Working Out Week 12 of 2014

March 22, 2014 kimberlee 6 Comments

I am back into the workout routine at home once again. This is end of the 11th week of P90X3. I can not believe there are only 2 weeks left in the program. It seems like it has gone by pretty fast, in my opinion. I guess having the variety in the workouts has kept it interesting and makes you want to keep up with the schedule.

This week the schedule was the same as week number 9. To see that schedule you can look at my previous post on that week. Below are a few photos from a couple of the workouts this week.

Do you see my black cat in some of the photos? He worked out with me almost every day this past week. I think he really missed our morning workout sessions when I was gone last week. He seemed pretty happy to be hanging out with me again every morning. It is interesting how our pets get into a routine. My other cat was pretty close by too for most of the workouts but she is camera shy and tends to stay toward the side of the room by the wall – or maybe she is smart and just doesn’t want to get stepped on.

I also incorporated some of my Exhale Core Fusion workouts a few of the days this week using the Body Sculpt dvd. I did the Upper Sculpt, Stretch Sculpt and Ab Sculpt this week. I really like how these dvd’s are divided into those short 10 minute segments and it is easy to fit one in after I finish my 30 minutes of P90X3.

The black cat is once again working out with me – right next to my side in the above photo. He is kind of hard to see as he blends in with my navy shirt.

I also went to the library the beginning of this week and found a new PIlates book that I had not seen before. It is called Pilates Practice Companion by Alycea Ungaro. I really like the book and how it is formatted into beginner, intermediate and advanced workouts. I used the book a few times this week and plan to use it more in the next couple of weeks. I really like how the Pilates lengthens and strengthens my core, waist, hips and legs.

I have also gotten back into eating better this week since we are at home and I am still trying to incorporate lots of protein and fiber into my diet. I found a really good oat bran muffin recipe from another blog and have made it twice this week. It is from the Pink Recipe Box and the recipe is for Healthy Chocolate Chip Oat Bran Muffins. I did not have the exact ingredients so in place of the applesauce I used a 1/2 cup of almond milk and the first time I made them I added a little extra brown sugar as I didn’t think 1/4 cup was going to be enough since I didn’t use the applesauce. The second time I made them I did reduce the brown sugar to 1/4 cup and I thought they were just as good. I really like how this recipe is low sugar and high in fiber. The oat bran I used was NOW brand the first time and Bob’s Red Mill the second time.

My family also liked the muffins and so did my friend Karen. I met her yesterday at Starbucks for our coffee and knitting get together that we have been trying to do a couple of times a month and she really liked the muffin and wanted the recipe.

I hope everyone had a great week and got in some workouts. Have a great weekend!

Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise Food Health

Tags: exercise, fitness, muffins, P90X3, pilates, working out, workout routine, workout schedule

Sewing Project Knit Jacket

March 18, 2014 kimberlee 4 Comments

I recently made this knit jacket using a pattern that I also made a tunic from this past summer. The pattern is Simplicity 1668. It is one of those patterns considered to be sportswear as there is a whole ensemble that you can make in the pattern that includes a dress, jacket, pants, shorts and a tunic. So far I have only sewn the jacket and the tunic.

The fabric I used for this jacket was a lightweight knit that I believe I bought from Hancock Fabrics. The jacket is very easy to sew as it has minimal pieces. There are no sleeves to sew as it has a dolman sleeve. I always like that as it makes completing your project so much easier when there are no separate sleeves to sew. The front features a shawl type of collar and that was sort of time consuming to sew as it requires interfacing and since it is curved you have to sew slowly and do some clipping to make the seams lay nicely. I don’t think the jacket front is hard to sew just requires a little time and patience to ensure it turns out well. You also need to press it to get a crease to make it fold back.

As you can see from the photos the jacket is a 3/4 sleeve and it also has an asymmetrical drape as the back is lower than the front.

I really like this jacket a lot and was so pleased that I had some navy pants that I made a couple of years ago that went with the jacket and It also looked nice with my Olympic Crochet Scarf that I had finished during the winter Olympics. I think I would like to make this jacket again in the near future in a cream or white for spring or summer. This jacket is the perfect thing to keep with you for those air conditioned places that are so chilly in the summer time.

