Category: Health

Workouts Week 50 of 2013

December 14, 2013 kimberlee

Workouts this week were from my Cathe Friedrich Low Impact Series. I believe I purchase that a couple of years ago. There are some really great workouts on the 10 dvd set. The ones I decided to do were:

Monday – Slide & Glide Muscle Conditioning premix – 30 min
Tuesday – Slide & Glide Cardio – 31 min
Wednesday – Turbo Barre – 40 min
Thursday – Total Body Trisets – Upper Body premix of Chest, Shoulders & Tris – 31 min
Friday – Cardio Supersets – Express mix #1-4 – 26 min
Saturday – Yoga Max – 30 min

Above is the photo of the dvd cover – all the workouts are in the case. I also always use a workout schedule table that I made myself in word to keep track of what workouts I plan to do each week. This helps me stay on track and I feel like if I write it down I am more likely to to hold myself accountable to complete the workouts.

I love all the workouts on these dvd’s and they are all low impact so not a lot of high intensity jumping around. You still get a really great workout though. My two favorites from this past week are the Slide & Glide disc and Turbo Barre. Below are some photos of those workouts:

The Slide & Glide workout uses these plastic discs that came with the workout. I think I have also seen them at the store or you can order them from Cathe.com. This workout is fun and something different. I always feel great after doing this workout.

The Turbo Barre workout is done in bare feet or in my case I wore my yoga grip socks my husband bought me last year for Christmas. It was cold the morning I did this workout and I don’t like to have cold feet! This workout has a light weight – muscle conditioning – section at the beginning and I use 5 pound weights when doing that part. There is also a section that used a loop band for the arms and the legs. Great conditioning and lengthening for the muscles. My cat likes to sit on the chair for part of this workout as seen in the one photo. He is black so he is kind of hard to see.

Today I did the Yoga Max dvd – part of it. The whole thing is about 48 minutes and I did 30 minutes. It felt great to lengthen and tone early this morning. My cat enjoyed the workout too. I was getting ready to roll up my mat to put it in my bag and he came to sit by it.

I am trying to stay on track with my workouts during the holiday time as much as possible. How are your workouts going during this busy time of year?

Have a great weekend!

Categories: Exercise Health

Fitness Friday Week 48 of 2013

November 29, 2013 kimberlee 2 Comments

This is my weekly fitness update. I am planning to do a weekly post on my workouts, workout tips, smoothie recipes, etc once a week. It will either be called Workout Wednesday or Fitness Friday. This week Wednesday was very busy so I am doing the Friday version.

Since this week was a holiday week and my 3 sons were off school from Wednesday on through the weekend I decided to give myself a slightly lighter workout schedule. I always plan my workouts on Sundays and they are scheduled from Monday to Saturday. This week I decided to do my Exhale Core Fusion dvd’s alternating with my Shiva Rea yoga dvd’s. Below are the workouts I used:

I really like the Exhale Core Fusion series and how they are formatted on the dvd. Each dvd is approximately 50 minutes long but they are divided into 10 minute segments. I usually choose to do 30 or 40 minutes depending on how early I got up and how much time I have before getting the boys off to school. Some of the dvd’s also have a 5 to 10 minute bonus segment at the end. I love the results I get from these workouts and I say I chose a lighter schedule but these workouts are not as easy as they look. They really tone up your whole core and the leg workouts they have in them are amazing. The exercises look easy and simple but yield big results.

The Shiva Rea dvd’s are divided into different length of segments. A lot of hers that I own are about 20 minutes long per segment as the case with the AM Energy. The Creative Core series is a little different set up and I just did the whole dvd which is about 25 minutes long, I believe. I love yoga and her yoga workouts are some of my favorites.

So, this weeks schedule was as follows:

Monday – ECF – Body Sculpt – 30 minutes
Tuesday – Shiva Rea Creative Core + Lower Body – 25 minutes
Wednesday – ECF – Pure Intensity – 40 minutes
Thursday – Shiva Rea – AM Energy – 20 minutes
Friday – ECF – Power Sculpt – 35 minutes
Saturday – Shiva Rea – AM Energy – 20 minutes
Sunday – off-rest day

Below are some of the photos from the workouts:

As you can see from the photos my faithful workout partner was present – my cat. In the one photo you can see him even watching the yoga dvd. He is a funny cat. He usually sits in the middle of the room waiting for me to do my workouts every day. I also had to use my fitness grip socks this week that my husband bought me last year for Christmas as it was kind of chilly most mornings. Thankful I had those and didn’t have to be barefoot or I would have had some cold toes!

