Head Cold Hump Day

I had hoped those annoying sniffles were the result of allergies. It is the season, after all. But no. I fear I've succumbed to a seasonal head cold. I'm not the only one. The rainy weather with its depressive barometer doesn't help so I'm a little groggy as well. There's no school today and I manage to sleep in enough to garner almost 7 hours.

The good news is that at yesterday's glaucoma doc appointment, my pressures remained steady at 13-14, and when I asked for a review of my last Visual Field exam back in July (I was expecting the worst news since my right eye temporarily wasn't seeing color or light properly), the doc told me that the VFs were comparable to exams dating back to 2017. While we are all told that you can't regain lost vision, her answer suggested that my optic nerves are not deteriorating. My vision appeared to be stable. Which I find puzzling, even though I'm greatly relieved.

We also discussed my inability to get my health insurance to cover a prescription for Rhopressa. Currently, I'm using samples provided by my doctor's office. The doc was excited about the newest drug to be approved by the FDA, Rocklatan, which is a combination of active ingredients in Rhopressa and Travatan (which I also use), but in a generic form. So, essentially, I'm already on a form of Rocklatan, which won't be covered by my health insurance either. At least I feel I'm doing the right things in my exercise routines.

I've made a flu shot appointment for my son this afternoon, so I cut my workout short. I'm also blowing snot out of my head all morning, and even though this doesn't really affect my ability to work out, I know that I should conserve my energy. I don't have the most robust immune system and I've been supplementing with additional zinc and lysine. I selectively skip the second cardio session and Reverse Grip Curls, and substitute Seated Cable Rows. Unexpectedly, I'm able to increase my weight on this last movement. I also skip the Mat Stretch. I have a thought to pick up a few groceries but the only thing I have time for is milk.

I'm rushing back for no reason apparently. I take my son to his doctor's appointment, but the door is locked. The receptionist is in and asks us if we have an appointment. Uh, yeah. I made it with you. She vaguely recalls but didn't put it in the system. There's no one in the office. Some emergency somewhere. She makes a new appointment for Monday when school is again closed. I wish doctors had to pay us for missed appointments because I'm tired of those recordings and letters telling us we owe them $50 if we don't give them 24-hour notice of cancellation. What about my time? Ugh.

Meanwhile, the new dog is beginning to settle in although it will take a while before he realizes that he's in his new forever home. My son wants to be able to pet the dog. I confess I haven't pet the dog yet either. But I have managed to feed him a few times, and have cleaned up two messes so far. I'm an experienced dog mom. This is still easier than housebreaking a puppy. But puppies are typically more reciprocal with their affection. Jindos are not known for sloppy exuberance. It's a trait I respect.

Head Cold Wednesday Pull
30 elliptical + 5cd
Program 3
Miles 2.90
Calories 3.25
HR 143-194 (77, 95, 90, 80)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 22

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

Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12, 12, 12

Smith RG BB Rows
80 x 25 x 3

Seated Cable Rows
70 x 12
80 x 12
85 x 12
90 x 12

Rushing Pull Day

Like most folks, I look at my phone a lot

I can't seem to get out of the house earlier than 10 am, mostly because there's so much to do before I leave. I'd like a cup of coffee so there's making coffee, and refilling the bird feeder, putting away dishes in the rack so I can clear the sink and stove from last night's dishes and pots, retrieving the newspaper and putting out the trash, setting up the laundry. Okay, now I'm ready to warm up the car. My hubs stumbles out of bed just as I'm packing up my gym bag. I ask him if he wants to come, but he'd need to put his contact lenses in and that's always unpredictable as to how long it will take him. (I often find contact lenses all over the bathroom, wedged behind the baseboard, under the sink, stuck to the wall.) I actually don't know how people work out with glasses on since I always fog up my sunglasses and reading glasses with the slightest of exertions. 

There's a solid wall of folks on the treadmill, but the Octane is free so I hop on that for 20 minutes. My pulse rate is more erratic than usual, but that might be the machine itself. Of course, a reading of 57 that suddenly jumps to 187 is kind of crazy. My kind of erratic crazy, like my blood pressure and my IOPs. 

