Tag: workouts

Working Out Week 22 of 2014

Another week has come and gone and today is the last day of May.  This past week I completed week 4 of the Betty Rocker Spring Challenge and I also did some Exhale Core Fusion dvd’s and a bike ride.  Below is the past weeks workout schedule:

  • Monday 5-26 – Betty Rocker Challenge Wk 4 Day 2 + Foam Roller Stretches – 40 min
  • Tuesday 5-27 – ECF dvd – Yoga Energy Flow – 3 segments – 30 min
  • Wednesday 5-28 – Betty Rocker Challenge Wk 4 Day 3 + Foam Roller Stretches – 40 min
  • Thursday 5-29 – ECF dvd Power Sculpt – 3 segments – 26 min
  • Friday 5-30 – ECF Cardio dvd Pure Intensity – 3 segments – 30 min
  • Saturday 5-31 – Bike Ride + Foam Roller Stretches- 30 min

I really enjoyed the Betty Rocker Challenge for this past month.  The exercises are all body weight exercises that she sends you each week.  There are seven exercises and you do three rounds of the seven exercises.  It takes approximately 30 to 35 minutes to complete a full three rounds for me.  I thought this final week, week 4, was the most challenging and had a lot of hard exercises compared to the other weeks.

Betty Rocker Spring Challenge Week 4  Kimberlees Korner

One of my favorite exercises from this week was called Sit Outs – seen in the lower left photo.  It was tough but a great core workout.  I would challenge myself to see how many I could complete in a minute – I think the most I got up to was 32.  Typically I could do 30 in a minute.

I decided to go back to doing some of my workout dvd’s this past week.  The previous two weeks I had been using some of my workout books instead of dvd’s.  This week I used a few of my Exhale Core Fusion dvd’s.  I love these workouts and I think I own all of the dvd’s in this series.   They are done in your bare feet and are a combination of yoga and pilates moves.  They really transform your body – especially the ab-core area – with some targeted moves that don’t look hard but when you try them you find out they are more challenging than they look.  They also have great exercises for toning the arms and legs, too.

Power Sculpt from Exhale Core Fusion  Kimberlees Korner

Another thing that I really like about the Exhale Core Fusion dvd’s, and I think I mentioned this before in a previous fitness post, is that the workouts are divided into 10 minute segments and you can choose which ones you want to do.  There are typically five or six 10 minute segments on each dvd.  I usually pick three or sometimes four so I do a 30 or 40 minute workout.

Today I did a little bike riding through the neighborhood on a route I like to take that I mapped out a couple of years ago.  It takes me about 20 to 25 minutes to complete the route and then I come home and stretch a little while waiting for my coffee to brew.  It was nice to be out early this morning and enjoy a peaceful bike ride.  I saw a half a dozen or so people walking and it was nice to say Good Morning as I rode by.  I am definitely ready to start incorporating more bike riding in my fitness routine.  I have been riding my bike to the store some but have not been doing my regular biking in the mornings like I did last summer.  It is time to start that again and enjoy being outside in the fresh morning air.

I have also been able to enjoy making salads with some fresh romaine lettuce from our garden a couple of times this past week.  I have not been too successful in the past with growing lettuce but this year it has done pretty good.  It is nice to eat something that you have been able to grow yourself.

What was your workout routine for the week?  Click on Leave A Reply to let me know about it.

I hope everyone had a great week!

Kimberlee

Working Out Week 20 of 2014

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Well, I usually try and get my weekly workout post done on Saturday.  I am a day late this week because of a pipe fiasco that occurred yesterday at our house.  We had a little gardening to do out front of our house and I went out there around noon to help my husband till up the front flower beds and add in some new dirt.  I figured this would take a couple of hours and then I would come in and do my blog post.  Well, I was out there for about six hours instead.  You see – right after I got out there my husband was digging and chopping through some roots from our big Magnolia tree that he thought were causing our front walkway to crack (which they are).  In the process of doing this he hit a pipe that goes to our outdoor sprinkler system and it cracked and started shooting water everywhere.  So, off goes the water for many hours and lots of digging and trips to Home Depot (like 3 or 4) to fix this problem.  Broken pipe in process of repair  Kimberlees Korner

Thankfully my husband is handy and can figure these things out and fix them himself – although I am sure that is not how he planned to spend the entire Saturday afternoon.  There was a point in time, around the third trip and at about 4pm, that he said he may have to call someone – but with some more hard work, a few prayers from me and another trip to the Home Depot he got it repaired and our water was back on.  I was able to finish the garden work while he dealt with the problem and made multiple trips to the store.  We have a rain barrel and I was able to use water from that to get my flowers planted.

