I started Elizabeth Bard's Picnic in Provence while we were on vacation last month. Due to my knitting obsession of late, reading has fallen a bit by the wayside. But I finally finished this memoir, which I really enjoyed!
My Goodreads review:
Somehow I managed to not read Elizabeth Bard's first memoir, about meeting her handsome Frenchman. But I really enjoyed this second memoir, about starting a family and settling down in Provence with that Frenchman.
A theme of this book that I did not anticipate liking, was Bard's struggle with motherhood. It takes her a while to find her stride and, as her son grows, to continue her motherly connection with him. It's refreshing to see someone talk candidly about these issues.
As with any memoir that contains recipes, I want to make everything mentioned by Bard. And I was fascinated by the cultural differences she encounters throughout her time in France. There is so much Americans could learn from other ways of life!
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Monday, June 25, 2018
RWH + XTrain Rotation: Week 4
After eating too much on Father's Day, I'm definitely motivated to work hard this week.
And after so much cardio last week, I'm happy to see a lot of strength training this week. My feet need a break!
Monday: Cathe's RWH: Lift It HIIT It Back, Biceps and Shoulders + walk + YWA
Despite the Lift It HIIT It title, there is no cardio in this workout; it is pure strength. And I loved it! Cathe leads you through 3 sets of each exercise, most with 12 reps, and then you end with a "finisher" - usually using the band. I liked being able to lift heavy! At work, I walked at lunch to get steps but it was so nice getting away from the office. I was not ready for Monday to arrive so quickly. This YWA was more stretch than anything - which was good, considering how exhausted I was by the end of the day.
Tuesday: Cathe's XTrain: All Out Low Impact HIIT + XTrain Abs 1 + YWA
I hadn't done this Low Impact HIIT in a while and it was a nice change from the RWH low impact workouts. There is no doubting the intensity of this workout but I like that it's not super long - around 40 minutes. After work, it was time to do this core workout - which really, really hurt me last week. Thankfully, it didn't have the same effect this week. I followed up that core with this short YWA. Very nice!
Wednesday: Cathe's Cardio HIIT Metabolic
Yay, a metabolic workout! This one isn't on the official rotation but I wanted to add in some of these because I love them so much. Unfortunately, this morning was awful - catastrophe after catastrophe - so I was a little distracted. I got through most of this - up to the core - which was good. But it was not as enjoyable as anticipated.
Thursday: Dozois' PeakFit Dynamic Flexibility + YWA
After last week's forced rest day (Father's Day), on which I did nothing, I was happy to have a regular rest day. I still love this flexibility workout from Michelle and really wish I could find more like it. After work, this YWA was really nice. I should have done a more flow-y yoga, but it was good to stretch and relax after a stressful day.
Friday: Cathe's RWH: Lift It HIIT It Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders + walk
I'm loving these new RWH Cathe workouts! This one was very effective. My arms were burning! This was similar to Monday's workout - you do 3 sets of each exercise followed by a finisher to make you really burn. Most sets consisted of 12 reps and I went as heavy as I could...and frequently had to go down in weight for the third set. Ouch! And the finishers are just brutal. At lunch, I walked at the rec center in order to get steps. It was so hot outside! Just getting to and from the rec was torture!
Saturday: Cathe's RWH: Lift It HIIT It Legs
I love this workout. It's tough but I love it. I love taxing my legs. I love weight work that keeps my heart rate sky high. I love alienating cardio and weights. Cathe does such a great job of pairing a cardio move that works the muscles you just taxed with weights. This video lasts for almost 40 minutes. Afterward, I did my own cardio to get in 45 full minutes of work. Then, I stretched really well. Deadlifts frequently make me sore the next day so I always try to stretch more when I do them!
Sunday: Cathe's XTrain: Tabatacise + XTrain Abs 2
Wow. This workout may be the most consistently intense workout in Cathe's vast repertoire. You don't get a break. There are five tabatas. Each one contains four exercises, which you repeat once for eight exercise. After that, you do a short stint on the step for "an active recovery." That lets you get your breath and your heart rate goes down just a tad before the next tabata. My heart rate stayed at or above 150 for most of this workout. Whew! I added on a bit to get a full 45 minutes of work in. After that, I did my last XTrain Ab workout of this rotation. YES! That was the best thing about this day! And then I stretched.
