Another Twofer Post

So Monday was Christmas and I don't go to the gym on weekends. I did go yesterday for a super quick cardio workout involving the minimum (Intervals, pull ups, push ups and some core) before I had to rush home. Because we had a movie date to see Jumanji featuring The Rock, Jack Black and Kevin Hart. And even though the critics weren't very nice in their reviews, the movie theater was packed, tickets sold out, and those of us lucky enough to get seats were quite satisfied.

I actually enjoyed this remake better than the original with Robin Williams. Maybe I have more in common with tween boys than I like to admit? I mean, besides wearing their hoodies and knee-length sport shorts...


Tuesday

30 min elliptical
Intervals (HIIT)
Calories 305
Miles 2.67
Average Heart Rate 149

HGPU 26
Push Ups 60
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

Today was "boxing day" which means whack the kickboxing machine. I got to the gym around noon and the parking lot was as crowded as yesterday. I knew they weren't all going to exercise. School is out and the weather is bitterly cold, so even though it's not $5 Tuesday, there are truckloads of people going to the movies. Temps didn't get much past 22F so I'm not surprised that the gym felt chilly. I had my hoodie on throughout all my warm up movements. But by the time I got to the Nexersys, I felt comfortably warm.

I barely touched it!

This time I actually selected both the Follow Me and Sparring programs for the Beginner rounds. It was an exhausting workout last week and I wanted to replicate that. What I forgot was that the Follow Me program is less sensitive to the Cross and Jab than the Sparring program. Which means that, in the Sparring program, every time you're suppose to "block" the avatar's jab or cross (signified by that part of the avatar changing color from green to blue) by tapping (or punching) that pad, the machine got all sensitive and threw up a "Warning: You are hitting too hard" screen. Ugh. This increased to the point of where I was unable to "block" any advances by the avatar because even the slightest tap would freeze the action and bring up the warning screen. Grrrrr.... talk about high intensity interval training here! You get into a rhythm that stops abruptly because you have to hit the reset button every time you tap the Cross pad. Double ugh.

Mean Right Hook!

Thinking that maybe the Intermediate programs were less sensitive, I selected 6 rounds, evenly divided between Follow Me and Sparring. The Sparring was still ridiculously sensitive. (I did manage to stop the machine just once while in a Follow Me round, with a mean right hook during the Beginner rounds.) The screen blanked over two dozen times during these 13 rounds. It didn't matter during Sparring because you can still land blows even with a black screen. Unfortunately, that doesn't really work well with the Follow Me program, because, you're suppose to, uh, follow the screen prompts. Sigh.

Round 4
Beginner level

It was an awesome workout though: I had a lot of trouble squeezing out my 26 hammer grip pull ups afterwards. Proof of a great workout!


Wednesday

10 x-trainer
Calories 48
Miles 1.28

T, Y & I DB Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15

Nexersys
7r Beginner
1, 3, 5, 7 Follow Me
2, 4, 6 Sparring

6r Intermediate
1, 3, 5 FM
2, 4, 6 Sp

HGPU 26 (that was hard!)

Thwarted by Weather

I didn't go to the gym today even though I had every intention. Instead, the school district announced an unexpected Early Dismissal due to the threat of weather. More precisely, freezing rain and slick roadways. I check my weather app. No precipitation anticipated until 4 pm today, well past the time school is let out. By then, temps should be in the mid-30s. But everyone wants to leave early for the Holidays so my son is home by 10:30 am. Worse, his class trip got postponed. Ugh. Not that it was much of a trip since they were taking a few hours to see the Muppets Christmas Movie. Now, they'll take a regular school day next year to go see a movie. Double ugh.

Online, I'm reading about raw apple skins and tomatoes having beneficial effects on aging muscles. Of course, I get horrible indigestion from eating raw apple skins and tomato skins. (Indigestion that keeps me up at night, gives me back muscle spasms and makes my diaphragm sore. Ugh. I could try taking HCl tablets [click here for a nutritionist's take on supplemental Betaine HCl] but I'm not really happy about increasing my stomach's acidity just so I can eat fruit peel.) It's not really new news either, since the article referenced is from 2015. But if you're interested, click here for the link. Meanwhile, I'm pondering making popovers, or Yorkshire puddings...

Nexersys Demonic Possession

I actually got to the gym relatively early today, and the locker room wasn't too crowded. Timing is everything. I knock out my 10 min warm up on the cross-trainer because all the ellipticals are occupied by extremely chatty women. I'm glad I can't hear them from where I am. I dutifully execute the T, Y and I baby bell raises, and then band pulls. I'm also very careful to apply enough moleskin to the last two knuckles of my right hand because they tend to get a bruise between them. Weird, right?

I select Follow Me from among the 5 programs, level Beginner, 7 rounds. The default is for all the programs to be on so you have to select all the programs you don't want to engage. Somehow the machine clicks the Sparring selection back on and I didn't notice. Until Round 2. So Round 1 was a good Follow Me, and Round Two is an no-holds-barred free-for-all. Except that the machine stops a good dozen times to tell me that I'm hitting too hard. Seriously? The screen also blanks a half dozen times so I have no idea what combination I've missed, not that it matters. Ugh. 

stock photo

The Sparring Screen Avatar differs from the Follow Me in that the avatar has green areas which increasingly redden the more strikes it accumulates. The machine tells you that red areas do not score as high as green areas, so you need to use a variety of blows, not just Cross & Jab. I'd have to search the PDF manual to figure out exactly how the points are tallied though. In the Follow Me program, no area is lit until a strike is called for, sometimes in combination. It briefly turns green if the strike is considered successful.

I can honestly say that the Sparring rounds were much more intense than the Follow Me rounds. Probably because I was annoyed and wailed on the machine with multiple combinations. And I was relieved that the Intermediate Follow Me rounds were only Follow Me. The last round, Advance, was just crazy, and glitchy. Combos would pop up and disappear like ghosts. I couldn't take it very seriously, but then again, I was pretty beat by then. But I did manage to squeeze out my pull ups once I got my hands free. And no knuckle bruises that I can see. Tomorrow's Intervals are going to be really hard. I can already tell...but at least now it's Winter. Happy Solstice!


Thursday

10 x-trainer
Calories 48
Miles 1.29

T, Y & I DB Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15

Nexersys Follow Me
7r Beginner (2,4,6 sparring!)
6r Intermediate
1r Advance

HGPU 26

Cardio Bunnies Age Better

If you google "best exercise for aging" you will see a number of articles published as recently as April of this past year, 2017. 2017 is almost over but HIIT cardio is still the most recommended type of cardio in terms of cellular recovery. I hate HIIT cardio. It's hard, and it takes a long time to recover from. But, it apparently regenerates mitochondrial spindle ends, improves neuron capacity and strengthens vascular functions. What's not to love? 

