Barefoot & On the Mat 12/22-28: Winter Solstice Edition!

[YogaGal]

I didn’t workout on Christmas. I usually do a boxing workout on Boxing Day, but I forgot about that tradition and did boxing the day before Christmas. So today was Barre Sculpt from Jessica Smith’s Walk Strong 3.

[Garrie A.]

I hope the Mat Mavens who celebrate Christmas had a Merry one! After Monday I've been off all week, and I don't go back into work until the 2nd. It's been nice.

I'll post my workouts in my next post.

Cyana: Yes, I had a bit of Dinner Max yesterday. Good times and good food with family. It was really nice outside today; I was able to break out a short sleeved tee!

Paine: LOL on the weird movie rental. I'm not a big fan of Tarantino movies myself.

Beth: I'm glad your furnace is fixed! That is such an interesting fact about you being named after a Little Women character.

Sandra: I'm so sorry to hear about your niece, especially during this time. Hope your cold is gone.

Carolyn: I almost did a (kick)boxing workout today, but the weights were calling my name. I'm glad to hear your sciatica pain is gone!

Linda: Glad you're enjoying your rowing machine. Did you get to Skype with the man?

Anny: Your walks sound so nice.

I'll be back in a moment to post my workouts.

[Garrie A.]

Last week I did the second week of STS Meso 2, where I was introduced to "Back Off Sets" for the upper body. My Cathe Step Boss DVDs also arrived, so I snuck one in at the end of the week, and another one in this week.

Last week:

Sunday: STS Meso 2, Disc 16 (Chest, Shoulders & Triceps)

Monday: Cathe's IMAX 2, TAUGHT Ai Chi class

Tuesday: STS Meso 2, Disc 17 (Legs)

Wednesday: No formal workout

Thursday: TAUGHT Zumba class

Friday: STS Meso 2, Disc 18 (Back & Biceps)

Saturday: TAUGHT Fusion class, Cathe's Step Boss StepSync (main workout plus Ab Stacker--both were so much fun!)
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This week I'm working through the third week of STS Meso 2, and I was introduced to Double Wave Loading (for the upper body). It's similar to pyramiding, but instead of going back down once you're reached your heaviest weight--you start back at the lightest weight and repeat. You only do it for one exercise for each muscle--and I definitely felt it! It was especially tough on barbell curls.

Sunday: STS Meso 2, Disc 19 (Chest, Shoulders & Triceps)

Monday: Cathe's Step Boss IMAX 4 (good workout, and I loved how it was low impact...but it wasn't as fun as IMAX 2)

Tuesday: STS Meso 2, Disc 20 (Legs--no Double Wave Load, but Legs as always consists of three Tri-Sets each done three times); added Bonus Abs 2 from Step Boss IMAX 4 (good ab section but the Ab Stacker was more fun)

Wednesday: No workout (except for "Dinner Max" )

Today: STS Meso 2, Disc 21 (Back & Biceps)

Waves to all!

[Anny]

Garrie and Carolyn , it sounds like you have both managed to get in some good workouts!

Boxing Day (a public holiday) we got a ferry to another harbour bay , had a nice walk, and ended up at the pub on the bay for views and sparkling and a late lunch. I also did YWA Anchor to Hope Yoga . I enjoyed both the strength and the flow.

This morning I did Travel Yoga just because it was on the December calendar. I'm fitting walking into my day e.g. for errands and to walk to and from train stations, etc.

[luvcritters]

Today I rowed about 15 minutes until I got too hot. I need to work legs so I'll do that tomorrow. I still can't lay on my right side to do leg lifts with the left. The hip is fine but the outer side if the leg still hurts to touch or lay on. It's only been 7 months I say sarcastically.

Garrie - you're making me very interested in STS. I think I might like it.
No I didn't Skype with the man. Didn't talk to him either He texted twice, I say rolling eyes. He spent the day with family. Lucky him to have family.

[cyana]

TGIF!!!

