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