Sunny Monday

Today is bright and sunny and some people are walking about in shorts and flip-flops. No matter how tropical the weather, you will never catch me wearing flip-flops mostly because they're uncomfortable and non-supportive for my atypical physiology. 

The gym is more crowded than I've seen it in weeks. Perhaps more people have been vaccinated. I just got my husband an appointment for his first shot, and like mine, it was because someone else canceled and one, only one, spot opened up the day before. He was resistant to the idea until the CDC announced travel changes: fully vaccinated people do not have to quarantine if they travel. He has to travel occasionally for work and no company can afford to have their employees quarantine for over a week without symptoms of illness.

My sciatica has become chronic so I work around it. Cardio makes it feel better. Some stretches make it worse. I sneak in a quick set of hammer-grip pull-ups before doing my first set of Seated Cable Rows in over a month. Since I believe that going "heavy" (not really heavy) aggravated underlying issues in my lower back, I'm okay with doing a moderate weight. 

I feel a little silly doing only 70 lbs but it's not 30 lbs! (That's my ego talking there!) And 70 lbs is surprisingly heavy when I do my first set. I only feel it in my middle back from the lats inward, which is good. This says to me the exercise is isolated and not going to impact the sciatic nerves. 

Each set gets easier. I'm tempted to do more cardio or something else but I resist that little voice inside my head. Maybe tomorrow. I've been playing it by ear, listening to my body although sometimes it sounds like an excuse to be lazy. I do have a bunch of appointments later this week so my workout schedule is flexible. (I haven't seen the dentist in a year!) But it's hard to be satisfied with maintenance instead of making any sort of gains. 

5 April 2021
Brand New Monday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 3
HR 93, 195-148
Cal 320
Distance 2.87

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

Sneaky HGPU 16

EZ Seated Cable Rows
70lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets