How to get motivated to Exercise!

Kelly Coffey-Meyer teaching an amazingly fun BoxFit class
(I went to her class in July -- I'm more to the back in on the left -- can't see me)

There was a period of time in my life (many years, actually) that I absolutely hated to exercise.  Then somehow I became this person who LOVED my workouts.  It became the best way to start my day. My days were not the same without my beloved workout.  So just how did I get from the sluggish & demotivated to energetic and excited about fitness?  I'd say with a great big PUSH on my part after getting a desire to have a healthy body. And by a healthy body, I don't mean weight loss.  Even though weight loss was always what made me THINK I should exercise, it was never enough to get me to actually move.  It wasn't until I seriously lacked energy while pregnant with my second baby that I started researching (the old way, in magazines and books) how to get energy.  The answer was always by doing cardiovascular exercise. Oh great.  But I did and it worked.  I joined a YMCA, took step classes and swap laps and loved it!  It turned my energy around!

A few years passed and I had extreme (well, extreme for me) lower back pains after my 3rd and 4th babies. I read some more and found that abdominal strength (they didn't call it core strength back then) would help alleviate back pain.  I was hoping they'd tell me to get a massage!  I hated ab work.  But I bought myself a Denise Austin video (Hit the Spot Abs -- yay!) and it worked.  Wow!  I  eventually branched out in all sorts of fitness arenas, but it took a spark to get me moving.

Was I able to keep that spark going?  Not always, but I came up with tricks along the way.  Here are a few of them:

• Have a journal handy.  You don't have to write down your workouts (although that could be fun). You just need to write in it if you don't feel like exercising.  And you don't get to just write any old thing.  You have to write your excuse for not exercising. I did this several times and every time I wrote, I saw how lame my excuse was and got up and did my workout.  Nice!
• Plan your workout the night before.  Know what time you're getting up, when you're going to work out, and exactly what you're going to do.  That last part may sound strange if you're a runner and you always run, but if you have as many workout dvds as I do and haven't been sticking to a planned rotation, it's helpful to plan it out before so your brain is ready and you know the room is clean that you need to be in, the equipment is nearby, etc.  Make it as easy as possible to get up and do.
• Set out your workout clothes the night before -- even down to the shoes and socks.  Don't give yourself one more thing to look for or do that may distract you or take up too much time on the day of.  You can even fill up your water bottles and have them ready.
• Before your workout, do NOT, I repeat do NOT turn on that cell phone or computer.  It will distract you like crazy and you may never get to your workout.  Pretend like it's the days of taking the phone off the hook to NOT be distracted and don't turn it on in the first place.
• Tell your kids, hubby, or whomever that you will be unavailable to them during that time and give them the parameters of what it means to not disturb you.  (One of my sons thinks he can ask me questions while I'm trying to not kill myself with heavy weights or while flying over the step.  He needs some extra reminders). I used to put up baby gates when my kids were little so they couldn't come in if they woke up before I was finished. If you can, workout before any of them are even awake.  It's nice to have that solitary experience if you can.
• Get to bed early enough that you will wake up refreshed!  A successful morning almost always begins with a night of getting to bed on time.  The number of hours of sleep you need may not always be 7 or 8.  I know if I wake up feeling refreshed after 6 or so, I'm better off to get up then rather than to go back to sleep and wake up like a zombie because I've had all these stressful crazy dreams.  Listen to your body and see how it feels best (and if you're eating healthy foods, you likely won't need as much sleep as before either).
• Have a friend who you know you'll report your workout to when you finish.  It can be to a group of people on a Facebook check-in, you mom, a friend that you text . . . whomever! Just knowing that someone is waiting to hear that you did it can give you the accountability that you need.  (And you can have fun knowing that you motivated them, too!)
• If you are able to meet up with a friend to workout together, even better!  It's much harder to wimp out on a workout when you have to be somewhere at a specific time and you know your friend is counting on you. 

One of my favorite things a fitness instructor has ever said in a workout is this:

         "Don't quit because it's hard. Keep going because it's hard." 

This was Kelly Coffey-Meyer in one of her recent 30 Minutes to Fitness workouts.  I loved that advice because we often stop doing something that's good for us because it's hard when the fact that it's hard is actually what is challenging our bodies enough to the point of it being beneficial.  So if it's a challenge for you to make time in your day for a workout or you lack the desire because you know it's going to be tough, just buckle up and push through it until it's not so terribly tough anymore.  You'll be glad you did!  I know I am. TTFN!

Me gushing with excitement with Kelly, Lori and Marcus (Lori & Marcus are in her workouts, too)

Kelly Coffey-Meyer's Home Gym Intervals

If you haven't heard about Kelly Coffey-Meyer's 30 Minutes to Fitness workouts, let me be the one to tell you!

Kelly is a fitness trainer/instructor in New Jersey and is the owner and creator of a series of tough 30 minute workouts that are outstanding!  (Would I be telling you about them if they weren't?)  Kelly started this dvd series about 5 years ago and has 22 as of yesterday (well, that's when I received her latest two in the mail).

Her most recent are Home Gym Intervals and Muscle Up.  I was excited to try each of them, but opted for Home Gym Intervals first this morning because I have a spin bike and a treadmill and the idea of getting to break up the gym equipment cardio with weight circuits sounded great!

I don't think I've been on my treadmill since last summer.  It's lost its appeal for me.  I have, however, been riding my spin bike 2 or 3x a week lately to try to build up my leg strength and it's tough!  The idea of getting breaks after each minute and a half sounded like heaven!

Each 30 Minutes to Fitness dvd comes with two 30 minute workouts.  There are premixes that allow for variety, including combining the 2 workouts (without having to do double warm-ups and cool-downs).  I thought of doing the whole thing today (mainly out of curiosity), but I needed to get my son to school 45 minutes from when I was starting, so I decided to do Workout 1 and call it good. Besides, it's a challenging, metabolic boosting workout all on its own.  No guilt in "just" doing one of the workouts!

You can watch Kelly's video clip below to get a glimpse of what the workout is like, but I want to tell you my impressions, too!

