Reassessing the Routine

I'm definitely bigger than I was a few months ago, and if I were a guy, I'd probably be happy about it. But I'm a really short woman who already has trouble finding nice clothes that fit properly, so this added size isn't welcome news. I confirmed it by stepping on my home scale this morning. I need to drop 5 lbs of serious fat and water. I say fat and water because I'm certain that at least a pound or two is water from overly salty weekend fare.

We ate Japanese last night to celebrate my husband's birthday. Miso soup ramen is high on the sodium scale. We also ate at Golden Corral on Saturday after we picked our son up from Scout Camp. The buffet-style food has some winners, but most of it is unsurprisingly high in salt and fat. Except for their coffee, which was probably the worst coffee I've drunk in a very long time. No wonder coffee is free there--it's like dishwater.

Most of you will scoff at 5 lbs, but if you are my size, it will be nearly 5 percent of your body weight. I could say it's because I've cut my workouts down from four or five days a week to just three, or that I've reduced my cardio since bringing my son to work out with me. But the reality is that reducing my exercise has increased my appetite so I'm eating more.

It's been understood for years that exercise leads to a decrease in appetite and several theories have been proposed to explain why ghrelin (a hormone linked to increased appetite and growth hormones) and leptin (another weight management hormone) decrease. There's also evidence that raising body temperature with vigorous exercise works to decrease appetite. It's not known if sitting in a sauna for 30 minutes will also have the same effect. Of course, I'd rather do HIIT cardio than sit in a hot wooden box.

I had a follow-up appointment at my dermatologist this morning to check on the suspicious line running the length of my right big toe. Not only is it still there, but the skin below the nail bed appears raised and reddened. Wearing wool socks makes the itching worse after a while, which is a bummer because I love my alpaca wool socks. The doctor doesn't think it's melanoma but can't say for certain what exactly is happening. I've had this dark stripe since March so that's six months. Too long for a standard splinter hemorrhage. He recommends a plastic surgeon in my health insurance network to perform a nail bed biopsy. Of course, my first question is "Will I still be able to exercise?" because he tells me that there will be a few stitches in my toe after the procedure. I'm suspicious that this might be psoriasis but the doc doesn't think it is. Psoriasis, an autoimmune disorder, has popped up in my family sporadically.

I don't get to the gym until nearly 1 pm so there's a lunchtime crowd, but it's not really crowded. I'm actually leery of putting a lot of pressure on my toes after my doctor's appointment. When I do HIIT cardio, I press hard on the front of my feet the faster I pedal so I wonder if this is causing my toe issues. Today I do program 1 on the elliptical instead. Then my standard cage stretch and pullups, followed by core exercises. But instead of pushing weights, I step on the Step Mill for 20 minutes and then another set of pullups. I finish with 2:1 Seated Leg Curls (with increased weight) and finally, Walking Lunges. I haven't done the latter in some weeks, but these don't feel too bad. I just hope I can walk tomorrow.

Solo Abbrev Monday

30 min elliptical + 5cd
Program 1
Miles 2.91
Calories 326
HR 144-205 (95)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 20

Crunches 50/50
Leg horizontal scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

20 Step Mill
Level 3
Calories 113
Total steps 709
Floors 44
HR 136

HGPU 20

2:1 Seated Leg Curls
15lbs x 12
30 x 12
37.5 x 12
45 x 8

Walking Lunges
29+29=58

Mat Stretch