Tag: weekly workout

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 47 of 2014

November 22, 2014 kimberlee

This past week I decided to cut back to four workout days per week instead of five like I have been doing. This time of year is so busy with the holidays I decided that I need try out a different schedule and see if I can accomplish some extra things on non workout days.

Also, this past week my computer died – the mother board and processor totally quit and I had to get a new laptop and I am still learning it and reloading my programs on it. What a week it has been! I was upset for a couple of days about my computer dying but thankfully my husband is a computer expert and helped me get a new one and get all my data off of the old one – at least it wasn’t totally lost or I would have been even more upset.

Workouts this past week:

Monday- Cathe – Low Impact Circuit Total Body Sculpt premix – 47 min.
Tuesday – off
Wednesday – Cathe – To the Max – Less Impact premix – 39 min.
Thursday – off
Friday – Cathe – Cross Fire – Circuit Blast premix- 36 min.
Saturday – Shiva Rea Surf Yoga Soul – 25 min.

The Low Impact Circuit workout is a combination of cardio and weights but I did the premix that was just the weights and total body workout. There are lots of great exercises to really challenge your muscles on this dvd. As you can see the cat was around – see his ears and little head in the bottom of the one photo?

The Cathe Cross Fire workout I did on Friday was a fun circuit workout that has cardio and weights. Lots of sweat after this 36 minute session. As you can see the cat sat in the same spot for most of the workout watching me.

The yoga workout I did today, Saturday, was the Shiva Rea Surf Yoga Soul dvd – the first dvd I ever bought of hers years ago. I did three segments of this workout – the Mandala Namaskar, Flexibility Flow and Shavasana. I love doing yoga on Saturday mornings- I think I have mentioned that before. It is a great way to begin the weekend.

Weekly Fitness Tip – Use portion control when eating holiday meals

– Use a smaller plate so you are less likely to overeat

– Remember to eat more vegetables and fruits – especially green vegetables and go easy on the potatoes, stuffing and breads

– Eat foods without gravy or heavy sauces or have a very small portion of them

– If cooking the meal yourself try using lower fat options in some recipes to cut back on the fat and calories – for example use 1 or 2 percent milk instead of whole milk

– Do not go back for second helpings

– Don’t skip dessert but make sure it is only 1 piece of pie and not 2 or 3 – also, skip the whipped cream or use a small amount

I hope everyone had a great week and that you will have a wonderful Thanksgiving next week. Also, don’t forget to get some workouts in – especially the day after Thanksgiving day – even if it is just a good long walk – keep moving and you will stay fit.

Have a great weekend!

– Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise Health

Tags: fit tips, fitness, fitness tips, weekly workout, working out

Working Out Week 37 of 2014

September 13, 2014 kimberlee

The 37th week of 2014 is just about over and we are about halfway through the month of September already! One year ago today I was attending the all day ShaunTervention conference here in Dallas, TX. What a great event that was and I am so glad I made the decision to go – even though it was kind of outside my comfort zone. I typically do not do workouts in public or in any type of group settings – I have always been a workout at home person. I also met some really nice people at that event along with Shaun T and the people in his vidoes, like T-25.

The workouts I did this week were:

Monday – T-25 Alpha Cardio + 2 Abdominal Moves – 28 min
Tuesday – Shiva Rea Creative Core Abs + 2 Ab Moves – 37 min
Wednesday – T-25 Core Speed + 2 Ab Moves – 28 min
Thursday – Shiva Rea Creative Core Lower Body + 2 Ab Moves – 25 min
Friday – T-25 Speed 1.0 + Yoga practice from Yoga Journal Magazine – 48 min
Saturday – Yoga – Shine On practice from Yoga Journal Magazine – 20 min

The above two photos are of the two abdominal moves I chose to do this week. They are yoga based moves that you hold for a count of 5 to 8 breaths versus doing lots of reps. I did pretty well getting them done every day except for Friday and Saturday, I forgot to add them in those two days. As you can see my friendly workout partner, the cat, approves of the moves.

