Born Again Gym Rat: Working Through and Not Around

Friday, February 26, 2016

Working Through and Not Around

Even though Winter Storm Petros has passed, we're still reeling from the aftermath. There are downed trees everywhere, and several neighborhoods are still without power. Convoys of utility bucket trucks cruise the main roads. Our road was mostly spared, until late last night when I heard my generator kick on and all the clocks went dark. The power was still out this morning so no microwaving my hot water for instant coffee. No oatmeal and egg for breakfast. Because I try to keep the fridge closed during outtages, I don't even root around for my yogurt and maple syrup. I can light my propane gas stove with a match to get a kettle of water going. My son is bummed but because he's not distracted by his phone or the TV, he's actually dressed and ready for the school bus before the alarm goes off. Yes, I have timers on my cell phone for everything, from administering my eye drops, to getting my son up, to meeting the school bus later in the afternoon.

The itchiness on my neck has returned with a vengeance after I almost thought it was all clear. At some point I'll be forced to contact a dermatologist who will prescribe a cream that probably won't do anything. I'm always worried that it's something much much worse, like throat cancer that's manifesting itself as itchy skin. Well, at least my dog's not sniffing me nervously. My sciatica is a bit worse since Tuesday's kickboxing session. Moves like Knee-Ins are especially bad when you have an inflamed sciatic nerve.

I skipped yesterday's workout in favor of resting the sciatic nerve, and finalizing the Cub Scout program for my son's Blue & Gold Banquet. I also had an eye doc appointment where my pressures checked out phenomenally well at 12 and 14. The laser procedures are apparently working, which is good, because lately I've noticed a disturbing grayness in the center of my visual field. It's not noticeable all the time, but when I do notice it, well... I'm freaked out about already losing some of my vision, and there's nothing I can do about it except what I'm already doing, which is exercising and administering my eye drops religiously.

Today I get to the gym and again feel sluggish to start. Once I warm up though, I'm a different person. The pull ups have been hard on my hands lately. I only do 3 sets today, but they're sets of 21 reps. I'm not planning to bench, and put all my energy into push up reps. I knock out 3 sets of 100 rep sets, and I have to admit that that makes me happy. Planks are still a bit shaky since my right wrist and shoulder have been bothering me. I do crunches as well, and notice for the first time that the inside of my thighs flex when I curl up. I am wearing workout pants, but not my usual ones.

Because I'm not going to kill myself doing massive amounts of pull ups, I decide that a few RG BB Rows will be good for my back. I can tell that different muscles are in play with this movement. But today I stop short of going "heavy" because I want to put more energy into the DB Lateral Raises superset with DB Reverse Incline Flyes. I see Shaggy today, and he's got a new girl friend. Finally. I almost laugh out loud, but manage to just smile to myself.

I do Drag Curls and then another set of pull ups. You'd think this would make it much harder, but it doesn't because it's not biceps pulling up, but lats. It's hard to explain, or even teach. I'd like to teach my son how to do this, but he's not quite there yet. For my last 30 minutes of cardio, I do Intervals on the Precor. No backward pedaling, but I like the pacing. I also do most of my Mat Stretch even though there are parts that really aggravate my sciatica. The piriformis stretch at the end helps to remedy some of that discomfort. The scale hasn't budged from 111.2 lbs. Maybe it's the protein powder I'm drinking for lunch? It's a strength-building blend, so it's probably formulated to increase size and bulk. Not ideal for trying to drop some fluff. Oh well...

Friday Workout
(6.49 miles total cardio; 26,426 lbs moved)