It's Hard Being Such a Princess

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
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20 min Expresso Bike
Dragon Island
Points 158275
Miles 3.71
Calories 100
HR 124/138

HGPU 20

Walking Lunges
27 + 28 = 55

2:1 Lying Leg Curls
20lbs x 12
25 x 12, 12

Mat Stretch
HGPU 20