All aboard the X-train!

Came back to the forums this afternoon because of Cathe's announcement. I don't know if I would by the tower but I bet I will like the DVDs!

We live just south of Kansas City. Vacationing in CO is easy for us to do but getting to WY takes so much time. Its beautiful once we get there!

I think the biggest struggle with GF for us has been her age. She is 9 and sometimes gets down and depressed when she has to eat her own food during parties and school events. Luckily at home I have always cooked our meals. I don't serve frozen or take out unless we are really in a pinch for time. It comes down to planning which is easy enough for me to do at home but more of a challenge when we are on the road.

I've never been to Sedona but the pictures look divine!
 
Hi, Ranch Mom! Yes, I thought of you when I saw that Cathe video since you said you wanted more barre workouts. I don't think I would buy that. We have too much equipment as it is and that would take up too much space since our exercise equipment is all in a corner of our TV room.

Well, 2nd night in a row that the dogs have woken me up before time to get up. I forgot to post about that yesterday. One of my dogs (the other one, not the one that was just recently sick) got me out of bed overnight Wed at 1:30 am and 3 am with a major diarrhea issue. It was a wonder I was able to do my weight training with as much power as I could.

Today, he (they?) got me up at 4 am. I'm not sure why because when we got outside, they just walked around and did nothing. All very annoying, but I am so bone tired that I feel it in my blood, even. Weird! I think that means no Tabata for me today. I'm not sure what I will do. Maybe just get some shoes on and walk. It's all up to me to get up and take care of everything since my hubby is out of town on business.
 
OK, so I lied! I don't know where I got the energy from. I walked into the kitchen and made my pre-workout drink, took one sip, and thought, "let's do this!" So, I got dressed and did Tabatacize. I chose Premix #3 because I told myself next time I did the workout I would do three Tabatas.

After the warmup, I thought "Oh, man. Why am I doing this?" and midway through Tabata 1 I thought perhaps 1 would be it. But, I actually did all three and with pretty good energy. Then, it was good I never got in abs yesterday since premix 3 included Core #1. I got up to seated obliques before I was done with that. I even did those banana crunches really well, and I can never do those! I made myself do the whole stretch, and now I'm sweaty but ready to start my day.

I don't anticipate too much rest this weekend. My dad is coming to town tomorrow for a few days, hubby is coming home late tomorrow afternoon, and then we have the end-of-year band banquet. Next day is a thing for VHP (Veteran's Heritage Project), which my 11th grader is involved in and for which my dad is coming. I don't think I have to go to that, but I'll have to of course be visiting with my dad before and after. Then, Monday night after work is the band concert for my youngest son. So, it might be next weekend before I get rest time, unless I can grab some down time while my dad and son are at their thing on Sunday.
 
Good for you finding the energy!!! Enjoy the time with your Dad and all that the weekend brings.

I did the Tabatacize premix #2 with back burn set and core. I was so happy with my choice. It was just right for me today.

Yes, I am definitely interested in the barre workouts. I do like that style of workout. For years that is all I did. But I got to a point that some of the DVDs weren't advanced enough and I became bored. My hip/saddlebag area has always responded well to Physique 57 but I can't bring myself to do those DVDs over and over again!

We will have a very full weekend with cattle work. I'm not sure if I will be able to get in Supercuts tomorrow or not because I will have to start no later that 5 am on the dot. I'll see what happens.
 
Supercuts today. I really did not want to do this workout, but I made myself do it. I am glad that I did.

I can't really figure out why I don't like this workout. Maybe because it is so hard! I did have to take two pause breaks, both times to blow my nose (allergies causing a runny nose), but it worked well because I needed my heart rate to come down a little. I don't like those sit-ups to pushups at the end. But, I got through 4 sets before having to do the majority of sit-ups only to the knees and the pushups on my knees. So, there is room for improvement, and I'll let that be my motivation to continue to do this workout when scheduled.

Hope your weekend it well and the work with the cattle went OK.
 
