Tag: yoga

Fitness for April 2016

April 30, 2016 kimberlee 2 Comments

This month sure went by fast. It seems like it was just the end of March. I actually missed doing a post on fitness for the month of March because I was pretty busy. I did workout – even when we went out of town for Spring Break – but I just didn’t have time for a post that month.

In the past month of April I followed my Cathe Friedrich Xtrain program for most of the month along with yoga every other day. I actually started the month just doing Cathe workouts but then the past two weeks I decided to get back into yoga more so I have been doing a schedule of cardio or weights one day and then yoga the next. So the past couple of weeks my schedule was:

Mondays – Xtrain, cardio or weights

Tuesdays – yoga

Wednesdays – Xtrain, cardio or weights

Thursdays – yoga

Friday – Xtrain, cardio or weights

Saturday – yoga

Sunday – off

The yoga workouts varied for me. I either used my Shiva Rea dvd’s or checked out some Yoga Journal magazines from my local library and used some of the sequences in those. I enjoy doing the Yoga Journal sequences and the variety they offer. I also like that I can check out the magazines at the library and not have to buy them. The library keeps up to the past two years so there is a variety to choose from.

I also found a new book at the library about the Vitamix blender. I was looking for a book about using a blender for more than just smoothies and came across the Vitamix cookbook. At the time of checking this out a few weeks ago I did not own a Vitamix blender – I just had my older model Ninja Ultima blender that I bought about three years ago.

Well, after getting this book and seeing the great recipes and then watching some videos on YouTube about the Vitamix I was convinced I needed one. There are many things you can do with the Vitamix that the Ninja will not do, believe me, I tried. Thankfully my husband was agreeable to me getting one as they are not cheap. I ended up getting the Deluxe Complete Kitchen set that comes with the 5200 blender, the smaller blending container and also the dry grinding container that you can grind your own flours in. There were also some other bonuses like cutting mats, spatulas and the Whole Foods cookbook-binder with lots of great recipes. This set was on sale through Vitamix for Mother’s Day so I told my husband this could be my Mother’s Day gift.

So far I love this new blender. I have been using it daily – at least twice or more a day – since I received it. The smoothies are really good and the green ones turn out super smooth. I have even gotten my oldest son to start drinking one daily and he likes them.

I have also used the Vitamix to dry chop some vegetables and to wet chop vegetables. I have made a frozen dessert, nut butter, salsa and soup. The soup was not a big hit with the family – it was okay. I made it directly in the blender – it was tomato soup. It seemed kind of foamy which is what my family disliked. I think next time I would just blend it in the blender for about a minute and then cook – heat it on the stove. The strawberry frozen dessert I made was a big hit and I love how it only had 3 simple ingredients and very low sugar. I have also tried out the dry grinding container and made my own oat flour to use in my homemade bread and rolls that I bake each week.

Well, tomorrow is the first of May and I will continue my Cathe and yoga workout rotation for at least the beginning of May. I may change it up to something different by the middle of the month, we’ll see. I hope you are having a great Spring so far and getting in some workouts.

-Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise Health

Tags: exercise, fitness, monthly workout, vitamix blender, working out, yoga

Fitness for October 2015

October 30, 2015 kimberlee

The month of October is almost over…tomorrow is Halloween and the time will fall back this weekend. This past month I followed a pretty intense workout schedule using my Cathe Friedrich programs – Xtrain and Ripped with Hiit and doing yoga. I am trying to ramp up my workouts some and get ready for her new series that I have already pre-ordered called ICE which stands for Intermediate Conditioning Extreme. The title itself makes it sound like the workouts will be a challenge. The workouts are coming out the end of fall 2015.

I alternated my weeks in October with one week Xtrain mixed with yoga a couple of days and then the next week Ripped with Hiit and yoga. I averaged a 5 to 6 day a week workout schedule with 2 of my days being yoga.

For my yoga routines I used this older Yoga Journal magazine I bought back in April 2013. I also used my new crocheted yoga props that I made myself on many of my yoga days. For more on the crochet pillow and strap see this post.

