Cathe--did your fitness routine change

M

Maximus

Cathlete
as you grew older? I'm 37 & I find that my tougher workouts have become more difficult to get through, not to mention little aches & pains that I never felt 10 years ago. I've considered incorporating some yoga & pilates into my routine & eliminating some of the really heavy weights, but I'm afraid of changing my heavy lifting schedule & losing my muscle definition.

So I was wondering what you have done, if anything, to alter your workouts to make them easier on your joints, to prevent injury, & still look so amazing? I'd be grateful for any advice........
 
I'd like to hear a response from Cathe as well on this, but since I've been doing the Hardcore series it sure doesn't seem like Cathe is slowing down.

I am so sick of having a pain somewhere on my body almost every day. If its not my low back its my shoulder, if its not my shoulder its my knees. I'm sick of it! I'm doing this to stay fit, not be in pain every day. I'll be 39 on Easter and I sure hope I have more to look forward to than pain.
Debbie in OH
 
Yes, Cathe, please comment! I have been a lurker for quite some time now but feel compelled to speak up. Quick intro...name is Renee, 38-y-o, live in Houston, married, mother to a 5-y-o girl and 2-y-o triplet girls (spontaneous, no drugs or in-vitro). I just turned 38 last Sunday and have been working out fairly regularly and active in sports (softball and volleyball) most of my life but have gotten really serious about working out 6 out of 7 days for about a year. It takes me a few days to recuperate from high intensity workouts (doesn't matter if it's high or low impact) which surprises me because I have always been so active. I am assuming this has to do with age and mileage?! When I was younger (18-25 or so), I use to smirk at "older" people who complained about being sore and recuperating after a game but now I realize and understand their pain!!!

BTW, Cathe, I'm sure you have heard this so many times before but I love everything about your workouts... your style, your enthusiasm, and mostly your ability to challenge and motivate. I work out with you so much, I feel like you are a friend. My kids recognize your face and love to "jump around" with you. You are a great inspiration to me and my kids. Thank you for that.
 
Hi Cathe! I'd like to hear your response to this too -- even if you haven't had to change your workouts, what you recommend for your clients in your club who seem to be needing a change.

I just turned 40 last fall and have noticed lately that when I do rotations with 6 days a week of hour-plus step, kickboxing, & weights (mostly yours :)) -- that I'm dragging during the day after a few weeks of this. I'm not leaping out of bed bright and early in the morning like I used to and it's really starting to bug me. My knee and elbow (during push-ups primarily) hurt from time to time. And I'm just wondering if I should work more yoga into my weeks -- maybe impact cardio & Weights 4x a week and yoga & low impact cardio the other 2 or 3 days.
 
Bump! I turned 40 last Sept. and having the same problems, elbow and back aches.

Thanks for any input Cathe!

Lorrie
 
I'm 41 and have the same problem. When I do Cathe's workouts for long periods of time I start noticing joint pain and body aches. I've been doing Cathe's workouts for 2 years and it wasn't until I hit 40 that I started having this problem. I realize now that a week off here and there is very important. I switch to easier workouts and do a lot of stretching. I don't notice any decrease in conditioning during my recovery week and I have no problems resuming where I left off once my body is well rested. You might want to try that yourself.
 
Maximus - I have no clue what the answer is to your question, but I just wanted to tell you how happy I am that I started incorporating yoga into my routine.

I just started 2 weeks ago, and already my flexibility has improved drastically. I've been doing a half hour on the days where my cardio/weight routine is less than 90 minutes. So I think I've done it maybe 7 times in 2 weeks. I highly recommend it.
 
I am going to start doing yoga at least 3 times a week as soon as my lower back heals. I'm in pain once again! I'm sick of having tight achy muscles and I'm sick of being in pain. I think yoga and stretching is an excellent idea! P.S. I turned 39 on Sunday. My body is feeling it, too!
Debbie in OH
 
I know what you all mean.

What I have been doing to get around this is to variate my Cathe workouts with Firms, and others. I no longer have knee pains, etc.

I have also decided that I can no longer beat myself 6 days a week doing only Cathe workouts. I need "gentler," if you will, workouts that will strengthen me while not beating me so that I can tackle Cathe workouts during the week.

It is kind of funny how we have to strategize to be able to continue doing Cathe's workouts.;-)
 
Last year I started eating lower carb and I also started noticing aches and pains I never had before. I also found it more difficult to get through Cathe workouts than I used to. I turned 50 in February so I just chalked it up to that. I just did not attribute my aches, pains and low energy to not enough fuel.

Well, in February I started incorporating fruits and whole grains again and my energy level did a complete 180. The aches and pains are gone and my flexibility and balance are where they were before.

I see a definite cause and effect here as far as diet is concerned. While low glycemic carbs are excellent, I need fruits and grains to fuel my workouts...pure and simple.
 
Candi,

I can definetly relate; every now and then I decide to lower my carb intake, and I mean really lower it (in an effort to blast that last bit of jiggle from my bottom). That combined with continued high intensity training works, the jiggles go away but two to three weeks of this type of training and it takes a toll on me.

About a month ago,I ended up at the doctors because I had absolutely no energy and my whole body felt fatigued with muscle stiffness. I truly could no longer make it through my workouts - high or loww intensity. I thought maybe it was related to age (I'm 37) but I also suspected it had something to do with the lack of carbs in my diet. My doctor told me he thought I was overtraining and not fueling my body properly, thus it was completed depleted of any glycogen stores and was not able to recover. He recommended that I take a week off and start eating some carbs. He said "if you don't want to increase your carb intake, then stop working out at such high intensity, your body will not be able to recover"

I did just that - started eating complex carbs the day I left his office and I took a week off. That "cured" me. For me, carbs really do make a difference - my energy level is constant and I can work out at high intensity without feeling drained afterward. The muscle fatigue and stiffness is gone (and I'm doing the hardcore series) I will never go low carb again.