I didn’t have time to blend up any new smoothies this week. I continue to drink my green goddess smoothie at least 2 to 3 times per week. I was having one almost every day but now that the weather is colder I am not really in a smoothie mood like I was in the warmer months.

I am planning to schedule some cardio and strength training workouts for next week. I like to alternate my schedule so I don’t get bored. What workouts are you planning for next week? Let me know by clicking on Leave A Reply.

Have a great day!

Categories: Exercise Health

Tags: exercise, exercise dvd's, fitness, workout schedule, yoga

Green Goddess Smoothie

November 7, 2013 kimberlee

This smoothie is a creation I developed with ingredients that are good for you and good for your skin, too. I have been trying to make one in the afternoons several days a week and drinking them as a pick me up energy drink – that I know is loaded with fresh ingredients and healthy vitamins. It is super quick and easy to make, too.

Here is the recipe:

handful of spinach
1/2 c. frozen chopped mango & pineapple blend (I got mine at Sam’s)
1 or 2 pieces of crystallized dried ginger (I got this from Sprouts)
1/2 to 3/4 c. filtered water

Blend all of the above ingredients until it is smooth – 1 to 2 minutes. I use my Nutribullet with the smaller size blending cup to make this. It blends up really well in there.

Some info in the ingredients in this green drink:

Spinach – vital for looking and feeling young and fit, keeps your skin healthy, has B-vitamins, vitamin C, carotenoids, calcium, fiber, lipoic acid, magnesium and zinc
Mango – high in beta-carotene needed for healthy, clear, skin and overall immunity, protects the brain from memory loss, contains vitamin C, vitamin E and fiber
Pineapple – contains vitamin C to defend against premature aging, also contains enzymes that have antioxidants and help produce energy, rich in bromelain to help reduce inflammation
Ginger – also good for inflammation in the body due to joint problems, protects your digestive system from premature aging, regulates blood sugar and boosts circulation

Green smoothies are a great way to get extra healthy nutrients into your body each day. I will admit it takes a little getting use to drinking them. They usually taste better than they look, in my opinion. I have tried some that I do not like at all but this one has a very pleasant taste to me, with the ginger in it, and I always feel very healthy and energized after drinking one.

I would love to hear about your experience with trying green smoothies – or any good smoothie recipes you have to share. You can let me know by leaving a reply.

Have a great day!

Categories: Health Recipes

Tags: ginger, green drink, green smoothie, healthy recipes, healthy smoothie, mango, nutribullet, pineapple, Smoothie Recipe, spinach, spinach smoothie

Rocktober Workout Weeks 3 & 4

October 28, 2013 kimberlee

Today is my final workout of the Rocktober challenge. Week 4 started for me last Tuesday and I finished my 3rd workout of week 4 today. The exercises for this past week of the challenge were tough. Especially the push up jacks and the side plank with the hip dip and leg pull in.

I am also including my week 3 in this post as I was unable to blog about it last week. I had my parents visiting and my kids were also out of school for a few extra days for a little fall break. Life seems to get in the way of blogging sometimes for me. Week 3 was also challenging and I really enjoyed some of the exercises from that week.

Below are the photos from weeks 3 and 4. I did not have time to do collages for week 4 so I have just included some single photos of some of the exercises from that week.

I really enjoyed being a part of this challenge group on the Betty Rocker group page through facebook. Lots of great and interesting people who participated in this challenge from all over the world. The workouts were something different from my normal dvd’s and books I use. I also really have noticed more definition in my arms, abs and back after completing this 4 week challenge. I was also working out with my Cathe Friedrich dvd’s on the days I was not using the Rocktober workouts and doing yoga on the weekend. I try and workout 6 to 7 days per week for 25 to 45 minutes per workout – depending on my time available and the workout I have planned. I believe the key to success with any workout program is your commitment and then planning a time and place to do the workout and following through. The end results are worth the time you invest – not just to be physically more fit but to have better overall health, more energy, and confidence.

