Five Days Off But Not a Vacation

I finally made it to the gym today, although a lot later than usual. I had a horribly stressful morning, with driving gingerly after last night's ice storm. The road was okay but the park was only partially plowed and salted. The dog park gate was, as expected, frozen shut and I had to chip the bottom free to get it open. My mistake was to unleash my dogs in the "unleashing area" instead of getting them inside the actual park. The gate didn't close enough behind me and one of the dogs slipped out and ran off down the exit road. Ugh. 

I managed to get the other dog inside the dog park, and while he was frantically barking, I tried to call the wayward one back. He ran toward the main road and thankfully the few cars slowed down. You get a sick feeling in your gut when your dog runs off into traffic! Then a black SUV actually drove into the exit road, sort of chasing my dog back into the park area. I know enough not to chase dogs so I crouched down with my arms open and he ran back to me and inside the gate. Whew. The SUV driver briefly got out of his car just to make sure that the loose dog was secured and then turned around and went on his way. Thank you!

The park is all slippery and broken ice. The dogs run around the fenced half acre while I spend more time chipping away at the gates because even though I've managed to pry them open, they won't close. Finally, the wayward dog comes back down to the gate. I guess he's upset that there's no one to play with, the ground is hard and sharp and I haven't trudged up the hill to put out the heated water bowl. I put the dogs back in the car and spend another 15 minutes chipping away and sprinkling cheap kitty litter. 

I get to the gym and it's 1 pm. It's also a holiday so the local cinema is open which it usually isn't for a Monday and the parking lot is crowded. But the gym is empty. I'm tired. My arms are tired. And I'm still recovering from dental surgery I had on Thursday. I have stitches on one side of my mouth, upper and lower, so I can't brush or floss that side. It makes my mouth feel and taste gross, especially since I can feel the stitches with my tongue. The surgery took 2 hours and went well, as far as I can tell. But I don't remember much because I've never been anesthetized like this before: an IV with saline in one arm, a blood pressure monitor on the other arm, a fingertip oxygen meter, and cuffs on both wrists for an EKG. The last thing I remember was looking at the console because it was beeping.

Twigsickle

The next thing I know is that I can't focus my eyes and am experiencing double vision, then I'm sitting in my winter coat on the sofa with a blanket and the dogs. I have no recollection of leaving the office or the drive home (hubs was working from home all week so he was my ride), or even walking back into the house! When you have a baby, you get an epidural but you're awake for everything, even during a C-section. When you have a colonoscopy, they put you to sleep but you're awake and fairly clear-headed withing 30 minutes of the procedure being over. Even my kid was a bit dopey after having 4 wisdom teeth removed, but only for an hour or so. The swelling has gone down mostly in my jaw but it's still sore and sensitive. Eating takes a lot of conscious effort not to chew on the recuperating side.

So, I made it to the gym today. After lots of shoveling, and too much excitement. Excitement is stressful. I'm not surprised that my pulse rate is higher than usual. Not surprised that pull-ups really sucked today. I could barely feel my arms except for the fatigue in my shoulders. There's another storm brewing and will probably dump a lot of snow Wednesday night into Thursday. I should probably go to the gym tomorrow... 

The dogs apparently have no issue eating canned beaver. I only bought one can as a test cuz they're so picky they won't eat anything with fish in it. And while beavers are aquatic plant-eating mammals, I wasn't sure if that didn't mean they didn't have a "pondy" taste and aroma. I've eaten local bass and I admit I don't like it cuz there's a pondy smell and flavor. But the dogs were okay with it so I might go back and buy a case of that Canine Caviar Beaver. Two bucks a can is a good price for dog food. Not quite as good as $20/case of 12 but close enough.

