It was snowing. Then it was raining. Then it snowed again. The 2-hour school delay got canceled at 7:15 this morning, to be replaced with a complete cancellation due to the potential white-out snowstorm forecast for this afternoon. Not only would school buses be on slick icy roads, but student drivers as well. I sleep in for an hour but then get busy. There's 3 inches of hard crusty whiteness everywhere. It's really heavy because it's not light fluffy snow. It's ice. I have to keep my back straight and shovel from the hips with my knees bent. Eventually, my right shoulder and elbow get tired.
I clear half my walkway and part of the driveway until I reach the mailbox on road. Miraculously, the newspaper has been delivered sometime this morning. I'm probably one of the few residents on this road who actually shovels. I know I'm the only woman who does. Everyone else uses a snow blower, or a leaf blower, or a plow truck. At least I can still talk my son into helping me. He's a good kid. Afterward, we sprinkle halite to maintain walkability. I'm glad I bought that 50 lb bag of ice melt last weekend!
After enjoying a cup of freshly brewed Danish Blend (Norwegians love their coffee, vodka, and herring) coffee, I wake my son up and tell him he has to help me shovel. No school today, but before he can retreat into his gaming den, he has to do some work. Temps rise into the high 20s and the sun is blazing. A cat suns itself atop a tarp-covered woodpile in our yard. I'm a bit worried that I won't be able to get my car door open, and suddenly realize why having a remote car starter might be a good idea in this region. However, as icy as my car appears, the doors work fine. Whew!
We clear the driveway, my car, the walkway, and front steps. My car is defrosted. There's a different cat sitting in front of the garage, meticulously cleaning its paws. No school tomorrow due to a scheduled Superintendent Day. It means teachers go in but students stay home. My son is thrilled. I still plan to go to the gym.
Suddenly, the sky turns gray and snow fills the air. Ugh. Yep, it's that white-out storm. Not really a storm though since there's maybe a half inch of snow after an hour. Of course, it's still snowing, so I don't really know how much of the white stuff we'll get. Meanwhile, my husband is in Boston and tells me his weather app forecasts temps at -9F. Brrrr...
The phone rang 20 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Ugh. The school district has announced Early Dismissal today so students will be arriving home before noon. The weather isn't due to arrive until the evening commute, but logistics and liability worries cause everyone to err on the side of caution. (Yes, I've seen that horrible movie, The Sweet Hereafter.) The weather app says it's snowing. I look out the window. No, it's not. Not yet.
I drop my son off at school and tell him that after the gym, I'll stop by the supermarket to pick up a few items. I'm not sure how the storm will affect travel over the next few days, and I see that avocados are on sale for 79 cents apiece. I'm also low on fresh garlic. It's not so much the snow and ice that I'm worried about, although that does concern me. It's the wind chill that promises to drop temps way below zero. Ugh. If there's enough snow, it will be protective and I won't have to worry about frozen drain pipes for my septic and sump pump. Otherwise...
The gym is less crowded today. Everywhere I hear murmurs of Early Dismissal. Yes, there are a lot of parents at my gym. I plan a Pull Day, but I'm never guaranteed that the equipment I want to use will be available. After 30 plus minutes on the elliptical, I'm thoroughly warmed up and just do a few core exercises before claiming the Smith machine. I'm tired because of course, I haven't gotten enough sleep. On a school night, I tell my son to shower at 9:30 and be in bed by 10 pm. But of course, that rarely happens, because ultimately, he's forgotten something he had to do for homework and needs to get it done right that minute. Eventually, we're all flossed and brushed and I can go to sleep after reading a few pages of Christopher Buckley's They Eat Puppies Don't They? I've renewed this book twice from my library, but it looks like I might be able to finish it in a few days. Whew!
At the Smith, I do my standard routine. While I can't really say that 120 lbs is awfully heavy, I admit that I am breathing hard after each set. I also have to be careful about how close I stand to the bar since too close or too far results in an unhappy lower back. I'm worried about being too tired at the Lat Pull Down, but then discover that I actually can't even get on because both stations are in use. And I am not the type to work in between someone else's sets. Instead, I do T-bar Rows.
There are a lot of regulars today. I keep running into Ballet, The Professor and PO Goatee. I see Hollywood and a few others but those folks are not in my space the way these guys are today. WTF guys? I see B trailing after her new gym hubs and his adult son, and later overhear her saying how much she likes having them show her new exercises. Whatever. I do a lot of research before I do a new movement, if only because I've got delicate and wonky joints.
