Friday, May 23, 2025

The Heat Kicked On At My House

I'm loathe to retrieve the two winter parkas I washed weeks ago (and put away in my closet). Instead, I've been doubling down on layers. Good thing I have small and medium sized items that I can layer over each other. Today, because temps registered 43F, I had on a T-shirt, button up flannel, thin fleece vest, sherpa fleece hoodie, Baerskin thick fleece hoodie, fleece hat, and then a hooded rain shell. I might've moved like an overstuffed plushie, but at least I wasn't cold. Dogs, of course, are happiest when it is cooler. It's been raining sporadically, but nothing horrible. We are not getting the brunt of the nor'easter this time. Wet isn't great but it doesn't really bother them. Except that it means absolutely no one else is at the park.

I forgot to set my alarm last night and woke up a tad later than I planned. For the first time in weeks, I woke up feeling rested with the remnants of a relatively pleasant dream which, of course, I don't actually remember the details of. Last night I did not drink any chamomile tea, did not take any melatonin, did not drink any adult beverages. What I did have was a small juice glass (6-8 oz) of organic tart cherry juice. I've read that it works because it contains melatonin, but the amount is significantly less than tablets proclaim. So maybe something else in the cherry juice? Maybe it's the tryptophan? Or the ability to reduce inflammation? I'm going to rinse and repeat to see if this really works.

Still got pups to the park for 45 minutes before rushing home to bring the kid to the second day of training. Which, I later discover, is actually just working the register. I got to the gym later than I had planned, yet again, but still had enough time to get everything done. I skipped a few items for the sake of making time. I did do all the "important stuff" like 35 minutes of cardio, a set of pull-ups (which I was worried about because I trimmed my hedges yesterday and afterwards I couldn't hold my mug of coffee without both hands gripping it), and then the combo triceps BB routine with DBs for delts and biceps.

The hedge trimming was a spur of the moment thing, after backing into my driveway and taking out some scarce rhododendren blooms with my side mirror. Forsythias and privets have bushed out in the constant rain, making the entrance to my driveway resemble the hidden exit for the batmobile in that iconic TV show. I spent an hour or more with my trusty manual hedge trimmers, lopping off errant tendrils and leafy twigs. My forearms got sore and I couldn't grip anything heavy for half the day, which was just fine as an excuse not to go to the gym. 

I'm recovered today although still a bit tired. So cardio was okay, but not great. And while my hands felt fine, my fingers were sore, which makes it hard to hang on when doing pull-ups. Still, not unhappy with my workout. The gym was much more crowded today. Not only is it Friday, it's the Friday before a holiday weekend, which means schools normally let out early as a half day. There's a lot of kids at the gym today. 

Because it's raining most of the time, the humidity is very high and I'm drenched. My cheeks are festively red and sweat is dripping off my nose. But the workout was satisfactory and I'm done until Monday. I think I might try to catch a last $5 movie next Tuesday, the very last day before the cinema closes for good. It's a toss up between Thunderbolts* and Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning. Maybe I'll try to catch both... depends on my kid's work schedule. We have no idea what it might be yet.

23 May 2025 12:06-1:38
Friday — Cardio et al
Abbreviated Nor’easter

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30 + 5 (5414)
Distance: 2.78
Cal: 306
Avg Hr: 137, 186-71
New FB: 43-126

HGPU 17 (sore fingers)

Skull Crushers/RipSkulls
30 lbs x 24 reps x 4
S/s with
DB Laterals
10 lbs x 15 reps x 1
15 x 15 x 3

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 40
Arm rotations 20
Air Squats 25
Neck stretch / Eye yoga


Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Back to the Gym

Temps have dropped and a rare "late" nor'easter is forecast to arrive tomorrow evening. Welcome to interesting times. Spent the weekend driving up to Buffalo with the hubs, had lunch at a quaint little diner in Little Falls, NY right near the Erie Canal and Lock 17, packed up our kid on Sunday including the mini fridge that had been abused by irresponsible roommates and was not in the pristine condition we expected, and then drove home Sunday. 

Stopped in Corning (of the famed Corning Glass museum) for lunch at an eclectic BBQ joint, then got home at dusk. In the driveway, the kid had to wash the sticky oozy slime out of the fridge before it got stored in the garage! Picked up puppers Monday morning, took them to the park to de-stress, then took the kid to dental and medical appointments. Meanwhile, the kid managed to get an interview for a local summer job. Yes, I'm impressed.

