Push It

[TRSTACIE]

Good morning everyone! It's nice a sunny here today which is fantastic. Hopefully I will make it out today for a nice walk over lunch.

Last night I finally did JM Shed and Shred Extreme Workout #1. It was ok. I did just the beginner moves because I didn't know what she would throw at me and didn't really break a sweat until about 20 minutes in or so. I don't know if I will get a chance to get #2 done since the DVD has to go back to the library on Sunday. The one thing I didn't like was the lack of cuing...especially on the kickboxing exercises. I could not remember the punch combos since she just says them once and then leaves you to do them. I definitely missed Cathe during that part! After that I did STS legs squat rack disc. I messed up on the weights for the deadlifts and accidentally did 10 lbs lighter than I was supposed to do. The front squats were killer again. I tried out the new barbell pad as well. Pure heaven! I spent the whole workout wondering why I hadn't gotten on sooner!

Jennifer
I was wondering about that too. My pushup count has actually been decreasing so I cut down on them...by a lot. I did some online research and some sites suggested that overuse might be causing it. I tried to talk to a friend of mine about that lifts regularly but I think he is really busy or a mad at me because of a conversation we had last week. Let's just say his idea of what our friendship is and my idea of it are completely different. I am shooting for only three times a week now for the pushups.

HeartMax
Great job finishing STS! Does it get easier each time you do it? I looked at the undulating rotation does look interesting. Have you ever done the 6.5 month rotation? I was wondering if that one would get really boring or not.

The resort where you guys will be staying sounds amazing! Sometimes it's worth it to splurge a little. Afterall, you and your husband work hard so why not enjoy it well you can?

Natty
Fantastic job on increasing your weights and getting those hard pushups tackled!

The odd weights of the adjustable plate weight set throws me for a loop too sometimes. I have 2.5lb plates and 6lb plates. The 3lb bar does make things tricky. I have been looking for 1.5lb plates as well. You are right...they are very hard to find. I need to search through Amazon.com again today.

Thanks for the suggestions on the authors. I am a horror novel junkie too. John Sandford, Steven King, and Dean Koontz are some of my most commonly read authors! I have read Lord of Rings once. I tried to again but I just couldn't do it which was odd since I liked them so much the first time. I have never heard of Dan Brown or Bently Little. I will have to check them out. This might sound silly but after watching the Walking Dead I have been on the hunt for some good zombie survial novels. Maybe I should just read the Walking Dead comics instead! I thought about reading the Hunger Games as well. However, since the movie is out there will be a huge waiting list for those books at the library. Did you watch the movie "I am Legend" or read the book? That author (Richard Matheson) writes some good stuff. I wish the library had more of his books.

I forgot to mention one more thing about Meso #3. As far as I can tell, each type of workout is the exact same with the only difference being the weights used. Plyo legs may be different -- not sure because I have been doing the squat rack discs instead. Anyway, this might be the reason why some people don't really like Meso #3. All of the other cycles had several new exercises each week.

Susan
Great news about your daughter! I hope everything is fine at the next doctor's appointment. I am so sorry about your dog. I hope the vet can figure out how to help the poor thing. Our pets become like family and it's really hard to see them suffer. I also feel bad that your vacation from work has been less than relaxing.

Do you have adjustable weighted gloves or once that are at a set weight? I have been thinking of getting some but haven't made the leap yet. The adjustable ones seem like the best bang for the buck but a lot of reviews said the quality wasn't any good. How do you like yours?

BTW, I think that's cute that you and your hubby had a date night. Good for you two to take the time for each other. I hope you guys had a great time!


See ya later everyone!
Stacie

P.S. Does anyone know how Raciela did on her marathon? I bet she totally rocked it....

 

[susanzabo]

Hi again. I had a few minutes to spare after dinner before I have to go to soccer practice for my older daughter. I have been finding it hard to keep up with you guys lately, so maybe this will get me a step ahead.

Natty
GREAT job on those pushups in TBT. That is awesome, and I am envious. You can really rock your workouts. Do you keep track of your workouts to see your progress? It seems you have improved by leaps and bounds just since we started the checkin group.

Stacie
Thanks for your kind works about my daughter and dog. For the dog, the Xrays turned out OK, so we are going to stick with the pills for one month (along with drops for an ear infection). If she doesn't get better, then we will see the doggie chiropractor/acupuncturist. Oye.... what is this world coming to. But I believe in all of that for humans, I guess why not dogs. Except for the fact the cost is way more since everything is out of pocket.