Oh, before I tell you some specifics, I have to tell you that I loved Workout 1 so much, that I wanted to try more!  When I got back from taking my son to school, I thought I'd try out the 10 Minute Waistline Bonus (after all, there were ZERO crunches -- I'd previewed it a bit as I was putting away my weights earlier), so I figured I could fit 10 minutes in.  Well, the ab work was so unique (mostly standing, some plank work) and amazing that I got the urge to try out Workout 2 after all.  But I didn't know if I could have the muscle endurance to get back on that spin bike again.  Maybe I could have, but what were my other options?  Oh, the treadmill . . . eh?  Didn't know if my excitement were up enough to pull that out from behind the big chair.  THEN I remembered that I have my rebounder!  Not technically a fitness machine, but it IS a piece of home gym equipment used for cardio.  That could work!



In each 30 minute workout, Kelly has you warm-up on the home gym equipment of your choice.  I guess if you had more than one in the room, you could switch around, but I just got on my spin bike (which I bought myself for Mother's Day last year) for Workout 1.  I really LOVE how great of a workout the spin bike gives me and how I feel like I'm running with resistance when I ride standing, -- tough stuff!  (Cathe in Xtrain Ride telling us that spinning it's not a cakewalk comes to mind often!  ☺ )  

Back to Home Gym Intervals, I really loved that Kelly explains from the start that we only have 30 minutes and to make the most of it.  Don't take breaks unless you really need to.  Keep going!  It felt like Kelly was my personal trainer because during the cardio intervals, she didn't have as much cuing to do as she usually does, so she could motivate me to work hard ("not hardly work" ☺ )  The warm-up is longer than the cardio segments (just ran and timed it -- a little over 5 ½ minutes long).  The warm-up is long enough to gradually get your heart-rate up and to prepare your muscles to work.

The weight work is fantastic!  Most of the weight work are innovative compound exercises using dumbbells that work upper and lower body together and/or multiple muscle groups.  I've literally done hundreds of fitness dvds and with the exception of push-ups and the triceps work, the weight exercises were in combinations I'd never done before and had a functional fitness / metabolic training feel to them (which I love!) Every once in awhile we'd just work one side with weights, get back on the cardio equipment, then do the other side after.  The weight intervals are only about a minute long each, which seemed to fly!

In fact, the cardio intervals went by so quickly, too!  Once I realized that, I wasn't afraid to work hard and then think I wouldn't be able to maintain it, because it was only 90 seconds!  There are 8 cardio/weight intervals in all (plus nice warm-up and cool-down).  Lots of variety, for sure.

The only big difference overall between Workout 1 and 2 was that Workout 1 just used 1 dumbbell for each strength training movement. Workout 2 used a pair of dumbbells.  So that was fun to have that variety in the approach.  But the over all feel was the same.  It would blend well for the combined workout pre-mix.  You'll need at least one set of dumbbells for the weight work.  Kelly used 10s and 12s, I believe.  And the crew in the back used either 8s or 12s.  I used 10s most of the time; some moves with 8s, and 5s for the rear fly's (shoulder issue).

Doing Workout 2 on the rebounder was a ton of fun!  I did a variety of jacks and plyo jumps and a ton of running.  My heart-rate was up plenty! (I have the Reboundair like the pic to the right, but I can't vouch for that claim about jogging).

I have a feeling that I'll dust off that treadmill the next time I do Home Gym Intervals though.  Kelly is so light-footed on hers, that she skips (as in skipping as a child -- so cute!) and does side shuffles from time to time.  I want to learn to do that!  I'll be sure to follow her direction to hold onto the sides when doing it, so I can be safe.  Be sure you do, too!

Kelly ends each workout with a nice soothing cool-down (each workout has it's own -- nice to know the stretches are tailored for the muscles you just worked and are about 3 minutes long).  Kelly gives you plenty of motivation (with a bit of humor at times) up until the end.  Her crew, Samantha, Lori, and Marcus are stellar, too.  I've seen them in other 30 Minutes to Fitness workouts.  I can always sense the bond they all have with Kelly (as well as their expertise with fitness). Marcus rode a spin bike, Sam was on a treadmill like Kelly (but took it at a slower pace), and Lori was on the elliptical.  I can't wait to see what Muscle Up is like tomorrow!  TTFN!

Cathe's Top Notch Spin DVDs

Pedal Power -- Cathe's latest spin workout

Cathe Friedrich has 3 spin dvds to date -- Cycle Max, Xtrain Ride, and Pedal Power.  All are 5 star advanced spin workouts!   If you have your own spin bike and can't get to a gym to spin, I highly recommend these.  I started spinning last year when I was preparing to go to Cathe's annual Road Trip in New Jersey.  I heard that there was a spin class on the schedule and decided to prepare for it.
I did a little research on what was important in a spin bike and found that a heavy weighted fly wheel is essential -- and the recommendation was to find one with at least a 40 pound flywheel.   I looked at several sold on Amazon, reading the reviews and getting recommendations from friends.  And I found that many fitness clubs used the Star Trac V Bike or Star Trac Spinners.  After looking around on Craiglist for about a week, I found a used Star Trac V Bike not far from my home for about 1/3 the price of a new one that had been used by a personal trainer (he had 3 for sale) with new pedals, seat, and grip bar.  I absolutely love it!

Cathe and her crew in Cycle Max -- many of the cast 
are my new friends from last summer's Road Trip!

Cathe & her Cycle Max crew after rehearsal

Cathe has all 3 of her spin workouts as the Deal of the Day on her website right now right here for under $40.  You can also purchase them individually from her website or at AdvancedWorkouts.com for $19.95 with free shipping.  You can use a 10% coupon code (VF10), but then the total falls below the free shipping minimum.  But if you're buying more than one dvd, try it out.  Same goes for TotalFitnessDVDs.com , only that coupon code is 10off.  All 3 websites have video clips, which I love getting to see before purchasing a workout.

I love all 3, but if I were going to choose one to start with, I'd chose Ride from the Xtrain series.  The music is great, so have your spin bike where you can blast the stereo.  And prepare to sweat!

Rebounders -- Great Modifiers!

The older I get, the more I want to modify my cardio workouts here and there.

