Erroneous Assumptions

Temps are warming up but are by no means warm. It's cold, wet and foggy at the dog park this morning. I'm dreading the gym crowd but to my surprise, it's not too bad today. That's a shock considering it's still January, but most of the college kids have gone back to school. A lot of the seniors might've stayed home due to the forecast of a wintry mix. It's actually warm enough for that to be just a cold mist, not generous enough to be considered rain. 

It's not until I'm in the locker room that I realize that my earbuds refuse to pair with my iPod. It probably needs to be charged. Unfortunately, when I transferred all my gear to the new bag, I didn't check the backup AirPods to see if they were still charged. Alas, they were not. So there's 3 pairs of earbuds that are totally useless in my bag, which means I can't listen to my tunes. Well, at least the gym music isn't absolutely horrible today. 

I'm actually surprised that my cardio didn't suffer from my lack of musical inspiration, and singing/breathing. Maybe singing along doesn't make any difference? While not my absolute best, still better than the last two sessions. Maybe it's the daily losartan potassium? My blood pressure actually registered 118/84 last night, which drops me down from category Hypertension 2 to Hypertension 1. I also ate a banana with my cereal yesterday, something I don't regularly do. I don't know that increasing potassium has anything to do with it, but my brother tells me he's got to watch his potassium while he's taking a different hypertension medication, amlodipine. It seems to have more side effects.

I'm also testing new workout leggings I bought after reading a recommendation article by The New York Times' Wirecutter section. I'm never going to spend $78 on a pair of workout pants, so I scroll past to the budget section. I can handle $20. Of course, by the time you click on the link to Amazon, the price has changed and it's usually a bit higher. But still not ridiculous. I'm not normally a fan of leggings since they normally ride up or roll down or pinch and bind in unpleasant places. This one, by IUGA, is everything the review states: comfortable, has functional pockets that actually holds an iPhone securely, doesn't roll down at the waist or ride up in the crotch. While not as comfortable as my ancient Lands End active wear pants (LE stopped offering this item over a decade ago), those won't last forever. Or at least the elastic waistband won't. 

My fingertip is swollen and painful from the winter-induced fissure, and because it's a pointer fingertip, it gets bumped a lot. And boy is that painful! I've been swathing the fissures in moisturizers and anti-inflammatory cream (hydrocortisone mostly). The thumb is finally semi-recovered, but not the pointer. Luckily, fingertips don't impact grip strength when doing pull-ups. The first dozen feel good, but eventually I feel stress on my forearm and wrists. Hammer grip pull-ups are easier on those joints, but not completely stress-free. 

The Aerobics Room is empty and that's a relief. No jockeying for a spot on the floor! All exercises proceed routinely. I hold my phone during Air Squats and Walking Lunges to prevent me from resting my hands on my thighs as I push up/forward. Wall Squats still suck and the lack of music doesn't make any difference. Perhaps there's only one level of suck?

Once I get home, I plug in all my devices to make sure everything is charged for the next gym session. I don't know if that's going to be tomorrow, or Friday. Lately I've only been going twice a week, and I should go thrice. Today, I constantly have to remind myself that my kid is back at school, and the only ones home are the dogs. I didn't feel this way when he left for school in August, and he'll be back for Spring break in March. But I'm also acutely aware that I'm aging, people are aging and dying, and I want to live as long as I can healthily, because Gen Z aren't "adulting" as quickly as Boomers (like myself). 

So I'm concerned because when people you know, celebrities you grew up with get old and pass away, it's a worry. Last night I read that Gary Graham passed away. He was only 73. Shouldn't we all be living into our 80s or 90s? Alien Nation only ran one season but I really loved that show. 

24 January 2024 11:56-12:50
Gray Wednesday
No working earbuds! New workout leggings

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30+5 (5950)
Distance: 2.95
Cal: 333
Avg Hr: NA 156, 200-78
Fitbit: 59-167

HGPU 17

20 Hip Bridges
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
DeadBugs 20 x 5 alt/ss = 100
20 Hip Bridges & 10 one-leg bridges
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper stretch w side bends & twists
Walking lunges 38 steps total
Neck stretch / Eye yoga
Wall Squat 90s