Today, I do an "alt cardio" day. Not HIIT cardio, but not quite steady-state either. Because I'm constantly pushing myself to breathlessness. Walking and chatting isn't my idea of cardio. That's boring. I don't want to talk to anyone. I want my music up loud and me "running". I like the push. Which is probably why I set the Step Mill to speed 6. And why I added One-Leg Push Ups to the end of the core routine.

I finish with another round on the Expresso bike, but this time a "night" ride. Still the same bunnies though. It's suppose to be a leisurely ride. But my hubs keeps texting me while I'm trying to focus on the gradient and my gears. I feel good afterwards, but of course, I overindulged at the Boy Scouts Holiday Party last night and ate too many sweets. I've never tasted Monkey Bread before, and went back for tiny seconds. The kids made short work of some goodies. The chocolate donuts were gone in a flash, and the jellies and creams not far behind. Whew! At least I didn't have to cart back a lot of leftovers. Tomorrow I plan to whack the kickboxing machine. (It's a type of HIIT cardio, right?) Yaaaay! I'll save Intervals for Friday.

Wednesday

30 xtrainer
Calories 144
Miles 3.93
Average Heart Rate 158

HGPU 26
Push Ups 60
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

One-legged Push Ups
2 x 25

15 min Step Mill
Calories 117
Floors 49
Speed 6
797 total steps

Expresso bike
Evening Bliss 2.4 miles
70 calories
14 min

Universal Push Day

My boys went hiking with their Boy Scout troop, and camped overnight in Harriman State Park. I stayed home with the old dog, a good fire, some sangria and control of the TV remote. Needless to say, I didn't get a whole lot done, but finally caught up on some sleep. Of course, I'm tired again today. Not as tired as my husband, who, after he unpacked from camping, had to repack for a trip to Boston for work. That's a 3-hr drive from where we live, but at least he'll be sleeping in a hotel bed instead of on a foam mat, inside a sleeping bag. My son said that the inside of the tent was raining when he awoke. Moisture from their breath condensed on the tent walls, tent walls that did little to keep the cold out. I think it dropped to 13F again on Saturday night.

Tomorrow it might hit 50F. Still, I went out and bought two more bags of walkway salt, because come February, when we're all tired of shoveling and salting, all the stores will be out of salt. It's happened before, so I'm buying a little insurance for the months ahead. Today is Monday and a moderate30F. It's also Universal Bench Day. Because. It's Monday.

I don't have much hope of getting to the Smith so I blithely pedal on the cross-trainer for 30 minutes. Then I do my routine pull ups, push ups and core workout. I look up and the Smith is actually vacant! Mine! I've added the band pulls into my routines more often, figuring they won't hurt. So I'm surprised when inclined presses actually twinge my shoulder and tricep slightly. Well, only for the first 4 sets, which is nearly all of them. But by the time I get to my heavy sets, followed by high reps, my shoulder and arm feel fine. Like I've said before, I need a lot of warm up.

The rest of my workout felt fairly standard, no pain, no issues. I'm a little frustrated in that I can't progress enough to build up more mass or strength in my shoulders. Every time I up the weight, I risk damaging my joints and tendons. The best I can do is work on higher rep counts. I'm still not brave enough to do RDLs again on the Smith, although I've been toying with some light bar-only squats. But my pants are tight enough as is, so the last thing I want is to have my butt bust out of my clothes. Seriously. Some of my favorite gym bras feel too tight. Must be that pull up thing and my back! Maybe I don't need to worry about RDLs just yet?

Tomorrow I have a check up appointment with my glaucoma doc, and because of her office's unpredictability in over-booking, I'm not sure what time I'll get out of there. So I'm resigned to skipping tomorrow's workout. Besides, tomorrow evening is our Scout Holiday party and I'm suppose to bring juice boxes (got those last week). And donuts. I asked my son whether I should get a box of Entemann's chocolate donuts (I'm partial to the chocolate-coated devils food variety) or a box of Dunkin. He said Dunkin, half jelly and half creme. Oh boy...

I don't want to buy fried chicken for dinner tomorrow when we'll be in a mad rush between kung fu and Scouts. Instead, I've decided to make a ziti casserole with browned ground meat, tomato sauce, mozzarella and pasta. If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll sauté some mushrooms and canned olives. If I bake it in the early afternoon, we can eat it before going to kung fu. It's either that, or I make my version of crispy chicken. It's a variation of roasted chicken thighs, but I soak the meat in buttermilk for a few hours, then roll them in panko crumbs and seasoning (garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt). Bake in the oven for about 90 minutes at 350F and you get a nice, moist chicken thigh with a very crispy skin. At least on top. The part that's stuck to the pan (aluminum foil if you're wise) tends to be a bit soggy. I'm sure I can solve that by using a rack to bake the thighs, but I'm not willing to risk my cooling racks for this. Yet.

Monday

30 min xtrainer
Calories 142
Miles 3.84
Average Heart Rate 140

HGPU 26
Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15

Push Ups 60
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

Smith Inclined Press
Bar x 15
50 x 13
70 x 12
80 x 12
90 x 8 x 3
60 x 25
50 x 25

BB Front Raises s/s Upright Rows
20lbs x 15/15reps
25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12
45 x 12
40 x 12

Twofer Post

Yesterday I literally had 10 minutes to unload my groceries and walk the dog before rushing out to pick up my son from his after school Archery class and ferry him to kung fu. By the time I got home, all I could think about was getting dinner on the table, and even though it was reheated turkey meatloaf from the night before, I did re-purpose the leftover sauteed mushrooms because there wasn't enough for 3 people. I'm not great with making gravy so I added the 'shrooms to a brown gravy mix which I slopped over the loaf. And arugula side-salad with avocados, carrots and almonds.

Thursday was a Cardio Day, by which I mean I did Intervals. And by the time I got to kung fu class, I felt exhausted. It takes me a while to recover from cardio like that. Never mind that my back is a teensy bit sore from kickboxing the machine on Wednesday. My bruised knuckles were good as new after dabbing dit da jow on them (Chinese herbal bruise remedy), but the side of my right hand hurt. Yep, exactly the spot where you can develop a Boxer's Fracture or a break in the 5th metacarpal. There's no actual discoloration or swelling so I'm guessing it's not broken, merely bruised. A bone bruise. It'll heal, and probably thicken as a result of the trauma.