17 February 2025 1:01-2:49

Monday — All Cardio

Late post-ice storm Cardio

Precor elliptical #1

Program 2

Time: 30 + 5 (5372)

Distance: 2.77

Cal: 304

Avg Hr: 152, 188-73

New FB: 44-157

(1:38)

HGPU 14 tired arms

Matrix StairMaster (R) 1:46-

Manual timer 8+2 cool down

Minimum 5 minutes

Speed 5 (48) / 2 (33) / 1 (29)

Steps 432

Floors 27

Cal 65

Hr 142 ???

HGPU 14

Life Fitness X-Trainer #3

(2:07-2:20)

Program Manual L1

Time: 10 (+3 min cool down) = 13

Distance: 1.20

Cal: 100

Avg Hr: 122-129

HGPU 13

20 Hip Bridges

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 25

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

February is Cold

We did not get the promised 11 inches of snow and sleet Saturday night into Sunday. We did get about 5 inches that was heavy to shovel. Eventually I got my walkway and driveway cleared, and the husband woke up in time to help me with my car. Then off to the dog park with my two pups where we ran into two dog friends who also spent the morning shoveling out. And yes, my triceps were definitely sore from the arm workout on Friday.

Yesterday, I had a lot of errands to run, including hounding the drugstore for a prescription refill for one of my eye drops. Prices keep rising on medications and the health insurance company offers no reasonable answers except to blame the middleman, the prescription benefits manager, which is just another cost levy that we, the consumer patients, are stuck shelling out money to. No help now that price caps have been rescinded on a lot of prescription meds including insulin. Thank goodness I'm not diabetic, although my brother texted me today that he went to the ER because he thought he was suffering from appendicitis. Instead, it turned out to be high lipase, which is a symptom of pancreatitis and/or kidney disease. Cuz he doesn't drink or smoke, isn't overweight and exercises regularly.

I got to the gym late and it wasn't crowded. Maybe because it was $5 Tuesday next door? Or maybe because there's another storm threat for tonight into tomorrow morning. While cardio didn't quite match up to last week, pull-ups remained steady and same. I did have to wait for the second set since I was late and there's only one Stretch Cage, and I'm totally non-confrontational. 

If someone beats me to a piece of equipment, I'll go do something else. This time I didn't want to do more cardio and miss a set of pull-ups, so I sat down on a sit-up bench, blew my nose, and scrolled through my phone. There's a very active elderly lady who exercises frequently. She might be in her 80s and she pauses her stretch routine to chat with another elderly lady. I'll wait cuz I'm getting there eventually. 

Everything else is routine. Even in the Aerobics Room. But I wonder if something is going on, like is the gym owner looking at investors or to sell the place? Because suddenly all the lights are bright and new (no more mood lighting in the locker room), a staff guy has been mopping the floors while people are exercising, the same guy is spraying and wiping smudges off the big glass mirrors in the Aerobics Room, and there's a workman on a step ladder tapping the walls. Hhmmm... 

Total non sequitur: I've discovered another brand of dog food at the Ocean State Job Lot that I've never seen before: Canine Caviar. The internet says it's an American brand of high quality feed. The cans I buy are labeled as "toppers," meaning that they do not contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals to qualify as a complete pet food. But the dogs love eating the flavors they've sampled so far: turkey, chicken. (Knowing that the toppers are nutritionally incomplete doesn't worry me since I also feed them kibble with yogurt and boiled chicken, and alternate different brands of canned dog foods.) There's also duck. And something I've never ever seen before: beaver. 

The US does not farm beavers, so I look it up and discover that these are sourced from a US Wildlife program where beavers are culled. I haven't opened the can yet--I only bought one to see if they like it. Because they are super picky, and refuse to have anything to do with fish. No salmon, tuna or haddock. They don't like peanut butter either. And turn their noses up at various dog treats. Soooo picky. Oh well...

11 February 2025 12:29-2:28

Tuesday — All Cardio

Late Pre-Storm Cardio

Precor elliptical #1

Program 1

Time: 30 + 5 (5458)

Distance: 2.79

Cal: 307

Avg Hr: 155, 186-90?

