A lot of guys ostensibly work on getting bigger. Usually stronger, but always with showy mirror muscles in mind. I've had to break my hubs of that ridiculous mindset because it's not healthy. Bigger is not better. Unfortunately, I seem to be getting bigger, and that's not at all what I want, even though I enjoy being stronger. But really, what I want is for my clothes to fit properly and right now they're too tight. Ugh.
Again, I got to the gym around noon. I spent the morning doing household stuff, ordering a new "window handle" for our storm door and trying to keep my temper with a gal at my glaucoma doc's office. This young woman spends more time defending what she does (badly) than actually providing the services required. She's given herself a fancy title but seems to mess up everything she touches because she's not actually paying attention. Ugh. I like my glaucoma doc, but her staff is making me crazy. There's one competent person in her office, a seasoned senior tech. I wish they were all like that gal. She's friendly but very professional.
See the cracked screw hole?
The "window handle" cracked right where you screw it into the screen frame so amount of screen vs storm window can't be adjusted. I went to the Anderson® website, but it wasn't listed under parts available for that model number. When I call, the rep is able to find the piece and order it for me. It's within the 5 year non-glass, non-screen warranty so it's free, except for the shipping charge. $8.99 isn't too much to be able to adjust the air flow in your storm door, but really, these things shouldn't break from occasional usage! I'm sure in the ancient days before plastic, these things were made of metal. But of course, in the ancient days, we had to physically replace our screen panels with storm glass panels. I know because I did it for years.
Someone has replaced the colossus adjustable bench with the regular one so I do Smith Inclined Presses after my warm up. I feel weak today. Maybe it's the 14 rounds I did yesterday? My hands are still really sore, so that's not helping! I adjust the high rep sets downward slightly. I am surprised when I can add reps to the DB Lateral Raises though. But the following Reverse Inclined Flyes are hampered by the fact that I'm lying on the Inclined Breaker Bench. It's not a bad angle but the height adjustment peg underneath clashes with the bottom of the movement. Rip Skulls have me a bit worried since my hands are funky. But I make it without clonking myself in the head, so Yaaay Me. Not up to the V-bar Press Down though. Besides, there are too many old guys at the Cable Station. Yuck. I'm good with just doing the Mat Stretch to loosen my shoulders. They're tight again as I cool down, and that's annoying.
The gym scale tells me 112.8 lbs and that is soooo far from the 108 lbs I took for granted a year ago. I hope it's mostly water weight from eating salty, spicy BBQ... my hubs brought home lots of ribs and sides from BT Smokehouse in Sturbridge MA as he was returning from Boston. There's enough for another meal today!
While I’m in the car, waiting for the blue light on the dashboard to go out (signifying that the engine is warm), I get a call on my cell from a number I don’t recognize. They leave a message, telling me my number popped up on a phone that was just turned in to their office. My son lost his phone on the school bus yesterday and no one could find it. My hubs had not thought to turn on the Find My Phone app, but I tried calling it this morning, hoping it would ring somewhere and someone would find it. The odd thing was that the phone was at a school we’ve never been to. I drove over and dialed my son’s number. The lady at the front office got the phone and my face was smiling up through the locked screen. We figured out that my son’s phone got lost on the bus and then the bus was used by the elementary school kids, one who found the phone but didn’t turn it in. Instead, they took it to their school and left it on a desk. Then it got turned in! And because I had called, they had someone to contact about the lost phone. My son is sooooo lucky! And will be extra careful in the future. Nothing teaches like experience!
Push Thursday
30 elliptical
Program 2
Calories 292
Miles 2.58
Average Heart Rate 149/195
HGPU 30
Push Ups 60
Smith Inclined Press
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 12
90 x 12
60 x 25
50 x 25
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
25lbs x 8/15, 10/15, 12/15 reps
Camping is great fun if you're prepared for it. What's not fun is the clean up afterwards. Not just washing everything you used, and didn't use because of uh, ticks and spiders. That includes sleeping bags and bag liners. We always do cold water washes, but dryer heat is more than sufficient to kill most pests. What's more problematic are the tents. I mean tents plural. Because we lent out two tents to our friend and his boys. So that's three tents set up on our lawn, plus their ground tarps, and rain covers. All set to air out and dry in the blazing 90F heat.
The lawn spiders immediately started investigating these new properties. I left everything out last night, figuring they'd be more than cooked enough by today. I hadn't counted on the myriad snail trails traced all over, like a crazy Candy Land game board. It doesn't take long for temps to go from 60 to near 80 in a heartbeat. I put away two tents before I went to the gym. And started the next load of sleeping bag laundry. So I got to the gym around noon again.
The gym is only sparsely populated at this point, although The Mayor is chatting non-stop on the treadmill. He's never on that machine if there's no one to talk to. I think it's a compulsion. I do my 10 minute cardio warm up and shoulder routine. I've already decided to use the Left machine for 7 rounds Beginner, split between Follow Me and Sparring. The Right machine is less vexing so I'll save that for the 7 rounds Intermediate, which is all Follow Me. If I get vexed enough, I'll just do all my rounds on the Right machine and ignore all the scoring because not all the sensors work anymore.
What I don't expect is the afternoon glare. The machines are now set further away from the big plate glass windows, yet the glare is markedly worse. It doesn't help that the screen on the Left machine appears to have a haze over it, but that's probably some sort of slow screen death. The images are fainter, and the glare is so bad that sometimes I miss what blows are being queued. Ugh. The Cross and Jab pads are still too high, too hard and set at bad angles for someone of my height. The Right machine still has the dead Power Dig sensor and wonky kick sensors. If you don't hit the pad exactly right, it doesn't register at all. Sigh. The afternoon glare is almost as bad on the Right, but not quite. I feel myself running out of steam by round 6 Intermediate. Well, 14 rounds is probably a lot, so I really need to work more on my stamina!
Afterwards, I do a partial mat stretch because I can already feel my shoulders stiffening. Not good. And I'm starving! I had coffee and a yogurt for breakfast, but that's never enough. Back at the car, I suck down Ensure®'s newest product, with 30 grams of protein and a kick of caffeine. It tastes pretty good, with only 150 calories. I guess their product developers finally realized that not everyone wants to drink that nasty EAS (also an Abbott labs company) RTD stuff. We're not all muscle-heads, and we're not all frail seniors who need to suck down 360 calorie shakes. It helps that suddenly there's a lot of literature stating middle-age folks need to up their protein intake to stay active. Of course, I only buy this stuff if I have a coupon. And only the mocha flavor, because otherwise, my son drinks all my RTDs when he gets home from school. They're like eating a chocolate, strawberry or vanilla liquid snack. Well, better than Pop-tarts, not that I'd ever buy any of those.
