I choose pain

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Casey Jones said:
I'm impressed with your will power. ...
Click to expand...

Thanks. I've always been hard headed!

Pain report

Crucifix Crunch - So easy today. I didn't even feel like I was exercising until the last few reps of the 3rd set. The pain/soreness int he abs went away shortly after I finished (while resting before the next step).

Core hold series (resting after every set)
Form 1 - Started to feel my back wanting to lower to the ground around breath 13, but I bore down mentally and the abs held until breath 19 today. Huzzah! Finished to 30 breaths and either I have transcended pain, or the abs just got really strong because I didn't feel any soreness/pain when I finished and that is very unusual.
Form 2 - Shoulders up, back flat on the floor. Made it to 30 breaths rather easily without any struggle keeping the lower back from arching. Again, when I finished I was marveling at how I didn't feel anything in the abs - no pain/soreness.
Form 3 - Same as form 2 today. Amazing how there was no soreness.

Side planks - I really concentrated on my form and only did 10 reps each side. I think I was just mentally exhausted / anxious. I didn't push it today though I probably could have.

Active dead hang - I barely made it to 15 breaths today. Surprisingly, it was the back that gave out today. My grip would have held for a bit longer.
 
I was busy this morning. Did the workout just now in the afternoon.

Pain report

Crucifix Crunch - Like yesterday, didn't really feel anything until the last set. By the time I finished the last rep though, I was near exhaustion.

Core hold series (resting after every set)
Form 1 - Started great and thought I'd hold my back off the ground until breath 20. At breath 15, part of the back hit the floor. At breath16, the whole back fell to the floor. Finishing the remaining breaths to 30 was easy except for my left foot which started cramping with the curled toes and pointed foot.
Form 2 - Like yesterday, it was easy (with shoulders up and back flat on the floor) except that like with Form 1, my left foot was intermittently flirting with cramping and it was very annoying. I had to keep uncurling my toes and then re-curling them.
Form 3 - Like yesterday, easy to 30 breaths and no real soreness afterwards. Like with Form 1 & 2, my left foot kept flirting with cramping.

Side planks - Really felt like quitting the workout after the core hold series today. I'm not sure if was just afternoon exhaustion or the left foot cramping but I wasn't feeling it. However, I powered through and did 15 reps each side.

Active dead hang - I made it to 20 breaths without too much of a struggle. I could have probably pushed for one or two more breaths, but I was near failure and felt good about making it to 20.
 
Hey, I'll play.

My workout today was much simpler, but it happened.

Took the mountain bike to the gym. Three miles each way, including a high-level bridge over a major thoroughfare. That's about two stories up...easy approaches, but it's huff-and-puff worthy.

An hour of fast-walking, as is my habit. Then home.

Once the madcap traffic settles down (almost everyone here is 9-5; we're a government-worker ghetto city), I have to make a trip across town, five miles. And back. I could do it now, but I could get killed if I do. I'll wait for about 1930 to make the trip. Sunset, now on the Summer Solstice, is about 2135. Plenty of evening light.
 
I can walk 2 miles no problem, but 3 miles ends up my feet hurt for a couple of days.

Might need to wear thicker socks?

I've started going to the community center these last 2 weeks trying to improve my cardio.

They have the Peloton bikes and treadmills, free weights and a water fountain.

Started using the treadmill... found out it has all kinds of programs I can use.

Did the 'heart' one yesterday. Got it pumping up to 123bpm.

Day before I got to running 1/2 mile of 1 mile.

Still trying to figure out what program I like.
 
Sounds like a shoe issue.

Be sure your shoes fit right. With various neurological problems that come with age, it sometimes is hard.

I was having problems with one foot..it seemed to want a larger shoe - I did try a larger size, and was getting blisters.

Turns out I had a nice case of hammertoe. I could feel it wasn't right down there but not the exact issue. Wearing the larger shoe took the pressure off the toes, but let my foot slide around and blister.

A podiatrist gave me thick foam spacers to put between the two toes every day. It's mickey-mouse, but it's taken the pain away. Now I have three pairs of shoes that are half a size too large...
 
