It’s the PIITs of March!

A new month has finally arrived and you know what that means? A new challenge! YAY! I’ve been looking forward to this since about mid-last week. Except after I signed up, I pushed myself too hard and my knees swelled up like water balloons. Dang it! Other than being uncomfortable, they’re weak and I know if I push them harder they’ll both get injured. Can’t have that happening. Not now! (Not ever really.)

Now what on earth am I talking about? PIITs of March? Sounds nasty. I’m super excited about it though so I thought I’d blog about it to tell you what PIIT28 is and why you should join me in doing it. I know it’s short notice, but there’s still time to sign up if you wanted to join. And if you miss the March 1st starting date, that’s okay too. You won’t get a free shirt, but really, what does that mean? Free things are cool but we’re not in this for free stuff. We’re in this for our bodies!

PIIT28 1.0

What is it?

• P – Pilates
• I – Intense
• I – Interval
• T – Training
• 28 – 28 Days

PIIT28 1.0 is the newest workout creation from Cassey Ho. You may have seen her PIIT videos on Youtube since the start of the new year (2016)…

• Booty Poppin // PIIT
• Lean & Toned Arms // PIIT
• Intense Ab Burn // PIIT
• Leg Slimming Workout // PIIT
• Total Body Slimdown // PIIT

As usual, she gave us 5 videos to focus on every part of our body. PIIT28 1.0 is the same but different. It’s a 28-day challenge that’ll have us solely doing PIIT workouts.

1 workout video done 4 times for a total of 28:40 minutes.

That’s it. Just 28 minutes and 40 seconds and you’re done exercising for the whole day.

If you’re not sure you’ll like PIIT workouts, click on one of the links above for her youtube PIIT videos and try one. If you like that, you’re going to like this.

PIIT workouts alternate strengthening and cardio moves for an unbelievably intense workout. If you’re the type of person who hates cardio for whatever reason, this is a really good set-up for you because you’re sticking your cardio in amongst your strengthening exercises instead of having to do a separate workout solely for cardio. Likewise, if you don’t like strength training, you don’t need to do another workout purely for that.

Why PIIT28 1.0 works:

By combining cardio and strength training together, you burn more calories and you get a better workout in a shorter amount of time. This kind of format revs up your metabolism so you’ll also be burning calories after the workout is complete. Just think of it: burning calories doing nothing all because you crushed a 28:40-minute workout earlier in the day.

That’s awesome. Isn’t that awesome? I think that’s awesome.

When I was training to be a group fitness instructor several years back, I used a format very similar to this. It was based on circuits and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). I did a bunch of strengthening moves with shorter bouts of cardio mixed in for a 30-minute workout. I burned so many calories in a single 30-minute session. Way more than if I did strength training and cardio separately. And I got a much better workout. After every session, my legs were so wobbly and there were days when it was difficult to hold onto the steering wheel to drive home.

Jillian Michaels promotes the same kind of workout with her 30-Day Shred. I saw such amazing results when I did her video. I was slimmer and fitter than I ever had been before or since.

What you might not be aware of is that muscle burns calories so the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn the entire day.

Cardio by itself doesn’t make much muscle. It burns calories and it burns fat and it does make muscle, yeah, but it can also burn through muscle after a point. You want muscle, you strength train. You do lunges, you lift weights, etc. That’s the real muscle-maker right there. But that doesn’t burn a whole lot of calories. If you put the two together though, you’ll keep your body guessing and working hard and that’s when you burn the most amount of calories and gain the most amount of muscles.

I could get technical and scientific but I won’t because who wants to hear a huge amount of scientific jargon? And I don’t have my book to remind me of the scientific words. But I can tell you from experience that this sort of exercise regime works.

Now, have I done this one in particular? No, I haven’t. I’m starting on March 1st along with the rest of the world because that’s its premier date. But I’ve done Cassey’s Youtube PIIT videos before and they have rocked my body. The set-up is also very similar, as I have said, to other exercise plans I’ve done and the results have always been awesome.

The only differences I see are:

• the amount of time for each move and resting period
• using Pilates moves for the strengthening portions

That’s it really. Every set-up like this is different but they’re all pretty much the same. What makes me like one over the other is the kind of moves it incorporates and the time length for each move. Also, the instructor is very important.

