I thought I was doing fairly well, sticking to my calorie count. Until yesterday. When I became so hungry after dinner that I actually had to weigh out an ounce of cheese, something with density and fat, to soothe my tummy. This morning I started to get hungry right after coffee, and a dose of SuperBeets. It's not what I anticipated. I wound up inhaling a serving of Chobani key lime yogurt and that kept me feeling good. Never mind that I had errands to run before hitting the gym. By the time I got there, it was close to noon. Not quite, but close enough. The gym is empty, except for the cardio machines I want to use. Of course...
No way to get on the cross-trainer so I do 30 minutes on the elliptical. If you're not feeling it, then just get the cardio out of the way! And I'm definitely not feeling it today. I do pull ups, push ups, crunches and planks. And I see that the Smith is free. But there's no flat bench. My shoulders are actually a little achy from Friday's kickboxing. Ugh. I decide I'm going to power through sets of Smith Inclined Presses. It's been a while since I've done them, so now's good to get back to it. I'm also thinking about adding a few sets of Inclined Flyes but with super light DBs because I still have that labral tear, and Flyes are hard on my joints.
Little R is benching today. I see him a lot but never say anything to him. I remember he used to chat with Mo and Big R. He's an okay guy, but talking to guys at the gym is just too fraught with weirdness for me. Big Glasses Dude helps spot Little R on the bench and decline bench. I'm glad he's over that "staring like a puppy dog" phase. A woman I know briefly tells me that she and a friend have been going to the weekly concerts at the library, and love my photo show. She says that they both admired the images and didn't realize that that was my show. That's kind of cool, I guess.
new food scale
I feel kind of dumpy today. Almost matronly. The only thing that makes me happy is seeing myself in the mirror when I do DB Lateral Raises, because the lighting shows me delt striations, biceps and triceps, and pecs all at once. Cool. Wish I could catch a photo of that!
I find that doing Rip Skulls has my blue tooth skull candy horse collar rolling up my neck, but only during the first and last set. Not sure what I did differently during the 2nd set where everything lay perfectly in place. The cross-trainer I want to use is occupied, and I'm not in the mood to do more elliptical. Instead, I try 15 minutes of Concept 2 Erg rowing. I've got a sore spot on my tail bone from two Sundays ago when my son and I came to the gym. Not sure if it's from the rower or the bike, or perhaps the fact I was wearing shorts. I'm ridiculously sensitive to seam chafing ever since I was a wee child. Which frustrated my mother to no end because I wouldn't wear anything scratchy or itchy, no matter how cute the dress. I actually hated dresses. Unless they were super soft, and had pockets. I guess some things never change.
It dawns in me that my husbands homemade beef jerky has a lot of salt in it. I was happily munching on several large strips of it yesterday, and now I'm puffy and bloated. Ugh. The gym scale reads 111.0 lbs, which only corroborates my suspicions about yesterday's snacking episode. Double ugh. Well, at least the food scale is easy to use... when I get home, I find half a broken robin's egg shell in the driveway. So weird...
I've always had very wrinkly hands
Monday
30 min elliptical + 5cd Program 1 Calories 327 Miles 2.92 Average Heart Rate 142
HGPU 26 Knee-Ins 50 Push Ups 50 Crunches 3 x 50 Bird Dogs 2 x 60s Side Planks 2 x 60s
Smith Inclined Press Bar (30) x 15 reps50 x 12 70 x 12 80 x 13 90 x 10, 8, 10 60 x 25 50 x 25
Inclined Flyes 10lbs x 12 reps (Rt inside pec/bicep is a bit tight) 15lbs x 12 (feels ok now) 20lbs x 12
DB Laterals s/s Rev Inclined Flyes 20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets
Yesterday I read a brief promotion for beets as a super food, and then remembered that my hubs occasionally drinks a glass of SuperBeets. The dose is a small scoop (1 tsp) mixed with 6-8 oz water. This morning I decide to see if it makes me feel any different. My hubs says he won't drink it late in the day because he's worried he won't be able to sleep at night. I'm still using my meal tracker and I'm getting a little better at actually approaching some of my goals. Still, it's nearly impossible for me to hit 40% protein unless I'm eating a lot of chicken and not much else as I'm trying to keep fats down to 25% and carbs at 35%. Eggs, apparently, have too much fat in them! Ugh. I'll still eat them! Red meat has too much fat in it. Chicken thighs have more fat than breasts, but they're so much cheaper, and tastier. Maybe I should flip the carb and fat ratios? But I'm trying to lose fat and nothing else, so for now I stick as closely as I can to this ratio. I only drink half my coffee this morning and put the rest in the fridge to sip later.
The only thing I notice is that I'm a lot hungrier this morning, but that's probably because I didn't eat all my calories. I had 408 left from the allotted 1570 by the time I went to bed. After warming up, I knock out my 14 rounds at the Nexersys kickboxing machine. It's still broken. It's humid, and even though the a/c is on full blast, I'm drenched with sweat. I only do 26 reps for pull ups too even though I know I can do more. I like not having my elbows hurt. I'm starving and want to eat my hand by the time I get back to the locker room. Ugh.
Well, the headphones I borrowed from my husband worked out well. It only gets a bit of static when I'm bending a certain way, and I'm not sure if sweat is entering through the charging port, or if I'm somehow depressing the iPod button while it's in my pocket. Apparently Apple isn't make iPods anymore, because everyone uses their phone for tunes. Every except me. Because my hand-me-down iPhone 6+ is too damn big to wear. But I cart it around with me just to track my workouts, and take selfies. Of course. The iPod is just for music. And that's the way I like it. Uh huh.
It's only been a few days since I started tracking my food, but I already feel a little leaner. Weird, right? I've sucked down 95% of my 1.5 liter bottle, and I'm not happy that the gym scale tells me 110.4 lbs. A full pound heavier today? Super weird. I need a few items from the grocery. Especially paper towels and toilet paper. Because my son and husband treat it as if it grows on trees (a favorite saying of my grandmother). My son often retorts that trees are made of paper, just the way my hubs tells me that all those critters outside are made of meat. Hhmmm.
I've circled a few sale items on the flyer, and after I check out, I scan the receipt. More than once I've had something not ring true. Today I see that the paper towels, advertised in the flyer for $4.49, have cost me $6.99. I take my cart and receipt to Customer Service where the helpful teen behind the counter double and triple checks the flyer, then gives me back $7.58 in cash. "You've given me too much money," I tell him, expecting only to be reimbursed for the difference between the sale flyer and the charged price. "Oh no, if it rings up incorrectly, you get the item for free." Whoa! Didn't I already know that somewhere? Regardless, it makes me feel much better.
Bugs love me
I get home and unload fresh peaches, apricots and sockeye salmon. Then, before I mix up a protein shake with fresh strawberries and fat-free, lactose-free milk, I get on my home scale. My hair is 95% dry by now. The scale tells me I weigh 109.4 lbs and my body fat has dropped back to 15.6%. Last Saturday I weighed in at 110 lbs and 16.4% BF. At least things are moving in the right direction... except bugs still love me. (I've given up trying to eat 3 raw cloves of garlic a day because it upsets my stomach too much.) As soon as I step out with the dog, I get bit. Of course. Maybe I'll try eating 1 clove of garlic a day... but I need to put it on a slice of bread. Any excuse for a slice of ciabatta...