I love doing yoga on my non cardio days. I really enjoy yoga on Saturday mornings, too – it is a great start to my weekend to get up early Saturday, before 7 am, and do 20 to 30 minutes of yoga. Yoga also helps keep me flexible after the intense cardio and weight workouts I do.

I have also started juicing again this month. I kind of put my juicer away a few months ago and got out of the habit of using it. I decided it was time to start up again. I love buying the produce and looking through my juicing books for interesting juice combinations. I think the reason I don’t keep up with it on a daily basis is because of the clean up involved with the juicer parts – it doesn’t take that long but it is something else to have to do when you are done juicing. I find it works better if I make two or three juices up and store them in mason jars in the refrigerator so I don’t have to drag the juicer out every day.

A benefit I notice with juicing is how good I feel and how much more focused I am. I also think it helps influence better eating choices. My goal is to have a fresh juice at least 4 to 5 times each week.

The fresh kale, in the photo above, is from my garden. This was something else to motivate my juicing. I grew some last year and used it with my juicer and remembered how much better it tasted and juiced than the kind I buy. I grew some again this year, from seed, and it is doing really well lately. It tends to not grow so good in the hot Texas heat in the summer but does very well in the spring and fall weather.

So, what kind of workouts have you been doing lately? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a great day!

-Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise Food Health

Tags: Cathe workouts, exercise, fitness, juicing, Kale, ripped with hiit workout, xtrain workout, yoga

Fitness for September 2015

September 30, 2015 kimberlee

For the past month I took a break from my normal routine of using fitness videos and used some of my book and fitness magazine routines. I have a collection of workout and yoga books and lots of fitness routines from magazines that I have clipped out and saved. So, the first couple of weeks of September I used the magazine routines alternating in some yoga. It was fun to put on some good workout music and do those sets of exercises for 20 to 30 minutes.

The second half of the month I chose to use some of my workout books and alternate those with yoga from my yoga magazine. I also got a new Pilates book from Sams at the end of August so I mixed that in this month as well.

pilates book

I really like this Pilates book. It is a full color book with step by step photos of the exercises. At the end of the book there are several different Pilates routines that you can do – like one is classic Pilates, another called spinal call and working the leg-core connection. There are twelve total routines at the back of the book.

As you can see my other cat likes the Pilates book, too. She has been out more lately since I have started this new routine. She is usually more shy and quiet than my other cat who loves to join me for my daily workouts. I guess she is a Pilates fan.

Some of the other books I used for my workouts this month were some that I have had for a while. They are books that use an exercise ball and some of the exercises use weights. So a lot of these workout are more for toning and strength training.

As you can see I own a few fitness books that are about working out on the ball. The exercise ball is probably one of my favorite fitness tools. I know it is not exactly convenient for storing but there are so many things you can do on the ball and so many areas you can tone up much better than just doing traditional exercises. I think working out with weights on the ball is a lot of fun as well as some of the abdominal work.

So, for this past month I enjoyed creating my own routines or using some from the books. Most of them were about 20 to 30 minutes long. On my yoga days I usually did about a 20 or 25 minute yoga sequence from my Yoga Journal magazine that I bought several months ago. It is a great magazine and I never get tired of the routines in there.

yoga journal magazine with great yoga practices and other info — Yoga Journal Magazine with lots of great workouts

For the coming month of October I have decided to go back to using my Cathe workout dvd’s and alternating yoga or the Pilates book in between video days. I find I do best with variety which is why I am constantly changing my workouts each month. I also think it helps your body stay in shape to do different things.

What kinds of workouts have you done lately? Let me know by leaving a reply.

Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise

Tags: exercise ball, exercise books, exercise routine, exercising, exercising at home, fitness, monthly workout, working out, yoga

EOM Fitness for May 2015

May 30, 2015 kimberlee

May 2015 has come to an end and June will be here in a couple of days. I don’t know if it is because of all the end of school year stuff going on with my kids or what but this month flew by, in my opinion. My workout schedule for the past month was down to four days per week instead of five or six. I decided to dial it back a little and do like a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday schedule this past month.