Happily, my sciatica has been under control, but I never want to look a gift horse in the mouth. So I went to the gym today. I can't go tomorrow as I have my annual exam (fasting blood work) and later, my dentist managed to squeeze me in to look at some problematic nerves in my mouth. This does not make me happy. It's not that the sciatica has completely disappeared since I still feel it when I get up in the morning. But after trudging up and down the hill at the dog park every day, the pain and stiffness melts away. At least until the next morning.

I get to the gym so much later than I wanted, but I still had my choice of cardio equipment. Wind Breaker shows up just as I'm finishing the last 15 minutes of my program. Once I exited the area, I saw that he jumped on the machine I had been on. I guess it really is the best Precor elliptical out of the four. My pull-ups kind of suck today and I just missed by a rep for each set when I compare today to last week. I cut my time in the Aerobics Room short and skip everything after Air Squats because I needed to rush home to drive my kid to the job interview. Thank goodness it's local.

I spent an hour shopping at the Job Lot waiting for my kid who was a few storefronts down the strip. I'm thinking it's going well because it's an hour before we meet up, just as I'm on line waiting to pay for all these interesting snacks from Italy and Poland that I'm sure I'll never see again. Apparently my kid has a job for the summer since there is now a required shirt color and three days of training later in the week. Once there's an established work schedule, we'll figure out driving lessons. Not that I'm buying another car. But the ability to drive legally is important, should the need arrive. Tomorrow, between appointments, I'll be in search of green shirts. Apparently any green will do...

20 May 2025 12:33-2:29
Tuesday — All Cardio
Cooler Spring 58°F

Precor elliptical #1 
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5516)
Distance: 2.82
Cal: 311
Avg Hr: 150, 195-81
New FB: 43-140

HGPU 18

Matrix StairMaster (L) 1:22-1:32
Manual timer 8+2 cool down
Minimum 5 minutes
Speed 5 (50-48) / 2 (33-36) / 1 (29)
Steps 450
Floors 28
Cal 67
Hr 120

HGPU 16

Life Fitness X-Trainer #3 
Program Manual L1
Time: 12 (+3 min cool down) = 15
Distance: 1.27
Cal: 112
Avg Hr: 120-123

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 25 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 40 (counted to 20 twice)
Arm rotations 20
Air Squats 25


Thursday, May 15, 2025

Rain and then Momentary Sun

It's been raining a lot and the hedges I trimmed last weekend look as if they'd never been touched. I had an appointment with the periodontist's hygienist who cleaned my teeth and then recommended that I see my regular dentist right away because there's some nerve inflammation visible in the lone x-ray taken. I'm familiar with nerve inflammation. That's the cause of my chronic sciatica, and the reason I only had one dose of the shingles vaccine even though I've had shingles more than once, each time worse than the last. I'm pretty sure the first dose precipitated a sciatica attack that lasted for weeks.

Lately the sciatica only bothers me first thing in the morning, usually as I'm taking my dogs to the park. After an hour of tramping around up and down the hillside, and then sitting to read my phone and enjoy all the ambient noises of passing traffic and local songbirds, my sciatica virtually disappears. It's the sitting on the picnic table that helps because I can sit with my heels flat and my knees slightly above my hips. Because I'm really short with super short calves, I have trouble sitting comfortably on regular benches and chairs, meant for the average human, but not for me. Sshhhh. I'm literally child-size and very comfortable with a kid's chair at home. 

On the drive home yesterday, a very slow truck pulled in front of me. I had to get closer to find out what was hanging off the back bumper and only pulled out my phone when we hit a lengthy red light in town. Well, I've never seen that before. Hoping it gets donated to the Wolf Conservatory cuz those beasties need raw meat, and tend to scavenge when appropriate.

Today, I discovered a showy flowering plant in the obstacle course section of the dog park. According to Google Image Search, it's a Spanish bluebell, an invasive plant that is actually widely available to gardeners through big box retailers. It's not in my yard so I'm not worried about it. It'll most likely get trampled by all the other dogs that visit the park... there's no one today, well, because it's raining.

