Push It

[atompki1]

Here to report Jasmine's workout today. She did the Barre section of XTrain Legs.....and she was NOT happy about it....hehe!! She actually cried!! For all those dramatics she actually did really well. I give her three times and she will be able to do the whole thing without rest. It was mostly mental for her. Once she gets used to the stingy part of it I think she will be fine. She also did a few planks, crunches, and shoulder pushups. She pretty much hates Tuesdays, but she needs the shoulder and barre work.

She does three 30 minute(includes warmup and cool down) workouts a week. I've decided that she will do one plyo, one barre, and one static(think lunges) legs workout. That should work her legs in all ways throughout the week. And the workouts are short. In those 30 minutes she also does abs and a couple upper body moves. She specifically needs shoulder work so that she is stronger to push up off her shoulders in her tumbling. Her coach said she can used 3# weights, but so far I'm not real comfortable with this. I'm going to ask her doc about it when she goes for her physical before I have her do that.

The good news is that I can tell she's starting to understand where to pull the power from in her moves. She's really starting to 'feel' stronger, which is awesome!!

 

[heartymax]

SUPERCUTS!!! I love it. It was so much fun. Okay----did Cathe really think I would have enough energy at the end to do 8 sets of 5 fast paced sits followed by 5 fast paced push ups. YIKES---well, I got in 5 sets. maybe next time or the time after that or time after that I will get in 8.

They are starting a biggest loser challenge at work so I am cheering on a few of my colleagues. The challenge last 12 weeks I think. Another coworker (who is not in the challenge) told me that she got on her bike and worked out 30 minutes before coming to work because she knows that we talk about our workouts and she wanted to be able to say that she worked out too. We all just laughed because it was funny and she said that sure made her accountable and got out that bed.

Toni---I love mango salsa. Homemade must be so delicious. Glad that things are working out for Jasmine and that she is feeling her inner strength and powerful.

Stacie---It's always nice to hang out with friends and catch up. I need to take more time to do that. I have a good friend who lives only 20 minutes from me and we haven't seen each other in 1 1/2 years....that sucks! We talked over the weekend and said we have to do better----then again, we say that all the time but we never do. But we have so much fun when we finally make time to go out to dinner or shopping together.

Jennifer---I'm getting my mind ready for that RC triceps later this week.

Natty--yep! I have to take care of my shoulder and make sure I go light on those flys.

 

[mini-natty]

Good morning

I've decided to lay off the heavy weights this week. I think my body is telling me to back off for a bit. I will include Super Cuts, Leg workouts minus the weights, cardio, and yoga, into my exercise regime this week. I think my right shoulder was indeed strained due to the 100RC bi's . Note to self for next time: use 3lbs all the way through. No workout for me yesterday. Just a walk with Bella to the store and back.

I made Jamie E's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins yesterday. I improvised a bit and did not putting them in a muffin tray, instead I made it into a normal loaf and cooked it in my slow cooker. I also added a little ketchup on top . What's a meatloaf without ketchup right? I paired it with sweet potato and sugar snap pea's. The end results was fairly tasty. I think for next time I will add my own choice of veggies and spices to the loaf.

Heartymax
Glad you loved Super Cuts! Cathe and crew go at super-human speed during those sit-up/push-up combo's. I did the push-ups on my TT, and put the bar at the lowest setting. I found I was able to execute them far better this way (and it took pressure of my shoulder). I felt a great burn in my core. Do you have a TT?

Toni
Jasmine is doing such a fantastic job! I think she is really going to make some awesome progress.
I love MMA Fusion too . I think Rush Fit looks like a great program. I have been eying Body Beast lately . I have a wondering eye too .
Everyone was saying that they don't *mind* repetition, but I KNOW a workout is so much more enjoyable if there is none. Just my .02 .

Stacie
I'm glad to hear that your neighbor is ok. I totally feel like crap if I don't drink and eat appropriately beforehand.
Finger's crossed for your car!!
Yes I can go heavier with my barbell. With the dumbbell's, my forearms tend to give out. DH says I should try "straps" to see if they help. Do you have those?
Oh, you can be honest about the recipes . If you didn't like them, then that's OK .

Jennifer
You know what, I think I may indeed be in love with Jamie E . I tend to get little "female crushes" on strong, powerful, fit, women. You know I lovey Jillian too .
So do you like Ride more than Cycle Max? You seem like a great spinner .
You should check out the recipes on bodybuilding.com. Today I'm gonna try and make a tuna burger. We'll see how it turns out.


Have a great day!

