Home Workout Enthusiasts- week of oct 28

[Valerie226]

I'll get us started this week.

DH & I planned a backpack this weekend but when we got to the trailhead we decided it looked tougher than expected so we changed to a dayhike. It's a high ridge near Mt. Baker and closes this week for the season..lots of mountain goats live there and they get to enjoy solitude until sometime next summer when the road is driveable again. so did it as a fairly gnarly dayhike. It was beautiful. we saw & talked to two backcountry skiers cutting some turns up higher. long day, long drive. sunday we did a closer dayhike to a small lake we'd never gotten to. we had snowshoed toward it a couple times but always lost the way after a couple miles. This time we got there & found the lake itself wouldn't be a good destination. very steep going down to it, not advisable if snowy/icy. there was a nice open spot on a ridge before it that we will use as our snowshoe destination this winter. So decent exercise this weekend, both days were 6-7 mile round trips. Weather was nice and need to pack in a few more trips before snow covers everything. Snow and ice make shorter mileage a good workout.

Today I plan half hour cardio and maybe Muscle max. Everyone have a good weekend??

[engineer]

Good Monday morning to all of you. Well let me sum up the weekend. Friday was PG’s Aerobic Dance WO which went really well – I’m starting to pick up the Laker girl section but only when he goes slowly:rolleyes: . I followed that up with the FF Foam Roller work. Then Saturday I did the FF Intermediate Balance/Warm Up, Lower Fix and Lower Body flexibility. Then Sunday I did 60 minutes on the treadmill followed with Keli Robert’s Flexibility for the Inflexible. So it was a good weekend, but now my knees are really, really peeved with me. Oh well I’m taking today as a rest day so by tomorrow we should be ok (hear that knees:) )

Valerie - Thanks for starting the week off for us. And the weekend sounds like a great expedition for you two. Especially based on the fact that you decided the lake wouldn't be the best destination.

Hope everyone has their Halloween costume ready for the trick-or-treaters and that everyone gives all that candy away so they aren’t tempted to eat it.

Michelle

[cniles]

I'm sitting here in my workout clothes trying to get motivated!!! I'm making pumpkin cake and BC's roasted vegatables with Orzo too for our Relay for Life Luncheon at school tomorrow.

I did NOTHING over the weekend. We went to the OSU/PSU game. Total blowout but we had a great time =- ate bad food (ribs, wine, baked beans, pie...) but it was oh sooooo good!!!

My goal is to workout 3 times this week. I really need to!! Go, do it.

Trick or treat is Wednesday - my job is giving out the candy. Bill walks with the boys.

Valerie - the hike sounds amazing. I can't believe you have all of that near you. How wonderful.

Michelle - Great job on the weekend workouts!!! I have to laugh when I see PG b/c I automatically think pregnant...:p Oh well.

Here's to a new week and a new month!!!:)

[engineer]

Welcome to Tuesday and only one day to Halloween. Well last night was a rest night so I just played with the dogs in the exercise pen and then helped DH put the mats back in the horse trailer. Good gosh are those heavy, awkward stinkers. :eek: I really struggle with them, I felt bad that I hadn’t realized how bad they were as DH had pulled them out and power-washed the inside of the trailer by himself. :o :( No wonder his back has been bothering him. Well the knees are doing better so I’m back at it tonight. I have FF Intermediate Balance/Warm-up followed by the 30 minute Fix on tap for tonight. See if I can start getting some of those compound moves done with out splitting them up.;) Oh well, it’s a goal.

So are we all ready for the big trick-or-treat thing?

Charisse - Well you had a good time at the game and it sounds like some yummy food. So I wouldn't say it was a 'total blowout';) So did you get your workout in yesterday or just look smashing in your workout clothes?

Michelle

[Valerie226]

Did the plan yesterday, treadmill, elliptical for 1 hr total & a segment of coremax. I really like coremax. it's divided into 3 sections, each complete in itself, and it takes a maybe 15 minutes to do so it's easy to add on at the end of something else. I have gotten much stronger in the core by doing it several times a week. It's not a big deal, you can run thru a segment without needing to get revved up for a big workout.

Had an unfortunate event last night while sleeping. got a muscle cramp in my hip! Was like one of those nasty calf cramps, except in my hip. I could not get my foot down to the floor, whined and yelped while DH tried to hold me up. I was going to lean on him & try to walk but finally dropped down on all 4's and scooted off to the bathroom like a dog. I could barely turn over in bed it hurt so much and could not get comfortable. I got a couple Advil down and it eased up. this morning it's Ok although a bit tight, so I went to yoga & did fine. Yipes, the joys of getting older. I can hardly wait to see what the next decade will bring! all I can think of that I did differently was putting some superfeet shoe inserts in my exercise shoes. Maybe that was enough to put a strain in a different spot.

