May the Fourth

The forecast was correct and it is indeed raining today. The weather seems to make my joints ache sporadically in arbitrary places. One minute a finger throbs, then one of my knees, or maybe a shoulder or elbow. No one can agree as to why weather might affect joints although everyone knows someone whose bones can tell you a storm is coming. One theory suggests that low pressure (rain) allows joints to expand (ever so slightly) and this "inflammation" causes pain. A small Dutch study showed just the opposite: high pressure and humidity caused increased pain in people already afflicted with osteoarthritis. 

My GP says I have arthritis but since I'm over 60, I'm not surprised. My feeling is "Well, doesn't everyone?" And truthfully, there's no constant pain anywhere, except when my sciatica flares up. Today, my left knee twinges on the elliptical, and twinges again when I get around to air squats. Which means I'm constantly adjusting my footing and my squat depth today to alleviate the pain on the inside of my knee. When I stop, the pain stops. And nothing else I do makes it hurt so I'm good. Except that I finally snapped my stretch band, as I feared would happen. No problem. It was probably a weak spot, and I resume doing pull-aparts with the shorter half of the band. Works just fine.

I've been working at keeping my core straight and legs static during hammer grip pull-ups. It makes the movement feel very different. (So much better when your body isn't wobbling like a badly built swing.) There are less people here today and I'm surprised since it's mid-week. I beat Snow Bird to the Stretch Cage today and knock out my second set of pull-ups. I skip the step machine because I need to head to the grocery before I head home and take the pups to the park. It's raining and I know no one else is coming but the dogs still want to run about. Besides, it's not raining very hard...

4 May 2021
Raining Wednesday Morn

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30 min + 5 min cd (5786)
Distance: 2.90
Cal: 325
Avg Hr 153, 87-209

HGPU 23

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
Band pull-aparts (snapped!) 25

HGPU 22