 

[Jenniferlove]

Happy Humpday. After today we are officially over the work-week hump... um, sorry - Stacie, does that include you? How much longer do you have to deal with the extra hours?

This morning I did the Super Cuts Extreme premix - it's almost all the chapters, and then repeats most of the same ones - the second repeat has the situp/push-up combo. It was about 60 minutes.

FYI: My shoulders are the only muscles I'm slightly feeling after Monday's XT C/B/S. What about you, Heartymax (since I know we're on the same schedule).

Heartymax,
Wow, girl, you did great with those situps/pushups! LOL! Seriously - at the end! That's her grand finale I guess!

BTW, I am not going to wait until Friday to do XT B/T/100RC-T; I am doing it Thursday/tomorrow. Just an FYI I figure it will give me a chance on Saturday to do some other sort of 100RC and still be able to jump into UB on Monday for the next week's rotation.

Toni,
Jasmine's workouts are going so well; good for you for training her. By the way, there are a few books "out there" regarding kids and weight training; I know there's a whole Continuing Education course specifically about kids and weights, and you sound very knowledgeable about the subject.

Fresh Mango Salsa does sound awesome! You're making me hungry!

Stacie,
What a relief that your car started; were you able to get a new battery or did it turn out to be the alternator?
I'm glad your neighbor is okay, too. Dehydration is no joke.

How fun - getting out with the girls for a bit. Especially when it's sort of impromptu like that FYI, I blew my healthy eating out the window yesterday as well... Craig wanted to order the Pizza Special last night - gotta say it was very good and I enjoyed every bite That will be it for a while, though; I'm not letting my thighs/rear end forget about my hard work.

I completely agree! If you're going to be on the bike then ride to Ride!

Natasha,
Sorry to hear that you did strain your shoulder. You have a great recovery plan, though! And your muscles aren't going to lose anything after just a week so no worries there

I checked out your girlfriend, Jamie E She is very cute and definitely has an awesome figure! BTW, I agree - Jillian is gorgeous and very fit, too.
Anyway, I downloaded 3 of JE's protein bar recipes and plan to make one of them this weekend (Lemon protein bars)... what I love about her bars compared to other home made ones I've seen is that they have substantial protein (9g) and very little fat (about 1-3g); the protein/fat ratio is very good. And they look easy to make and don't require a ton of ingredients - and they are WAY less expensive than Quest bars, which are also great but are expensive.

Thanks, but I'm completely new at spinning; other than Cathe's DVDs I've only taken a couple spinning classes. I do like Cycle Max but I had to really be in the mood to do it because I was bored and preferred the other workouts. However, Ride is easier for me to get into. The design of Ride is different. I think you're wondering what the differences between the two are: IMHO Ride has better music, the songs/temp changes fit the drill, and the section timer at the bottom of the screen.

Have a fabulous day, ladies!

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good morning ladies! Last night's workout didn't go exactly as planned. My neighbor was feeling super chatty and we wound up talking a little bit too much. We wound up doing BS Biceps only and the floor part of All Out Hiit. I loved that workout. It was nearly perfect -- exactly what I have wanted from Cathe for a long time. I liked that it's a sweat fest without being long or without a ton of high impact that just hurts my knees. Anyway, since we messed up last night, KickMax will be moved to tonight along with HC.

Yesterday afternoon, I had the battery replaced on the car and everything tested out fine! The guy at the auto parts store was super nice...he even gave me an extra $10 off. We talked for a bit and he did extra testing to make sure that it really wasn't the battery. It made us late for karate (which got me a lecture for the school owner) but it was worth it to me.

Natasha
Yesterday I was DOMSing hardcore in my shoulders and chest from our workout on Sunday. I can totally see now why your upper body was so fried after BS.

Great info on the turkey meatloaf. I will add that one to my list although Tyler isn't fond of meatloaf. I am slowly getting him to eat more things so maybe this one will be one of them!

I bought the baby food carrots to try out the original recipe for the protein carrot cake. I was thinking of trying applesauce out as well. I think that would be pretty tasty.

I don't have the straps for my dumbbells but that's not a bad idea...especially for those heavier weights. I was kinda sad because I was only able to use 25lbs for the chest presses in burn sets. I thought maybe I had lost strength because I used to be able to do higher weights with the barbell. My chest is one of my weaker muscle groups though. Lots of room for improvement there!

Toni
Thanks for the awesome review of MMA Fusion. That is one of the few DVDs I don't have. There are mixed reviews on it too so it nice to hear a positive one from someone I know and trust.

