Successful Time Management

I got my gym gear together last night so I was ready to go once I dropped my kid off: today is unloading and restocking. Which meant I got to the gym earlier than I've been in years. And it wasn't horribly crowded because it was between the morning shift crowd and the afternoon HS kids. But there were more people on both the cross-trainer and the elliptical than I've seen in a long time. 

Both elliptical #1 and #2 were occupied so I hopped on #3. It has some minor problems, like that the elevation indicator is frozen at level 7 regardless of what level the pedals are at. The only time that's inconvenient is during the 5-minute cool down where I like to bring the level halfway to 7 regardless of where the program has ended. Today is program 2 and it ends at level 1 or 2 so I pop it up a few taps and guess that it's at level 7 because that number doesn't budge regardless of what the console shows. 

I did make it past 2.8 so that was good. Also good was my one set of pull-ups. Since I haven't had time lately to go back and forth between cardio and pull-ups, I decided to test whether I could get one good set every day without stressing those tiny tender tendons in my forearms and elbows. (I'm done with those forearm braces for tennis and golfer elbow tendonitis!) 

I have time today to finish a decent weight training routine so I look for a flat bench. Even though the free weight area isn't very crowded, most of the benches are either occupied or lodged in inaccessible squat cages. I drag an old flat bench out to the middle of the area and plant my BB and pair of DBs. People (it's literally all guys at this point) will just have to work around me. I get all my sets done and realize that even with the high reps, I'm not pushing myself terribly hard. But then again, with "vision loss due to glaucoma" constantly in the back of my mind, perhaps I should be satisfied just to finish.

Because it's Wednesday, there's a Senior class between 11:30 and 12:45. Which means I'm unable to use the Aerobics Room to do the rest of my core routine. Instead, I wedge myself between some guys working out at the front, in the Functional Gym area. There's a few things I won't do here, like Walking Lunges (there's no room) and Wall Sits (there's only the mirrored wall as everything else is a half railing). 

The schedule is different tomorrow and I will have less gym time. Maybe I won't go again until Friday when my kid has the day off, but working again all Saturday afternoon. I don't go to the gym on weekends (they close early on weekends anyway). But maybe I will go tomorrow since it'll be so hot that I refuse to work in the yard. I want to dismantle the compost bin I purchased a few years ago from the local Cornell U Cooperative Extension but I need it to not be raining. Or blisteringly hot. It's made of black plastic and while lightweight, it could probably give you a good burn. 

I thought it was just me, but when I went to the Extension program office last year about something else (probably milkweeds), I overheard people complaining about how poorly this composter worked, and I agree. It doesn't work. I need to empty it, pull it apart and put it in the trash... but not in 90F weather. Meanwhile, I have dozens of milkweeds in the yard. Some are already besieged by golden aphids. Others are untouched -- there are snails slithering up their stems. Once the blooms open and the air is heavy with perfume, I'll be waiting breathlessly for the fritillary butterfly show! Honeysuckle vines are also promising to bloom soon in the hedges in the driveway. A fragrant inconvenience. 

4 June 2025 10:32-12:17

Wednesday — Cardio et al

Summer Heat 83F 

Precor elliptical #3

Program 2

Time: 30 + 5 (5472)

Distance: 2.81

Cal: 310

Avg Hr: 148, 178-98?

New FB: 44-124

(11:11)

HGPU 20 :-)

Skull Crushers/RipSkulls

30 lbs x 24 reps x 3

S/s with

DB Laterals 10 lbs x 20 reps

10 lbs x 12 Alt rep curls

DB lateral 15 x 15 x 2

DB Alt Curls 15 x 12 x 2

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 25 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 40

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Neck stretch / Eye yoga