We're in This Together (03.26-04.02)

Holy Cow Nat, that was some workout you did yesterday. Yeah that your Aunt knew what you wanted. Last year my Mom got me STS off Ebay for my B-day, I was thrilled. I would like all Cathe's DVDs because thats the way I am. I really like both. I did STS legs premix one day last fall and I guess it's similar to TBT kind of. It was shorter ( I think ) and I was sore for days. I really like the different way she does squats/deadlifts in it. Funny, I'm feeling the same way after doing TBT LB from Tues.

I haven't gotten the shoes yet. Now I'm being cheap and don't want to spend the extra money. Silly I know.

I never count how much my bar weighs. It's mathmatically to challenging for my brain to handle when I'm working out.

Nat- How was play it again sports? I've never been in one. It does sound like you need a little more weights. I use my ankle weights. Do you have any?

Rain rain rain here. The rivers are getting full again.

I did disc 24? Back and biceps today. I liked it because it was only 40 min. or so and I feel like I'm geting sick. Because I am still sore from Monday's chest tris and shoulders and Tues Legs. Oy Vay!

I like running but I have to have music. I tried without music once and only made it a mile.

Jen - I hope your not in any pain with your tooth. My husband said needing a root canal was one of the worst pains he ever felt. I was one of 3 times I have ever seen him cry. Hang in there.

Sarah
 
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 :mad:. 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 (thanks Colleen).

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!!). I wonder when the new w/o's are coming out? She said the end of spring, but I think probably closer to the end of summer.

Jen
I hope you are not in too much pain w/your teeth.
I'm so happy you are getting work 2 days/week! That's a great start! You are getting your foot in the door, which is a positive sign.
I never thought about fraudulent healthcare here in Canada. I feel very blessed and fortunate to have free healthcare. Unfortunately, so many people take that for granted. The wait times at the doctors, walk-ins, hospitals are extremely long. Unless you are dying, you gotta wait. So many people still can't find doctors taking new patients, which is sad. I had to call 15 different doctors to find one for Bella when we moved :(.
Sarah
I'm the same way w/running shoes. I need new ones, but I don't want to cheap out, so I'm waiting :eek:.
I had a pair of ankle weights (BC-Before Cathe lol) but I gave them away!!!!! I never used them and thought they were silly. I'm such a loser :(.
Hope you are not getting sick :(
Colleen
Spastic plyo? Not good. CSS is the friendly Afterburn and probably my fav from LIS.
Funny you mention not liking the barbell for UB, I'm the exact opposite. Maybe cuz' it's new so the novelty has not worn off yet :D.

Have a great day ladies :)
 
Natty I love MMA boxing! That is definitely my favorite of the MMA series. I remember when I was looking at those on collage I kept thinking that would be the one I wouldn't like because there is no kicking. I bought the other two and then much later managed to get the boxing one in a trade. Lo and behold, that one is the one I do by far the most!:) Also have fun with High Reps and STS TB! It so hard to go wrong with Cathe's workouts!! Girl only has a few true misses IMHO!

I'm glad you enjoyed doing MMA Boxing and the weights barefoot! It definitely takes time to work up to doing any sort of impact with barefeet and I only recently started doing some step workouts barefoot. It is tricky on the step and I think with the choreography in Step Moves it would be pretty tough. It took me some time to feel comfortable doing plyometrics and step barefoot because you really need to strengthen the muscles in your feet, ankles and calves. The only thing I don't do barefoot now is walking on the treadmill (the surface is so hard). I rarely do that these days anyway! The treadmill has been sitting in the basement unused for several months now..:eek:

Sarah- that made me laugh about not counting the weight in the bar. I'm the same way! I'm not sure what my bar weighs...the dang box never said and I'm kind of guessing when I think to myself it's about 5-7 lbs. I'm just not sure! I figure it's close enough and as long as I know what weights I'm putting on for the increased increments it's all good! I hope you're not getting sick! Do you get allergies? I always forget and confuse my allergies with a cold in the spring. I only started getting seasonal allergies a few years ago and every spring I'm like...d'oh! Oh yeah! Gotta take that claritin!:p Do you guys get a lot of flooding in the spring? LaCrosse is right on the Mississippi so we get flooding pretty often but not this year. There was hardly any precipitation this winter and even so far this spring so now they are talking about drought...which seems silly to me since we had TONS of snow and rain and flooding the previous three years! Wouldn't the reservoirs be full enough to take us through one dry year??:rolleyes:

