Tree Kitteh

Dooku loves the Christmas tree.  When it comes on, he literally runs toward it, diving in to the tree skirt.  You would think the house was freezing and he needed the warmth.  

And so, for your enjoyment....

I hope this finds you all warm and safe.  

December Workouts: Week 3

This week started off horribly.  I've been trying to fight off a head cold and just when I thought I had, I got an epic stomach bug on Sunday.   I was miserable.  

And defeated.  It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year and I've been sick since our return from Colorado.  This sucks!

Monday: sick

I don't think I got 3000 steps this day.  

Tuesday: Cathe's Strong and Sweaty: Ramped Up Upper Body

I didn't know how I felt this morning so an upper body workout seemed to be the best of all evils.  This one was new-to-me and I enjoyed it!  I probably could have lifted heavier but I was just trying to make it through this in one piece.  And I did!  Thank goodness!  I'm really hoping I feel better tomorrow..........

Wednesday: Cathe's Rockout Knockout

This morning, I felt normal!  Yay!  And hungry for the first time since Sunday morning, which was great....and annoying.  Ha!  This kickboxing workout was good - though the amount of high impact really tested me after being sick.  It's been a while since I've done this workout and it was a lot of fun.  The combinations were challenging - which is always good in kickboxing!

Thursday:  Cathe's Hard Strikes Low Impact Boxing Live + walk + YWA

More boxing today and this time, low impact.  Awesome!  I still felt good today but didn't want to overdo it.  My arms were a bit achy after being worked for two days before this workout but it was fun!  This was pure boxing, no kicking, but that was fine by me.  At lunch, I walked at the rec center and did some ab work.  It felt so good to feel good!  I haven't been able to do yoga lately but I made a point of it today - with this gentle morning sequence.  It worked well after a long day of work!

Friday: Cathe's Strong and Sweaty: Total Body Giant Sets 

I did't know what to expect from this strength workout.....but I really liked it!  Cathe doesn't disappoint and this workout was really, really good.  I think the reason I liked it was that there was little repetition, except with legs, which I don't mind.  You do a lot of leg work, which keeps the heart rate up and then do arms amidst it all.  I like that format!  I meant to do yoga after work but life interfered.  Ugh.

Saturday: Cathe's Solid Cardio Plus HIIT Live + abs + YWA

Christmas Eve Eve and I needed cardio!  This cardio workout is great - it's my third time doing it.  Cathe starts with steady cardio and then eases into HIIT.  It's good and challenging.  My legs were hurting from yesterday's workout so some of the moves were difficult to get through just because of that.  I added on 10 minutes to get 50 minutes of cardio.  Then, about 7 minutes of abs followed by a nice stretch.  I tuned into Adriene's Yoga Chill - short but sweet and calming after so much jumping.

Sunday: Cathe's RWH Plyo HIIT One

Christmas Eve - I was lucky to fit this workout in and I needed to, since I would miss the next two days of workouts.  This was my first time doing this Plyo HIIT and it was tough.  So many tuck jumps and burpees....dang!  I added one a bit from Plyo HIIT Two to get a full 30 minutes of cardio in....and Plyo HIIT Two seemed much easier.  I'll definitely have to go back to these sometime.  But for thirty minutes, it was a great workout.

Calorie Counts:

We'll just not talk about calories this week.  That being said, I didn't eat after noon on Sunday (last Sunday) or Monday due to my stomach bug.  

Beneath a Scarlet Sky

I recently finished a very good book, based on a man's true story during World War II, Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan.

My Goodreads review:

Though I've about had my fill of World War II novels, this one came highly recommended and so I read it when it was loaned to me.

This true story is, indeed, amazing.  Sullivan recounts the life of young Pino Lella during the Nazi occupation of northern Italy.  When the Allied bombardment of Milan becomes too dangerous, Pino's family sends him to the mountains where he helps with an underground railway to get Jews out of Italy.  As if that isn't enough, when Pino becomes old enough to get drafted by the Germans, he joins them.... as a spy for his beloved Italy.

I was, at first, concerned with liking Pino, as he comes across a bit too foolhardy.  But the circumstances of war require him to mature and his story is truly inspiring.  It shows that the worst events in history can bring out the best in humanity.

December Workouts: Week 2

This week started off in Colorado, for our annual trip to the snowy mountains.  This year, there was no snow in the city, but there was some in the higher elevations of the park.  Yay!

Monday: hike!

We had a good 2.2 mile hike today.  While it didn't get my heart rate super high, my Fitbit loved that I was active for 70 minutes.  

Tuesday: REST

Travel day....  Back to home it is.

