Odo

We had a good vacation that was part away and part at home, which ended up being great.  I felt truly rested by the end of the week.  

And then, over the holiday weekend, we had to deal with something truly heartbreaking...

Mr. Higgins met Odo 10 years ago.  When we got married and moved into our house, seven years ago, Odo came with us.  She got her own room because she didn't get along with the other cats. 

But of all our cats, she was the sweetest.  Though she didn't take to other cats, she loved people and would purr for all of her grandparents and cat-sitters.  We worked out in her room and she made a game of running behind our legs as we did sit-ups, or behind our heads when we did crunches.  She was an angel.

We had to say good bye to her on Monday.  It was a very difficult decision because we didn't want to be without her.  But she's happier now and without pain.  

Rest in peace, my little girl.

Metabolic Rotation Addendum: Week 3 of 3

One more week until vacation!  I'm so ready...  

But first, another week of workouts.  I'll be sad to go off this rotation but it's always good to change things up.

Monday: Cathe's Low Impact Conditioning Express + YWA

I woke up feeling horrible so this workout happened at the end of the day.  Low Impact Conditioning Express is a fairly recent addition to Cathe's live workouts.  It's different and fun - a great workout!  My only complaint is that all the floorwork - burpees, mountain climbers - doesn't get me any steps!  After that 35 minutes, I did the last 10 minutes of Dozois' CIB from Sunday.  Just to finish it.  Then, a nice YWA to stretch out and try a new balancing pose.  Fun!

Tuesday: Cathe's Toasted Trisets: Upper Body Live + walk + YWA

Time for upper body today!  This workout - another newer one - meant business right away!  Whew!  You do three exercises - a triset - for each upper body muscle group.  You do that triset three times - 8 reps every time.  My muscles were definitely aching by the end of each triset.  Dang!  At lunch, I walked - needing steps, especially after not having gotten many on Monday.  Oy.  I then planked.  After a long day, this YWA woke me up!  And I'm really beginning to like tree pose!

Wednesday: Cathe's Lean Legs and Abs + walk

Leg days are always fun - and painful.  Today I did all the leg portion of Lean Legs and Abs - the compound exercises, the firewalker band segment, and most of the bonus barre.  I was definitely huffing and puffing during the compound exercises - which is Cathe's intention.  The firewalker band part is always very painful.  Ouch!  Once again, I walked at the rec center to get steps.  I then did sit-ups and stretched my legs out really well.

Thursday: YWA + YWA

I debated not taking this rest day since my vacation starts on Sunday....  But I needed a break, especially after a night of very restless quasi-sleep.  But at least I chose a challenging YWA.  This one went up and down a lot and definitely made me break a sweat!  After work, this yoga ab workout was good.  I'd been putting off doing it because I hate how slow Adriene makes you do ab work.  Ha!

Friday: Cathe's Strong and Sweaty: Boot Camp

A new workout today!  This was a great metabolic workout.  Cathe leads you through circuits that contain a cardio move, a leg move, a compound exercise, and an upper body exercise.  My heart rate stayed sky high throughout this one and it was a lot of fun.  I really do enjoy the variety of movements in these boot camp workouts!  Fun!

Saturday: Cathe's XTrain: Cardio Leg Blast + Lean Legs and Abs (abs)

Another metabolic workout before we leave for vacation!  This one is really tough and I love it!  Cathe alternates a cardio move (leg heavy) and a weighted leg move.  This really makes your lower body burn!  A lot of the cardio moves are very difficult but, thankfully, get a bit easier as the workout progresses.  I love weighted leg workout because it makes my heart rate spike like nothing else!  After that 50 minutes, I did the abs from Lean Legs and Abs - about 10 minutes.  Then, I stretched.  

Sunday: vacation

Stay-cay or Vacay?

Life has been a little crazy lately.  Nothing huge is happening to me, per se, but there's so much going on all around, especially with those I love the most, that I find myself struggling to not be stressed.  And I don't think I'm succeeding.  As a result, I'm tired.  The last year - well, it's been an emotional ringer.

So when Mr. Higgins was ready to plan our second vacation for 2018, I said 'no' to a cruise.  He was surprised but went along.  We came up with a plan to go to south Texas - to places we rarely visit.  The idea was to spend half the vacation away and half at home - to relax.  Now, I've scaled that plan back to only three nights away.  

This is what happens when I'm stressed - the thought of having to plan and fulfill vacation plans is just too much.  

I really want time at home to be creative and nestled in with my crafts.  And I really want to forget about everyone else's problems and focus on me.  Mr. Higgins is amazing for understanding this and going along with my un-plans, as they were.  

Hopefully, by this time next week, I'll be back home after our short trip with a finished knitting project!   And ready to do some other crafting!

Metabolic Rotation Addendum: Week 2 of 3

Two more weeks until vacation!  I cannot say enough....thank goodness!  I'm tired - mentally and emotionally fried.

But before that, I have two more weeks of Cathe and a few Michelle Dozois workouts.  Fun!

Monday: Cathe's Strong and Sweaty: Ramped Up Upper Body + walk + YWA

My back was still hurting from Saturday's weights, but I did this workout anyway.  Ha!  Thankfully, the back was the first muscle Cathe focuses on this workout, so I got it out of the way.  And this one is a fun video - which hits all the upper body is rapid succession.  It also contains the dreaded push-ups and tricep dips.  Ugh!  At lunch, I walked at the rec center to get some steps.  And after work, this YWA got me a bit too sweaty.  Ha!