7r Intermediate
Whacking Wednesday
7r Beginner
10 elliptical Calories 91 Miles 0.82 Average Heart Rate 146/180
Tuesday and the gym is empty because I'm getting there at noon. We got back from whitewater rafting yesterday and unpacked all our gear. Multiple loads of laundry and I'm still not done because sleeping bags also need cleaning. Our 5-person tent as well as the two 3-person tents we lent out are all in the yard drying. It's a blazing 89F today, but will rain by Thursday. Today is the day to lay out all the tarps and tents before folding them away in storage. Wet tents lead to mildew and decay, and inevitably, rotted seams that leak. No one needs that.
It rained all weekend, but we escaped major thunderstorms. Luckily we were prepared with tarps and rain gear. My glutes are oddly sore and I can't tell if it's from the long car ride to and from the campsite in Pennsylvania, or from whitewater rafting. My hands are also sore, probably from gripping the paddle. No one wants to lose their paddle to the river, and believe me, the rushing waters smack you in the face while hidden underwater rocks bump you out of the raft if you've not securely anchored your feet under the inflatable cross-bars (aka thwarts). What really surprises me is how tender my hip bones are, and I only notice this while dragging the bar up my front during Smith RDLs. Whitewater rafting is core and upper body intensive because you need to maintain your balance in the roiling waters, and you need to paddle to avoid rocks, as well as other rafts!
We had a great team and were consistently right behind the lead kayak guide. He would tell us where to travel on the river to avoid getting hung up on rocks (one area is called "45 minute rock" because that's how long it takes to get your raft unstuck). We do the river in sections, traveling through rapids (class 3) and then pulling over against the bank to let others catch up. There are several guides for safety reasons, and there are a lot of inexperienced groups who can't really maneuver their raft. People fall in, usually because they've hit a big rock which tilts the raft sideways and dumps everyone out if you haven't anchored yourself. There's a grab line along the perimeter of the boat, but anchoring your feet works better, leaving your hands free to hang onto the paddle, the bail bucket (because the river will fill your boat), the lunch bucket, and your rafting crew.
Since we've done this before, we had an easier time of it, although my hubs got popped out of the boat (we hit a rock sideways and then got rammed by another boat) and we had to drag him back in. Sometimes we had to hold back (because we were going so fast) for fear of running our kayaker over with the raft. Not a good thing to do! He was impressed though. Another kayak guide got tossed by the rocks and flipped over. He had to empty his craft out on shore before climbing back in.
I'm not at all surprised by how sore my hands are. They're little without much surface area to them. Between the soreness of the front pubic bone (weird, right?!) and my hands, it's no wonder that I start to lose my grip on the bar during the heavy sets. I only make it to five reps and I notice that I'm not really able to thrust my hip out into the bar at the top of the movement. Ugh. I also notice today that the seated cable row jumps in 10 lb increments for the first 70 lbs, then jumps to 15 lbs. Ugh. So I can do 40 lbs but not 45. That's annoying! I try to add the E-shape 5 lb bar weight to the stack but the notches don't line up so I can't use it. I even try balancing a 5 lb plate on the pin, but it falls off after the 3rd rep. Grrrr....
I'm relieved I got pull ups and push ups though. But the two core movements are a complete afterthought. I don't even do a full mat stretch because I'm running late, I'm wearing shorts and I can see the sticky imprint of someone else who's lain on the mat before me. Yuck. The gym is humid as the lunch time crowd arrives. I've been here for two hours and now I can enjoy an actual hot shower. Because there's no showering when you camp, and getting drenched by the Lehigh River during whitewater rafting doesn't count.
Memorial Day Weekend Activities
Saturday: Waterfall hike 3 miles
Sunday: Whitewater Rafting 4+ hrs
Pull Tuesday
30 min elliptical
Program 1
Calories 292
Miles 2.58
Average Heart Rate 140/194
HGPU 30
Push Ups 60
Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
120 x 12
160 x 10 (grip slip reps 8-10)
170 x 5 (no hip thrust), 5, 5 Core still sore from rafting
Smith RG BB Rows
80lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets
Seated 1-Arm Cable Rows
30lbs x 12
40lbs x 12
45lbs x 3 (5lb plate fell off)
50 x 6
I've been trying to gather up our camping gear for the white water rafting trip this weekend. It's been difficult with the hubs away in Texas and due back tonight. Which is not really enough time to pack up all the stuff we need. Perhaps we just need too much stuff?
Meanwhile, I had an appointment with my glaucoma doc at 1:15 but wanted a quick workout first. Normally it'd take me about 30 minutes to get across the county, but with two of my roads closed due to construction, I have to add another 20 to 30 minutes of travel time. Which isn't enough time for me to shop for items I've forgotten. Like my hair clip. And the folder with all the glaucoma info in it. Which means I have to go back to the house after I work out!
I manage a super quick workout consisting of cardio, pull ups and those difficult Spiderman push ups. Then a quick shower and I'm off. Only to show up 10 minutes early and have to wait for two hours because several other patients have shown up as emergencies. Ugh. I could've done something productive if only the staff had alerted me that they were running super late. Double Ugh. And of course, there's new staff again.
I read my phone and focus on the idiotic article that states scientists now agree that weight lifting works well for depression. Uh, duh. Anything to burn some grant money is what my hubs would say, because he's ever skeptical of published studies and statistics. He's probably right, though.
I finally get seen and discuss my options. My visual field test show that my vision is actually stable and not deteriorating. But my IOPs are all over the place. Left eye, the slightly fuzzy one, is okay at 14, but the Right eye, the good one with perfect vision but a slight yellowing, the dominant eye, is up at 17. So we're going to do the Left eye and replace the lens with a standard lens and everyone tells me I'm going to need glasses. And depending on whether my IOP goes down, and if there's scarring and room for a stent or not, well, maybe I'll do cataract surgery on the Right eye, or maybe I'll just jump right into glaucoma surgery. Which means a stent, because I'm happy to hear, my eye doc doesn't want to do bleb surgery either. Apparently they can get infected, even years after the procedure, and this nasty infection can lose you all your sight in an instant! Ugh.
I haven't been wearing reading glasses for the past few days because I can see just fine. But that comes and goes... I don't make it home until well near 4 pm because not only is it Friday and rush hour has already begun, but it's a holiday weekend Friday, and by this time my son has texted me that there's a hornet trapped in his room! What?!
