Should I Be Worried?

I went back to the gym after the holiday weekend, four full days of very little physical activity except for walking the dogs and taking them to the park, and walking around the mall while waiting for my son's phone to transfer all its data to a new one. People are still on holiday and the gym isn't very crowded. I do a light workout to give myself time to pick up an Rx renewal at the CVS before heading home to take pups to the park.

I've used an entire tube of anti-fungal steroidal cream and I don't see much difference under my armpits. My doc said this could take a long time, so I got tube number two and if nothing's changed by the time half this tube is gone, it'll be time to get a dermatologist appointment. Of course, that in itself will take a good six weeks to acquire so perhaps I should call for the appointment now?

I have another Visual Field test tomorrow and for the past week I've been also drinking powdered beets mixed in water. My husband has a subscription of sorts to SuperBeets so we have a dozen jars of it in the house. He likes it as a pre-workout. I'm just drinking it to see if the purported increase in bloodflow can benefit someone with glaucoma. This eye disease is still a bit of a mystery because not everyone with high eye pressures suffers from vision loss but the prevailing theory is that high eye pressures damage the retina. Lifting heavy weights raises eye pressure. Holding your breath raises eye pressure. Having your head below the heart raises eye pressure (no downward dog). Laying on your side or face down raises eye pressure. 

I don't want to stop lifting weights because that would be bad for my mental health. My compromise has been to lift light weights a lot, and do body weight exercises. Cutting out the bulk of my lifting and stretching routine has been good for my sciatica though. And that's depressing...

There's also the thought that people with low blood pressure don't have an adequate oxygen supply to the eyes and that high blood pressure is better. WTF? High blood pressure is never better! And clinically, blood pressure and eye pressure have little concrete correlation to each other.There's also some evidence that beet juice might lower inflammation in the body. (Yeah, but doesn't anything that's deeply colored red, blue or purple also make that claim?)

More concerning though is the test result I got back from Cologuard today, recommending that I make an appointment with a gastroenterologist. Ugh. I was hoping to avoid the unpleasant prep required for the bowel exam, but it looks like that's not the case. While the test isn't actually diagnostic, and there is a percentage of false negatives, it does strongly suggest an actual peak at the internals. My last test 3 years ago was negative. So it's been 13 years and my colon is overdue for a look-see. I've already contacted a doctor with local offices and am just waiting for them to get back to me. 

I did buy a new hair clip only because it specifically stated it was for long, fine hair and it does look like it means business. Most of the clips I've purchased lately have been disappointing, with too deep a profile making them hard to wear while driving because they constantly knock into the headrest, and the spring is too weak to hold a lot of hair, and the teeth are too pointy which scratches the scalp. This is none of these...

31 May 2023
Wednesday EOM

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5522)
Distance: 2.81
Cal: 311
Avg Hr: 149, 182-80

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

StepMill (L)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-60)
Steps 540
Floors 33
Cal 79
Hr 131

 

New Old Habits

Because there's no school today, I didn't really have to set my alarm for 6 AM. But I did. Although I didn't leave the house until 6:55, I still made it to the gym in time to get a decent workout. I'm trying to prepare myself for when my son leaves for college and there's no urgent need to get up early. If I don't though, I won't make it to the gym before the HS students who come later in the day.

Again, there are only hard core regulars at the gym. But HS and college kids show up not much later. I change my routine ever so slightly and cut cardio back to 25 minutes using the Intervals program. Of course, I'm not walking in the troughs and running up the steep inclines. Just the reverse! And halfway through, at minute 10, I reverse pedal for another 10 minutes and it's time for the 5-minute cool down. That's enough to warm up and work out all the stiff and sore spots in my legs. Looser hips require mat stretches in the Aerobics Room. I'm good with the routine and eventually other women show up to do the same: their own personal workout.

I am happy to be in the free weight DB area. Less happy that the regular chatbots are straddling a lot of the equipment. But really happy to increase reps on the last "heavy" set, and maintain the AMRAP for the final set. Does this mean I should increase from 20 lbs to 25? I'm not sure... Part of my concern of course centers on how my glaucoma responds to a more strenuous routine. I feel fairly safe with a high-rep regimen, but there is the unpleasant fact that my right eye is showing progression. With vision, there's no back-pedaling. Once vision is lost, it's pretty much gone forever. Currently, there are no actual remedies to restore optic nerve damage.

