Getting Our Licks In!

Phew,

Crazy, busy. Yesterday at school was a walk-a-thon. Which meant combining PE and Music classes ( which I wasn't happy about) but when in Rome do as the Romans. So I went along with it, with little grumbling. It was also a fund raiser for the school...so, maybe Music will get something out of it!! Any how, I was the only teacher to walk/run with the kids...total of 8 miles for the day. Lord have mercy...I'd rather bike, hike but running is for crazy people. I give it a go, but it just hurts! My shins, hip flexors and quads are still sore. But todays Push/Pull helped but the leg exercise were "ouchy" but I do believe it helped.
So I'm off on my weekly rotation. PP was suppose to be Thursday, tomorrow I will try Legs and Glutes or perhaps Step Blast. Two more days, then rest...AHHHHHHhhhh!

Also mowed the yard this evening, so I missed sisters call. Poop. Oh well. Grilled two burgers and some chicken and I'm good to go until Friday with meat! YUM!

Now you would think that I would have slept well last night. Nope, I drank 3 bottles of water when I got home, so I had to get up alot throughout the night. Maybe I'll sleep better tonight. Who knows? Less then 2 weeks of music madness to go with programs. I can see the end of the tunnel...barely. lol

Hope everyone is doing great.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

~Renee~
 
Hi ladies of the Cathe Nation! Today was the STS Disc 16, Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, which I loved! and my Pilates Class. I am so predictable I never seem to like the first week of the Meso than I begin to love it the deeper I go into it and then regret when it is over and done with...

Shadowpup: Love the photos! Thanks for sharing. I can see all the hard labor you put in really paid off! What are you doing for exercise? Are you doing a rotation or fitting what you can when you can with the travel/

Michelle; sounds like a wonderful walk this morning! Good job on upping the weights! I know I am already lifting heavier than before STS

Catchicks: Yes running takes some adjusting to no matter how fit you are, it is something to do slowly to give the ligaments, and such a time to adapt to the work load. Coach Potato to 5K is a great place to start, now don't get offended:D I know you are NOT a coach potato!!, but as far as running goes it is a good place to start, I used some the the advice from that website while getting into jogging last year. I didn't start off quite so slowly but it got me funning up to 9 miles in about 3 months with no pain at all.
 
Hi all,

I feel so spoiled, being home this many days in a row! Even raining it is pleasant to be in one's own house ... still a few more days to enjoy this :D

I'm glad you ladies have enjoyed the pictures! It was fun taking them for you - I decided to also make these into a shutterfly booklet for my grandmother, as a surprise gift. She was wondering how the garden looked and this way she will be able to peek :D She's not really a computer photo person.

Laura, That's great! Feels good when that stuff is gone. Bet Shoegal feels lighter now, after the Great Garage Sale :) I've heard of that couch to 5k routine, but have to say, I am the only nonrunner in my family. Everyone else runs and everyone else gets injured. Me, I like nice safe heavy weights and kickbox and my cardio coach :)

Renee, that's great that you were out there moving with the kids, even sore. I bet they respected you for it ... and hopefully music will benefit. We used to do things like that, and sales too, everything from candles to stuffed animals to candy, to keep the music programs alive.

Michelle, I am trying to hold on to some time Wednesday, week after next! Still not sure where we'll be staying, but it should be near a metro station.

For workouts, I'm doing pretty well. I've gotten into a rhythm where I'll work working slowly through the mesocycle I'm on at home, doing perhaps two discs if I'm home three days, and finishing it off on the next weekend. Then, I'll do TRX full body work while I'm on travel, and sandwich that between Cardio Coach. So for instance, Sat: STS, Sun: cardio, Mon: STS, Tues: travel day/walking, Wed: cardio, Thurs: TRX, Fri: travel day/walking or CC, Sat: STS.