Why I like this program over another:

• I love Cassey Ho and she’s the instructor
• I love Cassey’s kind of Pilates
• I only have to do a move for 45 seconds before I get to rest for 10 seconds
• The POPster group is wonderfully supportive and friendly
• It makes me happy

The 28 Day Reset:

Cassey’s also made a meal plan called The 28 Day Reset, intended to complement the workout program, to cut out certain foods such as dairy, gluten, soy, eggs, etc. There are other meal plans out there that do the same. It allows you to find out what kinds of foods your body doesn’t like.

For example: I used the Virgin Diet to cut out high allergen foods awhile back and found I had issues with dairy, gluten, eggs, and sometimes soy. When I keep these things out of my diet, I feel great. When I put them into my diet, different things can happen such as: migraines, acne, bloating, gas, and vomiting.

This is a good thing to know about your body, but it’s not for everyone I think. Cutting foods out of your daily diet can lead to severe crankiness because some things we put in foods, such as sugar, are addictive. What happens when you refuse coffee to a coffee addict? They’ll likely bite your head off.

I’m not going to go into detail on The 28 Day Reset because I don’t intend to follow it. I did the Virgin Diet once before and once was enough for me. I could really do with cutting back on sugar again and completely wiping gluten and dairy from my life, but that would be insanely difficult where I live right now so I’m going to continue with the small changes I’m endeavoring to incorporate into my eating habits.

And now for the part that will make you pause. I’ve saved it for the end because I didn’t want to scare you off before you had learned about PIIT28 and what it can do for you.

How much does it cost?

Unlike Cassey’s POP Pilates brand and the 5 PIIT videos she’s posted on Youtube, this is not free. I know that’s going to turn a lot of people off despite what they’ve just read, but please hear me out.

If you buy the PIIT28 1.0 program, it costs $39 (US currency). No tax. Just an uneven $39. If you buy The 28 Day Reset with it (together they’re called the PIIT Power Pack), you save $19 and spend $89. Harsh, I know. But you don’t have to get the meal plan if you don’t want to. On the other hand, if you’re interested only in changing your eating, you don’t have to get the exercise portion. If you do that, you’ll spend $69 for the meal plan itself.

Cost Recap:

• PIIT28 1.0 – $39
• The 28 Day Reset – $69
• PIIT Power Pack – $89 ($19 savings)

What you get when you buy PIIT28 1.0:

• PIIT28 Full 28 Day Program E-book (instant download)
• PIIT28 Workout Calendar
• #PIITstagram Challenge Calendar
• 11 expertly filmed follow-along workout videos (not available anywhere else)
• 11 beautifully photographed printable workouts
• 60 unique exercises to keep your muscles shocked and to keep you from getting bored
• 77 animated GIFs that you can reference when you want to exercise without watching the videos
• Lifetime membership to the PIIT28 Portal
• BONUS – The PIIT28 GET FLEXY Supplemental Guide which includes your daily Warm Up and Flexibility Training routines

What you get when you buy The 28 Day Reset:

• Blogilates 28 Day Reset Nutrition Guide E-book (instant download)
• 28 Day Reset Meal Plan (4 weeks)
• 28 Day Reset Grocery Lists (4 weeks)
• 150+ unique clean-eating Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snack recipes to create your own unique mix ‘n match meal plans based on your body’s needs for the next 8 weeks and beyond
• 8 fill-in Meal Planning Calendars
• 8 fill-in Grocery Lists
• Mix ‘n Match Protein, Fat, and Carb Chart (for recipe substitutions)
• 100+ pages of full color, taste bud tantalizing food photography
• Lifetime Membership to The 28 Day Reset Foodie Forum
• Vegan Plan is also available

That’s a lot of stuff! And, remember, for a one time fee you get a lifetime of membership and access to all of this.

Why don’t you try it out with me? We can be sore together.

If you really aren’t sure right now or you don’t have the money, you can stick with the PIIT videos available on Youtube. Perhaps doing those will change your mind or keep you tided over till you can afford it. It’s a good investment if you like this sort of thing and if you put the effort into it. As always, you’ll only see results when you work for them.

If you’re totally interested and want to sign up right now, the pictures below will link you over to where you can buy the programs.

