Getting Our Licks In!

Today (Wed.) was Body Fusion format: warm up 6min, step combo one 8 min., weight segment one 4 min., step combo two 10 min., weight segment two 4 min., step combo three 9 min., weight segment three 6 min., Stretch 3 min., Total = 50 min. Beet red and sweaty! YaHoo!

Michelle, Thinking of you. Prayers, hugs and love your way my dearest friend.

Janie
 
Yesterday (Wed.) was Body Fusion format: warm up 6min, step combo one 8 min., weight segment one 4 min., step combo two 10 min., weight segment two 4 min., step combo three 9 min., weight segment three 6 min., Stretch 3 min., Total = 50 min. Beet red and sweaty! YaHoo!

Janie
 
Tonight (Thursday) was Abs:10 minute Core Conditioning: This core workout uses a stability ball as well as intermediate level abdominal and core exercises.
Also Total Body Stretch: I enjoyed a 13 min. intermediate stretch segment that engaged all the major muscles in the body. Stretching not only helps increase flexibility, bit it also helps improve posture and reduce muscle tension.

Janie
 
Tonight (Friday 10/21/16) Step Jam Format: warm-up 8min., step aerobics 30 min., cool down 5min. A steady state step up workout. Total Workout was 43 min. I modified a bit.

Janie
 
Hi all, I am back - what an amazing trip (Spain). But as active as I was, I still ate too much!

I will post more later

Best to you all and deep sympathy to Michelle ... so sorry.
 
Today's (Mon.) workout was:
Low Impact Step: This 40 minute, beginner to intermediate, low impact step routine doing intense low impact step choreography mixed with challenging low impact blasts. I used only the step and no risers. And my heart rate remained in its training zone for the duration of the workout.

Shadowpup, I love watching your life with the many places you travel and literally in the landscapes. You are amazing! Can't wait to hear more of your Spain trip.

Take care,

Janie
 
It's the usual challenge, returning to the real world after so long away! Work is as one would expect ... hectic ... and I'm not really comfortable with my usual walking paths with no daylight, so that's a challenge. Or maybe an opportunity to do more Cathe, like today!

Sunday I did my climbing workout. It's hard to explain, but climbing on plastic indoors and climbing on rock outdoors are related but different sports. Some of the hard work in Spain is paying off with better indoor form; other areas need work. Still, it's hard to beat this as a way to combat jet lag. I did three easier and shorter routes to stretch and relax, but was having trouble focusing (for no good reason) jumped on one that was about as hard as I ever climb! That woke me up, I can tell you. Nothing like getting six or seven feet off the ground and realizing you may have bitten off too much. But I was on top rope (meaning the fall would not far if I slipped), so mainly it was pride at stake. Anyway I got through it, and made more sensible choices. People told me my footwork showed the improvement, which is nice.

Just before leaving I ordered new DVDs! It has been probably three years since I've done that! Naturally almost all Cathe. I chose ICE upper body for this morning. It is a nice one. The compound movements with the same weight show me where I'm out of balance, and that should make it ideal for doing near a climbing workout - it will push the muscles that aren't going to be stressed as much, and not wear out the muscles that are about to be worked or should be resting. I will try it that way for awhile and see how it goes. I also picked up her HIIT upper body circuit but frankly I don't think I should be doing HIIT right now. Better to build up to that.

Janie, if you want Spain stories, I can give you a few! I may put them on facebook also, when pictures are more sorted. Here's one. I decided to start with an adventure, and spend my first night on Montserrat in a hostel/mini hotel/dorm. Montserrat is known as a very special working monastery and associated tiny community up at the top of a mountain. It's also a tourist destination known for stupendous views. "Breathtaking" is the word on the website, and breathtaking it was. Now, you could get there train, and that is what I planned. But my flight was three hours late and so I missed it, and so instead of hanging around at the Barcelona airport I decided to take a taxi. When we got close, the taxi driver realized I was going to actually stay at the *top* of Montserrat and not at the foot, like a normal tourist :) He told me - "I can drive you to the top but it will take half an hour at least. Or, you could take a cable car through the air!"