Well, no official workout yesterday or today. We worked the animals yesterday. I didn't wear my polar but my 11 yr old son had his on and registered 35K steps. We worked together all day yesterday so I think I was active enough. :)

Today is an official rest day. I need to take my girls shopping for a few summer things and start looking for a new dishwasher. I hate spending money on appliances but its one of those things.

The last time I did the pushup to situp combo I think I only made it through 3 rounds before I went to my knees. It really winds me going from pushup to situp and back again. Full pushups have always been a weak spot for me. I try really hard but always find them challenging.
 
Burn sets Bis and Tris today. I went up on one exercise I had marked to go up on with success. I was very tired today; it was a hard workout.

We have an EOY band concert tonight for my youngest son. I will TRY and get a good night's sleep tonight to be ready for Legs tomorrow.
 
I completed bis and tris yesterday and legs today. I will admit that my mind is wondering now that we are in week 8. I have been thinking about ICE and am anxious to mix ICE with XT. I love the weighted work but am craving a bit more variety.

Its so funny how I did the same 6 DVDs over and over again for a few years when I was on a barre kick. Now that I am working out with Cathe I am wanting so much variety!
 
Legs today; I did a premix without the Barre section because I was a little bit short on time. Still, it was over 65 minutes. That is funny how that is a "shorter" workout.

I looked ahead to the end of the week and see Tabatacize and Super Cuts on Friday and Saturday again, respectively. Not sure how I feel about that. Depending on how much energy I have, I'll decide to skip one of those maybe.

Hard Strikes tomorrow. I was actually thinking of bring in the ICE kick boxing instead so that I had a longer workout for then skipping either Friday or Saturday's session. I'll see how I feel tomorrow.
 
I clearly read the schedule wrong when I thought it was Hard Strikes. I had the disc in but looked at the guide again to make sure I didn't need to add abs when I saw it was supposed to be All Out Low Impact HIIT, so I did that one instead like scheduled. So, I got through the floor work and then I started the step but stopped because it started to aggravate my achilles. I grabbed my tablet and just read my book instead while walking to get in about 1,500 more steps. I probably should have left off that as well as it didn't do my achilles any good. Oh well! I have to be careful what I can and can't do, and I guess most jumping moves on the step are out, so I will keep that in mind for future workouts and modify. I had considered not getting out the step at all or maybe I can do that part of the workout with the step with no risers. I think I'll try that instead.

Have a great day!!
 
I completed the HIIT workout. Glad it is behind me. I apparently don't have much affection for this workout. LOL, can't love'm all I suppose.
 
I have come to the point in the week where I need a break. I completed the workout today but will probably go for a walk or take a rest day tomorrow. Then I Saturday I will complete one of the two remaining workouts for the week.

How is your Achilles feeling? Better I hope
 
Hi, Ranch Mom. Believe it or not, I was going to post just about the same note as you did. I am TIRED, and I feel like I need a rest day. I was thinking about tomorrow, since I know my husband won't be getting up early, so we can all sleep a little bit more (so, maybe get up at 6 instead of 5). I stayed up WAY too late last night finishing up a movie when I should have just paused and gone to bed. So, I did today's workout on maybe 6 1/2 hours of sleep. However, I was able to do a bit more than I last time in terms of weights on some of the exercises. I like how I'm getting just a little bit stronger each time. So, I'll have to keep it up. Which really makes me wonder how I would combine ICE and Xtrain. I'll have to look at her hybrid in a week or so.

Achilles is hanging in there. Nothing to aggravate it in today's workout.
 
So, today I woke with my Achilles slightly inflamed. The only thing I can think of is that I was walking last night to get my 10,000 steps for the day. :(

I did Tabata premix #5 but purposely skipped to Tabata 4 and only did 4 & 5 because I wanted to try different ones. I like those a lot. I wish she had the option to mix up which you do. I ended up doing the step blasts on the floor, though. The first one was the swim move, which is what bothered me in AOLIT. Doing it on the floor worked well for me, but my achilles is still really bothering me. I started a challenge on FitBit tomorrow to get my goal steps in, so I have to at least do that tomorrow. I might ice it tonight or do something.

