When the Real Workout is After the Gym

A lot of us glaucoma sufferers use medications that cause dry mouth. It's particularly bad when recovering from the sniffles. My throat and mouth feel as if I've inhaled paper dust. I keep a stash of sugar-free vitamin C lozenges in my car and bag. I'd rather suck on those than cough drops or candy. But waking every few hours to sip water because my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth is very disruptive to the sleep cycle. Plus, eventually all that water has to exit the body, usually at an inconvenient time, like 4 am.

Last night I tried an OTC remedy, Biotène, made by GSK. It contains a lot of slick moisturizers like glycerin, xylitol and sorbitol, and promises to last about 4 hours. For the first time in months, I didn't wake up to sip water. I guess I'll be using this before bed from now on! I also wonder if this will mitigate my tendency toward heavy dental plaque build-up. For some reason, that's another thing exacerbated by dry mouth. I'm tired of the dental hygienist questioning whether I floss and brush, because I'm so conscientious about doing it. I can't even nap without brushing first. On days I can sleep in, I'll get up and brush before going back to bed. And yet...

I can barely get warm at the gym, doing just 10 minutes on the elliptical. Some people are disgusting pigs. I bend down to pick up someone else's paper towel under my machine and discover green gum ground into the carpet. Ugh. It's probably the same culprit who sticks used wads to the bottom of the cup holder. Yeah, I bleach wipe everything I touch for good reason.

I'm finally sort of warm by the time I'm standing in front of the Nexersys. The 7 Beginner rounds serves as a great warm up. I'm sweaty and limber by the time I tap in 7 rounds Intermediate level. The machine only freaks out during this second set, the screen going dark 4 or 5 times, and tossing up the Hitting Too Hard warning a good dozen times. At one point, I think the Cross pad (facing my upper left) has become dislodged. But inspection reveals nothing amiss.

The broken sensors are still broken, and the machine to the left of me is still dead. But I get a good workout in and only do a quick stretch afterwards. I've spent a little over an hour whacking and kicking. It's more than people spend on the Expresso bikes behind me, or on the treadmills to the upper right. I can sense the coming and going of everyone around me. At least no one's standing behind me gabbing! But there are too many people in the mat stretch area yet again. However, the hot shower feels really awesome. And I must be some sort of bad ass because people are quick to get out of my way. That's so much better than being invisible.

200 lbs of salt

I had to drive up to the Home Depot by the highway to get 5 bags of water softener salt. Because it's winter, and there's a snow storm coming. And because it's been a few months since I put salt in the unit. It's sunny out and perfect weather to load up the salt bin. I'd rather do it today than in February when the bin will be empty (probably) and there'll be snow and ice everywhere (probably). There are very few customers so the store has a fellow load my car with the salt. Usually I do it myself. Yesterday I got to wrestle the 50 lb bag of black oil sunflower seed out in and out of my car. The birds and squirrels will be happy.

Do I look short?

In my driveway, I toss the salt bags onto a handcart that doesn't roll because its wheels are frozen or rusted in place. So I drag 200 lbs of salt across my lawn, down my walkway, around the outside of my house and up to the basement doors. Then I have to carry each bag down the cellar steps to reach the water softener unit. This is a lot harder than 14 rounds of kickboxing the machine, but it doesn't last as long. Plus, I don't actually get sweaty doing it. (Because it's 26 F and I took my coat off so as not to get it too dirty.)

Dragging the salt reminds me of the final obstacle competitors face on The Titan Games, where they must drag a 200 lb boulder across the field to reach a concrete altar. The hammer to break the concrete slab is attached to the boulder by the drag chain, and one must smash the slab to uncover the "relic" which is a giant metal T or rather, a key that inserts into a slot and ignites massive fireworks. It's quite spectacular. The commentators were amused by one woman, a real fireplug pistol at a mere 5'4" and 130 lbs, dragging the boulder through sheer will power. I can relate.


Pre-Storm Thursday

10 min elliptical
Calories 87
Miles 0.79
HR 151-170 (127)

T, Y & I Raises
5lbs x 15 x 2

Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15

Nexersys FM
Beginner 7r
Intermediate 7r

Stretch