I continued to do my T 25 workout dvd’s this week but varied the workouts I used. This week on Monday I did Alpha Cardio, again, then on Wednesday I did Core Speed. This is one of my favorites. It is really fast paced and there are some tough moves but I love it. You sweat a ton and feel like you have gotten an awesome workout when the 25 minutes are over. Photo above is of the one handed burpees that you do multiple times.

Speed 1.0 was another T 25 workout that I did on Friday. This one is cardio with each cardio move followed by a welcomed stretch. I had forgotten how I like this workout. It is another great sweat session with lots of stretching in between.

I also stayed with the schedule of doing my Shiva Rea yoga dvd’s on the non cardio days. The Creative Core Abs is great for your whole core.

The other Shiva workout I did was the Creative Core for the Lower Body. The cat of course joined me for part of this workout.

I made some homemade cashew butter this past week. After seeing how simple it is to make almond butter I decided that cashew couldn’t be that different or hard to make. For this I just heated about 1 1/2 cups of cashews in the microwave for 2 minutes. I then put them in the food processor and processed them for about 2 minutes – stopped the processing and then added 2 Tbls coconut oil and 1/2 tsp cinnamon and processed for about 2 or 3 more minutes. This stuff is really good – not quite as creamy as the Jif kind I have bought in the past but I really like it and the flavor it has.

Fit Tip of the Week: Simple daily exercise results in overall better health.

-Discipline yourself to get at least 20 minutes or more of some type of physical exercise every day

-People who stick with a daily exercise regime are more healthy and positive

-Daily exercise may not always be exciting or fun but the simple task of sticking with a routine is worth the positive results

Next week I will be continuing to do some T 25 and yoga- I may also throw in a Cathe video in the middle of the week. I hope everyone is planning to do some type of physical exercise in the week ahead.

Have a great weekend!

Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise Food

Tags: cashew butter, exercise, fitness, making cashew butter, T-25, weekly workout, working out, workout routine, yoga

Working Out Week 16 of 2014

April 19, 2014 kimberlee 2 Comments

This week I continued with my workout schedule of the Cathe Friedrich April rotation of workouts. I have continued to challenge myself to do the entire workout dvd instead of a shorter premix this past week. I did pretty good at the beginning of the week but toward the end of the week I did have to do a couple of the shorter premixes due to time constraints in my schedule. I got up early every day so I could do the whole dvd but there were a couple of days that my kids had to be to school earlier than normal so I had to shorten the workout time a little.

The schedule for the past week was as follows:

Monday – Cardio Leg Blast – Xtrain series – 56 minutes
Tuesday – ~~Pyramid Upper Body~~ Total Body Trisets – Upper Body – 55 minutes
Wednesday – Bootcamp (original dvd) – 60 minutes
Thursday – Tabatacise (minimum 35 min) – premix 3 tabatas + core – 42 minutes
Friday – ~~MMA Boxing~~ Rockout Knockout premix 1 – 38 minutes
Saturday – ~~Lower Body Blast~~ Yoga Relax premix 1- 28 minutes

The above workouts that are crossed out are the ones on the actual rotation but I don’t own those so I subbed in ones I have that were similar.

As you can see from above my cat loves the step – he didn’t seem to want to move off of it very much until I started doing some serious jumping on it – which there is a lot of is this cardio blast workout. This workout – Cardio Leg Blast – is a lot of fun and the time flies by. I did manage to complete the entire 56 minutes without collapsing!

I don’t have Pyramid Upper Body on dvd – only VHS and I don’t have that hooked up anymore so I subbed in another workout from the Low Impact Series – Total Body Trisets – Upper Body. The workout consists of a rotation of 3 different exercises for 3 different muscle groups like back, bis and core that you do 2 sets of. I like this workout because it is effective and it uses the exercise ball with weights which I really like a lot. One of my favorite core exercises is the ball exchange as seen in the lower right photo.

Rockout Knockout is a new Cathe workout that I just got back in October of 2013. I don’t own the MMA boxing so I subbed in this one. I really like this one but by the end of the week I was tired and just couldn’t bring myself to complete the entire dvd which is 55 minutes long so I did premix 1 which is 38 minutes and is the cardio kickbox and the cardio kickboxing with weighted gloves for the second half. As you can see I had a little workout buddy again that didn’t want to move so I had to workout around him. You would think with all the kicking and punching I was doing he would get nervous and move but not him…He did decide to get up toward the end when I had to do pendulum kicks (side to side). I guess he thought I might get him then with my foot. I really like this workout and how it gets your heart pumping and you sweat a lot. It is a lot of fun with the various kick and punch combos.

