Two exercises that have really helped

Been a bit fed up and frustrated this week but nothing to do with the rehab, lol. I think I recovered pretty well from the swim last Friday. On Sunday, I heard that another group of Black-tailed Godwits had stopped off at the local reservoir. They have been turning up quite regularly over the past week or so - coming from their breeding grounds in Iceland, heading south (Africa etc) for the winter. Unfortunately, I kept missing them. They tend to only stop for an hour or so. Anyway, on Sunday, the weather was bad enough to keep these beautiful waders a little longer than normal and by the time I got up there late morning, the 5 birds were still present. Above a couple of shots of 3 of the birds. The light/weather was rubbish so the colours are a bit muddy but I was still pleased to get any kind of shot. Previously, I've only ever had very distant views of these birds.

The source of my frustration this week has been my neighbour and her [insert expletive] tumble drier. It's an ongoing saga. This week, I've sat through the best part of FORTY HOURS of her tumble drying! It has been driving me absolutely nuts. The machine is obviously old and its pulsing drone reverberates around my house, sounding like I'm in a ship's engine room. I've tried talking to her on a number of occasions but they really couldn't care less. I guess she must be taking in drying for other people. This week it has been a source of misery, lol!

So, yes, by Wednesday/Thursday, I was feeling tired/washed out and fed up. I was very glad to get to the gym yesterday morning. It was a good session. The week at the pool had helped various niggles to resolve and I felt stronger. My left shoulder wasn't too bad at all. I stuck to the same set as previously. My right upper thigh/groin was problematic, as usual. I took painkillers for it to be able to sleep last night. I felt tired through the afternoon but rallied after a cuppa at 4ish.

I meant to write a few weeks ago that there are two exercises which I think have really helped me. The first is the glute bridge. That seems to have really strengthened and balanced out the muscles around my hips/lower back. It serves to loosen the hip flexors too which, I think, then allows the the glutes to kick in better and support my lower back. I've gone from just about managing 10 reps with 10 second holds to the same exercise with a 7kg dumbbell across my pelvis.

The other exercise which has helped is the seated rows with cable weights. Initially, my left shoulder was too restricted and it caused significant pain. But, as the weeks went on, I was careful and the shoulder loosened up and strengthened up. I really feel like this exercise, above all others, has helped my left shoulder to function better. Generally, it has helped both shoulders and my upper back to 'fire up' again and feel a lot more stable/sturdy.

If I had to do just 3 exercises, I'd choose those mentioned above with the addition of the push-up-plus. Together, they have significantly helped my shoulders and hip joints to stabilise and my back/core to strengthen up.