Click on the picture above to sign up and get PIIT28 1.0

Click on the picture above to sign up and get The 28 Day Reset

I hope to see you getting stronger and healthier with me soon!

February – Week 4

Almost done! And this is supposed to be the short month! Oh wow. How I’m going to survive March, I don’t know. One day at a time I suppose, like with any month. But let’s finish Feb before we start thinking about March.

Actually, if I’m going to be honest, I’m thinking about April right now…

#MoreLoveLessFear – Day 4

2/21/16 Booty Time:

• Fun Indoor Cardio – 6 min
• Swimsuit Slimdown: 8 Min Bikini Butt Workout – 8 min
• Lower Abs & Booty Blast – 10 min
• The Ultimate Butt, Back, & Arms Challenge – 3:18 min
• 5 Best Butt Exercises to Sculpt a Cute Booty – 9 min

#YogalatesLove – Day 22

2/22/16 Strong Arms:

• POP Pilates: Back Attack – 8 min
• 6 Min to Sexy Arms – 6 min
• POP Pilates: Backless Dress Workout – 10:30 min
• Jogging/Walking – 30:48 min 2.3 mi

OMG. My arms want to fall off. Can I get some new ones please? My shoulders are SO sore! I felt so good right after lunch today and the weather was nice so I went out for a run instead of doing the 100 Burpee video scheduled for today. EW! I hate that video. I’ll do burpees when I have to. They’re awesome for getting results. They’re definitely not my favorite thing in the world of fitness though. But 100??? Yeah, no, not right now. I’ll run thanks.

I got to listen to a zombie app while doing so too. I paid more attention to keeping a lookout for rattlesnakes. Yeah, so not a fan and it’s like every area around here is rattlesnake country. I even saw one on that trail! It rattled it’s tail at me and I totally freaked and sprinted away. Nothing like imminent poison danger to give you a fresh spurt of energy.

My stamina/endurance/strength isn’t what it used to be so instead of trying to run the whole way or sprinting at times, I gave myself songs to run and walk to on the way out (ie: jog all through this song without stopping) and then on the way back I’d pick out a landmark and tell myself, “Run to that tree,” or “Walk to that sign.” I increased my speed doing this and was completely pooped by the end.

Good news though – no rattlesnake sightings! Woo!

#YogalatesLove – Day 23

2/23/16 Cardio Core:

Missed. I had intended to work out but it just never happened. Errands got in the way. I had a number of them. Skipping the core day seems to be a common occurrence though. Not a good occurrence. But I can’t admit that my core isn’t getting a workout because Cassey works, like, the whole body pretty much every day. Still, if I did my core work when I was supposed to, my core would be much stronger. I need to stop slacking on core days.

#MoreLoveLessFear – Day 7

2/24/16 Luscious Legs:

• “Hot Summer” POP Cardio – 12 min (breakdown of moves included)
• 5 Minute Long Legs – 5 min
• Killer Legs Challenge – 3:30 min
• Legs on Fire – 11 min
• Quick Leg & Butt Sculptor – 3:20 min

Woo! I totally rocked it today! I always plan for 3 videos each day but this day I just felt so good. After each workout I thought, “I can do another.” And then I only had Legs on Fire (saved it for last) and I thought, “Oh why not.” I’m glad I did because it worked my inner thighs while the other videos hadn’t concentrated on that area. Very awesome day!

#MoreLoveLessFear – Day 8

2/25/16 HIIT Me Up!:

• Fat Burning Ladder for Toned Thighs and Sculpted Abs – 6:40 min
• Pumped Up Cardio Warm Up – 6 min
• HIIT My Abs HARD!!! – 5:20 min
• Jogging/Walking – 24:24 min 1.67 mi

I love that Fat Burning Ladder video. It’s so awesome! Because I skipped that Cardio Core day before, I tried to focus on really working my abs today. My core isn’t sore but boy did I get tired! I did my fav 3 HIIT videos from today’s schedule and then decided that, since I was feeling so energetic, I’d go for a run instead of doing the last 2 HIIT videos. I really didn’t want to do them anyway. Best to end when I’m still having fun and continue with something similar that’s also fun.

Followed the zombie app again. If there really had been zombies following me, I would’ve wanted to kill them! There were only 2 major hills but both times I started up, I’d get a zombie warning.