Now that Rocktober is over I will be continuing the use of my Cathe dvd’s and doing a little more yoga. I will keep you updated on my future workouts. I am also planning to review a new yoga book I have been using for a few weeks now. Please subscribe via bloglovin, email, or RSS feed by clicking on any of those icons in the sidebar to stay updated.

Categories: Exercise Health

Tags: exercise, fitness, Rocktober, Rocktober Challenge, the Betty Rocker, workouts

Rocktober Week 2 Complete

October 14, 2013 kimberlee

Week 2 of the Rocktober Challenge is complete for me. The challenge is from Tuesday to the following Monday. I got my 3 workouts in on last Tuesday, Thursday and then on Saturday. Week 2 was a little more difficult than week 1. A lot of the moves were similar but had some add on’s to make them more challenging. Like the lunges had a pulse to them and the push ups were done with an extended arm. The tricep dips were also done on one leg. Each exercise is performed for a minute then you rest for a few seconds and move on. There are a total of 7 exercises that you repeat for 3 to 5 rounds. Let me tell you – I am pretty much done after 3 rounds. I notice some people in the facebook challenge group are doing 4 or 5 rounds but 3 is good for me!

Below are a few photos from this past weeks workouts:

Rocktober Challenge wk 2 day 1 Kimberlees Korner

Rocktober Challenge wk 2 day 2 Kimberlees Korner

I didn’t have time to do photos for the 3rd day. Saturday was a busy day around here.

Also, I am still trying to eat as clean as possible and I am now trying to drink a totally green drink-smoothie every day – usually around lunch time or early afternoon. I am using the recipe from The Beauty Detox Foods book by Kimberly Snyder that I recently checked out from the library. I will not lie and tell you I love the green drink-smoothie but it is a real energy boost for my day and makes me feel really healthy after drinking it. It is not horrible just an acquired taste sort of thing. I am thinking the more you drink them the more you grow to like them -eventually.

Well tomorrow we get a new round of the exercises for week 3 – I am excited to see what is in store but also a little nervous! I will update you next week on the workouts.

Have a great day!

Categories: Exercise Health

Tags: fitness, Fitness Progam, make fat cry, Rocktober Challenge, the Betty Rocker, workouts

Workout – Final Week of Focus T25

October 5, 2013 kimberlee 1 Comment

This is the final week of my 10 week challenge group for Focus T25. I am proud to say I have completed this 10 week journey. To be honest with you this is the longest I have ever stuck with one workout program. Yes, I workout daily but usually I start a fitness program and use it for 4 to 6 weeks then get bored with it and move on to another program or type of exercise.

I think being in the facebook challenge group was very positive and motivating and helped me stay focused to do the complete 10 week program. It was a fun and encouraging to read others’ posts and post your own workouts each day. I also have gotten to know some amazing and truly committed fitness people who are such a positive inspiration. I would encourage anyone who is starting a new fitness program to give a facebook group a try, if one is available, and be a participator in the posts and discussions. It can only help you succeed.

The following are some of my final T25 photo collages for week 5 of Beta and week 10 of the overall program:

My overall final review on this 10 week program is that it was truly amazing! The workouts are a challenge and they will give you results -especially if you follow a clean eating plan! This program has greatly improved my physical stamina as well as given me a very strong and tight core. I also have much more tone in my legs. I have lost inches – mainly in my waist and hips. I have lost over 2 inches now in the hip area in 10 weeks! Other benefits I have noticed include: sleeping better (more soundly – I didn’t really have any sleep issues to start with other than an occasional night of not sleeping well), increased daily energy, more positive outlook on life, improved skin tone – I think all that sweating is some form of a facial! Also Shaun T, the creator of the program and the instructor, is so positive and motivating – you can not help but want to wake up and workout. He has been a great positive source of energy and influence on my mental attitude the last two months.

If you are looking for a program to change your body as well as your life I would recommend Focus T25. It is a workout that you can do in less than 30 minutes per day 5 to 6 days per week and get great results. Note: I am not affiliated with Focus T25 or BeachBody. I am just a 40 something mother of 3 who has been working out on my own to various books or dvd programs for the past 10 years and decided to share my experience.

