Repercussions Days Later

After staying up until 2:30 AM putting together display boards for my son's Eagle Scout Court of Honor, I was in no state to exercise when the sun came up. However, once I'm up, it's impossible for me to get additional deep sleep. I lay in bed and suddenly two hours have passed but I have no recollection of actually waking or even falling asleep. Most likely I've dozed but it doesn't feel very restful. Which means I skipped the gym yesterday, hoping to assuage whatever indignities the past weekend has inflicted on my limbs.

It started with my hammer toes suddenly cramping and going into spasms intermittently. Unusually, that was followed by my right hand while I was holding a spoon. My thumb and first two fingers clenched and locked painfully and I had to use my left hand to pry all the digits apart. Later, the ball of my left foot started to cramp. Still later, the heel of my left palm. I can't attribute all of this to lots of sitting in a car, or walking. Laying in bed was the only way to rest the feet and toes. Today, I'm so tired and groggy from the weather (fog-induced vertigo!) that I accidentally grab two different sneakers. It could have been worse; at least I had a right and a left, instead of a catastrophic two lefts... and in low light, the sneakers don't look that different from each other, unless you're looking at the soles.

Instant facelift laying down!

I'm not pedaling my best on the elliptical, but I am pedaling. Things really start to feel off at the Stretch Cage. When I do pull-ups, I cross my legs at the ankles and bend my knees to keep my body steady. It's better than letting legs dangle loosely because a swaying body takes away energy from the actual work of pulling up. Except today I can feel the beginnings of a spasm in the left hamstring as I cross my ankles. By the 12th rep I'm really paranoid about getting a charley horse before I finish the set. Because writhing on the ground is not something I really want to do at the gym. I drop my legs and keep my ankles crossed, but it's harder to keep a rigid body when at full length.

Even in the Aerobics Room, kneeling seems to be a threatening movement for the beleaguered hamstring. I avert any more spasms but think better of attempting a second set of pull-ups. No, I'll just walk the step machine for a few minutes. And then run off to the store to buy mini cupcakes just in case we don't have enough sweets for the dessert table.

28 April 2023
Brain Fog Friday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5398)
Distance: 2.78
Cal: 306
Avg Hr: 145, 176-83

HGPU 20 (rt side pre-spasm hamstring)

20 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
20 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

StepMill (L)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-60)
Steps 542
Floors 33
Cal 70
Hr 144

A Long Weekend

We drove to Buffalo on Friday, stopped for lunch halfway at a cute eclectic cafe/bar in Binghamton. After Saturday's tour of the Engineering and Applied Science Dept., we discovered a residence/dorm life tour. We had Sunday free so of course we went to Niagara Falls, visited the Caves of the Winds under the Bridal Falls that was surrounded by so many nesting seagulls that we thought we were in a David Attenborough documentary. 

There was an aquarium at the far end of the Niagara Falls State Park so we walked there. We decided not to walk the bridge to Canada. At the end of the day, steps totaled 13,246 for me. Monday we had a 10 AM tour of the Art Department, and then we drove home. Of course, we stopped again in Vestal NY for lunch, but most eateries are closed on Mondays. So we ate at a Mexican place that had huge portions and it was tasty, but not the best I've ever eaten. A recommended wings place in Buffalo was also disappointing with food being spicy, as promised, but with a dry and chewy mouthfeel. Wings back in my hometown are better.

My sciatica didn't bother me the entire trip, and I'm very pleased. But I don't think I'll ever be able to do rows, even Seated Cable Rows, again. Dead lifts are definitely out. As are most of the stretches I used to do easily. I could still do them, but there's no guarantee that it won't lead to a lot of sciatic pain because stressing my hamstrings and the posterior chain leads to a lot of inflammation.

I go to the gym after 4 days away. Cardio is still hard. And pull-ups are hard enough so that I only get to 20 reps. Core, on the other hand, is routine. Crunches, dead bugs and other movements aren't difficult. When I leave the Aerobics Room, I see that both stair machines are occupied with chatty women. I have no desire to tempt the fates with another round of pull-ups. Besides, I have errands to run and my annual exam later in the day.

My lab results are good with the problematic total cholesterol at 204 but all the rest of my numbers are good. Whew! Eating oatmeal and scrambled eggs every day at the hotel breakfast bar definitely works for me. I ask my GP about this weird discoloration under my arms and she immediately diagnosis a fungal infection. WTH? Candida. I think that means yeast. What's weirder is that this infection isn't actually in the creases and folds of armpit skin. It's lower, and as far as I know, not really prone to trapped moisture. The doc prescribes a cream and tells me twice a day for the next 3 weeks. I guess I'll find out in a few weeks if the cream works and the "rash" dissipates.

