Getting Our Licks In!

Did my pilates class this morning and finished up with Chest, Shoulders & Triceps disc 11. I really almost always like a workout the second time through more than the first time through it. I guess I get used to something and don't like not knowing what is coming next. So either way I liked it a lot better this time through.

Shoegal: when is your trip? It sounds like a mess over there in Europe. Hope it clears up for you guys.

Michelle: I am planning on doing one of each actually, since I have two weeks each disc, I will do one plyo and then one squat rack. I can use the squat rack at the gym. So the best of both worlds I hope!
 
Early morning here in the mid-Atlantic. Have a meeting at 7:30 that meant getting up at 4 and leaving the house by 5 so as to "miss the traffic." Ha! It's just unbelievable to me how many folks regularly commute into work at 5am. It's okay every once in a while, but on a regular basis? Not for this girl. So, because it's an early day, my normal routine gets sidelined. No long walkabout with Ripken (pup gets to sleep in) and no exercise today.

We are supposed to get showers off and on through the day today. Had a few coming up the road. That's fine by me--the rain will wash out some of the pollen.

Good news: the boat is ready to go back in the water. DH and I decided last night that we need this weekend to get everything set to pack up to take back to the boat. Mind you, we really just need to preposition the boxes that we packed up from last season to load up and haul next week. Plus, it is supposed to rain through the weekend So, it will be next weekend that we are back to the boat.

Shadowpup: been wondering about you and your field of flowers. Have all your bulbs started to come up? I don't know what the flower season is like in Idaho but I'm guessing ya'll's blooming season is a bit later in the spring? Hopefully you can get some good pictures to post?

Janie: Happy cruisin'.

Laura: Great work. One more disc than you have active recovery week or are you going to go straight into meso 2?

Hi to Shoegal and Sister.
~michelle
 
Last night I went shopping at the Outlet -It was basically to help Rex find some new shirts and couple new pairs of shoes but I went looking too. It was upsetting actually - I just wanted a pair of dark jeans with a wide leg. No skinny jeans for this girl! I thought I found a couple pairs - but both were just awful on me. I did manage to buy some misc things but nothing that I was really excited about. Rex got everything he wanted.

Came home and worked out to High Step Challenge. I have always really loved this workout. The time seemed to fly by too!!!

Michelle- Boat time!!! My the season seems to come around fairly quickly. You and Joe seem to enjoy boating so much - you must be excited. Rex has said a couple things about readying the boat - but he creates some projects for himself that I can't help with so I'm not worrying about it right now. It was a super early morning for you - do you take a nap when you get home?

Laura - Gee - Meso 1 seemed to fly by for you too despite doing it 2 times through!! I am supposed to leave on Saturday - it is coming up quick!! Hopefully we won't have any problems. Did you get your internet up and running yet?

Did Janie leave?

Hi to Shadowpup - hope you get a chance to check back in - we are dying to hear from you.

Renee - wondering how the dancing went?

Hope everyone has a great day.:D
 
Greetings and salutations!

Ever feel like you're chasing yourself, and you can never catch up? Yep, that's me to a "T" lately. Last Fridays dance went well. Little kids are easy to please and lots of fun. After the dance I came home as fast as I could, changed and went back out to an "elementary honor's choir" concert. That also went well, I had 5 kids in it, as did all the elementary schools in the county. Thats about 70 kids!

Weekend seemed busy, where did it go? Golly, here comes anothe one!

Monday evening my 1st graders presented their play "Lemonade". That went well too! Yesterday, another rehearsal for another program, tomorrow, the same thing. Gesh! Today I took half a day off to de-stress and also go get my yearly "girls" doctoring done. Yippy skippy. I came home, had a little lunch, waited an hour, and did IMAX 2. Fun! Hadn't done that one in an awfullly long time. Yesterday was Cardio and Weights...tomorrow perhaps Pyramid Upper Body or Lower or the combo premix. Monday I didn't get to exercise...too much going on that day. Wish I had, it sure does help work out the kinks and tensions. But I am back on track. Not that I was "off" track for long. NO! Never!

I may be getting a Wavemaster XL! A martial arts facility is moving to a new location and selling off their stuff and getting new. Well, their stuff that they are selling isn't that old or beat up, so, perhaps I will luck out and get a standing boxing bag. I hope so.

I have also looked into taking some MMA classes and Grav Maga (Israeli self-defense) classes this summer. (Not from the place I'm getting the wavemaster). They also do other classes like ju-jitsu, karate and kick boxing. They have offered me a "special" for $99 for six weeks, all the classes I could stand to take. Cool!!!