I'm quite disappointed in the new wired earbuds I ordered. While they're comfortable with easy to use buttons, and they pair with my ancient iPod mini, they won't transmit any music. WTF? I have to read the entire instruction booklet's troubleshooting section to find where the manufacturer addresses that issue specifically. 

It's because my iPod doesn't have the latest Bluetooth frequency so too bad. Ugh. I wish compatibility issues had been mentioned in the product description before I bought them! While they'll probably be fine for use with my iPhone, I don't keep much music on that, and I got this for playing music and keeping surrounding chatter from being an annoying distraction. There's a "radio" function on the phone, but that still leaves me at the mercy of others. I want to listen to what I want to listen to! Is that so wrong?

26 May 2023
Friday of the 5-Day Weekend

Precor elliptical #1
Program Intervals
Time: 20 + 5 (3862)
Distance: 2.07
Cal: 231
Avg Hr: 143, 198-118


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

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
20/15/20 x 30/25/35 (!)
15 lbs x 50/25/50 AMRAP
 

Thursday Before

A 5-day school holiday begins tomorrow with 2 weather "give back" days, days that are added to the end of the year holidays if they weren't used for snow/ice storms or other dangerous road conditions. Today was an abbreviated day to make time for the "Spring Festival" which showcases clubs and athletic groups. My son had no interest in the staying for that so I needed to pick him up from school at 10 AM. Which meant doing an abbreviated exercise routine. The parking lot wasn't quite empty but close. Only die-hard regulars inside. I guess I qualify.

I definitely wanted to at least do some cardio today to make up for missing yesterday. I had an appointment at my glaucoma doc's to retake a Visual Field test for the wonky right eye. While the eye feels better (not seeing white flashes and streaks like at the last test), the results were very similar: vision loss/degradation at the edge of the upper quadrants. I have to take another Visual Field test in a few months, and then the doc would like to do laser treatments to try and bring my pressures down. The IOPs aren't bad at 13/14 but they're not great. Everyone wants to see them under 10 but they've never gone that low. I've had SLTs before. Twice. They didn't make my pressures worse, but I can't say they made them better either. The doc says a lot of time has passed so my body might respond differently. I dunno.

After a surprisingly decent cardio session and good pull-ups, I find myself laying on my back on a mat in the Aerobics Room. I stretch my arms overhead and wiggle my fingers. I can see the fingers at the top edge of my vision on the left side (the left eye has better vision even though it's got that weird flap inside the eyeball), but not so much with the right eye. Of course, it could be that my right arm is slightly longer (I think my right leg is since I'm constantly pulling the hem down on my leggings on that side) or that I'm laying slightly, imperceptibly askew.

sample VF test results (not mine)

I don't have time for anything else today or else I've gone for a second set of pull-ups and a few minutes on the step machine. Admittedly, my forearms and shoulders are a wee bit sore, but only noticeable when I stress them. Otherwise, everything feels okay. Tomorrow, the challenge will be getting up to exercise without the urgency of making it to the school bus stop on time... We have no plans for the long holiday weekend, especially since my son has his Senior project due by the end of next week. My husband will be disappointed but there is always yard work to do and the weather seems prime for that.

25 May 2023
Short Day Thursday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5728)
Distance: 2.88
Cal: 322
Avg Hr: 151, 198-110

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

Is This Really The Reason Why

Apparently I'm reading old news that first published back in 2021: metabolism doesn't actually slow down until you hit 60. Not in your 40s or 50s. Not during menopause. But hit 60 and suddenly it's like driving with the emergency brake on. Is that why my weight has been so unmanageable? My midriff threatens to muffin-top shame me if I don't find a way to reverse this trend. I can't exercise more so I'll just have to eat less.

The parking lot was crowded when I got there. It's Tuesday and I missed yesterday's workout because I spent time trying to get my front door fixed, or at least back on its hinges. Granted, the heavy metal door was still attached by the top hinge, but the center and bottom screws had ripped out of the jamb, leaving it standing askew and half open, wedged on the wooden threshold that was a bit swollen from moisture in the air. (I live on wetlands so duh.) Naturally, I didn't sleep very well last night, knowing that my front door was stuck open, although the storm door kept the bugs out. 

My husband's in Boston for the week and neither my son nor I know enough about hanging doors to attempt this fix ourselves. Luckily, I had the number of someone I knew from the Bark Park who works for the local fix-it company, HoneyDo Men. Licensed, insured and work guaranteed. A bit pricey, but a young fellow showed up today and had everything back together in about 20 minutes using extra long deck screws. Definitely worth it.

