Still Tired Tuesday

My son has a sinus infection and an unrelated rash on his legs, but it's not going to make him skip school. I know he's as tired as I am, if not more so because he's also stressed about completing projects in school. No "senioritis" for this kid.

It's 21F this morning and I need to get gas before heading to the gym so I'm late. However, I do have time to do cardio, core and even a few sets for triceps. I sneak in a set of Rip Skulls at the warmup weight. I'll find out tomorrow if that aggravated my sciatica. Adding an additional 5 lbs total makes the subsequent Skull Crushers a bit harder. 

When I don't focus completely, I lose count of my reps so the second set is either 17 or 20 reps. So annoying. I really have to count aloud but under my breath because it's not like I'm in the free weight area alone. There are several other bodies working out, some chatting more than actually lifting but that's not my problem.

The tow truck finally showed up today. I guess we'll find out if we can get the car repaired. Because that'd be better than having to shop for a new used vehicle. The tow guy said he just got the call today because he's second on the list that insurance uses. Costs more but actually shows up as opposed to being ghosted by the first company.

6 February 2023
Freezing Tuesday

Precor elliptical #2
Program 2
Time: 30+5 (5530)
Distance: 2.83
Cal: 313
Avg Hr: 149, 192-85

Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

Skull Crushers
30 lbs x 25 reps
Rip Skulls x 20
SC 35 lbs x 20, 17-20?, 25

Time Crunch Monday

While the arctic chill has passed, the stream leading to the lake is still frozen white and solid. I've never seen that before. Temps hit mid-40s but it still feels cold, especially when the wind kicks up. I do the minimum workout: cardio and core because I need to rush home to pay the tree folks who are taking another big maple down. My husband left for Boston this morning and won't be back until Wednesday. No word from the tow truck that's supposed to take the damaged car to the auto collision shop. 

You would think that it'd be the repair shop that'd tow the vehicle, but nope. The insurance company uses a tow truck broker who gets a local outfit to do the deed. Seems like too many middlemen to be efficient. Clearly the system is broken since it's now been two full business days and no word about who's coming. I need to be home to hand off the keys since I'm not leaving them in the car. It's a quarter to five so obviously it's not happening today. And I have no intention of staying home all week just in case someone shows up...

Insurance at least covered 80% of the rental car cost so my husband could go to work. He got a Toyota Rav4, which has grown considerably since it was first introduced. No longer a CRV, it has ground clearance that matches the average pickup truck. It is noticeably bigger than our Subaru Foresters. I literally have to climb into the car. My feet don't reach the ground from the front passenger seat and passenger seats aren't adjustable for height. It seems odd that online, the Rav4 is still described as a compact SUV. I think that needs updating...

I got a reasonable workout done. My feet were numb at first because I was cold. My pinky toe is still swollen and sensitive and the three hammer toes were on the verge of cramping because they didn't like being flattened against the mat when I stretched into Child's Pose. My back did not knot up during pull-ups but I kept the rep count at 20. Those last 3 have always been a struggle and I don't seem to be improving. The first dozen are always good though so I'm not backsliding too much...

6 February 2023
Minimum Monday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30+5 (5452)
Distance: 2.8
Cal: 308
Avg Hr: 149, 182-77

HGPU 20 (no knot! Yaaay!)

Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

The Blustery Day

The weather app warned of freezing spray this morning. While 19F does indeed mean black ice and other frozen hazards, spray isn't normally one of them. Further investigation leads me to believe that this warning is for coastal areas only. I live in a county that is bordered by the Hudson River to the far west and another state to the east. No need to worry about "spray" unless I planned to go boating in the ocean. No frozen spray in our lakes, ponds and streams. The wind, however, is another matter.

Although temps hover at 18F, the wind chill makes frostbite seem imminent to exposed fingers and faces. While I understand the concept of wind chill, I've often wondered how it's calculated. Of course, you can fine anything on the internet. Click here for the wind chill calculator, and here as well. The first site also provides an explanation and equation if you want to do a deeper dive. 

I don't care what anyone says, I find the Fahrenheit measurements to be nuanced and accurate when I want to know what temperature something is. There's a huge gap between 0 and 100 in the Centigrade system unless you also want to use fractions. Which is why this image made me laugh. It's a keeper. 

Skies are clear and sunny but the howling wind keeps a lot of dog owners from the park today. Swaying trees and dropping branches are a serious consideration in a tree-filled park. I cut my workout short so I can take advantage and bring my pups earlier. And by short, I mean I only do one round of the last set of DB Shoulders instead of 3. I'm leery of pushing too hard, especially since I woke up really tired but without the knot under the left shoulder blade. However, after a dozen pull-ups, the knot reappeared, verifying my belief that it's a lat muscle spasm. Ugh. Well, at least I knocked out cardio with some panache.

