Skipping A Day Isn't So Bad

Yesterday was Columbus Day. Or, Indigenous People's Day depending on where you live. It was also cold and rainy and a perfect day not to go out. Except for the essentials, like walking the pups. Of course, they were kind of upset at not going to the Bark Park. There's no grass there, only ankle-deep fallen leaves and astroturf, both of which are horribly slippery, especially on the angled slope that comprises most of the enclosed area. Nope. Not a dog park day. 

Today's even worse but my kid has in-person school so we get up before the sun to walk the dogs in the driving rain. When I go to warm up the car, the dogs are excited and then confused when they see that they're not going for the ride. They've been to the Bark Park exactly three times, twice last week, and already they've figured out that the car means a good time. At least some of the time. Otherwise, they spend the entire day sleeping on the sofa and periodically checking the driveway from the big window. 

I skipped the gym yesterday although my husband was game. Today he has too many conference calls so I go solo. At mid-morning, all the cardio machines I normally use are occupied and I spend 15 minutes on the LifeFitness cross-trainer. It's not as bad as I remember, but maybe that's because I only spend 15 minutes on it. Then I hop on the elliptical to do the 35 minutes I had originally planned. I'm kind of making up for skipping yesterday because I also do 15 minutes on the StepMill later on.

Mask no. 2

Crunches make my abs feel a little sore but push-ups are easy today. As the week progresses, push-ups become harder. 24 hours isn't enough time for the shoulders to recover even from a paltry 25 reps. Maybe it's because I'm 60? My sciatica has been sporadically making itself known. On Saturday's light hike (about 3.5 miles) it wasn't happy with the occasional steep downhills. Walking back and forth along Lake Gleneida to help replace flags and tags honoring veterans and first responders tallied up another several miles. My phone counted 17,375 steps in total for the day which TheCalculatorSite.com translated as 8.49 miles based on my height and sex. (I'm not sure we actually walked 5 miles back and forth though.)

Sunday and Monday I rested the bad leg, bad glute, bad foot, and did household chores. Today, the sciatica only complains when I brace myself for Smith Inclined Presses. I can't comfortably plant my feet flat on the floor when I'm on the small inclined bench so I have to cross my legs and press my feet up against the seat base. It's not great. And there is still a lot of pressure on the right glute when I press the heavier weight, which in reality, isn't all that heavy at 80 lbs. It wasn't even 10 years ago when I warmed up with 95 lbs on a flat bench. Injuries and aging suck. 

Feet not on the floor

Luckily, 70 lbs is light enough for Seated Cable Rows not to aggravate that already inflamed sciatic nerve. I'm often tempted to go to the next plate but that's a 15 lb increment. Maybe 7.5 lbs next time? Maybe just 10-12 reps next time? Doing all this cardio means I've already soaked through two of my masks. I've learned to keep several freshly laundered masks in ziplocks, one in my gear bag and one in my purse. Tomorrow I'll be extra tired: we have Scouts and kung fu this afternoon so the dogs won't be walked until after 9 pm, which means I'll be in bed even later. Hopefully, it won't be raining.

13Oct2020
Cold Rainy Tuesday

LF cross-trainer
15 min + 3 cd
Manual
Cal 144
Distance 1.96
HR 125-140

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 2
HR 87, 181, 144
Cal 319
Distance 2.86

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

Smith Inclined Press
Bar (30) x 15
+20 x 15
+40 x 20
+50 x 15, 15, 15

Seated Cable Row (light)
70 lbs x 15 reps x 3 sets

Matrix Step
Speed 5
Min 15
HR 132
Cal 106
Steps 717 Floors 44