Sleeping In

The fact that I don't get enough sleep isn't news. Some days I feel bad enough to forgo the gym so I can attempt an afternoon nap. So far I have had no success. Instead, I lie in bed and feel my hands and feet go numb from the positions I contort myself in order to block out the daylight. There's a half-moon window high in the bedroom facing east that has no shade or curtain. When I don't get enough sleep, I'm always hungry. And I'm always cold. Sometimes I'm light-headed with bouts of nasty dizziness. Gone are the days when I could curl up for a nap on the sofa with the dogs. Instead, I hear every noise and vibration from everyone's gardener and landscaper. Mowers, leaf blowers, chainsaws, wood chippers, heavy vehicles delivering or hauling away... 

At night I use earplugs to drown out the audiobook my husband likes to sleep to. As tired as I am, I tend to lie awake listening to the book because it's usually very interesting. And then I'm awake all night. If it's not the audiobook, then it's his snoring. There's a specific technique that I use with the super-soft foam earplugs: compress the plugs lengthwise to make them narrow in diameter and hold near the ear canal while reaching overhead with the opposite hand to pull the top of the ear. That will change the shape of the opening slightly. Insert squished plug which then expands into the ear canal. This works much better than just stuffing them into your ears. 

I feel a tad more rested today because I didn't have to get up to get my son off to school. Snowday givebacks mean the school district is closed from Thursday through Monday: a five-day super long weekend. Normally we would go white-water rafting with our Scout troop, but we've opted not to this year. Not only do we not have a trusted dog sitter, but the weather forecast is terrible for camping and rafting: cold and rainy. 

The gym is not terribly crowded. I do my standard routine: cardio, stretching & core, push/pull some weights. Teenagers from the next town fill the gym at 2 pm. I'm not sure if they also have a 5-day holiday but teens aren't known for being early risers. Mine certainly isn't. 

I do push-ups, lose count and decide it's enough. I had a thought to also do pull-ups but maybe that'd be pushing it, especially since I want to do shoulders and triceps. When I'm done, it's not that I'm actually done. I could do more. But I don't want to spend all day at the gym. I have replaced my old gym duffel bag with a smaller one with more compartments. Everything fits in it albeit rather tightly. Not thrilled with the choice of camouflage or camouflage. My old one was a red Everlast bag but the nylon is ripping at the zipper ends. I think I prefer one large bag rather than all these separate compartments, but I'll adapt. 

27 May 2021
Pleasantly Thursday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 1
HR 83, 86, 142-188
Cal 322
Distance 2.88

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 50
Mat stretch

DB raises supersets
lateral standing 15 lbs x 15 x 4
Rev Incl flys (w/u) 15 lbs x 20 x 1
20lbs x 20 x 3

V-Bar Press Down
20 lbs x 15 reps
30 x 12
40 x 12
35 x 12
30 x 15

Carnival Fallout

After a blistering weekend of 84F weather, it's a shock to wake up and have to put on layers to take the pups to the park. Temps peaked at 64F today and I'm wearing a flannel shirt instead of linen. We went to an amusement park on Saturday and spent a lot of time walking around in the sweltering heat as the water park section doesn't open until Memorial Day weekend. I'm not a rollercoaster person. There's not a lot to do if you can't ride those things. 

We ate expensive bad food, and then we found tastier, more reasonably priced food at Pinks, which is apparently a chain I've never heard of. But they have a wall of celebrity photos so... I've never seen a side of bacon offered as a side dish before. The bacon cheeseburgers are really good. As were the onion rings. Needless to say, I'm feeling a bit heavier and sluggish today.

I get to the gym at a reasonable time and have a reasonable workout. I'm nearly done by the time the HS kids arrive. I have to cut my reps a tiny bit on the Seated Cable Rows: I can feel a faint discomfort in my forearms and I suspect this will grow into tendonitis if I'm not careful. Curse those delicate, sensitive elbows. 

While I'm in the locker room, the TV host is speaking in bewildered admiration about Phil Mickelson's win of the Grand Slam. Because he's an old man at 50. Excuse me? It's not like he's tossing truck tires. She makes a snide comment, "How is he still walking?" Is that because he has severe psoriatic arthritis (we've all seen his commercials for Enbrel)? Or is it because he's uh, the ancient age of, ahem, fifty. Half a century! Good grief! 