I'm pressed for time since we've agreed to a 2 pm "play date" for my son and a friend he hasn't seen since this summer. No pull ups today since I did a set yesterday. No time for push ups or core either if I want to grab my chance at the Smith. I wish RDLs got easier but it doesn't feel that way, although I am able to knock out 3 sets of 12 reps at 120 lbs. Briefly, I ponder 5 x 5s and realize that that's 25 reps, but 3 x 12 is 36 reps, and heavy reps equals strength.

I only have time for two more exercises so I choose Lat Pull Downs and Reverse Grip BB Curls. To grab the handles to the Lat Pull Downs, I have to stand atop the seat and reach up. I have a good view of the free weight area. The only folks who come to the gym on successive days are gym rats. Most of the regulars from yesterday are not here today, except for Ballet. Today he's wearing capris pants that zips up past the knee, exposing the tattoo on his calf. Through my earbuds, I can hear him squeaking a grunt for each rep doing single arm cable curls. The Mayor has his blonde skinny teenage son in tow. Together they alternate taking turns benching. At least he's quieter these days. 

The weather is suppose to be awful starting late tonight into tomorrow afternoon. I still plan to either have a cardio day or whack the machine. I haven't decided. What I have decided is to cancel dinner plans with another family because what started out as a 4 pm early dinner morphed into "Can you come for lunch instead?" We had trouble making a 2 pm today, so I tell her that late lunch might be okay, say about 2 ish. She wants to know if we can do noon. Ugh. Nope. Not rushing through another workout again. I cancel and tell her we'll reschedule. My boys would rather stay home on a dreary rainy day anyhow. Am I a gym rat or what?

Rushed Thursday

20 min Octane
Default setting
Calories 126
Miles 1.71
Steps 2372
Floors 39
HR max 203 (57-188)

Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
120 x 12 x 3

Lat Pull Downs
85 lbs x 12
100 x 12
115 x 8 x 3

RG BB Curls
30 lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

Quick Stretch

Happy Pi Day

It's my birthday so I agreed to meet a friend for lunch this afternoon at Florrie Kaye's Tea Room and Gifts. Of course, I'd be coming from the gym, with my wet hair clipped to the back of my head in a damp bun, and suitably under-dressed in a not-quite-grunge fashion. I'm not wearing jeans and flannel with a knit hat. No, I'm wearing black LLBean knit pants, a chamois shirt with a matching henley underneath, and my winter fleece hat which is the only hat deep enough to fit on my head when I've got my hair tied up. It's warm inside so I put the hat in my purse. Unexpectedly, I recognize a few people sitting at other tables including the Judge that comes to all our Boy Scout events. It's a tiny venue but surprisingly well-attended!

My friend orders the High Tea and I go with the other option, the option with real portions of real food. Because I'm not afraid to eat. She gets a tiny side salad and a teacup of lovely mushroom soup. I get an actual mug of soup. It's the best mushroom soup I've ever had, thick with pureed mushrooms in a probable cream base. There's actual chunks of 'shrooms in it as well. I'm probably going to regret eating this because I'm lactose-intolerant, but I eat it anyway. A savory cheddar scone with a pat of butter accompanies the soup. We both get monster pots of tea. She orders a black tea mix called Paris that has strong vanilla undertones. I get ginger oolong. For the main course, my friend gets the three-tiered finger sandwich assortment with the cheddar scone on top, bacon jam and crudites in the center, and three pairs of finger sandwiches at the base. The bacon jam tastes like smokey ham glaze turned into a chutney with no bite. It's smokey and very sweet. I have turkey panini with a side of gently pickled cucumber slices. The sandwich, which is delicious, contains stuffing and cranberries.

