Are Push-ups A Flex?

I am happy to report that I was right about using calming chews on the dogs before taking them for their annual checkups and vaccine boosters. The vet-recommended mix of gabapentin and tramadol never worked very well, was expensive, and needed to be started the night before. And after all that, it wasn't very effective during the actual exams and then the pups would pass out with exhaustion at home. (Dogs appear to be healthy with lab tests results pending and have put on weight in spite of being the pickiest eaters in the canine world. I'm shocked.)

There are many different brands but I got these NaturVet Quiet Moments Calming Aid with melatonin from the Tractor Supply store. It works well when the one dog is freaking out over thunderstorms and fireworks. Available on Chewy.com, but I've seen it in places like CVS as well. While the dogs were still rambunctious during the car ride, still whined and paced while waiting to be examined, they were easier to handle by the vet staff and they even got their nails trimmed. I have recommended it to doggy friends at the park, but of course, every dog will react differently, just like people. 

I also finally got around to scrubbing a disgusting mess out of our jacuzzi tub. It took a lot of elbow grease, rubber gloves and Zep spray cleaner. My forearms and abs are really sore today, not that I did any real ab work. It was having to drape myself over the edge of the enameled cast-iron tub and reach across to muscle the solidified soap scum, hard water, and stray hair that had crusted into a solid surface. Because the last time, my husband's version of cleaning the tub was to fill it with water and toss some bleach in. Changed the color and probably disinfected it, but didn't actually remove anything. That takes elbow grease. Maybe some core strength. My abs are sore under the rib cage from how I needed to position myself. Because I wasn't going to sit in the tub and crouch over when everything is covered in a caustic paste. For practical purposes, what would you wear on your feet?  

My kid didn't have to be at work until 10 today, so I got to the gym around 10:20 and was surprised at how crowded it was. Unexpectedly, there were a lot of kids in the free weight area. Schools are just about done but kids don't usually show up until later. The Precor elliptical machines were still available although half the Life Fitness cross-trainers were occupied. By the time I left the gym, most of the treadmills were in use as well. 

There was a Senior Class today so after cardio and weight lifting, I grabbed a mat and sat down in the Functional Gym area. I won't lie: cardio was hard and I didn't make it to 2.8. I was surprised to do better on pull-ups. I had been thinking about an All Cardio workout, but that would means three sets of pull-ups, and I wanted to rest them to avoid courting tendonitis. Maybe Friday. 

Directly after cardio, I was happy to claim a narrow Nautilus bench set up conveniently across from the DB rack. My abs were sporadically complaining, i.e., they're sore but not visibly bruised. And yes, I did increase the rep count for all my sets to compensate for not being able to increase the DB load any other way. I'm not tired when I'm done; just sweaty with an eye on the clock to make sure I have time to do some grocery shopping afterward. Come to think of it, I'm never actually tired when I leave the gym, no matter what routine. I might feel tired later though, when the chronic sleep deficit catches up with me.

In the functional gym area, a lean middle-age fellow in alternating between riding an erg bike and bouncing a large ball. The erg bike might be new since it's been placed right next to the weird flywheel machine (Cascade Raptor Functional Trainer) that I've only ever seen one person play around with. I think I'm actually too short to reach the levers on that machine so unless I'm really bored, it's not something I'm going to investigate.

Two tall skinny kids showed up and spent a lot of time chatting while occasionally smacking the heavy bag that's hanging off the Functional Gym station. I proceeded with my full core routine. When I'm done with push-ups and stand up to shake out my arms, I see the two skedaddle off to another part of the gym. Might've been a coincidence. Or not. Teenage boys are a weird lot. My push-ups are low to the ground and very quick because my short arms are spread wide to change the elbow angle. Otherwise those joints would click and hurt and I wouldn't get a lot done. But Air Squats are also quick. As are Side Lunges. The only thing I skip are Wall Squats. Because there's only the mirrored wall in this section, and I don't want to lean against it. (It already has a crack from some hapless kettle bell user.)

Temps promise to stay uncomfortably high (80s) for the rest of the week. Ugh. I did sign my kid up for driving lessons. After a few hours under the belt, I might encourage my kid to drive us to their job since it's very local at 7-8 minutes. Of course, having the crazy dogs in the back will be a major distraction, rendering use of the rear view mirror inoperable. Maybe I'll have the kid drive us back home from the job. Alas, backing into our driveway will also be quite the challenge... 

18 June 2025 10:34-12:41

Wednesday — Cardio & Shoulders

Rainy Cool B4 the Heatwave

Precor elliptical #1

Program 2

Time: 30 + 5 (5382)

Distance: 2.78

Cal: 305

Avg Hr: 154, 186?

New FB: 42-127

HGPU 20!

Incl DB Press s/s Lateral Raises s/s Rev Incline Flys

10 lbs x 30/15/25 (11:32)

15 lbs x 30/15/30 (11:41)

20/15/20 x 30/20/30 reps

Set 1 (11:52); Set 2 (12:03); Set 3 (12:15)

20 Hip Bridges (12:20)

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 25 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 40

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Side Lunges 12 each side

Neck stretch / Eye yoga