I'm well into doing Seated One-Arm Cable Rows when the Lat Pull Downs free up. But my arms and hands are too tired. It's also my grip that fails me at the end of the cable rows so I'm toying with the idea of using my VGs in the future. That would take my puny little hands out of the equation and let me focus more on the lats and arms. But I can still grip a barbell so I do 3 sets of Reverse Grip BB Curls for the first time in several weeks. Then a quick stretch and a shower.
In the locker room, there's fervent talk about how crowded the supermarket will be because it's currently snowing. (No, it's not. It's flurrying.) Will there be panic now or later. It's later as the store isn't very crowded when I arrive. Part of the issue is the massive remodeling which has relocated the store entrance and closed off an entire drive aisle in the parking lot. My son is rejoicing in a free afternoon without after-school activities. Most schools have scheduled early dismissals. A few further north just closed for the day and never opened. Depending on the weather tonight, there may be a school delay in the morning. My son has winter coats but hasn't worn them. I'm making him wear one tomorrow.
When I get home, I'm surprised to find the bird feeder still half full of sunflower seeds. The suet is well-pecked though and I decide to hang a second suet cage to provide additional fat calories. I think one of the neighborhood cats is keeping the squirrels at bay and that's why the feeder still has seed in it. But I've had to reapply cayenne pepper to the garbage bin that holds the 50 lb bag of seed. Fresh gnaw marks on the lid shows a renewed interest in a sunflower seed bonanza. We have firewood in the house, and our generator does a weekly test run. At this point, I'm very happy not to have to walk any pups, especially if temps drop as much as forecasted. We won't get it as bad as the midwest, but it's still going to be unpleasant. I'm glad I got my oil changed and the serpentine belt replaced, but I have a feeling my idiot tire pressure gauge is going to flash. It'd be nice if the gauge told you how much your tires were off by, but it doesn't. Most of the time it's a pound, which seems ridiculous, but I don't know -- I'm not a mechanic.
Just discovered the name of a song that I like. I'll probably buy it and add it to my workout mix. It has a disturbing video which I won't embed here (yes, more disturbing than Fall Out Boy's The Last of the Real Ones), but here's the video that contains the song lyrics...
Early Dismissal Tuesday Pull
30 min elliptical + 5 cd Program 3 Calories 313 Miles 2.83 HR 149-190 (105)
Push Ups 50 Crunches 30/30 Bicycles 50
Smith RDLs Bar (30) x 15 80 x 12 100 x 12 120 x 12, 12, 12
T-bar Rows Bar x 20 (triceps!?) 25 x 20 35 x 20 45 x 25, 25, 25
Seated 1-Arm Cable Rows 30lbs x 12 each arm 35 x 12 40 x 12
I'm a bit startled at how crowded the gym is this morning, but then again, it is Monday -- the traditional "make up for all your weekend sins" workout day. I'm similarly guilty, having indulged in greasy pepperoni and meatball laden slices of pizza, salty fried dumplings and sushi, chocolate KitKat cake, chips, and cheesy popcorn. Luckily, the machines I plan to use are available.
I don't think I'm on the elliptical for a particularly long time at 33 minutes, but it's longer than most people on the treadmills or other cardio equipment. Only a few people do HIIT cardio and you can tell who they are. Like me, they alternate between an all-out "run" and walking, or jogging. Everyone else appears to be doing a steady state program, except for the ones who are talking. I don't think I can walk for 20 minutes with my head turned to the side without getting a horrible neck ache.
Pull ups feel okay as I'm doing them, but later at the Smith, I notice that my right elbow is a bit wonky. I'll have to keep an eye on it because I don't want to have to deal with tendinitis. Today's workout wasn't easy, but I'm going to venture that it could've been harder. Which means I need to change it up a bit, either by doing an alternate movement, upping the weight, or the reps. The most difficult adjustment is to the big movement since I don't really have a good, safe alternative to the Smith Inclined Press. But I could up the weight and cut the reps. I can probably do that for the DB superset as well. The Rip Skulls are more problematic as I've already upped the weight to 40 lbs. And since the new cable stations were installed, I've barely looked at V-bar tricep press downs. But perhaps I should again.