Wednesday: Cathe's XTrain 06: Cardio Leg Blast + walk

Back home and back to the workouts this morning!  This Leg Blast was awesome - it alternates strength and cardio moves.  Though intense, it was very fun and effective.  I used lighter weights because I forgot to bring down the heavier one, but my heart rate still stayed elevated for the weighted moves.  At lunch, I walked outside for a bit to get out of the office.  

Thursday: Cathe's Kick Punch Cardio + Dozois' On The Go Workouts: Core

This is my third time to do Kick Punch Cardio - I must really like it!  Kickboxing is so much fun and this workout contains some different combinations that really keep you interested.  And it keeps your heart pumping!  After work, I did this core workout - and Michelle tried to break me.  Dang!  My abs were not prepared for this workout!

Friday: Cathe's Muscle Max

Total body weights today with an older Cathe workout!  This was definitely an intense weight workout.  I tried to lift my heaviest and, as a result, my heart rate stayed elevated.  Some of the leg and bicep work was especially torturous.   Wow.  I wasn't able to finish it but I got a well-rounded workout.  Nothing at lunch today, as I was feeling under the weather.

Saturday: Cathe's Cardio Slam

This workout happened late in the day, due to having company.  That always makes it harder for me to get through a workout.  But I did it!  And this workout is no joke: it's non-stop.  And difficult!  Somehow, I got through all the cardio.  I then did the core work from Friday's Muscle Max - which was also no joke.  Dang!  Finally, after that, a stretch.

Sunday: Cathe's STS Total Body

Weights today!  This was my first time doing this workout - though I did the entirety of the STS program.  I liked this one, mainly because it was made up of tri-sets, which I always seem to enjoy.   This workout lasted about 55 minutes - and then I did the killer core work.  My abs were not happy!  Finally, I stretched and called it a day.

Calorie Counts:

Not good.

Lily Lake

Our annual December trip to Colorado was fantastic.  I wish there had been snow, but it was still great without it.  And we got to see something new!........

Lily Lake is just south of Estes Park, outside the gates to Rocky Mountain National Park.  So, if you need a free destination, this is a great one.  It's also wheelchair accessible and an easy walk, much like Sprague.  

And it was iced over!  There were some weird gurgling noises coming from the water under the ice.....  But it was a nice, unstressful walk.

December Workouts: Week 1

Now that I've finished up STS and Cathe's recommended 12-Week Post-STS Workout Rotation, it's time for a change.  And more new Cathe workouts!

I'm using this month to work hard during the holidays.  There will be breaks in the middle of all this - including a long weekend that means two days off this week and next....  But I need those breaks.  My body is tired!

Monday: Cathe's Birthday Blast Live + YWA

Yay, cardio!  I love this live workout because it has everything - kickboxing, circuits, and straight cardio.  So much fun!  But intense!  I really do enjoy cardio like this, though the circuits get a bit tiring.  Cathe loves circuits!  After work, I did this YWA - for zombies because I felt like one.  Ha!  Not really - but it's some fun yoga.

Tuesday: Cathe's XTrain 01: Chest, Back, and Shoulders + walk

I wasn't really looking forward to this workout because I still felt Sunday's workout in my upper body!  Oy.  But this was a good video - alternating each muscle group before moving on and starting over with a new move.  It really works every muscle group to the max in many different ways.   At lunch, I walked at the rec center to get some steps and feel active.  

Wednesday: Cathe's XTrain 09: Tabatacise + YWA

I'm kind of on a XTrain journey this week so I decided to also do my cardio from this series.  Tabatacise is not easy but at least the tabata circuits are only 20 seconds long - with 10 seconds of rest in between.  The only hard part is that they never end and the "recovery" step cardio is just as intense, sometimes, as the tabata.  But, heck, it was a great workout this morning and really tested me.  After work, this yoga for the psoas really stretched me out.  Lovely!

Thursday: Cathe's XTrain 02: Bi's and Tri's + walk

More weights today!  Biceps and triceps are not my favorite things to work on....but I did this workout anyway.  It wasn't too bad.  It alternates between the two muscle groups and Cathe, as always, finds inventive ways to work every inch of every muscle.  For the user, that means, ouch!  At lunch, I walked outside to see a few flurries fall from the gray sky....but that was only for 20 minutes and not too strenuous.  Still - I was active!

Friday: Cathe's XTrain 05: Legs

This morning was rough: I was so tired.  But I got up and worked out, knowing a four-day break is on the horizon.  This leg workout wasn't the hardest leg workout but it sure fired up my lower body. I was really hurting at times!  Cathe knows how to make you hurt!  In a good way!  About half of this workout was standing and the rest was floor work - which was even more excruciating.  Oy.

