There's some sort of electromagnetic interference between the bedrooms, which means the automatic clock in my room runs 2 minutes slower than the one in my son's room just a few feet down the hall. I don't understand it at all. This only affects my phone in that sometimes the phone says it has a great wi-fi signal and cell bars, but actually doesn't, and so is slow to load mail, news, weather data. For accuracy, it's best to stand in the living room.
I wake up wondering if depression and anxiety are heritable. That's silly. I know they are, but I wonder if perhaps I'm suffering from a lesser form of what my mother had. I've been comforted by the fact that her craziness could be attributed to PTSD from surviving the bombing of Canton and watching people burn to death as a young child, as well as untreated strep which developed into rheumatic fever. There's evidence that this can lead to OCD-like personality issues. I didn't flee World War II, and I've never had rheumatic fever. Yet, I'm filled with anxiety which is devolving into depression. I've spent my whole life trying to figure it out. The only thing I know for sure is that vigorous exercise gives me relief, and makes me feel sane.
The only problem with my personal course of treatment is that not only does it take a bit of time (a few hours a day), but it consumes a lot of energy as well. I'm tired, sometimes by late afternoon, and I don't always sleep all that well. I go to the gym out of habit, not with any hope of feeling better. Of course, I always feel better after my workout, although I wouldn't say I was actually cheerful. But it also means that lesser workouts don't do much for me. I've adapted to the more strenuous pace, and like any addiction, I have to keep upping the dose. Eventually I'll catch a cold, and be forced to slow down. I think my anxiety is getting worse. Financial worries and the craziness of the world have us all on edge these days.
I copy and paste my routine from last week into my phone and make minor adjustments. Snow Bird is in the Stretch Cage again so I do my mid and high band pulls on the railing next to the heavy bag. It's just as effective. There's only one working Nexersys, and I'm glad it's the one I like to use. I don't know why the other one has the screen turned off, but I'm worried that the beasts who come in the evening will totally wreck the last remaining machine. Ugh.
The gym is cold today. We got a dusting of snow this morning, and the wind makes the temp feel lower than it really is. I'm barely warm halfway through the Beginner rounds, and there's a knot under my left shoulder blade. I keep trying to extend my arm to stretch out the knot, but I might have to resort to using my trusty old wooden "doorknob roller" at home later. For Intermediate level, I tap in 5 rounds without any hesitation. I did 3 last week and it kicked my butt. This isn't going to be any easier, but I feel like it's time to move on. You don't know what you can do until you do it.
I will freely admit that my lungs were burning the entire 5 rounds. And when I was done, the sweat was dripping off my nose like rain. The screen went dark 4 times, once even before I hit the pad. When it goes dark, the program still runs but you can't see what combos are called, and you lose points. Oh well. I only got the Hitting Too Hard message once. I guess that's an improvement. The glare on the screen is crazy distracting, and makes it hard to see anything useful. I like it better when the gym pulls the shades down, but the sun is finally out so the shades are up. Hopefully, the machine will last long enough for me to graduate back to 7 rounds Intermediate, and then perhaps drop down to 4, and add 3 rounds Advance. I have my fingers crossed. I actually don't know what I'd replace this routine with should the Nexersys die. This is definitely a much more intense form of HIIT cardio (3 min on, 1 min off per round), and hitting the heavy bag just doesn't do that for me.Afterwards, I only manage to squeeze out 23 pull ups. My arms are definitely tired. But I'm happy that my gym pants are extremely comfortable. My old Nike sport pants feel a tad tight, and they're about 15 years old. I got some boys XL sport pants at Kmart the other day for about $10 but I was worried they'd be too long. However, since I'm not actually stepping on them, they're not worth the trouble of hemming. I'm not built like a boy so the fit was a bit odd, but they have pockets (big bonus) and they're loose enough for me to move comfortably without constantly having to pull the pants legs down my thighs. Snug pants creep up and I hate leggings for the same reason.
I get home in time to start a load of laundry. I'll need a test run for the new dryer that's coming today. My old dryer ran fine last night, but I liken its use to gambling. You can never tell if it's going to run or not. Hit or miss. We bought an Anderson storm door from Home Depot a few years ago and had them deliver and install it. It was quite seamless, so with that prior experience in mind, I ordered a new dryer with Home Depot to deliver and install. (I've read terrible reviews about Amazon's installers so staying away from that.)
The delivery guys called 15 minutes before arrival, well within the 4-hour installation time agreed upon, and were total pros. They came inside and were skeptical at first that my old dryer would fit coming out of the laundry area, but since I'd had the repair guy pull the dryer out twice before, I knew it would. They were surprised, but duly carted off the old dryer, unloaded the new dryer in the driveway and cut it out of its box, then carted it inside and installed it. This took a mere 15 minutes! They took the box and wrapping with them so nothing for me to wrestle with. Awesome!
The senior guy turned the dryer on and had me sign the delivery paperwork. I asked him about the brand new, still-wrapped-in-plastic vent tube that HD had me buy as part of the installation process. He said, "Oh, you don't need it because your old vent is fine since it's in good shape and goes directly outside. You can just take this back to the store." That's contrary to every installation horror story I've read in the online reviews where installers refuse to finish because they're not allowed to use existing vent pipes, platforms, plugs, etc. I'm not sure if HD will accept it, but I'm taking it with my receipt to the local HD tomorrow. Because it cost me $25 that I didn't need to spend, and I'd like that back please.
The dryer fits where the old one used to be, and the door opens without any issues. I especially like the light that comes on when the dryer door is open, like a refrigerator! Also, the dryer has a "sanitize" setting which means it can get super hot. I'd like this appliance to have a long, long life. It's a Maytag, so I'm hopeful.
Humpday
10 min elliptical
Calories 87
Miles 0.79
HR 145-182
T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15
Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15
Nexersys FM
Beginner 7r
Intermediate 5r !!!
HGPU 23
Stretch
No comments:
Post a Comment