Category: Exercise

Workouts Week 51 of 2013

This past week I decided to do a routine of cardio one day and yoga the next day.  I really liked this workout schedule.

  • Monday – Cathe Friedrich Party Rockin Step #2 premix 1 – 33 minutes
  • Tuesday – Shiva Rea Daily Energy – Earth & Shavasana – 25 minutes
  • Wednesday – Cathe Friedrich Party Rockin Step #2 premix 2 – 32 minutes
  • Thursday – Shiva Rea Creative Core Abs – 24 minutes
  • Friday – Cathe Friedrich X10 – Step – 26 minutes
  • Saturday – yoga book – Tara Stiles-Slim, Calm, Sexy Yoga – 15 minutes

These were the dvd’s I used:

Workout dvd's wk 51 of 2013   Kimberlees  Korner

The Party Rockin Step #2 dvd was a great workout.  I realized I had not done this dvd yet after receiving it a couple of months ago.  There is also a Party Rockin Step #1 and I have used that workout.  For some reason I had not attempted the #2 dvd but decided to this week.  I think I like it better.  Although there was a little complication with the foot work on Monday.  I had previewed it on Sunday – my rest day – and was all ready.  I have found it is best to just watch the step workouts and get familiar with some of the moves before you actually do them.    For some reason on one of the moves I missed a step somewhere which sent the long step off the riser – thankfully I did not fall or hurt myself – which I have done before on some of the step workouts.  It did scare my cat out of the room though and scared me a little too.

Party Rockin Step 2 workout  www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

I love the Shiva Rea yoga dvd’s and own quite a few.  This week I did Daily Energy one day and the other day I did Creative Core Abs.  I was going to do her Yogini dvd on Saturday but just decided to do my yoga book since I got up a little later than normal and my husband was using the TV to watch the morning news.  I have a few yoga books and decided to use my Tara Stiles – Slim, Calm, Sexy Yoga book.  There are lots of great routines in this book and all the photos are in color, too.

Creative Core Abs Yoga dvd   www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

 This week I also tried out a new smoothie recipe that I made up.  I really like how it tasted.  I am calling it Cherry Vanilla Eggnog Smoothie.  Below is the recipe:

Cherry Vanilla Eggnog Smoothie  www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

Cherry Vanilla Eggnog Smoothie

10 frozen, pitted, dark cherries

3/4 c. Silk Eggnog

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

1/2 c. crushed ice

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.

I bought the Silk eggnog for my sons since they all like eggnog.  When we went to the store after church on Sunday they didn’t have any regular eggnog so I thought since they like Vanilla Soymilk they would like this.  Wrong!  They informed me they didn’t think it tasted good.  So, I decided to use it in this smoothie recipe so it wouldn’t go to waste.  I also like the fact that the Silk eggnog has less calories and fat than regular eggnog.  A 1/2 cup of the Silk eggnog is only 2 g. of fat.  I don’t have any regular eggnog right now to give you the fat grams on it but I am sure it is over 2 g.   I really enjoyed this smoothie and am looking forward to making another one soon.

I also decided to order the P90X3 new workout dvd’s last week.  They arrived yesterday in the mail.  I have not had chance to look at them much as I have been so busy with holiday things the past couple of days.  I am hoping to be able to preview a couple of the dvd’s today.  I will be joining a facebook challenge group on my Team Krazy Fit on January 6, 2014.  This will be a 90 day program of working out 6 days a week.

P90X3

I hope everyone is doing well and trying to get in a little fitness in between all the holiday activities.  Even if it is only 15 minutes a day it is better than nothing.

Have a great weekend!

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Workouts Week 50 of 2013

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

Cathe Friedrich Low Impact dvd's & workout schedule from www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

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:

 Cathe Slide & Glide cardio workout   www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

Cathe Turbo Barre workout   www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

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.

yoga cat   www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

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!