I was a bit worried when I got to the gym but I'm always worried when I've missed a day. I missed a day so today's a combo-day: pull-ups and weights. Cardio wasn't horrible and I surprised myself with pull-ups. (I think I have a sort of performance anxiety!) Recently, I've been waking up with soreness in my right forearm, like someone's been twisting it in my sleep, but it felt okay today. I wasn't concerned until I got to the DB Shoulder routine because DB Inclined Presses sometimes have me rotate my forearms pushing up. 

I'm pretty happy with the routine today as I added reps to the last heavy set, and then of course, I spaced during the absolute last set so I added another 10 reps just to be safe. So that's either 50 or 60 reps. I'm finally getting a bit of a burn, a bit of a pump and very little soreness afterward. 

Tomorrow I have an appointment with my glaucoma doc to redo a Visual Field test just for my right eye. It's because last time, my left eye test fine but my right eye just didn't feel right, and consequently didn't test properly. A fluke so it needs redoing.

There's one lone peeper still trilling in the pond behind the neighbor's house. But a lot of other amphibians, not bullfrogs. Maybe pickerel or green frogs. The sound is loud and eery but kind of cool if you're not easily spooked. 

 

23 May 2023
Muffin Top Tuesday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30 + 5 (5670)
Distance: 2.86
Cal: 319
Avg Hr: 139, 200-81

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

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
20/15/20 x 30/15/30 !!!
15 lbs x 50/25/50 or 60? AMRAP
 

Friday is for Fatigue

Again the gym parking lot is emptier than expected. I'm not sure where the regulars are putting their cars because they're still at the gym. Precor Fitness Program 2 is the hardest out of the 3 but always seems to motivate me to better results. I think that it's because there's less flat terrain (level 1-3) and more hills (level 7-13). It's not that I'm less tired. I actually hit the snooze when the alarm sounded, and was awakened a second time. Normally, I lay in bed for a minute after the alarm and then turn it off without resorting to the snooze feature. Yes, I'm really tired. But cardio is good today.

Core is the same. Hip Bridges always start out painfully stiff, even after a drenching cardio routine. But the second set is easy and painless. All those exercises in-between are doing something useful. The free weight area is mostly empty, but newbies have left plates on bars, water bottles, and general disarray. Occasionally the annoyingly high-pitched chatter of Latina leaks through my earbuds and I turn the volume higher. I don't understand how she can work out with her shoulder length hair flying loose, but of course, she probably doesn't have baby-fine cat hair that lands annoyingly on the face, nose, eyes and mouth.

I repeat Tuesday's DB Shoulder routine but this time I'm careful to keep count of my reps. The right forearm feels strange, as if muscles and tendons are twisted. It's a problem when I do Lateral Raises and Inclined Presses if I rotate my hands as I push the DBs up. This might be from yanking the Oriental Bittersweet vines out of my hedges because gardening is a lot of forearm work. But I do get all my reps in, even the wiggly last AMRAP set. Yaaay me!

19 May 2023
Fatigue Friday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5692)
Distance: 2.87
Cal: 320
Avg Hr: 147, 182-81

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

Incl DB Press s/s Lateral Raises s/s Rev Incline Flys
(Sore right forearm)
10 lbs x 25/15/25 warm up
15 lbs x 25/15/25
20/15/20 x 25/15/25 x 2
20/15/20 x 25/15/30
15 lbs x 50/25/50 AMRAP

The Kids Are Back

The parking lot was so devoid of cars I had to check to make sure that today wasn't a holiday. The gym isn't crowded but there are newish faces, young faces. Colleges in New York State have mostly graduated last weekend and the "kids" are home now. So they're at the gym too. At least they're not in the way. Yet.

I just squeak past 2.8 during cardio. The first set of pull-ups doesn't feel great because I'm still tired, and inexplicably not quite awake. I'm better after doing core. The part I dread the most are the back-to-back push-ups and air squats. I'm not sure why except those are probably the hardest things I do in the Aerobics Room, and in actuality, they're not very hard. Then back to cardio with 10 minutes on the step machine.

I'm sweaty, breathless and a bit flushed when I step off and approach the Stretch Cage. But I feel much stronger than when I finished off the elliptical earlier. The pull-ups feel better and I'm so surprised that I stop at rep 20 out of habit. But truly, I could have gotten a few more reps. On the other hand, I never know when the forearm will stress out from pull-ups. My body has been very reactive lately and that's troubling. I woke up with a spasm in my lower calf, just over the heel. 

