This week will be tough. Like everyone else, I have so much to do before Christmas!
The goal is to get all my workouts done Monday through Friday. After that, I'll miss some days to holiday prep and the actual holiday.
Monday: Cathe's Total Body Giant Sets 2 + walk
An upper body workout just wasn't going to happen this week. So I chose to do this workout, working a bit of everything. I did some lower body but did ALL the upper body circuits. And ouch! They were definitely effective. I even added on some push-ups because I felt Cathe neglected - slightly - the chest. At lunch, I walked at the rec in order to get enough steps. But then I was walking all around campus and ended up with over 16,000 steps at the end of the day. Whew!
Tuesday: Cathe's Cardio Boxing
This workout has two names - the one above and Cardio Boxing and Metabolic Conditioning. It took me a while to find it on the Cathe Live site. But it was a great workout. About 30 minutes are filled with boxing and cardio blasts (influenced by boxing/kickboxing) and then there's a bit of metabolic at the end. I didn't get too much of that done, but I liked this workout. You jumped just enough to get your heart rate up! And even that made my feet hurt. Ugh!
Wednesday: Cathe's Lower Body Boot Camp + walk
Wow. This workout caught me off guard because it was tough. I started with heavy weights but quickly went down in weight because my legs were hurting and my heart rate was super, super high. And, it never went down! I burned more calories in this workout than in any other workout this week. Dang! At lunch, I walked at the rec and stretched my poor, tired legs.
Thursday: Cathe's Total Body Blast with Step
I liked the concept of this workout but, in person, it wasn't my favorite. You do one or two cardio exercises and then 2-3 weighted moves. Nothing got my heart rate super high - but I was actually okay with that. I should have gone heavier in my weights so I must remember that next time. As it was, my legs and bum were super sore from yesterday's workout.
Friday: Dozois' Peak 10 More Cardio Strength
Ugh. I love Michelle but I hate this workout. So why I chose to do it at 5:30 is beyond me. But I did it - all but one circuit. I modified a few of the moves on the floor - because I was super tired. But I did most of everything else and got a great workout. I thought it would be my last workout before the holiday so I wanted to go out with a bang. And I did - albeit a tired bang!
Saturday: Cathe's Smokin' Upper Body
After a morning of grocery shopping and house cleaning, I managed to get this workout done, miraculously, around 2pm. I was pretty tired and my back was aching from mopping....but I took some joy - amazingly - in working hard with Cathe today. I know I won't work out for the next three days, so I tried to enjoy it...and ignore how much my belly was jiggling. Ha! Oy. So, 45 minutes of the workout and then a stretch.
Sunday: REST
Calorie Counts:
Calories don't count at Christmas, right?
Monday, December 24, 2018
Monday, December 17, 2018
Cathe Live Rotation: Week 7
I started this week off in a different state. And then I got sick on the way home. Sigh.
Despite all that and the upcoming holidays, I'm going to try to keep up with my workouts - to the best of my ability.
Monday: Cathe's Crush It Low Impact
I did this workout in the hotel room, desperate to fight off some of the calories I was consuming like crazy. I'd done this video before, in 2017, but had no memory of it. It lasted about 35 minutes and was surprisingly effective for a low impact routine. I really like it and need to remember it when I'm short on time. The moves are just so dynamic - your heart rate stays up!
Tuesday: REST DAY
Yay, stupid stomach that hates to travel. Ugh.
Wednesday: Cathe's Pumped Up Upper Body + walk
Back to the routine today and feeling blessedly better. Yes! This workout was perfect for 5:30am - no jumping and minimal sweat... Perfect for easing back into the real world. I lifted as heavy as I could and then had to go down on the 2nd and 3rd reps. Ouch! I had to shorten this one a bit to fit in all the muscle groups. At lunch, I walked at the rec center and did some ab work. My abs were so sore yesterday but, thankfully, felt better today.
Thursday: Cathe's Smokin' Lower Body + walk
So this leg workout really got me! Why? Because I used a step for the first time in ages. Readers, I don't have a step - I have a step-stool. So, there's a low step and a high one - no in between. Leg presses are tough and spike my heart rate like nothing else. This workout had a good variety of exercises - unweighted, dumbells, barbell, step. Ouch. I walked at lunch in order to get steps and do some ab work, because my evenings are too busy this week for anything other than necessary holiday prep.
Friday: Cathe's HIIT It, Strike It, Crunch It
I wanted pure cardio this morning so I found this newer Cathe Live workout - and it was great! The HIIT, right off the bat, was a bit traumatic, but definitely effective. The kickboxing portion was a lot of fun. I'm going to try to come back to the abs this weekend so I did my own cardio to fill up my 40 minutes of time this morning. This video is one that I will have to come back to.
Saturday: Dozois' Peak 10 More Cardio Interval Burn
This morning, I did 45 minutes of this workout before leaving town for the day. I was glad to get it done and glad I could skip at least one circuit. Ha! This one is tough but I did pretty well. My feet started hurting pretty quickly, probably because I did cardio on Friday. But this CIB is super effective and left me huffing and puffing.
Sunday: Cathe's Super Cuts with Cardio Blasts + abs
This workout was crammed into the day, which meant I could only go for about 30 minutes. I wish there were more cardio blasts in this one, to keep the heart rate up, but, otherwise, I like it. Cathe certainly knows how to work all your muscles, non-stop. After 30 minutes, I did 4-5 minutes of abs and then stretched. My hamstrings were a bit sore so I tried to stretch them well.
Calorie Counts:
Newp.
Despite all that and the upcoming holidays, I'm going to try to keep up with my workouts - to the best of my ability.
Monday: Cathe's Crush It Low Impact
I did this workout in the hotel room, desperate to fight off some of the calories I was consuming like crazy. I'd done this video before, in 2017, but had no memory of it. It lasted about 35 minutes and was surprisingly effective for a low impact routine. I really like it and need to remember it when I'm short on time. The moves are just so dynamic - your heart rate stays up!
Tuesday: REST DAY
Yay, stupid stomach that hates to travel. Ugh.
Wednesday: Cathe's Pumped Up Upper Body + walk
Back to the routine today and feeling blessedly better. Yes! This workout was perfect for 5:30am - no jumping and minimal sweat... Perfect for easing back into the real world. I lifted as heavy as I could and then had to go down on the 2nd and 3rd reps. Ouch! I had to shorten this one a bit to fit in all the muscle groups. At lunch, I walked at the rec center and did some ab work. My abs were so sore yesterday but, thankfully, felt better today.
Thursday: Cathe's Smokin' Lower Body + walk
So this leg workout really got me! Why? Because I used a step for the first time in ages. Readers, I don't have a step - I have a step-stool. So, there's a low step and a high one - no in between. Leg presses are tough and spike my heart rate like nothing else. This workout had a good variety of exercises - unweighted, dumbells, barbell, step. Ouch. I walked at lunch in order to get steps and do some ab work, because my evenings are too busy this week for anything other than necessary holiday prep.
Friday: Cathe's HIIT It, Strike It, Crunch It
I wanted pure cardio this morning so I found this newer Cathe Live workout - and it was great! The HIIT, right off the bat, was a bit traumatic, but definitely effective. The kickboxing portion was a lot of fun. I'm going to try to come back to the abs this weekend so I did my own cardio to fill up my 40 minutes of time this morning. This video is one that I will have to come back to.
Saturday: Dozois' Peak 10 More Cardio Interval Burn
This morning, I did 45 minutes of this workout before leaving town for the day. I was glad to get it done and glad I could skip at least one circuit. Ha! This one is tough but I did pretty well. My feet started hurting pretty quickly, probably because I did cardio on Friday. But this CIB is super effective and left me huffing and puffing.
Sunday: Cathe's Super Cuts with Cardio Blasts + abs
This workout was crammed into the day, which meant I could only go for about 30 minutes. I wish there were more cardio blasts in this one, to keep the heart rate up, but, otherwise, I like it. Cathe certainly knows how to work all your muscles, non-stop. After 30 minutes, I did 4-5 minutes of abs and then stretched. My hamstrings were a bit sore so I tried to stretch them well.
Calorie Counts:
Newp.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Ten Years
Ten years ago, my family had the most magical Christmas ever. We met in Lake Tahoe - twelve of us - and camped out in a big cabin for the holiday.
We hoped for snow. We did not anticipate getting two feet of snow dumped on us in about 24 hours.
Even after living through two Michigan winters, this snow caught me off guard. It was amazing. With my niece, nephew, and a family friend, we made the biggest snowman imaginable. And then it snowed again, obscuring the face. Ha!
When it finally cleared off, we took the Heavenly gondola up to enjoy the magnificent view.
Christmases at home are so very relaxing. But it's the ones that are unique - that are memorable - that always stand out. And this one will never be forgotten.
Monday, December 10, 2018
Cathe Live Rotation: Week 6
This week is going to be disrupted by our annual December trip to a wintry (usually Colorado) place (not Colorado this year). It'll be our first trip together, just the two of us, in quite some time. I'm excited!
