Exercise and errands

[redbird]

I headed out with cattitude this morning. We walked in the park, seeing no ducks--at low tide and with ice on the inlet, this is explicable, though unusual--and then along to where I saw the crocus buds yesterday. They were still there, still two, and on the way I described bits of last night's dreaming, in which we'd gone to look for crocuses and instead I'd spotted lots of periwinkles, but had to point each one out to him individually, even after he'd noted one right next to it.

I stopped on the way to the gym for a cup of tea from one of the street carts that sell coffee, tea, donuts, and such; it was drinkable, if no more, but only 60¢; I suspect Starbucks, for three times the price, would not have been significantly better. The key was that it was caffeine, and sugar, needed to keep me going. (Some days are easier than others--oddly, I'd gotten to bed at a sensible hour last night.)

I realized that I need to at least count the reps when I'm doing weight exercises, so I might as well write them down, but I tried to pay more attention to how I felt as I was exercising, and less to clocks, music, and other people's workouts. It was a good workout. I added a new exercise, a lower back one that I'd been watching people do for a while because the device used for it is right next to the leg press machine I prefer.

After exercising, I went down to Chinatown for lunch. I tried Excellent Dumpling's sizzling beef chow fun in garlic sauce, which has been on the specials board for a while. It was tasty and filling, but not especially garlicky, and with fewer vegetables than I'd hoped, only some chunks of tomato (cooked) and a few raw bean sprouts. I picked up a crate of clementines from a street vendor for $3. He saw me considering them, and offered me a couple of segments from one he'd opened for the purpose--they were good, so I bought a crate. julian_tiger and I have been happily eating clementines for the past few hours.

Up to the Village for miscellaneous shopping: Aphrodisia for ginger and thyme, McNulty's for the usual Golden Assam tea, and Village Apothecary for toothpaste. I like Village Apothecary, but I wish more, and more convenient, drugstores carried the toothpaste I like (Tom's of Maine Cinnamint--the fennel, spearmint, and "children's" flavors are a bit more common).

Since I wrote gym numbers down, I'm including them here. However, I'm not going to do the color-coding for better and not-as-good, since I suspect that's not good for my state of mind. Maintain positive attitude.

Cardio, 23 minutes, top heart rate 132.
Vertical chest press, 65 pounds, 12, 8
Calf machine, 75 pounds, 13, 9; 70 pounds 3 (finishing the set); 60 pounds, 13
Wrist curl, 30 pounds, 3 sets of 15
Leg press, 290 pounds, 3 sets of 12
Lower back exercise (it's a bench you lean over, head down, hold handles lightly, and then raise your back until it's not bent): 6. I felt it in my lower back, which I think is a good sign.

Tricep pulldowns, 45 pounds, 2 sets of 15 (this time, I stopped not because of anything internal, but because the machinery was rattling noticeably by the middle of the second set)

Crunches, 4 sets of 20
Back arch, 3 sets of 17
Tree, 2 sets of {2 on each side}, then three sets of {3 on each side}

Adjustable row, 80 pounds, 3 sets of 15
Bicep curl, 25-pound bar, 3 sets of 20
Lateral raise, 5 pounds left/2 pounds right, 3 sets of 15
Hip adduction, 110 pounds, 13, 11
Hip abduction, 80 pounds, 2 sets of 13
Leg extension (on a why not? whim), 50 pounds, 12

Stretches