Cathe Fans Part 5

ThelmaSW

Hi ladies, I'm going to see my shoulder surgeon on Tuesday morning for my three month follow up and final visit with him. I can't wait to hear what the doctor has to say about my progress and what I should be doing next.

It's pretty windy here tonight. We're expecting 'showers' from 11 am to 5pm.

My workouts on Monday were Tracy Steen Sweaty Cardio Core, Walking, and Mobility. Tracy's workout was high impact with low impact modification. The high impact wasn't crazy high impact. Since I've been cleared to jump, I decided to test how my shoulder would handle jumping. One of the first exercises were jumping jacks. I tried two jumping jacks, and it didn't feel safe, so I quickly dialed it down to low impact. Any other jumping I kept low to the ground to make sure I landed softly. I was a little winded but not nearly at the level I expected to be for not having done a workout like this in three months. It felt great. She did some planks, and I did the modified version on my knees.

Laurel, great workouts! I am so glad you and your DH were able to at least spend the weekend together, and that he'll be home for a few weeks, soon.

My yearly reminder to put out the hummingbird feeders came out today. You should see the little guys before we do. I can't wait to see them.

Thankfully, my shoulder is recovering a little faster when I irritate it. I discovered that the squeeze ball that came with my sling is very good for massaging those irritated areas. I of course, just discovered this yesterday! Better late than never! LOL

Doing a full STS 1 & 2 rotation will be pretty intense. If you do it, you'll need to factor in deloading weeks along the way to give your body a break. I really hope that by November I'll be ready to do a rotation.

See you tomorrow!
Thelma

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

Had a busy day yesterday so didn't have a chance to get online. I had a very enjoyable weekend by myself, we ended up having about 6 inches of snow. Yesterday we had lots of rain, so the only snow that is left are snow banks. DH's trip went well, and he took my Mom to see Dad, grocery shopping and then they headed to a family owned cheese factory. I knw that my mom would suggest the cheese stop to DH, since he is a huge fan.

We have a friend that is now in hospice. He was getting out of the car and fell. He hit his head really hard on the concrete. He was not all that healthy, and the combination of hitting his head and the meds that he is on where not a good combo. He had a really bad brain bleed.

My workout yesterday was Fit Split Boxing Bootcamp, and I took this down to low impact. Still got in a really good calorie burn. I was of course inspired to do that one by Laurel mentioning the series. This morning I did Kelly's 30 Min to Fitness Sculpting Rx Workout 1. This is a heavy total body workout.

Laurel, Awesome job on all the workouts! I don't have the yoga max workout, but now that you mentioned max, I might have to put in some of the Stretch Max routines in my weeks. Glad to hear that your DH enjoyed the time at home. I'm sure he will be looking forward to not flying around the country for a little while. Nice that you where able to just enjoy your deck during that time. Those STS 2.0 total body workouts are some good ones. It probably helped that the total body workouts where all at the beginning. I really want to do that one again, because doing those total body workouts really did make a difference in my body. I guess I would have to psych myself up to get out of bed on my first alarm, instead of hitting the snooze.

Thelma, Great job with all the workouts! Glad to hear that your shoulder is okay. Nice that you are able to do some jumping. The coughing lady was not here yesterday, but she will be here for the next three days. I seriously don't know why she is here, but my boss thinks it is necessary to have her here. She is with a company that we contract out some of our facility work. Of course she is still coughing really bad. Hope all goes well with you appointment this morning.

Have an awesome day!
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Today’s workout was 2.0 Lower Body 1, 2.0 Standing Metabolic Core and Cathe Live Box and Burn. It all felt good.

Thelma, great workouts and yay for being able to do some impact! I bet it felt good just to get your body moving differently again. I hope all goes well with the doctor today. I bet he is impressed by your progress. Our wind last night didn’t get as bad as I thought it would, but we had quite a storm. I heard lightening flash in the middle of the night and I would have sworn it struck across the street. It might have, but I woke up to news that the road on the back side of our hill was closed to two downed trees so it might have been there. If I do a 1.0/2.0 rotation, one thing I have learned is NOT to combine workouts from both programs in a week. It really is too much. Right now I am thinking of four six weeks blocks with a week off in between each six weeks. Every week of those six weeks would feature a different style of lifting. For example, I would do Meso 1 Week 1 for a week, then 2.0 Total Body for a week, then Meso 2 Week 1 for a week, then 2.0 Upper/Lower, Meso 3 Week 1, and 2.0 Total Body workouts. During the second six week phase I would do week 2 workouts from STS 1 and so on. This approach sounds way more appealing to me than doing any of the workouts in large chunks (like all of Meso 1 followed by 3 weeks of 2.0 Total Body, etc). But, like I said, I am not convinced at the moment, but I think I am in just one of those phases where no rotation sounds great right now. So it isn’t like I have come up with anything that appeals more.

Laurie, great workouts. I love that kickboxing workout. I agree about the effect of the 2.0 Total Body workouts. Honestly, it is the positive impact these STS workouts (all of them) have on my body that is compelling me to stick with them. I just love feeling this strong, and it helps in so many ways in my life. I am glad your DH enjoyed his weekend, and I am glad you did too! But I am sorry to hear about your friend. That is just so sad.

See you tomorrow.