26 April 2023
Nearly A Week Wednesday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5422)
Distance: 2.78
Cal: 306
Avg Hr: 141, 170-73

HGPU 20

20 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
20 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

One Rash Slows and Another Grows

I really didn't want to get up this morning. It didn't help that I stayed up too late while searching the iCloud photo archives for photos of my son during all his Scouting activities. His Eagle Court of Honor is next week and I still need to put together a display of his Scouting history. Well, at least important things like invites, programs, food and decor have been covered.

The gym parking lot is surprisingly empty when I arrive. As expected, I have trouble keeping pace on the elliptical. My upper body is mildly sore which doesn't surprise me. The knees and hips don't hurt, but I can't seem to get into gear. Pull-ups are a tad harder today and I can't make that last rep. I really want to nap in the Aerobics Room. Being tired makes me move and think slower. The weird "rash" under my armpits feels irritated for the first time. I'm thinking it's my flannel nightgown? But I've worn it all winter! Seams chafe and the tag on the back of my gym pants needs to be adjusted when I do crunches and dead bugs, and especially when I roll my hips from side to side.Well, at least the rash on my thighs is barely noticeable anymore, although a good cold snap will raise hives, but not instantly. It'll take about 2-3 days, which I don't understand at all. That will takes weeks to calm down while I slather hydrocortisone cream on it. Ugh.

 
I'm game for 10 minutes of cardio on the step machine. The speed seems to have been fixed so it hovers mostly at 55. In exchange for the TV not working at all. On the other cardio machines, only some channels are available. Bloomberg Business News appears to have been a casualty, but it probably costs extra in the Direct TV subscription line-up. Yep, that's what I watch when I'm doing cardio...

The rash under my arms grows more irritated by the minute and I'm not in the mood to wait for the Stretch Cage. Now that it's Spring, snow birds have returned. It's nice that where I live has been deemed one of the healthiest counties in NYS. Of course, that also means we have a lot of seniors, and they shouldn't always be driving...

20 April 2023
Gotta Pack Thursday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30 + 5 (5446)
Distance: 2.79
Cal: 307
Avg Hr: 140, 192-74

HGPU 22

20 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
20 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

StepMill (L)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-60)
Steps 546
Floors 34
Cal 80
Hr 140

Weird Weather

I was surprised at how cold it was this morning: 46F! Of course, once I got moving on the elliptical, that wasn't an issue. I'm still ridiculously tired and seem to have lost the cardiac endurance I used to have. It's very disconcerting. On the other hand, after the routine cardio, core and basic exercises, I knocked out my DB Shoulder routine without any issues. I wasn't even all that tired by the last set, just mindful of the time because regardless of weather, my dogs want to frolic in the park. I can't spend all morning at the gym!

In the free weight area, there are regulars I haven't seen in a long time. And of course, there are the annoying regulars who tend to drape themselves over the equipment between sets. Because B has been absent from the gym for the past week and a half, there's a lot less chatter, which I find much more pleasant. She's either on vacation or having her shoulder fixed. Regardless, I don't relish her return. I see a tall scrawny middle-aged woman doing Overhead BB Presses literally inches from the BB rack. Ugh. Newbies!

At the dog park, I'm bundled in my winter parka, a hoodie, flannel shirt and long-sleeve cotton T. Because my hair is still damp from the shower, I'm also wearing a fleece hat under the hoodie. There's a brisk wind and the sky is overcast. Sometimes there's a gentle sprinkle of rain. The bugs are virtually non-existent. My husband bought new bug hats from Amazon with netting that circles a sun hat style instead of a baseball cap. The problem with the latter is that any place the netting touches your skin (like your cheek or neck) so can the biting insects. It's hard to keep the netting in place as you move about to keep an eye on the pups. I've yet to test out the new bug hat, but I'm sure I'll be envy of the Bark Park. 

My dogs meet up with a recent new friend and spend time chasing and wrestling. The other dog parent isn't dressed as warmly and after an hour, professes to be cold. I'm not surprised. Then the sun comes out and suddenly the winter coat is overkill. Ah Spring!

18 April 2023
Tax Day Tuesday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5486)
Distance: 2.81
Cal: 310
Avg Hr: 149, 176-82

15 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
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 4
15 lbs x 25/15/25 cool down

Incongruities

It's cold and damp when I start the car this morning. The temp drops from 55 to 53F on my way to the gym. I'm also tired with stiff knees and fingers. The moisture from sporadic showers has caused the landscape to burst to life with vibrant color. Trees suddenly have masses of bright green flowers and there are tiny leaves emerging from all the privets. Grass is shockingly green and patchy in length. Peeper frogs have been singing for weeks now and the rain has given them renewed vigor. Now it feels like April!

