Almost Slipped My Mind

I woke up at my usual time but haven't felt myself all day. Not rested and actually a bit foggy. Like having chemo brain without being ill. It's warm but not humid, and it'd be perfect for weed whacking if I was clearheaded. Which means I don't actually get around to working out until after 6 pm. Oh well. Still better than nothing... 

31July2020 6:20 pm
81°/77°

25 arm circles x 2
25 small leg circles x 4
25 air squats
25 x-arm good mornings
25 knee-ups x 2
25 side leg swings x 2
25 side twists x 2
50 crunches
50 leg ups
50 horizontal scissors
25 fire hydrants x 2
Elbow planks 60s
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Pushups 25
One-legged deadlifts 10 x 2
Easy mat stretch

You Need Data to Move Forward

It's still hot outside but not quite as humid. Too hot for me to attempt weed whacking the 5-ft high stands of mugworts that threaten to overtake the yard. Only the swamp milkweed I planted last summer has actually flowered this year. I have several common milkweeds that might bloom eventually, but the wild specimens down the road flowered last month. Still, the only regular visitors have been assorted bees and wasps and a few butterflies. None are monarchs and that is worrisome.

I haven't been on my scale since April. Four months later and the scale shows me the unpleasant but not unsurprising truth: I've gotten fat. I'm a whopping 118 lbs which is 10 over my good (clothes fit nicely) weight. I've struggled with trying to slow the weight creep over the past two years, fighting to keep pounds below 113. I'm 5 over that. No wonder none of my clothes fit. Even my "loose" clothes are tight. Ugh. It's very frustrating because I know the key is regular cardio, something I can't do without access to a gym. Bad knees, flat feet, bunion and hammertoes, prone to heatstroke... nope, not gonna catch me jogging outside. But I am definitely sitting too much and there's evidence that the actual act of sitting is contributing to the weight gain. 

More frustrating is the fact that gyms are open in nearby Connecticut. I'm not willing to fight highway traffic for over 30 minutes each way. Owners of gyms, cinemas, bowling alleys, and malls are suing the state to release reopening guidelines. Because we're in Phase 4 and there is no Phase 5. So WTH?! 

I'm forced to resort to limiting calories in a big way if I can't figure this out. Gaining two pounds a month is just not healthy. And I'm not going to start wearing muumuus, as comfortable as they might be... 

I do the same workout I did yesterday with little variations. My dogs look at me from the sofa and go back to napping because it's hot and there's nothing better to do in the afternoon heat than to sleep. I forget to do pushups though. Oh well. I'll do them tomorrow. At least the one-legged deadlifts don't feel quite so painful to my arches and ankles. Probably because the one-legged leg swings served as a warmup. I'll do those leg circles tomorrow too. If it cools down enough, maybe I'll venture into the garage and see if I can pull my fat self up a few times. But no promises. At least the toe looks mostly normal again. Mostly. 

30 July 2020 2:20 pm
87°/78°

25 arm circles x 4
25 air squats x 2
25 x-arm good mornings x 2
25 knee-ups x 2
25 side leg swings x 2
25 side twists x 2

50 crunches
50 leg ups
50 horizontal scissors
25 fire hydrants x 2
Elbow planks 60s
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
One-legged deadlifts 10 x 2
Easy mat stretch

Day Three

It's not any cooler today. I start my home workout barefoot on the yoga mat, figuring that at some point my feet might get stronger. The right foot is more uncomfortable than the left, probably because anatomical issues makes it seem as if there's less padding under it. I have bony feet anyway, but it's the right foot where the little toe rolls away painfully even without the constraints of shoes.

I'm pleased that the big toe seems to be generating a normal toenail, but it is far from looking 100 percent normal. Lately, there's been sporadic pain in the nail bed but I'm attributing that to "growing pains" because anything else would be terrifying.

It takes me longer than usual to finish because today is fraught with interruptions. The backs of my legs are sore and stiff. My glutes have become painfully sore from sitting in front of my laptop. This is one of the reasons I have started doing "at-home workouts." Never mind that my clothes are too tight! I'm under no delusion without strenuous cardio I'll be able to lose this newly re-acquired baggage but maybe I'll be able to slow it down. Or at least tighten some flabby muscles. I'm not brave enough to step on the scale. Maybe next week.