Charisse, sounds like an indulgent weekend but it will all even out if you get those workouts in. Michelle, I was going to comment but for some reason I've lost the thread to read & see what you did. Don't know what happened. Strange.

[cniles]

Hi guys!

I did get my workout in yesterday. I did Burn and Shape - the new FIRM workout. I like this one better than Time Crunch. I then finished making my salad and cake. And today, after eating some salad and cake I came home to do Ultimate Calorie Burn/Blast - something like that. The FIRM workout with Allison. It's less intense than the other 2 but has the great kickboxing segment. Felt good!!!

Valerie - OUCH!!! Oh my goodness I was yelping with you. I've never gotten a cramp in my hip - leg yes - those are painful. Glad to hear it's better today. I need to check out Coremax - 15 mins is doable to do core exercises - it's a Cathe workout right?

Michelle - Rest night is good. And playing with the pups isn't all complete rest I'm sure! Compound moves are tough. I end up wobbling around sometimes. It's hard to get all 4 limbs working different moves at the same time.

Ok - so I'm 2 workouts for the week. My goal was 3. Tomorrow is a wash b/c of Trick or Treat. So Thursday will be it! (of course I want to workout on the weekend - I just wanted to try 3 for the week days!)

Have a great Tuesday!!:)

[engineer]

Happy Halloween to all my exercise compatriots.:D Last night I did indeed complete the FF Intermediate Balance/Warm-up and also the 30 minute Fix. I was able to do some of the compound moves but the two I still struggle with are the hamstring curls with the ribcage pullovers and the pushups with the ball while doing the calf raises. But I’ve got it down to only two that I have to separate.:) Now I have to ask, is it ok if on some of the single leg things that I have my toe down on the foot that is supposed to be up? :confused: The knees will do it if I have the toe down but if I lift it up the knee screams at me. So I do it with the toe down and I guess I want some confirmation that that is okay. I am trying to work up to foot up, if that helps.

Tonight I am doing Patrick’s Aerobic Dance Workout and hoping to make it through part of the Laker Girl section correctly. (fingers crossed). I still modify a lot but I do sweat and I figure it’s good for developing fast muscle twitch fibers (something I am sorely lacking:mad: ). I’ll follow that up with the foam roller routine.

No trick or treaters at our house, so I don’t have candy around to tempt me. I’ve also been good about not overeating at night. I try to be a wee bit hungry at bed time. So far it hasn’t made a difference on the scale but perhaps it will.

My new MP3 player will arrive today so I am excited to start trying it.:cool: I thought I might go and try the itrains. Does anyone have suggestions for other training sites to download? Another thing, I am wanting to get so really good true weight workouts. I’ve considered both Cathe and Jari Love. Anyone have suggestions on which is better or is there another (Amy?) to consider. If you have any opinions one way or the other I’d be happy to hear.

Oh and finally I have to let you know that we may be trapping another cat!:eek: Last night when we stopped so I could open the gate, DH yelled, “look at the pipe” (a drain under the driveway). I saw a striped tail disappear into the pipe so we have a tabby on the place. Since I can’t stand to let a little animal suffer and it does get cold in the winter and there are too many critters to eat them and cars to hit them…we put the live animal trap out in the barn. Turns out DH thought he saw a cat in the barn the other day but wasn’t certain. That’s how we got Bucky (who by the way still thinks humans are evil, in spite of the warm soft spot to lay his expanding tummy from the good food). If we catch him that will make 5 cats! Yikes I’m becoming a rescue society all by myself.:eek: :rolleyes: :D

Well this got awful long but again happy Halloween and I hope everyone comes back tomorrow charged up on all that sugar.

Charisse - Salad and cake what an odd combination. But that was great you got a workout in Monday and that you enjoyed it. And a big high 5 for completing two workouts already.

Valerie - Let me just say that I hope you got a good night sleep last night with no hip cramps. Ouch that does sound painful. What a great workout though - so a big gold star for you.

Michelle

[engineer]

Welcome to November. Well a new month to transform ourselves. Well I closed out October with a good workout. I did Patrick’s Aerobic Dance workout and got most of the turns figured out. When he does that last Laker girl section slow I thought I had it but then when he speed up I was all turned around again. But at least I had it when it was slow – that’s progress.:D I followed that up with the foam roller routine on FF. Kitty-kins, our larger short haired black cat decided that I needed help so I got a lot of head bashing and being jumped upon. :rolleyes: dang he’s so sweet you can’t get mad at him.

