Transforming Violets in June!!!

BelovedHeather

Cathlete
Welcome to June, Violets! I am ready to rediscover the joy of the journey this month. I just flipped my Cathe calendar, and I am doing the happy dance too! The dawn of a new month is a blessed time for a fresh start.

This joyful journey is about so much more than shrinking into a smaller size. It is about being transformed from the inside out and celebrating positive life changes and transformations of all kinds. If anyone else wants to join us, please feel free. We are a small but fun and friendly group.

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
Heather: So what kind of goodies (work outs) do you have lined up for this month? }(

Today is Tone It Up, chin ups, push ups & ab work for me!}(

Have a great afternoon everyone!
 
Good Morning.

Today is my choice of a leg work out and a run at the gym.

Tonight I am going out for dinner and drinks with a couple of friends. :9 }(

Have a great day!
 
June is off to a clean and refreshing start. After my quiet time yesterday morning, I enjoyed Stretch Max. Friday is my planned rest day. It is a good thing because I did not get to sleep until 2:00 a.m.

This was a delightful day! I am rediscovering the joy of the journey and loving the glorious freedom I am experiencing once again. I feel light and free in my spirit!

After my quiet time this morning, I got my Cathe fix. I finally bought the Body Blast Series on DVD. I opened my new DVDs this morning and did the cardio conditioning premix from Kick, Punch, & Crunch followed by the weights add-on, abs, and stretch from Step, Jump, & Pump. Fun, fun, fun! I ordered the Intensity Series on DVD Friday with a pink and white Cathe “embracing the challenge” baseball tee in a size large. I have a pair of size 12 jeans that are the same shade of pink. It is more encouraging for me to look forward to a goal outfit instead of focusing on the scale. Of course, I am a long way from a size 12!

I met a Cathe forum member this morning! I have been checking in with Jean (dreamyjeanie) for over a year, and it was such a delight to spend time with her this morning. She asked if we could meet for lunch, and I suggested a trip to the zoo instead. We walked over 2 miles this morning and had a great time. I am feeling much better about the Road Trip after my visit with her. I added a picture of us to my PictureTrail. I have been battling the temptation to get this weight off at any cost since I signed up for the Road Trip, but I am not willing to go there. I want to do this the right way this time. It is not worth it to lose a chunk of weight only to regain it after the big event. I decided to share my picture now and get that out of the way so I can look forward to the Road Trip without feeling anxious about being seen. Any progress I make will look better in comparison. No more pressure. I started over yesterday morning and returned to what worked for me in the beginning. I am still fat, but I am free! Hopefully, I will not be hauling a size 22 butt to Jersey in August. It will be fun to see Jean again in August and meet all my friends who are attending the Road Trip.

I took a long nap this afternoon, woke up feeling refreshed, and shared my heart and pictures in Open Discussion. I have shared my story in the check-ins before, but I am usually more reserved in that area. It feels good to reach the place where I am no longer defined by the size of my clothes or the number on the scale or what people think of me. That picture represents the way I look right now, but it does not define who I am. I am not what I weigh. I am not the size I wear. I am who God says I am. I am more than a conqueror. Glory!

I went to the worship service tonight. We had a favorite guest speaker who delivered a powerful message on surrender that affirmed everything the Lord has been teaching me this week. He was the pastor of a church in Israel for years. He always blesses me. It gives me glory bumps when he opens the assembly by sounding the shofar. Glory!

I made pizza tonight with a whole wheat pita, organic pasta sauce, string cheese, and Parmesan cheese. After eating a little over half of it, I realized that I was satisfied. I gave myself permission to throw the rest away. I do not have to eat everything that is on my plate just because I fixed it. I am returning to a more intuitive approach to eating with boundaries. Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Above all else, I will not be mastered by food or anything else on this earth for that matter.

Wendy, I wish you could have gone to the zoo with us this morning! The animals acted up for Jean! The lions were roaring, the leopard was chewing his tail off, and the otters were getting it on!

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?&p=999&uid=3778596&gid=7800883&&imgid=256958122&offset=0
 
Hi everyone.

Like Heather said, we got to meet each other. It was so cool (see my post on the open forum).

My weekend was busy. We went out of town for a wedding. Did not get as much exercise as I would have liked and ate too much this weekend. I did take my measurements on Friday(although they have probably changed in 3 days LOL), but have not had a chance to compare them to last month's. Will report any changes when I get a chance.