Thursday
6.6 cardio miles

30 xtrainer
Calories 144
Miles 3.95
Average Heart Rate 155

HGPU 26
Push Ups 60
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

30 elliptical
Intervals
Miles 2.65
Calories 303
Average Heart Rate 145

On Friday, I had every intention of doing some warm up cardio and then glomming onto the Smith. The gym is usually empty on Fridays. But not today. Arrrg. The Smith was always busy so I decided to make today another Cardio Day, but differently. After the routine cross-trainer, pull ups, push ups and core stuff, I did 20 minutes on the Step Mill, and then figured I'd do around 20 minutes on the Expresso bike. All the bikes were busy this morning, but they're usually accessible in the early afternoon. I get on the only one that adjusts to me, and promptly forget my user ID and password. Gym Owner laughs and reminds me that he tells everyone to use their cell phone numbers as both ID and password. How easy is that?!

It takes me less time than I anticipated to pedal the route I selected, but I find it hard to stay focused. Or rather, there's too many things to focus on! There's the course which you have to steer, there's the gradient which is shown both digitally and linearly at the bottom of the screen, there's the gear adjustments to compensate for the gradients, and luckily, there's no consequences to running over other cyclists or the errant rabbits on the course! Gym Owner says he loves doing it because he gets a great workout. I have to admit that I'm sweaty by the time I finish. But of course, I'm sweaty by the time I get off the Step Mill too. My hand doesn't hurt today, so I'm happy. But it's going to snow again, the 3rd time this week, so I'm not so happy. Not enough to shovel, so I'll wind up sweeping the snow out of the driveway, etc. I'll get sweaty doing that too!

Friday

20 x-trainer
Calories 97
Miles 2.67
Average Heart Rate 150

HGPU 26
Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15
Push Ups 60
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Push Ups 60

20 StepMill
Calories 142
Floors 59

Expresso bike
Rabbit Run 2.3 miles
13:26 min
Calories 71

HGPU 26

A Chill Everywhere

My phone said it was 20°F outside, but sadly, it was wrong. The thermometer actually read 14 when I took the dog outside. It was still 14 when my son and I were standing at the bus stop. Fourteen isn't bad if there's no wind, but I think there's some sort of Arctic clipper rustling through. "Thanks Canada," my son said to no one in particular through his fleece face warmer. And even though I'd already been out twice, I still had a hard time convincing myself to start the car and head to the gym. But I did get there.

I did my standard warm ups, and then planned for a descending sequence of rounds as I advanced the difficulty level. As long as the Advance level ended in 1 round, since that's the only way I can be assured of having it play fair, in Traditional stance. I see regulars and I'm glad I can't hear any of them. Not The Mayor, or Loud Mouth, or Stinky Butt.

My knuckles sting a bit and I realize that I've been a little lax with how I taped my hands. There's nothing I can do about it since the tape is already under cotton wraps and my gloves. And I'm not about to interrupt my set just because of a little stinging. When I finally unwrap everything, my knuckles are a little pink, but nothing skinned or actually bruised. Pull ups, afterwards, are kind of hard at the end. Because I'm actually a bit tired, and a whole lot hungry. Ugh. I had coffee and yogurt (with my vitamins) for breakfast, but it's not enough... The fried chicken I brought home from the grocery yesterday tasted really good, but of course, the salt content is making me retain water. (I don't have enough time to make dinner between kung fu and Boy Scouts so I rely on ready-made food. By the time Scouts is over, it's past 9 pm.) Or that's what I tell myself when I step on the scale. Ugh. 112.4 lbs. I'll know whether it's water for sure when I get on the scale tomorrow. Sigh.

Wednesday

10 min elliptical
Calories 94
Miles 0.84

T, Y & I DB Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15

Nexersys
7r Beginner
6r Intermediate
1r Advance

HGPU 26

Push Push Push

I slept okay and even drank some protein (with a handful of vitamins) before I got to the gym so I can't explain the mediocre work out I had today. I actually did all the same weights and reps, but I felt a bit tired in between. Even with a good cardio warm up. And being on the "good" cross-trainer, I was a tad disappointed in my mileage. I guess we all have "meh" days... The band pulls did warm up my shoulders nicely though so there was no discomfort, but looking at the heart rate for cardio makes it obvious that something's amiss...

Tuesday

30 xtrainer
Calories 142
Miles 3.79
Average Heart Rate 120

HGPU 26

Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15

Smith Inclined Press
Bar (30lbs) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 12
90 x 8 x 3
60 x 25
50 x 25

BB Front Raises s/s Upright Rows
20lbs x 15/15reps
25lbs x 12/15reps x 3

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12
45lbs x 12
40lbs x 12

Grab You By the Ear

I had a service guy showing up at the house somewhere between noon and 4 today so the workout was super quick. I managed to get in some cardio on a sloggy cross-trainer since the one I favor was once again in use. It's too bad there's only one Life Fitness cross-trainer that will set resistance to Zero, but of course, it's also the only one that has the idiot Hybrid mode kick in, negating the Zero resistance setting. I've barely enough time for pull ups, push ups and some core stuff. Then it's a hot shower and back home.

Just in time! The fellow shows up within 10 minutes to change the RO (reverse osmosis) filter for our drinking water, and fix the water softener. Our water is 12 grains hard but with a pH of 6.5. It literally eats pipes. But it tastes good. Over a year ago, I had a fellow clean out the boiler. He was a nice enough man, but careless. He didn't fully plug the acid neutralizer back into the socket, and the unit stopped working properly. My electrician tells me that partial currents will absolutely kill appliances, and that's what happened. Ugh. I was hoping not to have to replace the entire thing. Even as a rebuild, it was pricey. Today costed more than a normal service call, but less than a complete replacement. Whew!

My hubs has been enamored of a new Netflix original series called Frontier, starring Jason Momoa (Aquaman, Khal Drogo) and Landon Liboiron (Hemlock Grove, Degrassi: Next Gen). While it's intriguing enough with British redcoats, angry Irish and Scottish opportunists, fur trappers and traders, and complicated inter-tribal relationships, the most compelling thing about the show is the introductory theme music. Much like Game of Thrones, the music is mesmerizing. Unlike GoT, this is a mix of primal Cree chanting, with drum and string (fiddles?) undertones. I found a downloadable MP3 version I'm tempted to toss into my gym mix. Click here if you're interested.

Here's a YouTube version of the show's opening titles in case you haven't heard it... Give a listen!


Monday

30 min xtrainer
Calories 132
Miles 3.28
143 Average Heart Rate

HGPU 26
Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15
Push Ups 60
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

Adventures Abound

I felt slightly more rested this morning, and not because I went to sleep earlier. Even when I'm in bed I have to wrestle with my husband's snoring. Some nights it's not bad, some nights it's like sleeping next to a chainsaw. Last night was just loud enough to be annoying. I had purchased a pair of ear plugs off Amazon but was disappointed in their lack of efficacy. If I can still hear the dog breathing heavily next to my bed, then clearly these ear plugs aren't muffling anything! I got better relief from pulling my flannel sheet, and two fleece blankets over my head.