Today I finished off STS Meso 2 week 4, back/biceps, in style! Managed all three sets of twelve pullups without having to break them into microsets :D Very happy about that :D Next week is supposed to be active rest, and so probably I'll do TRX flexibility instead of strength training while I'm gone. After that, I'm thinking it would be smarter to an upper/lower split on the weekends, and save Meso 3 for June when the travel is back to a more normal level.

The horses aren't getting out as much as they'd like but this is at least as much the fault of the weather as my schedule! I was able to get one ride in, this weekend, but it's too rainy now and the ground is too wet to be safe even if it stops :( Well, they are enjoying the extra treats in any case.

On the goal setting front, even though I haven't posted an accountability update here - actually that is working very well too! I'm getting my goal-writeups done every day. It's really interesting to see how certain things move on and off the list. And ... I'm making faster progress in a few areas, which is what is supposed to happen. Writing those goals down helps me focus and helps me say NO more emphatically. It doesn't make the days shorter, but it does help me get more of the important things done. This is probably the best approach I've tried when it comes to time management! Happy about that, and under the circumstances, it is pretty amazing that anything but packing/unpacking and the bare essentials of the trip are getting done.
 
After another beautiful walk with Ripken this morning although cool enough for a light winter jacket, I did CTX All Step which includes shoulder work and abs. This is my close second favorite step routine for this series (step intervals is my favorite). I amazed myself on the shoulder work which is usually my struggle area but today felt good. Had the weight amounts just right to keep it challenging but not impossible.

Shadowpup: it's nice to be home--that way you can get things done. Too bad about not getting much time in with the kids. Dang that rain. I'm keeping Wednesday morning open next week. So far so good.

Laura: meso 2 is lots of fun. After the first week, you do get kind of hooked to the new meso, don't you?

Sister: ah, mowing the grass. I figured you were in the shower or outside so I was close. How are your shins sister?

Busy day of meetings ahead and tomorrow morning as well. DH heads to Solomons in the morning to put the zincs on the boat and then it goes in the water and back in her slip. Ripken and I will follow tomorrow afternoon.

Have a super duper day!
Michelle
 
Hi All,

I hope you are having a great week! Despite all the rain, it has really been fun to be home and I still have two whole more days of it :D:D:D

This has been an unusual week. I did a bunch of radio interviews for work, just a few minutes each. It is interesting, the kinds of questions that one gets asked. It took about a morning but felt faster than that. Quite fun, actually. If you are curious, here is one - out your way, Michelle, Federal News Radio: http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?sid=1945786&nid=19

It also turns out I had confused which week I was in which state. Things are really getting to that point :eek::eek::eek: Next week is *Dallas*, and it is the week after that is *DC* :eek::eek::eek: And then I think it is Oakland the week after that. But I don't want to think that far ahead while enjoying this time home ...

With this travel I decided it really does make most sense to to a circuit style for awhile, and intersperse with cardio, TRX, and flexibility work. Today I did Shock Cardio Circuit Blast. Fun!

oops, dinner, more later :)
 
Boating season is officially underway for us. It's been a busy 24 hours--carting stuff back on the boat and getting things unpacked and stored. And today, washing the boat. About halfway done on that chore. Outstanding weather. Couldn't ask for a better weekend.

Ripken and I took our long Solomons walk this morning and then I did the first and third stretches from Stretch Max. I'm finding that even on break days, I need to do something and stretches are usually the choice that I go with. Spent 4 hours washing the boat this afternoon. I've got most of the bridge done, the cockpit is done, and the port side needs one more scrub for fine tuning. That leaves finishing the bridge, the bow, and the starboard side. Then back to the cockpit, to clean the bait wells. They are really icky.

Joe is getting ready to order pizza so I have to go to pick it up. More later.
~michelle
 
Sorry I have been MIA, nothing but plain busy and dropping into bed right after I put the girls down for the night...

