Full Moon Friday

BIKE to PT: 5 miles
STRENGTH 1hr
BIKE COMMUTE 9.5 miles

And a full moon at 12:23 am this morning! The Pink Moon, they called it. Thanks (?) to Sugar I was up around 3 am and was able to take a peak at it. I'd rather have been sleeping, but I was happy to get a glimpse because I didn't get to see it again.

I was up a lot last night again, to pee and to let the dog pee. Gotta get mindful on that.

PT: worked on legs with hamstrings, split squats, leg press, and lunges. The lunges were combined with a single dumbbell to create a balance exercise: lunge then overhead press. 5# was OK, then 8#, but my left arm wore down on the 8#. Also some tricep pull-down with a U-shaped rope alternated with 10# hammer curls. All felt great, my left arm was weak on the over head press and the hammer curl. In the latter I had trouble keeping the bell from wavering in towards my chest, off alignment with my shoulder.

This is feeling good! I'm feeling good this morning! Tall, upright, confident. I haven't eaten grains in a few days, so my tummy is going good too. Today I started a new food log book and yesterday I reviewed my notes for the previous book. There's a pattern of gut gas, bloat, and pain when I eat too many starches in one day, those days when I eat potato and butternut and rice and oatmeal, all in some combination. Seems that the cumulative amount is the problem. Also having trouble with gut pain, reflux, and poor sleep when I eat random munch-meals in a hurry standing at the counter. Seems for that problem that I'm inhaling air, not chewing, eating too much? Due to these problems I quit introducing many new foods, so I've set some goals for the next book.

Also finished a book called Habits of a Happy Brain. When I reserved it at the library, I thought it would be more of Habits book, how to make and break habits. When I finished the last pages and saw nothing of that sort, I was disappointed. Went back to re-read the last chapters. Took some time to absorb. The book is about habits that release dopamine, endorphin, oxytocin, serotonin, and cortisol -- what triggers expression of these factors, how they affect us. Since then I've been recognizing and encouraging for myself those little habits! Patting myself on the back for dopamine. Challenging myself in a workout for endorphin. Looking for social interaction for oxytocin, Still working on serotonin.

And recognizing stressful situations as they hit me. Like this morning when I neighbor called me "disrespectul" for letting the dog walk on his curb flower bed. That's fine, I said, I can keep her away. The interaction was short, I smiled and stayed cool (can't speak for him) but for the next block I was nerved about it. Recognized the cortisol! Took meditative breaths, counted them, distracted myself until the cortisol was metabolized. Worked! Thanks to my Headspace app for teaching me that.

So lots of little changes here. Small consistent changes, ProBee style.