Barefoot & On the Mat: November 2020 Check-In

[Paine]

Greetings and welcome to the monthly Barefoot & On The Mat check-in! This is a long-running VF check-in. We're a cozy, friendly group who enjoy a wide variety of workouts, but we have a special fondness for those traditionally done without shoes. If you enjoy yoga, pilates, barre, qi gong, Classical Stretch/Essentrics, Ellen Barrett, etc. (or even if you simply prefer doing traditional workouts without shoes!) you'll feel right at home. It's absolutely fine if you wear shoes while working out too!

Please feel free to join in. We love hearing from new, returning and guest Mat Mavens. Our welcome mat is always out!

Back later with my workout....

[toaster]

Paine, thanks for getting us started for November!

DH & I tend to stay up late on Saturdays, so I enjoyed the extra hour of sleep last night. I might try Alchemista today.

Who saw the full hunter blue moon last night? It was gorgeous here!

Happy Sunday!

[Paine]

Flow and Yin with Donna Helm-Yost (Yin Yoga practice)

This morning I did 50 minutes of the Yin Yoga practice.

Beth, I missed the full hunter blue moon!
It is supposed to be a sunny 77 degrees F today, so a very pretty day.

[JustSandra]

Hi there!

Paine, thanks for starting us off this month.

Today is my little grandniece's birthday -- she is five years old!

Last month I focused on Margaret Richard strength workouts, which I intended to supplement with additional core and stretch. That didn't exactly work out as I tended to skip over the latter. So for this month my focus will be on following one of Jessica Smith's rotations. I've chosen her 2019 Healthy For the Holidays! Besides being well-balanced, this particular rotation includes a weekly rest/active recovery day, and also a weekly "wild card" day. For the other days Jessica lists a DVD selection but also a similar YouTube workout. I'd like to do more of her YouTube stuff, so since I don't have all of the DVDs she uses this month I'll have sufficient motivation. I also plan to continue my long outdoor walks since the weather for them is perfect right now.

Waving to all -- be back later with today's workout!

[Anny]

Thank you, Paine, for the start. Enjoy your weather!

Sandra I like the sound of the Jessica rotation; it also gives you options to add in other workouts.

I’m thinking of doing an all Joyce rotation for November. Last week was Definition and I’m thinking that this week will be either the 12 minute workout or the College Dorm workout. Supplemented with walking where possible, of course.

[toaster]

Sandra, wow, those 5 years have flown! Are you celebrating with her?

Paine, I had typed a reply to you earlier...no idea where it went, but that's how this day is going. With your beautiful day there you are likely to be able to see the moon tonight.

I am not having a good start to November! I've just had a series of frustrations all day. One is with Alchemista; I could not get it to play without interruptions. Although my wireless internet is sometimes spotty in my workout room (in the basement), I can play YouTube videos fine. There seems to be something about how Alice streams her videos that causes problems for me, as I have had issues with Shakti Warrior this past week as well (although not as bad). I might have to download the Alchemista routines in order to do them, which would be a pain.

I had mixed feelings about what I did see from the first Alchemista workout (I watched/practiced off & on for about 10 minutes). I didn't like the opening meditation voiceover with Jumana. I don't mind spiritual, but she is WAY to over-the-top for me; I much prefer Alice. When Alice picked up the routine with live instruction, I liked it better. I actually found it very similar to Shakti Warrior #5, which I did yesterday, except that it was much slower for no apparent reason.

Here was my week:

Monday
PopSugar Fitness (YT) - 30m At Home Cardio Boxing (meh)
Shakti Warrior - Lesson #2
DoYouYoga (YT) - Cool Yoga Twists (a fave)

Tuesday
TAUGHT Yoga
Shakti Warrior - Lesson #3

Wednesday
Mark Wildman (YT) - Hip Mobility to Fix Low Back Pain
Shakti Warrior - Lesson #4
David Swanson (YT) - Just Relax (@30m, another meh)

Thursday
HDM (YT) - Armatics Taster (in office)
Get Ripped & Jacked - Back, Biceps, Shoulders
Massage Therapy Kit - Shoulders (floor)

Friday
Lee Holden (YT) - Qi Gong for Deep Sleep

Saturday
Hatha yoga class
30MTF Your Best Body - Workout #1 with no legs premix
Shakti Warrior - Lesson #5

Sunday
Annie Taylor Efremsky (YT) - Kickboxing Arm Burnout (another meh - anyone seeing a pattern here? )
attempted and abandoned Alchemista
did 8 20-second sets of prisoner squats (the start of a Heather Robinson workout that I also abandoned)
Yoga with Time (YT) - Yoga for Emotional Stability (Tim saved my day!!!)