So Wednesday I did a massive, stair stepping Hell hike in Boulder called Sinates. It is literally straight up with massive rock and log stairs to a peak and than down the front. I took my friend, who I skied with all winter on Wed. who is also a fitness instructor, and she kept saying every 1o minutes or so HOLLY COW! PHEW!! Than I had a free microbrasian facial from a friend of mine, who owns a small facial spa and had got new equipment and wanted to try it out on some friends first, so I was one of the lucky ones. Than a friend called me to help her pick out tops at a consignment shop and while we were there I saw this amazing Blue Leather Dress from Nieman Marcus, it is low back with a halter top over with a large collar, it is a wrap dress with a belt, very classic and will never go out of style. It still had it's tag on it with a whopping 1,989.00 than on sale for 458 and I bought it (perfect fit:eek:) for 175! So it was a really nice day!

Thursday I did STS Legs and I was sweating Buckets!

Today I took off, busy with errands and clients and just plain tired when I got home!

Shadowpup: so sorry none of have been around since you have been back!! Glad Michelle was here to keep you company,. Weather has been yucky here as well, cold and wet, spitting snow and then sun shine. Sounds like a good idea to do the circuits until you can be home more for Meso 3. I am sure your Grandmother will love the book of your garden. I am doing the same for the girls Great-Grandmother for her birthday with photos from her party. You reminded me I need to finish that up and get it ordered to be on time. I realized that I haven't signed up for Presidential Challenge, lost tract with that with the accident, the vacation, and then the internet problems! I hope to look into it tomorrow.

Michelle: BOAT TIME!:D:D Sounds like you are feeling constantly stronger after STS. When is the road trip? Are you going to do STS again anytime soon? I won't be done until August...
 
Just got done with Travel Fit a little bit ago. I thought is was a 40 minute workout, but it goes 51 minutes. I know it will sneak up on me later today. My calves were really sore yesterday evening and I finally realized why: I did Leaner Legs on Thursday and I was feeling all those calve raises. Whew! This morning on our walkabout, I was moaning and groaning to Ripken about how much my legs hurt. Feel better now that I've gotten my workout done.

Well, our weather is just the opposite of ya'lls out west. We are looking at clear sunny skies, a breeze from the southwest, and pushing 90 degrees today. Hello summer. I'm going to wash the bow and the sides of the boat and the finish on the starboard side of the bridge will wait until tomorrow.

The marina opened the pool this weekend and the water is only 62 degrees but I'm sure there will be a few brave souls who venture it today. Not me. I'll stick to the AC in the boat.

Laura: the dress that you found sounds great. You've got to love a deal like that. You bought that dress for less than 10 percent of its original price. Pretty dang good. I've been checking in on the president's challenge every couple of days. Need to head over to that web site today to log in the few past days activities. I wonder if washing the boat for 4 hours counts as exercise?

Shadowpup: I think I'm pretty open the week after next. Let me know as soon as you can which days you think will be most workable for you so I can block sections on my calendar.

Sister: I'll call later this afternoon.
Hi to Janie and Shoegal. Hope the vacations are going well.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.
~michelle
 
I started the October 09 rotation this weekend. Plus I added the Heavy Bag bonus to both daily workouts yesterday and today. I love my Wavemaster. Punching and kicking that thing is so much fun, relieves a lot of tension and works up a good sweat. Yesterday was Disc 1 of STS, chest, bi's and shoulders...whew-wee! I did almost exactly what I did when I did it the first time back in January. My bicep curls were suppose to be 22 pound barbell, but I went with 25. And let me tell ya', everything has some nice doms today. Add the Heavy Bag and Disc 17, Legs STS today. OY! But I am loving the feeling this is giving me. Tomorrow is STS disc 5, Back and triceps. Not sure if I will punch on the Wavemaster or not. Depends if I need that stress relief from school.

Speaking of school...my last "big" performance is this week! Hooray! Then its fun and games with the kids for the rest of the year. Yes, of course its educational, but its stuff I always save for the last month of school that the kids REALLY like, and introduce some new stuff too.