But first I have to get through the majority of the week - and try to be healthy. YWA probably won't happen much this week due to having way too much to accomplish in my few evening hours.
Monday: Cathe's Buff Upper Body + walk
This was my second time through this workout and I really do enjoy it. Cathe hits two muscle groups at a time, usually, in a set, which you then repeat a few times. It really burns out your muscles - but in a good way! I lifted as heavy as I could! At lunch, I walked at the rec center and planked. Thankfully, the students are beginning to abandon their workout schedules and the building wasn't nearly as busy. It's the little things.
Tuesday: Cathe's Athletic Conditioning
A new Cathe workout today! In this video, Cathe starts with the step - for about 15 minutes of cardio. You then move into strength work, alternating upper and lower body. My heart rate definitely went up in the step work and in some of the compound exercises later on. While I liked parts of this workout, it wasn't my favorite. Perhaps it was because my arms were sore from yesterday!
Wednesday: Cathe's Rock Bottoms and Core + walk
Leg day! This was my second time doing this workout and I can honestly say that I love it! Cathe targets your bum quite effectively without a step, which is great! I went up in weights this time - to 12s - and really felt it at times. But, Cathe doesn't go crazy heavy on weights anyway. You do a lot with discs and even do some floorwork. At lunch, I walked in order to get steps - and did my sit-ups.
Thursday: Cathe's Fit Body Boot Camp
This week, I've awoken with a headache every morning. It's exhausting. And very, very frustrating. This makes any workout that involves jumping very painful. This morning, I gritted my teeth and got through the jumping, knowing that those moves were in the minority. And I got a good workout! This is a good boot camp - cardio, lower, upper, compound.... The format shifts around some but the idea stays the same. I sweated and had fun, when I could forget about my head.
Friday - Sunday: REST
Vacation to the mountains.
Calorie Counts:
I ate healthily this week, up until we left, because I knew the diet would be put on hold while were gone.
But first I have to get through the majority of the week - and try to be healthy. YWA probably won't happen much this week due to having way too much to accomplish in my few evening hours.
Monday: Cathe's Buff Upper Body + walk
This was my second time through this workout and I really do enjoy it. Cathe hits two muscle groups at a time, usually, in a set, which you then repeat a few times. It really burns out your muscles - but in a good way! I lifted as heavy as I could! At lunch, I walked at the rec center and planked. Thankfully, the students are beginning to abandon their workout schedules and the building wasn't nearly as busy. It's the little things.
Tuesday: Cathe's Athletic Conditioning
A new Cathe workout today! In this video, Cathe starts with the step - for about 15 minutes of cardio. You then move into strength work, alternating upper and lower body. My heart rate definitely went up in the step work and in some of the compound exercises later on. While I liked parts of this workout, it wasn't my favorite. Perhaps it was because my arms were sore from yesterday!
Wednesday: Cathe's Rock Bottoms and Core + walk
Leg day! This was my second time doing this workout and I can honestly say that I love it! Cathe targets your bum quite effectively without a step, which is great! I went up in weights this time - to 12s - and really felt it at times. But, Cathe doesn't go crazy heavy on weights anyway. You do a lot with discs and even do some floorwork. At lunch, I walked in order to get steps - and did my sit-ups.
Thursday: Cathe's Fit Body Boot Camp
This week, I've awoken with a headache every morning. It's exhausting. And very, very frustrating. This makes any workout that involves jumping very painful. This morning, I gritted my teeth and got through the jumping, knowing that those moves were in the minority. And I got a good workout! This is a good boot camp - cardio, lower, upper, compound.... The format shifts around some but the idea stays the same. I sweated and had fun, when I could forget about my head.
Friday - Sunday: REST
Vacation to the mountains.
Calorie Counts:
I ate healthily this week, up until we left, because I knew the diet would be put on hold while were gone.
Thursday, December 6, 2018
An Echo in the Bone
I finally finished the seventh Outlander installment, An Echo in the Bone! It is unbelievable to me that I have read seven of Diana Gabaldon's novels. Seven!?! And there are still more in the series, and more to come! Craziness!
This book took me five months to read. That is partly because my knitting has taken over my free time and partly because this book didn't grab as some of the others have.
My Goodreads review:
This seventh installment was not my favorite. The entire book exuded a feeling of unsettledness. While that may have been the author's intent, it didn't sit well with me. The trip back to Scotland seemed a little far-fetched, as did Jamie's fate on the way back to America. Sure, that could have happened but, really, how much can happen to one man?
I still love these characters and find it reassuring to see how they continue to grow together. The presence of John Grey is always welcome but I find it harder to care about some of the newly introduced side characters.
I still can't wait to read the next installment!
This book took me five months to read. That is partly because my knitting has taken over my free time and partly because this book didn't grab as some of the others have.
My Goodreads review:
This seventh installment was not my favorite. The entire book exuded a feeling of unsettledness. While that may have been the author's intent, it didn't sit well with me. The trip back to Scotland seemed a little far-fetched, as did Jamie's fate on the way back to America. Sure, that could have happened but, really, how much can happen to one man?
I still love these characters and find it reassuring to see how they continue to grow together. The presence of John Grey is always welcome but I find it harder to care about some of the newly introduced side characters.
I still can't wait to read the next installment!
Monday, December 3, 2018
Cathe Live Rotation: Week 5
The week after Thanksgiving - heck, the weeks after - and before Christmas are just awful. There are treats and cookies everywhere.... The diet will suffer - there is no doubt.
All I can do is work out and make smart eating decisions when there are smart ones to be had.
Monday: Cathe's Upper Body with Core Express + walk + YWA
Since my sore, sore legs kept me up half the night, I was so thankful that today was an upper body day. And this was a great workout - fast, efficient, and a bit painful. Ha! I went as heavy as I could and often had to go a bit lighter on the subsequent reps. I stopped before the ab work and did some upper body band work instead. At lunch, I walked and stretched out my legs. And after work, this YWA was a great way to stretch and get the blood pumping in my legs once more.
Tuesday: Cathe's Boot Camp with Step + YWA
This morning, my legs were still killing me, but I powered through this workout. Sure, my squats and lunges weren't very deep but I did the best I could. And I worked hard. I'd done this boot camp a few months ago and it's pretty good, but not great. My heart rate doesn't get very high, but stays in a mediocre range. At lunch, I took a bit of a walk to meet a friend. And at the end of the day, after a horrid drive home, this YWA helped to calm me.
Wednesday: Cathe's Muscle Max Live + walk
I don't think I ever did Cathe's DVD version of Muscle Max... But I really enjoyed the live version! Cathe took you through a triset for legs and then you moved on to upper body - and then back to lower and then upper again. I had to skip a bit of the leg portions to fit in all the upper body muscle groups. But this one was fun! At lunch, I walked at the rec and did my sit-ups. Fun.
Thursday: YWA
Thursday rest days are the best. Truly. I'm usually worn down by then and these get me through the pesky day that is not-quite-Friday. In the last few months, I haven't kept up with Adriene's new YWA releases so it was fun to do a new one today! These practices are always such a great way to start the day and this one was no different.
Friday: Cathe's Cross Train Lower Body Live
I had really been looking forward to trying this workout, which contains both cardio and strength - and a bit of barre - for the lower body. Unfortunately, Dooku started throwing up in the middle of it so I didn't even get to the barre section. Ugh! I'll have to try to get to it this weekend. But the rest was great - and I went light on the few weighted sections because my legs are still sore. Still! So this was a good choice as it wasn't 100% strength. I'll have to come back to it sometime!
Saturday: Dozois' Peak 10 Cardio Interval Burn + abs
Knowing I was going to blow my diet later in the day really helped fuel this workout. I did it all! This is the first time I've gotten through an entire CIB in a very long time. It felt great! This isn't the toughest CIB because Michelle never takes you to the ground - but the peaks are definitely tough and I felt them. After that 55 minutes, I did 5 minutes of abs (Cathe) and then stretched. A great day!
Sunday: Cathe's Body Works + barre + abs
I was looking forward to this workout that I last did in September. Cathe leads you through two cardio moves and then 2-3 strength moves. Repeat for about 5 circuits, I think. The cardio is tough. The strength uses weights and the band, which I love. After that 45 minutes, I finished out Friday's workout, doing the full barre segment. That was great - and painful. Then, five minutes of abs and a stretch. Loving this weekend of workouts!
Calorie Counts:
Newp.
All I can do is work out and make smart eating decisions when there are smart ones to be had.
Monday: Cathe's Upper Body with Core Express + walk + YWA
Since my sore, sore legs kept me up half the night, I was so thankful that today was an upper body day. And this was a great workout - fast, efficient, and a bit painful. Ha! I went as heavy as I could and often had to go a bit lighter on the subsequent reps. I stopped before the ab work and did some upper body band work instead. At lunch, I walked and stretched out my legs. And after work, this YWA was a great way to stretch and get the blood pumping in my legs once more.
