Crazy Balmy Friday

So we've gone from probable negative numbers on the thermometer last week to damn near hitting 60F today. It was close: sunny and 56F. Thankfully, the biting insects hadn't been told. School doesn't start until next Tuesday. I woke up at 9 today. My normal circadian cycle has me going to bed at 2 AM and waking at 9, a decent 7 hours with no middle of the night interruptions. If I go to bed earlier, I wind up getting up at 2 AM anyway, just to pee! 

The parking lot was crowded but not the gym. It's warm enough that people that aren't rushing to shop for New Year's Eve celebrations were out jogging, strolling, biking, hiking... I get on the elliptical and pedal enough to warm up and break a slight sweat. Pull-ups are slightly easier today than they were on Monday. The Aerobics Room is empty and I do my routine core movements, adding a few mild hip bridges. Not as vigorous as hip thrusts because I'm worried that it'll aggravate my sciatica, which has been moderately annoying but not impossible. So far so good. I'm still taking ibuprofen and gabapentin before bed so that I don't wake up from gluteal discomfort. (Apparently, ibuprofen is now suspect in worsening joint inflammation of the knees. Once my sciatica recedes, I'll stop taking the nighttime dose.)

There are a lot of young unfamiliar faces in the free weight area but luckily, one of the inclined breaker benches is not only free, it's also missing the bar. So no one's really going to be interested in using it. Except me. I'm not hitting the gym again until maybe Monday so I decide to do my standard shoulder routine: light weights, lots of reps, very little rest. It warms me up and I feel good when I leave, in spite of the bevy of chatty kids clustered in gossipy groups scattered between benches and stations. 

I'm enjoying some of my Christmas gifts: a new steering wheel cover, and a car seat cover. The old steering wheel cover has worn down in patches, and I've wondered if the seat heater is the cause of the "cold rash" I've developed during the winter months. With a fluffy car seat cover, I might not need to use the seat heater. The the steering wheel cover means I don't need to use gloves to hold a wheel that's too hot or ice cold. In fact, it's a joy to hold the luxurious fleece between my fingers when I drive... 

Of course, it's also added some thickness to the seat, so I can't really wear my multi-pocket parka in the car. Full pockets get wedged against the wheel like a pregnant woman. If I adjust the seat further back because I'm too close, my feet won't reach the pedals. I also feel taller in the seat so I might have to tilt the wheel angle up a tad. It's weird how little things can make such big differences. 

New Year is just around the corner and my totally impractical resolution is to drop a few pounds -- this weight gain is becoming chronic and unmanageable. I don't have an approach yet, especially with all the holiday candy and snack food in the house. So much temptation! But then again, sometimes it's easier to not indulge when it's there whenever you want.

30 December 2022
Balmy 58F Friday Afternoon

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5766)
Distance: 2.88
Cal: 323
Avg Hr: 146, 188-94

HGPU 23

Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
10 Gentle Hip Bridge/Thrusts?
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Side bridge planks 10 each side
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

Incl DB Press s/s Lateral Raises s/s Rev Incline Flys
10 lbs x 25/15/25 warm up
15 lbs x 25/15/25
20/15/20 x 25/15/25 x 3 sets