Fire Sale

Today is the last day that the local PetValu will be open and everything is for sale. The company has decided to close all its American stores and warehouses due to the pandemic. Stores in Canada remain open. Since it's the very last day, everything is 90% off. It's a good opportunity to buy high-end, normally really expensive kibble. Then off to the gym! The ellipticals were occupied but not the Expresso bikes. 

Time to get back on after literally months. It's harder than I remember but still a lot of fun. After only 20 minutes, I'm sweaty and thoroughly warmed up. My husband is doing a new routine in the Aerobics Room. I stick to abs and push-ups, but I only do 40 today. There's not a lot of members today so I have choices: inclined press or shoulder workout or maybe the stepper? 

I haven't done shoulders in weeks so that's what I choose. It's not as hard as I feared, almost as if I'd not taken a break. Maybe the combination of other exercises, not to mention last week's snow shoveling, have kept the shoulders in good working order? Meanwhile, at the dog park, I hear about shoulder replacement surgery from a woman who used to be a dog groomer, and from a fellow who runs an exhibit display business for museums. Whoa. I've heard a lot about hip and knee replacements, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised about artificial shoulders... 

A few minutes on the ClimbMill finishes my routine and I'm done. Later, my husband and I go back to the pet supply store and pick up a few more bags of kibble that's been marked down to $3 per 28 lb bag. Other varieties are $2.50 and $1.50 per bag because it's a fire sale: everything must go! Well, I'm not buying dog chow for at least 6 months now. Maybe even longer. 

29December2020
Sunny Tuesday

Expresso bike
20 min
Program Dragon Island
Points 150,200
HR 140-155
Cal 95
Distance 3.92

Crunches x 30 x 4
Piriformis Stretch
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Plank 60s
Pushups 40
Quick Mat Stretch

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

Matrix Step
Speed 6
Min 10
HR 138
Cal 80
Steps 550
Floors 34

The Rollercoaster's Not Over

I got to the gym later than I'd like, but with the dogs' growing social encounters, it's hard to find time to do everything on my list. And yes, it's quite a list. Without the urgent need to rise before dawn, I sleep until 9ish. If it's not pouring, the dogs insist on going to the park. Hopefully, other dogs are already there because while my pups have each other to torment (like true brothers), it's much more fun if they have playmates to race about with. 

We had a pleasantly quiet Christmas, with our tiny artificial tree and all the presents on the kitchen table instead of the living room window. Dogs own that window now. Others were not so lucky with the high winds knocking over trees and powerlines. At least it wasn't snow. But a neighbor's decrepit garage actually collapsed on itself. The giant tree behind it unscathed with all it's massive branches. The town has sent a salter truck to our road each evening as temperatures drop into the 20s and the road becomes slick with ice from underground springs. 

Unfortunately, the Bark Park suffered a few downed trees that have rendered the Agility Course Park (the playground) section unusable due to a breach in the outer fence (which means dogs can escape to the ball field or the main road) and destroyed a section of the Small Dog Park. Dogs still run in there from the main dog park area, but it's through a smashed section of fence. A skinny 30-foot tree caused that. Happily, most of the dogs that meet at this time are friends, or at least friendly with each other, and all the dog parents are fairly vigilant about poop duty and breaking up any snits. 

I worry that the gym will be crowded because many people and all students are on break between Christmas and New Year. But the gym appears to have the same capacity of regular members. I get on the elliptical worrying that with nearly a week off I've lost any semblance of cardio fitness. My cardio seems fine. It's a loss of strength that concerns me. Perhaps it's because I decided to get closer to the floor during push-ups? I needed to pause several times before completing my 50 reps, and by pause, I mean a second or two in the up position. 

As I exit the Aerobic Room, I scan the gym to see what equipment is available. Both the ClimbMill and the Seated Cable Row are vacant, but there's a guy pedaling furiously on the cardio station adjacent to the stepper. Because the original ClimbMill isn't functioning, the one reserved as a social-distance-spacer is now active. But no one has moved the equipment. Truthfully, I don't know how difficult these monstrous things are to maneuver into position. But I'm uneasy enough not to want to make myself breathless on cardio equipment literally a foot away from someone else, regardless of the fact that we're both wearing masks. 

I do Seated Cable Rows, and then off for a nice hot shower. When I leave the gym, I see Little R on the cross-trainer. Well, that's new. In all the years I've come to this gym, I have never once seen him do any cardio. Until today. I guess New Year and the proverbial resolutions are just around the corner... 

