Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Outdoor Adventure, Part Three: Lake Thurmond
destination.
...wish I had a boat ;>
Quartz
the Patriot's Park disc golf course.
Lunch (or is it dinner?) at home in the living room
all nigiri, not rolls!
The amazing potential of Augusta Mall
Today I took a leisurely walk around the Augusta Mall. Outside, that is. The walk convinced me that the mall has some serious potential, if they would make a few key changes.
It took about 40 minutes to get around the mall. Unfortunately I didn't use my GPS so I'm not sure of the exact distance, but since I was probably going 2.8 mph, we'll say it's roughly a one and three quarters mile walk. That's a nice distance for people who are just getting back into shape, but long enough that people can do several circuits without getting immediately bored.
However, there are places where walking is difficult. There are stairs in a few places that you'd have to go the long way around to avoid. And there isn't always a sidewalk, so I had to occasionally make my way through parking lots or across the grass. I felt badly about the latter because the grounds at the mall are so beautiful--perfect scenery for a nice walk, with flowers, greenery, and lots of shady trees.
With that all in mind, I think the mall could benefit from designating a walking trail, perhaps in brick to match the existing outdoor promenade, with clearly-marked crossings and perhaps a tunnel or two for handicapped ramp access. This would not only enhance the storefronts of the larger shopping areas, but would also attract routine walkers to the mall.
People who might not initially be interested in shopping would be drawn to the scenery, safety, and convenience of walking at the mall. While walking inside the mall is possible, it's not quite as appealing as being under the sun. It can get crowded, too, and interfere with store business. Creating a place right outside for walking would ease shopping traffic flow and give serious walkers more room.
The mall could then capitalize on the influx of serious walkers with water and sports drink vending machines, fitness kiosks, and signs directing walkers to healthy choices at the food court. They could even go a step further and offer a membership or pay-as-you-go gym right inside the mall. (There would probably need to be rules about showering before entering the mall proper.)
Another option would be to offer a full-service health spa, with massages and soaks and such.
Make the mall attractive in more ways than simply a place to buy things, and the people who come for one service might stay for another. The mall could become an oasis for Augusta living.
It took about 40 minutes to get around the mall. Unfortunately I didn't use my GPS so I'm not sure of the exact distance, but since I was probably going 2.8 mph, we'll say it's roughly a one and three quarters mile walk. That's a nice distance for people who are just getting back into shape, but long enough that people can do several circuits without getting immediately bored.
However, there are places where walking is difficult. There are stairs in a few places that you'd have to go the long way around to avoid. And there isn't always a sidewalk, so I had to occasionally make my way through parking lots or across the grass. I felt badly about the latter because the grounds at the mall are so beautiful--perfect scenery for a nice walk, with flowers, greenery, and lots of shady trees.
With that all in mind, I think the mall could benefit from designating a walking trail, perhaps in brick to match the existing outdoor promenade, with clearly-marked crossings and perhaps a tunnel or two for handicapped ramp access. This would not only enhance the storefronts of the larger shopping areas, but would also attract routine walkers to the mall.
People who might not initially be interested in shopping would be drawn to the scenery, safety, and convenience of walking at the mall. While walking inside the mall is possible, it's not quite as appealing as being under the sun. It can get crowded, too, and interfere with store business. Creating a place right outside for walking would ease shopping traffic flow and give serious walkers more room.
The mall could then capitalize on the influx of serious walkers with water and sports drink vending machines, fitness kiosks, and signs directing walkers to healthy choices at the food court. They could even go a step further and offer a membership or pay-as-you-go gym right inside the mall. (There would probably need to be rules about showering before entering the mall proper.)
Another option would be to offer a full-service health spa, with massages and soaks and such.
Make the mall attractive in more ways than simply a place to buy things, and the people who come for one service might stay for another. The mall could become an oasis for Augusta living.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
It's weight loss time
This week I have been much better about eating properly and working out, and I've lost about three pounds so far. I'm now using the Daily Plate at LIVESTRONG.COM to track my intake and exercise. It's free and pretty robust. This morning I went through my day planner and input my weights for every month I had a record, then generated the following graph:
I'm hoping I can draw some conclusions from this, or at least use it as motivation. One thing that is immediately clear is that when I lost 50 pounds last year, I lost it in a healthy way--slow and steady. That's what I want to do now.
I'm hoping I can draw some conclusions from this, or at least use it as motivation. One thing that is immediately clear is that when I lost 50 pounds last year, I lost it in a healthy way--slow and steady. That's what I want to do now.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
My first meal of the day
Regardless, for now I'm having a mango and some whole grain crackers with cheese.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Ruby Tuesday: Avocado Turkey Burger
Edit: Kelly says the croutons are pumpernickel. :D
Monday, August 10, 2009
Baked tilapia with mango salsa
So here's what I did with most of the rest of the salsa:
I still have a little left, which hopefully I will eat today, in some form or fashion.
I still have a little left, which hopefully I will eat today, in some form or fashion.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Mango Salsa
Since joining Oasis Garden's CSA, I've had more and more interesting produce to try and create dishes with. It's forced me to be more creative with what I have on hand.
The past two weeks there's been a mango in my box. I still had both of them as of tonight, so I decided I'd better use the oldest one.
A recipe for Avocado-Mango Salsa was included in last week's box. I didn't have all the ingredients so I omitted some and substituted others. Here's what I ended up doing--and it's amazingly delicious! I'm going to eat some with chips tonight and save the rest to go with fish tomorrow.
1/2 tomato, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3/4 c chopped onion
1 T white sugar
1 T olive oil
2 T white wine vinegar
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 tsp salt
Toss first seven ingredients together, then fold in avocado. Season with salt.
The past two weeks there's been a mango in my box. I still had both of them as of tonight, so I decided I'd better use the oldest one.
A recipe for Avocado-Mango Salsa was included in last week's box. I didn't have all the ingredients so I omitted some and substituted others. Here's what I ended up doing--and it's amazingly delicious! I'm going to eat some with chips tonight and save the rest to go with fish tomorrow.
Mango Salsa
1 mango, peeled, seeded and diced1/2 tomato, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3/4 c chopped onion
1 T white sugar
1 T olive oil
2 T white wine vinegar
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 tsp salt
Toss first seven ingredients together, then fold in avocado. Season with salt.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Warning!
Twitter and Facebook both seem to be down. My head may explode from the pressure of all these unposted tweets and status updates...
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