Frustration All Around

I haven't been to the gym in 3 days so today was rough. No excuses for Tuesday, but Wednesday we had an orthodontist appointment, and yesterday my kid had all his wisdom teeth out. His face is still swollen today but at least he doesn't need to have gauze stuffed into his cheeks like he did on the ride home. A big bloody mess that can barely be rinsed out with saline. A friend of his from school also had wisdom teeth out last week and wound up swallowing the bloody gauze. Not once but three times. Good grief, must've had some super strong painkillers! 

My kid isn't allowed to use a straw or spit as those actions could dislodge any healing clots. That was more traumatic than I remember my own experience near forty years ago. We go back for a follow-up next week. Just like we go back to the orthodontist for a new set of aligners. All these appointments are eating into my summer, but stuff needs to get done. (It's not like my kid is going to handle this on his own while he's at school.) I have yet to make an appointment with my kid's pediatrician for his annual exam. Insurance still covers him so why not?

I woke up with a big red splot on my eyeball; a ruptured blood vessel. That doesn't usually happen to me so I'm not sure what caused this particular incident. Luckily, I have dark brown irises and the busted vessel isn't too noticeable unless you look very closely. It's still too hot although slightly less humid. I have errands to do before I get to the gym, and there's a lot of cars in the parking lot. Because it's Friday, there's no school, and the movie theater next door is always a good way to spend a few summer hours.

Elliptical machines #1 and #2 are occupied so I get on #3. It doesn't accept programs, and neither does machine #4. A hard reboot would solve that except I can't access any plugs, and I'm not familiar enough with the equipment to find the power button. I have to drag someone from the front desk back to the cardio platform, who then crouches beneath the front panel and unplugs something. The machine goes dark for a second and comes back. While the levels indicator remains useless (all zeros), I can set the program and timer. The timer acts a bit funky in the beginning, sometimes displaying a single digit like 2 or 5 for no apparent reason before resuming the countdown of time elapsed. These machines need serious tune-ups, but that's unlikely to happen any time soon. 

I'm having a very hard time pedaling and don't make it to 2.8. Later, I check my FitBit and see that my heart rate barely makes it past 115, which is crazy low for all the effort. It should be closer to 135, but 3 days of non-activity and beta blocker, timolol, means my cardio capacity feels non-existent. It's not hopeless though. If I do cardio every day, I can overcome the slow HR. I just need the time, and motivation. At least the pull-ups didn't get worse. They didn't get better either. Hey, I can still do them and I'll take that.

The beta blocker doesn't seem to affect actual strength, and sets of Seated Cable Rows proceed just fine. Afterward, triceps get a decent workout with super sets of Rip Skulls and Skull Crushers. The gym is full of teens and seniors. And then it isn't. They come in waves. The Aerobics Room is nice and cool. Biz Gal is back with her personal trainer and there's another guy on a mat doing odd hip stretches. After a few minutes, everyone is gone and it's just me doing my routine. I lose count doing push-ups, which isn't good. I try hard to remain focused. At least I got the Wall Sits done in full.

12 July 12:09-2:04

Friday Inertia

Precor elliptical #3 errant timer/levels

Program 1

Time: 30+5 (5446)

Distance: 2.79

Cal: 308

Avg Hr: 152, 186-76

Fitbit: 50-116!! (39 sleeping HR)

HGPU 14.5 (ugh!)

Seated Cable Rows

50 lbs x 15

60 x 15

70 x 15, 15, 15

BB Rip / Skulls Crusher combo 30 lbs

(Each set = 24 reps)

12/12 reps x 3sets

20 Hip Bridges

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

10 Hip Bridges & 10 one-leg ea

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

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

Wall Squat 150 sec