Tag: weekly workouts

Working Out Week 51 of 2014

The closer it gets to Christmas the faster each week seems to go by for me.  I completed my first week of Ripped With Hiit this past week – my new Cathe Friedrich series that I received last week.  Hiit stand for high intensity interval training and I LOVE it!

  • Sunday – off
  • Monday – Lift It Hiit It Legs premix 1 All Strength – 29 min.
  • Tuesday – Low Impact Hiit Two + Bonus Abs Two – 40 min.
  • Wednesday – Lift It Hiit It Back, Bis and Shoulders premix 5 – 29 min.
  • Thursday – off
  • Friday – Plyo Hiit One + Bonus Abs One – 37 min.
  • Saturday – Lift It Hiit It Chest, Tris and Shoulders – 28 min.

Cathe Low Impact Ripped With Hiit

The Low Impact Hiit workout was a good one to start with at the beginning of the week.  Even though it was low impact it was still challenging and I did a lot of sweating.  My faithful workout cat was there throughout most of this one.

Cathe RWH Back, Bis and Shoulders

The Hiit weight workouts in this series are definitely a challenge and within a week of doing a couple of these and increasing my weights a little I am seeing some positive changes.  There are a lot of different weights to use as well as a barbell for this heavy training.  The workouts I did this past week that were the Lift It part were actually shorter premixes.  There were a couple of days this past week I just couldn’t get myself to commit to the entire 45 or 50 minutes of the workout – that is what I love about most all Cathe workouts – there are lots of premixes and you can always do a shorter, or even a longer, version.

Cathe RWH Plyo and Abs

 

The Plyo Hiit workout was definitely a super high intensity cardio workout that had me sweating a ton.  Above are a couple of photos – one of the one handed burpees and the other is some of the abdominal exercises that are done standing and with an 8 pound dumbbell.  Can you see my other cat peeking through the one photo? – she doesn’t usually come around too much when I am working out but this day she decided to come by and lay on the rug for a bit and watch me.

My overall view of this new workout series is that I LOVE IT!  It is just what I need this time of year to keep me motivated to workout.  A lot of the exercises are new and innovative and that is one of the things I love about Cathe’s workouts – she is always finding new moves to incorporate into her routines so you don’t get bored.

Weekly Fitness Tip:  Decide on what your goals will be for the upcoming New Year 

– think about what you want to accomplish in the upcoming year with your health and fitness and write out some of those goals – having something written down that you can refer to helps keep you accountable

– make sure your goals are realistic and not too far out of reach – start small especially if you are new to exercising regularly, but start somewhere – the first step is getting a plan and sticking to it

– realize that results take time and dedication and that there will be times when you feel like nothing is happening fast enough – remember that positive changes will happen if you follow a healthy and active lifestyle everyday, not just for a month or two  –  and don’t get discouraged if you fall off the fitness plan for a day or two – just get back on it rather than totally quitting just because you missed a few days

I hope as we approach the final weeks of 2014 you will look back and see all you have accomplished.  I know that this year for me has been a great year for working out consistently and for taking other areas of my health into a more positive direction.

Have a great weekend!

-Kimberlee

Working Out Week 49 of 2014

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Well, another week has flown by.  After being out of town last week I felt like half of this week was spent doing laundry, grocery shopping and cooking for our family.   My workouts this week were:

  • Sunday – off
  • Monday – Cathe X-10, Hi Lo & Fat Burning premix – 42 min.
  • Tuesday – off
  • Wednesday – Cathe Lean Legs and Abs timesaver 1 – 37 min.
  • Thursday – off
  • Friday – Cathe – Party Rocking Step disc 1, timesaver 2 –  31 min.
  • Saturday – Cathe X-10, Low Impact – 25 min.

I am still getting used to this 4 day a week schedule.  I am so used to working out at least 5 or 6 days per week that on Tuesday and Thursday mornings I feel like something is off or missing since I am not working out.  I have been doing a little light stretching or yoga on those mornings but not a full workout.  I thought that cutting back on workouts would help me get more done during this holiday time but so far it is not helping – so I may go back to 5 or 6 days a week.  I think I have made exercise such a part of my daily routine that it is hard for me to stop – I guess there are worse things to be addicted to.

Cat and weights

The above photo is of the cat on Monday morning – waiting for me to workout by my weights.  I guess he really missed me last week since I wasn’t at home to workout with him all week.   I can almost always count on him to keep me company for at least half of my workouts.