Oatmeal with blueberries makes an excellent breakfast.
I usually have eggs, hash browns and bacon.
Wife eats oatmeal. Both of us have a BMI of 19.5
 
Here was my BP readings this morning @ 7:30 AM: SYS - 117, DIA - 77, HR - 72.
One mile leisurely dog walk most mornings, no gym stuff, and I use a hand grip exerciser (dealing with my pinched nerve) to try recovering full use of my left arm. That's about it for exercise — I'm not in that good of shape but I don't really care.
 
Casey Jones said:
I'm impressed with your will power.

I find it MUCH easier just to skip, than to eat small.

Give you an example: I just now finished my dinner. That double-cheeseburger I described. Still hungry after licking the cheese scraps off the plate. But I just came from a Costco run and, of course!...I impulse-bought some junk. A big can of peanuts - which I need like another hole in the head.

Well, the burger was excellent - all reasonable food is excellent when you're hungry - and just a taste of those peanuts wouldn't hurt, would they?

I don't know how much I had. It's a big can; it doesn't look like I made much of an impact in it, but that's deceiving. Probably three or moar "servings."

There goes the diet. Another day, another NOT losing weight.

I know, I know...I should have measured them out. I probably will remember, eventually, to do that...my learning curve on such things is as flat as Kansas.
Click to expand...

Skipping and eating in smaller windows with intermittent fasting is MUCH better anyway. Forget the calorie counting, its just mostly bad science.
 
Bottom Feeder said:
Here was my BP readings this morning @ 7:30 AM: SYS - 117, DIA - 77, HR - 72. One mile leisurely dog walk most mornings, no gym stuff, and I use a hand grip exerciser (dealing with my pinched nerve) to try recovering full use of my left arm. That's about it for exercise — I'm not in that good of shape but I don't really care.
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Those aren't bad numbers at all.

As for grip exercising, ever try a gyro ball?

I love mine. If never having used one, they can be tricky to learn, but once ya got it figured out they work great for increasing grip and wrist strength.
....and even forearms, if ya use it awhile.


Voodoo said:
Skipping and eating in smaller windows with intermittent fasting is MUCH better anyway
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Couldn't agree more.
BTW, ever start taking that creatine I'd seen you post about possibly trying?

I been using it and I feel great.

Voodoo said:
Forget the calorie counting, its just mostly bad science.
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It is absolutely not bad science, if one is trying to lose weight.

It is a fact that to lose weight, one must have a calorie deficit as averaged over the course of weeks and months.

It impossible to consume more calories than one expends, and still lose weight.

So while one may not need to be anal about counting calories, it really helps to have an accurate idea of exactly how many calories are being consumed and of how many are being used in your metabolic processes.

Edited to add: most people grossly under estimate calories eaten and grossly over estimate calories burned. So just having accurate numbers goes a long way.
Ie: knowledge is power, as they say.
 
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Awesome to hear that some of you are getting motivated and setting your own goals.

Pain report

Missed the morning window so did it just now in the afternoon again.

Crucifix Crunch - 3 set of 15 were too easy today. It felt like I could have done these all day long.

Core hold series (resting after every set)
Form 1 - I managed to keep the back off the floor until breath 21 today. After the back fell, finishing holding shoulders up until breath 30 was easy.
Form 2 - I still can't get the back off the ground with the arms in "I surrender" position. Shoulders up, 30 breaths was fairly easy until breath 22 when my left foot started to cramp again and everyting derailed from there (breath control, concentration, lower back started arching and I had to bear down to keep it on the floor). I finished 30 breaths, but it was sloppy at the end because of my cramping left foot.
Form 3 - Much like Form 2, but easier. Left foot started cramping somewhere in there and I just relaxed it for a couple of breaths.

Side planks - I did them real slow today while focusing on my form. Did 10 each side.

Active dead hang - It felt good, so I pushed to failure today. Made it to 24 breaths!
 
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Bottom Feeder said:
Oatmeal with blueberries makes an excellent breakfast.
Click to expand...
Carbs. No-can-do.

It's so hard to cut them back, I have to do it wherever I can.

