Pilates Cross Trainers -- February 2021

[Usia]

Good morning!

Chris Freytag Walking Cardio Shape Up - both sections 42min
JS 15 Minute Walk On Power Pick Up

Oliver started walking all over me at about 2:30 in the morning. He wouldn't take no for an answer and was relentless in his demands for hugs. I finally got up about 4:30 and fed him. He continues to be obsessed with food and cleans his plate every time he's fed. We weigh him every week and he's gained about a pound in almost a month he's been with us. We're watching his weight very closely but he's ALWAYS hungry. He's very cheerful, happy and we love him!

Sunny but cold here today. I have to go to work today but I'm OK with it. Sometimes it's good to get out of the house.

Happy Friday everyone!

[donnamp]

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday after my meetings I did Ellen's new workout - Moving Meditation - it was 20 min and Yoga/CS/T'ai Chi -ish. I enjoyed it.

After reading and responding to threads about Pahla B on GD, I started to miss her, so today, I did:

Pahla B - Low Impact Cardio & Standing Abs - this is one from 2019 - she sent it out to her subscribers mid-week this week as a suggestion for a workout to do. She has recently changed her mini challenge format, so instead of sending a new playlist for the week every week, she is just filming 7 new workouts and releasing them in a playlist on the first of the month. But, it seems like she is also sending out a mid-week suggestion for an alternative workout to do as well. Anyway -this one got the job done and gave me the dose of Pahla I was missing.

Jessica Valent - 10 Min Pilates stretch.

So glad it is Friday!

We didn't get as much snow as predicted - it was a mix of sleet, freezing rain and snow - it is over the most part but still frozen out there.

I may do LWR's Winter Wonderland walk today after my meetings.

Hope everyone has a good day!!

Nice work, Dana!

Carol - are things improving in your area of Texas?

Waves, everyone...

Donna

[furmomof6]

Hi everyone,

Yesterday was "Snow Day Pilates" with Shaped by Faith. It was around 15 minutes. Today is Shovel-Max again!

I was watching a Youtube video recently with Pahla B and she was going through her fitness routine. This is probably naive of me, but I was really surprised that she does way more than just the videos she films! She also runs and does other types of weight training, etc. For some reason I thought she was in the shape she's in just by doing her workouts. I felt duped, lol! I have only used her workouts a few times though and never heard her tell anyone she doesn't do other workouts, so it was just my lack of knowing.

Donna, does Jessica Valant have many 10 minute workouts? I forget. I'm really looking for shorter workouts right now. I joined Robin's challenge, so I'll decide about re-joining the Sisterhood when she reopens. I'm torn because I like her approach, but I find myself easily bored with her.

Carol, I have friends that lost power for days in Texas. The weather there is crazy with all that snow!

Dana, Oliver sounds so sweet! I'm glad you said he's not losing any weight. I had a cat that used to go insane for food all the time, and she ended up being hyperthyroid. She also lost weight though, and constantly ran around like a nut too.

Waves!

[txhsmom]

Friday's workouts were

Pahla B - February Day 2 Fun Cardio Workout - 23 minutes;
Senior Shape - 10 Minute Abs & Core & 10 Minute Stretch

Pahla's cardio was exactly what it said it would be - fun cardio. All low impact, no transitions to the floor. It's getting to where I can actually tolerate cardio - I've always hated it in the past. But Pahla's cardio isn't too hard and doesn't hurt my ankle, so that's good.

Both of the Senior Shape workouts were from her 10 Minute series. I'm going to try to do the rest of the series this weekend. Her 10 Minute Stretch was heavenly - really, really, nice. Donna, you would love it, I think, even though you aren't a Senior! It was almost all lower body stretches, with just a little bit of upper body thrown in at the end.

We are lucky here in my part of Texas to be on a different power grid than the main power grid downstate. We've only had a few rolling blackouts, whereas they (downstate) were without power for days and apparently almost completely crashed their power grid. That would have meant months without power, something I can't (and don't) even want to envision.

I saw the arthritis doctor yesterday for my follow up - as expected, nothing showed up in the bloodwork that she did, although my hand x-rays were atrocious - all kinds of damage to my fingers and wrists. The diagnosis is erosive osteoarthritis, which is treated much like RA (but with less success), and I start medication today. We'll see - maybe I will be one of the lucky ones and we can stop the damage from progressing further. I think there's a reason I've gravitated towards workouts that use light weights.

Christine - Pahla used to train for and compete in ultra-marathons. She doesn't do that anymore - she does still run, I believe, but not the distances that she used to. So yes, her body is a product of all that earlier training, but she has stated recently that running too much and training too hard has caused her to gain weight or hang on to weight she was trying to lose so she doesn't train like that now that she is older. I have accidentally tried some of her earlier workouts, and some of them were brutual! Ponytail Pahla - as she calls herself - was much tougher.