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Categories: Exercise Health

Fitness Friday Week 49 of 2013

Fitness Friday this week – should be called Freezing Fitness Friday!  It has gotten very cold here in Texas in the last 24 to 36 hours.  It was a beautiful day on Wednesday – 79 degrees and yesterday it was 34.  Today it is 27 and suppose to go down to 16 tonight.  On top of the cold temperatures we also had some freezing rain and sleet early this morning.  A lot of people are without power.  So far our power has not been affected and I am hoping it stays that way.  Praying for all those without power for it to be restored to them soon.

Well – on to the fitness post.  Below are the workouts I used this week:

Workouts wk 49 of 2013  www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

This week I chose to to a schedule of cardio, weights and then yoga.  So my workouts were:

  • Monday – Cathe – Rockout Knockout
  • Tuesday – Cathe – Lean Legs & Abs
  • Wednesday – Shiva Rea Yoga – More Daily Energy
  • Thursday – Cathe X10 Hi-Lo workout
  • Friday – Cathe Flex Train
  • Saturday – Shiva Rea Yoga – More Daily Energy

I really like Rockout Knockout.  It is a kickboxing workout that uses weighted gloves for part of the workout.  Lots of sweating in this cardio session.

rockout knockout workout  www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

My yoga session on Wednesday was accompanied by my two faithful workout friends – my cats.  They like yoga workouts much better than cardio.  The More Daily Energy dvd has several workouts to choose from in the yoga matrix.  I chose to do Evolution Standing Flow and the shavasana which took about 27 minutes.

workouts cats   www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

Shiva Rea More Daily Energy yoga   www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

Today’s workout, Flex Train, took a little motivation to get out of bed and get it done since it was so cold.  Once I got moving around everything was good.  I was just glad to wake up and have power and a warm house.  This workout has lots of different chapters to mix and match.  Today I chose to do the warm up, legs & shoulders, disc lunges, legs-firewalkers, core-abs and the stretch.  Lots of variety in this workout and the shoulder section gives you a real burn as well as the ab work.

Flex Train workout   www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

I also created a new smoothie recipe earlier this week.  I used some leftover cranberry sauce I made on Thanksgiving in the recipe.  I am calling it Cranberry Christmas Smoothie.  I thought it was really good!  Recipe is below:

Cranberry Smoothie  from www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:12]

This time of year is busy so it seems more difficult to fit workouts in every day.  I usually try and schedule something even if it is only a 20 or 25 minute session.  It keeps me on track and starts my day off better if I find time to workout even for just a few minutes. I have not decided yet what I am going to schedule for next week.  I might do the cardio, weights and yoga routine again.  I am also considering ordering the new P90X3 that is coming out next week.  My fitness group on facebook will be starting a challenge for 90 days with the new dvd’s and I would like to participate.  Changing my workouts regularly keeps me interested and offers me new challenges.  What workouts are you currently doing?  Click on Leave a Reply to tell me about them.

Have a great day!

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Fitness Friday Week 48 of 2013

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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:

Workouts for week 48 of 2013 from Kimberlees Korner

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:

yoga creative core lower body Kimberlees Korner

ecf pure intensity workout Kimberlees Korner

 

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! photo dbaf2cd4-dd2b-49d6-8838-f9aff3fe3cbb_zpsca4b926e.jpg

Workout Wednesday

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This week I have been using two of my exercise books to workout with instead of my usual dvd’s.  Sometimes I get tired of doing the dvd’s and need a change.  I think that is one thing that helps to keep me motivated to exercise every day is to have variety.  I think if I had to do the same thing all the time I would get very bored and decide to quit.  So far I have kept a regular workout schedule for the last 5 or more years and I think alternating my workouts and change is the key to keeping me interested and seeing results.

 Exercise Ball books I use from Kimberlees Korner

Both of these books use an exercise ball and they also use some dumbbells with some of the exercises, a medicine ball or a handled exercise band.  I bought the one book on the left recently this past summer at Half Price Books and the one on the right I have had for several years – I got it from Barnes and Noble on sale.  A lot of the time you can find some decent fitness books in the sale section at Barnes and Noble.