I tried Mike's Hard Peach Lemonade last night and was disappointed. It's syrupy sweet. I like the Margarita one better. And I'm not sure it's worth the whopping calorie count (220) since Red's Apple Ale is a reasonable 165, and easier to drink. What I didn't do was chase it down with a tumbler of water, so I had an awful headache this morning. Eventually I got myself sorted out, and off to the gym, but a tad later than I had planned.
Figuring that cardio is more important than anything else I do, I'm on the cross-trainer for 30 plus minutes. I'm slower today and don't quite get the mileage I'd like. I do a few pull ups, and see that the Smith is free. Of course I skip core, abs and all that. I think I'm mildly hungover or dehydrated or it's a combination of not enough sleep and too much syrupy alcoholic beverages. You can bet I won't be making that mistake again!
The Smith RDLs are hard, but not impossible. I take my time with the heaviest sets, because I want to make all the reps. Why? Because I don't have it in me to do three sets of 8 today. I grit my teeth through the RG BB Rows, and then on a whim, decide to do a few sets of One-Arm Seated Cable Rows. But I can't find the handle I like. Since I have tiny hands, most of the single grip handles are too thick or too heavy for me to use comfortably. When I get to the last set, it's my grip that gives out, not my arms or back.
I'm testing out a Skull Candy bluetooth headset that my hubs has lent me after I complained about my own headset not holding a charge that lasts my entire workout. He favors the headsets that look like cattle yokes, and have tiny earbuds. They are actually quite comfortable today, but I haven't fully tested them out where I'm laying down, like crunches or benching. That's where there might be an issue with how comfortable these things are, or if they'll even stay put.
I have two sets of lifting gloves that I use regularly: a blue pair for actual weights because it has better, heavier padding, and a thinner red pair I only use for pull ups and doing mat stretches. Unfortunately, the red pair is starting to shred, and I find bits of black fabric all over the mat when I'm done. Ugh. Also, I've been wearing (and washing) a hot pink sports bra for some months now (once weekly or so) and never realized that even now, it's not colorfast. It's rare that I wear anything white, but today, my tank has white trim. Except that after my workout, it had pink-stained trim. Double ugh. Normally I wear black, or purple.
I'm mildly disappointed that the gym scale reads the same as yesterday, 109.4 lbs, but at least I don't weigh more. And my pants fit a tad better. The app is a pain, but it's keeping me honest. My hubs bought a food scale for the kitchen since we've had to eyeball our portions. Now we've really starting getting serious!
Thursday 7.09 total miles
30 min x-trainer + 5 cd Calories 160 Miles 4.13 Average Heart Rate 149
HGPU 26
Smith RDLs Bar (30) x 12 80 x 12 100 x 12 120 x 12 140 x 12 150 x 12 (because I don't have 3 x 8 in me)
Smith RG BB Row 80 x 25 100 x 25 120 x 25
Seated 1 Arm Cable Row 30 x 12 45 x 12 52.5 x 12
30 min elliptical + 5 cd Program 3 Calories 333 Miles 2.96 Average Heart Rate 142
I'm not sure if there's a genetic component to anxiety, but my mother suffered from an extreme case of it, manifesting itself in OCD behavior and agoraphobia (fear of the marketplace). I get bouts of it, and although not as bad as my mother's, it's enough to make me worry that I'll morph into a housebound recluse. Yesterday, my hubs got back from Boston with the news that several people in his office had been let go. As in fired. Because my husband pretty much does whatever is needed by management (the partners), he's fairly secure in his position. He travels at the drop of a hat, and I don't give him any grief about it because that's the job.
Still, it gives us both pause for concern. He wants to move to Dallas. His company now has an office there, and is trying desperately to close this one in Bethel, Connecticut. There is talk of moving the remaining staff down to Fairfield (where the remaining senior partner lives), which still seems expensive, and a much longer commute for my hubs. The other senior partners have mostly moved to Wyoming, I'm assuming for tax purposes, since there's an office in Denver, but no one wants to live in Denver.
My hubs is too tired to work out (having just returned from Dallas and immediately drove up to Boston and back in a day), and just has a few beers with dinner before heading to bed. I can't sleep. Not only am I now addicted to this new iPad game Word Connect, but I'm so stressed that I can't seem to inhale properly if I'm sitting. Probably something to do with organs getting all compressed. I'm much happier if I can stand, or sit bolt upright. When I get up in the morning, I'm still so anxious I can literally feel myself "jumping out of my skin." It's not a good feeling. I can only imagine that it's this feeling that makes people do stupid, desperate things. Like drugs. Or murder-suicides. A lot of people seem to be jumping off bridges and in front of oncoming trains lately. I'm sad, but not that shocked.
My cortisol levels have to be at an unhealthy level. I'm so stressed I almost skip the gym today, rationalizing that there's too many other things to do. I have no energy and don't actually want to leave the house. I'm in a fog as well, and can't seem to clear my head, even with a cup of strong coffee. Plus I've had mild vertigo for the past month or so... probably tree spoo (a term my son thinks is hilarious) and air pressure issues.
I force myself to pack my gear and drive to the gym. There are too many old people driving. Or rather, not driving, but hesitating at intersections. They're going to get someone killed. They sit waiting for cars that are almost a quarter mile away to drive past. I honk my horn at the car in front of me because it's just sitting there. A woman strolls across the two-lane road. Clearly, there's time to make a left hand turn onto the main thoroughfare. The car moves like it's sleepwalking. Ugh.
It's late but the gym is virtually empty. I like it. I spend 30 minutes on the cross-trainer, and an additional 5 for the cool down. My right foot still goes numb. My right elbow aches even before I reach the Stretch Cage, so 26 reps is my limit for HGPUs. Can I count push ups as core work? As well as knee-ins, crunches and planks? I'm starting to feel better. More focused. I get on the elliptical and punch in Program #2. It's the one I dislike the most. And then there's the 5 minute cool down. I make over 7 total miles and that makes me happy. But it's really late, so I just do a set of pull ups, and then off to shower. The overwhelming sense of dread and fear is gone. Whew!
The gym scale surprises me with 109.4 lbs. My hair is so wet that sweat is dripping off the tip of my braid. But I only drank half my water bottle. Still, it's been a long time since I've seen the scale dip below 110 lbs. When I get home, I scan my wall calendar where I jot down my weight each time I remember. My weight's been in flux for months now. The one thing about using a meal app is that it makes you exceptionally aware of all the calories you're eating. I still can't figure out how to eat more protein and less carbs though without completely blowing my calorie limit. Maybe it's not that important? Maybe what I really need to do is be mindful of all the junk I used to eat. Maybe it's just keeping my calories down. For now. Because other than adding the 5 minute cool down, I haven't really changed anything. MyFitnessPal tells me that I'll be down to 107.5 lbs by September. I'm actually hoping sooner. And hoping that it'll stick.
