And the Results Are In...

I have a dentist appointment late morning so my gym time is necessarily abbreviated. I'm hoping to get in cardio and some body weight exercises. Ideally, I'd do an actual Cardio Day, but I don't really have time for that.

I skipped the gym yesterday, and spent most of my time on the phone with my insurance company, or various doctor offices trying to get an appointment for my son. I finally get a second opinion consultation for my son, but it's not until November. I hope that's not too late. He's still keeping his regular appointment with his current dermatologist but I don't want to put him back on antibiotics. The impetigo seems to be better, but it's not completely gone. That worries me.

In the interim, the results for my blood work came in. I was surprised that it was so quick! So my blood pressure and sugar is good and within normal range (120/70, and 93), but I have borderline high cholesterol at 229. Jeeze, that's high! While my HDL is great at 78 (anything over 50 is good for women), the LDL is bad at 135 and really shouldn't be over 130. But that's only 5 points and doesn't explain the 29 points above 200, (total cholesterol should be below that). I don't have all the numbers though. Some literature suggests that it's the type of LDLs that really matter: fluffy vs dense means a greater or not likelihood of causing issues. I'm hoping to access my total test results online, assuming the doc posts them. I'll have to call and ask.

My real concern is regarding strokes since that runs in my mother's side of the family. But everyone afflicted also had high blood pressure. The fact that my arm doesn't bleed at all after the tech takes blood samples (and I later go to the gym to whack the machine) makes me wonder about my "sticky blood." I had a doc once tell me that I was "stingy" because it was so hard to get samples from me. The Red Cross said the same thing when I was heavier and used to attempt to donate blood. (Red Cross guidelines state you must be over 110 lbs and pass a hemo test to make sure you're not anemic.) I'm just not a bleeder.

There's not a lot I can actually do, except maybe cut way back on red meat and dairy fats like butter. I already eat oatmeal and beans, exercise and don't consider myself overweight. At least no one's suggesting medication. Whew! Maybe I should add the extra cardio back in? Maybe losing another 5-7 lbs would be good? I have until next year to put this into effect. I could also try Intermittent Fasting on a rest day. Once a week wouldn't be too bad. Maybe a Wednesday?

While I'm home, I brew up a cold and sore throat tonic. I got the recipe online, but since I couldn't find red chili peppers, I used green serranos. They're pretty damn spicy. Into a glass jar, put half a chopped onion, 5 chopped garlic cloves, 3 chopped peppers, a tablespoon of fresh chopped ginger, juice from one lime (lemon is fine too), and as much organic apple cider vinegar as it takes to fill the jar. Shake and let marinate overnight. Store in the fridge after a day. Take a tablespoon or two each day if feeling poorly.

I bought a box of Banza chickpea pasta just to try. It's all over the supermarket, and I remember reading about it online. I might've seen it on Shark Tank as well, but I'm not 100% sure. I don't have a gluten issue, but I'm always curious about anything that purports to have more protein and fiber. What I'm surprised about is the amount of unappetizing foam that boils to the surface as I cook the pasta. The foam sticks to everything like a skin. There's no warning about this anywhere on the box. Ugh. The noodles taste a bit gummy. I mix them with a can of Annie's Lentil Soup and eat that for lunch.

Today I do 35 minutes on the cross-trainer. It still makes a terrible grinding noise, but perhaps not quite as loud. I guess the repair guy couldn't really fix it. Pull ups and push ups, and then a few planks. My ring finger has a weird injury that's hard to bandage. Somehow, in spite of wearing gloves, I might've caught skin between my ring and the pull up bar last time, and there's a painful but nearly invisible tear. It worries me when I attempt to do pull ups, but luckily, not too painful today. I don't have time for another 35 minutes of cardio so I opt for 15 minutes on the Step Mill. I see a few regulars like PJ Pants, who is wearing a polo shirt. Some people just don't exert themselves enough to actually wear gym clothes. That's certainly not me, in spite of doing an abbreviated session. I'm drenched when I'm done.

Monday I go in for the annual boob smush. But I can hit the gym afterwards. And I'm making slow but steady progress in my editorial studies. Still on Book 1: Grammar Basics, but dang I'm learning more about the technical structure to sentences than I ever thought possible. It's a real brain challenge.

Friday

35 xtrainer
Calories 170
Miles 4.75
Average Heart Rate 141

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

Step Mill
15 min
Level 6
Steps 803
Floors 50
Calories 118