I was looking at some of the rotations on the workout manager to see what I could find for an ICE/X-train combo. I found someone who posted a 5-day X-train rotation that looked interesting. It inspired me to try and put together a 5-day-a-week hybrid. I will have to go back and review the ICE workouts, however, to refresh my memory on those workouts.

Years ago, I did Chalean Extreme, which is only 5 days and the workouts are not longer than an hour - some days much shorter. I followed the workouts exactly (didn't miss even one of them) and the food guide exactly, and I got great results. And, I didn't worry then about how many steps I got per day. So, I'm wondering if I need to divorce my FitBit! Because I am getting a good workout in by doing X-train alone.

So, in a week or so, I will start formulating my hybrid, which I will start sometime after our vacation at the end of June. Right now, it is end of school craziness. I found out today that I have to try and enroll two of my kids in summer college online courses for their language because their AP and honor classes and band conflict with the sections of French they need next year. And, of course the college started taking Fridays off starting today, and the online system wouldn't let me enroll them. It is very complicated. It is also hanging over my head, and I'll be stressed about it all weekend!
 
Went out to the movies with my husband last night. By the time we got home, got the kids settled, fought with the oldest and youngest about not having an all night Harry Potter movie marathon the weekend before the last week of school the day before a very busy Saturday, bedtime lights out was 11 pm.

I was all set to sleep later this morning but for some reason I was wide awake at 5:30 am. Maybe the copious amounts of popcorn from last night's movie. I had to look at the clock twice to make sure - 6:30 was a little more believable - but, no 5:30 am it was. So, up and doing Super Cuts by 6 am, then I took the dogs for a walk. I can feel my Achilles a bit, but it's not too bad. I'm at my desk now and going to do a little bit of work before hopefully convincing the fam to help with some chores for about 1/2 an hour. If we all work together, I'm hoping to get a lot done. Then, maybe some rest (please??) before having to head out to a fundraiser/party for the Marching Band at which my two oldest will play as part of the jazz band. Then, attending a graduation party. So, all in all the makings of probably a late night.

I hope I sleep in more tomorrow!
 
Hi!

I completed 5 of 8 rounds today for C/B/S. That is all I was up for. Good thing, too, since I was done at 6:30 am and had to make 3 different car runs/drop offs to 2 different schools today so kids could drop off text books, band instruments, etc.

Cardio Leg Blast tomorrow. I'm actually looking forward to it, but I hope to have more energy tomorrow for it!
 
Cardio Leg Blast. Had I said I was looking forward to it?? :)

I went to bed early last night (8:30 pm) with a migraine, but I still wasn't that with it this morning. After the warmup and a few of the exercises, I decided I wasn't really into the workout, so I stopped the DVD. But, I still wanted to do something for legs, so I got did various exercises, like walking lunges, squats, pop squats, etc, some with weights and some without. Interspersed all with cardio blasts and walking. So, in the end, I did like this 40-minute leg/cardio mix. And, I feel that was good enough today.

I ordered Yoga Relax from the Low Impact series yesterday. I've decided that when I create my workout hybrid of ICE and X-train that I want to add that in there, too.

Back at it with Burn Sets tomorrow!
 
Hi, there! Burn Sets Bis and Tris today. I really pushed myself hard - I'm not very strong in my arms! So, doing two sets of curls with 12.5 pounds is tough for me. I feel like I'm stronger in my triceps than in the biceps! Anyway, after the workout, I was a little shaky so I made sure to get a post-workout drink to get a little something in me, and that helped.

I looked ahead at the rest of the week. All cardio pretty much! I guess I'll try and keep to the schedule; Saturday might be tough as I'm on call for a client from 6 am to 2 pm as it currently stands.
 
