Workout for Wednesday, March 21

Today was a gorgeous day and I was able to work from home.  This means I was able to squeeze a workout in at noon and take an hour long walk at night.

For the noon workout I did The Firm Total Body Time Crunch with Rebekah Sturkie.  This is a 45-minute total body workout with strength-building sections inter-spread with cardio.  I got a very good, sweaty workout.

Workout for Tuesday, March 20

Finally did another Firm workout!  I did The FIRM Jiggle Free Buns workout, led by Pam Cauthen.  This is a 30 minute workout utilizing the TransFIRMer.  It alternates cardio with sculpting moves.  I have to say, my heart rate really went up with this.  I think it was all of the tall box climbs.  Plus, I did this after workout after I went on a one-hour very hilly walk.

Although I haven't posted recently, I have been working out.  Workouts have consisted of walking, Turbo Jam, Cathe, etc.  I will continue to post each time I do a Firm workout until I can officially say that "I've done them all!"

Workout for Wednesday, March 7

Today I did Cathe's Pyramid Upper Body - Pyramid Up Premix (minus abs) plus a 2+ mile walk.

Workouts for Monday, February 27 - Tuesday, March 6

Wow...I've been missing in action.  Yes, I've still been working out.  I just haven't had a lot of opportunity to blog.  And I haven't been doing very many Firm workouts. I still intend to finish my challenge, but it will take longer than originally anticipated. 

I have two issues:

• First, I have a slight arthritic condition that sometimes prevents me from doing certain workouts.  There are several Firms that move more quickly (with twists, turns, etc.) and/or have high impact moves that aggravate my condition.  I can modify some of the moves, but there are some days I'm just not going to do it.
• Second, I have sooo many workouts.  It's easy for me to be consistent with working out, but very difficult for me to stick to one way of working out.  Also, with the weather getting nicer, I'm going to be taking my workouts outside.  DH and I enjoy walking/hiking and biking, and that comes first!

So it may take me a long while to get through them all, but I'll do it eventually!  Here's what I have been doing:

Monday, February 27:  Leslie WATP 2 Mile Brisk Walk

Tuesday, February 28:  OFF

Wednesday, February 29:  1 hour walk + Winsor Pilates Buns and Thighs

Thursday, March 1:  Leslie Sansone Walk at Home 3 Mile Weight Loss Workout

Friday, March 2:  The FIRM TransFIRM Your Trouble Zones - this is a 46 minute workout led by Kelsie Daniels utilizing a 5 pound kettlebell.  I like the workout, but I don't care for the kettlebell that comes with it (it hurts my hands).  I use a different one, and the workout is much more enjoyable!

Saturday, March 3:  OFF

Sunday, March 4:  Cathe Pyramid Upper Body - Pyramid Up Premix (minus abs) + Leslie Sansone 1 Mile

Monday, March 5:  Brazil Butt Lift High and Tight + Leslie Sansone Walk at Home Walk Your Belly Flat 3 Mile Walk

Tuesday, March 6:  The FIRM Sculpted Buns, Hips and Thighs + 1 hour (hilly) walk
SBHT is a 35 minute parts workout led by Tracie Long.  The entire workout takes place on the floor (in fact, I think it used to be called "Lie Down and Workout").  The title is a little misleading since a great deal of the workout concentrates on abs.  I enjoy this one, and like to squeeze it in after another workout or in the mornings.

Workouts for Wednesday, February 22 - Sunday, February 26

Well, I have been working out.  Work has been a bit crazy lately, and I've still been getting over my head cold, but I'm plodding along.  I only got one Firm workout in though.  That's okay....I'll get to them all at some point. I'm in no hurry.

Wednesday was Kathy Smith Kettlebell Solution - Bun and Thigh Solution and Leslie Sansone's WATP Walk and Kick.

Thursday was Leslie Sansone's Two Mile Super Walk.   I was surprised with this one.  This one uses cables which you attach to your feet, and the handles are in your hands.  I adjusted them so there was some decent tension.  I was fine while I was doing it, but so sore the next day.

Friday was the day from hell.  Work was crazy and I had a lot of personal stuff going on.  I took the day off from working out and made chocolate chip cookies!  LOL!

 
Saturday I did The Firm BSS3 Complete Body Sculpting with Christa Riley.  It's a 45 minute workout, and I did feel like a got a good one.  I'm not a fan of this series, though.  Love the ramp work, but you can barely hear the instructor.

