Born Again Gym Rat: Proper Posture To Keep Vertigo At Bay

Friday, June 13, 2014

Proper Posture To Keep Vertigo At Bay

I'm reminded of old flicks where a prim schoolmarm transforms her tom-boy charge into walking like a lady by having her stroll with a saucer on her head, ensuring proper posture and no abrupt unladylike gestures. If I keep my head level, the vertigo isn't that bad. But I had to really focus driving to the gym in the drizzly fog this morning. The weather appears to be perfect cover for all sorts of creatures though. This morning while at my kitchen sink, I saw a deer not more than 10 feet from the back of the house. She flicked her ear and a tiny spotted fawn came running out from under our privet hedge. It stood under its mother and repeatedly butted her belly, looking to nurse. Then a car came down the road and the deer and her baby disappeared into the swampy woods behind our property. There are snails everywhere too. Usually we find slugs. This is the first year we've seen actual shelled creatures. Perhaps we'll find some crayfish as well.

The biting bugs are out in troves. This is the time of year when I look like I have the measles. But today is Leg Day and I'm determined to do my full workout, vertigo or not. I always feel tired when I start and energized when I'm done. It's as if exercise taps all my body's stored energy and makes it finally available to me. Otherwise I'm perpetually cold and sluggish. Again, I do my 2 miles with 4 minutes of Tabata. It's harder today but still feels good.

There are a lot of new faces in the gym. I have to wait for the Smith machine because some kid is doing what looks to be calf raises. But finally he's done and I get to do my Squats. And then I do my SLDLs because it's been forever. Okay, it's been two weeks. I'm surprised at how heavy 140 lbs feels. 160 lbs is going to suck. I actually get 10 reps but my form starts to fall apart so for the next two sets, I stick to 8 reps. Everytime I grab my water or my cell, I have to remember to squat down and keep my head level. I don't want to barf on my feet and I certainly don't want to fall over because the room is spinning. I try to move very deliberately.

I do a quick Cage Stretch and have a nice chat with D who is boxing the Nexersys. She pauses it but eventually it dumps her program. "Well, it would probably help if I actually logged in," she says. She's been out with an odd viral infection as well, but hers closed up her throat so that she couldn't speak. A few days of prednisone and she feels as good as new. She tells me that I should try taking Mucinex because I'm probably all congested inside my ears. Bleah. I'd rather not. Guaifenesin is used to thin mucous. It's the expectorant in cough syrup. My sister used it to get pregnant because it thins your mucous lining everywhere in your body, not just your lungs.

I know, Leg Day but
I'm posting Arm pix

Then just three sets each of Seated Leg Extensions, Seated Leg Curls, and Glute-Ham Raises at the Lat Pull Down Station. I get back on the elliptical and do 3 more miles. After 5 minutes, I can't resist doing Tabata for 4 minutes. Then I see that the Step Mills are empty so I clamber onto one and do 10 minutes there. I see the big guy with the Daniel Ryan T-shirt. He was at the gym yesterday with his crippled girlfriend. She's been on crutches for what seems a year.

I suddenly realize that both he and M have also incorporated some sort of HIIT cardio into their workouts, albeit, on the treadmill. You can tell from the running and then sudden walking, then running. M seems to have gotten leaner. I wish I would get leaner. I'm running as fast as I can just to stay in place. Neither my weight nor body fat have changed in several weeks. I can only surmise that if I didn't do this much cardio, I'd be as fat as a house. Ah, the wonders of menopause. I might actually have to cut my calories and I worry that 1) it will make me really cranky and more importantly, 2) it will make my son even more self-conscious about his size and weight than he already is.

The mats are crowded and I'm not in the mood so I head directly to the showers instead of stretching out. I get annoyed at the woman who has planted all her gear on the bench and floor while she combs her hair in the mirror. Her locker door is open and she still has stuff in there too. Her locker is directly over my locker. I have a big shiny brass lock on my locker. It's not like you don't know that locker has someone who's going to come back to it. Uncharacteristic of me, but I just move her stuff out of the way. I don't even say nicely, "I'm going to move your stuff." I just move it. Because she's certainly old enough to know better. And after I strip off my nasty gym gear and grab my towel and soap, I cram all my stuff back in the locker. Because there's no reason to take up space in a tiny locker room if you're not actually sitting there using it.

When I get out of the shower, she's gone. I'm glad. After I dress I head to the supermarket because Cub Scouts have their Rocket Night tomorrow and our Den is to provide beverages. While I'm shopping, I see the big Daniel Ryan dude. He's shopping alone. I see a lot of people from the gym at this supermarket but I rarely speak to any of them. When I'm in the checkout line, he suddenly shows up behind me. I'm too weirded out to even turn and say Hi. Oh well...

Leg Day

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