I have a knee issue on my right knee -- nothing major, but enough to know when certain twisting movements will be a problem.  I don't mind high impact exercises like plyo jumps, but some are not as stressful on my knee if I use my rebounder.  And sometimes, I just want variety from my usual workouts and my rebounder can provide that.

Here are some things I like to do - -

• Take a cardio/weight circuit workout and make it all cardio by getting on the rebounder during each weight section.
• Use the rebounder during HiiT (High impact interval training) workouts when my heart rate is getting up too high and I need more time to recover.  I just rebound through an interval and start up again with the floor or step work when I am ready.  
• When my brain needs a break from a choreographically challenging workout, I get on the rebounder to just run with high knees, do jumping jacks, air jacks or tuck jumps so I don't have to think for a bit, but can still work hard.  I can go back to the step or kickboxing later when I'm ready or just finish out the workout on the rebounder.
• Rebound for a quick warm-up and sweat before doing yoga.  It loosens up my body so I'm more flexible from the start.
• Put on an old sitcom dvd (I have quite a few dvd sets from the 60's) and watch one or two while rebounding.  If I watch two, that's about a 45 minute cardio workout and I do some ab work and stretching afterward.

I have the Reboundair -- the basic one that doesn't fold on the trampoline frame, but the legs fold under so it can store flat under my bed or against the wall.  I've had it for probably 10 years now (paid under $200 -- they probably cost more now) and it's still in great shape.  My kids enjoy jumping on it from time to time, too!

Legs & Glutes -- Work, work!

If you're looking for a great lower body workout, Cathe Friedrich's Legs and Glutes is pretty fantastic.  As the credits rolled at the end of my workout this morning, I saw that this video was made in 2003 -- it's 10 years old!  Yet it looks like a workout that could be produced today - - standard lunges, squats and leg presses as well as innovative twists on lower body movements and plenty of standing and floor work with ankle weights for the last 1/3.   It's a 5 star workout on collagevideo.com and has another workout on the dvd (Kick Punch & Crunch).

Like most of Cathe's workouts, there are plenty of pre-mixes.  Some of the pre-mixes are shorter timesavers, others are made to be a greater challenge.  When Cathe has more than one workout on a dvd like this one, she even has pre-mixes that combine both workouts.  My favorite of the combo pre-mixes is the Kick/Punch Combos plus Standing Leg work.  You get leg presses in between every kickboxing combo and it's tough!

Here's a sneak peak at this great workout.  I did it this morning and I'm sure I'll be sore in the morning!  By the way, it was another great day of sticking to my eating goals.  Yay for that!  TTFN!

I get to Inhale with Steve Ross!

This Thursday night, Steve Ross is guest teaching a yoga class at The Pad Studios in San Francisco.  It's about an hour and a half from my house, but that's the closest I've ever been to seeing Steve Ross and I'm going!

Steve Ross taught a yoga class on Oxygen Network several years ago called, "Inhale."  I posted about this a few years ago and have received countless emails and comments asking for information on how to get these shows on dvd.  They don't make them.  And it's not on TV anymore.  But a friend of mine recorded them for me and I've been doing them ever since.

You can go and read my older post (I'm trying to be careful not to duplicate what I wrote before), but Steve Ross is a master yoga instructor, knows his stuff inside and out, and teaches with humor and joy. In fact, his book is called "Happy Yoga."  He often says, "Yoga is a celebration!"

I look forward to celebrating with him tomorrow night!  I called the studio after I had paid to register for the class to see if there was room for my friend and was told that not only was the class FULL, but they had a very long waiting list.  I feel blessed to have my spot!  I'm sure it will be packed and crowded (like the class I took at the Baron Baptiste studio in Philadelphia about 5 years ago), but that's okay.  Just getting to be there will be fabulous!  I will be sure to share all about it when it's over!  Until then, namaste!

Working Up to Loving Cardio

If you hate cardio, you may not think it's possible to ever learn to enjoy it.  But it is.  You can work up to it (no fun to hear the word "work" in that sentence, huh?)

I've always loved stretching.  That's probably the easiest form of exercise I can think of.  Not true for everybody, I've learned.  My husband, who is MUCH less flexible than I am doesn't enjoy it at all. I imagine he could work up to it, too, if he'd just take it slowly.  Hopefully, he will because it feels wonderful and has so many health benefits as you get older.

I, on the other hand, have not enjoyed cardio for most of my life.  My best friend growing up was on the track team and loved running long distance and was super fast at sprints.  I got winded pretty easily and didn't enjoy it.  I'd try to like running, but never went very far without hating it and giving up.

Then one day in college while I was giving running another try (I needed to lose weight!), I got lost running and it was getting dark.  I kept running instead of stopping to walk, as usual, and ended up running 6 miles.  I was amazed that I could do it!  I continued on for a few years after that, always looking forward to my run right after classes were over.

Since then, I've found that I love cardio and look forward to the workouts IF I'm on top of doing at least three 40-60 minute cardio workouts a week.  If I fall under that (or especially if I stop doing my cardio all together), I end up back in drudge mode because I just don't have the stamina or strength for it.  

So don't give up if you think you're just not a runner or a cardio junkie.  You can be if you want to be AND if you work at it.  Start with 20-30 minutes without stopping and yes, work your way up to longer sessions.  The energy you'll get and the fat loss that will follow are well worth the effort!

(Photos courtesy of Lululemon  -- LOVE their fitness wear!)

Working Out in the Morning

I used to work out late at night after my kids went to bed -- long, long ago.  I didn't see it working in the morning with babies and little ones.  But then I read a book (Bob Greene's first book that he co-wrote with Oprah on fitness) and one of his steps was to exercise in the morning.  He advocated cardio more than strength training at that time (this was in 1996 right after I had my 4th child).  He said that when you do cardio, it raises your metabolism at that point and you burn calories at that rate until you go to bed and rest.  So if you work out at night, your heart rate and metabolism rise, but then it only lasts at that rate for an hour or so until you go to bed.  If you work out in the morning, you get the benefits of that higher metabolism all day long.

I'm not sure how true that is, but I adopted it at that point and put up a baby gate on my bedroom doorway so my little ones couldn't come in while I exercised.   When my last 3 children were babies, I'd feed them first thing in the morning, then would go work out.  As they got older, I'd wake up before they did.  It's become the most peaceful part of my days.