I spend a lot of time "warming up" and save the perilous one-legged deadlifts for last. The leg circles require that I stand on one leg although I suppose I used to do this lying flat on my back. Circling inward and outward reminds me of Mr. Miyagi's "wax on and wax off" in that classic flick The Karate Kid. Although I do occasionally touch the sofa for support, for the most part, the one-legged deadlifts are easier and more consistent today. Perhaps it's just that I spent a lot of time warming up. Or perhaps my ankles and arches are a tad stronger?


29 July 2020 (12:25 pm - 2:35 pm)
86°F/80°F

Assorted (100) knee-high stepping, (50) side-swings, (12) hamstring stretches

25 arm circles x 6
25 hip circles x 4
25 side bends x 2
25 side twists x 2
25 big leg circles x 2 (inside/outside)
25 small leg circles x 2
25 air squats x 2
25 good mornings x 2 (x-arms)

50 crunches
50 legs up
50 scissors
25 fire hydrants x 2
Elbow plank 60s
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Superman 60s
Pushups 25
One-legged deadlifts 10 each
Easy mat stretch

Day Two

My hamstrings are sore today and I'm surprised. It's not as if I did a lot of strenuous exercises yesterday, not as if I'd done anything out of the ordinary. Well, except for the paltry attempts at one-legged deadlifts. I actually did not feel any stress whatsoever on my back legs, perhaps because I was so distracted by the distress in my arches and ankles. 

Pain is like that: you can't focus on two different areas of your body simultaneously. Coordinating two different body parts, like playing a musical instrument, must be different, perhaps relying on muscle memory from rote practice. 

My arches and ankles didn't complain as much today but they were still unhappy. Of course, I put my trainers on just for this exercise as well as planks and pushups. I wonder how my shoulders will feel about doing pushups every day. There was a tiny twinge in the left shoulder. It's been more than two months since I last did a pullup. 

Once the heatwave breaks, if it ever does this summer, I'll attempt a few in the garage. I don't know when gyms will open. The unofficial word is sometime in August. Just like, after much pestering on my part, the local BSA Scout Shop will reopen the first week in August. Because we're in Phase 4 and there is no Phase 5. Most places have reopened except for gyms, movie theaters, bars, and maybe schools. We haven't learned enough about this virus to know how to proceed safely in close quarters yet. 

28July2020 4pm
85°F / 80°F

25 arm circles x 2
25 air squats x 2
25 good mornings x 2
25 side bends x2
25 side twists x 2
One-legged deadlifts (each) x 10

25 crunches x 2
25 legs up x 2
50 horizontal scissors
25 fire hydrants x 2
Elbow plank 60s
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Pushups 25
Easy mat stretch

Inching Back in the Heat

It hasn't been a week yet since I last posted, since I last worked out in my living room. Because it's too hot. I don't have air conditioning in my garage. A fan is simply not enough. The air is stifling. It's hotter this week with a thunderstorm to look forward to, but in a few days. The a/c that is running upstairs to counter the 90 plus degrees is barely enough to keep the rest of the house comfortable if you sit very still. We do have fans facilitating cross-current breezes. 

There is absolutely no room to exercise in the cool upstairs so once again I do some slow bodyweight movements. Today I decided to try something I've only ever seen on videos: the one-leg deadlift. To make sure I'm thoroughly warmed up, I do a lot of air squats, arm circles and side bends. But I'm careful to pace myself because I don't want to break a sweat. 

I had a very hard time making it to ten reps for the one-legged deadlift. It's hot and I'm wearing my house shoes which are basically oversized, backless Keene sandals that I bought nearly 20 years ago. They'll fall off as I bend over and straighten my back leg so I opt to try this barefoot while standing on a thin yoga mat. Have I mentioned how uncomfortable I am unshod, and not just because I'm flat-footed with a bunion, hammertoes, and a still-healing big toenail. (BTW, it's still not healed up after nearly 8 months!) 

My right-side dominance for strength naturally means I start with my right foot planted while I slowly bend over with my arms out and my left back legs straight out behind me. The idea is to bend over and touch the floor with arms extended, then return to the upright position while bringing the left leg in with kneed bent. The left leg, theoretically, should not touch the floor between each rep. 