You know which one I picked :)

We stopped in a parking lot at the base of the cable car connection. Several other people speaking various languages were there - sounded like german as well as spanish. The ticket sellers spoke no English but it was clear what I needed, so very soon, my three big bags and I (climbing gear and two weeks of tourist gear) got in a commodious cable car that looked like it had been around for two decades. Very sturdy. Glass all around just like in the movies. ,We cruised fast! The view was stunning, and it was exciting to skim the mountain. I was pretty sure that we would not be the first group to hit it ... there weren't any dents on the cable car that I could see ... And anyway, I was too busy looking all around to care much.

And then, at the top, we all got off and saw that there was still a long walk up the hill, perhaps half a mile, to get to the monastery and the place where I was staying, which was a little hostel or hotel, more like a graduate student dorm room, right next to the basilica. So off we went.

A very nice family saw that I was covered with bags, and the gentleman/father with them offered to help. I was reluctant to let him. For one, he didn't look in hugely good shape, and for two, my bags areheavier even than they looked, since I had my climbing gear with me, and for three, it makes me feel good to be self sufficient. But he insisted so generously and rather than hurt feelings I let him have the biggest bag as he asked (it was mostly clothing so not as bad as the smaller one with gear). And it was a relief for me, and a startlement to him, to shift those thirty pounds. It felt somehow appropriate to share burdens approaching a monastery, for him to take on a load and for me to let go of a little pride in accepting help. Montserrat has that effect on people.

And at the top? I will find you a picture, and in the meantime you can look here: https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/tour/montserrat-spain.html
 
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I'm here and I am exercising again, but my heart isn't in it. But I know it is good for me so I will do it. Toby and I are back to training classes. We have handling class tonight. We'll see how that goes. Not sure what to expect.

Shadowpup: it is so good to have you back.

Waves to Janie and Cindy.
Michelle
 
Tues. I did Total Body Sculpting. And today I did half of Low Impact step. My legs felt like rubber.

Shadowpup, Great job on the climbing workout. Sounds wonderfully challenging. I know the feeling of biting off a little more than you can chew. Very scary! But with shear will power I made it. Long story too...but nothing like you. LOL! You sure can read you body well. Wow. Yes, do put as many stories about Spain on FB as you can. OML! Cable care through the air???????? Very exciting! I can feel my heart skipping a beat just reading about it. A place like that and so secluded. Yes, being curtious and excepting help is important even having to give up your big bag. LOL! Beautiful link. Thank you for sharing.

Michelle, So good to see you on the forum. My heart wouldn't be in it either. I would think exercising is always good no matter what. How was the handling class with Toby? Hugs to you...

Take care everyone,

Janie
 
Sorry I've been MIA, things have been busy all around. Have gotten in a lot of walking this week (most of my department has moved to a building 1 mile away so when I walk paperwork over there I get quite a walk in) and did Afterburn 1-10 singles last night. Tonight I'm hoping for another total body workout just not sure what I'll do if there's time - Lily wants to go to a movie night at the school so that will be 2.5 hours of sitting on a hard gym floor if we go that route! Saturday we are off to a Halloween party, Sunday Brodie has his last soccer game and at some point we'll carve pumpkins. Busy week!

Janie - You have been doing great with your workouts! My days disappear also - it's scary how quickly time flies by!

Michelle - My thoughts and prayers are with you! Do what you need to take care of yourself.

ShadowPup - Sounds like an amazing trip :) I have a hard time letting others help me too - darn pride! Good for you stepping out of your comfort zone.

Cindy
 
ICE upper body circuit today. Also got a massage. Toby and I have a full weekend of training coming up: tomorrow morning is obedience class and scent detectives; Sunday is a day-long workshop learning Tellington T-Touch. It's our first weekend by ourselves--somehow I've managed to fill it up with dog training.

Michelle
 
Made chicken bone stock, and baked until my back hurt so much I could barely walk. Made 16 pizza's and froze them. My back tonight is good. Will try exercising tomorrow. Looking forward on getting back on track.

Cindy, I know how it is to be busy, don't worry about it, just do what you do and come back. Great job on the walking. Also for doing Afterburn 1-10. Enjoy your weekend, sounds lovely.