This past month I also decided to change things up by using my Core workout book along with a new Yoga Journal Magazine I bought back in April. I did do a couple of my Cathe workouts from an older dvd set X-train. I love my Cathe workouts and usually include at least a couple each month.

I think I bought the Core workout book many years ago either at Half Price Books or Sams. I really like this book and how there are routines at the end to do like the one shown above, the Power Workout routine. The book uses an exercise ball, medicine ball, some weights and an exercise band for some of the exercises. I like that there is minimal equipment. It was nice to do these routines and put on some good music to workout to while doing them. As you can see by the top photo the cat likes the book and workouts in there as well. He was usually sitting by the band or on the book when I had it opened up.

The other book I used this month along with the Core book was the one above, Core Strength Training. I checked this one out from my local library. I like how this book is set up and explains the exercises and there are detailed color photos, too. I was trying to do at least four of the exercises on the days I was using my Core book. There are lots of great exercises to increase your mobility and strengthen your abs and back for everyday activities as well as sports like golf. I pointed this out to my husband since he golfs a lot and he frequently gets out my weights or bands to do a few exercises the day before he goes golfing.

This past month I have also been using a couple of other new books I recently bought at Barnes and Noble. The first book I bought a couple of months ago, it is called Raw Energy by Stephanie Tourles. I just stumbled across this book while actually trying to find another book and loved all the recipes in there. Everything is made with healthy and wholesome ingredients and most of them are pretty simple to make. The concept is that everything is made with raw natural ingredients and nothing is cooked at a high temperature so the food retains the natural occurring enzymes. There are a few recipes that use a food dehydrator but nothing is cooked over 175 degrees. This interested me since my husband bought a dehydrator about eight months ago to dehydrate the hot peppers we grow every year. I wanted to be able to use the dehydrator for more than that and apples which is about all we had tried.

This book contains recipes for cereals, dips, fruit and vegetable juices, nut milks, smoothies and a variety of snacks. I have already made several recipes from this book and they were all good. At the front of the book she explains the raw concept in detail and lists the equipment and ingredients you will need to make things in the book. The author, Stephanie Tourles, has also written a few aromatherapy and body care books and I own two of those as well. I knew when I saw this book it would be good and I have not been disappointed with it.

The other book I just bought a few weeks ago is called Power Hungry by Camilla V. Saulsbury. Again this was a book I just stumbled upon at Barnes and Noble while searching for another book that I never found. This book is all about making your own Cereal, Energy and Protein Bars with lots of variations within each recipe to create a different type of bar. So far I have tried a few and liked them. There are some recipes that require cooking some of the ingredients on the stove top or even baking some of them in the oven for a few minutes but there are also some raw recipes that do not require baking or cooking. I also like how she classifies some of them as knock off recipes for things like Fiber One bars, Kind Bars and Larabars. I know I have found, and even tried, some of these types of recipes from pinterest but they have not been as good as the ones in this book. This book is worth the money if you are interested in making your own good quality bars with natural ingredients. Also, there are tips in the book on storing the bars and how long they keep or can be frozen for, etc.

Well, so far it has been very rainy here so I have not been able to get out and ride my bike or swim like I normally do in May. Maybe June will bring some sunshine so I can start biking to the store again and start swimming some for some exercise. As far as my planned activities go I will probably stay with a 4 day a week schedule and plan to do weight training and yoga for this coming month. What are your workout plans for June?

Have a good weekend!

-Kimberlee

Categories: Books Exercise Health

Tags: cookbooks, cooking, exercise, exercising at home, fitness, fitness routine, home workout, working out, workout plan, workouts, yoga

EOM Fitness for February 2015

February 28, 2015 kimberlee

This past month my fitness routine was a combination of P90X3 and yoga. I had completed the entire schedule of P90X3 last year and the whole thing takes about three months of working out six days a week. I did not want to do the entire thing so I started out my first two weeks of February doing just P90X3 and making up my own schedule with the workouts. Well, by the third week of February I decided to do P90X3 along with a yoga book I own, Slim Calm Sexy Yoga by Tara Stiles. So, I alternated P90X3 then the yoga book every other day for the last two weeks of this month.