When I get home, we check out the torchiere floor lamp that my son says the hornet was attracted to. I see absolutely no movement. He peers over the top of the light and announces that the hornet is dead, probably killed by the intense heat. Okay... at least I didn't have to do it. And at least I got some sort of work out today, besides dragging things like tents and canopies out of the garage and into the house. My living room looks like we're having a tag sale. Ugh...
Friday
30 elliptical Program 3 Calories 283 Miles 2.51 Average Heart Rate 136/186
HGPU 30 Spiderman push ups 20 Side Planks 2 x 30s Bicycles 50 Crunches 30/20
My generator kicked on at 2 am because the power blipped out for a minute. Not only did I hear the gennie, but my phone got the text alert and email. Well, it's always good to know things are working properly. I read about dirtbags stealing other people's portable gennies from their yards. At kung fu yesterday, other parents tell me that this happens a lot in Florida, and the thieves will hook up a lawn mower to simulate the sound while driving off with the much-more-valuable generator. Ugh. Sometimes I really hate people.
I was tired when I got up to get my son ready for school. Apparently he was more tired because as he stepped into the school bus, he suddenly turned around and said, "Mom, I forgot my binder!" Which of course meant that I had to go home, get dressed (because I often go to the bus stop in my jammies but no one can really tell), grab the binder and drive to school after the buses have all arrived. There's a big sign to the school entrance that forbids parents from driving in between 7 and 7:45. I know my son's first class is at 7:34 and it's Math, but I won't get to the school until 8. It doesn't help that I have to drive all the way around town because 2 out of 3 main roads are inaccessible due to this stupid natural gas pipeline. Ugh.
I run a few errands on the way home, but I'm not quite prepared to hit the gym yet. A lot of my stuff is still in the dryer and needs to be sorted before I can leave. The gym isn't crowded by the time I arrive so that makes me happy. I do my pre-whacking warm up routine without any issues. But today I've decided to do the first 7 rounds on the Left Machine, and the last 7 rounds on the Right Machine. The Left has all working sensors, but the Pads are set too high and straight, causing me to worry a lot about hurting my wrists with the Jab and Cross. It's fine for Beginner rounds though. And I'm happy enough to do the combo Follow Me and Sparring. I actually score over 300 for the first time during the second Sparring round, and I am extremely pleased.
The Right Machine still has the dead Power Dig sensor and a temperamental Power Kick/Sweep, but the Pads are positioned better for me. At first they feel awfully soft and beat-up, because they are in comparison to the Left Machine. But I get used to that really quickly and enjoy several fast, rhythmic rounds of Follow Me. I'm drenched by the time I'm done, but today I remembered to bring a towel.
After I strip off all the tape, wraps and gloves, I brace myself for Core. But first I want to try Spiderman Push Ups. Because this is new to me, I take my time. I move awkwardly, trying to get my knee close to my elbow as I descend into a push up. My feet feel big and clumsy as I try to clear them off the ground. But I do manage to do this move. Twenty times! Twenty is as many as I can go before I actually worry that I'll fall on my face. Literally. Then I do some planks and crunches and call it Done! Soooo done!
I'm probably going to regret not stretching today since I plan to do a Pull Day tomorrow. There's only a few weeks before my scheduled cataract surgery, and that means the only exercise I'll be able to do is walking on the treadmill. Ugh. My doc doesn't even want me to sit in the sauna because she worries about airborne bacteria! This all makes me somewhat depressed... Especially since there's no guarantee that it will result in the desired outcome of lower IOPs. Double Ugh. Well, at least I had a great workout today!
Whacking Wednesday
7 rounds Beginner: 4 Follow Me / 3 Sparring
10 elliptical
Calories 96
Miles 0.85
Average Heart Rate 178/205 (!)
T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15
Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15
Nexersys
7r Beginner 4FM 3Sp (left machine)
7 rounds Intermediate Follow Me
7r Intermediate FM (right machine)
Spiderman Push Ups 20
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Bicycles 50
Crunches 30/20
Yesterday I hugged my son goodnight and realized that my nose comes to his shoulder. Sigh. It's a good thing because I'm a very short person and life is harder for boys/men who are short than it is for girls/women. Still, it made me a little wistful for all the days when he was a wee tot. I've never actually thought of myself as a small person, so it's always somewhat of a rude surprise when I'm too short to do something. Ugh. Sometimes there's ways around this, but sometimes there isn't.
Today is a Push Day and I need a decent warm up. 30 minutes on the cross-trainer will suffice. I would've gotten on the elliptical, but all four were in use. It's a very popular cardio machine. I also knock out a set of pull ups even though I did them yesterday. I just won't do them tomorrow after whacking the machine. Instead, I'll finally get around to doing some core, because I completely skip that today, except for the push ups.
There is a bigger Inclined Adjustable Bench in the Smith cage. I like the smaller one better even though that one is still taller than the regular flat benches. A skinny girls is running through a series of DB moves while seated on the smaller adjustable bench so I'm stuck with colossus bench. Not only is it taller than the other benches, it wobbles! And because it's taller, I can't rest my feet on the ground. Instead, I have to put my feet on the bars just under the seat. The angle of the seat is also adjustable but that doesn't really help me. I angle it up slightly when I find myself sliding off the seat even though it appears level (as in the photo to the right).
Worse, as I put more weight on the bar, I lose my ability to plant my feet and butt, and slightly arch my back while keeping my shoulders and upper back on the bench. (That "3-point base" is very stable and helps me utilize my entire body when pressing the bar upward. I can't properly position myself on this bench to make that work. Ugh!) I make all my sets today, but it doesn't feel good. My right shoulder is a bit achy and my lower back's not happy with me. All because I don't have the right bench. Next time I'm grabbing the small flat bench and doing plain ol' bench presses... Well, you know what they say about hindsight.
Doing the DB super sets on this over-sized bench is also problematic as I can't quite find the right position for Inclined Reverse Flyes. Ugh. I get my sets done anyway. I can at least do the Rip Skulls at one of the breaker benches. The skinny girl is still doing a bevy of weird DB exercises with 5 and 10 lb weights. I've never seen her before, and I wonder if I'll see her again. Mostly I don't see too many women stick around in the weight area unless they're being "trained" by their boyfriend/spouse. There are women I see often enough for me to call them regulars, but they spend most of their energy in classes or on the cardio machines. They never look any different, but maybe that's the point?
