I am a busy professional, wife and a mom to 2 boys! Everyday I have to balance it all -- work, family and fitness. Join me on my fitness quest!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Meatless Monday: Summer Chowder
Each Monday I try to eat only meatless meals. Breakfast is simple – Shakeology! Lunch is also pretty easy since I eat salads
most days. Instead of chicken or turkey
I added almonds for protein. Dinner is sometimes
harder to go entirely meatless with my family.
Taking a look in my fridge I realized I had to use up the fresh corn
that we got from our CSA share (as a reminder CSA is Community Sponsored
Agriculture). I am not a big fan of corn
on the cob but I do like to add corn to dishes I cook.
I looked around and saw some other perfect veggies to go into a
Summer Chowder and knew just what to make.
I’m fairly certain that I never made this Summer
Chowder the same two times in a row.
Sometimes I have celery so I use it and sometimes I don’t. That is just the way I cook. I adapt to what I have on hand. So use what every yummy veggies you have or
whatever veggies you prefer. If you are
making this chowder in August, feel free to throw in some zucchini since we know
you’ll have plenty in a few weeks!
Summer Chowder
1 tbs
olive oil
1 medium
red onion
2 cloves
garlic
4 cups
veggie stock
2 large
potatoes
1 medium
green bell pepper
1 medium
red bell pepper (or roasted red pepper from jar)
4 cups
fresh (or frozen) corn kernels
½ Cup to
¾ Cup milk (I use 2% but I’ve made it
with skim)
1/2 Tsp
salt and pepper to taste
several
leaves of basil
In a
large stock pot heat the oil and add the onions and garlic until soft and have
just a touch of color but not brown. I
just love the smell of onions and garlic cooking. It was at this point my husband came home
from work and asked, "What's for dinner?" He loves corn chowder so he was happy when I
told him! Add the peppers and potatoes
and continue to cook for a few minutes longer.
I did not have a red pepper in my garden but I did have a jar of roasted
red peppers. Since I really wanted more color in the
chowder I used that instead. Use what
you have!
Stir in
the veggie stock and corn kernels and salt and pepper. Instead of salt and pepper I use a seasoning
from Penzey's Spices called Ruth Ann's Muskego Ave Chicken and Fish
Seasoning. If you don't have a Penzey's
near you they are also online. I love Penzeys!
Simmer
the soup for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Turn off the
heat. If you have an immersion blender
use it to blend about half of the soup.
If not, just take about half of the soup and puree in a blender or food
processor. After you blend the chowder
to what every consistency you prefer, add ½ cup of milk to the pot and
stir. You might need to add a little
more if you prefer it a little lighter and creamier. Add minced or ribbons of basil and if desired, diced tomatoes.
At less
than 200 calories per serving, this made a great light dinner paired with a
side salad and 1 Zucchini and Corn Cake.
It would make a perfect lunch and good thing I made enough to have leftovers
despite my son eating a big bowlful and claiming that it was “delicious!”
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Half Marathon Training with P90X!
I
started my half marathon training a few weeks ago. I'm not following a formal training plan
because I am not looking to finish in a certain time and I am fairly certain I
can finish. Actually, I know I can do
it, especially after finishing INSANITY.
I just want to do it!
This
week I ran a total of 17 miles. I need
to work on increasing that total but my long run was 7 miles so I still feel
satisfied.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
INSANITY - Month 2: Enough of the INSANITY Already!
Just
when I said to myself, "This isn't so insane after all," I started
month two. It was definitely harder than
month one! Not just because the workouts
were longer (some were about 60 minutes) but because my body was tired! You go through the rest of the DVDs -- the
MAX DVDs, which I'll list out later, and you really feel it.
Overall,
I am glad I completed the program, even if it did take me longer than 60
days. Starting in the end of June I
began my training for the half marathon I'll run in October. I couldn't wait any longer if I want to be
ready and I decided that I would alternate between running and INSANITY. I certainly couldn't run and do INSANITY in
the same day so this was my best option.
