Tag: workout with weights

Working Out Week 46 of 2014

The workouts I chose to do this week focused on weights and then yoga on non weight days.  Workouts were as follows:

  • Monday – Cathe High Reps Upper Body Premix – 39 min.
  • Tuesday – off
  • Wednesday – Cathe – Drill Max Total Body Mix – 52 min.
  • Thursday – Shiva Rea AM Daily Energy – 28 min.
  • Friday – Cathe – High Reps Lower Body Premix – 35 min.
  • Saturday – Shiva Rea AM Daily Energy – 28 min.

Cathe High Reps Workout

The Cathe High Reps workout dvd is a total body workout with weights and you do a lot of reps of the same exercise but with some count variations or holding.  The workout has several premixes and I did the upper body premix on Monday and the lower body premix on Friday, so I used this dvd twice this week.  You definitely feel this workout the following day – excellent for muscle conditioning.

Cathe Drill Max

Drill Max is an older Cathe dvd and is another total body conditioning workout.  It actually has cardio mixed with various drills of weights but there is a premix that is called Total Body that I used which is just the weights and no cardio.  You can see my personal trainer – the cat – cheering me on while sitting on my workout step in the one photo above.

ShivaRea AM Daily Energy Yoga

I used the same yoga dvd twice this past week – the Shiva Rea AM Daily Energy.  I did different sequences on the dvd – on Thursday I did the Core Awakening and Body Mandala and had both of my cats join me for that one – they were both waiting for me on either end of the mat before I started.  On Saturday I did the Vira and Shavasana sequences.  I love starting my Saturday morning with a little yoga early in the morning.

Oatmeal with Cranberry Sauce and honey

I have been buying fresh cranberries in large quantities lately from Aldi since they are so inexpensive there.  Anyhow.  I made some cranberry sauce the other day and have enjoyed it a couple of times this past week in my morning oatmeal with a little honey.  It is a great way to start the day and the oatmeal keeps me full for hours.  Also, it has been quite chilly here in Texas this past week and having something warm for breakfast is important on chilly days, in my opinion.

CranApple Juice with cider spice and honey
Fresh Cranberry Apple Juice with 1/2 tsp cider spice mix and 1 tsp manuka honey

I have been using my juicer but not quite as much this week – probably due to the colder weather.  I did decide to heat up a juice I made with fresh cranberries and apples and then add some cider spices and a teaspoon of manuka honey – it was a delicious warm drink on a cold day.  Also, the whole combination made me feel very healthy.

As the holiday are quickly approaching I am going to try my best to workout at least four or five days per week.  I am thinking of cutting back to four for the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas just because there is so much going on between family, church, friends, baking, cooking and shopping.  I have decided that I can’t do it all, all of the time.  Therefore I may even skip a week of my weekly workout post if I am just too busy – I am sure everyone can relate.

Weekly Fitness Tip:  Change your schedule or routine as needed

– This is a busy time of year – don’t completely quit working out but adjust your schedule to fit in at least a few workouts per week or maybe two 10 minute workouts per day – one in the morning and one in the evening

– Do circuit training or Hiit – high intensity interval training – to get the most out of your workouts in a short amount of time

– Working out will help you deal with the stress of the holidays better and keep you focused on being healthy during this time of year

– Remember to include some yoga or stretching workouts to de-stress and balance you

I hope everyone had a great week and is staying warm – winter seems to have come early in most parts of the United States this past week.  Let me know what your workout plans are for the next week or for the Thanksgiving holiday week coming up.

– Kimberlee

 

Working Out Week 42 of 2014

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Well, another week has flown by.  I can’t believe we are more than halfway through the month of October.  This week my workouts were:

  • Monday – Cathe Friedrich – Rockout Knockout – 38 min.
  • Tuesday – off
  • Wednesday – Cathe – Greatest Hits Step bonus circuit workout – 45 min.
  • Thursday – Cathe – Lean Legs & Abs – 37 min.
  • Friday – Cathe – Great Glutes – premix 4 – 46 min.
  • Saturday – Shiva Rea Yoga – AM Energy Vira Flow + Shavasana – 26 min.