I'm back. I apologize for having gone MIA. School wrapped up for my kids last week, we had an insanely busy weekend, and work is very consuming of my time right now. In a nutshell, life is crazy right now. :)

I have been working out to the Cathe schedule. Today I subbed the ICE low impact simply because I didn't feel like doing hiit! I quickly read through your previous posts. I think I am going to switch right to an ICE/XT rotation as soon as we return from Yellowstone. We leave June 18 and will be home July 3.

My weight loss is at a standstill and I believe it is because of the heavier weights. I need to add a little more fun cardio to my life. Or perhaps a metabolic and barre rotation? I also plan to buy the upcoming barre based videos. I've made notes along the way about which other Cathe videos are considered metabolic. My body seems to really like Supercuts and the MTB from ICE. Just rambling at this point. But I do need to start researching because, like you, I have an upcoming vacation and want a plan in place for when I return.

Your comments about college course enrollment sounds scary to me. My oldest is going into the 8th grade so I am a bit scared. Are your kids taking college courses because their high school classes are full? Or are your older children already in college?
 
Hi, there!

I did not do All Out LIH today. I was pressed for time, having a client meeting at 7 am. Plus, I'm starting to get a sore throat. So, I thought a rest day was in order. I got some steps in because I took a few hours off this morning to go to my youngest kid's school for the last day awards ceremony. And, we walked to and from. So, that was good for my bit of daily exercise. My husband just asked me to walk with him over to a cafe near our house (he's meeting a colleague who's in town), and I hated passing up a glass of wine and the conversation, but I'm just tired tonight and felt like I should head to bed early because of my sore throat. I will try and be back at it tomorrow for Hard Strikes.

Unlike you, I tend to lose more weight when I increase my weight lifting and do less cardio. I think too much cardio for me puts stress on my body, causing inflammation, which holds on to the weight. I am still hanging on to some weight, despite having stopped the birth control pills (eg, no added hormones), but I'm hoping that will change soon. I was down a pound today, so I hope eventually the weight will drop. I don't eat desserts, no gluten, no dairy, so I think it's just my body being over tired from long work days and this tough workout schedule. The hybrid I create will be only 5 days a week, and I intend to include some days in there that are the Cathe yoga workout I purchased or other stretching- and flexibility-type days.

All of my kids ended school today. My oldest son will be senior next year, my middle kid a sophomore, and my youngest is going into 7th grade. When my oldest son was a Freshman, he took a class at school that was a dual enrollment class connected to our community college system. He got 7 college credits from that. That summer, I enrolled him in a 2-week performance class (he plays alto sax), and he got 1 credit for that. So, no, my kids are not "in college" yet as in that they have not finished high school. However, next year, French 3/4 and French 5/6 conflicted with some of the other classes my kids are taking. To fit the languages in, they would have had to drop band, which they are not willing to do, since it is very important to them. And, I think there were other weird schedule things. Now, if they were taking Spanish, not a problem. But, we like French (I don't know why, except maybe it's in my blood. For real, as I have French ancestry), because I grew up in Texas, moved to New York City, and now live in Phoenix - 3 places where it would have been useful to know Spanish.

Anyway, this summer, the kids are taking French online via the community college system. They get 4 college credits for that plus it will count as one semester of high school French. Both will move on to the next online class in the fall semester to get credit for another semester of high school French. But, more importantly, they will end up with 8 credits - 2 semesters - of college language credits. That way, if they chose to attend a college or university that require you to either take an exam to place out of a foreign language or take a year of language, they will already have this done. Plus, it saves us money because CC is much cheaper than a regular college or uni. In addition, my middle son has to take online PE/health this summer from the high school because this self-contained AP track he is on doesn't allow enough electives for him to do that AND band during the school year. It's all sort of crazy, but I also think it is really cool that the kids have all of these amazing choices and options for things.

So, that's their story, and I just realized that will give my oldest son 16 college credits by the time he graduates high school! Pretty cool, especially if he will be able to carry all of those credits over to wherever he is attending school, because by my calculations, that a whole semester of college done! Wow!
 

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