Tuesday: Cathe's Boot Camp with Step + YWA
This morning, my legs were still killing me, but I powered through this workout. Sure, my squats and lunges weren't very deep but I did the best I could. And I worked hard. I'd done this boot camp a few months ago and it's pretty good, but not great. My heart rate doesn't get very high, but stays in a mediocre range. At lunch, I took a bit of a walk to meet a friend. And at the end of the day, after a horrid drive home, this YWA helped to calm me.
Wednesday: Cathe's Muscle Max Live + walk
I don't think I ever did Cathe's DVD version of Muscle Max... But I really enjoyed the live version! Cathe took you through a triset for legs and then you moved on to upper body - and then back to lower and then upper again. I had to skip a bit of the leg portions to fit in all the upper body muscle groups. But this one was fun! At lunch, I walked at the rec and did my sit-ups. Fun.
Thursday: YWA
Thursday rest days are the best. Truly. I'm usually worn down by then and these get me through the pesky day that is not-quite-Friday. In the last few months, I haven't kept up with Adriene's new YWA releases so it was fun to do a new one today! These practices are always such a great way to start the day and this one was no different.
Friday: Cathe's Cross Train Lower Body Live
I had really been looking forward to trying this workout, which contains both cardio and strength - and a bit of barre - for the lower body. Unfortunately, Dooku started throwing up in the middle of it so I didn't even get to the barre section. Ugh! I'll have to try to get to it this weekend. But the rest was great - and I went light on the few weighted sections because my legs are still sore. Still! So this was a good choice as it wasn't 100% strength. I'll have to come back to it sometime!
Saturday: Dozois' Peak 10 Cardio Interval Burn + abs
Knowing I was going to blow my diet later in the day really helped fuel this workout. I did it all! This is the first time I've gotten through an entire CIB in a very long time. It felt great! This isn't the toughest CIB because Michelle never takes you to the ground - but the peaks are definitely tough and I felt them. After that 55 minutes, I did 5 minutes of abs (Cathe) and then stretched. A great day!
Sunday: Cathe's Body Works + barre + abs
I was looking forward to this workout that I last did in September. Cathe leads you through two cardio moves and then 2-3 strength moves. Repeat for about 5 circuits, I think. The cardio is tough. The strength uses weights and the band, which I love. After that 45 minutes, I finished out Friday's workout, doing the full barre segment. That was great - and painful. Then, five minutes of abs and a stretch. Loving this weekend of workouts!
Calorie Counts:
Newp.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Lunch in Paris
During vacation, I read Death Comes to Pemberley and Lunch in Paris, by Elizabeth Bard. I very much enjoyed the other (second) book by Bard and this one did not disappoint.
My Goodreads review:
Having accidentally read the second of Elizabeth Bard's memoirs first (Picnic in Provence), I knew how her story began. But this was a delightful read. I never knew I would enjoy memoirs but Bard kept me constantly entertained.
No subject is off-limits and it's refreshing to hear of Elizabeth and Gwendal's professional struggles. It's also enlightening to learn more about real French society - instead of the romanticized version so many have.
Of course, I want to try all of the recipes in this book and wish cooking was as effortless as Bard makes it seem. I also wish Americans enjoyed their food more, like the French. To savor a meal, instead of inhaling it.... I know many people, myself included, who could benefit from practicing this.
My Goodreads review:
Having accidentally read the second of Elizabeth Bard's memoirs first (Picnic in Provence), I knew how her story began. But this was a delightful read. I never knew I would enjoy memoirs but Bard kept me constantly entertained.
No subject is off-limits and it's refreshing to hear of Elizabeth and Gwendal's professional struggles. It's also enlightening to learn more about real French society - instead of the romanticized version so many have.
Of course, I want to try all of the recipes in this book and wish cooking was as effortless as Bard makes it seem. I also wish Americans enjoyed their food more, like the French. To savor a meal, instead of inhaling it.... I know many people, myself included, who could benefit from practicing this.
Monday, November 26, 2018
Cathe Live Rotation: Week 4
A holiday week! And I'm so excited for Thanksgiving this year - and for the time away from work. I really need quality time with family.
At the start of this week, I had no idea how my workouts would work. We would just play it by ear...
Monday: Cathe's Upper Body Challenge with Ball + walk + YWA
This was a good upper body workout - though I did have to fast-forward bits in order to fit in all the muscle groups. I was able to do some of the band work, which I like. For some reason, those band exercises get me in ways that weights do not. At lunch, I walked at the rec center and planked. Every minute being active this week is a good, good thing! And after work, this YWA was a bit too short - so I did some of my own salutations afterward.
Tuesday: Cathe's Long and Strong Legs + walk
Another older Cathe workout - and this one is unique! There is no class in this video, just Cathe. She led a great workout, though, and my legs were burning! I skipped a bit of the weighted work in order to do more barre at the end. And I loved that! Barre works those muscles in very different ways and I wish I did it more often. At lunch, I walked - in a near deserted rec center - and did sit-ups. A good day!
Wednesday: Cathe's Kickboxing and Compound Weights
This was a fun workout. I did all of the kickboxing and a bit of the weights before I had to quit. The kickboxing was fun, though I wish there had been more kicking and less heavy bag work. My heart rate stayed pretty high and I felt like I got a good workout. I went light for the weighted work since my muscles were tired. After work, we headed out of town for the holiday so no additional workouts.
Thursday: REST
Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday: walk
We were still out of town this day. It was a family day so I only took 30 minutes, first thing in the morning, to walk outside. I walked very briskly, since it was cold and then stretched. Still, I managed to hurt my shins. WTH?!
Saturday: Cathe's ICE Total Body Compound Live + Dozois' Peak 10 Cardio Strength Remix
Today, back from the holiday away, I wanted to do my scheduled workout from Friday....and Saturday. So, I did 25 minutes of Cathe's ICE live workout - all weighted compound exercises...and then 20 minutes of Michelle's CS. It was a good combination and I felt thoroughly worked out. I had to go a bit lighter with weights - because I felt a bit out of it. After a good stretch, I was done and ready to work on Christmas decorations!
Sunday: Cathe's Boxing with Leg Blasts Live + abs
My legs were aching - throbbing - from yesterday's workout as I attempted today's torture session. Thankfully, the boxing required little legs - but more than I thought. This one was very similar to the boxing in Wednesday's workout. But it was still fun. After 35 minutes, Cathe went into leg blasts - cardio leg move, weighted leg move, repeat, repeat. That was painful. After 10 minutes of that, I quit to do some ab work and stretch. The rest of the day was painful, thanks to all this leg torture.
Calorie Counts:
No. No, no, no....
At the start of this week, I had no idea how my workouts would work. We would just play it by ear...
Monday: Cathe's Upper Body Challenge with Ball + walk + YWA
This was a good upper body workout - though I did have to fast-forward bits in order to fit in all the muscle groups. I was able to do some of the band work, which I like. For some reason, those band exercises get me in ways that weights do not. At lunch, I walked at the rec center and planked. Every minute being active this week is a good, good thing! And after work, this YWA was a bit too short - so I did some of my own salutations afterward.
Tuesday: Cathe's Long and Strong Legs + walk
Another older Cathe workout - and this one is unique! There is no class in this video, just Cathe. She led a great workout, though, and my legs were burning! I skipped a bit of the weighted work in order to do more barre at the end. And I loved that! Barre works those muscles in very different ways and I wish I did it more often. At lunch, I walked - in a near deserted rec center - and did sit-ups. A good day!
Wednesday: Cathe's Kickboxing and Compound Weights
This was a fun workout. I did all of the kickboxing and a bit of the weights before I had to quit. The kickboxing was fun, though I wish there had been more kicking and less heavy bag work. My heart rate stayed pretty high and I felt like I got a good workout. I went light for the weighted work since my muscles were tired. After work, we headed out of town for the holiday so no additional workouts.
Thursday: REST
Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday: walk
We were still out of town this day. It was a family day so I only took 30 minutes, first thing in the morning, to walk outside. I walked very briskly, since it was cold and then stretched. Still, I managed to hurt my shins. WTH?!
Saturday: Cathe's ICE Total Body Compound Live + Dozois' Peak 10 Cardio Strength Remix
Today, back from the holiday away, I wanted to do my scheduled workout from Friday....and Saturday. So, I did 25 minutes of Cathe's ICE live workout - all weighted compound exercises...and then 20 minutes of Michelle's CS. It was a good combination and I felt thoroughly worked out. I had to go a bit lighter with weights - because I felt a bit out of it. After a good stretch, I was done and ready to work on Christmas decorations!
Sunday: Cathe's Boxing with Leg Blasts Live + abs
My legs were aching - throbbing - from yesterday's workout as I attempted today's torture session. Thankfully, the boxing required little legs - but more than I thought. This one was very similar to the boxing in Wednesday's workout. But it was still fun. After 35 minutes, Cathe went into leg blasts - cardio leg move, weighted leg move, repeat, repeat. That was painful. After 10 minutes of that, I quit to do some ab work and stretch. The rest of the day was painful, thanks to all this leg torture.
