Buff Badgers Week of Feb. 6

[heartymax]

It's Monday again already! The weekend goes by so fast. Saturday was Cardio and Weights premix of Body Max 2---thank you Sam for telling us about that one. I have never done that premix before. This morning was the beginning of Meso 2. Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. The challenge will be that the leg workout is now in the middle of the week. In Meso 1, legs was on Friday but I opted to do cardio on Friday and I was doing legs on Saturday so i could rest on Sunday. I guess I better get some low impact cardio lined up for Thursdays.

Yesterday, I went to Dicks Sporting Goods to try out some ellipticals. Then I came home to get DH and DS13 so they could try them out too. We tried out the Sole and LiveStrong. DH and DS both like the Sole. We tried out the E25, E35 and E95. They didn't have the E55 on display but I have done some research on that one too. They are having a sale and free shipping. Sole has better reviews than the Livestrong. DH needs to start back exercising so I am thinking of making the purchase---OUCH! I have to do some more reading online. Funny----I had DH jump on one of the low end ellipticals that was in the store for the heck of it. That things starting clicking and squeaking right away. He said----I guess you get what you pay for. I love my exercise stuff so he knows I want something relatively good. Our treadmill was a Norditrack. I really want a change from stepping some days so I want something low impact. DH stopped running a few years ago because of the pain. I hoping this will also encouarge him to start back working out. Now to figure out where I am going to put it is another thing. The workout room in the basement has the broken treadmill (which I wonder how long it would take DH to move it) and a very large weight gym that my husband purchase extremely cheap a few years ago from when a gym was getting rid of some old equipment. It is nice but it is HUGE and nearly takes up the entire room. My treadmill is over in the corner and there is plenty of space to move around but not space to put another piece of equipment. I have some open space in the basement but I am not sure if I want it there either. Gotta figure out alot of things.

I didn't watch the super bowl. I watch a lifetime movie instead.

 

[lvnascar]

Morning Ladies,

This morning was STS Disc 4 Chest, Shoulders & Biceps. Push-Up mania in this one, but very proud that I did all the push-ups in this workout on my toes. The only ones I couldn't do where the last set of 21's. Those are always to difficult for me to do on my toes. Sunday was Weider X-Factor ST: Week 6 & 5 (6 is another good one will have the breakdown soon). Saturday I was in the mood for some Jillian, so I did 30 Day Shred Level 1, and then pulled out Tae Bo II Get Ripped Basic with weighted gloves.

heartymax, WTG on the workouts, and welcome to Meso 2. I don't really enjoy endurance work to much, so I'm looking forwad to getting to M2. Sounds like you had some fun looking for an elliptical that you all will enjoy using. I also have a broken treadmill, sure wish is was functioning.

Have a great day!

 

[MKEMom]

Good morning! I had a great weekend. Susan, I thought of you and did LOTS of cleaning on Saturday, mostly in the kitchen. I reorganized the pantry, put my magazines in files; it was great... but now I feel an overwhelming need to organize the rest of the house I've also been spending waaay too much time on Pinterest, which makes me want to DIY every room in the house.

Friday I did TA Mat (Kineticflix).
Saturday I did Step Jam (also KF). This was my first "vintage" Cathe workout. I loved it! I may have to buy the classics Cathe has available.
Sunday I did TA Mat again and a segment of Yoga Max later. I really like Mat. I think I'm going to hang onto it for awhile and try doing it several times a week. The standing arms are unbelievably hard! I've always struggled with endurance-style workouts, so this could be good for me.

ETA: All that mindless chatter and I forgot to mention that I did LIC Step Express Premix #1 this morning.

I also previewed a TurboFire workout from KF. I'm not even going to do it. It looked like something I might do on a summer afternoon if I was really in a good mood. Now, in the doldrums of winter, when I'm working out at 4:30, it's just not going to happen, way too frantic. KF is already paying off-- I had been reeaaallly interested in shelling out the $130 for the set, and now I know I'll never do that.

