Missed a Day

There was no school yesterday (Yom Kippur) which meant I didn't have to get up at six so I slept in until after eight. The dogs went to the park and saw a lot of their friends. Some of us wonder if my pup and his pal hadn't inadvertently gotten into the toxic black walnuts. Online sources suggest that dogs can be afflicted by toxins released by the mold on decomposing black walnuts themselves. That toxin can seep into the soil and my dogs like to dig and eat dirt. 

There are other trees such as maple, oak and locust in the park (widely spaced apart) but the amount of black walnuts on the ground suggest at least two or more trees. We might never know though. Dogs playing with black walnut twigs and branches will get sick but we can't tell the difference between a bad stick and an okay one from an okay tree... The tree toxin juglone does break down with exposure to air, water and bacteria but that can take 4-6 weeks.

Afflicted pup is still "off" and has become super picky with his food. But they still want to get in the car for rides to the park where they can run around loose. I also didn't make it to the gym yesterday because well, there's no school and by mid-afternoon, it's going to be full of HS kids. Not very appealing.

I've been weaning myself off the ibuprofen and gabapentin so last night I only took 3 mg of melatonin a few hours before bed. I still feel tired though and going to the gym today was quite a chore! I didn't do quite as well as if I'd gone 4 days straight. Taking time off never really helps my body, especially since I'm not pushing myself the way I used to. I'm apprehensive about restarting my cardio programs, especially pedaling backward on steep inclines so I'll be making adjustments accordingly. My leg bothers me when I start but feels loads better when I climb off the elliptical. Maybe it's just the sweat drenching my mask...

All the sciatic stretches I do before and after working the core take a lot of time. They also make the arch of my left foot hurt. Especially the cat/camel stretch. Weird, right? I've made notes for some plank variations that I'd like to try, assuming they don't aggravate that tender nerve. Maybe next week, dependent on how I feel. Air Squats leave me a tad winded and I have to calm my breath before attempting pull-ups. I tell myself ten or better and I get eleven. Next time I'll shoot for twelve. It always feels like I'm working my way back from some minor catastrophe... but I guess it's good to have goals!

17 Sept 2021
Sciatic Twinge Friday

Precor elliptical
Program: Manual/7
Time: 30 min + 5 min cd
Distance: 2.85
Cal: 315
HR: 148-202

Stretch from Smith Machine 10s x 2

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat/Camel stretch 10x
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Cobra Pose 30s
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Child’s Pose
Cat/Camel stretch 12x
Push-Ups 25
Mild Mat stretch w 3 Eye Yoga
Air Squats 25

HGPU 11