As soon as I reached a massive hill, I had to run up it as fast as I could?? REALLY??!! And the second hill was at the end so I was already really tired and the back of my left knee was stiff and achy. That hill has been my nemesis ever since my family moved there when I was in high school. And I had to sprint up it…at the end of my run. Evil. Pure evil.

I ended up quitting halfway and walked to the top (zombie somehow evaded). When I got there I almost threw up. It was awful. But I breathed through it and successfully held in my guts. Then had a good stretch and did my yoga/pilates poses for the 2 IG challenges.

Oddly enough I did enjoy myself…

#YogalatesLove – Day 26

2/26/16 Rest + Relax:

OMG. Ew. Last night my knees swelled up like watery melons. Totally NOT awesome. This just goes to show that you can love a workout even if it proves to be bad for you later. You know that quote, “‘I regret that workout,’ said no one. Ever.” I’ve always wondered about it. Is it true that no one’s ever said that? Well, if it was true or not, it’s no longer true now. I REGRET THAT WORKOUT. It’s been like walking on stilts today. My knees have very little strength right now and they’re still a bit swollen and very stiff.

#YogalatesLove – Day 27

2/27/16 Total Body Torture:

So today was a lot better but both knees still got stiff again. Not swollen I don’t think, just stiff. Walking weakened them, sitting stiffened them. It was a no win situation. So I did my best to rest with my legs up and ice them again today. Icing feels soooo good!

Handstand Success!

 

When I was a kid, I was terrified of doing handstands. Whenever I tried to get my feet over my head, I freaked out because it felt like my stomach was plummeting and that I was going to fall. I don’t like falling. At all. In fact, I hate it.

In the Fall of 2014, Cassey Ho came out with her How to do a Headstand video. She made it seem so doable, so easy. Just balance on your head and forearms and flip your legs up. You have a wall right there to lean against so you won’t fall backwards. I thought, okay, I’ll try it. Try to overcome that fear of being upside down and falling backward.

I did it! I did the headstand against the wall and every time I did it, it got easier. Then I tried a tripod headstand, freaked at one point while I was lifting my legs (I was doing so well too, totally using my core and thigh muscles to lift them rather than just kicking them up), and toppled over. My neck bent wrong, I heard a crack and there was a lot of pain. No numbness though, I stayed still and waited while I calmed my breathing and checked everything. Nothing was broken, nothing was numb. Just my neck hurt and was really stiff and achy for over a week later.

My husband was so scared so I promised him I would never try that pose again. Honestly, I wasn’t too fond of it either. I loved that I was getting my legs up all by strength but all that pressure on the top of my head really hurt. I stopped doing inversions after that, first to allow my neck to heal, then because I had no desire to be upside down and have all that pressure on my head.

Lately, however, I’ve gotten back into it due to a yoga challenge. It called for a hollow back inversion and I knew I could do the headstand so I bucked up and did it. It took awhile because I was out of practice and because the tree was farther behind me than I thought so my legs couldn’t seem to find it and I was, again, terrified of falling backwards. I wanted to try an actual handstand but when the time came to, I was too scared to even try.

My back isn’t that hollow but it was my first time doing this against a tree. I actually surprised myself by keeping my head off the ground. My shoulders and arms took all the weight. After more practice, I managed a better one at home the other day.

I needed the added stability of having my head on the floor for that one. But since I managed to actually get that hollow back positioning, I decided to step up my game and go for the big fear that I couldn’t manage before – the actual handstand. I started with small kicks and worked my way up to big kicks. In the end, I got it! My toe strength is nothing to laugh at either because there were times when I’d catch the ceiling with my toes to keep myself from falling.

When I felt comfortable enough with that, I went the extra mile and added a hollow back.

By this time my wrists and back wanted to kill me so I stopped. I am SO proud of what I accomplished! True, it’s all against a wall so I didn’t use my core, like, at all except for those times when I’d latch onto the ceiling with my toes. I did try to get my legs into positions that required some heavy duty core power to keep from falling, but mostly I just practiced getting up against the wall and staying there. My core’s not strong enough yet for much else.

Yay for facing my fears, overcoming them, and achieving success! It’s all about the baby steps. And never tell yourself you can’t do something. Rather say, “Why not?” and go for it!