Last are V-bar Press Downs at the new cable machine. The empty clip sits too high on the cable and I can't reach it to attach the V-bar. Ugh. Little R is standing at the adjacent Lat Pull Down station, chatting with Big Mustache and Lunch Meat. LM is the middle-age newbie who likes to curl directly in front of the BB rack so that no one else can access anything. I'm not about to ask them for help because I don't want to deal with a group of guys. Seriously. Instead, I scan the gym for the table-like step-up box. Once I find it, I manage to carry it over to the cable, stand on it and I'm just now face high to the clip, and attach the V-bar. Then I put the box aside, along the wall. I probably look pretty pissed off the entire time too, but I get my sets mostly done.
I put my hoodie back on and debate doing Core with myself. Naw, I'll do that tomorrow. Instead, I do my Mat Stretch. Usually I don't have my hoodie on when I do it, and then regret having to put bare skin like my forearms or chest on the Mat during a split move. Wearing a hoodie means I don't care. But it's hot, and the zipped up neck gets a bit confining for some moves. Maybe next time I'll just bring a towel instead.
Push Tuesday
30 x-trainer
Calories 236
Miles 3.88
HGPU 26
Push Ups 60
Smith Inclined Press Different Bench w foot bar
Bar (30) x15
50 x 12
70 x 12
80 x 12
90 x 12 Footing prevents body power Ugh!
70 x 25
60 x 25 More shoulder stress this bench
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes w/ new bench Ugh!
25lbs x 8/15 reps x 3 sets
When you don't really have time to do a full workout, do an abbreviated one that at least hits all the important goals: cardio, pushing, pulling, core. I had a late morning doc appointment in order to get tests done for pre-surgical clearance for my upcoming glaucoma/cataract surgery. But since I skipped Friday, I was feeling the need to do SOMETHING today...
I got to the gym with just enough time to do the minimum for cardio (20 min). Most of the cross-trainers were occupied so I felt extremely lucky to glom onto an elliptical to do Intervals. I don't do Intervals on the cross-trainer! There's just too much resistance on my knees with that machine. Intervals suck. They really suck when you haven't worked out for a few days, like me.
I did have enough time for a Cage Stretch and pull ups. Then to the Mat for some push ups while debating whether I had enough time for other core items. Since there's road construction and repair everywhere, I was nervous about getting stuck on a detour to the doc's office. I read in T-Nation.com that some consider push ups to be so similar to planks that they're considered redundant exercises. I'd rather not do planks because I am starting to feel them in my shoulders. Not sure if I'd want to do Spiderman planks though... my son demonstrated them to me last night and they seem to be a combination push up and plank! If I do those, I'm definitely skipping actual push ups and elbow planks. Today, I decided I didn't have time and called it Done!
Tomorrow I'll have more time so I figure Push Day, then Whacking Wednesday, Pull Thursday and Cardio Legs Friday. Friday I also have an afternoon eye doc appointment to further discuss this upcoming cataract surgery. I'm definitely looking at postponing the second surgery until I see how the first one fares...
Quickie Monday
20 elliptical Intervals Calories 201 Miles 1.75 Average Heart Rate 139/176
I skipped the gym Friday to go with a friend to see the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit at the New York Botanic Gardens. At least it wasn't raining like it is today! But it's certainly a lot chillier than I would've imagined for May. Mid-40s is not daytime Spring temps for the Northeast. There's a reason I used to take the train into the City when I worked down there. And it's called Traffic. Maybe it should be called Other Drivers.
It was stressful driving down to the Bronx, but we got decent parking and the gardens weren't too crowded. We did get stuck in horrible traffic on the way back though because by this time we'd hit the dreaded "Rush Hour — Weekend's Just Beginning" traffic... which resulted in travel time of over an hour and a half, white knuckles and stiff knees. It'd only taken us 40 minutes to drive down in the morning!
We did see a lot of wonderful flowers on our walk to the Conservatory where tropical species native to Hawaii have been arranged. The actual paintings are housed across campus in the grand LuEsther T. Mertz Library art gallery. I'm glad museums and galleries no longer forbid you from taking photos, like they did when I was a child. I admit I was a tad disappointed in the arrangement for two reasons. One, I didn't think the paintings were lit very well. I'm used to seeing O'Keeffes glow with a pureness of color that only oils can transmit. Two, we (the general audience) were promised a way to compare her actual subjects with her paintings. But the plants were in the Conservatory, and the art was in the Art Gallery. So, yes, if you managed to take a lot of photos and then cross-reference between them, you'll get what was promised.
It was too windy and cold for us to want to stand around outside for the all the Hawaiian craft demonstrations like making kapa (plant bark cloth), or leis. And even though we took the tram to get a semi-guided tour of what's currently in bloom, we still walked quite a bit. My glutes were noticeably sore, which doesn't normally bother me. Must've been all those pistol squats! By the last reps, I found myself concentrating hard on pushing myself up off the bent leg. It wasn't the quad clutching as much as a weirdly-focused stomp upward. My glutes are sore even today! Monday I have a late morning appointment with my primary care physician for those pre-surgical tests that allow hospitals off the hook for any issues they might have when they anesthetize you. Ugh. I'm hoping to at least get some cardio in before the appointment...
I wasn't the only one excited when my gym posted that they had power and were opening on time. Many residents are still without power and rely on places like gyms for basic comforts, like a hot shower and a place to charge a cell phone. I should've gone earlier but I wanted to go to the CVS which is in the opposite direction. I also wasn't sure if all the roads were good since a lot of homes were beset with falling trees and power lines. I get to the gym and there are a lot more elderly folks. Some have recently signed up and are now recognizing the value in having shower facilities. I'm joking. But a lot of members choose to go home to bathe. I prefer the gym because it has great water pressure in most of the shower stalls.
Having lost yesterday, I'm torn between doing a Pull Workout and Cardio. Why choose? I do a "combo day" instead, starting with 30 minutes on the cross-trainer. I would've done Intervals on the elliptical but they were all occupied and I didn't want to wait around. Then pull ups. The last 4 aren't pretty but I do get my chin up to the bar so they count! The gym is crowded and I don't want to lose my opportunity with the Smith so I skip push ups and core. My hands don't hurt as much today but the callouses sure look nasty. I'll have to be satisfied with just 8 reps for my heavy sets. I keep readjusting my stance. The first set at 170 had my right leg a tiny bit too wide, and I certainly felt it. The second set was more of a grip issue with my left hand. I make notes to myself to keep track of what the issues are. The last set is okay, but damn am I tired after that!
While I'm pulling off the smaller plates, a middle-age guy starts pulling plates off the other end of my bar. I give him a quizzical look because I'm not done, and he's not asked. He looks confused. I ask him if he wants the other plate. I leave a pair of 25s on the bar for RG BB Rows. He wanders off and I lose track of him because, truly, I'm not interested. Other regulars arrive like Big Glasses Dude, Skinny J, Big Mustache, Little R and White Hoodie. I don't miss The Mayor. Women are not quite as regular but I recognize a few ladies on the cardio platform.
