Cloudy and Hot

The gym was oddly empty this morning and one of the doors was askew, as if it'd been knocked off its hinges a bit. The weather has been overcast every morning with high humidity and the promise of rain. But no rain. The sun blazes out by mid-afternoon and all the lawns are patchy brown except where the septic systems leach life-giving waters. Kids start showing up later in the morning.

I pedal my 35 minutes but I'm tired and achy. I'm no longer suffering from sharp twinges to the hip hinge, instead there's a blunted ache sometimes. I wonder if I should be looking at the psoas muscles? 

I didn't sleep well last night so I might start taking a low dose (3 mg)  of melatonin again, about an hour before I want to sleep. School starts next week, the weather is unbearably hot and dry and yet humid, and I'm researching colleges while my son and husband work on the Eagle Scout project that needs to be completed before he turns 18 and ages out. 

Also, I've discovered a weird purple spot on my dog's tongue. It looks like he ate a ballpoint pen, but it's been several days and ink would've dissipated by now. He doesn't have any Chow in him so it's not that (Chow's are notorious for their blue-black tongues; my last dog was a Chow-mix with blue spots on his). It doesn't look like a bruise either, but the texture is somewhat depressed from the normal surface of the rest of the tongue. I'm resisting taking him to the vet because that'll involve medicating him the night before and the morning of and the techs usually muzzle him just in case, so that's really not going to work...

B has returned to the gym after a month away. I though maybe she finally got that wonky shoulder fixed. Instead, it turns out she got Covid. She's recovered but complaining about having lost all her hard gains. Yeah, she does look scrawny. Very tan but no muscles...

I don't think the astaxanthin is working for me anymore. It's apparently not working for my brother either. His IOPs rose to 17 and his doc scheduled SLTs (selective laser trabeculoplasty) for his eyes. But he's apparently allergic to the topical anesthesia and suffered from extreme bouts of nausea. I've had SLTs done twice in both eyes. When it works, you don't have to take drops anymore. But my pressures have only dropped a few points, not enough to be considered truly successful. And numerous things can cause pressures to rise, like weightlifting or low lights. (Not sure if sneezing or taking a poop also count towards exertions that might raise eye pressure!)

B is chatting with a bunch of regulars in the free weight area. Of course she is because she loves being the center of attention, especially at the gym. The flat breaker bench I normally use has two Olympic bars on it: one on each bar holder (upper and lower). I don't know why and I don't care as long as I can use a bench that has the support bars for me to put my feet on. I push my feet out further to prevent me from clenching my right hamstring during Rip Skulls. And I give myself a bit more time between sets just so I can finish all my sets with full reps. A thumbless grip for the warmup set relieves pressure in my wrists. But adding just a few pounds to the BB makes me nervous so I switch back to a full grip.

The dogs don't get to the park until 11 and they're disappointed that no one is there. It's hot and dusty and after a few laps, they both look bored. Tomorrow there might be someone to play with. I'll try to get them there earlier.

30 Aug 2022
Cloudy Tuesday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 min + 5 min cd (5652)
Distance: 2.85
Cal: 317
Avg Hr: 142, 189-84

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
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

Skull Crushers / Rip Skulls
30 lbs x 15 reps each x 2 sets total
32.5 x 12 x 6