It's the age thing because soon after, the host speaks of a champion gymnast returned to competition after, gasp, having two children. And she's considered well past her prime at 36 years old, just as a woman in her early 40s is considered "geriatric" for motherhood. Women my age are grandmothers. Except for me and some of my peers. 

Yeah, fight like hell. Do not go gentle into that good night... 

24 May 2021
Chilly Monday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 3
HR 198-139, 108
Cal 309
Distance 2.81

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 50
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

HGPU 17

EZ Seated Cable Rows
70lbs x 15 reps
77.5 x 12
85 x 10
92.5 x 8
85 x 12
77.5 x 12
70 x 15

Blazing Friday

Being maskless indoors feels like a guilty pleasure perhaps because the edict is so new. It's only been 2 days since the governor has stated that NYS will follow CDC masking guidelines. Still, a lot of people are too nervous to remove their masks, even while driving, which, unless you're driving a vehicle not your own with strangers as passengers, is idiotic. The gym is mildly air-conditioned because temps are in the high 70s. (Later, my car says 82F.) Still, it feels great not to pant through a mask. 

I get to the gym later than usual and decide to spend more time on the cross-trainer. Five minutes more than last time increases the mileage by more than I expected but my feet are numb afterward. Ugh. Because it's later in the day, there are a lot more kids in the free-weight area. Thankfully, the Aerobics Room is crisp and vacant. I've deleted Happy Baby from the list: there's been no benefit -- it just takes up time. I will keep the Dead Bugs though because I can feel them working lower abs and obliques. They feel different from crunches which seem focused on central abs and nothing else. 

My sciatica is present but not overwhelmingly so. I keep adjusting my routine to minimize the discomfort. Adding a lunge-like stretch hasn't adversely affected those sensitive nerves the way that "hip-hinged drop my elbows to the floor" does. I can choose between Inclined Benching or DB shoulder work. I'm not a big fan of benching since it can aggravate both the previously torn labial in my shoulder and my sciatica. DB shoulder workout wins! There are way too many teenage bodies in the DB area though so I use the inclined bench inside the Smith machine rack. And then the V-bar at the cable station. My workout has only taken 2 hours but it feels like all day. Time to go! 

21 May 2021
Blazing Friday

LifeFitness Cross Trainer
25 min + 5 cool down
Program Manual 1
HR 112-154
Cal 243
Distance 3.57

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-ups 50
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

DB raises supersets
lateral standing 15 lbs x 15 x 4
bent over flys (w/u) 15 lbs x 20 x 1
20lbs x 20 x 3

V-Bar Press Down
20 lbs x 15 reps
30 x 15
40 x 12
35 x 12
30 x 12

Kinda Hot for May

Temps have been peaking in the low 80s this week, and that's unseasonably hot for this time of year. It's spring, not summer! Which makes me dread the coming months because I don't do well in the heat. Too many bugs. And people with my skin condition, ichthyosis vulgaris, tend to be susceptible to heatstroke. I'm really happy not to wear a mask at the gym, especially since I'm drenched after cardio. At least the Aerobics Room is kept cool and I can do stretching and core exercises in relative comfort. 

I don't want to do both push-ups and pull-ups today -- what will I leave for tomorrow? Today's a "pull" day with Seated Cable Rows which naturally means I'm doing pull-ups. I manage to wrangle 17 but just barely. The Seated Cable Rows also feel tough. The gym isn't very crowded, probably because it's Thursday (most people do the 3x week thing) and also, it's kind of nice out if you're not exerting yourself. I looked up from the elliptical and realized that the cardio platform was completely empty except for me and some guy staring at his phone while he marched on the treadmill. 

I still keep a disposable mask in my hoodie pocket in case someone seems uncomfortable with me being maskless. But in general, no one bothers anyone else. Yesterday I chatted with a gym acquaintance and learned that she had contracted Covid back in January. Her doctor advised her not to get the vaccine until 6 months had passed, so not until July. Meanwhile, she was exercising maskless like the rest of us supposedly vaccinated folks. She should have some sort of conferred immunity and it's unlikely she'd be transmitting the virus. Still, I don't spend a lot of time chatting with her and we stand several feet apart. 