Poor Jasmine and the crying! I know what you mean about the drama though...my son does the same thing. He tries to pull out the crocodile tears as well to get out of things. Now that she is getting stronger, hopefully she will thank you in the future!

Mango salsa sounds wonderful! It sounds like you are making good use of the Vitamix already!

HeartyMax
So glad to hear you liked Supercuts! That combo at the end is a killer! I made it through all the sets but not at the pace Cathe and her crew went. I think I can only match their pace for the first set or two.

The challenge at your work sounds like so much fun! Are they giving out prizes to the biggest loser (or winner depending on how you look at it!)?

Isn't it funny how time slips away from you and then your realize that there are friends out there that you haven't seen in months/years? To be honest, I haven't even been seeing my family much since I have been working so much. Nearly every waking hour that isn't spend working out or taking care of Tyler's needs has been spent working. I am getting soooo drained from it.

Jennifer
No hump day for me! That's more like Friday now....LOL....well sorta. Sigh...the big deadline is next Wednesday so I am hoping it will slow down. I am realist though and I know that the possibility of meeting that deadline is slim so I think these hours will continue for longer than that.

Awesome info on Cycle Max! I was wondering how it compared to The Ride. I have no regrets paying extra to have the Ride. It was a nice workout without the impact.

Some days are just bad eating days aren't they? That whole day was awful because I was working from home and totally stress eating . I tried to curb it but I was just so stressed out with the car. I should stop doing that because some how things usually work out in the end.

Have a fantastic day everyone!

 

[atompki1]

Legs, legs, legs...

Today was Legs...standing, barre, and ball & chair. I decided to leave the floor work out to keep it under an hour. Besides, by the time I got to the floor part my legs were done!! I would have mostly just been watching the DVD at that point My barre was a little better today. I got through the first two moves and I can ALMOST get through the last move. Maybe next week. Either way I should be a bit prepared for when I do Turbo Barre in a couple weeks.

Stacie
Glad the car is fixed. Car troubles are such a pain!!

Jennifer
I'm going to have to do more research on the kids and weights. It's just not worth it to me to do anything with Jazz that could be harmful. I want her to do well at cheerleading, but honestly if she doesn't advance I love her just the same as if she did. There's just no need to push her with things that are not safe. And I'm certainly not qualified in sports medicine for kids!! As it is I won't let Jazz practice any tumbling at home. We are on a concrete slab and I feel totally clumsy trying to spot her. Her coach tried to teach me how to spot her once at the gym and I just didn't like it at all. Besides that, if she's doing something wrong I have no idea what to tell her to do to correct it. I do know how to do conditioning based on Cathe though

Tasha
Good for you for listening to your body!! I'm sure an active rest week will do you very good!!

HeartyMax
I loved SuperCuts too!! I'm not sure when I'm going to do that one again, but it's gonna be one of my favs.

 

[heartymax]

Hard Strikes was up for today but I was not in the mood and so I did All Out instead. The workout has some fun factor to it. I did some of Core 1 but not all of it. Skipped those banana moves.

Tasha---I don't have a turbo tower. Wow! I didn't even know you could do push ups on TT. That sequence is just too fast paced for me. I don't know if I will ever keep up.

Toni---I don't usually do conditioning drills either so I know there is no way I will probably be able to do the barre work after tiring my legs from the weighted workouts. Legs is the workout I haven't tried yet. I think it is in the rotation next week.

Jennifer---That makes sense will move up your tri RC earlier if you want to get in some extra over the weekend. I am definitely looking forward to Burn Sets tomorrow. That is one could work out.

Stacie---Glad your car is fixed. I love Burn Sets. My biceps were so fried last time. It felt so good like in STS Meso 2.

Have a great day ladies!

 

[mini-natty]

Good morning ladies

Yesterday I did TTM. All 55min of it [insert throw-up face here]. I have no idea how people do the Extreme Premix . Anyhoo, I lightened up on the weights during UB/Core and Compound legs. I was proud of my cardio output .

Heartymax
There are just some moves that I will never be able to execute as fast as Cathe. That sit up/push up move is one of them.

Jennifer
Here I am talking about the Extreme premixes, and you go and do one of them . Thumbs-up .
Let me know how you like Jamie E's recipes . The only ingredient that cost me a bit more was the Stevia. I don't use a lot of sugar, so that's ok.

Toni
I don't usually respond to what you guys post to each other, but I just wanted to talk about the kids and weights. I know Jasmine is still fairly young, so it's good you are taking precaution and want to discuss it with her doctor. Here in Canada, most kids in HS have a weight training program as part of their Physical Education Program. My sister was using weights and weight machines at 15yrs old. It is quite the "rave" here for teenagers to frequent the gym and weight train.
WTG on doing better at barre. You'll get there .