Laurel

ThelmaSW

Hi ladies! Long day today. I as exhausted after PT. My workouts were walking, mobility and slow flow yoga. I did MUCH better this time around.

My doctor was happy with my progress and he and his assistant were impressed with my internal rotation. Apparently, the internal rotation by taking your arm to the back with the thumb pointing upwards is the last motion you recover. I've been working hard at getting this movement back and it has paid off. Just last week I had to totally assist my right hand with my left just to place it across my lower back. Today, I was able to touch almost right below my shoulder blades.
I am going back to yoga next week. I just won't do full planks just yet.
I asked the doctor if I could go back to yoga and start lifting. He said he was OK for me to progress to those things, but that I had to check with my PT for that. I spoke with my PT about yoga and he cleared me for yoga. We have started resistance training, so I'm sure baby weights are just around the corner.
The doctor was concerned that doing my PT everyday could be too much, but I checked with my PT and he doesn't think the type of movements I'm doing are too much. If I were lifting weights, then I'd have to have rest days.

My PT went well, and I graduated to stronger resistance bands. I also got three exercises with the BodyBlade in three sets of 1 minute each. This was very hard. Here are Bob and Brad showing some of the exercises.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjuIqenR1CE

Our forecast was seriously wrong! We got a lot of rain, and it started early in the morning. I forgot to check the gauge.

A lady I know invited me to her home to work on a craft project. We'll be doing a sun catcher type of thing with a picture frame. I am totally craft challenged, so I'm sure we'll get a few laughs about that. She owns and boards horses, so hopefully I'll get to meet them.

Laurie, I'm so glad you had an enjoyable weekend and that your DH and your mom had a nice time together too.

I'm so sorry about your friend in hospice. How sad.
I wonder if the coughing lady has pneumonia. I had a co-worker with a bad cough, and he had pneumonia.

Great workouts!

Laurel, great workouts! I have to remember to try that Standing Metabolic Core workout!

It sure felt great being able to move my body differently.

I don't think we had a thunderstorm. I am so thankful for the rain!
OMG how scary about the lighting striking so close to your house and those downed trees!
I really like the sound of the rotation you're thinking of doing, Laurel! Maybe you need a break from Cathe workouts. I still think you should do a Caroline Girvan rotation. I can send you my Epic I rotation calendar, which includes the workouts time.

See you tomorrow!
Thelma

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

This morning I did STS 2.0 Mobility Basics 2 & Standing Abs: Metabolic Core.

Laurel, Love the workouts! Crazy that we did the same core workout. That sounds like a really bad storm. We only had lots and lots of rain yesterday. This morning it's super windy and in the high 20's. Sure has been a crazy winter for us, well now it is spring. Very interesting concept with combining the two series. I'm hoping by the time you decide to do that rotation, I will be retired. I'm hoping that I can get out of here this year, but we will see how it goes with the finance person. Thinking of pulling out a Jessica total body workout for tomorrow. I have not done one of her workouts in a long time.

Thelma, Great job with the workouts! So glad to hear that your doctor was happy with your results. I had a feeling that he would be happy with your progress. So far today the coughing lady isn't doing to bad, now I'm just annoyed with her typing. I miss the guy who was here not to long ago. He took another job for his program rotation. I'm better with co workers that are men. I can see how that body blade would be a great way to work that shoulder.

Have a awesome day!
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Today’s workout was a 45 minute spin followed by 20 minutes of Peloton Pilates.

Thelma, great workouts. I am glad your appointment went well. If you can get your hand that far up your back, you are doing amazing! No doubt it will be nice to be able to go back to yoga. I have never seen a body blade before but definitely see how that would work the shoulder. You might be right that I need a break from Cathe for a minute. I will give that some thought over the next few weeks. I forgot to mention yesterday that we are already in our hummingbird migration period and have been since March 15…..but no little guys yet that we have seen. But we have our feeders out for them just in case.

Laurie, great workout. Sounds like a great combo. I really hope you are able to retire this year. That would be so amazing. I think if I do this STS combo, I will be starting in May, and I think you probably won’t be retired by then. But I can give it a trial run and maybe sometime when you are retired and Thelma is healed, we can all tackle a rotation together.

See you tomorrow.

Laurel

ThelmaSW

Hi ladies, I had another long day and I was incredibly exhausted. I had to drag my body to my exercise room to do my PT and a walking workout.

I went to a lady's horse farm to work on a picture frame suncatcher today. I was gone for 5.5 hours. I was exhausted! Thank God I had a small picture frame, or I would still be there! LOL. Her farm is 20 minutes from my house. It was a nice drive through the country roads and a nice change of pace for hermit me.

Laurie, great workouts!
I'm glad the coughing lady wasn't too bad. I can understand being annoyed at someone's typing and how guys are better to work with.

Laurel, Nice workout combo!

Thanks so much. I can't always get my hand that far up my back. I have to be seriously warmed up for it to happen, but it happens!
I am thinking of returning the bodyblade thing I bought because it's heavier than the one I use at PT, and I can hardly get the thing to move with the new exercises.

I really think you would enjoy Caroline's programs, if you can get past the fact that her warmup is a different video. Her workouts are just as challenging as Cathe's if not more at times.

I usually don't see hummingbirds until April, but I still have the feeders out at the end of March.