The above photos are of the Total Synergistics workout from P90X3. I really like this workout and did it a couple of times this month.

Here is the cat – my faithful workout buddy sitting by the weights waiting to workout. He too seemed to like the Total Synergistics workout.

There are yoga and pilates workouts in the P90X3 series and I did some of those along with the cardio and weight training workouts. I decided to use my yoga book though because I was getting tired of doing a dvd workout every day. There are lots of great routines in the Slim Calm Sexy yoga book by Tara Stiles, too. I had not used it in a while and I am glad I decided to incorporate some of those yoga routines into my schedule for February. Check your library for the book – that is where I first learned about it a few years ago and I liked it so well that I bought it at Barnes and Noble.

I didn’t watch any health documentaries this past month like I did back in January but I did read an interesting book on health called Super Immunity by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. He is a doctor and I first learned about him and his books by watching the health documentaries last month on Netfilx. This book is filled with lots of great information for taking charge of your health and learning to eat better to feel and look better and not following some crazy fad diet that is the latest rage. His concept is focused on more of a plant based diet. The acronym for his eating plan is G-BOMBS which stands for greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds. These are the foods that you should be focused on consuming daily. I really learned a lot from this book and there are some interesting recipes at the end of the book that I will be trying out.

I also have another book checked out from the library by Dr. Fuhrman called Eat To Live. I will be reading that next.

For March I think I will go back to my Cathe Friedrich workouts. She has some of the best workouts on dvd in my opinion and I always look forward to using them. I have not decided yet which series or sets I will use but I will probably mix in yoga every other day since yoga makes my body happy and I love doing yoga at least a few times a week. I have also found that doing yoga the day after a hard cardio or weight workout really helps my body and my mental focus.

I hope everyone had a great month and you were able to find some time for fitness. Remember even 15 minutes a day of doing something is better than nothing at all.

-Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise Health

Tags: books on health, exercise, exercise routine, fitness, working out, workouts, yoga

Working Out Week 52 of 2014

December 27, 2014 kimberlee

This was the final week of 2014. I cannot believe another year has gone by already! Time seems to go faster and faster the older I get. For this last week of the year my workouts were mainly my new Cathe Ripped With Hiit workouts and then yoga at the end of the week.

Sunday 12-21 – off
Monday 12-22 – RWH Circuit Upper Body premix 4 timesaver – 34 min.
Tuesday 12-23 – RWH Circuit Lower Body premix 2 scrambled express – 32 min.
Wednesday 12-24 – RWH Low Impact Hiit One + Abs Two – 41 min.
Thursday 12-25 Christmas Day – off
Friday 12-26 – RWH Circuit Upper Body – 46 min.
Saturday 12-27 – Yoga – Light Up sequence from Yoga Journal magazine – 20 min.

I think I have done all nine of the workout dvd’s on the Ripped With Hiit series now. Some of them were the shorter premixes since this was a busy time of year and I just didn’t have the time to do a full 45 or 50 minute workout every day. I will say I truly love this new series from Cathe Friedrich. The workouts are fun and challenging and you will sweat a lot and feel like you got a great workout in – even if you only do a 30 minute premix version. I like how some of the dvd’s are cardio based, some are cardio with weights and then there are a few that are just weight training. All of the dvd’s offer the two ab workouts so you can always add that at the end of your workout.

Persian cat ready for workout — My persian cat waiting to do the Ripped With Hiit Lower Body Circuit

The above photos are some of the Hiit Circuit Lower Body dvd. This one is a combination of cardio and weights and uses the step for a lot of the exercises. The cardio exercises are done in between weight exercises and your arms also get in a workout since some of them use heavier weights. I really like this workout.

The middle of the week I did Low Impact Hiit One plus Abs two. This workout is all pretty much body weight exercises and uses some dixie cups for some lunges. For part of the workout you use your mat as a workout prop to jump around, over or straddle for various exercises that are fun and get your heart rate up. There was a ton of sweat after this workout. As you can see my faithful workout cat was present for most of these exercises – sitting on the corner of the rug. The rest of the workout he sat under the Christmas tree after finding his present under there – he sat right on the present.