Wednesday 7.17 miles
30 min x-trainer + 5cd Calories 162 Miles 4.22 Average Heart Rate 148
HGPU 26 Knee-Ins 50 Push Ups 50 Crunches 3 x 50 Bird Dogs 2 x 60s Side Planks 2 x 60s Push Ups 50
30 min elliptical + 5cd Program 2 Calories 333 Miles 2.96 Average Heart Rate 145
Between the middle-age people driving while looking at their phones (and swerving back to their side of the road just in the nick of time), and drivers willfully ignorant of the NYS Wiper law (that states if your windshield wipers are on, your lights should be on), I've had it with stupid people. And it's not inexperienced kids, it's middle-age people who should know better but seem to believe that the law applies to everyone else. Because they're special. Grrrrr....
I only got 5 hours sleep and that's my own fault not resisting a sudden urge to play the original Bejeweled on my old iPad2. That game is far superior to the newer versions. But I couldn't got to sleep until I had cleared a level, and that took me three or four turns. It's all pattern recognition and a tiny bit of lightning-fast strategizing. I like it so much better than my son's FPS games.
It's pouring and cooler today at 65°F, so I know my son is going to have a miserable day at camp. Tomorrow I plan to take him to see Baby Driver for the special effects, sound track and Kevin Spacey. We have some interest in Dunkirk, but since it just opened, that show might be crowded, whereas Baby Driver has been out for weeks and less likely to have a full theater.
The treadmills quickly fill up with people who usually go for a run in the morning if the weather's nice. I'm happy enough on the cross-trainer. But I'm tired. And I add on the 5 minute cool down. I'm not sure why, but those extra 5 minutes, pedaling at half speed, seems to give me more mileage than is warranted. I do my usual routine of HGPUs, knee-ins, push ups, crunches, and planks. I'm half hoping that the Smith will be occupied, but by the time I'm done "warming up", it's free. I do some Flat benching, dropping reps with each set. I wish I could say that 120 lbs was easy. It wasn't. I'm too nervous about my shoulder to even try 130 lbs for even just 5 reps. But the last two sets of super high reps were actually fairly easy. It might just all be in my head?
I even do a few sets of Smith Inclined Presses. They feel easy too. I don't go past 70 lbs even though it's possible I could get reps at 80. Instead, I do my standard DB laterals superset with reverse inclined flyes. I really hate people who insist on doing their shrugs or whatever, standing inches from the DB rack. I'm muttering under my breath a lot today. And since I'm plugged in, I have no actual idea as to how loud I'm grumbling.
The finishing exercise are Rip Skulls and I'm ready. It's just that the 40 lb BB is missing. Some skinny guy is using the BB to wedge his toes under while he does sit ups. Seriously? He does a few other moves before more sit ups. I'm getting vexed. I get a pair of magnetic discs totaling 5 lbs from the front desk and grab the 30 lb BB. Just as I set up for a set, skinny dude puts the 40 lb BB back on the rack. I do a set at 35 lbs. Then I swap the 30 lb BB for the 40 lb one. And because I have the discs, I do 45 lbs on the next set. Skinny Dude grabs the 20 lb BB and does some BB curls in the mirror. But mostly he pulls at the elastic bands, doing weird shoulder movements. When he reracks the bar, he's oblivious enough to drop the 20 lb BB in the 30 lb slot. And all I can do is mutter "Moron" under my breath because I'm OCD enough to want the BBs in the correct slots.
Well, at least I made myself do a set of Rip Skulls with 45 lbs. The left elbow and right shoulder complained a little at the end, but mostly it was okay. Then I got on the elliptical for 30 minutes. Plus a 5 minute cool down. I never feel like doing the last set of HGPUs, but I talk myself into doing them. I figure I'm going to skip the gym tomorrow so might as well do them today.
The gym scale is not my friend today and tells me I'm 111.6 lbs, sopping wet. I've decided to revisit the phone app MyFitnessPal
to track my calories, and my macros. Because obviously, what
I'm doing lately isn't working for me. I want to drop 3-4 lbs of fat, putting me somewhere between 108-7 lbs, and dropping body fat from 16 to mid-14 percent. It's not an unreasonable goal. My hubs and I both agree that it's best to ignore the exercise section that allows you to add calories back into your diet. It's deceptive and makes you believe that you have much more leeway than your really do. I had no idea this app belonged to Under Armour until just now! My hubs loves UnderArmour stuff. I'm okay with their shorts, but most of their women's wear is geared for stick-arm girls, so it's not a good match for me.
Monday 7.07 total miles
30 min x-trainer + 5cd
Calories 142, 160
Miles 3.71, 4.14
Average Heart Rate 131
HGPU 26
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Smith Flat Bench
Bar x 15
80 x 13
100 x 10
120 x 8
90 x 25
80 x 25
Smith Inclined Bench
Bar x 12
50 x 12
70 x 12
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets
Rip Skulls
35lbs x 13
40lbs x 12
45lbs x 12
30 min elliptical + 5cd
Program 1
Calories 330
Miles 2.93
Average Heart Rate 139
I spent a good part of yesterday pulling oriental bittersweet vines out of my hedges, hacking back stray branches in my driveway, and weed whacking. All this rain means that my driveway has lost a third of it's length because the encroaching weeds have taken over. I don't really care much except the back up sensors in my car go crazy when they encounter obstacles, like weeds. And it's gonna be hell to shovel the driveway in the winter if there's plant life under the icy white stuff.
Today I sleep in and for the first time in months, the sleep app tells me I've actually gotten 100% of my requirement. About time! After I wipe down the bathroom, I tell my son he can either help me scrub the tub, or come to the gym. He doesn't hesitate a minute to tell me Gym. The tub will have to wait. The gym is always fairly empty on weekends. Especially if it's nice out. But today it's hot and humid, with the threat of thunderstorms later. Still, there's only a handful of people here. I let my son choose what we'll do. I've promised to take him to the Mall afterwards so he can browse GameStop for used games. The Mall closes at 6 on Sundays so we only have a bit more than an hour because I also need to shower, and it's at least a 30 min drive there.
We do a quick course on the Expresso bikes where we pedal along and pick up coins for points. When the terrain changes I have to switch gears or I'm stuck, unable to get up the hills. My son's final score is double mine. Then we spend time on the tread mill. I have my old iPod and wired earbuds today, so I can plug them into the console and watch a little bit of a weird SyFy movie while I walk. My son jogs along while watching videos on his phone. He really wants to use the Step Mill, so that's the next stop. There's a TV console here too, but no obvious place to plug in earbuds so I click on the Close Caption button. Afterwards, we head to the pair of Erg Rowers. I'm apparently a lot more efficient at this than my son because even though he has a two minute head start, I've covered more distance at the end.
Then we go to the Stretch Cage. I want him to hang with bent arms from the top of the cage. He's a big child, and hasn't been able to do a pull up like his smaller, lighter wiry classmates. He hangs there for several seconds but bumps his head on the roof. I tell him he has to arch his back a bit and get his face past the edge. He manages to do several partial pull ups from this point. And then is able to repeat it. But afterwards, he complains that his hands hurt. I'll have to look through my "glove collection" and see if any will fit him. Doing pull ups, even with gloves, is what I suspect is giving me callouses. But my elbow hurts more than my hands so that's what I pay attention to.
