Some Success

I got my labs back this afternoon from yesterday's blood work, and I'm encouraged to maintain my current habits. My total cholesterol level is stable while the proportion of the components have changed, with both HDL and LDL levels dropping but a rise in triglycerides. Triglycerides are apparently what the body does with unused calories and they can be a cause of hardening of the arteries or a symptom of other disorders such as diabetes. Luckily, the rise from 64 to 97, while somewhat alarming, isn't considered dangerous or even high until it pushes past 150. 

Knowing that this type of blood fat is due to unused calories makes me wonder how I should change my eating habits. Ingesting oatmeal and/or prunes, and filtering my coffee have helped to keep my cholesterol in a manageable range where medication is not necessitated. My doc says my tests are normal so nothing is really out of whack. Her concern is the osteopenia (porous bones) that can lead to osteoporosis and potential fractures. Both my younger siblings have also been diagnosed with osteopenia but I don't think anyone is on a treatment plan. 

Sure, weight-bearing exercises can increase bone density, but I'm in my 60s with a wonky disc or two (sciatica is not our friend) so I'm leery of anything that smacks of "heavy" lifting. My blood work shows that taking a daily dose of 1400 IUs of vitamin D2 is providing adequate levels. Eating calcium pills has been linked to kidney stones. I take magnesium. Unfortunately, some medications, like gabapentin have been associated with thinning of the bones, similar to corticosteroids (prednisone). 

I am keeping a watchful eye on kidney functions though since creatinine (a waste product filtered by the kidneys) was flagged as slightly high and the EGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) flagged as slightly low. There's some family history as my mother's father died of kidney failure back when dialysis centers hadn't been created yet.

Meanwhile, I did my routine workout today and felt okay about it in spite of the nagging sciatica. Yesterday I did a lunge stretch after push-ups and I've been regretting it ever since. The lunge stretch itself didn't hurt, and it's nice to finally be able to plant the top of my foot flat against the floor (the hammer toes on the right foot have finally relaxed a bit). But that position is apparently too harsh a stretch for the hamstrings and today my leg/glute/calf isn't happy with me. I do have an MRI scheduled for next week so maybe I'll finally find out just what's busted in my back and what I can do to fix it.

8 February 2021
Foggy Rainy Tuesday

Precor elliptical
Program 3
Time: 30 min + 5 min cd (5652)
Distance: 2.85
Cal: 317
HR: n/a

  Skip HGPU

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

  Skip HGPU

Matrix StepMill
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-55)
Step 539
Floors 33
Calories 79
HR: 132