Dessert gives us a choice of a chocolate mousse, a tart with ice cream, or assorted pastries. We both order the pastries. Except I eat all of mine. And she opts to take most of hers home in a doggy bag to eat for dinner tonight. Mind you, she's several inches taller than I am, and heavier. But she's also over a dozen years older, and not as active as I am. So she eats a lot less. I should probably eat less too. But today's my birthday and I don't want to. (As it is, I take half the panini home and my son eats it as an after-school snack.) The Easter Bunny also made an appearance, which was unexpected, but ultimately elicited giggles and guffaws. In the back, there's a gift shop filled with porcelain tea sets, fluffy baby gifts, candles, and countless items depicting the Royal Family.

At the gym, I'm cognizant of the day's time constraints so I only do 20 minutes on the elliptical. Then a quick set of pull ups before sprinting over to the Smith. Some bozo has left 45 lb plates on the bar and walked away. Figures. I'll use them, but not just yet. I have to check last week's entries to remember just when I was planning to put the 45s on. I do fewer sets this week, but in bigger increments. I reverse the order of the RG BB Rows to make them into drop sets, and totally skip anything else so I'll have time for Core. Since I'm already on the Mat, I do the Mat Stretch. Then just enough time to change and shower!

Maybe I'll whack the machine tomorrow. The Town's Parks & Recreation Dept offers summer camp, as well as various sports and activities for residents. But this is the first time I've ever seen Jeet Kune Do offered. It's two hours on a Saturday afternoon for 6 weeks. The park is a mere quarter mile from my house and I've long wanted to take a martial arts class. Jeet Kune Do was made famous by Bruce Lee. When I log on to register, I read that participants must supply their own MMA gloves. That's not in the catalogue course description! Luckily, I have gloves. But I wonder how many people will be swayed one way or the other by that one little mention? Should be interesting if enough people sign up for there to be an actual class. I wonder how many of them will be teenage boys. It's for people 15 yrs and up so even my son wouldn't be able to participate. But they didn't give a size restriction, so I guess I'll see!

Meanwhile, local news begins fear-mongering anew with the proclamation of another nor'easter forming before Spring, which is in roughly a week. Oh joy...



Birthday Wednesday

20 min elliptical
Program 3
Calories 189
Miles 1.68
Average Heart Rate 160

HGPU 26

Smith RDLs
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
120 x 12
140 x 12
160 x 9 Yaaay!

Smith RG BB Rows
120 x 25
90 x 25
70 x 25

Elbow Plank 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Elbow Plank 60s

Abbreviated Tuesday

I had all sorts of plans to be productive this morning, but of course I went to sleep too late and had trouble gathering my thoughts. Eventually the coffee kicked in and I came to my senses. I went to the gym, used my Kmart 20¢ off per gallon coupon for BP gas to fill the car, went to my glaucoma doc appointment where my eye pressures were okay at 13 & 14 but not great, dropped off three bags of assorted outgrown boys winter clothes at GoodWill, and mailed holiday packages to my brother and sister and remembered to buy stamps to mail our holiday cards. Then made it home in time to greet the hubs who had just returned from Boston, start the laundry (because I can't stand having my gym clothes stew too long in my car) and drive off to pick my son up from his after school chess class. The boys are fed (including the pups) and I barely have time to knock out a few words online. This constant running from point to point is probably what most parents do in the "modern world". Now, of course, I'm yelling at my son to get ready for Boy Scouts...

I had to decide what was more important: cardio or deadlifts? I could spend my hour and a half doing mostly cardio and bodyweight exercises (with time to shower and change) or I could sacrifice one of my cardio sessions and actually get some lifting in. I opt for the latter. I don't have time to do everything I'd like so I lose a set of pull ups, and the One-Arm Seated Cable Rows. The Mayor has been very quiet lately, so either he's got laryngitis for real or he's no longer trying to get noticed. Even PJ Pants and Shaggy keep their distance. Yaaaay!

