Moving Forward

Late is better than never and the gym was surprisingly empty for early afternoon. I got on the elliptical I prefer and pedaled until I was drenched. Consequently, pull-ups were so much better today. I probably shouldn't have stopped at 19 but I had already predetermined how many reps I was willing to struggle through. Actually, the first 15 were fine. It was the last 4 that seemed a bit tenuous, but I probably could've eked out another rep. Oh well. 

The free weight area was unusually empty so I took the opportunity to push some weights. It's been a bit since I last did DB Shoulders and the bench that fits me (mostly) was readily available. Eventually, people started trickling in and by the time I got to the "heavy set", I was ready to do more cardio. Which means instead of 3 sets, I just did one "heavy" set and I put quote marks around that term cuz I'm going for reps. 

The sciatica was moderately painful and sitting backward on the inclined bench, even though this is the narrowest bench, put a lot of stress on my afflicted limb. My remedy? Do some Stair Master for a few minutes. My cheeks are bright red. That's not unusual for someone like me, but I'm a bit weirded out that this flush hasn't faded even when I'm not overheated. 

The Aerobics Room is cold and quiet. I do my routine and only skip the Bird Dog planks and Walking Lunges. Dead Bugs exacerbate my sciatica and that numbness and tingling doesn't dissipate. Even during arm rotations, my foot is numb and tingly and the calf is clenched. Well, at least my glute doesn't feel like I've been kicked, even during push-ups. Those were fine. Air Squats were fine. 

My husband has discovered fugly Sumo Oranges and now declares that they are so delicious that he's spoiled to eat any other citrus. They are pricey exotics with 4 fruits ringing in at $11.00. I've never spent that much on just 4 items of fruit, although they are big and juicy, sweet as tangerines but seedless, with a thick peel that easily falls away. It's like magic oranges. 

Meanwhile, I've stopped taking the niacinamide while I'm suffering from this erratic allergic reaction. (I also wonder if this sudden persistent cheek flushing is also part of an allergic reaction.) What if the niacinamide isn't actually what it says it's supposed to be? Ugh. 

I can't stop administering my glaucoma drops so I've been carefully blotting the afflicted areas with Ivizia cleansing eyelid wipes, dosing my eyes with Olopatadine HCl (generic Pataday) ophthalmic antihistamine drops, and gently applying Aquaphor healing ointment. But because this does not appear to be 100% effective, I'm looking at other ocular allergy drops, such as ketotifen fumarate (generic Alaway). 

3 April 2026 2:07-4:11

Sciatica is Still A Bear Friday

More Than Basics w sciatica

Precor elliptical #1 (2:44)

Program 1

Time: 30 + 5 (5422)

Distance: 2.78

Cal: 306

Precor HR: 152, 194

Fitbit: 43-142

HGPU 19

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

10 lbs x 25/15/25 (3:02)

15 lbs x 25/15/30 (3:10)

20/15/20 x 25/15/25 reps (3:20)

sciatica troublesome

Matrix StairMaster (R) (3:25-3:38)

Manual timer 11 + 2:12

Speed 5 (49-45) / 2 (36) / 1 (29)

Steps 576

Floors 36

Cal 87

Hr 119

20 Piriformis/Hip flex

10 Hamstring stretches

DeadBugs 20 x 5 (sciatica!!!)

10 Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Arm rotations 20 (foot tingling)

Push-Ups 30 (legs shoulder width)

Air Squats 25 

Neck Stretch / eye yoga

Unanticipated Interactions

It's April and the past week has faked summer with temps hitting the 80s and then dropping into frost. Today, temps dropped 20 degrees within a few hours mid-afternoon. It has also been raining and yet our county is under a burn ban with a drought warning. Weird since there is mud everywhere. 

I've been puzzled by some facial swelling and peeling dry skin near my eyes but not symmetrically. Instead, the upper eyelid of my left eye and just under my right eye have been afflicted. I suspect that it's an interaction between one of my eye drops (I'm on three different ones) and either a new sunscreen (I was testing out two new ones that are both purportedly hypoallergenic), or two new additions to my supplements: niacinamide (in conjunction with calcium pyruvate for glaucoma) and red panax ginseng (for hypertension and cholesterol). 

