The Worst Monday is the One Before A Storm on a Holiday

It was 16F when I woke up this morning and not much warmer when I took the pups to the park. Thank goodness for that heated water bowl. We stayed around 30 minutes, not that the dogs were cold. They were just bored since no one else came, and my dogs tend to eat the frozen dirt, tree roots and yes, frozen poopsicles when they aren't distracted by other pups. Ewww. I get to the gym later than I want because my husband decided at the last minute to wash a pair of cargo pants that he wants to take with him today. He's in Boston for the week. Why didn't he put them into the washer yesterday when I stayed up late to make sure that day's load was properly dried? 

Of course, with so few items in the washer, the machine fails the spin cycle. My husband has literally no idea about setting the washer to the Drain & Spin only so I wait until that's done and then toss everything into the dryer. Because the husband never uses the proper setting for getting clothes optimally dry. He uses the sensor setting which is more for delicate items, not towels or cargo pants. And if you don't thoroughly dry your clothes, you eventually walk around reeking of mildew. Double ewwww.

The gym is horrendously crowded and it's not even past noon. There are HS and college kids because it's still Winter Break, today's a holiday, it's Monday (so lots of seniors), and NYS issued a Winter Storm alert for tomorrow. I rescheduled my dental appointment because I don't want to risk driving on icy roads when it's just a checkup. I'm hoping it's just a bit of snow and that we can still go to the Bark Park in the morning, but maybe not.

I've had fractured sleep for the past several days and yesterday I finally gave in to a long afternoon nap. Then I stayed up until 2 AM, went to sleep and still felt tired this morning. When I get to the gym, I'm skeptical as to how well I'll do on the elliptical number 2, sandwiched between two people I've never seen before. The gauge just clicks to 2.96 as I run out of time, and I'm totally surprised that I've made it that far. I'm also surprised to get my pull-ups out of the way.

Everything else is routine, from the Dead Bugs to the Walking Lunges. And the Wall Squats aren't any easier but I survive 90 seconds. Ideally I'll be back on Wednesday for cardio and some weights. I'm toying with the idea of adding a few light sets of Seated Cable Rows, but of course that makes me nervous. The last time I did those, my sciatica flared up for weeks and I don't want a repeat. I do believe that my very last bout of sciatica stemmed from an inflammation reaction to the shingles vaccine. Which is why I haven't scheduled a second shot. 

I've been streaming old TV shows I've never heard of before, like DeadBeat, starring the fellow who plays Dr Iggy Frome in New Amsterdam. I only started watching that for Ryan Eggold -- he was one of the few reasons to watch The Black List. (Well, James Spader is always entertaining.) Who knew Tyler Labine was actually a comedic actor? And that Danny DeVito & Rhea Perlman's daughter, Lucy DeVito co-stars. She's so tiny that at first I thought she might be a dwarf (cue Peter Dinklage). Imagine how I feel to learn she's 4'11. Not a dwarf. I'm 4'11.5" so I've got a 1/2" on her, which means, uh, I'm tiny too? Good grief.

15 January 2024 11:34-12:49
Arctic Monday before the storm

Precor elliptical #2
Program 2
Time: 30+5 (5956)
Distance: 2.96 (barely)
Cal: 334
Avg Hr: NA 163-80, 205
Fitbit: 59-164

HGPU 17

20 Hip Bridges
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
DeadBugs 20 x 5 alt/ss = 100 (or 7?)
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 41 steps total
Neck stretch / Eye yoga
Wall Squat 90s