Calorie Counts:
No. No, no, no....
Monday, November 19, 2018
Cathe Live Rotation: Week 3
Another week of Cathe's live workouts!
It's been fun - and, frankly, frustrating at times - trying some of Cathe's earlier live workouts. Thankfully, they won't all be that old and hopefully my computer will load them better than last week. Sigh.
Monday: Cathe's Upper Body with Ball + walk
This workout looked appealing due to it's length - 48 minutes. And there's 15 minutes worth of abs so that means I can get through all the upper body in my morning workout. Yes! And it was a good workout - but Cathe neglected the back and biceps a bit so I added on more of those exercises when she went into ab work. At lunch, I walked at the rec center to get steps and did my sit-ups. I fell behind on my steps last week and that really annoys the OCD in me!!
Tuesday: Cathe's Step Express with Blasts + YWA
Cardio day! I usually stay away from Cathe's step workouts, but decided to give this one a try, since she has few steady-cardio workouts. And I liked it! And I mostly got the step combinations! Ha! I'd actually like to do this one again because it was fun - and so very different from her HIIT workouts. This YWA was a great way to end the day, though it was meant to start it. I needed a stretch and this provided it!
Wednesday: Cathe's Butts and Guts + walk
I won't lie. When thinking about getting out of my warm bed to do Butts and Guts....I didn't think I could do it. But I did and I'm so glad I did! This was a great leg workout. And the leg portion was perfect for my mornings - 40 minutes! I went heavy on weights and really felt it. I'll save the "guts" portion for another day. At lunch, I walked and stretched really well. Hopefully, my legs won't be as sore as last week!
Thursday: Dozois' BodyFit 360 Vol 2: Dance Conditioning + YWA
This morning, I was so exhausted that I cannot tell you how happy this rest day made me. I thought about forgoing Michelle and doing a YWA instead....but I needed to wake up. And Michelle definitely woke me up! I only did 30 minutes - some cardio and then the abs and stretch. It was so nice! After work, this YWA helped my sore head and was a great end to the day.
Friday: Cathe's High Reps Total Body Live
Oh, my goodness, I was so tired this morning. My sleep had been restless all night and I was dreading any movement as I got out of bed. Somehow, I made it through this workout, but it was not easy - especially since it was high rep. After about 10-15 reps, I usually had to go down in weight because I was hurting so bad. I couldn't get through this entire workout but I got through most of it.
Saturday: Dozois' Peak 10 Cardio Interval Burn Remix
Today, I was ready for some cardio because, later in the day, my diet was going to blown to bits. This CIB is my favorite so it was a treat to do it this morning. I got through four of the five circuits before I had to stop - so 45 minutes! My heart rate stayed high throughout and I got a ton of steps. Yes! After a nice, long stretch, I was done for the day.
Sunday: Cathe's Ripped with HIIT Scrambler with Step Live + abs
I love how Cathe alternates cardio and weights in some of her HIIT workouts - and the Ripped with HIIT series - so I was excited to try this video. And it was fun! Cathe did a few too many jacks for my taste - to get into the cardio segments - but that was my only complaint. After it ended - I added 5 minutes of my own cardio to make it 45 minutes - I did 10 minutes of abs from Butts and Gutts (from Wednesday) and then stretched. Nice!
Calorie Counts:
Not bad for most of the week and then I blew it on the weekend.
Tuesday: Cathe's Step Express with Blasts + YWA
Cardio day! I usually stay away from Cathe's step workouts, but decided to give this one a try, since she has few steady-cardio workouts. And I liked it! And I mostly got the step combinations! Ha! I'd actually like to do this one again because it was fun - and so very different from her HIIT workouts. This YWA was a great way to end the day, though it was meant to start it. I needed a stretch and this provided it!
Wednesday: Cathe's Butts and Guts + walk
I won't lie. When thinking about getting out of my warm bed to do Butts and Guts....I didn't think I could do it. But I did and I'm so glad I did! This was a great leg workout. And the leg portion was perfect for my mornings - 40 minutes! I went heavy on weights and really felt it. I'll save the "guts" portion for another day. At lunch, I walked and stretched really well. Hopefully, my legs won't be as sore as last week!
Thursday: Dozois' BodyFit 360 Vol 2: Dance Conditioning + YWA
This morning, I was so exhausted that I cannot tell you how happy this rest day made me. I thought about forgoing Michelle and doing a YWA instead....but I needed to wake up. And Michelle definitely woke me up! I only did 30 minutes - some cardio and then the abs and stretch. It was so nice! After work, this YWA helped my sore head and was a great end to the day.
Friday: Cathe's High Reps Total Body Live
Oh, my goodness, I was so tired this morning. My sleep had been restless all night and I was dreading any movement as I got out of bed. Somehow, I made it through this workout, but it was not easy - especially since it was high rep. After about 10-15 reps, I usually had to go down in weight because I was hurting so bad. I couldn't get through this entire workout but I got through most of it.
Saturday: Dozois' Peak 10 Cardio Interval Burn Remix
Today, I was ready for some cardio because, later in the day, my diet was going to blown to bits. This CIB is my favorite so it was a treat to do it this morning. I got through four of the five circuits before I had to stop - so 45 minutes! My heart rate stayed high throughout and I got a ton of steps. Yes! After a nice, long stretch, I was done for the day.
Sunday: Cathe's Ripped with HIIT Scrambler with Step Live + abs
I love how Cathe alternates cardio and weights in some of her HIIT workouts - and the Ripped with HIIT series - so I was excited to try this video. And it was fun! Cathe did a few too many jacks for my taste - to get into the cardio segments - but that was my only complaint. After it ended - I added 5 minutes of my own cardio to make it 45 minutes - I did 10 minutes of abs from Butts and Gutts (from Wednesday) and then stretched. Nice!
Calorie Counts:
Not bad for most of the week and then I blew it on the weekend.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Greta Magnusson
I have a finished project to share with you!
Pattern: Greta Magnusson by Kristen Kapur
Yarn: Madelinetosh Euro Sock in Himiko (purple) and Good Silence (natural with grape splashes)
Needles: US 7
Made for: someone
Time to completion: 1 month and 6 days
This is a gift for a special lady who always sends me hand-knitted gifts. It's the first time I've had my act together enough to knit for her, for once.
However, this knit gave me some issues and there are some mistakes. Once I got the hang of the broken brioche, the shawl worked up quickly. But the brioche took me several tries to master. Ugh. So, I hope, as a knitter, the recipient understands.
This pattern taught me two new techniques - brioche (albeit broken) and the i-cord bind-off. The latter took forever to do - especially when your patience is running thin at the end of a project.... But it was gorgeous, and well worth the effort!
And now that I've figured out the pattern, I loved knitting this! The first part - the purple - was so quick to knit in garter stitch. I hope that I can knit this again, before I forget how the brioche worked. Ha!
Monday, November 12, 2018
Cathe Live Rotation: Week 2
Amazingly, I woke up feeling so much better on Monday. And that was an immense relief after not one, but two illnesses last week. Yes!
So I felt like I could actually tackle this week.... So let's go!
Monday: Cathe's Barbell Upper Body Live + walk + YWA
And here I went, off and running, to do weights and then......the video stopped after 15 minutes and would not come back. I tried everything - and yes, the internet was fine. So, then I did my own weights - and got a really good workout! I threw in some band exercises because those really get me. And I hit every muscle group multiple times. At lunch, I went to the rec center, so happy to not feel like death-becomes-her. Ha! I walked and did sit-ups. After work, this light YWA was great for a Monday.
Tuesday: Cathe's Cardio Band Blast with Weights + YWA
This is an older Cathe workout - well, a lot of these this week and last week are older (as in 2014) - but it was really good. Cathe uses a band as a marker on the floor around which to do cardio. She then transitions to the firewalker band, weights, disks, and then abs. I didn't get past the weights this morning but I got a great workout! This YWA was good after work - my hamstrings are still super sore from Sunday!
Wednesday: Cathe's Stability Ball Total Body Weights + walk
I was supposed to do a different Cathe video, but it wouldn't load. In desperation, I chose this one instead and it ended up being really good - but not quite total body. Cathe doesn't do much lower body work, except floorwork, in this workout. That's fine but I like working my legs a bit harder. At least my arms got another great workout this week! At lunch, I walked at the rec center to get steps - and then planked and stretched my poor legs really well.
Thursday: Cathe's All About Legs + abs
Leg day! And my hamstrings were still sore from Sunday! Eek! This video was good and consisted of different sections that used different equipment. I got through the HIIT/weight section along with the dixie cup, firewalker band, and a bit of the barre section. It was a good workout, though I think that lifting heavy weight with a lot of reps is better for building muscle. But with my sore legs, I liked all the variety this workout provided. After work, I did a little over 10 minutes of abs, from some of Cathe's workouts that I did this week.
Friday: REST
I had a conference this day so I had no time to workout, not even to do yoga. Sigh.
