Push Ups as Cardio?

My son has been nagging me to drive him to school because the buses are so overcrowded that he has to perch on the edge of a seat with his backpack and violà case. The school bus driver has even complained because it's really not safe. Come winter, when students have heavy winter coats on, the situation will only get worse. The problem is that the boneheads in the transportation department want to save money by limiting buses, and claim that 3 kids can fit in each seat. I'm not a big person, and even I know that you can only fit 2 people if they are my size or bigger. And I'm the size of a 10 year old. And this is a bus being shared by Middle School and High School kids. Which means they are mostly regular adult size people. Ugh.

Anyway, my hubs had to take the train into the City today so I offered to drive him. Parking is notoriously hard to come by at the Metro North stations. I don't trust my son to take himself to the bus stop on time, especially since I need to wake him up three times this morning. He curls up, seat-belted but with a blanket, in the back seat while I drive to the train. Our schools have a specific area for parents to drop off their kids, and it means driving past the front entrance of the school and making several left turns. I'm behind at least a dozen other cars, lined up single file to deposit a single child at the back entrance of the school. My son just makes it to his class on time. Of course, if I drove him directly from our house, we'd probably have a bit more time. But it's not something I really want him to actually want. What I want is for the damn school district to provide more buses. Ugh.

Today is a Cardio Day. Yaaay me. The cross-trainer is in need of some minor adjustments as the flywheel seems wobbly. Which means it's adding friction when there shouldn't be any. It's not a smooth glide, but at least it doesn't actually thump. I'm always happy when I make over 4 miles, but lately I've been concerned about making more than 4.5. Noooo, I'm not competitive. Well, maybe just a little. I'm wearing the over-sized, cushiony NB shoes and my feet always feel good in the beginning. At the end, though, my right foot feels numb, and the pinky toe is sore. I might be rolling outward on that foot as I try to spread my forefoot during the push-off phase of the "run". I'm not a runner. I don't know running mechanics. But I need to figure out how to minimize destroying my feet when I do cardio.

The first set of pull ups is good. 26 reps is good. Wish I had it in me to do more, but I notice my left elbow getting sore while I was on the cross-trainer. Weird. There's a pushing-pulling motion, but without much resistance. It might just be the actual movement itself. Which makes this even weirder. Cardio Day means some time on the Mat. I'm wearing new sports shorts I bought from Lands End. I'm hoping to find a suitable replacement for the Danskin shorts I bought a zillion years ago. Those are super comfy, but no one makes them anymore. These LE shorts are made of a much heavier fabric. The seams of the hem feel abrasive so I fold the bottoms up a quarter inch. Since they're black, it's not noticeable. The waistband is very snug so either the shorts loosen up or I lose some belly fat. If I were smart, I would've ordered both the XS and the Small, and just returned the one that didn't fit. Too late now. Oh well...

On the Mat, I knock out 75 push ups. It didn't really start to get hard until rep 70. I'm sure I could've pushed for more. But pushing for more is what caused that nasty labral tear in my shoulder. So I'm good with 75 today. Maybe I'll work back up to 100 one of these days. Or just be content with knocking out two sets of 50? (My hubs wants my son to be able to knock out 50 push ups, but I'm not sure he can actually do that himself.) I do some cobra and camel/cat stretches. Then core stuff. I get on the elliptical and do 35 more minutes of cardio. Some of my workout songs inspire me to sing along (soundlessly) while I'm pedaling like mad. I always feel great afterwards but I have to blot myself with my hoodie. I manage another set of pull ups. Today I get 26, but I had to fight the urge to kip the last 3 reps. Sigh.

I didn't do a Mat stretch yesterday so I do most of one today. It feels great. There are certain stretches that I've stopped doing because they were causing issues with my joints. No one needs dislocated hips! The gym scale likes Cardio Day. Even though I feel like a sopping fat mess, it reads 109 lbs. Yaaay me!