It's not a muscle cramp, rather an Achilles tendon injury. But it's not a typical Achilles tendonitis where there is a burning pain. Nope, this is an actual spasm that lasts for a minute or less and then remains sensitive and sore for the rest of the day. (Online literature suggests that spasms aren't possible in a tendon but I beg to differ from actual personal experience. Doctors are often soooo wrong just because they've never experienced it themselves.) My hamstring is also sensitive and threatens to spasm if I move the wrong way. My lower back on the left side reacts the same way to a prolonged pencil stretch. (Stretching is supposed to prevent injuries, not create them!)

I suspect they're all responses to old injuries. Ugh. It's very limiting to limit how you move just because it might trigger a really painful cramp. Lately, it's never really over, as if the spasm just sensitizes the afflicted area to react even more quickly to whatever triggered it originally. Maybe if I took a month off, the tendons and muscles would calm down. But damn, I'd get soooo fat so that's not happening.

18 May 2023
Calf Cramp Thursday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5502)
Distance: 2.81
Cal: 310
Avg Hr: 131, 180-81

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

StepMill (R)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-60)
Steps 549
Floors 34
Cal 80
Hr 148

HGPU 20

New Fangled Cars

The parking lot is unusually crowded this morning. I slide into a spot close to the gym, careful to position the car inside the yellow lines. The spots closer to the shops are narrower, meant for subcompact cars but my Forester fits fine. It's the oversized Suburban next to me that overflows its spot, with an oblivious driver chatting on the phone. She's not elderly or handicapped. And she's in a parking spot that's too small for her vehicle. "Entitled" is the word that pops into my head.

Cardio is definitely better today as I finally made it over the 2.8 hump. Not sure what'll happen on Thursday though as I'm taking tomorrow off to do chores and errands. I'm happy not to do pull-ups. Saves me energy for later. After core et al in the completely vacant Aerobics Room, I steel myself for the DB Shoulder Routine. This time I'm determined to hit 50 reps for two thirds of the last set, the AMRAP set. It's good to have goals, no matter how silly.

I admit that my left arm started to wiggle a bit for the last 10 reps of the last set during Inclined DB Press. Okay, maybe wiggling isn't quite the right word. But you know what I mean if you've ever gone to failure on a set. And I know now that I absolutely have to record my reps as soon as they're done because I honestly can't remember if DB Lateral Raises went to 20 or 25... Ugh.

I'm really hungry by the time I get back to my car. As I'm slurping down my vanilla Ensure with a handful of extra vitamins, I notice people exiting their vehicles to go to the gym. Then a car across the drive aisle beeps and the back hatch lifts up but there's no driver in sight. Ah, modern technology. Someone probably put their keys on the "key ring board" across from the front desk and inadvertently hit the "trunk open" button. 

You don't actually have to be anywhere near the car to do this. And I'm not feeling like I need to venture into the gym to alert whoever is so lucky or unlucky as it might be... Hopefully his stuff is still there when he gets back to his car. Probably will be. This is a pretty safe town with little petty crime. But they'll be more careful next time. Or not.

16 May 2023
Crowded Tuesday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30 + 5 (5580)
Distance: 2.83
Cal: 314
Avg Hr: 141, 186-77

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

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
20/15/20 x 25/15/30
15 lbs x 50/20?/50 AMRAP

Backup Earbud Retrieved

My husband, who never checks himself for ticks nor takes any precautions unless purposely hiking, woke up to a tick embedded in his arm. My son managed to tweeze most of it out and then my husband needed to be told to go to Urgent Care to get a dose of doxycycline. I've found tiny tick nymphs crawling over my dogs but since they're dosed monthly with Simparico Trio (heartworm, tick & flea), I don't worry too much about them. But tick season appears to be 3 out of 4: spring, summer & fall. With warmer winters, ticks might be year-round now...

Yesterday was Mother's Day and we took a day trip to visit the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford. It's mostly an art museum but also contains collections of interesting artifacts and specimens of bugs, butterflies, shells, rocks, fish, jewelry, furniture, paintings, sculptures, pottery and fine ceramics, textiles, modern conceptual pieces and baroque religious paintings. There was enough unseen to warrant another visit eventually. The museum's website has virtual tours of a lot of their exhibits with explanatory tags for many of the items. Definitely worth spending some time with!