The parking lot has few cars in it when I arrive at the gym, probably because it's Thursday which isn't traditionally a popular exercise day. I get to the gym so much later than I'd like. I always plan to arrive around 11-11:30 and wind up lucky to show up somewhere past noon. At least it's not raining hard this morning. I got on the elliptical #1 and it made a lot of noise while I was pedaling. It's old and needs maintenance. I had wet my head before I left the house so I wasn't itching nearly as badly today, but I still had to grit my teeth when I felt pinpricks on my spine and shoulder blades. 

I did one set of pull-ups and was mildly disappointed that I couldn't match last week's 19 reps. On the other hand, I did feel the pull-ups in the center of my back, which was unusual. Then I went in search of a Nautilus bench so I could do the the rest of my routine. I found one in one of the many combination bench/squat cages lining the periphery of the free weight area, so I dragged it out to the center of the space to use. I don't care as long as I have room to do my own thing and no one gets in my way. As the day wears on, the area gets very crowded with HS kids. Ah, classes are over.

I added more reps to the heavier sets and that wasn't bad at all. Maybe I'm getting stronger? It's very humid and warm so sweat is raining off the tail of my braid like a wick. All those extra DB Press and Reverse Fly reps take their toll later when I attempt to do push-ups. I did them but it was a struggle and they were not pretty. I avoided doing Walking Lunges because I need to be able to help move my kid out of his dorm room this weekend. Plus, a 6-hr drive to Buffalo and back is hard on the glutes anyway. I don't understand people who can drive for hours. Maybe I just envy them. 

I had two ultra ripe bananas and no desire to make banana bread. I had used a recipe using ripe bananas with oatmeal. It was okay. This one adds peanut butter, but again with the caveat that it's not very sweet (even though there's sugar in the peanut butter). The recipe suggested adding chocolate chips. I didn't buy chocolate chips but take out the brown sugar that I already have. However, I forgot to add brown sugar (actually wasn't sure how much to use). The cookies turned out nice and chewy, but absolutely not sweet. I'm thinking I need to make a simple orange icing (orange juice, powdered sugar, butter) to drizzle over the cookies. That'll work.

15 May 2025 12:49-2:45
Thursday — Cardio et al
Weird Weather & I need more sleep

Precor elliptical #1 
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5582)
Distance: 2.83
Cal: 314
Avg Hr: 156, 194-79
New FB: 44-131

HGPU 17.5 (center back feels it)

Incl DB Press s/s Lateral Raises s/s Rev Incline Flys 
10 lbs x 25/15/25 
15 lbs x 25/15/25
20/15/20 lbs x 30/15/30; 30/15/32; 30/15/35 reps (3 sets total)

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 40
Arm rotations 20
Air Squats 25
Neck stretch / Eye yoga


Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Walking Lunges Are Kicking My Butt

I did a lap of Walking Lunges last Friday after having not done them for several weeks. By later that night, my glutes and quads had started to stiffen. Saturday was painful with ultimate soreness achieved by Sunday, where walking up the stairs made me feel old. Not that my knees or hips ached. Nope, it was the glutes. Walking Lunges are by far, the one exercise that elicits the biggest DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) reaction for me. (Click here to read more about Walking Lunges.)

My biceps were slightly tender from the 3 sets of curls, but my butt hurt for days from just waltzing across the Aerobics Room and back. I wasn't even carrying any weights, no DBs in hand. Walking Lunges is a grand compound movement that activates not only glutes and quads but also hamstrings and calves. And not merely the big glutes, but all the smaller muscles involved with flexing the hip and stabilizing the core. Otherwise you fall over.

I skipped Monday. At first I planned to go, but then I remembered that the Monday after a gluttonous holiday weekend is usually crowded. Sunday was Mother's Day. My hubs actually came home on Friday (surprise!) and suggested we should go out to eat when he saw a lot of guys in the supermarket with bouquets declaring Happy Mother's Day. We went to a local Mexican place and had a nice meal, although it wasn't so crowded to justify them forgetting to put out chips and salsa, or even asking us if we wanted dessert. Maybe it's because I'm a really slow eater and still had half a quesadilla when the waitress slapped the check down on the table. Anyway, I have cups of flan (my favorite dessert) in the fridge...