My 10-year old niece just Facetimed me...that also brightened my mood. Plus, I have 2 loaves of pumpkin apple bread in the oven!!!

[cyana]

Hello November! The good news....work should start slowing down some this month, which is much-needed because I'm pooped! This was the second week that I struggled mightily to get any meaningful work-outs done (gulp). I got out for a walk one morning, and it went a long way in reinforcing how important it is to get outdoors and away from the electronic devices. Oh darn, I missed the full moon last night. My November goals are more walking, yoga/Essentrics and strength training. Must focus on recovering from stiff old lady stuck at the desk syndrome!

Since I tend to think of work-related on-line meetings these days, what a nice departure that Pam and Pat got to do an on-line yoga class together.

Pat - I'm glad you're still enjoying Templesounds - that 11 minute chakra meditation is one of my favorites. That's good news on your stove. I've been wanting a freezer for several years and I guess I'll be waiting forever since those are in such high demand. Hope you get in some wonderful beach walks this month.

Beth and Pam - I'm one of those people who has to be careful with fish pose as sometimes I get a massive wave of nausea, so I tend to avoid it whenever possible. Thanks for the link to the Sherry Zak video - Beth. I'll definitely try your Spacious Spine practice.

Sandra - Happy Birthday to your grandniece today - it's hard to believe she's already five!

Linda - I've never moved with cats. When I brought my shelter cat home we had a room set up for him. He dutifully checked it out and after about 15 minutes, went to the door as if to say "Come on guys, let's check out the rest of this joint." That was the end of him being confined to the cat room! Might your surgeon give you a pre-op referral for a consult with an occupational therapist who might be able to help you with strategies for navigating post-op life one-handed?

Paine - I'm glad you mentioned Essentrics S&S in Motion - that might be good medicine to perk me up - especially "The Birds" episode. I've found Melatonin to be one of the great mysteries of the world. I think the dosage varies tremendously from person to person and that more isn't necessarily better/more effective. My doctors have encouraged me to play around with it over the years and I switch up the dosage regularly.

Anny - Hope you and your friends had a nice outing in Barangaroo. Hooray that your sons will be coming to Sydney soon.

Carolyn - Reading about your work-outs keeps reminding me that I need to dust off some of my R/A videos! FF or Happy Hormones would be good medicine.

Sherry - I hope your headache passed. I woke up with a headache this morning that I attribute to computer neck from spending so much time in front of the computer.

Waves to Garrie - hope all is well.

Here's hoping for a good fitness month for all!

[toaster]

Anny, sounds like you are finding rotations that work for you.

cyana, it makes me happy to hear that your busy period will be winding down. I've been getting in workouts but am still suffering from the stiff old lady stuck at the desk syndrome. Do you get nauseous from fish pose only when you do the classic version with the neck flexed backward & the top of the head on the floor? I think it is the neck constriction that can induce the nausea. My favorite way to do fish is on 2 blocks, with the 2nd block on the high end forming a "pillow" for plenty of neck support:
https://www.argentinarosadoyoga.com/...sado-Yoga-.jpg

Note: sometimes I use the back block vertically along the spine (between the shoulder blades), and sometimes I use it horizontally at the base of the shoulder blades.

[Garrie A.]

Hi all from the Mat Maven who can't keep up. LOL!

I've had a crazy October. Three weeks into the month, I learned that a student who took one of my classes tested positive. It was about two weeks since his last visit to the gym, so they told me to just monitor myself over the next few days. And lately, my BF had to quarantine due to close contact with a co-worker. So I've mostly been having to video chat with him every night. I was hoping to go out for Halloween, but alas we couldn't.