The Ripped With Hiit Circuit Upper Body dvd is another fun and challenging total body workout. I used this dvd twice this week – the first time I did a shorter premix version but I did the entire workout on Friday. This workout focuses on upper body strength training with the weights but there are cardio exercises in between the weights and those are total body exercises. This is another workout I really like and will be using a lot.

I chose to end this week with yoga. I was planning to do the Lower Body Circuit again but decided some yoga would be better for my early Saturday morning. I love (I think I have mentioned this before) doing yoga on Saturday mornings.

Weekly Fitness Tip: Try doing some workouts at home before joining an expensive gym

– This is the time of year when people decide they are going to get fit and join a gym – personally I have never belonged to one and probably never will. I choose to workout at home on my own time and with my own schedule – I have been doing this for about 10+ years now. Once you develop a schedule (meaning write down your weekly workout plans and stick to them) it becomes a habit and you will soon make it part of your day. Also, you won’t have to worry about driving anywhere and won’t have that excuse as the reason you can’t workout -no time to drive to the gym.

– For the amount of money you are going to spend on a gym membership contract for a year you can buy some weights and bands to use at home. You could also invest in a good workout program and still have money left to buy the weights for what you would spend on a membership. Beachbody offers great workout programs – a few of which I own and have completed in the past couple of years. Also, Cathe Friedrich dvd’s are awesome – a lot of her older dvd’s (which are still good and I still use) are probably on sale right now, too. They may seem expensive at first but when you calculate the cost of the gym, gas money and your time for going there they are a bargain. The highlighted text are links to the site – I am not affiliated with either of them just wanted to share where to get the information I mentioned.

– Look into some of the fitness websites and YouTube channels like PopSugar Fitness that offer lots of free workout videos and some are only 15 to 20 minutes for those who are short on time.

– There are lots of ways to get in some exercise without joining a gym – check into some of them before signing that membership contract.

I mentioned last week in the fitness tips to think about some goals for the upcoming year. Well, for one of my goals I have decided to focus on some other topics for my blog this coming year. I will still be working out regularly but I will probably only do a monthly update and not a weekly one. I will be trying to focus a little more on my crochet, knitting and sewing for the year 2015 – which are things I truly love to do – there will be projects and I will also share some free patterns and tutorials.

I hope everyone has had a great year. Mine was filled with blogging, cleaning, cooking, crocheting, exercising, knitting, sewing; also keeping our home managed and raising our kids. I am looking forward to a great year for 2015!

Take care and Happy New Year!

– Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise Health

Tags: exercise, exercising, fit tips, fitness, weekly workout, working out, yoga

Working Out Week 50 of 2014

December 14, 2014 kimberlee

This week was another hectic holiday week and it went by so fast! I even thought that Thursday was Wednesday – my kids had to correct me.

This past week I went back to a full six day a week workout schedule. I wasn’t liking the four day a week schedule as I mentioned last week. I actually intended to only workout five days this past week but I got my new Cathe Friedrich Ripped With Hiit in the mail on Tuesday and had to do one of those to try out the new dvd’s so I threw an extra workout in.

Sunday – off
Monday – Shiva Rea AM Energy yoga – 25 min.
Tuesday – Exhale Core Fusion – Pilates Plus – 20 min.
Wednesday – ~~off~~ Cathe Ripped With Hiit, Low Impact Hiit WO 1 – 28 min.
Thursday – Shiva Rea Daily Energy yoga – 20 min.
Friday – Exhale Core Fusion – Pilates Plus – 20 min.
Saturday – Shiva Rea More Daily Energy yoga – 25 min.

So, this past week was actually going to be my yoga-pilates week but I did squeeze in one cardio, low impact, workout in the middle. I think the yoga and pilates are perfect for keeping me calm and more grounded during this busy holiday time. Also, doing just the 20 to 25 minutes a day is very manageable for a busy schedule – as we all seem to be from Thanksgiving to New Years day.