Heartymax- Good luck in all your rearranging and fitness purchases. I sometimes wish I had a functioning cardio machine. We have a really cheap elliptical that got us through apartment life when I didn't have the room to do videos, but I think it's seen its day.

Laurie- Wow I am incredibly impressed with your push-up ability. After a full year of working out with Cathe, I cannot do more than two or three push-ups on my toes, and most of the time they are not full push-ups. I've been practicing, though. I'd like to be able to bang out at least a few on my toes on the road trip.

I inexplicably dropped a couple pounds even after two or three days of poor eating. I'm starting to wonder if the days I think I'm being "good" I'm not eating enough. Or, if it's jsut that whole concept of calorie-staggering. Back when I was on WW, I used to calorie-stagger and it worked really well. Hmmm... Anyway, since I've been eating mostly well and doing a lot of cardio and still hanging on to these last ten pounds, I think I'm going to cut back on cardio and relax a tiny bit with my diet and see what happens. Not that I'll eat junk, but I won't stress about the cheat opportunities that come along.

Whew! I wrote a lot today! Sorry about that Have a great Monday, everyone!

 

[susanz]

Hi there! Well, Saturday I was "stuck" at a basketball tourney and did not get home until 4:30 (left at 7am). His team took 3rd. I then had to do Sunday School prep and did not workout. Sunday I was at the church all morning and cleaning in the after noon. I did take Ruby for a walk/jog during the Super Bowl for 35mn.

This morning I did S90 Legs. I sure love this workout!! I was going to run but was not up to it. DS woke during the night, vomiting, fever, etc. I am not feeling 100% today and neither is DD. I am sitting here at work wishing I was home on the couch Glad I worked out when I did!

Heartymax, glad you are having fun looking for an elliptical. There are so many choices out there now! It is nice that they are not an overly large machine, but you still need room!

Sam, congrats on all your organizing! Sounds like you also made time for some great workouts as well. Good for you! Also, way to go on the weight loss! The body sure can be strange? I did not even weigh in the past few days. I hope I will not be discouraged tomorrow!

Laurie, you are the push-up queen! I was doing push-ups with DD yesterday. She needed a lot of help! LOL! I was then trying to teach her plank work. She wants her tummy to be more toned and I was trying to show her different things she could do.

Have a good day everyone! Hope you all stay healthy~ susan

 

[shakeubooty]

Heartymax - I would have a similar problem if we were to buy a treadmill. We don't have a full basement because we live in a bi-level so my workout area is not very big. When the kids finally leave the nest I'd like to convert one of their bedrooms into a workout room. That's my dream anyway.

Laurie - Pushup Mania does NOT sound like fun! I used to be better at pushups but now that I have more weight to "push" I don't do as well.

Sam - Great job on the pounds lost! I'm not disciplined enough to calorie stagger. I signed up for Pinterest but haven't checked it out yet.

Susan - Sorry to hear DD is sick. The healthroom lady at my DD's school told me she had more kids sick on Thursday (when my DD came in) than the whole rest of the week. Seems like everyone is getting sick.

Here's how my weekend went:
Saturday was KCM 30 MTF Step Box Workout #1 with extra dumbbell drills. Sunday was S&H Chest/Back - 2 sets. This morning was S90 Cardio Challenge.

Oh, and I won $50 in a Superbowl pool!

 

[heartymax]

Sue----making any Cathe purchases with your unexpected winnings

Sam---I was able to do push ups on my toes for the first time after finishing Meso 2 for the first time last year. Meso 1 has so many push ups but I did them all on my knees. After that, I tried the 100 push up challenge. You should google it and give it a try. Of course, I could never do 100 push ups but I was happy when what I didn't accomplish. Unfortunately, I didn't keep up with doing push ups weekly and I have lost some strength in that area. I was up to do 30 - 35 push ups and sometimes would do 4 sets of 25. Now I am struggling to push out 12 to 15. I am thinking about doing the challenge again before the summer. Keep at it and it will get better. People always said that to me----but I proved it to myself.

