A Friendly Nudge - New Hardware

...because we all could use a little encouragement!

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I miss being able to do things like pushups, chinups and farmer’s carries without having disruptive shoulder pain for days. But most of all I miss being able to pick up my granddaughter without having to negotiate with my shoulder.

I’m writing this the week before my shoulder replacement and if all goes well by the time you read this I’ll be sporting a new shoulder.

I frequently hear from people saying that they’re encouraged by seeing someone that looks like them still exercising. I’m guessing that quite a few of you reading this also struggle with the chronic pain and limitations that severe arthritis can drop on us.

Deciding to undergo a joint replacement isn’t something to be rushed into. Years ago I worked with an orthopedic implant group and was in the operating room with surgeons during similar procedures and I fully understand that there’s nothing minor about the procedure.

I always steer clear of telling anyone what exercise they should do for any type of ailment or injury. I’m not a doc. The same thing goes for joint replacement. What I try to do is to share my own experience in the hope that it can make exercise and some of the other things that we have to navigate along the way feel a little less intimidating or daunting.

I hope to do the same thing by sharing some of my experiences during my recovery process. I’m not naive about what I’m signing up for. I understand that rehab isn't going to be a party, but it’ll be essential for regaining my strength and range of motion.

I frequently say that aging shouldn’t suck but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t aspects of it that are less than delightful, it just means that I fully embrace aging versus the alternative. It also means that I have to do my part in making it as fulfilling as possible. Part of that for me is sharing the journey with you and following my own advice and doing the work.

My granddaughter is ready for Grandpa to pick her up again.

I look forward to sharing the journey with you.

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Now since it’s cold outside, let’s make some Hearty Chicken Soup!

This soup is the result of me playing with my food. Peanut butter, cinnamon, coconut milk and fish sauce may not immediately come to mind when you think of chicken soup, but my guess is that after tasting this soup you’ll wonder why you haven’t tried it sooner.

Ingredients:

3 lbs boneless chicken thighs - cut into bite sized pieces

1 qt chicken broth

1 can full fat coconut milk

2 sweet potatoes - peeled and cubed

1 onion - diced

4 stalks of celery - diced

1 bunch collards - stems removed - leaves chopped

3 cloves garlic - minced

⅓ cup peanut butter

1 heaping tbsp - coriander

1 tbsp cumin seed

1 tbsp smoked paprika

½ tbsp cinnamon

½ -¾ tbsp turmeric

½ tbsp crushed red pepper

Fat pinch of salt

2 heaping tbsp divided corn starch - 1 will go on the chicken with the other spices, 1 will be made into a slurry to thicken soup when you add the greens and fish sauce after you turn off pressure cook and move to saute

1 generous glug of olive oil

1 cup of water

4 or 5 shakes of fish sauce

Don’t let the long list of ingredients discourage you, it comes together quickly and it’s delicious!

Add 1 heaping tablespoon of corn starch to the chicken in a large mixing bowl as well as the onion, garlic, turmeric, paprika, coriander, cumin seeds, cinnamon, crushed red pepper and salt.

Mix this all together.

Set the instant pot to saute, add a good glug of olive oil and when the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken mixture. Saute for 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Turn saute off, add the peanut butter, coconut milk, sweet potato, celery, chicken stock and if extra volume needed either more chicken stock or a little water.

Seal the lid and set the pressure cooker setting to 12 minutes.

When time is up, cancel and then carefully vent and when pressure is completely released, remove the lid, turn saute back on and add the collards and fish sauce.

Make a slurry with a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch and water and add to the soup.

This has become one of mine and Jude’s favorite soups. Let me know how you like it.

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Now that we’ve got our meal covered, let’s put together a week’s worth of exercise snacks.