The new Hoist® cable stations finally have seated row benches attached but I'm worried that the short seat is too far from the cable pulley. Because I have really short legs! I fit, but just barely. I never assume that the weights will feel the same so I start off with 30 lbs. 45 feels okay, but my right shoulder twinges slightly as I pull the handle into my side. Ugh. Okay, Pull Day accomplished... Step Mills are occupied but the Expresso bikes are vacant! Yaaay me! I hop on the newest one and tap in my selection: Dragon Island for 15 minutes.
I keep making the mistake of accidentally touching the water and losing 1000 points. But it's not the same water. I stayed away from the beaches and had no idea that there were shallow pools inland that also had to be avoided! Ugh! I also only capture one treasure box, worth 5000 points. Last time I hit two of those glistening gems! I'm fairly happy when I'm done. Still debating whether to actually log in next time to unlock other games, or not. I don't need my name on the player board!
There's some women on the Mats and I realize that I still need to do Pistol Squats. The classroom is empty except for two people who are busy chatting. I pistol squat/walk down the side of the room, then step backwards to move in reverse. I count 24 steps total. I realize that I don't have to do this movement this way, but I think you need to add balance work to a routine, especially as you age. Back at the Mat, I do Core and then a good Stretch. I'm really looking forward to a nice hot shower. Unfortunately, there are several women in the locker room who are there just to shower. Ugh.
There are four stalls, and three are occupied. The last one is the biggest because it has a seat and hand-held shower head. It also has the worst water pressure. Sigh. Well, at least I'm clean... It's blisteringly hot again when I step outside. 50F goes to 80 in a heartbeat. And the weekend forecast is for rain and drizzle. I scan the internet to see if this week's storm, that spawned 8 tornadoes in the Tri-State area, has a name. Apparently, hurricanes are the only named storms, and Hurricane Season hasn't started yet! What I do learn is that this past storm is called a min-derecho. A what?!
According to several weather websites, a derecho is a "widespread, long-lived wind storm," and different from a tornado, because it travels in a straight line. I don't know about that since we had several tornado sightings too. Well, at least we didn't get hail.
Post Mayhem Thursday
30 x-trainer Calories 2.45 Miles 3.84
HGPU 30
Smith RDLs Bar (30) x 15 80 x 12 120 x 12 160 x 10 170 x 8 rt knee, 8 left grip, 8
Smith RG BB Rows 80lbs x 25reps x 3 sets
Seated 1-Arm Cable Rows Short seat! 30lbs x 12 40 x 12 rt shoulder twinge, 12
Expresso Bike 15 min 59,370 pts Dragon Island Calories 51 Miles 2.61 BPM 132
Pistol Squats 24 12 each leg
Elbow Plank 60s Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x 60s Bicycles 50 Crunches 30/20
Yesterday's storm wreaked havoc on our county and neighboring towns. All we suffered was a few thunderstorms with lightning, momentary high winds that caused our lights to flicker, and a lot of rain. Our road is fine. We have power and cable and internet. Other places not so lucky.
Kung fu cancelled classes but I didn't get the text until 45 minutes into the hour. It's a good thing I listened to my gut and told my son at the last minute that we were staying home. He was just about to get into the car and the sky had suddenly darkened. It was only raining at that point. Later, I get a text that Scouts has been cancelled. Hmmmm. My hubs makes it home from his office in Connecticut and says some of the roads are a mess. At 5 am the school's automated system calls to cancel school throughout the district.
Later, I check and see that the gym is also closed. They lost power last night at 6 pm and haven't regained it yet. Checking online, I see a lot of places with downed trees, missing rooftops, smashed cars, and what the heck?! A tornado a few miles east in Brookfield, Connecticut. Oh jeeze. It's overcast today and a bit chillier. I was hoping to get to the gym. I'm not even sure they'll be open tomorrow. Sigh.
I finally got another appointment with the glaucoma doc after spending nearly an hour on the phone. While I'm not happy that any eye surgery carries enough risks that cannot guarantee better vision, at least I have a better understanding of the procedure. Apparently my left eye has a slight astigmatism, which can be corrected with a special lens. This is the eye I've decided to do first. I'm still on the fence about doing my "good eye," the right eye with the perfect vision but slightly worse (yellow-tint) cataract.
If anything, I'm leaning toward seeing how the left eye fares, and then maybe doing a full glaucoma surgery on the right eye instead of cataract replacement IF the left eye seems to have issues with scarring. I scar easily. And even though the doc says each eye is different, my pressures match most of the time, and my vision is only off slightly between the two (20/20 vs 20/15).
I'm not at all thrilled by the prospects that I can go through all this, and pay for a big chunk of it, and still have issues with my IOP, which means my glaucoma continues to advance. No one looks forward to blindness.
I get to the gym around noon. It's not crowded. My plan is to whack the machine today, Pull Day tomorrow, and Cardio on Thursday. I'm still having some issues with the angle of the Jab and Cross pad so I'm not hitting as hard as I normally do. After my 7 rounds at Beginner level, a middle-age fellow timidly comes up to ask me if this makes me tired. It's kind of a weird question. I tell him, "No, not really" because it doesn't. I'm sweaty, but I can go for a few more rounds. He asks me how often I do this and I tell him once weekly. Clearly he's impressed and says I'm a professional. "No, this is just for fun," and it is. What I should've said was, "The gym owner can show you how to use this machine if you like." Because he whacks it at least once weekly. I decide to do a few rounds at the Intermediate level. But only 3 rounds because I find this machine vexing. Maybe next week I'll switch to the other machine for the Intermediate rounds, even though it still has a dead Power Dig sensor and is losing some of the Kick sensitivities.
I see a young woman at the Stretch Cage reach up and grab the roof bars so I half-expect her to do a pull up. But she doesn't and I'm disappointed. I have to squelch the desire to do pull ups now. Because I did them yesterday and I'm trying not to aggravate my elbows. It's blisteringly hot and sunny and the weather app says we're under a severe weather and tornado watch. What?! The sun disappears, clouds blow in and the sky looks threatening. In the locker room I snap a few photos, and see my father staring back at me. He always looked very stern because he thought smiling meant no one would take you seriously. I always remember him saying, "Less talk, more do" when he wanted us to actually do something. Makes me think of Yoda...