I see regulars like Ballet, Big Tank, Frankenstein, Pissed Off Goatee and a few others. B has found herself a new "gym husband" to follow around. She's not happy unless she's the center of male attention. Personally, I can't really work out with a partner unless they're willing to do what I want to do, which is rarely the case. And I can't stand around chatting without getting bored, and cold. Like my father would say, "Less talk. More do." It works for me. Honestly, I only work each body part once a week, with the exception to cardio exercises. But I feel confident that I'm maintaining a decent level of strength, and I think my arms look good, especially for someone pushing 60.
The gym showers have plenty of hot water with great pressure. I don't worry about how long I'm in there, trying to rinse the shampoo out of my long hair. Because it's been so dry and cold, I've been extra vigilant about applying moisturizer to my skin. Every large bottle of lotion now only comes in a pump top, which is great for home use, but horribly impractical to cart to the gym. You can lock the cap down in place but I've had them come loose inside my bag and leave a mess. Normally I pump half a bottle of lotion into a travel squeeze bottle. This works fine until there's only an inch of lotion at the bottom. The pump's tube is always too short to get the remaining cream, and I think that's by design, forcing you to buy another bottle sooner than you'd like.
Lately, I've taken to carting the original lotion bottle upside down with pump locked in place. It's a bit tricky to get the lotion out while simultaneously holding onto the pump cap and tube since there's no place to set anything down while standing in the shower stall. I'm frustrated enough to google "how to get lotion out of a pump bottle." I'm surprised to find not just YouTube videos but also replacement cap products. Once upon a time, large bottles came with a standard cap and a second pump cap to use for your convenience. Not anymore. Once upon a time, medium and large bottles had the same diameter mouth so that caps were interchangeable. Not anymore.
The most useful YouTube video I watched showed how to measure the pump tube, then suggested going to the hardware store to purchase a foot of clear 1/4" tubing. This can be cut down to just an inch or two, and fitted over the too-short pump tube. Now the pump can reach the bottom of the bottle. Other solutions sold on Amazon are replacement caps that purport to fit most pump bottle diameters. One brand contains a built-in tripod to hold the bottle upside down. Another brand has a proprietary flat cap base to allow the bottle to balance upside down by itself. Both utilize gravity to get the dregs of the lotion out. None are fool-proof although reviews are mostly positive. The one common complaint is occasionally a bottle is not quite right and the cap leaks. So now the question is, do I want to spend $10+ on this, or should I invest $4 to buy tubing? Home Depot carries 10-foot lengths of PVC clear tubing that can be cut to length. I don't need 10 feet. The tubing is reusable and I can just continue to pump my lotion into the travel bottle. Or I can just be lazy and continue to do what I'm doing until the bottle's empty.
17F Monday
Norwegian 4x4 5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33 Calories 272 Miles 2.58 HR 141-198 (114-97)
Cage Stretch HGPU 23
Push Ups 50 Crunches 30/30 Bicycles 50 Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Smith Inclined Press Bar (30) x 15 50 x 12 70 x 12 90 x 12, 12, 13 60 x 25
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes 20lbs x 12/15 reps x 3 sets
Our Cub Scout pack motto has always been "Do Your Best" (compared to the Boy Scout's "Be Prepared"). So I stayed up late, way past my bedtime to complete a qualifying test for a potential online employer. I still got up this morning to take my son to school and get to the gym. I check my emails and find that I have not qualified. I'm not surprised since I've had some disagreements with the potential employer about terms. But a second email says I'm close enough to qualify for a second chance, that I can complete a second qualification test before Tuesday and maybe I'll get assigned to an actual paying project. I'm doing the best I can muster.
The gym is surprisingly crowded for a Friday morning. It's warmer at 28 degrees, and pleasantly sunny. But because temps are below 32, there's the danger of black ice on the road. I'm worried that eventually the Nexersys machines will be damaged beyond repair, so I aim to whack the machine at least once a week until I can't. Today's a Whack the Kickboxing Machine routine and starts with a 10 minute warm up on the elliptical. I'm cold so I keep my hoodie on until I'm standing in front of the Nexersys. Then I put on moleskin pieces, white tape, cotton wraps and finally, kickboxing gloves.