I've found over the years that if I don't work out first thing, interruptions come.  Whether it's the phone ringing or too many things going on that day, it's SO much harder to fit my workout in later on.

I just bought a Smart Phone last week (I'll even show you a picture of it!)  I've known that it doesn't help me to turn on any TV news or to check my e-mail before I exercise because my brain will be full of those thoughts and I'm likely to get distracted away from my workout.  Even when I start my workout with those things in my brain, I don't focus as well and want to go do something else.

I'm realizing now that I can't turn on my cell phone either.  Texts are one thing.  But now I have access to the internet on my phone and it has taken me twice to 5x as long to get some of my workouts in this week because I leave and do something else (thankfully not on the cardio workouts, but I did break up my strength training works a few times too many).

So my new goal?  No technology before my workout is done.  NONE!  This should have been obvious from the start, but it can be so tempting.  I guess I'm a little too much like Kip!

Cardio and Weight Rotation

It isn't anything fancy, but I've just begun another video fitness rotation that I thought you might like to try.  It's a 6 week rotation with 4 days of cardio and 4 days of weights.  I know that sounds like I have 8 days in my week, but 2 of the days have cardio/weight circuits.  Here's how it looks:

Monday -- Cardio/Weight Circuit
Tuesday -- All Cardio
Wednesday -- Total Body Weights
Thursday -- All Cardio
Friday -- Lower Body Weights
Saturday -- Cardio/Weight Circuit (going light on the lower body)
Sunday -- Rest (or light yoga)

I also tend to add in some yoga at the end of my workouts, too (or at the end of the day).  My goal for this rotation is to have each workout be at least 45 minutes long, but they're really more like an hour or more.  I just wanted to give myself some room for lighter workouts, especially as I start out (since I didn't exercise much earlier in the month with my oldest daughter getting married and some traveling afterward).

So far I've been using Cathe Friedrich's workouts.  I have almost all of them and seem to reach for them the most.  She has lots of pre-mixes on her dvds and on Monday I did a circuit pre-mix from Step, Pump, and Jump that was tougher than I realized it would be!  But I did it!  On Tuesday my room had too much laundry in it to be able to do a step workout, so I did her Cardio Core Circuit, which is a HiiT (or High intensity, interval Training) workout.  If you're familiar with Shaun T's Insanity, Cathe's HiiTs are similar and super tough.

Yesterday I did a timesaver pre-mix from Muscle Max (the original is over 70 minutes long -- the timesaver is just 56 minutes).  (Scroll down a bit to my post on Cathe's Hardcore Series -- I went into a little more detail on Muscle Max).  It's a heavy weight workout and even though I prefer doing high rep / low weight, muscle endurance workouts, I feel like I need the heavy weight work right now.  I can get the endurance work on a circuit day.

Today I did IMAX 2, which I think is my very favorite interval workout.  I'm not nearly as strong on the intervals right now as I usually am, but I'll get back if I keep working at it.

Tomorrow, I'm thinking I'll do Legs & Glutes.  Or maybe I should do Bu##s and Guts (we don't say that B word in our house :)).  I've never actually done B&G and I need to try it out.  I tend to reach for my favorites and forget to try some others at times.  I also love Gym Style Legs, but I think I'll save that for another week.

On Saturday, I'm not sure --  probably Cardio & Weights.   I'd like to do Terminator again, but I need to get a bit stronger before I can do that one again.  It's brutal!  I've been setting out 3 or 4 dvds each night this week to choose from the next morning.  Usually I can commit to a workout the night before or even at the beginning of the week.  But I seem to be a bit more wishy washy this week.  At least I'm working out!

My eating is spot on, too.  I'm back to eating raw and can tell I'm detoxing a bit.  I'm requiring more sleep, which is unusual for me.  But I'm listening to my body and I am finally losing weight.  Yay for that!  

Cathe's Hardcore Series

 

Cathe came out with the Hardcore Series in 2005.  I think it was an answer to Tony Horton's P90X.  She developed her own workout system that had Gym Style workouts to really focus on the muscles divided over 3 days plus separate workouts for low impact step (Low Max), high impact interval step (IMAX3), kickboxing (Kick Max), core workouts (Core Max), a total body muscle workout (Muscle Max), stretch workouts (Stretch Max), and a high step circuit workout (High Step Challenge). 

I remember being SO EXCITED for this series because it came after two other dvd sets that I just loved (the Intensity Series and the Body Blast Series).  I was in Hawaii with my grandma when they were shipped and had to read reviews on the Video Fitness Forum to see what they were like.  Slowly the reports came in about top notch workouts, as before, but the hitch was the music.  It just wasn't that good.  So if you're picky about music, this might not be the set for you, but if you like faint techno music or don't mind adding your own or dealing with the music not being a big part of the workouts, this series has some gems.  

Today I did Muscle Max and it hits every muscle group with either the barbell, dumbbells or the stretch band (or all 3).  It's about 70 minutes long, but there are a few pre-mixes that are shorter.  There's a Timesaver that is 56 minutes long (probably just cuts out a few sets), Upper Body Only that's 42 minutes, Push/Pull Upper Body at 33 minutes and Lower Body Only that's 23 minutes.   This workout is light on the time spent with the lower body, but believe me, it's not light on the lower body work!  Cathe works you hard with low ends and pulses with heavy weights.  You'll feel it later on throughout the day.  I'm sure I'll feel it more tomorrow!    

I'll review some of these workouts individually later on, but here's a sneak peak at Muscle Max.  My favorite of Cathe's background exercisers is Rhonda Davis and she's in this one.  She moved away from New Jersey to Georgia a few years before this was filmed (2001 actually), but flew back to be in a few of the workouts (I think this one and Low Max -- I'll have to check on that).  You can see her on the cover of Muscle Max in the periwinkle top on the left. In the workout, she's in the back on the right.  I just love how she always smiles and wears dangle earrings.  She's also taller than the other women and usually has an extra riser in step workouts (which this isn't, but I just thought I'd add that anyway :)).  TTFN!

Running again!