Stacie
I would have to agree about Low Impact Hiit -- it WAS perfect .
Glad to hear about the car! It's nice to have a mechanic you can trust. Goodness knows how hard they are to find .
Using baby food in those recipes is such a smart idea! If you think about it, there are no preservatives, no sugar. Perfect for slashing calories and fat in a baking recipe.


Have a good one ladies!

 

[Jenniferlove]

Good morning!

This morning was the regular Xtrain Bi's/Tris - I was very happy to see that the plank/1-arm kickbacks are in the workout; it's one of my favorites from TBT UB. By the time we got to the 2nd arm I just had to drop to my knees because my supporting arm was crashing.

Afterwards I did the 100RC-Triceps and *thought* about using 8#s but decided to go with 5#s since it was at the end of the w/o. I had to stop and rest 3 times. Then I did the lovely stretch segment; then kept on stretching for another 5 minutes. It felt great!

Heartymax,
Glad you liked All Out! That was a good substitute for Hard Strikes since that one's not your favorite.

Get ready to fry your Triceps! Woo hoo!
Since Burn Sets was last week the rotation for this week is the regular Xtrain Bi's/Tri's... but if you go with Burn Sets and still do the 100RC all the more power to you!

Toni,
Great job on your improvements in Barre! You'll absolutely nail it net time

I think you are wise to not do the tumbling with Jazz at home for the reasons you mentioned. I would be terrified of putting my child's life in my hands if I wasn't trained for such a thing!

Muscle development is easier for kids than for adults because of the growth hormones - but I know there is a protocol and it might be a fine line. Definitely research it; I also was thinking that it's not really just about cheer leading, and perhaps also about teaching her habits to have and skills to learn as she grows into an adult if she wants to continue.

Tasha,
Way to go on TTM and your cardio output!

I've only done a couple of the extreme premixes, actually. The most noticeable difference for me was All Out. The firs time I did it I thought "okay, that was nice." When I added on with the All Out Cardio premix - that's what got me thinking "yeah, that was *it*." Then the DOMS came... it was a surprise because I sure didn't notice where I was working such areas other than cardio

As for Stevia, I have heard that it's expensive. I will use Splenda since that's what I have already, plus Splenda is sweeter than Stevia so I will probably need to use less of it. From what I have read both sweeteners are okay regarding health of the body.

Stacie,
I really hope you hit your deadline; it'll all be over with soon and you can get back to your "regularly scheduled" life

That's great about the battery and the $10 discount! Yep, had the car died you easily could have been much later to Karate so at least there's that!

BS Biceps and All Out Floor still sounds like a great workout; I agree, All Out is just perfect!

Gotta say see ya later - have a great day!

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good morning ladies! Last night's workout was Kickmax Low Impact Premix. I added an extra 10 minutes to the workout and my neighbor didn't even notice. No core though since we were talking again a bit. I will push that to Friday in order to get our two core workouts in a week. Tonight will be Low Max if I have the energy. I have been super tired lately!

Last night I also made the Coconut Protein Cupcakes from Jamie E. Holy moly were they good! The sugar substitute she uses in the recipe is crazy expensive though....$9 a bag (and the recipe used the ENTIRE bag but it really does taste just like sugar! I think next time I will try it out with the Stevia blend I keep finding on clearance. I did modify the recipe to use almond extract instead of coconut since I didn't have any coconut extract.

Toni
Great job on the legs! I haven't tried the ball work yet but I know from B&G it can be a killer.

HeartyMax
The banana moves are a good one to skip! They are super hard -- especially to try to do them at the end of a workout.

Natasha
I wish I could take credit for the baby food in recipes but it was all Jamie's doing! I feel sorta silly getting baby food for myself but I think I am addicted to her recipes. I think the chocolate protein bars might be next on the cooking lineup. I also thought about modifying the coconut protein cupcakes to be almond protein cupcakes. I love almond stuff! I nearly had a breakdown when Starbucks stopped serving almond lattes.

Great job on TTM! I hear you about the premixs...some of those extreme ones are super long and super hard!

Jennifer
I don't know if you have a Sprouts store by you but I find a Stevia blend on clearance all the time there. Personally, I still think Splenda and Stevia have an after taste. The sugar I used last night doesn't but it has other issues. It's called Xylitol. It's toxic to dogs though and too much of it can cause bowel movements plus it's crazy expensive. I will say though that it was delicious. I hope those cupcakes don't come back to haunt me later on today!

Have a great day everyone!

