Category: Exercise

EOM Fitness for June 2015

The end of June is now here – I can hardly believe it!  I continued this past month with a four day a week workout schedule mainly doing cardio, weights and yoga – not all on the same day though.  The workouts I used were mainly Cathe Friedrich and yoga sequences from my Yoga Journal magazine that I mentioned in my May post.

Cathe Ripped With Hiit

weight lifting cat

As you can see in the above photo my cat is present as usual and ready to lift some heavy  weights.  He was actually laying on the 20 pound dumbbells just before I got my camera and took this photo.  I guess that is his version of lifting the weights – to lay on them.

I have also been able to ride my bike a couple of times this past month and do some swimming in our pool now that the rainy weather has subsided for us.  We still get a shower about once a week but nothing like we had in May.

kitchen aid ice cream attachment

I have been making my own ice cream for the past couple of months and really like this new attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer that makes awesome ice cream with just a few ingredients.  I basically mix together 2 cups of half and half, 2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla, chill it for a couple hours, then add it to the freezer bowl attachment while it is running and in 20 minutes you have made ice cream – or actually the attachment has made it for you – you do have to put it in a container and put it in the freezer and let it sit for a couple more hours to firm up.  It is the best ice cream ever and all three of my sons love it.

I realize ice cream is not really a health food but in my opinion all things in moderation are fine.  I have been enjoying my new homemade ice cream – in small portions – about three times a week this summer.

cherries and cherry pitter

Another thing I have been enjoying this summer is fresh cherries.  I really like them but hate pitting them.  I was doing the pitting by hand so I could use the cherries in recipes and then read about a cherry pit removing tool.  I decided to get one last week and I am so glad I did – it removes the cherry pits quickly and leaves the cherries basically whole.  The other way I was doing it was more or less by cutting them in half to get the pits out so I had cherry halves.

I hope your June was a successful month for exercising and making healthy choices.

Take care,

-Kimberlee

 

 

EOM Fitness for May 2015

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.  workout cat with band

 

yoga journal magazine with great yoga practices and other info

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.

Core workout book

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.

Core Strength Training book

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.

Raw Energy book by Stephanie Tourles

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.

Power Hungry book

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

 

EOM Fitness for April 2015

This month certainly went by fast!  I cannot believe that tomorrow is the first of May.  As far as my workouts go I kept up with a schedule of working out five days a week, alternating cardio and weight workouts with yoga.

The workouts I used this month were from two different dvd sets I own.  The one is the newer Cathe Friedrich Ripped with Hiit and the other was an older Cathe workout series that I have had for a few years called Low Impact Series.  Both of these sets are great and if you are looking for low impact workouts that give you an excellent workout without too much jumping and impact I would check out her Low Impact Series.  It is a set of nine dvd’s and a couple of them are yoga workouts.cathe dvd's used for April 2015 workouts from KImberlees Korner

On days I did not do a cardio or weight workout I did yoga using my Shiva Rea dvd’s, Exhale Core Fusion, or Yoga Journal magazine sequences.  Did you know that you can get some workout and yoga dvd’s on netflix?  I recently checked out Shiva Rea’s Sun Salutations from netflix and used it for a few of my yoga workouts.  I think I own most of her other ones except that one.  Checking out a dvd from netflix or the library is a good way to try it out and see if you will like it and want to buy it.

I have also been reading some other health and dietary books this past month that I have checked out from the library.  One of them is an older book but still has useful information called the Prescription for Dietary Wellness by Phyllis A. Balch.  I really like the format of this book as well as the useful information on how to eat properly for optimal health.  There are lots of recipes in this book as well, that I have tried and liked.

Some of the other books I have checked out from the library are more about cleansing and dietary plans for your health to overcome health problems and feel great.  To be honest with you the more I read some of these books the more confused I get on how to eat or what to eat.  It seems that if you compare some of these “plans” that are out there they are somewhat conflicting in what they tell you you should or shouldn’t eat and drink for better health.  I am reading them but using my own judgement with things.

I have been making more smoothies lately and not really using my juicer too much this past month.  I think I got burned out on juicing so I am taking a break from that for a little while.  I also notice that smoothies fill me up more.  I have even gotten two of my three sons drinking some healthy smoothies for breakfast at least a few times a week.

maca mango and raspberry smoothie

The above photo is a smoothie I recently made and I thought it was really good – it is kind of thick and super creamy.

Maca Mango Raspberry Smoothie

1/2 c. fresh or frozen raspberries (I used fresh)

3/4 c. frozen mango

1 container raspberry greek yogurt

2 bee pollen capsules opened

1 tsp manuka honey

1 tsp maca powder

1/2 c. vanilla soy milk

-Combine all the above ingredients in a high speed blender and blend 1 to 2 minutes.

For the month of May I will probably start out the month doing some Exhale Core Fusion dvd’s along with my exercise ball book and yoga.  I have decided to get some of my fitness books out and use them this coming month instead of just my dvd’s.  I will also be going to a 4 day workout week schedule since I am now getting outside more to do some gardening and plan to start riding my bike to the store again.

I hope you had a great month!

-Kimberlee

EOM Fitness for March 2015

Well, I have taken a couple of weeks off blogging but I have still been working out in the mornings.    I am finding that as the weather is getting nicer here I have so many other things that are taking up my time as well as three kids, a husband and a household to run so I am just not finding the time to get all the blogging posts in I had planned for the past month.  Well, there is always another month to get those in.