Jen I hope your teeth get fixed up pronto! That's the worst kind of pain! Dental work is crazy expensive too!:( Yay for getting some work twice a week! Small steps and getting your foot in the door is great. Hopefully things keep moving forward for you!

No workout today. Taking it easy...TTOTM is starting. Blech!:mad:

Have a great day everyone!
 
Happy Friday, everyone!! Snow and thunderstorms here so getting online to do work can be dicey.
Natty-there is always going to be a workout that you want from Cathe. I thought I could stop too but NOOOO.. About healthcare, fraud unfortunately is costing any country money no matter whom is paying the bill. My neighbor whom is Canadian has kept her citizenship but her parents put a "rider" on their insurance, they live north of Toronto, to get care in the US. Their daughter is a nurse here and was going to move back but stayed.
Colleen-Enjoy your day off.
Sarah-shoes. I have problems getting new ones since I break the old ones in. My shoes are old but work with at least one new pair in my closet.

Today, I need to get work done for the project. It is a blessing the meeting is on Tuesday. My teeth are hurting but I have Oragel and now Sensadyne which is numbing my one side of my mouth. Made my appt for my root canal so I cannot make my crown appt until I get the go-ahead. Need to invesitage the cost of that. My Dad had a root canal but never got a crown put in.
Supposed to have a mock interview but so many people are traveling for spring break no matter if they have kids or not-it may not happen at all. It was mentioned in our meeting on Wednesday that the problems that occur in the program are not mentioned or dealt with since "the success", they feel is in the hands of the participant. So, my issue must've been an awakening for them last week.
 
Jen- that is so funny how you said there is always a Cathe workout you will want. Heh, heh. I was the same way...thought I could stop! I do find it a little easier to resist getting the older workouts unless it's in a trade. I have loved almost everything she has made since 2006. Between purchases and trades I have almost everything she has ever made now! We'll see how I do with the step workouts though. I previewed Athletic Step and I'm really excited to try it out! I think I'll definitely do it on the 4 inch platform at first.

I forgot to pass along some interesting information I learned yesterday. It dawned on me yesterday that my knees always seem to be less tolerant of high impact and torquey moves a few days before and right at the beginning of my period. I can literally feel my patella moving around more and the cracking and instability of the joint, when aggravated by a workout, causes my chondromalacia to flare up more easily than normal. Sooo...I decided to post on VF about it to see if anyone else with tricky knees noticed this. One kind lady linked to an article describing exactly why that happens. If anyone is curious here it is: BBC NEWS | Health | Menstrual cycle injury risk link

I'm going to make sure I just do low impact or weight training during those times from now on. This knee thing has been a long learning curve!
 
Colleen-
All of Cathe's new workouts I will buy b/c she has evolved and her workouts have changed. The older ones are questionable like the original IMAX and Body Max. I first started with her just after Hardcore series came out.
Athletic Step is like Step Moves are how it is taught. The breakdown is the same. It is a great workout. Have fun!
My knees get funny too but only after I do way too much high impact. I forget I'm not 25 anymore.
 
Hi everyone :)

Today was hiit Pyramid :eek:.

I needed a new pair of running shoes, and coincidentally I received a flyer in the mail today for National Sports with a HUGE sale on, YES runners!! So I get there and see these awesome K Swiss (Jillian Michaels wears and indorses them) for $69.99!!! They were over $100 regular price!! I was just waiting for them to tell me they didn't have my size :(. BUT THEY DID!