Saturday: REST

Sunday: REST

Calorie Counts:

I was mostly good this week but my discipline is waning a bit in the midst of the holidays and a short vacation.  Saturday and Sunday - vacation - were awful for the diet.  And I don't care.  Ha!

Annual Colorado Fun

Soon, we're off on our Colorado winter trip, for the third year in a row, to help a friend celebrate a birthday.  This year will be a bit different, though, because of snow....the lack of snow.  

This is what we saw last year....

This year, we'll have to drive into Rocky Mountain National Park - into the high elevations - to see some snow on the ground.  We won't see any fall from the sky.  

I'm trying to not get bummed by this and I'm mostly succeeding.  More than any other year, I just need a long weekend somewhere far away with liquor, cool temps, and a fireplace.  I'll get all three of those things!  And while I'm sitting in front of the fire, I can pretend that it's snowing out.  Uh-huh.

Look for a CO report late next week!

Post-STS 12-Weeks: Week 12

This is my last week of Cathe's prescribed follow-up to STS.  Wow!

Time has flown by - but this is getting to be much more common with age, darn it!  I've really enjoyed exploring new-to-me Cathe workouts.  These twelve weeks have not been boring, for sure!

Monday: Cathe's MMA Boxing + YWA

I love that Cathe's Shock Cardio Series has three boxing/kickboxing workouts!!  This boxing workout is good and the cardio blasts really kept my heart rate elevated.  The punch combinations were different and fun, which made the time fly by!  It was a great early morning workout, in general.  After work, I did this YWA to calm down after a crazy, frustrating drive home.

Tuesday: Cathe's Chiseled Legs and Abs Live + walk + YWA

Legs today!  This live workout wasn't the toughest of Cathe's leg workouts, but I enjoyed it and made it through in one piece.  I wish I could have gotten further along in the workout but my time constraints meant I never got to the ab section, which looked to be killer.  Maybe it's good I didn't make it that far!  At lunch, I walked outside, because it was gorgeous outside!  After work, I wanted to up my yoga game and this YWA did it!  I got quite sweaty!

Wednesday: Cathe's HIIT 40/20 + Body Blast Series: Step Blast

I can't say I was looking forward to HIIT this morning, but I was looking forward to a good workout.  This one starts deceptively slow but with the second HIIT, you're left panting....and then you repeat it!  Dang!  I worked hard and was happy about it.  After that, I tuned into a step workout that I actually followed relatively well, all things considered.  It's an older workout but still fun!

Thursday:  Cathe's Strong Upper Body Express Live + walk + YWA

This morning, bright and early, I did my upper body workout.  I was looking forward to it only because it wasn't crazy cardio.  But it didn't take long for my arms to get burned out in this workout so it was a bit torturous...in a good way.  Cathe kept you moving quickly through the exercises, which helped a bit.  There was a good ab section at the end, which was a nice surprise.  At lunch, I walked at the rec center, working up a good sweat....  And then, after work, I did this YWA, which I remembered as being good for the arms.  I did not remember all the planks.  Dang!

Friday:  YWA

Rest day!  Yay!  This is a relatively new YWA - one specifically for mornings.  These are always a great way to ease into the day.  I enjoyed this one and even got a little sweaty when the heat kicked on in the house.  I felt nice and awake after this video.

Saturday:  Cathe's HIIT Pyramid + Circuit Blast + Icy Core 2

I'm tired.  In general, I'm tired and my body is tired.  Thankfully, I have a 4-day workout break coming up.....but in the meantime, I need to hit it hard.  This pyramid HIIT is not at all easy....  But I did it!  After that 25 minutes of torture, I did 20 minutes of Circuit Blast, which I first did a week ago.  It's not easy, either, especially after a grueling HIIT workout.   Finally, it was time for abs....again, not easy, though the ICE workouts are "intermediate."  That lasted almost 15 minutes....and then I stretched.  

Sunday: Cathe's High Reps

Weight day - and another new workout!  High Reps is pure strength and self explanatory - lots of reps with different count patterns to change it up.  It's all about endurance....which meant it was very difficult to lift heavy....and keep lifting heavy.  Oy.  It was a tough workout. I did all of it - along with the ab section.  And my abs were still sore from yesterday.  I then did the stretch and added on some more stretching....for about 70 minutes of work today.  

Calorie Counts:

I was good most of the work week...and then it was a bad weekend, due to football.  I had serious stomach issues late Saturday and early Sunday...ugh.