Dirty Dog Days

The last two days have been hot and humid akin to stepping into a propane gas fueled kitchen oven set to 500F. It's a wall of scorching dense air but temps have only risen to mid 90s. I can't even imagine what it's like in parts of the country where temps have gone past 100F. And you can't tell me that it's different cause it's a dry heat, 'cuz in a lot of places, that is definitely not the case. My kid helped me toss a few more items into the dumpster, drain our giant outdoor cooler and refill it with 40 lbs of ice. Having 6 more inches of height and a few more pounds of muscle is a definite benefit when doing chores. 

The heat wave broke last night and brought some rain and thunder. One of the dogs got a half dose of calming chews and settled right down. This morning we went to the park where they were deliriously happy to see a canine friend and they got a good romp with zoomies. Afterwards, as the morning heated up, one dog settled into a hole he dug. The other dog prefers to pant on the fake grass. Jindo dogs like the cold. Even though my dogs are mix-breeds, there's enough Jindo in them to make them unhappy with the heat: probably that northern breed double-coat. I brushed the dirt off the white dog and pillowy clouds of fur fly off. I'm sure that felt better.

I always plan to get to the gym earlier than my actual arrival time. There's no Senior class today so I don't know how crowded the gym will be. It must be the Goldilock hour since there are few on the cardio platform. I can get on elliptical #1 and tap in program #3. My kid isn't working today so I don't have to cut my workout short. I'm pedaling hard but still unable to make it to 2.8. I might have to lower my expectations these days. Although I've been napping in the afternoon, I'm really not fixing my sleep deficit. 

Worse, I've been ignoring the stories from the glaucoma support group about persistent fatigue as a side effect of various medications. I'm on 3 of them plus the implants. There's not a lot I can do about that except muscle through it. Yes, I feel tired a lot, especially by late afternoon. It makes the rims of my eyelids burn and all I want to do is close them for a bit. Sometimes moisturizing drops help, sometimes not. Napping always helps though even if it means I'm covered in dog hair afterward, and my sciatica is aggravated. (My sciatica likes me to be standing and walking, not sitting or sleeping or even laying down.)

Even pull-ups felt hard today, but at least I didn't embarrass myself: I could actually pull myself up and get my nose over the bar, at least for the first few reps. Diminishing returns as the reps become partial reps. I'll bet, though, that if I come back tomorrow, my cardio and pull-up reps will be a tad better. Because that's how my body responds. I should do it. It'd be good for me. But I have a lot of things to do. It's me getting in my own way. (Doing the errands tomorrow will be more efficient than waiting until the weekend when it will be so much more crowded to do anything.)

My plans included pushing weights today so I sauntered into the free weight area to scout out an adjustable bench. There were a lot of benches. Most of them much too big for me to use comfortably. Both Nautilus benches were occupied, so I was stuck with a bench that automatically angles the seat up when you slide the back up. I hate that. The Nautilus benches are not only narrower and lower to the ground, but the back and the seat can be adjusted independently. I did a warm up set on the uncomfortable oversized and was about to do my second "transitional" set when I saw the fellow rack all his plates and leave the cage that had one of the Nautilus benches.

It took me all of 30 seconds to grab my hoodie and drape it over that bench, drag the bench into a space between cages, and then move the rest of my gear. Life is better when you can use equipment that fits. I do all the rest of my sets without any issues. 

There are less kids here these days even though it is early afternoon. Not sure if it's weather related or maybe families are actually taking vacation time. I looked down and saw a Rogue collar next to the dreaded spring clip collar that my hands are literally too small to use. I'm glad to see them: maybe I don't need to be carrying my own Rogue EZ collars in my gym bag (just in case I'm stuck with an EZ curl bar when the lone solid 30 lb BB is in use)?

There's just one person in the Aerobics Room when I enter but he's where I normally drop all my gear. In the far corner. I am not one to set up base camp just two feet away from the pile of mats and other equipment. I still think that's incredibly rude to make people tip-toe around you just to grab a mat just because you're too lazy or too insecure to move further away from the "safety of home base." Seriously, why are people on auto-pilot all the time? 

It's like people at the dog park who leave several half empty gallon jugs of water in the shed instead of using one gallon and then putting it to the other side, where coincidentally, all the other empty containers reside. Mindless morons. I know a few of them. On auto-pilot but too busy complaining about other people to notice what they themselves are doing. I hope I'm not like that. At least I try not to be.  

31 July 2025 11:46-1:43

Thursday — Dog Days  

Gray & Humid 75°F

Precor elliptical #1

Program 3

Time: 30 + 5 (5380)

Distance: 2.77

Cal: 304

Avg Hr: 140, 196-77

New FB: 43-142

(12:34)

HGPU 17 (weak! Rt shoulder/hands)

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

10 lbs x 30/15/30 (12:41)

15 lbs x 30/15/30 (12:48)

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

Set 1 (12:56); Set 2 (1:06); Set 3 (1:18)

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 26

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Stretch / eye yoga