Currently I am working on sewing some jeans and jean shorts. I will be doing a future post on them so be sure to subscribe via bloglovin, email or RSS for updates.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Categories: Sewing

Tags: knit jacket, sewing, sewing apparel, sewing clothes, sewing knit jacket, sewing project, sewing with knits, simplicity pattern 1668

Working Out Week 11 of 2014

March 16, 2014 kimberlee 4 Comments

The past week I was on vacation for Spring break with my family and we traveled to Destin, FL to see my parents and then traveled to Ashburn, GA to see my husband’s family. I took the P90X3 workout dvd’s, my exercise mat and my exercise bands with me so I could stay on track with my workout schedule and not get behind. I am proud to say I worked out every morning of our vacation with the exception of Saturday, since we had a 15 hour car trip back to Texas. I am going to try and fit that workout in today, Sunday, to make up for not doing it on Saturday.

This past week the schedule was as follows:

Monday – MMX
Tuesday – Decelerator
Wednesday – Triometrics
Thursday – Pilates X
Friday – Decelerator
Saturday – CVX

Since we were out of town I was not able to take any photos the past week of the workouts. I did take photos of our trip though. The weather was nice enough in Destin the first couple of days that we were able to enjoy a little time on the beach. The above photo was taken by one of my twin sons of me and my mom sitting in a gazebo by the ocean.

We also went to the Gulfarium and saw a dolphin show and some of the other features in the various tanks around the place. They had a shark moat but it was kind of dark in there so I was not able to get any good photos of the larger sharks. I was able to get a couple in the other tanks of a smaller shark and a hammerhead as seen in the above photos.

I am really pleased that I was able to maintain the workout schedule even though we were out of town. I brought the dvd’s and my laptop so I was able to workout where I could find room and thankfully at the condo in Destin there was a nice TV with a blueray player and enough floor space to workout. The workouts only take 30 minutes of your time so it was easy to just get up and get it done – just like I do when I am at home. I will say I did not get up quite as early since I had to consider the other people around me in the small place we stayed in. At my in-laws in Georgia I was able to get up at pretty much my regular time since they operate a farm and are early risers. I would take my laptop into their spare living room and use the dvd’s on there to workout. My oldest son was sleeping in there on the pull out couch so I did kind of wake him up but he is a teenager and just put a pillow over his head and went back to sleep. He wasn’t too interested in getting up and working out with me.

Eating a healthy diet while traveling is always a challenge. I tried to plan ahead on the drive over there and had healthy snacks and even packed our lunch so we didn’t have to stop for fast food for lunch and dinner, only dinner. When we did stop for a meal during the whole trip I tried to make healthy choices and get a grilled sandwich, no fries and a water to drink. It is possible to eat fast food and not overeat if you are careful about your choices. I am looking forward to getting back on track this week though with cooking healthy meals at home and will be planning my menu today and probably shopping today or tomorrow since we don’t have much food in the house.

Well, I hope everyone is having a nice month of March so far. I will update again at the end of the week on week 11 of P90X3 – only a few weeks left in the program.

Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise Vacation

Tags: exercise, fitness, P90X3, spring break, traveling, Workout program, workouts

Working Out Week 10 of 2014

March 8, 2014 kimberlee

The first week of March went by quickly. This marks the 10th week of the year and week 9 of P90X3 for me. This week the workouts changed again – some new ones were added that I had not done yet. The new workouts really brought out the intensity in my opinion. Below is the schedule for the past week:

Monday – Decelerator
Tuesday – MMX
Wednesday – Eccentric Lower
Thursday – X3 Yoga
Friday – Triometrics
Saturday – Eccentric Upper

Decelerator was one of the new workouts and it is quite a challenge. It is a really good total body workout. I really like a lot of the moves we did in this one, especially the superman-bow move (lower right photo). My cat seemed to like this workout, too.

Another new workout in this weeks rotation was called Eccentric Lower. This was mainly a lower body workout as it says in the name. This workout uses dumbbells for a lot of the exercises. I used 12 and 10 pounds and a 15 for one or two moves. As I was doing this workout I didn’t really feel much – you only do 10 reps of a lot of the moves. But, let me tell you that later that day and the next morning my whole upper thigh, glute and hip area told me that workout was changing my lower body for the better.