The above photos are me and my exercise cat doing the Exhale Core Fusion Pilates Plus – love these workout dvd’s. They really tone your body and target specific areas. The above photos are of some of the Upper Body Core segment that is 10 minutes long. I then also added in the Flat Back-Round Back Core segment to make it 20 minutes total.

The yoga dvd’s I chose this week were all Shiva Rea, but different ones. The above photos are from the Daily Energy dvd – I forgot to write down which sequence it was but it had a lot of backbends and side waist bends. No cat around on this day – he was being lazy.

Weekly Fitness Tip: Make a point to find at least 20 minutes a day five days a week to exercise

– doing some type of physical activity is better than none at all – even if it is only 15 to 20 minutes – (like a walk or some yoga)

– exercising will give your day a positive start if done first thing in the morning

– regular exercise helps you deal with stress better

– exercise is not a destination – it is a journey that needs to be part of a healthy lifestyle in order to see the benefits

I hope everyone is having a good month so far. I know it is challenging to keep up with exercise as well as eat healthy but with some effort it is possible – I know if I make a plan with my eating and workouts I am more likely to stick to it.

Have a good week!

– Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise Health

Tags: exercise, fit tips, fitness, fitness tips, healthy lifestyle, pilates, weekly workout, yoga

Working Out Week 48 of 2014

December 1, 2014 kimberlee

This post is a couple of days later than usual. The reason being I was on the road all day Saturday – my normal post day – driving from Georgia back to Texas. Normally we stay home for the Thanksgiving holiday but decided to go visit family this year.

I still managed to get in some yoga workouts during my week in Georgia. I took some Shiva Rea dvd’s with me and some yoga sequences from Yoga Journal magazine that I have saved. One problem I ran into though was we got halfway there and I remembered I that I didn’t pack my yoga mat – so a trip to Walmart once we got close to our destination and got a new yoga mat. I kind of needed one anyhow as the one I have is a couple of years old and the other mat I use for workouts with shoes is VERY old.

Workouts the week of Thanksgiving were:

Monday – yoga in evening – 10 min
Tuesday – Shiva Rea AM Energy Vira Flow – 23 min.
Wednesday – Shiva Rea Daily Energy Chakra Namaskar + Core – 29 min.
Thursday – Yoga Shine On sequence from Yoga Journal magazine – 15 min.
Friday – Yoga Light Up sequence from Yoga Journal magazine – 15 min.
Saturday – off – travel day

Since I was not at home and did not have my tripod I didn’t take any workout photos.

It was very enjoyable to do yoga the entire week and I might alternate doing that every other week for the month of December. I notice the yoga really helps calm you and deal with stress better – of course I know this since I have done yoga for over ten years but actually practicing it for an entire week where you were traveling and dealing with different surroundings and family members I could tell it helped me mentally.

One thing I did take photos of was our trip to Senoia, Georgia to see the little town where they film the TV series The Walking Dead. The town is a really cute little country town that has this small downtown area where there is a Walking Dead store that sells Walking Dead merchandise. In the basement of the store there are actual set props from various scenes of the show. So, I will be sharing those photos below of our visit to the town with my family.

signs hanging throughout the town streets

Daryl's motorcycle in the Walking Dead store in Senoia, GA — Daryl’s motorcycle in the Walking Dead store in Senoia, GA

Me and my husband in front of Daryl's motorcycle at the Walking Dead store — Me and my husband in front of Daryl’s motorcycle at the Walking Dead store

Me in front of Daryl's motorcycle at the Walking Dead store in Senoia, GA — Me in front of Daryl’s motorcycle at the Walking Dead store in Senoia, GA

2 of my 3 sons in front of the Zombie head tank and Penny's cage — 2 of my 3 sons in front of the Zombie head tank and Penny’s cage

My oldest son in one of the two prison cells at the Walking Dead store

Senoia Coffee & Cafe on the corner in Senoia, GA - really great Zombie Dark Blend coffee — Senoia Coffee & Cafe on the corner in Senoia, GA – really great Zombie Dark Blend coffee

Yarn bombed bike in front of a bike shop in Senoia, GA

Weekly Fitness Tip: Pack healthy snacks and foods when traveling for the holidays

– If going on a long road trip pack at least one meal – like lunch – so you know it is healthy. For example a salad in a portable salad container. I did this for our long drive to Georgia from Texas and used one of the reusable Take Out containers I bought at Aldi over a month ago. It even has a salad dressing holder and the containers did not leak.

