Summer's Gonna Be Unbearable

It was already near 60F when I woke up this morning. Already too freakin' hot! Dogs were panting after a few quick romps through the park. Trees haven't fully leafed out yet (so little shade) but there's a lot of seedling sprouts on the ground. That's unusual for this park. Pups lasted 20 minutes before they got bored enough to start digging and eating dirt. Time to go home. At least our house is well-insulated and cooler. The rest of the week should be more temperate, and that's a relief. 

I was concerned that the gym would be unbearable, but it was actually tolerable. A hot, stuffy gym is not a good gym for frail seniors or prospective new members. The back doors were open and luckily, no flies zipped through. Trash containers are usually at the back and with those doors open, there's a huge likelihood of pesky houseflies finding their way in. I've been pestered by relentless houseflies while in the Aerobics Room. It doesn't help that I'm usually kicking off lots of heat, sweat, and crusted with salt. 

I had a laser procedure (SLT) on my right eye last Friday so I didn't go to the gym. And my weekend saw me doing household chores and some classwork. I'm getting used to being on 4 eye drops but the skin on my eyelids has become ridiculously dry, flaky, and itchy. (I hope I'm not allergic.) That's annoying. And weird. Because eyelids are normally oily. And it's hard to find a gentle moisturizer that's okay to use around thin, sensitive eyelid skin. I've been using Aquaphor, but again, it's not something that should be used in the eye itself. 

All the ellipticals are available so I do my 35 minutes of cardio on machine #1, Program 3. Not as good as I'd like but not horrible considering it's been 3 days. Even pull-ups weren't bad. So far so good. I can even do my Seated Cable Rowing routine even though there are a bunch of people in that area of the gym. It feels late by the time I get to the Aerobics Room. It's pleasantly cool and I'm tempted to skip a few movements. But I don't. Because I don't really have any excuses that sound valid to me. Because that's who I have to justify it to. Me. So I do them all, and find myself almost going over the 90 seconds allotted for Wall Squats. Because I got lost reading a story on my phone. So, not bad...

No gym tomorrow, and temps should peak in the 60s, which is good. When I left the gym, my car said it was 84F. And temps only dropped 2 degrees as I drove home. Not too many bugs yet, but I did get buzzed by flies as I grabbed bags from my car. Yep, it's bug season. And because El Nino is over, summer's gonna be scorching. 

29 April 2024 12:03-1:45

Late Blazing Monday after 3 days off

Precor elliptical #1

Program 3

Time: 30+5 (5634)

Distance: 2.85

Cal: 317

Avg Hr: 156, 188-82

Fitbit: 50-132

HGPU 15.5

Seated Cable Rows

50 lbs x 15

60 x 15

70 x 15, 15, 15

20 Hip Bridges

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

20 Hip Bridges & 10 one-leg

Quick Child’s Pose

Cat stretch 12

Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose

Fire Hydrants 20 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 25

Air Squats 25 (knees)

Arm rotations 20

Walking lunges 36 steps total

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

Wall Squat 90s (!!!)

Less Than Optimal

I'm still not getting to bed early enough to hit that 7-hour sleep benchmark. On most nights, I'm barely touching 6.5 hours, and last night I still hadn't reached 6. But I was closer. Five and three-quarter hours is still not enough sleep, but better than the previous night's five and a half. Baby steps...

Happily, it's Thursday and the parking lot is almost empty. But everyone has the same idea and the gym is actually crowded with regulars. I managed to squeeze onto elliptical #2 since both #1 and #3 were occupied. Temps are moderate outside and I bust a hard sweat after 10 minutes. I'm worried that I won't get past 2.8 because I'm not feeling like a superhero. But I match yesterday's 2.87, much to my relief.

No pull-ups today. Instead, I was able to claim an Inclined Breaker Bench and it was early enough (just a few kids) in the day that there were very few people in the free weight area. I can do all my sets in relative peace with a few stray bodies floating about, none really getting in my way. But by the time I get to the Aerobics Room, I've cooled down a lot and it feels chilly in there. I do everything except the Walking Lunges. I'm just too damn tired, and there's an old guy who can't make up his mind what he's doing or where he wants to be in that room. I don't have the patience or the focus to avoid him while lunging across, so I skip ahead to Wall Squats, and then I'm done. Yaaay!

Tomorrow I skip the gym for another SLT. So that'll be fun. No, not really. And probably no earthquake to worry about. Hopefully. I'll have to take the pups to the park earlier than usual. The puppy play area fence has been repaired and I'm impressed with how seamlessly that was done. But of course, the area is still padlocked (for no apparent reason now) and a bag of repair pieces got left behind... 