Jean
 
Heather and Jean, That's so great that you girls got to meet! Going to the zoo is so cool! I'm glad you had fun together!:)

On saturday I did GS Legs Timesaver #1 + the inner thigh floor work and then hit the gym and did Itread set 13/30 mins: all sprints!}(

Y'day was my rest day.

Today is Mix It Up, pull ups, push ups and abs and tonight is my final running class.

I have to take DS to the doctor for his 2 yr old check up this morning. I hope they are running on schedule today! Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me girls! LOL

Have a great day!:)
 
After my quiet time yesterday morning, I had a blast with Step Works. I love, love, love this workout from the fun warm-up to the funky cool-down. Figures 8s are among my favorite moves, so I was delighted when Cathe included them. I had fun with the first combination, but I was really flying high during the second combination with the power mambos and the full circle turns. Cathe’s creative choreography makes this workout an hour of non-stop fun. I love the fast pace with just enough teaching time of the combinations. It is not dancy, but it is full of fun moves. Step Works is definitely in the same league with my beloved Rhythmic Step. It is just as much fun and much more intense.

Sharing my picture was a good move. I feel so much freer now. I am finally reaching a place of being comfortable in my own skin. There is something so empowering about facing your fears. Cathe’s step choreography is not a problem for me, and I do not hesitate to modify her impact when needed. I have nothing but positive feelings about the Road Trip now. The anxious part of having people see me for the first time has been conquered, so I can relax and enjoy the journey.

After my quiet time this morning, I did the Kick, Punch, & Crunch/Legs and Glutes premix that combines the kickboxing drills with standing leg work and abs. I was never wild about Legs and Glutes on VHS, but I really enjoyed this workout.

I went to my friend’s cardio boot camp class after work. It was super challenging tonight. I was tired for some reason, but I modified and made it through the whole class.

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
Heather: I am glad a weight has been lifted now that you've shown us your pics and told your story. Thank you for trusting us with all of that. :)

I never went to running class last night. Okay, well I TRIED but didn't make it. LOL I ended up at the gym ATTEMPTING to do an Itread but it was quite warm in their and I felt like I was gasping for air the whole time. I barely eeked out 27 mins of a 40 min work out and had to take many walking breaks to boot. x( Thank goodness my nap time work out went well!}(

Today is easy...Cardio Sculpt Express....30 mins and I'm DONE!:)

I plan to take Joey to the park this morning and have some errands to run as well. Nap time is reserved for my abbreviated work out and the housework that never ends!!!x(

Have a great day ladies!
 
Well I didn't get a workout in today. When my alarm went off I was so tired I just had to stay in bed. I was all achy too. I don't know if its from switching beds by going out of town and back, plus the ar ride. i just don't know. Tommorw I hope I feel like a good work out I need it.

Heather, glad your anxiety is gone. Can't wait to spend some more time wiht you on the road trip.

Wendy, sorry about your gym workout. Hate it when things derail the plan. Wish you were going on the road trip, so I could have the chance to meet you too.

Jean
 
I ended up having to trade in Cardio Sculpt for a leg day today. I have serious DOMS in my back and lats so I decided to lay off the upper body. I will do Cardio Sculpt tmrw instead.

Today I did MIS' warm up and glute/leg section + PLB calf work, stability ball work and stretch. Hurts so good!}(

Jean: I am not an "official" roadtripper but I have a hotel room booked for one night during that weekend in order to be able to meet and hang with folks when you are not doing RT activities!:7
 
After my quiet time this morning, I had fun with Cardio and Weights. My knees were crying this morning, so I may need to take a break from Pit Bull’s cardio boot camp class until I get closer to my goal weight. I am thinking about going once a month to measure my progress. Even with modifications, the class was not as joint friendly last night. Live classes are so unpredictable, and I never know what to expect. It is so much easier to rotate and modify my Cathe workouts because I am familiar with all the moves and know which workouts to avoid doing on consecutive days. Not to mention, I need more pure cardio after work.