So, now on to the workouts I did the past week.  I am still doing the Betty Rocker Challenge and it was week 2 and the beginning of week 3 workouts.  In addition to those I decided to do a dvd free week and use one of my workout books instead.  On the days I was not doing the Betty Rocker exercises I did my Flat Belly Yoga book routine.  Below is my schedule for the week:

  • Monday 5-12 – Betty Rocker challenge wk 2 exercises + foam roller stretches – 40 min
  • Tuesday 5-13 – Flat Belly Yoga book – 20 min
  • Wednesday 5-14 – Betty Rocker challenge wk 2 exercises + foam roller stretches – 40 min
  • Thursday 5-15 – Flat Belly Yoga book – 20 min
  • Friday 5-16 – Betty Rocker challenge wk 3 exercises + foam roller stretches – 40 min
  • Saturday 5-17 – Flat Belly Yoga book – 15 min

Flat Belly Yoga workout  Kimberlees Korner

I really like the Flat Belly Yoga book by Kimberly Fowler.  So does my cat as you can see.  He is all dressed up in a scarf my sons have decided he needs to wear – I don’t think he really likes it that well but puts up with it.  This book is an excellent book, in my opinion.  I got it back in the fall of 2013 and used it for a while then.  I decided this week to get it out again.  All of the routines concentrate on the core and most of the exercises use light hand weights of 2 or 3 pounds.  The exercises are great for strengthening your stomach and back and really lengthen your whole body.  All the exercises are explained well and it is an all color photo book with multiple photos of how to do one particular move.  I like books like that.

Betty Rocker Challenge wk 2 exercises  Kimberlees Korner

Betty Rocker week 2 and the beginning of week 3 challenge was a “challenge” for sure!  There is this skinny sumo move in week 2 that I could hardly get through all of those for one minute.  One minute of doing one particular move does not sound hard until you actually try it.  I really like how this challenge is all body weight exercises and requires no equipment.  I like using my weights, step and other things but sometimes it is a nice change of pace to not have a lot of things to lug out and put away.

I also tried a new healthy muffin recipe this week from Pink Recipe Box.  The recipe is for Healthy Double Chocolate Oat Bran Muffins.  They were really good – made with oat bran and some whole wheat flour so they have lots of fiber.  My oldest son liked them, too.  I also took my friend Karen one when we met on Friday at Starbucks to knit and have coffee and she liked them as well.  I will probably make them again this week.  You can click on the highlighted link and it will take you to the recipe for them.

I hope everyone had a great week and you are able to get in some fitness time for yourself.  I would love to hear about your workouts – you can click on Leave a Reply and tell me about them.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Working Out Week 19 of 2014

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The past week my workouts were a little different than previous weeks.  I mentioned last week that I decided to do the Betty Rocker Make Fat Cry Spring Challenge so instead of doing all workout dvd’s like I normally do I did three days of the Betty Rocker workouts.  The challenge is running from a Thursday to Thursday so I did two days of week 1 workouts and one day of week 2.  My schedule for the past week is below:

  • Sunday 5-4 – rode bike around neighborhood – 15-20 minutes
  • Monday 5-5 – Betty Rocker wk 1 workout + foam roller stretch – 35 to 40 minutes
  • Tuesday 5-6 – Shiva Rea AM Daily Energy Yoga dvd bonus Radiant Heart sequence – 20 minutes + rode bike to store for groceries approx. 2 miles
  • Wednesday 5-7 – Betty Rocker wk 1 workout + foam roller stretch – 35 to 40 minutes
  • Thursday 5-8 – Shiva Rea – More Daily Energy dvd Evolution Heart Flow sequence – 20 minutes
  • Friday 5-9 – Betty Rocker wk 2 workout + slide and glide disc stretch – 35 minutes
  • Saturday 5-10 – Shiva Rea Creative Core Abs – water and spontaneous core sequence – 18 minutes