Wednesday
7.67 miles

35 xtrainer
Calories 168
Miles 4.64
Average Heart Rate 153

HGPU 26
Push Ups 75
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Superman 3 x 30s

35 elliptical
Program 3
Miles 3.03
Calories 345
(Heart Rate Monitor on this machine is broken)

HGPU 26

Good Friday

My husband and I went to the gym today. It's beautiful outside so I wasn't too worried about it being crowded inside. I've been to physical therapy twice this week, each session doing different movements to strengthen the tiny rotator cuff muscles. But I wake up this morning because of the pain in my leg and shoulder. Ibuprofen works but only if I take 3 pills at a time. That's 600 mg. I'm okay with that, but I do worry about liver toxicity and the fact that NSAIDs inhibit muscle growth and repair.

I took the last of the anti-viral yesterday, and I'm happy that the little bumps on my leg seem to be receding. They never reached the weeping stage, so I don't think I've ever been contagious. But I'm a bit bummed that they're down to the top of my foot. There's still pain inside my hip that radiates down my femur and into my knee. But when I do cardio, I don't feel anything. Except my toes going numb.

I make my 6 mile quota so that makes me happy. I knock out push ups, crunches and planks. I get 26 reps on the hammer grip pull ups. The last rep is the only one where I don't pop my face above the roof edge of the Stretch Cage. My elbow doesn't complain until rep 25. Because I don't have any DBs lighter than 5 lbs at home, I decide to do the Y, T and I shoulder exercises from physical therapy in between my cardio sessions. The smallest DBs are 3 lbs but at least I'm on a bench where both my shoulders are clear. When I'm at PT, I have to scoot to one side of the table or the other for my arm to hang off properly before doing the exercise.

I raise both arms simultaneously at the gym because it's faster, and because I can. 3 lbs isn't difficult, but I can feel the stiffness in the damaged right shoulder. I'm not happy that since starting PT, my right shoulder aches more now, probably because of the adjustments being made to the way the joint sits in the socket. I'm definitely mentioning it next Tuesday which is the only appointment I've booked. My schedule is packed between my son's after school activities, the vet, the dentist and a recheck with my primary.

I went to Kmart on a whim to look for Easter candy (my son still wants the Easter bunny to visit him even though he's 12) and saw that there were a few of the sports bras in the style I favor in stock. I've learned from experience that the store will only stock 2-3 items in a certain size and then you'll never see them again. There are a ton of the thick strapped, single piece Athleta brand sports bras which I find uncomfortable because I seriously don't need that kind of industrial boob support. But there are only a handful of the thin-strapped Everlast bras. I bought two some years ago and have been searching for that singular style ever since, even punching the item number online with no results.

I find two in size L, and two in XL and take them to the dressing rooms to make sure they fit. The rooms have multiple locks on them. I'm not really sure why, but it's reassuring to know that no one will be barging in on me. The removable cups are problematic — they're shaped like egg holders, but because they're removable (thank goodness), I can replace them with smaller, flatter pads. I've kept a pile of such pads when I toss out sports bras that no longer fit properly. (You can also buy replacement pad online on Amazon.) The size Ls fit fine, and the XLs will do for wearing under street clothes. It's not that I need the support, just something to address the headlamp factor. I also find a pink workout tank that reminds me of Wilma Flintstone. Even a size S is a little big in the armholes, but it's fun.

My son doesn't have school on Monday either so I'll let him sleep in and I'll hit the gym again. He's now almost two inches taller than I am, but his reach is more than 4 inches over mine. I'm glad he isn't cursed with my Southeast Asian body proportions (long body, short limbs). Today, my hubs shows my son how to split wood. I'm already seeing a young man grow before my eyes...

Friday
6.14 miles

30 minx-trainer
Calories 148
Miles 3.53
Average Heart Rate 144

Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50, 50, 30
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

T lifts 3 lbs x 15 x 2
Y lifts 3 lbs x 15 x 2
I lifts 3 lbs x 15 x 2

30 min elliptical
Program 2
Calories 298
Miles 2.61

HGPU 12" wide 26 reps