Speaking of cardio, I went to the club after work and gave the new cardio equipment a whirl. I started with the arc trainer. Mercy! I lasted 5 minutes then moved to the recumbent bike for 30 minutes and wrapped up my workout with 10 minutes on the elliptical. Pit Bull and the other trainers in the fitness center got a good laugh when I walked out of the cardio room and exclaimed, “That thing burns my butt!” She told me how much she has missed those classic Heather moments. I personally enjoy the elliptical more. The gliding motion is smoother and more fun in my experience. I am concerned that this new machine might be a butt bulker too. I love having a personal LCD TV. Having something to watch makes the time fly, but I quickly changed the channel when I started because I did not want to watch the Food Network and lust after food during my workout! I have always hated cardio equipment and never last longer than a few minutes. I actually enjoyed my workout tonight.

Jean and Wendy, I am so looking forward to seeing y’all in August. Wendy, you might want to confirm your hotel reservations in light of Laura’s thread. I confirmed mine yesterday. The hotel clerk wanted to know all about Cathe. She is amazed that all these people are filling up the hotel for this Road Trip.

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
Good Morning Girls.

I've been bitten by the insomnia bug and therefore have been up since 2am! I am NOT happy and will be ready to pass out by the time I get home from work this morning! ACK!

I am hoping to catch a nap later and still be able to do my work out since it's pretty easy for today: Cardio Sculpt Express and Xflowsion Amazing Abs.

I am on my first cup of coffee and will probably need a dozen more just to get me through the morning!:p }( :7

I have 1.5 weeks left of my SS rotation and have my next rotation ready to roll! I'll be doing a P90 Masters rotation that I found online. Ofcourse I made some small adjustments to it but it's basically a "P90X-lite" rotation. It's set up basically the same way and is 3 months long just like the X but the work outs are not as intense. I don't know if I'll do it for the full 3 months but I am looking forward to trying it!:)

Heather: C&W is a goodie. I am glad you enjoyed it. I have never used an arc trainer but I have used an elliptical. I like the elliptical but don't use it often as I always want to run instead!}( I see you like to use the bike at the gym. I am into spin these days...have you ever tried it?
 
Hi everyone.

This morning was walking only. First 20 min. with Sunshine and then 35 with Breeze. My body woke up all achy again. This time worst than yesterday day. Don't know what's up. Feeling kind of run down and may need to take a nap on my lunch break.

Heather, sounds like you had fun at the gym. Nice to try out the different machines. I'm not sure I know what an ArcTrainer is. I've use elipticals when I used to use the gym regularly.

Wendy, you're doing great with your rotations. Glad to hear you'll be dropping in on the RT. Can't wait to meet you.


Jean
 
Jean: Take it easy if you don't feel right. No need making yourself sick if you can avoid it. Can't wait to meet you on the RT either!:+ :+ :+

I ended up having to nix Amazing Abs today as I didn't have the time for it after my 2.5 hour nap!:eek:! I barely squeezed in Cardio Sculpt Express and BM2 abs but I still got a good work out so I'm happy.

Tomorrow morning is spin and tmrw night is yoga...:)

Nighty-night!:+
 
Spin class was da' bomb as usual...thinking of getting the shoes. There is apparently a bike shop not too far from me where lots of folks in this area go to get spin shoes. Maybe I can check it out this weekend!}(

I traded in my yoga for a visit with my mom tonight. I have yoga now penciled in for sometime this weekend instead. I hope I get to it!

Tomorrow is Tear It Up/push ups and pull ups.

Night!:)
 
Hey all.

My plan had to change due to time constraints. I will do Tear It Up tmrw.

Today I did Cardio Core Express and insereted a home-made 6 round pull up/push up/ab work circuit into it. I hope to hit the gym later this afternoon for a run as well!}(

Ciao Bellas!:*
 
Well, I've tried to post this twice now, but keep getting interrupted. Darn work. LOL This morning I went for a 15 min walk followed by 1 mile jog. Still not feeling like my old self, so I'm just taking it easy. Wish I knew what was up. If it continues I'll set up an appointment to get a physical (about time for one anyway) and see if my blood work shows anything like low iron or something. It's probably just lack of quality sleep. I've started waking up multiple times during the night for no reason.

Wendy, enjoy your run tonight and Tear It Up tomorrow. Hey did you finish all you PT testing and if so have you heard back yet?

Heather, hope your week is going well.

Jean
 
I have been too tired to check-in this week, so this is a summary of my week since my last check-in on Tuesday.

