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Thursday, June 30, 2016

Shoulders and Arms and Pilates for Abs

Good morning! I had a good workout this morning - it was supposed to be Upper Plus and Abs/Core Plus, but I forgot to have Kevin put up my chin-up bar before he left for Maryland, so I had to improvise - I did Shoulders and Arms and a short Pilates for Abs workout instead. I would have done Ab Ripper X, but I was running kind of short on time. I had a good workout, but I need to remember when I do this Pilates for Abs workout, which is both mat exercises and exercises using weights, to use both my 5 pound and 3 pound weights - there are a few exercises that I can't do with my 5 pound weights just yet.

That's it for today, hope everyone has a great day!

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Interval X Plus

Good morning! This morning's workout was Interval X Plus - I love the diversity of the exercises in that workout, but I need to remember that not all the exercises need to be done quickly - the ones that require more range of motion I actually need to slow down on so I can get that range of motion without tiring myself out too much, and so I can gt through all three phases of every exercise.

That's about all I have for today, hope everyone has a great day!

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Total Body Plus and Abs/Core Plus, and My Doctor's Appointment Yesterday

Good morning! This morning's workout was Total Body Plus and Abs/Core Plus - I love both those workouts because they're very synergistic - they use all parts of the body. I'm not great at them yet, but I'm getting better.

I also had my follow-up appointment with my cardiologist yesterday. He told me what I basically already knew - my stress test came back normal, and my occasional shortness of breath problem while sleeping was probably related to my epilepsy. At any rate, I haven't had anymore problems with it since the last time, so I think I'll probably just do some research to see if others with epilepsy have had the same problem, and find out what they did to fix it.

That's it for now, hope everyone has a great day!

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Legs and Back and Abs/Core Plus, and Things I've Discovered about Essential Oils

Good morning! This morning's workouts were Legs and Back and Abs/Core Plus - I love those two workouts, especially Abs/Core Plus because it's a nice change from Ab Ripper X - Ab Ripper X is all mat exercises, which is great because it's a short, efficient workout. However, it can get boring quickly - Abs/Core Plus, on the other hand, is mat ab exercises, as well as standing, hanging, and ab exercises using weights. The exercises are more synergistic too - there are two that I really like called Scissor Climbers, which is a combination of Fifer Scissors and the leg climber exercise from Ab Ripper X. The other one is Banana Mason, which is a combination of Banana Rolls (from Core Synergistics) and Mason Twists (from Ab Riper X). There are others I like too, like Cherry Bomb, and many others that I can't think of now. If you're getting bored with Ab Ripper X, I highly recommend checking out the Abs/Core Plus workout in P90x Plus.

I've also been using essential oils for a few days now for different things, and I've made a few discoveries. The first one I started with was the lavender, and besides smelling wonderful, it also appears to have taken away my sneezing - for years, I've had problems with sneezing - the sneezes cone on suddenly, although I can usually tell when they're coming because I'll get a tickling sensation in my nose - well since I've been using the lavender essential oil the sneezes have almost disappeared. I did a little research on it, and apparently both lavender and peppermint essential oil can help with sneezing. So I'll definitely keep using those. I also decided to try using a few drops of lemon essential oil in my shoes this morning after I worked out to take away the sweaty foot smell, and it worked beautifully - now the inside of my shoes smell like lemons instead of a sweaty foot. I also tried using a little of the jojoba oil I received yesterday as a moisturizer after my shower, and it seems to work real well for that. Tomorrow I'll try using it when I shave my legs.

That's it for now, I hope everyone has a great Sunday! Tomorrow I hope to have a report on how my organization efforts are coming, because the rest of the stuff I ordered from Amazon is supposed to be deliverd today - hoping to be here when it is delivered, but there are a few things I want to do today.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

X Stretch, Kenpo Cardio, and Lost 1 1/2 Pounds

Good morning! Sorry I never wrote yesterday, yesterday was a rather busy day for me. Got on the scale yesterday morning and was pleased to find I lost 1 1/2 pounds. Yesterday's workout was X Stretch - felt great after working my muscles real hard the previous few days. The last few days I've also ordered a few days - one of the things I ordered on Thursday was some jojoba oil, which I can use with the essential oils I ordered, or I can use it alone - that will arrive today. I also ordered myself a new Kindle from eBay - a Kindle Fire HD 10 - so I ordered myself a new case for it, as well as some other things that I'm going to use to get my office more organized - I'll provide more details on that later. The case and other things I ordered are scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

Today and tomorrow too, I plan to work on some things and also spend some time with Kevin. Hope everyone has a great day!