There's a wiry old guy at the Stretch Cage so I bide my time by doing a few knee-ins. Meanwhile, he's grasped the front edge of the cage roof to do pull ups, and then he pulls his entire body up parallel, with his feet resting high up on the back bars, like an ancient SpiderMan. Well, I've never seen anyone do THAT before! Very cool... and a hard act to follow. Still, I manage to muscle my way through my set of hammer grip pull ups. I have the blue gloves on, which are the wrong gloves, so I don't have a good grip on the bars. The blue lifting gloves are better suited for actually weight lifting. My red gloves are thinner and better for pull ups and push ups, but because they're thinner, they're also starting to tear at the edges. Lately they've been catching at the seams. Bummer...

This morning while I was running around my house trying to get my act together, I notice my arms in the distant hall mirror. Hey, I can sorta see horseshoes! I try to get a photo but the cell doesn't have a good enough camera for the distance. If I get closer to the mirror, I lose the lighting. I use my digital SLR with the long lens, but of course, it's made for right-handed people. So getting a shot of my left side is easy, but getting one of my right side with my left hand is problematic. And fuzzy. If I had the time and patience, I could set up a tripod to get the shot. Oh well...  But now I don't feel so awful about putting on weight. Of course, I'd still like to lose these extra 3 to 4 pounds. And my gym, Gold's Gym is offering a 12-week Transformation Challenge worth up to $100,000 in prizes. But the top winner gets about $6500 cash. It briefly crosses my mind, but it doesn't seem like enough money for the pain and suffering of getting "competition lean". Seriously.

Tuesday Workout

30 min x-trainer
Calories 141
Miles 3.76
Average Speed 7.50
Average Pace 8:00

HGPU 31

Smith SLDLs
Bar x 15
12 x 80, 100, 120, 130

Smith RG BB Rows
21 x 80, 100, 120, 130

Knee-Ins 50
HGPU 31

Thank Goodness for Veterinary House Calls

This morning

I wake to the fact that the dog got up in the middle of the night, peed on the newspapers near his water bowl in the kitchen, and then fell asleep by the hall way. Usually he sleeps in the bedroom, but he was probably too tired to walk back. He's so still when I walk past him that I have to stop and stare to see if he's breathing. Normally I can hear him snoring, but not lately. Lately, his breath is shallow and faint.

After I clean up, get my son off to school and the husband off to work, I pack my gym bag and guiltily glide out past the dog. He's not interested in food, except to lick a bit of yogurt off my fingers. I take him for a walk and he tries to nibble some bright green grass hidden under the fallen red maple leaves. But he only takes a tiny nip before he wobbles off. I have him securely harnessed so he doesn't fall, but he weaves unsteadily. At least I know I can carry him if I really have to. Back in the house, he's not interested in the birds, the potential cats in the driveway or anything else. Well, at least the veterinarian is coming this afternoon to have a look at him.

The gym is oddly crowded only in certain areas. All the cross-trainers on the cardio deck are in use, including my favorite one. But none of the cross-trainers by the door are occupied. So that's where I end up for the first 30 minutes. Pull ups, push ups, crunches and one set of Bird Dog planks done. The Smith is empty so I'm there in a heartbeat, pushing the adjustable inclined bench out of the way, but leaving it close enough so I can sit on it between sets. The SLDLs are routine, but I'm tired of wasting my time with warm up sets on the RG BB Rows, so I move right to 80 lbs for the first set. That saves me two sets and time. Maybe I should cut back? Even my loose tanks are starting to feel tight. Uh oh.

I see a few regulars. I can always hear The Mayor way before I see him. And creepy PJ Pants is way back in machine city. I honestly don't know what these people actually do here at the gym. Agent99 is back and looking really good. She's lost a lot of weight and gained some nicely toned muscles since the first time I saw her maybe two years ago. I watch the clock to make sure I have time for another round of cardio. I only do one more set of pull ups too. I don't even stretch out before I'm off to shower and change.

I get home to find that the dog has peed on the newspapers in the kitchen again, and also vomited up foamy yellow bile and bits of grass in the living room. He looks exhausted and stressed, and he's not interested in food or water. I take him out just in case he needs to pee or poop but he barely makes it down the walkway before he turns around to head back inside.

