Better Than Coffee

The Sleep Cycle app on my phone tells me that even though I spent about 6 hours in bed, I actually only got about 4 plus hours of sleep. Huh? Granted, the coffee I drank yesterday did its job and I was alert at last night's Boy Scout meeting. There were a lot of issues to discuss among the adults while boys were busy practicing their first-aid and knot-tying skills. I know I woke up an hour before the alarm, then dozed fitfully until I really had to leave the warmth of my bed. That can't be the effects of coffee from yesterday, can it?

I am totally exhausted when I drive my son to the school bus stop this morning and part of me is extremely happy not to even consider HIIT cardio. Instead, I start off slowly with a warm-up pace for the first 7.5 minutes. That's how long each section is in the Precor elliptical's 30-minute fitness program. It's telling that my HR appears to be ridiculously high when I start, somewhere around 155, if you can trust this machine (which I don't).

By my second cardio workout, my start HR is closer to 135. But in both cases, I do ramp up the effort and watch my HR at first dip to ridiculously low numbers (85, 88) and then blip up 100 points or more. I think it's wonky software in the HR monitors as I don't get these types of readings on other cardio machines. In all fairness though, I also don't push as hard on those other machines either, because I can't. The elliptical is the closest in mimicking my natural running movement. None of the other machines feel as in sync.

Even after my warm-up cardio, I still feel a bit sluggish and grind my way through elbow planks, crunches, and other core exercises. At least I felt strong during pullups. I get a warning twinge in my left forearm at the 20th rep, one of the reasons I only go to 21 these days. It's a Pull Day, which to a lot of folks means Back and Biceps. I've dropped a lot of exercises because they're too strenuous for my glaucoma.

Now I'm down to Lat Pull Downs (with a neutral, close-grip handle), Seated Cable Rows and RG BB Curls. If I get desperately bored, I might return to Smith RDLs for high reps at a really low weight. And while I'm in the Smith, I'd probably add RG BB Rows, again with high reps and low weight.

Mostly what I do is cardio. I've gotten a bit antsy by the RG BB Curls, which is weird considering that all I've had is a half cup of day-old coffee and a lot of water. I'm a bit wrecked and maybe it's that I'm over-tired. I know that happens with little kids. Not sure this is applicable to adults in their late 50s. I can't wait to get on the elliptical again. Actually, I looked at the cross-trainers but they were occupied, and the recumbent bikes are usually reserved for the really frail or super lazy. The ellipticals are all empty. Yaaay me!

Program 1 is my least favorite because of how much time is spent at Incline 1 (which is flat). I'm much happier with higher incline levels. I'm only on for 25 minutes and I should be fairly tired. With only 5 minutes left in the program, I find myself really pushing hard. It feels awesome. Somewhere, some part of me is missing the exertion from HIIT cardio and interval training.

I'm not tired anymore. But I'd better get a decent amount of sleep tonight. A new study indicates (at least among healthy young white men) that 4 straight nights of less than optimal sleep causes metabolic slowdowns, leading to overeating and weight gain. A weekend of catch-up sleep helped but didn't totally mitigate the problems initiated by higher levels of blood insulin. I always knew that being tired made me inexplicably hungrier. And colder. And like a recalcitrant 5-year old, I have trouble going to be on time. Some things are hard to change.


Another Exhausted Wednesday Pull
(5.01 miles)

30 elliptical + 5cd
Program 3
Miles 2.93
Calories 330
HR 159-202 (88, 94, 87)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 21

Elbow Plank 60s
Crunches Legs Up 60
Horizontal Scissors 60
Crunches knees bent 60
Bicycles 60
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Lat Pull Downs Close Neutral
70 x 15 warm-up
85 x 12
100 x 10
115 x 10

Seated Cable Rows
70 x 12
85 x 12, 12, 12

RG BB Curls
40 lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

20 elliptical + 5cd
Program 1
Calories 233
Miles 2.08
HR 139-190 (96)

Mat Stretch

More Huffing, Less Pushing

June weather is riding the rollercoaster of bright sunny days with ample wind, and humid overcast skies ending in nightly rainfall. I'm not sure how to dress anymore, indoors and outside. Layering appears to be the key to maintaining reasonable comfort. At the gym, I'm wearing my hoodie, a tank, and running shorts. I'm a little self-conscious because the scar where my dermatologist scraped off a small birthmark is noticeably bigger and darker than anything else on my leg. In hindsight, I would've been better off just keeping an eye on it instead of asking a doc to look at it, because naturally, docs will have to sample the skin just to make sure it's not malignant.

