aging and sickness. 

I have been a sometimes Buddhist for a number of years, and need to get back to meditation.   We try to eat local produce as much as possible and stay away from processed foods – though I do love bacon…   My wife and I have a subscription to the college gym, but due to weather, and the focus it takes to get up and get dress and travel into town, we don’t utilize it like we should. 

This is the solution we have found.   I have dumbbells and try to discipline myself to five minutes of weight exercises every other day.  I keep a ten-pound barbell beside my computer chair and when I think of it do a few curls.   Three days a week, when the weather permit, I walk the road for at least a mile.  Two years ago we purchased an exercise bicycle on e-bay for just over one hundred dollars and my wife uses it every day.  

I had constantly seen advertisements about the Total Gym on the commercial- let-me-sell-you-something channels on Direct TV.    About two months ago, out of ‘I can’t find anything to watch’ desperation I sat through the commercial.   Later, I went on line and watched the clips on YouTube.   They have weight machines at the gym and I like using them, but as I mentioned our attendance is sporadic.    So two months ago I ordered on line the Total Gum 1400 through Target for $224.  

I love this machine.  I totally feel the difference in tone and strength.     It is a little hassle to put up and take down every other day, but by going through different sets of exercises without a break in-between I not only strengthen muscles, but also get a good cardio workout in about twenty minutes. 

Life is not a guarantee and chaos theory can throw you an injury, sickness or death chit in an otherwise healthy life.  But, if you want to improve the quality of your life and possibly your life expectancy, focusing on the big three: meditation, food and exercise, to the extent you are capable, can improve your quality of life.   

I hate to quote Trump: but what have you got to lose?

the Ol'Buzzard