For the gloves, I have 2 sets. I bought the 1lb pair first and had those for years. Just got the 2lb set a month ago or so. Each glove comes with two 1lb weights so they are adjustable. They seem pretty good quality to me. Here's the link.
Amazon.com: Altus Athletic Altus 4-Pound Mic-LD Weighted Gloves: Sports & Outdoors

I think you also asked me several posts ago about a trainer for my bike. No I don't have one. Biking hasn't been my thing. We'll see if that changes this year.

Have a good night all!

 

[mini-natty]

Good morning all

Yesterday's w/o was Step Moves. I need something easy since my body was still DOMS'ing from TBT. I tried to do it barefoot, and was not feeling it. I can get clumsy and stubbing a toe on your step is not fun . I also felt I could not jump as high and do the moves with any power. I did like weight training and MMA Boxing sans shoes though.

I purchased High Reps and STS TB downloads with my gift card and still have $25 left over. The 30% off downloads after $20 is a really good deal. I previewed them and got pretty excited. I now feel my Cathe collection is somewhat complete with enough strength/cardio to last me a very, very, long time (no more enabling you guys!!).

Susan
Thank you for the very nice compliment. I don't physically keep track of my w/o's, instead I mentally keep track . I think for STS though, I may have to start writing some #'s down. I honestly don't feel I've done anything special. I just try to put forth 100% and strive for better each time.
Speaking of improvements, I think you should pat yourself on the back too! Your push-up counts are awesome!! And you always seem to pick the hardest w/o's.......and rotations!! I saw the one you wanted to do, HOLY GIRL!!! I see double w/o's on some days!! I'm hoping when my daughter gets older, and as I get older, I am able to really "give it" and include that type of rotation into my lifestyle. I just can't squeeze orange juice from an apple right now.
Your Mexican date with your hubby sounded wonderful. It's so important for you to reserve that quality time with each other. I'm a fan of Martini's especially Lychee. Every time I go out to a Thai restaurant, I have a few of those babies
I'm sorry to hear about your puppy. It's very sad to see a part of your family (which pets are) sick. My cat almost died from pancreatitis, and the vet was able to save that little guy. It broke my heart. He is very sweet and loving.
I'm glad to hear your daughter is much better
Stacie
Isn't the barbell pad wonderful? The first time I squatted with my barbell without it, I was like "nope this hurts too much. Need a pad". And that was it. I am a wimp with the bar on my back.
Sorry you did not feel the love for S&S. It's not a typical Jillian w/o, she changes her element in this one. Level 1 is easy, level 2 is harder. You might like Ripped in 30 (levels 2, 3, 4 are crazy). You might also like NMTZ, BFBM or 30 Day Shred. Those 3 are her "classics" and the best IMO.
Interesting fact about the overuse w/the push-ups. That could be a possibility for sure.
Thanks for the heads up about Meso 3. I thought Cathe would change the exercises at least. That's ok, I have a feeling I won't mind so much.
I was looking at how the Turbo Tower is used during STS TB, and now I REALLY want one. Those pull-ups look awesome!

Have a great day everyone

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good morning! Last night was Hardcore Extreme Hi/Lo. I have to admit Cathe had me begging for mercy at the end. I was pretty tired those last 10 minutes! I also did pushups 6-5-3-5-4. A slight increase in my max count from last time but still not near by all time high of 10. Doing such a hard workout last night made me think about the JM Dvd. It might not be a bad idea to have a couple of DVDs like that because not every workout every day has to completely fry you. I might try out some of Natty's other JM suggestions. I have been wanting to do some short cardio workouts before lifting anyway. It was food for thought...

Susan
Glad to hear that the puppy x-rays looked good. Hopefully the drops will clear everything up. I know what you mean about the Vet bills. There are some pet insurance plans out there but I am not sure if they are worth it or not. I felt a lot of guilt when my dog got cancer because they recommended to immediately amputate her legs for around 2K and then do another 5-7k of radiation treatments. The worse part about it is that it would have probably only extended her life about 6 months to a year. I was trying to figure out a way to pay for all that but in the mean time it spread through her like a wildfire and I had her put to sleep 2 months later. I still feel guilty to this day for not amputating her leg immediately and for putting her to sleep even though I did it out of love because she was in a lot of pain.