Tuesday:  Cathe's Slow and Heavy: Legs + walk + YWA

Slow and Heavy is an old series from Cathe.  This video consisted of Legs and Shoulders but I only did legs.  The reps are as it's called - slow and heavy.  You go down for 2 counts and come up for 6 - for every exercise.  Whew!  You definitely get a burn going with this workout....  So much so that my heart rate stayed over 145 the entire time.  That lasted for about 35 minutes.  I then did a few minutes of weighted bridges.  Fun.  At lunch, I walked and planked.  This YWA was really nice - and a good length!

Wednesday: Cathe's HIIT 40/20 + ICE Blizzard Blast Legs 

Time for cardio today!  My feet were happily rested after two days of weights so I was ready to go!  This HIIT really gets you going fast.  The first block is possibly the hardest - for me, at least.  But I enjoyed the hard work.  After that 25 minutes, I finished off my morning with part of the Blizzard Blast from Cathe's ICE legs workout.  It contained weighted leg work with some blasts - but I used lighter weights since I did legs yesterday!

Thursday: Dozois' PeakFit: Dynamic Flexibility + YWA

Rest day!  And I needed it, considering my stomach kept me up, hurting, all night.  This workout was lovely - it always gets me sweating in a good way.  Michelle is so innovative in the way she stretches you through dynamic movements.  I love it!  Then, after work, I wanted something light so "easy breezy" sounded like a good choice.  Well, Adriene and I disagree on the definition of "easy."  Hmph!

Friday: Cathe's ICE Boot Camp Circuit

A new workout!  This ICE Boot Camp was great.  I really enjoyed it!  The format was like this: cardio move, lower body weighted move, upper body move, ab exercise.   Repeat...a lot.   My heart rate stayed up and I don't even have a step to use!  But I worked hard and got worked hard by this workout.  Very nice!

Saturday: Cathe's Lift It HIIT It Legs Live + ICE Blizzard Blast Boot Camp Circuit

Wow.  So, one way to get my heart rate up sky high and to keep it up is Lift It HIIT It Legs.  This workout - just like the DVD with the same name - alternates a weighted leg strength move and a HIIT move.  Less than halfway through this video, Cathe's HIIT moves start focusing on the legs, making this even more difficult.  Cool!  That lasted for about 40 minutes.  I then did most - 10 minutes worth - of the ICE Blizzard Blast from Friday's Boot Camp.  It kept my heart rate up there!  After all that, a stretch.

Sunday:  Dozois' Peak 10 Cardio Interval Burn + Cathe's Strong and Sweaty Abs

Steady cardio day meant Michelle Dozois' first Peak 10 workout.  This one is  a lot of fun and, yes, kept my heart pounding.  I really like Cathe but Michelle was my first love.  Ha!    I only did 4 of the segments (skipping one) to get in 50 minutes of work.  I then tuned into Cathe for ten minutes of abs.  Ouch!  Finally, a stretch.

Calorie Counts:

I was really good Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  On Mother's Day, there was waaayy too much food.  But, oh well.  Fun was had - with mothers.

Slouch Hat

I have some knitting to tell you about!  My April project was completed on April 29 - just in time!  I don't know if I'll be able to keep up this project-a-month goal but we'll see!  

For April, I made a hat out of sock yarn!

Pattern: Sockhead Slouch Hat by Kelly McClure
Yarn: Dream in Color Jilly in Eggplant
Needles: US 2
Made for: unknown
Time to completion: 3 weeks

I didn't make this hat quite as slouchy as the pattern called for - I knitted 11 inches instead of 13.  If I make another one - and I may - I'll do the 13 inches.   But this was a fun, easy knit, and a great way to use up sock yarn on something other than socks!

As far as the yarn, I can't say Jilly was my favorite.  The yarn split ridiculously easily and that really frustrates me.  It's soft, once knitted up, but I didn't really enjoy knitting with it.

Metabolic Rotation Addendum: Week 1 of 3

I have three weeks until vacation but just finished an 8-week Metabolic Rotation so I'm using these weeks to try some new Cathe workouts and add in some Michelle Dozois, just to change it up.

The past eight weeks have been great and I really enjoyed all the metabolic workouts.  I really hope I don't miss them too much!

Monday: Cathe's Fit Split: Low Impact Cardio & Metabolic Conditioning + walk + YWA

A new workout!  Fit Split is Cathe's newest workout series and I'm going to try all four videos this week!  So exciting!  All of them combine cardio and strength.  Each begins with cardio and ends with strength and seem about equally split on time between the two.  This low impact cardio was a lot of fun - some different moves and combinations made it seem really fresh.  The weighted metabolic conditioning was fantastic - lots of compound moves that kept my heart rate up.  At lunch, I walked at the rec after realizing how stiff my legs were.  WTH!?  So I stretched really well after a good walk.  And then this YWA helped me stretch even more!

Tuesday: Cathe's Strong and Sweaty: Cardio Slam

This week is definitely different!  It's been a while since I last did Cardio Slam and I'm always amazed at how hard it works me - especially out of the gate - and how much I enjoy it.  Cathe is very innovative in finding moves that keep up the heart rate - even with the sporadic low impact moves she treats you to.  All in all, this one wore me out!

Wednesday: Cathe's Fit Split: Shred Cardio & Push Day + walk + YWA

And this morning, I remembered why I can't do this much cardio: plantar fasciitis.  Ouch!  My feet definitely complained during the cardio portion of this workout - blasts with a step (which I don't have).  It was good, innovative, and mostly fun cardio...but my feet did not enjoy it.  The push day weights included chest, triceps, shoulders, and quadriceps.  And my shoulders definitely felt it!  At work, I walked because I was lacking in steps.  And after a long day, this YWA was really nice.

Thursday: YWA


Since I could only do one thing today on this rest day, I chose a YWA, of course!  This is day 17 of 30 Days of Yoga.  It was a good one to do at 5:30am.  It did have some balancing (Lord of the Dance Pose) and I did really well.  I'm glad I'm getting better at some things!