Never a dull moment these days. Hope everyone is doing well.

ttfn

~Renee
 
Hi there my Cathe Friends!:D

Still no internet, so I am checking in at the Rec Center where I work! I just did my Pilates Class and then did Atheltic Step and I have to ask you guys honestly if you can do that whole DVD with out any breaks!?!!!??? I had to stop 3 X to let my heart rate down to a safe zone before starting again. I swear that it is like on entire IMAX blast for 47 minutes straight.!!

Michelle: I am just starting Meso 2 for 2 months. So awhile before my next rest week! Back to the boat, my time does fly by, seems like yesterday that you were packing it up and doing you 1RMs

Shoegal: I think skiiny jeans look awful on anyone but the thinest of thin who have a thin body structure. I can't wait till they are out of style!:rolleyes:

Catchick: sounds like all the fun activities of the school year are coming to a corshendo (sp) as it is at our school, a flurry of activites between now and summer....all the old cathe dvd's you are pulling out make my nostaligic..
 
Last night I did - SC: Circuit Blast. Only the 2nd time I've done it. I remember not really being thrilled with it the first time - wasn't sure exactly why. Now I'm really wondering. It got me to thinking that it really isn't so much different from Boot Camp - and I love Boot Camp. I pushed myself - but ok - now it is my turn to ask - can anybody jump up on that high high step??? I took the heigth of my step down - frankly I was too scared to even try to go as high as Cathe

Laura - yes I do Athletic Step without stopping & resting - but don't kid yourself - it is a tough workout and I do step all the time. I know from experience that I've run on the treadmill for as long as I would do step and it would kick my behind big time. Yes - I agree - I hope skinny jeans go out soon.

As a general question - a small "Getting Our Licks In" Poll - the skinny jeans got me to thinking - What article of clothing (if any) won't you wear because you believe that it doesn't flatter you. I have learned that instead of searching for the one pair of jeans that look good on you or fit you properly - why put yourself through it - just don't wear them!!! So I have made rules for myself based on that philosophy. I know this won't be a popular with everyone - but I won't wear shorts any longer. (only - athletic looking shorts when I stay home). I don't believe they flatter my legs and it is difficult to find a pair that are not too short and not too long so I'm done with them. I hope capries don't go out - because that is as short as I go.

Renee - Wow - the activity!!! So many things going on - sometimes exercise doesn't fit into the schedule. But you're right - not for long. I'm all programmed. I don't think I have could ever just stop exercising now - If I miss a week for some reason - I get right back to it. I'm not into any kick boxing or boxing or martial arts alternatives but sounds like you enjoy that and are branching out. Good for you!!

Michelle - did you recover from your early morning.

Hello to Shadowpup - Hope Janie is enjoying herself.
 
This morning Ripken and I were back to our normal schedule: walkabout then exercise for me. I did Pure Strength Back, Biceps, and Abs. I'm enjoying the PS series much more this second time around. Maybe STS has something to do with it.

Laura: AS gets me huffing and puffing by the end but I manage to push through it without stopping. And no naps when I come home from an actual 12 hour day (not counting commuting time) because once I get through the evening walk with Ripken and dinner, I usually just go to bed.

Shoegal: I'm not a fan of "skinny" jeans either. I like the bootcut style. I think it's just hard to find clothes that fit no matter what size you are. My biggest problem with pants and shorts is finding something that doesn't gape in the back waistband. I finally found a pair of junior size levi bootcut blue jeans that fit good a couple of weeks ago at Kohls. And I do okay with Victoria Secret's jeans. In response to your mini poll about clothing items that I avoid: long shorts that come down to right above your knee. And no, I can't jump as high as Cathe on the high step in SC Circuit Blast.

Sister: hang in there, just a couple more weeks and then your on the downhill slope to summer.

Hi to Shadowpup and our cruising Janie.
~michelle
 
Skinny jeans...YUCK! Enough said on that one! lol

I like AS, and I can get thru it, but with lots of huffin' and puffin'.

AND I LOVE those jumps in SC-Circuit Blast. I do four risers and the platform. I think that is what Cathe does. Awesome power moves. Things like that really pump me up. Sort of like fast feet or straddle taps in IMAX2. Aren't there some moves like that in Hiit 30/30 or 40/20. Makes me yell "TOWANDA"...from the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes"....I've adopted that for my power yell. Love those jumps in SC-CB, so yes, some of us do, do those. ;)

Tonight I did Pyramid Upper Body. Holy Cow! I was sweating after the chest exercises. But I choose to do what Cathe does with her weight amounts, and I powered through it. Felt great. I upped most of my weight amounts but not all. I know I will feel it tomorrow.

