Another Blistering Day

I just read an article that suggests grey hair caused by stress might be reversible. Which coincides with me wondering if I was hallucinating because I could've sworn I had a lot more grey hairs atop my head than I currently see. I don't color or otherwise treat my hair and the economic Suave shampoo is unlikely to do anything other than clean off sweat and bug spray with a mildly pleasant fragrance. 

Perhaps it's not that I feel less stressed. Maybe it's that I'm finally getting more than 5-6 hours of sleep each night! It's not unreasonable to think that stress can also be sleep deprivation. Of course, there's an article that states that exercise such as brisk walking or a good run can counter the higher risks of heart disease, cancer and death that poor sleep is affiliated with.  

Heat is stressful. I almost slept in the living room last night because that's where the a/c comes down the stairs and into the rest of the house. The bedroom merely has a floor fan aimed at the bed. And I have to sleep with at least a sheet, if not just because I'm still being attacked by pesky tiny biting insects (no seeums, thrips, gnats) but also because that's what makes me comfortable. I've got a few bites on my arms and legs, neck, shoulder, back and a lot of bites on my hands and between my fingers. Try scratching the webbing between digits! Bug bites are stressful.

I get to the gym with time enough to do cardio and core and maybe even shoulders. Except that I think I'd like to order some Cuban sandwiches from the new restaurant two doors down and bring them home when I pick my son up from his camp counselor job. Today I'm wearing shorts I forgot I owned and while there's a/c at the gym, I'm still drenched after I stop pedaling. I manage a few push-ups and some pull-ups as well. 

I'm disappointed that I've put on a few pounds. It's hard to eat properly and lose weight simultaneously. I'm eating oatmeal on a daily basis for the cholesterol and BP lowering benefits. I glimpsed an article last week about prunes, not just fruits and vegetables, also having a similar if not more powerful effect on cholesterol. I buy a package of prunes and decide that eating 5 a day isn't going to hurt. I actually like dried plums as a snack and I'm sure they'd be fine in my morning oatmeal, although lately I've been using a spoonful of dried tart cherries. 

I absolutely do not want to take medication the way my friend does for her cholesterol, blood pressure, thyroid... She says she's virtually vegetarian and has dropped 40 lbs since the pandemic, but her blood pressure and cholesterol remain stubbornly high.

30June 2021
Blistering Wednesday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 1
HR 139-185, 86
Cal 323
Distance 2.89

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

HGPU 14

Cheese and Pickles

The first time I ever heard of a cheese and pickle sandwich was on the British TV detective show Endeavour and it was immediately intriguing, but not so much that I actually researched it. Instead, I just put together my own American version of sliced pepper jack cheese and bread and butter pickles. Those are my favorite pickles: sweet and slightly tangy. In reality, the British are fond of sliced cheddar (white of course) and Branston pickle which is more of a chutney. I'll have to look for it the next time we go to UK Gourmet, a British goods shop in Connecticut.

I got to the gym earlier today, in part, because it was just too damn hot to stay at the dog park more than the two hours we'd already been there. Eighty-five degrees is just too hot, and one of the dogs (not mine) seemed to be having trouble catching his breath after furiously barking at a peculiar man loitering too close to the fence. His excuse? He was doing community service by weed wacking, but he never actually got the machine started. We assume that's the sentence for a first time DUI or something similar. Tomorrow's not going to be much better but there's a chance for rain on Thursday. (Not sure what the day camp counselors and campers will be doing when that happens.) We don't want anyone, human or canine, to suffer from heatstroke. The Bark Park is tree-shaded, there's a working fountain inside and we're all mindful of keeping the water bowls filled with fresh water.

The gym is moderately cool and I'm happy to pedal to my tunes on the elliptical. I'm drenched after 35 minutes and retreat to the Aerobics Room to do core. Unfortunately, that room isn't noticeably colder, but I do manage to stop sweating. Push-ups are easier than yesterday and I skip pull-ups because I did them yesterday. If I do them two days in a row I risk tendonitis in my elbows and forearms. I have enough time to do Seated Cable Rows and shower. (I always need to factor in time to shower and change because I am not getting into my car sweaty and smelly.) I've cut my sets back to prevent aggravating the lower back arthritis, dropping the heaviest set (not all that heavy) and replacing it with three sets of moderate reps at the next heaviest weight. My back doesn't stiffen so that's promising. 