It took me a few weeks longer to complete INSANITY this way but I'm okay
with that, at least I completed it.
Also, INSANITY really helped prepare me for my training since it is such
a great cardio conditioning workout!
Food
I wasn't
trying to lose weight, I just wanted to improve my cardiovascular ability and
gain more muscle. However, if you are
trying to lose weight this will help you!
A word of advice: Follow the meal plan that comes with INSANITY! When you do INSANITY, you will burn anywhere
between 200-1000 per workout depending upon gender, body size and effort. You will want to eat more, which you will be
able to do because you are burning so many calories. However, you have to eat the right things and
be careful no to eat too many calories.
Most people underestimate how much they eat so it is easiest to just
follow the plan but you can also use it a guide. But if you do the later make sure you count
calories.
I've
seen it a lot -- so many people do the
Beachbody workouts and/or drink Shakeology but then they don't watch what they
eat. The workouts and the meal plan go
hand in hand. When I first tried P90X I
didn't follow the meal plan and guess what?
I didn't see results. When I did
P90X in January I followed the meal plan and lost about 16 pounds! I used the INSANITY meal plan as a guide and
I also counted calories since I wanted to maintain my weight.
The Workout
The DVDs
in month 2 are:
MAX
INTERVAL PLYO
MAX
CARDIO CONDITIONING
MAX
RECOVERY
MAX
INTERVAL CIRCUIT
CORE
CARDIO AND BALANCE
CARDIO
ABS
The
structure of the workouts are the same: warm up, stretching, the LONGER
workout, and then a cool down stretch.
Since the workouts are longer (did I mention this before?) you will need
to dig deeper, as Shaun T asks you to do.
About half way through I'd start thinking maybe I should stop. Its mental.
I would play this game with myself.
I would say "just do 5 more minutes" and then I'd say
"you've invested too much to quit now," and I'd finish the workout!
I don't
mean to scare you but I want you to know it is not easy. It shouldn't be easy. If it was easy you wouldn't see results. I said this in the last review, INSANITY is
not for beginners, in my opinion. If you are truly a beginner, you
should start with something else first but INSANITY isn't something you should
be afraid of (unless you have back or knee injuries).
Results
I am not
posting before and after pictures or including measurements because I didn't
change much on the outside. However, I
know I am more fit than when I began. I
will do INSANITY again, probably in the Spring.
I am also probably going to include some of the workouts as substitutes
for the cardio workouts in P90X when I do that again in the winter.
So
if you are looking for a workout you can
do at home without equipment and you want to get results and test yourself,
this is the workout for you.
You can
check it out on my website www.beachbodycoach.com/katsquest
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Farm Stand Veggie Recipes: Roasted Beet Salad and a Chinese Five Spice Zucchini Bread.
I love summer! I
love to play in my vegetable garden and get my hands dirty. I’m no Martha Stewart when it comes to
gardening. I get my hands covered in
dirt, and my legs and probably my arms and face too! It is great exercise, I get to be outside in
the sunshine and I get to harvest beautiful vegetables to make delicious and
healthy meals for my family.
We eat a lot of vegetables. So to supplement my own garden, I get a
Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) Share. If you are not familiar with a
CSA, it is a community supported farm where members pay the farm at the
beginning of the growing season for a share of the anticipated harvest. Members then received weekly shares of
vegetables, fruits and sometimes even meat.
I actually split a share with another family since I have my own garden
and at this point, it is just the right amount of produce.
I always look forward to Tuesdays since this is my share
day (every other Tuesday actually).
Since I love to cook, it is always fun for me to come up with different
meals each week featuring the vegetables from my garden and in my share.
This week I made a Roasted Beet Salad and a Chinese Five
Spice Zucchini Bread. Both sound a
little simple and they are simple to prepare but they are both delicious and
are perfect for a brunch with friends.