Donna - Nice work! LOL on having to do a Pahla workout - so did I! And I may have to do another one today. We finally got above freezing yesterday and had sunshine, so my mood is much improved. We don't normally have cold snaps that last this long. It may be really cold for a day or two and then it's back to sunny and relatively warm. But this time it lasted 8 to 13 days of below freezing temps, depending on which part of the area you lived in - and that's way too long!

Dana - So glad that Oliver is adapting well to your home, although it sounds like he could use a little time-release melatonin at night... I'm still waiting on updated tracking on my Define and Align set. It supposedly left Chattanooga, but disappeared after that. Maybe I'll get it next week.

Waves to all ~

Carol

[donnamp]

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday as a break from my desk I did Day # 24 of Lucy Wyndham Read's Advent Calendar challenge - I 'm a bit behind, LOL! It was the winter wonderland walk w/ the fun background and the owl. I still have Day # 4 to finish before I can say I did it, LOL!

Today was:

Jenny Ford - March Across America # 1 - Utah. She put her March Across America series up for free on You Tube in honor of her son who sadly committed suicide earlier this year. The workout was her usual - Marching/low impact but the scenery was nice w/ the mountains in the background. Her You Tube channel for this series is Freedom Fit - she also has her own Jenny Ford channel. I do enjoy these for the scenery and she also has a Step Across America series. Some of those are available on Amazon if you have Prime.

Jessica Valent -Pilates for Runners - this was a good routine. I always feel better after doing Jessica V's Pialtes workouts...

Which brings me to - I'm going to switch gears for awhile and focus more on Pilates and PT type exercises along w/ low impact cardio and some basic strength stuff.

My SI joint has been flared up more or less since December - it was a little bit better in January but started to really bug me this month. I honestly don't think it is exercise that is the problem, I think it is more likely the movements and habits I have in real life that bother it. I know some of it is from the endless sitting I do in my home office - but some of it is also postural habits I have - like always crossing my legs - while it is good to be flexible enough to do that it is probably best not to do it all the time since it can weaken ligaments and such.

Anyway, I broke down and ordered an SI belt - and I'm going to try that for awhile. It is supposed to help stabilize the joint. Your are supposed to wear it 24X7 for 10-14 days and then just during the day for another couple of weeks.

I know I probably should go to the dr or see about PT - but honestly, I don't really want to - in part b/c of COVID - I don't necessarily want to go in person for a bunch of PT appointments and I feel that I have a sense of what I should be doing anyway - so we shall see how this works. Although I suppose I could probably do a telemedecine visit w/ my dr to get a referral and then probably could just get a list of exercises from a PT to do at home - but I do think they will mostly be what I know to do anyway - bridges, clamshellls, working on glute and hip strength and stability. So - basically Pilates!

I was able to do my workout w/ the SI belt and had no trouble sleeping w/ it on either. And, the good things about it so far is that if nothing else, I think it will help me to correct my postural habits - as it is a reminder to sit up straight, not cross my legs, not slump to one side, not to stand w/ one hip jutted out, etc. So that alone may be worth it. We shall see! I think it might also help me to cut back on the snacking as it is a reminder of my waistline, LOL!

Hopefully I'll be in shape for Jessica's newest when it is released!!!

And, it is good timing b/c there are a couple of Pilates challenges coming up in the next two weeks to keep things interesting!

Carol - thanks for the Senior Shape tip - I actually have some of her workouts in mind to try out over the next couple of weeks - while I try to avoid irritating my SI joint! I also have some Caroline Jordan on my radar as well as Pahla -

Ugh - I hope you get some relief from your arthritis - aging is not for the faint of heart - although to be honest, I have had back problems (and spider veins!) since I was in my 20's so - it is what it is.....it is just that these type of things don't improve w/ age!

Christine - yes, what Carol said about Pahla! She had indicated that she has cut back on her activities and i think she said somewhere that a 3 mile run is her sweet spot and that she does that a few times a week. She does stress in her videos that "moderate" is individual - so what is moderate for her may not be moderate for someone else. And, yes, her earlier stuff was much harder - even her Hot 100 workouts which were out at about the time I discovered her in 2017 are tougher. I think it was late 2018/2019 when she started scaling back. Oh, Jessica did put out a series of 10 min workouts - they may be on You Tube - although you may have to deal w/ ads, unfortunately.

Hope everyone has a good day!!

Donna

[Usia]

Good morning!

Nothing yet although I'm planning to do some sections of Supermodel Series DVD that I received couple of days ago. It's the Ballet Beautiful DVD. Whole DVD is 62min long but it's divided into 5 sections: Bridge, Abs Mix, Outer Leg, Inner Leg and Cardio. Looks like this will be a good add-on to whatever else I'm doing and I bought it because it's on DVD and there aren't that many DVDs released anymore.

This year I'm planning to phase out all my streaming subscriptions. My DoYouYoga expires in July and I won't renew because I don't use it and even though they have some pilates there too, I'm not that interested in their pilates. As far as JV and ePilates subscriptions go, they both will expire at the end of this year. I like them both but I just counted: In almost 2 months I've only done 4 Jessica Valant's workouts and only 6 of ePilates. Not a very good use of my money.