I hope you enjoyed my reviews on the weekly progress of T25. Currently I am doing another challenge called Rocktober from the Betty Rocker. It is for the whole month of October so I will be posting updates on that each week. I will also be starting my new Cathe Friedrich workouts that I received last week – I had preordered them back in March. There are 8 dvd’s and I can’t wait to use them in the coming weeks!

Have a great weekend!

Categories: Exercise Health

Tags: exercise, fitness, Fitness Progam, Focus T25, T25, workouts

Workout – Focus T25 Week 4 Beta Round + Smoothie Recipes

September 28, 2013 kimberlee

This is the completion of the 9th week of Focus T25 for my challenge group. WOW! I can not believe next week is our last week. I am kind of sad it is ending but I am also looking forward to starting a new workout program that I will be receiving in the mail next week.

The workouts for the past week were:

-Rip’t Circuit -Dynamic Core -Core Cardio -Dynamic Core -Speed 2.0 + Upper Focus for Friday

Below are some of the photos from the past week of workouts:

Another embroidered workout shirt - "Focus to be Fit" by Kimberlee from Kimberlees Korner — Another embroidered workout shirt – “Focus to be Fit” by Kimberlee from Kimberlees Korner

I also created some new smoothie recipes this week. Below are the recipes. My favorite of the three is probably the Tropical Goji Protein Smoothie.

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I hope everyone has had a great week of working out. I would love to hear about what program you are currently doing. Please click on Leave a Reply and let me know.

Enjoy your weekend!

Categories: Exercise Health Recipes

Tags: exercise, Focus T25, smoothie recipes, T25, Workout program

Workout – Week 3 Focus T25 Beta Round

September 21, 2013 kimberlee 8 Comments

The third week of Beta round is complete! I am really starting to notice things changing after this week. My core and lower abs seem much tighter than they were just a week ago. My stamina during the workouts has also greatly improved since I started the program 11 weeks ago.

I do not own a scale so I do not know how much weight I have lost since starting T25. I do know my clothes are fitting differently – loose in the waist and hip area. I have lost approximately 5 3/4 inches over all. The most significant loss has been in the hip area for a total of 2 1/2 inches. That is followed by the waist where I have lost 1 1/2 inches. I have lost the least amount of inches in the arms and thighs but I didn’t feel like those two areas were that critical to me. I am very pleased so far with my results.

The schedule for the past week was:

-Core Cardio -Upper Focus -Speed 2.0 -Rip’t Circuit -Dynamic Core & Speed 2.0 on Friday

Below are some of the photos from this past week. The one photo is of the shirt I bought at ShaunTervention last weekend and the other shirt photo is of one I embroidered titled NO EXCUSES.

Shirt I bought from ShaunTervention event in Dallas to workout it - it says This Ain't No Coffee Break Kimberlees Korner — Shirt I bought from ShaunTervention event in Dallas to workout in – it says This Ain’t No Coffee Break
Kimberlees Korner

New workout t-shirt I embroidered NO EXCUSES
Kimberlees Korner

New workout t-shirt I embroidered NO EXCUSES Kimberlees Korner — Shirt I bought from ShaunTervention event in Dallas to workout in – it says This Ain’t No Coffee Break
Kimberlees Korner

New workout t-shirt I embroidered NO EXCUSES
Kimberlees Korner

Beta round T25 week 3 Rip't Circuit Kimberlees Korner — Beta round T25 week 3 Rip’t Circuit Kimberlees Korner

Beta Week 3 double workout Friday - Core Speed + Dynamic Core — Beta Week 3 double workout Friday – Core Speed + Dynamic Core

On Friday, the double workout day, the schedule was for Speed 2.0 + Dynamic Core. The workout set came with a bonus dvd called Core Speed. It tells you that you can replace Speed 2.0 with Core Speed so that is what I did this past Friday since I had just done Speed 2.0 on Wednesday. I had already done Core Speed a few times during the Alpha round as an extra Saturday workout but had not done it in over 3 weeks. I really like Core Speed – I think better than Speed 2.0. Both are very fast paced but I like the moves better in Core Speed.