People I know are downloading "proof of vaccination" apps for their phones so they don't have to whip their vax cards out of their wallets. I've even seen bracelets with such QR codes advertised as the next new hot accessory. Hmmm. Uh, nope. 

20 May 2021
Maskless Thursday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 2
HR 83, 89, 198-141
Cal 316
Distance 2.85

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
Happy Baby stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 1
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Skip Push-Ups (tomorrow)
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

HGPU 17

EZ Seated Cable Rows
70lbs x 15 reps
77.5 x 12
85 x 12
92.5 x 10
85 x 12
77.5 x 12
70 x 12

Maskless Wednesday

I always underestimate how much time it takes me to complete my workout routine. You'd think I'd have this down to the micro-second but time moves a lot quicker than I do these days. (Yet, I nag my son for taking too long to get ready for school in the morning.)

I got my son on the school bus, took my plastic bag and film recycling to the dropoff bin at the local grocery (and did a little light shopping), took the pups to the park to play with their friends, sorted yesterday's laundry, (hand)fed dogs their breakfast, ate my breakfast of oatmeal/blueberry jam/egg with my vitamins, got my gym gear together and drove off to do a quick cardio workout. I promised a friend I'd drive her to her MRI appointment this afternoon so no dawdling at the gym. She suffers from claustrophobic anxiety in those machines so she gets a prescription for something to calm her down. Which means she doesn't want to drive herself to the appointment. No problem.

I wear a mask to the gym but quickly see that only half the members are actually wearing masks. Today it's official: vaccinated people don't have to wear masks anywhere except on public transportation, in medical facilities, schools, and childcare facilities. So, I put the mask in my hoodie pocket and do cardio with a bare sweaty face. I feel as if I can pedal a lot faster now that I'm unencumbered. The two ellipticals are occupied so I use the cross-trainer. At some point, every other cardio machine will be put back in service. But not everyone will return since discovering that they can work out at home. 

I barely have time to shower and change so my time in the Aerobics Room is limited to a set of crunches, stretching for my sciatica, and some planks. I reverted to the wired MPow earbuds just so I can make the volume louder and drown out the gym's own music. The AirPods are only worth using when the wires would get in the way (like when I'm benching) and when ambient noise isn't overwhelmingly loud. At least no one is dropping plates in the free weight area today. 

It's worth noting that the senior members appear to be the first to ditch the masks at the gym, while kids are haphazardly wearing theirs under the nose or as a chin strap. While most seniors and adults have been vaccinated (our county's vax rate exceeds that of the state), it's less likely that the kids are. The Pfizer vaccine isn't available at all the walk-in sites and kids have other time commitments, like school. Also, Moderna and J&J haven't been approved for kids or even teenagers. 

Tomorrow I'm hoping to do a full workout, with cardio, core & stretching, and even pushing or pulling some weights. While maskless! But I'm still going to avoid crowds. Because I've always hated crowds. 

19 May 2021
Maskless Wednesday

LifeFitness Cross Trainer
20 min + 5 cool down
Program Manual 1
HR 128-161
Cal 199
Distance 2.83

Crunches 60
Piriformis Stretch
Plank 60s
Bird Dogs 60s x 2

Restored

Apparently, the entity that runs Blogger has found nothing amiss in any of my posts and has restored all of them. Duh. Perhaps a new algorithm run amok? At least they had the good sense to realize that they were wrong, although they never apologized. Ugh.

The mobile dog groomer is scheduled for this afternoon so I only have time for cardio and what I consider the most important core exercises: crunches, planks (this includes bird dogs), and push-ups. Factor in time for showering and changing and I'm back at my house with 10 minutes to spare. The mobile dog grooming van is already parked and waiting. 