I will keep an eye on Define & Align Set and will buy it in the next month or so and will at least see what Jessica Smith comes out with. If it's streaming as I suspect it may be, I'm not convinced I'll be subscribing. I don't blame her though by going to streaming - if that's what she does. It's a win for the instructors and not so much for the consumer. If she released her new set as downloads - I may bite. Either way, I'll check it out for sure.

Today is hubby's birthday and he's one of those that takes his birthdays seriously. I may or may not get to do my Supermodel workout.

Waves to all!

[furmomof6]

Hi,

I went for a walk today! It was a little warmer, and the sun was actually shining.

Donna & Carol, thanks for the info on Pahla. I do recall her saying that she has cut back on the intensity of what she used to do. I just really thought she currently only did her workouts.

Donna, I'm sorry about your joint pain, I hope the SI belt helps you! Thanks for the info on JV Pilates. What other sites are having challenges? I only heard about Robin's.

Carol, I hope your medication helps your arthritis too. I can't imagine how painful that can be.

Dana, I hope your DH enjoyed his birthday!

[txhsmom]

Today's workout was

Senior Shape - Low Impact HIIT with Dumbbells & Ab Work - 45 minutes

Despite being relatively low impact, I did not find this workout easy. It was actually a little more cardio than I wanted today! The "HIIT" intervals were followed by dumbbell intervals - biceps, triceps, back work. Lauren closed with a short ab routine and some nice stretches.

Christine - Pahla loves running - I doubt she will ever give it up completely, unless she has to. I am hoping the medication helps as well.

Dana - Happy Hubby Birthday! It's hard to justify streaming with all the stuff available on YouTube...

Donna - Hoping you can get some relief for your SI joint!

Carol

[donnamp]

Hi Everyone,

I went back to visiting Pahla today:

Pahla B - February Challenge - Day # 1 - Leaning Toning - this was an all strength/balance workout from Pahla. I actually felt a bit rusty on some of the exercises - particularly with the balance component.

Trifecta Pilates - Pilates w/ Yoga Block (You Tube) - this one uses a yoga block as a prop to work the inner line, as Beth says, I have read that strengthening inner and outer thighs is good for SI issues it helps w/ stabilization.

If it thaws a bit DD and I will probably walk today - ti is sunny at least! And then some PT w/ Jessica V., lol!

Dana - I hear you on cutting back - I have Ellen right now and Jessica V. and that seems to be enough. I may subscribe to something here and there, but I don't see myself doing year long subscriptions b/c my tastes and focus tends to change pretty frequently.

Carol - that Senior Shape workout is on my list to try - I like the kickboxing one, too.

Christine - thanks, hopefully things can calm down in my SI Joint!! Oh - forgot - it is Beth/Trifecta Pilates who is having a challenge - it starts tomorrow - 7 days of 15 min workouts. I think for the next two weeks I'm going to do Pahla and the various Pilates challenge workouts plus "PT" with Jessica V.

Hope everyone has a good day!!

Donna

[fanofladyvols]

Hi everyone!

Christine Jessica has over 60 videos that are 10 minutes on youtube. Here's the playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...K0XqTcdYoVxUbd
Side note: some of those are pretty intense 10 minutes but I do find when she says 'gentle' she usually is true to the title.

Dana I keep scouring for DVDs but I don't hold out much hope on the new Jessica Smith being DVDs. Like you said, she'd make more money. She is running a business after all.

Carol I was so glad to read you hadn't lost power. Warm hug!! I'm sorry about your x-ray.

Donna I cringed hearing you say your SI is bothering you and I'm sure having to do so much computer work isn't helping. Even though I read how you take breaks to exercise throughout the day too :-( Maybe you need to take shorter but even more? What about the chair you sit in...does it need replacing? Anyway, here's a youtube with shorter back mobility to choose one or two to try to break up computer work.

https://youtu.be/bcbuhePZZj0
1:48 Cat Camel: 5-6 cycles


5:04 Psoas Stretch: 5 strides per side

6:31 Hip Airplanes: 3 sets of 3 reps each side

8:36 Spine Hygiene Stretch:


Perform after prolonged periods of sitting

My personal fav: I do the airplanes in a door frame because those are challenging to balance but feel so good in my hips/low back. I think Jessica Smith has these in one of her WS sets. I also love bird dog and hip bridge.

I continue doing lots of mobility, CS and/or kettlebells every day. I focus on different areas of my body. I have thrown segments of Beach Pilates because I enjoy the banter of the ladies and the beachy hotel setting. I am also FINALLY able to read books again during my bouts of insomnia and am currently on a Herman Wouk journey. I can't tell you how relieved I am to concentrate long enough to read a book. I was starting to worry that I had lost the ability. I think I just had nothing in the tank, you know?

Waves to Brenda!

Warm hugs and peaceful Sunday wishes to each of you!!