I did it!  I put on my new running shoes and ran on my treadmill for over 30 minutes, 35 to be precise!  I couldn't have done it without Sean O'Malley (my Cardio Coach).  I did most of Cardio Coach #3, and just loved it.  And yes! I figured out how to use iTunes yesterday (with a little help from my son).  I downloaded all of my Cardio Coach cds onto my iPod and I'm ready to be a runner again!  (Sorry for all the exclamation points, but I am excited!)

I have to show you my new running shoes, too.  I have a high arch and my foot rolls to the outside a bit (so I wear down the outer side of my shoes first).  It ends up putting a lot of pressure on the outside of the balls of my feet, which hurts, plus it puts undue pressure on my knees.  I decided to buy a pair of good neutral (to slight underpronator) running shoes that could help my feet and found that Brooks looked the best.  But I didn't really want to spend $100.  With a little research, I found www.runningwarehouse.com, which has current running shoes at full price, but also previous models at discount prices.

So I found these Brooks Glycerin 8 (last year's model) running shoes (normally $130) for about $45 with free overnight shipping (and free return shipping -- Can you believe it?)  The price listed is $53.88, but I found an online coupon code for another 15% off.  And they fit perfectly so I don't even have to send them back and try another size.   They feel amazing!  The whole time I was running, I was excited to feel that my foot was landing perfectly balanced.  Happy Running!

Slim Series Rotation Update

I've been doing the Slim Series for almost 2 weeks now and have gone down one size.  Feels great!  I lost 5 pounds the first week and so far have just maintained this week, but feel a teensy bit smaller.  I've been eating a high raw diet too as best I can. 

Usually when I do the Slim Series, I follow the guidelines in their Slim Training rotation which is to do all 5 workouts during the week with a yoga day in place of the Cool It Off (stretch routine) day.  This time I knew I'd have to start off slower.  So last week I did 3 SS workouts with yoga on the alternate days.  This week, I'm doing 4 SS workouts with yoga after 2 in a row.  I've been sore a bit all over, but I'm finding that my quads and hamstrings have been the tightest and most sore (sore-est?) which to me means they were quite weak.

I'm excited about my progress and plan to continue on for 4 more weeks.  Afterward, I'll probably get back into my Cathe workouts.  Hopefully by then, her new Low Impact Series will be out.  Hope, hope!

Cathe's Rhythmic Step

Cathe Friedrich was once dubbed "the queen of step" because her step aerobics workouts are so much fun!  I discovered her somewhere around the year 2000.  I had seen her workouts in the Collage Video catalog for years, but never went near them because they were rated Advanced Level with the choreography being Complex.  I had a friend in Seattle who kept telling me how much she loved Cathe's workouts.  So I decided to take the plunge and order Cathe's Cross Train Xpress (CTX) set (at the time, a box set of 6 videos -- now in a dual dvd set).    I thought that since these had just 1/2 hour cardio workouts (plus weight work for a different body part each day -- I'll write more about CTX another day), I could handle the intensity and could figure out the choreography.  I was wrong.  The intensity was okay, but I was completely lost with her steps.

My friend told me she'd loan me a few of Cathe's earlier step videos, which were a little simpler and would teach me the basics of her style.  She sent me a HUGE box with a several Cathe videos, many other fitness videos plus her favorite lotions (which I still love!)  The older step videos were a little outdated (80's style), but they really did the trick.  I tried Step Jam, then Step Heat and before I knew it, I was flying over the step like Cathe and her crew!

I quickly learned the cardio in all the CTX workouts and have been loving Cathe's step workouts ever since.

One of my very favorites is Rhythmic Step, which came out in 2001.  It was the first of her dancier step routines and is a ton of fun.  One thing you learn quickly about Cathe in her cardio is her warm-ups are not plain and simple.  They are step moves that you'll later combine and build with later in the workout.  After the warm-up, there are 3 combinations set to great music with a zigzag challenge at the end.  What's a zigzag challenge, you ask?  Cathe takes the 3 routines that you've learned and weaves them together so you have one BIG routine at the end (which you do on each side twice).  I like that about Cathe.  She doesn't just say, "Let's do this one more time" and leave you wishing you could do more since you've FINALLY mastered it.  In many other step workouts, I am always sad to leave a combo that I've spent time learning and just dump it off on the side of the road.  I was happy to make use of it at the end.

Now that Rhythmic Step is on dvd, you can only buy it combined with 2 other workouts (which I don't do often because they have a lot of high impact), so it's a little more expensive than it was on video, but it's worth every penny.  I used to do a rotation where my cardio was Rhythmic Step on Monday.  Yesterday I decided to start my week the same way and it made me smile throughout!  Take a look:

1st Day of 8 Weeks to a Better You

 I decided to write about my first day on this blog so if anyone's interested in joining the challenge, they can see how I'm doing it.  Even if you just want to do it on your own without officially joining, it's a pretty well balanced plan and can help you reach your health and fitness goals.

Here's how I did today on the 10 different goals:

Exercise 45 minutes -- No problem.  I've been trying some new (to me) workouts by Dove Rose.  She has 4 hour long workouts called Dove's Bodies, consisting of a variety of light weight/high rep work, cardio, yoga, and body weight strength work.  I absolutely love them  Today I did workout 4 for the first time and loved all the leg work on the step.  Stuff I'd never done before (and you know I've done a TON of workouts).  I'm sure I'll write a whole post about Dove's Bodies once I've done all of them.  (3 down, 1 to go!)

7 Hours of Sleep -- Only got 6 1/2 last night, but I was able to take a nap (two actually -- had a detox headache this afternoon) and made up for it plenty.

Drink 64 oz. water -- Sooooo not a problem.  I found that my Kleen water bottle holds 24 oz and I drank one full bottle when I woke up before I even began my workout, 1 1/2 during my workout and the third 1/2 after my workout.   I've had more water here and there throughout the day, but the 64 oz. was met quite early in the day.

No Sugar -- They define this as added sugar, not sugar contained in whole foods.  They also said you can include white flour.  I'm including all flours.  (Or should I say I'm EXCLUDING all flours).  Wheat flour seems to trigger my appetite just as much as white flour and sugar and it causes me to be bloated.  I don't get the same way with cracked wheat or sprouted, so I'll keep those. I'm actually okay with wheat pasta too, so I'll keep that.   I did fine with this goal today.  Was happy to be away from the stuff!  I had a little this weekend amidst my daughter's birthday party.  Dastardly little gummi bears!