Tonight is FF Intermediate Balance/WU, 30 min Fix and upper and lower flexibility. Still no sign of the tabby but if he’s there eventually he’ll get caught and I can stop worrying about him freezing his ears (a lot of cats up here don’t have the tips of their ears due to frost bite) or starving.

Hope you all had a great Halloween and are ready to face November with a smile.

Michelle

[Valerie226]

Michelle, that is so kind and sweet to save stray kitties. I have only one kitty but we got him a a shelter. The cat before him also was a shelter kitty, and the kitty before him was a stray who ended up under the bushes at our house after the 4th of july one year. There are so many homeless I feel guilty because I have only one but I try to do my part.

You could go to www.collage.com and look at clips of the DVD's you're considering. I find it's the personalities that make more difference to me than the workout itself. there are some people who are annoying to listen to more than once and it's different for all of us. for example, Gilad just makes me grind my teeth. UGHH! then compare. www.cathe.com has LONG clips from her workouts too. but you know I'm a big Cathe fan.

We did a hike yesterday, about 8 miles. had a longer one planned but there was a steep icy section that could not be negotiated so we went as far as we could climbed up to a viewpoint and were happy. still took about 7 hours. we got to the trailhead at 7 am and it was too dark to leave until 7:30. some people walk with headlamps but if it's a rocky trail it's too easy to stumble. depth perception is not great with a tiny light. today, I have an eye exam this morning so will do something after i get back. Not sure what.

[JoanneOR]

Hi everyone!

Michelle, great job conquering the PG dance workout! I have one of his step workouts and it is quite complex. I'm not familiar with the Fitness Fix DVDs, but I think if something hurts, don't do it! I think keeping your toe down is fine if that's the way that works for you. Those moves sound complicated. You're going to love your MP3 player! The Cardio Coaches are great. Have you heard of itrain (www.itrain.com)? They have workouts for the treadmill, elliptical, and bike and some ballet and weight workouts for MP3 players. Hmmm, Cathe or Jari? They're both good - but I'd probably say start with Cathe. Muscle Max is good - she has so many that are good, though. The Supersets/Push Pull might be a good one to start with - lots of premixes, too.

Valerie, your hikes sound like so much fun! That hip cramp sounds horrible! I used to get pains like that in my calves at night, sometimes the bottom of my feet.

Charisse, I have Burn and Shape - I'll have to try it. Did you get in that 3rd workout for the week? Cake and salad sounds like a good balance! How was trick or treating? What were your boys for Halloween?

I've been working out - my life has just been too hectic to get here too much and visit with you all! I did get Cathe's new series and tried them all. Not sure how I feel about them. I can't quite put my finger on it, but they just seem to be missing something. I need to do them all again. The choreography on the step is tricky, but it's fun. I just got the new Amy Bento's, so I'll probably try one of those tomorrow - I'm thinking her leg workout.

Halloween was hectic but fun. Lots of school parades and parties. Caitlyn was a mermaid in the morning and cinderella in the afternoon :rolleyes: (she likes to change outfits!). Colin was an alien, Ian an old man and Jameson a banana. Now the challenge is what to do with all the candy from school parties and trick or treating.

[cniles]

Happy Post Halloween!! Yee haw! I took in all of my leftover candy to school - everyone was cursing me but they all were snacking!!

I did Burn and Shape again today. I'm not going to be able to do the fanny lifter soon. It's been so long since I've done it!! Yea - I got my 3rd workout in.

Valerie - it's so great you hike frequently. The appalachian trail goes through our little village and I have yet to hike it. Both my boys and DH have day hiked - I'll get to it sooner or later. It's definately not like your area!!! How are your eyes?

Michelle - What's with cats and head butting? Our cat Max used to head butt DS1 all the time. Too funny!! I can only imagine it while trying to workout.

Joanne - Jack was a hippie (he wore my mom's old wig!) and Sam was a devil. Bill took them around last night and I gave out candy. If you find one of the new Cathe's that you do like, let us know. I'm still thinking about buying the step kickboxing DVD on of these days~.

Happy Thursday!:)

[engineer]

Hi everyone. Well last night I completed the workout as planned and only had two exercises that I had to separate. The regular push-ups with calf raises and the hamstring curls with the lat pull downs. So I was proud of that accomplishment.:D And I did have to put the toe down on the single leg squats but I figure it’s a start and I can build strength. The knee however is giving me fits today so I am very happy that I have planned a rest day today.