All of the workouts this past week were with my Cathe Friedrich dvd’s that were part of a series I bought last fall.  The exception was my Saturday workout which was a yoga workout using one of my Shiva Rea dvd’s.  I love doing yoga on Saturday mornings.

Cathe Greatest Hits Step workout

The Greatest Hits Step workout is a combination of several different Cathe step workouts and compiled together on the one dvd.  The premix I did on Wednesday also used some weights mixed in with step cardio – the cat joined me for most of the workout.  He was either on or next to the step.

Lean Legs and Abs workout

Lean Legs and Abs dvd is one of my favorites.  Even though most of the emphasis is working out the legs and core you still work the upper body a little with having to use the 8 pound dumbbells and doing a lot of compound moves.

Great Glutes workout

The day after Lean Legs and Abs I did the Great Glutes workout.  This really works your back side and the hamstrings.  I was definitely feeling it by the end of Friday and into Saturday morning (and into the day Saturday).   The workout uses minimal equipment and is a combination of light cardio and toning moves that use the 8 pound dumbbells.  The cat of course was around to supervise my form.  I think he is scared of the new rug I bought for the room though as he won’t walk on it.

Juicing book

I bought this new Juicing book a couple of weeks ago at Barnes and Noble in the sale section.  I think it was $10.00.  There are lots of great recipes in this book and I have made at least a dozen of them in the past week.  I like how the book is set up – it is alphabetized by the name of the fruit or vegetable and gives at least  two recipes per one fruit or vegetable.  There are also color photos – not of every recipe but at least one or two per page.  I have been trying to make up about three or four recipes every other day and store them in mason jars in the refrigerator so I only have to get the juicer out once a day or once every other day.  This is a real time saver.  It is also helpful to label the juices and put the name and page number of the recipe so you can remember what it was and note if you like it or not.

Peach Spice Pie Juice

The above recipe was from the book and called Peach Spice Pie.  It was just a peach and 3 carrots juiced and then you sprinkle a little cinnamon on the top.  I LOVE this recipe.  It is very good!  I always feel so healthy and energized after drinking a juice each morning, too.

Orange Beet Juice

The other recipe I just made this morning from the Juicing book was called Orange Beet.  It is made with the ingredients of the title – 2 oranges and 1 beet.  In the one I made my beets were sort of small so I used 2 oranges, 2 small red beets and 1 small golden beet.   I love how you can add or take away something from the recipes to create something a little different.  This juice here had an earthy flavor to it because of the beets in it.  I also felt so great after drinking this juice.  Fresh juices are really the way to better health, I think.

I also finally tried a juice with some red cabbage in it.  The verdict is still out on that one.  It is okay but not one of my favorites.  I think I will have to try it again in a different combination of ingredients to determine if I like the red cabbage.  The juice was a really pretty color though.

I have fallen of the green smoothie challenge I was doing.  I think I had a few at the beginning of the week but I am really into juicing lately and not so much the smoothies.  I did try to drink at least one “green” juice a day for an afternoon snack to make up for not having the green smoothie – so I am thinking I didn’t completely drop out of the challenge.  I am just having a green juice instead of a smoothie.

Fit Tip of the Week – Eat Well for Better Health

– try out some new healthy recipes

– go to the library for some healthy cookbooks or magazines – or look up some recipes on pinterest

– make it a goal to eat only whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein and limit sugar, caffeine and avoid alcohol for at least 5 days and notice how much better you feel

– try out juicing to see all the health benefits

– try out green smoothies to increase your daily intake of greens and fruits

I hope everyone is enjoying the nice fall weather in their area.  It is finally cooling down here and the past few days have been beautiful.

Have a great weekend!

-Kimberlee

Working Out Week 31 of 2014

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This week was a shorter workout week for me.  We went on a three day trip down to San Antonio, Texas to see the Alamo and stay in the Riverwalk area and do a few things with the kids before school starts back.  It was a nice trip and a beautiful area but I am also thankful and glad to be back and home and in a routine.

