Mixed Feelings

People I haven't seen in over a year are back at the gym. I thought it was due to the wonderful bright warm weather but it's more likely that they've all been fully vaccinated. Our county has at least a quarter of the population protected with one of the three approved vaccines. 

While I am happy to see that these people aren't dead or have such covid-fright that they refuse to leave their homes, I'm not eager to see crowds. My plumber calls me right in the middle of my cardio routine and he's so hard to schedule that I immediately pull out my AirPods and stop pedaling. The kitchen sink is clogged and Electric Snake has advised me, after viewing the pipes in my basement, that they can't recommend snaking the waste pipes. They're too fragile because my water is so acidic. 

The fellow points to what I thought were gruesome cobwebs hanging from a section of cast iron and tells me that it's the pipe slowly disintegrating. The solution is to replace the line with plastic since that will remove the clog (probably a mini-fatberg) and be impervious to the caustic nature of our well water. Don't use drain cleaner, he advises me, but vinegar (and baking soda) is mild enough. The sink isn't completely clogged and allows a minuscule trickle to exit the waste line so washing dishes has become similar to camp cleaning: scrape as much food as possible into the trash and soap and rinse the dishes in a basin. Pour the basin water either down the toilet (because the waste line is clear there) or into the hedges outside. The plumber can fit me in next week. 

I'm not about to restart my cardio so I proceed to the Aerobics Room for the rest of my workout. My sciatica doesn't bother me until I return to the Weight Area and do a few sets of Inclined Presses on the Smith machine. I'm not pressing heavy but just the execution of the movement causes a lot of discomfort in my right leg. I have a follow-up appointment with my glaucoma doctor later this week so I've cut back on push-ups and even vaguely heavy weights. We're going to discuss the results of the latest visual field test. 

My leg hurts but I really don't want to return to the Aerobics Room to stretch again. Instead, I give myself 10 minutes on the stepper. The side panels of the other step machine are lying on the ground. Maybe it's being repaired? My leg feels better afterward. I hear one of the staff giving a tour of the facilities. Things seem to be approaching a new normal now. People are less afraid and we're all wearing our masks. 

6 April 2021
Brand New Tuesday

Precor elliptical
15 min interrupted
Program 1
HR 84,
Cal
Distance

Crunches x 20 x 6
Piriformis Stretch
Happy Baby stretch
10 Dead Bugs x 4
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Mat stretch w Pigeon pose

Smith Inclined Press w big bench
Bar (30 lbs) x 20
+20 x 20
+40 x 20
+50 x 15

Matrix ClimbMill (steps)
10 minutes
Speed 5 (s/b 50 steps per min)
Real speed 48, 45, 52
Total Steps 465
Floors 29
Calories 69
HR 129