Natty
I had either used a towel or gone without a pad all this time. However, these higher weights really caused some pain. Do you have the leather one or a foam one? I noticed Cathe's crew uses the leather one. I thought it might get kinda gross with sweat when I was comparing the two at the store. The only I got can be easily wiped down from time to time. Maybe the leather one is more comfortable though.

I didn't hate Shed and Shred but I didn't fall in love with it right away either. Her style was ok -- I didn't have the negative feelings about her like I did with Denise Austin. I am going to try to squeeze in the second one today before STS. Thanks for the recommendations on the other ones. I will see if the library has some I can checkout.

BTW, I am kinda jealous that you have the entire Shock Cardio Series! I had a chance to buy it on ebay a couple of months ago for $75. I really kick myself now for not jumping on that deal. Some lucky person snagged it the next day -- of course, after I had decided I would buy it afterall. With the new knee braces saving my knees, I was actually thinking about getting HiiT. Which one do you think is the easiest one? I might do the downloads for it (my first time!) while Cathe is offering the 30% coupon.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[mini-natty]

Good evening everyone

Today was hiit Pyramid . No matter how many times I do it, it still kicks my booty

Tomorrow is supposed to be Low Impact Circuit. Do you guys think I can sub w/ AT?

Stacie
Hardcore is tough, tough stuff. I remember doing it for the first time and thinking "Cathe, you gotta be off your rocker!!!!!". Hi/lo is a cake walk compared to Interval blasts+legs. What part of her dark, vivid imagination did that workout come from??
S&S is good when you don't want to be slayed and begging for mercy (*cough* cough* the workout you just did). Level 2 had me sore the next day, and it was only 30min. If you want a challenge, do level 2 and up the weights. Don't follow her crew who use the wussy 3lbs (as I'm pretty sure they can lift way more and did not get that body using light weights). Don't ever expect JM to do the workout BTW. I always wanted to see some sweat on that tight, toned body of hers. I love that Cathe gets down and dirty.
I have the foam pad and it works great. A few people on this forum suggested it (Valeo). I got it off Amazon.ca
The easiest hiit is supposed to be 30/30, but I feel Pyramid is, as do a lot of others on this forum. 40/20 is insane, utterly crazy. When I can master 40/20 with no modifications, I will consider myself fit enough to climb Mt.Everest . If you get all three it's, $16.74 w/the 30% off. IMO, they are all worth having just in case you decide you want to one day conquer 40/20. All 3 of them are high impact, but 40/20 and 30/30 use a step and you jump on/off it a lot of times. If you make the "moves" low impact (ie- substituting with air squats instead of regular jump squats ect) you lose that true "hiit" experience IMO. 30min of pyramid and I was dripping sweat like I got out of the shower.

I hope everyone had a great day

 

[susanzabo]

Hi everyone!

Yesterday was a very busy day for me. I started out working out too long and it set me behind schedule. Yesterday officially marked the end of the Feb 2012 rotation with 4DS Kickbox/legs. I really love that KB routine and for a short leg workout it's pretty good. I don't like the lunges with your foot behind you on the high step platform where you start on the floor. I find it very awkward, but other than that, it's good. After 4DS I added on Hiit Pyramid which is from my next rotation (January 2011). I need to do some doubling up. Hiit after 4DS was too much, it took all the mental strength I had to will myself through it. So glad when it was over. I found it very hard, but of course I was fatigued already.

Natty
I am with you on the 40/20, those butt kicks are never going to happen for me at Cathe's pace. I still think 30/30 is easier, but yesterday wasn't really a fair assessment of pyramind since I was already tired.

After working out/breakfast/shower, it was off to the doctor for my little one. The inflammation is down and her white blood cell counts are in the normal range. Phew... what a relief. We just have to monitor it, but I think it's nothing more than her body fighting an infection.

After that we went out to lunch (very unhealthy steak sandwich with fries), ran to Costco and then we went to Medieval times for the dinner show. We had a great time. The day flew by and I am not used to eating out that much anymore. I felt bloated today, could be real or just in my mind.