Calorie Counts:
Monday - 1230
Tuesday - 1230
Wednesday - 1313
Thursday - 1191
Friday - 1557
Saturday - BAD
Sunday - 1550
I needed a better eating week and mostly achieved it. Next week will be awful! I weighed and was up just a bit from where I'd like to be....but that's understandable.
And after so much cardio last week, I'm happy to see a lot of strength training this week. My feet need a break!
Monday: Cathe's RWH: Lift It HIIT It Back, Biceps and Shoulders + walk + YWA
Despite the Lift It HIIT It title, there is no cardio in this workout; it is pure strength. And I loved it! Cathe leads you through 3 sets of each exercise, most with 12 reps, and then you end with a "finisher" - usually using the band. I liked being able to lift heavy! At work, I walked at lunch to get steps but it was so nice getting away from the office. I was not ready for Monday to arrive so quickly. This YWA was more stretch than anything - which was good, considering how exhausted I was by the end of the day.
Tuesday: Cathe's XTrain: All Out Low Impact HIIT + XTrain Abs 1 + YWA
I hadn't done this Low Impact HIIT in a while and it was a nice change from the RWH low impact workouts. There is no doubting the intensity of this workout but I like that it's not super long - around 40 minutes. After work, it was time to do this core workout - which really, really hurt me last week. Thankfully, it didn't have the same effect this week. I followed up that core with this short YWA. Very nice!
Wednesday: Cathe's Cardio HIIT Metabolic
Yay, a metabolic workout! This one isn't on the official rotation but I wanted to add in some of these because I love them so much. Unfortunately, this morning was awful - catastrophe after catastrophe - so I was a little distracted. I got through most of this - up to the core - which was good. But it was not as enjoyable as anticipated.
Thursday: Dozois' PeakFit Dynamic Flexibility + YWA
After last week's forced rest day (Father's Day), on which I did nothing, I was happy to have a regular rest day. I still love this flexibility workout from Michelle and really wish I could find more like it. After work, this YWA was really nice. I should have done a more flow-y yoga, but it was good to stretch and relax after a stressful day.
Friday: Cathe's RWH: Lift It HIIT It Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders + walk
I'm loving these new RWH Cathe workouts! This one was very effective. My arms were burning! This was similar to Monday's workout - you do 3 sets of each exercise followed by a finisher to make you really burn. Most sets consisted of 12 reps and I went as heavy as I could...and frequently had to go down in weight for the third set. Ouch! And the finishers are just brutal. At lunch, I walked at the rec center in order to get steps. It was so hot outside! Just getting to and from the rec was torture!
Saturday: Cathe's RWH: Lift It HIIT It Legs
I love this workout. It's tough but I love it. I love taxing my legs. I love weight work that keeps my heart rate sky high. I love alienating cardio and weights. Cathe does such a great job of pairing a cardio move that works the muscles you just taxed with weights. This video lasts for almost 40 minutes. Afterward, I did my own cardio to get in 45 full minutes of work. Then, I stretched really well. Deadlifts frequently make me sore the next day so I always try to stretch more when I do them!
Sunday: Cathe's XTrain: Tabatacise + XTrain Abs 2
Wow. This workout may be the most consistently intense workout in Cathe's vast repertoire. You don't get a break. There are five tabatas. Each one contains four exercises, which you repeat once for eight exercise. After that, you do a short stint on the step for "an active recovery." That lets you get your breath and your heart rate goes down just a tad before the next tabata. My heart rate stayed at or above 150 for most of this workout. Whew! I added on a bit to get a full 45 minutes of work in. After that, I did my last XTrain Ab workout of this rotation. YES! That was the best thing about this day! And then I stretched.
Calorie Counts:
Monday - 1230
Tuesday - 1230
Wednesday - 1313
Thursday - 1191
Friday - 1557
Saturday - BAD
Sunday - 1550
I needed a better eating week and mostly achieved it. Next week will be awful! I weighed and was up just a bit from where I'd like to be....but that's understandable.
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Winter Capelet
Pattern: Winter Capelet by Paulina Popiolek
Yarn: Sundara Yarn Aran Merino in Hawaiian Nights + Manos del Uruguay Maxima in Blueberry
Needles: US 7
Made for: my mom
Time to completion: 3 weeks
I've had this FO for quite some time but couldn't post about it until I'd given it to it's recipient! And I was a little nervous about that - the gauge was so different from the pattern that I was a bit worried about it fitting. Thankfully, it did!!