The 7 Beginner rounds are always a good warm up. But I'm barely breaking a sweat. My right shoulder feels a bit off when I throw a cross as I arc my arm up slightly to clear the central Body pad in the middle of the machine. It's not until I encounter the frenetic Intermediate program that I actually blank the screen at least twice and get a Hitting Too Hard Warning once. I'm surprised it's only once. And in spite of all my precautions with moleskin, white tape, and cotton wraps, I've still bruised my knuckles.
I see a lot of regulars from M who comes in late to greet Lazy Pedals, to Ballet, Pissed Off Goatee, Frankenstein, Big Tank, Tasmanian Devil, and CF Dad. Sometimes I think I see Big Tank or Pissed Off Goatee staring at me, but they could be staring past me, or just staring at nothing at all. Since I don't talk to any of them anyway, it doesn't really matter, does it?
My lungs start to burn as I work through 7 rounds of Intermediate level Follow Me kickboxing. I've gotten used to the fact that the machine doesn't always register the Power Sweep or Dig. Sometimes the program runs so erratically that it skips the first blow of a two-blow combination. Still, after 7 rounds I'm happy, and sweaty. After I strip off all my hand protection, I do a quick stretch at the Cage (again), and then, do another set of pull ups just to prove that 1) I can still do pull ups even though I'm totally exhausted and 2) I need to make up for only doing 2 sets of pull ups yesterday. Considering that I'm not going to work out at all this weekend, I think I'm safe just doing one set today. Also, I'm reinforcing the fact that pull ups rely on actual body strength and not something as fleeting as energy (because 14 total rounds of kickboxing will burn through your carb reserves pretty dam quick). I'm burnt, but I can still hoist myself up because the punching (push) muscles aren't the same as the pulling ones.
My son's birthday is tomorrow and he's having a few school friends over to play video games. Of course, I'll need to buy a small cake and chips, and pizza and beverages. Today is going to be a long day because I've got so much to do after I leave the gym...
Pre-Birthday Friday
10 min elliptical Calories 90 Miles 0.81 HR 149-182 (89)
Yesterday, a lack of proper sleep manifested itself as dizziness. But that was before I dosed myself with coffee and black tea, and later in the afternoon, another big cup of coffee. I thought about taking a morning nap once I got my son to school, but instead, I worked on an online project that might lead to some paying work. I'm hopeful, but I've been skunked before. Eventually, all the caffeine kicked in and I felt enough focus to have intelligent thoughts. But I was also ravenously hungry. Ugh.
For me, exercise is a natural appetite suppressant. That is, until I'm sitting in my car afterwards, and I want to eat my hand. But it's a hunger that's easily appeased with two sips of a protein RTD or half a Quest bar. So, yesterday I ate a lot more food than I normally would and fully expected that to translate to weight on the scale today. Several online articles explain that exercise causes the body to suppress the hormone ghrelin, an appetite enhancer. (Click here to read one of the articles.) Aerobic exercise also seems to increase peptide YY, an appetite inhibitor. This YY peptide isn't affected by anaerobic (weight lifting) though. If I'm sitting at my desk all day, my body goes into a metabolic hibernation mode and I feel cold all the time (having Raynaud's doesn't help). Unless I'm eating. And my stomach rumbles and growls menacingly because it is, in fact, hungry. Today, I invest the 3 hours to do HIIT cardio and weights and figure I can do more online work later. My time management skills are optimistic.
Again, I'm amused by watching my pulse rate as I do the Norwegian 4 x 4 routine. It's a good 30 degrees warmer today than yesterday, but pouring rain all day with a Flash Flood warning in effect. I get warmed up quickly and suck down half my water bottle. 33.3 oz of water is equal to about 2 lbs on the scale. I'm also still not over my cold, which leaves me sniffling for damp tissues in my hoodie pocket. It's also why I wind up drinking my entire water bottle today -- mostly to keep my mouth and throat wet so that I don't have an ungainly coughing fit.
It's a Pull Day and late enough in the week that there's no one at the Smith. I do my Smith RDLs but almost forget to use my VGs for the last sets. Almost. I wouldn't've gotten far since my wee hands can't hold a weighted bar for very long. I see regulars all over the place. Hollywood is having an in-depth chat with Pissed Off Goatee. M shows up late while Lazy Pedals hands with Big Tank Dude. BTD is wearing a light blue tank like I am, except mine says Gold's Gym and his has the Bodybuilding.com logo on it. The camera in my phone adds a magenta cast to all my photos: blues and purples aren't very accurately portrayed. I don't have Photoshop on my PC laptop so making color corrections is a lot more difficult. My hubs likes the Gimp app, but I find it unwieldy and haven't played with it much.