See you tomorrow!
Thelma


Thanks so much Laurie. I was happy to hear that my hard work with my shoulder has paid off.

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

This morning my workout was RAW Lift with Cardioacceleration #4. This was a good workout, and it had low impact cardio moves mixed in.

Our friend that was in hospice has passed.

We will be heading out on vacation in a couple of weeks. I'm going to be doing a week of Jessica until then, and then tackling a rotation when I return. I think Thelma has inspired me to do Caroline's workouts again, and I'm probably going to do Iron.

Laurel, Love the workouts! Glad that you will be the tester on that rotation. You are right I will not be retiring before the end of the year at least. My 25 year anniversary is in September, so it will be sometime after that or when I turn 62. That will be next year. I'm sure that you would enjoy the Caroline workouts. She is all dumbbells, so I will be pulling out my barbell for the hip thrusts. Putting dumbbells on my hips just doesn't work very well with that much weight.

Thelma, Dang on the exhausting day of crafting. Glad that you where able to get your PT in though. I really do like Caroline's workouts too, just wish those warm ups where included in the workout. I was able to figure out how to make youtube go right from the warm up to the workout. You have to make a playlist for that day, and tag the warm up and then the workout. Youtube will roll right into the workout.

Have a great day!
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Today’s workout was 2.0 Upper Body 2 followed by Cathe Live Live Me Some Cardio Kickboxing. This was one of those [increasingly rare] days where I felt so strong and so energetic during both workouts, which are both close to an hour long. I took fully advantage of it, but don’t think I will be feeling the same tomorrow.

Thelma, sounds like a long craft session! But I am glad you enjoyed the time out of your house. Great job getting your walking and PT in. If I could get over the hump of starting a Caroline rotation, I have no doubt I would find them to be fantastic. But there is a reason I have done Cathe workouts almost exclusively for 26 years…..I am, at my core, a person who doesn’t experiment too much. This is why meal planning is so challenging for me because, left alone, I really just don’t care too much whether I eat the same thing week in and out. And the same can be said for exercise. But I will try!

Laurie, great workout. But I am so sorry to hear about your friend. That is heartbreaking. It sounds like you can start a countdown toward retirement though, even if you do wait until 62. That’s like 16 or so months away, right? That will pass in a flash.

See you tomorrow.

Laurel

ThelmaSW

Hi ladies, my workouts on Thursday were walking, mobility and Tracy Steen Legs.

It was windy practically all day here and it was also cold.

I graduated to six lbs. on the lat pulldown exercise. This is the only weighted exercise I do. I'll start going to PT once a week next week. I was so much better with the bodyblade exercises today. I decided to invest in a bodyblade and return the knockoff one I bought because it's heavy and not flexible enough. My PT says that I should never stop doing the shoulder exercises, so the investment will be worth it.

Laurie, great workout!

I'm really sorry about your friend's passing.

How exciting about your vacation! Are you going to see your FL friends? It's also exciting that you're getting very close to your retirement! DH hopes to work three more years, but his new boss is making him want to retire ASAP. The woman is driving the entire staff crazy. Of the 22 years he's worked there, this is the first time I've seen him frustrated. I hear their conference calls and even I get frustrated.

I can't wait to be able to do a Caroline rotation again! I didn't mind at all that the warm-up was a separate video, but it would be nice to have it included in the workout itself. Good job figuring out how to get the warm-up roll right into the workout! Are you saying you have to make a playlist for every day? Her programs are 50 days I believe.

The crafting shouldn't have taken that long, but we had no strategy, and the lady likes to talk. I had figured out a strategy in the beginning and decided to go with the lady's method. I only finished my little project because I eventually went back to my original strategy. Given the size of my project it would've taken me less than two hours with my strategy! Live and learn!!!

Laurel, great workouts! Those were long workouts! Good for you!!

It was a long conversation more than a craft session. I wasn't bored and didn't feel tired until after I got home.

I started experimenting with other trainers because of Laurie. I am glad I did. I think that after our long 2.0 rotation I really needed a break from Cathe. My body responded quite nicely to the change too.
I would eat the same thing every week if I weren't married. When I was single, I ate a lot of the same things every week. I still eat the same breakfast week after week.

Happy Easter ladies!
Thelma

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

This morning my workout was Gloved up and Sweaty. I really do enjoy this workout, and would love for her to do more of the same.

We will have a busy Easter weekend. On Saturday the girls will be coming over for dinner, along with DH's brother and SIL. DH's Uncle will not be coming, it is just to difficult to get him transported and into our house with his wheel chair. On Sunday it will be church, the choir will be singing for two services, so I will need to be there. We will be going out to brunch with the oldest and family. Apparently the restaurant that we are going to is one that is in the current season of Top Chef. They filmed this season in Wisconsin, mainly in Madision and Milwaukee. The youngest has to work, and can you believe that she is fully booked. I was surprised about that.

Laurel, Great job with the workouts! I'm impressed that you where able to get through those two long workouts. I love the way you give the information about retirement with only 16 months, that really doesn't seem all that bad. You are right it will fly by very fast.

