Pedaling into 2022 with BillLabs: A semi-serious review of the gear helping Bill heal
As my recuperation has continued, one product I have found very valuable to me was donated by a doctor friend.
My nutrition is of great importance, and my leg muscles were losing mass and strength. He brought me Klean Athlete to supplement my protein intake.
Klean is a whey powder that provides 20 grams of protein in a 100-calorie serving. It can be mixed with milk or water and has a delightful chocolate flavor. I have even used diet caffeine-free Coke to make a nice “float” version. Diet purists will shudder.
It sounds expensive at $50 for a 20.5-ounce bag, but my first bag lasted almost a month which makes it pretty reasonable for its value to my health. Usually, my first thought about supplements is “not worth it,” but I was so surprised at its pleasant taste and protein content that I continue to enjoy it.
It does not easily dissolve in cold milk, however, but even the little remaining “lumps” still taste good. Warm milk and the diet cola help it dissolve pretty well.
A bike shop customer had an injury to rehab and he bought a Cubii pedaling device, which has now been on loan to me for almost two months. It sits at my computer table and I can easily pedal away for 30 to 45 minutes while watching a movie or old TV series on Amazon Prime.
I doubt one would drop much weight, but it’s a joint-friendly way to work-out. However, it did cost someone about $300! It strikes me as a ridiculous price to pay. I had already bought a simple device for $35 on Amazon with same day delivery.
The cheap one sits in my kitchen and seems to gives me just as good a work-out as the Cubii (although the Cubii people will not agree). Both allow tension adjustment to increase the level of effort.
Then along came MaryLu Parker’s very generous gift. Her son had bought her a used Cybex Sigma recumbent bike. She could no longer use it, so now it sits in my living room and gives an even better work out that the other two. Retail value of this used bike is maybe $1,000 but other such bikes range from $500 to well over $3,000.
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Usually, I am not a fan of indoor machines to replace my biking, swimming and walking routines. My preference is to bike even in the rain and cold by wearing the right clothing. But now, I can live with substitutes.
Book review time. Being stuck first in the hospital and then in rehab, reading became a refuge for spending time my wisely. To that end, I have enjoyed more John Grisham novels.
My latest was “Camino Beach.” Grisham has visited Northeast Florida several times and has been seen in The Bookmark. He would stay at the former Sea Turtle Inn (now One Ocean). In “The Brethren,” he made Pete’s Bar into Pete’s Bar & Grill.
In the “The Racketeer,” Malcolm Bannister was placed into a witness protection program. It is a story the drew me into a tangled and twisted world of murder and intrigue. The character rented a condo in an eight-story oceanfront building in Neptune Beach! I have yet to locate that building, which would certainly violate the city’s height limits.
“Camino Beach” is set on a barrier island in a small town just north of Jacksonville. Wonder where he got the idea of this town, with its Ritz hotel and quaint downtown full of old beach homes and places to eat? It involves an elaborate plan to steal original F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts and their subsequent twisted journey to the little town and how it is tracked down. Except for one death, it is a lighthearted, gentle story.
Writing fiction is a real challenge. I had hoped to interview a retired nationally known psychologist who has authored several books and articles in her field. She told me that she had discovered something.
“I can’t write fiction,” she said. “I simply can’t kill someone. Even in print!”
My attempts show I can’t write fictional dialogue and thus, reading writers like John Steinbeck and now John Grisham is delicious mental fun.
“The Wave” by Susan Casey takes one around the world in search of the wildest and largest waves. Rogue waves more than 100 feet high can suddenly be produced by chaotic random actions that can swamp huge ships.
Surfer Laird Hamilton takes her out to see some of Hawaii’s biggest surf. It is an adventure taking readers into a world of immense waves and to help us understand how they are formed and the terror they can bring.
The library’s young adult/teen section offers a nice selection of graphic novels. As a long-time Simpsons fan, it was a nice treat to discover a set of semi-hard cover stories. They make great “meal” reading material.
As an ER medic and simply a person living in the “real” world, my reading choices tend to be of escapist value. Choices; they represent a way to reinstate a semblance of sanity in a world of constant dismay.
Bill Longenecker is a Neptune Beach resident and longtime contributor to Shorelines. Send feedback to shorelines@jacksonville.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: WAVELENGTHS: Pedaling into 2022 with BillLabs