 

[atompki1]

Quick check-in today. BS CBS + Core 1 + 100 RC Tri. Funny the workout is only 4 exercises per muscle group and it totally wipes me out!! I did the RC with 3#, but it was too light. I was able to do 50 reps before I needed to take a break. Then I did 25 and 25. I'll do 5# next time. I was afraid to go heavier because it was already a burn set workout.

I have been neglecting my core a bit. I always find it difficult to tack core onto the end of other workouts. I'm just usually done by the end of the workout and I don't put my all into it. This is one of the reasons I like workouts like Cardio supersets and AB. I feel like I get my core and my cardio all inclusive.

Stacie
Question: Do you feel like RushFit was a good strength workout? I watched a clip today and it seemed like the moves were very much functional and really worked the entire body. But much different than isolated heavy lifting.

I know what you mean about some of the recipes being expensive. I'm trying to find recipes for the Vitamix that I can afford!!! My co worker told me she spent $40 on fresh produce for the week No way I could afford to do that every week. I'm sure there are ways to make it affordable though. I'm going to be doing more research this weekend when it's quiet and I can think. Kids are at their dad's this weekend.

Jennifer
If you can do the 100 RC with 8# you are super strong

Tasha
I agree that weight lifting is a good thing for the kids. The last thing I remember hearing on the subject was that kids shouldn't lift until they are 12. I have no idea when I heard that or where, but it has stuck with me. Also gonna do some research on that this weekend while it's quiet

HeartyMax
For some reason I can't bring myself to do HardStrike. Maybe it's because I'm not into all the shuffles that I see. The kind of hurt my foot after a while.

 

[mini-natty]

Good morning

Yesterday's w/o was NOT Xtrain . Instead I decided to do LBB with very low weight #'s. I focused on form and going deep into the exercises. HOLY BURN . I love, love, love LBB. Those elevated lunges are just EVIL . I'm glad I decided to ditch the weights this week. My body feels rejuvenated already.

I have to start the process of getting Bella enrolled at school for Sep. I need to fill out an enrollment form, show proof of residence, baptism certificate, birth certificate, immunization record. There is an official "open house" in March, where we meet with the principal and get a tour of the school and facilities.

Toni
You have triceps of steel . I could barely eek my 100RC's w/3lbs .
Hope your research goes well this w/e .

Stacie
I was looking to make those coconut cupcakes! Glad they turned out well.
Happy to hear your neighbor is sticking with her w/o's . I tried to get my mother to exercise, but she can never stick with it. She'll do it great for 1 week, and then she will revert back to old habits.
I love Starbucks latte's . My cousin and I go crazy for the holiday ones. I just found out they have a "short" size! Ha, they hide it from the menu .

Jennifer
Those plank/one arm kickbacks are up there as one of my fav's too .
Great job on doing the 100RC's with 5lbs!!! All of you are putting me to shame . I admit that tri's and bi's are my weaklings.
Regarding the sweeteners, there is always *one* that is deemed better than the rest, and that changes all the time . Remember Agave? Ya, now apparently that's bad for you . If you look at Jamie E's grocery shopping video, she is so-so with Splenda and pushes Stevia and Xylitol. My grandmother and great grandmother only used plain old sugar (gasp!), and they were extremely healthy. I firmly believe any food in moderation is ok .

Have a great day ladies!

 

[heartymax]

Toni---the conditioning section of Hard Strikes is good. You may want to check it out one day as an add on to some other cardio.

Tasha--as a school counselor, I know how frustrating it is for parents to gather all the required documents for school. The most important thing is to know what you need ahead of time and not to try to take short cuts and bring things that are not listed as proof of residence. That is something that we struggle with.

Yesterday we got out of school early due to weather forecast---and then nothing happened. Anyway, school is closed for students today so my boys had their neighborhood friends over last night. They haven't spent time together since before winter break so I ordered pizza and wings and they hung out playing games and watching movies until late. DH was up til the boys left. I decided to take a nap and it turned out to be more than a nap. I didn't wake up until 11:30 and then I was wide awake and finally went back to bed around 2:00. Of course, there was no way I was getting back up to workout so today was an unofficial rest day.

Off to work I go now. Enjoy your Friday.

 

[Jenniferlove]

Good morning,
I did an egg-white facial yesterday; it really did help. I have oily skin, large pores, and some breakouts on my chin - but this morning my faced looked much better. These facials have been around *forever* but in case you haven't heard - avoid the eye and mouth area.

I feel my Triceps this morning Not terribly but enough so that the 100RC in addition to the Bi's/Tri's w/o worked for me. I don't feel my biceps so I think I'll add on the 100RC Biceps to that workout as well.