February – Week 3

Almost done with this month! Breaking everything up into single weeks followed by individual days is making this fitness plan go by really quickly for me. I can’t believe January is done and now February is about half over as well. My birthday is coming up!

March 8th, people. March 8th. I’m going to be 34 years old. ARGH! Where did the time go??? I still feel like I’m in my mid-20s.

Power Girl Challenge – Day 14 – LAST DAY!!

2/14/16 Booty Time:

Skipped. I was too busy being achy and sore from the day before. That walk killed my shins! At least now I know the tendons in the back of both of my knees are healed. Yay! I’ve been worried about overexerting them because it really hurt to walk for awhile.

#FabYouUp – Day 15 – LAST DAY!!

2/15/16 Strong Arms:

My arms are totally buff. That’s why I skipped today. I so don’t need to make my arms stronger. I could compete in a bodybuilding competition right now and win first prize…for males (I’m female in case you didn’t know).

Yeah, that’s totally not true. I flubbed today by accident. I seem to have major issues exercising when my husband or son are around.

#YogalatesLove – Day 16

2/16/16 Cardio Core:

• Waist Trainer Workout – 10 min
• Killer Legs Challenge – 3:30 min
• Glad You Came Calves Challenge – 3:17 min
• 5 Min Long Legs – 5 min
• Swimsuit Slimdown: 8 Min Bikini Butt Workout – 8 min

I had absolutely no intention of doing cardio today so I skipped all but one of the videos scheduled today in the Feb calendar. Instead, I had suggested the above leg videos to a friend and then thought they looked super fun so I did them back to back.

Oh. My. Goodness. My calves were shaking toward the end of 5 Min Long Legs. I now know what Cassey means when she says her muscles are going numb. I’ve never made it past the burn before now. Except for when I ran a 10k. My thighs were so numb. And yet, despite being unable to feel those muscles, they keep working. My legs kept pumping during the race, my calves kept constricting to raise me up during the videos. It’s weird. Boy was I shaking though!

By the way, the Waist Trainer Workout video is only available through Cassey’s Blogilates app when you buy the monthly calendar. You can still, however, follow her Waist Trainer Challenge for free as a printable from her site. Same moves, just no Cassey guiding you along.

#YogalatesLove – Day 17

2/17/16 Luscious Legs:

Figures the day after I kill my legs is the official leg day on the Feb calendar. Spending the day resting and stretching my calves. They’re super sore and tight.

I meant to do some of the arm workouts I missed before but I forgot. My arms are not going to thank me when my muscles start atrophying.

#MoreLoveLessFear – Day 1

2/18/16 HIIT Me Up!:

Since it was a HIIT day and the day was absolutely beautiful, I went for a run instead of doing the HIIT videos. While my arms didn’t get as good a workout jogging and walking as they would have with HIIT, they did get some work. It felt really good to get out and push myself running again. While HIIT is super good, I prefer a good run, even if all I can currently manage is jogging and walking intervals. At least I’m doing intervals.

• Jog/Walk – 28.28 min 2.1 mi

#YogalatesLove – Day 19

2/19/16 Relax + Refresh:

• The BEST Stretches for Chilling Out – 11 min

Awesome stretches! I’m glad I did the video for today. The other one was just how to do a headstand which I already know how to do and didn’t want to practice. I want to someday be able to do a headstand without aid and be able to do different leg positions while in a headstand but I’m not ready right now. My core isn’t strong enough by far so I need to work on that more than practice being upside down.

#MoreLoveLessFear – Day 3

2/20/16 Total Body Torture:

• 4 Min to a HOT BODY Workout – 4 min
• Total Body Workout Challenge – 10 min
• Swimsuit Slimdown – 8 Min Bikini Body Workout – 8 min

I’m regaining flexibility in my back! Yay! I did the Tiger Pose today (pictured on the left) for the #MoreLoveLessFear challenge on Instagram and I was so happy with how far up I could get my leg. Two weeks ago I did this pose for another IG challenge and I didn’t get much lift. About a year or so ago I was a lot more flexible but my flexibility went the way of my strength when I stopped exercising. So yesterday when I compared a photo from around that time to today’s, I was so happy to see they were similar again! I’m regaining my strength and my flexibility! YAY!