OH, and I will be getting that Wavemaster xxl next week. Very excited about that. Yippy!

Looks like a humid weekend coming up with some rain mixed in. I think I will keep it as low keyed and "restful" as possible. Hope every does the same. Take care...

~Renee
 
Getting geared up for Italy. I have not packed - but it is such a daunting task that I'm worried about it. The clothes that run through my mind - the outfits - packing for the beach is far easier because the shoes don't get in the way. I go barefoot alot there and we don't really go anywhere - so one pair of sandals and I'm good. For this trip - I need options in the shoe department but that also takes up a bit of room. I have decided to take one pair of nude pumps - they should go with every color!!!:D

I did the 3rd workout from Cathe's timesaver dvd. It had a lot of Step Blast in it and those combos were lots of fun. I tire quickly of the breaking down parts to be honest - in every step workout - especially when I know it - it just gets tedious. It makes it loads easier to learn though. That is why Amy Bento's step workouts are so frustrating. What I find so funny about her is that he goes through one difficult section of the combination exceedingly fast and just once that I'm lost - but then moves on and insists on running through the easy parts over and over again.

Well - I won't be checking probably all of next week while I am away. I don't think I'll have many opportunities to get online. I think my exercise will be walking all over Milano as well.

Michelle - I really think one time through a workout is not enough. It is like me with Circuit Blast - didn't like it the first time - but really appreciated it the 2nd go around. I don't think I'm done Pure Strength more than twice total since I've got it - but it is a good workout - it is a sign I have too many workouts - and I also have my favorites. Bet Ripken liked getting his walk in again - I was watching Scout run about the yard - she looked so happy.

Renee - I love going anaeorbic on those power moves - it really does pump you up!!! Towanda - I love that!

Hello out there to Janie (hope she is having fun!!) Shawdowpup and Laura.

I'm off for a little Italian adventure. Ciao!
 
A quick check-in this morning. Exercise will be later. Yesterday was a busy day, but Ripken and I got his long walk in and then two more shorter walks in the late afternoon and early evening. I was at Quantico most of the day yesterday and didn't do any exercise other than the walking with Rip. Went to the retirement ceremony for one of the Colonels with whom I've worked the past 3 years. The retirement ceremonies are bittersweet because I hate to see the really good Marines retire. Been watching alot of good Marines retire lately, but I'm always amazed at how good the next group is as well.

Shoegal: have fun in Italy. If you dont' take too many shoes that means you can buy more while you are there.;) And you are right, I really need to give a dvd more a couple of tries before I decide yay or nay.

Sister: good news on the wavemaster. Now, I'm going to need some new ideas for Christmas presents, although I was noticing in the previous Cathe RT pictures that there seems to be "shopping" time for Cathe products and other gear. Uh-oh.

Hi to Janie, Laura, and Shadowpup.
~michelle
 
Going to be a week of Cross Train Express. This afternoon I did CTX Power Circuits, which also includes back, planks, and abs. Good workout. Goes by so fast.

Now, I'm going to work on my Cathe spreadsheets a little and then maybe put some stuff up for sale on ebay. Kind of a cool dreary day here in Virginia.

~michelle
 
Hi guys, still no internet connection! Spent a lot of time on the phone with the company last thursday and we couldn't figure it out, a guy was supposed to come up yesterday but we had incremental weather and he never showed!:mad:

Still working out though, Thursday was STS Legs and Friday I took off, today I did Double Cardio on 4DS and STS Back and Biceps. YOU ARE CARDIO MANIACS!! I can't believe you don't have to take a mini break on AS! I need to work on my Cardio, I do my lifting and my Pilates and lots of steady state cardio but I obviously need to work on those PLYO moves that go to that anerobic state!

SHOEGAL: Have so much fun in ITALY! We will miss you and look forward to hearing your adventures when you get back. My mother in law had bought the most beautiful shoes I have ever ever seen in Milan, They were the most Cinderalla glass like slipper you could imagine, sorry the designer name escapes me ( I am worthless at that) But You would have LOVED these shoes! Maybe next time I am there I will take a photo of them for you!

Michelle: I really want to get Cross Train Xpress!! It looks like a really well rounded program, does it have premixes? That is really what makes 4DS so awesome is the gazzillion premixes she has on those. I can't wait to do more premixes after STS. I have barely stratched the surface of the B side of Cathe's DVD"S so to speak


Well I guess it will be a little slow here with Shoegal and Janie on Vacation and Shadowpup globe troting around...
 