After sucking down a bottle of chocolate Ensure High Protein (16 gms, lactose-free) with most of my vitamins, I went to the gym. It's still a Cardio Day, but perhaps I'll try something new. I'm leery of doing Intervals again only because I've just recovered from feeling totally exhausted. The exhausted feeling could also be due to my recent head cold, even though I've barely any symptoms now. The gym isn't very crowded. It's Friday after all, and there's an impending snow storm, according to the Weather channel and everyone else.

I get on the Life Fitness cross-trainer. Everything's great until the pedals suddenly feel heavy. Ugh. The stupid Hybrid mode has kicked in! I pause the machine while still pedaling. It takes almost a minute before the green light indicator turns off. I start pedaling again and the green Hybrid light turns on again. Ugh. I quit the machine at 28:28 and head to the stretch cage for some pull ups. I see Gym Owner at the front desk. He's not usually here on Fridays so I take this as an opportunity to explore the Expresso bikes. Luckily the short gal at the front desk is also here today. I can call her short because I've got 2 inches on her! It's rare I can call anyone short.

The bikes are all different. There are 4, with 3 up front next to the 2 Nexersys machines. The newest one is in back, next to the back of the cable machine that faces the tiny Cross-Fit area. It turns out that the newest version has the most adjustable seat as well, and it slides forward so I can actually rest my palms on the handle bars! Gym Owner has me create an account and log in so the machine can track my progress. When it asks for my age and email, I ask suspiciously if it's going to send me sales notices for hearing aids, chair lifts and funeral plots. He says that it hasn't happened to him so probably not. I suspect he's a little younger than I am. I'm always surprised when people tell me they're 50. I don't volunteer my age because I'm afraid it might make them feel bad. Seriously.

I'm not really comfortable pedaling the Expresso bike even though it's fun to run over other bicyclists, and look at the passing scenery. Gym Owner logs me into Fruitdale because it's a fairly level ride. I play with the gear shifters, but my knees aren't very happy when I shift up, and being in a low gear means I don't get very far for all the pedaling. At the end of 25+ minutes, I'm sweaty and feel pretty good. Except my butt hurts a little. And I'm wondering how my knees will feel later.

Because I'm not quite feeling done, I do some push ups and core, then head to the Step Mill for 15 minutes. I like to alternate my steps with side steps and other variations to alleviate the boredom of trudging up the stairs. I finish with a Mat Stretch. The gym has gotten some new merchandise in so I take a pretty blue tank into the locker room with me. It seems to fit okay so I buy it as a holiday gift for myself. Plus, I figure it supports the gym. Gold's has a new Challenge for 2018 to see, once again, who can effect the biggest change to their physique. We had a guy place 3rd overall, which is pretty spectacular, considering Gold's is a national chain.

I get home and make myself oatmeal and egg again. This time I add half a teaspoon of freshly pressed garlic and a half teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil to the mix after it's nuked. It tastes great. Usually I spread the garlic/olive oil mix onto some toast, but the dog's eaten all the bread. It's his favorite treat since he can't really handle other doggie favorites like cheese. He doesn't handle fats well. Because he's old. Like me. Kidding. The gym scale says 110.4 lbs. At least it's headed in the right direction once again.

Friday
8.11 total miles

28:28 xtrainer
Calories 135
Miles 3.66
Average Heart Rate
Stupid hybrid kicks in 1 min

HGPU 26
Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15

Expresso bike
Fruitdale
Miles 4.45
Time 25:12
Calories 118

Push Ups 50
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

15 min Step Mill
Floors 46
Steps 743
Calories 110

The Lazy Person's Guide to a Great Breakfast

After 1min 20 sec

Skipped the gym today. I got up feeling totally exhausted still and had every intention of going back to bed once the dog was walked, fed and medicated; the child was dressed and walked down to the school bus stop; the dishes got done; the laundry got done; the leftover chicken carcass in the fridge from last night's supper got put into the stock pot for stew tonight, with onions, garlic and carrots and the bones picked out; the bills got done; and finally, the Holiday Card got finished. Still working on that last one and it's about 1 pm. Too late to take a nap now. Later, I'll have to drive over to the school to pick my son up from after-school Archery class. Then off to kung fu!

Perfect!

I did have a craving this morning for oatmeal with a poached egg, but I've never been able to get the poached part right without an unduly amount of effort. (Even with vinegar and salt and gently sliding the egg in to the pan, the egg drops to the bottom and sticks. Ugh. And what a mess afterwards.) Normally I just beat an egg into the plain quick-cook oatmeal, add water and a pinch of salt, and nuke for 2 minutes. I keep a paper towel over the bowl in case it spits or overboils. The egg is scrambled more or less. It makes the oatmeal a little thicker but doesn't really impart much eggy goodness flavor-wise. I'm looking for a runny yolk!

Today I decide to nuke the oatmeal for just a minute, add a whole raw egg and then nuke for another minute and 20 seconds. It looks great! When I break the runny yoke, the residual heat of the oatmeal continues to cook it. After a few minutes, I have what I wanted: perfect savory breakfast.

I'll go to the gym tomorrow. Because I should be done with important stuff like Holiday Cards by then. I hope.

High Hopes

My head cold is just about gone. I only have some residual sniffling and a morning cough so I was totally surprised when I tried to change the light bulbs in the kitchen. Massive vertigo spell. Ugh. The kitchen is fine during the day due to the big south-facing window, but since it gets dark a bit past 4 pm, I really need the ceiling fixture to emit light in order to make supper. Ours, and the dog's! I'm hoping my hubs gets home early enough to do this today. He can reach up without needing a step stool, whereas I'm standing on the kitchen table.

Not only am I having intermittent vertigo, but I still feel exhausted. I'm not used to this. I know I'm not getting quite enough sleep, averaging 6+ hours each night when I really need 7+. Recent online health articles disparage the use of zinc and vitamin C to alleviate colds. Personally, I don't really think they know what they're writing about. Most of these articles tend to take distillations of studies published in other journals, recompile the numbers and then come to their conclusions. Cheaper that way, and they don't have to do any long-term studies themselves. It's just a different statistical interpretation. I'm still taking my zinc tablet daily, along with my other vitamins and minerals, and a hit of orange juice. I hope I feel more recovered by Friday when I plan to do another Intervals session. Maybe I should ease off the garlic and olive oil?

Today I planned to whack the machine, starting with 7 rounds Beginner for warm up, followed by 5 rounds Intermediate, and finishing with 3 rounds Advance because the Advance has totally different combos. The Beginner rounds went well. The machine didn't blank the screen, tell me I'm hitting too hard, and register abysmal power scores until I did 5 rounds Intermediate. It suggested that I cut my rounds and build up my stamina. Ha! Never mind that it ignored most of my Sweeps and Power Digs. I punch in Advance and the machine switches to Southpaw. Ugh. I complain to Gym Owner. On a whim, he taps on the Left Stance for the Advance level, and voilà, the machine sets up as Traditional. We think the problem's solved until I move onto round 2. The machine reverts back to Southpaw. He shrugs his shoulders. Ugh! I do another round at Intermediate just to get 14 rounds today.