Susan---congrats on the tourney accomplishment! My kids are not playing sports. I don't miss the running around but I do miss cheering them on.

Laurie---I was so tired of the other push ups until I couldn't even think about the pushing out those 21's.

This morning was Low Impact Challenge. That last segment is complex and I just can't seem to get it together. I end up doing my own thing off and on. I added on Jillian's abs.

 

[MKEMom]

Good morning! Today I will do TA Mat again during DS's nap. A really nice thing about that workout is the minimal equipment. The drawback is doing it in my living room where people could look through my window and see the... um... interesting TA-style moves

Heartymax- I've heard of that 100 pushup challenge. I think that might be a good summer project for me. It would be nice to be able to keep up with Cathe and crew. That last combo in LIC is really difficult. I get it about 80% of the time, but only after having done it quite a few times. Someday I will conquer it

Sue- Pinterest is a major time-suck, but I do love it! Calorie-staggering is a lot easier with WW because of the points system, and logging everything on the computer. I lost a lot of weight with WW back in the day, but as soon as I stopped counting points I gained everything (plus more) back. I much prefer the way I do things now. It's not as stressful.

Susan- I hope you've been able to avoid most of the bug that seems to be spreading in your house. Our school seems to be immune from the various sickenesses going around. My fourth graders are as healthy and crazy as ever

Hi Laurie!

Thanks for the congratulations on my accidental weight loss, everyone. I guess I'd rather have unexplained weight loss than gain.

Have a great day!

 

[susanz]

Good morning! Today was the elliptical for 45mn followed by ab work.

Sue, congrats on the winnings! Hey if your team can't be in the Superbowl at least you can win something! Any ideas how to spend the new cash?

Heartymax, Wow that 's a lot of push-ups! A while back I was trying to get better at push-ups and started doing them a lot. Well, my shoulders did not like that and I ended up hurting them. I can only squeak out about 25 on my toes now.

Sam, I am feeling better today. DH works at a school in a different district and he had 5 kids vomiting all over the place yesterday! He is the head of buildings and grounds so his guys have to clean that up! Anyway, glad your school is healthy!

Laurie, I was reading the new Oxygen mag last night and they have a cardio workout that at first glance resembled Cardio Challenge from S90. When I read the article it was that workout and 2 of it's creators were being interviewed. I saw the "bear crawl" and thought to myself: I hate that move!

Have a good day ladies! Susan

 

[lvnascar]

Morning Ladies,

Wow! Go to a meeting in the morning, and everyone is on chatting. I was tired this morning so I'm holding my workouts for after work. Weider X-Factor ST Wk 6, and KCM's TLC Boxing will be the workouts I will be doing.

Sam, Looks like you are having fun with KF workouts. That is really great that you can try them out, I still need to check that web page out. I now have a lap top that I can use. Seems everyone is organizing. I'm not a person that was able to do all those push-ups before, I can only think that these Weider workouts are what has made the difference. Those workouts really concentrate on your core. Interesting on the calorie staggering, I have tried that in the past with good results. Just some of those low calorie days where hard during TOM.

Susan, My dd has a hard time with push-ups also, I always want to help her but she just rolls her eyes. 3rd place is great, to bad you had to be stuck at the tournament though. Oh that bear crawl is one that I don't like either, Jillian does that one a bit different in her Killer Buns & Thigh workout. I actually like her version better. Wonder if those two will be coming out with new workouts? I know that Tom Holland is coming out with a system, don't think it is the same as S90 though.