At noon, the gym had only a few members inside. The theater starts their $5 Tuesday showings at 1:30 so the parking lot isn't crowded yet. I'd like to see that new Marvel film Thunderbolts* and there are several showings. Next week will be the last time I'll be able to avail myself of such cheap movie tickets since the cinema is closing after 15 years. The new landlord is refusing to renew their lease. Which is odd considering that the tiny restaurant next door closed over a year ago and has not been replaced. There are other vacant spaces in the strip including a Weight Watchers and a Verizon phone store. The RiteAid at the other end will be closing soon. My gym is there along with a pizzeria, a Spanish restaurant, a laundromat, wine shop, a few salons and a big chain grocery anchor at the very end.

 

It's early enough that no one is on any of the elliptical machines so I get on #1 and pedal program #3. I slathered skin cream on before I put my gym gear on this morning but it didn't really help me fight the painful pinprick itching I endure as my body reaches the threshold temperature where it will actually sweat. Not sure if everyone with my type of ichthyosis vulgaris experiences this (Google AI suggests that this is common for people like me), but all I could do (besides scratch) was fantasize about pouring a bottle of water over my head and body. Ugh. Eventually, the sweat starts dripping down my face and back, and the itching stops. Next time I might douse my head under the sink before I step out onto the cardio platform.

With sweat running off my face like it's raining, I felt so much better. But I didn't feel particularly strong and struggle to get my pull-ups. Maybe I'm not ingesting enough protein? I have been eating more salads lately, and alternating between having half a banana (for the potassium) and just taking a mineral supplement (potassium gluconate 650 mg = 99 mg potassium). A medium banana should provide 422 mgs of potassium. And if I eat bananas, I have to drink tomato juice. Or vegetable cocktail juice. Or I could get cliche and drink prune juice because 1 cup = 707 mg K. (Bananas and prune juice would be killer but I might have trouble leaving the house.) All this just to lower my blood pressure...

It's Cardio Day and I follow my routine. I'm not rushing because I haven't decided whether it's worth it to do an abbreviated workout just to see a movie I can probably stream later during the summer. It is only $5 and I would be supporting a local business. But still, I don't want to rush or do a shortened routine. Tomorrow I have a follow-up dentist appointment with the periodontist and that makes me nervous even though I floss and brush religiously. 

The rest of the routine was routine, except that push-ups felt really hard today. I did complete two sets of 20 back-to-back. Air Squats are definitely easier than the Side Lunges. I don't even know why I'm doing Side Lunges, except that some part of me says I should be able to do them. When I was on the cross-trainer, I saw a "regular" on the treadmill who I used to call (in my mind) Square Jaw. He's middle-aged and has heavily tattooed arms. I've only ever seen him doing cardio and only on the treadmill.

I mention him because out of all the "old regulars" from before the pandemic, he looks the worse... if he were a woman, I'd swear he had "Ozempic arms" like he was on a starvation diet. Women, especially celebs in the news a lot, have been sporting ghastly skeletal arms attached to bony cadaverous frames. Cuz if it's not that, then he's got a bad wasting illness. Other old regulars have put some size back on, as if they've recovered from their ailments. But this guy's not looking good. And some old guys just haven't returned at all. Like Snow Bird.

13 May 2025 12:00-2:00
Tuesday — All Cardio
Cloudy Spring 70°F

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30 + 5 (5550)
Distance: 2.82
Cal: 313
Avg Hr: 156, 196-90
New FB: 44-148

HGPU 18.5

Matrix StairMaster (L)
Manual timer 8+2 cool down
Speed 5 (50-45) / 2 (33-36) / 1 (29)
Steps 438
Floors 27
Cal 66
Hr 127

HGPU 17

Life Fitness X-Trainer #3 
Program Manual L1
Time: 12 (+3 min cool down) = 15
Distance: 1.31
Cal: 113
Avg Hr: 120-128


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 25 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 40 (counted to 20 twice)
Arm rotations 20
Air Squats 25
Side Lunges 10 each side (better)
Neck stretch / Eye yoga


Friday, May 9, 2025

Late to the Party

No one to play with
Flash flood warnings started last night and will continue through tomorrow. Sunday promises to be dry though. I might trim my hedges then since all this rain has made everything sprout, bloom and grow like crazy weeds. Literally. It was pouring when I finally left for the gym and I got there a lot later than I had planned. I did manage to get a Precor elliptical although I was prepared to do different cardio if necessary. The big (tall) regular was already pedaling machine #1 so I got on #3. Eventually Wind Breaker showed up, dripping with rain. He got on #4 and I noticed, for the first time, the awful stench of old alcohol, and then manure. He really stank! I don't even want to surmise whether it's a medical condition, but that was gross. I had to pedal with my head turned toward the vacant machine #2, ant least until machine #1 cleared. Then Wind Breaker switched machines. Phew!