It's 40F when the alarm sounds this morning. A bit chillier than I was expecting, but not enough to frost the windshield. M is at the front desk this morning and knows nothing about my errant ear bud even though Gym Owner has been in for a few hours. He doesn't know anything either when I walk back to his office. I tell him how it's somewhere under the step machine. I'm 20 minutes into cardio when he comes by with the earbud in a towel. Yaay! 

The earbud still needed sanitizing (pop the squishy ear plug out and soak in isopropyl, then replace), but I'm very happy with my current semi-wired pair 'cuz the music sounds really good. It sounds so good that I'm noticing vocal overlays in a song I've listened to hundreds, maybe thousands of times, and never discerned the musical complexities before. WTH? 

Cardio isn't great and hasn't been in weeks. Maybe I need to change things up and rotate another machine into the mix besides the step mill? Pull-ups are also worrisome as I've lost reps due to discomfort in my left forearm. Tendonitis of the forearm is what made me resort to the neutral hammer grip as both chin-ups and standard pull-ups caused too much damage to my elbows and forearms. I remember wearing forearm braces for weeks because of that, and I'm determined not to do that again. But when I get to rep 17, it's a struggle for the next 3 and then that's all I can do. It doesn't help that I'm still putting on weight. I've got to stop stress snacking! 

Meanwhile, my son sends me a video of tiny slugs in a drinking fountain. It's apparently one of the school fountains and that the slugs emerged as the water erupted. I tell him to tell the office as slugs and snails are known carriers of the rat lungworm, a potentially fatal parasite. He tells me he and his friend did and the school's response was to have the janitor pour a little bleach into the fountain and carry on as usual. Uh, that's a band-aid on a potentially bigger issue: Why are slugs having babies in the drinking fountains inside the school?! 

15 May 2023
Monday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5384)
Distance: 2.78
Cal: 305
Avg Hr: 142, 182

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

StepMill (L)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-60)
Steps 537
Floors 33
Cal 79
Hr 142

HGPU 20

Headphones

I was complaining to my husband about not having what I consider decent earphones for my gym tunes. He offered me an assortment of old earbuds that he no longer uses. The wired one pairs easily with my ancient iPod and I appreciate the ability to adjust the volume with buttons on one of the earpieces. Ear hooks keep them secure. That's the one I use today. The other options are harder to use, mostly because they resemble NYC transit tokens with no discernible buttons. A pair with ear hooks comes with an instruction booklet that states the tapping on the left earbud raises the volume while the right one lowers it.

Unfortunately, the left one refuses to pair and tapping only lowers the volume of my iPod until it is silent and nothing I do can bring the sound back up. It also advances the songs on my iPod even though I can't hear anything. Well, that's totally useless. I also have a pair of knock-off AirPods, but I'm worried they'll also fall out of my head, and again, there's no volume control. My husband tells me that it's just assumed that everyone is streaming through their iPhone and volume would be controlled there. Eventually I'll have to resort to that once my iPod dies, because its battery will refuse to charge, and it'll be another favored piece of technology rendered obsolete. 

I have errands to run after the gym so I cut my cardio time by 10 minutes. Elliptical #2 is in disarray: the panel under the pedals is laying perpendicular, which renders the machine unusable. The easy solution would be to place it back in position (it's not secured by bolts or anything else), but of course, no one will do it until the gym owner gets back on Monday. It's already hot outside and the gym isn't very busy, probably because there are college graduations and it's Mother's Day this Sunday. Plus, people love exercising outdoors early in the morning when it promises to be hot later in the day. And today should hit well over 80 degrees.

After cardio and core (the Aerobics Room is pleasantly air-conditioned), I head for the DB free weight area. Only two regulars, Tank and M, are at the flat benches. A few new faces wander in to the DB area for a set or two and then wander out. I do my DB Shoulder routine with the only difference being that the last set is really AMRAP (as many reps as possible). Last time, I stopped the DB inclined press at 30 reps even though I could go further, mostly because I weirded myself out once I got past 25. You can definitely be your own worse enemy. Today, I'm mentally prepared to go to 50 reps but I only make it to 40, but I'm not disappointed. I might be sore tomorrow. High reps can do that.

12 May 2023
Scorching Friday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 20 + 5 (3944)
Distance: 2.01
Cal: 222
Avg Hr: 130, 168-92

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

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
15 lbs x 40/20/40 cool down

Technology Good and Bad

My tire pressure light went on as I drove to the gym this morning. At least I can fix that myself as my husband gifted me with a cool device: a digital auto pump that is small enough to keep conveniently under the seat. After my workout, I unscrew the suspect tire and find that it's down at least 7 lbs. I set the pump to 32 lbs (the default is 35) and attach it to the tire. It stops automatically once the proper pressure is reached. After a mile, the tire pressure light goes out on the dashboard.