Containers from Aldi - perfect for traveling and packing a salad — Containers from Aldi – perfect for traveling and packing a salad

– Pack healthy snacks like trail mix or nuts and dried fruit

– Bring some fruit like apples or bananas or even cut up pineapple (I have done that before and did it this time as well)

– When stopping to eat choose a grilled sandwich with NO fries or a grilled chicken salad

– Have lots of water packed in a cooler and avoid soft drinks or sugary drinks. Store water in the trunk or under a seat that will not fit in the cooler and add it when the cooler gets low.

With some planning and using some self control you can travel and still stick to a somewhat healthy diet.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the photos of the Walking Dead store that we visited. If you are ever in that area of Georgia I would say it is worth stopping by the little town – especially if you are a Walking Dead fan.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving last week and is having a great start to the first week of December.

– Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise Vacation

Tags: exercise, Senoia Georgia visit, working out, yoga

Working Out Week 46 of 2014

November 15, 2014 kimberlee

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Categories: Exercise Food Health

Tags: cranapple juice, exercise, fitness, oatmeal, weekly workouts, working out, workout with weights, yoga

Working Out Week 43 of 2014

October 25, 2014 kimberlee 3 Comments

This week I switched up my workouts and chose to do my Exhale Core Fusion dvd’s and some Shiva Rea yoga. This was also a really busy week with a lot going on so I feel like the workouts I chose to do worked well with my schedule.

Monday – Exhale Core Fusion – Abs & Arms – 40 min,
Tuesday – yoga in evening – 15 min.
Wednesday – Exhale Core Fusion – Lean and Toned – 20 min.
Thursday – Shiva Rea Surf Yoga Soul – 30 min.
Friday – Exhale Core Fusion – Body Sculpt – 40 min.
Saturday – Shiva Rea Surf Yoga Soul – 20 min.

Here is the cat – all ready to workout on Wednesday morning. He was scared to get on the new rug I bought in the past but he seems to be okay with it now.

I had not done the Lean and Toned dvd in a while. I really like this workout. I only had a few minutes to workout that morning but 20 minutes of this dvd was awesome! The core pretzel part that I did really worked deep into some core and glute muscles that had me feeling it well into the next day.

The yoga dvd I used this week was Shiva Rea’s Surf Yoga Soul. I think this was actually one of the first of her yoga dvd’s I ever bought. I have not used it in a while and forgot what great yoga sequences are on this program. As you can see my cat really likes her dvd, too. He didn’t even want to move off the mat at the beginning as seen in the one photo of me bending over him.

I also created a new smoothie this week. It is a “green” smoothie and I thought it had a really good flavor to it. I also felt quite energized after drinking it. Below is the smoothie and the recipe:

I am also continuing to make juices in my juicer and try to drink one or two per day. I have found that the juices or the green smoothies are a perfect mid afternoon snack that give me energy. One of my knitting friends has also now pulled out her old juicer and bought the same juicing book I bought and mentioned in my post last week – Juicing. You can read more about that book and a few of the recipes I have made from it in my Week 42 workout post.

This week I am not going to do my Fitness Tips. To be honest with you I have not prepared anything for that part of my post that I have been doing lately and I am too tired to think of something right now. We spent half the day over in Fort Worth at the Alliance Air show that my husband wanted to attend. It was nice and we saw some neat planes and planes flying and doing tricks. Today was very hot here though for October and the heat made the whole event less pleasant – and there was not a cloud in the sky today (which is good for an air show) or a speck of shade to stand in at the air field. I am glad we got to go though and spend time together as a family.

Have a great weekend!

– Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise Health Recipes

Tags: core fusion, exercise, fitness, green smoothie, green smoothie recipe, smoothie, working out, workout cat, workouts, yoga