When the Breath in Your Ear Is Your Own

The gym seems more crowded on Tuesday than on Monday. Perhaps members feel they are all avoiding the crowd by doing so, but of course, that means they've just moved the crowd to another day of the week. I see a lot of regulars, but the gym is by no means "crowded." The ellipticals are both free and I pedal furiously while breathing heavily. I have on a gray Jaanuu mask and it fits well, allows me to pant, and doesn't cause my breath or sweat to condensate against my face. 

I'm getting better at this, as measured by the tiny incremental increase in my distance while using Program 2. Or maybe I'm just having a better day. After stretches and ab exercises in the Aerobic Room, I do a few sets of DB shoulder movements. Reverse Inclined Flys were boring last week so I increase the DBs for that. While I don't feel as if I'm suffocating as I lay on the Inclined Bench with my face against my hoody, it's still difficult to breathe properly because of the mask. The double layer of fabric (mask and hoodie) really seems to impede airflow. However, using 20s instead of 15s didn't cause the rear delts much stress. Figures. It's not the medial delts but the wonky elbow joints that keep the Lateral Raises at 15 lbs. Joints are the weak link.

While I'm on the StepMill, I resist the urge to sing along to my tunes. I'm breathing too hard anyway. The mask gives me some assurance that I'm not breathing in someone else's aerosolized exhalation. Meanwhile, I see at least 4 people walking around with their masks either under their nose or worse, under their chin. No, they're not in a crowd but they are walking around the inside of a closed environment with no guarantee that the air is circulating through HEPA filters. Doors are closed because it's chilly out so there's also no guarantee of fresh air circulating either. This is why the gym is listed as one of the 3 most dangerous places to contract Covid. Honestly, I don't know why hospitals or doctor offices aren't on that list, but I guess that now that they take temperature checks and ask a bunch of questions, well, they're safe now. We can disregard the CDC since they can't keep a position without political pressure, but even Dr. Fauci?! 

Already, our area has seen an uptick of Covid cases. There were 4 new cases last week. There are over a dozen new cases this week. And local news warns us that a person who tested positive had been to the local grocery last Wednesday between 7-8 pm. I breathe a sigh of relief because although I shop there frequently, never at that time. People are getting complacent because there haven't been dramatic deaths in our town. People have pandemic fatigue, which is the worst time to get lax about the basics like hand-washing, social distancing, and wearing a mask.

My mask isn't horribly inconvenient or cumbersome. These Jaanuu masks are shaped better so they're not infringing on my lower peripheral vision the way the blue "paper" masks do. But, when I'm breathing hard, I do notice the sound of air whooshing over the tunes in my earbuds. Like someone panting in my ear. Yeah, it's me. The mask is forcing my breath back along my cheeks and into my ears! Still, not quite as annoying as having your ear canals filled with sweat as it drips off your head. Earbuds mostly prevent that. 

I get home to a box of Old Navy masks. They are somewhat larger and looser and I don't trust them as much as the Jaanuu masks because of the loose fit. But I pop them into the wash as one does with all new garments. Maybe they'll shrink a little? I'd wear them outdoors when masking isn't that critical. At least I have choices. 

22Sept2020
Autumnal Equinox Tuesday

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 2
HR 152, 183, 82, 93
Cal 317
Distance 2.85

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

Walking Lunges
20, 21

DB raises supersets
lateral standing 15 lbs x 12, 15,
reverse inclined flys 15 lbs x 20, 20
20lbs x 20, 20, 20

15 lbs Alt DB Curls x 12

Matrix Step
Speed 5
Min 15
HR 123
Cal 105
Steps 705
Floors 44