Radically Retired

Category: Health

  • Spring Weekend 2026 – Day 3: The Best Laid Plans …

    Spring Weekend 2026 – Day 3: The Best Laid Plans …

    Neither hubs nor I have ever been involved in a spring break celebration, so we thought that a Sunday visit to South Padre Island during spring break might be a good way to wrap up our weekend of welcoming spring 2026.

    Out of curiosity, the morning that we planned on leaving, I decided to consult professor Google as to what we might expect in terms of crowds. I’m so happy I did that.

    Sunday, March 24 this year just happened to be the apex of the Texas Spring Break and this is what we should expect: possibly fifty thousand high school and college students in full and noisy party mode, heavy traffic (including complete jams) for both South Padre Island and the causeway going to and from the island, two hours or more waits for food, and zero parking at the main venues.

    We decided to nix the trip and spend our last day of celebrating spring by watching nature programs on TV in the comfort our A/C’d living room, with snacks available immediately, and silence on demand as soon as we decided to mute the TV and have a nap.

    The header photo for this post came up in Google Images when I looked for Claytons Spring Break Celebrations 2026. Claytons is one of our favourite stops for food and entertainment.

    This photo was all that either of us needed for a “hard no!”

    I guess we’ll complete life with never experiencing spring break.

    I’m perfectly OK with that.

  • Welcoming Spring 2026

    Welcoming Spring 2026

    Because the official first day of spring fell on a Friday, hubs and I decided to spend the weekend welcoming the new season by doing new things.

    On Friday, we visited the Veterans War Memorial of Texas in McAllen, TX.

    Hubs and I have passed this park many times over the years, but have never stopped to take it in.

    The 3.5 acre site was opened in 1990 and pays tribute to the 1.4 million Americans who were killed or missing in action in every conflict the nation has been involved in.

    There are 160 tall granite panels, each engraved with a plethora of historical information. To read it all, one would have to spend several hours there. Because it was a hot day, we browsed and read a bit from each plaza and I took photos of every block, so we could read them later.

    Each plaza is made up of several granite panels arranged in a circle and has its own theme.

    At the centre of the site is a 104 ft tall granite monolith. It’s named the American Spire of Honour.

    There is a statue of a female officer at each entrance
    A Sobering experience
    Memorial to WAC and WAVE members
    General Bernardo de Galvez
    Patrick Henry
    George Washington
    Martha Washington
    This shows the amount of engraving on each panel

    This was well worth the stop and we’ll definitely visit again on a cooler day.

  • A Fitness Refocus

    A Fitness Refocus

    My next challenge for ChatGPT was to develop a new exercise program for me.

    Because I’d been power walking for over eight years, I think my body had become accustomed to it, so it wasn’t as efficient anymore in terms of maintaining fitness.

    It seemed my metabolism had stalled out.

    I entered my issues, my age, and my goals. Before too long, I had a program that I could live with.

    I’ve now switched from power walking to the Japanese walking method and have added strength training.

    ChatGPT outlined everything in detail, and so far, it’s going well.

    The Japanese walking method takes half the time of the power walking (30 mins vs an hour), but it definitely feels more intense. The frequency is five days per week with slower and/or longer walks or a rest on the other two days.

    The strength training is mild and done via light weights, resistance bands, and calisthenics. Right now the frequency is 3x per week.

    Today is day 10 and I’m already noticing improvements in terms of energy and how much better my clothes are fitting.

  • Addictive

    Addictive

    Everyone, both here in the blogosphere, and among my family and friends back home have been talking about ChatGPT.

    I’ve been resisting… until two days ago when my closest sister posted on Facebook, the cutest caricature of herself.

    I called to ask her how she made it, and of course, it was through ChatGPT.

    I succumbed and downloaded the app.

    I spent the next several hours making caricatures and laughing so hard at the results.

    I then submitted a photo of my kitchen here in south Texas, and asked for ideas for cabinet paint and countertops.

    Before I knew it, I was asking for a printed schedule for my hourly and weekly activities.

    Every single experience was interesting, fun, and rewarding.

    I can see how people can get addicted to this stuff … because after just two days, I already am.

    More on that in an upcoming post.

  • “Laissez les bons temps rouler!”

    “Laissez les bons temps rouler!”

    Every year at this time, McAllen, Texas (our neighbouring city) hosts “The Golden Age Olympics”. It runs over several weeks and includes every event from race walking to jigsaw puzzles (yes, you read that right – it’s a timed event) and winners come away with medals as well as bragging rights.

    Each year, there is a different overall theme, and this year, as you’ve no doubt guessed already, the theme is Mardi Gras.

