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.

Workout for Monday, January 16, 2012

Tonight's workout was Cardio Sculpt Blaster with Lisa Kay.  This is a 30-minute workout from the BSS1 series.  It's easy to follow, and pretty much low impact.  I'd rate it as low intermediate, but you can punch it up a bit.

I followed it up with one of my favorite pilates workouts:  Winsor Pilates Bun and Thigh Sculpting.  I need to start using this one more often.

Workout for Sunday, January 15

Today I did 20 minutes on the treadmill and then The FIRM Slim and Sculpt Stability Ball Workout.  This workout is 30 minutes long, and Allie Del-Rio leads.  It's a pretty decent workout, especially for your core.  You need nothing but a stability ball.

I've been having a lot of issues with arthritis in my left wrist which makes moves like push-ups and planks nearly impossible, so I had to modify portions of this workout (as I have with other workouts recently).

Workout for Saturday, January 14

Today's workout was The Firm BSS4's Supercharged Sculpting.  The workout is 36 minutes and it has an additional stretch workout which called the 12 Minute Stretch Workout, but it's really about 8 minutes.  The stretch workout is yoga-ish.  As far as the actual workout, I do like it.  It hits everything fairly well, and I love the TransFirmer.

Workout for Friday, January 13

Tonight's workout was The Firm's Ultimate Fat Burning workout with Alison Davis.  This is (obviously) one of "the Pinks."  I've always really liked this workout.  It's low impact cardio...basic aerobics, four-limbed aerobics, and kickboxing).  The moves are easy to learn and repeat quite a bit.  It would probably drive choreography queens nuts, but on a Friday night after a long, stressful week, this was just right.  It's 41 minutes, and if you put energy into it, you'll end up with a good workout.

Workout for Thursday, January 12

Tonight I did The FIRM Standing Legs.  This is a Parts workout taken from the six Classics.  Though it is definitely lower body focused, there is some arm work in it here and there.  I pretty much ignored the heavier weight work for arms since I did an upper body workout last night and just wanted to focus on my legs/lower body.  This workout is 45 minutes long, and as the name indicates, is mostly standing leg work.
There are actually three leg press segments.  To keep it doable for me (a shorty), I use a 12" box and sometimes use a dowel instead of weights if I'm getting too winded.  I was glowing when I was finished.

Workout for Wednesday, January 11

Tonight's workout was The FIRM Jiggle Free Arms with Stephanie Huckabee.  This 30-minute workout was an add-on for BSS4 - The TransFIRMer series.  The workout consisted of upper body work in between cardio segments (hi/low, step and step on the incline).  I'm not sure I did this workout before.  I did enjoy it.

Workout for Tuesday, January 10

Another beautiful day today in NE Ohio.  This is not a typical winter!  We've been very luck with the weather.  After work, DH and I walk to and from our local Panera for dinner (1 hour total).  After that, I did The FIRM Pump, Jump 'n Jab with Kelsie Daniels.  This is a 41 minute workout with weight training inter-spread with cardio (kickboxing moves).  I tacked on the bonus workout:  Hit Every Muscle in 5 Minutes.  Overall, it was a decent workout and got my heart rate up.  I'm not a fan of Kelsie's cuing though.  She tends to yell her cues and sometimes I don't understand what she's saying to do.

Workout for Monday, January 9

Another beautiful day outside!  I wanted to get a walk in (in addition to my regular workout), but I had to work late so had limited time.  Tonight I did The FIRM Volume 5 - Abs, Hips and Thighs Sculpting with LaReine Chabut.  This is a 45 minute workout (I think!), which obviously targets the lower body.  The cardio is simple with a lot of quick, light upper body moves.  Although the hip/thigh/butt work is pretty good, the hardest part for me is the ab work.  This is kind of a quirky workout, and I think I'm in the minority that like it.  I guess for me, the length is perfect, and it targets the area I need the most help.

Workout for Sunday, January 8

Today was another gorgeous day, so my DH and I took a morning walk at a local reservation and ate at Panera (not our local one, but one a few miles away near the reservation) for breakfast.  The walk has some very steep hills, and it's sure to get your heart rate up.  We always really enjoy our walks there.  Today's walk was approximately 1 hour.  Hopefully it burned most of my bagel off.

Tonight I did The FIRM Cardio Step Mix.  This workout is 63 minutes and is comprised from parts from several different Firm workouts.  There is a non-step warm-up, 16 separate step segments (including a slower one at the end that acts as a cool-down), 2 step segments, and a stretch.  This is one of my favorite Firms.

Workout for Saturday, January 7

I've been MIA for the last two days from the blog as I was taking a little rest.  On Thursday, I was just plain tuckered out and needed to take a rest day.  On Friday, I did a one-hour walk with my DH, but no workout videos.

Today (Saturday), I did The FIRM BSS2 Total Sculpt Plus Abs with Jen Carmen.  This is a 55-minute workout, and I think it works everything fairly well.  I still think the sculpting stick is a joke (a regular dowel can be used for stability, and regular weights will work just fine), but they had to have some gadget to sell.

I also took a nice hour-long walk with DH around a nearby lake.  It was an unseasonably gorgeous day in NE Ohio!

Workout for Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Tonight's workout was The Firm Super Cardio Sculpt followed by Day 2 of Firm 5-Day Abs.

Super Cardio Sculpt is led by Nancy Tucker and was an add-on to BSS1.  It's 39 minutes of pure intermediate cardio.  It actually starts off fairly easy, but towards the end it cranks up a bit with step ups on the tall box.  Overall, I like the workout.  Nancy does a good job leading, and the moves are basic, but not totally boring.

Day Two of 5-Day Abs comes from Firm Volume 3.

Workout for Tuesday, January 3, 2012

I did The FIRM Maximum Body Shaping with Tracie Long tonight.  This was one of the workouts in the Tri-Trainer Series (originally named "All Weights").  It's a solid intermediate workout running 46 minutes.  Tracie's cuing is excellent, and I've probably done this workout too many times to count.  It's one of my favorites.

Workout for Monday, January 2, 2012

Today's workout was Firm Cardio Party and Workout #1 from Five Day Abs.

Firm Cardio Party was one of the workouts in the Firm CardioWeights (Pinks) series.  It's about 40 minutes and led in turns by Alison, Emily, Annie, Rebekah, and Allie.  I'd rate this one as intermediate.  You don't need any equipment for it, and it's mostly low-impact aerobics.

I figured I'd better start doing the Five-Day Abs video since I have that one, More Five-Day Abs, and Five-Day Stretch.  Ugh.  Well, they are fine to tack on to shorter workouts like Cardio Party.  I did the first workout in Five Day Abs which is the ab segment in Volume 2 with Janet Jones Gretzky.

Workout for Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year!!

Today's workout was The FIRM Cardio Sculpt led by Allie Del-Rio.  This workout was from the BSS1 system and is approximately 55 minutes long.

I've always liked this workout.  When the BSS1 system came out, I was disappointed to see that the "old Firm" was completely revamped into a more vanilla system, and the colors and music seemed drab and boring.  But I gave the workouts a chance, and I have to say that this is a good, total body workout.  As always, Allie does a great job leading.