The zucchini bread is kid friendly too!
For the Roasted Beet Salad you will need:
4
medium beets
Field
greens
4 oz
Goat cheese (or your favorite soft cheese)
¼ C
Balsamic vinegar
¼ C Olive
Oil, plus about 1 Tbs for beets
1 tsp
Dijon mustard
Salt
and pepper
I love roasting beets.
It is the best way to eat them and it is simple to do. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Wash the beets and cut off the greens. Save the beet greens to sauté or you can even
add them to the salad. If you haven’t
had sautéed beet greens you must try them.
I believe they are one of the best things to eat, EVER! Mmm, mmm…
Do not peel the beets. You’ll
peel them after they cook.
Take a large sheet of aluminum foil and place the beets
in the center. Drizzle 1 Tbs of olive
oil over the beets and wrap in the foil, making a little packet. Roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour. You’ll want to be able to stick a knife
easily into the beet.
(I only used 3 beets since I wasn't making salad for 6 people)
Prepare the balsamic vinaigrette. You can use store bought, but really, this is
so simple and so tasty there isn’t a good reason to use store bought. All you have to do is pour the olive oil in a
mixing bowl and whisk the balsamic vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper
together. Once you start making your own
dressing you’ll realize you don’t need to buy bottles of dressing anymore.
Once the beets are cooked let cool just enough to
handle. I peel beets by running them
under cold water while rubbing the skin.
They come off easily. Sometimes
there are a few spots that are tougher and I use a paring knife to get the rest
off.
I like to prepare the salads on individual plates but you
could make it in one large serving dish.
Place your field greens on the bottom and add wedges of the beets to the
salad. I think four medium sized beets
are good for up to six people.
Now for the cheese.
I love goat cheese but you could also use blue, gorgonzola or any soft
cheese that you like. My son, who is
almost eight years old, picked out a black pepper crusted goat cheese at the
farmers’ market. My son is my little
foodie. We love going to the farmers’
market together to sample the different foods and bring home new finds. The black pepper Chevron was perfect for the
beet salad. Simply crumble the cheese
over the salad and then drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette over everything. Simple, but delicious! We enjoyed it with a glass of Italian Pinot
Grigio!
The Chinese Five Spice Zucchini Bread
This recipe is based on the recipe from At the Farmers’
Market with Kids by Leslie Jonath and Ethel Brennan. I made a few changes to make it healthier
such as less sugar and half whole wheat flour as well as to use the spices and
items that I have in my pantry.
Ingredients
3 small
zucchini
¾ cups
all purpose flour
¾ cups
whole wheat flour
¼ cup
ground flax seed
¾ cup
sugar
1 tsp
baking soda
1 tsp
baking powder
1 tsp
salt
2 tsp Chinese
Five Spice
1/3 cup
olive oil (yes, olive oil in a baked good)
2 eggs,
beaten
1/3 cup
water
1 tsp
lemon juice
1 tsp
vanilla extract
¾ cup
chopped nuts of your choice.
Preheat
over to 350 degrees and oil a 9x5 loaf pan (or you can make muffins or mini
loafs). Grate the zucchini and place in
cheese cloth and squeeze out all water.
You shouldn’t skip this step otherwise the bread will be too moist. Over the years I tried to skip this step and
always regretted it!
In a
large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder,
salt and spices. Add the Flax seed. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, eggs,
water, lemon juice and vanilla. You
might be thinking that I am crazy for using olive oil. I know olive oil has a strong taste but you
really can’t taste it in this bread. I
don’t buy a lot of canola oil and I save that for when I really don’t want the
oil to change the taste of the recipe.
You can use whatever oil you like best. Mix the flour mixture and the
wet ingredients. Fold in the zucchini and
nuts. Normally I would add walnuts or
pecans. But I didn’t have either of those. What I did have in my pantry were almonds and
pistachios so I used a mixture of both.
They worked perfectly. Don’t be
afraid to make substitutions!!