Saturday: Cathe's Boot Camp
Today, I was headed out of time for a night but managed to get a workout in before I left. This Boot Camp is Cathe's first live workout. It's a bit messy with the filming, since they were experimenting with angles.... And Cathe does some weird stuff with splitting up the class... So this was not my favorite. I got a good workout and enjoyed the boxing.... But I won't do this one again. After 45 minutes of cardio, I stretched and called it a day.
Sunday: Dozois' Peak 10 Cardio Strength - Fat Blaster
I got home later than expected today and was short on time. Thus, I only managed 30 minutes of this workout, but I made the most of it and worked hard. Michelle is so much fun and I love how she uses muscles in different ways than Cathe. Fun! I stretched well after this, as my left hamstring was super stiff. Ugh.
Calorie Counts:
Again, we won't go there.
So I felt like I could actually tackle this week.... So let's go!
Monday: Cathe's Barbell Upper Body Live + walk + YWA
And here I went, off and running, to do weights and then......the video stopped after 15 minutes and would not come back. I tried everything - and yes, the internet was fine. So, then I did my own weights - and got a really good workout! I threw in some band exercises because those really get me. And I hit every muscle group multiple times. At lunch, I went to the rec center, so happy to not feel like death-becomes-her. Ha! I walked and did sit-ups. After work, this light YWA was great for a Monday.
Tuesday: Cathe's Cardio Band Blast with Weights + YWA
This is an older Cathe workout - well, a lot of these this week and last week are older (as in 2014) - but it was really good. Cathe uses a band as a marker on the floor around which to do cardio. She then transitions to the firewalker band, weights, disks, and then abs. I didn't get past the weights this morning but I got a great workout! This YWA was good after work - my hamstrings are still super sore from Sunday!
Wednesday: Cathe's Stability Ball Total Body Weights + walk
I was supposed to do a different Cathe video, but it wouldn't load. In desperation, I chose this one instead and it ended up being really good - but not quite total body. Cathe doesn't do much lower body work, except floorwork, in this workout. That's fine but I like working my legs a bit harder. At least my arms got another great workout this week! At lunch, I walked at the rec center to get steps - and then planked and stretched my poor legs really well.
Thursday: Cathe's All About Legs + abs
Leg day! And my hamstrings were still sore from Sunday! Eek! This video was good and consisted of different sections that used different equipment. I got through the HIIT/weight section along with the dixie cup, firewalker band, and a bit of the barre section. It was a good workout, though I think that lifting heavy weight with a lot of reps is better for building muscle. But with my sore legs, I liked all the variety this workout provided. After work, I did a little over 10 minutes of abs, from some of Cathe's workouts that I did this week.
Friday: REST
I had a conference this day so I had no time to workout, not even to do yoga. Sigh.
Saturday: Cathe's Boot Camp
Today, I was headed out of time for a night but managed to get a workout in before I left. This Boot Camp is Cathe's first live workout. It's a bit messy with the filming, since they were experimenting with angles.... And Cathe does some weird stuff with splitting up the class... So this was not my favorite. I got a good workout and enjoyed the boxing.... But I won't do this one again. After 45 minutes of cardio, I stretched and called it a day.
Sunday: Dozois' Peak 10 Cardio Strength - Fat Blaster
I got home later than expected today and was short on time. Thus, I only managed 30 minutes of this workout, but I made the most of it and worked hard. Michelle is so much fun and I love how she uses muscles in different ways than Cathe. Fun! I stretched well after this, as my left hamstring was super stiff. Ugh.
Calorie Counts:
Again, we won't go there.
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
A few weeks ago, for Boss' Day, I baked! It had been soooo long since I'd done anything fun in the kitchen, that I wanted to try a new recipe!
It was October and almost felt like fall, so I decided on these Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins. Since it was my first time making them, I followed the recipe exactly - well, almost. I had no actual cranberries so I only used the dried cranberries.
And these were delicious! They disappeared at work - never mind that they were meant for my bosses. Ha!
I'll definitely have to make these again for the family. They're the perfect fall pastry! And now I'm ready to do even more fall baking now that I can relax my diet a bit. It's time for baking, nutmeg, and hot chocolate!
It was October and almost felt like fall, so I decided on these Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins. Since it was my first time making them, I followed the recipe exactly - well, almost. I had no actual cranberries so I only used the dried cranberries.
And these were delicious! They disappeared at work - never mind that they were meant for my bosses. Ha!
I'll definitely have to make these again for the family. They're the perfect fall pastry! And now I'm ready to do even more fall baking now that I can relax my diet a bit. It's time for baking, nutmeg, and hot chocolate!
Monday, November 5, 2018
Cathe Live Rotation: Week 1
Back from vacation and ready to work hard!
I've put on hold my subscription to Cathe On Demand, scaling back to Cathe Live only. There are so many great live workouts since Cathe puts one out a week....I want to try them all! So, for two months, I'll focus on these to try to get to more of them.
Sunday: Cathe's Cardio Fusion
We got back on Friday night but I felt really bad on Saturday, so I skipped working out. I felt a bit better on Sunday so I got back to it with cardio. This workout is mostly straight cardio with a few HIITs thrown in. I liked it because it was about 40 minutes - perfect for my weekday morning time constraints. It was a bit of a shock this morning, after over a week of vacation (and no workouts, save walking on the beach)....but not as bad as I expected. After this 40 minutes, I stretched for quite a while.
Monday: Cathe's Total Body Giant Sets + YWA
I'd done this Cathe Live workout earlier this year, but didn't remember it. It was unique in that you had three giant sets - upper, lower, and abs. I skipped all the abs so that I could do all the other giant sets. And I'm glad I did because the abs looked brutal! I may have to come back to those. Ha! After work, I did this YWA - this year's Halloween yoga from Adriene. It was a good way to ease back into yoga after a long time off.
Tuesday: Cathe's Kick Butt Boot Camp
This morning, I felt horrible. My ickiness is back with a vengeance - and a sore throat on top of it. I'm about ready to throw in the towel. Somehow, I managed to do this boot camp. It was a bit crazy as far as format - Cathe didn't stick to anything firm, except the cardio in each circuit. But there were five circuits that came in under 40 minutes, which is perfect for my mornings.
Wednesday: Cathe's Strong Upper Body with Core
I did this workout earlier this month, but had no memory of it. I swear, my memory is the worst. This morning, I really liked it. Cathe takes each muscle group and gives you a 2-4 exercises, which you repeat three times. My arms could barely get through three sets - especially my chest and triceps. Ouch! But what a workout! Later this day, I realized my cold was in full swing. There probably won't be many additional workouts this week.
Thursday: YWA + abs
A sick day today. I managed to do yoga, because my body was sore and I wanted to stretch a bit. And this one - for mood swings - was perfect. After that, I decided to go back to Wednesday's workout and do the 10-12 minutes of core work. That was effective!
Friday: Cathe's Strong and Lean Reps
I still felt awful today but I needed to get up and get ready. So this workout helped with that. Since I wasn't anywhere near 100%, it was more difficult than it should have been....but this was already an insanely difficult video. So many reps and varying rep patterns! Cathe was trying to torture us! I had to skip around a bit to fit in all the muscle groups in my allotted time, but it was good.
Saturday: Dozois' Peak 10 Cardio Interval Burn - Fat Blaster
My throat was better today! Not great, but definitely better. Hallelujah! And just in time as we had family birthday festivities today. Due to this, my workout time was cut short - but I got in 35 minutes of Dozois' great CIB. I love this straight cardio - and I needed it after all the weights this week. For this Cathe Live rotation, I'm going to do a Dozois workout on the weekends. Just for something different. I made sure to stretch really well after all the jumping today.
Sunday: Cathe's Cardio Leg Blast with High Step + abs
Time for legs and cardio. From the title of this workout, I assumed there would be more cardio leg blasts - i.e. jumping lunges, squats, etc. But this was more strength based - with a cardio component because you worked hard and quick. So many pulsing lunges and squats, oh my! I definitely got a good workout! This lasted for 55 minutes. I then did some abs from Friday's video....and then stretched.
Calorie Counts:
We won't go there. Oy.
I've put on hold my subscription to Cathe On Demand, scaling back to Cathe Live only. There are so many great live workouts since Cathe puts one out a week....I want to try them all! So, for two months, I'll focus on these to try to get to more of them.
Sunday: Cathe's Cardio Fusion
We got back on Friday night but I felt really bad on Saturday, so I skipped working out. I felt a bit better on Sunday so I got back to it with cardio. This workout is mostly straight cardio with a few HIITs thrown in. I liked it because it was about 40 minutes - perfect for my weekday morning time constraints. It was a bit of a shock this morning, after over a week of vacation (and no workouts, save walking on the beach)....but not as bad as I expected. After this 40 minutes, I stretched for quite a while.
