Friday, March 8, 2024

Maintenance is Hard Work

It finally stopped raining but of course, temps dropped down into the 30s. At least today the sun came out and eventually warmed us into the high 40s. Frogs have filled the wetlands and ponds: I can hear them croaking and peeping. Baby skunk cabbages pop their little purple heads up like cobras unfurling their hoods. Turkeys call their signature gobble while the Canadian geese tie up traffic crossing the road from the lake to a grassy front yard. I brought in more firewood yesterday because it's still cold at night. Today, I opened a few windows in the house. It's Spring!

The gym is crowded and the first two ellipticals are occupied. I start to wipe down the handles of #3 when I realize that the cup holder is broken and has no bottom. There's no other place to put my water bottle so I move over to #4. It has an intact cup holder but neither the TV nor the heart monitor inside the handles works. That's fine with me. I don't need either to have a good "run." 

I don't do cardio because I love it. I do it because it's good for me, it provides a great warmup, and if I didn't do it first, I'd never get around to doing it because at the end of my time, I'm tired and just want to shower and leave. For heart health, cardio is what's recommended. For overall aging health, both cardio and weight training, or whatever gets you moving off your butt. Seriously. The best exercise is the one you'll actually do. Just like the best "diet" is the one you can actually follow.

My left forearm is a little sore close to the elbow and that cuts my pull-up reps down by one. I'm able to do Seated Cable Rows afterward, pulling the handle right up to my chest. Now my elbow feels fine. I focus on keeping my back straight and lowering the plates slowly and quietly. Today the goal is 15 reps for each set. Taking decent rest breaks between sets helps. Then off to the Aerobics Room for a cool down remainder of the exercises.

The Core exercises are routine. Walking Lunges cause me to pause a few times so I don't fall over. Wall Squats suck but aren't the worst they've ever been. I'm hoping my BP drops down now that my head isn't reacting to the high air pressure. But there are two back-to-back storms on the radar: Saturday night into Sunday; and Sunday night into Monday. Lately, the high humidity and low air pressure have made me feel unwell. 

Antihistamines and decongestants are contraindicated for people with narrow-angle glaucoma. Ibuprofen and other NSAIDs shouldn't be taken when using losartan 50 mg. I have a cup of chamomile tea in the evening and am pleased to discover a variety of flavored Sleepy Time: vanilla, mint, peach, honey. So far, peach has been my favorite. There's a lavender flavor but I can't imagine drinking something that smells like it belongs in a drawer. 

Staying active is recommended for "healthy aging" but that in itself takes a lot of hard work. Or at least, a lot of energy. It takes energy to focus on activities, meal planning, vitamins and other supplements, and energy to direct your own care with medical professionals. Hypertension is mostly without obvious symptoms. I happen to be unusually sensitive (I can feel my heartbeat in my ears when my BP is high), and totally aware of my family history which is why I had scheduled an appointment instead of waiting for this to come up during my annual exam. 

Blood tests suggest I may already have minor kidney damage. Ugh. It might be hereditary, or it might be from hypertension. But this is all maintenance. It's not like I'm working toward a fitness goal (although I'd like to fit into my old clothes a wee bit better). I just want to age really well and live a long time without having serious health issues. Can you tell I have a birthday coming up?

8 March 2024 11:41-1:17
Sunny Friday

Precor elliptical #4 !!!
Program 2
Time: 30+5 (5858)
Distance: 2.92
Cal: 328
Avg Hr: NA
Fitbit: 55-156 (?)

HGPU 17 (sore left forearm)

Seated Cable Rows
50 lbs x 15
60 x 15
70 x 15, 15, 15

20 Hip Bridges
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
DeadBugs 20 x 5
20 Hip Bridges & 10 one-leg
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Fire Hydrants 20 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Arm rotations 20
Walking lunges 34 steps total
Neck stretch / Eye yoga
Wall Squat 90s (!!!)

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