Thelma, Nice job with the workout and PT. Congrats on increasing the weights, and investing in a body blade. Sorry to hear that your Dh is having to deal with a difficult boss. My DH had to go through that before he retired, and I think that is the main reason he retired when he did. They still have not filled his job. For youtube you go to the warm-up that you want to use and hit the save button in the lower right corner of the video. A box will come up and you chose create a new playlist and give it a name. Then you can go to the Day 1 video and hit the same button, and put it to that playlist you created. After you are done with day 1, just hit the save button again and take if off the playlist. From there you can go to day 2, and put that video on your playlist for the next day. The playlist that you created will appear under the show more on the left side. I find it so much easier and faster to get the workout done.

Happy Easter!
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Today’s workout was 2.0 Lower Body 2, the core work from Cardio and Weights and a fun 20 minute spin. I still feel very energetic today, so the workout yesterday must not have been too much. But I made myself limit my cardio today so tomorrow I will be good. DH will be home and we have tons to do in our yard, so I will need some energy for that.

Thelma, great workouts. I am glad you have invested in a body blade you will be able to use for a long time. I think if you weren’t a fitness enthusiast, your PT would be spot on about continuing your PT exercises after you are fully healed. But because you workout and keep mobility in your shoulder at least in part through that, you can probably focus more on the mobility aspects of your therapy for the long term. I know that throughout each day, I will periodically work my outer and inner rotation stretches, and it has been 18 years since my frozen shoulder. I eat the same breakfast and lunch five days a week, but take the weekend off from them. My DH thinks I’m crazy. He may be right.

Laurie, great workout. I find I have to talk myself out of doing that one every week. From not being overwhelmed by it the first time through, I have grown to love that workout. Sounds like you have a busy but fun weekend ahead of you. I hope all goes well. I am a bit surprised your DD is fully booked on Sunday, though. Our grocery store (Publix) closes for every holiday, so their closure is expected. But our Lowe’s is also closed on Sunday, which kind of surprised me given the season (planting). But I prefer it when things shut down for holidays so people can be with their families.

Happy Easter!!

Laurel

ThelmaSW

Hi ladies, I hope you had a great weekend. Ours was busy with chores around the house.
The weather was nice, but the pollen is pretty high. I've been sneezing like crazy.

My workouts on Friday were walking, mobility and glutes.
Saturday - walking and mobility.
Sunday - walking, mobility and standing abs.

Laurie, great workout!
I hope you had a great family time, and that the restaurant was good.
It is hard to believe that your dd was fully booked on Easter weekend.

I'm sure your DH's difficult boss had a lot to do with his decision to retire.

Thanks for the instructions on how to set up the list. I've saved them for when I need them later on in the year.

Laurel, great workouts! I can't believe you didn't feel tired from the previous day's workouts!

I definitely want to keep using the bodyblade to help keep my shoulders strong.

See you tomorrow!
Thelma

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

This morning's workout was Jessica Smiths Have a Ball from her Walk Strong: Burn Fat + Have Fun. I did have fun so that is the most important things. Of course she is again sneaky with how the body feels afterward. How does she manage to hit areas that I don't feel with other workouts.

Our weekend was very nice. Everyone loved the food, and apparently my banana cream pie was so good it received a 5.5 out of 5.0 star rating from my BIL. His wife said that it was the best one I have made yet. DH is a bit disappointed that I only made one. Our Grandson slept the night, because he fell asleep and why disrupt his sleep. We took him to church on Sunday, and he was a very good boy. The restaurant was wonderful. You chose an appetizer, main course and dessert. I had the goat cheese tart, and that came with a salad that had smoked trout with it. My main course was sunny side eggs on a buckwheat crepe, and for dessert I had olive oil lemon cake. Everything was delish.

Laurel, Great job with those workouts! Glad to hear that you had energy. We had rain this weekend, so I'm hoping that you didn't have that so your yard work was able to get accomplished. I was surprised with all the stores that where closed, or not opening until after a certain time. Ulta didn't open until noon, so DD was able to attend church with us. It was nice having another pair of hands with the baby. DD's hours will be changing. They need someone full time on Saturday's, so she will be working Tue-Sat. She really didn't want to do Saturday's because that is when all the up-doo's are scheduled. Those are a lot of work.

Thelma, Love all the workouts! Nice that you where able to get outside for chore work. Dang on the pollen. We are just starting to see the buds on the trees. Glad that I could help with the youtube set up. I just happened to find that option, and now I love using it.

Have a great day!
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! I hope you enjoyed the weekend. Ours was good. Saturday was a beautiful day and we spent it working in the yard. It felt so nice to be in the sunshine for awhile. Yesterday was warm but cloudier. We enjoyed a nice Easter breakfast, then did a couple of things in the yard followed by a long walk and quiet time on our deck. It’s nice to have DH home again.

For workouts, on Saturday I did a 15 minute low impact spin followed by 30 minutes of Peloton yoga. Yesterday was 2.0 Body Part Shoulders with Bonuses and STS Meso 3 Disc 35/Plyo Legs. And today was 2.0 Body Part Biceps with Bonuses, Core 1 from the RWH series, and a 30 minute spin.

Thelma, great workouts. I couldn’t agree more about the pollen though. Everything is covered in a yellow dust. I am forever wiping stuff down and have taken to carrying a Kleenex box around the house with me. This level of pollen seems so early this year. We checked on the hummingbird migration this weekend, and, apparently, they are just reaching us now so hopefully you will see some relatively soon.