New FB: 43-129

HGPU 18

Matrix StairMaster (R) 

Manual timer 8+2 cool down

Minimum 5 minutes

Speed 5 (48) / 2 (36-38) / 1 (33-29)

Steps 442

Floors 27

Cal 66

Hr 117

(Grand Dame beat me to the Stretch Cage so I have to wait)

HGPU 17

Life Fitness X-Trainer #3

Program Manual L1

Time: 10 (+3 min cool down) = 13

Distance: 1.19

Cal: 100

Avg Hr: 122-134

HGPU 15

20 Hip Bridges

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 25

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

Wall Squat 90 sec

A Near Miss

Dogs for scale

Merriam-Webster defines the term "near miss" as a military term that denotes a devastating event (like a collision) that misses the target. So, not a near hit but a miss. Which is what happened to me this morning at the dog park. It was really windy but sunny and moderately cold for February. I was sitting on the picnic table with my dogs when I heard the ominous sound of cracking wood. Then a big branch fell and landed mere inches from me. It probably wouldn't have killed me, but it sure would've hurt and given me a concussion had I been in the way. The dogs promptly barked and snipped as if to lay the blame on each other.

I spent yesterday shoveling wet snow and salting my driveway and walkway. The dogs got walked twice during the "storm" but we didn't make it to the park until all the precipitation (an icy fog) subsided, which was just before 2 pm. There's several storms brewing and we're expecting snow and ice Saturday night into Sunday morning. Then again, maybe Tuesday into Wednesday. Thursday I have a dental surgery scheduled to deal with my inherited bad gums. I've inherited a lot of problems. And yes, this is giving me a lot of anxiety. 

I made it to the gym well past noon today. But at least I made it. I think twice a week is absolutely the bare minimum. The gym wasn't very crowded. I'm guessing that everyone wanted to do outdoor stuff or run errands while the weather was good. Temps in the mid-30s is awesome for February in New York State. I started off planning an all-cardio day, figuring that I was so late that the HS kids would be filling the free weight area shortly.

I'd say my cardio was comparable to Tuesday's efforts, not better or worse. Again, I have no control over the speed range of the Step Machine: I punch in the same parameters and it arbitrarily changes speed. So today is slightly worse than Tuesday, while the elliptical and cross-trainer were slightly better. Pull-ups were mostly the same and felt okay even while wearing my ring. It's amazing how perceptions can be off when it comes to performance. 

I looked over at the free weight area and realized that the crowd of HS kids hadn't materialized. Which meant I could still push around a few weights. Something quick though... I decided to hit triceps with sets of Skull Crushers & Rip Skulls. But instead of doing one set of 12 reps for Skull Crushers, then one set of Rip Skulls (six separate sets total), I combine them into just three big sets. It was faster and weirdly, less tiring! I knocked out 24 reps, doing one rep of each back-to-back until I've done 12 of each. Then a minute rest, and repeat. 

I'm probably gonna be sore tomorrow though. Which is why I skipped Walking Lunges in the Aerobics Room later. Cuz I think there might be more shoveling in my immediate future. I was surprised that the tricep workout didn't seem to have any effect on push-ups. Knocked those out pretty quickly, as well as the Air Squats. When I'm tired I lose count easily so I had to slow down during Dead Bugs just to figure out what set I was at... I've gone past 5 sets due to spaciness. While not a horrible thing, it's unnecessary. Back next week hopefully, between snow storms. Not coming to the gym on Thursday though since I can't drink or eat for 6 hours before the appointment, and there's no way to exercise without drinking water.  

I've been watching an intriguing new show called The Tourist. It's darkly humorous and beautifully shot, with excellent lead actors and a mesmerizing landscape. I'm tempted to watch a show called Severance that's gotten a bit of press. I recognize Adam Scott from Parks & Recreation, and the little known show Ghosted, with Craig Robinson. 