Pour
the batter into your loaf pan and back for about 50 minutes to 1 hour for a
loaf or about 25 minutes for muffins.
You’ll want a toothpick to come out cleanly when inserted into the
center of the loaf.
This bread
is so good. The Chinese Five Spice adds
a different and welcomed flavor compared to regular zucchini bread. I use
Chinese Five Spice from Penzeys Spices but you can get it just about anywhere.
You many never want to make plain zucchini bread again after tasting this! The bread was a big hit when I brought it
camping and it is absolutely kid friendly.
Just ask my son!
Monday, July 15, 2013
Summer Veggies with a Creamy Pesto Sauce over Pasta
Here is a quick summer recipe for meatless Monday! Summer is such a great time of year for
cooking! So many different veggies are
coming into season. This week I had
eggplant, summer squash and some tomatoes (I bought these from an Amish farm
stand). Ratatouille immediately came to
mind but I didn’t have bell peppers so this is very similar.
Ingredients
1
medium eggplant, peeled and diced
1
medium onion
1
medium summer squash (or zucchini), sliced into half moons or diced
2
medium tomatoes, cored and diced
2 cloves
garlic
Basil
Pesto (homemade
or store bought)
4 TBS
cream cheese
1 TBS Olive
oil
Salt and
pepper
Pasta
of your choice, cooked according to package.
This is
meant to be a quick and easy meal. Nothing
fancy. Just yummy and healthy.
First,
peel and dice the eggplant. Put in a
colander and generously salt and leave over plate or in the sink. This is important, especially if you have a
big eggplant since it will draw the bitter liquid out. Let this sit while you get the pasta water
ready.
Cut up
all the other vegetables. Heat a large
sauce pan and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the onions and cook until they get just a little brown. Add the garlic and squash and cook a few
minutes. By this time you should be
adding your pasta to the water. Rinse
the eggplant to get the salt off and then add it to the pan with the squash and
onions. Keep stirring since I find
eggplant has a tendency to stick.
After
about 5 minutes add the diced tomatoes and let simmer. When the pasta is done, drain and add it back
to the pot and add 2 tablespoons of pesto.
I used some of my homemade Kale pesto.
I made a big batch a few weeks ago and froze some!
I also
threw in 2 tablespoons of pesto in the vegetables. You could add the basil and call it a day but
I wanted something a little more special.
I wanted something a little creamy.
I decided to add 4 tablespoons of cream cheese. You could do a little more or a little less,
depending upon how creamy you want it. 4
tablespoons thickened the sauce up nicely, I thought!
Mix
everything well and let the cream cheese melt.
Serve over pasta. I chose
Campenelle. I love this shape since it
is perfect for chunky sauces. Both boys enjoyed it, or parts of it. My oldest son didn’t care for the eggplant
this way (he prefers eggplant parmigiana) and ate 2 servings of pasta and my
youngest son ate mostly eggplant. Go
figure.
We had
some left overs since this makes about 6 servings. This will make a nice lunch
tomorrow. It is reasonable for any diet
since there are less than 300 calories according to the recipe I built in
myfitnesspal and it is full of veggies.
You could even get a way with serving half of the pasta and adding more
of the veggies and you wouldn’t miss a thing!
Meatless
Mondays are always fun. What do you make
on Meatless Mondays?
Friday, July 5, 2013
Easy Ways to Eat 100 less Calories a Day
I’ve seen a
lot of different ways to cut 100 calories from your day. Many focus on using artificial sweeteners,
diet versions and other “unhealthy” substitutions. I cannot recommend those so mine will focus
on sticking with the “real” stuff.
If you cut
100 calories a day for one month you will lose about one pound. That might seem really slow but it is easy to
do. What faster weightloss? Double or triple up on these
suggestions. Not looking to lose weight
but want to make smarter choices? These
are for you too.