Jen & Colleen
Hey, hey, now. Are you trying to say that I may perhaps get addicted to Cathe and proceed to want more, MORE of her stuff, and go into complete withdrawal if I abstain? :D
Jen
Tooth pain is very painful no doubt. I'm sorry you have to go through that :(.
We are getting crappy weather too :mad:. Snow for tonight and temps go back up next week. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. Stupid March.
It's funny you said "I forget I'm not 25 anymore". Actually, it's so cool you said that, it means you feel younger than you are. I admire people like you who never use age as an excuse. So many women on this forum are 50+ and work harder than people half their age. Lioness (Jane is her name) she is 51 and her w/o's are INSANE! She flips tires for heaven's sake! I like her.
Colleen
Jen is right, AS and SM are formatted the same. You are gonna love that one! It's so fun!
I am so aware of my body and it's changes during the menstrual cycle, that yes I do notice my softened ligaments, joint/back pain connected with PMS as well as ovulation. I have many side effects during ovulation that mimic PMS (insomnia, ovarian pain, cramps, low back aches) so I get a double whammy every month. Also notice your gums will bleed more during TTOTM. I never schedule a dentist appoint for that time. I also find myself very clumsy and of course exhausted that my w/o's always suffer. Very interesting article and very true.
Thanks to Cathe we now have rockin' low impact workouts for these times!

Have a great night ladies :)
 
Natty-Yes, once you start and it's hard to stop buying Cathe. You dont want to have withdrawls.My first one SB/SJ&P then LM or Muscle Max. I knew I purchased a whole series outright that wasn't on preorder. WHEN I eat healthy, I rarely have symptoms durig my visit with Aunt Flo BUT it hasnt occured lately. Actually, I don't feel or I don't look 50, I've been told 38 a lot. My workouts are harder and more intense now then when I was 27. 50 is the new 30.
Tooth pain isnt fun, kinda hard to eat so I might just lose the weight I put on. Hoping to start working out again.
Saturday is finish project, neighbor putting bat nets in my attic and job hunt Sunday and Monday.
 
Good morning ladies :)

Since everyone wants a monthly thread, we can start an April one tomorrow :)

Rough night last night. I went to bed thinking about how I was going to do STS TB starting Monday with what equipment I had, and what I really needed to buy, mainly weight plates (ok, you can roll your eyes here). I tossed and turned, thinking about it, and then Bella woke up at 1am and it was downhill from there :(.

I did lots of research yesterday evening trying to find weight plates for a decent price, as I can use them on my adjustable dumbbell set too. Then I saw the Atlus Turbo Tower back in stock at Wal-Mart.ca, and was drooling over that. I saw how Cathe does pull-ups on it, and I immediately decided then and there, I needed this fantastic piece of equipment......eventually. Colleen, I understand why you wanted it. You can definitely use higher weights for chest presses when you have the tower to place the bar on. I think if you had the TT, you might like Meso 3 better.

Today is supposed to be Low Impact Circuit, but I don't have it. I might sub w/AT or even Jillian NMTZ or maybe Jari's GER 1000. We'll see how I feel come 5pm.

Jen
Yup, you don't look anywhere near 50 that's for sure.
I hope you are not in so much pain today with your teeth :(


Hope all of you have a great w/e!!
 
Natty-are there online used equipment sites in Canada? Here, there is Craig's List and maybe others to find used dumbbells. Yes, the turbo tower is great!!! Bummer about not getting much sleep last night. It makes for a very long day when it happens. LIC is a great one too. Thanks for the compliment and my teeth are doing better.

Very happy I finished this part of the project so I have the rest of the weekend and Monday to job hunt and to get out of the house. It's cloudy and a bit chilly today here.
Freedom feels good.
 
Yes, I'm definantly sick. I can't deny it any longer. I did STS Back and Biceps #24 and went to Zumba on Thursday to try and get over being sick. It didn''t work. I sore and feel like garbage. Yesterday I just took a walk just so I could say I did something. Today is suppose to be Afterburn and something tells me I am not up for that : (

Sucks you had a sleepness night Nat. I do that about once or twice a month. It just seems to happen.

