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.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
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.
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