I also bought a new yoga book this past week and have stated doing some of the routines from the book in the evening or on the weekend days. I love T25 for the cardio and sculpting but my body is telling me I need more flexibility and stretching – I also think I have been missing my yoga! I will plan to review the yoga book and my progress with it after I have used it some more.

I hope everyone had a great week with their workouts. I will post again next week after week 4 of T25 Beta is complete.

Have a great weekend!

Categories: Exercise Health

Tags: Beta week 3 T25, embroidered workout shirt, fitness, Focus T25, T25, Workout program, workouts

Beets – Health Benefits and Recipes

September 18, 2013 kimberlee 2 Comments

I have recently discovered the amazing health benefits of beets. Beets are full of nutrients that help us look younger and feel our best. They contain the antioxidant betacyanin as well as iron, maganese, potassium, silica, and fiber.

Here are some of the benefits of eating beets:

-purify the blood

-anti-carcinogenic properties

-boost the livers natural defenses

-lower cholesterol levels

-regenerate immune cells

-help maintain healthy bones, hair, nails and skin

The other thing I like about eating beets is the variety of ways you can use them. I have added them raw to a smoothie or roasted them in the oven and eaten them warm with my meal as a side dish. I also like to use the roasted beets cold or at room temperature on a salad. Below are some of the recipes I have made up and used with beets. Give one or all of these a try. The smoothie recipe is very refreshing and gives you energy!

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I hope you enjoy these recipes. Let me know by leaving a reply some of your favorite beet recipes.

Have a great day!

Linking up with:

Categories: Health Recipes

Tags: beet recipes, beets, healthy recipes, roasting beets, salad with beets, Smoothie Recipe

Workout – Focus T25 Week 1 of Beta

September 7, 2013 kimberlee 1 Comment

I completed the first week of Beta round in T25 yesterday. This is week 6 of our challenge group but week 1 of the Beta round, the new round of 5 different workouts. The workouts in this phase are:

-Core Cardio -Speed 2.0 -Rip’t Circuit -Dynamic Core -Upper Focus

All of the workouts are 25 minutes, just like the Alpha round, with a 2 to 3 minute cool down stretch at the end of each workout.

Below are some of the photo collages from the workouts:

I am loving the new workouts in this Beta round! I think my body was ready for a change. I had actually done the Alpha round for 8 weeks. I had started the workouts before the challenge group started and had to begin all over again at week 1 of Alpha when the group started on July 29th.

The Beta round is a little more challenging since it seems faster paced. Also, in a couple of the workouts you use some weights. I used 10 pounds for Rip’t Circuit and 8 pounds for Upper Focus – you can also use an exercise band with handles that comes with the workout. I was sweating a ton every day with each workout. Speed 2.0 is so fast it was hard to keep up at times.

So far I think my favorite dvd in this round is Rip’t Circuit. There is cardio and weight training in this workout – it is a great total body workout. The time flew by on this one. I can not wait to do it again next week.

Photo after finished Rip't Circuit - T25 - tons of sweat - also embroidered a new shirt that says "Get It Done" - Shaun T's motto — Photo after finished Rip’t Circuit – T25 – tons of sweat – also embroidered a new shirt that says “Get It Done” – Shaun T’s motto

In the above photo I am wearing a new workout shirt I embroidered that says GET IT DONE. This is one of Shaun T’s phrases he uses in the workout. I told my kids it is my-their new motto for getting things done that I ask them to do like chores, homework, etc. I think I need to embroider more shirts and wear them every day as their reminder.

This week for a new recipe I made these Power Bites. They are a blend of oats, protein powder, dried fruits with a nut butter and agave nectar. They are no bake and pretty quick to make but your hands get kind of messy. It is best to store them in the refrigerator in a container.

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I hope everyone had a great week and got their workouts in. I am looking forward to week 2 of Beta round next week. I am also looking forward to next Saturday as I will be attending the Shauntervention event in Dallas. I can’t wait to go to this and see Shaun T, the creator of Focus T25, live and hear what he has to say. Therefore, next week I will probably post about the workouts and the event on Sunday.

Follow my blog with bloglovin to receive future posts. Have a great weekend!

Categories: Exercise Health

Tags: fitness, Focus T25, T-25 challenge group, T25, workouts