Jen - My memory of my husband with his tooth pain in addition to the tears was also him sucking on a cold egg (in the shell still) to try and find relief. I so hope you don't become uncomfotable to the point where your miserable. Glad you have feedom this weekend and you enjoy it. With everything you have been dealing with just exhale.

Colleen - How's grandma doing now that she is back at home? Icouldn't sleep last night I was coughing to much and watched way to many infomercials. I saw one for KettleWorx. Which is the one you use again?

So you got the shoes Nat? right?

My goal for spring break was to do something special and alone with each of the kiddos. The kids just had a 1/2 day yesterday. The girls were going to a friends house so I took my son to an old arcade in Tacoma, WA. It was great they had all the old games that I grew up with back in the nickle arcade days. Then we went to a place Guy had featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives called the Southern Kitchen. I was having fun, and my son wanted fried Catfish. So I ate fried catfish, mac and cheese, corn cakes, an obscene amount of strawberry lemonade with whipped cream on top (served in quart jars and I drank the whole thing), and lastly bread pudding because I just love the stuff. It was a great day.

Now I just have to figure out what each of the girls like. I was thinking with one of them it would be fun for both of us to read the Hunger Games this week and go see the movie together. Make a day of it with lunch and something else.??? I still have one more to go though and I am drawing a total blank on it. I've asked them and they don't have any ideas either. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Have a great day everyone and Nat get some rest!

Sarah
 
I did Butts and Guts today! So awesome. :) I tend to skip most of the floor section though because I try to avoid kneeling at all costs and a lot of that part is on the knees. Even with my cushy puzzle mats I'm super paranoid about putting any pressure on my knee caps and try my best to avoid it. I did the ab section and some of the bonus stuff too!:D

Tomorrow I'm going to start Meso 2 week 1 again. I'm going to do the chest, shoulders and triceps disc and then if I have time I want to try to do the step portion of Intensity for some cardio! I'm going to do it with the 4 inch platform but it shouldn't be too bad since I'm somewhat familiar with it from before. We'll see! Hopefully sometime this week or next I'll be able to fit in Athletic Step too!:eek:

I'm so sorry about your lack of sleep too Natty! So awful being tired and trying to get a decent workout in! Have fun with STS TB Monday!

Jen I love 50 is the new 30! That definitely made me smile! If only people realized the anti aging effects of exercise and decent nutrition!! I can't tell you how many patients come in who are several years younger than me and yet look more than 10 years older! It's amazing what being sedentary, eating like crap, smoking, and excessive partying and drinking does to people. I know several people from my high school class who haven't exactly aged well unfortunately. We only have one body, might as well take care of it!

Grandma is doing a lot better since she went home. We just went down there to visit last night before going out to eat with the kids. She's pretty weak (the CHF makes her very tired as her heart has to work over time to keep her going) and the Alzheimer's is getting noticeably worse but she seemed pretty happy to be home in her fuzzy robe she always wears!!:p He has the best Grandma! So sweet and loving. :)

Sarah, I'd definitely take a hiatus from Afterburn until you feel better! That one will wipe you out otherwise! Is it a cold or do you think you might be getting the flu? As far as something to do with your girls I think the Hunger Games would be fun. Have you read the books? I read them and I'm one of those superfans who can't wait to see the movie! My sister wants to see it with me though and she wants to read the book first so I'm waiting for her to do that. I don't mind waiting, I hate going when something first comes out and the theater is too packed. I like a fairly empty theater so people aren't bugging me with their cell phones or big fat heads in my way!;) Would your girls be old enough to appreciate spa stuff like a pedicure? I LOVE pedicures! I can't wait until Lydia is old enough to do that with me!!

Better get something done today! Later girls!
 
Oh Sarah, I forgot to add I definitely don't recommend Kettleworx! I bought those when I first started with kettlebells and it was just awful. They cut and paste the same footage over and over and put it over several discs and claim to have all these different workouts. Plus the guy is just so cheesy!

