New Year, Same Workout

It wasn't as hard to wake up early as I had feared, probably because I got to sleep to my natural circadian rhythm for the past week. And it was raining instead of snowing. Or worse. I didn't have to defrost my windshield! I got to the gym and pedaled furiously on the elliptical and did pretty well considering I skipped yesterday. Even pull-ups weren't horrible. I added two more reps to the hip bridge and the side bridge plank thing. It's unseasonably warm at 45F in January. I think the gnats are awake.

My feet were starting to hurt in my gym shoes even though I only wear them during workouts. Maybe they're wearing out? I bought myself a new pair of trainers from Zappos (acquired by Amazon) because they have a no-hassle free return policy, unlike FootSmart. These are once again New Balance fresh foam size 6.5 EE in a blue-violet color. This is the only brand of sneaker that has a wide enough toe box without an enormous heel space. Some brands of wide and extra-wide shoes are for fat or swollen feet so they're wide all around. I have bony little feet with no padding, tiny heels and a wide metatarsal base. 

The only problem this time is that the laces are too short to double knot. I pull out the lace from an old pair and measure 45" but that size is hard to come by locally. I know because I went to 3 different stores. And certainly none of the available laces come dyed to match the "night air" color of these athletic shoes. I buy 54" black ones and a white 45" pair as well. They'll be backup laces. I can double knot the laces to my new shoes if I pull them out of the second to last eyelet and re-thread. Luckily, the new shoes have three eyelet spaces at the end of the lace row. The older pairs only have two...

I skipped the second set of pull-ups while contemplating adding seated cable rows back to the routine. My sciatica is better, but not gone. I don't want to make it worse and apparently 70 lbs and more makes it worse. So, will I be happy doing 20 reps at 50 lbs? or 60 lbs? I guess I could take a chance and try it... but asking "What's the worse that could happen?" doesn't work in this scenario. Because worse means being in so much pain I can't even sit in the car to drive. So, there's that.

I do 10 minutes on the stairs and sing to myself. It's raining and the dogs still want to go to the park. I don't blame them. We stay for 40 minutes and only leave because it's suddenly raining a lot harder. Besides, no one else is coming to play. Probably not tomorrow either.

My son has his college applications submitted, and his Eagle Scout Board of Review will be sometime this month. He's also turning 18 in a few weeks. Neither me nor my husband know what to get him because he doesn't actually want anything. But he is bummed just realizing that he won't be able to hang out with our dogs after a day of classes. I'm already bummed knowing that I won't be chatting with him in the car every day when I drive him to the morning school bus, or later to his activities... I read horror stories in the local news about other teens (maimed or killed as passengers because of reckless drivers in other cars) and it makes me depressed and fearful. I should stop reading the news.

3 January 2023
Rainy Tuesday New Year

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5784)
Distance: 2.90
Cal: 325
Avg Hr: 137, 207-77

HGPU 23

Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
12 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 12 each side
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

StepMill (L)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-55)
Steps 546
Floors 34
Cal 80
Hr 144