This will be expensive, but since the pups can't be taken to a groomer where they'll be crated afterward (until the new self-dog-washing shop opens) this is my only option. Because I am not washing the pups in our jacuzzi bathtub, and hose water is too painfully cold to do this outside. It's been a year since they had baths and although they don't smell or feel greasy, they deserve to be groomed. I'd like to think they'll enjoy it but it's probably traumatic. 

17 May 2021
Cardio Monday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 1
HR 141-182
Cal 314
Distance 2.83

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
Plank 60s
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-ups 50

Annoyingly

This morning I got emails telling me that several of my posts including yesterday's were yanked by Blogger because they had been flagged for violating their "community guidelines" concerning Viruses and Malware. What?! 

My computer has antivirus software on it that prevents me from opening suspicious links so it's highly unlikely that I'd have included any such things in my posts. Yet, 6 posts all from the past few months were flagged and removed. Impossible for me to retrieve. 

Now, Blogger is slowly restoring some of the posts (including yesterday's) "after further review." Not that anyone except myself would ever revisit a post, but it is concerning to me. Perhaps Blogger has instituted new software? Has someone or some software been randomly selecting posts as suspicious? I don't know. 

Big Brother is always watching you... 

Back to It

Gorgeous day so I'm surprised that there are people in the gym. I get there late but still have enough time for cardio, some core, and some weights and purposely skip Dead Bugs, Happy Baby, and push-ups: I did those yesterday. But I make sure to include hammer grip pull-ups today. 

There are too many boys in the DB area where I like to do Reverse Inclined Flyes. The other adjustable bench is wedged between a post and the back of the Shoulder Press rack. I drop my stuff on the latter and gather up a pair of 15s and a pair of 20s. Because my upper torso is not fully supported the way it would be if I were lying face down on an Inclined Bench, I find Bent Over Rows difficult, and my movement is restricted. 

I can't rest my chest on my knees because that causes my back to round and that's trouble. The only way for me to keep a straight back means belly in my lap but chest and face angled higher, suspended. I'm tempted to just use 15s today. I purposely changed out of my wet reusable cloth mask to a disposable one because the latter is much looser, meaning it breathes easier, especially if you're face down on a bench. New CDC guidelines for mask-wearing among the fully vaccinated haven't been instituted in the tri-state area as of yet. I'm not sure when/if gyms in NYS will allow members not in a breathless aerobic class to go maskless. 

I'd probably still like to keep my mask on inside supermarkets as well, just because people are gross and germy, and most have poor hygiene habits. There's a reason that shopping cart handles rank as number one on the list of germiest places in a grocery store. People still don't always wash their hands after leaving a bathroom stall! The soap dispenser, faucet, and paper towel holder have all been automated with sensors so you don't need to handle anything, which means there's really no excuse. And if you say "But I didn't touch anything" then how did you get in and out of the stall?

In the week or so that I've returned to more or less full lifting, targeted bodyparts have not garnered any soreness. But the peripherals, i.e., fingers, wrists, arms, and elbows, well, yes those have been sore. Weakest link and all that... 

14 May 2021
Beautiful Friday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program Intervals
HR 88, 139-180
Cal 329
Distance 2.93

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
Skip Happy Baby stretch
Skip 40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
No Push-Ups today
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

HGPU 17

DB raises supersets
lateral standing 15 lbs x 15 x 4
bent over flys (w/u) 15 lbs x 20 x 1
20lbs x 20 x 3

Nail Biter

I skipped the gym yesterday mostly because I didn't have my car. It was at the dealership getting its 60k mile maintenance done. I hadn't thought to get a loaner because I figure I could just do stuff around the house and the husband was working from home. By closing time though, I was told that there was a lot of dry rot on important things like the spark plug wires and the timing belt. Ugh. While spark plugs are included in the maintenance, the wires are not. Neither is the timing belt, doubling the cost since the engine has to be hoisted out. It's not the parts but the labor that's really expensive! But it's better than suddenly having your car die on the road. 