I was curious as to how my body would handle the Lat Pull Downs after HIIT cardio and Smith RDLs. Better than I expected! I'm surprised and happy. But my form's not great at the end, so there's always room for improvement. My last exercise is T-bar Rows, and I only get 15 reps for the last sets. I don't even pretend to want to do RG BB Curls, even though my elbows feel okay today. But I make myself do another set of HGPUs after cooling down on the Mat. Tomorrow it's a toss-up between pure cardio with additional hammies or kickboxing the machine. I wouldn't be doing pull ups tomorrow though, so I'm better off whacking the Nexersys. I consider that a form of HIIT cardio and it leaves me sweatier than the 4 x 4s. It's probably erroneous thinking, but I don't feel properly worked out unless I've busted a good sweat.
Wednesday
Norwegian 4x4 5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33 Calories 273 Miles 2,58 HR 140-198 (113, 105, 88)
Cage Stretch HGPU 20
Push Ups 50 Crunches 30/30 Bicycles 50 Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Smith RDLs Bar (30) x 15 80 x 12 100 x 12 120 x 12, 12, 12
I woke up late this morning, which was okay because the school district had already announced plans for a 2-hour delay. What I didn't expect was the return of my head cold. It's taken me weeks to get it down to just a bit of the sniffles. Now the very same nostril seems to have the very same lesion, or irritated spot just at the entrance to a sinus cavity. Ugh. I suspect that trekking around for more than 6 hours in sub-freezing temperatures enervated my immune system. My husband took all the ripe avocados yesterday so there was no vehicle for crushed raw garlic. Instead, I ate a small onion. Not raw, but well-cooked with chicken and herbs. My son's not a fan of onions or garlic. I'm hoping he'll come to his senses as he matures.
The roads are crunchy with ice and white salt stains. It's a bit warmer today at 10F when we leave the house. I wasn't able to get some of my doors open to load my gym gear due to the ice, which also meant I wasn't able to properly close them. On the way to school, my dashboard sporadically tells me that my car doors are open -- I just don't know which one. The tire pressure warning light also pops on. Ugh. Next stop is the Valvoline! I'm not due for an oil change for another 200 miles, but at least I'll get my tires re-pressurized, and perhaps even fix that infernal squealing that happens every time I make a sharp turn. They tell me that the serpentine belt that loops around something near the power steering seems dry and brittle. No cracks in it though. I'm concerned that with negative degree temps and winter not nearly over, the belt will actually break at the least opportune time so I tell them to replace it. Replacing a broken windshield wiper blade adds another $20, but I have a $10 coupon and that helps. I drive away with the tire pressure light off, and no discernible squealing sounds. The car is sufficiently warm that I'm able to open and close all my car doors properly. Whew!
I've missed the morning crowd at the gym and I don't mind whatsoever. It's been so cold out that the gym feels relatively warm. I do my scheduled HIIT cardio and amuse myself by seeing where my lowest pulse rate will show up. Counterintuitively, my lowest reading is during the 3rd peak, and not when I first grab the handles. It's always the 3d peak so there's some consistency in the seemingly erratic readings. Pull ups feel relatively easy today. I do a few more than 20.
I'm tempted to do more push ups, but I stick to my plan. Besides, today is a Push Day so no need to tire myself out prematurely. While I'm not particularly concerned about chest and triceps during push ups, I do notice some pressure inside my head. Some of that might be attributed to the head cold, and some of it makes me worry about my glaucoma.
I'm wearing a tank top my husband got me from Boy Scout Camp last summer. I like it because it has a big American flag up front, but the stars have been replaced with upside down canoes. The rest of my routine is rather routine. Smith Inclined Presses, DB laterals superset with Reverse Inclined Flyes, Rip Skulls, then a Mat Stretch. Because I've arrived later in the day, there are a lot more kids in the gym, although I'm fairly certain their school also had a 2-hour delay. I see a few regulars, but of course, I don't actually talk to anyone. Tomorrow I won't have the luxury of sleeping an extra hour, but I'll still go to the gym anyway. It'll be a Pull Day. Last week I accidentally discovered where all the hidden characters disappeared to on my phone's keyboard. Yeah, I've only had my phone for over 3 years. I'm thrilled to rediscover symbols for cents (¢) and degree (°), but I'm at a loss as to where these reside on a PC keyboard. Instead, I've resorted to opening a new tab for Alt Codes and copying the symbol into this text, then correcting the font and size. But I've especially missed the degree symbol. Do I sound like a nerd?