**My mom specifically asked for this capelet - and she picked out the Sundara.
I love this pattern. I wish I had used stitch markers in the lace because I did make some mistakes - but stitch markers would have helped me keep the pattern. Lessons learned! The yarn was gorgeous but since my gauge was off, I quickly realized I wasn't going to have enough. And Sundara didn't have anymore! So, I went to my LYS and found this Manos which I used for sporadic rows near the top. I don't think you can tell - too much. And I cast off with the Sundara.
So, success! I'm enjoying all this knitting so much. I can't even tell you. I'm a bit obsessed.
Monday, June 18, 2018
RWH + XTrain Rotation: Week 3
I'm liking this rotation so far....but not quite as much as the metabolic one I did last. Oh, well - you can't love them all.
Despite being scared, I was glad I weighed last week. With Father's Day and work obligations, this week will not be great. I'll have to work hard to shave off as many calories as possible with Cathe.
Monday: Cathe's High Energy Kickboxing Live + XTrain Abs 1 + YWA
I woke up feeling horrible. I did this YWA just to get moving because it was super light. At the end of the day, I tackled my main workout. I love Cathe's kickboxing! My only gripe with this workout is that I wish it had more punching combos. But at least it kept my heart rate up there! It was fun and got me a ton of steps! I then tried this ab workout, since two are on the agenda this week. These XTrain ab workouts are some of the hardest ever. Ever!
Tuesday: Cathe's RWH: Upper Body Circuit + YWA
After doing this workout for the third time in just over two weeks, I'm not sure how many more times I can do it over the course of the next five weeks. I may have to sub out some of Cathe's live workouts instead. I like this workout, don't get me wrong.... But doing something over and over bores me. I've also done this YWA several times but it's such a good, short one!
Wednesday: Cathe's RWH: Low Impact HIIT 2 + Rhythmic Step + walk
So much cardio this week! The rotation is good in alternating heavy cardio weeks and heavy weight weeks but I almost wish it was more balanced every week... All this cardio hurts my feet! This HIIT 2 is really good. It lasts for about 25 minutes so I then tuned into an older Cathe step workout to cool down and lower the heart rate for a bit. At lunch, I walked at the rec center and did ab work.
Thursday: Cathe's RWH: Low Impact HIIT 1 + Basic Step
More cardio! I'm so glad I had two days of low impact after Monday and Tuesday. This HIIT is good - tough, actually, because of how fast the moves are in order the keep the heart rate up. After that 25 minutes, I tuned into another old step workout in order to cool down. I just can't jump and hop so many consecutive days!!
Friday: Cathe's XTrain: SuperCuts + walk
So I completely forgot how much work SuperCuts really is. This workout is amazing - my heart rate was sky high because of all the fast-paced compound moves. I was even able to add a pound to my previous weights - going from 8 to 9 to make it just a bit more intense. Talk about huffing and puffing! At work, I walked outside for about 20 minutes. Considering all the cardio this week, I didn't beat myself up for not going to the rec.
Saturday: Cathe's XTrain: Cardio Leg Blast + XTrain Abs 2 + YWA
Metabolic leg day! I love this workout. It works you so hard yet you feel so accomplished afterward. It alternates a cardio blast and a leg strength move. You work every angle of the legs and it's amazing. After that 50 minutes, I did abs.....these are so tough but I think this one is easier than the first one. And then, a nice YWA to cool down and stretch. It was a great morning!
Sunday: REST
For Father's Day festivities.
Calorie Counts:
It was a bad week. I'll leave it at that.
Despite being scared, I was glad I weighed last week. With Father's Day and work obligations, this week will not be great. I'll have to work hard to shave off as many calories as possible with Cathe.
Monday: Cathe's High Energy Kickboxing Live + XTrain Abs 1 + YWA
I woke up feeling horrible. I did this YWA just to get moving because it was super light. At the end of the day, I tackled my main workout. I love Cathe's kickboxing! My only gripe with this workout is that I wish it had more punching combos. But at least it kept my heart rate up there! It was fun and got me a ton of steps! I then tried this ab workout, since two are on the agenda this week. These XTrain ab workouts are some of the hardest ever. Ever!
Tuesday: Cathe's RWH: Upper Body Circuit + YWA
After doing this workout for the third time in just over two weeks, I'm not sure how many more times I can do it over the course of the next five weeks. I may have to sub out some of Cathe's live workouts instead. I like this workout, don't get me wrong.... But doing something over and over bores me. I've also done this YWA several times but it's such a good, short one!