So here are
some healthy and realistic swaps:
·
Low
fat milk instead of cream in your coffee or tea (this is closer to a 60 calorie
savings but using fat free milk will save you about 100)
·
Make
veggies the star of the dinner plates.
Veggies should take up about half of your plate.
·
Use a measuring cup to measure out your
starch. I serve myself ½ Cup of a whole
grain rather than just scooping it out.
·
Don’t
go back for seconds or even just “a little more” at dinner.
·
Drink
water instead of soda. This saves you
about 150 calories. And NEVER drink diet
soda.
·
Use
mustard instead of mayonnaise.
·
Use
one piece of bread for a sandwich or skip the bread entirely and use lettuce of
a salad as a base for your “sandwich” filling.
·
Skip
the cheese on your burger or sandwich most of the time. Save the cheese for a special treat. You can’t deny yourself everything!
·
Drink
Shakeology for breakfast or lunch! Not only
will you cut calories but you will feel fuller and have fewer cravings helping
you to cut calories elsewhere.
·
Don’t
add sugar to tea or coffee.
·
Go
for a healthier dessert of yogurt or fresh fruit.
·
Skip
the bread when you eat out. Sometimes it
is not very good anyway….at least tell yourself that!!
·
Have
a whole grain English muffin with 1 TBS of peanut butter instead of a bagel
with cream cheese or butter. This saves
way more than 100 calories!
·
Don’t
drink alcohol daily. Limit it to a few
times per week. If I can limit my wine
intake, you can do it too!
·
Go
to Starbucks every day? Just order
coffee or if you must, a fat free latte without syrup or limit it to one pump.
·
OK,
if you are going to indulge, get your frozen yogurt or ice cream in a cup not a
cone.
These are some simple ways to save 100 calories a day. You won’t even miss them!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
7 Day Healthy Eating Challenge- Are You In?
Join me and a small group for a 7 day healthy eating day challenge starting July 7th. It is just 7 days. You'll eat clean, healthy food -- perhaps some things that you have never eaten before or thought you never liked.
This group is Free! You will get the support from other members and me, as you coach!
A meal plan will be provided and will include breakfast options, snack, lunch, and dinner meal recipes. You will have the option to drink Shakeology for breakfast. This is just an option. If you want to buy a bag you can purchase it from me www.beachbodycoach.com/katsquest or if you would rather not buy a whole bag, I have 7 day trial packs for $35.
Roasted Corn and Edamame
This group is Free! You will get the support from other members and me, as you coach!
A meal plan will be provided and will include breakfast options, snack, lunch, and dinner meal recipes. You will have the option to drink Shakeology for breakfast. This is just an option. If you want to buy a bag you can purchase it from me www.beachbodycoach.com/katsquest or if you would rather not buy a whole bag, I have 7 day trial packs for $35.
Enjoy meals like: quinoa salad, Greek salad, quinoa-lentil pilaf, zucchini-cashew soup, veggie stir fry with a whole grain and black beans and brown rice and more. Shakeology is an option for breakfast but there will be other breakfast options.
If you are interested let me know in the comments or through my FB page www.facebook.com/katsfitnessquest
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Meatless Monday a Day Late! Garlicky Broccoli Rabe with Whole Wheat Pasta
Yesterday was a little hectic and I needed to make “mustgo,”
did you ever have that? That is all the
leftovers that you have in your fridge that must go! So really, Meatless Monday was not an option
and hubby and I had leftover grilled shrimp on a salad and the kids had some
other takeovers that were meat based.
Today was just as hectic but I didn’t have any leftovers. When I got home from work, Hubby was enjoying his vacation day by brewing beer and was planning on
heading to a brew club meeting later in the evening. My oldest son was by a friend's house and my
youngest son was watching dad brew. Ah,
the kitchen to myself! What a luxury.
I opened the fridge and realized I had some
beautiful broccoli rabe from my Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA)
share. Immediately I thought – Meatless Tuesday! I made Garlicky Broccoli Rabe with Whole
Wheat Spaghetti and Cannellini Beans.