Sunday I did Leslie Sansone's WATP 3 Mile High Calorie Burn Walk and Winsor Pilates Buns and Thighs Sculpting.

Workouts for Monday, February 20 - Tuesday, February 21

I'm starting to feel better, but not quite 100%.  I'm continuing with my Leslie Sansone's until I'm ready to do my Firms again.

On Monday I did WATP Express 3 Mile Advanced Walk

On Tuesday I did WAH 3 Mile Weight Loss Walk

Workouts for Thursday, February 16 - Sunday, February 19

UGH!  I've been under the weather.

On Thursday, I got up early and got a workout in because I knew I would be working late and wouldn't have time in the evening.  I did Leslie Sansone's WATP Express 2 Mile Brisk Walk.

Unfortunately, toward the evening I realized I was coming down with something.  On Friday, I decided I better work at home so as not to get everyone else sick.  I did not workout.

On Saturday, DH and I were in PA visiting our families.  I usually take the day off when we are visiting them, but I would have taken it off anyhow as I was just feeling miserable.

Today (Sunday), I felt a smidgen better.  I did another two-mile walk with Leslie:  Burn Body Fat and Sculpt Your Arms.  She has three separate workouts on one video, so it's a bargain.  The two mile was good for me today.

I have to say that I typically really enjoy Leslie's workouts. They are perfect when I need to squeeze in something quick and simple (especially useful in the mornings!). They are great when I'm feeling a little under the weather and not quite up to doing a Firm workout (or Cathe, or Chalene, or whatever).  And they are also good when I want a "feel-good" workout led by an extremely positive person.  Leslie could have the tendency to get on some people's nerves.  I know she wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.  But after reading two of her books (and I'm reading her third now:  "Walking the Walk"), I really respect and admire her.  Her chattiness and bubbly personality is genuine.  When I think of an instructor who I would actually want to be friends with, Leslie would be that person.  Her workouts will always have a place on my shelves.

Workout for Wednesday, February 15

Today's workout was The FIRM Lower Body Split.  This is a parts workout and is approximately 70 minutes long.  I used to use this workout fairly consistently, and I loved it.  I still think it's a great workout, but I was shocked how many lunges/dips and squats there were.  Good thing I have good knees!  There are a few short cardio segments interspersed throughout the workout.  I know my heart rate was up there at some points, and I got a good sweat going.

Workout for Tuesday, February 14

Today I did Leslie Sansone's WATP High Calorie Burn 2 mile in the morning.  Leslie is a good one to do in the morning as her workouts require little thought, and get your blood pumping, but you're not exhausted afterward.

In the evening I did The FIRM Upper Body which is a parts workout that contains segments from Volumes 1 - 6.  The workout is 39 minutes (with warm-up/cool-down).  Frankly, it felt longer.  It's pretty thorough.  One thing I don't care for with the older Firms is the extremely long warm-ups/cool-downs.  Of course, their newer offerings are at the other end of the spectrum where they jump right in.

Workouts for Saturday, February 11 - Monday, February 13

Well, I haven't been blogging, but I have been working out.  Here's the breakdown:

I had planned Saturday as a rest day as DH and I were supposed to go to PA to help my Mom with some things.  However, the weather held us back, so I did a 4 Mile Leslie:

On Sunday, I did Firm Super Sculpting.  This is a tough 50 minute workout led by: Jen Carmen - warm-up and upper body, Nancy Tucker - lower body, Dale Brabam - upper body, and Carissa Foster - lower body w/abs and stretch (in that order).  I also did Leslie Sansone's Faith Walk, which is a two mile walk that comes with Leslie's "Walk the Walk" book (which I borrowed from my Mom).

Today, I did BBL High and Tight in the morning, and this evening I did The FIRM Tough Cardio Mix.  This workout is 45 minutes and consists mostly of Firm Fat Blaster with some segments from the Firm Cardio and Firm Strength Crosstrainers.

Workouts for Thursday, 2-9 and Friday, 2-10

Life has been crazy, and it's been hard to get much activity it, but I am keeping as consistent as possible.

Yesterday (Thursday), I got up early and did Leslie Sansone WATP Express 2 Mile Brisk Walk.  No evening workout as I was out again.

Today (Friday), I had just did one workout in the evening.  I did The FIRM Wave Rock it Off with Allison.  This workout is good, but it takes a couple of times to get the moves down.  Alison goes crazy-fast, and her queuing is a little hard to catch.  It's about 40 minutes and is cardio/sculpt.