I shower and change, and my son is happy to suck down a wild-berry protein shake while waiting for me. I wish my hubs would take my son to the gym to show him some basics like rinsing off his face and armpits afterwards, and then donning a clean shirt. But because I can't walk him through this in the men's locker room, he's content to change his shirt in the car. Then we go to the Mall.
Yesterday I got on my home scale and recorded the ugly truth: 110 lbs and 16.3% BF... My clothes fit sooo much better when I'm a few pounds lighter. And it helps if those pounds are fat. I've got some work to do!
This thought has been rolling around in my head since last week... Maybe it's because I only have one child and he's everything to me, but when I read about Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington's suicide on Chris Cornell's birthday, I couldn't help but feel a mix of sadness and extreme anger. Yes, artist's seem to feel things more deeply, more painfully. But when I read that he had six children, I immediately thought of how selfish it was of him. He's dead, but it's the survivors who bear the grief and pain. Sure, he was in grief himself, but he had responsibilities. To his family, his children, his friends, his band. When you're a parent, you suck it up and march on.
Sunday
Expresso bike 10 min
Coin Toss program 27798 distance 1.63 45 cal
It's going to be hot and humid this weekend so I'm not sure what to plan. Maybe I'll drag my son to the gym and we'll race each other on the Expresso bikes. Of course, he'll win. Because I can barely reach the handle bars! My hubs found out yesterday that he had a meeting at LaGuardia airport this afternoon, and then he had to be in Dallas for the weekend. Dallas is a new project. As is LaGuardia. He's happy to be busy because having downtime means you're expendable. Boston is kicking in soon, and there's the Houston project. And one at JFK. So he'll be traveling quite a bit. But I still need to find some paying work.
My gym and my vet's office have advertised for help in the local PennySaver and online. The only thing worse than being rejected for a job, is being rejected by a company you're a client of. Not that I've applied. Because it would be so totally awkward to get turned down. (I'd never work at my gym anyway! But I could see me at my vet's office.) Part of me is torn between applying for local part time positions that would allow me to continue to take my son to all his after school activities, once they start up in September. And part of me just wants to work from home. Because that is the ultimate in flexibility. But I'm a bit lost on how exactly to do this. I've never had any career guidance and mostly fall into jobs and situations. Odd, right? But I'll figure this out. Eventually.
Meanwhile, I drop my son off at camp and head to the gym. I barely remembered to pack my gloves and wind up snipping my moleskin patches into reasonable pieces in the car. I can't resist using the good cross-trainer for warm up. There are a lot of new folks in the gym today. And a few regulars. The kickboxing machines are still broken. But not any worse than they've been. There are grumpy old men in the machines. Creepy Frankenstein stares from across the room. Yuck. I adjust my stance so that I can't see him. A lot of other regulars are MIA. Gone for the summer, or a changed work schedule. I don't miss them.
Damn I feel big
Even though I have moleskin squares, white tape and cloth wraps to keep my hands padded and snug inside the leather gloves, I still worry about skinning one of my knuckles as I jab and dig. I've learned to kick flat footed to preserve my toes. And I pull all my upper blows because the machine isn't registering them anyway.
The right shoulder seems tight, especially on the Cross. Afterwards, my whole upper back is a tad tight. Anyone can make the Follow Me program into a full body workout just by bending the knees a bit and adding a small jump/lunge forward for most of the blows. There's enough twisting for Hooks and Digs to make this fairly aerobic. Most people are ridiculously static when standing in front of the Nexersys, and their workout becomes just a series of punches. Which is fine for some really old guys, I guess. The one muscle that doesn't get any work is the bicep. Which is why I like to follow up with pull ups. Once I get the gloves, wraps, tape and moleskin off.
I've sucked down nearly the entire water bottle and my hair and clothes are drenched. Still, I'm disappointed when the scale reads 111.4 lbs. Putting on 3 lbs was stupidly easy, but getting them off is proving to be quite challenging. I'm really going to have to pay more attention to diet now. Oh well.
There's a heat and air quality warning for today, as well as a threat of thunderstorms this evening. I tell my son to stay out of the sun if possible at camp, unless he's in the pool. He's been applying his own sunscreen before leaving the house, and always wears a rash guard or a T-shirt. For some reason, he prefers long sleeve Ts. As do most of his friends. (Must be a tween thing?) Finally, some people have come to their senses in the various state legislatures. This year, I had a heated argument with my son's summer camp nurse because she insisted that each child required a note from their doctor to apply sunscreen at camp. In reality, the laws had been amended this year so that kids can apply their own sunscreen with parent permission. No doctor note required. Below is an excerpt from the town camp parent handbook. My son goes to a different camp, but the same laws apply.
from the town camp parent handbook
What really infuriated me was that my son came home sunburned several years ago because no one had applied sunscreen at a time when not only was sunscreen available in large pump jugs all over the camp, but only parental permission was needed (and was given). To my knowledge, no camp personnel actually applies sunscreen. Each child must figure this out themselves and apply sunscreen. I don't need a doctor's permission to apply sunscreen to my child. Why does the camp need my son to see a doctor to apply sunscreen? Finally, the camp nurse relented and "graciously permitted" my son to attend with missing paperwork. Excuse me?
Since the town is repaving a portion of the road that leads to camp, I take an alternate route back, just to get to the gym. I'm two car lengths behind a maroon SUV that insists on tailgating a small white subcompact. The white car can't seem to stay on the road, wandering into the oncoming lane, then over correcting and driving on the shoulder. (Our county is known for the longevity of its residents, but unfortunately, senior driving has become painfully common.) What I can't understand is why the maroon SUV insists on being a half-car length from an obviously incompetent driver? Should the white car stop suddenly, a rear-end collision becomes inevitable. Once the white car turns off to another road, I see the maroon SUV race up to the shopping plaza where I'm also headed. What, is she late for a hair appointment? This is almost as good as watching the old guy who, while adjusting his rear view mirror while driving on a straight part of the road, also turned his steering wheel and just about drove off the road. Yep, happens all the time around here.
I'm planning to do a Pull Day, but I'm flexible. I can reroute my routine if I need. After a 15 minute warm up on a really difficult cross-trainer (like trudging through peanut butter fudge), I do a quick cage stretch and a few pull ups. And some knee-ins and push ups. There's a woman on the Smith finishing up squats. But before I get there, another girl steps into the Smith. She's also going to do squats. I ask her how many sets she's got and she can't tell me. I tell her that's okay, I just wanted to know if I should wait or come back later. She offers to let me work in, and I decline, telling her that I tend to do a lot of sets. (I'm not a people person, and I hate sharing. There. I've said it.)
Looks like I'll be doing more cardio instead. I see that the cross-trainer I like is available. Actually, they're all available at this point. So 30 more minutes of cardio. And another quick stretch, and more pull ups. I look down the gym. The Smith is empty! Yaaay! I had seen The Mayor arrive earlier and was worried that he'd be super-setting between three or four stations. Instead, he's chatting with someone on the treadmill. That figures. That he's chatting. Not that he's doing cardio.
