September, 2022
Goal: listening to my body and taking some recovery days to start out September!
Recovery days:
1 -
Cathe P30 (Mobility); YT (Power Yoga INTENTION Day 1 - EMPOWERED 30 Day Yoga Journey =27 min.) This class was taken from Travis' new EMPOWERED SERIES he's sharing on YT. A well rounded easier class which was perfect for a recovery day.
2 -
4.01 Mile Walk; YT Lauren's (30 Min Power Yoga "I Don't Want To Practice"); Mady's (Stretches for Lower Back Pain Relief (SFLBPR); Mady's (BPR) I tried to go at a slower pace on my walk. Lauren's class took a little more effort than the title implies...I would've liked a class that had me lying on my back stretching from start to finish. I had to share my yoga mat with my kitty today...I could tell he's feeling much better these days wanting some lovin' from his mamma!
3 -
YT (Power Yoga LEVITY Day 3 - EMPOWERED 30 Day Yoga Journey =28 min.); Mady's (BPR); 75 Min. Yard Work @ DS'; 2.33 Mile Walk (slow, easy walk) This class had a great flow with lots of twists and I even broke a sweat despite being an easier practice. Instead of twisting triangle pose (lower back protests), I did twisting half moon (not knowing he includes it right after twisting triangle, so double the bonus!). Something about lifting that back leg and not being grounded feels so much better for my lower back! The yard work went quick since DS was available to help.
4 -
Rest Day
This month I am planning on starting YT Tiff x Dan's SHRED II Program but skipping his cardio and inserting my speed walks, the occasional Yvette and yoga/mobility. I am also including some short booty exercises during the week, as I literally 'walked off my booty' with all my walks these past 3 months! Looking forward to hang with Dan again! I also may be inserting more rest days during the month and will listen to my body’s demands!
WEEK 1
5 -
3.73 Mile Walk; TxD’s 6 WEEK SHRED II PROGRAM Day 1: 5 Min. Express Abs Workout; BBL (High & Tight - floor work with bands); Mady's (BPR) I got blindsided again by a big dog on my walk! What is it that I am such a magnet to these big dogs?? His owner was close by but didn't have him on a leash and still managed to have his dog jumping all around me (not on me thankfully!) but I was so afraid he was going to bite me or knock me down and annoyed me to no end and of course, no apology.
Why can't these ppl train their dogs and what's more, have them on a leash??? I cut my walk short and turned around and went back the other way just to get away from him!! Dan put me in a good mood once I got back UNTIL I heard the music...NO...not the whistling song again!! :/ So the mute button was quickly pushed as I played my iTunes music, ha. Some exercises are lying on the back and some are in plank position...nothing too strenuous. I forgot all about H&T's floor work! I used my heavy FW band above my knees -- that is one tough segment! (Of course this was muted too--can't stomach Leandro--put the CC on and my iTunes playing!). Mady's stretch felt great to stretch out my lower body. Felt so good to get back to it today even with all the hiccups!! 566 cal burn
6 -
Yvette (w/u); Day 3 (30 Min. Chest & Triceps Workout/BW & DB's =36 min.); YT (15 Min. Yin Yoga "Neck, Shoulders, & Arms" w/ Travis) It felt so good to get back to weights and I loved this chest & tricep workout. Format is :40/:20 with weighted chest, weighted triceps work and chest/tricep push-up variations with a finisher of more p/u variations. I usually managed 12-20 reps depending on the exercise. I used 12's, 15's, and 20# and my arms were shaking when finished. Glad to see Dan add some stretching at the end, hopefully this will be the norm in this program. I prefer his hair to be tied back in a ponytail though, as it seemed he was fiddling with it a lot...probably bothered me more than him though! Travis' class was an awesome stretch for my upper body and really stretched out the arms after being worked. There's very few classes where Travis does mobility exercises for neck, wrists, etc...really nice. (At least I haven't come across many). 255 cal burn
7 -
