Temp Rise And the Gym Is Empty

It's a bit early in the Spring season for temps to hit the mid 70s. While bright yellow forsythias dot the roadsides, I'm still waiting for the lilacs to bud and bloom, filling the air with their distinctive perfume. Trees have shed their tiny tree flowers. Those pesky eye gnats are out forming swarms that surround your head like a cloud. Even the dogs get bothered by them, enough for them to snap at the air.

Because it's really nice out (not raining!) there's literally no one on the cardio platform except me. Eventually, a few more bodies show up on the treadmill and other equipment. There's maybe half a dozen members in the gym. If I was a runner, I'd be out on the bike trails or in the various park trails. But as a bug magnet, and not a runner, I'm very happy to exercise indoors with the A/C blasting.

I'm able to push enough on the Precor elliptical to get past 2.8 today and that makes me happy. I managed a set of pull-ups as well, even though I've fully planned to push some weights later. There's a few HS kids since it's early afternoon. I don't need the adjustable Nautilus bench because it's going to be a tricep and delt routine. I decided to skip bicep curls because I was worried that they'd be gutted for pull-ups later, like maybe tomorrow. Cuz I'll probably do an abbreviated cardio workout tomorrow, if I make it to the gym.

I have to focus on the rep count when I do the skull crusher-Rip skull combination, and the last reps for the last set definitely got harder. Between sets there were lateral DB raises. More people come into the free weight area. I slip into the Aerobics Room and the a/c is blasting. There's not even a class in there until later in the day! That routine is routine, even with the added push-ups, although I was worried that the triceps would be tired. I got to 40 and did not fall on my face. Have not fallen on my face since I started this. Maybe I should shoot for 50 reps next time? Probably couldn't hurt, right?

It wasn't a cardio day so I ended the routine with an actual 2 minute Wall Sit. And I was able to last the entire 120 seconds. Mostly because I was reading texts from a friend who discovered that a bird had built a nest in the back of her decorative door wreath and she was going to relocate the seasonal decor because now there are eggs in the nest! And a door opening and closing is not the best place for nestlings. We both hope the mama bird won't abandon the nest and eggs now that it's safely out of the traffic lane... 

See the eggs?

Meanwhile, I spotted goldfinches at my feeders yesterday. They don't normally come to my yard. I think they're some sort of family group because I never see just one. Usually it's a grouping of 5 or 6. I'd thought they were more attracted to other types of seeds. I only stock sunflower seeds in my feeders and it's usually house finches, sparrows, chickadees, tufted titmouse, nuthatches, and the occasional woodpecker. 

3 goldfinches

It's too warm to put suet out, and suet tends to attract flocks of starlings. No one appreciates the thug-like behavior of starlings. But the grackles are okay with their shiny purple black plumage and the odd red-winged blackbird that hangs with them. I usually stop the feed during the summer because birds are supposed to be able to fend for themselves at that point, and I don't want any more casualties falling down the wood stove chimney. And that happens during the summer months. Less birds, less likely to have an incident... especially with the little ones, like sparrows.

25 April 2025 12:19-1:59

Thursday — Cardio et al

76°F and the gym is empty!!

Precor elliptical #1

Program 2

Time: 30 + 5 (5592)

Distance: 2.84

Cal: 315

Avg Hr: 153, 182-80

New FB: 46-148

HGPU 18.5

Skull Crushers/Rip Skulls

30 lbs x 24 reps x 4 sets

DB Laterals

10 lbs x 15 reps x 1 (warm up)

15 lbs x 15 x 3 sets

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 20x2=40 (Oops!)

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

Wall Squat 120 sec