Monday: Cathe's Total Body Giant Sets + YWA
I'd done this Cathe Live workout earlier this year, but didn't remember it. It was unique in that you had three giant sets - upper, lower, and abs. I skipped all the abs so that I could do all the other giant sets. And I'm glad I did because the abs looked brutal! I may have to come back to those. Ha! After work, I did this YWA - this year's Halloween yoga from Adriene. It was a good way to ease back into yoga after a long time off.
Tuesday: Cathe's Kick Butt Boot Camp
This morning, I felt horrible. My ickiness is back with a vengeance - and a sore throat on top of it. I'm about ready to throw in the towel. Somehow, I managed to do this boot camp. It was a bit crazy as far as format - Cathe didn't stick to anything firm, except the cardio in each circuit. But there were five circuits that came in under 40 minutes, which is perfect for my mornings.
Wednesday: Cathe's Strong Upper Body with Core
I did this workout earlier this month, but had no memory of it. I swear, my memory is the worst. This morning, I really liked it. Cathe takes each muscle group and gives you a 2-4 exercises, which you repeat three times. My arms could barely get through three sets - especially my chest and triceps. Ouch! But what a workout! Later this day, I realized my cold was in full swing. There probably won't be many additional workouts this week.
Thursday: YWA + abs
A sick day today. I managed to do yoga, because my body was sore and I wanted to stretch a bit. And this one - for mood swings - was perfect. After that, I decided to go back to Wednesday's workout and do the 10-12 minutes of core work. That was effective!
Friday: Cathe's Strong and Lean Reps
I still felt awful today but I needed to get up and get ready. So this workout helped with that. Since I wasn't anywhere near 100%, it was more difficult than it should have been....but this was already an insanely difficult video. So many reps and varying rep patterns! Cathe was trying to torture us! I had to skip around a bit to fit in all the muscle groups in my allotted time, but it was good.
Saturday: Dozois' Peak 10 Cardio Interval Burn - Fat Blaster
My throat was better today! Not great, but definitely better. Hallelujah! And just in time as we had family birthday festivities today. Due to this, my workout time was cut short - but I got in 35 minutes of Dozois' great CIB. I love this straight cardio - and I needed it after all the weights this week. For this Cathe Live rotation, I'm going to do a Dozois workout on the weekends. Just for something different. I made sure to stretch really well after all the jumping today.
Sunday: Cathe's Cardio Leg Blast with High Step + abs
Time for legs and cardio. From the title of this workout, I assumed there would be more cardio leg blasts - i.e. jumping lunges, squats, etc. But this was more strength based - with a cardio component because you worked hard and quick. So many pulsing lunges and squats, oh my! I definitely got a good workout! This lasted for 55 minutes. I then did some abs from Friday's video....and then stretched.
Calorie Counts:
We won't go there. Oy.
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Death Comes to Pemberley
I read two books while on vacation and it was lovely. My reading has taken a backseat to knitting recently so it was a treat to delve into not one, but two books.
The first book I read was Death Comes to Pemberley, by P. D. James. My book group chose this one, and I was excited because I love Pride and Prejudice.
My Goodreads review:
While I love returning to the characters of Pride and Prejudice, this book wasn't my favorite. The plot was good but it was just a bit too hard for me to get through. Mysteries are not my favorite but this one was much better than most in that genre.
I most enjoyed learning about the lives of Jane, Bingley, Elizabeth, and Darcy. But these women took a backseat in this story, thanks to the ever-annoying Wickham. Giving this character more attention, even if negative, irritated me. But the plot was solid, if a bit slow, and I'm glad I read it.
The first book I read was Death Comes to Pemberley, by P. D. James. My book group chose this one, and I was excited because I love Pride and Prejudice.
My Goodreads review:
While I love returning to the characters of Pride and Prejudice, this book wasn't my favorite. The plot was good but it was just a bit too hard for me to get through. Mysteries are not my favorite but this one was much better than most in that genre.
I most enjoyed learning about the lives of Jane, Bingley, Elizabeth, and Darcy. But these women took a backseat in this story, thanks to the ever-annoying Wickham. Giving this character more attention, even if negative, irritated me. But the plot was solid, if a bit slow, and I'm glad I read it.
Monday, October 29, 2018
Cats, Cats, and More Cats
For those of you who are in Texas, you know how much rain we've received. Last week, Mr. Higgins brought our little furry Zeus inside to escape some of the worst downpours.
But no more boy cats!
And the little guy was very appreciative by giving us a lot of lap and tummy time. He's the sweetest cat - and I so wish we could bring him inside permanently.
But no more boy cats!
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Vacation Week
As you read this, I'm relaxing on the beach or by the pool. The only thing missing from my perfect week is knitting. I'm forcing myself to leave it at home to get some good reading time in.
When one has so many hobbies/crafts, it's hard to fit them all in!
Monday, October 22, 2018
Cathe Mish Mosh: Week 13
My last - not even full - week of workouts before vacation!
I couldn't be happier with the results of this 13-week rotation. Seriously. Cathe is the best in the business. It's even more amazing considering I downgraded my streaming subscription on October 1 to only her live workouts.
But Cathe is amazing - in any form.
Monday: Cathe's High/Low HIIT
HIIT would not have been my first choice for this morning.... But I knew I may be eating an unhealthy lunch - which was, indeed, a reality. So this HIIT was a good choice today - especially because the cardio clocked in at 35-ish minutes. But this was not easy; Cathe works you really hard. But that's good, right?! This HIIT was just as it sounds - a high impact move, a low impact move - over and over.
Tuesday: Cathe's Upper Body Boot Camp + walk
This upper body workout was grouped together by muscle groups - with abs between sections. I skipped the abs so that I could do more arms. Cathe moved quickly and then repeated all the muscle groups, but with fewer exercises. I did what I could in the time I had. At lunch, I walked at the rec center (on a very rainy day) and did some ab work.
Wednesday: Cathe's Legs with Weights and Stability Ball + walk + abs
A rough night of sleeplessness meant that this workout was probably a bit harder than it should have been. I didn't lift as heavy as usual, because my legs were still shaky from Saturday's Butt Bible. Sigh. But this was a good workout - and one that I did not remember doing six months ago. My legs were shaking by the end. At lunch, I walked - for the last time before vacation! - at the rec center. Again, in the rain. I planked and stretched my poor legs. After work, I pieced together some Cathe Live workouts for 15 minutes of abs. Ouch.
Thursday: Cathe's Step Blasts Plus Weights
I wanted cardio and weights for my last workout before vacation so this one seemed good. One cardio move, one compound move, one arm move. Or something like that. The blasts weren't too difficult since they used the step. And that was good because I was tired! I'm so ready for vacation!
Friday - Sunday: VACATION
Calorie Counts:
Monday - 1733
Tuesday - 1156
Wednesday - 1201
Thursday - unknown
I weighed on Thursday morning and was the same, miraculous weight as I was on Saturday. That means I'm down 8.8 pounds from the heaviest I've been. That's only 1.2 pounds over my post-thyroid perfect-world ideal (that may be unrealistic). I'm ecstatic. I can't say anything more than that.
I couldn't be happier with the results of this 13-week rotation. Seriously. Cathe is the best in the business. It's even more amazing considering I downgraded my streaming subscription on October 1 to only her live workouts.
But Cathe is amazing - in any form.
Monday: Cathe's High/Low HIIT
HIIT would not have been my first choice for this morning.... But I knew I may be eating an unhealthy lunch - which was, indeed, a reality. So this HIIT was a good choice today - especially because the cardio clocked in at 35-ish minutes. But this was not easy; Cathe works you really hard. But that's good, right?! This HIIT was just as it sounds - a high impact move, a low impact move - over and over.
Tuesday: Cathe's Upper Body Boot Camp + walk
This upper body workout was grouped together by muscle groups - with abs between sections. I skipped the abs so that I could do more arms. Cathe moved quickly and then repeated all the muscle groups, but with fewer exercises. I did what I could in the time I had. At lunch, I walked at the rec center (on a very rainy day) and did some ab work.
Wednesday: Cathe's Legs with Weights and Stability Ball + walk + abs
A rough night of sleeplessness meant that this workout was probably a bit harder than it should have been. I didn't lift as heavy as usual, because my legs were still shaky from Saturday's Butt Bible. Sigh. But this was a good workout - and one that I did not remember doing six months ago. My legs were shaking by the end. At lunch, I walked - for the last time before vacation! - at the rec center. Again, in the rain. I planked and stretched my poor legs. After work, I pieced together some Cathe Live workouts for 15 minutes of abs. Ouch.
Thursday: Cathe's Step Blasts Plus Weights
I wanted cardio and weights for my last workout before vacation so this one seemed good. One cardio move, one compound move, one arm move. Or something like that. The blasts weren't too difficult since they used the step. And that was good because I was tired! I'm so ready for vacation!
Friday - Sunday: VACATION
Calorie Counts:
Monday - 1733
Tuesday - 1156
Wednesday - 1201
Thursday - unknown
I weighed on Thursday morning and was the same, miraculous weight as I was on Saturday. That means I'm down 8.8 pounds from the heaviest I've been. That's only 1.2 pounds over my post-thyroid perfect-world ideal (that may be unrealistic). I'm ecstatic. I can't say anything more than that.