The birthmark had been a relatively small (1 cm) brown oval on my thigh. Last year it started to grow into a teardrop shape with a darkened area at the larger end. It was small so the doc removed the entire birthmark and sent it out for a biopsy. Then, I had an allergic reaction to the adhesive in the tape covering the wounded area but eventually, my skin calmed down. The wound, however, healed much darker and bigger than the original birthmark. I'm hoping it'll fade over time, but from what I read, it's not promising because everyone assumes that scars turn dark from sun exposure. Maybe for Caucasian people, but not for me. I had this procedure done last October and I've not worn shorts until today. The issue seems to be that Asian skin contains more melanin and is more sensitive to inflammation and injury.

I don't wear shorts often to the gym because I find the liners annoying when they creep up. I think some of the women at my gym wear support hose under their shorts to keep themselves composed. Most everyone else wears tights or sport capris. I've worn boys basketball shorts a few times, mostly because they're knee-length and soft, but the waistbands are problematic for me. Today I've decided that the gym is going to be too humid to be comfortable. Mostly I'm right.

I'm never thrilled to be doing HIIT cardio but it's nice when all the ellipticals are vacant and I can choose the best machine, the one that doesn't clunk and has all its sensors working. The gym itself is surprisingly empty. I keep wondering if it's a holiday I don't know about. But people start to trickle in until the free weight area is downright crowded. I beat Loud Goatee to the Smith and I'm happy. (Inclined Presses feels so much better and safer on the Smith machine.) He's resigned to using the breaker bench and then the Chest Press machine, but he keeps looking over to see if I'm done yet. Whatever.

There seems to be a shortage of adjustable inclined benches so for the DB superset, I move to the Shoulder Press station next to the Smith. It's the only seat low enough for my short legs where I can do Bent Over Flyes. Loud Goatee grabs the adjustable bench from inside the Smith and rolls it over to the DB area. WannaBe starts squatting in the Smith machine. She keeps glancing over to see if I'm watching her. So weird. I usually just take a casual look to see who's in the gym but I'm not interested in conversation. I'll walk right by someone I sort of know because I'm not willing to break my focus. I call it selective sight. Conversations are for when I'm done. Yeah, I'm that bitch. People who know me totally understand though.

My Push Day routine is basically just 4 exercises, not counting warmup cardio, core, ending cardio, and stretching. I actually look forward to the second warmup cardio because everything else is done but I've cooled off too much for a comfortable stretch routine. I seem to get cold a lot more and knowing that it's a symptom of aging doesn't help.

The most common reasons given are a slowing metabolism, decreasing circulation due to a loss of blood vessel elasticity (who else thinks there's a link to the defective filaggrin protein in IV?), and, according to an old NYTimes article, "a thinning of the fat layer under the skin." However, when I followed the article's link to this claim, all I found was a generic article in the Merck Manual (Consumer Version) on aging and no mention whatsoever on a loss of fat. Instead, the MM claims that by the age of 75, the body's percentage of fat will be double compared to what it was as a youth. Uh, really? That's so cheering. Not.

I'm not sure if my metabolism is actually slowing. I still have a decent amount of body fat. I'm thinking it's a structural problem on the cellular level, and there's not a lot I can do about it, except to keep exercising, take my vitamins and try to eat properly.

Another Wednesday Push

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 296
Miles 2.70
HR 148-198 (107, 97, 109)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 23

Push Ups 60
Crunches Legs Up 40
Bicycles 50
Crunches knees bent 60
Horizontal Scissors 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Smith Incline Press
Bar x15
50 x 12
70 x 12
90 x 12, 12, 12
65 x 25

DB Laterals s/s Bent Over Flyes
20 lbs x 12/15 reps x 4 sets

Rip Skulls
40 lbs x 12, 12, 12

20 elliptical + 5cd
Program 2
Miles 2.08
Calories 234
HR 147-183 (97, 87)

Mat Stretch