Bracing for the Cold

I woke up knowing that temps would be in the painful single digits. Yep, as in 9F. I'm not in the mood, nevermind the barking at 2:30 am because something slinked across the yard in the light of the full moon. Apparently, a wolf moon. We are approaching coyote mating season, and the bevy of hapless roadkill means everyone's on the move. My son logs onto his online classes and I go to the gym, layered in fleece and a down coat. I'm still cold. It's the Polar Vortex. 

It's a semi-normal Friday so the gym isn't very busy. I do my cardio on the elliptical, feeling tired and unfocused, but mostly cold. There's a Body Pump class at 9:30 in the Aerobic Room and I'm in there at 8:50, but people are already setting up their equipment as I do planks and stretching. I count 5 stations and they're lined up without 6 feet of space between them. Honestly, if they were just a bit staggered... but it's not my class and not my job. 

I step back into the free weight area and it's suddenly crowded with all sorts of bros. Good grief. At least I've managed to secure an inclined bench although the DBs are all out of order in the rack, and I'm lucky to score a pair of 15s. I need 20s for the Reverse Inclined Flys so I snag 2 pairs of magnetic discs. They're 2.5 lbs each which brings my 15s up 5 lbs for every other set. It's a bit of a pain to constantly affix and detach the discs, but better than not using the weight I planned on. There's an air of newbies, which is weird because it's not a holiday... or even a long weekend. 

Discs affixed 
top and bottom

If I wasn't pressed for time, I'd do another few sets with an additional 5 lbs, but I did promise the dogs I'd take them to the park (when it got a tad warmer). I don't like what I hear about the afternoon park people: small dogs and oblivious owners who ignore their canines, and don't pick up after their pups because they spend the entire time gabbing. It's about 18F when I get to the park and the little beagle is just leaving. The Norwegian elkhund and the snippy mixed-breed are still there though and my pups enjoy zooming through the icy snow. I'm warm everywhere except for my toes. Today, under my Bogs I'm wearing fuzzy synthetic socks I bought at Odd Lot. They seem warmer than the alpaca wool socks I wore yesterday, but my toes are still suffering. So glad the shed has working electric heaters! 

A big storm is forecast for Sunday night through Tuesday, courtesy of the Lake Effect (moisture from the Great Lakes) and the Polar Vortex, which is bringing arctic air southward. I'll probably bring the dogs to the park tomorrow. But maybe not Monday. Regardless, I see a lot more shoveling in my future. 

29 January 2021
Polar Vortex Friday

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 2
HR 144-182, 121
Cal 311
Distance 2.81

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Bent Knee Glute Kickbacks 25 x 2
Plank 60s
Pushups 50
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 (Use 2.5 discs)