My Advice: Go With The Flow + New Yoga Challenge

Well, I digressed a bit from the Blogilates February calendar. I felt guilty about it at first but then I thought, “Why? I’m still exercising.” When you give yourself a goal or something to accomplish, be prepared and okay with deviations. So I didn’t follow the calendar. So what.

Flubbed days happen. Good days happen. You can’t be focused on how badly you did. You let yourself down today? Okay, make it better tomorrow. If you get hung up on the negative, you won’t see the positive things happening and you won’t change anything because you’ll be too depressed or negative to turn things around again.

My best advice would be to go with the flow. We make plans to fit our lives, not the other way around. If you want your life to fit your plan, you’d better be filthy stinking rich and totally independent of everyone. Or a filthy stinking rich dictator whom no one would dare contradict or disappoint for fear of the consequences.

In other news, 2 of my 3 yoga/pilates challenges ended. The Power Girl Challenge ended on Sunday while the #FabYouUp challenge ended Monday. They were fun. I enjoyed pushing my body into different poses and seeing how well I could do.

I thought I’d be happy only having to worry about one challenge because I had been forgetting about them that last week and getting most of them in at night. I was getting to the point when I didn’t really want to do them and was happy to be done each day. I think it must’ve been stress because the moment they were done (and most of my stress gone as well), I did my one pose for my one challenge and felt empty.

I was at a loss as to what to do because I felt like I should be doing more so I went through some poses on my own, wondering the whole time if they were actual poses or if I was just making stuff up and fooling around. Well, I was fooling around but I’m starting to think they actually were pose variations.

And then today I was checking the IG account of one of the hosts from the #FabYouUp challenge (@pop_lena13) and she was announcing there was a new yoga challenge – #MoreLoveLessFear – set up for the 2nd half of February!

This looks like it’ll be fun. But, then, that’s what I always say. And I always have fun! It’s only 10 days long. A pretty short challenge. Let’s do it! Who’s with me?

February – Week 2

2 weeks down, only 2 and a couple days to go! Woohoo! We’re halfway there people! Keep up all the hard work!

#YogalatesLove – Day 7

2/7/16 Booty Time:

• Quick Cardio Warm Up – 5 min
• 3 Minute Butt Shaper – 3 min
• Lower Abs & Booty Blast – 10 min
• Natural Butt Lift – 4 min
• The Bold & the Bootiful Workout – 8 min

Oh my goodness. My hips died afterwards. It was such a good day for my butt though. Really really good.

#FabYouUp – Day 8

2/8/16 Strong Arms:

Missed. Spirits were low. Too low. The end of the day was the best part. My dad suggested I go outside to do my last yoga challenge because there wasn’t any room indoors. When you’re tall, you need a lot of room for the full body length floor poses. I generally like being tall and I don’t even mind towering over people when I wear heels now. But there’s just not enough room in this house for me to get into full body length floor poses.

Power Girl Challenge – Day 9

2/9/16 Cardio Core:

Missed again. Today and yesterday I was feeling super depressed. Stress finally got to me.

Power Girl Challenge – Day 10

2/10/16 Luscious Legs:

• Fat Burning Cardio Warmup – 3 min
• 6 Minutes to Sexy Thighs – 6 min
• 3 Min Sleek & Slim Legs – 3 min

And my own addition of 3 minutes of standing hip and thigh exercises. Still depressed. Still stressed. But at least I pushed myself to do something of exercise today (and my hips did get tired at least) along with some adult chores.

It was sunny and hot in the sun today. I wanted to stay outside and lie on my mat and I was doing so when a bee decided it liked my bright blue leggings. Either that or my sweat smelled sweet. Maybe a combination of both. It landed on my hands and kept walking around on me.

I forced myself to stay still and had to mentally remind myself that a bee wasn’t like a wasp and it wouldn’t sting me unless it felt itself in danger. Needless to say the moment the bee flew off of me, I packed up my stuff and went back inside. From the way the bee was circling back to me, I’d say it had been intending to land on me again.

#FabYouUp – Day 11

2/11/16 HIIT Me Up!:

Missed. Couldn’t attribute this skip to stress. My personal cloud had lifted and I was happy. I got busy with other stuff and forgot. Then, because I don’t like HIIT all that much, I forgot for the rest of the night and instead spent the time with my son. I did my yoga/pilates challenges though. That was fun.