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Chest and Back and Ab Ripper X, and Life Upgrades

Good morning - this morning's workout was supposed to be Chest and Back and Abs/Core Plus, but because of lack of time I ended up doing Chest and Back and Ab Ripper X. Still got a great workout though, as usual.

Also, yesterday I got a nice little surprise from my grandfather - not going to go into detail, but let's just say it's going to help me do a few things I've been wanting to do. I will be providing more details in the coming days and weeks, hopefully - hope everyone has a great day!

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Interval X Plus

Good morning! This morning's workout was Interval X Plus. I've been avoiding this one lately, but this morning I decided to do it. It really is a fun workout, even though most of the moves aren't speed moves, but rather depth moves - meaning that to make the intervals more challenging, you have to go deeper, not necessarily faster. On workouts like this, I need to remember to slow it down when I do those moves that require deep lunges. Tomorrow I'm going to do Chest and Back and Abs/Core Plus (which I should have done yesterday).  Hope everyone has a great day!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Shoulders and Arms and Kickboxing Abs Workout and ordered essential oils

Good morning! This morning's workouts were Shoulders and Arms and a kickboxing abs workout that I haven't done in a while - felt like changing things up a bit. The shoulders and arms workout seemed a bit harder this time than it did the last time I did it, for some reason - and yes  I was using the same weights I did last time.

Also, yesterday I ordered my first ever set of essential oils - you can check out the ones I ordered right here: http://amzn.to/28L8UwS.  I'm lookign forward to getting them, I've been wanting to start using essential oils for different things. Some of the suggestions in the books I've been reading suggest  using essential oils to add scent to different things, so we'll see how well I like them. If I like them well enough, I may be ordering the scents again that I like best.

That's it for today, hope everyone has a great day!

Monday, June 20, 2016

Healthy Snack Ideas


  1. Chocolate is one of the most favorite snacks in the world. No wonder! It's tasty; there is a huge variety of choices (though dark chocolate is still considered to be the healthiest); it fills you body with energy and endorphins!
  2. Bananas are famous for being extremely healthy, mainly because they contain almost all elements from the periodic table. If Mendeleev had a chance to try a banana he would probably not had to wait for his famous dream to come.
  3. Berries. Almost all kinds of berries go great with chocolate, nuts, bread, honey, cottage cheese and (sour)cream. The berries-cheese-cream combination surprises a lot of people if you ask. But isn't that the way all yogurts are supposed to be made?
  4. Carrots are among the most favorite snacks for kids. Not too many parents know that kids love carrots not for the flavor and vitamins. There is an opinion that crunchy carrots remind kids of candies, and there are also a very fun and 'cool' snack to have!
  5. Egg yolk. There are many recipes for snacks based on stuffing egg whites. However, not too many people use egg yolk leftovers to cook something else (they either eat it as it is or, worse, just through it away). Simple searching will give you half a dozen of ideas how to use egg yolks for another healthy snack!
Healthy snacks ideas by 9round.com




Sunday, June 19, 2016

Kenpo Cardio and Core Synergistics

Good morning! Sorry I never posted yesterday, but it ended up being a busy day for me. Yesterday I did Kenpo Cardio, which I got a good workout from as usual, and this morning I did Core Synergistics, which I also got a good workout from - I noticed I'm starting to get better at doing Dreya Rolls again - I can almost do them without using my hands to get up - I only need one hand to get myself off the ground! Now I just need to get myself to where I'm strong enough to do them without using my hands to get off the ground.

Next week starts my last section of my P90x/P90x Plus Hybrid workout. My schedule will be as follows:

Monday - Rest Day
Tuesday - Chest and Back and Abs/Core Plus
Wednesday - Interval X Plus
Thursday - Shoulders and Arms and Ab Ripper X
Friday - X Stretch
Saturday - Legs and Back and Abs/Core Plus
Sunday - Kenpo Cardio Plus

Friday, June 17, 2016

Abs/Core Plus, Fitness Blender Upper Body and Abs workout, and Gained a Pound

Good morning! This morning's workouts were Abs/Core Plus - I love that workout because it combines a little bit of everything - ab exercises using the mat, weights, chin-up bar and standing ab exercises. I also did another Fitness Blender workout that worked upper body and abs. I got a great workout from it, if you want to check it out you can do so below.