Wednesday: Cathe's RWH: Low Impact HIIT 2 + Rhythmic Step + walk
So much cardio this week! The rotation is good in alternating heavy cardio weeks and heavy weight weeks but I almost wish it was more balanced every week... All this cardio hurts my feet! This HIIT 2 is really good. It lasts for about 25 minutes so I then tuned into an older Cathe step workout to cool down and lower the heart rate for a bit. At lunch, I walked at the rec center and did ab work.
Thursday: Cathe's RWH: Low Impact HIIT 1 + Basic Step
More cardio! I'm so glad I had two days of low impact after Monday and Tuesday. This HIIT is good - tough, actually, because of how fast the moves are in order the keep the heart rate up. After that 25 minutes, I tuned into another old step workout in order to cool down. I just can't jump and hop so many consecutive days!!
Friday: Cathe's XTrain: SuperCuts + walk
So I completely forgot how much work SuperCuts really is. This workout is amazing - my heart rate was sky high because of all the fast-paced compound moves. I was even able to add a pound to my previous weights - going from 8 to 9 to make it just a bit more intense. Talk about huffing and puffing! At work, I walked outside for about 20 minutes. Considering all the cardio this week, I didn't beat myself up for not going to the rec.
Saturday: Cathe's XTrain: Cardio Leg Blast + XTrain Abs 2 + YWA
Metabolic leg day! I love this workout. It works you so hard yet you feel so accomplished afterward. It alternates a cardio blast and a leg strength move. You work every angle of the legs and it's amazing. After that 50 minutes, I did abs.....these are so tough but I think this one is easier than the first one. And then, a nice YWA to cool down and stretch. It was a great morning!
Sunday: REST
For Father's Day festivities.
Calorie Counts:
It was a bad week. I'll leave it at that.
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Bacon Potato Salad
Mr. Higgins loves every kind of fattening salad out there - chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad, pasta salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, bean salad.... I have my light chicken salad that we love but I want to find a good - not necessarily low fat - potato salad recipe that I can take to family gatherings.
I've decided that this is my summer goal: potato salad For my first test run, I chose this Bacon Potato Salad recipe. I omitted the spinach and accidentally forgot the parsley. And....I didn't use as much bacon. This was potato salad - not bacon salad, after all. I used six strips of center cut (lean) bacon and that was plenty.
Mr. Higgins and I both agreed that this recipe was missing something. Maybe more dressing, maybe another spicy ingredient... It was very, very tasty but not quite the recipe for us to keep.
So the search continues!
I've decided that this is my summer goal: potato salad For my first test run, I chose this Bacon Potato Salad recipe. I omitted the spinach and accidentally forgot the parsley. And....I didn't use as much bacon. This was potato salad - not bacon salad, after all. I used six strips of center cut (lean) bacon and that was plenty.
Mr. Higgins and I both agreed that this recipe was missing something. Maybe more dressing, maybe another spicy ingredient... It was very, very tasty but not quite the recipe for us to keep.
So the search continues!
Monday, June 11, 2018
RWH + XTrain Rotation: Week 2
Well, I'm afraid to weigh because I feel super fat. The only saving grace is that my clothes fit - even my dress pants, which are always the marker.
This week in the rotation features pure strength arm workouts, like last week's pure strength leg workout. It seems to be a well-balanced rotation, and I love all the metabolic workouts interspersed throughout!
Monday: Cathe's XTrain: Bi's and Tri's + walk + YWA
After a weekend of cardio, I was ready for weights today. This workout taxes your biceps and triceps in every way, shape, and form. Cathe is a master at exhausting your muscles and here, she does it in only 40 minutes. My weights have gone down a bit since STS last summer so I'm anxious to do more strength with XTrain. At lunch, I walked at the rec center - and it was so good to get away from the office. This YWA was good to do at the end of a long day.
Tuesday: Dozois' BodyFit 360 Vol 2: Dance Conditioning
Time to have fun this morning! Michelle makes me happy so this was a good workout after a restless night of sleep. I didn't quite do all the cardio and then I fast-forwarded to the abs and stretch. Lovely! YWA didn't happen but I did make up my own short, 5-minute flow. That was nice.
