Shrinking Violets Check-in
Good morning, Violets! Yesterday was an active recovery day for me after doing Maximum Intensity Cardio on Wednesday and Boot Camp on Thursday. My body was thankful for a break. I enjoyed the stability ball segments of Total Body Stretching. I successfully stayed on track for the first 40 days of this year!
I planned my next 3-week rotation. I am still trying to decide which total body workout to do. I want to save Muscle Max for the next rotation when I focus on the Hardcore Series. I love Supersets but just did that for the first 3 weeks of this year. I would enjoy doing it again, but I think I need something more challenging. That leaves Muscle Endurance and Power Hour. I previewed Power Hour again yesterday morning. Why do people love this workout? I like the music during the abs and planks, but the rest of the music is nothing to write home about. The reps are endless! I bought Power Hour during the VHS sale and did it once. It has never called my name again. Muscle Endurance has great music. I love “Eye of the Tiger” during the leg presses. That is workout music! Other than the super tough barbell curls, I enjoy Muscle Endurance.
I just reviewed one of my old journals. This is what I wrote after doing Power Hour for the first time: “I underestimated the power of Power Hour when I previewed it. My butt was on fire! I think it may actually be a tougher lower body workout than Leaner Legs if that is possible. I liked it a lot. Alternating between lower body work and upper body work kept it fun and interesting for me.” I guess it is better than it looks. I did not remember liking it. My impression after watching it has never been good. Journals are helpful tools.
In that case, I may do Power Hour one week, Muscle Endurance one week, and either Supersets or Push Pull the other week. My general game plan involves cardio every Monday morning, total body weight training every Tuesday morning, step cardio every Wednesday morning, circuit training every Thursday morning, stretching every Friday morning, and kickboxing plus abs and core every Saturday morning with a rest day every Sunday. I am ready to kick up the intensity, so I am pulling out my Terminator DVD. I am still planning to jog in the pool or bounce on my rebounder every evening.
I need to confess that all the Valentine’s Day candy is tempting me. Please hold me accountable! For me, chocolate is extra enticing when it is packaged in all those pretty pink and red wrappers. The pastel Easter candy gets to me too! I am so visual. This is a time of year when I historically stumble after getting back on track in January, so I am taking steps to prevent that. For one, I am planning to enjoy reasonable treats instead of trying to eat perfectly clean and setting myself up for a fall. I enjoyed one of the brand new choco-walla (chocolate almond) Odwalla Bars this morning. I also bought some Cabot extra sharp white cheddar cheese that I am planning to scramble with an egg and wrap in a whole wheat tortilla or enjoy with homemade chili. I am not a big meat eater, so I make my chili with plenty of kidney beans, organic tomato pasta, water, sea salt, pepper, and chili powder. I found a gourmet chili powder last night that has cocoa in it of all things. I bought cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread that I can toast and top with natural peanut butter. These things will protect me from sliding into a chocolate pit.
I bounced on my rebounder last night and woke up this morning feeling refreshed after a restful night of sleep. I am ready to burn off the chocolate Odwalla Bar with Kick, Punch, & Crunch. Have a blessed day!
Blessings,
Heather B.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV).