So today I'm driving a 2021 basic model Subaru Forester. Cars have changed a lot in 11 years. While this car has a really smooth ride, it seems smaller inside and there's a lot going on with the dashboard. It took me forever to find the windshield wiper spray because it's not a button at the end of the lever anymore; it's "pull the lever towards you." Ugh. That the doors automatically lock when you start to drive is a nice feature, but the warning beep that you've wandered out of your lane can be annoying when you're doing it on purpose. And I still haven't made much use of the backup camera because I'd rather stick my head out the window. Because the car is a base model, it has a CD player (upgraded models have MP3 players) but I'm more interested in the digital radio. Because analog radio in my area means 12 channels of static and maybe one clear channel sporadically. 

At the gym, I don't want to commit to time I might not really have so I repeat the cardio workout from two days ago: elliptical, core and stretches, stair climber. This time, after 5 minutes, I increase the speed to 6. Because I'm bored. So bored that I change my tunes to play the Celebrity Skin album (Hole, Courtney Love). It's a great album and I haven't listened to it in a long time. The songs are really good although some might prefer her previous album, Live Through This. That's also a winner. 

13 May 2021
Cardio Thursday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 3
HR 125-185, 77, 114
Cal 313
Distance 2.83

Crunches x 20 x 6
Piriformis Stretch
Happy Baby stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-ups 50
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

Matrix StepMill
10 min
Speed 5 (45-48)/6 (52-60)
HR 138
Cal 75
Steps 509
Floors 31

A Cardio Day

I won't be able to get to the gym tomorrow as I'll finally be getting my car to the shop for its 60,000-mile tune-up. Never mind that the odometer says sixty-six and change. But I'd like the vehicle to last past the hundred thousand mark and if I can keep the rust at bay, it should survive way past.

Today I promised myself an "easy" just cardio day. And, just as I remember, the second day in a row on the elliptical is easier. Which makes me wish I could do cardio tomorrow. I skip push-ups but spend 10 minutes on the stair climber. I set it for Speed 5 and it hovers at 45 steps per minute when it should be at 50. Still, I was sweaty enough when it was done. 

11 May 2021
Cardio Tuesday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 2
HR n/a
Cal 321
Distance 2.88

Crunches x 20 x 6
Piriformis Stretch
Happy Baby stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
No push-ups
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

Matrix StepMill
10 min
Speed 5 (45-48)
HR 130
Cal 70
Steps 469 Floors 29 

Another Round

The dogs were bummed that no one showed up to play at the park this morning. Perhaps the cold wet weather put people off. I'm pretty sure that most dogs, like mine, don't care if it's drizzly and chilly. I get to the gym a little earlier than usual to do my standard Monday routine. It's not too crowded. 

I will admit that working out only 3 days a week has pros and cons: my pushups are much more consistent when I don't do them every day but cardio feels hard every time I get on the elliptical. If I do cardio 5 days in a row, by the end of the week, it's much less painful. This means I should be going 5 days a week, but not doing pushups each time I go, just like I only manage pull-ups once or twice a week. I'm happy I can still do them! 

Increasing my weight lifting routine has its problems as well: I've developed a nagging soreness in my right elbow and it's most noticeable as I'm pulling heavier on the Seated Cable Row. My sciatica hasn't disappeared either: I wake up with that tell-tale ache that runs the length of my leg and makes me stand lop-sided as I brush my teeth in the morning. A good romp through the dog park usually fixes that though, what with trudging up and down the woodchip-covered slopes. 

Every now and then I stop to snap a photo of something green poking up through the dirt. I have this nifty app my son turned me on to called Picture This. It's $30/yr but there's a limited free version and that's the one I use. It allows me to ID every plant I stumble across, including the microgreens one of my dogs is intent on sampling. A few minutes later and he barfs it up. The app says it's pokeweed, highly toxic to humans and mammals. I've seen it in its mature state, with deep purple berries affixed to a fleshy stalk. It's apparently benign and beneficial to birds. The other dog relishes eating stalks of new sweet grass. And baby thistle leaves. I might try offering them basil or parsley instead... 

10 May 2021
Moody Monday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 1
HR 145-198
Cal 314
Distance 2.83

Crunches x 20 x 6
Piriformis Stretch
Happy Baby stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 50
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

HGPU 17

EZ Seated Cable Rows
70lbs x 15 reps
77.5 x 12
85 x 12
92.5 x 10
85 x 12
77.5 x 12
70 x 12