I wish my workout was as easy as the tire fix. My standby MPOW earbuds are dead. They were over 5 years old so not totally unexpected. Unfortunately, I can't get the replacement earbuds to work. So I'm stuck with the AirPods. They work well enough although the caterwauling of the gym music leaks in and there's no way for me to increase the volume. I'm nearly done with my workout when the right earbud falls out. Unfortunately, it falls while I'm on the stair machine and lands on the first top step which has no back. Which means it falls into the abyss under the stairs and is not at all accessible from outside the machine. 

I tell the front desk and she tells me that Gym Owner has left for the weekend and won't be back until Monday. Unfortunately, he's the only one who can take the machine apart and retrieve the lost earbud. Then she tells me that this happens all the time. Ugh. My old MPOW earbuds were wired to each other so even if one fell out of my ear, it wouldn't fall very far. Certainly not down the back of the Matrix ClimbMill. So, now I need to shop for a new set of earbuds as well...

I'm achy and tired when I start, but I do feel better when I leave. The peepers have stopped trilling but the fragrance of lilacs is still in the air. Small thick stems with leaves facing each other scream Common Milkweed. Yaaay! I'm hoping to avoid the aphid problem this year but I'll have to be vigilant. There's no way to kill aphids without harming butterfly caterpillars using pesticides so it's totally a manual operation.

11 May 2023
Achy Thursday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30 + 5 (5438)
Distance: 2.79
Cal: 307
Avg Hr: 137, 176-117

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


Right earbud falls out into step mill!!!
StepMill (L)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-60)
Steps 530
Floors 33
Cal 77
Hr 131

HGPU 20

AMRAP

I don't feel too bad about the lackluster numbers from the elliptical today as I had to swap out my "low power" earbuds for the AirPods 25 minutes into the "run." Then I dawdled a bit too long in the Aerobics Room, relishing the quiet. The gym is crowded and so is the parking lot. There are "new" regulars who have changed their schedules or felt pangs of guilt about not having been all winter. Summer's just around the corner.

I set up at the Inclined Breaker Bench for the DB Shoulder routine when I see a flutter on the floor and realize a small beige moth has wandered inside, far from any exits. It's not going to fair well inside a gym so I pull off my gloves, cup it inside my hands and walk out the back door to release it outside. There's a wooded area behind the strip of employee parking spots and hopefully it'll find its way there. It's just a moth but I'd rather it be outside than haplessly squashed in the free weight area. Yesterday I saw the first tiger swallowtail of the season flit through the Bark Park. That's really early! Meanwhile, peeper frogs still trill in the evening. That's really late! The seasons are all messed up.

After a few sets, a new guy shows up in the free weight area. He's middle-aged and a bit disheveled. He brings a shopping bag and plants it on a flat bench. I'm focusing too hard on my reps to see what he's pulling out or putting into the bag. It does keep Tank and everyone else from using the bench, which is fine with me. Those guys are too chatty anyway. 

My arms waver during the 3rd set and I don't have time to rest longer between sets. Instead, I decide to let the last set, the cool down set, go AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible). And it turns out that means a bit more than the original 25 reps.

9 May 2023
Sunny Tuesday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5302)
Distance: 2.76
Cal: 301
Avg Hr: 115, 169-76


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

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
15 lbs x 30/15/40 cool down

Sunny Monday

I'm not getting more sleep but I feel better in the morning, mostly because I've stopped taking melatonin. However, not being painfully tired hasn't improved my performance much as cardio and pull-ups will attest. But at least I get it all done. Even the second set of pull-ups. Unfortunately, I can't make it past rep 20 for either set. The gym is crowded. And there is minimal a/c, even in the Aerobics Room! Ugh.

Turning the water to cold for a few seconds at the end of my shower helps me cool down. Temps will hit mid 70s today, tiny kamikaze bugs dart into one's ears, nose, eyes and mouths. At night, there are still the trill of peepers and although the forsythias have dropped their bloom, lilacs perfume the air day and night. Except for the suicide bugs, it's a lovely day.

We had a lovely trip to see the ruins of Bannerman's Castle, the shell of a poorly engineered spectacle of a warehouse on a 6-acre rock in the Hudson River. The weather was "picture perfect" making us feel very lucky. My husband enjoyed the ferry ride. My son took photos of plants and insects. It was a great day to be outdoors.