There's a couple of guys I've never seen before, working out at various stations surrounding the Smith. They remind me of that TV show Vikings. Not that they are tatted with odd hair. No, they have close cut beards, short sides and longer top hair. Still, they remind me of Vikings. I can't get 12 reps on my last heavy set of RDLs, so I just do more sets. RG BB Rows are a natural follow-up. I don't feel like doing cardio on the elliptical and it's been ages since I used the Step Mill. I wonder if I'm going to be sore tomorrow. I haven't actually been sore in a long time. A little stiff, but nothing that actually qualifies as DOMS. When I'm finally done, I can't resist a last set of pull ups. My left forearm is a tad sore. Well, nothing that whacking the machine tomorrow won't fix. Kidding.
I'm a bit upset that my skin is changing. It seems drier than ever and if I forget to exfoliate, I don't recognize my thighs or shins because they look so alien, with a meshwork of small raised plates of recalcitrant skin that resemble a topographic map of taro fields and rice paddies. I'm also developing tiny pin prick spots. Not those liver-colored age spots, but tiny black spots. Micro-moles? They're not raised like a typical mole though. I have one on my thumb. And the top of my ear. And today I notice a few tiny grains of finely ground black pepper on my hand. A tiny bump erupted just under my brow (I felt it before I could see it), and seems to be slowly growing into a skin tag. Now I can see it. Ugh.
Old Asian people get spotty. Well, I guess old "any kind of people" get spotty, and lumpy. And I'm having a hard time losing the few extra pounds I put on last weekend. (Gym scale says 111.2 lbs today.) It isn't normally this difficult. I may have to do something differently. The body is adaptable, and occasionally requires a "shock to the system." Yes, that's a reference to one of my favorite Billy Idol songs. For those of you who don't know it, here it is:
Thursday 5.69 miles cardio
15 min x-trainer + 5 cool down (1)
Calories 77
Miles 1.54
Average Heart Rate 128
HGPU 26
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50
30 min x-trainer (0) + 5 cool down
Miles 4.15
Calories 160
Average Heart Rate 138
HGPU 31
Smith RDLs
Bar (30lbs) x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12
140 x 12
150 x 8 x 3
I volunteered to drive my hubs to the train station this morning because he had a meeting at 9 am in NYC, and no one wants to drive there. Not only is traffic ridiculous, but the cost of parking is prohibitive. We could probably buy dinner for 4 just to park for 4 hours in Manhattan. Of course, that meant getting out the door at 5:30 am. I like to have a time cushion just for things like my hubs realizing he's forgotten his cell just as we're a half mile out the door. I know it only takes 11 minutes to get to the nearest station, so I give myself 20 minutes just in case. He gets there with plenty of time to purchase a ticket from the machine (on board purchases cost more).
I get home and hop back into bed. But I can't sleep even though I have a headache from going to bed at midnight, and getting up at 5:15. I read the newspaper and sip leftover coffee. I make myself comfy and doze a little, but I never actually fall back to sleep. The coffee probably didn't help either. After walking and feeding the dog, I'm off to the gym. My son is sleeping in today and that's fine with me. He should enjoy this luxury while he can.
All the cross-trainers are occupied so I hop on the elliptical. Halfway through the 30 minute session, I'm too warm and the hoodie zipper is annoying me, chafing my upper thighs. Ugh. I'm tired. So tired that I actually allow myself to pedal during the 5-minute cool down that's built into all the programs. Normally, I skip the cool downs. Pull ups don't feel too bad. Too many guys on the sit up board (don't even ask) so no knee-ins. I knock out a set of push ups, crunches, planks and then a final set of push ups. I hadn't planned on doing any weights today, but then I see that the Smith is open. Hmmmm...
There are regulars, like The Mayor, Maroon, and Big Guy but I don't pay them much mind. When I'm tired, it's all I can do just to focus on my work out. I haven't benched in a while so I take it slow. Everything feels okay until I reach 120 lbs. Then my chest and neck feel tight, and I worry about my shoulder enough to cap it at 8 reps. Instead, I add two high-rep sets at a lower weight. No inclined benching either. But the DB area is crowded, and some clueless guy is doing one-arm DB curls off the adjustable inclined bench. Ugh. He should just sit at the preacher curl station, but he's staring intently at his bicep in the mirror wall behind the DB rack. I drag the other adjustable bench over and squeeze in next to a guy on a flat bench. He's nice enough to shove his stuff over to make room once clueless dude leaves.
Last on my list are Rip Skulls. I'm always worried that 40 lbs is going to be more than I can handle, but it never is. When will I finally trust myself? Too worried about complacency, I guess. By noon, all the cross-trainers are empty so I clamber aboard the one I favor. 30 minutes, plus the cool down. Again. Because I can't seem to generate any mileage today. I skip a last set of pull ups. I even skip mat stretches. My hubs texts me that he'll be at the station by 3:03 so I have just enough time to shower, change and head home for a few minutes. My son is finally awake and has finished his summer reading assignment. So glad that's over and done with! He's old enough to feed himself but I have to prod him to make some toaster waffles smeared with peanut butter. Kids!
I get to the station with 10 minutes to spare. At 3:00 my hubs texts me that the train hit something and damaged its connection to the power rail. So he's stuck until the replacement train shows up. Ugh. I don't want to go all the way back home, so I go to Kmart instead. Just as I'm about to select a laundry basket for my son (who requested one), my hubs texts that he's just a few towns away. Kmart is notorious for having long lines at checkout, mostly because they have fired all their regular staff and replaced them with teenagers. I leave the basket and head back to the station. I feel like I've been driving back and forth on the same road all damn day. Probably because I have. After I retrieve my hubs, we drive back to Kmart. Because we also need a new shower curtain...
Wednesday 6.75 total miles
30 min elliptical + 5 cool down Program 2 Calories 341 Miles 3.01 Average Heart Rate 145
HGPU 31 Push Ups 50 Crunches 3 x 50 Bird Dogs 2 x60s Side Planks 2 x 60s Push Ups 50
Smith Flat Bench Bar (30lbs) x 15 80 x 13 100 x 13 120 x 8 90 x 25 80 x 25
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Raises 20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets
Rip Skulls 40lbs x 12reps x 3 sets
30 min x-trainer + 5 cd Calories 149 Miles 3.74 Average Heart Rate 128
I spent most of yesterday bingeing on streaming movies and eating poorly. The same is true of Saturday, although I did have a nice showing of friends at my photo reception. I still hope to make a sale or two of some of my prints. Fingers crossed.
Today I didn't really have much of a game plan, except to avoid Bench Pressing because the right shoulder just isn't right. The left elbow isn't good either. I do 30 minutes on the cross-trainer by the door and realize that none of these machines have working TV units. That's fine with me because I don't like the glare of the screen, and I find programming to be distracting. I'd rather pedal along to music anyway. I only do one set of pull ups today. The left elbow is surprisingly tender, and I can't think of anything I've done over the past few days to aggrieve it so.