Bicycle photo - Kimberlees Korner

Last Saturday I was getting my sons’ bikes out and putting air in their tires and decided it was time to start riding my bike again and use it to go to the store to get some groceries.  I usually try and do this every Spring and Summer as it is a great way to get some exercise and be outdoors and it saves on gas, too.  There is a Walmart that I ride to that is about a mile away and they have a bike rack for me to lock my bike up.  I really enjoy riding to the store.  It also kind of limits what you can buy so you only buy what is necessary and not all those extra things that tend to catch your eye.  I can usually get three bags of groceries – large bags that I made myself from fabric – on my bike.

Betty Rocker Spring Challenge  Kimberlees Korner

The Betty Rocker Challenge was a pretty good “challenge” this past week.  All the exercises are body weight exercises.  There are 7 exercises that you do for one minute each and repeat them three times.  I definitely worked up a sweat every day I did those exercises.  My faithful workout friend was usually present to supervise me (my cat).

Week 2 of the Betty Rocker challenge began for me on Friday.  The exercises were similar to last weeks but with some add ons to make them more challenging.   They were definitely more challenging for me.  Especially this one called skinny sumos – by the third round on those I had to slow down to make it through.

Quote from the Betty Rocker Challenge:  “Fit is not a destination – it is a way of life.”  I really like this quote as that is how I look at fitness – as part of my daily routine so therefore it is a part of my life.

foam roller stretch  Kimberlees Korner

After a couple of the Betty Rocker workouts I did a foam roller stretch routine.  I mentioned a month or two ago that I had gotten one of these.  I really like it for lengthening and stretching out the muscles after a workout or even just in the evening while I watch a TV show.  The quad stretch in the upper left photo is great and I also really like the upper back roll out in the upper right corner photo.  The middle photo is a glute stretch – another good one.

ShivaRea AM energy radiant heart bonus routine from Kimberlees Korner

The yoga workouts I chose to do were really good ones.  I didn’t realize it until after I did the Thursday session that both the Tuesday and Thursday routines were “heart” related sequences.  On Tuesday is was the AM Energy Radiant Heart which is actually a bonus on this dvd as it is from the Radiant Heart dvd (one I do not own).  Thursday the session from the More Daily Energy dvd was called Evolution Heart Flow.  Both of these routines had some great heart opening poses and some good hip openers, too.

I made a new smoothie this past week that I just kind of threw together in my Ninja blender.  It was really good in my opinion.  It is made with rhubarb and strawberries.

strawberry rhubarb smoothie  Kimberlees Korner

 

To make this smoothie you will need:

  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup frozen rhubarb
  • 1/2 cup frozen or fresh strawberries
  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1 cup vanilla soy milk
  • 1Tbls Spectrum ground flaxseed with mixed berries Omega-3 & Super Fruits

Place all the above ingredients in a high speed blender and blend 1 or 2 minutes until smooth.  If you use both frozen rhubarb and strawberries this is almost like a strawberry milkshake.

I really like how this smoothie tasted.  It wasn’t too sweet and I love having the rhubarb in it.  I guess if you wanted to sweeten it a little more you could add a spoonful of honey or agave to it.

Rhubarb is really good for your digestive system as well as keeping your skin from premature aging.  It is a good source of vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium, oxalic acid and fiber.  I have been buying it frozen from Kroger.  It is one of the few places I was able to find it last summer.

Let me know how your workouts are going by clicking on Leave a Reply.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and a Happy Mother’s Day!

Kimberlee

 

Working Out Week 17 of 2014

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This week was a really busy week for me – I can not believe it is almost May…  The workout schedule this week was still the Cathe Friedrich April rotation – week 4 of the rotation.  The schedule I completed was as follows:

  • Monday – Athletic Training Leg Cardio Mix -35 min. + Ab Circuits Weights & Plates 19 min
  • Tuesday – All Out Low Impact Hiit (Xtrain series) – 39 min.
  • Wednesday – Legs and Glutes – Great Glutes timesaver 4 – 46 min.
  • Thursday – Cardio Kicks – Cardio Supersets (LIS series) – 41 min.
  • Friday – Power Hour – Circuit Blast – 44 min.
  • Saturday – Yoga Max – premix 1 – 32 min.