Both of these books have color photos and detailed descriptions of the exercises.  I also like the fact that at the end of both of the books there are workout routines.  For example on Monday I did the Sports routine from the CORE book.  It was compiled group of 16 different exercises from the book.  On Tuesday I did the 101 Ways to Burn Fat on the Ball book – the Five Minute Arms and Five Minute Shoulders routine – 2 rounds of each of these so it was about 20 minutes long with a few minutes of stretching at the end.  On Wednesday, today, I did the 101 Ways book again using the Five Minute Butt, Five Minute Legs and the Pilates routines.  I did 2 rounds of each of these as well so it took about 30 minutes.  The photos below are from the routine today.

Exercise ball workout from Kimberlees Korner

Tomorrow I plan to do the CORE book again – using the Warrior routine which is compiled of 19 different exercises.  Friday I will do the CORE Power workout that is 18 different exercises.  Saturday I will use the 101 Ways to Burn Fat on the Ball and do the stretching routine.

I really like using the exercise ball, especially with weights.  It is a great way to tone your whole body and really work your core.

I hope everyone is having a great week so far.  I can’t believe tomorrow will be Thursday already and next week Thanksgiving!

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Rocktober Workout Weeks 3 & 4

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.

Rocktober wk 3 day 1  Kimberlees Korner

Rocktober wk 3 day 2  Kimberlees KornerRocktober workout week 4  Kimberlee KornerRocktober week 4   Kimberlees Korner

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.

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Rocktober Week 2 Complete

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!  photo dbaf2cd4-dd2b-49d6-8838-f9aff3fe3cbb_zpsca4b926e.jpg

Workout – Final Week of Focus T25

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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:

Focus T25 Beta wk 5 day 1Focus T25 Beta wk 5 core cardio

Focus T25 Beta week 5 day 4Focus T25 Beta wk 5 day 5 double friday

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!

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Week 1 of Rocktober Challenge

I have completed 3 days of the Betty Rocker, Rocktober challenge this week.  Let me tell you it is tough.  The exercises don’t look too hard but they are a challenge when you have to do them for 1 minute each.  There are 7 different exercises that she emails you at the beginning of the week and you are to do them at least 3 times in one week – 3 rounds of each set of exercises, for one minute each.  A video showing the exercises was also sent with the email.  Below are some of the photos of me doing some of the exercises in the challenge.

rocktober challenge wk 1 day 1

 Rocktober day 3

 

In addition to doing the Rocktober the last 3 days I have also been keeping up with my last week of my Focus T25 challenge group.  It has been tough doing both workouts in one day and my inner thighs are killing me the past two days but I didn’t want to quit my other challenge when this is the last week.   I will be posting my weekly T25 post at the end of the week and give you my overall feedback on the workout program.   I will post again next week on Rocktober after doing the new grouping of exercises I receive from Betty Rocker the beginning of the week.

I hope everyone is having a good week!   photo dbaf2cd4-dd2b-49d6-8838-f9aff3fe3cbb_zpsca4b926e.jpg

New Fitness Challenge Starts Tomorrow

Hey everyone!  I just wanted to share with you the latest fitness challenge I have decided to do after my friend Joanna told me about it.  It is called Rocktober!  It is the Betty Rocker Fitness Challenge for the whole month of October.  Here is the link if you are interested and want to sign up.  Sign up needs to be done by today though.  http://thebettyrocker.com/sign-up-now-for-the-free-30-day-rocktober-fitness-challenge/     This is a free challenge and if you join you will be invited to the facebook challenge group as well.  I really like being in the facebook challenge groups because it gives you support from others from all over the world who are doing the same workouts as you.

I just signed up on Saturday so if you do it now you will be all set.  I will be finishing my last week of Focus T25 with my challenge group this week along with starting the Betty Rocker challenge tomorrow.  Lots of working out to do this week!    I will plan to post at the end of the week my Focus T25 and also more about this current challenge.

I hope everyone is having a great evening! photo dbaf2cd4-dd2b-49d6-8838-f9aff3fe3cbb_zpsca4b926e.jpg