I can't get on the sit up board for Knee-Ins, so I skip right to push ups and core stuff. My right shoulder complains after push ups. That doesn't usually happen. Crunches and planks feel normal. I do another set of push ups, and the shoulder feels okay. Weird. There's Big Guy on the Smith. He's a regular. Middle-aged but massively built, quiet but consistent. I've seen Flirty Girl chat with him. But no one is on the ellipticals! Opportunity to use the one I want! There are only 4 and one has a massive glitch in the flywheel. One moves perfectly. The other two have other defects that make them noisier and the pedaling a bit rough.
It's difficult for me to skip pull ups once I'm at the Stretch Cage again, but I don't want to wreck my elbow. Instead, I pull out the green silicone band I got from physical therapy, and do two sets of Band Pulls. Then I find a flat bench, drape my hoodie over it and do the T, Y & I DB Raises with tiny chrome beauty bells. Right then and there I decide that today's a Shoulder Workout and grab a pair of 15 lb DBs to do Shoulder Presses. My right shoulder twinges just a little. I use the same pair to do Front Delt Raises. A blonde girl next to me grabs a large DB and does a weird goblet squat movement. It's not quite what I imagined a goblet squat to look like. Maybe because she bends over as if she was rowing the DB between her legs, but she's also partially squatting? I'm not judging. Really.
The Mayor is barely audible except when a few older men join him. Then it's the Dumb and Deaf Club. Mind you, I have Billy Idol blasting on my iPod the whole time. I decide no super sets today. Just regular 12-rep, 3-set routine stuff. But I up the weights each time I move on to the next exercise. DB laterals seem okay except the front right shoulder twinges every now and then. Instead of Reverse Inclined Flyes, I decide to do Bent Overs. The best place for a short person like me is at the old OHP station. It's basically a cage with a platform in back, and a slot to attach a seat in front. The seat contains a forward foot bar. Except that someone has removed the seat, and haphazardly placed it near the frame. But it's not locked into the OHP structure, which makes it a bit iffy to sit on.
I can drag it into position, but I don't have the leverage to pull the knob out and push the bar into the slot simultaneously. Ugh. Just as I'm about to balance myself precariously on the seat, Big Guy (who is on the Smith adjacent to me) motions that he can fix that. Cool! Another gesture and I thank him with an okay sign as he gives me the thumbs up. Now that's gym etiquette!
It's also my last weight exercise for today. I drop onto the Mat to stretch out my back and shoulders, and then head into the locker room to shower. The gym scale elicits a silent gasp of horror from me at 112.4 lbs. Good grief. That's quite enough sitting around and gnoshing on junk for this month! Tomorrow my son has a movie date with a friend. We all plan to see the latest Planet of the Apes movie, although I'd still like to see Baby Driver... maybe I'll be motivated enough to sneak out in the morning and do some cardio beforehand?
Monday 6.65 total miles
30 min x-trainer + 5 cool down
Calories 171
Miles 4.07
Average Heart Rate 148
HGPU 26 (left elbow!)
Push Ups 50 (right shoulder)
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Push Ups 50 (shoulder okay)
30 min elliptical
Program 1
Calories 293
Miles 2.58
Average Heart Rate 148
My son was not at all thrilled to be going to camp this morning as it was raining, and yesterday's experience totally soured him for today. For some reason, the new camp management hasn't quite figured out how to entertain campers when the sun isn't out, and there's a huge glitch in the activities. As in there was no swim time because some child pooped in the pool. Good grief! My son has been coming to this summer camp for 7 years now, and this is the first time that all activity came to a grinding halt because of fecal contamination. This camp has 4 separate outdoor pools but they are all enclosed in the same area. Shit happens literally and figuratively. (The swim school regularly has problems with children vomiting or pooping, but they seem to have a standard procedure that ensures an efficient clean up and sanitization.)
Today I get an early morning email stating that campers will be bussed (in shifts) to an indoor sporting facility for a few hours. It appears that the girls will enjoy significantly more time there (9:30 to 1 pm) than the boys (1:15 to 3:30 pm). Even accounting for an hours worth of lunch, the girls get more time. I send a quick email back asking why and a few hours later, a call with no caller ID rings my cell. I don't answer anonymous calls so it goes to voicemail. It's the new owner who wants to explain the rainy weather protocol. I don't want to cut into my gym time so I don't return his call. He can't possibly explain why my son spent most of his time yesterday sitting around with nothing to do. If anything, it makes it easier to make this the last year my son attends this camp.
After 10 minutes warming up on the elliptical, I do a few High and Medium Band Pulls and some quick stretches. I saw the one old guy who boxes the machine at it for a few rounds yesterday. Today I'm the only one at the machines. I do 7 rounds Beginner which eventually gets me really warmed up. The machine again isn't registering any jabs or crosses, and occasionally misses a lead sweep. But since I'm not keeping score, it doesn't really matter. After 7 rounds Intermediate, I'm done. And like last week, there is one body blow that I strike that causes the machine to stop and issue the screen warning "You Are Punching Too Hard." Seriously?
I'm drenched as I stalk off to the Mats so I can peel off my gloves, wraps and tape. I knock out my pull ups and then head back to the Mat to finish stretching. Shoulders and back are especially sensitive and a good stretch routine goes a long way to reducing soreness. Tomorrow is my photo show reception and I need to pick up a few items. It's probably my last photo show, and I find that makes me sad enough to forgo photographing interesting things. Yesterday I saw my first monarch butterfly of the season. It was on one of the few milkweeds that survived the town mower. I could've stopped my car, put my flashers on and whipped out my phone to snap a picture. But part of me said, Why bother? Well, I hope a few people show up tomorrow...
I had a few errands to run this morning so I didn't get to the gym until 10 am. I'm disappointed that Kmart doesn't have a better selection of digital clocks. Since we've unplugged from cable programming and now only subscribe to internet service, we've lost the combination DVR-set top-clock and I don't always have my phone handy to see what time it is. So I had to buy a clock. We already have two (Sony) that automatically reset to the proper time when the power blips. I was hoping to get a third, but alas, the most inexpensive auto-time clock (GPX brand) available still needed to be manually set. For some reason it was over an hour behind actual time. I suppose I could've ordered one from Amazon, but I'm impatient and want a clock in the living room today. Sigh.
The cross-trainer that I favor is free, so instead of setting it for 15 minutes, I go the full 30. So much for cutting back on cardio to concentrate on weights. The Smith is busy though. I stretch at the Cage, do some pull ups and then knee-ins at the sit-up board. Okay, the Smith looks empty except there are 5 lb plates on the bar. But Flirty Girl is in the DB area. I drop my gear inside the Smith and go over to the bench she's hopping up on, and stepping down from. She's breathless and sweaty and apologizes for not re-racking her weights. Yes, she's done, but that fellow over there wanted to use the Smith. She motions to The Mayor who is several yards away on the Leg Press. Him? "I don't even talk to him," she says to me and I counter with "Yeah, that guy who spends all day talking?" "You'd better hurry up and go over there," she encourages me to take possession of the Smith. And I have no problem doing that. I'm glad I'm not the only woman who isn't particularly fond of The Mayor.