I also got on the scale this morning and found I gained a pound, which doesn't surprise me considering how many servings of potatoes I ate this week - I had a potato serving just about every day.

Not sure what I'll be doing this weekend, but I'm sure I'll have a great one - hope everyone else does too!

Thursday, June 16, 2016

X Stretch and the Importance of Focus

Good morning! This morning's workout was X Stretch - it was supposed to be Yoga X, but that one is too long for me - I like X Stretch better because it's shorter. It felt great after yesterday's walking/jogging/running interval workout and leg workout.

I also wanted to take a moment to talk about the  importance of focusing. I've found that no matter what I'm doing, whether it's working out, meditating, writing, or even taking calls for work, the key to doing any of those things well is to focus 100% on what I'm doing, and not let any outside thoughts distract me. One way I've been working on trying to develop better focus is by meditating a little every day - I've meditated a little every day for the past 19 days, and I'm finding that it helps me focus better, and also be more mindful of what I'm doing, which is very important, especially with the work I do, because with the interviews I do, I really have to listen to what people are telling me so I know the best way to handle the situation, whether it's to make notes and move on, or refer the person I'm talking to to the insurance company, or ask my supervisor what to do if I'm not sure.  In the next few days, I'll be providing some ideas for how to improve focus and concentration, so stay tuned!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Walking, Jogging and Running Interval Workout and Lower Body Workout

Good morning! This morning I decided to do something a little different, and did a few workouts I found on Youtube. The first was a short interval workout that was 10 intervals of walking, jogging and running - each interval consisted of 30 seconds of walking, 20 seconds of jogging, and 10 seconds of running.  It was a pretty good workout - if you're interested in checking it out you can do so here:



The second workout I did was a lower body workout from Fitness Blender, which was also pretty intense. You can check that workout out here:

Those are the two workouts I did this morning - hope everyone has a great day!


Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Core Synergistics and Finished Tox-Sick

Good morning! This morning's workout was Core Synergistics - I love that workout because of all the variety in it. Tomorrow's workout is supposed to be Interval X Plus, but I'm thinking of substituting a running/walking interval workout I found on YouTube - I want to start including more indoor walking and running workouts in my routine, so I can get myself more used to running.

I also finished Tox-Sick this morning - there wasn't much at the end, Suzanne just summed up everything that she'd talked about in the previous chapters, and then at the very end she provides a very comprehensive list of additional sources you can contact for more information on the different topics she covers in the book. If you've been affected by sickness because of environmental toxins, or you know someone who has, or even if you've been affected by sickness and you're not sure what's causing it, I highly recommend this book - I'll do a more comprehensive review of it in another post.

Monday, June 13, 2016

Lessons I've Learned from Some of the Books I've Been Reading

Good morning! For those of you who don't know, I've been reading some rather interesting books lately that have to do with either improving health, improving the environment, living with less stuff, or a little bit of all of the above.

One book that I've read that actually talks a little bit about all of the above topics, is All You Need is Less, by Madeleine Somerville. In this book, Madeleine talks about ways that you can reduce the amount of toxic waste in your home by making a lot of the things that you would normally buy. These include things like:


  • laundry detergent
  • finding other alternatives for dryer sheets
  • all purpose cleaner
  • tub scrub
  • eye make-up remover
  • moisturizer
  • whipped body oil
  • body scrubs
  • shampoo and conditioner
  • toothpaste
  • deodorant
  • toner
  • meringue mask
  • shaving cream
  • depilatory cream
  • hair removal wax

These are just some of the things she talks about - she also offers suggestions for more environmentally-friendly ways to take care of your babies (for example, by using cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers, making your own baby wipes, baby wipe solution, and diaper rash cream, etc), your pets, and how to make your own wrapping paper for holidays (my crafty friends will like this one), among other things. I will be starting to try to incorporate some of her suggestions as I run out of some of the things I have, and as I do I'll let you know how the more environmentally friendly do-it-yourself alternatives work.