Laurie, great workout. I am always surprised by how Jessica can make a workout that looks pretty mundane be both enjoyable and effective. Sounds like you had a wonderful weekend. You had my mouth watering by the time you got to your brunch entree. And, for the record, I wouldn’t mind if you shared your pie recipe. Both DH and I are huge fans of banana cream pie. I’m sorry your DD has to work on Saturdays. I would imagine that is the day people come in for weddings and probably proms as well this time of year.

See you tomorrow.

Laurel

ThelmaSW

Hi ladies, my workouts on Monday were walking, mobility and Tracy Steen Leg Day. I am going to my first yoga class on Tuesday morning. It's a Yin class, so it will be easy.

We had a pretty overcast Monday. In the afternoon it got dark, and it appeared that it was about to rain, but it didn't rain. We are expecting a thunderstorm on Tuesday afternoon. I hope it won't get windy.

Laurie, great workout! Jessica is great and I love how her workouts always touch the abs.

It sounds like you had a wonderful weekend with your family! The food sounds yummy too! I agree with Laurel that you need to share with us your banana cream pie recipe!
The pollen is about to get really bad around here!

Laurel, great workouts!
I'm glad you and your DH had a good weekend and that he's back home again!

Some people here claim to have seen hummingbirds already. I wish I knew what plants they have in their yard because we clearly have nothing to attract them this early.

I've been waking up with a subtle sinus headache thanks to the pollen. I really should be carrying around a tissue box too.

See you tomorrow!
Thelma

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

This morning's workout with Jessica was Total Body Focus from Walk Strong: Boost Metabolism + Muscle. I started out with 15lb weights, and when it got to the shoulder work I had to take it down to 12lbs.

I will get the pie recipe when I get home. I did get the recipe on line, but now I can't seem to locate it. I printed it out, so will always have it.

Laurel, Sounds like a really enjoyable weekend. Love the workouts! I had to giggle that you have Kleenex boxes all over the house. Sounds like my house. They basically are in the spaces that I'm usually in the most. I'm really glad that I picked Jessica for this week. I'm not really sure what is available when we are on vacation, since we are renting a house. Body weight workouts will probably be my go to for that.

Thelma, Great workouts! Nice that you are going to a yoga class. We had rain all night, and it is turning into snow later today. I also love that Jessica gets those abs good. Have to say that her Mom is really looking good. She has really lost a lot of weight compared to the workout that I just did. Hope that you are able to get through the pollen season okay.

Have a great day!
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Today’s workout was 2.0 Body Part Chest with Bonuses, and the cardio and core work from 4DS Kickboxing. So much fun.

Thelma, great workouts. I hope the yoga class goes well today. We rarely see hummingbirds this time of year and, like you, I think it is because we don’t have the right plants that are blooming yet. But we still try with our feeders, just in case one is passing by. I hope your storms today aren’t too bad. They are expecting it to be pretty bad here, but we aren’t under a tornado watch….yet. But the counties to the west of us are, so I think it is just a matter of time.

Laurie, great workout. I didn’t suffer allergies for years, but each year since we have moved to Alabama they have gotten worse. Apparently (as legend goes at least) when this area (Tennessee Valley) was inhabited by Native Americans, they called it the Valley of Sickness because of the allergies. I am beginning to think that isn’t just folklore. The same front that is bringing you snow today is the same one bringing us tornadoes. It is just a huge system. Stay safe. And thank you in advance for the pie recipe.

See you tomorrow.

Laurel

ThelmaSW

Hi ladies, we're under tornado warning. The wind is blowing like crazy, and the rain finally started before midnight. Thank God I had DH put the chickens in the garage because I would've been freaking out over them. We also brought the hummingbird feeders inside. I didn't tell DH to bring the feeder umbrellas and I just heard something hit the deck. It must've been one of them.

My yoga class was soooo good. It was Yin and the instructor told me that as soon as she saw that I had signed up for her class, she removed anything shoulder related. So thoughtful! All my friends were there and were so happy to see me. I was happy to see them too. The instructor kept mentioning at the beginning and ending of the class how nice it was to have me back. So nice!
My hips were tight because I haven't done my usual stretching since my surgery.

Last Friday I tried a couple of planks, and my shoulder has been angry since then.

My workouts today were walking, Yin yoga, mobility and because Laurie inspired me, Jessica Smith Standing Pilates Fusion Abs. This workout was soooo good! I loved the balance component of it. I feel like I need to do it every week until my balance gets better. I highly recommend this workout.

My bodyblade came over the weekend. Much better! I also decided to treat myself to a Bosu. The next generation pro version was on sale on Amazon, so I ordered it. It arrived today and it's heavy. DH has to inflate it for me. I am determined to work more on my balance and mobility. So much work needed, so little time!

Ever since I moved to BR I've been looking for baking and cooking classes. I finally found some baking classes! The lady offering the classes is young and is a homesteader. I signed up for two classes, one is baking with whole wheat and the other one with sourdough. I got two friends to sign up for the whole wheat class and one for the sourdough one. It should be fun.

Laurie, great workout! Thanks for inspiring me to do a Jessica workout! I feel like I had abandoned her after discovering other wonderful fitness trainers. I haven't seen any of her newer videos, so I've not seen her mom. I did watch the update video she posted recently. I guess she's filming a new program and is very much invested in her membership workouts. She was all made up for her new program and she looked very different. she had long false eyelashes. She looked beautiful, but it just didn't feel like the usual al naturel Jessica we know.