This morning was Hard Strikes w/ 3# weights. I can't go any heavier otherwise my form will suffer. I haven't done the conditioning yet - but I am looking forward to doing that segment.
I added on with the 20-minute L1 of Butt Bible to keep things going and mixed up. I couldn't do anything too big because I sort of hurt my back and knee last night in Zumba.Not too bad but I sure feel it and don't want to make it worse.

The Zumba instructor is great with the Ripped class, but with Zumba she didn't break down the fancy moves at all. She just told us to do the best we can, keep moving, and then just did every dance move under the sun. We were all trying to copy/follow her but it wasn't working out very well.

After class I asked her how she learned to dance - I'm hoping she realizes that she needs to actually TEACH us how to dance, too. I'm going to ask her if she will break down the moves for us.
Based on what she says I may or may not go back to her class. I like her and she's fun to watch and has great moves - I think it was 2% Zumba moves and 98% hip-hop/funk - but I need her to actually teach it so I don't hurt myself again.

I used to teach classes and I always broke down the moves in segments (step). In Pilates, I also was very specific about how to do each move. In fact, a few people told me that even if the lights were out and they couldn't see me they would still be able to do Pilates because of my specific instructions. Zumba or Zumba-ish shouldn't be an exception to the rule.

Heartymax,
It's great to have an unexpected break in the day. How fun for the kids, and for you - getting to take a nice, long, nap.
You'll have those 100Reps waiting for you later

Tash,
So glad you're break from weights is working out so well

Good luck getting Bella enrolled! She needs a baptism certificate for school? I guess it's a private school? That's cool. I would assume that if a child needs a baptism certificate to attend the school then she won't get in trouble if she wants to read her Bible during her Recess (yes, that actually did happen at a public school).

I totally agree that anything in moderation is okay. I do like Splenda, though, I like the texture of it and the taste. As for sugar, I have a big glass of chocolate milk (or two) every day so I figure that's my daily sugar consumption

Toni,
Congrats on your 100RC-Triceps after Burn Sets! That's the way to work!

Stacie,
Congrats on the extra 10 minutes of Kick Max - and not having your neighbor notice
I can imagine how tired you are.
The protein cup cakes sound great. I'll let you know how the Lemon bars turn out, in case you like lemon

Have a great weekend, everyone; happy Friday

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good morning ladies! Last night was only part of Low Max. I felt super tired yesterday and my legs were still tired from the leg conditioning drills in Low Max. My neighbor was struggling to keep up too so stopped at part 4.

We were supposed to do TBT Lower Body tonight but I was thinking Supercuts might be better. I'm still debating which workout to do. We do need to get triceps in as well.

So, I was lectured again at karate for coming to class 3 minutes late. Of course the perfect family was there and right on time. Last Sunday, the owner modified the schedule and it started on Monday (way to go for notice right? ). I found out last night that the class yesterday was moved to that time for the perfect family. That sort of annoyed me because it's at 4:15 which is really difficult for me to get Tyler then since I literally have to sneak out of work to do it. We are supposed to be in the office until 4:00pm.
We talked about quitting karate. We are going to think about it some more over the weekend. In some ways it would be sad to stop since he is so close to black belt but it's one extra stress right now that maybe we don't need.

Toni
Rushfit is more full body conditioning work. The weights you use will probably never go beyond 10 or 12lbs. Even GSP doesn't go past 20 or 25lbs. Most of the moves are very compound and the program has lots of body weight work. I really enjoyed it when I was doing it. You are right that it is way different than weight lifting. A couple of reviewers said that it was an intermediate workout. I wouldn't agree with that. If they thought it was easy, they probably weren't using high enough weights. One aspect I really liked about it was that every workout had good core work in it. I still attribute my oblique strength to Rushfit. In short, you will get stronger during the program but not the same way you would just lift weights. It's more of a toning program than bulking one if that makes any sense.

I was going to offer to let you borrow Strength and Endurance but sending it to you and then you sending it back would be about $6 and Amazon.com has the DVD for $8. If you buy the whole set than you could always just try to sell the single DVD on Amazon.com. Of course, you could borrow it from me if you really wanted to.

Natasha
Is Bella going to preschool or kindergarten? The school paperwork does take forever to fill out. I don't totally understand why the same information has to go on multiple forms. At least it's only once a year though!

You are sooo right about information on "good" ingredients changing all the time. It can be frustrating at times to try to eat healthy because of that. I don't blame Jamie for pushing the Xylitol....it's sooo tasty. By the way, did you see the OD discussion regarding the online health food stores? I checked out one of them and Xylitol was pretty cheap there !