Hi all,

I am back for a few days ... huzzah! But then even more of the same. It does not get any slower than this til June! At least these trips are productive ones and none of them have involved tornados, volcanoes, or that fungus I read about in Oregon (!). What is going on the world these days???

This is going to be a short posting as we have the Garden Club/Master Gardeners coming over for a tour in about half an hour. Talk about things I never expected to host :rolleyes: But last year someone from the club stopped by and saw the daffodils in the woods, and talked about it, and since DH is taking the Master Gardener's class he agreed to a tour. We had twelve people yesterday, and there will perhaps be three or four today. This was not the easiest weekend for such a thing, but daffodils bloom when they feel like it and there really is no easy weekend this spring :eek:

I'll post you some pictures. It really is very beautiful out, and I don't mind having an excuse to spend extra time in the woods rather than figuring out how to unpack etc etc etc!


Yesterday night, did Legs for Meso 2, week 4. That leaves back/biceps. Then, because of this travel, I think I'll delay starting Meso 3 until June, and do something whole body that can be done on the weekends with TRX for catch-up during the week.

Michelle, I'll be out in DC next week again! I have no clue as to the schedule except that it is packed on Mon/Tues; Wed morning looks not too bad, and I think Thurs pm is my flight home.

Laura, I love CTX too! Usually it is Meaner Legs that I use on that one :eek::eek::eek: There are many many premixes.

Shoegal, are you going overseas soon ... ? Sounds like flights are just now opening up, but problems lingering from the volcano may be treated as pre-existing conditions by the airlines; we've been warned to be cautious about overseas travel.

Renee, wholly with you on those skinny jeans. I don't think anyone looks particularly good in them, even those who fit in them. They just seem uncomfortably tight looking. Very curious about Wavemaster - tell us all about it!

Janie, thinking good thoughts about you on your wonderful cruise, with all those bathing suits :)

And now I better go do things to the house and so on, before those gardeners show up. The ones yesterday were very nice and did not mention the piles of brush etc, so hopefully this will go just as well.

No overseas travel for me for awhile, but I did agree to do a keynote at a meeting in PARIS next year, in April. Fun! I have never been to Paris ... and it's a good meeting, so definitely a win-win :D
 
Hello all.....

This will be a Body Blast week for me. AND I am already a day ahead. Yesterday was Step, Jump, Pump and today was only going to be KPC. I did KPC this morning and this afternoon I was bored so I went ahead and did my scheduled Monday of SuperSets. Double the pleasure, double the fun! So I will either go with Step Blast tomorrow or something other then a Body Blast dvd, perhaps Step Moves!

The Wavemaster is a standing boxing bag like the one Cathe uses in SC: Heavy Bag bonus from the MMA:Boxing dvd. I went to Dick's to price gloves and try them on. Looks like small/medium on the Everlast brand. Now what kind to get. Heavy Bag boxing or MMA kickboxing. There is a difference not only in weight but in fit and look. Since I will be taking some MMA classes this summer, I am sort of leaning to the all-purpose kickboxing gloves. I don't know. I'll make up my mind sooner or later.

I've got another busy week ahead, but after May 6th it will all be down hill and smooth sailing. I just can't wait for the school year to be over so I can get back into hiking and biking, and adding MMA classes to the list of things to do. OH BOY! OH BOY! OH BOY!

Have a great week everybody!

~Renee~
 
YEA or internet mysteriously is up and running again despite the not showing up on Friday, go figure...:eek:

Busy day running errands in Boulder while the girls were at another B-day Party, so didn't get a workout in today, which makes for 2 rest days this week!;) Hope all the days I double up make up for it!!

Shadowpup: welcome home! Can't wait to see the photos! The tulips in Boulder are stunning this year! Have fun with the garden tour!

Catchicks: I know those days when one work out doesn't feel like enough!:eek: Unfortunately that wasn't the case for me today, but did get two in yesterday so hopefully it balances out!
 
Quick check in - it is so nice to be able to do this from home!

Last night, did Tracey's Cardio Kickbock Challenge, one of the premixes. That's become a favorite of mine. The premix I chose was a little lighter on the plyo, but still challenging enough to be a good workout. Tonight: the last STS of Meso 2!

The garden tour was a real success. People had a good time. It was more of a woods garden tour than our actual house garden. Even though it was rather cold, there was enough sun that the flowers cooperated. It's very encouraging to get compliments from the master gardeners in our rural area; many of them are truly outstanding. We'll probably do this again next year...