Friday: Dozois' Peak 10: Cardio Interval Burn Remix

Okeydokey.  When was the last time I did one of Dozois' CIBs?  I have no idea. But doing it this morning made me realize that I should incorporate them more often into my Cathe rotations.  Cathe is great about HIIT, tabata, and circuits; Dozois is fantastic about steady state cardio.  Unfortunately, after all the cardio this week, my feet were not happy with said steady cardio.  Sigh.  But I made it through 35 minutes before I had to stop to leave early for work, due to storms.  Fun.

Saturday: Cathe's Fit Split: Mixed Impact Cardio & Pull Day + CIB + Fit Split Abs

Yay - another new workout!  This Fit Split video started off with Mixed Impact - which pretty much alternates high and low impact moves.  There were few breaks and my heart rate got pretty high a few times.  That lasted 25 minutes and I wanted more cardio.  So, I tuned back into Dozois' CIB from Friday and did one of the 10 minute segments I couldn't do the other day.  Whew!  Then it was time for weights - Pull Day, which consisted of back, shoulders, biceps, and hamstrings.  That lasted for 35 minutes.  I followed it up with Fit Split Abs, which I'd done once before and it was just as hard this time around.  Finally, a stretch.  What a day!

Sunday:  Cathe's Fit Split: Kickbox Bootcamp & Legs/Glutes + CIB

Wow.  This workout was amazing - by far, my favorite of the Fit Split series.  The kickboxing was a lot of fun - lots of cool, new combinations.  After that 30 minutes, I did my last segment of Friday's CIB.  Whew!  Then, the Fit Split Legs/Glutes was incredible - and crazy hard.  Cathe moves you through it very, very quickly so your heart is pounding throughout. I could barely keep up because I was so winded!  Finally, after over an hour of work, I stretched.  

Calorie Counts:

I was really good for three days and not so good the other days.  Oy.

Seven Stones...

I recently finished the newest addition to Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, Seven Stones to Stand or Fall.

My Goodreads review follows...

This book was perhaps the first book of short stories that I actually enjoyed reading. Something about short stories has always turned me off, but this one - with the characters we know well and some that we learn more about - was a lot of fun.

I especially liked the stories about John Grey and his family. Hal and Minnie's story was great - so much so that I wished it was longer! Learning more about young Jamie and Ian was also fun. The story of Roger's father was especially poignant and moving. 

Not one of these stories disappointed. If you're an Outlander fan, I highly recommend it!

Metabolic Rotation: Week 8

I'm so sad to be done with this rotation!  I don't want it to end!  I'll do three weeks of random stuff after this and then XTrain/RWH...  Sigh.

This rotation may have made me a Cathe junkie.  LOL!  Though I was hesitant when I first met her workouts, Cathe has made me stronger and has seriously upped my game.  I'm building more muscle in my legs....and I want to have Cathe's legs!  Things that used to be very difficult - tuck jumps, for example - are not just not that hard.  Incredible!

Now, speaking of legs....

Monday: Cathe's Legs and Glutes Live + walk + YWA

So...my legs were really hurting on Sunday after Saturday's barre torture...and they were still sore today.  But I made myself do this workout and I'm so glad I did!  It was so difficult!  Ha!  I skipped most of the cardio blasts in the workout because I wanted a day with no jumping.  But even without the blasts, my heart rate was sky high throughout this one.  Wow!  It was definitely one of the harder live leg workouts!  I walked at lunch - and stretched the legs a lot - and then did this YWA at the end of the day.  It helped stretch the legs even more!

Tuesday: Cathe's Smokin' Upper Body Live + walk 

I did this workout in the first part of this rotation and it seemed especially hard this morning.  For some insane reason, I tried to do it all with 12 lb weights.....well, that was almost impossible.  Sigh.  I made a note to use 8s and 10s next time!   But at least I got a good workout!  At lunch, I walked at the rec again and then planked.  And unfortunately, life interrupted yoga. 

Wednesday: Cathe's LIS: Afterburn + YWA

Ah, low impact days are great.....but Afterburn is no cakewalk!  Cathe works you hard in this workout from her Low Impact Series.  What gets me - she goes to the floor so much for burpees and other torturous exercises.  That's always a challenge for me - especially this morning when I had a headache.  Ugh.  But I got through it and it was a great workout, as usual.  This YWA was really good - a nice balance of floor and standing work.

Thursday: REST

I didn't feel well so I actually took a complete rest day.

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

According to my notes, I did this workout in December....but it did not seem familiar.  I liked it - no repetition!  Or at least, not in the true sense of repetitions.  The giant sets alternate upper and lower body so your heart rate stays up.  I lifted as heavy as I could but Cathe does a lot of reps - at least 16.  I'll definitely be doing this video again!

Saturday:  Cathe's To the Max + YWA

This workout....  Is it metabolic or cardio?  I don't know, but I like it!  It's tough but not quite as bad as Crossfire or X10, which means I don't dread it like I dread the other ones.  It's fun and challenging - and gives you a great workout.  It contains solid step, tabata, high impact HIIT, low impact tabata, a compound leg section, and abs.  I skipped the low impact tabata and still got in a solid 45 minutes of cardio.  I then did the abs and the stretch.  Very nice!  To finish off my morning, I did this short but good YWA - it really got me moving.  Again.

Sunday: Cathe's Metabolic Conditioning Live + STS Ab Circuits

I was looking forward to a metabolic workout today and this one did not disappoint.  It was actually a lot of fun!  Cathe kept me guessing on whether we'd do a cardio move or a weighted move, so that was fun.  I added on five additional minutes to make it 45 minutes of work.  Then, I did five minutes of legs with ankle weights.  And finally, the torturous Ab Circuits.  I only did 11 minutes of the 17 minute workout (No Equipment Abs)...because I was exhausted.  And then I stretched.  A good morning!