Workout for Wednesday, February 8

This morning I did Brazil Butt Lift High and Tight, and this evening I did The Firm Weighted Cardio Gloves Workout.  The Weighted Cardio Gloves workout is only 20 minutes long and is led by Rebekah Sturkie.  It's just her in the video (no background exercises).  I thought it would be primarily kickboxing, but there was only a little kickboxing in it.  It was high low, with a little core toning.  It's an okay workout when you are pressed for time, which I was.

Workouts for Monday, February 6 and Tuesday, February 7

On Monday, I did Brazil Butt Lift High and Tight in the morning and took an hour long walk in the evening.

On Tuesday, I did The FIRM Better Body and Buns.  This is from the Tri-Trainer series, and one of my favorite workouts.  I enjoy all of the Tri-Trainers.  The 45-minute length is perfect for me for most days.  This one is led by Jen Carmen, Jennifer Peluso, and Taber Bruner.  The set is the classic mansion set, and the level is intermediate (though you can heavy up and make it very difficult).

Workouts for Friday, February 3 - Sunday, February 5

 On Friday, I walked with DH for 1 hour and did Winsor Pilates Buns and Thighs.

On Saturday, I took a much-needed day off as we were visiting our families in PA.

On Sunday, DH and I took a 1+ hour (very hilly) walk.  I also did The FIRM Dangerous Curves Ahead.  This one is a butt-kicker.  It's a 55 minute Cardio+Sculpt workout led by Alison.  The workout uses light weights and the "Firm loop."  I wish it had a little more lower body work using the loop, but I thought it was a good, challenging workout.

Workout for Thursday, February 2, 2012

Another two-workout day.  I got up early and did Brazil Butt Lift High & Tight.

In the evening, I did Workout #2 of The FIRM Bootcamp 3-in 1.  This one is 40 minutes.

Workout for Tuesday, January 31 and Wednesday, February 1

On Tuesday, I got up early again and did Brazil Butt Lift High and Tight again.  I also took an hour walk with DH to/from our local Panera.

On Wednesday, I got up early and did Winsor Pilates Buns and Thighs. In the evening I took a 40 minute walk (about 2.5 miles), and then did The Firm Jiggle Free Abs with Allie Del-Rio.  This is one of the add-ons for BSS4, and it runs about 25 minutes.  I liked the workout and was glad to see they used some creative moves (it wasn't all just lying on the floor doing crunches).  My only complaint is a personal one for me since I have issues with my wrist...doing planks on the TransFirmer is nearly impossible.  I did them, but modified them on my knees.

Workout for Monday, January 30

Well, it occurred to me that our next cruise is exactly 60 days away, and I had really wanted to be close to my goal by then.  Unfortunately, the scale is just not cooperating.  I've lost 4.5 pounds since January 1, but I'm still trying to chisel away the holiday pounds.

My eating has been pretty good, though it's hard when you eat out a lot.  I always seem to have something.  Like this week I have two lunch meetings, a walking trip with DH to Panera tomorrow night, a girls' night out on Wednesday night, and this weekend we'll be going out on Saturday at least once (twice if we're visiting our families in PA...haven't decided if we're going there or not).  So that makes watching the calories a little more difficult.

I've been consistent with my workouts, but I think I need to kick it up a notch.  So this morning I woke up at the butt crack of dawn so that I could get a workout in before work.  I did Brazil Butt Lift High and Tight, which is my favorite workout of the Brazil Butt Lift series.  It's about 37 minutes and I always feel it.  I'm hoping to do this one and Winsor Pilates fairly consistently before the cruise as they do seem to tighten things up for me.

Tonight I did Firm Volume 6 (aka "Boomers).  This is from the Classics series, featuring Jayme Poteet.  It clocks in at 52 minutes and has a lengthy warm up and cool down stretch.  There are some portions that are tough (the hover squats alternated with shoulder presses with the barbell come to mind).  Other parts are easy, so it evens out.

Workout for Sunday, January 29

Beautiful, sunny day here in Ohio.  I love the weekends since I can get my workout done in the mornings or early afternoons.  Otherwise, I have to do them in the evenings after work.

Today I did The FIRM Aerobic Body Shaping from the BSS4 series with Allie Del-Rio.  This is one of my all-time favorite workouts.  It's about 54 minutes.  It also has a "Bonus 10-Minute Lower Body Workout" on the DVD, which is really 8 minutes.  Again, why do they do that?  Strange.  But I did that workout as well.