However, I'm only able to get to rep 3 before the arch of my foot and inside ankle start to hurt. (I have unpleasantly flexible ligaments, except the ones connected to those three hammertoes.) By rep 7, I've actually put on my trainers to give the feet more support. My ankle and arch still hurt but not as much. To make it to 10 reps, I have to brace myself with an outstretched hand while I bend over. The left leg fares only slightly better. Both ankles and arches are embarrassingly weak! 

While I don't really feel any benefits or stress in my core, hamstrings or quads, my ankles and feet are sore afterward. It's obvious that I need to try this exercise more often in the hopes that my weak spots will strengthen. Maybe as soon as tomorrow if I'm not too sore. 

I also do crunches and planks, and finally, remember to do bird dogs as well. I skip side planks though. Maybe next time. Maybe tomorrow even though temps promise to be in the 90s again. I finish with a set of pushups, and then a few gentle stretches while sitting on a yoga mat on the floor. 

27July2020 1:20 pm
89°F outside /79°F inside

12 arm circles x 8
25 air squats x 6
12 bodyweight good mornings x 6
25 side bends x 4
25 side twists x 4
10 single leg deadlift (each leg)
25 crunches x 1
25 legs up x 1
25 horizontal scissors x 1
25 fire hydrants x 2
Elbow plank 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
PushUps 25

Easy mat stretch

A Few Months Later...

It's been more than 2 months since I last posted a workout on this site. Although I've been sporadically busy trying to gain control of our yard, mostly I've been doing all the things that depressed and anxious people do when they can't go work out: binge-watch a lot of TV, read a lot of online trash, eat a lot of junk food, drink too much wine and hard seltzer. I do have gym equipment in a detached garage but there's no a/c in there and the damp heat is oppressive. I don't do well in high temps, being prone to heat sickness. I'm lucky I kept a lot of my looser old clothes since I've put on a few pounds. I don't need a scale to tell me since I'm not under the delusion that my former clothes have suddenly shrunk.

Our state has hit Phase 4, and gyms (and bars) were excluded from the reopening. Maybe in August, they say. Malls have reopened although I'm not sure that these indoor shops have retrofitted their a/c systems with HEPA and UV-C systems to disinfect the air. When and if the gyms reopen (many have closed permanently along with several local restaurants), procedures will, out of necessity, be different. Old guys have already proven that they can't follow directions regarding basic hand washing or even wiping down their equipment. I don't miss the crowds of exercise classes or the cacophony of locker rooms. But I do miss working out in a/c during the summer. I miss the StepMill and the Precor elliptical. I miss well-lit showers with great water pressure. 

We're not even certain how our schools will reopen. After enduring the panic of catastrophic infection and death rates in NYC and New Rochelle, I think we are right to be cautious and leery of repeating mistakes seen in other areas. Today, I decided I'd actually see how much fitness I've lost in the past two months. Although I didn't test my pullups (because that would mean trudging out to the garage), I did do a bunch of bodyweight movements, including a few pushups. We have a lot of fans in the house, but a/c only in one room, the converted attic, because that room gets the hottest, and we all have computers and desks up there. The a/c trickles down the stairs if we let it run all day, but still, the house isn't exactly cool. Fans help.

My husband loaded the Hulu app on my old iPad so I can watch River Monsters with Jeremy Wade while I do air squats and crunches in the living room. Even though I'm moving fairly slowly, I still find my forehead sweaty although I'm by no means breathless. Even pushups aren't too bad. I stop at 25 because that is the number I told my glaucoma doctor I would do when I worked out. Honestly, I was expecting that to be a bit harder. I did put on sneakers to protect my toes (that toenail is still really funky ugly) and workout gloves to keep the little bones in my hands from falling out of alignment and causing a sprain. I'm totally serious. 

I have total respect for the River Monsters host, from his catch and release practices to his focused and studied approach to every aquatic creature he encounters. Although River Monsters has ended after 9 seasons, I'm heartened to hear that he's hosting a new program called Dark Waters. 

Living Room Workout
4 pm 86°F outside/ 81°F inside

4 x 25 air squats
2 x 12 side bends
6 x 10 arm circles
2 x 12 half lunges
4 x 50 crunches
2 x 50 legs up cr
Elbow Plank 60s
2 x 25 fire hydrants
25 horizontal scissors
Push-ups 25
Easy Floor Stretch