Today I thought I reward myself with a "fun" workout so I picked Step Blast. I thought with all my CCC and Intensity in the last month, Step Blast would be easier and I would look as composed as Cathe and team. HA!!! Not even close. I did better than the last time I did it (end of December) in terms of breaks, but it is still tough, but fun. I wrapped up the workout with Ab Circuits - weights and plates (from January 2011). That is an awesome ab workout. I think it is now one of my favorites, up there with the abs from B&G (both of those are great). Speaking of abs, yesterday my core was achy from the Jillian Michael's workout out. Mainly in the obliques and lower back, towards the waist. I can't remember the last time I felt like that. A true testament that it's a good workout. I will try to incorporate it some more when I start STS, I just don't think there will be time during this next month with the Jan 2011 rotation.

Natty
Happy Belated Birthday. Sorry I missed it! And those are great purchases. I am doing STS TB tomorrow and I previewed it this morning. Looks good. I opted to skip pushups today to rest up for tomorrow. I totally understand how it's hard to squeeze in the time needed for workouts with a little one. I didn't get back into seriously working out until 3 years ago when my girls were 4 and 6. Since they were older, I felt less guilty disappearing in the morning on the weekend. I am not quite sure if I will be able to pull of this January rotation. I will do my best, but I already know I need to do some major shuffling just based on my schedule.

Stacie
Sorry to hear about your dog and cancer. Those are such tough decisions. We had a dog who was 9 that got cancer and we made the same decision as you. It was heart breaking, but it just didn't make sense to spend all that money for the possibility of extending her life a short time. She was a fantastic dog, and although it was nearly 9 years ago that this happened, I still miss her. It is just so tough that pet owners are usually faced with the decision to euthanize their pets, it's a rare situation that pets pass of natural causes.

Have a great day everyone.

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good afternoon everyone! I hope you are all having a great weekend. Last night I accidentally fell asleep so missed my workout. I am playing catch up now because of that. This morning I did STS and tonight I will do what was planned for tonight. I am still hoping to squeeze in #2 of SS before I have to return it tomorrow.

Natty
It's funny that you mentioned that JM doesn't actually do the workouts because I did notice that! There was this part when she was like "I push myself hard when I work out" or something like that. The three of us (the two women in the video and me) were working hard so I honestly thought "Oh yeah...prove it!". LOL.

I think AT has alot more leg work than Low Impact Circuit does. I would have said your best bet is the circuit premix from Step Blast or one of the step programs from 4DS (the entire thing).

I didn't get the Valeo but I saw it had great reviews on Amazon.com. I just got the Altus one.

I am still debating get the Hiit via downloads or DVD. I usually go with the DVD because if I don't like it I can resell it. 30% off is a good deal though....I have about 6 hours to decide before the coupons expire!

BTW, Happy Belated Birthday! I am glad you put the gift card to good use! That's sweet of your aunt to specifically tell you it was for Cathe purchases!

Susan
You must feel soooo relieved that your daughters white blood cell count improved so much!

I can't believe that you did such intense workouts back to back! Good for you!

I hate the Costco by my house. It is always so busy there and the patrons are very rude. They practically push you out of the way to get items and come close to running you over with their carts. The weekends are even worse. I hope yours is much better!

TTYL everyone!

 

[mini-natty]

Hello everyone

Today's w/o was GER 1000 (Jari Love). I have not done it in a very long time and thought it would be nice to re-visit some of my oldies but goodies. I was able to do all the cardio on a 8inch step and use the same weight Jari was using (and higher in the shoulder, chest, back). What bugs me is that I don't think Jari uses weights that are at her "full potential" because I'm pretty sure she's stronger than me . I know when Cathe uses a weight, she's definitely not lowering it just to make the rest of us feel stronger (if you get my point). Another reason why Cathe is my go-to 90% of the time. Anyway, I got to the killer push-up section (6 count down 2 count up ) and was able to knock a few of those off my toes when previously I couldn't even do one set. I was happy about that . Something else I noticed, Jari does not have good form. I still like her though, she seems very sweet and down to earth. Gotta love my Canadian trainers!