8 May 2023
Sunny Monday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5452)
Distance: 2.79
Cal: 307
Avg Hr: 134, 176-96

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

StepMill (R)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-60)
Steps 532
Floors 33
Cal 78
Hr 134

HGPU 20

Maybe It's the Melatonin?

I still only got 6 hours of sleep last night but I felt better this morning. Maybe it's because I skipped taking the 3 mg dose of melatonin? I started taking the bare minimal dose because I got tired (no pun intended) of waking up in the middle of the night. Now, with all the hoopla about melatonin gummies containing tons more or less than what's on the label, I have to wonder if perhaps there's also an issue with standard melatonin tablets. I'm still tired, but not painfully so...

Temps are deceptively chilly for a brilliantly sunny morning. Clouds roll in later. Hopefully the weather will remain moderate over the weekend when we have plans to visit Bannerman Castle ruins. I still can't believe I've never heard of it until just a few days ago!

My cardio is a skosh better than yesterday. My abs are uncharacteristically sore and later in the day, I fend off the beginnings of a spasm in my upper right ab. The fact that spasms seem to be occurring sporadically in odd places has me a bit concerned. But what exactly would I ask Doctor Google? Spasms can be due to fatigue, overuse, mineral deficiencies, injury...

According to the blood work from my annual exam, everything's good. I'm not low on any vitamins or minerals, and as much as my GP tries to convince me that I need to treat my lightweight bones, I can truthfully tell her that I've never broken any, and hence, am not taking any of those treatments (with the concerning side effects) like Fosamax or Boniva. I'm short, but I'm certainly not frail.

After time in the Aerobics Room, I find my usual inclined bench in the DB area. Unfortunately, both pairs of 15s are in use. Luckily, I can also use the chrome-plated "beauty bells" on a side rack. These DBs have a narrower diameter so they're a tad easier to hold in my child-size hands. I don't use them often because the DB heads are very thick and I find them not as well-balanced as the traditional DBs. When I'm done with all my sets, there's literally no one in the DB area. Was it something I said? Kidding. I don't talk to anyone!

5 May 2023
Sunny Cinco De Mayo Friday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30 + 5 (5530)
Distance: 2.82
Cal: 312
Avg Hr: 147, 180


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

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
15 lbs x 25/15/25 cool down

Sooo Not A Morning Person

I really wanted to roll over and go back to sleep when the alarm sounded this morning. Part of the problem is my chronic sleep deficit during the week when I have to get up at an ungodly hour, 6 AM, to make sure my son makes it to the school bus. And once I'm up, I'm up. There's no napping. I tell myself I can make it up by going to bed earlier in the evening, but of course, while simultaneously reading online, watching a show, perhaps making dinner as well as feeding and walking the pups, and remembering to space out my evening eye drops... well, time gets away from me and it's 11 PM before I know it. Which means I'm not in bed until midnight. Six hours isn't enough sleep. I muddle on until Saturday when I have the luxury of waking at 8. Or maybe even 9!

I'm tired and I really don't want to be at the gym, but I skipped yesterday to do errands so guilt makes me exercise. And the workout is abysmal. Not a total loss, but definitely not great. I squeeze out 20 reps after cardio. The Aerobics Room has people in it I've never seen before, including a guy who's staring at his phone while planted on the stack of mats in the corner. Ewww. Get your lazy ass off the mats and sit on some empty bench in the free weight area instead! 

I literally don't have it in me to do another round of pull-ups. There's only one step machine available and while the TV works, setting the speed to 6 gets me 52 SPMs (steps per minute) for the entire duration. I'm too tired to argue with the machine. I really need to go to bed earlier tonight!

It's Star Wars day because May the Fourth, but it feels more like mid-April. Rainy and cold enough to warrant wearing my winter parka to the dog park. Of course, the weather is crazy and might hit mid-70s on Sunday. We have plans to visit Bannerman Castle on Saturday. I've never heard of it until yesterday when I scrolled through the Dutchess County Bureau of Tourism website. It's a ruin on a tiny island in the Hudson River, accessible only by ferry or kayak. We signed up for the ferry, and a tour. And the weather should be much nicer than it's been. My only concern are the 72 steps between the dock and the beginning of the tour trail at the top of the hill, because this weather has wreaked havoc with my sense of balance. There might be a name for weather-induced vertigo. Regardless, it's very unpleasant. Luckily, photos show a civilized staircase with railings...