The ones listed above that have a strike through are ones I do not have so I subbed in another one that I figured would be similar.  Below are photos from this past weeks schedule:Athletic Training workout  Kimberlees Korner

Ab Circuits & Cat photo  Kimberlees Korner

Monday was the longest session of workouts this past week since there were two on that day.  My cat was once again supervising my efforts.  I guess watching me working out tired him out because after taking my three sons to school I came back home and couldn’t find him – he usually comes out to greet me when I get home from somewhere.  I had not yet put away my fitness gear and went in the living room to do that and here he was sleeping among the weights, discs, weighted gloves and mat.  He just loves those slide and glide discs – every time I have them out he sits near them.

Circuit Blast Workout  Kimberlees Korner

Circuit Blast workout Box Jumps

Circuit Blast is a challenging workout using the long step 4 risers high and doing various cardio, weight and push up circuits for 44 minutes.  I can tell that doing P90X3 and T25 have given me a lot more stamina and strength.  I was able to complete all the box jumps – there are like 12 or 16 in a row – and all the various push up circuits without having to go to the knees like I used to for some of them.  I got a few cool photos of the box jumps too and was able to make the above collage – I thought that was neat.

I had my root canal (first one of those) on Wednesday and that went fine.  I think the anticipation and anxiety over having it done was worse than the actual procedure which took about an hour.  At least my tooth is feeling better now and I can eat on that side of my mouth without it hurting anymore.

I read something I thought was a good quote – motivation from a facebook friends post the other day.  It said:  FIT MOMS:  WE DON’T HAVE TIME, WE MAKE TIME.  Lisa Olson posted this and she has a great facebook page called Live Life Be Active, that I follow.

I feel like the above statement is true for anyone who is committed to working out and making sure they get it done 5 to 7 days a week.  I don’t have an extra hour every day to workout I just choose to get up earlier than the rest of my family and get it done.  I think that everyone nowadays is busy and if you are serious about getting fit and being healthy then you have to make the time to Get IT Done!  Once you make fitness a habit and stick with it that just becomes part of who you are and what you do.  There are a lot of workouts out there that only take about 30 minutes of your time or you can even just start walking for 25 to 30 minutes a day.  My husband has started doing this 10,000 steps a day commitment with a program through his work and I can tell he has lost some weight and he seems to be sleeping better and feel better.  Exercise has so many great benefits.

Well, I hope everyone has had a good week and got in some type of exercise.  I would love to hear about your current workout program – click on Leave a Reply and tell me about it.

Kimberlee

 

Working Out Week 16 of 2014

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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.

cardio leg blast  Kimberlees Korner

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!

Cathe Total Body Trisets Upper Body workout  Kimberlees Korner

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 Workout  Kimberlees Korner

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.

New Nike trainers  Kimberlees KornerI 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

Working Out Week 14 of 2014

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Week 14 of 2014 – and the final week, week 13, of P90X3 is complete for me!  I am so pleased with myself for accomplishing this 90 day program that I began in January of 2014.

The workouts for this past week were only for 5 days and not 6 as in the past.  The final weeks workouts were:

  • Monday – Isometrix
  • Tuesday – Accelerator
  • Wednesday – Pilates X
  • Thursday – X3 Yoga
  • Friday – Dynamix

Below are my final photos from the program:

P90X3 Week13 Isometrix  Kimberlees Korner

I really love the Isometrix workout and I was so glad we got to do that one in the final week.

Accelerator wk13 P90X3  Kimberlees Korner

Accelerator was the final cardio workout for the week.  I have missed doing this one as it had not been in the rotation for the past 4 weeks.

P90X3 Last day photos Dynamix  Kimberlees Korner

Dynamix was the final workout on Friday.  A great total body workout to end the P90X3 program in my opinion.

My overall assessment of this workout program is that it is an excellent program that gives you a wide variety of workouts and you will see results if you stick with it.  I committed and stayed with the program for the full 13 weeks – even taking it with me on my spring break trip – and can tell you I have achieved positive results.  My body is much more toned than it was before.

