Don't Sleep on Your Right Side

I normally sleep on my back but occasionally roll onto my left side. This morning I uncharacteristically rolled right. And it was a big mistake. Not only did I have to deal with the daily sciatic cramp in my right calf, but my whole upper back on the right side was sore, as if it had suffered from a spasm. My dogs and I still went to the Bark Park although the soreness made doing my usual chores more difficult.

I got to the gym later than I planned. I was surprised that there was still ample parking. And no one on any of the four elliptical machines. I got on #1 and started pedaling. Within 5 minutes someone else got on #3. A few minutes past that and I realized that I could see someone in my lower peripheral vision. Yep, it was Wind Breaker on machine #2. (No one wants to use #4.) 

Between the twinges in my upper back and the sporadic pin prick itchiness from having super dry skin and dry cold air, I'm miserable until I finally start sweating. Because it's cold in the gym, that doesn't happen until 25 minutes into my routine. Normally, I hit that mark after 15 minutes. Meanwhile, on the treadmill up front there's a girl doing HIIT cardio (alternating between running and walking) wearing nothing more than a sports bra and frilly pink running shorts. Well, she IS sweating, and looking very cute doing it. (No, I didn't take her pix. That'd be a breach of privacy.)

I managed okay with pull-ups for the first and second sets. The step machine offered no surprises. I was reading my phone for most of my time on the cross-trainer, so not great time but still enough to get the heart rate up. The Precor elliptical is still my go-to cardio machine though. It just fits me better and I like the ability to do forward and backward motions without having my toes and feet go numb. 

I walk by the Stretch Cage and skip that last set of pull-ups when I see it's "Napoleon." He's the short dude that bumped me from the Stretch Cage some years ago when I was at the gym with my kid. I thought he was going to actually do something special, like pull-ups with legs up on the roof of the Cage (I've seen others do it), but nope. He just hung by one arm like an orangutan as he chatted up some girl. 

Afterward, I did a set of pull-ups and his face dropped in embarrassment. He has since tried to work in with me but I've always declined. I have a long memory. Dude, if you're not going to outright apologize for being a douche, then just get out of my way. Today, he's actually "shadow boxing" inside the cage, which is the dumbest thing I've seen him do. I don't feel like waiting around, so I just go straight to the Aerobics Room. I do my routine but skip the Walking Lunges and Wall Sits. I'm too tired. I don't even consider that last set of pull-ups as I walk back to the locker room. 

I sent back that problematic hoodie. Land's End has partnered with shops to receive their returned items for either store credit or a reverse charge. (Credit my card 'cuz I don't know if I want to chance buying anything else here.) The local UPS store is the Happy Returns partner for my town (very convenient for me) although it still costed me $6.95 to return a defective item. But what else could I do with it? It's not wearable. I did launder it before bringing it to the UPS store, because it'd be gross otherwise and I'm not that kind of person.

Now waiting for LLBean to deliver a different hoodie. (I have faith that this one will be wearable.) I bought some 10% glycolic acid skin cream after I realized that the bottle of face cream I've been using sparingly actually has a website printed at the base of the bottle. I used to buy it at drugstores but I haven't seen it in years. When I got the package, I saw that they had carefully taped the dispenser closed to prevent leaking in transit. Very nice. What's unexpected is that the tape itself is branded. Just to prevent such leaks. Okay, that's kind of weird. And petty, right? 

I've been suffering from a mild case of vertigo. It usually happens in the winter, and is probably due to a slight sinus infection messing with my balance. Not getting enough sleep isn't helping at all. My kid has decided to carpool back to school and is leaving next weekend, a few days earlier than expected. I'm taking him to see the new Nosferatu movie at the local cinema tomorrow. Who can resist $5 Tuesday?!

13 January 2025 12:00-1:52

Monday — All Cardio

Cold gray cardio

Precor elliptical #1

Program 2

Time: 30 + 5 (5594)

Distance: 2.84

Cal: 315

Avg Hr: 157, 210-79?

New FB: 45-130

HGPU 16

Matrix StairMaster (R)

Manual timer 8+2 cool down

Minimum 5 minutes

Speed 5 (48-50) / 2 (33) / 1 (29)

Steps 433

Floors 27

Cal 65

Hr 129

HGPU 15

Life Fitness X-Trainer #5

Program Manual L1

Time: 10 (+3 min cool down) = 13

Distance: 1.14

Cal: 99

Avg Hr: 119-123

   Skip HGPU 14.5 / Napoleon shadow boxing in stretch cage

20 Hip Bridges

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 25

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Neck stretch / Eye yoga