Sue, Congrats on winning $50! My problem with push-ups has probably been my core, I always thought it was my arm/shoulder strength.

heartymax, My favorite push-up that she does is the staggered. Don't ask my why, but that one is the easiest to do. I had a good time with the Jillian workout I did this weekend. I was surprised that I was sweating doing level 1 of 30 day shred, but then I was going at a much faster pace for the cardio work than the background exercisers.

Has anyone looked at Jillian's new Body Revolution? I'm probably going to get it, but I'm waiting to see if it gets cheaper. I'm horrible! I'm a cheapskate I guess.

Have a great day!

 

[shakeubooty]

Heartymax - Wow! Those are some great pushup numbers! I really hate doing pushups but I do like seeing myself get stronger and being able to do them with less effort. If only you didn't have to keep doing them. I used $10 of my winnings to re-stock our candy jar at work. They wanted me to bring in donuts or something but I do far less damage to my diet with mini Hershey's candy bars (1 or 2 a day) vs. a frosted donut with sprinkles (one of my faves). Don't know what I'll do with the rest of the money. Maybe save it for the next Cathe pre-order which will hopefully be announced soon.*

*I swear I wrote that before I received my Cathe newsletter with her pre-order announcment!

Sam - Sounds like I should avoid Pinterest for now. I have enough other things sucking up my time.

Susan - I hate the bear crawl, too! Am always relieved when that move is over. Yuck on DH cleaning up the puke. Although I cleanup my share of cat puke.

Laurie - I haven't looked at Jiillian's Body Revolution because of the price and waiting for reviews. If it was $20 like S90 I'd jump on it.

I went for a 1 mile brisk walk last night. This morning was S & H Legs but I skipped the calves. Plan to do shoulders tonight and I may do the calves then. My calves are probably the skinniest part of my body so if I can skip anything it'd be calves.. Had a really good eating day yesterday. No processed carbs other than my Fiber 1/Kashi cereal mixture for breakfast. Cooked a turkey burger in a little coconut oil for dinner last night. My body is definitely sensitive to carbs but I LOVE starchy carbs! Not fair.

Off to checkout the descriptions of the new Cathe workouts!

 

[lvnascar]

Morning Ladies,

This morning was STS Disc 5 Back & Triceps and Weider X-Factor ST Wk 6. Forgot to bring my list of exercises on this workout!

Sue, So far from what I have heard about the Jillian workouts they are pretty good. I'm going to wait to see if the price drops though. Not that $9 per DVD isn't bad. I love carbs also, so totally understand. I'm going to hold on the Cathe workouts and see the reviews. I'm still not interested in the workouts that use the slide & glides.

Have a wonderful day!

 

[MKEMom]

Good morning! I did TA Mat last night and Step Heat this morning. What a riot! I love all the goofy stuff Cathe says, "Looks hot!", "Now we're jammin'!", cracks me up. And the outfits remind me of grade school. I also did a Yoga Relax premix last night. I like that one. It gets me all warm and yummy feeling before bed. I feel like I need a good stretch after Mat. My arms burn so much during the arm segments that they actually feel hot to the touch, like I have a fever. It's nuts.

Sue- Providence! How did you know about that presale before everyone else I'm sure I'll preorder, but I think I'll wait a bit since the road trip has put a bit of a hole in our budget. Plus, I'm thinking she'll give us a little preview of the new workouts on the RT. Congrats on the day of good eating. Always feels good. Frosted doughnuts with sprinkles are one of my favorites, also.

Laurie- I think my problem with push-ups has to do with my core and not my chest/shoulders also. I'm working on it, though... even though I'm pretty sure I dislike working abs more than any other body part. ETA: We were posting at the same time again. I just wanted to add that those Jillian workouts look pretty good. $$$$, though! If I were a big Jillian fan, I'd definitely be tempted!

Susan- Oh, yuck! So glad that's not going around here. Although, just when I said our school was pretty healthy, we found out this morning that strep is going around.