I got really bored one day and wandered into an article (from Wired mag) purporting to teach one how to solve the Rubik's Cube. We've had a cube for years and I've never been able to do it. I've gotten as far as Step 2 (the white cross) but I got there without doing Step 1 so I'm not sure I'm doing this right, but what the hell. Step 3 is going to be a lot harder, especially since I haven't figured out what exactly those instructions mean. Well, it's not like anyone's life depends on it...

7 February 2025 12:29-2:35

Friday — All Cardio and Then Some

Really Late Cardio

Precor elliptical #1

Program 3

Time: 30 + 5 (5496)

Distance: 2.81

Cal: 310

Avg Hr: 160, 186

New FB: 43-133

HGPU 18

Matrix StairMaster (R) 

Manual timer 8+2 cool down

Minimum 5 minutes

Speed 5 (45-48) / 2 (36) / 1 (29)

Steps 424

Floors 26

Cal 64

Hr 138

HGPU 17

Life Fitness X-Trainer #3

Program Manual L1

Time: 10 (+3 min cool down) = 13

Distance: 1.19

Cal: 99

Avg Hr: 122

HGPU 15

Skull crusher s/s Rip Skulls 

30 lbs x 24 alt reps x 3 sets

20 Hip Bridges 

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 25

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

It Was A Long Weekend

My glutes certainly felt those Walking Lunges when I woke up Saturday morning. It made traversing the snowy, slushy, icy dog park a bit more difficult but as long as I moved slowly, I was okay. Later in the day, my washing machine decided it wasn't going to honor the spin and drain portion of the wash cycle. Ugh. I had two options: drag wet laundry to a laundromat; or scout around for friends who might lend me their washer/dryer. I still had to hand-wring out the excess water and plop them into a trash bag inside the laundry basket. I wore latex gloves to protect my skin from the freezing water. It was all still really heavy. But I could carry it to the car and out into a friend's laundry room. Phew! I got around to doing that on Sunday. I also lucked out when I called on Saturday to see if the repair guy could come to fix my machine. 

Out of two phone numbers, one was out of service and the other one had a message stating he was indisposed for a few months and to please call this other fellow who he recommended. The new fellow picked up right away when I called. He said my town was kind of far from where he was based, but... he had a service call the next town over from me so I got an appointment for Monday. Wow, that's lucky! 

Of course, I had to wait all day but when he finally arrived (I was not his first service call), he was able to replace a broken part, and then deliver the solemn news that the machine would probably last maybe a year or two longer if treated carefully. Something is leaking oil internally. Hmmm. Another part might need replacing, but these machines aren't made to last anymore. It's a Maytag. Remember that TV commercial about the Maytag repairman who had nothing to do because the machines were so reliable? 

Speed Queen is what this fellow recommends. I remember Speed Queen commercial machines in my apartment building's laundry room. They were massive industrial machines and virtually indestructible. I'm not interested in a million different settings and all the bells and whistles, like programmable tunes to send to your phone to let you know your wash is done. I'd rather have a long-lasting, reliable workhorse. 

Later, I find out that the original repair guy passed away last May and this guy was handling all his clients. That old guy (he had snow white hair and a ruddy complexion like Santa) wasn't really very old either: only 66 but had been ill for a bit. I'm turning 65 next month. 

I made it to the gym a little past noon and it's also $5 Tuesday at the local cinema. But neither the parking lot nor the gym was very crowded; only 5 of a dozen treadmills in use. One person on the cross-trainer and no one on the ellipticals. I got on #1 and did my program. Today's a Cardio and Pull-up Day so that's what I did. It's been cold and dry enough that my skin is cracking at my fingertips, knuckles, lips, a nostril, heels, toes... And hives the area of my palm have erupted again on my thighs. 