This is soooo good and the aroma of garlic lured everyone in for dinner easily.
Although my oldest son made a face when he saw it, he
immediately ate every last morsel in his bowl.
I always loved getting broccoli rabe with penne from Italian
restaurants but I never was able to cook it right. I always tried to sauté the broccoli rabe
with garlic but that just doesn’t work. I finally got a little lazy one day and
decided to throw the broccoli rabe into the pasta water to blanch and it
finally dawned on me this is the way to do it!!
Now this is one of my go to dishes in the summer because it is so easy
and only requires 2 pots!
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Spaghetti (about ½ box for 4 people)
1 bunch broccoli rabe, washed, stems discarded (or
composted) and leaves cut into thin strips
4 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ Cup olive oil
1 can cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
Salt
Red pepper flakes optional
Parmesan cheese optional
Put a big pot of water on high heat and bring to a boil and
cook pasta according to the package. In
the mean time, wash your broccoli rabe, and cut off the stems. I like to cut the leaves into strips but you
could cut them into smaller pieces. Set
the greens aside. In a small saucepan
heat the oil and garlic. Be careful not
to burn the garlic. I like a little
color but burnt garlic just isn’t good. Turn
off the heat as soon as the garlic is a little golden and smells divine!
When you have about 4 minutes cooking time left for the
pasta, throw the broccoli rabe into the water.
If you don’t salt your pasta water, I highly recommend doing it in this
recipe. I normally don’t salt pasta
water because I usually make very flavorful sauces. However, the greens really could use some
salt to bring out the vibrant flavor.
I like to empty the can of beans into my colander (rinse
them when they are in there) so that when I drain the pasta it heats the beans
a little. Add the pasta back to your
pot and pour the garlic oil into the pasta and toss to fully coat. There you have it! I had a little parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes on mine as did Hubby and my older son. My youngest ate it sans pepper flakes!
It might seem a little high in calories because of the olive oil but remember, this serves about 4 people. And olive oil is heart healthy! This dish is about 450 calories per serving. Depending upon your caloric budget for dinner
you could have a small side salad or a glass of wine!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Am I INSANE?
INSANITY
Review
Month
1
Am I
INSANE?
Hey everyone, I am a little behind on my blog. Life has been full of everyday adventures
lately so I’ve been really busy. Not too
busy for fitness though. I’ve finished
the first month of INSANITY. The
INSANITY workout is just that – INSANITY.
No, not really but I did say “this is insane” repeatedly the first time
I did the workout. It is seriously
intense but not impossible. It is one of
the most difficult cardio-based home workout programs around. The basic concept is “Max Interval
Training”, which requires you to work at a really fast pace for short periods
of time with little breaks in between.
It is a 60-day program that requires you to work out six days a
week. The first month the workouts range
from 30-45 minutes and the second month they are closer to 45-60 minutes.
Shaun T is the instructor and he asks that you push
yourself and reminds you to “dig deeper.”
He really is motivating and he is not annoying like Tony Horton in P90X
(sorry Tony). Shaun T is motivating and
I find myself trying to dig deeper every time he reminds me.
So month 1 was great.
I knew it was going to be intense but I never really understood just how
intense. Wow!! However, throughout the workout Shaun T says
not to compromise form. I’m not willing
to risk injuring myself so I sometimes took it slow, especially in the
beginning when I was learning the workouts.
The workouts also require strength, not just cardio and in just a month
I see improvements in both areas!
Pros
·
It is an intense workout so you can really see
results fast. I’ll talk more about my
improvements later but in just two weeks I could tell that my cardiovascular
ability and strength both improved.
·
Although intense, there is room for
modification. You can work at your own
level. On days that I just wasn’t
feeling the INSANITY love, I still pushed play and did what I could. And you know what? I still got in one heck of a workout!