So far, this less cardio thing is working out pretty well for me. I feel less hungry, and my weight has stayed low, so even if the dip was a fluke, it's not anymore. I do miss traditional weight-lifting, so I think I'll do Muscle Max this weekend. I also miss intense cardio, so I'm tentatively planning on Afterburn or an Imax this weekend, too.

Have a great day, everyone!

 

[susanz]

Hello! This morning was S90 Back & Bi's with abs. I really love this workout! My arms were shaking so bad!

Laurie, I looked into those Jillian workouts and think I will wait. I do want to pre-order Cathe's new ones though.

Sam, it's funny how our bodies work. If I cut back on cardio, I immediately gain, even if my diet is on point. When I workout I have to keep my heart rate up or my body doesn't respond as well and I gain weight. I love Cathe's oldies too!

My friend at work told me about this Dr. Dukan Diet that was on Dr. Oz I guess. I got his book from the library and may give it a try. It's like every other hi-protein low carb out there. I have to kkep my carbs really low and clean or I can't lose weight! I would like to lose 5-10 before Summer.

Hope everyone has a great day! Susan

 

[shakeubooty]

Laurie - I did Afterburn this morning and was able to modify the exercises using the slide & glides. It's such a pain to pull up about 9 puzzle mats and re-assemble when I'm done so I didn't even bother getting them out. $9 per dvd isn't bad at all. Guess I didn't realize Jillian's new series had that many workouts. I haven't pre-ordered the new Cathes yet but I probably will.

Sam - Now we'll be pumping you for even more information after the Road Trip! Yes, I'm sure she'll preview the new workouts. I wonder when she's filming? My guess is after the Road Trip but you never know. I also hope some people are wrong with their pessimism that we won't see these workouts until Fall. She's doing exactly what I hoped she'd do and release a couple at a time rather than waiting for a whole series to be made. Yes, Step Heat is a riot.

Susan - Boo! to low carbs. You're right but I just hate that I can't eat carbs like I used to.

Did S&H Shoulders this morning and 20 min. of Afterburn. AB is one tough workout! I'll definitely have to do that one again soon.

 

[heartymax]

Sue---afterburn is a killer workout. I requires a bit of breaks for me too.

Susan---I would love to drop about 5 to 8 lbs for summer vacation so I won't have to lose any when I get back.

Sam----that is so funny about your warmness after doing Yoga Relax. I just can't get into the yoga. I have both of them and have tried a premix on one.

Laurie---I am going to hold on the Cathe pre-order as well. I know I said that last time and ended up order.

I didn't workout yesterday. I went to the doctor and weighed 144lbs (no shoes). It is comforting to know that my scale at home is pretty accurate. I weigh 143.8 before leaving home so at least I know the scale is good. I guess Cathe has been keeping me in pretty good shape because for the last several years I have weighed about 142 to 144 when I go to the doctor. I look "skinny" when I get under 140 but I would love to get maybe to about 138 for summer vacaton. 140 is my true idea weight a few years ago----but I know that has been difficult for me to maintain in my 40's. I am 5 ft. 7 and it is funny how I used to wear a size 8 at 140 pounds and I now I wear a size 6. Strength training is definitely the key.

Have a great day everyone. Oh yeah---I almost forgot---this morning was STS Legs first one in Meso 2. It was a short 48 minute workout so I liked that.

 

[MKEMom]

Good morning! No workout yet. I will do TA Mat yet again this afternooon during DS's nap. If I'm not in the mood to work out for an hour I still have those Meta DVDs lying around that I have to send back to QVC. I could try one of those instead. Hmmm....

Hearty- Your weight stays very steady! It's great that you're able to be so consistent. I'm at about 138 now, but I'm also 3 inches shorter than you I'd really like to get down to 130 for the summer, but I'm not sure if that's ideal for me or not. I've also noticed how much smaller I am now than when I was a similar weight. When I just did Weight Watchers and wasn't really exercising I carried my weight much differently and I definitely didn't look as good. Strength-training is like the fountain of youth for me.