Cathe X10 workoutThe above photos are of the X-10 workout on Monday morning.  This is a great cardio and weight dvd.  There are lots of premixes on this dvd and you can do shorter or longer versions of the various workouts.  This is one of my favorite Cathe dvd’s.

Cathe Lean Legs Abs Workout

Lean Legs and Abs is another great workout.  As you can see it is also cat approved – he was on me like glue that whole morning.   The ab work on this dvd is a combination of traditional ab exercises mixed in with some using an 8 pound dumbbell.

I tried a new recipe this past week for dinner one night.  I got looking through my pinterest boards and decided to make this Firecracker Chicken.  The recipe is from another blog called Kitchen Meets Girl and if you click on the highlighted recipe title it will take you to it.  I reduced the brown sugar to half a cup instead of one cup and it was just fine.  I just thought that was too much sugar for my taste and my diet.  My whole family loved the recipe – I will be making it again and it was really very easy – another bonus.

Weekly Fitness Tip:  Take Time for Yourself and Time to De-Stress During the Holidays

– Take time to do a few things for yourself each week – even if it is just something little like taking a relaxing bath

– Take a break from social media – sometimes looking at what everyone is doing or has done makes you feel overwhelmed and like you are not keeping up – if that is the case avoid going on those social sites that drag you down.  It will be there the next day or week for you to look at when you want to

– Remember to get enough rest

– Drink lots of water – staying hydrated helps you avoid fatigue and headaches

I hope everyone had a great week.  Today I am going to help my husband get our outdoor Christmas decor up, thankfully it is a nice day for it.

– Kimberlee

Working Out Week 46 of 2014

The workouts I chose to do this week focused on weights and then yoga on non weight days.  Workouts were as follows:

  • Monday – Cathe High Reps Upper Body Premix – 39 min.
  • Tuesday – off
  • Wednesday – Cathe – Drill Max Total Body Mix – 52 min.
  • Thursday – Shiva Rea AM Daily Energy – 28 min.
  • Friday – Cathe – High Reps Lower Body Premix – 35 min.
  • Saturday – Shiva Rea AM Daily Energy – 28 min.

Cathe High Reps Workout

The Cathe High Reps workout dvd is a total body workout with weights and you do a lot of reps of the same exercise but with some count variations or holding.  The workout has several premixes and I did the upper body premix on Monday and the lower body premix on Friday, so I used this dvd twice this week.  You definitely feel this workout the following day – excellent for muscle conditioning.

Cathe Drill Max

Drill Max is an older Cathe dvd and is another total body conditioning workout.  It actually has cardio mixed with various drills of weights but there is a premix that is called Total Body that I used which is just the weights and no cardio.  You can see my personal trainer – the cat – cheering me on while sitting on my workout step in the one photo above.

ShivaRea AM Daily Energy Yoga

I used the same yoga dvd twice this past week – the Shiva Rea AM Daily Energy.  I did different sequences on the dvd – on Thursday I did the Core Awakening and Body Mandala and had both of my cats join me for that one – they were both waiting for me on either end of the mat before I started.  On Saturday I did the Vira and Shavasana sequences.  I love starting my Saturday morning with a little yoga early in the morning.

Oatmeal with Cranberry Sauce and honey

I have been buying fresh cranberries in large quantities lately from Aldi since they are so inexpensive there.  Anyhow.  I made some cranberry sauce the other day and have enjoyed it a couple of times this past week in my morning oatmeal with a little honey.  It is a great way to start the day and the oatmeal keeps me full for hours.  Also, it has been quite chilly here in Texas this past week and having something warm for breakfast is important on chilly days, in my opinion.

CranApple Juice with cider spice and honey
Fresh Cranberry Apple Juice with 1/2 tsp cider spice mix and 1 tsp manuka honey

I have been using my juicer but not quite as much this week – probably due to the colder weather.  I did decide to heat up a juice I made with fresh cranberries and apples and then add some cider spices and a teaspoon of manuka honey – it was a delicious warm drink on a cold day.  Also, the whole combination made me feel very healthy.

As the holiday are quickly approaching I am going to try my best to workout at least four or five days per week.  I am thinking of cutting back to four for the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas just because there is so much going on between family, church, friends, baking, cooking and shopping.  I have decided that I can’t do it all, all of the time.  Therefore I may even skip a week of my weekly workout post if I am just too busy – I am sure everyone can relate.