Tuesday(head cold relapse)
Norwegian 4x4 5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33 Calories 276 Miles 2.59 HR 139 / max190 (low 115/105/85)
Cage Stretch HGPU 23
Push Ups 50 Crunches 30/30 Bicycles 50 Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Smith Inclined Press 60° Bar (30) x 15 50 x 12 70 x 12 90 x 12, 12, 12 60 x 25
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes 20lbs x 12/15 reps x 3 sets
Today is a school holiday and under normal circumstances, I would've gone to the gym this morning. But today is not like other days. Because my thermometer reads -3F and that's awfully cold. Eventually, I do go out to retrieve the newspaper, refill the bird feeder, haul trash and recycling to the bins, and note that the trees glisten with ice in the low winter light. The wind makes the tips of the branches wave and shimmer. It's rare to see ice-encrusted branches move in the breeze without breaking off. My husband still hasn't gotten up so my car is stuck in the driveway anyway.
He has to drive to Boston today. I wasn't expecting him home until next weekend, but he got back late Saturday -- just after my son and I had finished with the Scout district Klondike event, a 6-hr trek in 26F weather from skill station to station. Yesterday we shoveled heavy ice and wet snow off the walkway, driveway, and cars before the arctic blast descended. There's black ice everywhere, and no relief promised until Wednesday when temps are promised to rise into the 40s. Just as quickly though, another arctic blast will descend and send temps plummeting, but perhaps not quite as deeply.
Meanwhile, I get a cryptic letter from my doc telling me all my blood tests are normal, whatever that means. I have to do a bit of research to find their website, look up my password and log into a patient portal to find the actual results of all the lab panels. I take notes on any values that are slightly askew and look them up later. A slightly elevated CO2 value can signal slight dehydration. That sounds about right since I hadn't had my coffee or gone to the gym before the blood was drawn. My cholesterol is again elevated in total (but less than last year) and raises no red flags because I have a high HDL value, and the ratio between my total cholesterol and HDL is less than 5. In fact, all my values are good, but my HDLs are so high that they're raising the total value.
There is some recent concern that high HDL levels are an indicator of future heart issues and greater mortality risks. Click here to read that article. Of course, participants in the study already had established heart disease, so it's hard to know whether I should be alarmed.
I just read about the "enhancing effects" of blood transfusions from healthy young people to older folks. It's a bit macabre and calls to mind the Hungarian Countess of Blood, who reportedly drank and bathed in the blood of young girls, and horrific Nazi experiments (sewing twins together). After a brief summation of the experimental procedures and results so far (which involves surgically attaching younger mice to older ones) the article ends with suggestions to lower inflammation and extend healthy longevity without resorting to buying blood transfusions. Click here to read the Men's Health article. I'm pleased to see a reference to 4 x 4 HIIT cardio training (aka Norwegian). I guess I'll be doing that tomorrow after I drive my son to school.
Isomalt is the first ingredient on the bag of sugar-free vitamin C drops located next to all the cough drops and throat lozenges. It's a sugar substitute derived from sugar beets, does not provoke an insulin reaction nor does it promote tooth decay. It's meant to be ingested in small amounts, as in edible cake decorations, or hard candy. So, eating a few C drops throughout the day shouldn't be worrisome. Except for some highly sensitive individuals who might experience gastric distress. And that unfortunate person is me.
I ate 4 or 5 drops throughout the entirety of the day to relieve the nagging throat itch that threatened to elicit more than just hollow scratchy coughs. If you cough enough, eventually you'll need to blot your nose and eyes while mucous floods your mouth. Eventually. If you happen to be driving, you might need to pull over if you can't manage to steer your car and get tissues to your face simultaneously. It's an event I try hard to avoid.