The gym locker room has a bunch of announcements plastered on the wall. Looks like the Senior fitness class is popular enough to be offered next month as well. That's great for the gym, but it just means I'm going later in the morning on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to avoid those folks. It's a true test of dedication because it's so easy to get distracted into doing other things... 

25 April 2024 11:47-1:36
Sleep-Deprived Thursday

Precor elliptical #2
Program 2
Time: 30+5 (5662)
Distance: 2.87
Cal: 319?
Avg Hr: 161, 194-82
Fitbit: 52-136

   Skip HGPU 15

Incl DB Press s/s Lateral Raises s/s Rev Incline Flys
10 lbs x 25/15/25 warmup
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
20 Hip Bridges & 10 one-leg
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Fire Hydrants 20 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25 (knees)
Arm rotations 20
   Skip Walking lunges 36 steps total
Neck stretch / Eye yoga
Wall Squat 90s (!!!)

Contraindicated and Yet

I am the poster child for doing things wrong and getting better than expected results. I should take notes even though there's a part of me that is screaming about following the rules. After a few dry weeks, I decided to have a hard cider last night with dinner. The husband had to leave last night for a sudden work meeting early (7 AM!) this morning which begins an onsite testing phase for the projects he's working on. That means I'm on my own for the next few weeks. Like a latchkey kid, I eat snacks for supper (cheddar slices and corn cakes) while watching an old TV show (The Dresden Files on Roku).

It's never advisable to take hypertension medication with adult beverages, but I literally wash the foul little tablet (more bitter than aspirin) down with an Angry Orchard. Because I had a class yesterday, I also didn't exercise. But my BP was lower last night than for the past few days. I skipped drinking chamomile tea last night, which might've been the reason I didn't feel sleepy or tired by 1 AM. Which means morning is going to be hard, but I actually wake up before the alarm goes off. 

Unfortunately, that means less than 6 hours of sleep. And that's apparent when I accidentally leave my water bottle in the car when I go to the gym. It's the first time in over 10 years that I've ever done that. So, yes, I'm a little spacey this morning. 

I've cycled through the routines back to program 1 and I'm already dreading it. But I turn my music on and pedal furiously. Oddly, cardio is better today than it has been for the past few days. My heart rate is closer to normal as well. Has that tiny bit of alcohol blunted the low HR side effect of the glaucoma med Timolol? I don't know.

The gym's not empty but I can still access all the equipment I need to use. While pull-ups aren't great (nowhere near the 23 I used to be able to get), they don't suck either. Anything over a dozen is good in my book. And I'm able to do Seated Cable Rows for this week. Yaaay! Between pull-ups and cable rows, the biceps get enough stress to maintain a nice full peak shape. But it doesn't take much for my arms to keep their muscles. (My husband has always been "jealous" of that aspect of my physiology and hopes my kid has inherited that. Too soon to know.)

I do a full Core workout in the Aerobics Room. I'm a bit surprised when I see other people in there, but by the time I'm done, no one is there. Most people only spend a few minutes doing one or two movements, unlike me with a whole laundry list of items. And I feel guilty if I skip one -- I put them on this list for a reason! 

I'm hoping to go to bed earlier tonight. No adult beverage, but perhaps a nice cup of Twinings Nightly Calm after pups go for their evening walk. I also have Sleepy Time teas but it's important to read the ingredients listed since sometimes I find licorice root included, and as much as I like the slippery sweetness, it's bad for hypertension and glaucoma patients. There's probably not enough to cause any ill effects, but I like to be cautious. And yes, I love black licorice (as does my kid). 

There's a frost warning for tonight, but temps are forecast to hit a ridiculous 80F by Monday. Super crazy weather, and I'm sure the gym won't have the a/c on because it'll still be April and the gym owner is cheap. I realize he's a small business owner and costly amenities have gone by the wayside: no more racks of fitness magazines, the front desk staff also teaches classes and also cleans (no cleaning crew), ceiling lights have gone out in the shower area so it's more like mood lighting, water fountains never turned back on after the pandemic regulations were repealed... I've always brought my own water.  

24 April 2024 12:11-1:51
Sleep Deprived Wednesday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30+5 (5706)
Distance: 2.87
Cal: 320
Avg Hr: 164, 192
Fitbit: 52-136

HGPU 15

Seated Cable Rows
50 lbs x 15
60 x 15
70 x 15, 15, 15

20 Hip Bridges
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
DeadBugs 20 x 5
20 Hip Bridges & 10 one-leg
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Fire Hydrants 20 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25 (knees)
Arm rotations 20
Walking lunges 36 steps total
Neck stretch / Eye yoga
Wall Squat 90s (!!!)