I also did some of my Exhale Core Fusion workouts after the P90X3, just like last week. This week I used a different dvd – the Pilates Plus. The workouts I used were just 10 minutes sessions again: Pure Core, Upper Body, Thighs & Glutes, Flat-Round Back-Core. The Thigh & Glutes is one of my favorites on this dvd as it incorporates a lot of ab-core work and you can really feel it tone your waistline. As seen in a couple of the photos below you kneel and lean back as far as you can then twist to the left and right – it sounds easier than it is, believe me. The other move you continue to lean back and then tap your fist together about 8 or 10 times per side – thighs are burning the whole time and the waist is really getting a great workout.

I have also been breaking in some new training shoes this past week:

The shoes are Sketchers Go Fit Cross Training shoes. They recommend training shoes for workouts like P90X3. I have been wearing Nike training shoes that I really love but they seem to be wearing down on the inside which seems to happen to me since I workout a lot. I couldn’t find any Nike ones in my size the other day that I liked so I decided to try these. So far I really like them and they are super light – great for plyo moves and a lot of jumping. They are also comfortable to walk in.

I hope everyone has had a good first week of March. I am hoping it will start to warm up soon – I am really tired of winter this year and ready for warmer temperatures.

Have a great week!

Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise

Tags: exercise, Exhale Core Fusion workout, fitness, P90X3 workout, Pilates Plus workout, shoes, working out, workout routine, workouts

St Patrick’s Day Lace Infinity Scarf

March 4, 2014 kimberlee 3 Comments

Now that the Olympics are over it was time to move on to some other crochet and knitting projects. St. Patricks Day is coming soon so I started this lace knit infinity scarf the last couple of days of watching the Olympics. I finished it a few days ago and wanted to share it on my blog.

I really like how my new design turned out. The yarn I use is the Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn – a soft worsted weight yarn. Both yarns are in the sparkle version so the green and the white both have metallic silver thread in the yarn – you can kind of see it in the close up photo below. I only did a small amount of white since that is what I had leftover from making my Olympic projects. I also like the length – it can be worn long as a stylish accessory or doubled for warmth.

The knitting stitch I used for this pattern reminds me of crochet. I really like the openwork of the pattern. I am currently designing another infinity scarf – cowl using the same pattern mixed with another stitch and I really like how it is turning out. I will be sharing that on my blog soon so check back often to see what is new.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Categories: Holiday Projects Knitting

Tags: cowl, green and white scarf, infinity scarf, knitting, knitting cowls, lace cowl, lace infinity scarf, lace knitting, st patricks day scarf

Working Out Week 9 of 2014

March 1, 2014 kimberlee 4 Comments

This last week of February has gone by so fast! I can not believe it is now March. This past week I completed week 8 of P90X3 and I also did a few extra workouts after my 30 minutes of P90X3 using one of my Exhale Core Fusion dvd’s. I like those workouts because they are pilates-yoga based and are divided into 10 minute segments. I did one segment each day this week after P90X3. I really like how the Exhale Core Fusion tone your whole body – especially your abs and they give you a great stretch, too.

This week was transition week again for P90X3 so the workouts were as follows:

Monday – Isometrix
Tuesday – Dynamix
Wednesday – Accelerator
Thursday – Pilates X
Friday – Agility X
Saturday – Yoga

Isometrix and the Pilates are probably still my favorites for this week. Below are the photos from those workouts:

The Exhale Core Fusion dvd I used this past week was the Lean and Toned. I did the following sessions: Pretzel & Core – did this twice, Upper Body, Flat-Round Back (very hard ab and thigh workout) and Gluteal toner. I have decided to try and start incorporating my Exhale Core Fusion workouts – since I have all of them – into my daily workout just for a 10 minute session. These workouts really help tone your whole body. Below are photos from the upper body session which is done with light weights. Try doing the push ups with your hands forming a triangle underneath you – it is hard.

This past week was also the start of another fitness challenge for me called Power of Vitality. This challenge is through my husbands work and spouses are allowed to participate. You receive points for your daily workouts and at the end of the challenge, which I forgot to check the specific date on, you get to go shopping with your points and possibly get something really nice depending on how many points you have. I think it is great that his company is encouraging their employees and their families to get fit and lead a healthy life style. The Power of Vitality website also has a lot of great health information and even healthy recipes. I tried one this past week. It was a rice dish made with brown rice, turmeric, coriander and sundried tomatoes. I had it for lunch two different days and it was really good.