28December2020
Sunny Monday

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 2
HR 86, 143-196
Cal 321
Distance 2.88

Crunches x 30 x 4
Piriformis Stretch
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Plank 60s
Pushups 40, 5, 3, 2
Quick Mat Stretch

Seated Cable Row
70 lbs x 15 reps
85 x 12
92.5 x 10, 10, 10

Balmy Weather

The sun came out and temps rose into the 40s which is pretty warm for the 3rd week of December in the northeast. I've taken the dogs to the park nearly every morning so they can run around like loonies and play with doggy friends. It isn't all standing around yelling at pups to behave and keeping a lookout for pooping. Because the dog park is on an otherwise unusable tract of severely sloped land, it's quite a challenge to make it down to the fence line where most pups like to leave their deposits. Instead of gingerly picking through ankle-deep leaf litter, we're side-stepping through icy snow, hoping not to faceplant. It's quite a strenuous activity. It's worse when temps warm, the snow melts slightly and then refreezes at night. There have been black ice advisories every morning for the past several days. 

I only give the dogs an hour at the park today because I'd like to hit the gym before 1 pm. I get there a little past noon and it's not crowded at all. Just the way I like it. I have a lot of holiday errands to run so I just do the basics: cardio, core, and push some weights. My right shoulder twinges a little so I'm cautious while doing the Inclined Press. No need to aggravate that old labral tear. Benching always seems to inflame the sciatica though, even if I press all my weight on the opposite leg. My right foot goes unpleasantly numb. Luckily, the discomfort is temporary. 

The gym is only closed two days out of the year: Christmas and Easter. Which means they're open on New Year's Day. And Christmas Eve, which is tomorrow. I need to expand my repertoire because I'm getting bored. Boredom is bad. Maybe I'll venture onto the Expresso Bike if the good one is available. Like all the other equipment, there are only certain models that are suitable for small people with short limbs. 

I admit that I have reservations about stationery bikes because I don't trust the airflow in the space in front of the console. People breathe hard and fast while exercising, which increases the chance of viral particles even through a mask, and especially if the wearer has their mask under their nose. It's probably the same on the elliptical and the step mill, but something about crouching forward while panting makes me feel more vulnerable even though I'm masked. Also, not everyone is working hard on the elliptical or the stepper, whereas Expresso riders tend to be more competitive. 

The infection rates are spiking even in our rural county, so I'm cautious, but I refuse to hide at home. I'm taking vitamins (D, B12, zinc, magnesium) and black elderberry syrup. I've had a flu shot. I wear a mask at the gym (even or especially in the locker room and bathroom), in stores and at gatherings although not at the dog park where we are all outside and spaced several yards apart. I'm wary of the Pfizer covid vaccine because of the sporadic allergic reactions some say are due to nanoparticles. When vaccines are available to the general population, I'll consider the Moderna. 

23December2020
Sunny Wednesday

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 1
HR 86, 145-192
Cal 321
Distance 2.88

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
Quick Mat Stretch

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

Winter Solstice

It's been a week since I was at the gym last. In the interim, we got a lot of snow. Fifteen inches which my son and I shoveled over a period of days on the days that he didn't have school. I consider all the hours of sweating while moving the white stuff a combination of cardio and weight-lifting. 

It's overcast today so there's no chance of catching the once-in-800-year-stellar event, the Christmas Star on the Winter Solstice. Jupiter and Saturn visually align and appear to be one massive bright star in the southwest sky. But it's always raining or overcast when fabulous things like meteor showers or the great conjunction. 

I get to the gym close to 1 pm. At least I've avoided the crowds. The dogs have been going to the park almost daily and after two hours, they're sated. But dog friends don't actually show up until 10 and we've been there since 9:15. I haven't discovered warm enough boots that can accommodate my problem feet and I leave because my toes have gone numb. When I get home, I discover the Bogs kids boots have arrived and they are extremely promising: waterproof and rated to -30F. My son wasn't so lucky. I'll have to send his boots back: too tight in the foot and too loose in the heel. It's a classic problem for those of us with wide feet but not fat or thick feet. I'm happy the kid boots fit me.

I do a standard routine: cardio, core, and move some weights. Shoveling hasn't made me sore, nor has it aggravated my sciatica. But stretching and reverse pedaling hurt. If I move the wrong way, my foot goes numb. Sitting on the locker room bench hurts my glute. At least the bruise is fading. My finger looks okay but still feels stiff and maybe a tad swollen. All this handwashing coupled with the cold weather has made my super dry skin extremely fragile. My cuticles are splintering and I've accrued a series of cuts and punctures from ridiculously mundane items like the polycarbonate lid of boxed salad. While I'm thankful that bandaids are made of comfortable and flexible cloth instead of plastic, they fray into a stringy mess after a day. Yuck. It's also hard to apply skin cream when your bandaids are cloth... 