I called my glaucoma doc this morning to tell her office I'm on the verge of cancelling my cataract surgeries. Twice I called last week and twice I was told someone would get back to me. No one ever has. I speak to a different gal this morning and explain my frustration. I'd like to discuss my latest Visual Field test and what type of lenses are suitable for my eyes BEFORE the surgery. Yet, no appointments have been scheduled. The gal tells me she's going to call me back after she speaks to the doc who is just on her way in. Okay, I tell her. Leave a message on my answering machine. Meanwhile, road crews show up on my road with the goal of transferring all the power lines from one pole to the new one they installed last week. A fellow at my door tells me, above the dog's frantic growling and barking, that power will be off for a few hours. The phone app alerts me, once I'm at the gym, that the generator has kicked on. Cool. But no one ever calls me back. Grrrrr...
There is a weird space-age unit parked in the front space of the gym. It's got 4 stations that seems completely different from each other: heavy bag, barbell rack, bounce pad, cable pulley system. I wander over with two fellows to have a better look. Not sure if I'll be visiting this unit any time soon. I get 30 plus minutes on the elliptical, knock out my pull ups and push ups and core, and head over to the Smith. The adjustable inclined bench is missing. Ugh. Okay, no Inclined Presses today. Instead, I drag an available flat bench to the Smith, and flat bench. It's something I haven't done in over a year, ever since I had that unfortunate labral tear in my shoulder.
I position the bench backwards so that my head is at the narrow end because 1) I'm a small person and I can clear my shoulders and elbows at the narrow end and 2) the wide end has an actual foot cross-bar that sits a good inch from the floor so I can plant my feet on that. When you're short, you put your feet where you can, because very often you are too short to reach the ground! Naturally, I start off really slow and easy. I only go to 110 lbs before I notice my right shoulder feeling a tiny bit tender. So I drop the weights down and add reps. The pump is awesome. As I recall, I could get to 120 lbs but my shoulder wouldn't be very happy. A few years ago I'd hit 135 for 4 reps, but damn I was so much younger then! 110 is good for me right now, and maybe forever. Of course, it'd be better if I weighed less than 110 lbs. I'm just a pound or two over...
I do my DB super sets on a newly vacant adjustable inclined bench. There used to be two of them and I'm not sure where the other one is. There are a lot of older guys here today. Weird. Not too many kids, and not a lot of regulars either. The gym has replaced the double cable stations with a newer version, but not all the components have been installed. I see a regular sitting on the floor doing Cable Rows because the rowing benches are still missing. Ugh. After I get Rip Skulls done, I test the new cable station for V-bar press downs. And, as always, getting the old rope handle off and the V-bar on is an exercise in patience and dexterity. Because the cable ends waaaay over my head. Still, I manage a decent set before a good Mat Stretch...
I plan to see the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit at the NY Botanic Gardens on Friday, so I'm trying to figure out how to compress my workout. If I do kickboxing tomorrow, Wednesday for Pull Day, and Thursday for Cardio/Legs? We'll see...
Push Monday
30 elliptical + 3cd Program 1 Calories 307 Miles 2.74 Average Heart Rate 143/194
HGPU 30 Push Ups 60 Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x 60s Elbow Plank 60s Bicycles 50 Crunches 30/20
Smith Flat Bench (!) Bar (30) x 15 50 x 12 70 x 12 90 x 12 100 x 10 110 x 8 80 x 25 70 x 25
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes 25lbs x 8/15, 10/15, 10/15
Rip Skulls 40lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets
New V-bar Cable Press Down 20lbs x 12 30 x 12 40 x 12
I've been alternating between eating Greek-style yogurt and cottage cheese for breakfast. The yogurt has more protein, but doesn't seem to hold me as long as cottage cheese. I'm not thrilled with the high sodium content, but have you ever eaten non-salt cottage cheese? School paste is what comes to mind, both in texture and taste. Both contain casein, which is a longer lasting protein than whey. And although I love the way whole milk organic yogurt tastes and feels on the tongue, that makes me gassy and ultimately hungry in a very short time. I ate cottage cheese today, but apparently blew right through my breakfast because by the time it was time to shower, I wanted to eat my hand. Ugh. I guess it must've been a good workout!
Today was Cardio Day. Intervals on the elliptical, followed by pull ups, push ups, core, Step Mill, and then the Expresso Bike. I got to play the Dragon game again, this time for 15 minutes. Before my Mat Stretch cool-down, I walked down the side of the gym doing Pistol Squats. I got to 12 and the water fountain but decided not to step backwards, although I could've. Maybe next time.
Meanwhile, there's lots of equipment on the sidewalk outside the gym today, roped off with yellow Hazard Tape. New equipment being assembled by a bevy of guys. One of the trainers tells me that it's a "universal" workout station with a lot of different exercises. I laugh to myself because I remember the old Universal gym stations from HS and college. And this new piece of equipment doesn't look anything like that. It's space-age shiny black curved metal with red vinyl. But since it's not assembled yet, it's hard to determine exactly what it really looks like. I guess I'll find out Monday.
In the locker room, I snap a few photos. What surprises me is the shape of my triceps because today is not a Push Day. And the only thing I've done that involved triceps were push ups, and only 60 and quite a long time ago... I have big arms. But really, what I have are big triceps, much in the way I have big quads. Glutes and hammies not so much. I guess I'm lucky I have biceps at all! It must be a genetic predisposition. Because while I'd like bigger delts, I don't think they're in the cards, no matter how heavy or hard I push them. Just like I'll never have big forearms. However, I have pushed my calves to point where I had trouble getting into winter boots. There's no need for that. I don't work calves anymore. I always thought that people either had genetics for big muscles or not, but now I see that it gets even more specific than that. People have genetics for sometimes all big muscles, or maybe just a few select ones. Weird, right?
I woke up this morning with one of the new songs in my Workout Mix ringing in my head: Stone Sour Song #3. I confess that if I catch a good song in a commercial, I'll hunt it down so I can really examine it for gym-worthiness. There were a few during the Winter Olympics. Yeah, I'm just getting around to downloading them into my Mix in May... So what's new? Besides the aforementioned song, there's The Killers All These Things That I've Done, Oh The Larceny Can't Stop Me Now, The Offspring You're Gonna Go Far, Kid and inexplicably, Phil Collins In The Air Tonight. I also perused Sabatan and downloaded a song I found entertaining, Night Witches. And when I say download, I mean I purchased the individual song and downloaded the MP3.
Cardio Friday
30 elliptical
Intervals
Calories 297
Miles 2.62
Average Heart Rate 146/188
HGPU 30
Push Ups 60
Elbow Plank 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Bicycles 50
Crunches 30/20
"Machine City' looks different yet again. The two Nexersys machines have been relocated more centrally, which is great for screen glare, but makes me feel claustrophobic because not only are there other machines on either side, but a line of Expresso bikes face the my back just 6 feet away. That's a very narrow path to work in and have clueless people pass behind me. Ugh.
