We often ignore that our body continues to send messages to us. It tells us what it can do and what it can’t at any given moment. Most times, out of arrogance or stubbornness for example, we dismiss these messages but there’s limit to it. At some point, mind over matter just won’t work and so the next smart thing to do is to listen to our body.
Among the most recognizable message is pain. It’s the body’s way of telling us that something’s broken, something’s wrong. No pain, no gain they say but if the pain persists and becomes visible, it’s time to stop and check.
Two weeks ago I went back to the dermatologist to get my hands checked again. Last year she said that the reason my small digits are dry, peeling off, and cracking is due to some form of dermatitis. This last visit seeing that the condition remains she asked, “What do these fingers do?”
“I do pull-ups almost every other day.” This revelation made her recommend that I use a stronger hand ointment plus that I start using gloves to lessen the pressure on my hands whenever I work out. I stepped out of the clinic in under 15 minutes–barely a fourth of my waiting time–with her expert opinion noted but with the thought to break it immediately once I start my bar activities again. Unfortunately, that same week the dreaded flu bug struck. Some timing sucks.
I took it as a sign to lay off. I concede but I continued my daily stairs breaks at work–at least 10 flights a day–but any exercise involving the hands was set aside.
Almost two weeks later, my intakes of Berocca and extra doses of zinc once again paid off. My frequent use of lotions and hand cream also worked. So last Friday I gradually started working out again. This time I used the gloves I got from Decathlon. It fits my hands and grips the bar better than expected, however, I might not use it most times.
For one, it does not allow me to use my Garmin at the same time as the velcro wrist strap gets in the way. Then I learned from a channel on YouTube that what I got may degrade its grip as I sweat because the lining inside isn’t made of leather or similar material. A poor grip while doing the windshield wipers would be a disaster.
I’m partly following the doctor’s advice though as I can see that my hands have improved during my lay off period. It seems that the cracks are indeed induced by excessive pressure and friction from gripping the pull-up bar so I need to switch from gloves to towels when I do pull-ups routines. Let’s see if this sub-500 pesos gloves will last or else I’ll check if the pricey Nike or Harbinger gloves would take care of my sensitive old hands better.
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Mood: 6/10 Honks! (Rainy Monday and someone needs to be grounded.)
Marcus Can Blog 