Mondays Are Crowded

I woke up to a frost warning on my phone. It was chilly at 39F and dogs were quite happy at the park, except there was no one else there. Except for the heavy equipment trucks, because finally, the Parks Dept is going to fix the mud problem just outside the dog park gate. And maybe, hopefully, fix the broken fence as well. 

Huge yellow swaths of forsythia are starting to fade. Lilacs haven't made themselves known yet, but while walking the dogs at night, I came across the subtle sweet scent of a Japanese Andromeda (Pieris japonica) shrub. Cascading tiny white bell-shaped flowers exude a delicate fragrance and that's one of the few things I like about Spring. It's cold enough that only a single tiny frog is peeping in the darkness, but at least the kamikaze bugs have gone dormant again. It's Earth Day but I'm not inclined to do much outside except maybe haul in more firewood... because it's been cold.

Program 3

Probably because it was sunny but a bit cold, the gym was crowded. Also, it's Monday. And not raining. Cardio isn't going great. I barely make it to 2.8 on the elliptical, as if I'm fighting the beta blocker for the very first time. Again. Is it because I don't exercise on weekends? I don't know. I usually do well with Program 3, but not today. Pull-ups are moderately better but I'm disappointed and annoyed by the mass of fat old men at the cable stations. Which means no Seated Cable Rows today. It's too late in the day to hit this exercise after doing Core in the Aerobics Room, so I'll just deal with it on another day.

I have another SLT scheduled on Friday, this time for the right eye. Which means no gym on Friday. But there's Wednesday and Thursday. I have a class tomorrow and while I could theoretically hit the gym to do cardio, it'd be stressful to make it to class on time. I tried that once, and I don't like rushing, hate being late. 

The Aerobics Room has a few women already there but at least the room is cool. More fitness classes are being offered at different times but I'm not one to do that. (I do enjoy learning new techniques and the camaraderie of other middle-aged ladies at the arts center.) A tall old guy plops himself down to stretch and I immediately pick up on vibes I don't like. A leggy young woman enters and the old guy leaves. Maybe coincidental. Maybe not.

22 April 2024 12:03-1:22
Chilly Earth Day Monday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30+5 (5462)
Distance: 2.8
Cal: 308
Avg Hr: 154, 188-82
Fitbit: 51-122

HGPU 16.5

20 Hip Bridges
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
DeadBugs 20 x 5
20 Hip Bridges & 10 one-leg
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Fire Hydrants 20 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25 (knees)
Arm rotations 20
Walking lunges 38 steps total
Neck stretch / Eye yoga
Wall Squat 90s (!!!)

Abbreviated Friday

It took me a long time to get to the gym although I did take pups to the park at their regular time. Part of the problem is the Senior class I'm trying to avoid. If I was more rigid with my schedule, I'd be out of my house around 11:15 but today I'm dragging. Probably because I did shoulders yesterday. While I didn't have any trouble waking up, I wasn't feeling very enthusiastic about exercise. Then I got distracted by a missing bird feeder. I went to refill the suet holder and realized that the sunflower seed feeder was gone. Not empty. Completely missing. Except for the cap, which was on the ground. 

My husband found it behind a wood pile several yards away, and it had been bent in half. Weird. He thinks it was a bear. We've had black bear sightings but never on our road. Mostly we get feral cats, raccoons (trash pandas), peepers trilling, and ghostly gobbling from wild turkeys in the back hills. We bent the seed cage back into shape and refilled it for the chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers (red-bellied, downy, and hairy), tufted titmice (pl sp?), house finches, and lately, goldfinches. The hubs also ordered a game cam which should arrive tomorrow.

It's a tad warmer today but overcast. The cardio platform isn't too crowded but I am admittedly tired. Program 2 should be easier but I'm having a hard time getting up to speed. I snap a quick pix of the elliptical dash but slowing down to steady my phone means being admonished by the machine to pedal faster. I'm drenched and breathing hard when I get to the Stretch Cage. I'm glad I can make it past the first dozen reps but don't make it much further. 

I sit down to do Seated Cable Rows since both stations are available. There are a lot of people in the free-weight area but I tend not to pay them much attention. I figure as long as I give myself sufficient rest between sets, I should be able to complete all my reps. And I do.

However, when I enter the refreshing crisp air of the Aerobics Room, I immediately think of all the exercises I can skip today. Because I'm tired. And I still need to go to the grocery afterward. Which means I'm done right after Bird Dogs because stretching out my back and  hips is really the most important function of this part of my routine. 