The elliptical is a challenge and I can't pedal fast enough to make it to 2.8 miles in 35 minutes. It's not looking good today. Which is why I'm surprised that I get an extra rep on pull-ups right afterward. Expectation was set for just under 20. Whoops. I've got to stop underestimating myself! There's a lot of people on the treadmills, probably because the weather is questionable. (Even the morning Dog Park crew have bailed.) I hear loud grunting from across the gym. Yep, it's that Bob Paris look-alike. He spends a lot of time working upper body. I wonder if he has decent legs. At least the real Bob Paris had a complete package from face to toes.

Whenever I lay down in the Aerobics Room, ostensibly to do the core routine, I'm always tempted to close my eyes and take a nap. But of course I don't. Especially since other people wander in and out to do their own stretching and core routines. Part of me wants to skip past the step machine and the second set of pull-ups and head right to the shower. But I don't. On the stepper, I set the speed to 6 which should translate to 60 steps per minute, but it's an old machine and it wavers between 52 and 55. Mostly at 52. It warms me up enough to worry slightly about whether I'm too tired to do more pull-ups. Apparently I'm not! 

This at least makes up for feeling sluggish at cardio. Later, I take the dogs to the park where they meet up with a puppy friend. The bugs aren't as bad today, maybe because the rain is knocking them out of the air? I brought my bug hat anyway but it's stuffed into the pocket of my rain coat. It's not raining hard. And my dogs don't care about being wet.

17 April 2023
Foggy Monday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5434)
Distance: 2.78
Cal: 306
Avg Hr: 144, 180-90

HGPU 23!

15 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

StepMill (L)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-55)
Steps 527
Floors 32
Cal 77
Hr 139

HGPU 22!

Is This a Lyme Disease Rash?

Yesterday I noticed that there are two irregular discolorations, one under each armpit. I've never had or seen anything like this before. They don't hurt but they clearly don't belong there. At first I think WTF is this!? Is this an abscess or an infection because armpits are rife with lymph glands. I've been horrible tired lately, attributing that to sleep deprivation and the unseasonable heat. Cardio has been lackluster when it gets done. Does this have something to do with that!

Today I wonder if I have Lyme disease or some other tick-borne illness. I keep finding nymphs crawling on one of my dogs; his blood work suggests he's had Lyme before. Nymphs are tiny and I wouldn't necessarily know if one bit my head, under all this hair. But arm pits? I think I'd notice that, or at least feel it. I felt the mosquito that bit the top of my hand and promptly squished it. But it had already bit me and I'm still having an allergic reaction to it several days later.

Fatigue, fever, sore joints... okay, I definitely don't remember any fever symptoms. But my joints have been more sporadically achy than usual. That's one of the reasons my cardio has been less than stellar. Poor cardio could also be attributed to the bad air quality that excessive heat brings. I don't exercise outdoors, but we all still breathe the same air, especially since the doors are open. A big fly zooms by. I definitely don't miss biting flies! I'm a lot better inside my car when I turn the a/c on and shut the outside vents. It hits 90F before 1 pm today. Florida, anyone?! All the trees are abloom which is very pretty but there's a high pollen count as well.

The free weight area is fairly empty and I do my second round of DB Shoulders. Today I can do the full routine, and, as in my youth, pushing weights is the one area where my stamina doesn't fail me. (Ah, just like a girl! Women have been shown to have better endurance. It was a ridiculously small study, but I still think it holds true.) 

Shade is sparse

Dogs are counting on me to bring them to the park even in blistering weather, otherwise I probably could knock out another set or two of the 20s. This part of my routine doesn't phase me at all. Maybe it's not Lyme. But then, what the hell is it?

14 April 2023
Do I have Lyme disease?
Blistering Friday (forecast 90F!)

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30 + 5 (5448)
Distance: 2.79
Cal: 308
Avg Hr: 138, 186-124

Skip HGPU 22

15 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
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 4
15 lbs x 25/15/25

HeatWave April

It's mid-April in NYS which means it's cherry blossom season. It should not be a blistering 88F with sporadic brush fires breaking out all over the region. April is supposed to be cool and wet and muddy. Not tinder dry and dusty! I have a lot of things to do and while I turn the a/c on in my car ('cuz I don't want to bake inside this metal box on the road), I refuse to turn it on in my house. The electric bills have finally calmed down a bit after months of erratic numbers. I changed the supplier and then NYSEG raised its delivery rate. Ugh. Solar is tempting but only if I'm in the market for a new roof. I don't have that kind of cash to burn!