My workouts this week were:

  • Monday – Ride Bike + Yoga – 38 min.
  • Tuesday – off – driving to San Antonio – walking once got there to Alamo and 1 mile to eat dinner
  • Wednesday – a lot of walking around San Antonio
  • Thursday – off – driving back from trip
  • Friday – Jari Love – Ripped and Chiseled workout – 40 min
  • Saturday – Ride Bike + Yoga – 33 min.

The middle of the week I didn’t do any set or scheduled workouts but I did a lot of walking on Tuesday and Wednesday around the Riverwalk in San Antonio.  We stayed right down on the Riverwalk so everything was close by and in walking distance.  The first day there we walked down to The Alamo which was about two or three blocks away and I think we had to walk almost a mile one way to eat dinner that night.  Lots of complaints from the kids on that one but I told them this way we could walk off our dinner on the way back to the hotel.

Alamo Mug trip souvenir

 

Alamo Mug and beads from trip to San Antonio

The photo above is of the mug I got from the Alamo gift shop and the beads I got in the clearance bin for $2.00 a strand at a little shop in the other direction from our hotel.  The shops were called the Shops of LaVillita and they were these cute small little boutiques and art galleries that you don’t see in the mall or just on any street corner.  I thought I would make some knitting stitch markers with the beads or maybe a bracelet.  I really like the mug as it is a nice shape and I like the art work and wording on it – it says Remember the Alamo on the bottom and the year 1836 on the mug and the handle.

Fountain at the Shops at LaVillita in San Antonio

My son and his new hat from LaVillita Shops in San Antonio

The two photos above are of me and my oldest son – this was our little shopping trip to the Shops at LaVillita on Wednesday.  He found this hat in one of the shops and wanted it.  I told him he could get it if he intended to wear it more than twice.  He says he will.  He is driving now so I told him it could be his driving hat.  The other photo is of me in front of this pretty little fountain in front of a quaint cafe.  I wanted to take my sons photo in front of the fountain but getting him to have his picture taken is difficult.  I barely got the one in the hat.  He will probably be mortified when I tell him I put it on my blog…

Riverwalk San Antonio, Texas

 

Riverwalk San Antonio, Texas

 

Riverwalk San Antonio

The above photos are of the Riverwalk area.  It is really neat how all of these hotels, restaurants and shops are on either side of the river.  You can take a river boat tour which takes you on a 30 or 40 minute ride with a guide but we didn’t end up going on that.  My one son observed that it might be costly for the five of us and also the boats don’t go very fast and you could probably walk along side one and hear what the guide says, is what one of my 13 year old son’s told me.  He is kind of right.  I really enjoyed just walking the area and seeing the ducks and other birds and all of the green foliage that borders the sides of the river.  It is pretty open and easy to get around during the day but it gets pretty crowded in the evening with everyone going to eat at the restaurants.

Jari Love Ripped Workout

 

So back to the regular routine of workouts on Friday.  I decided to do an older Jari Love workout that is called Ripped and Chiseled.  It is a weight training workout and it is very high reps.  I had forgotten how hard this one is and the results you feel later on in the day and the next day, too.  The whole dvd is about 60 minutes and I choose to do about 40 minutes of it.  The reps are high but you don’t get too bored with the exercises because she varies the count and does single, 2 -2 count, 3 and 1 count and 4 and 1 count.  My legs, arms and upper back are feeling this today.

I have decided that with my weekly workout post I am going to start including some tips for success in working out on your own, or anywhere really.  These are tips from me, a real person and mother of three sons – I am not nor have I ever been a professional fitness trainer or belonged to a gym.  I just choose to be healthy and workout and do my workouts at home – on my own – making my own schedule.

Fitness Tip for the Week – Commit to exercising starting now!

-Schedule you workouts for at least 4 days per week for 30 minutes or more per day and you will see results – maybe not overnight but within 3 to 4 weeks.

-Start out small in the beginning – just go out for a walk or ride your bike or do some stretches or yoga.  There are lots of free videos on You Tube or you can go to your local library and check out dvd’s or books on working out – that is how I started out years ago – by utilizing what my library had to offer.  There are also lots of great routines and information on workouts on pinterest.

Well, I hope everyone is having a good weekend.  It looks like it is going to be a pretty nice day here today so I may be doing some swimming this afternoon for a little extra workout.

Have a great weekend!

Kimberlee