I have been working out regularly for the past 10 years so I was not going for a total body makeover and weight loss.  My reason for doing this program was because it looked interesting, fun and challenging and it was all of those and more for me.  The program really increased my fitness level and I lost a total overall of 4 1/4 inches.  I don’t own a scale so I don’t know about the amount of weight I lost.  I do know my clothes fit a little loose and I even have a couple of pairs of shorts that were snug around the waist and aren’t anymore.  I have also noticed that my core and back are so much stronger and toned than before and my arms and shoulders are much more defined, too.  My hips have had the greatest weight loss of 1 inch as well as my thighs that have gone down 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch.

This program works – so if you are interested in learning more you can click on the link in the sidebar.  Also, my tips for success in staying with it are:

  • Write down or post the calendar they give you and commit to doing it every day 6 days a week
  • Do your workout out in the morning before the rest of your family gets up – its only 30 minutes so you just set your alarm for 30 minutes earlier and DO IT!  Sleep in your workout clothes if you have to…
  • Get a friend or family member to do it with you and hold each other accountable
  • Join a facebook fitness group and participate in posting your fitness journey – this is a great motivator, in my opinion
  • Make sure you include a healthy eating plan when doing the program for increased success and results

As far as dieting goes I DO NOT diet.  I just choose to workout and eat healthy.  While doing this program I did increase my intake of protein by including protein shakes and foods that are higher in protein.  I also tried to eat a high fiber diet – which is something I try and do anyhow.  I do enjoy eating dessert a few times a week – in small portions.  There are some great websites and recipes you can get from pinterest for healthy foods and meal planning.  If you are going to make the commitment to workout you also need to make the commitment to eat a healthy diet and you will see amazing things happen to your body in 13 weeks.

I read this book recently called “7 Days to a Positive Attitude.”  I got it on sale at Barnes and Noble, it is a Blue Mountain Arts book.  Anyhow – there is a great paragraph in there about half way through the book about measuring your progress:

“It’s easy to get discouraged when you compare yourself to those who seem to have gone so much farther down the road you’re traveling.  Remember that we’re each on our own individual journey to a unique destiny – not competing in a race to see who arrives first.  So measure progress by your own milestones.  Keep your spirits upbeat and your heart full of hope – because you’re on your way to a beautiful destination.”

I really like this quote and I think it just reminds us that each of us is different and that life has its ups and downs.  You need to measure your own progress and results and not compare yourself to others and you will be much more successful in all you do.

Well now that I am done with P90X3 I plan to go back to using my Cathe Friedrich dvd’s and Exhale Core Fusion dvd’s.  I have created a schedule for myself alternating the weeks with them.  I will plan to do P90X3 again in the future but I will probably just make up my own routine using the dvd’s I enjoy the most.  I also realized that in the Lean schedule that I chose to do that two of the dvd’s were not used so I need to go back and try those out sometime in the near future.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Kimberlee

Working Out Week 11 of 2014

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

This past week the schedule was as follows:

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

Since we were out of town I was not able to take any photos the past week of the workouts.  I did take photos of our trip though.  Me&MomDestin,FL 2014  Kimberlees KornerThe weather was nice enough in Destin the first couple of days that we were able to enjoy a little time on the beach.  The above photo was taken by one of my twin sons of me and my mom sitting in a gazebo by the ocean.

Small Shark at Gulfarium   Kimberlees Korner

Hammerhead at Gulfarium  Kimberlees Korner

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

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

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

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

Kimberlee

Working Out Week 10 of 2014

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

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

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

Decelerator wk9 P90X3  Kimberlees Korner

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

Eccentric Lower wk 9  Kimberlees Korner

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

 ECF Pilates Plus thighs&glutes  Kimberlees Korner

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

Sketchers Training Shoes   Kimberlees Korner

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

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

Have a great week!

Kimberlee

Working Out Week 9 of 2014

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

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

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

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

Isometrix wk 8 P90X3

Pilates wk 8 P90X3

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

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

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

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

Quote from Tony Horton book

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

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Working Out Week 8 of 2014

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

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

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

P90X3 warrior wk 7  Kimberlees Korner

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

Yoga wk 7 P90X3  www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

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

Embroidered Tshirt from Kimberlees Korner

The photo below shows a close up of the embroidery:

Close up of Embroidery

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

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

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

Have a great weekend!

Kimberlee