Spin, Sequels & Scottish Oats
Movement
Any day on two wheels is a good day, though I haven’t been on a bike in too many months. My chronic illness has made me unsteady and unable to balance on a bike. Stationary bikes on the other hand are perfect for me, I’m unlikely to fall off or tip over. On Monday nights at 6 there’s a spin class at the gym that my partner and I have been going to for a few months.
I was nervous to go to a group fitness class with a visible disability. I walk with a stick and thought I’d be an object of curiosity but no one’s said anything yet. I don’t go as fast or use as much resistance as the rest of the class. The instructor might kick it up to 20 and be out of the saddle in triple digit RPMS while I’m doing my best to hit 75RPMs at level 7. I thought it would be a huge deal, turns out no one cares and I’m truly only competing against myself.
Maybe next week as the pop music blares and I focus on keeping my knees from knocking against each other, I’ll turn it up to 8.
Art + Culture
1I saw The Matrix Resurrections last week on my birthday. I was 12 when the original movie came out so I’ll let you do the math. I had a Matrix Reloaded poster hanging in my bedroom in high school. The trilogy introduced me to simulation theory; the soundtrack introduced me to The Prodigy and Deftones. I had friends who regularly wore long black trench coats and sunglasses. I was a fan of how gritty and punk the characters seemed.
While the original is on the National Film Registry for its influence on action films, the fourth film in the franchise is a confusing, plot-hole-riddled attempt to resurrect the Matrix universe 20 years on. But the themes of a work-obsessed over-medicated society disassociating from “real life” through technology and reboots of old franchises seem pretty on the nose.
Food
Oats + goodies
On my quest to shift my diet to plant-based and oil-free, I’ve rediscovered how delicious and filling oatmeal can be. (I used to eat dry apple cinnamon Quaker Oats straight out of the packet on the way to the school bus.) I eat oats for breakfast more often than not that are brimming with goodies. I make them by pouring about 1/2 cup of boiling water into about 1/2 cup Scottish Oats and then zapping them in the microwave for 30 seconds, but you can also slow cook oats on the hob. The less refined versions (for example steel cut) are healthier than the most processed (instant.) But any oats are better than processed breakfast cereals which can contain a lot of sugar, oils and preservatives.
Serve hot and top with any number of extras
Extras Suggestions:
Fresh or frozen berries
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Pomegranate seeds
Apples
Bananas
Dried fruit (read the labels some have added oils and sugars)
Almonds (whole, sliced or ground)
Walnuts
Pecans
Pumpkin seeds
Chia seeds
Raisins
Sunflower seeds
Almond butter
Honey
Maple Syrup
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cardamom
Matrix image credit: By http://www.impawards.com/2021/matrix_resurrections_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68670952
Oatmeal image credit: By やましこ - Oatmeal, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110787121
Mmm. those oats look really good. Yum. Thanks for sharing. :) Hal