Born Again Gym Rat: December 2025

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Conflicting Therapies

I've had two PT (physical therapy) sessions this week. I also went to the gym twice. Going to the gym was less painful. Well, the first PT session was more a consultation with me doing a number of movements to confirm that the issue is inflammation concerning the . Yep, that's a lower back issue. It's good to know that the is actually more like a giant thruway with many lines of traffic. While strength hasn't been impacted at all, the nerves that convey pain are wide awake.

The therapist suggested some forward bending movements to alleviate the pain and numbness, akin to toe touching. Except there's no way in hell I'm gonna be doing 10 toe touches in the middle of the grocery aisle when my calf seizes up and my butt feels like I've been kicked by a horse. The second appointment saw me in an actual therapy session with a different guy who explained that the 6-8 movements they had me do were to strengthen weak areas, and to increase my pain threshold. Lovely.

Also, since my hamstring have been unusually sore lately, he remarked that they were too tight and needed to do a daily. It's relatively simple but requires a belt or length of rope to slip over the foot and then the leg is straightened and the foot is pulled toward the chest. Of course, you need to be laying down to do this. I left that second appointment really sore and achy. I guess that means it's working?

I got to the gym later than I'd like but at least I made it. It wasn't busy and Wind Breaker was pedaling elliptical #1, preferring the clunking to the ambiguity of machine #3. I don't have a problem with #3 and was glad that there wasn't an OOO (out of order) sign on it. Those signs tend to stick around for months because parts and services are really expensive and hard to come by. I have a place to put my phone and since the programs are unaffected, I'm able to do a cardio routine. I'm not as fast as I used to be: the sciatica slows me down a lot. Pedaling slower means I don't get the distance. Now I'm happy I made it to 2.7. I get a set of pull-ups done. Kids are starting to trickle in from the HS.

The yesterday's therapist encouraged me to lift weights again. I think he's had too many clients lose muscle strength through inactivity due to pain. I admit that I haven't pushed any around for a few months now! But unlike most people, I haven't really lost any strength. I don't have time for the 3 heavy sets today. I got to the gym late and the day is short. (It's dusk by the time I drive home and there are deer standing at the road's edge. I hate driving at night because the headlamps of oncoming cars blind me and this is very stressful.)

The Aerobics Room is icy cold and I have it all to myself. People occasionally pop in for a quick stretch. I grab an elastic rope off the wall where there are dozens of varying colors and lengths. Some people use them as jump ropes. Others attend classes where these stretchy ropes are part of the routine. The hamstring stretches are easier today, probably because I'm a lot more warmed up than I was at yesterday's appointment. I do everything in my routine plus the ham stretches and butterfly hip opens (those use a band but I don't have one). Everything except for those . Because I'm not ready to deal with that kind of pain yet.

Someone mentioned their spouse was seeing a doc for their lower back pain. It's been several years now since a tree limb caused major damage. Now they're scheduled to have a nerve ablation. I had no idea that was a treatment for sciatic pain; I'm only familiar with nerve ablation for cardiac issues (someone from the dog park had it done recently). I guess if this therapy thing doesn't work, there are other procedures that aren't surgery. Whew!

12 Dec 2025 1:14-3:06

Frigid Friday Cardio etc

Pushing thru Sciatica — EZ pacing

(needs a hard reboot)

Program 1 — right ft numb

Time: 30 + 5 (5164)

Distance: 2.71

Cal: 293

Avg Hr: 148, 188-77

New FB: 39-129 (?!)

(1:52)

HGPU 18

Incl DB Press s/s Lateral Raises s/s Rev Incline Flys (slow & super EZ)

10 lbs x 25/15/25 (2:09)

15 lbs x 25/15/25 (2:16)

20/15/20 x 25/15/25 reps (2:25)

Skip Hip Bridges

20 Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

3 x 30 sec Belted hamstring stretches

3 x 10 /

20 x 5

Skip hip bridges

Child’s Pose

25 x 2

60s x 2

Arm rotations 20

Push-Ups 25 (sciatic pain)

Air Squats 25

Neck Stretch /

Monday, December 8, 2025

Hard Reboot

I haven't been to the gym in nearly 2 weeks. Correction: I've been to the gym but only to enjoy long hot showers with great water pressure, but haven't exercised in 12 days. Mostly because I needed to get over this nasty and persistent head cold. The one that came back with a vengeance after my kid returned to school and I could relax knowing the entire carpool was safe and sound. Not that I stayed in bed. Lugging firewood into the house is a strenuous activity and my body reacted accordingly with extreme fatigue and a renewal of nasty head cold symptoms. I will spare you the sticky details. It involved a lot of tissues.

Today is the first day that the symptoms aren't overwhelming. I'm still a tad sick according to my sinuses, but at least it never progressed to a chest cold. I also finally made it to the gym to exercise. All the elliptical machines were vacant except for #1 which Wind Breaker was pedaling. Curious. I get on #3 and see that it needs a hard reboot because the display at the bottom of the console that shows resistance and elevation show 000, basically an error message. The phone holder is still broken (missing), and now one of two tiny shelves on the console is also missing. Those can also hold small thin phones but are positioned to block information windows above them.

I waste a lot of time looking for the reboot/power button and can't find it. I ask the front desk to help me reboot the machine, and they can't find it either. They put a call in to the more experienced staff. I just hope they don't take the machine out of commission. It's still usable, just not quite as informative. I can still punch in my program and do the routine. I'm barely able to hit 2.7 but I do work up a decent lather. I'm okay with that considering it's been nearly 2 weeks and I'm still recovering. I even get a decent number of reps for pull-ups at the , although the last 3 reps had me fighting the urge to curl my lower body.

The Senior Class has been over for a few hours and the room is nicely chilly. I do my routine and skip all the problematic movements. Push-ups feel pretty easy. I have an appointment with the Physical Therapy tomorrow that's been prescribed by the orthopedist who basically told me everyone develops back issues, and the insurance won't authorize an MRI without physical therapy first, and sciatica and vertebrae slippage is common as we age. Gee, that's so encouraging. I'm still hoping to gently convince those errant vertebrae to slip back into position, but the orthopedist said that wasn't realistic. I can still hope though.

Meanwhile, an Alberta Clipper weather system has dropped temps to unseasonable depths and I'm glad I have firewood in the house. Tonight is forecast to dip to 7. It's early December and we're not suppose to see single digits here yet. The weather is wild lately. I'm just glad our town does a great job paving the roads and keeping them plowed and salted. They are as smooth as glass...

8 Dec 2025 1:01-2:13

Frigid Monday Cardio etc

Bare Basics w Sciatica (EZ pacing) after 12 days

(needs hard reboot)

Program 3 — right ft numb

Time: 30 + 5 (5168)

Distance: 2.72

Cal: 294

Avg Hr: 63?- 192, 148

New FB: 43-181 (?!)

(1:40)

HGPU 18

right foot numb & throbbing lower calf/glute

(1:53)

Skip Hip Bridges

Skip hip rotations