The gym has also swapped positions of the machines, so the Left Machine is now the one with all fully functional pads, but with the Cross and Jab set higher and flatter than I like. The Right Machine is now the machine with the wonky Power Dig pad and failing Lead Kick sensor. I have to adjust my hand and wrist position in order to land a proper Jab without having my wrist bend awkwardly. Because I'm shorter than the average person, I also have to arc my punches upward in order to strike properly. My left shoulder and elbow are still twingey today so I make a conscious decision not to do pull ups, and to limit myself to just 7 rounds Beginner. Luckily, nothing actually hurts while I'm whacking the machine. Yaaaay me.
However, I also decide to do the combination Follow Me and Sparring program. To test the waters, so to speak. I'm pleased that my Power Dig registers, but the sensor is almost too sensitive and I'm constantly triggering the Hitting Too Hard warning. I don't have that issue with the Lead Dig though. What's also nice is that during Sparring Rounds, I don't encounter any loss of points because I can make the entire Avatar red instead of having the Power Dig remain green. Tapping the upper left or right arm in a blocking motion seems to satisfy the program and I'm happy with my scores. My only issue is that I have to adjust my Jab and Cross to compensate for the higher and flatter pad positions. The other machine has those pads a tad lower, and just slightly tilted inward. It's barely perceptible, but it makes a big difference to me.
Today: Sparring shows 100+ points gained
I do a quick stretch afterwards and call it a workout. The Parks and Recreation Department left me a few messages asking if I was still interested in the Jeet Kune Do class. I am, but they're so disorganized that after several days of silence on their part, I gave up and tossed the flyer away. Today they call just to let me know that they don't have enough interest this summer but will definitely be offering it in the Fall. Uh, yeah, right. Maybe advertise it better? Also, still waiting to hear back from my glaucoma doc. I called them because they were suppose to call Monday. And hadn't. The gal can't get her computer system running right. She'll have to call me back. Uh, yeah. I'm really thinking about getting a new glaucoma doc now, before the surgery becomes completely binding. It's not that I doubt the need for it, I just have doubts about everything else. Ugh.
I woke up this morning with fragments of a song in my ear... a song I knew but didn't fully recognize enough to know which artist and what album. A phrase clinging to a sleep memory was the only clue I had. That and a wicked melody... It took me 10 minutes before I realized that I owned the CD and that it was Billy Idol. Figures. While there are no good (entertaining) official music videos of this song, there are a lot of recordings posted to YouTube. So here's one:
It's odd that such a song is embedded in my dreaming mind. I'm more partial to other songs, like John Wayne, or Don't Need A Gun...
I got to the gym at a reasonable hour and again a lot of the equipment has been rearranged. There are also two guys servicing a whole section of the newish treadmills. I get on the first elliptical and am dismayed to find gum under the phone holder. And gum inside it as well. WTF?! There are just such nasty people who come here! Ugh. I scrape off what I can with a bleach-soaked paper towel and do 20 minutes of Program 1, and toss in the 5 minute cool down for fun.
My left shoulder is still oddly achy, mostly when I raise my arm up so that's anterior deltoid. The bottom inside of my elbow seems sore as well. It's always a bit sensitive to the Rip Skulls, but that was two days ago... I do pull ups and push ups but skip core. Planks are actually hard on my shoulders and wrists. The low-bar shoulder stretch is also hard on my wrists. Ugh.
The Smith is free so I set up for Smith RDLs. Everything goes well except my hands start to slip during the last and heaviest sets. I'm wearing Versa Gripps but I'm still having trouble with my fingers and palms. Losing my grip on the last set causes me to lose a few reps. And because my skin is so dry, my callouses look as if they're threatening to mutiny and peel off right then and there. Dry skin is much more sensitive and less resilient to abuse. The Mayor is trying to make himself useful to newbie lifters. He's
chatting up White Hoodie and spotting him on the bench. I pull plates
off the Smith and catch a look from The Mayor that I can't quite
describe. I think it's my arms. They look pretty good in the gym light.
I manage to finish my workout, but the grip issue dogs me through the Seated Cable One-Arm Rows. Part of the problem is that I can't find the slimmer handle and have to use a heavier, thicker one that my hands don't fit around properly. With small hands and fingers, there's additional strain on my forearms trying to keep my grip while rowing back to touch the handle to my side. Well, at least I didn't actually drop any weights today...
Pull Wednesday
20 elliptical + 5cd Program 2 Calories 241 Miles 2.13 Average Heart Rate 159/203
HGPU 30 Push Ups 60
Smith RDLs Bar (30) x 15 80 x 12 130 x 12 160 x 10 170 x 10, 10, 8 grip slip
Smith RG BB Rows 80lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets
Low-Bar Shoulder Stretch 3 x20s (wrists seem off)
Seated 1-Arm Cable Row 45lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets (Grip issues last 2 reps last 2 sets)
Lately I've been skipping Tuesday workouts, but I'm still not feeling all that great so I went to the gym today just as a little pick-me-up. It was surprisingly empty and I was bummed that I wasn't prepared to do any lifting. Instead, I did a half hour of cardio (my legs felt like lead weights) and then some quick core... no pull ups and no push ups because the left shoulder has been clicking oddly and feeling a bit off, and I want to see if taking a day off in-between will help. I know I lose reps if I do pull ups on successive days. My forearms and elbows never quite recover properly. With the shoulders feeling a bit wonky, I'm giving the same courtesy to push ups. I also realize today that I never did the low-bar shoulder stretch yesterday, but I'm not motivated to fix that either.
While on the cross-trainer, I was struck by how depressed I felt. Less anxious, but unnervingly down. It's not a good way to live, and I fear that I've touched base with the national despair that's causing the seemingly inexplicably high rates of death and violence. (Read the local news lately? How about National? International?) We've lost our faith, our future, a belief in better things to come, and no heaven or hell. There is just existential despair.
It's a good thing I'm planning to push some heavy weights tomorrow!
Tuesday Briefly
30 x-trainer Calories 2.41 Miles 3.59
Elbow Plank 60s Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x 60s Bicycles 50 Crunches 30/20
On a friend's blog post, there's a link to a power lifter, Pete, who's trying to spearhead a movement that encourages people suffering from illnesses like suicidal depression to seek help. He found his salvation at the gym, and titles his FB video, "6000 reps for 6000 lives." His website, Lifting the Stigma, explains his history and purpose.