Gym Owner tells me that the Nexersys company is a pain to deal with, and that they no longer support this system. They're upgrading the base so that it's wireless. Uh, will it be more accurate? He also tells me that the Espresso bikes are wireless and I tell him I've tried them once but I can barely reach the handlebars. He's surprised. The gal at the front desk can use it so I should be able to as well. She's 2" shorter than I am, but it is possible that since I have a long body and short limbs, she might have a longer reach. Possible. He says we'll look at it tomorrow. Okay.

Wednesday

10 x-trainer
Calories 48
Miles 1.3

Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15

T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Nexersys
7r Beginner
5r Intermediate
1r Advance
1r Intermediate

HGPU 26

Begin Again

Although the weather is warmer than normal, it's also wet out, which meant that the gym was crowded today. I couldn't get on the cross-trainer, and I didn't want to use the ones by the front door. So I did 20 minutes on the elliptical and punched in Program 1. The only problem with ellipticals is that your arms remain static and not properly warmed up. I see a few regulars who are known to hog the Smith machine, so once I'm done in the cardio station, I rush over to the free weight area, totally skipping pull ups and push ups. I just didn't want to be stuck doing a cardio workout again.

Of course, I should've warmed up my shoulders with at least some band pulls, or baby bell raises. But I didn't. And I felt it! The warm up set of Smith Inclined Presses were fine, but the bar only weighs 30 lbs. At 50 lbs though, my right shoulder and tricep twinge oddly. There's a weird, sharp sensation that jogs up from the inside of my shoulder and then along the back of my upper arm. It's not really painful, but I'm thinking I really shouldn't be encouraging this sort of behavior.

As I add more weight, the twinge becomes more painful. I adjust my hand position on the bar to minimize the discomfort. By the time I'm at 90 lbs, there's no more pain, but the bar feels awfully heavy. Ugh. Actually, the Smith feels a little sticky. Double ugh.

The shoulder's still not happy with me doing BB front raises, although the Upright rows are okay. The only discomfort I feel there is from fatigue. Both adjustable incline benches are in use so I drape myself over the Inclined Breaker Bench. There are two at my gym, and the benches are at a fixed angle. Shoulders must be warmed up because these don't hurt at all. Finish with Rip Skulls. I still have the two 2.5 lb magnetic discs from BB front raises, but only use them for the middle set. 40 lbs feels fine. 45 lbs and my right elbow complains at rep 8, making me worry about dropping the bar on my face. I go back to 40 lbs for the last set because worrying is bad for lifting.

I did less cardio today and didn't change my weights, but I feel exhausted. It might be the Intervals I did yesterday. Those have a way of smacking me a day later instead of immediately afterwards. Which means I should probably whack the machine tomorrow and plan for cardio on Friday. I'm toying with the idea of doing a full body day on Thursday: light flat benching, light RDLs, light split squats, and core. Of course, I'll still need to do cardio to warm up... Nothing like starting all over, as if I was a newbie. Well, it'll keeps things fresh.

Meanwhile, I'm struggling to put together our Holiday Card. I use to do massive collage projects (encompassing my son's activities that year) that I also made into mugs and gave as gifts to family. But after a while it was too much work (because he does so many things) and everyone has too many mugs. I still like to put together silly cards though...

Tuesday

20 min elliptical
Program 1
Calories 194
Miles 1.72
Average Heart Rate 149

Smith Inclined Press
Bar(30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 12
90 x 8 x 3
60 x 25
50 x 25

BB Front Raises s/s Upright Rows
20lbs x 15/15reps
25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12
45lbs x 12 (left elbow)
40 lbs x 12

HGPU 26

Skinny Fat

I got on my home scale over the weekend, and it only confirmed what I'd feared all along: while my weight isn't horrible (but not where I want it to be), the body fat is creeping up. 110.6 lbs and 16% don't seem like bad numbers, but they've been better in the past. Complacency is the enemy. (I don't want to wake up one day and find myself 128 lbs and 26%.) Bigger people will scoff at my efforts to drop 3 lbs and 2% body fat because those seem like insignificant amounts. Those are taller people. I'm big for my height. I can't grow any taller. If anything, as I age, I'll probably lose an inch or two. Ugh. Seriously not looking forward to having to hem all my pants again.

It's late morning by the time I get to the gym, and the cardio platform is fairly empty. I still have the remnants of a head cold, so I carry a wad of tissues in my hoodie pocket. Regular women's gym clothes don't normally have pockets, which reminds me of this old Tim Curry song Charge It on the Fearless album (1979) —yes, I own the vinyl— because at the end of the song, there's a line about not carrying cash because the tailor says pockets make the suit ugly. Oh hell, I'll just include it here:


I'm trying to figure out the right balance between cardio and time. I'd like to spend less time at the gym, but I know that I have to make up for less cardio by exchanging a "run" on the elliptical for something more challenging, like Intervals, or ideally, HIIT cardio. My body has acclimatized to 30+ minutes on the cross-trainer before I lift weights. For me, that feels like a true warm up and I'm not really tired afterwards.

Trainers and fitness articles will tell you to put cardio at the end to reserve your energy for pushing heavier and harder. My issue with that is that I'm limited by joint issues. There's only so heavy that I can go before the joints and ligaments court injuries. For me, it's happened with benching and my right shoulder, RDLs and sciatica in my right leg, curls and rows and elbow pain. I'm also 57 years old, so being realistic, I'm not going to push heavier. I'm just happy I can still push. I go for reps instead because it's what I can do. Plus, it builds endurance. And maybe it'll keep my bones dense?

With body fat creeping up, I have concerns about becoming "skinny fat", especially since my arms look very smooth and puffy. My saving grace is that I'm still strong. My mother was a true example of skinny fat: 5'2" and 85 lbs but with soft puffy pipe cleaner arms that reminded me of pale-white cheese doodles, with the same awful visual texture. Being light on the scale doesn't mean you're lean. It just means you weigh less.

Of course, my own body image insecurities are also rooted in my parents telling me that I'm fat when I was 11 years old and 96 lbs. Because I was then, as I am now, just under 5 feet tall. When I got to HS, my mother tried to squeeze me into clothes that she considered girly and dainty (and tiny). If you know me at all, you know that's so Not me. If my weight inched up past 107 lbs, I was too fat to close the buttons and zippers. Sigh.