Gastric distress does not mean an upset tummy or a bit of gas. It means something far worse due to a laxative effect that is not forewarned on the packaging. There is a lot of unusual stomach gurgling beforehand, but really, you would think there'd be a caution label on the bag. But there isn't. Isomalt apparently behaves much like xylitol, which can also cause gas, bloating and diarrhea. Luckily, it isn't toxic to dogs (unlike xylitol) but can cause the same unpleasant side-effects in sensitive dogs. And sensitive people, like myself. Ugh. Today, I buy a bag of regular "honey lemon" cough drops and a box of Tic Tacs. I've coughed so hard that my larynx feels sore and I briefly wonder if I've developed strep throat. I haven't. My throat just hurts from coughing. I am such a princess!
The gym is oddly empty except for a few die-hard regulars. The "snow storm" might've scared everyone away. My son and I were fully expecting a 2-hour delay to the start of the school day, but at 10 pm, when the weather app said it was snowing, we looked out the window, and... nothing. I checked the radar on the same weather app, and there was a big clear spot on our portion of the map. This morning I swept a half inch of powder off the walkway, car, and driveway. The roads were in good condition. It's the second storm we're all worrying about, the one that's supposed to dump a foot of snow on us and chase that with a sudden arctic drop in temps.
I start with 20 minutes on the cross-trainer doing a mostly steady-state program. No need to go crazy. There will be sets of pull ups and some core in the mix. I like the Octane as well, but as with the cross-trainer, my toes go numb by the end of the session. My feet are fine when I mount the Expresso Bike. It's not the one I usually ride though, so it feels a little different. The Dragon Island game is still more fun than any of the other rides. While I'm chasing dragons, coins and treasure boxes, a guy gets on the bike next to me. He selects a nice rocky trail to pedal. Yawn...
More regulars trickle in. A few school districts announced delayed school starts last night, before any snow had even fallen. I'll bet they felt silly this morning. I put off the 4th set of pull ups until after my mat stretch. My right elbow is sporadically twingeing. I know I'm pushing the limits with my joints by breaking up high reps into more manageable multiple sets. After the bike, I put my hoodie back on and do walking lunges down the side of the free weight area. I try very hard to do this properly, with my knee touching the ground with each step forward. But I'm not always successful, especially since I'm in a traffic lane. I reach the wall with 28 steps and pause for a moment to catch my breath. This is harder than it looks. Then I turn around to lunge walk back.
At the Lying Leg Curl machine, I keep my hoodie on. I'm fairly sweaty and don't need to wipe myself all over the equipment. I have to ignore that little voice in my head that tells me 25 lbs is going to be too hard. My concession is to only do 2 sets at 25, having started at 20 lbs. 25 lbs is really hard, especially the last 4 reps, especially the left leg, the weaker leg. I do a Mat Stretch because I don't want my hamstrings to cramp later. Also, I'm still not quite recovered from the last set of pull ups. I'm always worried I won't be able to make 20 reps, but anxiety can be productive if you use it as motivation. There's no point to doing all this if you're not willing to do it properly. I get my 4 sets in. Whew!
I'll be back on Monday, after a weekend that promises a lot of snow shoveling. Fun, fun, fun...
Another Cardio Friday
20 min x-trainer + 5 cd Calories 196 Miles 2.79 HR 131
Cage Stretch HGPU 20
Push Ups 60 Crunches 30/30 Bicycles 50 Side Planks 2 x 60s Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
********************** 20 Octane + (3 cd) Default setting Calories 151 Miles 2.07 Steps 2850 Floors 47 HR max 127-167
HGPU 22 ————————- 20 min Expresso Bike Dragon Island Points 158275 Miles 3.71 Calories 100 HR 124/138
After enjoying a cup of freshly brewed Danish Blend (Norwegians love their coffee, vodka, and herring) coffee, I wake my son up and tell him he has to help me shovel. No school today, but before he can retreat into his gaming den, he has to do some work. Temps rise into the high 20s and the sun is blazing. A cat suns itself atop a tarp-covered woodpile in our yard. I'm a bit worried that I won't be able to get my car door open, and suddenly realize why having a remote car starter might be a good idea in this region. However, as icy as my car appears, the doors work fine. Whew!
We clear the driveway, my car, the walkway, and front steps. My car is defrosted. There's a different cat sitting in front of the garage, meticulously cleaning its paws. No school tomorrow due to a scheduled Superintendent Day. It means teachers go in but students stay home. My son is thrilled. I still plan to go to the gym.
