Something Creepy...

There are three or four supermarkets that service our area but none of them are convenient to where we live. That one got demolished last March (2017) to make way for a superstore, but they've just gotten around to putting up structural steel girders as of last week. I get all the flyers so I know that the Acme (formerly an A&P) has 4-count bags of avocados for $2.50, which is so much better than the 2 for $4 currently at the grocer next to my gym. The road I would normally take into town is closed during the week because some huge conglomerate energy company is laying a natural gas pipeline through the area. They've imported out-of-state crews to work from 7 to 7, 5 days a week. So I have to drive miles out of my way just to get to the Acme today. And all because I want to buy bags of cheap avocados. Temps will only be in the 40s so the "hard as little rocks" fruit will be fine in my car while I go clear across town just to get to the gym. And afterwards I'll hit the grocer there just for perishables, like milk. Because my son lives on milk and breakfast cereal.

I get to the gym just as the Body Pump class is clearing the locker room. The gym is more crowded than I expect for a nice Friday. Still, I have my choice of machines and glutton for punishment that I am, I get on the elliptical and punch in Intervals. For 30 minutes. My legs are actually a little stiff from yesterday, or maybe the day before that. Cardio always helps loosen everything up! I even do the 5 minute Cool Down afterwards because I'm not certain of access to other machines later. To make up for such a brief workout yesterday, I do a full Core routine after Pull Ups. (Those last two reps were a little hard, with my lips barely clearing the bar. But the first dozen I did manage to pop my head above the entire Stretch Cage roof! Yaaay me!)

After Core, I wander over to the Smith and do low bar shoulder stretches. I must look odd to the other fellows since I never actually put any weight on the bar, nor do I do any Squats. But I don't care what they think, so it's okay. The Step Mill has been recently vacated so I set myself up to do 15 minutes there. Level 6 (more of a speed function) has me slightly breathless. At least I'm moving too fast to actually get bored. I see some people draping themselves over the bars after a few minutes and I'm not sure why they're on the equipment.

There's a woman lazily biking on the newest Expresso bike. Sigh. Still, I really wanted to ride a game so I adjust one of the older machines to my height and leg length. It's fairly uncomfortable and I worry that the seat will fall off the mount because I've pulled it so far forward on the tract that it's not really secured. The older bikes have different controllers and no touch screen. But I find the game selection and tap in one called Coin Toss that my son and I have ridden before. I can actually program how much time I want to spend doing this, so I enter 10 minutes. I get to "bike" around an oversized lawn and run over floating coins for points like a Mario Brothers racer. Every now and then I hit a big hill and nearly have to stand in my pedals to get over. Still, it's a lot of fun. There are other games, most notably Dragon Cove, but I'm not ready to actually log in just to access this yet. But it does look like fun.

While I'm doing this, I catch someone in my peripheral vision watching me. Creepy. It's the super big (6'5"), super old (70s?) guy J. He has been trying to talk to me since I joined the gym and I'm sooo not interested in chatting with old guys. Especially ones old enough to be war vets. Because they especially have weird notions about small Asian women that I have no desire to fend off. Seriously.

Afterwards, before a Mat Stretch, I decide to see how many Pistol Squats I can get away with before falling on my face. Step, left leg. Step, right leg. I get to 10, which is 5 each leg, before I decide that I'd rather not see if I'll fall on my face. No issues with my quads clenching and I'm surprised that after all these years, I finally learn that it's because I wasn't warmed up enough! Never too old to learn something new about yourself!

I started logging food again although I'm not thrilled with MyFitnessPal. Of course, anything to stave off the inevitable weight gain of middle-age! The dog doesn't really like the new skid mats, but they do keep him from falling over. He and I had breakfast together like we do every morning. Me: coffee and a 1/4 cup of non-fat cottage cheese. Dog: toasted ciabatta with cottage cheese smeared lightly on top after inhaling two slices of deli turkey breast (with his Metacam), and picking at a cup of boiled ground turkey, chicken liver and white rice. I was starving by the time I hit the locker room, and glad I'd stashed a RTD strawberry shake in the car. Not thrilled with the calories (170), but 15 gms of protein is okay with me.

Cardio Friday

30 elliptical + 5 cd
Intervals
Calories 339
Miles 3.01
Average Heart Rate 147 / 222

HGPU 30
Push-ups 60
Elbow Plank 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Bicycles 50
Crunches 30/20
Elbow Plank 60s

Smith low bar shoulder stretch
3 x 10s

15 Step Mill
Level 6
Total steps 796
Floors 49
Calories 116

Expresso Bike
Game: coin toss
Time: 10m
Calories 51
1.83

Pistol Squats
5 each leg