At Least I Got Some Cardio In

Post shower

I knew I wasn't making it to the gym last Friday because that day was set aside for processing the fish the husband caught on his deep-sea trip. We had loins from two good-sized tunas to vacuum seal and freeze. It was literally an all-day affair. On Monday, I was two blocks away from the gym but at a literal impasse. The storm brought down a tree which took electric lines and a transformer with it, closing the road. There's no telling how long it'd take to clear the road (emergency vehicles were present) or even if the gym had power, and there are always other things to do. At least the dogs went to the park.

Today it looks like rain and there's no school. I don't take dogs to the park and they are sullen. However, my husband and I go stand in a long line outside the local elementary school to cast our ballots. This is the most people I've ever seen voting and I've lived here for over 20 years. The wind is wicked but I'm dressed warmly. Cloth face masks tend to keep body heat in so I feel pretty toasty. It takes an hour to reach an actual voting booth, which isn't bad at all. Some people have brought folding chairs to make the wait more comfortable. 

It's well past noon by the time I get to the gym. The parking lot is really empty although the local cinema has finally reopened. Inside the gym, people are on all the equipment I want to use. I manage to snag an elliptical for 35 minutes and then spend time in the Aerobic Room doing floor exercises. There are several other people in there as well. I knock out a few extra push-ups. Both Seated Cable Rows and the Smith machine are occupied. 

I guess today is the day I increase my level on the Matrix stair machine. Officially, it's called a ClimbMill. I'm not surprised that name never caught on. What surprises me is the fact that the words running across the console aren't in English. What? Looking around, I finally notice "Language" next to the fan icon. An invisible fan turns on when I press the button. Neat. The language button doesn't seem to do anything. Not until the program is over and the machine is telling me to either Press Go or Choose a Program. Pushy! I tap the button and different languages flash across the console, but not just Spanish and French. I'm surprised to see Japanese, German, Finnish, and more. 

Moving up from Speed 5 to 6 is exhausting. I didn't think I'd survive the entire 15 minutes! I even thought about dropping back down to Speed 5 for the last 5 minutes. But I didn't in spite of all the breathless panting. Watching the console, I find that the machine is counting between 52 and 55 steps per minute, not the 60 that the setting Speed 6 would suggest. I still don't understand why the steps per minute fluctuate and the speed is not a set number of steps per minute. I've done a rudimentary search online but so far I've not found a satisfactory answer.  

Meanwhile, I get to watch a big middle-aged guy wearing a neck gaiter on the Seated Cable Rows. His gaiter is under his chin and he only puts it over his nose and mouth when he walks around. He does wipe down the equipment when he's done, but I still think the most important time to wear a mask is when you're exerting yourself and breathing deep and hard. Not walking around from station to station...

3 Nov 2020
Election Tuesday

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 3
HR n/a
Cal 320
Distance 2.87

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

Matrix Step
Speed 6
Min 15
HR 130
Cal 121
Steps 829
Floors 51