Laurel, great workouts! I hope you; your DH and your home are OK. I just read that the cluster of tornadoes heading this way was near Huntsville. I just saw some lightning. It's pretty windy and rainy, and it sounds pretty bad out there.

A few people posted on FB that they had seen their first hummingbird. A few years ago, we visited a couple who lives in the middle of the forest. They had what looked like hundreds of hummingbirds. They told me the flowering trees they had were Rose of Sharon, but I really don't think that's what those trees were. My little Rose of Sharon never attracted hummers.
The trees that I see blooming now around here are the Redbuds and a white one. I just read that hummingbirds are attracted to Redbuds, so this confirms my suspicion. We have nothing like this! We don't have space for big trees either, but I just checked, and there is a dwarf variety of the Redbuds! I may have to order one online!

See you tomorrow!
Thelma

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

My Jessica workout this morning was Stride and Step from Walk Strong Burn Fat + Have Fun. This was done on the platform of the high step. That is as high as I would want to go on a step anyway. Can't believe that I once was fine with higher.

I found the pie recipe on line. https://gluesticksblog.com/old-fashioned-banana-cream-pie/ I make the crust, and use vinegar instead of the lemon juice. I also don't make the whipped cream. When I serve the pie, I just buy the readdi whip in the can. It's just easier. I also sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the whipping cream. I only use 1-2 bananas, don't put any on top of the whipped cream.

Laurel, I hope that all is good in your area from the storms. All we are getting right now is snow. Awesome job with the workouts! Interesting on the Valley of Sickness. Wonder what type of vegetation/mold causes all the allergies in that area. I'm not looking forward to our allergy season. I have been watching youtube videos about plants. I'm actually thinking of planting more annuals, just to give more color to the front yard. When DH's friend was up here last week, he was showing DH irrigation information for planters. They have to do irrigation in Albuquerque. Most of our annuals end up dying because we don't water enough.

Thelma, Great job with workouts, and nice that I could inspire you. Working on our balance is so important. Let us know how that Bosu works for you. How wonderful that you where so missed by the class, and that the instructor adapted the workout for you. Dang on the high winds. I love that you are getting a tree that will attract those humming birds. I'm trying to attract the butterfly's and bees, so I'm probably going to be buying more plants this spring.

Have a great day!
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Today’s workout was 2.0 Body Part Legs and a 45 minute climb ride. Peloton does few 45 minute rides anymore and even fewer climb rides, so when I saw this one on the platform, I knew I needed to do it. And it was fantastic. My legs will be barking tomorrow but it was worth it.

Thelma, great workout. I’ve seen that one of Jessica’s site. I will have to give it a try. I love her balance workouts. I am so glad your return to yoga was so positive. That must make you feel great. I hope your storms didn’t get too bad. We were under a tornado warning as well last night, but everything went far north of us so all we got was some lightening. I was actually hoping for some rain, but I will take no rain if that means we missed the ugly storms. Your baking classes sound wonderful! There is nothing like warm fresh homemade bread. Thank you for the Redbud recommendation. We might be replacing a tree this summer, and I would love something that would attract the hummingbirds to our backyard where we have our feeders. All our other attractants are in the front yard.

Laurie, great workout. I really enjoy that one. The use of the step makes it feel so much harder than the others on the DVD, even at 4”! Thank you for the pie recipe. I already have it saved on my iPad. I might just make it for my birthday next month. I have decided I prefer annuals to perennials as well. But DH and I are having a hard time coming to a decision on how to fix our problem of too many perennials right now. I hate killing healthy plants, but we need to do something different with our garden space. Our best butterfly and bee and hummingbird attractors are our butterfly bushes and we also have two vytek bushes, but I don’t know if any of those will survive your winters.

See you tomorrow.

Laurel

ThelmaSW

Hi ladies, no tornadoes in Blue Ridge! Thank God! We had about 1/4 inch of rain. The winds picked up again late Wednesday afternoon and we had a two second passing shower.

I'm 14 weeks post op! I got new exercises today and up'd my lat pullover by 1#. I'm up to 7#. I've gone up in the resistance bands too. I was at PT for 1 3/4 hours on Wednesday. I told DH that it was a good thing I don't have a life! LOL. Even my PT acknowledged how hard I had worked. I told him about the planks I did, and planks weren't due until maybe 16 weeks. I was three weeks early. Oh well! My shoulder is thankfully back to normal. I should be able to start lifting baby weights around week 16. I'm getting there!

My workouts today were walking, mobility and Tracy Steen Glutes and Thighs. I wore the weighted vest during Tracy's workout. I love that thing! I can't believe how much it enhances a leg workout. I totally feel it in my thighs, glutes and abs. I can only imagine the difference it will make when I can hold dumbbells in both hands.

Laurie, great workout! That's also as high as I dare to do a step workout too.
Thanks so much for the link to the recipe. I would do whipped cream too and would also buy a cookie crumb pie crust. I don't think I would put bananas on top either. I love that website. She's a very talented lady! Did you see all the cookie recipes she has? Wow!