I was satisfied with cardio (made it past 2.8) and even pull-ups were good. In spite of the heavy rain, the free weight area wasn't very crowded. I saw a Nautilus bench but it wasn't near any of the weights I planned to use. Instead, I decided to try a different routine and tossed my hoodie onto a basic flat bench. During pull-ups, I had noticed that my right tricep seemed a tad sore. Kind of odd considering I hadn't done anything that would warrant that. 

Claiming the 30 lb solid BB and some DBs enabled me to do my basic tricep routine and intersperse DB lateral raises. Later, I added a few alternating DB curls just for fun. Admittedly, it's been a long time since I've done anything akin to curls and I was vaguely curious about how it would feel. Since my elbows and delts are delicate and sensitive, I use 10 lb DBs to warm up for lateral raises. When I switch up to the 15s, I add three sets of seated DB curls. And because I tend to get bored, I did a set of alternate curls, then a set of hammer curls, and finally, a set of reverse curls. Next time, maybe I won't alternate left and right arms. That would be more difficult, but still allow me to angle my forearms to prevent too much tendon stress. Remember, I have ridiculously tender elbows. No need to give myself tennis elbow or golfer's elbow!

I had the Aerobics Room to myself except for a brief moment when I was moving from push-ups to air squats. A middle-aged fellow comes in, drops a mat and proceeds to do a quick bird dog plank. I'm not sure if he did both sides but it couldn't've been more than a minute a piece for each side. (I've actually never seen a guy do bird dog planks before.) My resistance to doing regular planks is the amount of numbness and tingling that I can bear. My brain tells me that the tingling is nerve damage, which is reversible if not prolonged. But no one actively seeks to do things that lead to tingling and numbness, right?

I did Walking Lunges and did not fall on my face. Yaaay me. I also finished with Wall Sits. That wasn't horrible. All in all, a pretty decent workout so I'm pleased. I'm also quite pleased to have accidentally come across a "new" singer on YouTube. How it happened was quite weird though: I subscribe to a lot of YT channels and they all have ads interspersed in them. Toward the end of one that I was listening to (while reading an article on my phone), I was suddenly aware of a wildly happy tune. I thought it was a commercial and I looked up to see a guy dancing around in a mall with his phone in one hand and a beverage in the other. Like one of those old Apple ads. It cheered me up and I waited to see what product it was selling. It ended and then the program I had been listening to continued. I scrolled back and that mall dancing video was nowhere. 

Searching Google, I eventually stumbled across something called Role Model. I had to scroll through several screen shots to find the vid I was looking for. Then I discovered he was a kid (27 years old) named Tucker Pillsbury who has been performing since before the pandemic and now has sold out shows. I think he's playing MSG in July! What the actual fuck?! I watched a bunch of his music vids and I can honestly say he reminds me mostly of Jason Mraz with a tiny bit of Alex Benjamin. The video titled Scumbag has an unconventional sweetness with a delirious energy. It's one of my favorites so far because I can't help but smile when I watch it. The same goes for the mall dancing one as well. It's kind of how I feel when I'm listening to my tunes at the gym. Really. If I wasn't actually following an exercise routine, I might be dancing with myself. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Below: Sally, When the Wine Runs Out


9 May 2025 12:47-2:28
Friday — Cardio et al
Flood Watch! Potassium experiment

Precor elliptical #3
Program 3
Time: 30 + 5 (5584)
Distance: 2.84
Cal: 315
Avg Hr: 157, 205-81
New FB: 41-137

HGPU 19.5!