The Mayor spends waaay too much time chatting between sets, and it's worse when he's super setting. Because some people will chat and chat, and still claim they're on two or three different stations. No, I don't feel bad glomming the Smith at all. I knock out my RDLs with only a minute's rest between sets. Then a few RG BB Rows because it's been a really long time. I skip cable rows because it's not really a Pull Day. More of a "Do Whatever I Feel Like Day." I don't bench because I know it's going to aggravate my shoulder injury. I do make sure to do the T, Y and I baby bell raises before DB Lateral Raises. I keep my elbows bent in an L-shape to take the stress off those joints. Not pretty, but I work the muscles I need, and minimize joint damage. Because I did BB Rows and RDLs earlier today, I feel the Reverse Inclined Flyes much more and I'm pleasantly surprised.
I finish with Rip Skulls even though eventually my left inside elbow and right front shoulder start to complain. Three sets is enough work. I'm tired, but not really. In that, my arms are tired, but the rest of me can go on. So 30 minutes on the elliptical is fine. I tend to run towards the things that I really suck at, and yesterday I really sucked at cardio. I feel the need for improvement so today I'm back to basics: two 30 minute sessions. Then the challenge of wide hammer grip pull ups... the left elbow is really not happy with me by the last rep. Oh well...
I feel really good. Better than usual. Probably because those endorphins finally kicked in. I've been so stressed lately that I find myself laying in bed at night, my chest constricted and gasping for breath, as if I'm Frodo wrapped in spider silk. I think I'll sleep better tonight. I don't even care that the gym scale reads 111.0 lbs since I've sucked down all my water, and I'm drenched with sweat. I feel great.
While I'm in the shower, someone leaves their gym bag and gear on the bench in the locker room. There's no one else in the showers so either she's in the sauna, or out in the gym area. Weird. But it's not just a gym bag, it's also a big fat lifting belt, and a bottle of BCAAs. All in black. When I leave, I see the woman with tats running down her arm, chatting at the front desk with a young man. I'm not sure if they're suppose to be both the same age. She looks older but maybe that's just sun damage? That gear could be hers. She looks like she works out, but maybe not as much as she'd like. Admittedly, it took me at least two to three years before I developed arms. But some people never quite look the way they aspire, even with all the heavy equipment.
Thursday 6.44 total miles
30 miles min x-trainer
Calories 142
Miles 3.82
Average Heart Rate 154
HGPU 26
Knee-Ins 50
Smith RDLs
Bar x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12
140 x 12
150 x 12
Smith RG BB Rows
80lbs x 25reps
100 x 25
120 x 25
T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3sets
Rip Skulls
40lbs x 12reps x 3sets
30 min elliptical
Program 3
Miles 2.62
Calories 299
Average Heart Rate 143
I suppose I'm just trying to prepare myself mentally and physically for the realities of returning to the workforce. Today my son has a playdate, and I barely have time for the gym. It's 80°F and I haven't been to the gym since Friday. I feel weak, and fat.
Priorities tell me do 30 minutes of cardio, then squeeze in some body weight stuff before showering, running off to the grocery and back home... I'm mildly surprised that the gym scale doesn't tell me I weigh more than I do. On the other hand, I barely drank a quarter of my water and I know my 1.5 liter bottle equals 3.3 lbs of water weight. So 110.2 lbs is okay considering...
What's not okay is how winded I feel after 30 minutes on the cross-trainer, how I can barely make my 31st rep for hammer grip pull ups, and how 50 push ups feels kind of hard at the end. So, of course, I do another set of push ups after doing core. Not really any time for another set of pull ups though. I can do those tomorrow when my son is at camp, and I can do a combination Bench/RDL day. Friday I'd still like to whack the machine... Today, I'm in and out of the gym in a little over an hour, which is probably a new record for me.
Wednesday
30 min x-trainer Calories 148 Miles 3.61 Average Heart Rate 150
HGPU 31 Knee-Ins 50 Push Ups 50 Crunches 3 x 50 Bird Dog 2 x 60s Side Planks 2 x 60s Push Ups 50
I got my son into the car this morning wearing his swim clothes and a Disney poncho because it was pouring. Nothing like summer camp in the rain! Not sure if he'll get to go swimming today, but he does have dry clothes in his back pack. I got to the gym and my bag was soaked by the time I crossed the parking lot. Today is whack the broken Nexersys day. My right shoulder has been twingey and stiff, so I add 5 minutes to the cardio warm up on the cross-trainer. Then, instead of doing the DB raises, I use the green silicone band and do Band Pulls.
The slightly less broken machine surprises me when some of my Cross punches register. For a moment I think maybe gym owner has pulled the sensor from the machine with the broken arm and put it into this machine. But since the sensor doesn't always work, I'm thinking probably not. I don't like doing two sets of 5 rounds of Intermediate. Too easy for me to bag the last set, so I do 7 rounds per set today. This way I'm doing at least 14 rounds, instead of 10. The Out of Order sign has disappeared off the machine with the broken arm, but the arm is still busted. Sigh.
I see one of the lady trainers showing a middle-age guy around the machines. I see Gym Owner doing his own workout at the Assisted Pull Up machine. I don't think he can do a regular pull up. The Mayor makes an entrance with a friend, stays until he's red in the face (I assume from exertion and not just jabbering), and then exits with same friend, who I think is an older guy who used to come more regularly until last year. When I'm done, I peel off my boxing gear and do some hammer grip pull ups. Then a quick stretch for hammies, and shoulders.
Is this a canine wart?
The back of the left shoulder twinged sporadically while I tossed some jabs mid-way through my workout. Ugh. I don't need problems in both shoulders! My legs are a tad stiff from yesterday, but nothing serious. I put my last photo show up on Monday, right after I drop my son at camp so no gym on Monday. Tuesday is movie day so maybe I'll drag my son to the gym beforehand. Or I'll just let him sleep.
Wednesday, I might have to take our dog to the vet to get a lump on his back looked at. I suspect it's a wart, but I'd rather know for certain. (I search the web and discover the most horrific cases of canine warts, with the afflicted pooches looking as if their mouths have been smeared with cauliflower puree.) Of course, our vet will charge us a ridiculous fortune just to look at it, and probably take a sample. Because the economy still sucks and everyone's gotta make money somehow...
I'm exploring some new music for my iPod and of course, now I want to listen to all the Billy Idol songs that I don't have. Luckily, billyidol.net has a section (Idol Tube) which is akin to musical footnotes, letting me hear the actual music that he's referencing in his book. Cool! Life is so much better with the internet! My son can't imagine having to go to the library to look up books that might or might not exist, for information that might or might not exist. Truthfully, I can't either.
I stayed up until well past 1 am just to finish the Billy Idol autobiography Dancing With Myself. Since I have several of his CDs, I wanted to know the back story behind the songs and the music. I love the music because mostly it's dance music, which means it's also great for working out. Since he's only 5 years older than I am, I can related to his stories about the emergence of punk music and how it evolved. I hung out in HS listening to an eclectic mix of folk, rock and punk. I had friends who turned me on to the Ramones, Patti Smith, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, Bowie, Zappa, Blondie, The Clash, U2... the list goes on. I still have their vinyls in my garage, although as I recall, they're pretty scratched up from constant play. So, I'm not just reminiscing. I'm finally understanding some of what I experienced as a teen.