Another book I've been reading, which kind of relates to some of the things Madeleine Somerville talks about, is Tox-Sick by Suzanne Somers. In this book, Suzanne talks about how environmental toxins made her and her family sick, and what kind of things they had to do in order to heal. A lot of the things she talks about involve getting back to eating more organically-grown food and less processed food, and also using cleaners and other products that have fewer chemicals in them (this is where the recipes and suggestions in "All You Need is Less" can come handy), as well as using fewer things that have plastic in them, and protecting yourself from EMFs (electromagnetic fields) and cell phone radiation.

Overall, these two books are very interesting and provide a lot of valuable information on how to live a greener lifestyle and eliminate or reduce the amount of toxins you take in. 

My Stress Echo And My Workout Schedule for this Week

Good morning! Today was my rest day, except for the short workout I got when I went to have my stress echocardiogram done this morning. For those of you who have never had a stress echocardiogram, it's a test where ultrasound pictures are taken of your heart before and after you've done some kind of cardiovascular exercise, like riding a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill - in my case it was walking on a treadmill. When you first come in, they hook electrodes up to your chest so they can measure your heart rate during the stress test, and then they put this kind of slimy stuff on you so they can take the ultrasound pictures - anyone reading this who has ever had a baby knows what that's like. When they technician was taking ultrasound pictures of my heart before I walked on the treadmill, they showed me the different valves and arteries from different angles - I got to see my mitral valve and my aorta, as well as some of the different heart chambers, and I got to see how the blood flows through my heart. After he took the first set of ultrasound pictures of my heart, I walked on the treadmill for a few minutes - I started out at a slow walk, then they sped up the treadmill a little bit and raised the incline and I was at a faster walk, then they sped up the treadmill a little bit more again and raised the incline a little bit more, and I was at a run. That's about as far as I got - I'm not sure how many beats per minute I got my heart up to, but if my memory is correct, when I had this test done about 7 years ago, I don't remember getting up to a run, so I think I did pretty good this time. Of course back then, I wasn't in as good of shape as I am now - this was before I did P90x or any of the Beachbody workouts.

After I ran on the treadmill for a few minutes, I got back on the table and the technician took a few more ultrasound pictures of my heart - I could tell it was beating a lot faster after being on the treadmill.  Overall, the technician said that he thought everything looked good, but I'll meet with the cardiologist in two weeks to find out for sure. I'll be sure to post an update after that appointment.

Almost forgot to post my workout schedule for this week! This week is going to be a recovery week, so my workout schedule will be as follows:

Tuesday - Core Synergistics
Wednesday - Interval X Plus
Thursday - Yoga X (will probably substitute X Stretch, or look for a shorter yoga workout)
Friday - Abs/Core Plus
Saturday - Cardio X (may substitute Kenpo Caridio Plus)
Sunday - Core Synergistics

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Legs and Back, Pilates for Abs and Glutes, and My Measurements

Good morning! This morning I did the P90x workout  for Legs and Back, but instead of doing the Ab Ripper X workout, I decided to do a pilates ball workout for abs and glutes - that was a nice change. This morning I also took my measurements, and this is what I ended up with for results:

Date
4/12/16
5/13/16
6/12/16
Chest
30
30
31.5
Waist
29
28.5
27.5
Hips
35.25
35
34.5
Upper Arm (right)
10
10.5
11
Thigh (right)
20.5
20.5
22.5
Calf (right)
13
13
12.75

Not sure how accurate that is, but it looks like overall I'm gaining inches - maybe because I went up in weight. 

Tomorrow I have my stress test - will be interested to see what that shows. Hope everyone has a great day! 

Friday, June 10, 2016

X Stretch, Weight Loss and Plans for the Weekend

Good morning! I'm pleased to say I got on the scale this morning and had a two pound loss - down to 122.5. Hoping I can keep it going down now. This morning's workout was X Stretch, which felt great after the strength training and aerobics I've been doing this week. Not sure what I'll be doing this weekend, but I hope everyone has a good one!

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Chest, Shoulders and Triceps and Pilates Workout for Abs

Good morning! This morning I did Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, and instead of doing Ab Ripper X, I did a Pilates mat and weight workout for abs, because I was running short on time. As usual, I got a good workout from both. I'm hoping that my day goes well at work today - yesterday was just the way I like it - steady but not so busy I couldn't keep up with it, which meant I ended up with a good day and ended the pay period well. Hope everyone has a great day!