I'm too hot and the first mosquito bite of the season on my hand is itching like mad. It's two days old and although I slathered it in hydrocortisone cream within an hour of getting bit (I actually saw the perp and squished it) at the dog park, it raised an itchy red welt that persists in refusing to be ignored. I haven't had enough sleep, my knees and assorted other joints feel achy and I'm having a hard time getting in the groove of my workout.

I skipped yesterday and got a lot of chores done. Today it's pull-ups, a decent cardio session and the all-important core and stretching. But both step machines were occupied by teen girls chatting with each other, and I didn't have the enthusiasm to go for a second set of pull-ups. It's too hot and too early in the season for a/c. Thank goodness the a/c is on in the Aerobics Room year round. The doors to the gym are open so I'm damn lucky I wasn't pestered by flies the entire time. Insects find me irresistible. I am perplexed though by the stillness of the ceiling fans in the free weight area. But not enough to ask anyone.

I still take the pups to the park because they need to run about and sniff. Eventually, they calm down and spend time lying in the shade under the picnic bench. Tomorrow promises more of the same, but the weekend should see cooler, more moderate weather. And maybe even rain.

13 April 2023
Blistering Thursday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5466)
Distance: 2.80
Cal: 309
Avg Hr: 134, 176-80

HGPU 22

15 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

Gradients of Exercise

I like my earbuds but there's no way to tell how much battery life is left until I hear the ominous message "Power low." That gives me 3-5 minutes before it shuts itself off. I'm 10 minutes into my cardio but having a hard time getting up to speed. Perhaps it's because I stayed up late sending Eagle Court of Honor invites through my printer? I step off the elliptical and grab my bag to replace the earbuds with my backup AirPods. At least they're charged. But they're second generation and I can't increase the sound volume. Ambient noises and conversations leak in. Still it's better than no music whatsoever. I'm vaguely mollified by the reports that exercise might help to abate the ills of sleep deprivation.

There's no place to put the bag while I'm pedaling so I have to step off again and put the bag back on the ground, tucked under the pedal mechanism. I'm glad the Precor elliptical allows users to pause the program briefly if pedaling slows or stops. After a few minutes it will end the program, but it gives you a few minutes. Other cardio machines are not so forgiving and if you stop for more than 30 seconds, the program ends and you have to start again.

In the Aerobics Room, "Bob Paris" has set up a tripod for his phone and is busy snapping selfies with a few beverage cups. I only notice because he drops the cup and it clatters loudly. Otherwise, I have my head down while doing planks and whatnot. Afterward, I have time so I claim a bench in the DB area. Halfway through my sets, the chatter is from the regulars is so loud that I literally curse, not quite under my breath. I'm there to lift weights; they're there to socialize and maybe move a few plates. I don't care if you want to chat, just stand out of the way of everyone else.

It feels good to get all the sets done for the DB Shoulder routine. But I really need to charge my earbuds because at least I can turn up the volume loud enough to drown out the inane conversations surrounding me.

11 April 2023
Busy Tuesday w/ 2 Cardio Pauses

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5208)
Distance: 2.72
Cal: 295
Avg Hr: 136, 188-80

15 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
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 4
15 lbs x 25/15/25

Crazy Temps

At 30F, there was frost on the windshield this morning. By mid-morning, I had no need for the heavy winter parka I donned when I first got in the car. The forecast is for summer temps later in the week, hitting 80 by week's end. It doesn't take me too long to warm up on the elliptical, but at first I get a bit of prickly heat before my skin concedes to sweat.

Everything feels very routine, including pull-ups and core in the Aerobics Room. I save the second set of pull-ups for last, after the step machine. I use the one on the left, the "good one" but it's not behaving like it should, pacing between 52 and 55, but mostly at 52. I lose focus, and lose count during pull-ups so I'm not certain that I achieved a 20 count. But it doesn't really matter. When I'm tired I tend to zone after the 12th rep... so it's anyone's guess whether I got to 18 or 20.

At least I'm making good progress with my son's Eagle Court of Honor: spending today printing invitations. Program partially finished. Checking out a local deli that the HS kids really like to find out what catering will cost. I still have time...