So, I only do one set and it actually doesn't feel bad at all. Of course, under normal circumstances, I feel fine until the third set when everything is tired and prone to injury. When I drive home to get my dogs, I see a wire and branches in the road just past my hedges. Upon approaching my front door I see that my neighbor's tree has just fallen over and landed on my husband's car. 

He's kicking himself for not driving to the store sooner. Then he would've missed all the drama and only come home to a tree laying across his parking spot and our hedges. The car's probably totaled but we won't know until the tree is removed and the vehicle towed to a repair shop for a proper assessment.

Meanwhile, my husband needs a car to drive to work on Monday and now won't be able to fulfill his duties as a Cabin Master for the Scout Camp this weekend. At least there seem to be used cars for sale, unlike a year ago when there weren't any at all.

3 February 2023
Friday Fatigue Irony

Precor elliptical #2
Program 1
Time: 30+5 (5858)
Distance: 2.92
Cal: 328
Avg Hr: 151, 200-76

HGPU 20 (left knot reappears)

Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

Incl DB Press s/s Lateral Raises s/s Rev Incline Flys
10 lbs x 25/15/25 warm up
15 lbs x 25/15/25
20/15/20 x 25/15/25

Arctic Still to Come

Today is Groundhog Day and I feel sorry for the chubby marmot, pulled from a deep slumber just to squint at a multitude of overstuffed officials and pandering photographers, just to tell us what we already know: winter's here and will be for several weeks. Never mind that temps should rise into the 40s and maybe 50s next week! Tomorrow will witness overnight subzero temps. It's good to have firewood in the house and a wood stove to burn it in. 

My husband volunteered to be the Camp Master at the local Boy Scout Camp. He'll get to use the Camp Master's cabin which I assume has heat. Doubt if any Scouts will be tent camping this weekend! There's no alcohol allowed on the premise so I'm hoping that he just brings food, various streaming platforms (laptop, phone, tablet) and lots of warm clothes as he will have to make rounds to check the various cabin sites throughout the grounds. He hasn't been able to totally quit drinking in spite of weekly meetings and the threat of potential future legal liabilities. His problem is that he just doesn't take this as seriously as he should: the addict's denial kicking in...

My body is vaguely sore all over: the knot under my left shoulder blade, a mildly sore left hand, the bruised right pinky toe, glutes toying with a bout of sciatica. It makes pedaling not as easy as I'd like but I do get warmed up. Core is routine. Because I still have that problematic knot in my back, I skip doing the DB shoulder routine: the reverse inclined flys are going to aggravate it at the heavier weight. I could just do Lateral Raises and Inclined DB Presses but what if the Lateral Raises also aggravate my upper back? I'd rather wait until tomorrow and see I'm not better. Instead, I do triceps and focus on getting reps.

I have to take my hoodie off to do Skull Crushers. While I don't actually feel cold, my fingers start to go numb and I have to increase the rest time between sets. It's probably a combination of Raynaud's syndrome and having my hands over my head for extended length of time. I don't have traditional Raynaud's so my fingers and toes don't go blue, but they do get icy cold and numb very quickly. Luckily, I can do my sets without dropping the BB on my face. Whew!

2 February 2023
Arctic Chill Thursday

Precor elliptical #2
Program 3
Time: 30+5 (5540)
Distance: 2.82
Cal: 313
Avg Hr: 143, 182-84

Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

Skull Crushers
30 lbs x 25 reps
35 lbs x 25 x 3 sets

It's Always Something Small At First

I woke up with a knot in my back under the left shoulder blade. Coincidentally, my left thumb and hand felt sprained, as if I'd been thumb-wrestling all night. Not good omens for my gym routine to say the least. The arctic cold isn't due until Friday but it felt a lot colder this morning than past mornings. The sore thumb got progressively worse, especially noticeable when trying to hold a water bottle to my lips to sip. But it wasn't the digits that did me in on pull-ups; it was the upper back "knot" that didn't appreciate pull-ups although I could still do over a dozen.

The knot didn't cause too many problems during core and it felt nice just to lay flat on the floor. The bruised pinky toe is still bruised, but less so although it still looks swollen and discolored. Well, who looks at toes anyway? Especially in winter! After showering, I notice the tell-tale waffle pattern of a sneaker sole on the side of my calf. I have no recollection of what might've caused that. My skin is so pressure sensitive and "non-resilient" that at least 20 minutes elapsed between my noticing the impression and when it might have happened. Most living human skin doesn't behave like that.

The upper back knot gets worse as the day wears on. Slinging my gym bag, heavy with wet towels, over my left shoulder definitely hurts. Twisting to get in and out of my car is difficult. At least I got my son to help me with the 50 lb purchase of black oil sunflower seed to keep the feeder stocked. I'm definitely going to miss him next year...