4.0 Mile Walk; Winsor Buns & Thighs; Mady's (BPR); Mow Max (2 mile walk; 2 hours) Man, I had super sore triceps all day today!! I walked in a different neighborhood with no loose dogs today but my walks are so enjoyable from being absent so long, I really don't mind even with all the dog occurrences...although no one can say my walks are boring, LOLOL! It's been a year or so since I've done B&T...today I added on a FW band during the Fetal Thigh segment which added a nice touch (burn?). This weather is spectacular! 496 cal burn
8 -
Yvette Fit (w/u); Day 4 (30 Min. Superset Leg Day Workout @ Home =36 min.); Yvette Fit #202 (70 Min. BOSU/KB/Weights Workout =stopping at 52 min. mark); Mady's (BPR); Mady's (SFLBPR) Leg day Format is Supersets with :40 work x 2, :30 rest b/t supersets. I didn't care for this workout...I mean, how many variations of squats, lunges and RDL's does one need to do?? The yoga block elevation for the front foot really concerned me...what if my foot fell off and my ankle got twisted? Yikes, I just used a plate from my BB. I probably completed 2 sets of the RDL's then I inserted 30# hip thrusts, banded clam work and standing barre work. I joined in again with the sumo squats and goblet squats. Another strike against this one is that it didn’t have a countdown clock which I desperately missed! I added on Yvette's BOSU workout to get some FUN leg work! Favorited for its' exceptional balance work!!! Also lots of burpees but I loved it and this one has great music! She listened when I suggested more balance work, yay!! Some new moves using the BOSU too. I stopped at the 52 min. mark where she does weighted UB using KB and DB's, so I got around 43 min. to add on to Dan's workout. LONG workout today: 112 min.; 647 cal burn. Turned out to be a great leg day after all!
9 -
3.68 Mile Walk; Cathe P30 (Mobility) 453 cal burn
10-
Yvette (w/u); Day 5 (8 Min. Abs); Day 6 (30 Min. Back & Biceps Workout =36min.); Caroline Girvan (20 Min. INTENSE Glute Workout @ Home with Resistance Band =27 min.); Mady's (SFLBPR) I really liked this Back & Bi's workout...format is :30/:15 with 10 wtd. bicep exercises then 10 wtd. back exercises, then 10 exercises for a back/bicep combination with a finisher of Makers...I got in 6; Dan gets in 8, I believe. I used 12's, 15's, 25 & 30# with 2# wrist weights. I added 30# hip thrusts in place of some RDL's. Liked all the exercises mostly and was a great burner! Added on Caroline's Glute w/o to add another booty workout this week..I started out using Cathe's green med. fabric band then tried my pink band...couldn't decided which to use, so I used both! :O She starts off with floor work of hip abductions/bridge variations then moves to her chair and includes hip thrust variations. That is when one of my bands came off. Holy! Then she finishes with squat variations. A great booty finisher! (This one should have said 30 min. instead of 20 min., as it was closer to 30 min.!) 358 cal burn
11-
Rest Day
WEEK 2
12-
Yvette (w/u); Day 7 (30 Min. BUILD & BURN DB Drop Set Workout =36 min.); 2 Mile Intervals on TM; Mady's (BPR) This workout is a good one for muscle endurance. It consists of a LB segment, abs, then UB segment, and finisher. The exercises in LB include 2 DB's, 1 DB, and BW, thus the "Drop Set" idea. The UB included both DB's for all, minus the tricep exercises...I was thinking it would have the same idea but it didn't. It seemed a little awkward having to put one weight down and getting in position during the LB exercises since there's not any rest times and sometimes I missed a rep or two. But in general, I liked the idea but it had a different design than what I normally term "Drop Set" with the weights to mean. It was raining outside, so I combined my walk with tomorrow’s workout since I'm not sure I'll get anything in or not tomorrow. I hadn't done this particular TM interval workout for quite a while and it just sailed by! 510 cal burn
13-
Mow Max - (2 mile walk) I am back to helping watch babies in the church nursery on some Tuesdays since Covid. Today was the first day…we only had 4 and they were all well behaved and we got 3 asleep at once which was nice. I hope it’ll always be like this! Felt so good to see everyone again and I even got some “oh, you’ve lost weight!” comments, LOL. So nice to get my ‘baby fix’ today!