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Soon....
Soon, we leave for the beach. I cannot tell you how much I need this trip - how much we need this trip. Work and life have a way of beating you down. These getaways are the only way for me to forget the real world.
This trip is a bit different for us - we're going with friends and some of their friends in order to celebrate a few milestone birthdays. I'm also having a birthday - but not a big one. It'll hopefully be a fun way for everyone to relax and celebrate together.
I'll see you on the flip-side!
Monday, October 15, 2018
Cathe Mish Mosh: Week 12
Less than two weeks until vacation!!!! We leave next Friday and I cannot wait.
I'm feeling pretty rundown, which is expected after so many non-stop weeks of workouts and a minimal amount of calories. I'm completely happy to work this hard two or three times a year...but it's not easy.
Okay, so here we go - the last full week of workouts!!
Monday: Cathe's Circuit Crush + YWA
My legs were still shaky this morning after Saturday's Butt Bible. I tell you - I've never seen anything as effective as the third level of Butt Bible. Dang! But moving on.... This Circuit Crush was formatted like this - cardio, weighted lower, weighted upper, abs. I kept thinking throughout it that I wished it was cardio, upper, lower, abs - so that the heart rate would go up in the middle of the strength section. But it was still good! This YWA helped me stretch and relax after a long day.
Tuesday: Cathe's Pumped Upper Body + walk + YWA
I was glad to be able to give my legs a break this morning. But this upper body workout was tough! Cathe grouped 2-4 exercises together but then you repeated them three times! That left my arms weak and shaky. Wow! This was a good one! At lunch, I walked to get more steps, braving the rain to get to the rec center. And after work, this YWA was good - and not too strenuous. I'm tired.
Wednesday: Cathe's Mish Mosh Legs + abs
This morning, I woke up exhausted. It's the kind of exhaustion that doesn't come from tiredness but from physical limitations. My body was telling me to slow down. But I got up and did this leg workout because that's what I do. My legs weren't exactly sore from Saturday's Butt Bible - but they are exhausted. So this workout, filled with a lot of reps and pulses, was very painful. Only a week and two days left, though. I can do this! After work I did the abs from yesterday's Cathe video. And, ouch! They hurt!
Thursday: YWA
I needed this rest day. And this is the last rest day before vacation! Eek! This YWA was good - not too strenuous, making it a great morning option. The balancing wasn't as easy but I always like the challenge of the balancing poses. Even if I fall. Ha!
Friday: Cathe's Strong Total Body + walk
This workout was unexpectedly good! And just the right length. The abs started just as I had to quit - so I'll have to do those another day. Cathe worked upper and lower body parts separately but together, at times. It was a good mix and hit every muscle. At lunch, I walked at the rec center to get some steps. I sweated and planked - holding a plank now for 65 seconds. Little victories!
Saturday: Dozois' PeakFit Pure Cardio + Nordin's Butt Bible 3
I wanted cardio with no weights so I turned to Michelle Dozois this morning. I only did 25 minutes of Pure Cardio but I quickly remembered why I always come back to it - it's fun and effective. After that, it was time for my last Butt Bible before the cruise. Thank goodness!! I upped my weights again - I've gone up two pounds every week. And dang, this hurt. After that, a nice, long stretch.
Sunday: Cathe's Cardio Core Blast + weights + abs
This morning was good - and different! Cardio Core Blast consisted of 5 rounds. Each round contained three cardio exercises, which you repeat once, and then an ab move. I liked this workout! I changed a lot of the ab moves to something standing, which hit my obliques bit time. And I didn't use a fire walker loop - because my legs were sore from yesterday. After that 45 minutes, I did five minutes of back and tricep weighted work. Then, ten minutes of abs. Whew! Finally, a stretch.
Calorie Counts:
Monday -1816
Tuesday -1192
Wednesday - 1274
Thursday - 1149
Friday - 1255
Saturday - 1227
Sunday - 1210
I weighed on Thursday and had gone up a pound since two weeks ago. I wasn't heartbroken. Then, I was down three pounds on Saturday morning. Holy cow! And I had a few extra calories on Friday. I couldn't believe it! I'm so relieved my thyroid-deprived body can still lose weight!
I'm feeling pretty rundown, which is expected after so many non-stop weeks of workouts and a minimal amount of calories. I'm completely happy to work this hard two or three times a year...but it's not easy.
Okay, so here we go - the last full week of workouts!!
Monday: Cathe's Circuit Crush + YWA
My legs were still shaky this morning after Saturday's Butt Bible. I tell you - I've never seen anything as effective as the third level of Butt Bible. Dang! But moving on.... This Circuit Crush was formatted like this - cardio, weighted lower, weighted upper, abs. I kept thinking throughout it that I wished it was cardio, upper, lower, abs - so that the heart rate would go up in the middle of the strength section. But it was still good! This YWA helped me stretch and relax after a long day.
Tuesday: Cathe's Pumped Upper Body + walk + YWA
I was glad to be able to give my legs a break this morning. But this upper body workout was tough! Cathe grouped 2-4 exercises together but then you repeated them three times! That left my arms weak and shaky. Wow! This was a good one! At lunch, I walked to get more steps, braving the rain to get to the rec center. And after work, this YWA was good - and not too strenuous. I'm tired.
Wednesday: Cathe's Mish Mosh Legs + abs
This morning, I woke up exhausted. It's the kind of exhaustion that doesn't come from tiredness but from physical limitations. My body was telling me to slow down. But I got up and did this leg workout because that's what I do. My legs weren't exactly sore from Saturday's Butt Bible - but they are exhausted. So this workout, filled with a lot of reps and pulses, was very painful. Only a week and two days left, though. I can do this! After work I did the abs from yesterday's Cathe video. And, ouch! They hurt!
Thursday: YWA
I needed this rest day. And this is the last rest day before vacation! Eek! This YWA was good - not too strenuous, making it a great morning option. The balancing wasn't as easy but I always like the challenge of the balancing poses. Even if I fall. Ha!
Friday: Cathe's Strong Total Body + walk
This workout was unexpectedly good! And just the right length. The abs started just as I had to quit - so I'll have to do those another day. Cathe worked upper and lower body parts separately but together, at times. It was a good mix and hit every muscle. At lunch, I walked at the rec center to get some steps. I sweated and planked - holding a plank now for 65 seconds. Little victories!
Saturday: Dozois' PeakFit Pure Cardio + Nordin's Butt Bible 3
I wanted cardio with no weights so I turned to Michelle Dozois this morning. I only did 25 minutes of Pure Cardio but I quickly remembered why I always come back to it - it's fun and effective. After that, it was time for my last Butt Bible before the cruise. Thank goodness!! I upped my weights again - I've gone up two pounds every week. And dang, this hurt. After that, a nice, long stretch.
Sunday: Cathe's Cardio Core Blast + weights + abs
This morning was good - and different! Cardio Core Blast consisted of 5 rounds. Each round contained three cardio exercises, which you repeat once, and then an ab move. I liked this workout! I changed a lot of the ab moves to something standing, which hit my obliques bit time. And I didn't use a fire walker loop - because my legs were sore from yesterday. After that 45 minutes, I did five minutes of back and tricep weighted work. Then, ten minutes of abs. Whew! Finally, a stretch.
Calorie Counts:
Monday -1816
Tuesday -1192
Wednesday - 1274
Thursday - 1149
Friday - 1255
Saturday - 1227
Sunday - 1210
I weighed on Thursday and had gone up a pound since two weeks ago. I wasn't heartbroken. Then, I was down three pounds on Saturday morning. Holy cow! And I had a few extra calories on Friday. I couldn't believe it! I'm so relieved my thyroid-deprived body can still lose weight!
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Adulting and Friendships
I've had some meaningful conversations with my mother lately, mainly because of my father's condition. One of those conversations revolved around friendships - making them and keeping them as an adult.
This is especially hard for introverts. It's even harder for a childless introvert. It seems to be almost impossible for an intentionally childless introvert. But it gives me hope that my mother - one of the most giving people I know - also had a hard time making and keeping friends. And she always has.
Obviously, the easiest place to find friends is at work. But if you change jobs a lot or are promoted within an organization, those friendships often cannot survive such circumstantial changes. In my mom's case, we moved around a lot due to my father's job. Then, she was the highest ranking clinical officer, meaning no friendships with subordinates. In my case, very few friends from my old job have bothered to keep in touch. And I've tried.
But I'm an introvert. Why is it always up to me to initiate contact? I've tried to overcome this and have initiated dozens of lunches with women my age. And none of them circle back and ask to do anything with me. Is it because they don't like me? I don't think so. I think all of us are so "busy" with our "busy" lives that friendships are often optional and suffer.
Back to being intentionally childless.... Women with children think I'm strange or that I don't like kids. They seem to take offense that I don't want kids. Would it help if I told them I mostly likely couldn't have kids if I tried? Sigh. Either way, women with kids are often too busy to make friends with anyone other than parents of their kids' friends.