    My feature photo was shot at the community hall where hubs registered for the poker event.

    The title of my post, translated to English on this banner, is always the theme for New Orleans Mardi Gras – and is so appropriate for the fun and games happening daily at the
    Golden Age Olympic Games

    I had planned to enter the 5K race walk this year, and am ready for it. Unfortunately, it was downsized this year to a 1.6 K (one mile) race. That’s about the distance I walk at my warm up pace.

    I could figure out a way around it, I suppose, but decided not to this year. I’d have to find a warm up spot close to the race path and then work on it. I have neither the time nor the inclination to do that this year.

  • Slick and Easy

    Slick and Easy

    Before Christmas, I asked my FaceBook friends and family if any of them had any experience with the Chef Preserve Vacuum Sealer.

    I was looking to vacuum seal a good lot of Swiss Raclette cheese that would be left from our Christmas Eve meal. The cheese is dear in price, so I sure didn’t want to lose any of it to spoilage. Vacuum sealing was the number one suggestion.

    A nurse friend of mine from at home in Canada was the first to reply with a detailed and thorough positive review. This gal is a great cook and a thrifty homemaker, and an honest, sincere person, so I trusted her opinion. I gave it a few more days and no one else replied with personal experience, but another nurse friend gave the system a very good review via her friend who uses it. She said she planned on buying this for herself. This is another gal whose opinions I trust.

    Although I always check them, I’m never sure of online reviews by folks I don’t know.

    I ordered the sealer, and immediately vacuum sealed and froze the leftover cheese.

    Raclette cheese saved for next time

    I was thrilled with how slick and easy it was to operate. I love that the unit is small and that the bags are reusable.

    ** I’m in no way affiliated with the company, so this review is unsolicited and unpaid**

  • New Year, New Approach

    New Year, New Approach

    There’s something about a new year that drives us to want to make significant improvements in our lives.

    Resolutions for a new year are usually made with the best intentions.

    Unfortunately for me, and almost anyone else I’ve spoken to over the years, these New Year’s Resolutions all too often morph into New Year’s failures, disappointments, self-doubt and self-chastisement.

    I later moved on to setting goals. This was somewhat less discouraging, but still never 100% successful.

    This year, I’m trying yet another approach. This one is about asking intention questions and then working with the answers to set daily affirmations. The affirmations are a guide instead of a hard and fast rule or goal. I like that.

    These are my questions and affirmations for 2026 and beyond:

    1. How do I want to live my life? Affirmations: I’m thankful for my many blessings. I’m happy, I’m healthy, and I’m eager to continually learn new things and develop new skills.
    2. What personal qualities do I want to embrace? Affirmations: I continue to care about my health and that of others around me. I share what I know and learn, in hopes of helping others.
    3. How do I want to experience relationships with others in my world? Affirmations: I make regular contact with friends and family. When necessary, I set healthy boundaries. I experience joy in my interactions with others.
  • Birdseed for Folks

    Birdseed for Folks

    This container of Nut and Seed Brittle weighs in at 0.645 Kg (1.4 lbs) and costs $10.99 CDN ($7.91 USD)

    Besides being a great source of fibre and nutrients, this treat is healthy in another way … the clamshell packaging is almost impossible to break into! I know I could put it in another container, but I decided to reseal it in this one every time.

    The brittle, although quite sweet, is so full of a big variety of seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, flax) and nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios), and coconut, that it’s surprisingly easy to bite into and chew, and one piece always tastes like more.

    Best to leave it locked down like Fort Knox.

  • A Necessary Detour

    A Necessary Detour

    Recently, I’ve been hearing and reading about an exercise trend, called the Japanese Walking Method.

    I decided that it’s more appropriate for me (while I continue with recovery from the accident injuries) vs returning to my previous power walking too soon.

    So, for now anyways, it’s a bit of a detour, but a worthwhile one, according to my research.

    You can read more about this walking method here .

  • Decisions

    Decisions

    This past week, I finally felt recovered enough from my injuries to bead back out to the hiking/biking trails. Until now, I’ve been either just circling the block or doing laps at the indoor track.

    I felt a strong yearning to get back out to the many rewards of nature offered in our trail system here.

    On the first trail, at about the 1K (2/3 of a mile) point and at a fork in the road, I came across this barrier pushed off to the side (feature photo).

    Now what? Do sinkholes get filled in? Do they miraculously resolve? Who pushed the barrier to the side? Should I turn back?

    I decided to forge ahead and was happy I did. There was no sinkhole to be seen on the path I chose at the fork. Whew!

    This was what greeted me:

    Wild roses lining the trail gave off the most heavenly scent