I have Lauren Brooks Volume 1 which has great instruction and two workouts, one that's 40 minutes and a 20 minute one. It's awesome but many good kettlebell dvds are unfortunately way over priced. That one was $35! I also have Paul Katami's KB workouts which are good, RKS which is a system with lots of shorter workouts, Bob Harper's 2 KB dvds which I like but have plenty of faults (instruction not perfect, doesn't mirror cue, doesn't do even sets for each side a few times). Let's see, I also have MB45 Essentials but haven't dont that one yet. I have 10, 15, 20 and 25 lb bells. The first 3 are Bob Harper's contour ones which I really like for doing cleans and snatches(more comfortable). I use the 25 lb bell just for swings.

A lot of people on VF recommend the SKOGG system for good instruction but I don't have that one unfortunately.
 
Sarah-Take time to get better. This crazy weather isn't helping. Guy Fieri has been here in MI too, although ALL the places he goes to are not healthy. Rosie's Diner from the very first show is now closed. It was filmed just north of my house. I love to eat but I also work it off-hoping to get back this week.
Colleen-The things you mentioned of adding up to aging, I am guilty of but I also was active when I did them but have curbed most of it. Never smoked and drink a lot less. Lifestyle does affect the aging process.
Natty-Hope you're getting some rest today.
Nikki& Ellie-Where are you?

Today, my neighbor never came to bat net my attic so his beer is sitting safely in my fridge for now. 12 pak Heineken in bottles. Usually when my life slows down like this, it's usually something is coming up although this week was crazy enough. My new friend, we haven't seen in other in person and no plans to yet. We are getting to know each other.
Going to back off again and see what happens. A job is WAY more important and it's nice to have a person whom seems interested too.
Thinking of attempting Low Max, LIC or Gin Miller's step. Also, Muscle Max. This week.
Once it gets warm when it should, I will be outside again-for yard work.
 
Good morning ladies :)

I am starting an April thread after I respond to your posts here :)


Yesterday'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. 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!
Jen
It's so nice of your neighbor to help with the bird problem. It sounds like a pretty dirty job...
It's good to hear you are feeling better and want to resume Cathe again. Don't push yourself, just take it easy and you'll be back to your rockin' self in no time ;). Is Gin Miller easier?
Sarah
I love how you want to do something special w/each of the kids. My aunt (whom I'm very close with) always wanted to do stuff with the entire family, and rarely spent quality alone time with her daughter, son or husband. It was either the whole family, or nothing :(. Now that her son is getting married and her daughter is 22 (with no boyfriend yet) she is spending more alone time with her; getting hair cuts, manicures, pedicures, shopping, and so on.
The movies sounds great. Hungar Games is huge now. Spa's are fun too (I rarely go) but it seems like a cute mother/daughter thing to get your nails, face and toes all done. Do you have a museum or science center near you? Is your son quite active? I find boys (and girls too) love rock climbing walls or indoor playground facilities. And then when your week is done, book a trip to Puerto Rico.....ALONE!! :D
Colleen
Kettleworx is so horrid. Cut & paste crap. The instructor is cheesy, you're right. I can't believe I fell for that stupid set.
I'm glad to hear your grandmother is happy and restful at home.
Funny, you talk about your high school friends and how they did not age well. I have a few of them on my FB, and they look EXACTLY as I remembered them. My high school ex, looks 18 still and he smoke and drank a lot :confused:. The one thing I did notice, is that almost everyone gained weight. I'm skinnier now than I was in HS. I ate really bad back then :eek:.
You should be really proud to have maintained your youth so well. You look smokin'!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday :)

**BTW, my new K Swiss shoes are awesome. Great shock absorption and very comfortable. Recommended!**
 
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Thank you, Natty, for handling our threads. Your time is appreciated.
Yes, Gin Miller is easier than Cathe for Simply Step but her Bella Strength and Circuit training can be almost as hard as Cathe but Gin always shows modifications.
Didn't know Jari is Canadian. Somewhat busy week coming up. Intern meeting on Tuesday, program meeting early on Wed then mock interview. The guy that is giving it to me, I think I went out with his older brother. I think they had a vacation home in northern MI....Oh well!! Small world.

Have a Great Day, everyone!!!
 
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