Even weirder, after a week of intermittent shoveling and not going to the gym, I've dropped two pounds. No one is more surprised than me. 

21December2020
Solstice Monday

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 3
HR 85, 149-186
Cal 316
Distance 2.84

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
Quick Mat Stretch

Seated Cable Row
70 lbs x 15 reps
85 x 12
92.5 x 10, 10, 10

Beware of Black Ice

It's been nearly a week since I last worked out. An unplanned hiatus due to bad weather in more than one way. Not only am I not inclined to go to the gym during torrential rain or sleet, but I'm also leery of reinjuring myself. I took an unexpected tumble down my front steps on some black ice while walking the dog at night. Luckily, I didn't break anything as I landed on my well-padded rump. And luckily, my son was able to take both dogs while I got to my feet. 

A finger on my left hand must've struck the steel railing because it swole up and turned splotchy purple. A sore hard spot on my backside meant another bruise there but it wasn't until a few days later when I managed to view it in a mirror that I realized how big and purple the bruise was. It could've been an ink stamp pad! Between the right leg sciatica and the left side bruise, coupled with an inability to grip properly because of a swollen finger, well, I thought it best to baby myself a bit. I went back to the gym today but didn't push any weights other than bodyweight push-ups and a few hammer grip pull-ups. 

The finger's still swollen but barely purple. The other bruise is quite livid nearly a week later with a bright yellow spot in the middle of it. I do cardio, core, stretches, sneak some pull-ups, and then climb up the stepper. At Speed 6, the machine briefly flirts with 57 steps per minute but settles for 52. I increase the speed to 7 and watch the console register 62 steps per minute. Ugh. Ten minutes and I split the time between each setting. Done! 

If the weather holds, I might make it to the gym tomorrow after taking dogs to the park to get their zoomies out. Or maybe I should save myself for the dig out since over 12 inches has been forecast. That's a lot of driveway shoveling. 

15December2020
Frigid Tuesday

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 2
HR 88, 170, 139
Cal 316
Distance 2.85

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
Quick Mat Stretch

Sneaky HGPU 10

Matrix Step
Speed 7-6
Min 10
HR 149
Cal 83
Steps 574
Floors 35

 

Old News is New News

I read recently that exercise might increase your life span. What?! Wow! Okay, not just exercise, but intense exercise. Uh, wait. Isn't that the premise behind doing HIIT cardio, etc? Or is increasing one's ability to process oxygen not considered longevity-enhancing? It was only a few years ago that we learned about the relationship between exercise and telomeres, the endcaps to our chromosomes. They shorten with each cellular division, and once they are too short, the cell dies. 

Endurance and high-intensity exercises are good for protracting cellular life. Resistance training, not so much. (There is also too much of a good thing as unexpectedly long telomeres seem to increase cancer risks. That is not to say that exercise induces cancer.) And the definition of an intense workout? Apparently, one that induces a good sweat. Yep, we all knew that even if we didn't know why. Back to the elliptical for Intervals, please! 

I spent an inordinately long time at the Bark Park because the pups have made a new friend: a frisky 6-mos old German Shepherd who loves to run, chase, intercept, and rear up to box. Other dogs arrive and there is a lot of running, jumping, sudden stops, barking, and baring of teeth, but in play. Temps never rise above 28F but dogs don't care except that most of the water bowls are filled with ice. I always bring water and a bowl for the pups. At least my water is still liquid! My husband and I get to the gym close to 1 pm. It's cold inside the gym as well. 

The workout is fairly routine except for Smith Inclined Presses. Even though I'm seated on the big adjustable bench with a footrest, I'm still experiencing a lot of stress on my right side. In addition to the discomfort, the sole of my right foot goes numb. Well, that's different and unpleasant. I hate to think that I'm putting too much stress on my lower spine and pelvis when I'm barely pushing much weight. Luckily, the numbness dissipates once I start to rerack the plates. 

The ClimbMill is also acting suspect. The machine averages 52 steps per minute at the Speed 6 setting. Fifty-two steps for 15 minutes equals 780. There are 7 extra steps because the machine managed to get to 55 steps per minute for a few seconds. I do work up a good sweat though. And sweating is everything!