If I make it to the gym tomorrow, I'll have a go at a shoulder workout. The cardio and core are a given. When I return to my car, the thermometer reads 99F. Ugh. At least it's not as bad as the Pacific Northwest where power lines and asphalt roads are melting...

29June 2021
Blistering Tuesday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 3
HR 136-182, 84
Cal 323
Distance 2.89

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

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

Balancing Time

After I dropped my son off at his summer job at the park, I took the dogs to their favorite place: the Bark Park. We were there for over an hour before anyone else showed up. I'm not sure I want to do this again because I really have better things to do than spend 3 hours watching my dogs lay in the dirt because it's hot and they're bored. They can be bored and lazy at home where there's fans and air-conditioning. But the park is where they meet their friends and briefly box, wrestle and chase each other before panting furiously, lapping at water bowls and rolling in the cool dusty dirt.

It took me a while to leave the house again so I didn't get to the gym until nearly 1:30 which left little time to do anything else other than cardio, core, and shower. I stopped by the park en route home just in time: my son had just finished his day as camp counselor for 2nd graders. He told me that the main objective is to "not let anyone die." It was also 91F with little shade. Tomorrow is going to be hotter. But I'm really hoping to manage my time better and get more done. 

I was busy over the weekend: a friend and I walked all through the New York Botanic Gardens to see the Yayoi Kusama exhibit. The next day, we went to the Ridgefield Playhouse to listen to The DooWop Project which consists of 5 amazing singers and their manager-pianist (and also a sax guy, a drummer, and a gal on bass guitar). As much as I love the old songs, I got really excited to hear them "DooWopify" more current songs like Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" (yeah, I have several of his CDs), and more impressively, "The Impossible Dream" from The Man of La Mancha (a musical based on Don Quixote). Yep, I grew up with show tune albums and know all the words... At the very bottom of this post is a snippet from one of their shows a few months ago.

28June 2021
Just Cardio Monday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 2
HR 178-136, 84
Cal 317
Distance 2.85

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

HGPU 16

Maybe It's Just a Cardio Week

I woke up with a stiff neck from sleeping in an awkward position. I was hopeful that cardio would warm everything up and make the neck not so painful. Then, while on the elliptical pedaling backward at a high elevation, I felt my lower back twinge. The left side of my lower back is very sensitive to mundane movements, like stretching my arms up or apparently, pedaling backward at a high elevation. There's more range of motion at a higher elevation. I like the programs that have you pedal forward for a quarter of the time, then backward, then forward, then backward. The 5-minute cool down is a pedal-forward.

Immediately, I realize that Seated Cable Rowing is out for today. And I should probably not do pull-ups either. What does that leave? It's looking a lot like another cardio day, and I'm okay with that. After doing abs and some stretching in the Aerobics Room, I spend 15 minutes on the ClimbMill, singing to myself while alternating step patterns every 60 seconds. It makes for quite an energetic cardio routine. Again, the step machine briefly touches on 60 steps per minute and then drops down to bounce between 55 and 52. It's still cardio. And maybe this week is just going to be a cardio week. I'm okay with that. There's always next week.

24 June 2021
Stiff Neck & Wonky Lower Back Thursday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 1
HR 146-189, 92
Cal 326
Distance 2.90

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

Matrix StepMill
15 min
Speed 6 (52-57)
HR 116?
Cal 118
Steps 804
Floors 50

Grinning Through It

I spent yesterday morning sawing through several privet limbs that were as thick as my wrist. Admittedly, I don't have very big wrists but it still took a lot of effort to saw branches over my head in the rain. I was wearing a raincoat and rubbers but got all damp from sweaty exertion. And after realizing that sawdust would also be raining down on me, I got a pair of safety glasses that proceeded to steam up. Success with 3 out of 4 branches cut down. Lots of oriental bittersweet vines ripped from my hedges! My day felt very productive even if I didn't make it to the gym. 

Today is cooler, dryer, and sunny. Dogs played with friends. I got ready to go to the gym and ate the oatmeal I had made earlier but didn't get to because dogs were rushing me out the door. Afterward, I developed an upset stomach with sporadic cramping. Ugh. I'm thinking that it's the oatmeal even though it's the same oatmeal with the same ingredients I use all the time. 

I try to wait it out but finally give up and go to the gym anyway. My stomach is still cramping every few minutes but it's not really a tummy ache: rather, it's a type of sharp clenching pain that starts at the bottom of my ribs, disappears like a stab, and then reappears in the lower abdominal area. Food poisoning? Again? Ugh. I have a very sensitive tummy. 