·
After I finish the INSANITY workout I get
that “runner’s high” and that is kind of addicting so I keep pressing play. It creates a cycle since the more you
workout, the better your results.
Cons
·
Although it was a nice change of pace from
P90X, I will say there is a little too much repetition. The warms ups all seem the same and some of
the workouts do the same exercises over and over through the whole
workout. While this makes it easy to
learn the moves, I get a little bored.
· The recovery week is a little boring because
it is the same workout every day. I
think Shaun T could have mixed it up.
·
If you are not careful you can hurt your
knees. Invest in a good pair of cross
trainers (not running shoes) so you have the right support and use a foam mat
(sold through beachbody or a sporting goods store. I use my son’s old alphabet mat, lol!). Also, be gentle when you jump. If you are in control and land softly you
will protect your knees.
Here
is some information about each of the DVDs in Month 1
Cardio
Recovery
This is the least intense but it is
still a good workout. There are a lot of
yoga type stretches to warm up, leading into plank work, lunges, balancing and
more stretching. It’s a good workout to
recover from the intense workouts in weeks prior. I just wish there were maybe two versions of
the cardio recovery.
Core
Cardio and Balance
This DVD is a little less than 40
minutes. There is a short warm up and
then 10 exercises, 1 minute a piece. The
moves include ski hops, hit the floor (I always pay attention to form and
protect my back on this one by holding my knee when I bend down), level 1
drills (four pushups and then while in push up position run in place with your
feet – kinda crazy but effective), switch kicks/squat jumps, plank walk, jabs,
etc. I did not list them all but you get
the flavor.
Cardio
Power
This has a similar warm up to the other
DVDs. This is interval based and
includes power jumps (vertical jumps with knees brought up to waist – but my
knees never get that high!), belt kicks (these feel like a nice break after
some of the intense jumps), suicide drills, v-pushups (ugh!), globe jumps
(fun!), etc. It is about 40 minutes and
is a good balance of cardio and strength.
Pure
Cardio
There aren’t many breaks in this 40
minute DVD. Again, the moves are similar
to the other workouts but a few different one and the order is mixed up
compared to some of the other workouts.
It includes a warm up and then suicide drills, switch kicks, football
sprints, pedal lunges, hooks & jump rope, power jacks, frog jumps, mountain
climber (talk about a move to get your heart rate up) and then a cool down.
Cardio
Abs
There are no situps or crunches. It is a 20 minute workout with a warm up and moves
such as a “C-sit” – basically leaning back, knees bent and plank work. It is challenging but not as tough as Ab
Ripper-X in P90X.
Plyometric
Cardio Circuit
Let me just say when I did the warm up I
asked myself, “Is this really the warm up?”
It feels like a workout. It is
three rounds and you push yourself harder each round, increasing speed and
intensity. The moves in the warm up
include jogging in place, jumping jacks, Heismans (jumping side to side), etc. The workout includes suicide drills (did I
mention I hate these), football sprints, basketball jump shots, jumping drills,
burpees, mountain climbers, etc. This
DVD is divided into three sets and it has water breaks in between. The 40 minutes go by quickly but I don’t like
the repetition, by the third time I am looking for it to be done.
Final
thoughts
Is this workout for everyone? No, but I think many can do it with
modifications.
So here is my overall assessment:
o
One heck of a workout!
o
Not for beginners.
o
Make modifications as needed, never sacrifice
form.
o
Let your goals and progress be known
publicly. You are less likely to give
up.
o
Get a virtual workout buddy – I’m here for
you!!
o
Better yet, join a challenge group. I usually have one running so let me know if
you are interested.
I’ll almost be done with month two and I’ll
post my review in about 2 weeks.
Focus
T25
Shaun T has a new workout available – Focus
T25. Work out for 25 minutes for 5 days
a week for 50 days! The workout is
similar to INSANITY but includes more resistance. July 15th is the first day of my
Focus T25 Challenge Group. There is
still room. Let me know if you are
interested!
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