I can't really do much other than repeated moisturizing. Today, I took my wedding band off while I slathered petrolatum on my hands and fingers, and then I consciously decided to leave it home. Because I find the ring impedes my grip on the Stretch Cage when I do pull-ups. And pull-ups were a tad better today. But it could be a coincidence.

I wore the slippery Hoka sneakers to run my errand to the post office before coming to the gym, hoping to scuff up the soles just enough to make them less slippery. That seemed to have worked for most of my activities: I didn't slide off the Stretch Cage or the cross-trainer, but once in the Aerobics Room with the slick glossy wooden floors, well... I got a minute and 10 seconds before my feet slid out from under me and I decided I was done for the day.

4 February 2025 12:08-2:09

Tuesday — All Cardio

Not So Balmy Cardio

Precor elliptical #1

Program 2

Time: 30 + 5 (5448)

Distance: 2.80

Cal: 308

Avg Hr: 157, 194 max

New FB: 42-134

HGPU 18

Matrix StairMaster (R) 

Manual timer 8+2 cool down

Minimum 5 minutes

Speed 5 (48-50) / 2 (36-38) / 1 (29-31)

Steps 439

Floors 27

Cal 66

Hr 122

HGPU 17

Life Fitness X-Trainer #5

(1:18-1:31)

Program Manual L1

Time: 10 (+3 min cool down) = 13

Distance: 1.18

Cal: 100

Avg Hr: 122-126

HGPU 15.5

20 Hip Bridges

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 25

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

Wall Squat 70 sec — still too slippery

Friday Blues

I got to the gym finally albeit later than I expected. It wasn't that crowded considering the bad weather (fog, rain, maybe ice). All the elliptical machines were free, but 12 of the 15 treadmills were occupied. And one of those was out of service. That's a lot of walking and running. Fully half the cross-trainers were in use as well (3 out of 6). I can't imagine that these folks would be doing their exercises outdoors, but maybe I'm wrong.

After my 35 minutes, while I'm fully warmed-up, I get a good set of pull-ups and then wander over to the free weight area. One of the Nautilus benches is free so I can knock out my DB Shoulder routine. Then off to the Aerobics Room to finish with core movements and eventually, Walking Lunges. I'm probably gonna feel those tomorrow if nothing else.

At home, I was rummaging through my tea cabinet and found an old box of Yogi brand Cocoa Spice Tea, from 2002. There's 4 tea bags inside and I don't know if they have any flavor left. Sadly, Yogi doesn't make this anymore. An online search did reveal a few other cocoa tea brands so I ordered a sampler box from Adagio Teas. All their teas are loose so I have to find my strainers. I have tea balls, but it's been said that they don't allow the tea to expand fully and thus limit the full experience of a properly bloomed tea. 

Today I try the well-regarded chocolate chai pu erh flavor. It's okay but too much ginger and cinnamon and not enough chocolate flavor for me. It is a black tea so it contains caffeine. I hope that doesn't mess with my sleep too much. Tomorrow I'll try a different flavor. I also ordered from a different company, one that offers actual tea bags. Now, there is some controversy about the amount of microplastics being consumed and specifically in tea bags! But I could always just cut the bag open and steep as loose tea...

before straining

I've been trying to increase my consumption of anthocyanins aka blueberries. It takes too much planning to add them to oatmeal or other hot foods. Instead, I've decided to go the way of the candy bowl by washing a large quantity of blueberries and blackberries and leaving them in a big bowl in the living room. Every time I walk by, I grab a handful to snack on. The husband and kid (when home from college) also snack this way. 

The berries are never there for more than a few days, and any undesirable leftovers (mushy) get tossed out under the bird feeder. The house is a chilly 63F so they won't go bad too quickly. Win win. I've also been sticking with taking 500 mg of niacinamide twice daily. It's hard to explain but I know I've taken it because I feel it in my face, but it hasn't been unbearable, so I'll continue until my next eye appointment, see what the exams tell us and decide from there.