Cardio on the elliptical is tolerable but after 30 minutes I decide I've had enough and hit the Done button before reading the mileage. Oh well... Crunches are painful and I probably shouldn't be doing them but I think that too late, after I've done them. So I just cut back on Dead Bugs instead. Planks and Bird Dogs are okay but the stretching at the end is a bit tenuous. I completely skip any form of eye yoga because I'm worried it's going to make me nauseous and my pups have a vet appointment as soon as I get home. 

Luckily, the pups think they're going to the park to play with friends so they're a bit confused at how long the ride is and all the new sounds and smells. Not every dog they meet there wants to be friends with them though. All goes well until... The vet can only draw a tiny bit of blood from one pup and none at all from the other. He'll have to come back once I dose him with gabapentin to calm him down. I guess gabapentin has multiple uses! I had it for my bout with shingles a few years back. It's not actually a pain killer though, which I guess is good. 

Try again tomorrow to do a full routine... but no promises. Shit happens. 

23June 2021
Tummy Ache Wednesday

Precor elliptical
30 min
Program 3
HR 108-184
Cal 255
Distance

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Skip Push-Ups 25
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

Minimal Monday

Too much to do and not enough time. I have a follow-up eye appointment this afternoon. While the mapping software tells me it'll only take 25 minutes to drive there, I always tack on an additional 15 for traffic. There's always traffic. It's that appointment that makes me put off other errands until tomorrow, like taking returned items to the post office, picking up the HS yearbook (there's technically no more classes so it's not coming home on the school bus), and delivering wee wee pads to the local humane society. I've had that unopened box since October 2019 when we were fostering a 3 year old male Jindo. 

That dog was so attached to his former owners that he wouldn't leave his crate except to pee and poop, and that was inside the house (not far from his safe space, the crate). Forget about trying to walk him! Thankfully, after 2 months his former owners contacted the rescue about getting him back (he suddenly became a deliriously happy dog when they reunited). And I had over a hundred wee wee pads. I kept them just in case our new adoptions weren't house-broken, but they are extremely clean and try to void as far from the house as possible. Tomorrow's another day so I'll see how much I can get done then. Never mind the pile of clothes and other household items I have stacked in the hall to bring to Good Will.

An example of a VF result

I only have enough time for some cardio (less than usual), a few planks, some hip stretches. My doc appointment runs late but the latest visual field (VF) tests show no progression (deterioration). Yaaay me! I do have vision loss as indicated by a thick dark crescent spanning the top two quadrants, but I've had that for several years. 

My pressures are steady at 14/15 but it would be better if they were lower. They're never going to drop below 10 (which is the ideal) without more invasive procedures, but as long as my VFs are static, I'm okay with what I'm doing: exercise with an emphasis on cardio, eye drops taken as prescribed, and eating anti-oxidant rich foods like black elderberry syrup, dried tart cherries, frozen blueberries... 

I might have time tomorrow for a regular workout. We'll see. Hopefully it'll be cooler than the 84F it peaked at today.

21June 2021
Just Cardio Monday

Precor elliptical
20 min + 5 cool down
Program 2
HR 87, 154-186
Cal 234
Distance 2.08

Planks 60s
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Hip Stretch

Workout Friday

I wasn't really sure what I was going to do once I got to the gym. The elliptical I favor was in use so I hopped on one of the cross-trainers. Because it's harder on my knees and feet, I only do 25 minutes instead of 35. If I go longer, my toes go unpleasantly numb. That always worries me because of everything I've read about neuropathy. Luckily, I can walk it off when that happens. With only 25 minutes, I'm spared that unpleasantness and I'm still breathlessly hot and sweaty.

The core routine is routine and I skip push-ups because I'm going to do hammer grip pull-ups again this week. Because it's the second time this week, I don't get quite as many reps but I'm okay with that. There are a lot of kids in the gym including a father-son duo. The man is enormous and the kid is tiny, so I'm guessing he's only 12 or 13. I find an adjustable bench and maneuver it back into the Smith machine rack since that's the only free space not occupied by boys of all ages. I have just enough time to do a few sets for shoulders and then clean up. Because damn, I smell like a gym locker!

