Sitting Has Consequences

I paid for driving around all day yesterday, or more specifically, my sciatic nerve did. Between sitting in the car, cleaning up dog vomit, and running from the vet to kung fu class to a Scout meeting, I spent a lot of time in the car. And for some reason, my sciatic nerve finds car seats to be less than ideal for any length of time. 

Pedal extender!

Maybe it's because I'm short and there's a fine balance between getting the seat high enough to see over the steering wheel/hood and being able to reach the pedals. I have the seat much closer to the dash than I'm comfortable with because my arms are not fully extended, which means that should an airbag go off in my face it'll probably kill me or at least break my nose. I'm too close! In the past, I compensated by tilting the seat back a bit but that really aggravates my sciatica these days. Really, I just need longer legs... then I can push the seat back! Maybe I should install a gas pedal extender?

Because my sciatica is bothering me, I stick to doing the manual program on the elliptical. But I spend half of the 30 minutes pedaling backward. My left leg feels sore but cardio helps to warm and loosen everything up. Still not sure that hanging from the Smith is doing anything for me other than make my hands and shoulders a little sore, but it doesn't seem to be hurting anything either.

I add more reps back to the Dead Bug, more reps to the Fire Hydrants. The Cat/Camel stretch still bothers my left foot inside the arch. That's puzzling as I don't fully understand leg and foot anatomy and how everything's connected. The Floppy Woman arrives at the Aerobics Room just before I finish Air Squats. She holds bigger DBs in each hand, but her form is abysmal. I'm not really sure what she's getting out of those sloppy movements. 

Even though the Smith is free, I decide to do a few more Hammer-Grip Pull-ups. Normally, I give myself more days between sets because my tiny, underdeveloped forearms get sore easily from this exercise. But I'm happy with the ten I got today. Yaaay me! 

When I get home, both dogs greet me and are ready for me to take them to the park. I guess whatever the ailing pup had yesterday has passed after several tests and many hundreds of dollars later. I'm glad he's better but I'm still cautious: no one needs a relapse of canine puking.

15 Sept 2021
Sciatic Twinge Wednesday

Precor elliptical
Program: Manual/7
Time: 30 min + 5 min cd
Distance: 2.86
Cal: 318
HR: 155-188

Stretch from Smith Machine 10s x 2

   Skip Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
50 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 10
   Skip Stretch Smith 10s x 2