About half my mornings, I have a three-egg-and-bacon-chips omelette, with a hunk of cheddar. I'm lazy so I microwave it...have to scramble the yokes first, and cover the thing in case it does blow. That happens frequently.

But, no carbs. That leaves me free to have something with carbs later - maybe fried chicken for lunch?

Potatoes are out. I'll have greens, some form, with dinner; Metamucil with lunch. I need it...another ugly aspect of old age.

My fruit is prunes. Blueberries, sound great...once I get myself to where I need to be, if I ever do, I can start doing that.

And I really miss my truck-stop buffet breakfasts...the plates filled with sausages, with bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy...on the road, 30 years ago, I could sit down, and for $5.99 have three plates. As long as a customer didn't leave a lot of waste, the restaurant didn't care. A meal of that, and I was good for the day.

That's what I really miss about being young. Not the low pay or snooty young women; not living too close to the edge, but, being able to just WALLOW in physical pleasure and not have to worry about my health...
 
Casey Jones said:
That's what I really miss about being young. Not the low pay or snooty young women; not living too close to the edge, but, being able to just WALLOW in physical pleasure and not have to worry about my health...
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You miss it, huh?

Paradoxically then, the reason you have to worry about it so much now is in large part due to the accumulated effects of having wallowed in those physical pleasures you now miss.

As they say, there is no free lunch.
 
Joe King said:
What is your specific issue with carbs?
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Bigger enemy of diabetics, than even sugar.

Really. A carb-laden dish, chili with beans, say, will spike your blood sugar as fast as a sweet treat.

I'd seen it, with a baked-bean dish. Homemade, by a neighbor, for a party. She had leftovers and put them out for anyone to help themselves with. It wasn't sweetened; it was beans and tomatoes; but I had a large plate, and it sent things so bad, I could feel it.

So, I keep the bread, the wheat products to a minimum.

Now, I'm no expert. There's probably a lot of holes in my understanding; but I think this babbling about "good carbs" is mostly nonsense. Protein, fats, roughage and minimal carbs, seems to be doing me well.
 
Yeah, I actually started taking some Creatine earlier this year. Just a couple grams a couple times a week. The first day it made me super jittery and a headache the next day. But after that I feel pretty good. Its a strong methyl donor and helps your body build back
 
Joe King said:
You miss it, huh?

Paradoxically then, the reason you have to worry about it so much now is in large part due to the accumulated effects of having wallowed in those physical pleasures you now miss.

As they say, there is no free lunch.
Click to expand...
I don't know how that could be - since my weight was stable (if overweight, 30 pounds).

It all happened about age 55, where first, I had the indicators I'd become diabetic. Then, weight gain, when I didn't want it. The weight didn't drop when I cut the rations. AND, I had a few episodes of low-blood sugar, at the wrong times.

Did my weight, 235 at the time, bring a lot of that about? No doubt.

Did my heavy-grazing at the Petro trough, bring my weight on? No...it was a change in lifestyle, when I went to work on the ray-rode. Wasn't getting sleep or exercise.

Should I have done something about it earlier? Of course. Just as I should have started the serious savings, 20 years before I did.

Shoulda-woulda-coulda. But you can't go back; and you can't apply knowledge you have NOW, against factors you came up against when you hadn't had it.
 
Voodoo said:
Yeah, I actually started taking some Creatine earlier this year. Just a couple grams a couple times a week.
Click to expand...
You need more than that. I initially started slow, but quickly went to 5 grams/day.

Then was around 20 grams/day.

Am currently around 10 or a little over.

I put some in almost every glass of water I drink.

Have added some collagen peptides lately, too.


Voodoo said:
The first day it made me super jittery and a headache the next day. But after that I feel pretty good.
Click to expand...
I've not experienced anything like that at all.


Voodoo said:
But after that I feel pretty good. Its a strong methyl donor and helps your body build
Click to expand...

It seems to have helped me in the "get up & go" category. Feel like I've got plenty of energy.
 
Missed yesterday as I was wiped out from doing yard work in the summer heat.

Pain report

Crucifix Crunch - I felt it today starting with the second set, but was still able to easily finish 3 sets of 15.