I get home with just enough time to shake my son awake (he's become nocturnal again) for his dermatology appointment. Poor kid has cystic acne inherited from his dad and needs a monthly checkup for the meds he's taking. The meds are working to clear his face and shoulders, but have the unfortunate side-effect of giving him patchy eczema. And of course, there's a cream for that. We go to the pharmacy to pick that up and while we're there, because it's easy enough to do and because he'll be exposed to all sorts of kids during the summer both as a counselor and as a camper himself, he gets his first vaccination shot. The CDC now says kids can be unmasked if fully vaccinated. People can choose to wear masks if it makes them more comfortable. 

My dogs have a vet appointment next week, and although I'm sure the staff is fully vaccinated, as am I, they tell me that my son has to stay in the car. However, I can bring both dogs into the office. I'd be happier if my son handled one of the dogs but we do what we can do. I'll also have to bring my vaccination card because just saying I've been vaxxed isn't good enough. I can only think that some people are lying about their status and putting everyone at risk.

18 June 2021
Possibility Friday

LF cross-trainer
20 min + 5 cool down
Program Manual 1
HR 125-154
Cal 202
Distance 2.99

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Skip Push-Ups 25
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

HGPU 15

DB raises supersets
lateral standing 15 lbs x 15 x 3
Rev Incl flys (w/u) 15 lbs x 20 x 1
20lbs x 20, 20, 25

Better Than Nothing

New phone case
for an old phone!

I got to the gym much too late to do more than cardio and core. Even though school is not officially over until next Friday, the HS students can stay home and sleep in from today through next next. Because our town had the foresight to give every student chrome books, we never lost education time to snow days or other typical closings. So we are ahead of schedule. 

The science labs closed yesterday and some students took home old computers and lab equipment. Because I didn't have to get my son off to the school bus, I actually got 8 hours of sleep! And the dogs went to the park and played with their friends. But I had a few things to take care of before I was on my way to work out. Things always take longer than I anticipate.

My son still has kung fu class so I cut my workout short. I need time to buy milk (he eats a lot of cereal like most teenage boys) and some Irish Spring soap. I've read a few stories that recount what a good bug repellant an exposed bar of this aromatic cleanser can be. I'm willing to test that at the dog park tomorrow. The minimum number of bars I can buy is a 3-pack so I get 3. The worse that will happen is that I keep a bar in my car and use it as a car deodorizer. Right now it smells like soil and dogs...

One bar gets to live in the mailbox to see if it will drive the ants out. I don't want to kill them, just make my mailbox inhospitable as a nursery for their larvae. I've tried cedar oil and other aromatics but after a few days, the ants return with their babies. I don't want to use the boric acid/sugar solution because I also don't want sticky mail. I put a note (explaining it's for the ants) on the soap and place it far in the back of the box just in case the mail carrier wonders...

I'm going to try and start earlier tomorrow so I'll have time to do shoulders after cardio and core. But, no promises...

17 June 2021
Minimal Thursday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 1
HR 145-188, 85
Cal 322
Distance 2.88

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

It's a Cardio Day

I haven't been on the ClimbMill since last month so I tacked 15 minutes onto my basic routine today. It's a cardio day because I have an appointment with my eye doc tomorrow. (Weight-lifting is notorious for increasing IOPs so I'm not doing that today.) Actually, I won't see the doc since Wednesday is her surgery day. I'm just going in to take another Visual Field test. My doc noticed that my tests results seemed dependent on the time of day, being better in the morning versus the afternoon. I might have a pressure check as well just to make sure they're not rising. 

Dogs will still go to the park but earlier. Dog friends may also show up earlier. Socializing and running about makes for very happy (and tired) canines.

It's hot and sunny today and the gym is pleasantly cool. Cardio makes me sweaty and eventually I feel refreshed, as if I'm sweating on the inside as well and everything is being washed away. And I'm surprisingly sore from yesterday. I must be getting old or something... Egads.

15 June 2021
Cardio Tuesday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 3
HR 146-207, 87, 95
Cal 327
Distance 2.91

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Skip Push-Ups
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

Matrix StepMill
15 min
Speed 6 (52-57)
HR n/a
Cal 118
Steps 808
Floors 50

Misplaced Blame

Last Friday was one of the few genuinely nice days out of a questionable week. So I spent that day not at the gym. Instead, I hand-trimmed the hip-high weeds from the raised beds where I'm pleased to discover several milkweed plants have emerged. Weed whackers are not discriminatory and mow down plants in a broad swath. Better to hand snip the selective stalks although it takes longer and can be hard on the lower back. 