19 April 2024 12:33-1:54
Warmer Later Friday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30+5 (5636)
Distance: 2.85
Cal: 317
Avg Hr: 159, 196-92
Fitbit: 52-124

HGPU 14.5

Skip Seated Cable Rows
50 lbs x 15
60 x 15
70 x 15, 15, 15
(Feels harder than usual, especially left fingers)

20 Hip Bridges
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
DeadBugs 20 x 5
20 Hip Bridges & 10 one-leg
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Fire Hydrants 20 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Arduous Progress

Program 1 troughs are difficult

Today is the first time in several weeks that I'm doing cardio the day after having done cardio. And although it was really difficult and I felt like I couldn't get my HR to where it should be, I still did better than yesterday. Which is even more remarkable (in my mind) because today I was back to Program 1, which is much more difficult than Program 2 or 3. At least to me. It helped that temps were a good 20 degrees cooler so the gym wasn't swampy (warm and humid). I still worked up a good lather. 

No pull-ups today, and no Senior class! The gym isn't crowded and I can access an Inclined Breaker Bench to do my DB shoulder routine. The anterior delts aren't bothering me so that was reassuring. I get all my sets done and head to the frigid Aerobics Room. I'm tired and tempted to skip a lot of the exercises, but force myself to do everything. Except the Walking Lunges. Because my knees hurt a bit doing Air Squats. And I'm tired. But I still do Wall Squats. Because that actually takes less effort than lunge walking back and across a room. 

I'm hoping cardio is even better tomorrow but I have no idea how it'll go. I'll also have another go at pull-ups. I have to say that I'm quite disappointed in losing reps here, feeling weak and awkward. Figuring this out might take some time...

18 April 2024 11:47-1:33

Gray Chilly Thursday

Precor elliptical #1

Program 1 (super hard)

Time: 30+5 (5706)

Distance: 2.87 (whew!)

Cal: 320

Avg Hr: 154, 182-81

Fitbit: 52-128

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

10 lbs x 25/15/25 warm up

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

20 Hip Bridges & 10 one-leg

Quick Child’s Pose

Cat stretch 12

Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose

Fire Hydrants 20 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 25

Air Squats 25 (knees)

Arm rotations 20

    Skip Walking lunges 36 steps total

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

Wall Squat 90s (!!!)

Naked Wrist Day

I woke up and the FitBit on my wrist promptly alerted me to the fact that it needed charging. Unfortunately, I haven't quite determined a reasonable charging schedule for this wearable and rely on the device announcing its low battery status. It loses power more quickly the more often I sync my phone via its app with the wearable. So if I don't check my HR for the day, the battery lasts longer, but that defeats the purpose of wearing it, so...

That means the FitBit is on the proprietary charger today when I go to the gym. Cardio feels pretty good considering the gym is warmer than I'd like. No a/c yet since it's April. I'm satisfied but not happy with cardio--I imagine my HR is close to where it was on Monday, in the 125-130 range during peak exertion. Pull-ups absolutely suck lately. I feel weak and fat when I hoist myself up. While I'm glad I can knock out at least a dozen, I miss the way they used to be so much easier. Ugh. I'm sure I've put on a few pounds as well, and that's not a good feeling either. After hitting my early 60s, the metabolism has definitely slowed.

I toy with the idea of doing Seated Cable Rows, but both stations are occupied with women I recognize as "regulars" at this later time in the day. They're probably on a lunch break. I'm not the type to waste time waiting around for a station to open up so I go directly to the Aerobics Room which is humid and hot. Probably because Seniors not only don't generate much heat or sweat, but they're also cold intolerant. Probably because they don't generate much heat or sweat. I've seen them walking the treadmill with puffy coats on... 

Core feels routine and standard. When I exit the Aerobics Room, I see that both rowing stations are vacant, but now I'm too sweaty and tired to deal with the influx of HS kids that are entering the gym. I decide to add another set of pull-ups before I leave the gym, just to make up for the loss of Seated Cable Rows. Pull-ups are quick, and while I don't get as many as the first set, at least I get some done. I see some old men staring from their machines, probably because they can't do pull-ups themselves. I'm not concerned, but honestly, I should try and get to the gym earlier rather than later these days.

17 April 2024 12:17-1:39

Overcast Wednesday

Precor elliptical #1

Program 3

Time: 30+5 (5626)

Distance: 2.85

Cal: 317

Avg Hr: 157, 197-83

Fitbit: n/a low battery

HGPU 15 (well that sux)

(Both stations occupied)

Skip Seated Cable Rows

20 Hip Bridges

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

20 Hip Bridges & 10 one-leg

Quick Child’s Pose

Cat stretch 12

Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose

Fire Hydrants 20 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 25

Air Squats 25

Arm rotations 20

Walking lunges 36 steps total

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

Wall Squat 90s (!!!)

HGPU 13 (sux more)