Working on our balance is definitely important.
DH agreed that we could have a tree or two. I love those redbud trees.
The dwarf butterfly bush that I got two years ago attracts, bumble bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and moth hummingbirds like crazy.
I already told DH we're going plant shopping on Friday after he gets out of work.

Laurel, great workouts! Your legs are definitely going to be barking tomorrow! LOL

I think that Jessica workout is a good candidate for light ankle weights.
My yoga class was a great experience for the body and soul.
I can't believe you didn't get any rain. I'm so glad the tornadoes missed you!
I'm still trying to decide what variety of Redbug I should get. I read that hummingbirds love Crabapple trees too. I was ready to get one when I read that Japanese beetles love them. I hate those bugs! There's also a white flower tree blooming now, but I don't know what it is. It could be a white redbud tree though. People usually pair these trees together.

I had a butterfly bush in MA, so the right variety would survive the winter.

See you tomorrow!
Thelma

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

My Jessica workout this morning was Upper Focus from Walk Strong: Boost Metabolism + Muscle. These high rep workouts really get you good.

Laurel, Great combo of workouts! Is the Peloton app just doing short rides? Glad to hear that your weather wasn't dangerous. I have tried the butterfly bush a couple of times, and they do not survive our winters. Such a bummer, they are so pretty. Most of the perennials that I have are in my shade areas. Of course now I need to have more color, so have to look at the annual options. I'm going to do some thrifting when we come back from vacation, just to see if I can find something that would work for added appeal with flowers. Maybe a broken wheel barrel of bucket of some kind. I have some areas that I need to be filled with something besides mulch. I was watching this one lady on youtube, and now I want these cascading petunias.

Thelma, Nice job with those workouts! Glad to hear that the weighted vest is working so good for you. That is a long PT session. I have not looked at the cookie recipe, but now I will have to take a peak some time today. LOL about the plant shopping expedition. I noticed that our daffodils and crocus are blooming. It is so tempting to go to the garden center, it is very conveniently about 2 miles from our house. We can't really plant anything right now, so that will have to wait a bit. I just love it when a big fat bumble bee decides that where I'm weeding is a good bush to be buzzing around.

Thanks,
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Today’s workout was 2.0 Body Part Back with Bonuses, the core work from Power Hour and Cathe Live Low Impact Cardio HiiT.

Thelma, I am so glad you didn’t get hit too hard by the storm. It is blustery and chilly here right now, and I am beyond ready for spring to arrive. DH and I were sitting outside last night after dinner in our winter coats with a fire on. Just crazy this time of year. I told DH about the Redbud tree last night and he is interested. So now we wait to see if our Crepe Myrtle comes back this year. If not, we will be searching for a Redbud. Wow, that’s a long time at PT! But I am glad you are making such good progress.

Laurie, great workout. Peloton used to do a lot of 30, 45 and 60 minute rides but when COVID hit and so many people joined the platform, they moved more towards 20-30 minute workouts, which, quite honestly, are far more usable and popular than longer workouts. And if you own a Peloton, you can stack workouts to play back to back so shorter workouts aren’t quite as much of an issue. But I don’t own a Peloton which means getting off my bike between workouts and such, which is a pain. But they have plenty of the longer workouts in their history, but when new ones pop up, I generally try to do them if I can. Maybe I should look at YouTube for ideas for our garden. All I know is I haven’t ever liked it, and nothing we do seems to change my feelings about it.

See you tomorrow.

Laurel

ThelmaSW

Hi ladies, my workouts on Thursday were walking, mobility and Tracy Steen Standing Abs. Tracy had balancing moves in this workout, which I loved.

We had another windy day here in BR. Temps will be in the low 30's the next two nights.

Laurie, great workout! Those high rep workouts really get you good!

I can't wait to go plant shopping. I may have to do a second expedition to greenhouse about 30 minutes from here. They carry Proven Winners, and they could order my Redbud tree. They have beautiful plants there.

I can't believe that your daffodils and crocus are just blooming! I love bumble bees. Here we have carpenter bees, and they look a lot like bumble bees. They bore tunnels for their eggs in our log houses. They're a huge pest. Our exterminator is coming next Thursday to spray the house.

Laurel, great workouts!
Didn't we think a few weeks ago that spring had arrived? LOL. It's crazy around here with the weather. I am excited about getting a Redbud tree. At least we'll have a colorful tree. I really wish I could find a summer blooming tree for the hummingbirds. There's one called Mimosa and it came up on the hummingbird loving trees. Those things grow wild around here. We actually have a couple at the entrance of our property. I'll check in the summertime when it's in bloom to see if the hummingbirds are feeding from its flowers.
I hope your Crepe Myrtle comes back!
PT keeps getting longer and longer, but I'll do whatever it takes to be able to get strong and lift weights again.

Have a great weekend!
Thelma

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

My Jessica workout this morning was Core Control from Walk Strong: Build Balance + Inner Strength. I always enjoy doing this one, maybe it's because she does say that this one is sneaky. Funny how I'm feeling it in the core and legs right now.

