Later that night, I was lying in bed and needed to adjust the top sheet. Twisting a bit to get it right and suddenly my whole right side is stricken like an over tightened cord was twanged. Sciatica flared right up and has been miserable ever since. It's bad in the morning as I limp to the bathroom to brush my teeth. But it's absolutely torture driving the dogs to the Bark Park, with my right leg throbbing in pain and my foot going numb as I try to press the accelerator or brake. However, once I get to the park and trudge up and down the hill (water, poop patrol, etc.), the pain dissipates and I'm able to drive back with the dogs without too much discomfort.
I get to the gym a bit earlier than usual. Wind Breaker is on elliptical #3 and a big middle-aged dude is on #1. Which means #2 is available and I'm on it for my routine 35 minutes. I've already decided that today is just cardio and stretching/core because I haven't figured out what I can do except the DB Shoulder routine that won't aggravate my sciatica. Seated Cable rows are out, and experience tells me that Skull Crushers and Rip Skulls put a lot of stress on the spine and ultimately, the legs and sciatic nerves.
I started taking Timoptic again yesterday. So far, my eyes are only mildly irritated so that's reassuring. Cardio doesn't feel horrible but I know it's not going to be as good as last week. There's no way to really check since the FitBit is behaving erratically (I can't wait until I get the return packaging to swap it for one that actually works again). After the elliptical, I do some pull-ups, and those are a skosh better. Then 10 minutes on the Stair Climbing machine where I can look over the free weight area and assess just where everything is. Apparently the old squat rack is gone as well. And there are only 4 adjustable benches in the DB area, and all of them are occupied. Good thing I'm just doing cardio today.
The step machine is harder than I remember. I haven't done it in a long time. But after I get off, I decide to do 20 minutes on the Cross-trainer (with an additional 5 minute cool down). Because it's a more difficult glide, I only pedal backwards during the cool down. When I get home, I notice that my fingers are chafed where I held the moving handles for most of the routine. Egads, I'm so freakin' delicate! My only solace is that I get to watch Olympic gymnastics while pedaling the cross-trainer, as those TVs only work if you're pedaling. Fine with me. I also caught some swim races.
Eventually I get to the now empty Aerobics Room and do my regular routine. Except I skip the stretches that might aggravate my hamstrings. Oddly, even after all that cardio, the Wall Sits just arent' that bad. There's a girl doing her own routine and she winds up against the wall. I'm not really paying attention so I don't know what she's doing. At one point she grabs some paper towels and wipes the bottoms of her sneakers. Maybe she's sliding? I do my Wall Sits and then I'm done. Wonder if I'll be sore tomorrow?
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