Wednesday: Cathe's XTrain: Chest, Back, and Shoulders + walk + YWA
My arms were still aching from Monday...but it was time to do more weights. This was a new workout for me and it was just as effective as Monday's XTrain. Whew! I was, finally, able to get back to some of my STS weight amounts, but only for one exercise, then I'd have to go down in weight a bit. And let me say this - I hate shoulder presses. Hate them! At lunch, I once again walked and did my sit-ups. And after work, this YWA really helped calm my mind and body.
Thursday: Cathe's RWH: Lift It HIIT It Legs
Leg day! This cardio leg workout was not new to me....but that didn't make it any easier. Dang! I went lighter on weights - 8 lb - to save heavier weights for the weekend...and that didn't help at all! Cathe takes you through the circuits - one cardio move, a weighted move, cardio, weights, cardio, weights.... For about 40-45 minutes. This one is tough but good!
Friday: Cathe's RWH: Plyo HIIT One + Basic Step
So all this time with Cathe and I've really tried to avoid the two Plyo HIIT workouts in Ripped with HIIT. They are tough, especially the first one. I was huffing and puffing like nothing else! It only lasted for 25 minutes so I did about 5 minutes of Plyo HIIT Two - much easier - and then tuned into a Cathe oldie - Basic Step. I wanted to keep moving but cool off and this was a great way to do it! A good morning!
Saturday: Cathe's RWH: Lower Body Circuit + XTrain Abs 2
A new-to-me workout! Yes! Beforehand, I was a bit confused as to how this Lower Body Circuit differed from Lift It HIIT It Legs. Well, LIHI Legs is very structured: one cardio move, one strength move, over and over. Lower Body Circuit is all over the place and unpredictable as to what comes next. Even the cardio is varied - some sections are lighter step combinations and some are straight HIIT. It was fun! After that 45 minutes, I tuned into yet another torturous ab workout. And then I stretched. Finally.
Sunday: Cathe's Crossfire
Yay, the one Cathe workout I dread above all others. This one always gets me. But there's one thing I like about it - all the leg work. Really, Cathe manages to tax your legs in every workout but this one really gets them. You start with straight cardio circuits and then add in some weighted/cardio HIITs. There's even a section that uses the fire walker band for all the moves. That spiked my heart rate! I like that it's broken down into sections....but it's just not my favorite. After that 50 minutes, I was done. I stretched.
Calorie Counts:
Monday - 1199
Tuesday - 1196
Wednesday - 1241
Thursday - 2150
Friday - 1593
Saturday - 1368
Sunday - 1335
Thursday was horrible due to Mr. Higgins' birthday, but at least that was the only awful day. I weighed that morning, and I was still down four pounds from my big weight - so only one over what I was before the cruise. That makes me happy!
This week in the rotation features pure strength arm workouts, like last week's pure strength leg workout. It seems to be a well-balanced rotation, and I love all the metabolic workouts interspersed throughout!
Monday: Cathe's XTrain: Bi's and Tri's + walk + YWA
After a weekend of cardio, I was ready for weights today. This workout taxes your biceps and triceps in every way, shape, and form. Cathe is a master at exhausting your muscles and here, she does it in only 40 minutes. My weights have gone down a bit since STS last summer so I'm anxious to do more strength with XTrain. At lunch, I walked at the rec center - and it was so good to get away from the office. This YWA was good to do at the end of a long day.
Tuesday: Dozois' BodyFit 360 Vol 2: Dance Conditioning
Time to have fun this morning! Michelle makes me happy so this was a good workout after a restless night of sleep. I didn't quite do all the cardio and then I fast-forwarded to the abs and stretch. Lovely! YWA didn't happen but I did make up my own short, 5-minute flow. That was nice.
Wednesday: Cathe's XTrain: Chest, Back, and Shoulders + walk + YWA
My arms were still aching from Monday...but it was time to do more weights. This was a new workout for me and it was just as effective as Monday's XTrain. Whew! I was, finally, able to get back to some of my STS weight amounts, but only for one exercise, then I'd have to go down in weight a bit. And let me say this - I hate shoulder presses. Hate them! At lunch, I once again walked and did my sit-ups. And after work, this YWA really helped calm my mind and body.