Ugh....no work-out yesterday as I felt like crap from eating all the things I don't normally eat on Christmas Day - sweet potato casserole (sugar), maple popcorn (more sugar), various chocolates (gifts from DS - local products from small artisan vendors - delicious, but even more sugar), sourdough bread (gluten - another product DS brought over from a local vendor). I felt like I needed to go to Detox. I also felt like I needed to eat boatloads of green stuff yesterday, so I had a massive salad for lunch (lots of locally grown lettuce and arugula - NO E. coli!!!). Thankfully I'm feeling better this morning, so I'm hoping to get back on track with my work-outs today.

Garrie - I'm glad you enjoyed Christmas with your family as well as some mild temps this week. Good work-outs! Enjoy your time off.

Linda - I have hardly any family left - had DS and DIL not come over I would've been doing housework.

Carolyn - I like the idea of doing a boxing work-out for Boxing Day - I'll have to remember that.

Paine - I'll let you keep the snow in your neck of the woods. If I don't see a single flake all winter that would be perfectly fine.

Anny - Sounds like you had a really nice Boxing Day - I would've enjoyed that, too.

Waves to ALL. Going to get my work day started and hopefully wrap up a little early this afternoon.

[toaster]

I didn't realize I haven't posted in several days--hope everyone who celebrated Christmas had a happy one! Ours was good but tiring, as we spent both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with DH's family. I was going to sleep in yesterday, but I managed to get up early enough to drag myself to yoga with my teacher Aimee, which is good b/c I can only get to her classes when I'm off work.

Sandra, glad you are starting to feel better; my mom was sick on Christmas too.

Carolyn, it's been a busy time here too--I have something going on every day pretty much until I go back to work next Friday. Maybe we need an online movie-watching party so that we can all see Little Women.

Paine, that does sound sweet with your grandsons!

Anny, is Boxing Day big there? My friend who I co-teach the yoga brewery classes with is British, and I went to a Boxing Day party at her house a few years back. I also love Carolyn's idea of doing a boxing workout on Boxing Day! I will have to try to remember that for next year.

cyana, we are not quite at no-jacket weather, but it's in the low 50s here today, which definitely feels very nice for this time of year!

Haha Garrie, there was plenty of Eating Max/Dinner Max here too.

Linda, sounds like you are getting good use of the rowing machine so far. Sorry that you didn't have company on Christmas.

Today I did sleep in a little, which felt nice...but now I have to get my butt moving to go grocery shopping. Happy Friday!

[Anny]

Beth because Boxing Day is a public holiday here, and it is summer, it tends to be a day when people generally have fun. Or, because some of the major shops are open, for some people it is a day to go to the Boxing Day sales (not me! I'm so not a shopper).

Awesome summer day today, and no smoke haze. Might be a day for a swim as well as yoga.

[toaster]

Anny, sounds kind of like Independence Day here. Glad that today is free from smoke!

[Garrie A.]

Today's workout:
Susan Chung's RapidFire 4: Sweat (all minus core)

I've had this workout for nearly two years, and just got around to doing it. RapidFire 4 was a fun kickboxing and boxing workout. There are three rounds of kickboxing, followed by three rounds of boxing. For the most part, the workout was low impact except for a little bit of impact during the blasts and one part of a kickboxing combo. Susan was also a very pleasant, likeable instructor, and I enjoyed the upbeat music. To keep the workout around an hour, I skipped the core segment. This DVD was a winner! I have three of Susan's other DVDs and look forward to trying them.

Linda: Sorry you didn't have company on Christmas. STS is a great program. Mesocycle 2 (Hypertrophy) is my favorite so far, mainly because of the straightforward reps and sets (with a new intensity technique for the upper body workouts each week). Meso 1 (Endurance) was good too, although I felt it had too many push-ups and the sequencing was random. I start Meso 3 next month, which is the Strength phase (80 to 90% of 1 rep max, 6 to 8 reps). But I won't be doing the Squat Rack Legs DVDs, since I don't have one. So I'm doing Plyo Legs along with another Cathe leg workout later in the week (Pure Strength, Pyramid Lower, etc.).

Anny: Glad today was smoke free, too!

Beth: I wanted to sleep in, too, but had things to do today including getting my hair cut.

Waves to all!