Sue- Afterburn grows on me the more I do it. I like the music, too. There are some moves I absolutely dread, like those spiderman mountain climbers. I should try doing them without the discs; they'd probably be easier for me.

Susan- Yes, I remember hearing about the Dukan Diet when the royal wedding was happening. I seem to remember it being more restrictive than, say South Beach, but I don't remember all the details. I get way too growly without carbs , but I try to limit the white refined ones as much as possible. Pasta is still my big one though. I can't seem to let it go.

Have a great day, everyone!

 

[lvnascar]

Morning Ladies,

This morning was 10 Min. Solutions Knockout Body with weighted gloves.

Sam, I think Step Heat was the first step workout I ever did. I always loved it. I'm a nasty person without my carbs also. Some people need them, and I guess I'm just one of them.

Susan, I have not heard of that diet, but sound like it is something that might not be for me. I have been doing really well with eating for the last five weeks, and have been happy with the way I'm feeling. I have enough time to wait on those Jillian workouts, so I will wait. I am buying her new kickboxing workout though.

Sue, The puzzle mat thing is my problem also. There ae 15 DVD's in that set, but each of the workouts are only 30 min. each. Now you look at all her other DVD's and they can be bought for around that same price, but you get 3-4 workouts on it. I guess that is what makes me hesitate. How are you liking the SH workouts?

heartymax, You and I are the same height and I have the same problem when getting below 140 lbs. Just wish I was in that area again. Those last 10 lbs are really tough. I love that the next 2 phases of STS are shorter leg workouts. Of course the upper body ones can get long though. I'm almost half way through M1, Disc 6 is tomorrow!

Have a great day!

 

[susanz]

Good morning ladies! Today was S90 Tabata! What a wake-up call that is! Feeling stronger each time I do this one though.

Due to my thyroid problem my weight goes up and down like a roller coaster. It can be hard to manage because the low thyroid doesn't like to burn many calories. I really have to be strict with the carbs and I am hoping by starting a higher protein diet I can get back in that mind set. It takes me about a week or two of no carbs to realize I can live without them.

You ladies have a great day! Susan

 

[heartymax]

Sam--- I have never done South Beach but am familiar with it. However, if the Dukan diet is more restrictive-----I can't even begin to imagine.

Susan---I got a glimpse of the TV this morning when I first got up and saw Supreme 90 infomerical for the first time. I didn't have time to look because It was time for my workout.


Laurie----I don't love Jillian workouts enough to buy a series. I do like what she does for abs....but for Cardio-----I just prefer something a little more intense and not where everyone is working out and not standing around giving directions like Jillian does.

Sue---now that I have the sliding discs, I use them in the other workouts for mountain climbers, burpees and anything else to make it a little easier. I have paid for them so I may as well use them.

This morning was Cardio Blast Premix of Body Max 2. Tomorrow is STS back and biceps and Sunday will definitely be a rest day. I just realized that I forgot to tell everyone that I decided on the Sole E55 elliptical. It is scheduled for delivery next week and maybe DH and DS will put it together next weekend. Everyone in the house is excited about it coming.

 

[lvnascar]

Morning Ladies,

This morning was STS Disc 6 Legs, and Weider X-Factor ST Wk 6. Those two workouts really go well together. The Weider workout has a lot of leg moves in it, so I opted not to do those last few leg exercises in the STS workout. I of course forgot the list of exercises on my coffee table again this morning.

Susan, No wonder you did so well with P90X, that really is a low cardio type of system. Where you eating high protein when you did that rotation? I have a terrible time with no carbs, I start craving them way to much.

heartymax, Congrats on your new purchase! I'm sure that you will get your moneys worth. I understand about the instructor not doing the workout, sometimes I wish the guy in these Weider workouts would keep doing the exercise. His form is way better than any of the background exercisers. I will say that Jillian's form can be horrible.

Have a great day!