Looks like the grass is finally starting to grow a little. I was feeling a bit "ticked" that nothing seemed to be doing anything. My Dad said..."it takes time." And he's right! :)

After the Cathe Road Trip, I plan on doing STS again starting, oh, the second week in August. That way I should have it done right before Thanksgiving and the holidays. With boating season, I don't see sister doing STS again for a while. She is gonna do the October 09 rotation with me, to the best of her schedule. Hope she's ready for some major DOMS!

Experience is the child of thought, and thought is the child of action.
Benjamin Disraeli

Action! I like action! How 'bout you?

Have a good day everybody!
~Renee
 
Hi ladies!

Did the step and hi/low portion of Step, Jump, and Pump which was fun!

Running off to the store....in the snow UGH!
 
This morning there was a nice warm, humid wind blowing out of the SW. Been blowing all day. I think I'll take the warm humid air and sunshine. I can't believe that Laura has snow on May 2nd!

KickMax was the workout of choice today. It was either that or B&G and my lower body wasn't keen on doing B&G so I did KickMax.

After KickMax, I cleaned out the baitwells in the cockpit. Boy, they sure were yucky. Lots of dirt and stuff off the trees from when the boat was in dry dock. I still have to finish the bridge. It will be there next weekend and then I can start cleaning all over again. Ha! Maintenance cleaning is better than the first cleaning of the season--

Sister and I both bought a pair of Ryka Float Sneakers from Shoebuy.com today. On sale for half price, with another 20 percent off, and free shipping. Deal!

Looking forward to hearing from Janie and Shoegal. Hope you ladies are having fun. Safe travelling to everyone this week.
~michelle
 
Great walk this morning with Ripken. Warm morning with a stiff breeze--and the promise of rain. Fortunately, no rain while we walked. Still at the boat this morning, so I did Travel Fit (again). I was tempted to take a break today but I have a very long day this week on Thursday, so I'm pushing through until then at which point I will get my break day.

It promises to be a busy week. Hope a few of you will be checking in and catching up. It's a little lonely here....
~michelle
 
Buon Giogno!!

I'm back from Italy - actually got back on Friday.

Italy was absolutely beautiful - Lake Como especially - just lovely - exactly what you thought Italy ought to look like. Just gorgeous!! Parts of Milano were just like any city but there were streets where you just wanted to take a picture. Lots of outdoor cafe and eateries. The Duomo - amazing! Shopping was in a word - expensive - and converting Euros into dollars - made everything a little more. I actually bought no "scarpae" - the designer pairs I wanted were way out of my price range - even at the outlets. Everyone was thin - and skinny jeans there were very poplular - that was all anybody seemed to wear!!!

I am going to attempt to post pictures once again - we'll see how that goes. I have been very busy trying to get caught up since I've been back. I will try to get on again and post personals later.

I really missed you all and I missed exercise - I have done very little except walk around -and although all day sight seeing is a bit of a workout - it still isn't like Cathe!!

Ciao!!:D
 
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Hi all! Last post for awhile - my meeting starts up soon, and it is going to be an intense few days. I'm dropping in between the all day in planes/autos/trains on Sunday and the flurry of online deadlines this morning. Still, it is a gorgeous day here in Dallas and it was very nice to get a few items off my to-do list. Also, I have in-laws here and was able to have a really nice lunch on short notice with my sister in law (who has to be one of the nicest people on the planet!). Hadn't seen her in five-ish years, and it was a real treat.

Shoegal, welcome home! I'm sorry your suitcase isn't crammed with shoes, though. At least you got to see the current styles, and sounds like you had a real blast in any case. And, best, you didn't get your vacation volcano'd :) Will definitely hunt up your pics when I'm able to get back online next.