Although the swamp milkweeds were the only plants to flower last year, and they did succumb to golden aphids, the common milkweeds appear in greater numbers and seem more robust this year. They also promise to flower within the week while nestled among Sweet Williams and tiny daisy imposters called fleabane. My plant identifying app considers the latter to be invasive and mildly toxic. However, a quick internet search reveals contradictory information. Some consider it medicinal and mildly edible. I like the light perfume of honeysuckle vines in the driveway hedges, and privets that went untrimmed last year are full of fragrant tiny white flowers. 

I also finally closed off the egress feral cats have been using to access my crawlspace basement. Plywood has tripled in price and I'm not a skilled carpenter who can fabricate a new window. Instead, I bought a single panel of frosted acrylic plastic (for dropped ceiling lighting) for $8 and a cutter for another $5. After measuring several times, I marked the plastic with a marker and then scored snap-off lines while wearing gloves and safety glasses. The noise startled the dogs right off the sofa and a piece splintered out from the edge. But it's now the correct size to press into the missing window. Yaaay! 

I get to the gym earlier so there are no kids. Cardio was hard after 3 days off but felt very satisfying. The Aerobics Room is briefly unexpectedly populated. But the other 3 people stay only for a minute or two to do just a quick set. One does a few rotations of a jump rope. Another walks the width of the room with a loaded barbell held straight overhead. A fellow groans while performing crunches on a large exercise ball. And then, they are all gone. I restrict myself to 25 reps for push-ups since I have an eye doctor appointment on Wednesday and I'd like to keep my IOPs within the teens. 

Today is Seated Cable Rows and I do my usual hammer grip pull-ups beforehand. My legs hang straight down and cross at the ankles this time. It's probably better form than crossing my ankles but bending my knees so that my feet are behind me. And loads better than curling my body so that my knees pull in toward my abdomen. I squeeze out 18 and feel quite pleased.

I perform standard rows with the same weights and reps I have been using for the past few weeks but something is off. When I'm done, my lower back is stiff and there's an unpleasant vibratory sensation that starts below my tailbone and echoes up my spine. WTF?! Ninety-two and a half is too heavy? Ugh. Aging isn't any fun and really annoying because no one tells you that things you could do last week might not be possible the following week. Or I could just be having an "off" day?

What's really annoying is that I've put on a few pounds again. In my mind, I've been blaming that egg in my oatmeal that I eat most mornings (so I'm not starving at the dog park), but it's more likely the fact that I'm chronically sleep-deprived. And that will make the body gain weight by stimulating appetite and slowing metabolic processes. Ugh. When I'm tired I'm chronically cold and hungry. And that makes me want to eat. But getting enough sleep is a lot harder than just simply going to bed earlier. I'm happiest going to bed at midnight and rising around 8 am, but that doesn't happen during the school year. And 8 will be a tad too late this summer as well. But even 7:30 would be an improvement over 6 am. 

14 June 2021
Stormy Monday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 2
HR 145-194
Cal 320
Distance 2.87

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

HGPU 18

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

No Official Links So Far...

I've been putting on shorts for the drive home after the gym but I'm a bit self-conscious about the horizontal pressure lines around my ankles. They're impressions left by socks I wore under my boots over 4 hours ago. I have highly impressionable skin. Skin that doesn't have that normal resilient bounceback. 

Anything even vaguely tight shows up like an incision. My body displays elastic bands as if I were made of dough. No turtlenecks, scarves, belts, or anything even mildly constrictive for me! It isn't just the weird appearance on my skin, but that such pressures make my extremities numb and tingly. 

I'm not sure if this is related to the genetic skin condition IV, ichthyosis vulgaris (a defective filaggrin gene), but it's a trait shared by my mother and her mother. Include joint laxity and collapsing/rolling veins and I'm worrying about EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome), a connective tissue disorder, as well. I'm convinced it's related to the IV because while collagen defects make sense, I don't come close to having the issues suffered by my husband's niece. She's certified EDS-POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). Maybe filaggrin affects more than just skin? 

It's been unseasonably hot all week but finally, the humidity has dropped enough to make outdoors bearable. The dogs definitely acted friskier with their canine pals today. The gym is populated with regulars and HS kids again. And after my cardio session, I cool down in the Aerobics Room doing core and stretches. While I'm seated doing mild neck stretches, I attempt to try a few eye yoga moves. I read about Paul McCartney's claims that eye yoga has preserved his vision. It could just be that he has good genetics but I'm willing to spend a few minutes flicking my eyes to the left and then to the right. Up and then down. It's not going to make anything worse. I'll post his video below. I haven't done all the exercises yet--I'm working up to it!