9December2020
Frigid Wednesday

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 1
HR 95, 147, 194
Cal 318
Distance 2.85

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
Quick Mat Stretch

Smith Inclined Press
Bar (30) x 15
+20 x 20
+40 x 15 (right foot numb)
+50 x 15
+40 x 15

Matrix Step
Speed 6
Min 15
HR 139
Cal 115
Steps 787
Floors 49

Makes No Sense At All

My husband had to drive home through the nor'easter on Saturday. Luckily, it was only a 20-mile stretch of white-out slippery roads on the interstate. Our immediate area experienced torrential rain and high winds. Sunday was sunny and cold. Today was sunny and cold. It's going to stay in the 30s until the end of the week when it'll warm up a tad, and bring more rain. On sunny mornings, the dogs go to the park to burn off puppy energy. Better to let them have zoomies in a fenced 1/2 acre than inside our tiny converted summer bungalow. 

I'm very thankful for those HotHands chemical hand warmers. (They're so much better than the little metal boxes with smoldering lighter fluid inside! But I don't want to think about the environmental impact of their disposal. They're non-toxic so that's a plus, but they do go in the trash when done.) I keep one tucked inside each glove while I stand outside in the cold while the pups frolic with friends. 

I get to the gym well past noon because I stopped off at a few stores beforehand. The local PetValu is closing all their US stores and warehouses by year-end, and I check in to see what might be worth buying. Yes, everything, including fixtures, is for sale, but the discounts applied to food, toys, and accessories vary from week to week. Even with a going-out-of-business discount, a lot of the pet foods are still more expensive here than at other stores or online. Today, I get a deal on some canned food that I know the pups will eat. They have dry food readily available but tend to ignore it unless topped with something tastier. Yep, spoiled kids.

I do routine cardio, core, and pulls some weights. I'm expecting the scale to display evidence of my dietary transgressions from this past weekend so I'm surprised that it actually reads less than it has for several weeks. It's a pleasant surprise but makes no sense at all. My clothes are still too tight, and it's telling that my first thought when I pull out a pair of pants I haven't seen in a while, is "Hmm. I wonder if I'm too fat to wear this?"  Luckily, no holiday parties this year to ruin the effort. It's just my own lack of will power and all that holiday candy that the "elves" have been stuffing into the Christmas stockings hanging around the house. Yep. Blame the damn elves... 

7December2020
Frigid Monday

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 3
HR 143, 183, 91
Cal 312
Distance 2.82

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
Quick Mat Stretch

Seated Cable Row
70 lbs x 15 reps
85 x 12
92.5 x 10, 10, 10

First Nor'easter of the Season

The pups got to run around the Bark Park yesterday and today. It was sunny and unseasonable at 40F. Of course, we're all bracing for the storm that's supposed to hit us tonight into tomorrow. It's the first nor'easter of the season but it is December so no real surprise there. Further north, in Massachusettes, a few feet of snow have been predicted. Feet? Maybe I should bring more firewood into the house? I do have snow shovels and pet-safe ice melt for the walkway, just in case. 

I don't get to the gym until a few minutes past noon and I watch the sky change from brilliant sun to darkly overcast. Program 2 on the Precor is always the hardest so I'm not surprised by the numbers although I did expect the HR to peak higher, oh let's say closer to 200 or more. Reading through the glaucoma support group posts, I'm made aware that a lot of eye drops have bizarre side effects that concern heart rate and blood pressure. Some lower them too far, especially if the patient is taking a beta-blocker. One of the meds I take has a list of rare side effects that include both high and low blood pressure, anxiety, depression, abnormal heartbeat, high cholesterol, pink eye.... Good grief!

A low heart rate and low blood pressure can lead to dizziness and falls. I've had some mild vertigo lately, but I attribute that to rolling over in the wrong direction and giving myself BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). It's very annoying and makes me a tad queasy. The change in air pressure due to the impending storm doesn't help either. 

I do more pushups than I planned because I got lost in the rhythm of counting. It happens! Everything was routine, including the ClimbMill which stayed at 52 steps per minute most of the time even though I set the Speed to 6. That should translate to 60 steps per minute but that's not what happens. At least the shower was glorious, with a torrent of piping hot water that I cannot replicate in any fashion at home. Yes, it's the little things that make going to the gym rewarding. 

I took yesterday off because I've decided that if I get less than 5 hours of sleep, going to the gym is just going to get me sick. The Sleep Cycle app says I got exactly 6 last night although I was in bed for nearly 7 hours. I think it must be picking up other sounds and movements in the house, like the dogs and my son who is, like many teens, a night owl. Mornings are hard for both of us but there's no discussion about walking pups. Dogs must go out to pee and we have to take them. And then the sun comes up. 

4December2020
Friday Before the Nor’easter

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 2
HR 143, 189, 91
Cal 313
Distance 2.83

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 53
Quick Mat Stretch

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

Matrix Step
Speed 6
Min 15
HR 141
Cal 113
Steps 774
Floors 48