#YogalatesLove – Day 12

2/12/16 Relax + Refresh:

I missed the stretching workouts for this day, but since it was a day for resting, that’s not a big deal…right? That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

#YogalatesLove – Day 13

2/13/16 Total Body Torture:

• Quiet Cardio Shhhh! – 5 min
• Swimsuit Slimdown: 8 Min Bikini Body Workout – 8 min
• Spring Leaning Slimdown – 8 min
• Walking – 30 min 1.5 miles

OMG. I wish I hadn’t skipped so many days this week. Although, I skipped out on 2 of the 5 videos for today, I got a great workout in. I was huffin’ and puffin’ and wishing I hadn’t been so lazy and eaten all that junk food this week.

This week didn’t turn out so well. I didn’t reach my goal of exercising 5-6 days a week but at least I got the bare minimum in. Life is super stressful right now and there’s not much I can do to change it. That’s what finally got to me. A lack of control and having to watch others be unhappy. Here’s hoping for a better time next week!

February Goals

February is a bit different from last month. Have you noticed the change? I’m working out on Saturday and Sunday and resting on Friday! Very different from my normal routine and it’s super difficult for me to exercise over the weekend. Mainly because my son’s at home and in my space.

Because I skipped all work last Saturday, I’m going to write out actual goals for this month. Hopefully having them written down and on my mind will help me keep them and succeed this month.

February Goals:

• to exercise over the weekend when other people are in my space
• to exercise 5-6 days a week
• to do at least 3 Blogilates’ videos from the Feb Calendar every day (minus the rest the day)
• to do my February challenge poses on time every day

That first one is NOT a small goal. I find it extremely difficult to exercise when there are a bunch of people in the house, one of whom is always in my space when he’s at home. I didn’t even think about it before but that first weekend brought it to my mind when I gave in to my laziness and didn’t exercise.

Good luck to me! Good luck to you!

February – Week 1

 

This month I’m going to do my best to follow Cassey Ho’s February 2016 calendar. It won’t be perfect, of course, because her calendars are super hard, but I’m going to try to do as many of the listed daily videos as I can.

I’m also doing three yoga/pilates challenges – #FabYouUp, Power Girl Challenge, #YogalatesLove. Only one of them lasts the whole month. The other 2 end around Valentine’s Day.

Unless otherwise specified, the needed equipment is just an internet connection for Youtube or the Blogilates app.

#YogalatesLove – Day 1

2/1/16 Strong Arms:

• Intense Ab Burn // PIIT – 7 min
• 4 Min to a Hot body WO – 4 min
• Exercises for Better Posture – 8 min
• 5 Minute Toned Arms – 5 min

Insert many expletives. My ARMS!!! Not really the arms though as the shoulders. More expletives. My shoulders have never been very strong and now they’re even weaker. I actually missed the last arm workout because my son had an accident right before bed so I had to stop and take care of him. By the time he was feeling better, I had run out of time to do the last video.

Power Girl Challenge – Day 2 #getreadyhereicome

2/2/16 Cardio Core:

• Sleek Tank Top Arms – 7 min
• Flat Stomach Fat Melter! – 7:30 min
• The ULTIMATE 2016 AB WO – 10 min

The Sleek Tank Top Arms was the missed video from the day before. Dang! My poor shoulders! Couldn’t bring myself to do the other three videos listed for the day. Although it was technically only two because I wasn’t subscribed to the actual monthly calendar until later so I didn’t have access to that 3rd video. Even just those three videos kicked my butt though. My shoulders were screaming for mercy!

 

#FabYouUp – Day 3

2/3/16 Luscious Legs:

• Fat Burning Dance WO – 2 rounds – 7 min
• Quick Leg & Butt Sculptor – 3:30 min
• Glutes & Thighs Trimdown – 9 min
• 8 Min Bikini Thighs WO – 8 min
• 30 Day Thigh Slimming Challenge – 8:30 min

Broke this into 2 bouts. 2 leg videos in the morning and then the other 3 videos in the afternoon. Hips needed the break as they wanted to DIE. It never ceases to amaze me how much muscle I’ve lost.