Thursday: Cathe's RWH: Lift It HIIT It Legs
Leg day! This cardio leg workout was not new to me....but that didn't make it any easier. Dang! I went lighter on weights - 8 lb - to save heavier weights for the weekend...and that didn't help at all! Cathe takes you through the circuits - one cardio move, a weighted move, cardio, weights, cardio, weights.... For about 40-45 minutes. This one is tough but good!
Friday: Cathe's RWH: Plyo HIIT One + Basic Step
So all this time with Cathe and I've really tried to avoid the two Plyo HIIT workouts in Ripped with HIIT. They are tough, especially the first one. I was huffing and puffing like nothing else! It only lasted for 25 minutes so I did about 5 minutes of Plyo HIIT Two - much easier - and then tuned into a Cathe oldie - Basic Step. I wanted to keep moving but cool off and this was a great way to do it! A good morning!
Saturday: Cathe's RWH: Lower Body Circuit + XTrain Abs 2
A new-to-me workout! Yes! Beforehand, I was a bit confused as to how this Lower Body Circuit differed from Lift It HIIT It Legs. Well, LIHI Legs is very structured: one cardio move, one strength move, over and over. Lower Body Circuit is all over the place and unpredictable as to what comes next. Even the cardio is varied - some sections are lighter step combinations and some are straight HIIT. It was fun! After that 45 minutes, I tuned into yet another torturous ab workout. And then I stretched. Finally.
Sunday: Cathe's Crossfire
Yay, the one Cathe workout I dread above all others. This one always gets me. But there's one thing I like about it - all the leg work. Really, Cathe manages to tax your legs in every workout but this one really gets them. You start with straight cardio circuits and then add in some weighted/cardio HIITs. There's even a section that uses the fire walker band for all the moves. That spiked my heart rate! I like that it's broken down into sections....but it's just not my favorite. After that 50 minutes, I was done. I stretched.
Calorie Counts:
Monday - 1199
Tuesday - 1196
Wednesday - 1241
Thursday - 2150
Friday - 1593
Saturday - 1368
Sunday - 1335
Thursday was horrible due to Mr. Higgins' birthday, but at least that was the only awful day. I weighed that morning, and I was still down four pounds from my big weight - so only one over what I was before the cruise. That makes me happy!
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Nostalgic Tummy
I'm so hungry. I miss vacation and food like this. Ironically, my stomach does not miss this food but I'm so hungry.
The book I'm reading claims that Americans don't know what it is to be hungry. I disagree. Anyone who eats at or less than 1200 calories knows, intimately, an ongoing, never-ending hunger. It may not be starvation, but I wake up in the middle of the night, hungry. And then I can't sleep because I'm - oh, yeah - hungry.
Monday, June 4, 2018
RWH + XTrain Rotation: Week 1
I'm back from a relaxing vacation! And I even got some workouts in while we were away - and staying home!
I only had one day last week where I did nothing - due to travel. That was Tuesday. On Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and the next Sunday, I did YWA, trying to finish up Adriene's 30 Days of Yoga. Then, on the other days, I did a Dozois Cardio Interval Burn and a Cardio Strength. I even tried a Kelly Coffey-Meyer strength workout one day. It was good to do some different things and they all worked me hard.
I only had one day last week where I did nothing - due to travel. That was Tuesday. On Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and the next Sunday, I did YWA, trying to finish up Adriene's 30 Days of Yoga. Then, on the other days, I did a Dozois Cardio Interval Burn and a Cardio Strength. I even tried a Kelly Coffey-Meyer strength workout one day. It was good to do some different things and they all worked me hard.
Now I'm ready to start Cathe's RWH + XTrain eight week rotation. XTrain is supposed to build muscle; Ripped with HIIT is designed to shed fat. That sounds like a great combination!
Monday: Cathe's XTrain: Hard Strikes + ICE Blizzard Blast (kickboxing)
Monday: Cathe's XTrain: Hard Strikes + ICE Blizzard Blast (kickboxing)
This was a tough day. We let Odo go and buried her in the country. Before all of that, I managed this workout. Hard Strikes is not my favorite kickboxing workout - mainly because it's about 80% cardio and 20% boxing. Oy. I jumped a lot and my feet were hurting. That lasted for 30 minutes. I then decided - rather insanely - to jump some more with this Blizzard Blast from Rock'm Sock'm. It's fun but I could have used something softer. After a stretch, I was done.
Tuesday: YWA
Today was a travel day for Odo's burial. I got to work at noon, which meant there was no time to work out. After work, I did this YWA - my last day of Adriene's 30 Days of Yoga. Yes! It feels good to accomplish all of these practices. Some were definitely difficult.