Unfortunately, knowing the origins of my insecurities doesn't do much to alleviate my body-image anxieties. What I haven't been able to figure out is how to permanently reset the body's own set point, the weight range your body wants to live in. At least without starving myself. Building muscle is suppose to help boost your metabolism, enabling you to eat more, but I have plenty of muscle. I don't think my metabolism is any higher than it used to be. My body wants to be heavier. For a few weeks I tried eating normal meals for lunch and dinner, and I put on weight. Now I'm back to having a protein drink post-workout, and big salads with supper. I just have to sell it to my boys at dinner time.

I had planned to do a Push Day, but the Smith was never available. Big Glasses Dude grabbed it right after the little Latino guy was done. Then the Mayor came in, gathered a cluster of old dudes, and I never looked at the free weight area again. Nope. I'll just do more cardio, but Intervals instead. It's been a while, and I've still got the sniffles and a sporadic cough so just 20 minutes to ease into it. An old Asian guy looks stricken after I do a set of pull ups. Other guys hover as I do my Mat Stretch. Because they've never seen anyone do a split before? Or do a Downward Dog and put their elbows on the floor? Whatever. I'm back tomorrow. Maybe the Smith will be free...


Monday
4.67 miles

20 min xtrainer
Calories 95
Miles 2.59
Average Heart Rate 152

HGPU 26
Push Ups 60
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Push Ups 60

20 elliptical
Intervals
Calories 183
Miles 2.08
Average Heart Rate 151

HGPU 26

Easing Back

Again, I don't make it to the gym until noon, but mostly because I didn't leave the house until 11 am. I needed the morning to wrap presents and put them under the tree when neither my son or husband were home. I also filled all 3 holiday stockings with assorted candies, figuring that my son wouldn't really notice until later in the month. I often hide things in plain sight in my house, because it's so tiny and cluttered that everything sort of disappears like in those "find it" puzzles. The dog walks by and gives one stocking a deep sniff. But he's a bread hound; he's not interested in chocolate or peppermint. Thank goodness!

I also got the 30% CVS coupon in email this morning, so that warranted a trip back to the store. The 1X glasses had not come in, and after much deliberation, I picked up a pair of $25 Foster Grant 1X readers because they fit the better than the $20 pink cat eye frames. The latter reminded me of grade school in the Bronx where every girl wore that style in that color. The newer version felt cheap and flimsy though, and I didn't want to risk having them break too.

I bought the "tortoise shell" Foster Grants, happy that these felt okay, and actually looked okay. The 1X only came in one style for that price. Other styles got progressively more expensive. I'm really surprised that readers can cost upwards of $100 (online), but I guess since it's something you wear on your face like an accessory, then looks do matter. With the coupon, these new readers set me back $17.50 (plus tax), which is still pretty good.

I'm still not 100% health-wise, but a lot better. No red pills today. Still, I'm impressed with the amount of snot I blow out of my head once I heat up. At least there's no assorted colors in the tissues, just alternating white and clear. Almost normal. Yaaay me. The garlic, zinc and orange juice might actually be working! My son thinks raw garlic is a millennial fad like avocado toast. Sigh.

I'm comfortable doing 30 minutes on the cross-trainer with 5 minutes of cool down. Pull ups, push ups and core follow. Not a problem. Because it's later in the day, there are different regulars including Stinky Butt. Ugh. The Mayor is late today too. As is Little R, and Big Mustache. Maybe it's the Season? I get on the elliptical and cut my time to 20 minutes with a 5 minute cool down. That's 10 min less than I'd normally do. I finish with a last set of pull ups. The gym scale tells me 110.6 lbs and I'm happy, although this is probably more to do with me only drinking half my water bottle instead of the whole thing, like yesterday.

After having read dozens of articles on weight loss, nutrition and health, it dawns on me that I need to add HIIT cardio back to my routine in order for me to drop additional body fat. HIIT cardio was something I did once or twice a week in prior years. I'm not sure why I stopped, but it seems apparent to me that the change I need is not just to my diet, but also my cardio routine. And I hate HIIT cardio much more than I hate regular cardio. So this is going to be fun. Not. I'll probably start with the Intervals program on the elliptical for 20 minutes, pedaling as fast as I can in the troughs and doing a slow jog up the hills.

New readers!

My son is already home from school when I get back. He takes me aside and says very seriously, "Mom, something odd has happened." "What?" "All the stockings are full." "What?" "There's candy in all the stockings! I can see it from the hallway!" Ugh. Didn't think he'd notice so soon! I tell him that maybe the Elves have a strict schedule to keep with the Holiday season just beginning. "Mom, it's December first!" "Yeah, but Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has already aired." Well, at least he still believes in Santa and Elves. It means he's still a little boy, and my husband and I want him to stay that way just a little bit longer.

Friday 
6.87 miles

35 x-trainer
Calories 170
Miles 4.73
Average Heart Rate 156

HGPU 26
Push-ups 60
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

25 elliptical
Program 1
Calories 242
Miles 2.14

HGPU 26

On the Mend

Fixed with Crazy Glue

I was ambivalent about going to the gym yesterday, but I had my bag packed. Then I bent over and the lens to my reading glasses plopped onto the floor. I didn't really think much of it and tried to pop the lens back into the frame when I suddenly realized that the frame itself was broken. Ugh. A clean break right below the nose pad. It's not a place that you can tape so I tried Elmer's. Nope. They weren't expensive glasses, but still... I have a second pair but they don't fit as well and tend to sit skewed on my face. They're not the same style either being wire-frames, so the lenses are actually smaller, which is fine for peering over but not so great for lengthy reading. I tried on dozens of readers to find the ones I wear most of the time, based on comfort and the fact that I only need a 1X, which I found out yesterday, is not widely carried by stores. I'm so pressure-sensitive, I can't wear anything heavy. With a typical Asian wide, square face (no nose bridge and big high cheekbones), I can't always judge how well glasses will fit me until I don them.

I went to 3 different stores and discovered that most only carry the Foster & Grants brand, costing upwards of $20 and starting at 1.25X. Ugh. Not what I want. CVS was the only store to carry 3 different brands and online the choices leap up to 15. But I can't try glasses on online. Two of the three brands carried in-store came in the 1X, but as did CVS's own inexpensive brand ($12.95), but the 1X appeared to be out of stock. I tried on the 1.25X, which fit well, and made type two feet away look very crisp, but I didn't want to start buying stronger glasses than I really need. The other brands cost $25 and $35, which made me wish I had one of those 30% off coupons. Even then the glasses would cost more than I wanted to pay. The store manager apologized and said that more glasses might be on the truck coming in at the end of the week. There were 3-packs of 1X readers for $19.95, but I tried a pair on and they were too tight in the temples. Besides, I didn't want to own 3 pairs of 1X readers. Instead, I bought some Crazy Glue and glued the frame back together. It's not pretty, but it'll do until I check the CVS again at a later date.