Michelle, I did Cardio Coach today, though likely I'll do a TravelFit if time permits. I put a request in to have both Wed and Thurs lunch kept free, though it's really going to come down to whether we have to be out at the Fort at a specific time. So far, looking good! BTW, til I got here I was having trouble visualizing boating weather ... we had snow last week! ... but it is definitely summer weather in Dallas! Tells me what to pack next week, this does :) Sounds like you spent quite a bit of time getting the boat cleaned up and yes, I'd say it is far to put at least some of that down under the president's challenge!!!

Renee, nice to see you on facebook as well as here, too. I met someone who reminded me of you because she had sore feet from doing this Warrior challenge run. Have you heard of that? But hope you are feeling better yourself after wearing out your feet. You are really tempting me to get a Wavemaster ... it sounds like fun ... where would it fit??? hmm. Did you have to learn how to hit the wavemaster or is it obvious how to do it without hurting one's hand?


And I love my Rykas too :) Two pair, one very light and one a little sturdier. Both with me on this trip. Good thing I don't buy online from hotel rooms or I would be over there hunting up a third pair, which probably isn't needed ... yet ...

Laura, speaking of FB, nice picture! Reminds me of wonder woman, which is an apt description of your usual day :) You and I, still in the snow; what a climate we have, right? Sounds good for your workout, and I loved hearing about that dress. Great buy!

And best to Janie, who hopefully is loving her cruise and swimsuits and all!
 
Hi Ladies, Late on Monday night after all my classes, I just got done with me Clean Eating Dinner that I had put in a crock pot all day and entering my exercises...I still need to hop a shower but didn't want to miss checking in first..

Michelle you have been our anchor while our group is off globe trotting and me just being busy....Good job on your workouts, you have a nice steady rthymn going it seems..bet you will be glad when the work is done on the boat and you get to enjoy it!

Shoegal: Welcome Home! We missed you! UGH skinny Italian Chicks in Skinny Jeans and the best shoes on the planet!!:p:confused::rolleyes: Well at least the place was beautiful as well as the people

Shadowpup: we will miss you again! Glad you like the photo, it was kind of fun, we got dressed up for a May Pole Dance on Saturday. The girls have their Maypole dance at school this friday, it is their class that does the dance so I am sure to have lots of pictures of that soon!
 
Last night - I was quite tired and had dozed off for a bit. Got up - it was nearly 10!!! Had to work out of course - and I chose - Kari Anderson's Push. Long long long time since I've done that one. I was worried that this "advanced" step workout (there is also a hi lo portion) was going to be lame - since I really didn't remember much about it. Kari tends to break down quite a lot and that also tends to be a bore. I must say that I have never seen the same moves in another step video - wonderful, innovative, exciting!!! I really enjoyed the work out but I found that I got tired - and I ran out of gas quickly :p. Need to get back in the swing of things. But I'll get there.

Shadowpup - I just get back and you leave!!! Bummer. I saw your gorgeous flower pics - enjoyed those. Must have fun to have that garden group enjoy all of your hard work. It is nice that you got to visit with your inlaws - and your sister in law - Hopefully you'll bump into Michelle on purpose during your travels. Check in when you can.

MIchelle - DH has been all over our boat - fixing things - he has been really just going full steam on the upkeep. He cleaned the entire outside of it and is now going to paint it! I didn't realize the boat could get so dirty just sitting there. He also put on all of the Catalina sail boat parts I had bought him for Christmas - now we have to go get the sails - those were also redone. Do you spend every nice weekend on the boat during the season?

Laura - Maypole!! How fun! I can not believe you have snow in May. I had been messing around in the garden all day Saturday - enjoying the sunshine and it sure was warm!!! Italy seemed to be way farther along in their growing season - flowers everywhere - in full bloom. We are just getting around to plant our canna bulbs again - (actually not looking forward to that).

Hello to Renee - and to Janie.
 
Hello Ladies! Remember me?:eek: I started out with you on Janie's "lurker check-in" way back.

I've been MIA for a while around here but i was curious to see if you were all continuing with your check-in. It looks like the lurker check-in is still there but you have all graduated to your own check-in! I was so happy to see familiar names on here.