Brown Rice with Sundried Tomatoes — Brown Rice with turmeric, coriander and sundried tomatoes

I am also reading the new Tony Horton book The Big Picture – 11 Laws That Will Change Your Life. I am now on Law 5 – I guess that would be chapter 5. So far I really like the book and it has a lot of great advice.

I hope everyone had a great February and are looking forward to an even better March. I am going to continue on with the P90X3 program and also try to do my Exhale Core Fusion dvd’s as a bonus workout.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Categories: Books Exercise Health

Tags: books, exercise program, exercising, Exhale Core Fusion, fitness, health, P90X3, reading, working out, workouts

Top with Knit Lace Panel

February 25, 2014 kimberlee 9 Comments

I recently designed this new shirt that has a lace knit panel insert on the front and back. The idea for creating this was for two reasons. One, this shirt was a little too small (tight) for me and Two, I really like this easy to knit lace stitch that I had recently used to create another project.

To make this you will need to know how to knit and how to use a sewing machine.

Supplies needed:

Size US 8 knitting needles
Worsted weight yarn that is washable – I used Hobby Lobby I Love this Yarn
T-shirt that is a little too snug or one size too small for you
Fabric scissors
Sewing machine
Sewing thread to match shirt

Step 1: Using your fabric scissors cut up the center front and center back of shirt – use a tape measure or ruler to determine the center point.

Step 2: Knit your lace panels

Cast on 16 sts – knit the first row

Row 1: *k2tog, yo, k2; rep from * across

Rep Row 1 for pattern – measure your front cut center line of shirt and when your knitted piece is close to that length knit 1 more row, then bind off.

Make another panel for the back following the same pattern above – note that the back section will be longer so you will need to measure that and knit this panel a little longer.

Step 3: When both your panels are knitted you will then pin them to the shirt front and back and using your sewing machine and a stitch length of approx. 3 stitch the shirt and panel together with the shirt laying on top of the panel – use the inner edge of you presser foot (see below) as a guide for a seam allowance. You will have to stitch down each side of the panel so you will stitch 4 different times. Weave in the ends of the yarn when you are done – or you could do it before but I did mine at the end.

That’s it – all done. Super simple and fun to wear. The top can be worn as is or with a camisole or tank top underneath. I have a tank top under mine that I found at Old Navy and it was the perfect red to match the shirt.

I am currently working on a short sleeve version for spring using a different lace stitch and I will be sharing that on my blog in March – so be sure to follow me via bloglovin, email or RSS feed for future updates.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Categories: Knitting Sewing

Tags: knitting, knitting project, lace knitting, sewing, sewing project, tshirt redo

Working Out Week 8 of 2014

February 22, 2014 kimberlee 6 Comments

This is the end of week 8 of 2014 and week 7 of the P90X3 program for me. I am now more than halfway through the 90 days of workouts. It has really gone by pretty fast.

This past week was the same workout schedule as the past 2 weeks. I had to go a little easy at the beginning of this past week since my left knee started bothering me on Sunday. I think I twisted it somehow during the CVX workout last Saturday. Thankfully it feels better today. I did CVX this morning but I did not push quite as hard on some of the pivot and twisting moves while using the weight.

On Tuesday was the Warrior workout. I like this one – not as well as some of the others but it is an awesome total body workout. I had to be careful with some parts of it and the jumping since my knee was really feeling it that day.

Wednesday was Yoga day and I was really looking forward to that workout. I thought it would help my knee feel better and I believe it did. This gave it a break from the high intensity and provided some extra stretching. I love yoga anyhow and this yoga workout has quickly become one of my favorite yoga workouts. I think my cat really likes it too because he was around for most of this session.

I finally got around to embroidering a new workout T-shirt. In some of the workouts Tony mentions that “Aging is for Idiots” I decided I wanted that on a workout shirt. I also wanted to put something on the back so I embroidered “Stay Fit Stay Young” across the back. Below is me wearing the shirt after the MMX workout on Thursday – the dark dots are sweat on the shirt.