Skull Crushers/RipSkulls
30 lbs x 24 reps x 3
S/s with
DB Laterals
10 lbs x 15 reps x 1
15 x 15 x 4 sets

DB alt curls straight hammer reverse
15 lbs x 12 reps ea x 3 sets total

20 Hip Bridges (2:09)
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 20x2
Arm rotations 20
Air Squats 25
Walking Lunges 20/19
Neck stretch / Eye yoga
Wall Squat 120 sec



Thursday, May 8, 2025

A Beautiful Morning

My red maple has totally leafed with a huge canopy. The hedges have filled in overnight, and I can smell lilacs in the air. There was no one at the Bark Park so the dogs were disappointed but we go for a quick walk to the adjacent ball field before driving home. It's been quite the season for dandelions and they have ripened overnight as well. Fields of bright yellow buttons are now fluffy white "poofy heads" (what my kid used to call them when he was wee). There are so many poofy heads that the field has a white horizon line. It's all the rain. Not raining today but tomorrow and probably into the coming weekend.

Yesterday I took myself to a matinee showing of The Accountant 2 cuz it was $5 Tuesday at the local cinema. The theater is closing at the end of the month and I'll be sorry to see them go. Word is that the landlord refused to renew their lease after 15 years. The space next to them has been vacant for over a year. (Not sure what the landlord is planning since RiteAid, at the other end of this strip, has announced a second bankruptcy and is closing all their stores.) I quite enjoyed the movie. It might be better than the first one, also with Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal. I just haven't decided whether to see Thunderbolts* at the cinema, or wait until it streams, which is what I'll do regarding A Minecraft Movie, although that does look like fun. And apparently, the term "chicken jockey" has become a disruptive phrase among school age juveniles.

Because it's a beautiful day, aka not pouring with lightning and high winds, there's hardly anyone inside the gym. I'm a little shocked about the abundant parking, so I guess the Senior class either was sparsely attended or on hiatus. There is, however, a regular on elliptical #1 so I used #3 and that works out fine. I actually manage past 2.8 so I feel pretty good. The pull-ups weren't as good though, but at least I didn't embarrass myself -- to myself cuz I'm the only one who counts, right? So my routine was routine all the way through core and push-ups and air squats and side lunges.

The gym however, has acquired a new machine that staffers were busy assembling. Or rather, one fellow spent a few hours piecing it together, and later, other staffers were trying to figure out how to make it work. I took a few pix and did an online search. Google tells me it might be a Renegade Air Ski with base plate. Other image searches suggest it's a Cascade Raptor Functional trainer. (It does have a Cascade label on it.) Regardless, it uses a flywheel for resistance and it has handles that can be set at different angles. It might be fun to try out...

7 May 2025 12:14-2:30
Wednesday — All Cardio
Beautiful Spring 65°F & Weird New Equipment

Precor elliptical #3
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5526)
Distance: 2.82
Cal: 313
Avg Hr: 159, 190-84
New FB: 44-135

HGPU 18.5

Matrix StairMaster (L) 
Manual timer 8+2 cool down
Minimum 5 minutes
Speed 5 (50-45) / 2 (33-36) / 1 (29)
Steps 432
Floors 27
Cal 65
Hr 117

HGPU 17

Life Fitness X-Trainer #3 
Program Manual L1
Time: 12 (+3 min cool down) = 15
Distance: 1.24
Cal: 111
Avg Hr: 122-126
(Numb toes)

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 25 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 40 (counted to 20 twice)
Arm rotations 20
Air Squats 25
Side Lunges 10 each side 
Neck stretch / Eye yoga


Friday, May 2, 2025

End of the Week Session

I skipped the past three days so today was difficult cardio-wise. I didn't get anywhere close to 2.8 and my quads were already tired. I can blame fatigue (still not getting to sleep early enough), getting a noxious stomach ailment mid-week, and being knocked down by my bigger dog as he was doing crazy zoomies with another pup at the dog park. He took out one of my knees and I landed on my butt. Luckily most of the dog park is filled with wood chips so the landing was uneventful. The knee recovered and then the one that was spared started to ache intermittently. 

The weather's been crazy with high humidity leading to thunderstorms and sporadic rain makes me spacey. Tuesday night I ate a meal compiled from a bunch of leftovers, and either a component was bad or I ate too much, and suddenly I was ill. Normally a bout of vomiting and all is well. Except this time, being sick left really bad side effects on my face: periorbital petechaie. It's faded somewhat, but still visible. 