#FabYouUp – Day 4

2/4/16 HIIT Me Up!:

• Booty Pop // PIIT – 2 rounds – 14 min
• Fun Indoor Cardio Workout – 6 min
• Snowbunny Blast – 7 min
• FAT BURNING Cardio! – 7 min

I threw up a bit in my mouth during that last one. Worked myself sooooo hard. I could barely even do the last one when it got on the floor. My shoulders feel like they want to fall off. Cassey REALLY works the shoulders in her videos!

Power Girl Challenge – Day 5

2/5/16 Relax + Refresh:

Missed. At least this was a rest day so I didn’t really miss much, just some really useful stretching videos. Oh well. Rest is rest and it was much needed.

#YogalatesLove – Day 6

2/6/16 Total Body Torture:

Missed. Again. At least I did my February challenges.

Those last two days were so difficult! Oh wait. I didn’t do anything. Pfft. My body was super sore and so tired before. Since I feel tons better today (Sunday, though I’m still a bit tired), I think my body needed the rest. I really kicked my workouts up a notch this last week and I wasn’t used to the intensity, especially with my shoulders.

Standing/Sitting Upper Body Blogilates Workouts

A friend of mine has been having difficulties finding good POP Pilates upper body videos to do. Her problem is that she can’t lie down without undergoing extreme pain. I feel for her because it’s hard to want to do certain exercises when you know it’s going to hurt. A lot.

Here are my pick of Cassey’s upper body videos that don’t require you to lie on the ground.

• 6 Minutes to Sexy Arms – This is the first and best video that comes to mind because it’s an intense shoulder workout. If your shoulders are weaker, like mine are, make sure to take breaks when you need to. Work up your strength before you push yourself so hard you puke from pain. What this video lacks in time length, it makes up for in difficulty.
• 3 Minute Toned Arms – Holy Guacamole, Batman! For only 3 minutes, this thing sure packs a punch! Your shoulders will be burning burning BURNING by the time you finish. And, if not, good for you, your shoulders are super strong. Do the video a few more times till you do feel the burn. While you don’t actually lie on the floor for this, you will be on your knees for the last couple moves. So, if you have knee problems where you can’t kneel on them, try the last 2 moves standing against the wall and see how it goes.
• Sleek Tank Top Arms – This one is a little iffy, but I think it’s fine for people who can kneel. For that first move, if you don’t have the tricep strength to do a tricep push-up with one leg lifted (or it hurts to lift one leg like that), then just do a regular tricep push-up on your knees. Or, if it doesn’t hurt, have your leg lifted but don’t go down as far.
• Applause Arms Workout – This one is cute and a lot easier than the others mentioned so far. It’s best if you have some weights to work with but filled water bottles would also work. It lightly works your whole body in a kind of dance-y workout.
• Bikini Blaster 4: Awesomesauce Arms – I personally love this workout but it’s long and you need weights for it. For the beginner I recommend using lighter weights. The number of reps are a killer here.
• Bikini Blaster 7: Bodacious Back + Sleek Shoulders – This one is long as well and the reps are high. If you’re already strong, go with the weights. If not, I recommend going without or with light weights. You’re shoulders and back are going to be burning with or without the added weight.
• Never Ever Getting Back Together Workout – Hard on the shoulders. Lots of moving around where they’ll need to adjust through the movement. Beginners, go on your knees when in plank.
• Plank Workout for Flat Abs and Toned Arms – You’ll need weights for this one. Beginners, stay on your knees in plank and everything will be fine.
• Backless Dress Workout – Awesome workout for your back and shoulders. No weights needed, no mat either because you’ll be standing the whole time! While this one isn’t as tough as some others, it’ll still have you burning. It was one of my upper body favorites for awhile because it worked me without totally killing me as so many of Cassey’s other videos will do.

I hope this compilation of upper body videos is helpful for those of you who can’t lie down to do tricep push-ups and the like. Remember to take as many breaks as you need to get through whatever video you’re doing and if something hurts in a bad way, STOP. I cannot stress that enough. Being injured SUCKS. And shoulders are so easy to injure. Don’t do that to yourself.

Adjust any move that your body tells you to adjust. It’s okay if you can’t do a video all the way through without stopping or without adjusting a move to suit your physical limitations. We’re all different and we’re all going our own speed on the journey to fitness. Nobody’s in the exact same place as somebody else. Pay attention to your and nobody else’s.