Of course, all this means is that I'm godawful tired when the alarm goes off this morning and I have to get the dog walked and fed, and my son up and dressed and sunscreened and fed, and packed off to camp, and myself off to the gym... I already did my cardio/bodyweight day yesterday, so my choices are to do a "big lifts" day, or just part of it... as in maybe just a Push Day. Or a Pull Day. My shoulder's been cranky because I tend to twist myself around to reach something, and that puts a lot of stress on the joint. Still, I'd like to whack the machine tomorrow. So I start out intending to do just two big movements, flat bench and RDLs, but wind up doing more...
While I'm at the Smith, totally and blissfully plugged in to my tunes, there's suddenly a lot of background noise and I realize that The Mayor has arrived and can't help but to announce himself. Other than impending hearing loss, I'm not sure why people feel the need to scream their "inside voice". Creepy Frankenstein sits at one of the machines twenty yards away and stares in my direction. Ugh. I time my sets so that I'm not in the DB area when he is. Because he is just too freaking creepy. And if I start to feel more belligerent, I might actually yell at him for staring like a creep. It's a good thing I don't take any sort of pre-workout other than coffee. Yes, it's a good thing I don't work at a gym, especially this one, even though I know they're hiring. Nope, "never piss where you sleep" is how I remember the saying goes.
The Smith needs servicing. Or at least a good cleaning. I'm sure there's dust and gunk in the tracts, and the bar is hard to roll back. Which makes it a bit dangerous. But since Gym Owner is down one qualified and motivated trainer (he left last December), he's stuck with a bunch of lady trainers, and some kids who mostly don't know what they're doing.
After DBs and Rip Skulls, I'm game for 20 minutes on the elliptical. That always leaves me hot and sweaty. Always a good time to stretch the legs and hips. Since I've started doing a few side bends, my lower back doesn't bother me when I do RDLs anymore. Weird, but everything's interconnected.
Late at night, I tend to binge watch and since most of the shows I like are done for the season, I've discovered new ones to stream. There's only a season and a half left before I'm done with Justified, a show I'd read was highly acclaimed. The fact that Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty) was a consultant and one of the producers gives me hope that the series doesn't unintentionally spiral into cliche silliness. It's based on one of his stories, Fire in the Hole. But of course, he died in 2013, and the series concludes a year later. I think it's those country drawls that have me so fascinated. The characters can be saying the meanest things, but there's a charm with how they speak it.
I have also started watching The Good Wife, but only when there are streams available, which is also the problem with trying to start Parks & Recreation from the first season. The Good Wife is a lot like those Dick Wolf cop shows though. I might be done with it sooner than later. Oh well, I have a ton of unread books on my nightstand...
Thursday 3.58 miles 35 min total
15 min x-trainer Calories 70 Miles 1.85
HGPU 26
T, Y & I Raises 3lbs x 15 5lbs x 15
Smith Bench Bar sticky on rotation back to stay Bar (30lbs) x 15 80 x 13 100 x 12 120 x 12 90 x 25 80 x 25
Smith RDLs Bar x 12 80 x 12 100 x 12 120 x 12 140 x 12 150 x 8 reps x 3
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyers 20/25lbs x 12/15reps x 3 sets
Rip Skulls 40lbs x 12reps x 3
20 min elliptical Program 2 Calories 196 Miles 1.73 Average Heart Rate 140
I had a quick workout today to relieve my anxiety. Well, quick for me. I skipped the weights since mornings are crowded and I'm coming directly from dropping my son off at camp. Oddly, the cross-trainers are mostly free and I manage to get on the one I favor, the only machine that has the monitor built into the console instead of perched over it, and the only machine that allows you drop the resistance to zero. It's easier on my knees and ankles. My foot still gets a bit tingly during the last 5 minutes, but overall, my feet don't go numb.
Spider Grandpa is on the stretch cage so I skip that and go directly to knee-ins, push ups and crunches. After planks, I do one more set of push ups. The cage is free so I do a set of pull ups too. But I'm a bit winded so I only get 26 reps. I have to take off my hoodie to use the elliptical because I don't like the zipper bottom hitting me in the thighs as I pedal. After that, another set of pull ups, and this time I get my full 31 reps. Then a quick stretch before showering. Creepy PJ Pants, Frankenstein and The Mayor are all here this morning. Luckily there are a ton of other people here as well...
The gym scale reads 112.0 lbs but I was expecting worse since it's been 4 days of drinking and eating junk like hot dogs. Doesn't help that my hair is drenched either... meanwhile, my bluetooth headphones are acting up today and refuse to connect with my iPod. It pairs with my phone so I know it's not totally busted. I don't really have time for this so I shove them back into my gym bag and use the back up: my old iPod and wired asymmetrical Sony hanger earphones. Once I get home, I have to hard reboot everything, and eventually, everything works again... Sigh.
Over the holiday weekend, I tried the gel toe spacer. It's comfortable as long as I'm not wearing shoes and walking around. What?! With shoes on, the top of the spacer imposes unexpected pressure on the top of my other toes, and that's even more painful than having my big toe cross over my pointer toe. I'm wondering if cutting the top off will resolve that issue, and still allow the spacer to sit in place. The package came with two, so it's worth the experiment. I can use the other one when I'm wearing sandals around the house, although I don't think my toes cross when I'm just padding about...
What's a bit disconcerting is that the big toe also seems to roll outward instead of sitting flat. I can see that the toe nail faces 20° outward instead of laying face up. Ugh. Meanwhile, the little bone that sticks out on the outside of your foot midway (aka, the tuberosity of the 5th metatarsal) is starting to get sore. But only on my left foot. The "good" foot. Double ugh.
Bugs have discovered my existence and I've been bitten in spite of wearing long sleeves and spraying my clothes liberally with picaridin, and eventually, DEET. I even got bit on the palm of my hand as I was filming my son lighting up sparklers in our driveway yesterday. Ugh. It doesn't help that my skin seems even drier than ever and liberal doses of the hydrating and scale-dissolving lactic acid creams leave me smelling like old milk. Plus, I think biting insects are attracted to lactic acid. Ugh again. The stronger creams (most commonly used for softening tough heel skin) contain urea. But at least they don't smell like piss. Or at least I don't think they do.
I still have half my work to finish framing, but at least I have time for a few workouts this week. And I just ordered the invitation post cards through a vendor I've never used before. I could get them delivered by Friday. It's a bit cheaper if I get them by Monday. As long as I can get some out before the actual reception date, I'm good. Once this show is up, and eventually over, I can concentrate of finding legit work... Sigh.
Wednesday 6.4 total miles
30 min x-trainer Calories 142 Miles 3.84 Average Heart Rate 158
Knee-Ins 50 Push Ups 50 Crunches 3 x 50 Bird Dogs 2 x 60s Side Planks 2 x 60s Push Ups 50 HGPU 26
30 min elliptical Program 1 Miles 2.56 Calories 290 Average Heart Rate 148
Friday's workout post postponed due to severe thunderstorms that knocked our power out until the next morning... busy weekend scheduled. Might skip the gym Monday as the next venue asked if I could set up my show a day earlier than I had planned. Ugh!