Core hold series (resting after every set)
Form 1 - Started out in proper form and mentally almost lost the back to the floor around breath 15, but I managed to bear down and hold it up until breath 21. Finishing out the remaining 9 breaths with shoulders up and back on the floor was easy.
Form 2 - Not even close to getting my back off the floor. Held the shoulders up and easily made it to 30 breaths, It's no longer he Herculean struggle that it was when I started. It still takes effort, but not nearly as much.
Form 3 - Easy enough today. Lower back didn't start trying to arch until breath 25 or so. Left foot started the pre-cramp alert at breath 29. Finished 30 breaths without cramping though.

Side plank - Concentrated on proper form and took it slow and it felt better today that usual. Did 15 reps each side.

Active dead hang - Felt like giving up at around breath 10, but I bore down and lasted to 20. Whew!
 
This morning I walked a few blocks to the 1/4 mile running track at a local school and then jogged 4 laps in lane 3 which is just a tad over a mile. I went just after 8AM, so the sun was about 15 degrees up from the horizon and it was warm already, but not yet hot. It felt good.

I did my workout just now in the afternoon.

Pain report

Crucifix Crunch - I felt the pain all through sets 2 and 3, but never felt like I was facing muscle failure. Finished all 3 sets.

Core hold series (resting after every set)
Form 1 - Felt good with good form and even breathing through breath 10 or so. At breath 16, my back hit the floor and there was nothing I could do about it. I finished out to 30 breaths with shoulders up.
Form 2 - Still can't get the back off the floor. Going 30 breaths with shoulders up takes mental effort to keep pushing, but again, not really in danger of muscle failure.
Form 3 - Same as Form 2 more or less. Lower back started wanting to arch around breath 20 or so. I hard to bear down to keep the lower back on the floor.

Surprisingly, even after a mile jog this morning, my left foot behaved today - no cramping issues.

Side plank - Concentrating on form and going slow. Did 15 reps each side. I was huffing and puffing by the end.

Active dead hang - After catching my breath, I grabbed the bar, activated the back and hung for 20 breaths. Felt like just about every muscle was starting to spasm as I hit breath 20.
 
Bottom Feeder said:
<heh>The best thing I've found to mix Creatine in for drinking is Baileys.
10 grams a day.
Click to expand...
In how much Bailey's?

Ten grams in some Bailey's, seems like a lot at one time. That's more like adding some Bailey's to your creatine.

Or do you drink the stuff by the liter?

Not saying there's anything wrong with that if ya do, as there's plenty of worse stuff ya could be drinking instead.
 
I have the pain...of being stymied, the weather.

After dithering for days and then getting back on the bike...and finding out I'm in better shape than I thought...well, the weather turned. We've had a Seattle June - five days now of rain; today, steady.

I won't complain...we didn't have much of a snowpack in the mountains this winter; I expected an hellacious Fire Season (we still could have it if July dries out and heats up) but the wet, coupled to the clueless tourist traffic choking our roads, has me off the bike.

It was a nice three days, though...I didn't think I'd be up to ten mile trips, and no problem. That was encouraging.

I could go to the gym and ride a stationary bike. I could also go shoot myself in the head, which is about as much fun as the other.