Michelle, Great job on ICE UBC, and a message. Good for you. Sounds like you had a busy weekend. That's good. xoxo

Take care everyone,

Janie
 
Still didn't have time for a workout. Guess I'm back where I shouldn't be. I'll try again tomorrow. Will have a guest over for dinner. One of my jamming buddies.

Janie
 
Aaaaaaargh!!!!

I wrote a nice long newsy post and my kindle rebooted!!! I will try again later. For now, hugs and waves to you all. I am swamped at work but the ICE upper body is staying, three times last week and yesterday am; also climbed twice and did an event safety class for climbers, on self rescue. Another one tonight!
 
Had a busy and fun weekend and Halloween night the kids got lots of candy - not what we need! - I got in over 20,000 steps for the day :) Last night I was dragging, candy induced is my guess, so I did some yoga and went to bed early. Tonight I'll get a full body workout in and will keep that sugar out of my mouth today :)

Janie - That is a lot of baking, good for you!

Michelle - Very busy weekend! Glad you got a massage in :)

ShadowPup - Great work with the climbing and upper body, I hate when I write something up and lose it, such a disappointment!

Cindy
 
I don't have anything to say. Ugh...

Instead:
I'm requesting prayers for my Sister-In-Law who has done her last treatment of Chemo for breast cancer. She is very close to me and LOVED by many. She has been in my life since I was a young girl. I love her so much!




Shadowpup,
You are amazing! I hat it too when I lose a good lot of info for the gang. Ugh...

Cindy, Great job on 20,000 steps for the day and for doing some yoga.

Take care everyone,

Janie
 
Good morning everyone! It's going to be a gorgeous weekend in Columbia, according to the forecast, so I'm heading out soon for a walk on one of our local woodsy trails. The week is shaping up nicely; I have a few days in the office, then headed to London - it's business overseas next week, but I can fly out (and then go off the work clock and onto my own funding) for the holiday and weekend, giving me three whole days to enjoy there.

Yesterday my coach Matt discovered a few more of what I've dubbed slacker muscles. Those are the muscles you thought you've been working, you hoped you've been working, but they've sneakily shuffled off their job to others and are, in fact, not doing anything. In this case, the lowest edge of my lats, lower down/outside glutes, and hamstrings, and there's also a tricep angle that's got nothing. You discover them when you get shrieks in new places the day after. I shudder to think what tomorrow (and DOMS) is going to feel like!

He found them with an evilly effective combination of four exercises, three sets of ten. Yesterday morning I showed up for a 6am Friday session, and he announced (a) the gloves were off now and he was going to train me like his real athletes now, (b) so we would skip climbing today for a special set he had made up just for me, and (c) he knew I was all rested up. Well, gulp. Thanks for the compliment and all, but ... gulp.

The first exercise was TRX lunges. One foot in the TRX, lunges as low as I could get on the other, with a box for stability that I wasn't supposed to use. Good form so my knees could not cave in. That's what grabbed the glute. Then, flip over for bodyweight rows. Basically that was placing my feet on a brace, going into a flat back plank position, holding the stirrups, and doing a reverse row all the way up to an open chest, and all the way down to a slightly rounded back. That got the attention of the lower lats. The TRX stirrups were pretty long, so this means that I was pulling up quite a distance. Third, ice skaters, which I liked very much when we used to do them - before Matt added jumping on and off the bosu! This was supposed to be my recovery exercise, but wow, doing that leap on the bosu without knees caving and with the required hang time also got the glutes going. Finally, the toughest one had to be modified slightly. We WERE going to do one legged pushups, one toe on the bosu and the other in the air, one hand on a *medicine ball* and the other on the ground ... I couldn't quite do that in good form. My poor arms just flat caved and I couldn't coordinate my core to keep the flat back. So he backed off on the medicine ball. That's clearly coming next. It is evil enough to do one legged pushups on a bosu anyway. My legs were sobbing and my arms were wobbling.

Time to dig into my dvd stash to get Cathe's help.

Also, soon Matt is going to discover that my hamstrings are slackers. What's the best Cathe workout for hamstrings in your opinions? I'd love to have an excuse to buy another new one from ICE :)

More greetings when the sun goes down - off to my walk soon!
 
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