No Soda, Junk Food, Fast Food  -- Not a problem.  Soda isn't a problem for me.  Not counting the gummi bear mishap this weekend, I've been working on getting away from health food store versions of junk food these past few weeks anyway (Kettle Chips and the like, Clif bars in all their varieties, soy ice cream, Paul Newman cookies, etc.)  Fast Food hasn't been a temptation in years, unless you count pizza, which I should.  For some reason it occasionally beckons me, but when I remember what dairy does to me, I'm okay.  I have been making my own veggie pizza lately, but that has wheat in the crust, so I'll just have pasta and veggies or hey, why not a big salad (oh how I've gotten away from making salads) if others are having pizza. 

2 Fruit, 2 Veggies (at the very least!) -- Like the water, I have fruit from the start each day, those 2 fruits will be checked off mighty early throughout this challenge, that's for sure.  I had my veggies in green smoothies in the morning, at night, and in soup at dinner time.

Stop eating at 8:00 p.m. -- This was tricky.  I used to hardly eat much after about 6:00 p.m.  These past several months, I've been eating all the way up until I go to bed around 11:00.  So I'll have to be careful about this so I don't slip.  I actually set the buzzer on my stove tonight 15 minutes before 8:00 for 10 minutes so I'd get a last chance to eat something if I wanted to (finished off a green smoothie).

Write in journal (or blog) -- Someone asked today if blogging counted as journaling and it does.  So this is it!

Read Scriptures or other uplifting material for 15 minutes -- I read the words of Isaiah this afternoon and an uplifting article from the Ensign magazine this morning.  Always nice.

Act of Service/Kindness -- I went Visiting Teaching this morning with a friend.  We visited another friend and helped her with a challenge she's going through right now as a mother.  I think we all learned from it.  We're all learning as we go with our teenagers.  A wonderful time of life to have teens, yet also a crucial one as we guide them along. 

I think I'm going to go do some yoga before I go to bed.  I just want to make sure I get to bed early enough tonight that I don't have to take a nap if there's no time for it (or if I don't feel the need for it).

TTFN!

Berndadette Giorgi gives Pilates with a Twist

I saw on Facebook this morning that it's Bernadette Giorgi's birthday today.  I honor of her birthday, I did one of her workouts this morning, then just decided to post about it -- Happy Birthday Bernadette!

I have a few of her exercise dvds -- both Attitude Pilates/Ballet Fusions and Pilates Circle Challenge.  While I don't love the standing ballet portions of her Attitude dvds, (and it's not because of her, I just haven't clicked with any ballet workouts), I really enjoy the portions that have Pilates mat work with the 2-5 lb. weighted ball (which she calls a Power Ball).  She's since released a Pilates Power Ball workout, which I don't have yet, but I'm sure I'll get later on.

I use the Power Ball workout pre-mixes from the Attitude dvds as added core work to other workouts or as a stand alone workout on a busy day.   The Pilates Circle Challenge has three 20+ minute pre-mixes that target different areas of the lower body.  I did the whole workout this morning.  It's 46 minutes of relaxing music, but tough core conditioning (plus inner and outer thigh work).

Here are all of Berdadette's dvds at Collage Video.  As you will see, all have 5 star ratings in the reviews.  She really delivers thorough instruction and challenging exercises in a pleasant way.  It's kind of hard to gush about workouts like hers because how do you describe how wonderful it feels to work hard from the inside out, yet feel like it's soothing throughout?  It's something that has to be experienced.  Part of me was thinking this morning "I could do this before?" because it was so tough at times, yet the moves felt great for my body.


Bernadette comes with an extensive dance background (studying at the Academy of Dance and Joffrey Ballet in NYC), but suffered knee injuries and studied Pilates in depth, adding in weights to become in her own words, "stronger, leaner, and more centered."  She teaches at her studio and shares her client's favorite (and most effective) classes to us in her dvds.  Bernadette is also a black belt in Soo Bahk Do karate, which three of my children studied a few years ago (Korean Martial Arts).  She was planning to lead a kickboxing video a year ago, but it got postponed.  I hope she still does it.  I'd love to learn kickboxing from her.   

Here's a clip from Pilates Circle Challenge.  The Pilates Circles don't cost much if you don't already have one. They cost about $20 at the store or you could probably find one at a garage sale or on a fitness swap like I did for less than half that.  Some people cut out the top of a round laundry basket and use that.  It may not give quite the same resistance, but if it's handy and free, you might want to try it.  You can find all of her workouts and the fitness equipment needed at her website too, justbmethod.com

Cathe's Shock Training System

I promised a loooong time ago that I'd let you know what I thought of Cathe's Shock Training System workout series.  It's her most complete and thorough weight training system, consisting of 3 mesocycles -- one focusing on muscle endurance with lighter weights and more reps, the second on hypertrophy (muscle building and definition), and the 3rd on building strength with heavy weights and lower reps.  Here's how Cathe describes STS:

What is STS?

STS stands for Shock Training System and is based on four of the most important training principles in strength training: periodization, muscle confusion, one rep max and progressive overload. STS has been designed using the latest research and is a 3 month strength training program featuring a different exercise routine every time you work out.
Workouts like STS are very commonly guided by personal trainers and athletic coaches for their clients and athletes, but due to the overall magnitude time and expense of filming 40 workouts, it is quite considerable to understand why nobody has a made a similar program for the home exerciser until now.
STS brings a unique, quality health club workout into the privacy of your own home by maximizing the use of periodization, progressive overload, muscle confusion and one rep max testing.

Science of STS

STS stands for Shock Training System and is based on three of the most important training principles in strength training: periodization, muscle confusion and progressive overload.

Periodization

Periodization is a way of planning, organizing and varying your training program over time to bring about optimal gains in your physical performance. Numerous research studies have been done that clearly show that exercisers who follow a periodization–based workout get superior results when compared to exercisers who don't follow a plan of this type.
STS has been designed to be a 3½ month linear periodization program featuring three workout cycles called mesocycles, each lasting four weeks. Each mesocycle will have a different purpose, with the first cycle focusing on muscle endurance, the second on hypertrophy and the third on strength.
You will do a different workout every week for a total of 12 weeks along with an active recovery week between mesocycles to help your body rejuvenate and prepare for the next cycle. Since this is a linear periodization program, each mesocycle is designed so that the intensity (weight lifted) increases from the previous cycle and the volume (sets and reps) decreases.