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Plyometrics

Good morning! This morning's workout was Plyometrics, which I got a good workout from, as usual. I'm finding that workout's getting a little harder for me though - starting to notice some aches in my joints, so I may have to take the impact down a little bit or change to a different workout.

Hoping that the rest of the day is good for me and for everyone reading this blog. Everyone have a great day!

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Back and Biceps and Ab Ripper X

Good morning! This morning's workout was Back and Biceps and Ab Ripper X - had a good workout as usual - and did do Ab Ripper X this morning, and actually found it easier to do, so I think that taking a week off from doing Ab Ripper X might have helped.

I also noticed something about the P90x workouts, and I'm going to ask about this in one of the Facebook groups I belong to - I've noticed that the second half of most of the workouts I do is a lot more enjoyable than the first half - I've noticed that about Plyometrics, Ab Ripper X, and today I noticed that about Back and Biceps. I'm not sure why that is - if it's because my muscles are good and warmed up by then or what - but like I said I'm going to ask about it in one of my Facebook groups and see if anyone else has noticed that.

Hope everyone has a great day and don't forget to bring it!

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Legs and Back, My Plans for the Day and My Workout Plan for the Coming Week

Good morning! This morning's workout was Legs and Back - again I didn't do Ab Ripper X because of lack of time. This morning I've been working on some transcription as well as a few other things. I'll probably use part of the day to work on some transcription as well as (hopefully) spend some time with Kevin before he leaves go to out of town for the week.

This coming week I plan to do the following workouts:

Monday - Rest Day
Tuesday - Back and Biceps and Ab Ripper X
Wednesday - Plyometrics
Thursday - Chest, Shoulders and Triceps and Ab Ripper X
Friday - X Stretch
Saturday - Kenpo Cardio
Sunday - Legs and Back and Ab Ripper X

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Kenpo Cardio and My Plans for Today

Good morning! This morning's workout was Kenpo Cardio, which I got a great workout from as usual - I was also able to get my heart rate monitor to work this time - I need to remember to only use a little bit of gel on it.

Not sure what I plan to do today - I've already washed the dishes from yesterday and put away the laundry I did last night. I may spend some time working on some other projects - hope everyone has a great Saturday!

Friday, June 3, 2016

Chest, Shoulders and Triceps and Gained Half a Pound

Good morning! This morning I did a Chest, Shoulders and Triceps workout. I also got on the scale this morning and found I was up to 124.5 - gained half a pound. That's actually not bad considering how much I ate last weekend in Michigan. I'm hoping to get at least some of it off this coming week, because Kevin will be out of town for at least a few days.

That's it for now, hope everyone has a good weekend!

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Plyometrics

Good morning! Did Plyometrics this morning and had a good workout, as usual - I always get a good, sweaty workout when I do that workout. Couldn't get my heart rate monitor to record my heart rate though, for some reason - I think maybe because I used heart rate monitor gel on it when I really didn't need it because I do get real sweaty. So next time I do that workout I won't use the heart rate monitor gel and see if that makes a difference.

Hoping that today is like the last few days have been - steady but not to crazy. Hope everyone has a great day!

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Back and Biceps and Lessons I Learned from "The Saint, The Surfer and the CEO"

Good morning - this morning's workout was Back and Biceps - was also going to do Ab Ripper X, but ended up not having enough time. Got a great workout as usual - I used my resistance bands to do the pull-up exercises because I didn't feel like having my husband get up and put up my chin-up bar.

I also wanted to talk about some of the lessons I learned and the ideas I got from one of the books I read this past weekend, "The Saint, The Surfer and the CEO," by Robin Sharma. The book is a fictional story about a man named Jack who meets three people - a priest named Mike, a surfer named Moe, and a CEO named Tess. He spends a month with each of them, and they all teach him different lessons about how to live a better life. I got some ideas for how I can make my life better by reading each of those stories - I've started meditating again, and I've also downloaded a few more books I want to read - "The Art of Living," by Epictetus, and "The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius." I've also downloaded and read a few other books - "All You Need is Less," which I'll talk about tomorrow, and I'm in the process of reading "Tox-Sick - From Toxic to Not Sick," by Suzanne Somers - I'll talk about that once I'm finished with it.

That's about it for today - I'll talk about these other books in future posts, as well as the progress I'm making with the changes in my life as a result of reading these books.