Because I have rather difficult skin that isn't very elastic, I worry that the distortions under my eyes will become permanent. This has never happened to me before, and I've been sick plenty of times in my life. But being older means my skin is even drier and less resilient. (My kid once gave himself two black eyes when he got sick at a luau when we were vacationing in Hawaii. We had to take him to the ER just to make sure he didn't have any serious blood diseases!)

It's taken me two days to remember that I can place damp used teabags on my eyes to help soothe them, and potentially reduce the blotchy swollen flesh underneath. Worse case scenario, I've read that hemorrhoid cream works wonders. But that's a last resort.

It's Friday and nearing 80F with cloudy skies and blistering sunshine. The lilacs seemed to have leafed and flowered overnight! The air is perfumed and luscious. Suddenly the red maple in front of the house has a full canopy when just last week there were just little annoying tree flowers raining all over my car. The gym is not crowded and I pedal my program on the elliptical, get a set of pull-ups and then look for an adjustable bench in the free weight area.

Unfortunately, both Nautilus benches are in use but I saw another adjustable bench that I can use, even though my feet don't touch the ground when I sit in it in an angled upright position. So most of my DB Inclined Bench Presses are done with my feet tucked all the way up to my butt, knees bent. Because I'm small enough to sit in a big inclined bench that way. I know where the Nautilus benches are though, so when the one closest to me is suddenly vacant, I grab all my gear and switch benches. Whew. Never mind that I just finished the first heavy set. The next two sets are infinitely easier because the bench is narrower and doesn't sit as high.  

I have the Aerobics Room to myself and it's delightfully frigid. Everything is routine, except the push-ups. Because after a lot of DB presses, well, that's normal. Especially since I've been adding a few reps here and there to the sets of presses and reverse flyes. So 25 is the minimum number of reps, but I find that often I can do more. The only reps that stay consistent are for DB Lateral Raises, because the elbows absolutely will not put up with more weight or more reps. Weakest link and all that... 

Meanwhile, I feel vindicated about preferring ibuprofen over acetaminophen. I like the fact that the former is an anti-inflammatory, and maybe the Tylenol-cyanide tampering scare in the 80s has also influenced me. But I read a recent article about cognitive impacts of these meds, and yes, they are slight, but they seem to be persistent. Click here and here to read about it. 

I started adding bananas back to my diet on a regular basis after reading that it could help lower blood pressure if using less salt isn't working. I've already doubled my dose of hypertension meds and don't want to add a diuretic -- especially since I already drink a lot of water and take frequent bathroom breaks. While I'm not going to add 1-2 bananas a day, I did start eating 1-2 a week, and yes, my home BP machine has recorded lower readings. The only downside is that bananas are binding. As in, if you have the poops, you're told to eat the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. So, now I've added low-sodium tomato or vegetable juice back as well, just to counteract the bananas! So far, that seems to be working. (I had stopped drinking tomato juice after the oral surgery cuz stitches and acidic liquids do not go well together.)

Going to a rally tomorrow in the rain with a friend. She's much older than me but remains alert and active. We compare notes about what no one ever tells you before you get old. Thank goodness I don't think I'll ever need a double hip replacement like she had. Or her cousin, who is actually a candidate for that, and she is younger than me. Must be genetics. So as much as I complain about my skin, my glaucoma, my sciatica, I'm happy and lucky that I've never broken any bones, I'm still decently strong, don't really need glasses (1x readers in low light) and the hair isn't graying too fast... Life is okay. And I got my first insect bites of the season, through my pants leg. Of course.

2 May 2025 12:31-2:38
Friday — Cardio et al
Gonna be 80° and Raining

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5364)
Distance: 2.76
Cal: 303
Avg Hr: 139, 188-74?
New FB: 43-138

HGPU 19

Incl DB Press s/s Lateral Raises s/s Rev Incline Flys
10 lbs x 25/15/25 (1:26);
15 lbs x 25/15/25 (1:32);
20/15/20 x 25, 26,30/15/27, 32, 32 reps
Sets 1 (1:42); 2 (1:51); 3 (2:01)

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 20x2? Rep33+ was hard
Arm rotations 20
Air Squats 25
Neck stretch / Eye yoga
Wall Squat 120 sec



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