I'm not a power lifter so I won't be taking this challenge. However, I did love the song playing during the 2nd half of the video and PMed Pete to ask him who it was by. He responded that it was Stone Sour Song #3 and I've embedded it here:
I'm probably going to add it to my workout mix, because I like this sort of music. (And there's only so much Billy Idol I can listen to in one gym session.)
While I'm not a combat veteran suffering from PTSD, I do have my own demons. Anxiety is high on the list. Last night I woke up during a panic-attack and couldn't get back to sleep for several hours, even after I manage to slow my breathing. I think anxiety is the root cause for most cases of self-medication with illegal and dangerous substances. I'm lucky I have no tolerance for such things like nicotine, alcohol, pot. When I developed shingles last Spring, my doc prescribed ibuprofen and gabapentin. The latter isn't an opioid, but I discontinued taking it as soon as I could sleep through the night without excruciating nerve pain. Lately, I'm reading that gabapentin has been targeted by both addicts and law enforcement because it acts as an opioid-enhancer. Jeeze, I remember giving this drug to my dog Binky when she started to lose the use of her back legs.
I've been lifting weights on and off for years, ever since I discovered them in college. Back in HS, the girls were not allowed to use the one Universal machine planted in the gym. Instead, we got modern dance. Once, when asked what fuels my workouts, my only response was "Rage". To some extent, it's probably still true. Working out keeps me sane, and allows me to sleep more or less.
I hadn't been to the gym since Thursday and after 3 or 4 days, it's as if I'd never gone. Friday I had a rather unpleasant appointment with my glaucoma doc. She had me watch a video about the cataract procedure and then proceeded to give her speech. I had to interrupt her several times because she was making assumptions I didn't agree with. She got frustrated. So did I. She tells me matter-of-fact about how the hospital across the street from her office (not my hospital of choice) demands all sorts of blood work and chest X-rays as surgical prep. Which surprises me because she just got done telling me that I'll be lightly sedated but awake during the procedure. Good grief! I didn't need chest x-rays when I was put under for the colonoscopy when I was 50. Why do I need it for light sedation? (My hubs believes the hospital is playing the insurance billing game. Ugh.)
Why do I need chest X-rays? "Oh, people have discovered they have lung cancer, or breathing problems and aren't surgical candidates," What?! She tells me it was all explained to me earlier. It was in the packet I got in December. Except it wasn't. Her staff turns over regularly and no one has ever discussed the packet with me, and the one I have decidedly does NOT contain any surgical information. So the surgical requirements come as a complete surprise. Which means now I'm in a panic to call my GP who is nearly impossible to book on short notice because she's so popular. The glaucoma doc feels like she's wasting her time.
I'm annoyed at the prospect that my vision will actually be worse after cataract surgery because I don't wear any corrective lenses right now. The doc finds that hard to believe. She insists I'll be wearing glasses after cataract surgery just like I do now. Except, I keep telling her, I don't wear glasses. We are almost yelling at each other. Seriously. She tells me, we need to think about how my eyes will be in the future. Sure, I need 1X readers in low light or for reading micro-print. But otherwise I don't wear glasses. And yes, my dad and his mother also didn't wear readers until much later in life. So it's not unheard of. But of course, I have my mother's glaucoma. Only worse. Ugh.
I get my eyeballs measured by several machines. The machines will tell us what type of replacement lenses they will need to use because maybe my eyeballs are weirdly shaped and I have an astigmatism. She doesn't trust the patient because they only know what they know. Machines are objective, and definitive. She doesn't recommend the flexible lenses that allow the eye's own muscles to flex and focus vision because once you get artificial lenses, well, they're basically permanent and can't be removed for something better or more appropriate. And why am I undergoing cataract surgery when I don't have bad cataracts? Because I don't want bleb surgery where the doc cuts a permanent flap into the white of your eye to let the fluid perpetually drain out. (Weightlifting is completely out of the game with that!)
I'm even more aggravated by the perpetual local road work that has me following, in my car at 5 mph, the worker carrying the tail end of a 20 foot conduit pipe that is affixed to the side of a bulldozer as it crawls down the road. I'm not sure what local citizens are getting for all of this disruption and inconvenience since none of us have natural gas piped into our homes.
This weekend, I do manage to thread my new sewing machine several times as I change the spools. My husband remarks that this is the slowest he's ever seen a sewing machine move. I have it on Speed Setting One because I'm newbie nervous. I hem four pairs of pants on Saturday. Then, because I'm tired, I hem the 5th pair but forget to flip the pants inside out first. So I have to rip the hems out and start over. On Sunday. I get three more pairs shortened. Whew. Seven pairs of pants and I'm happy to put the machine into it's carrying case and tuck it away for a while. I'm not at all proficient, but I have other things I need to do before I get back to learning other stitches...
I discover, to my chagrin, that I have a pair of summer weight zip-off pants that I haven't ever worn because they were always 2 inches too long. Now they fit fine. I hem the pants from Tactical Gear but worry about breaking the needle going over the inseam with the folded up pants edge because the synthetic fabric seems incredibly tough. Great for abrasion resistance, but worrisome for repairs. The most comfortable pants are the Pink Zipper brand from Aramark®. In spite of the left-handed inanity of the zipper, the pants themselves are truly soft and well-made. I wear them as soon as they're hemmed. My cell fits nicely in the cargo pocket and in the rear pocket, which is a nice surprise. Today, I grab a blue short-sleeve button down shirt I bought my son last year for his school photo. He hasn't worn it since because it's just not him. It actually might be too small on him now. I put it on and feel totally comfortable in it. Figures.
I go to the gym today and while the new flooring is down, a lot of the equipment is in odd places. Then I see the signs affixed to various machines. Some are being replaced by Friday, including the double cable stations at the edge of "machine city". That's where I do One-Arm Seated Cable Rows on Pull Days. Today's a Push Day, so eventually I'll be there for V-Bar Cable Press Downs. Luckily, the Smith doesn't sport such signage. I'm tired of course. And stressed. 30 minutes on the elliptical has helped. Doing pull ups, push ups and core has helped. But what really helps is pushing weights. I'm much calmer when I leave the gym. Maybe I'll even be able to sleep tonight.
V-bar cable station today
Push Monday
30 elliptical Program 1 Calories 280 Miles 2.50 Average Heart Rate 149/188
HGPU 30 Push Ups 60
Elbow Plank 60s Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x 60s Bicycles 50 Crunches 30/20
Smith Inclined Press Bar (30) x 15 50 x 12 70 x 12 80 x 12 90 x 12 70 x 25 60 x 25
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes 25lbs x 8/15reps x 3 sets