For the past month I have stuck to a workout schedule of doing cardio or weights one day and then yoga the next – pretty much five or six days a week.  I used some of my older and newer Cathe Friedrich workout dvd’s for cardio or weights and then yoga books, dvd’s or magazines that I have for my yoga routines.  Below are a couple of photos from the Cathe Cross Fire workout that the cat and I really like.

Cathe Cross Fire workout

Working out to Cathe Cross Fire workout

As always the cat is ready and waiting to workout.  Even this morning when I did a different Cathe workout with weights he was sitting by the weights.

Cat waiting to do Cathe Cross Fire workout

In addition to working out regularly I have still continued to do my juicing or smoothies daily.  I have been doing one or the other.  I like my juices but getting that juicer out and doing all the juicing takes a lot of time so I have gone to doing that once or twice a week.  I usually make up a few and store them in mason jars and label them.  They keep well for at least two or three days.

I have bought a couple of new juicing books in the last couple of months and have been using them for some of my juicing recipes.  One of them is the book below – The Big Book of Juices.  I think I got this at Sams Club.  There are lots of great recipes in this book and even some smoothies and refreshing fruit and tea drinks for summer.  I really like this book and the format of it.

Juicing Book

I have been using some of the juice recipes and incorporating them into my smoothies.  This is a good way to use up any of the juice before it goes bad since I tend to make up a few ahead of time.   One of my creations is this awesome Apricot Orange Smoothie.  I have made it a few times and love it.

Apricot Orange Smoothie

 

Apricot Orange Smoothie Recipe

  • 5 dried apricots soaked in water for about 20 minutes
  • half of a peeled orange – seeds removed
  • 1 Tbls chia gel – this is chia seeds soaked in water
  • 1/2 c. orange carrot juice – from juicer
  • 1/2 tsp maca powder – good for energy and hormones
  • 1 nectarine cut up, stone removed

Blend all of the above ingredients in a high speed blender for about 1 to 2 minutes.  Serves one.

Well, I hope everyone is doing well and starting to enjoy the nicer spring weather.  I have gotten my gardens ready and ordered some plants so I will probably be spending more time outside and less time on the computer for a while.  I am finding that to get things done I have to unplug more and start doing – like right now I am off to make some healthy chocolate chip muffins for my family.

Have a great week!

-Kimberlee

 

EOM Fitness for February 2015

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.

Total Synergistics P90X3

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.

cat waiting to workout

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

EOM Fitness for January 2015

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This past month my fitness routine consisted of five or six workout days per week using my Cathe Ripped with Hiit workouts and yoga dvd’s or routines from Yoga Journal magazine that I have saved.  I have been alternating the two doing a Hiit workout one day and yoga the next.  I have really been enjoying this schedule.

Ripped with Hiit Upper Circuit with the cat
Me and the cat doing the RWH Upper Circuit workout
Ripped with Hiit Upper Circuit
Another upper body exercise from Cathe’s Ripped with Hiit Upper Circuit dvd
Yoga with the cat on the mat
Yoga with the cat on the mat

Scheduling your workouts is part of the key to getting them done, in my opinion.  If I make a schedule up on Sunday, that is usually a non workout day for me, then I am going to commit myself to getting them done.  “It’s not about having time, it’s about making time.”  I have seen these words before somewhere and they are very true – everyone is busy these days – even my retired parents and in-laws always seem busy – but you have to make the time and make the commitment to yourself to be more physically active.  I know that I always feel better and have more energy on days that I workout.

Fed Up documentary from library

Another thing I have been doing this past month is watching health documentaries – I know this sounds really boring but they are actually really informative about many things concerning the health of Americans and their diets and I find them interesting.   Some of them can be found on Netflix and some I checked out from the library.  The video in the photo above, Fed Up, is one I checked out from my local library.  A friend of mine recommended it to me.  This is a real eye opener about the food industry, how much sugar and artificial ingredients are really in those so called healthy foods you see at the store.  This documentary also goes into detail on the health of our children and how many are becoming diabetic at an early age due to poor eating and lifestyle habits.

back view of Fed Up dvd
back view of Fed Up dvd

The other two documentaries that I thought were really informative were Hungry for Change and Fat Sick and Nearly Dead 2.  Both of these are on Netflix.  If you are wanting to learn more about eating better, juicing, and changing your lifestyle habits to become healthy, lose weight and get off prescriptions, I would advise you to watch these two documentaries.  My overall health and eating is good but these documentaries oped my eyes to even more changes I need to make to how I eat and what I eat for it to make a positive impact in my daily life.

For the month of February am thinking of doing my P90X3 workout.  I am not going to do the whole three month program again like last year,  I am just going to use it mixed with some other workouts for the month of February.  I have been doing my Ripped with Hiit and yoga for over a month now so it is time for a change.  If I change things up then I don’t get bored – that is another key to making your workouts fun, challenging and keeping you interested in sticking with it.  Also, I believe it is a key to seeing results because your body needs a change.

So check back at the end of February for my end of month (EOM) fitness update – of course you can also check back sooner as I will be sharing other posts before the end of February on various things.

Have a great Superbowl weekend!

– Kimberlee

 

 

 

Working Out Week 52 of 2014

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

 

RWH Circuit Lower Body

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.

Cathe Low Impact Hiit One

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.

Cat ready and waiting to workout
Cat ready and waiting to workout

Cathe Hiit Circuit Upper Body

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

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 50 of 2014

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.

Cathe Ripped With Hiit

  • 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.

ECF Pilates Plus

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.

Shiva Rea Daily Energy

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

 

 

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