👿
 
Walking or jogging in the rain isn't too bad, but biking is a different story.

~~~

This morning I went to the 1/4 mile track again (this time a bit earlier in the morning at 7am), but only jogged 2 laps (1/2 mile). My left hip felt like something had tweaked as I started the first lap, so I quit early in hopes of avoiding creating or aggravating an injury.

Pain report

Crucifix Crunch - Today sets 2 and 3 felt like work. Abs were complaining. I powered through.

Core hold series
Form 1 - Started great. I expended great effort and mental concentration and managed to keep my back off the floor until breath 20 today. This was a Herculean feat. Once the back hit the floor, finishing 10 breaths with shoulders up was so easy that I decided to move straight into Form 2 without a break.
Form 2 - At around 10 breaths I thought I had made a big mistake not resting after Form 1. I refused to give up though and as I got to breath 30, I wavered on whether or not to rest or transition directly for Form 3. I chose pain.
Form 3 - After a few breaths, both of my feet started cramping - not the pre-cramp warning my left foot usually does, but straight into actual cramping. As I struggled with trying to relax the feet and continue the exercise with proper form and breathing, my lower back started trying to arch too. It was a total disaster and I crashed and burned at breath 10.

(rested big time)

Side planks - Good form, slow movement - 15 reps each side. Right shoulder was popping again today.

(rested and stretched hamstrings)

Active dead hang - Back felt strong, grip felt strong. At around breath 15, I decided I was going to push it today. At breath 20, I mentally bore down as my hands/grips were complaining. I finished on breath 25 as my hands/grip were about to fail and my back/shoulders were starting to spasm. It felt good to reach 25 breaths.
 
pmbug said:
Walking or jogging in the rain isn't too bad, but biking is a different story.
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Agreed.

But what amazes me, as I think about it, was how we (I, anyway) took it for granted, as kids.\

Rain never bothered me, on a bike. And our weather was WET. Almost Seattle-style wet...summers were often damp; Scout camping trips were a risk.

My high school was three miles from my home. The school district bus system was a mess - and the high school had an "Open Campus" policy. You had to be on property for Homeroom (attendance) at 10am. Otherwise, you could come and go. Attendance in classes was up to the teacher's policy - they were required to take attendance but deals could be struck, and some just faked it.

So...I'd ride a bike to school. Rain, shine, snow. Deep snow, I'd walk. But not even any public bus system routes, since the high school was buried in a deep residential subdivision that was not ours. (And nearly half the kids had cars to take to school).

Now, I think of tires slipping out from underneath, in traffic...and just get the shivers. Thanks, no.

Heading to the track in a few minutes.
 
Casey Jones said:
Now, I think of tires slipping out from underneath, in traffic...and just get the shivers. Thanks, no.
Click to expand...
Tires with some tread on them and a bit of caution should prevent that.

If you are only riding for exercise, and don't need to be somewhere at a particular time, pick a different time to ride. Ie: ride around and between the times it is actively raining.

Continuous rain for five days straight, is pretty rare. Usually there are at least some breaks in rainy weather that can allow for a quick ride.
 
Bottom Feeder said:
About an ounce. But that's with milk and ice cream for my health cocktail concoction.
Click to expand...
So you aren't actually adding 10 grams of creatine to it? Ten grams is a pretty good pile of the stuff. I'd think it'd totally soak up an ounce of Bailey's. Lol

Make make a good paste though.
 
Joe King said:
If you are only riding for exercise, and don't need to be somewhere at a particular time, pick a different time to ride. Ie: ride around and between the times it is actively raining.
Click to expand...
Exercise for the sake of exercise, has always done a dull thud with me. I try to combine things.

Walk to the store for groceries; a mesh bag on my shoulder with a strap. Or ride across town, instead of driving. Makes me feel there's a point to all of it.

It's not hard to make up business or push non-pressing needs forward to tie into the It-Time-For-It mode, and get my 1-2 hours of activity in; but that won't happen in this weather.

Five days of rain, rare? Well, it is, kinda, here. But we have it.

In Seattle, as noted, not so much. Nor in the Great Lakes area. Sunshine is not as common as people think...more than 3/4 of the year the sky is overcast, and/or with precipitation.

It is what it is. Upside...it'll delay the onset of Fire Season.
 
As I said before, conversation is cool in this thread. I'll keep journaling my pain reports, but y'all are very welcome to discuss your own fitness endeavors too.
 
Took the wife to a doctor appointment this afternoon. After the nurse weighed her in, I asked to use their scale. My weight today was 165.5. That's ~7 pounds less than when I last saw my doc around June 4. I seem to be shedding about 7 pounds every 3 weeks presently. Nice.
 