14-
3.60 Mile Walk; Michelle Briehler (16 Min. Booty Band Workout/Build Stronger Glutes/Knee Friendly No Jumping); Mady's (SFLBPR) Beautiful day for a walk and did the hilly route. I loved Michelle's latest booty band workout! Format is :40/:15 with 2 rounds of the same 8 exercises using a FW/latex band around ankles, calves & above knees. I loved the squat while raising heels and pulsing knees in/out and even the pizza presses didn't cause a dread since they were spaced apart. ;0) I was using my heaviest FW band which was plenty after my walk. I missed Michelle!
539 cal burn
15-
Yvette (w/u); Day 10 (30 Min. Complete UB Workout @ Home w/ Wts =34 min.); Day 8 (5 Min. Love Handle Workout/Shredded Obliques); stretch; 5 hrs @ DS’/Yard Work, Cleaning This workout of Dan's is definitely one of my favorites so far. It seemed really metabolic with the faster pace (esp. at the beginning but he does slow down as it progresses) and is a solid workout. Format is :30/:10; 5 rounds/5 exercises repeated once for each muscle group with usually 10-12+ reps with very little rest time. Used 2# wrist weights with mostly 12's & 15's#. Yes this one has the annoying song in it, so I had to turn the volume way down and play my music but the format makes up for it! Added the 5 min. abs which target obliques. 282 cal burn I will be sitting on the couch tonite...super tired from all the functional fitness today!! Btw, DS did not ask me to clean; I thought I'd surprise him with a clean condo when he returns from his weekend away. :0)
16-
3.16 Mile Walk (new PR 5K time!); Cathe P30 (Mobility) For not wanting to get out there at all and the tiredness from last night, I had a great walk and a new PR 5K time=41:33 (-:22)! I thought I'd just do a 2 mile walk but my energy came thru and the endorphins shone brightly!
During Cathe's "Trace the Rainbow", I really noticed my sore pecs from yesterday's workout. Felt so good to stretch today! 496 cal burn
17-
Heather Robertson (Glute Activation & LB Strength=42 min.); Michelle Briehler (Leg & Booty Workout/Band & Wts/Bonus Leg Burner=36 min.); YT (Yin Yoga A HEALTHY BACK/Day 7 EMPOWERED =27 min.) Dan's Day 11 included Lower Body Cardio HiiT work and since I'm getting in my speed walks in place of his cardio, I opted to turn to my YT queens for lower body work! Great choices I might add, as I LOVED these two workouts for a fantastic LB combo to concentrate on booty work! HR's format is :40/:10 for Round 1 of glute activation exercises (and I used my pink fabric band; HR doesn't use any). Then for the next 4 LB circuits, she uses weights working LB with 1 cardio leg exercise at the end of each circuit with a :40/:20 format. Loved the sequence of this workout and loved working out with Heather's awesome focus on form. Missed her too! Adding on Michelle's workout was the icing on the cake...I had done this one before and knew it was such a goody! She uses the fabric band above her knees and does some weight work for legs standing and on the mat. Michelle takes her loop off for the bonus leg burner at the end but I kept on mine. It consisted of some cardio moves as a finisher. Awesome LB workout combo today!! Travis' class was great for stretching out the back with a couple mobility exercises. Includes supported bridge which I love, spinal twists with cat pulling tail pose, but I added on Happy Baby before Shavasana. Ahhh. Feeling great! 433 cal burn
18-
Rest Day
WEEK 3
19-
4.55 Mile Walk; Mady’s (BPR); Mady’s (SFLBPR) Great walk although my HRM strap kept falling down, so I was fiddling with that a lot! This has happened about the 3rd time in the last two months but no complaints here. I just tighten it more and more!
529 cal burn
20-
Mow Max (1 hour-2 mile walk) High temp record today: 97*! Didn't feel that warm
yet mowing...