Be back tomorrow to write responses! I'm going to watch the Walking Dead on Netflix before I pass out

Good night everyone

*Sunday morning responses*
Susan
I was sad to see the rotation leave too. I may re-visit that one after STS/Shock cardio rotation.
It seems like everyone was doing pyramid on the same day. I can't believe you did that after 4DS kickbox!!! Personally, I can't do another w/o back to back with hiit. I tried and failed miserably. If you need to double-up, are you able to one morning w/o and another one in the early evening?
Jillian 6 week/6 pack is great. She goes a little too fast in some of the moves for my liking though. I love the non-traditional ab work.
Stacie
It's wonderful you caught up on your sleep. I've never taken a laxed approach when it comes to sleeping. Our bodies NEED it!
Did you try S&S level 2 yet? I like Vasheera (the black lady in the video) because her body resembles mine; full thighs and a big tushy (but A LOT tighter lol). I love her UB too, she is gorgeous. That's what a fit pear-shaped gal looks like and it's very motivating for me as I rarely see women like her in w/o video's.
BTW, could not help but reading about Cosco, and the people at the Toronto locations are the same. Rude, riding your a** with their carts, very pushy ect. I hate it.
Heartymax
Have a great rest week, you deserve it! How many STS rotations are you on?

 

[heartymax]

No push ups for me the last two days. Packing and cleaning and getting ready to travel to visit the family for the break. Should be leaving sometime on Sunday.

Happy Belated Bday Natty. Yes, I spent quite a bit of time checking out trip advisor before booking the resort. You are going to love High Reps!

The week will likely be a total rest week for me since I will be away. My body needs some rest and I can gear up for another rotation when I get back. I may do push ups and abs for a few days-----who knows

 

[dmauden]

Stacie - Uh-oh, small world. I may have been the lucky person that snagged the entire shock cardio series on eBay for $75 a couple months ago!
BUT, I already had the HiiT DVD, so now I have 2 of them. If you didn't already buy it yesterday, I'll give you one of mine. I've never sold anything on eBay, so I didn't plan to sell it. Right now it's just taking up space & I'd rather you have it! Let me know.

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good morning everyone! I was bad yesterday and only did STS with some walking. I actually got my son to walk down to Mimi's Cafe for a nice dinner. It was delicious. I am planning on biking and walking more when I can to save money on the gas prices. Because I see my family so much gas is one of my fourth highest bill! Even though I didn't exercise my body, I did exercise my credit card! New shoes and three new Cathe videos. The shoes are nice...I feel kinda bad that they will be just for exercising. The first time I have ever done that to be honest. I usually use the new shoes for day to day and then when they start getting worn use them for gym shoes. The reality is that is one of the worst things to do. So, I am going to be good for a change -- especially since with the new braces I have been doing all the jumping moves.

Natty
I wish it was the case that I had caught up on sleep. Usually when I fall asleep like that it's a really bad thing because then I wake up at like 2am and I can't go back to sleep. Plus, not working out really does affect my sleep too. So Friday night just tossed and turned most of the night. Saturday I was fighting off a really bad headache all day. Due to that, sleep wasn't great last night either (plus my son woke me up in the middle night sniffling...allergies again). Hopefully tonight will be a better night or Monday is going to be a lousy day.

The girl in the JM video did have a large booty! You are right -- very atypical for a workout video. I notice that her and JM have tatooes which is kinda rare too. I have been looking Jari Love videos because you talk about them so much it go me curious. She looks soooooo skinny though. Is it just me? I mean she is really muscular but still. The library has a some of her stuff too and many of them were available! Something to try in the future for sure!

BTW, no #2 workout on SS unless I do it this A.M. I watched the half naked buff guys on Spartacus instead. LOL.

HeartyMax
Enjoy your vacation with the family and have a safe trip!

Bye for now!

 

[dmauden]

Happy Sunday!

It's a beautiful day. Took the dogs for a walk & later TBTS lower body is on the agenda. Yesterday I did 4DS LIS/HIS double cardio premix in place of LIC. Tomorrow will mark Week 3 of this rotation. I've really enjoyed it so far. Although I'm a little nervous about doing AfterBurn again - scheduled for Tues.

Natty - Happy belated bday! Thanks for the tips about S&G & LIC. I just ordered Low Max, Low Impact Circuit, Butts & Guts, & High Reps, instead of those two. With the daily deals & % off coupons, I couldn't resist! How crazy is it that I've got what feels like a gazillion Cathe DVDs but I always feel like there's more I just HAVE to have?!

Susan - Good news about your daughter & your pup! I'm sure that's a huge relief!!

Stacie - I'm so sorry to hear that about your dog. Don't feel guilty. Sounds like you did all the right things. It's amazing how expensive vet bills can be! In fact, I just asked our tax guy if we could write off medical expenses for our pets (ha). One of ours had to have reconstructive ligament surgeries on BOTH of her back knees within 2 yrs. I told my husband no more orthopedic surgeries for our animals. Sheesh.