Work hasn't been too bad, although I did have to teach some extra classes during the month because one of the instructors traveled to Mexico to visit family, then when she got back had to quarantine for two weeks. Her quarantine period ended over the weekend. I had to work by myself a few days at the bookstore due to the manager having some health issues, but thankfully she is better now. This week she's taking time off so I'm back to working alone again.

On the workout front, last month I did Meso 1 of Cathe's STS, and this week I'm starting Meso 2 (Hypertrophy), my favorite. I've really enjoyed going through the program a second time. I noticed both some gains and losses in strength since my first round last year. One big factor is that the leg workouts aren't as dreadful as they were my first round. They still challenged me but they were much more doable.

I forgot to mention something fun that happened last week...

Karen Voight is now offering live online classes through Zoom. I heard about them through an interview on Muscle Mixes Music's Facebook page. They are pay by the class, and she is offering two types: Core & Stretch on Mondays and Fridays; Body Sculpt on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. I took a Body Sculpt class last Sunday. The class was 90 minutes but flew by. It started with a long warm-up then moved into light weight work. This part reminded me of her Great Weighted Workout, but with a modern feel to it. I used 3 lbs. but dropped to 2s. She fried my shoulders and upper back, then picked up heavier weights (I switched between 5s and 8s) for upper/lower combo moves. Some of the moves were kettlebell inspired. My heart rate was in a moderate range during the standing work. After this we moved to the floor for some tough core work. My entire core region was sore the next day, along with a little DOMS in my upper back. She did an interesting tricep push-up that also incorporated a superman variation. We finished with some hamstring and glute work on all 4s then did a nice, long stretch. I really enjoyed the class. Karen was excellent as always, and since some people had their cameras on, she was able to see you and correct your form in real time. I got both a little starstruck and startled at the same time when she corrected me at one point. "Garrie, watch your ribcage. You have a tendency on this exercise to protrude it out when you stand back up." And it came at just the right time, similar to how she instructs in her videos.

Back in a second with this week's workouts and personals...

[Garrie A.]

Workouts this week:

Sunday:
STS Meso 2, Disc 13 (Chest, Shoulders & Triceps)

Monday:
STS Meso 2, Disc 14 (Legs)
Barbell hip thrusts, 4 sets of 15 with a one minute break in between (45 lb. barbell)

Ahhhhh......Meso 2. The upper body workouts are similar to some of Cathe's other strength workouts (Gym Styles, Lift It HiiT It), but you use heavier weights and longer rest periods (no rush to change weights). And no push-up or band finishers. This week you start at 70% of 1RM. I missed doing barbell bench presses using the Fit Tower, and it felt great to do them.

The leg workout was killer, and consisted of three trisets (three exercises done for 10 reps each, each triset repeated three times with a 1 minute break in between). My heart rate got into the peak zone for 12 out of the 48 minutes. Then, to give my glutes a little extra love, I did four sets of barbell hip thrusts. I, of course, did lots of stretching afterwards.

Paine: Thanks for starting us off! Enjoy that warmth. It got down to 29 at my house last night and only in the 40s for highs today. I'm not Anny, but my favorite Joyce books are The Fat Burning Workout (upper body only), and Bottoms Up. I also like the Hard Bodies books she co-wrote with Gladys Portuguese.

Sandra: I can't believe your grandniece is already 5! Enjoy your Jessica Smith rotation. I tend to skip over core and stretch, too. My goal is to work my core 1-2x a week and devote one or two days per week to focused stretching. But I'm also giving my glutes extra focus, by adding barbell hip thrusts to my STS leg days, a lighter weight/higher rep glute focused workout to end the week, and a Ballet Beautiful add-on once a week (either one of the butt blasts on Body Blast, or a floorwork mix from Total Body or Backstage Workout). I ended up going on a Ballet Beautiful binge last week, and I bought two bundles from Amazon.

Anny: I've thought about doing a Joyce rotation at one point.

Linda: Hope you can work something out re your surgery. Not shifting gears, but I decided to cancel a DMV appointment to change my license to a REAL ID (since the Cathe road trip was cancelled).

Sherry: No candy giving at my house, either. Baked Potato Soup and Garlic Bread sounds YUMMY!

Pam: Congrats to you (and Beth) on winning the BellyFit workout!

Waves all around!