21-
Yvette (w/u); Day 13 (30 Min. Slow & Controlled DB ARM Workout-Bi's, Tri's, & Shoulders= 36 min.); Day 12 (10 Min. KILLER Abs-No Equipment needed= 11 min.); YT (Full Length Pilates Workout; Brazilian Butt Workout from Pilates by Lisa Online Studio=16 min.); Mady's (BPR) I loved this workout!! Format is :40/:20 with 5 exercises for shoulders, 5 for bi's, 5 for tri's, then repeat sequence with different exercises for each muscle group then a finisher of 1 exercise for bi's, tri's and shoulders :30 each. Hard to go heavy as the pace is slower. I had my 2# wrist weights on and used a slew of poundages: 5's, 8's, 10's, 12's, 15's, & 20. GREAT ARMS workout and may even rival Body Beast Arms for me!!! The ab workout was good too...basic exercises lying on your back for 1/2 then plank variations to end. What makes this more challenging is the little rest time with the format :30/:05. Moves are pretty easy otherwise. Found this PBL workout on YT - I'm sure this is an easier class for her- some moves done on back with leg/booty lifts, some moves lying on stomach, then on all 4's with leg lifts to end. In hindsight, I should've worn my ankle weights. Easier but was a good booty focused add-on. Great workout today! 300 cal burn with 65 min. in FB zone!
22-
3.30 Mile Walk; YT (Yin Yoga HIP FLEXIBILITY Day 4 EMPOWERED - Travis = 27 min.) Good walk - much cooler now with the cold front passing thru. I passed a lady with her winter coat/hood on during my walk!! Waayy too soon for that! I wore just a long sleeve shirt/capris and it was perfect! NICE Yin class for hips; uses a block and bolster. Hips feel much better after my walk. 378 cal burn
23-
Yvette (w/u); Day 14 (30 Min. TB BUILD & BURN Drop Set DB Workout = 36 min.); Day 15 (5 Min. BRUTAL Ab workout - Quick & Effective); Cathe P30 (Mobility); Mady's (BPR) This Drop Set w/o had the same format as his previous Drop Set w/o. Uses 2 DB's for an exercise; then 1 DB for same exercise, then BW for same exercise, etc. I seemed to really like this format now that I'm familiar with it and I got all the reps in this time. Could also be that I liked the LB exercises a lot more than Day 7. Like the previous Drop Set workout, it seems more of a maintenance routine than a building routine but there again, I wasn't going as heavy as Dan either. ;0) Very effective/non-dread with the lower body done first, then abs in the middle, then upper body and the finisher to make it truly total body. The abs were good but I wouldn't term them "brutal"...but could be my core is getting stronger (I KNOW it is, actually!). Lots of core work today! 320 cal burn
24-
Yvette Fit #204 (60 Min. Moderate Impact Kickboxing/KB Combos); Heather Robertson (15 Min. Booty Band Workout For STRONG Glutes=16 min.); Mady's (SFLBPR) Yvette's class had a good focus on legs, as I needed some extra leg work and when she did an UB exercise with the KB, I did a LB exercise but she mostly kept it lower body focused. I had lower energy today but it was mostly lower impact..just a few high impact moves. I used a 25# KB and wrist weights for all. LOVED the FW band work at the end...especially the BACKWARD walking with the band!!! (Backward walking supposedly improves short term memory and physically improves quad and calf strength to reduce knee pain as well). Thus, I
need to do more backward walking!!!! So thrilled to see that in a Yvette workout!! HR's class was awesome! It's an oldie (from 2018) and I don't know how I skipped over it as it was such a great booty/leg add-on using the band (she uses an elastic band but I used my wide pink fabric band above my knees) and got a great LB burn. Format is :20/:00, so no rest times b/t moves so I had to keep looking at the screen. And it was hard to know what to do cause the words were in white on a white background, so I had to mimic HR. I'm glad she now has a dark background! Anyway, great lower body/cardio workout today! 320 cal burn.
Side note: I have really sore pecs from yesterday's workout--all the side plank work? P/U's? Chest work? All the above, probably!!