I made an interesting breakfast this morning with quinoa & frozen mixed berries. I toasted the quinoa a little bit before cooking it normally, & added the berries after most of the water had already cooked out. Then I topped each serving with a spoonful of raspberry preserves, a few chocolate chips, & toasted almonds. DH wasn't as crazy about it as I was, but I loved it! Thought it tasted a little like the inside of a berry cobbler (with a hint of chocolate). Yum.
I can't remember who was making the Lara bars, but would you be willing to share the recipe? I used to buy those quite a bit & would love to try making them myself!

Have a good day everyone,
Dana

 

[heartymax]

Okay----we are leaving in a few hours and I decided to squeeze in an evening workout. I did Athletic Training for a bit of fun. I slept a bit today and felt pretty energetic. I am also taking along a few Cathe and Jillian DVD's that don't require a step and some 5,10, 12 and 15 weights to my mom's house. Space is limited but I may squeeze in a few workouts while I am there. After Burn doesn't require a step, Slide and Glide and the Hiit components of Intensity along with 30 day Shred and 6week 6 pack abs. I will see if I decide to workout while I am away. I like the way Jillian works the abs, but she is definitely not one of my favs for anything else. I just figured that I can at least take Shred with me. I too hate that she just walks around and not do much of the workout. Maybe I am just a Cathe SNOB

Natty---This was was 2nd time doing the 3.5 rotation. However, I have also done Meso 1 and 2 in between.

 

[fargomom]

I found a rotation similar to the one you described. It includes running and I know you like that

http://cathe.com/forum/f100/march-09-rotation-259725/

It has 1 UB, 1 LB, 1 Circuit and cardio + core if you want to give it extra attention.

Check it out!

Thanks, Natty! I'm so torn ..... I think, for now, I'm going to stick with doing my own little rotation of 1 total body, 1 legs, 1 circuit and 3 cardio days and see how that goes. If I'm not making any headway after 2 or 3 weeks then I'm going to try your suggestion or the January '09 that Stacie suggested (Thanks Stacie for your suggestion as well!). I'm so appreciative of both of you and your suggestions! ---Kara---

 

[fargomom]

Happy Sunday evening to everyone!

Dana - No such thing as too many Cathe dvds! Congrats on your purchases! I have all the ones you ordered and they're all goodies. Your "berry cobbler" inspired breakfast sounds yum! I really like quinoa. I definitely don't make it as often as I should though. I only have one recipe I use it for. I need to expand on that!

Natty - You and my husband should become friends. He raves about the Harry Potter books and the LOTR trilogy. I've read neither and don't know if I will ... maybe not my thing? You'll LOVE the hunger games trilogy though! Ooooo! Oh, and I've only read one Dan Brown book, one of his older ones, I think called "Deception Point," which I really enjoyed. I'll have to try more of his work. My alone time these days consists of either working out, reading or scrapbooking. I enjoy other things too, but those are my 3 biggies. One day I plan to take up knitting again .... right now there's just only so much free time to go around and I struggle as it is to keep current on scrapbooking. Congrats on getting High Reps and STS TB!!! (Happy belated b-day, too!)

Stacie - Did you decide on a rotation? Are you going to do that January '09 one? I laughed about you exercising your credit card instead of your body! Funny! Glad you and your son enjoyed a nice walk and dinner! And don't feel bad about your shoe splurge. You'll be better off that way in the long run. It's going to feel so great to have some awesome cushioning when you do your workouts, as opposed to what you had before when you'd use already-worn shoes. I understand about spending the money though. I've made many cheap and bad shoe purchases over the year - regular shoes and workout shoes - and I've finally learned you get what you pay for. It hurts to spend the money sometimes, but especially with workout shoes, it's so worth it. (I always like to ask for new workout shoes for xmas or my bday!)

Susan - I'm jealous of your library's drive-up checkout option!! We have a driveup, too, but it's only for dropping off books. I do love it, especially when I have my kidlets along - no need to run inside with them just to drop off a book. I do wish I had what you have though! Sounds like heaven! Your date night with your hubs sounded like fun. The last time my DH and I went out was about a month ago and I enjoyed a nice cocktail that time as well. Glad to hear your daughter is doing better!