There are the same HS boys in the free weight area that I've seen for the past few months. At least they know to rerack their plates and wipe down the equipment. I do my standard shoulder routine with the 15 and 20 lb dumbbells. And of course, by the very last set, I'm thoroughly warmed up enough to add an extra 5 reps. Normally, I'd also do a few sets of V-bar Press Downs at the cable station, but there are other priorities today. Maybe tomorrow. Or maybe it'll just be a "cardio plus" day. Both ClimbMaster machines are up and running now. And it's been a while since I played Dragon Island on the Expresso Bike... 

10 June 2021
Moderately Hot Thursday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 1
HR 134-188, 84
Cal 320
Distance 2.87

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Skip Push-Ups
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

DB raises supersets
lateral standing 15 lbs x 15 x 3
Rev Incl flys (w/u) 15 lbs x 20 x 1
20lbs x 20 x 2, 25 x 1

What I Did Yesterday

I spent a good part of yesterday reading up on how to wipe an old computer hard drive when the computer itself won't boot. Just because you can't get it to start doesn't mean some dedicated hacker can't access your sensitive info. Granted, the infamous blue and white power Mac G3s were discontinued in 1999 but data is data. There are no "big box retailers" in my county so I have to drive to the next state where Staples will take my old electronics. It's illegal in NY to toss such items in household trash or recycling bins: the fine is $100. I feel better taking the items to someplace that will recover any valuable components, but I'm not sure how to get the hard drive out until I watch a few YouTube videos. It's true: you CAN find a how-to for just about anything. 

I'll hang onto the hard drive until I figure out how to properly destroy it...maybe a sledgehammer since I don't have a fancy hard drive shredder or a drill press to put holes into it. Someone recommends spraying degreaser on it and soaking it in vinegar overnight since the acid will dissolve the magnetic tape eventually. A giant magnet works well too but who has one of those lying around? Not me. Maybe an auto salvage yard but perhaps that's something I saw in a movie once?

Because the dogs are spending several hours at the park in the morning (before temps become unbearably hot and unsafe), I've had to make sure I eat breakfast before I go: oatmeal with a beaten egg, dried cherries or raisins, and a splash of maple syrup. The egg makes the cereal fluffier, and with the added protein I'm full longer. However, I think it's making me fat. Seriously. I'm hungry again by the time I'm on the elliptical at the gym! 

The gym is a lot more crowded than I'm used to and I suspect that the HS there has let out early. Kids that normally don't arrive until after 2 pm are already gathered at the MaxRack doing squats. I do cardio, core, and stretches. I divide push-ups into two sets and am distressed to find them difficult, perhaps because I'm trying to keep my elbows closer to my body. But that makes my elbows click painfully so I adjust them outward with each rep until they don't hurt. I feel weak so it's a good thing that the Smith machine is available. Nothing like feeling like you've lost strength to encourage weight-lifting efforts.

I have to keep reminding myself that I'm a lot older than these youngsters although I don't think of myself as being old. Old is being in your 80s. Not sure about 70 since that's less than a decade away. I guess I should be happy I'm still able to do the routine that I do. My sciatica and the hip twinge barely register today although they're never completely gone. One careless step or "off angle" and there's discomfort. When I get home, there's a postcard addressed to me advertising funeral plots for "peace of mind" because I'm old and I should be planning for these eventualities. Ugh. Never mind that they've been sending me these reminders since I hit 50, when I was young!  

9 June 2021
Heatwave Humpday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 3
HR 81, 192-133, 92
Cal 319
Distance 2.86

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 25 x2
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

Smith Incl Bench
Bar (30) x 20 reps
+20 x 15
+30 x 15
+40 x 15
+50 x 12
+30 x 21

It's a Heat Wave

Today's bug bite

Temps hit the low 90s yesterday and promise to do so again today. It's a good thing I got scheduled for the a/c repairman to come this morning at 8 am. Which meant taking the pups to the park at 7: they got to sit in the car with my son while waiting for the school bus. My dogs are not patient creatures, especially first thing in the morning, and especially when there's a wee dog in a window on a house on the corner barking at us. 