Calorie Counts:

Monday - 1210
Tuesday - 1195
Wednesday - 1384
Thursday - 1178
Friday - bad
Saturday - 1356
Sunday - bad

Even though I ate too many chips (with salsa) on Wednesday, I weighed on Friday morning....and couldn't believe it.  I'm now down to my low pre-cruise weight.  Again.  Gone was the 0.5-1lb I had gained last week.  Wow.  I just can't believe it!

Roasted Chicken and Veggies

I try to eat my vegetables every day - but I struggle sometimes.  There are only so many easy options for vegetables when it comes to meals for one (Mr. Higgins is less than thrilled with daily veggies).  

Though I've struggled with my daily veggie intact, I can't believe I never thought to look on Pinterest for ideas...until recently. 

I found this recipe and decided to try the veggies only.  If I didn't like them, I didn't want to have a meal with them and chicken.  But no worries - I loved these veggies!  I used red onion, red bell pepper, zucchini, and broccoli.  Yum!  After the fact, I learned I could decrease the olive oil to 1Tbsp.  

A week later, I tried this entire recipe...though I tried to do the spices on my own.  The veggies and rice (which I decrease) were great.  But I should have followed the spice directions for the chicken. It needed more....umph.  I let Mr. Higgins have a serving and he loved it!  "This is a keeper!," he exclaimed.  I definitely like it and plan to make it routinely for easy meals....but I need to master my spice technique.  And maybe find some other marinades, etc, for the chicken!

I love finding new yummy recipes!

Metabolic Rotation: Week 7

Well, I'm down to the last two weeks of this rotation.  Then, for the last three weeks before vacation, I'll do some Michelle Dozois along with my Cathe!

But for now, I'm really enjoying the variety these workouts are giving me!

Monday: Cathe's Legs on Fire Live + walk + YWA

I was supposed to do arms this morning but they were still aching from Saturday!  So, legs it was.  This was another great live workout, consisting mostly of strength with a few cardio blasts.  It was tough - but I loved the burn!  Unfortunately, my stomach was a bit upset so I had to cut this five minutes short.  At lunch, I walked outside because it was  such a gorgeous day out!  And after work, this YWA was great - because I was so, so tired.

Tuesday: Cathe's Upper Body Sculpting + walk + YWA

This was a stressful morning...but I still managed to work out!  And this was a great upper body workout - very well rounded, hitting every muscle group equally.  It was so well done that I was aching before it ended!  Ouch!  And it was only exacerbated by my soreness from Saturday.  At lunch, I walked at the rec center and did my ab work.  After work, I continued with 30 Days of Yoga.  This one was a good stress reliever!

Wednesday: Cathe's XTrain All Out Low Impact HIIT

It's been awhile since I did this XTrain workout.  And it's good and super effective!  Cathe does such a good job with low impact workouts!  This one, especially, kept my heart rate up there.  Amazing!  I didn't remember all of this workout but I like that you don't repeat the HIITs - unless you do them on the other side. This is always nice and helps eliminate the dread factor.   A good morning!

Thursday:  Dozois' Body Fit 360 + YWA

I had another bad night due to stomach issues so I was pretty lethargic this morning.  I did about 20 minutes of this workout before I fast-forwarded to the stretch.  This is one of my favorite workouts but it has so much work that goes up and down from the floor....  And that was more than I could handle today.  But the stretch was lovely!  This YWA was really nice because I wanted something light.

Friday:  Cathe's Push Pull Total Body

This workout surprised me!  Because I really liked it!  It flowed really well and moved quickly, which kept my heart rate up.  I tried to go as heavy as I could and my arms were hurting in no time!  Dang!  And I loved the timing - I was able to go to the end!  And even do the abs and stretch!  Wow!  I'll have to do this one again!

Saturday: Cathe's HIIT Fit Circuit + ICE To the Mat

Metabolic day!  This was a great workout!  I did it almost exactly a year ago, but, as usual, had no memory of it.  This has five circuits.  Each circuit contains a high impact HIIT move, a low impact HIIT move, a weighted upper body move, and then a lower body move.  It was so varied and fun!  After 35 minutes of those circuits, you do about 10 minutes of barre - which is torture, as usual.  I then finished off with about 11-12 minutes of To the Mat - just to make my legs suffer more.  Sigh.  Finally, I stretched and that felt incredible!

Sunday: Cathe's Cardio Strength Blast + RWH Abs 1

Another new-to-me metabolic workout!  This one alternates a high impact cardio move and a strength move.  It was somewhat similar to Afterburn, except that it was high impact.  The strength moves focused primarily on the legs, which was good and bad.  Good because my arms still hurt, bad because my legs were really hurting.  Ha!  I made it through, though, and had fun for these 45 minutes.  Then, RWH abs.  And after that, a stretch!

Calorie Counts:

Monday -1219
Tuesday - 1222
Wednesday - BAD
Thursday - 1178
Friday - 1687
Saturday - 1320
Sunday - bad

I weighed on Tuesday morning and was the same as the last time.  Yes!  Despite bad eating, I'm maintaining.  Which makes me wonder - what if I was eating better?  Ha!  I will - soon enough.

DFW Fiber Fest 2018

DFW Fiber Fest was a few weeks ago and it was a blast, as always!  And I bought too much yarn, as usual!

My knitting friend and I went to the festival on the last day - Sunday.  I was a bit worried that the vendors would run out of stock, but this was not the case!  In fact, it was almost more pleasant to go on Sunday afternoon - the crowds thinned the longer we were there and, by 2:30, we felt like we were the only ones shopping! 