I broke in a new pair of shoes this week. I actually got them a couple of weeks ago but hadn’t wore them yet. They are Nike trainers. They are the same style as my other Nike trainers but a different color. It is amazing how after wearing these I realize how much my others have wore down (the inside cushioning, support) after only about 8 months. I don’t want to give up my old ones yet though as I like the color combo and they are so comfortable. I will probably alternate wearing them along with the Sketchers Go Fit shoes I got a couple of months ago and these new trainers. I am getting to have quite the fitness shoe collection it seems. I try and get them on sale though and for these new Nikes I had a $10.00 off coupon.

Well, next week will be week 4 of the April rotation of Cathe Friedrich workouts for me. I may have to take a day or two off or sub in a couple lower impact workouts after Wednesday because I am having a root canal that day – not looking forward to that… What are your workout plans for next week? Click on Leave a Reply and let me know – I’d love to hear about them.

Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise

Tags: Cathe workouts, exercise ball, exercise cat, fitness, new nike trainers, step workout, weekly workout, working out, workout routine, workout schedule, workouts

Working Out Week 2 of 2014

January 11, 2014 kimberlee 2 Comments

This week was the start of my new workout challenge with my facebook challenge group for P90X3. This a 90 day challenge using the P90X3 program from Beachbody.

I chose to do the Lean schedule for the program. There are 4 different programs to choose from using the various 16 dvd’s that come in the set. The programs are: Classic, Lean, Mass, or Doubles. Most of the people in my group are doing the Classic or the Lean schedule.

For the Lean schedule the workouts you will use for the first three weeks are:

Day 1 – Accelerator
Day 2 – The Warrior
Day 3 – X3 Yoga
Day 4 – CVX
Day 5 – Isometrix
Day 6 – Agility X
Day 7 – Rest or Dynamix

All of the workouts are 30 minutes long. A very reasonable time that is easy to fit into your schedule. The workouts are not easy, by any means. I am glad they are challenging – that is why I like to do a variety and try new workouts – to give me more challenges.

I think that out of this weeks workouts I have two favorites – CVX and Isometrix. CVX is a cardio workout done with a dumbbell – I used 5 pounds. Isometrix is a yoga type of workout done in bare feet where you hold each pose for 45 seconds. That may sound easy but trust me it is very challenging. Especially one of the poses on one leg with your eyes closed. Try that for 45 seconds – you are sure to wobble. There is also a one hand downdog called “bound downward dog” I believe and it is hard – my hand sweats and that causes me to slip on the mat.

Below are some of the other photos from the workouts. I didn’t take any from the CVX day as it was faster paced and I wanted to learn the moves.

Accelerator is a fun cardio workout that had me sweating a lot. The donkey kick thing at the end was pretty hard.

Warrior was the workout for day 2 and another good heart pumping cardio workout.

Day 6 was Agility X and probably my least favorite. This is a pure cardio workout that has you sweating a lot. You have to have tape on the floor to mark where you jump, step, etc. My cat really liked the tape on the floor. He was either scratching at it or sitting in between the two pieces of it as seen in the one photo where I am doing the cooldown at the end. This workout will be a challenge for me to learn the moves and get better at it.

I am thinking I am going to take the rest day tomorrow instead of doing the optional Dynamix. I have already done the Dynamix workout about a week or two ago and I know I like it but Sunday is usually a rest day for me.

This information is my own opinion. I am not affiliated with this program I am just sharing my weekly workout and my experience with it.

Have a great weekend!

Kimberlee

Categories: Exercise Health

Tags: fitness, fitness routine, weekly workout, workout schedule, workouts, yoga

Workouts Week 51 of 2013

December 21, 2013 kimberlee

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:

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

Categories: Exercise Health Recipes

Tags: cardio, exercise, fitness, fitness program, weekly workout, workout routine, yoga