Is this workout plan good enough or can it be improved?

janiejoey

Cathlete
Dear Cathe,
I'm 54 years old (In April) in menapause and taking natural HRT. I'm retired with my husband and trying very hard to keep my body in a healthy shape. I know I need to lose at least 20 pounds. I've made up a schedule for myself to incorporate some of your workouts, but I need to know if I can or need some improvements. Here is a list of your workouts I have: Step Max, Step Jam, Step Heat, DVD 3-in-1 Pure Strength, DVD 3-in-1 Power Hour, & DVD from the Body Blast Series; Supersets & Push Pull.
I also have on order the DVD Intensity Series Vol 3 Pyramid Upper + Lower, and Kick Punch & Crunch. And from Amazon I ordered "Eat To Live".
Here is my made up schedule for a week:
Sun. Cardio and Yoga
Mon. Strength Training
Tue. Cardio and Yoga
Wed. Day Off
Thr. Cardio and Strength Training
Fri. Yoga
Sat. Cardio and Strength Training
Am I on the right track? Please let me know if I can improve this, or add more workouts as the weeks go by.
Sincerely,
Jane McBride
 
Hi Jane...not Cathe here.. However, I feel compelled to reply.

You seem to have a well rounded plan for your fitness schedule. I think you have plenty of Cardio and Strength training. Everyone's schedule can vary for each individuals needs. I think yours is perfect IF you think it's perfect for you. Because in all honesty, it is YOUR schedule. Make sure it works for you. The most important thing is to enjoy what you are doing and don't think of it as a chore. That IS the key to success. I lost 80 pounds by doing Cardio only. That doens't mean it was right...but now I do strength training because I am more educated. And my golly...I actually love it!

If it wasn't for Fit Tv I would never have met Cathe.

Keep up with your progress...take measurement and don't rely on the scale to be true to your progress.

Good Luck and dedication to your health is vital!
 
Thank you so much for your input. I just have to have confidence that it will work for me. I've already changed it a little bit. I will now be doing 2 cardio, 2 strength training and 2 yogas per week (separate days of course). And a day of recovery. I think it was too much to handle, at least until I get stronger.
Wow! Eighty pounds, congratulation! I'm so proud of you. Please tell me how you were eating. I'm very confused on that one.
I love my workouts too, it is very refreshing and gratifying.
Thanks again,
Janie
 
Firstly, do a routine that works for you. Changing your routine to fit your schedule to start with is perfectly fine. The only thing is you need to make sure you keep yourself fresh and challenged. Cathe offers so many different workouts that she is a great one stop shop for variety of workouts.

Thank you for your congrats on my 80 pound loss. I have actually maintained it now for 4 1/2 years. Actually, maintaining is so much harder than loosing it. I am now a fitness instructor myself because I wanted to help others in the same situation. I use myself as an example all the time to show that you can change. Anyhoo....my diet. I didn't diet! I actually read a wonderful book called "Outsmarting the Female Fat Cell" by Debra Waterhouse. I got it on Ebay for $1.00. Cheap! I also read another book called "The Seven Secrets of Slim People" by Vikki Hansan and Shawn Goodman. They both are wonderful books. They just helped me re-teach myself how and when to eat along with how much. Not to overstuff yourself. And to pay attention to a hunger scale. In otherwords...rate your hunger on a scale of 1-10 and when you reach a certain number...you should eat then because if you get to a slightly hungrier state...you will consume so much more than if you would have eaten 30 minutes sooner. Does that make since? Anyhoo...they are very good and helpful books! The other thing about eating is that it is very important to pay attention in the quality of food you put in your body. I am not a health food junkie by all means. But, if I had a choice between fresh fruits or canned fruits fresh is a better choice. Actually, my doctor gave me an example to help me out. He told me that I should eat choices that the earth provides and not what man has changed or made. In other words...apples grow on trees...so that would be a earth given food. But, applesauce is man created..however it has apples in it...but the sugars and extras added to it makes it a less healthful choice. Another example...grapes or raisins. Grapes are a better choice because they are in it's whole fresh form...raisins are good too...however dried fruits sugar content is much higher than the fresh form. But, the thing is choose lower fat, lower sodium, lower sugar foods help a lot. Everyone is different with their needs on weight loss. I just know what worked for me. I do hope you look into the books suggested. They changed my life and helped me see that life is not about one diet after another. IN other words...they both state that diets DON'T work because you can't be on a diet forever. At some point you have to get off of that diet and get back to regular eating. So, why not learn about eating the right foods and changing your choices and getting educated about foods and food labels etc. Diets are temporary....you need to find a way to make a lifestyle change.

I hope I helped some.
 
RE: Is this workout plan good enough or can it be impro...

I think your plan (original or revised) sounds excellent. It's great you're including yoga because flexibility is often overlooked, but so important. I've heard a lot of good things about "Eat to Live." I admire you for trying to change your eating habits and not just latching on to the latest fad diet. You've obviously educated yourself about diet and fitness and that knowledge will be key to your success. Since you revised your original plan, it's also obvious that you're also listening to your body, which is critical to avoid overtraining and/or injury. This is a great place to become even more knowledgable. I have no doubt you'll succeed.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!:)
 
RE: Is this workout plan good enough or can it be impro...

Eat to Live is a really good book and has sensible, easy-to-make recipes. Just be sure to follow the portions!! Portion-control is really hard for me :)
 
RE: Is this workout plan good enough or can it be impro...

I can't wait for the book to arrive! I'm so ready for this. I will watch my portion size, because for me, I'm used to big portions (supersize). I guess eventually your stomach shrinks and perhaps you will feel less hungry. I will trust and do this no matter what! How can I lose with Cathe's workouts and eating correctly?

Thank you for your great advice,
Janie
 

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