Do you have room for one more?:eek:
 
Welcome back Elle-P! Of course we have room for one more. Please join us again. You've been MIA quite a while, so you will need to catch us up.

The plan was to start the Oct '09 rotation today. I have decided though not to lift weights for a couple of weeks. My right arm is constantly talking to me and I think I have to give it a serious rest. I should probably go see a doctor but I figure he is going to tell me to lay off the weights and take Aleve--and leave your copay at the door. So, just cardio girl here for a while. This morning after Ripken and I had a lovely spring walk, I did Step Jam on the CardioHits dvd. That's a good moderate step workout that doesn't put alot of strain on my feet. Yes, I'm still babying my left foot too. I feel like my body just fell apart after STS and Shock Cardio. But I don't want to stop exercising completely, so it's moderation in exercise for a while.

Shoegal: skinny jeans, really? Ick. We are assuming all those Italian women are skinny, but are they? Dang on the shoe buy. I really was hoping to hear from you that Italian shoes are way, way cheaper in Italy. Double-dang. What was the best thing that you ate/drank in Italy? And yes, unless something dramatic happens, we are on the boat every weekend up to Thanksgiving.

Laura: I've lost track on where you are with meso 2. It's good to be busy--keeps you young.

Shadowpup: Next Thursday is Quantico for me in the morning unless the schedule rotates again based on my General's schedule. I'll do my best to keep Wednesday open. Not sure what our weather will be like next week--hopefully springtime warm and pleasant and not bordering on summer hot and humid. I'll let you know. Weather.com usually gets pretty close up to 3-5 days out.

Sister has her last music program this Thursday so we might not hear from her until later in the week. This week is her Orff program.

Hi to our cruisin Janie.
~michelle
 
Elle - We'd love to have you back - the more the merrier!! Tell us what you've been up to!

Michelle - you are smart - work around your injuries - allow yourself time to heal. You seem to listen to your body very well. I am learning to do that more and more and I'm learning now to really modify when things hurt. Right now I have a bit of hip flexor pain in my left leg - when I get up it hurts to walk until I get going a little bit. :confused:

Last night I did Push Pull - and really enjoyed it - I have been easing back into it - and this seemed to fit the bill. I also went out to buy some cards for some upcoming events.

My cousin's son is being baptised - I'm just sending a card and gift since they all live in Indiana - My nephew Thomas is making his first holy communion on Sunday - needed a card for that - Mother's Day is Sunday and my 2nd anniversary is Sunday. Whole mess of stuff happens on Sunday but will probably only celebrate the holy communion in earnest. My sisters and I usually take my mother away for a weekend every year for Mother's Day - so I have a little trip happening at the end of May too. DH and I will go out to dinner on Saturday then I force him :eek: to watch our wedding video and eat some cake. :rolleyes: But you know - it's something.

Hello to Laura, Renee, Shadowpup and Janie!!
 
Taking a break from weight-lifting seems to be working. My arm is not aching constantly today and it didn't wake me up last night. My left foot is feeling pretty good too. Hopefully, this is the start of a mend trend, but we'll see. Keeping with the cardio: this morning I did Step Heat from The Classics. The step routine is pretty basic and it has abs at the end which I didn't remember but was happy to do some ab work. Tomorrow I have an early morning to travel down to Norfolk for the day, so no exercise and I am ready for a break.

Shoegal: you've got quite a bit going on this weekend. Happy anniversary. Good job on remembering the date. My DH and I have problems with that.

Work is busy and life is low key right now so not much excitement to talk about. And that is a good thing as far as I am concerned. I left my mother's day presents with sister when I visited back in March, so all I have to do is put the card in the mail tomorrow. My dad's birthday is next Thursday, so I need to order his gift so it delivers close to his birthday. His card will go in the mail on Tuesday next week.

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful Wednesday.
~michelle
 
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