Workout for Saturday, January 28

I had a terrific workout today.  I did The FIRM Lower Body Sculpt I and Lower Body Sculpt II.  Both come from the BSS1 series and are 30 minutes each.  Lisa Kay leads LBSI, and Libby Heath leads LBSII.  I'm not sure they would be "enough" by themselves, but combined, they are great!  I don't think I've ever done LBSII before (and I've had these since they came out!).  Libby is really a great lead!  She's very graceful and elegant.

Workout for Friday, January 27

I needed to take a break from The FIRM tonight.  So I pulled Chalene Extreme's Get Lean Intervals.  This is one of my favorite cardio workouts in the CLX series.  I'm not sure about the actual time, but I think it's a little over 40 minutes.

Intense cardio followed by recovery light weights (which I find to be pretty challenging).  Perfect for when you want to kick your own ass.

Workout for Thursday, January 26

Thursdays are always busy days for me, and my workouts are usually short.  Today was no exception.  I did The Firm Upper Body Sculpt with Janet Brooks from the BSS2 series which is 35 minutes long.  This utilized the stupid Sculpting Stick, weights and the Fanny Lifter.  This is probably the second time I've ever done this workout, and I purchased it when it first came out.  I remember hating it the first time.

This time, I thought it was okay.  I think there are some good moves it.  Unfortunately, I have to modify some parts due to the arthritis in my wrist.  Push-ups are doable, but I have to be careful with them.  Triceps dips are out.  I do a French press instead.

Workout for Wednesday, January 25

Tonight I did The FIRM Bootcamp 3-in-1 workout.  This video has 2 workouts on it:  the first is 42 minutes, and the second is 40 minutes.  You also have the option of combining the workouts (fast-forwarding through some parts) for one 71-minute workout.  Yes, I have the original release which is in VHS format (and Dale Brahbam (sp?) is on the cover).

Well, I wasn't quite feeling up to a 71-minute workout tonight, so I did the first workout.  It was kind of strange as it started with a lot of bouncing around cardio parts (which I loathe), and then it was all strength moves.  The transitions were a little rushed too.  I ended up getting a good workout though.

Workout for Tuesday, January 24

I took off yesterday (Monday) as I didn't get home until 8:30 p.m. and was just not energetic enough.

Tonight I did The Firm Ab Sculpt with Lisa Kay from the BSS1 series. This is a 25 minute workout, and I'm not sure what I thought about it.  It's kind of a mix between ab work, breathing exercises, and stretching.  I don't think I'll be pulling it out again anytime soon.

I also did Winsor Pilates Buns and Thighs Sculpting.

Workout for Sunday, January 22

My DH and I traveled to PA to see our families on Saturday, so I took the day off.

Today (Sunday) I did FIRM Cardio with Heidi Tanner.  This is one of the Cross-trainers that came out after the Classics.  It is set in a "library" setting, and runs about an hour.  I'm not sure of the exact time.  This is a good workout with a killer table work section at the very end.

Workouts for Thursday, Jan 19 and Friday, Jan 20

Thursday was a bit of an "off" day.  I had a get-together with my book club at a martini bar and didn't get home until after 9:00.  I pushed myself to get at least some kind of workout in, so I did Winsor Pilates Bun and Thigh Sculpting.

Today's workout (Friday) was The Firm Get Chisel'd with Rebekah Sturkie.  This workout is 41 minutes, and it has a bonus 15 minute workout called Kick it Into Gear.  I did both workouts, and I was working hard.  It's kind of deceptive as it starts off fairly easy.  I do enjoy this one.

Workout for Wednesday, January 18

Today's workouts:

I did The FIRM Parts Not-So-Tough Aerobic Mix (minus the final stretch) and The FIRM Parts Lower Body Sculpting minus the warm-up/stretch.  The whole thing took about 1 hour.

If done separately, NSTA is about 40 minutes, and LBS is about 30.

Between the two, I had a pretty good sweat going!

Workout for Tuesday, January 17

Tonight I did The Firm Total Muscle Shaping from the BSS3 series.  Although I didn't care for the BSS3's, this is a pretty decent workout.  It moves slow enough where you can get the moves, and the cardio on the incline is easy to catch.  It is around 45 minutes and Stephanie Corley Huckabee leads.  I do have to do the abs on the floor instead of the incline.  Good gravy, that would hurt my back!

I also did Winsor Pilates Buns and Thighs Sculpting.