Wednesday: Cathe's RWH: Upper Body Circuit
In my Cathe Metabolic Circuit, I did this workout a few times - so it wasn't new to me. And it still kicked my butt. I don't know if it's the sudden onset of brutally hot temperatures or the humidity, but I'm dying in these workouts. And then I can't cool off. Sigh. But I got a good workout and really taxed my arms.
Thursday: Cathe's XTrain: Legs + walk + YWA
I haven't done this leg workout in a while, and I think this was only the third time I'd gone through it.... It's not my favorite. I think Cathe has much better leg workouts - even in her live workouts. But this one is varied and contains quite a bit of excruciating floor work. At lunch, I walked at the rec center and did all my ab work. Then, after work, this YWA was a great way to stretch out the legs for a final time. And it got me a bit sweaty. Ha!
Friday: Cathe's RWH: Low Impact HIIT 1 & 2
Cathe has some great low impact workouts and these may be some of the best. Each of these workouts run about 25 minutes. So I did all of the first one and part of the second. They're different only in that the second one uses weights throughout to increase the intensity. For both, my heart was pounding. It felt great to work hard without all the jumping.
Saturday: Cathe's RWH: Upper Body Circuit + XTrain Abs 1
I'm strictly following Cathe's RWH + XTrain 8-week rotation and it does have Upper Body Circuit twice this first week. At least I remembered it from Wednesday! It really gets me out of breath - lots of super tough HIITs interspersed with all the arm work. I added on five minutes of my own cardio to get in 40 minutes. Then, I finished up just a few exercises on the floor from Thursday's leg workout. And then - abs. Ouch! This ab workout is tough. But at least I got to stretch and relax afterwards!
Sunday: Cathe's To the Max + YWA
This morning, I had Cathe's Crossfire in my head....so I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was doing To the Max instead. Whew! The two workouts are similar but Crossfire is even tougher than this one. To the Max worked me hard. I did the warm-up, solid step, step tabata, HIIT, and compound leg work. I then cooled down for five minutes - so 45 minutes of work. Whew! I then stretched and did this nice, short, relaxing YWA.
Calorie Counts:
This week wasn't great but I had a few good days. I was annoyed that I only got one walk in at lunch, but sometimes, life happens. Maybe I'll feel confident enough to get on the scale next week; it wasn't happening this week.
Thursday: Cathe's XTrain: Legs + walk + YWA
I haven't done this leg workout in a while, and I think this was only the third time I'd gone through it.... It's not my favorite. I think Cathe has much better leg workouts - even in her live workouts. But this one is varied and contains quite a bit of excruciating floor work. At lunch, I walked at the rec center and did all my ab work. Then, after work, this YWA was a great way to stretch out the legs for a final time. And it got me a bit sweaty. Ha!
Friday: Cathe's RWH: Low Impact HIIT 1 & 2
Cathe has some great low impact workouts and these may be some of the best. Each of these workouts run about 25 minutes. So I did all of the first one and part of the second. They're different only in that the second one uses weights throughout to increase the intensity. For both, my heart was pounding. It felt great to work hard without all the jumping.
Saturday: Cathe's RWH: Upper Body Circuit + XTrain Abs 1
I'm strictly following Cathe's RWH + XTrain 8-week rotation and it does have Upper Body Circuit twice this first week. At least I remembered it from Wednesday! It really gets me out of breath - lots of super tough HIITs interspersed with all the arm work. I added on five minutes of my own cardio to get in 40 minutes. Then, I finished up just a few exercises on the floor from Thursday's leg workout. And then - abs. Ouch! This ab workout is tough. But at least I got to stretch and relax afterwards!
Sunday: Cathe's To the Max + YWA
This morning, I had Cathe's Crossfire in my head....so I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was doing To the Max instead. Whew! The two workouts are similar but Crossfire is even tougher than this one. To the Max worked me hard. I did the warm-up, solid step, step tabata, HIIT, and compound leg work. I then cooled down for five minutes - so 45 minutes of work. Whew! I then stretched and did this nice, short, relaxing YWA.
Calorie Counts:
This week wasn't great but I had a few good days. I was annoyed that I only got one walk in at lunch, but sometimes, life happens. Maybe I'll feel confident enough to get on the scale next week; it wasn't happening this week.
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