HeartyMax
I can't remember where you live at. Is it in the region where the blizzard was supposed to be? Even though nothing happened, I bet you were glad to get a day off. That's super nice of you to get pizza and wings for the kids too!

Jennifer
Sorry to hear that you got hurt a Zumba! I didn't realize you were an instructor at one point too! What made you stop?

I love lemon! I was eyeballing those too. I am definitely making the greek yogurt chicken recipe fit44 posted this weekend. Did you see that one? It's looks delicious!

 

[heartymax]

Another neighbor hosted all the boys last night at her house so DH and I decided to out to dinner. I had a frozen strawberry and mango margarita...OMG. It was soooo good. We ordered soup, salad and appetizers and just enjoyed a little time together. It was nice and we just don't do that often enough. The boys are old enough to stay home while we go out we just don't get out often. I slept really good last night. I got up and did Xtrain Bi's and Tri's this morning. Starting out with the alternating biceps with 20lbs is no joke. I can do it (thanks to STS) but it really gets the muscles pumping right away. I also did the 100 rep flat bench tricep extnsions with 5 lbs. I already know I'm going to be feeling this tomorrow.

Stacie---I live in Maryland but the storm passed us.

Jennifer-- I agree, I think the 100 rep challenge is the perfect addition to the Bi-s and Tri's because I just don't think the muscles are totally exhausted on that workout like Burn Sets. I think I will try to add the bicep challenge and the tricep challenge next time.

My house is a mess so I need to clean up

 

[mini-natty]

Happy Sunday

Yesterday's w/o was Super Cuts + 100RC lateral raises. My shoulder is doing great (thankfully!). I used 3lbs with my challenge and can easily say that it was too easy .

Today's w/o will be cardio (undecided) + yoga. I have a baby shower in the evening that I'm not really looking forward to . To make a long story short, the woman's baby is my DH best friend's wife. I have known this guy since we were all friends in grade school. He is like a brother to me, which makes the situation even worse. Ok, so last year he got a woman he barely knew pregnant (this was planned btw ), then he had a quickie marriage in Niagara Falls without any family/friends present. I find out that this woman is smoking marijuana, cigarettes, drinking wine/beer, all during her pregnancy. DH went to a b-day party not long ago and saw this woman polish off 2 BOTTLES of wine. He approached his buddy and pretty much asked what the heck was going on, why he let his wife drink like that. He told him that he had a conversation with her and that she told him it was HER BABY, HER BODY. End of story. I am so disgusted at what this woman is doing to her child in the womb. I can't say anything because I don't really know her and feel it is not in my place to get involved. Anyway, ya, that's the story .

Heartymax
Hope you had a wonderful dinner. Sounded absolutely delish .
Thanks for the tip on the registration . Much appreciated. And yes, no short-cuts for me. I hate to do things twice.

Jennifer
Bella is going to a Catholic School, which is a different school board than Public. It's not really private, as we don't have to pay any fee's.
Ohhh, I will try the egg white facial. I've been breaking out these days .
I'm so sorry to hear about your back and knee . I agree, the teacher should actually TEACH the class, not expect you guys to just know. I had no idea you were an instructor! How super cool . If I lived near you, I would be taking classes in a heartbeat!

Stacie
That "perfect family" seems to be really making things stressful for you guys . It's a shame that they are getting all this special treatment when everyone there pays the same . Hope you find a solution that works well for both you and Tyler.
Bella is going to kindergarten, not preschool. It's not the paperwork I'm dreading, it's finding all my documentation! I ransacked my house yesterday trying to find her baptism certificate! I've moved twice since she got baptized.

Have a great day ladies!

 

[Jenniferlove]

Good football play-offs evening to you all!

Yesterday I took a rest day;
today my back felt great (and my knee felt better yesterday) so I did the Upper body premix of Burn Sets. Loved it; just felt so good

Today I made Jamie E's lemon protein bars and they turned out great! Honestly I had to improvise and use some different ingredients but they definitely were lemony, and I don't think my changes made a big difference.

I went to two different grocery stores looking for oat flour and they didn't have it. Then I went to a health food store and they were closed so I used Whole Wheat flour instead of oat; actually I think that added more protein anyway. I used 2 eggs instead of 4 egg whites. I used a cup of regular unsweetened applesauce instead of the baby food. Lastly, I used Propel instead of Chrystal Light.