Muscle Confusion

Muscle confusion is the principle of constantly changing your workout routines to keep your body's muscles always guessing and challenged in different ways. Muscles should never be allowed to adapt to an exercise to the point where the exercise is no longer effective and not resulting in hypertrophy or the goal you desire. Instead, a well designed exercise program that utilizes muscle confusion varies the workout routine's exercises, sets, reps and intensity to keep your muscles growing. This also helps to avoid plateaus and boredom.
The advantage of STS is to maximize muscle confusion by not only giving you a different workout every week, but also by varying the intensity and volume of the workout over the entire program by utilizing periodization. Muscle confusion is one of the most important rules of strength training and no other workout program on the market today utilizes this principle to the same degree as STS.

One Rep Max (1RM)

Your one rep max (1RM) is the maximum amount of weight you can lift one time for any exercise. In the STS program we will demonstrate a method to easily and safely estimate your 1RM for every exercise in the program. Once you know your 1RM for each exercise, you can quickly and easily determine the correct weight to use for each exercise in every mesocycle and week of the STS series. Knowing the correct weight to use for every exercise is extremely important and will help you obtain the results you're striving for, both safely and quickly.

Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is the gradual increase of intensity placed upon your body during a workout over a period of time. This means that in order for your muscles to grow, you need to continually challenge your body by increasing the intensity of your workout in very small steps. In STS you will start the first week of Mesocycle 1 using weights that are only about 60% of your one rep max (1RM). Then every week, except week #3, you will slowly and gradually increase your weights by about 5% so that by the time you finish the program you will be using heavy weights that are up to 90% of your 1RM.

I've done Mesocycle 1 one time through and while I really liked the Leg workouts, the upper body workouts weren't my favorite.  I truly love muscle endurance workouts.  Her earlier two total body endurance workouts, Power Hour and Muscle Endurance are the ones I've probably used most (just love them!)  But these upper body endurance workouts had so much equipment and moved so quickly, that I just felt a bit scattered and rushed throughout.  I've decided that for future STS rotations, I'd just use the Meso 1 Leg workouts and will use upper weight work from either Power Hour, Muscle Endurance or her stability ball workouts, Super Sets and Push/Pull.  I will say though that my ability to do push-ups (on the toes, no less!) improved tremendously with Meso 1.  Cathe does a ton of them and I grew to not only be able to do them, but learned to love them as well.  Before I could only do a few without collapsing.  During Meso 1, I was able to do sets of 10 or 12.

Mesocycle 2, on the other hand,  is just wonderful, just perfect, in fact.  I've done it two times through (it's a 4 week program) and I smile throughout.  The workouts are so well designed.  Simple concepts, multiple sets, long one minute rest breaks between the sets.  I just love the pace and the expertise Cathe brings to this mesocycle.  Each of the 4 weeks is different.  Each weekn Cathe introduces a new method of weight lifting such as tri-sets, double wave loading, pyramids or back off sets.   I almost always work to failure with these sets and really see improvements with my strength and my body with this series.  Cathe explains each method and how it works as you go.  I truly felt like I had a personal trainer right by to guide me with my progress.  Here's a sample of the 2nd week of Meso 2.  I love chest work the best!




I can't review the 3rd Mesocycle because I sold it to my friend before I even looked at it.  (I know, bad). 

From all I read about it, I was afraid that the weight load would be too heavy for my post-surgery restrictions.  She uses a squat rack and a weighted vest to be able to maximize the weight load in these STS workouts.  I do have a few of Cathe's other heavy weight workouts (Slow & Heavy and 4 Day Split) and figured I could substitute them for the 3rd mesocycle each time.  (I'm actually doing that with 4 Day Split
right now).  I did keep a few of the Plyo Leg workouts from this mesocycle and will incorporate them with my
rotation. She gives the option of either heavy weight Squat Rack leg workouts (I sold those) or the Plyo Leg workouts which use plyometrics to work the legs instead of really heavy weight.   My friend is doing the whole Meso 3 program right now.  She keeps telling me how much she loves it (and she struggles sticking with rotations lately).  STS has kept her on track for 10 weeks now.  She may just talk me into trying Meso 3 after all.  There are always ways to modify and adjust to meet my needs. 

One thing I love about STS that I don't see in her other workouts are  graphics that show up before each exercise to tell you how long you'll be doing it (how many reps) and how long the breaks are, the percentage of your 1 Rep Max at which you should be lifting, what equipment you'll need, etc.  I also love that the warm-ups give you a choice between following Cathe and the crew in some aerobics-type moves or in using some cardio equipment of your own.  I like running on the treadmill or jumping on the rebounder to get my heart rate up most mornings instead of doing the floor aerobics.

Here is some more STS video footage of all the mesocycles if you want to see more.  

Also, Cathe has a Success Story page solely for STS users.  Check it out.

And lastly, Cathe has started selling her workouts as digital downloads. I'm so new with my iPod that I haven't tried this yet, but I'm sure I will soon (and I'll be right back here telling you about it). TTFN!

Click here to visit Cathe dot Com.

Your Personal Best workout -- Karen Voight & Elle Macpherson

If you want a really great circuit workout and still have a VCR, you might want to check out "Your Personal Best" with Elle Macpherson and Karen Voight. This workout was produced in 1994 when workouts with Supermodels were easy to find (and Karen Voight was an unknown in retail stores). Karen did have a name in the fitness industry, training the elite in Santa Monica and had produced a handful of fitness videos: Power Packed Workout, Lean Legs & Buns, Firm Arms & Abs, Energy Sprint and Pure & Simple Stretch.

Since then Karen has produced dozens of workouts. I love Streamline Fitness and really like Sleek Physique, but my very favorite is still Your Personal Best. I'd love it if they ever produced it on dvd.