1 February 2023
Arctic Chill Wednesday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 2
Time: 30+5 (5576)
Distance: 2.84
Cal: 315
Avg Hr: 153, 196-78

HGPU 20

Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

Winter's Still Coming

I wasn't expecting snow when I woke this morning. At least it wasn't heavy and I could quickly defrost the windshield. Temps rose into the mid 30s so only the grass and shrubs kept a light dusting of the white stuff. This is just the prequel to the arctic weather that's approaching from the west. That chill should arrive by Friday. But until then, the weather looks okay. However, it's overcast so very little chance we'll be able to see that Green Comet that's been in the news...

To change things up a tiny bit, I use elliptical #2. It actually runs a bit smoother but the TV doesn't work as well so I can't watch Bloomberg for business news (both domestic and international). The gym must've put the heat on because I'm drenched after cardio, but I don't want to catch a chill so I keep my hoodie on until I return to the free weight area for triceps.

The amount of reps I can do with 35 lbs makes me think I should consider increasing the weight to 40 lbs. Of course I'd have to drop the reps back down to the 8-12 range and keep careful watch on elbows and wrists. The dogs and I get to the park late and can't stay any longer than 30 minutes. My son's schedule has changed for the 3rd and 4th quarter and now he's done with classes before noon! Most seniors (like his friends) who also have short schedules either walk home (a long 1.5 hr walk) or have secured a parking permit and a vehicle to drive themselves to and from school. It's not a big school and permits are limited. 

Granted, I didn't learn to drive until I was out of college, but I lived in NYC and navigating public transportation is its own skill set. I am considering getting pedal blocks though just so I can sit further from the damn steering wheel... I also think I need to enroll my son in a driving school just so he'll have the skills.

31 January 2023
Wintry Mix Tuesday

Precor elliptical #2
Program 1
Time: 30+5 (5636)
Distance: 2.85
Cal: 317
Avg Hr: 140, 189-83

Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

Skull Crushers
30 lbs x 25 reps
35 lbs x 20, 21, 25
 

Could've Been Worse

looking at green light
at the upper right

Monday and although the sun finally poked through overcast skies, it's a might bit chilly. Of course, it is still January! Yesterday my son had a few friends over to celebrate his birthday. No one teaches etiquette anymore so it's quite common for Gen Zs not to respond to an invite. I find it maddening and horribly rude. Out of a group of seven or eight, only three responded and actually showed up, and only after I had contacted two of the parents for other reasons. 

The third actually RSVPed on his own and I suspect it's because his parents are immigrants who maintain old world values. But at least the three who showed up are the ones my son has known since primary school and Cub Scouts. Two are currently in his Scout Troop (the other boy in a competing Troop but only because his older brother was a Scout there) so there's something to be said for Scout values like friendship and loyalty.

This means I stayed up too late and ate poorly over the weekend. Lots of chips, pizza (olives, garlic, mushrooms and meatball topping), mini donuts and birthday cake. Of course, I felt like a slug when I got to the gym this morning. But I got my cardio done and then stomped off to the Aerobics Room because a tall geriatric was draped over the Stretch Cage. 

It's chilly inside and out, so I keep my hoodie on even though cardio warmed me enough to break a pleasant sweat. I've cooled down enough to know that doing pull-ups will kind of suck if I don't get warm again. The solution is to get on the step machine for 10 minutes. My pinky toe is still a bit tender and I can feel the sciatica on my right side. It's not bad, but it reminds me to be cautious. I need to be warm to perform properly and 10 minutes is enough to make pull-ups suck less. 

still looking
at the green light

I do an experiment with the camera in my phone: selfie staring at the tiny green light in the upper right corner with head angled in that direction; selfie with head angled toward the left but still looking toward the green light in the upper right; selfie with head "straight ahead" not looking at the light. The middle photo is weird because it seems as if the camera has switched the position of its lens. Is it tracking my eye position? Ugh. Most of the time I have to look below the phone for a photo that appears to have me looking straight at it. Soooo weird and complicated.

Temps hit the mid-40s today but I'm still wearing multiple layers at the Bark Park. Mostly because my hair is damp under my hat and hood, and even though the sun feels great, I'll still get cold standing around, yelling at my dogs to stop eating the rich loamy dirt they've dug up from under all the leaves.

30 January 2023
Post Pizza Monday

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30+5 (5476)
Distance: 2.80
Cal: 309
Avg Hr: 137, 176-72

Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
15 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12x
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga

StepMill (R)
Manual 10 min
Speed 6 (52-55)
Steps 539
Floors 33
Cal 79
Hr 125

HGPU 23