10 April 2023
Frosty Back to School Monday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30 + 5 (5526)
Distance: 2.81
Cal: 311
Avg Hr: 145, 188-79

HGPU 22

15 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

StepMill (L)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-55)
Steps 525
Floors 32
Cal 77
Hr 143

HGPU 20
 

Combo Day

I got to the gym late but at least I got everything done that needed to be done. Because I missed yesterday, I had both pull-ups and DB shoulders on the line-up. I got both done. And maybe because I got to sleep in until the sun was actually up, I not only got past 2.8, but a few clicks past 2.9 as well. Taking yesterday off was probably helpful too. It was too late to use the Aerobics Room since there's a class in there at 9:30 and I need at least 20 minutes. I stretch out and do my crunches, dead bugs, planks, etc. in the Functional Gym area. The mat-covered floor smells like vacuum exhaust, not a good smell at all.

Because I got there late, I didn't have the time to do a full shoulder routine and I cut two sets. Still, it was enough for a good workout. (I have pups at home waiting to romp in the park!) The free weight area was a bit more crowded than usual, with newbies I've never seen before. Of course, I'm not usually at the gym that late so maybe they're not newbies. But I don't recognize them. And next week I'll be back to arriving around 7 instead of 8... I don't even know what I'm going to do once my kid goes away to college.

7 April 2023
Late Good Friday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5844)
Distance: 2.92
Cal: 327
Avg Hr: 160, 207-78

HGPU 22

15 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
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 2

After 4 Days...

I got a lot done in the past 4 days but none of it was exercise related, unless it was an exercise in bureaucracy and paperwork. I finally got my son's custodial child savings account transferred to adult status, and we went to the DMV for the second time to get him an official Real ID, although he has not yet committed to learning how to drive. One step at a time. Now it's a mad scramble to get an Eagle Court of Honor organized and set in motion for the end of this month. Made all the more difficult because we are holding it with two other Eagle Scouts. The pandemic wrecked a lot of celebratory plans and we're all playing catch-up.

I must've finally caught up with my sleep because I woke up early enough to go to the gym before the alarm even sounded. I can't say that was true for the past 4 days where I woke up just in time to throw back some coffee and run off to the dog park with my pups. Neither the parking lot nor the gym was crowded although there were a few familiar faces. It is Holy Week and there's no school (Spring Break).

My knees feel a bit sore but I still pedaled decent enough to make it past 2.8 although the HR monitor suggests I'm stressed. Which I am. I was worried, as usual, about getting pull-ups done, but it's only been 4 days since I was last at the gym. The second round didn't go quite as well but still well enough. The Aerobics Room is already set up for the mid-week Boot Camp class. I see a handful of women head in that direction as I eye the stretch cage and then the cardio platform. Finished off with some stair climbing where I see again that my heart rate is higher than usual. 

I am happy though that I managed to add several "new" songs to my iPod over the weekend once the new CD/DVD drive arrived. My old MacMini (2012) works fine but hardware limitations keep the operating system from upgrading, which means it's not web browser safe. And now, for no reason I can think of, the CD drive refuses to accept discs. So I had to buy an external and of course I looked up reviews and didn't buy the cheapest one because that one is 100% made of plastic. 

I buy the one that's next cheapest but seems to have the best quality (as well as a USB adapter from USB-C) even if the instruction booklet and warranty page are cutely and slightly nonsensically translated by non-native speakers. What I didn't anticipate was the need for the MacMini to have an internet connection just so the CD player could read the disc properly and assign it an album name and track titles. I had to plug the ethernet cable back in once the first disc showed up as Untitled. I really had no idea! All the other CDs imported fine, and with their respective album cover art.

If the songs I wanted to put on my iPod had been available in streaming format, I would've bought them (again) as MP4s or whatever the current format is, loaded them onto a thumb drive and installed them into the iTunes software resident on my MacMini. (And yes, I know that Apple no longer makes nor supports iPods or iTunes but since mine still work, I'm using them.) The Irish alt rock group Walking on Cars disbanded a few years ago and even their CDs are hard to find. (Amazon would rather you subscribe to streaming music for a monthly fee. Uh, no thanks.) The band said it had just run its course. I can respect that.

I don't want to pay to stream songs I already own on CD. Why rent when you can own, right? Today's the first day I can actually listen to these songs while working out and that makes me happy. Sometimes the transfer from CD to iPod doesn't go as smoothly and the song is so muted that it's not worth listening to on the playlist. That happened with a few "greatest hits" CDs...

4 April 2023
Mid-Week Wednesday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5598)
Distance: 2.83
Cal: 314
Avg Hr: 146, 192-130

HGPU 22

15 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

HGPU 20

StepMill (L)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-55)
Steps 542
Floors 33
Cal 79
Hr 153