I found some new yarns to love - Magpie, Long Dog, and Amanda Hope.  I bought some yarn from one of my favorite Etsy sellers, Suburban Stitcher.  And my absolute favorite, Must Stash, was there!  I had to get two skeins from her!  

My only disappoint was the lack of bulky yarn.  I wanted some for a project but fingering weight yarn dominated the selection.  Don't get me wrong, I love sock yarn....but you can't only make socks.  Also, a local yarn vendor, Madelinetosh, was not there - for the first time ever.  I was really sad to not see them.

Either way, I'm calling this year's festival a success!  Fabulous yarn was found!

Metabolic Rotation: Week 6

Only three more weeks of this rotation!  Wow!  

I'm still really liking the different workouts.  Cathe is an amazing fitness instructor!

Monday: Cathe's RWH: Upper Body Circuit + walk + YWA

So whatever Kelly Coffey Meyer did to me yesterday really hurt my legs.  My hamstrings and glutes were screaming this morning.  Yay.  This upper body workout is so much fun, you forget you're working hard.  I love alternating between weights and cardio!  At lunch, I walked at the rec center and then did my sit-ups.  And after work I got around to day 1 of Adriene's 30 Days of Yoga.  It was a lovely stretch!....plus some work.

Tuesday: Cathe's Legs with Weights and Stability Ball + walk + YWA

Despite my legs really hurting from Sunday, I did this workout with only one slight variation: I didn't do quite as many leg presses on the higher step.  But, I did everything else and actually really enjoyed this workout, which is structured in trisets.  It kept it interesting and manageable!  At lunch, I walked again....and stretched really well again.  Then, I planked.  Ha!  After work, this YWA got me nice and warm!

Wednesday: Cathe's ICE: Low Impact Sweat

My leg was still hurting and I was tired today - not from sleep deprivation but just overall tired.  And so I switched up my workouts to make today low impact.  And I'm glad I did!  This workout is good and was just the right intensity.  My heart rate was up but I wasn't pushing too hard.  My legs still hurt (really, Cathe, is there any workout in which you don't push the legs to their breaking point?) but it wasn't too painful.   

Thursday: Crunch Super Slim Down: Pilates Yoga Blend + YWA

Rest day!  And I love this old but good workout!  Ellen Barrett is so calming and fun.  I'd forgotten just how much I like this workout so this morning, it was a nice surprise.  And my muscles needed some down time!  After work, I tuned into 30 Days of Yoga, day 18, which really stretched out my legs.  Very nice!

Friday: Cathe's Metabolic Circuit Blast + walk

According to my notes, I did this workout last year.  I have no memory of it and it sure didn't seem familiar...as it kicked my butt.  I've never seen my heart rate (according to my FitBit) get as high as it did in the first half of this workout.  Wow!  It was definitely a difficult workout but dang!   I huffed and puffed my way through almost the entire thing, stopping only a few minutes early.  At lunch, I walked outside because it was warm - and muggy and windy.  Yay, Texas.

Saturday: Cathe's STS Total Body

I usually do my total body weight workout on Fridays but this one is 65 minutes long and I wanted to do it all - which meant moving it to the weekend.  I'd never done the lower body portion of this workout, only the upper body.   It's all set up in trisets, which you repeat twice: once with 16 reps, then with 12 reps.  You're supposed to lift as heavy as you can.  And wow!  My weights went down in the upper body sets just a bit.....probably because I'm doing fewer strength workouts.  But I got a great strength workout today!  It hurt...in a good way.  I also added on five minutes of low-impact cardio to cool down and then did the abs and stretch.  Nice!

Sunday: Cathe's Drill Max Live

My arms/shoulders/triceps were super sore from the day before so the idea of more weights did not sound appealing.  But I did it anyway.  This workout alternates cardio, using the step, and weights.  The cardio was a nice change - no HIIT - with combinations using the step.  The weights taxed my arms but I made it through.  This was 60 minutes of cardio/strength.  Then, abs, after which I added on some of my own to get 5 minutes of work.  Then, a stretch.  

Calorie Counts:

Monday - 1208
Tuesday - 1172
Wednesday - BAD
Thursday - 1165
Friday - 1635
Saturday - 1280
Sunday - 1577

I was afraid to weigh because my eating hasn't been great.  But I did my measurements and those made me happy!

Submarine Socks

I fell instantly in love with this yarn when it was posted online.  And I knew who would love some socks made out of it, too!  So the purchase was totally justifiable, right?!  

Pattern: Twin Rib by Charlene Schurch (Sensational Knitted Socks)
Yarn: Must Stash Yarn & Fiber Perfect Self Striping Sock (Yellow Submarines colorway)
Needles: US 1 (2.25mm)
Made for: a secret
Time to completion: 7 weeks

I love, love, love this yarn.  I just bought more at the Fiber Fest!  But I hate, hate, hate knit 1 purl 1 patterns.  I don't know why I chose it this time but NEVER again.  I've never dropped stitches so many times in my knitting career than with these socks.  Arg!  But at least I've gotten really good at picking up those stitches!

For these socks, I tried something new - a different color for the cuff, heel, but not the toe.  I didn't think I'd have enough yarn for the toes.  Plus, though I love Schurch's patterns, she never said when to change colors in the pattern.  And because I was uncertain of that and the amount of yarn, I skipped the yellow toes.   Maybe next time!

Metabolic Rotation: Week 5

This rotation is flying by and I'm not happy about it!  I'm really enjoying all the new workouts.  I don't want to go back to only doing one of Cathe's series.....  Oh, well.

It's a good thing to enjoy working out!