31 January 2025 12:15-2:02

Friday — Cardio and More

Rainy & Cold & Crowded

Precor elliptical #1

Program 1

Time: 30 + 5 (5610)

Distance: 2.81

Cal: 310

Avg Hr: 142, 187-80

New FB: 45-129?

HGPU 17

Incl DB Press s/s Lateral Raises s/s Rev Incline Flys

10 lbs x 25/15/25 reps

15 lbs x 25/15/25 

20/15/20 x 25/15/25 x 3 sets

20 Hip Bridges

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 25

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

Walking Lunges (42 steps)

Trying B3 Again

I got to the gym fairly late today at half past noon. But better than yesterday when I didn't make it at all. I'm the type of person who hates having deadlines hanging over my head like the sword of Damocles. While I was at the dog park with my puppers, a fellow from the Parks Dept came by to affix the annual notice that the gate code would be changed on February 1st and all members needed to pay their renewal fees. That also included providing a copy of a current town dog license which had its own requirement to show a valid proof of rabies vaccination. I think that's reasonable. We have had recent warnings for rabid kittens and wild critters, like bats, foxes, skunks...

Since the weather has been unpredictable this winter, rather than wait until Friday which is what I would've normally done in past years, I had the urge to get everything settled yesterday: took my paperwork to the Parks & Recreation office; got the dog licenses renewed and paid for at a different office in a different location; paid the Town and County taxes due for the year. It was well into early afternoon by the time I was done driving around.

I have no excuses for why I got to the gym so late today, but I was surprised at how empty the parking lot was. It's $5 Tuesday at the local cinema next door but I guess not too many popular movies this week. The gym was equally empty and I had my choice of elliptical machines. It's also very cold inside the gym and I wished I had worn my new heavyweight hoodie instead of the thinner blue kids one. Cardio sucked but I did better on pull-ups. That's a win!

The Aerobics Room is very cold so by the time I got to Push-ups, I'd stopped sweating and had my hoodie zipped up. I do the entire routine except for Wall Sits. Maybe tomorrow if I make it to the gym. There's the threat of a snowstorm later in the day and maybe 5-6 inches. I'm fine with it as long as I can take dogs to the park in the morning, but I'm not looking forward to shoveling later. 

Yesterday I got a chance to watch a couple of video posts provided by the Glaucoma Foundation about lifestyle changes that might help mitigate this disease. I've heard most of it before: don't sleep on your face, no prolonged head below heart positions, quit smoking if you smoke, moderate coffee okay, cardio exercise very good, weight training where you hold your breath is bad (valsalva maneuver). A few mentions of gingko biloba, bilberry extract (basically a variety of blueberry) that might be the equivalent of eating a pint of blueberries every day (that's a lot of blueberries!), and niacinamide (vitamin B3). The latter showing the most consistent results for improved Visual Field exam results and potential optic nerve preservation.

Now, I've tried B3 before and I don't remember exactly, but I think I had a mildly unpleasant reaction. I'm willing to try it again though since I have little faith that the Durysta implant has actually worked (I get my IOPs checked next month). And I'm a bit scared of the Ahmed device being installed in my eyeballs. It'll keep me from exercising for months during recovery, and I fear that I'll be able to feel this cumbersome shunt and drain inside my eye socket. I'm ridiculously sensitive to certain sensations, like my own hair poking me in the nose or mouth. How am I not going to feel this?!

Of course, by starting niacinamide today, I'm skewing any results from the Durysta implants. But if my IOPs are higher with Durysta, my doc will want to do the Ahmed shunts, and I might not get the chance to test if niacinamide might be effective. I have a bottle of 500 mg. The glaucoma presentation suggests 1500 daily, breaking it into a morning and evening dose (750 mg x 2). I added one capsule to my vitamin mix to take after my gym routine. Several hours later and my face feels a bit flushed. That was only 500 mg. Not sure how I'll feel taking a second capsule later... I'm definitely not taking a third capsule.