Today, I went to the gym. It was late, nearly noon. I did my 10 minute cardio warm up, and then shoulders with the Baby Bells. After pulling at the bands, I ambled over to the Nexersys machines. The older lady who spoke to me last week was actually at a machine, tentatively punching and kicking the pads. I'm impressed. But I'm not sure if she enjoyed it, or if she'll be back. I sat down at the other machine because prep takes me a good 10 minutes between applying the moleskin, taping my hands, using cotton wraps and then finally, stuffing my hands into gloves. By this time, she's finished and leaves the area. Which is great, because she was on the left machine, the one I've been partial to lately. I drag all my stuff over to that machine and continue my prep.

Punching too hard Round 6

I'm a little frustrated by the machine's arbitrary Punching Too Hard warning, especially when that round results in a lower than normal Power Average. The problem is that the machine doesn't count the blow that triggers the warning. Ugh. I also blank the screen several times today, causing me to miss several combinations. Oh well... It's still a good workout, and I don't cough once during any of it. I feel like I'm on the mend! I do blow a lot of snot out of my head once I go shower, but I feel pretty good overall. Once home, I crush a big clove of garlic, mix it with virgin olive oil and smear it on some toast. Between taking zinc with my vitamins and eating raw garlic everyday, I think my head cold is actually waning. Of course, no one else in my household is sick, just me. I only take 2 little red pills today: one when I got up, and another one when I get home. Tomorrow I probably won't take any... but I'll see how I feel. At least the scale is giving me encouragement: 111.6 lbs.

Thursday

10 min elliptical
Calories 97
Miles 0.85

T, Y & I DB Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15

Nexersys Follow Me
7r Beginner L
7r Intermediate L

HGPU 26

Getting Fat

Tuesday

25 x-trainer
Calories 120
Miles 3.27
Average Heart Rate 151

HGPU 26

Smith Inclined Press
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 12
90 x 12, 10, 8
60 x 25
50 x 25

BB Front Raises s/s Upright Rows
20lbs x 15/15 reps
25lbs x 12/15 reps x 3 sets

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12reps x 3 sets

I feel better today, but that's probably because I popped a generic pseudoephredrine HCl, aka Little Red Pill, before I got out of bed. I take one 30 mg pill, wait an hour and then take a second one. It's easier for me to deal with when I stagger the dose, which is actually two pills. I'm off to the gym this morning because I've been slacking. I've known for a while that I've been putting on weight, and it's very frustrating to watch the scale creep up. My favorite pants are tight, so I know the scale's not lying. (I prefer my clothes to be loose.) So now instead of needing to drop 3 lbs, I need to drop 7. Ugh. I'm hoping that maybe I'm holding some water from salty foods, but two days in a row of the scale telling me I'm a skosh over 113 lbs means it's probably not that.

I seem to have put on 3 lbs just over this past weekend. You wouldn't think it was possible for the body to do something so drastic in such a short period of time. Perhaps I'm in hibernation mode where my body just wants to eat and store as many calories as possible? Maybe, but probably unlikely. I've just gotten lax with my meals. Since the body's so adaptable, it's going to take less food and more exercise to get myself where I want to be. Which is 7 lbs lighter. I'd settle for 5 lbs lighter actually, but always better to aim higher. And have looser clothes!

Still, I only do 25 minutes of cardio on the cross-trainer. Tomorrow I'll go back to 35 minutes. My eyes feel slightly burnt, which is what happens when I'm tired. Pull ups are okay. I skip the push ups and core work in order to jump right on the Smith machine. It's a Push Day! The routine goes well. I'm happy with the workout. What I can't decide is whether it's safe to continue with Smith RDLs and RG BB Rows on a Pull Day, knowing that my lower back seems to have some issues. Today my back feels fine and the sciatica is a distant memory. I just don't want to do something really stupid, like rupture a disc. Can I just do pull ups and DB rows for a back routine?

Last night I was researching sinusitis online. I hate poorly written articles and right now I have half a mind to contact the publication that sponsored the one about sinusitis. The author purports to write about symptoms and remedies for the condition, based on the experience of her husband, a chronic sufferer. So far so good. She makes brief mention of surgical options that alleviate pressure in the sinuses due to poor drainage. Okay, but it would've been nice if she detailed the procedure. Then she mentions viruses and bacteria in the same paragraph, making it seem as if the two terms are interchangeable. Ugh. Never mind doctors telling us for years that viruses can't be treated with antibiotics; that's for bacterial infections. She never quite distinguishes between the two, and how a bacterial sinus infection necessitates the use of antibiotics because there can be serious and potentially fatal complications, such as meningitis. Lastly, her sage advice for preventing sinusitis? Get a flu shot. Seriously? Because my immediate response is Why? How does getting a flu shot prevent sinusitis? What is the correlation? Or is she just a shill for the vaccine industry? Ugh.

This is almost as bad as the article I read some months ago (then sent an angry email to the publication) which used the words vitamins and minerals interchangeable. As if they were the same thing. The author breathlessly announced a brand new vitamin that helps your immunity and bones. And that vitamin is... magnesium. What?! Uh, didn't we learn this in middle school science and nutrition? These people are getting paid to write this schlock? Ugh. I'd better hurry up and finish my coursework...

That Time of Year Again...

Monday

24 x-trainer
Calories 113
Miles 3.04
Average Heart Rate 143

HGPU 26
Push Ups 60
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Push Ups 60
HGPU 27


We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at my brother's house, but I probably drank too much wine. Alcohol tends to weaken the immune system, and it's that time of the year. Yes, besides the Holidays, it's also Flu & Cold season! While I haven't had a flu shot since I stopped commuting into the City, I make sure my son gets one annually because school buses and classrooms are literal germfests. Still, I'm quite dismayed to wake up Friday morning with a sore throat. I know it's sinus mucous causing this pain so I use my neti pot. I always use filtered RO (reverse osmosis) water and nuke it until it's boiling, with a 1/4 tsp of salt to make it into a saline solution. This is fairly effective in clearing mucous from the sinuses and throat, but apparently not the little space in between. I have to resort to gargling with my head tilted way back to hit the right spot, and then a nasty clump dislodges into my mouth. Yuck. Well, better than swallowing it!

Of course, Saturday was spent outdoors in a park by Lake Mahopac. My son's Boy Scout troop volunteered to help the Chamber of Commerce with their holiday festivities. Temps were deceptive, because 54F seemed warm, but was actually chilly. I had chemical hand-warmers inside my gloves, and alpaca socks, but the hoodie over my flannel shirt wasn't really enough. I did wear a hat. But after two and a half hours, I was cold. And I got a lot colder when evening came. My hubs wanted hot spicy food so we went to an Indian restaurant the next town over. Great food at Jaipore! But I woke up Sunday with a massive head cold. Ugh. I actually resorted to taking ibuprofen because my head hurt so much it was making my ear and teeth ache. Sinus infections have been a bane to my family for generations so I'm not surprised by this. I am, however, disappointed in my body's failing immunity. First shingles, now this. Ugh.