Alexandra


>Last year I started eating lower carb and I also started
>noticing aches and pains I never had before. I also found it
>more difficult to get through Cathe workouts than I used to.
>I turned 50 in February so I just chalked it up to that. I
>just did not attribute my aches, pains and low energy to not
>enough fuel.
>
>Well, in February I started incorporating fruits and whole
>grains again and my energy level did a complete 180. The
>aches and pains are gone and my flexibility and balance are
>where they were before.
>
>I see a definite cause and effect here as far as diet is
>concerned. While low glycemic carbs are excellent, I need
>fruits and grains to fuel my workouts...pure and simple.
>
>
 
Hi Alexandra,

You just hit on the one thing I had been learning about, our muscle cells are store energy, and the can only store a little bit. My teacher told us to think of them only being able to store a gallon of energy or gas. When we start making them work, like with lifting weights, they start to burn fat and carbs, to keep making more energy, and on a person who has a lean body mass they can average at making 1 calorie of energy per minute. Also the only by-products of this conversion is water and carbon dixoide, which either gets exhaled or pushed out the door. But if you give your body all protien you body can't use it to make muscle energy, it will attack the fat first and then the muscles themselves, as they are still easier to break down then say the chicken you had for lunch. And when your body needs energy it will break down the fastest thing it has. Also I learned that when your body produces energy anaerobically, it uses the protien but one of the by-products is latic acid which also causes muscle soreness. So I wonder if you eat too much protein so that your body is making the by-product of latic acid, heat, etc, as that is the only thing it has to break down besides the muscles themselves, that it could also cause aches and pains you'd normally not feel?

Kelly
 
I've never been able to do 6 Cathe workouts per week as in Cathe's rotations, and have always been a bit frustated that I haven't reached the fitness level required. I mentioned this to my chiropractor, and she was pretty horrified that I was expecting that of myself. This wasn't just because I have a lower back problem - she said that 6 intense workouts per week is the same kind of level that top sports people work. She said that no matter how fit they are or how much they look after themselves, they inevitably get injuries as a result of this kind of training, and can have major problems when they get older. She advised that this quantity of intense workouts just isn't necessary.
 
I'm 43 and I haven't slowed down. I've been active since I was a kid.

I'm a very clean vegan--high carbs, tho veggies are also high protein (I get circa 150% of the protein RDA), and the more I cleaned up my diet, the less animal foods (esp. dairy), added oils, and junk food I ate, the better, more energetic, lighter I felt.

I never do straight Cathe in a week--I just want more variety. Flexibility has always been an integral part of my life, and I got into yoga along with running and weight-lifting in the late '70's.

I love creating my own Cathe Terminatrix routines, programming IMAX/Boot Camp intensity segments alternated with "lower" intensity step and kickboxing segments, that may run from 1-2 1/2 hours (depending on my time and energy levels). I do these on Saturday mornings. Then on Sunday mornings I do an extra long intense lower body resistance work, ala LG Extreme. I do BOSU, Slide, stairclimbing, elliptical, running, biking, hiking, jumping rope, in addition to power step and athletic drills. I do a wide variety of approaches to weight-lifting, mostly higher endurance anymore. As I reached my 40's, I decided that I didn't like the look of big muscles on me, and being naturally muscular, I'm trying to tone that down.

My running time is slower, but I was never a fast runner--and now I run at most once a week during nice months. That doesn't build speed, and I'm ok with that. I want more variety. I have a shoulder injury I'm dealing with, and that came from 2 decades plus of incorrect resistance exercises, that were standard when I started--so now I pay the price of years of incorrect mechanics with weight.

My body definitely holds onto the fat more than before I hit my mid '30's, but I'm a healthy weight. I eat cleaner and work out more than I did as a younger woman, and I'm in the most fit I've ever been, and I'm not as lean as when I was younger and didn't eat as good or work out as intensely or smart.

I've reached the point of being ok with this. I've thru with menopause, I look d*** good, esp. compared to most women my age, and I feel like a little kid--full of joy and energy. There's so many adventures I'm eager to try! I'm 43 years YOUNG!!
 
Hi rcbinmichigan!

Thanks so much for your post. It was so inspirational!
I have been moving our diet to Vegan for the last year. My husband and I eat the occasional egg, fresh from a neighbors farm or a piece of wild salmon once a month. We have never felt better! No dairy to cause flem and we don't have to wonder anymore what is in our meats or how the animal was treated.

I am in the best shape of my life and rarely get sick. I think this is due to keeping active and eating a clean diet full of whole grains and organic fruits and veggies. I have purchased some Vegan cookbooks and am having fun experimenting with tempeh, seitan and a variety of beans and grains.

I love the variety workout too! Trail running has been a passion on and off for years. It's great for balance and keeps you interested the whole run! Yoga has become important to stay flexible. Of course Cathe is great as well as others.

A Balance life is key as well as body acceptance!

P.S. I hope this was not too off topic, sorry ;)
 
Sure hope so! Cathe's probably just been busy -- I'd love to hear her answer too. I'm sure she has clients that have the same changing needs as we do. I know I'm really appreciating adding Stretch Max to my workouts.
 
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