I stopped taking the ginseng a few days ago but I'm still taking the niacinamide. I'm not even taking the recommended dose because that entails potential kidney damage and needs medical supervision. Niacinamide is a B3 vitamin that is supposed to aid mitochondria (power house of the cell) especially in sensitive nerve cells like the optic nerve. It's also supposed to not cause the dreaded "niacin flush" and yet today, after a vigorous stint on the elliptical machine, my face remains quite red... This doesn't usually happen. 

I'm happy with my Biore sunscreen but it is expensive for such a small tube. After reading sunscreen reviews, I started looking for the Banana Boat Light as Air specifically for my kid with the sensitive skin. Absolutely cannot find it on any store shelf but I don't really want to order a two-pack from Amazon if we can't try it first. I did buy sunscreen from Neutrogena, but it actually stung my face when I applied it. Bought sunscreen lotion from CeraVe, again a reputable brand. I suspect it's not the sunscreen. 

How weird would it be to have this type of allergic reaction from eye drops that I've been administering for months because something changed in my body when I added a new vitamin? 

Favorite old pants

Got to the gym after dropping off two pairs of new yoga pants to be hemmed. I finally found soft silky gym pants that mostly fit, they're just much too long and because they're not a straight cut, I can't hem them myself. The cost for professional hemming is what I paid for each pant, and even that is much less than buying these from a regular retail store. (I'm cheap; I buy my gym clothes at Marshall's.) Thank goodness the leggings craze is over. I hate leggings. They're basically thick stockings and I hate stockings. 

My favorite pair of gym pants is over 20 years old and sadly, the fabric is starting to fray at the waistband. I've made several repairs and the bulk of the fabric is perfectly fine, but once the waistband no longer holds the elastic inside, the pants won't stay on. These are the best pants I've ever owned and sadly, Land's End no longer carries quality items like this anymore. The new pants (one pair actually has pockets) both drape nicely without being clingy. Of course, they're black. It'll be much easier to say good bye to my old standby now. 

I got some new sports bras cuz they don't last forever either. One I bought just because I was intrigued by the one-piece molded neoprene front. No pads to slip into bra pockets. I wondered how comfortable it could be. Also, not horribly expensive. Win win. But what's with the latest sports bra trend -- corduroy texture? I have two pairs from two different brands (and styles) but with the same weird thickly ribbed pattern. 

I got to the gym too late to claim elliptical #1 so I started with the cross-trainer. It made my foot go numb and as hard as I pedaled, I really didn't feel very warmed up. The pull-ups didn't feel good at all and I know it's because I'm better if I start with the Precor elliptical. I did get to the Precor eventually, but only after doing the StairMaster for 13 minutes. 

In the Aerobics Room, I kept waiting for my cheeks to return to normal color, but they never did. I cooled down, but my face didn't. Weird, right?  The FitBit recorded a fairly high HR as well so it wasn't just that my face stayed flushed. Right now, as I'm typing this, my cheeks are still red and I'm not even warm. 

1 April 2026 1:33-3.30

Bizarre Allergic Wednesday

April Fools Basics

Life Fitness X-Trainer #5

(1:35-1:50)

Program Manual L1

Time: 12 (+3 min cool down) = 15

Distance: 1.45

Cal: 116

Avg Hr: n/a

HGPU 15 (not warmed up enough)

Matrix StairMaster (L) (2:05-2:18)

Manual timer 11 + 2:12

Speed 5 (45) / 2 (38) / 1 (29)

Steps 581

Floors 36

Cal 87

Hr 154

Precor elliptical #1 (2:25-2:50)

Program 3

Time: 20 + 5 (3908)

Distance: 2.00

Cal: 221

Precor HR: 155, 200

Fitbit: 45-177 ?!!!

Skip HGPU 16

20 Piriformis/Hip flex

10 Hamstring stretches

DeadBugs 20 x 5 (sciatica!!!)

10 Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Arm rotations 20

Push-Ups 30 (legs shoulder width)

Air Squats 25

Neck Stretch / eye yoga