Monday: Cathe's Warrior Kickboxing + YWA

I love Monday kickboxing mornings!  I'd done this workout before but I didn't remember it.  It has some really fun combinations!   Cathe does kickboxing really well so I'm usually happy but this one was extra good!  After work, I did this YWA, mainly to help stretch out my shoulders which were tight and sore.  It's really good!

Tuesday: Cathe's Barbell Upper Body Live + walk + YWA

This workout, obviously, uses a barbell, which I don't have.  I used dumbbells and almost died.  So many reps!   I did the best I could but usually had to lower my weight after a while.  At lunch, I walked and then did a good stretch and added in some planks.  After work, this YWA was good, though I only got through about 20 minutes of it.  My arms were getting sore so I made sure to stretch them really well.

Wednesday: Cathe's Lower Body Burn Live + walk

Legs today.  And considering how sore my arms/shoulders were, it was a good thing.  This workout started with about 5 minutes of cardio.  Then, you move on to weights, the firewalker band, and sliding discs.  And I used the band for everything - jacks etc.  Whew!  At work, I walked at the rec center and did my sit-ups.  I was tired after all that.  A bad commute meant I had no energy for a YWA.

Thursday: YWA + YWA

So I've decided to go through and do Adriene's first 30 day yoga practice, 30 Days of Yoga.  I'll do these out of order (as shown above) and when I have time - but I won't do any other of her practices until I finish it.  I'm finding that her earlier yoga is a bit more challenging - at least, less thoughtful - so I hope it'll help me up my yoga game.  I started with day 2 because it looked more challenging than day 1 and then, at the end of the day, went on to day 14 to get some good stretching in.  Very nice!

Friday: Cathe's PHAT 2

I'm really liking these PHA/PHAT workouts.  They're strength but with a cardio component, which makes them metabolic.  And it's great to burn calories and build muscle without jumping around.  But.  This worked me hard.  All the crazy hard leg work was in the first rotation - step ups, elevated lunges, squats off the riser.  Ouch!  Thankfully, that meant the second rotation seemed a lot easier.  I liked this workout but it wore me out.  And that's saying something.

Saturday: Cathe's Athletic Training Live + Rock'm Sock'm Blizzard Blast + RWH Abs 2

This workout was different, and thankfully low-impact.  Athletic Training started with cardio and them moved into weighted cardio and compound exercises.  My heart rate was sky high and I was having fun.  Then, Cathe went into arms, which was not really what I wanted.  So, after those, I did the Blizzard Blast to keep my heart rate up for longer.  So, 50 minutes of cardio/strength.  I then did abs - ouch - and stretched.  It was a good morning!

Sunday: Kelly Coffey Meyer's Plateau Buster

When I went to do my Cathe workout for the day, the video kept messing up.  Whether it was Cathe's site or our internet, it just wasn't happening.  So, in desperation, I got a DVD - and a new one!  I got Kelly's workout for Christmas and still hadn't tried it.  This morning, I tried it.  I did parts of the first and second difficult rotation - meaning she puts in bonus moves that are more advanced.  It was a good workout and I'm glad I have it.  I did 45 minutes and worked hard.  Then, a stretch.

Calorie Counts:

Monday - 1206
Tuesday - 1210
Wednesday - 1197
Thursday - 1180
Friday - BAD
Saturday - 1630
Sunday - 1558

I weighed on Thursday and I was up a pound.  That's not too bad, considering how bad we ate last weekend, on the holiday weekend (for four day - ugh).  I'm trying not to freak out because we're going to be a bit more lax in our diets for a while.

Origins

I recently finished Dan Brown's newest novel, Origins.

My Goodreads review:

I've enjoyed Dan Brown's novels about the adventures of Robert Langdon, mainly because they revolve around different, controversial themes of religious history. That ended with Origin. As did a lot of the action that kept me furiously flipping pages. 

In Origins, Brown confronts Darwinism and artificial intelligence. He throws in a smattering of religion and a bit of history but most of this novel is about the future, not the past. 

This is my least favorite of the Langdon books. It wasn't a bad story but I want more action, more history, more controversy in my Dan Brown books.

Metabolic Rotation: Week 4

Holy cow!  It's almost a month now!  Time flies when you're having fun!

I'm loving this rotation and the results it's giving me.  Having so many Cathe live workouts to choose from is so nice!  

Monday: Cathe's Step HIIT (upper body) + walk + YWA

This live workout was originally entitled Step HIIT + Upper Body Weights - which is an accurate description.  I only did about 15 minutes of the step before I fast-forwarded to weights.  And this ended up being a great upper body sequence.  It was tough but the moves were different enough that it kept me energized.  At lunch, I walked at the rec center and did some planks.  And this YWA was really good - it made me sweat just a bit.  

Tuesday: Cathe's Lean and Mean Legs Live + walk

I felt a bit better this morning after some good sleep.  And it's a good thing because this leg workout contains more cardio - high impact - than the others I've done.  You do some in the beginning and then you do a lot of jacks and plie jacks with the fire walker loop.  Ouch!  I think that's the first time I used the loop for cardio and it was intense!  You do some work with weights - squats and lunges, as well.  I had to cut this morning short by about 4 minutes due to bad weather.  At lunch, I walked again and did my sit-ups.

Wednesday:  Cathe's Kickbox and Barre + YWA

This morning, I woke up with a pounding headache.  Oy.  I got through this workout but I had to modify some of the endless jacks - making them low impact.  My head just couldn't handle it.  I like this workout but I wish there were more combinations.  I didn't do the barre, continuing with my own cardio/boxing instead.  After work, this YWA was great to help me calm down after yet another horrible commute.

