Tag: early morning drive

Daily Food Diary –  Day 185 of 365

by annemariedemyen, posted in 2025, Health and Fitness

This is Day 185 of posting  my Daily Food Diary (without one miss). 🤗💪

This month, I am focussing on collagen in our diet and in our lifestyle. 

A healthy diet, adequate exercise, and collagen supplements can help us to keep our collagen levels up even as we age.   Unfortunately, stress produces cortisol which slows down collagen production and weakens the collagen in our bodies.

So, stress management becomes an important part of increasing and maintaining our collagen levels. 

For Dan and I, going out and walking our dog Molly is an important part of our stress management.   Last night, Dan decided we should switch things up by getting up at 6 AM this morning and heading straight out for a walk in the country.  (Go Dan! 💞) What could be a better (de-stressing) way to start our day!   Walking together with Molly, in the fresh air, surrounded by the beauty of nature  as far as the eye could see just sounded too perfect!

We were up at 5:50 A.M. – no coffee, breakfast, no vitamins or inhalers.  We got up, got dressed, and got ready to head out.

Molly was beside herself with excitement!
After driving MANY miles (on gravel roads that somehow devolved into whatever this was),  we found the exact location we were looking for.   WE HAVE ARRIVED!
This looked like a promising spot to head out for our little hike.
A picturesque little pool of water that turned out to be the breeding ground for countless  bloodsucking insects that were intent on crawling into my eyes and ears. 😝
We soldiered on checking out the thick foliage, finding a few flat rocks for our pond, and discovering a stretch of gorgeous pink, wild roses.   Pink roses have always had a special significance for Dan and I. 

I failed to get pictures of the wild roses.  By this point I had packed away my phone so I could use both hands to fight off those vicious little bastards from the watering hole.

And, we decided it was time to abruptly  head  home when a friendly young man pulled up in his halfton to advise us that his rifle club,  gathering along the valley,  were preparing to start shooting in our direction.  😳😯🤷

Fortunately, it was a short drive home.  And fortunately there is nothing more relaxing and good for dropping cortisol levels and maintaining collagen levels than returning home.  👍

Daily Food Diary – Day 185

Breakfast:

(1) c Coffee (2)

(2) granola bar with nuts (160)

Lunch:

(1) c spaghetti with meat sauce (287)

(10) Doritos (140)

(1) serving rhubarb torte (286)

Snacks:

(48) oz water

(1) gin & tonic (130)

Supper:

Large dinner salad – lettuce, radishes, green onions, cucumber, tomatoes, red pepper, sunflower seeds, fried dried onions, French salad dressing.  (356)

(2) chicken drumsticks (which contain significantly more collagen than breast meat) (152)

Total Net Calories: 1191

Net calorie goal: 1229 – 1191 = 38 under 👍

* Highlighted food items contain significant amounts of collagen or significantly aid in the natural production of collagen.