I know I get "busy" (and I'm using quotations because I think most of us are really not that busy but are 100% convinced that we are, myself included) as well, but I've tried, honestly and truly, to make friends at work. Lunches are an easy way to do this.... So why doesn't anyone reciprocate my invitation to lunch? I think I'm interesting. I have too many hobbies and love to travel.
At least it gives me some comfort to know that my mother had the same problem. And I've heard some other women (on-line) complain of this, as well. So I'm not alone. It's too bad no one at my workplace is in the same situation. We could be friends!
This is especially hard for introverts. It's even harder for a childless introvert. It seems to be almost impossible for an intentionally childless introvert. But it gives me hope that my mother - one of the most giving people I know - also had a hard time making and keeping friends. And she always has.
Obviously, the easiest place to find friends is at work. But if you change jobs a lot or are promoted within an organization, those friendships often cannot survive such circumstantial changes. In my mom's case, we moved around a lot due to my father's job. Then, she was the highest ranking clinical officer, meaning no friendships with subordinates. In my case, very few friends from my old job have bothered to keep in touch. And I've tried.
But I'm an introvert. Why is it always up to me to initiate contact? I've tried to overcome this and have initiated dozens of lunches with women my age. And none of them circle back and ask to do anything with me. Is it because they don't like me? I don't think so. I think all of us are so "busy" with our "busy" lives that friendships are often optional and suffer.
Back to being intentionally childless.... Women with children think I'm strange or that I don't like kids. They seem to take offense that I don't want kids. Would it help if I told them I mostly likely couldn't have kids if I tried? Sigh. Either way, women with kids are often too busy to make friends with anyone other than parents of their kids' friends.
I know I get "busy" (and I'm using quotations because I think most of us are really not that busy but are 100% convinced that we are, myself included) as well, but I've tried, honestly and truly, to make friends at work. Lunches are an easy way to do this.... So why doesn't anyone reciprocate my invitation to lunch? I think I'm interesting. I have too many hobbies and love to travel.
At least it gives me some comfort to know that my mother had the same problem. And I've heard some other women (on-line) complain of this, as well. So I'm not alone. It's too bad no one at my workplace is in the same situation. We could be friends!
Monday, October 8, 2018
Cathe Mish Mosh: Week 11
I'm officially ready for vacation. So, of course, the next three weeks will drag by at a snail's pace.
But I'm determined to keep making progress with my workouts and healthy eating - though I'm hungry and sore daily. Fun, fun.
Monday: Cathe's Strong Upper Body with Core + walk + YWA
Another night of sleeplessness meant this morning was painful. I was happy to do upper body weights since that's the lesser of all evils on such a morning. But Cathe tested me with three reps of each exercise. My muscles were protesting - loudly - by the end of this video. At lunch, I walked at the rec center to get steps and stretch out my sore legs (thankfully, not sore hamstrings!). After work, this YWA helped calm me down after a long day.
Tuesday: Cathe's Booty Max + walk + XTrain Abs 2
This week's leg day came after - finally! - a good night of sleep, making it seem much more doable. But my legs were still sore from Saturday so this one wasn't painless. I lifted as heavy as I could, which my arms did not appreciate. This was a good workout but I felt last week's Rock Bottoms more in my bum. Either way, I'll take a good leg workout any day of the week! At lunch, I walked at the rec center and did sit-ups. And after work, I decided to get my butt kicked by this ab workout again. Fun.
Wednesday: Cathe's Low Impact HIIT Circuit + YWA
I was ready for some cardio today. And this one is great - and it's the second time I've done it. It consists of two cardio moves and then two strength moves. Repeat. My heart rate got higher in most of the strength moves than the cardio! I like how varied this one is; I never get bored. My arms and legs, however, do get tired after so much weighted work.... But that's what metabolic rotations are all about. At the end of a long day, this YWA was very nice - and it got me a bit sweaty!
Thursday: Dozois' PeakFit Dynamic Flexibility
Today's rest day came at just the right time. I'm incredibly worn out. So this morning's workout - my favorite rest day workout - was perfect! Michelle always makes me happy and I loved flowing with her in this video! I wish there were more like this one!
Friday: Cathe's Total Body Tone Up
Another great Cathe Live workout. I really enjoyed this one, especially because Cathe didn't put all the muscle groups together. You do two exercises and then repeat them once...and move on. Sometimes I could increase my weight but sometimes I needed to decrease it. A very effective morning workout!
Saturday: Cathe's Super Cuts with Cardio Blasts + Nordin's Butt Bible 3
I like Super Cuts and was intrigued to try a live version with cardio mixed in. And it worked really well. Super Cuts is metabolic because you're moving through compound and normal exercises very quickly. Adding cardio to it made it even better, in my opinion. I did that for only 25 minutes and then it was time for Butt Bible torture. But I'm learning that I actually like this workout - except for the leg presses. Those killed me every time. After that 40 minutes, a nice, long stretch.
Sunday: Cathe's Total Body HIIT + abs
I'm getting a little tired of weights - of everything having to do with weights. This workout, again, used weights. There were long cardio blasts but then 2-3 weighted moves. My legs were hurting from Butt Bible so they did not appreciate the lunges and squats. This is a good workout but was just a bit weight-heavy for me today. After that (45 minutes), I did the abs from Monday's live workout. Then, a nice stretch. My hamstrings were a bit sore from yesterday. Sigh.
Calorie Counts:
Monday - 1194
Tuesday - 1187
Wednesday - 1221
Thursday - 1689
Friday - 1305
Saturday - 1310
Sunday - 1197
I didn't weigh this week but I will next week. I ate a bit more, due to work events. I hated it but I've been so hungry.... Sigh.
But I'm determined to keep making progress with my workouts and healthy eating - though I'm hungry and sore daily. Fun, fun.
Monday: Cathe's Strong Upper Body with Core + walk + YWA
Another night of sleeplessness meant this morning was painful. I was happy to do upper body weights since that's the lesser of all evils on such a morning. But Cathe tested me with three reps of each exercise. My muscles were protesting - loudly - by the end of this video. At lunch, I walked at the rec center to get steps and stretch out my sore legs (thankfully, not sore hamstrings!). After work, this YWA helped calm me down after a long day.
Tuesday: Cathe's Booty Max + walk + XTrain Abs 2
This week's leg day came after - finally! - a good night of sleep, making it seem much more doable. But my legs were still sore from Saturday so this one wasn't painless. I lifted as heavy as I could, which my arms did not appreciate. This was a good workout but I felt last week's Rock Bottoms more in my bum. Either way, I'll take a good leg workout any day of the week! At lunch, I walked at the rec center and did sit-ups. And after work, I decided to get my butt kicked by this ab workout again. Fun.
Wednesday: Cathe's Low Impact HIIT Circuit + YWA
I was ready for some cardio today. And this one is great - and it's the second time I've done it. It consists of two cardio moves and then two strength moves. Repeat. My heart rate got higher in most of the strength moves than the cardio! I like how varied this one is; I never get bored. My arms and legs, however, do get tired after so much weighted work.... But that's what metabolic rotations are all about. At the end of a long day, this YWA was very nice - and it got me a bit sweaty!
Thursday: Dozois' PeakFit Dynamic Flexibility
Today's rest day came at just the right time. I'm incredibly worn out. So this morning's workout - my favorite rest day workout - was perfect! Michelle always makes me happy and I loved flowing with her in this video! I wish there were more like this one!
Friday: Cathe's Total Body Tone Up
Another great Cathe Live workout. I really enjoyed this one, especially because Cathe didn't put all the muscle groups together. You do two exercises and then repeat them once...and move on. Sometimes I could increase my weight but sometimes I needed to decrease it. A very effective morning workout!
Saturday: Cathe's Super Cuts with Cardio Blasts + Nordin's Butt Bible 3
I like Super Cuts and was intrigued to try a live version with cardio mixed in. And it worked really well. Super Cuts is metabolic because you're moving through compound and normal exercises very quickly. Adding cardio to it made it even better, in my opinion. I did that for only 25 minutes and then it was time for Butt Bible torture. But I'm learning that I actually like this workout - except for the leg presses. Those killed me every time. After that 40 minutes, a nice, long stretch.
Sunday: Cathe's Total Body HIIT + abs
I'm getting a little tired of weights - of everything having to do with weights. This workout, again, used weights. There were long cardio blasts but then 2-3 weighted moves. My legs were hurting from Butt Bible so they did not appreciate the lunges and squats. This is a good workout but was just a bit weight-heavy for me today. After that (45 minutes), I did the abs from Monday's live workout. Then, a nice stretch. My hamstrings were a bit sore from yesterday. Sigh.
Calorie Counts:
Monday - 1194
Tuesday - 1187
Wednesday - 1221
Thursday - 1689
Friday - 1305
Saturday - 1310
Sunday - 1197
I didn't weigh this week but I will next week. I ate a bit more, due to work events. I hated it but I've been so hungry.... Sigh.
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