Sweat or Snot?

It's slated to rain all day, but at least not continuously. That'd be worrisome. With the rain comes humidity, and a welcomed drop in temps. I like it cooler. It's also prime "leaf-peeping season" for the northeast. Unfortunately, humidity also means mold. Too late, I realize that the laundered Jaanuu mask in my bag smells faintly sweet and not in a good way. Ugh. Mildew! Mildew is a type of mold. I have a sensitive nose and I can't bear the idea of inhaling potential fungal spores while I exercise. 

Luckily, I've got a few paper masks in my gym bag. They aren't brand new though, but they are dry and they don't have any noticeable odor. They've been in the bag for several days, so I don't know if there were virus particles on the outside of the masks that they'd still be viable. But they don't smell so I put one on to pedal on the elliptical. Between the humidity, my sweat, runny nose, and drool, I can't actually tell what that briny fluid leaking into my open mouth is. I pedal hard enough to pant for most of the cardio duration. Otherwise, in my mind, it's not actually cardio. I don't trust the HR readings on the machines and if they are accurate, then I have the most erratic HR ever. 

Once I get into the Aerobic Room for Core, I exchange the wet mask for a different one. Yes, I keep several paper masks in my gear bag, just in case. This mask is also used but dry. Good enough. Colored Sharpie markers put tiny dots on a corner of the masks so I know which masks are which (other markers might wash off with the sweat). My sciatica is a lot better, mostly because I got a new "student chair" to use at my desk. Most chairs are too tall for my short legs to comfortably reach the floor so I've been sitting on the footstool but it's actually too soft and unstructured to offer proper hip and back support. I still do the piriformis stretches though. 

Regular members are starting to return to the gym. But it's still not crazy crowded so I'm able to do my DB shoulder workout in relative peace. However, the StepMill is occupied so I opt to do my ending 15 minutes of cardio on the elliptical again. This time I do the Interval program and adjust the Resistance at the peaks to 4, down from 8. I also decide to pedal backward on the peaks and forward in the trough just to mix things up. Because routines make you complacent. I wish I could say that all this activity resulted in a remarkable physical transformation, but it hasn't. I've lost maybe a pound, but at least I'm not gaining. It's a lot of hard work just to stand still, especially as you age. Making progress might take something more drastic.  

29Sept2020
Rainy Tuesday

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 2
HR 84, 194, 149
Cal 314
Distance 2.83

Crunches x 2 x 60
50 Bicycles
Piriformis Stretch
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Pushups 25
Piriformis Stretch
Quick Mat Stretch

DB raises supersets
lateral standing 15 lbs x 15 x 4
reverse inclined flys 15 lbs x 20
20lbs x 20 x 3

Rip Skulls s/s Bicep Curls
30 lbs x 15 reps

Precor elliptical
15 min
Program intervals F/R
HR 148, 171
Cal 141
Distance 1.26

117.6 vs 119.4