Weekly Fitness Tip:  Change your schedule or routine as needed

– This is a busy time of year – don’t completely quit working out but adjust your schedule to fit in at least a few workouts per week or maybe two 10 minute workouts per day – one in the morning and one in the evening

– Do circuit training or Hiit – high intensity interval training – to get the most out of your workouts in a short amount of time

– Working out will help you deal with the stress of the holidays better and keep you focused on being healthy during this time of year

– Remember to include some yoga or stretching workouts to de-stress and balance you

I hope everyone had a great week and is staying warm – winter seems to have come early in most parts of the United States this past week.  Let me know what your workout plans are for the next week or for the Thanksgiving holiday week coming up.

– Kimberlee

 

Working Out Week 21 of 2014

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Another week has come and gone.  The past two weeks have gone by really fast for me for some reason.  Maybe it is all the end of the year activities with my kids and their schools or something.  This week was week 3 and the beginning of week 4 of the Betty Rocker Spring Challenge and I also decided to use another one of my exercise books on the days I was not doing the Betty Rocker workouts.

  • Monday 5-19 – Betty Rocker week 3 workout + foam roller stretches – 40 minutes
  • Tuesday 5-20 – CORE book – Global Workout – 30 minutes
  • Wednesday 5-21 – Betty Rocker week 3 workout + foam roller stretches – 40 minutes
  • Thursday 5-22 – CORE book – Warrior Workout – 30 minutes
  • Friday 5-23 – Betty Rocker week 4 workout + foam roller stretches – 40 minutes
  • Saturday 5-24 – CORE book – Lower Ab workout – 20 minutes

Betty Rocker Spring Challenge  Wk 3  Kimberlees Korner

The Betty Rocker workouts were tough body weight workouts this past week.  I actually thought week 3 was a little easier than week 2 – but not much.  I really liked the Hindu Push Ups – (top left photo) and the Grasshoppers (lower right photo).  As you can see I had my personal trainer monitoring my moves once again.  He has a new scarf on for the Memorial Day holiday – it is red with baseballs on the fabric.  My kids thought he needed a new scarf.  He has now learned how to remove it so he is constantly taking it off and we find it various places around the house.

Core Workout book  Kimberlees Korner

Core Book Warrior Workout  Kimberlees Korner

This past week I choose once again to use one of my workout books that I own instead of my dvd’s.  The one I used this time was CORE by Hollis Lance Liebman.  I got this book last summer from Half Price Books.  I used it quite a bit last summer and really like the routines in the book.  The photos in the book are all color and each exercise is explained in detail along with photos.  The back of the book contains various routines that are anywhere from 8 to 20 exercises per routine.  You can see the book and one of the routines in the above photos.  All of the exercises concentrate on the core and use either no equipment, an exercise ball, medicine ball and some dumbbells for a few exercises.   I also really like how each of the exercises lists the areas of your body it benefits and what areas it is working and it gives you a skill level like beginner, intermediate or advanced.  Once again my cat is present to make sure I am doing everything correctly.

I also decided to start drinking my green drinks and smoothies again.  The one I made this week and drank a few times for lunch was a recipe I found in my Ninja blender book.  I actually changed a few things in the recipe like the ginger and the amount of agave or honey.  They said to use fresh ginger and I only had some crystallized and I added less agave than what it called for.  I think their recipe said 1 to 2 tablespoons of agave or honey and I only use 1 or 2 teaspoons to cut back on the sugar as the crystallized ginger also has sugar in it.

Green Juice   Kimberlees Korner

I did a green smoothie challenge back in January of 2014 where I drank one per day for the whole month.  I think I have only made a few since then.  I think one of the reasons is it was cold out (winter time) and I don’t care for really cold drinks in the winter.   I forgot how great drinking these juices or smoothies can make you feel and look.  I will say they are kind of an acquired taste but once you get past the look of it and realize the health benefits it is worth the effort to make it and drink it regularly.  I plan to make it a goal to have at least three per week.

Next week I will be finishing up the Betty Rocker Challenge with week 4.  I have not decide yet if I will be using another workout book or go back to some yoga dvd’s in between the BR workouts.  What workouts are you currently doing?  I would love to hear about them – click on Leave a Reply to let me know.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Kimberlee