I've been having a hard time keeping up with everyone, too, and all the posting. Here's a suggestion: No one post until I do, so I can keep up to date! Kidding! Seems like I've been a weekend poster as of late ... maybe this week I'll change that! (fingers crossed!)

Heartymax - Have fun on your trip and visiting family! I'm a Cathe snob right along with you! Thanks for mentioning those dvds that you're bringing with while you're traveling! I'll be traveling later this month and was going to go through my Cathe dvds to see what, besides travel fit, would be good to take. Cardio Supersets is another good one, if I'm remembering correctly. I believe she just uses 8 pound weights and the slide 'n glide disks (maybe dixie cups too).

... on to the pushups. Honestly I haven't done any lately. *groan* I know, I know. Bad Kara. Maybe tomorrow? We'll see. Seems like I've been too sore to try and fit them in, in addition to the workouts. I really want to eek past my previous 20. I'd be happy with 21 or 22 at this point.

 

[fargomom]

I forgot to mention I ran "just about" 5 miles a couple weeks ago. If you might remember I'm signed up to run my first 10K in May. A little nervous for it. The run I'm speaking about was my first outdoor run this spring and when I started out I felt really good - like I had eaten my wheaties or something! - so I just kept on going. Imagine my surprise when I checked google earth and it ended up being just shy of 5 miles. So I'm breathing easier when thinking about the 10k now, although I still want to get some more longish runs under my belt. I'm hoping to run 5 miles exactly later on this week. This running thing does not come naturally for me .... so that "surprise" long run a couple weeks ago really pleased me!!

KARA

 

[mini-natty]

Happy Monday everyone

Thanks for the b-day wishes ladies. So sweet.

Yesterday's w/o was Bob Harper's Cardio Conditioning (sub for CSS). I have not done his stuff in almost 1 year and decided it would be nice to re-visit the lonely little guy . That is one TOUGH sucker. I was sweating bullets within 10min. I should have stuck with CSS lol. If you are not familiar with it, it's a cardio w/o but using weights; lots of burpees, mountain climbers, spider push-ups, regular push-ups, side planks, jacks w/weights overhead, front swings (I used my 10lbs kettlebell), crazy squat holds, ect. He is EVIL in this w/o. I find myself rolling my eyes a lot with his crew though. They make faces like such wimps, especially the dude in the back whose form really sucks. The guy can't even squat, he was standing, drenched in sweat. I was like "ok buddy, just do the damn workout and stop half a**ing it". The fun factor is missing, and the endless amount of front swing can get pretty boring. I was thinking of Cathe a lot

Today's w/o is the first of my Dec '10 rotation w/STS TB . I'm pretty stoked. I see Greg is in it, and he is one hot tamale

Kara
Congrats on the 5 mile!!! Wow, you are awesome!! If I lived near you, I would have accompanied you. I might have passed out after 1 mile, but hey, it's all good
I used to love knitting and crocheting when I was a teen. My grandmother taught me and I'm grateful for that. I can only make a blanket though . It's very soothing and relaxing.
I hope you and the family are doing well too. Are the kids on spring break this week? Parents often need their own "break" after having the kids home lol. How does Hawaii sound ? I've always wanted to go there.
Dana
I LOVE 4DS double cardio!!!! That series totally rocks!!
Great w/o choices too. Cathe's stuff is so hard to resist damn it!
Your breakfast sounded so tasty . I am going to have to try it.
Here is the lara bar recipe:
Enlightened Cooking: Homemade Lara-Type Bars (energy bars part 3). Enjoy! They are excellent.
Stacie
I just bought a pair of workout shoes too. I got a wonderful deal on K Swiss. They're great; very shock absorbent and good support. I'm usually a Nike fan, but I'm glad I got these.
I hope your son is feeling better w/his allergies and you got a restful sleep too.
Yes, Jari is very skinny but muscular. I liked her body better in her older series (Get Ripped, Slim&Lean, RTTC). I see comments on Collage Video, and a lot of people don't like her skinnier frame. My fav w/o of hers is RTTC and Slim&Lean; low weights/high reps. After I'm done with those, my body is in series DOMS for days.
Heartymax
I'm like you, I don't think I can go a whole week without exercising......even on vacation. It's amazing how addictive working out can be once it becomes a habit. Now that I do Cathe 90% of the time, I'm also becoming a snob. She is just so perfect...