Soft-boiled egg on ramen

 

I bought some organic eggs on sale over the weekend, just before prices doubled due to the massive bird flu outbreak that has caused chicken farms to cull millions of bird. I don't usually buy organic eggs but they were oddly the cheapest. 

I'm shocked at how orange the yolks are. I haven't seen such deep pigmentation since I got eggs from a friend's free range garden chickens decades ago: she said the yolks were colored by the marigolds her birds liked to eat. I've gotten eggs from other friends, and none of those eggs had the same fiery orange color even though they were also "free range." They also didn't grow marigolds between their tomato plants either.

28 January 2025

Tuesday — All Cardio

Late Chilly Cardio

Precor elliptical #1

Program 3

Time: 30 + 5 (5458)

Distance: 2.79

Cal: 308

Avg Hr: 151, 178-84

New FB: 44-129

HGPU 17 + 1/2

Matrix StairMaster (R)

Manual timer 8+2 cool down

Speed 5 (48-50) / 2 (33) / 1 (31)

Steps 436

Floors 27

Cal 66

Hr 116

HGPU 17

Life Fitness X-Trainer #5

Program Manual L1

Time: 10 (+3 min cool down) = 13

Distance: 1.14

Cal: 99

Avg Hr: 119-122

HGPU 15

20 Hip Bridges

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 25

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

Slippery Sneakers but a Good Workout

It's been a tiny bit warmer at 10F when I took pups to the park this morning. We stayed a little over 45 minutes and by that time the thermometer read 17F. It actually felt warm sitting in the sunlight! Then again, I had on layers with the thin alpaca hoodie sandwiched between fleece, and under my heavy winter parka. Plus hand warmers in my snow gloves.

I had a thought to hit the gym yesterday but I was actually too tired, and had a bunch of chores to get out of the way. I have to set aside a big chunk of time for travel to and from the gym, exercising, showering and changing. It's a few hours in the middle of the day. I went today, knowing that there'd be a Senior class. The gym was surprisingly empty when I arrived, and I had my choice of elliptical machines. (I haven't seen Wind Breaker all week.)

I did regret not wearing the new heavy LLBean hoodie since it was pretty cold inside. Eventually I warmed up. I wanted to do weights, but felt a tad guilty about pull-ups, so I added one set right after cardio. I was surprised that I did so well considering the lack of sleep (the FitBit tracked 5.5 hrs last night and it's not wrong). In the free weight area, I find an available Nautilus bench and start my DB shoulder routine. The familiar exercises feel good although I suffer sporadic shoulder twinges.

My only regret is not scuffing up the soles of the Hokas sneakers I was wearing. I tend to keep my indoor gym shoes clean and unsoiled by street wear and I've never had a problem before, but these Hokas have super slick soles. They don't look slick, but they have little to no traction on smooth surfaces. My feet slide a bit on the elliptical. But they slide a lot on the wood floor of the Aerobics Room when I'm trying to do Wall Sits. 

Again, I skip the Walking Lunges. I know I should do them, but at this point I'm tired and just want to go shower. The gym is filling up, and eventually there's a mix of HS kids and regular adults including Seniors. By the time I leave, it's literally all kids everywhere.

24 January 2025 11:47-1:40

Friday — Cardio and then

Slippery Hokas

Precor elliptical #1

Program 2

Time: 30 + 5 (5514)

Distance: 2.81

Cal: 311

Avg Hr: 163, 203-84

New FB: 42-134

HGPU 17.5

Incl DB Press s/s Lateral Raises s/s Rev Incline Flys

10 lbs x 25/15/25 (12:39)

15 lbs x 25/15/25 (12:46)

29/15/20 x 25/15/25 x 1 (12:53);

2 (1:01); 3 (1:10)

20 Hip Bridges

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2 (tingle)

Push-Ups 25

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

Wall Squat 90 sec / too slippery!