The vet and her tech show up and the dog manages to sound the alarm. He's actually standing this time, instead of barking from a seated position. After sniffing suspiciously, the dog calms down because he likes it when women come to visit him. Men, not so much. They're able to check his vitals and assess his condition without him freaking out, noting that he's massively muscular in front with an atrophied back end. This is not unexpected in a dog with bilateral ruptured CCL as he's basically walking on his front legs. But he likes all the attention he's getting.

The vet and her tech take blood and make do with a tiny drop of urine. They also administer an IV of saline (subcutaneously) to help him stay hydrated since he seems to be peeing more than he's drinking. And then a shot to quell his queasy stomach. If he doesn't eat, I can't give him his pain medications. Pain meds might help with the tremoring back legs. I'm not sure. They'll call tomorrow with the lab results. And the cost? Not cheap. But probably as much as going to my regular vet, without all the angst and anxiety. Without me having to carry my dog into the back of the car. Without him crying the entire 25 minute drive there and back. And stressing throughout the entire visit. Which ultimately leads to stress poops. Yes, the dog is much happier. I'm hoping for good news tomorrow, not inconclusive lab results. But who can say?

The pharmacy does not have pilocarpine in stock and has had to special order it for later today. Maybe I'll pick it up tonight on the way home from swim if I remember. I'm thinking tomorrow will probably be a good day for either cardio, or kickboxing. I'll probably be too tired but WTH?

Thursday Workout
6.17 miles total

30 min x-trainer
Calories: 146
Miles: 3.61
7.20 average speed
8:20 average pace

HGPU 31

Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 100
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dogs 60s x 2

Smith SLDLs
Bar x 15
12 x 80 lbs, 100, 120, 130

Smith RG BB Rows
20 x 80, 100, 120, 130

HGPU 31

30 min elliptical
Program 3
2.56 miles
290 cal

Super Abbreviated Tuesday

I have to yell at my son three times to get him out of bed. I don't quite have the two hours I'd like to work out, so I adjust my routine to include the most important items: cardio, SLDLs, RG BB Rows. Yep, that's it. Oh, and since it's a Pull Day, at least a set of HGPUs. I manage to get two sets, but that meant completely skipping push ups, crunches and planks. And I won't be back at the gym until next Tuesday because we are going away for the weekend.

I have a photography show next summer, and I need more material. My husband's project in Boston is coming to an end, so what better time to visit the sights there, including the aquarium? Of course, Columbus Day weekend might not've been the most auspicious time, but I figure we're utilizing an unusually long school holiday because of the Jewish holy days, and it'll be close enough to celebrate our 15th yr wedding anniversary.

The gym is warm enough that I start sweating again during Smith SLDLs. I realize I'm not standing close enough to the bar for the first heavy set. The bar is in a fixed location on a tract, and I need to have the bar just under my knees, against my shins to start. The only other important movement to do is the RG BB Rows. No time for One-Arm Seated Cable Rows. Barely any time for the 2nd set of Hammer Grip Pull Ups. My son is always the last one in the Child Care room. Tomorrow he has school. And I have work.

Today, we go to see Storks, figuring that Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will still be playing next week. I'll take my son to see that one then, unless something totally amazing opens over this weekend.


Storks was actually very cute with laugh-out-loud humor, and catchy dance music. The Wolf Pack was fascinating. We bought our tickets at 1 pm and the theater was empty. Then we made a brief trip to the supermarket, and at 1:30, the movie crowd was spilling out onto the sidewalk. Inside was a constant barrage of kids and adults crossing to and from their seats to get popcorn, beverages, find their parents, find the restrooms. Ugh. At least my son and I got seats together.

Tuesday Workout

30 min elliptical
Program 3
2.49 miles
279 cal

HGPU 31
Knee-Ins 50

Smith SLDL
Bar X 15
12 X 80, 100, 120
8 X 130 X 3

Smith RG BB Row
Bar X 15
12 X 80
15 X 100, 120, 130

HGPU 31