Cup of Coffee

June 13, 2023: Thanks, Me In The Past

33 Comments

I love when you do/set up a little thing to make your life easier, forget about it, and then be pleasantly surprised when you go to do that task again.

33 thoughts on “June 13, 2023: Thanks, Me In The Past”

  1. I'm still fascinated by the Twins' run differential: they're .500 with a +40 -- about the same as the Orioles (41-24, +38) or Dbacks (41-25, +41), and meanwhile the Phillies are also near .500 (34-32, -34). Also, schadenfreude alert: Cardinals 27-40 with a -2

    1. Speaking of Cardinals, sounds like I will also be there on the 1st. Still have a few things to set up, but it's looking like the youngest and I will be there.

    2. I haven't paid too much attention to the NL standings, but the division leader are Atlanta (can see that), Pittsburgh (WHOA, heck yeah!), and Arizona (another WHOA)

      1. NL Central is nearly as bad as AL Central. Surprised by Dbacks however. Whodathunk the Padres would be so meh?

  2. A little context about my occasional fitness posts. I’m now an old dude, contemplating what my life will be like in ten years when I’m knocking on the door of (gulp!) 70. I am trying hard now to undo the damage of years of neglect interrupted by previous attempts to undo the damage. I hope that if you see me doing this stuff and you need to make changes, you will say that if old Stick can do it, I can too.

    I would say that I have *as yet untapped opportunities* to improve my strength even though I have been lifting weights for the last almost six months. But I have made some real strides in weight loss (I think about this in terms of pounds, yes, but also body fat percentage). In addition, I have a new measurable to watch and that is VO2 max. This is the body’s ability to consume oxygen during a max workout.

    I have never heard of VO2 max until I bought my Apple Watch. I bought my Apple Watch because it could sense Afib events. You can look up VO2 max and why it is important and how to improve it. VO2 max is a measurement of Oxygen and not any sort of percentage. This morning, my Apple Watch measured my VO2 max as being 36.5, up from 28.9 one month ago. It is interesting that my number has gone up dramatically recently after hovering in the 22 to 28 range for about five months. I think that’s because I am doing more spin classes, which direct me into various zones of heart rate. It has informed me to be patient about my workouts. Don’t go too hard, show restraint by staying in the range that the instructor is suggesting. I’ve been doing that and I think the results are speaking for themselves. I am pushing, sure, but not too hard.That approach is reaping benefits.

    1. My personality lends itself to switching between couch potato mode and over-doing it. Your LTE is almost encouraging me to get a smart watch or Fitbit.

      I have been back on workout mode for the last six weeks or so after a month of not much. I had drifted back up towards 200, but am now down under 192 consistently in the mornings.

      190-195 is probably my target range for the foreseeable future. I am maintaining that through exercise and time-restricted eating (basically, I skip breakfast). Plus daily intake of Metamucil, Because Old.

      I have been doing 8-9 moderately intense miles daily on the recumbent bike and a brisk (4 MPH) 3.5 mile walk, in addition to a set of core exercises and stretches.

      Probably my biggest physical challenge continues to be joint pain and mobility (knees and hips). I have been working extra hard at opening up my hips, which is miserable work. I've always been tightly wound. Trying to get all the muscles in my hips and lower back to loosen up is a chore.

      1. The company I'm working at now has a really good on-site gym (full set of free weights plus upper and lower body Life Fitness machines, couple of stationary bikes, ellipticals and treadmills), including showers, so having to actually go in to the office isn't the weight ballooning prospect it could have been. The only downside is I can't get out on the roads as often.

        After I got back below 200 for the first time in years, I added creatine to my morning protein shake and started doing core exercises and ended up adding about 20 lbs. It'll be interesting to see what happens now that I can lift more weight and have access to leg day.

        1. I just got back from a short run in the woods for the second day in a row. I'm taking it relatively light after ankle surgery last summer, but so far said ankle hasn't exploded. I think building up my lungs again will (hopefully) be the biggest struggle for now.

        2. Cheap, are you sure you don’t work at my company 🤨?
          Now I’m feeling foolish for not using my company’s dang gym more often.

          1. Hell, I don't know who I work with, I just started! (I'm guessing you don't work at Generac HQ in Waukesha, WI)

      2. Two weeks ago, I played basketball for the first time in a year. My left knee was screaming at me afterwards, and then my ankle started to hurt from overcompensating. Soon, I had a terrible knot in my calf that was so bad that I could barely stand by Friday. Of course, the MS150 started Saturday, so u was quite concerned. Well, the first day went fine (because no impact on knee and ankle when biking). Then, I got a calf massage Saturday afternoon and hole lee crap did that fix things. The massage hurt so much, but he got rid of that knot. Then, I crushed it Sunday (the tailwind sure helped) averaging 18 mph for all 75 miles. I could have gone 25 more miles if I had wanted. So refreshing!

        Still, I need to stop eating so stupidly and drinking so much sugar. Plenty of pounds are waiting to be shed.

    2. We hit the neighborhood Y three times a week for senior fitness, and the current instructor is into weight more than aerobic; I'm her favorite because I work with heavier weights, but as the youngest and most fit of the guys in the class, I'd feel a bit guilty with anything lighter.

  4. Man -- last couple days here it's been 70's/low 80's and light breeze, pollen season is over, and I've got my office window open to the woods in back. Is it okay if we put 90's/100's on hold for, like, ever?

    2. He wrote my second least favorite book (The Road) that I've ever read. I wish I could unread it.

      #1 Is Jose Saramago's Blindness. Don't read it - soul-sucking.

      1. I loved The Road. Also liked No Country. Didn't really get into Blood Meridian or All The Pretty Horses.

    3. “He saw men killed with guns and with knives and with ropes and he saw women fought over to the death whose value they themselves set at two dollars.”

      “Whatever exists, he said. Whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent.”

      Two quotes from Blood Meridian that I thought were worth jotting down way back when I read it.

        1. I liked Blood Meridian better than The Road, but I don’t know that I really loved it.

      2. I had problems with the writing style in Blood Meridian. I had trouble following it. I know others love it.

        1. I had trouble following it, too, to be honest. I am on board with minimizing punctuation and capitalization and whatnot up to a point, but he was really on the edge of just totally losing me at times. I finished it anyway and I thought there were still some nice passages. Not sure that I would ever re-read it.

  6. MrsS just got handed an ice cream by Stephen Colbert on the WGA picket line at Rockefeller Center, where the Boy is singin' songs and carryin' signs.

    So we got that going for us. Which is nice.

    1. I just saw his picture on the wall at Northwestern. They like to brag about their famous alumni.

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