At 7 am, it's still warmer than the dogs prefer and after a mere 20 minutes, one has his tongue lolling out of his mouth panting. There are two other dogs who come early, but they're both smallish 9 yr olds and not much interested in playing with my dogs. Just as well. My dogs say hi but aren't insistent on any interaction. Dogs keep their own canine buddies just like people.

The repair fellow runs diagnostic tests and discovers that the power switch is bad. Other than that, and needing the filters to be washed out, the unit runs fine. It's also the oldest Fujitsu wall unit he's seen that actually works. Credit to benign neglect. Unfortunately, there's no replacement switch in the truck so he hooks up the a/c so that I can shut down the power through the breaker box in the basement. He'll come back with a new switch when he can get it scheduled. They have a lot of units to service. I'm really really happy we don't need to buy a replacement!

Some people just can't live without their a/c. I don't do well with heat, which is why I'm never moving someplace where I'd have to live in a/c all the time. What happens when the power fails (because we all know that infrastructures often do)? Not having a/c is unpleasant but it won't kill us. Of course, we try to keep the pups cool: having fans strategically placed around the house helps a lot. But it's not the same as running an a/c unit. We only have one in the attic room and if we leave it on long enough, the cool air will float downstairs through most of the house. It won't reach the kitchen though, or the master bedroom. 

I'm packing my bag to hit the gym when I get several phone messages and emails telling me that the tech is on his way back to my house. He had been scheduled to return tomorrow but he wanted to be able to close the ticket today. Ben Franklin's adage "Never leave off to tomorrow what can be done today." Total agreement here. Now my a/c unit works properly! I get to the gym and it's nearly 2 pm. Well, at least I'm here in the cool a/c with hardly anyone around. HS kids trickle in over the next 30 minutes. I see a few regulars from the "before" time. 

The hip twinge is intermittent and horribly painful when it does strike. So, it's getting worse, not better. Grrrr... The sciatica is still there but relegated to nuisance status as long as I don't do anything stupid to aggravate it. (More annoying are the countless bug bites I keep incurring. Got several this morning while chatting with the repairman.) I wish it was colder in the gym. After less than an hour, I catch a whiff of myself. Ugh. Cardio made me hot and sweaty with a beet-red face. Then I cooled down in the Aerobics Room, only to get my temps up at the Seated Cable Rows... I thought it was my gym clothes, but I catch a whiff before I step into the shower. Nope, it's me. All that sweating. I'll be cool and dry for the drive home, but sweaty again just doing mundane things like laundry. I guess we're having a heatwave! 

7 June 2021
Blistering Monday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 2
HR 186-136, 89, 97
Cal 317
Distance 2.85

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

The Hip Twinge

I woke up with an injury I don't remember incurring. It's an intermittent twinge in the crease of my front hip, right at the top of the thigh, but only in one tiny spot. If I move slowly and purposefully, there's no pain. But increase my gait and perhaps add a bit of sloppy maneuvering and the sharp stab immediately halts forward motion. Is it the sartorius muscle, the longest muscle in the body? Or something else? Ugh. This happens to me a lot: something slips out of place imperceptibly and then there's pain until my body figures out how to wrangle everything back into proper position. It's not as severe as a dislocation, but it's still annoying.

Because I don't know if pedaling backward will help or hurt, and since someone's already on the elliptical I favor, I opt to do 25 minutes on the cross-trainer instead. My hip doesn't hurt while I pedal but my foot goes numb at the end of the session. Temps have been rising all week. It's around 80F at noon and there are few people inside the gym. Thank goodness the air conditioning is on full blast. 

I pare my abs & core routine further to save time. The piriformis stretches don't help the hip twinge, but they don't make them worse either. (Is it hip flexor strain? It's not persistent so probably not.) I plan to do shoulders before showering and leaving to find triple-A batteries and kale salad. Most of the remote devices and flashlights at home use AAA batteries and so now we have a surplus of AA, C, D, and 9 volts, because nothing we use on a daily basis uses anything but triple-As. 

The HS kids arrive just as I'm about done. I'm hoping my hip will calm down and that the twinge disappears. It's going to be in the 90s on Sunday and almost as hot all next week. Dogs don't like the heat much and neither do I. Thankfully, places like the gym have full-blast air conditioning! 

4 June 2021
Friday Left Hip Twinge

LF cross-trainer
20 min + 5 cool down
Program Manual 1
HR 125-157
Cal 199
Distance 2.79

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

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