After my quiet time Wednesday morning, I did Kick, Punch, & Crunch. I wanted to jog in the pool at the club, but I bounced on my rebounder after work instead.

After my quiet time Thursday morning, I did Step, Jump, & Pump. It is one of my favorite workouts, but I was too tired to enjoy it. I had to push myself through it. I am not fueling my body properly. My eating has been moderately clean all week, but it has not been balanced. I have not been eating enough complex carbs for the extra cardio. Because I have been too tired to plan menus, go grocery shopping, and pack my meals and snacks, I have been flying by the seat of my pants with my eating this week. I need my steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast, pinto beans and brown rice or a baked potato for lunch, and lima beans or corn for dinner as well as a mid-afternoon snack. My body thrives on whole grains and starchy veggies. With the Texas summer heat, I need to drink more spring water too. I may need to start taking vitamins again as well. My clothes are fitting much better after a week of consistent workouts, but I am having an energy crisis.

I received my package from Cathe Thursday afternoon with the Intensity Series on DVD and my pink Cathe “embracing the challenge” baseball tee. It is the smallest size large I have ever seen! There is no vanity sizing here! I ordered this to wear with a size 12 pair of pink jeans. This is my goal outfit. My ultimate goal is a size 8, but I will be jumping for joy when I fit comfortably into a size 12 again.

I went to the club Thursday night and pushed myself through 30 minutes on the recumbent bike. Rebecca showed up and talked me through the last 20 minutes.

Friday was my rest day, so I enjoyed the stability ball segments of Total Body Stretching after my quiet time. I also enjoyed a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with natural peanut butter and raw honey for breakfast. Yummy! I had more energy throughout the day.

Tammy (oldfirmie) called me Friday night for the first time. I had fun listening to her New York accent.

This was an interesting day. I spent over 2 hours on the phone this morning resolving a problem with my internet service (that should have been fixed after countless phone calls last month). I kept praying for someone like Nancy in Cathe’s customer service department to answer my call and help me. A nice guy named Brent came to my rescue. He thanked me first for maintaining such a positive attitude. I had been transferred to the wrong department once again, but he kept me on the line, called the right department, took care of this issue once and for all, reported back to me, and gave me a permanent discount rate! Praise God that my patience and gracious response was rewarded! Of course, the Holy Spirit had a few hours while I was on hold to give me a divine attitude adjustment because my initial reaction was not so lovely!

I am not an afternoon girl, so I took a short nap and waited until 5:00 p.m. to start my workout. I enjoyed the Kick, Punch, & Crunch cardio conditioning premix followed by Supersets. I am a morning glory girl all the way, and I am so glad I had fun workouts planned for today!

This was actually a victorious day for me. I did not run to fun for comfort when I was stressed out over the customer service issue, and I persevered through my planned workout even though I enjoy Cathe more in the morning. I did not get to the club for my bonus cardio, but I am still calling this a good day!

After a nice phone conversation with Mom, I got dressed to run a few errands. My jeans that I just bought Memorial Day weekend are more comfortable around my hips, and the tee shirt that was too tight to wear in public a week ago fits beautifully now. I am getting smaller!

I went to the bookstore while I was out and spent some time skimming through several diet and nutrition books. I was fascinated by the comments about cardio and carbs for women my age. A cardiologist in Florida agrees with my doctor.

My body needs time to rest and recharge for the extra cardio I am adding to my rotation. I need to focus on getting to bed earlier and blessing my body with more sleep. That is my goal for next week.

I am hoping for a restful Sunday. Have a delightful and blessed day!

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
Hi girls.

Jean, I am STILL not done with my p/t exam. I am soooo dragging my feet on it! LOL I am supposed to be crackin' down on it today though so hopefully I will get MOST if not ALL of it done this afternoon. :)

Heather, I have been trying to avoid ordering a Cathe Tshirt but they are sooo cute that I think I am going to have to after reading your post. The one you ordered sounds adorable!:)

I completed Tear It Up as planned y'day but the run had to be nixxed due to time constraints. I did 1/2 of Cardio Intervals instead. Today is my rest day but I plan on doing some yoga later. :)

Have a great day ladies!
 
Just wanted to come back to say that I FINALLY completed the practical portion of my PT exam! All I've got left to do is make grammatical type corrections to the essay portion, get the video transferred onto DVD and then I can send it in! WOOH!:7 :7 :7
 

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