Thanks for the welcome home, Laura! And yes, two days of rest are probably called for in your schedule, what with all the double/triple/quadruple work you do :) Bet you feel quite refreshed for your next workout. I hope you had a good time with the errands.

Renee, thanks for the update on the Wavemaster. Interesting but fun dilemma - what kind of new exercise equipment to pick! Myself I used to enjoy the martial arts classes and would tend that direction, except that the boxing moves seem like so much fun, too. Which do you think you'd like to do long term? Too bad there aren't loaners from schools, which one can sometimes do with musical instruments ...

Hi to everyone else, and I'm hoping to be back on again tonight :)
 
I kind of flaked out for a few days on checking in, but I have been exercising. Yesterday I did 10-10-10 from Cross Train Express and this morning, I did CTX KickBox. Tomorrw is supposed to be Step Intervals but I might do Leaner Legs instead. Not sure. See how I feel in the morning.

Shadowpup: our window of opportunity may be next Wednesday morning. I'm in Norfolk on Thursday. Are you staying in Crystal City again or somewhere else? All the bulb planting is getting ya'll some extra attention. What will be next to bloom and will you be home long enough to see it? And I've got to ask--do you have a wavemaster, Shadowpup? Or has sister peaked your interest? BTW, I'm diligently recording my exercise on the President's Challenge site. Can you tell as the administrator for our group if anyone else is because when I do a group compare there is only one other person that I'm compared to?

Sister: two workouts in one day? I'm not surprised. I spent some time working in the yard yesterday and then I washed my vehicle (again) to get the pollen off.

Laura: ah, the joy of technology. It mysteriously stops working and then it mysteriously starts again. I can't remember if the CTX series has premixes or not. I'll have to pay attention tomorrow when the dvd starts up and I will let you know. I enjoy doing the CTX series--it works everything over the course of the week and then some.

It's only Monday and I feel like the week is rushing by. All of a sudden, things have gotten busy again. Hope everyone stays healthy and has a great week.
~michelle
 
I just did Step Blast from the Body Blast series, first time in a long time, and it was lots of fun. I did pretty good this time picking up the foot work (only done it a few times so I was happy) but man those blasts are tough! Any kind of plyo stuff + step really gets me sweating, Ripken would have gotten more than enough licks in on me today!

Shadowpup: please post some pics when you get a chance! It must be outstanding! How is your spring? Our is very temperamental hot/cold/snow/wind/showers/sleet, the whole gaument. Can't wait for the mud season to be over and done with so I can break out my bike and hiking boots. Guess I will have to enjoy Cathe Cardio until I can get out there, so not complaining really, since I always feel like I don't get to the chance to do her cardio dvd's and clearly they work.

Michelle: Meaner Legs is one I have always wanted to try..maybe I will ask for CTX for mother's day, although I already told the girls I wanted a manicure/dedicure.

Hi to everyone else!

Ps had some fun shopping at a upscale consignment shop yesterday, I am a full size 1/2 down although my weight has been up and doing the same 6-8 lbs for awhile, really wish I had kept up on my measurements now!
 
Hi all - I posted a dozen or so pics from this year ... mostly of the daffodils in the woods, but a few other items also. It is under "Garden Tour 2010". If you 'mouse over' the pictures, you'll see a little about the particular flower.

My photos from last year shows more of what is around the house (that album is also online here). I'll post a few more pics when the tulips come out ... they are just beginning :) Enjoy!

http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/album.php?albumid=664
 
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This morning was beautiful. Clear blue sky, little breeze, just a tad on the cool side which Ripken likes. It was one of those morning walkabouts that just flew by--it was so nice and peaceful in the neighborhood. Following our walk, I did CTX Step & Intervals. I really like this particular step workout in CTX. The upper body work was chest. I've realized this week that I just can't lift as heavy weight immediately following 30 minutes of aerobics. Plus the reps for the weight work are faster which also translates to lighter. That being said, I still increased my weights on the barbell chest presses, dumbbell flys, and DB presses compared to before STS. Of course, doing push-ups after weight work is always a challenge. Much easier when it comes before the weight work.

Shadowpup: love the pictures. Thanks for sharing. And I discovered my problem on the president's challenge on the compare page was a user problem. I needed to expand the date range on the group comparison because folks don't always post every day.

Laura: great job on the down-sizing! Good for you.

Hi to sister, Janie, and our Italian Shoegal.
~michelle
 
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