Tomorrow is opening day of deer rifle season up here so it’s going to sound like a war zone.:( I’m not looking forward to it but at least this place (work) will be pretty quiet this afternoon and Monday. It will be nice to get something done without people coming in asking if it’s done yet. Good time to play with my new toy right?

Charisse - Good job on unloading that candy. And high five for getting in that 3rd workout. Sounds like you are back into the swing of things.

Joanne - I will check out that cardiocoach, thanks. Ohhhh, new videos to try...how much fun is that. Thanks for the recommendation for the muscle work. I'll check the Cathe's out, as I know she does premixes that are good.

Valerie - I know about the annoying factor. Denise what's-her-face just makes me want to shove cotton in my ears. The hikes sound great. We have headlamps as it gets dark early here in the winter so we need some light. But I know alot of dog sledders who run and train teams at night and I know they are going faster than I would feel comfortable with with so little light. But I guess you trust the dogs, well they do my team was known to try and dump me so the sled was lighter:eek: ;) Good job on rescuing the kitty, still haven't got the tabby yet.

Well Happy Friday everyone and I hope that you have a great weekend. :) Remember to set those clocks back Saturday night.

Michelle

[Valerie226]

Did a fast 15 on the stationary bike with arm weights, then 20 on the elliptical and then Muscle Max. . I like that workout. It covers everything including a killer Ab section and doesn't take too long but you do need some equipment for a lot of it. various barbells and dumbbells, a band, and a step or weight bench. I've got the TV version of Push-Pull and was not crazy about it. but the TV version is cut way down to fit a TV "hour".
I haven't increased weight much & am at the level I started at in most moves. I cut Cathe's weight in half to start so if she uses 40, I go 20-25. except for some of the arm things where I use her weight.

Got my new shoes, RYKA en-gage instructors. they are very comfortable, lots of ankle support. they come up over ankle like a hiking boot. the plantar fasciitis is calming down and if my shoes were contributing I'm fixing that. These shoes bend easily at the toe and make lunges more comfortable. I ordered them thru Activa. I'm a club member & get free shipping & returns so ordered two pairs of shoes, checked which fit best & can send the others back at no charge. They were much cheaper than Zappos. today maybe I will try Kick Punch Crunch & see if I can tell much difference.

We have headlamps but it's very dark in the trees with uneven rocks, lots of fallen leaves on them make for tricky footing. We've hiked in the dark & it depends mostly on a reasonably smooth trail. Dogs would definitely be better at it than humans!

[JoanneOR]

Happy Friday all!

Charisse, good job getting the 3rd workout in! Which step/kickboxing DVD where you thinking of? I have the new one from Kelly Coffey-Meyers and it's really fun.

Engineer, those exercises sound tough! Take care of that knee!

Valerie, those shoes sound great. I'm sure they'll help with your foot issues. How do you become a member of activa? I love zappos, but their prices are high sometimes.

I tried Amy Bento's Slo-Mo Legs this morning. Yowsa!! Really different exercises - really tough. She uses a 60lb barbell in one. Not me! I actually did 40, but I can't see myself ever going higher. I'm expecting to be really sore later. I think alternating this one with Cathe's Butts and Guts would be really effective. I'm going to try one of the Arms sections tomorrow, I think, and maybe take Tully for a run, weather permitting.

Everyone have a great weekend!

[Valerie226]

Joanne, www.activasports.com and www.roadrunnersports.com They are related companies, lots of overlap in stock. you can order stuff from both catalogues from one phone number. I'm a Diva club member at Activa and a club member at roadrunner also. You get a slightly better price and the shipping benefits. I forget how much it costs ( maybe $29 a year) but I buy lots of stuff thru them for both DH & myself and the free shipping/returns makes it worth it to me. I get bras, socks, running shoes, shorts, heart rate monitors, sports watches, T-shirts. so the extra club price is worth it to me. at least some years it is. I'm amazed at how much shipping costs have gone up recently.

These shoes were (I think) $67 at Activa. they had them at Zappos too but were $80+. But Zappos is faster. It usually takes close to a week to get stuff from activa. so depends on what you need.

charisse, congrats on getting in the 3rd workout. cathe's Kick Punch Crunch is fun, I'm doing it right now but got a phone call I had to take so will finish it when I'm done here. . I got DH Cathe's Kickmax for his birthday in 2 weeks but haven't seen it yet.
Michelle, easy on the knee.

[Valerie226]

Josnne, I also meant to say ....40 lbs is a LOT. Congrats! Anyone who can do butts & Gutts qualifies as Superwoman! I'm still trying to get over squats and lunges with 20 lbs.... and not entirely making it.