4 May 2023
Star Wars Thursday and I’m Exhausted

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5332)
Distance: 2.76
Cal: 303
Avg Hr: 140, 170-80

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

StepMill (L)
Manual 10:06 min
Speed 6 (52)
Steps 526
Floors 32
Cal 77
Hr 143

Why Didn't I Do This Sooner?

This morning as I was getting dressed, it finally occurred to me that I could snip that pesky tag off the inside of my gym pants. I love these pants: they seem indestructible after over 15 years of use, but the inside back tag is thick and just as resilient as the rest of the fabric. I have scissors handy and into the trash the label goes. 

I have scissors in every room of the house (except the bathroom) because as a child, there were only two "good" pairs: one that my grandmother used for cutting cloth when sewing, and my mother's pair. They were kept in secret drawers and woe to you if you "borrowed" them and forgot to replace them. I hate the idea of searching for household items you need on a daily basis, so once I realized that decent scissors are cheap enough, I bought enough to stock every room in the house. But I digress...

Cardio was better than yesterday but not awesome. Awesome was laying on the mat in the Aerobics Room and not feeling a painful protuberance over my tailbone. Why didn't I do this sooner?! Crunches and dead bugs are so much more pleasant now! I am truly that princess sleeping on 20 mattresses with a pea at the bottom.

I haven't done my shoulder routine in a while so that's what's on the menu today. I don't have time for the 4th "heavy" set but 3 is good. If I had more time, I could probably do another 2 sets with adequate rest between. The last set, a cool down, tells me I have lots more in the tank. The chatty regulars are literally draped over the Inclined Breaker Bench closest to the Squat rack. Click the volume louder on my earbuds. Then, use the other bench because it's less of a hassle. I really try to avoid interacting with anyone while I'm at the gym.

The gym celebrated the lifting of masking mandates but stating they wouldn't automatically be handing out bottles of spray disinfectant and wash cloth unless requested. Personally, I use the cloth to wipe the hair out of the shower once I'm done. It's my part keeping the shower usable! In the locker room, I apply the combination anti-fungal anti-inflammation cream. I still can't believe that it's a yeast infection on an unlikely area, not the armpit itself but just below it! The cream seems to be working, albeit extremely slowly. At least the rash isn't spreading... but the "cold uticaria" has re-emerged on one side of my body with painful red hives. And the other side seems fine... so weird.

2 May 2023
Tagless Tuesday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5580)
Distance: 2.83
Cal: 314
Avg Hr: 147, 188-78

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

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
15 lbs x 25/15/25 cool down

When Doing Less is Better

My son's Eagle Scout Court of Honor proceeded with admirable attendance in spite of rainy weather. It's done and I can check it off my list. Whew! My only regret is that I didn't think to get a family selfie shot while we were all dressed up, and that's so unlike me. But I had other things on my mind. There is respite from the storm today and eventually the sun blazes out, highlighting the carpet of tiny tree flowers underfoot at the dog park. But first, I went to the gym. It was crowded.

I got my cardio done and it wasn't horrible. Not the best, but not horrible. At the Stretch Cage, I dip my heels a few times, step up to tip toes, then do a gentle lunge. It's a hamstring stretch, but I suspect it's creating the wonky pre-charley horse feeling in my right leg bicep when I position myself for pull-ups. Of course, this thought only occurs to me after I struggle through my first set.

After core exercises in the Aerobics Room, I warm up again with 10 minutes on the step machine. Both are empty and just for fun, I use the one on the right side. It also initially starts at 60 steps per minute but quickly drops down to 52 for the first 5 minutes, then back up to 57 briefly. Thoroughly warm and a bit breathless, I approach the Stretch Cage for the second time. I remind myself not to stretch beforehand. And the pull-ups go much better (yes, 2 extra reps at the end of a set is much better by my standards) because I'm not distracted by the threat of a painful muscle spasm. 

It's a bit disheartening to be forced to do less than your body is capable of because there's indirect consequences. I guess that's what aging is all about. I could lift heavier. I could stretch like I used to. But lifting heavy will negatively affect my glaucoma and stretching exacerbates my sciatica. So I lift light weights many times. And I don't really stretch much at all. Aging seems to be all about learning to walk that fine line between inactivity and useful exercise.

1 May 2023
Sunny Start Monday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30 + 5 (5534)
Distance: 2.82
Cal: 312
Avg Hr: 143, 180-92

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

StepMill (R)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-60)
Steps 531
Floors 33
Cal 77
Hr 154

HGPU 22