25-
Rest Day
WEEK 4
26-
4.12 Mile Walk; Five Parks Yoga (Standing Head to Knee Peak Pose Yoga Class=53 min.) Dressed perfectly for my walk and felt great to breathe in the fresh air! Erin is back from knee surgery with a great yoga class that had it all! Postures, balance, flow and mobility. SO GREAT to see her back (and hear all the noises from the forest in Costa Rica!).
27 -
Rest Day
28 -
Yvette (w/u); Day 17 (30 Min. Shoulders & Triceps= 36 min.); Day 19 (12 Min. Intense Ab Workout=13 min.); Day 18 (30 Min. Squat & Lunge DB Workout =36 min.); Mady's (BPR) I had lots of energy today after that rest day yesterday! I liked all of these workouts but I made them my own in various ways. For the Sh & Tri workout, I started with the triceps then the shoulders so my triceps were fresh. Sixteen exercises for triceps and then 16 for shoulders paired together in supersets with a :30/:30 format. Finisher was front presses, 45* presses, and overhead presses for :30 each. I used 10's for the first exercises to warm up a bit more then 12's & 15's for the duration. The ab workout was harder than most of his. Mostly floor work for abs but a finisher of mt. climbers. I made his Squat & Lunge workout my own by inserting booty floor work with my fabric band above my knees with clams, hip thrusts, FW walking (laterally and backward), and left it on for some of the weighted leg work and used 20#. My finisher consisted of a few more weighted hip thrusts and then with the band around my calves and feet to the ceiling, I did 100 pulses in/out. FRIED! I think I would've gotten bored with this one done as is as there was a lot of repetition. Glad I can make it my own and got a great workout, actually 4 workouts with the abs and booty exercises included!!! 532 cal burn
29-
Michelle Briehler (30 Min. Low Impact Cardio HiiT Workout/Knee Friendly/No Jumping/No Equipment); Kaleigh Cohen Strength (10 Min. Booty Boosting Glute Workout with Resistance Bands); Cathe P30 (Mobility); Mow Max (2 mile walk) Not feeling great today...I think I have DH's bad cold. I tried Michelle's newest...loved it! Ten moves/3 rounds :45/:15 for 1 Round; then 2 rounds with :30/:10 format. Good balance work and perfect for some low impact movement showing all levels to rev it up or make it truly low impact. Kaleigh was a new instructor to me...I liked the workout...very effective with 2 rounds of weighted hip thrusts and 1 round of leg lifts/hydrants and I had my fabric band on for all of it. No beeps so you had to keep looking at the screen, so it didn't matter that I had to mute her...too much chatter! But a great booty add-on. Another beautiful day, but at least I could enjoy being out mowing and running errands. I think my top down days are over, but you never know!
30-
Yvette (w/u); Day 20 (30 Min. Push/Pull Workout with DB's/Chest & Back =36 min.); YT (45 Min. Yin Yoga "Super Spine" Class with Travis) I really liked this P/P class even with all the p/u variations! Format is :30/:10 starting with BW work of p/u variations & superman variations for around 10 min. then weighted chest and back work for the duration. Some of the kneeling back rows seemed a little iffy for my back but could've been my form. Not sure I've ever done those before but you need to squeeze back when doing them and in that position, my lower back felt iffy. From there, I just did reg. standing rows. Finisher was cobra p/u's, wide p/u's, and reverse grip p/u's where your hand placement is different. Didn't care for the rev. grip hand placement, as they were not good for my wrists but managed them since there weren't many. I used 12's and 15's# for all and had a great chest/back workout! Added on Travis' Yin class which is the typical yin class holding the poses (too) long, IMHO, and I have to confess I was checking my emails during some of the holds, LOL! Once we got on our backs, he includes supported bridge which always feels great to me and I added Happy Baby and spinal twists to always make it better. Spine/back felt really good and stretched when done!
My minutes were down this month from last (but still more than June/July), probably since my walks weren't as often; 46.48 miles of walks for workouts this month and wasn't experiencing overtraining symptoms. Still too soon to tell if the booty add-ons are making a difference but I'm getting stronger with Dan's workouts with all the BW and weights even if I'm not lifting super heavy - love that! Scale has pretty much plateaued now but no complaints - still down around 18-19# since February! Feel so much better!!