Thursday:  Cathe's Strong & Sweaty: PHA Training + YWA

Weights this morning - and an elevated heart rate, thanks to PHA.  This was a fun workout - 12 reps of everything.  You repeat one set of exercises 3 times before you start a new set (there are only two sets).  It moves fasts and alternates upper and lower body parts to make sure your heart rate stays up.   I'll just say - I hate step ups onto a step ladder.  UGH!  This YWA was nice but not my favorite.  At least I stretched a bit.

Friday:  Cathe's Fitness Fusion

I did this workout last year but had no memory of it this morning.  With the holiday, I was actually able to do the entire workout, though I skipped the abs.  This was a fun and varied workout.  You start with kickboxing and then move into a HIIT segment.  Last but not least is a short weighted leg section.  My heart rate stayed up throughout this fun workout.  After that 45 minutes, I did a good stretch since I was still sore from Thursday's weights.

Saturday: REST

We were out of town for the holiday.

Sunday: Cathe's Cardio HIIT Metabolic Live + YWA

A new workout!  This one was really great.  You did a HIIT move, a compound exercise, and then a weighted move (working one muscle group).  My heart rate stayed up and I got a great workout!  I like these that are varied - I never get bored and I love compound exercises!  After the standing work finished, I did some additional cardio to get in 40 minutes.  I then finished the video - chest work on the mat and then abs.  I stretched and then did this YWA, which helped me stretch some more.  Fun!

Calorie Counts:

I ate well Monday through Wednesday, staying at or under 1200 calories.  And then the holiday hit.  I didn't fall off the wagon completely, but I ate more than I should have.  I didn't dare weight.

Blessings

Sometimes, when you get overwhelmed by work or life, or both, it's good to step back and count your blessings....

I've been given a very blessed life.  I have a wonderful husband who is content to let me be who I am and still loves me.  My parents are great and I consider my mom to be my best friend.  My in-laws are fun, nice people who I enjoy being with.  My cats are the cutest in the world (no objections - see above) and they bring much joy to our lives (along with hairballs). 

My job is good and I work at an incredible place.  I must remember that when I bogged down in the minutia of the everyday.  So today, I'm counting my blessings.

Happy - almost - Easter!

Metabolic Rotation: Week 3

I'm loving this rotation but it is tough.  All the weights, for almost every workout, are already beginning to take a toll on my body. 

My eating needs to be better this week.  I also need to find a way to increase my protein on the weekends - when I don't use protein powder.  

Oh, well - let's see how this week goes...

Monday: Cathe's Low Impact HIIT Plus Upper Body Live + walk + YWA

I was still hurting from yesterday's workout.  Sigh.  The thought of more arm work was not appealing.  I got through the first portion of this workout - the HIIT, which I shortened to 25 minutes - and it was good!  Not too traumatic.  Then, the weights were actually really well done and effective - through the pain.  Cathe never disappoints!  At work, I walked, and learned that my legs were super achy.  Yay.   And after work, a nice release with YWA.

Tuesday: Cathe's Totally Toned Legs + walk

My legs were still achy from Sunday so this workout did not sound appealing.  But I made myself do it.  And my legs were screaming.  Ha!  It feels kind of good, in a crazy way, to know that you're really doing something to cause change.  But it hurts.  At lunch, I walked to get steps and then I stretched - because my legs were still unhappy.  Sigh.  No yoga because I sat outside, instead.

Wednesday: Cathe's LIS: Afterburn + YWA

Low impact sounded so good this morning - but my bum still hurt!  Ha!  I used 6 pound weights for this video and still got a great workout.  "Low impact does not mean low intensity," Cathe always says.  This one doesn't spike my heart rate like some but it comes close!  After work, this YWA was really good - it's one of my favorites and one that I'll keep coming back to!

Thursday: Cathe's Total Body Giant Sets 

I wasn't feeling good this morning so I did a rare thing and postponed this workout until the evening.  And I'm glad I did.  This one took a lot more energy than I anticipated!  Giant sets are broken up by upper body, lower body, and core.  You do a set of exercises and then repeat them before moving on to lower body.  Each part of the body gets two rounds of exercises. This was fast-paced and very metabolic....though I wish my heart rate had been higher.  I liked it - except for having abs in the middle.  I prefer to save that torture for the end.

Friday:  Dozois' BodyFit 360 Vol 2: Dance Conditioning

Time to get my Michelle Dozois fix!  And I love this workout!  This one is just so much fun and so very different from Cathe.  Michelle's cardio/dance and bodyweight strength moves are just wonderful - perfect for a day of recovery.  I kept it all low impact and had fun.  I did all the cardio and then went straight to the stretch.  So, so lovely!

Saturday: Cathe's ICE: Metabolic Total Body + Strong and Sweaty Core

I didn't quite know what to expect from this metabolic workout but I ended up loving it!  This workout was all about compound exercises.  My heart rate went up and stayed up.  I loved some of the new and different moves in this "intermediate" workout.  Cathe's weights were lighter, to make it less advanced - but I went as heavy as I could...and my heart was pounding!  It was great!  That lasted for 45 minutes.  I then did this core workout, which I didn't remember doing before.  Then, a nice stretch.  Whew!

Sunday: Cathe's Crossfire + YWA

Last night and this morning, I was dreading Crossfire. I hate this workout; I dread it like nothing else.  I thought I would die.  Instead, I did great!  Maybe my fitness level is getting better but this workout didn't kill me like it usually does.  It was tough and my heart rate was the highest it's been all week - but I made it through and felt great.  I added on a bit of a cool down which meant I worked for 50 minutes.  Nice!  After a stretch, I did Adriene's newest video, posted today.  It was the perfect finisher!

