Thursday, July 17

Today began Phase III of Cardiac Rehab. Basically, I'm on my own to exercise. I weighed in as usual, but I didn't have to hook up to a heart monitor, and the physical therapist didn't take my blood pressure. He did monitor my pulse and oxygen saturation, though. And he gave me advice on how to stay in heart-rate target range.



I kept to my usual routine...15 minutes on the cardio-stepper, beginning with a five-minute warm-up, then increasing my speed and resistance for ten minutes, and increasing again for five more minutes. Then I moved to the treadmill, walking at a fast pace for 15 minutes, and then slowing down for five minutes. After that, I did stretching exercises, and then rested until my heart rate returned to normal.



The physical therapist commented that he wished more patients would be diligent in watching their diets and keeping to a challenging exercise routine, because to do so decreases the risk of another cardiac episode. If a diligent patient does experience another episode, not only does the chance of survival increase, but so does the ability to bounce back afterward.



Nothing of consequence happened for the rest of the morning. After lunch, Hubbie, Mother, and I decided to take a little road trip to another town to get cantaloupes and watermelons from our favorite farmer. As we were leaving the driveway, the van warned us that we were low on gas, so we detoured to the cheapest gas station, near the worldwide discount chain store.



Since we were already in town, we went by the farmer's market for more tomatoes. While there, Mother discovered that huge green and red bell peppers were reasonably priced, so she bought some to put in her freezer.



From there, we stopped by a grocery store for a couple of items, and then went on to the other town for melons. We bought two huge cantaloupes, and a couple of watermelons.



Our hearts melted when we discovered a big box with several puppies in it. One brown and tan one, a female, was adorable and loving. We all snuggled her, but resisted bringing her home. We don't need another dog, and anyway this one is destined to be a big dog unsuited to staying in the house.



Back home, I found a really, really old version of "Journey to the Center of Earth" on TV, and we watched it. It'll be interesting to compare that one with the new 3-D version now out in theaters.