pmbug said:
Took the wife to a doctor appointment this afternoon. After the nurse weighed her in, I asked to use their scale. My weight today was 165.5. That's ~7 pounds less than when I last saw my doc around June 4. I seem to be shedding about 7 pounds every 3 weeks presently. Nice.
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Do you have much to lose? Most people I know would be settin' off fireworks if they hit 165.5 lbs. lol

I'm about 10 less than you right now, but vary between about 152 and 160. BMI about 22. I get above 160 and I start feeling fat 'cause my shorts feel tighter.
In an old lifetime I was approaching 200lbs and drew a line in the concrete that I swore I would never cross. That of being a 200+lbs. Not gonna do it.

In six months of biking 8 miles a day* I lost 40 lbs and have been able to maintain the lower weight ever since.

* that's why I was offering advice to Casey about the riding at least 8 miles a day to lose weight. I know it can work. Gotta be persistent about it though.


Casey Jones said:
Exercise for the sake of exercise, has always done a dull thud with me. I try to combine things.
Click to expand...
That's the best way to make it a habit that sticks. Too many have big ideas about exercise, but soon fall by the wayside when it starts seeming like a chore that doesn't provide immediate benefits.

It can be like digging a hole just to fill it with the dirt from the next hole.


Casey Jones said:
Walk to the store for groceries; a mesh bag on my shoulder with a strap. Or ride across town, instead of driving. Makes me feel there's a point to all of it.
Click to expand...
Yes, double stuff up with exercise as much as you can. I tell people that all the time.


Casey Jones said:
It's not hard to make up business or push non-pressing needs forward to tie into the It-Time-For-It mode, and get my 1-2 hours of activity in; but that won't happen in this weather.
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In situations like that you gotta find stuff to do indoors.

Perhaps try some of the stuff PMBug is doing on days you can't get outside. Edited to add: challenge yourself by trying to beat his times.
....but whatever it is, you gotta think in terms of burning the same amount of calories that you'd burn riding to the store and walking or any of the other outdoor activities you can't currently do.

Being consistent is the only thing that will lead to the results you want.
 
Joe King said:
Do you have much to lose? Most people I know would be settin' off fireworks if they hit 165.5 lbs. ...
Click to expand...

I have weighed about 150 lbs most of my adult life. It's only in the last year or so that I started gaining weight. I don't have any exact desired target for my weight. The body will find it's equilibrium based upon lifestyle (diet, exercise, sleep). I haven't really changed my diet at all. I just started exercising and being physically active again. What I'm really hoping is that my blood pressure levels come down a little further. Those numbers have been coming down along with the weight. Exercise is good!
 
Pain report

This morning I went to the track and ran 3 laps on lane 3 (3/4 of a mile). My left hip felt good today, but I just ran out of gas around the end of lap 2 and just pushed it to finish 3 laps.

Workout was several hours later (just now):

Crucifix Crunch - Today I was mindful on the relax phase to maintain muscle tension and lower the legs with my muscles instead of letting them fall with gravity. My abs were on fire by the end of set 2. Reminded me of day one on this journey/challenge. Finished 3 sets of 15.

(rested bigly)

Core hold series
Form 1 - I really set my mind to pushing for a new record today in keeping my back off the floor. By breath 15 I was feeling good about. Abs were holding strong. By breath 20, there was trouble in paradise. Muscles gave out at breath 24 or 25 and the back hit the floor. I decided NOT to forgo the rest between forms today. However, instead of resting for 30 breaths as I usually do, I only rested for 15 breath. Barely long enough to catch a normal breath rhythm.
Form 2 - Hoo boy! Today was not easy. At all. It was not quite the struggle I had when first starting, but it was close. I managed to keep my shoulders up and lower back down though for the full 30 breaths. I again decided to rest only 15 breaths.
Form 3 - Not easy today. It took great effort, but I managed to keep my lower back flat to the floor for 30 breaths. No foot cramps today. Huzzah!

(rested bigly)

Side planks - slow and controlled. Did 15 each side. I still don't have a good feel for this exercise. Am I doing it right? While I'm doing them, I never feel the burn in the obliques. I'm not sure what muscles I'm actually using to lift my hips. My shoulders complain if I try to push beyond 15 reps.

Active dead hang - As with Form 1 core hold, I really wanted to push for a new record today. I activated the back muscles and started breathing/counting. I felt good through breath 15 or so. At breath 20 the struggle was real. I held on to breath 25, but just barely.
 
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