Contraindicated and Yet

I am the poster child for doing things wrong and getting better than expected results. I should take notes even though there's a part of me that is screaming about following the rules. After a few dry weeks, I decided to have a hard cider last night with dinner. The husband had to leave last night for a sudden work meeting early (7 AM!) this morning which begins an onsite testing phase for the projects he's working on. That means I'm on my own for the next few weeks. Like a latchkey kid, I eat snacks for supper (cheddar slices and corn cakes) while watching an old TV show (The Dresden Files on Roku).

It's never advisable to take hypertension medication with adult beverages, but I literally wash the foul little tablet (more bitter than aspirin) down with an Angry Orchard. Because I had a class yesterday, I also didn't exercise. But my BP was lower last night than for the past few days. I skipped drinking chamomile tea last night, which might've been the reason I didn't feel sleepy or tired by 1 AM. Which means morning is going to be hard, but I actually wake up before the alarm goes off. 

Unfortunately, that means less than 6 hours of sleep. And that's apparent when I accidentally leave my water bottle in the car when I go to the gym. It's the first time in over 10 years that I've ever done that. So, yes, I'm a little spacey this morning. 

I've cycled through the routines back to program 1 and I'm already dreading it. But I turn my music on and pedal furiously. Oddly, cardio is better today than it has been for the past few days. My heart rate is closer to normal as well. Has that tiny bit of alcohol blunted the low HR side effect of the glaucoma med Timolol? I don't know.

The gym's not empty but I can still access all the equipment I need to use. While pull-ups aren't great (nowhere near the 23 I used to be able to get), they don't suck either. Anything over a dozen is good in my book. And I'm able to do Seated Cable Rows for this week. Yaaay! Between pull-ups and cable rows, the biceps get enough stress to maintain a nice full peak shape. But it doesn't take much for my arms to keep their muscles. (My husband has always been "jealous" of that aspect of my physiology and hopes my kid has inherited that. Too soon to know.)

I do a full Core workout in the Aerobics Room. I'm a bit surprised when I see other people in there, but by the time I'm done, no one is there. Most people only spend a few minutes doing one or two movements, unlike me with a whole laundry list of items. And I feel guilty if I skip one -- I put them on this list for a reason! 

I'm hoping to go to bed earlier tonight. No adult beverage, but perhaps a nice cup of Twinings Nightly Calm after pups go for their evening walk. I also have Sleepy Time teas but it's important to read the ingredients listed since sometimes I find licorice root included, and as much as I like the slippery sweetness, it's bad for hypertension and glaucoma patients. There's probably not enough to cause any ill effects, but I like to be cautious. And yes, I love black licorice (as does my kid). 

There's a frost warning for tonight, but temps are forecast to hit a ridiculous 80F by Monday. Super crazy weather, and I'm sure the gym won't have the a/c on because it'll still be April and the gym owner is cheap. I realize he's a small business owner and costly amenities have gone by the wayside: no more racks of fitness magazines, the front desk staff also teaches classes and also cleans (no cleaning crew), ceiling lights have gone out in the shower area so it's more like mood lighting, water fountains never turned back on after the pandemic regulations were repealed... I've always brought my own water.  

24 April 2024 12:11-1:51
Sleep Deprived Wednesday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30+5 (5706)
Distance: 2.87
Cal: 320
Avg Hr: 164, 192
Fitbit: 52-136

HGPU 15

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 (knees)
Arm rotations 20
Walking lunges 36 steps total
Neck stretch / Eye yoga
Wall Squat 90s (!!!)