But how do I know I just have a cold, and not the flu? I didn't get a flu shot this year. Publicity about last year's highly ineffective flu shot doesn't reassure me. I check several websites and conclude that I might have the flu. Or I could just have a cold. I'm not running a fever, but I do feel slight, occasional nausea, and this time it's not because of any vertigo. Sometimes I get a chill, or I'm suddenly too hot. My nose is running in spite of taking pseudoephedrine. (I won't buy the fake stuff, phenylephrine, because it doesn't do anything for me except leave a bad taste in my mouth.) I have a dry cough that tastes like I got paper lint stuck in my throat. My left ear hurts and coincidentally, so does that side of my face. Ugh. It's probably just plain ol' sinusitis.

The best thing I can do is raise my body temperature, and the only way I know to do that is to exercise. So I go to the gym. I get there by noon because I had a few errands to run beforehand. I'm miserable in the CVS when I go to pick up more pseudoephedrine. It doesn't help that my son's acne cream gives me sticker shock when I renew the prescription. From a copay of $10 in June, it's now $45 with insurance. I look it up later and find that it retails for $215. WTH? And the copay changed because the pharma decided to change what tier the cream should reside in. What? So without any notice or warning, prescription drugs suddenly cost more, or aren't covered at all by insurance. WTF? Things are suppose to be more affordable under this administration. Well, okay, I didn't really believe that either... but still. (I already know that our premiums are going to skyrocket. Because corporations will steal money out of the middle-class pocket whenever they get the chance. Seriously.)

I feel slightly better by the time I get to Kmart where I shop for holiday lights (the ones on our fake miniature tree don't work anymore). Maybe the meds have finally kicked in? The gym is almost a ghost town by the time I get settled on the cross-trainer. I only do 20 minutes with a 4-minute cool down. I'm barely sweaty, but I'm tired. However, cardio fatigue doesn't crimp physical strength, and I'm able to knock out pull ups, push ups and my core routine without any issues. I do like that one aspect about my body.

Left foot normal. Right foot's a mess.

After a hot shower, I feel okay. Except my nose is drippy in spite of the decongestants. Ugh. Earlier, my feet had started to bother me. Well, the left foot, the good foot, the one without the bunion and hammer toes, started to ache along the outer edge while I was pedaling. But then everything was fine, and the tightness in that heel disappeared as well. Yaaaay me and my ugly feet. A foot model I will never be!

I haven't seen any pantry moths lately, except for the few caught in the moth glue traps. So that seems to be working. I check every week, and while I'm disappointed to have caught so few, I'm happy not to see any fluttering about inside my cupboards. And no little moth larvae crawling out of the grains!

5 dead India meal moths

Cardio is Best When You're Dead Tired

Wednesday 
7.79 miles

35 xtrainer
Calories 170
Miles 4.76
Average Heart Rate 151

HGPU 26
Push Ups 60
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Push Ups 60

35 elliptical
Program 2
Miles 3.03
Calories 345
Average Heart Rate 149

HGPU 26


Tuesdays are crazy busy between my son's kung fu weapons class and Boy Scouts. He likes to get all his homework done before Scouts because we get back so late. It's difficult to unwind and head straight to bed, so very often we're up later than we should be. Last night was no exception. I look up and realize that it's past midnight and I'm definitely going to be unhappy in the morning.

Six hours is not enough sleep for me. I'm spacey when I get up. My son only has a half day of school but we're still at the bus stop at 7:05 am. The rainy weather is messing with my sinuses, and that means that I'm also having a slight vertigo issue. I feel a little carsick when I drive to the gym. Worse, my left foot develops a numb spot just under the metatarsal heads. My leg isn't over-extended since I've moved my seat closer to the wheel. I'm wearing my reliable Ariat Fat Baby boots so it's not footwear either. At the gym I put on the Ryka trainers, but my toes go numb just 10 minutes into the first cardio session. Ugh. Luckily, I'm not actually running, or doing anything that really requires toes for balance. My feet just aren't happy with me today.

There's no one in the Stretch Cage today and I'm happy to get my first set of pull ups done before going to the Mats for push ups and core. Gym Owner has a new female client and she's complaining that the weights hurt as she does dead lifts in the CF area. But she's also smiling and laughing, so I think she's just giving him grief. I see a few regulars, but I can't hear them, so I'm fairly happy. I do a set of push ups and the right shoulder feels a bit stiff, but nothing hurts. Okay, I am a little sore from the past two days, but that minor soreness doesn't actually register as pain. I do scissors, bicycles and crunches. In between, I stretch the piriformis muscles under my glutes and do a few lower back stretches. Side planks and bird dogs feel okay so I'm reassured that this sciatica thing is mostly done.

There are 4 ellipticals, and SnowBird is on the best one. I get on the next best one, which is to the immediate right. It has a slight catch in the flywheel action at low elevations. When the program raises the incline, the glitch disappears, but there's a noticeable click. Of course, if your tunes are loud enough, you don't hear that annoying sound. I can't imagine working out without earbuds or music. Yes, the gym has piped-in music but some days you don't want to listen to Disco or Country Western. Today I'm just doing Billy Idol instead of a mix. Unexpectedly, I'm bummed about David Cassidy passing away. I used to watch the Partridge Family! Who doesn't remember them singing C'mon, get happy! (That's also the name of his book, but I haven't read it and don't really plan to.) At least Bobby Sherman is still alive.


While I'm pedaling, I feel as if the ceiling lights are giving off too much heat. It's probably my overactive imagination, but it feels like the sun is shining down on the right side of me. Maybe I'm getting a sun burn too? It's yet another reason I prefer the other elliptical: that one isn't under the heat lamp! Kidding. They're just ceiling lights and the gym itself is air-conditioned. Maybe I'm so tired I'm hallucinating? Anything's possible.

I do another set of pull ups, and this time it's actually easier. Because I'm warmed up. But I can't wait to take my sneakers off on the Mat because the outside of my left foot hurts now. I don't know why. After some splits and shoulder rotations, I feel calm and relaxed. By the time I get into the shower though, I'm famished! I'm surprised my mileage is so good today. Probably because I'm tired. Which makes no sense at all. In the mirror, I look like a beast! But I'm actually slightly lighter today than yesterday, and I looked thinner yesterday. Figures...

Happy Thanksgiving. My gym is open in the morning, but I'm not going.