The photo below shows a close up of the embroidery:

This week will be week 8 of P90X3. It is the transition week so not quite as intense as the past 3 weeks – it still is not easy but I really enjoy doing Isometrixs (one of my favorites), Dynamix and the Pilates workouts. We will still do Yoga, too.

I will also be starting in a new fitness group this week with my husbands work. It is called the Power of Vitality challenge. I am still in my facebook fitness group, too. I think being in a group really motivates you to exercise and stay accountable.

I hope everyone had a great week of working out. Click on Leave a Reply and let me know what workouts you are currently doing and how they are going.

Have a great weekend!

Kimberlee

Categories: Embroidery Exercise

Tags: embroidered workout shirt, fitness, P90X3 workout, tshirt, working out, workouts

Deco Mesh Olympic Wreath

February 20, 2014 kimberlee 4 Comments

As I mentioned the other day in my post, Crochet and Knitting Olympic Style, I have been on an Olympic craft spree lately. This past weekend I created this really fun wreath from a wire wreath frame and deco mesh that I bought at Hobby Lobby. This is the easiest project and can be made in less than an hour.

To make a wreath like this you will need:

16 inch wire wreath frame
1 roll 21 inch wide deco mesh
1roll 5 1/2 inch wide deco mesh
1 roll wire edge ribbon
pipe cleaners to match your deco mesh
scissors

Wrap 21 inch deco mesh around frame using pipe cleaners to secure every 5 or 6 inches leaving the mesh kind of full to hide the pipe cleaners. When you make it all the way around to the place where you started overlap the beginning a little and secure to the back the end – you will have to cut the deco mesh
Use the 5 1/2 inch wide deco mesh in between the previous wider layers – this layer I just secured at the beginning and end with pipe cleanrers
Make a bow with your wire edge ribbon – (I am not the greatest bow maker so I am not going to tell you how to make your bow). Secure bow to wreath using a pipe cleaner or some type of floral wire

That’s it – All Done! Super EASY! I really like how it turned out and I have had it up all week to show my Olympic spirit. I will also be able to use it for other holidays like Memorial Day and 4th of July. I have quite a bit of the deco mesh left so I figure I can use it to make another wreath or decorate my patio out back for the holidays I just mentioned.

I am thinking this deco mesh would also make a fun St. Patricks Day wreath.

I hope you enjoyed this short tutorial on how to make this fun wreath. Please follow me via bloglovin, email or RSS to receive future updates on other craft and sewing projects. The icons are in the sidebar.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Linking to:

Categories: Crafts

Tags: craft project, crafts, deco mesh wreath, making a wreath, Olympic wreath, red white and blue wreath

Crochet and Knitting Olympic Style

February 18, 2014 kimberlee 4 Comments

The opening ceremony of the Olympics in Sochi inspired me to get busy and crochet and knit some Team USA scarves. I really liked the sweaters the USA team wore and I decided to design my own Olympic knitwear.

The first project I designed last week and crocheted every evening while watching the games was this Infinity Scarf. I used a US K crochet hook so it worked up pretty fast. The scarf is a multi color scarf using 3 different yarns. It was a lot of fun to make. I have already wore it a few times – although our weather in Texas has gotten kind of warm the last couple of days so I am glad I wore it last week.

This crochet Infinity Scarf can also be worn long – the above photo it is double wrapped. I wore it to church the other day the long way since it was a little warmer that day.

The other scarf I designed is a knit version. I knitted this one in a pretty feather and fan stitch. It was fairly easy and I think it actually went faster than my crochet version – which is unusual because I think I crochet faster than I knit. I used size US 10 needles for the knit version and again 3 colors of various yarns – 2 of them the same as the crochet version. This too was a lot of fun to create. It could also be made in other color combinations for various holidays or seasons.

Both of these scarves are patterns I have designed and they will be coming soon to my etsy shop and to my craftsy pattern store.

I have been in Team USA creative mode and also made a really pretty wreath. I will be posting that in the next couple of days with instructions on how to make it so be sure to subscribe to my blog via bloglovin, email or RSS by clicking on the icons in the sidebar.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Categories: Crochet Knitting

Tags: crochet infinity scarf, crochet project, crochet scarf, knit scarf, knitting project, olympic color scarves, red white & blue scarves, tri color scarf