Contagion

I get to the gym later than I want to. It's ridiculously crowded even though the sun is bright in the sky. All the cardio stations on the platform are occupied so I take a spot on the cross-trainer by the front door. Brrrr... But it affords me a good view of the kickboxing machines. There's an old guy punching and jabbing, upper cut, cross, another jab. He's slow and steady but working up a good lather. I don't know if the default is 5 rounds, but he walks away with 2 more rounds to go. He is the only other regular user of the Nexersys machine I've seen in the past several months.

A few minutes later, I look up and see a different old guy at the other machine. He's a regular with an ever-expanding waistline. The most I've ever seen him do is pedal lazily on one of the recumbent bikes. Usually he's chatting with the Senior coffee klatch near the front door. He's tossing a jab and a punch, but the screen has a large touch bar that says START which he doesn't notice. I'm sure he's tapped the QuickStart button, but it also requires you to tap START. He goes a round while yet another old guy looks on. Finally, the onlooker taps the START button. I look up again and the machines have been abandoned while the onscreen clock ticks off time remaining in the round. Ugh. It's nice that other people have finally discovered these machines, but I hope I won't have to wait in line the next time I want to use them.

I had thought to do a LeftOvers workout, but I'm tired and have time constraints. So, it's a Push Day workout... especially since I'm still freaked out about upper arm crepey skin. I looked it up online and discovered that hordes of women have suddenly discovered what appears to be sudden muscle loss and irreparable damage to their upper arms. It might be genetic and menopause-related, which means it doesn't affect everyone, but it scares me just the same. Menopause has also been linked to high blood pressure and other ailments. It's been a few years since I missed my last menstrual period. Well, I don't miss it at all. But I do note the onset of fine lines and wrinkles, crepey throat skin, a hint of mummy mouth around the lips... Ugh.

I'm also fighting a cold sore virus. I've had them before. I've had shingles before. I've had chickpox as a child. Oddly, I think the virus lives in a bump at the edge of my nostril. I'm sure I'm the only one who's noticed this, but my right nostril has been slightly smaller because of a thickening at the edge. I started to dab some tea-tree oil on it and it reduced, then I got the beginnings of a pimple just under my nose, and then I felt a tingling in my upper lip line which is consistent with the onset of a cold sore. Ugh. I have a tiny tube of Abreva and dab what I think are all the afflicted areas at least twice a day. I don't actually have any cold sores, but I'm taking lysine with all my vitamins just as a preventative. It's always something! cue Roseanne Roseannadanna via Gilda Radner.

I also just read online that B vitamins appear to help with glaucoma. I check my Optic Nerve vitamins and see that they don't supply all the Bs. Well, I guess I can put that Mega-B Complex to use. The only B vitamin I have to be cautious about is niacin, because niacin poisoning is real. From an online site which may or may not be over reactive:

Niacin is famous for causing flushing. Rapid absorption of as little as 35 mg of niacin (think 35 mg of niacin with a hot coffee on an empty stomach first thing in the morning) can cause flushing. The duration and severity of flushing is proportional to the dose. A severe flush can be fearfully painful – an unforgettable experience. A mild flush could possibly be described as a pleasant experience by an unusual person – a feeling of warmth accompanied by tingling. Here is a fairly comprehensive list of other side effects listed by authorities:

Itchy feeling spots on the skin (skin looks perfectly normal upon inspection)
Dry feeling spots on the skin (skin looks perfectly normal upon inspection)
Fainting
Rapid heartbeat
Low blood pressure
Nausea
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Ulcers
Liver malfunction
Nervousness
Panic
Anxiety
Headache
Tooth pain
Gum pain
Decreased Thyroid function
Blurred vision
Lazy eye

My mileage isn't quite up to speed because I slowed down to chat with the woman I lent my son's book to. Well, it's almost 6 miles... I still have a lot of other things to work on since I signed up for a class on how to write a proper query letter. I'm the type of person who needs to know what the rules are before I even attempt a project. I ask a lot of questions and pose a lot of different scenarios. Sometimes though, this leads to me talking myself out of things. Like becoming a personal trainer. Because, honestly, I'm not a "people person". And I'm not comfortable selling products or packages. Like myself. Sigh.

Friday
5.98 miles

30 min x-trainer
Calories 147
Miles 3.46

HGPU 38
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 80
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

Smith Inclined Bench
Bar x 13
12 x 50, 70, 80
25 x 60

DB Laterals s/s Rev Inclined Flyes
20/25 x 12/15 x 3

Rip Skulls
40 lbs x 12 x 3

30 min elliptical
Program 1
Calories 284
Miles 2.52

HGPU 40 Yaaay!