Hope everyone has a great day

 

[Jenniferlove]

Happy belated birthday, Natty! So glad you had a good one, and congrats on the new shoes.

I started the *muscle confusion* rotation yesterday instead of today since I took yesterday off. I did STS total body premix for upper body only - I felt that next time I need to increase my weight a bit on the chest press so I made a note of it.
Today I did Intensity. Tomorrow is supposed to be LBB but I will need to get some cardio in, too; since I just did Step today I may go ahead and do the cardio-only segment in KPC - but then that will leave me having to substitute something else later in the week when KPC is listed. Sigh. Decisions! Maybe I should do a HiiT (30/30) after LBB. Either way that will be a long workout for the morning.

Have an awesome day everybody!

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good morning everyone! Yesterday I did not work out. I had a really really bad headache all day Sunday too. I tried to fight it off by sleeping on and off most of the day. I did pop a bunch a Tylenol in order to make it Michael's to get some Easter stuff (I had a 20% off coupon that was only good between 4pm and 7pm). We took the dog to the dog park afterwards because I wasn't sure I would be able to walk him. I felt that bad! Afterwards I took an Imitrex (prescription migraine med) in hopes of getting rid of the headache so I could work out. Instead, it turned it into a full blown migraine and the rest of the night was blown. Luckily, I feel human again today. Just a bit weak...typical feeling after a migraine. Tonight I will get back on track with STS and maybe squeeze in a short cardio session. It all depends on how good I feel. I have noticed that my migraines are funny things. I may be able to keep them at bay for a bit but sometimes I will continue to have a headache until the full blown migraine hits. It's almost like something in my body needs to have that release before it can move forward. Maybe if I had just let it happen on Saturday, Sunday wouldn't have been wasted as well.

Dana
Dana, thank you so much for the kind words about my dog. I totally agree with you that the vet can be so expensive! I think I would have gotten my dog's surgery immediately if it would have added more than a couple of months to her life. Poor thing...she was a good dog and didn't deserve to die in such pain. I hope the surgeries for your dog work out and that you will have it for many years to come!

I am like you about the Cathe videos! I feel like I have a lot too but then she will have a sale or I will read someone's post about a video and think to myself, I must have that DVD! I had said at the beginning of the month that I wouldn't buy any more for awhile yet by the end I got three more!!!!

HeartyMax
I had to chuckle about you taking weights with you because I have done that exact same thing! One time my brother pulled a bag out of my trunk and said in a joking manner "What do you have in here? Weights?" I didn't say anything but that's exactly what was in there!

FargoMom
It was nice to see a post from you again! I was wondering how you were doing -- the same goes for Dana too!

I have STS this first week of April, then a rest week. After that I will do one week of one rotation I found (I can't remember which one...I just copied the workouts from it) followed by the last week of Natty's rotation. In May, I will do the rotation I shared with you or the March 2011/ rotation. Either one of those rotations will allow me to use the weight DVDs I haven't tried yet. After that I plan to start STS again because the more I think about it, the only real workout commit you have while doing STS is three days of weight training. That would be perfect for the summer because the weekends will be spent hiking, biking, camping, or visiting family.

Thanks for the support on the shoes! I am a cheapskate by nature and we were always taught to wear the nice shoes places. But I do realize that having good shoes is really important to keep me healthy if I want to do a lot of the high impact moves Cathe does. Somethings you simply cannot skimp on!

Natty
Greg is pretty muscular! I kinda like the way Robert looks better though. I have always been more attracted to men with dark hair and light skin for some reason. Maybe that is why I totally drool over Crixus in Spartacus. He is the man pictured under the Leather Choker Necklaces in this
link.

I am a Nike fan too! Unfortunately, the store that was having the shoe sale only had a couple pairs of Nike shoes. I wound up get a pair of Saucony shoes. They were the most comfortable ones that I tried one. I got a pair of that brand of shoes for my son once and they didn't last that long. Hopefully, these will do better! I plan on hitting the Nike outlet store soon though. I would like to get at least one more pair of shoes.

Have a good day everyone!

 

[Jenniferlove]

Stacie,
I must have missed a post or two... I don't know what happened but I'm sorry about your dog.
And your migraine; I can relate although luckily they are not frequent.
Take care and enjoy your next workout - sounds like you really need it!