Calorie Counts:

Monday - 1197
Tuesday - 1188
Wednesday - 1281
Thursday - bad
Friday - 1667
Saturday - 1456
Sunday - 1289

I got on the scale first thing Thursday morning....I got off and got on again.  The number didn't change and I was astonished.  I'm down to my pre-cruise weight.  I've now lost the five pounds I assumed I gained on the cruise.  I can't believe it.  I haven't been eating that great.  Maybe it's all these metabolic workouts....but I'm ecstatic!   And then I had a horrible day of eating on Thursday.  Sigh.  

Cathe Friedrich: Low Impact Series: AfterBurn (Review)

Cathe has so many great workouts, it's hard to get through them all!  One that has fit nicely into my Metabolic Rotation is AfterBurn, part of her Low Impact Series.  

This workout is all about burning calories after the video ends - called afterburn - by ramping up your metabolism.  Cathe alternates cardio and weighted cardio sections to achieve this effect.

After about a 5 minute warm-up, Cathe leads you into the circuit-style workout that has little rest.  There are 10 circuits, each one has a cardio move and a weighted cardio move which you then repeat.  So there are four exercises in each circuit.  Examples of the cardio moves...squat digs, lateral skaters, jacks on sliding discs, air squats.  Then for the weighted moves you do lunges with bicep curls, squats with overhead presses, burpees and push-ups (on discs).  These are all intense moves that work many, many muscles at once.  

These circuits last for almost 45 minutes.  Cathe then leads you in a cool down/stretch for 5 minutes.  

Cathe has done an excellent job with this workout. If you have knee problems, it's great.  You will be sore after this workout.  If you're already sore, the entire thing will be painful.  Ha!  After all, every single one of Cathe's workouts is a challenge for the legs and bum.

Equipment needed (though I don't use a lot of this): dumbbells of various weights, sliding discs, and Dixie cups.

Bottom Line: This is an advanced workout suitable for all types but especially for those with knee issues.

Metabolic Rotation: Week 2

I'm already super happy with this rotation.  Having so many new workouts to choose from with Cathe Live is so much fun!  And the ones I've already done - mostly early last year - I can't remember!  

So, motivation is not  a problem!  There will, however, be two days of bad meals this week.  But it's Spring Break - for everyone else - so we're seeing some friends we don't normally see much during the school year.  Life happens.

Monday: Cathe's Quick Fix Kickboxing... + YWA

And on the subject of not remembering.... I did this workout a year ago and liked it.  Today, I wasn't a fan.  This was more of a plain cardio workout instead of a kickboxing workout. There were no punch/kick combinations!  I wanted kickboxing!  Instead, I got cardio.  And my feet, for the first time in ages, were beginning to feel unhappy due to all this jumping lately.  Hm.  After work, this YWA was perfect - challenging and refreshing!

Tuesday: Cathe's RWH: Upper Body Circuit + walk + YWA

Another new workout!  I'm slowly getting around the doing bits of RWH and am really liking it, the more I do.  This was the upper body metabolic workout and it's really good!  You do compound exercises, focusing on the upper body, with cardio blasts interspersed throughout.  It was different and fun!  At lunch, I walked at the rec center, trying to find some energy after a second night of not sleeping well.  This YWA helped with my shoulder, back pain from all these weights!

Wednesday: Cathe's Lean Lower Body + walk

Legs day!  And, thankfully, I felt great after some good sleep!  This workout was rather painful - but in a productive way!  There was no step, which was a minor blessing, but it still kicked my butt.  Ha!  Gotta love Cathe and her crazy hard leg workouts!  But if it gets me her legs, then it's worth it!  At lunch, I walked at the rec center and then did some ab work....and really stretched out my legs.  

Thursday: Dozois' PeakFit: Dynamic Flexibility

I love rest days!  And I love spending them with Michelle Dozois!  Dynamic Flexibility is such a fun and unique workout....I always look forward to it!  I felt stretched and refreshed after it ended this morning, which is a great way to start the day!  I was all about to do yoga after work but then I had a rare opportunity to spend time with Mr. Higgins outside - and I did.  So nice!

Friday: Cathe's PHA Training Live

Another new-to-me workout - and a new format: peripheral heart action training.  Cathe's definition: "you alternate between upper and lower body resistance training exercises, allowing as little rest as possible between each movement. The lack of rest and recovery keeps your heart rate up, for cardiovascular and fat-burning benefits, while switching between upper and lower body exercises, maximizes blood flow to all parts of your body and reduces build-up of lactic acid." It was a good total body workout and my heart rate stayed high - though not as high as it does with leg-centric workouts.

Saturday: Cathe's RWH: Low Impact HIIT + YWA

I had a rough night, filled with painful stomach issues.  My joy that today's workout was low impact was enormous.  I started with the second HIIT and did it in it's entirety - it uses a weight for almost every exercise, which ups the intensity.  Then, I finished off the morning with most of the first HIIT - going until I'd done 45 minutes of work.  Whew!  It was intense but fun; I always enjoy Cathe's low impact work!  After that, I stretched and then tuned into this new YWA - nice!

Sunday:  Cathe's Sweat, Jump, and Pump + XTrain: Core 2

Today, Cathe kicked my butt.  She calls Sweat, Jump, and Pump, "random" training because there is no rhyme or reason to when you do cardio versus weights.  Your body has no idea what to expect, making the workout especially metabolic.  I liked it - it went by fast - but I was struggling at times.  Whew!  I didn't do the ab work at the end; instead, I added on some light cardio to cool down.  So, 50 minutes of hard work.  Then, this core workout kicked by bum, too!  Dang!  I was so happy to stretch, finally!

Calorie Counts:

I had about 3 really good days.  The rest weren't great.  It was Spring Break week - not that I had a break from anything - but it meant a few more meals out for birthdays and fun.  As a result, I stayed away from the scale.  Ha!