As for being a former group-ex instructor, I did it for 8 years; when I started it was because I needed a 2nd job and I wanted free gym membership - the certification was through the gym (Bally Total Fitness) so it was more about teaching us how to teach rather than knowing/learning anatomy or anything of that sort; it wasn't very expensive or intensive.
I taught Aqua Aerobics, then learned Pilates, then Powerflex, then Step.

Eventually I had to have surgery on my wrist (again - the plate/screws that were inserted when I broke it had to come out); I decided that I really didn't want to come back after my surgery; it wasn't worth it anymore. One of my 2 locations had closed (abruptly by posting a note on the door which I found extremely rude and impersonal) and I really didn't care too much for the other location.

During that time, though, I ended up getting a real, national certification for a Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise because I wanted to really know and understand the muscles and such... more for personal knowledge than to actually use it. I do maintain my continuing education credits, though; I've been certified since 2007.

Tash, that is just absolutely shocking about the pregnant woman It's very upsetting! I understand your situation, too. I'm so sorry you're having to play nice with her; even if you did say something to her she obviously isn't ready to hear it. I just hope and pray that the baby will be born healthy.

SO glad your shoulder is better and that you were able to do the 100RC - easily It probably is best that you went super light.

Heartymax, 20lb biceps! You are amazing!
It was very nice that your neighbor hosted the kids and gave you the perfect opportunity to enjoy a nice dinner out (and yummy drinks)! Sounds like a very nice evening

Stacie, what a bummer about Karate. That is a very tough call since he's so close to his black belt. I wonder if the perfect couple sponsor and buck up a lot therefore have more pull with the instructor or whatever. Not that it's fair, but that's the only reason I can think of that the instructor would show such favor to them.
You've probably looked into another Karate place that you can take Tyler; any prospects?

Did you end up doing Super Cuts and then Triceps?

Toni, I agree, 100RC/Triceps with 8# is pretty big. That's one reason why I changed my mind; the other is because I had just finished the Bi's/Tri's workout. Humm... One day I will be brave and strong enough to give it a shot If you want to give it a go let me know - we can coordinate and do it together I'm telling you now, before I did it I would be taking a small break from upper body work

Have an awesome evening!

 

[atompki1]

Today as supposed to be Cardio Legs, but I just wasn't in the mood for all that jumping. I attempted Gym Style legs instead. Apparently I wasn't in the mood for that either. Got through half of it before it called it quits I still haven't been able to figure out how to adjust my diet for the six day a week workout. I'm going to drop one day a week and see how that goes until I get my diet figured out. I felt a lot better when I was only doing 5 days a week anyway, so maybe I should just stick with that

We went car shopping this weekend. DH has been waffling back and forth on whether or not he needs a new car. He finally decided he did, so we went and looked yesterday. It turns out the best thing is for us is to both get new cars. His payment will be increasing, so I really need to decrease mine. I'm trading my Toyota Sienna in for a Ford Escape. I didn't really want a van anyway, but we needed it at the time. Now I'm oh so happy to be going back to a crossover. I had a Santa Fe before . We both get what we want for no increase in our budget. He's getting a Ford Fusion. The new ones are really nice


Tasha
I don't blame you for not wanting to go to the baby shower. That's terrible. I really feel like our society does not value our children the way we should. I hope the baby will be fine and that she gets her act together and is able to be a responsible parent. And I hope the father realizes he has much more say in the parenting of his child than this woman wants him to believe.

Congrats on Bella going to school!! Such an exciting time.

HeartyMax
Mango Margaritas sound fabulous!!

Stacie
How sweet of you to offer to let me borrow RF!! I've decided I am going to get it, but I'm going to wait until I finish the 12 rotation for XTrain. If I get it before that I'll have workout ADHD and I won't finish my XTrain rotation

That really sucks about Karate. That is something that should be fun, not stressful. I totally understand about trying to get kids to activities in the 4pm hour. Jasmine has cheerleading at 4:45 and I can barely make it. My office is really loose about office hours though, so I'm lucky there. I hope you find a solution that works for you.

Jennifer
I agree the instructors should teach the moves!! It's silly just to do the routine and think everyone should be able to magically follow.

 

[heartymax]

Jennifer---didn't know you were a certified personal trainer. How impressive. That tricep challenge definitely made the difference for me too.

Tasha-you are good because I know I wouldn't go to the shower. I would send a gift upon arrival. I know you are celebrating the baby and not her but both parents need a reality check.

Toni---gym styles has more dread factor (for me) than Cardio Leg Blast.

Today was Cardio Leg Blast and hip thrust challenge. I did 50 reps with 30 lbs. I'm just not sure about my form on this but I gave it a try.