Laurel, Love the workouts! Makes sense about the Peloton and stacking. That really would be a pain to have to get off your bike to go to the next workout. When I found that option on youtube I was thrilled, it really did save having to get to that computer and finding the next workout. I hear you on the look of the garden. It seems I have been working on mine for years, and it is finally getting to the point that I'm fairly happy. At least I'm happy with the shade portion of the front lawn. Right now the sunny part is making me upset, so that is what I need to work on going forward. I usually like to search landscaping and flowerpots when I'm looking for information on youtube. If the person starts talking in a southern accent, I usually stop watching. I doubt very much that the plants that they are talking about will work in my zone. My favorite person to watch is Garden Answers.

Thelma, Great job with the workouts! Our workout choices sound very similar. We are finally going to be warming up tomorrow. Usually those proven winners are the correct ones for you zone, so should work really well. Glad that you are going to have some fun at the garden center. Those bees do not sound like a handy bee to have around. Guess I will be very happy to hear our slow fat friendly bees this spring.

We are leaving on Sunday for our vacation, so have a great week!
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Today’s workout was 2.0 Body Part Triceps with bonuses and an interesting 45 minute metrics spin. I had never heard of a ‘metrics’ spin and the name still doesn’t make much sense to me, but it is a spin where the instructor basically talks only to cue pace and resistance changes. Given that some instructors talk so much during a class, it was a nice change of pace.

Thelma, great workouts. We were very windy again yesterday but today is calmer. But we are expected to get a freeze tonight which, hopefully, will be the last of the season. I am not ready for hot yet, but nicely warm would be nice. I am holding off planting anything until DH and I get back from our vacation that we are taking in a couple of weeks. I actually like that I have had a reason not to plant early this year because I usually do…..and I would be bringing everything in to the house tonight. Enjoy plant shopping!

Laurie, great workout. I actually think that is my favorite Jessica workout. I just love how gentle it is but also how much work it is. So good. Thank you for the YouTube recommendation. Our biggest problem with our garden is that it is all clay and trash and no soil, so what grows there is limited. We didn’t know that when we moved in, and the builders had filled it with ugly land cover plants, which we took out. And then last winter’s freeze killed what we didn’t take out. And while we have replaced a lot, and filled in soil where we did, some stuff just didn’t grow. Now our sprinklers are not working in the garden, so DH was digging out that last weekend, and he pulled out a paint can lid, plastic tubing, etc. Just disgusting. But I don’t have it in me to start from scratch with it, so I am thinking more decorations and potted plants and less in the ground plants. Hope you have a wonderful vacation!!

Enjoy the weekend.

Laurel

ThelmaSW

Hi ladies, I hope you had a nice weekend. Ours was good, but very busy.
The plants I wanted hadn't arrived at the garden center yet, so I didn't get any. I did order two types of Redbud, one hydrangea and 2 thornless blackberry trees online. I also ordered two honeysuckle vines for the hummingbirds too. I can't wait for them to get here.

My workouts on Friday were walking, mobility and gentle yoga.
Saturday - walking, mobility.
Sunday - walking, mobility and Tracy Steen Leg Day with Diagonal Jump Training.

Laurie, great workout!
Have a wonderful vacation!

Laurel, great workouts! Interesting about the metrics spin.

I hope we had the last freeze of the season! We are going to have a rainy week according to the forecast app. I'll believe it when I see it. No hummingbirds yet!
Good idea to hold off on planting anything until you get back from your vacation. Where are you going to?

Have a great week!
Thelma

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! I hope you enjoyed the weekend. Ours was busy but nice. Saturday we spent on some lawn and house chores and errands. Yesterday was a beautiful spring day so we decided to put down some mulch, clean out and lay down new pine straw behind our backyard, and finish our under-the-deck project from November that needed to wait until we finished the deck…..and for the weather to get better. It feels good to finally be tackling some of our spring chores.

For workouts, on Saturday I did Cardio Party and yoga. Yesterday was Intensity Max Intensity premix and 30 minutes of Peloton Pilates. Today I was very tired and sore from all of the work yesterday, so I did my planned workout—STS Meso 2 Disc 22/Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, and followed it with a gentle 30 minute low impact spin and some Peloton yoga focused on floor poses. That felt so good.

Thelma, great workouts. Sounds like you have some great plants on order. I did wander through the garden section of Lowe’s this weekend but very proudly did not buy anything. DH saw a hummingbird yesterday!! I didn’t see it, but it makes me happy to know they are around and one found our feeders. We are going to St. Lucia for our 34 wedding anniversary in two weeks. It will be our first time in the Caribbean. I am so looking forward to it.

See you tomorrow.

Laurel

ThelmaSW

Hi Laurel! My workouts on Monday were walking, mobility and Tracy Steen Standing Abs.

I bought DH and I eclipse sunglasses and those things worked out wonderfully. We can only use them to look at the sun because anything in front of us looked black. Total darkness!

I got a notification that my new trees will arrive on Tuesday! I just ordered them on Sunday! Amazing! Of course, it will be rainy the next three days and on Saturday I'm going to my baking class. I will have to let DH know where I want the trees planted. We need to go to the Home Depot to get big planters for my blackberry trees. I love blackberries. I don't know if we'll get any fruit this year, though. We also need soil and mulch.

Great workouts, Laurel!
You got a lot of yard work done! Congrats on finishing the deck project!
I think you guys get to see the hummingbirds before we do. If I remember correctly, I never see them before 4/15.
How exciting about your St. Lucia vacation! The only island I've been to is Puerto Rico. Happy Anniversary!

See you tomorrow!
Thelma