Getting It Done

I let my son sleep in as long as possible before rousing him so I could get to the gym before 11 am. With only a 2-hr window for child care that ends at 1 pm, I didn't have much choice. I suggested to him that next time I might let him sleep in while I go to the gym. I'm just worried he'd freak out, but he told me that I could tape a note to the bathroom mirror. "What about on your phone?" I suggested. "No, I'll see the bathroom note first, and then I won't be looking all over the house for you. If I'm wondering where you are, I might not see the note on the phone." Okay, fair enough. Chances are good that he'll still be asleep by the time I get back anyway...

Two hours would be enough time if little things like stashing my gear in the locker, using the restroom, undressing and putting all my stuff away in the plastic bags I've designated specifically for gym shoes and dirty gym clothes didn't actually eat up time. I'm on the only LifeFitness cross-trainer that goes to Zero; all the rest start at One, which slows me down and doesn't actually feel like a better workout. My right foot has been acting up, most noticeably when I'm doing cardio. For the past few months my hammer toes have had intermittent spasms, and sometimes I feel as if my heels have lost any semblance of cushioning that makes walking bearable.

This looks really comfy!

Today, toes on my right foot seem to lean left, toward the errant bunion big toe, causing a sensation of crowding inside my trainer. Ugh, don't you hate it when your ligaments and nerves have their own agendas? I'm fearful of the second toe crossing over the big toe due to tendon and soft tissue issues. But I'm not sure what I can do about it. Don't even mention doctors because most of them don't know anything except what they've been programmed to do: charge a lot of money and suggest surgery. Uh, no thanks.


Worse, my "good foot", the left one, starts to develop a slight numbness as well. Maybe it's that blasted aging process where you lose the fat padding on various places in your body. I'm hoping they're not all migrating to my belly and hips. That would really suck.

My first set of pull ups is passable. I've gotten 31 without any issues, and I probably could've gotten more, but I'm in a hurry. I knock out push ups, crunches and planks, then a knee-in. I don't even have time to consider any alterations to the routine, like maybe doing smaller sets of different push ups instead of one giant set of plain ol' wide hand push ups.

I don't even consider doing a set of push ups before getting on the elliptical because that would add time. I'm sandwiched between two old men. I think we're all doing versions of one of the Performance Programs because those are the only programs that ask you pedal backwards occasionally. I had to skip doing this yesterday after kickboxing the machine, and my hips felt off this morning when I woke up. Pedaling backwards remedies a lot of the sciatic problems I have so I do this instead of Intervals if I have to make a choice.

My last set of pull ups is a bear, although not at first. But now that I've set the "bar" higher, completing a full set is harder. Of course, because that's how goals work, right? My hands and arms are starting to really tired as I approach 40 reps. From a full extension, I can just get my forehead to the bar. Okay, that's not quite a rep. Maybe half a rep? I've stopped using the FitNotes app for the time being because I don't have a routine set up for the Super Abbreviated Workout AND I have to enter my stats into my phone's notepad no matter what. It's a duplication of effort, and it's not really netting any benefits. The only thing I appreciate about the FitNotes is that it does remind me of exercises I might forget. Not doing those movements is then a conscious determination, and not an accidental moment of distraction.

It didn't occur to me until I read an article in Men's Health that doing push ups and pull ups was considered a test of manly abilities. Is that why the younger guys give me such an odd look? But now that I think about it, I rarely see women (or girls) doing push ups or pull ups on a regular basis. Because usually they can't. No perseverance, I guess. I do it because it's obvious: push ups and pull ups are the most efficient body weight exercises for the upper body and core muscles. Cardio (pedaling on the elliptical and/or cross-trainer) works the rest. Friends advocate rowing as a full body cardio exercise, but I don't think my hands would put up with it since I have to change my grip every few minutes to prevent my hands from developing stress and pressure injuries when I do cardio. As blessed as I am genetically (I'm strong, flexible and maintain muscle mass easily), I have many athletic deficiencies (tiny hands, overly flexible & shallow joints, and sensitivity to pressure). But at least I'm having fun.

Friday Workout
(6.24 miles total cardio — Yaaaay!)

30 min X trainer
137 cal
3.74 miles
7.46 average speed

HGPU 31

Push ups 100

Crunches 3 X 50
Planks 2 X 60 sec
Knee Ins 50

30 min elliptical
Prgrm3
280 cal
2.50 miles

HGPU 40.5