Weight Loss and Exercise #4

Yes, it sounds like a sound investment. And what you are describing is so intriguing, too.

I am sped up. Pressurized speech this morning, up since 6AM after less than 6 hours of sleep (very little for me). I even have dilated pupils. I thought it was just because I am on Dexedrine, but now I have read that combining stimulants with triptans, a class of medications used to abort migraines, can lead to a serotonin syndrome of which these things are a symptom. I used a triptan a couple of days ago. I wonder if I am having a super mild case of a serotonin syndrome.

I did 75 minutes of restorative yoga in a studio today. It temporarily slowed me down, being good for me.

Then in the evening I had personal training and my trainer halted the session because I was unusually tired, lightheaded, and having cramps. He took me outside to breathe fresh air, fearing that I would otherwise pass out. I instantly started feeling better after breathing in cool air.

Tomorrow will be another day, but most likely I will take Zyprexa at night since I am not sleepy at all and I doubt that milder Seroquel will work for sleep. And then tomorrow I will skip Dexedrine. And then I will soon become too sleepy during the day. I cannot win this game.

Dexedrine? Where ARE you, in the 1960's?

Check in, I nose dived last few weeks with exercise and mentally I’ve been the worst in a long time. Trouble is the longer I’m out of exercise routine the harder it is to go out again.

I got a run this morning but 3 walking breaks. I was quite breathless! I miss the old fit me.

Yes, it is an old drug. I think it was even used for weight loss back then. I have not read up on it yet, though.

I take it for narcolepsy. Its official current indications are ADHD, which I do not have, and narcolepsy. I apparently developed narcolepsy, a rare neurological disorder, as long COVID, as a reaction to COVID I had in August 2022. I do not react to Provigil/Nuvigil which are milder wakefulness drugs. For me, if I take them, I go back to bed and sleep several more hours. Because of that, the next option is stronger stimulants. But then there is the side effect of causing bipolar exacerbations. It is really unfortunate.

Last night I ended up taking Zyprexa at midnight and then slept fine. Tonight I plan to just take Zyprexa at 10PM instead of Seroquel. And we will see how Zyprexa and Dexedrine play together. Just now, as my doctor suggested, I took half a dose of Dexedrine instant release. That is 2.5 mg. The FDA-approved max dose is 40 mg.

Nothing wrong with old drugs, my p-doc told me when he started me on prozac 20 plus years ago, and im still on it. Just 10 mg now, but life is also a lot less stressful.

Still yeah boy i had a flashback from you saying that! I think there was a similarly named drug that was advertised on tv back then. For some reason i associate it with coffee.

I DO believe in time travel, BTW...!

I was on 10 mg Prozac in 2012 and it helped me a whole lot back then. I did not believe it would but it helped very quickly! I am glad you are able to still stay on it and find it effective.

I went to am hour long dance exercise class at my gym. I am not especially coordinated so it was not easy for me, but I know that neurologically it is really good to challenge myself with learning dance moves
I aweates and drank water during the workout but did not measure my heart rate. The teacher is a dynamite. She ended the workout with a really helpful stretching cooldown.

I think I should attend this class again, viewing it as a.challenge and hoping that I will get better with practice.

@Tart Cherry Jam - I really enjoyed the Line Dancing class at the YMCA here in my town. The only problem is I actually fell in the locker room on first day because the floor was wet from the showers and the pool class they had that day too. My knee hurts and I have been really pushing myself. I can't do a full hour class yet, (because even though it was fun, that line dancing hurt a lot), so I have been just walking the track, doing upper body and a few minutes on a back. I just find it ironic that I hurt my knee like this. I am so mad.

That is really sad that it would happen to you, to fall like this? Shame on the YMCA staff for not wiping the floors. Have you seen a doctor for it? You might need physical therapy for the injury to properly heal.

Oh no LadyShadow, take care of that knee, how awful they left the floor wet and dangerous!

I did a little run this morning but half way around felt the telltale gripe of runners diarrhoea so had to walk the rest of the way home. There’s not a lot to do about that, except eat an extremely low fibre diet beforehand and that’s not practical. Definitely an omen not to enter anymore half marathons though.

Weather was fine today and off work so I did walk a lot, listened to my audiobook and then some music. It does seem to be helpful with the awful anxiety and depression I’ve had, just got to push myself out the door.

I’ve been doing standing squats and using my ab carver

I do not run and didn't know about runners' diarrhea before.

Oh you’re lucky!

I didn’t really think about it until it struck me on long (over 6 miles) runs but it seems like it affects me more these days, maybe it’s age. I think it’s to do with diverted blood flow causing cramping.

me neither

50 mins of personal training

Prior to that, 15 mins of low intensity cardio to warm up

60 mins of Yin yoga yesterday evening

67 minutes of Zone 2 training on the rowing machine

I know it Zone 2 because my rate of perceived exertion and the Blue zone minutes on the Orangetheory app say the same thing.

On the plus side:
- I was able to do a good portion of the workout with my eyes closed
- I listened to something related to work (conference recordings), killing two birds at once. It would have been better to watch the recordings and not just listen, but this is an antiquated rower that does not have a big screen for media.
- I practiced the correct form as instructed by one of the Orangetheory trainers (a long motion, with moving as far as possible forward and then as far as possible backward) and noticed how greatly it improves efficiency. In the past, to reach the speed I needed to work much harder, but now I just use the correct form. Truly an example of work smarter, not harder!
- I now much look forward to the special workshop on rowing at Orangetheory in 2 weeks.

On the minus side:
- Rowing, like recumbent elliptical and recumbent bike, triggers Overactive Bladder. I needed to pee several times. Sure, I drank 1.5 liters of water during the workout, but with a normal bladder you can go for an hour+ and not take bathroom breaks all the time. Luckily this does not happen during personal training or upright exercises. Something about sitting and moving does it. Apparently, motion is too close to the bladder and it triggers it. I will see a pelvic floor specialist about it in a bit.
- One callus on my right hand. I did not like it. Looked up on the forum on the website of the manufacturer of the rowing machine and found a recommendation for NRS Castaway Glove but it is not available on Amazon or at local stores.

Here is the best article on Zone 2 training I have found. It is written for women, but there is nothing in it that would not apply to men:

Zone 2 training: What is it, benefits + examples

It is encouraging to know that you do not have to work hard all the time and that low intensity training is still highly beneficial and in fact foundational.

60 minutes of strength training

Feeling great after it