Your Personal Best is a 5o+ minute cardio/weights circuit workout with absolutely beautiful scenery that switches with each segment. The video was shot in Hawaii, sometimes in resort settings, other times in more natural settings. Near the end, you might recognize the setting from Jurassic Park, only instead of seeing brontosauruses roam in the background, you see sheep and cattle. It's just stunning. At the very end, Karen and Elle stretch on slabs of rock at the ocean's shore while the waves come crashing in behind them. During the credits, they show Karen instructing the stretch segment while the tide is too high. The waves keep tumbling in on them, getting their legs and hips wet. They keep giggling through like they're trying to keep their composure to finish up the segment. It's always fun to keep watching even though the workout is over.

The workout consists of a warm-up, 3 cardio segments and 3 weight segments (alternating cardio and weights throughout. The music is great (and real) -- you hear songs like "Break My Stride" and "Some Like It Hot." The best is hearing Sting's "Fields of Gold" during the stretch at the end.

Karen instructs the workout in her reserved, but competent way while Elle interjects. It's pretty obvious that Elle is no fitness expert, but she has fun with Karen and helps gives tips here and there too (for people with long arms like hers or new shoes like she has -- don't know how many people that applies to :)).

The cardio is pretty basic and athletic instead of dancy and builds up in intensity from one segment to the next. The weight work is light, but with plenty of reps, especially on the lower body floor work. I'd say it's a solid intermediate workout. You can use heavier weights and add intensity to the cardio, but it wouldn't really make it an advanced workout -- just higher intermediate. The last cardio segment uses a combination of sports moves. I just love it and they seem to have a lot of fun together too, which is great.

This workout is over 15 years old and truly is timeless. Even the workout clothes they wore were classic enough that they don't seem dated. I guess the pants and shorts came higher on the waist than they do now, but that's about it. The only thing that dates this workout is the fact that they haven't put it on dvd yet. I say "yet" with the hope that they will. :)

Here are some thoughts on health and fitness from Karen Voight:

“Know that your body likes to exercise, the more you do, the more it can do. When you wake up in the morning and feel energized and enthusiastic about life, that is the most immediate effect of starting to exercise and it carries through at any age you are. Also remember, nobody has the luxury being fit if they don’t work out. People might look like they are in shape, and if they don’t work out, they are not as healthy as they could be. It’s more about how you feel when you wake up each morning. Thinness is not fitness.”

Karen is certainly an example of that. She doesn't simply look thin. She certainly looks toned and healthy inside and out. This is my favorite picture of Karen from her Sleek Physique dvd cover.

Here are some video clips if you want to get a peek at Your Personal Best before trying to find it used online.



Go about 4:20 into this next segment if you want to see the Jurassic Park field.

Stability Ball Ab work

Next to Pilates, I think that abdominal work on the stability ball is THE most effective and beneficial to overall core health. I've tried Pilates on the ball and haven't found that mix to my liking. But I love traditional ab work and more innovative ab work on the ball. My very favorite stability ball exercise is the pike, pictured above. I like to do it with a knee tuck in between. I'll share share a few of my favorite stability ball ab workouts, each featuring the pike.

Tracie Long Productions - Core Foundations -- I just highlighted this workout in my post about Tracie Long, but I'll mention it again because it is the most complete stability ball core workout I've tried. Jeanne Anne Copleston, who was a previous background exerciser in some of the older FIRM workouts, leads this tough and creative 45 minute core workout. She uses the stability ball, a medicine ball, and a paper plate to challenge the whole abdominal region. There are some moves in this workout that I had to work up to when I first tried it -- the pikes, the tick-tocks, and the one-legged plank work. But I grew to be able to do most everything after just doing it a few times. I'd start out doing it 2 or 3x a week, then would just do it once a week after mastering the moves. Jeanne Anne is a delight because she's genuinely cheerful and down-to-earth. Some complain about the set -- it's not lovely, but it works just fine. With a ball workout like this, you're working so hard that you don't notice the set much anyway. The music is good, the sound goes up a few times when the microphone gets closer to Jeanne Anne because she's tucking her chin, but other than that, it's pretty much a perfect ab workout. Here are some reviews from VideoFitness.com if you'd like to learn more.

Cathe Friedrich's Pyramid Upper Body -- In Cathe's Intensity Series, she created two strength training workouts that compliment each other. Pyramid Upper Body and Pyramid Lower Body challenge the muscles by increasing in weight (and decreasing in reps) for each set up the pyramid and decreasing the weights (and increasing in reps) in further sets going back down the pyramid. By the time you are back at your lightest weights with the least amount of reps, your muscles are quivering. She ends each workout with a stability ball segment. These segments are my favorite stability ball add-0ns of all. Sometimes I combine them for a tough quick 21 minute challenge to my legs and abs. The ab work on Pyramid Upper Body is just 13 minutes long, but it is PLENTY to challenge your abdominals. It includes traditional ab work that you might normally do on the floor without the ball and some tough plank & pike work. If you advance the following video to 4:28 into the clip, you'll see a sample of the exercises. The pikes are at 5:43.




Cathe Friedrich's Kick Punch & Crunch -- This kickboxing workout has a short 7 minute stability ball segment to work the abs at the end. This morning I slept in, so I just did the 30 minute pre-mix of kickboxing combinations, then added on the ab work at the end. The pikes kept my heart rate up from the cardio and my heart was pumping good by the time I got to the stretch. The ab work is 4:38 into the video clip, pikes at 6:08.




Quick Fix Stability Ball Abs -- Keli Roberts leads this workout and another one of a very similar title (Quick Fix Pilates Abs). Both are great, but don't confuse the two if you're looking for stability ball work. In Quick Fix Stability Ball Abs, there are 3 segments, one for the abdominals, one for upper body (arms and back) and one for lower body (legs and glutes). In many of the Quick Fix or 10 Minute Solution workouts, the exercises are geared to beginner or intermediate exercisers. Not in this abs section! (Not in the Pilates QF either -- it's tough!) If you have enough time to do all 30 minutes, challenge yourself by using heavier weights than you might usually use for the upper and lower sections and you will challenge your core throughout. Keli is a pleasure to workout with too. This is a really brief clip of the workout and most of it is from the upper and lower body segments. Here are some reviews if you're a review junkie like I am :).