Jinxed Myself

I was lucky that my sciatica didn't bother me for any of the long college visits we've taken over the past several months. But I think I must've jinxed myself because Saturday morning I woke up with a bad ache in my right glute. It didn't actually occur to me that it was a sciatica flare-up until I had problems driving my car. Because the right leg is the driving leg. The weekend offered relief only when I was walking around. Otherwise, sitting and laying down were uncomfortable and I took advantage of my foam mats to kneel on the floor over the ottoman to watch TV. Bullet Train finally aired on Netflix, and I was greatly entertained. It owes a lot to Tarantino's Pulp Fiction and the John Wick franchise. If you don't like those, then you won't like this... lots of cameos too.

 

Numbness is running down the side of my calf, across the outside edge of my foot and tingles most of my toes. My glute aches as well. The only time I don't notice any discomfort is when I'm actively moving about. Walking is good. Hauling firewood isn't a problem. But sitting in my car, sitting in front of my computer... Ugh. I haven't resorted to medication yet, but I have ibuprofen and gabapentin. Elsewhere in my body, nerves are sporadically and erratically acting injured: a patch of skin on my arm feels burnt; a joint on a finger on the other hand aches and throbs for no reason; my scalp is suddenly tender and I have to loosen my pony tail because it's pulling painfully.

It's 24F this morning and the gym is freezing. I keep my hoodie on throughout my workout and manage a mild sweat after 35 minutes of cardio. I get a set of pull-ups done and head to the Aerobics Room, which is also chilly but no more than usual. It's not like I can see my breath or anything. Besides, during the pandemic, I exercised in my unheated garage so this doesn't bother me.

I do 10 minutes on the Step Mill to warm up again and then off to a nice hot shower. In the shower stall, I can hear B complaining in the locker room about how unhappy she is that it's cold inside the gym. The other person tosses out reasonable suggestions: wear more clothes, use the sauna to warm up, do some cardio. B whines that she can't get warm enough doing cardio because of her injured shoulder. (Not sure about that causality.) And B doesn't want to use the dry sauna because it'll make her sweaty and then she'll have to walk to her car damp. 

I have zero sympathy for a woman who parks far from the gym so as not to have her car scratched but can't be bothered to wear a coat because she likes to flaunt skin tight outfits walking to and from. Since glutes and quads are some of the biggest muscles in the human body, it seems a little ridiculous that she's complaining that she can't get warm doing cardio without using her arms. She has a labral shoulder tear. (Yeah, I have one too.) She's either not doing cardio correctly, or more likely, she's just whining because she wants the gym to be a toasty 72F so she prance about in her lycra tights and tank top. Oh well... I'm amused.

5 December 2022
Frosty Sciatic Monday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5508)
Distance: 2.81
Cal: 310
Avg Hr: 144, 182-130

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
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga (sitting is problem)

StepMill (L)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-55)
Steps 539
Floors 33
Cal 79
Hr 142