Welp, I made it. Under the first of a few mile markers I said I'd never get over again. Woohoo!
Down 36 this latest go-round and, with 3 weeks left til vacation, my goal of hitting 50 beforehand is looking less and less likely...but, because today is a "good day", I'm just happy to be losing at all...especially because the past few weeks have been inches but not pounds weeks, and those are effing maddening.
You know those songs you love so much that you play them over and over again until you hate them? Ya know, "Uprising" by Muse or "Peace Sells" by Megadeth? (Two of my on again/off again favorites.) Yeah, I have the same problem with workouts.
Today, I fell back in love with one that I'd put in the time-out chair for the better part of this past year. "Super Slimdown Pilates Yoga Blend" from Ellen Barrett and Crunch. I've mentioned it before a couple of dozen posts ago...and I've also typed at length of my respect for how Ellen runs her routines. First off, she's very easy to deal with - no drill sargeant crazy, no whiny or scream-y voice - just simple, straightforward, personable, etc. I don't need to be shamed into working out a la Jillian Michaels - my Catholic upbringing has infused my inner voice with more than enough of that. I just need easy to follow instructions, counting, less chit chat and music that sort of fades into the background instead of wearing on my nerves.
The thing I like most about this workout - and it's why I considered it my "easy" routine for a few years - is that it's more about form and isometrics than it is about reps and losing your breath. Don't get me wrong, your heart rate gets plenty worked up, but this routine is really about toning, stretching and elongating muscles.
If you're feeling stiff or just like a block of stone when you get up in the morning - I strongly suggest trying this DVD out. It heats and stretches muscles you work in your regular cardio routines and builds fantastic core strength over time as well.
It's just the workout I needed after a week full of heavy biking and skiing. My muscles feel loose and happy again.
On to the next 10 pounds!
Showing posts with label Ellen Barrett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ellen Barrett. Show all posts
Friday, March 21, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Sugary Sluggishness
Ehhhh...not the greatest week I've had, but most definitely not the worst. I'm just not feeling the losses (3.3 pounds, 2.5 inches) the way I normally do -- though, clearly, by the numbers, they're there. I used my bike and Nordic Track skier 5x and got an Ellen Barrett Grace & Gusto in there too.
Maybe it's the sleep deprivation courtesy of Daylight Savings.
Maybe it's the hangover/Saturday carby goodness that came before it.
Yeah, ^ that's most definitely the culprit.
After four straight weeks of being on plan and really sticking to my guns, I decided to drink a bottle of wine by myself on Friday night. Usually, not a big deal.
But, with few calories in my body and no tolerance left to speak of...
Yeah, kind of a big deal. Ugh. Headache and desperate need for spongey, doughy, ooey, gooey calories came next. What's really weird? I didn't WANT them, I just felt like I needed them. I don't know if that's ever happened to this carb-o-holic!
Fast forward to today, I'm still bloated and bleh. Down on the scale. Down with the measuring tape. Just plain down.
An odd combination, to be sure!
So, today it's 25 on the skier, 30-40 on the bike, lots of calisthenics, clean eating and an early bedtime. At least, that's the plan!
Hopefully tomorrow will have me feeling like myself again - and FEELING motivated instead of relying solely on the scant motivation living inside of my sugar-detoxing brain.
Maybe it's the sleep deprivation courtesy of Daylight Savings.
Maybe it's the hangover/Saturday carby goodness that came before it.
Yeah, ^ that's most definitely the culprit.
After four straight weeks of being on plan and really sticking to my guns, I decided to drink a bottle of wine by myself on Friday night. Usually, not a big deal.
But, with few calories in my body and no tolerance left to speak of...
Yeah, kind of a big deal. Ugh. Headache and desperate need for spongey, doughy, ooey, gooey calories came next. What's really weird? I didn't WANT them, I just felt like I needed them. I don't know if that's ever happened to this carb-o-holic!
Fast forward to today, I'm still bloated and bleh. Down on the scale. Down with the measuring tape. Just plain down.
An odd combination, to be sure!
So, today it's 25 on the skier, 30-40 on the bike, lots of calisthenics, clean eating and an early bedtime. At least, that's the plan!
Hopefully tomorrow will have me feeling like myself again - and FEELING motivated instead of relying solely on the scant motivation living inside of my sugar-detoxing brain.
Friday, August 24, 2012
"Your Body Doesn't Just Have A Front And A Back..."
"It also has sides."
Ellen Barrett shared that odd bit of painfully obvious information with me yesterday afternoon during my first attempt at "Grace & Gusto". I laughed and likely even barked something snarky back.
Fast forward to today. Whadya know? My body has sides. And holy mother of moly do they hurt.
If you want a deceptively simple workout, try this one. As you've likely gleaned, I'm a big fan of Ellen Barrett's workouts. I started with her Crunch titles for about a year and have now moved on to her fusion studio series (a bunch of which are live - and that really ups the energy), starting with Power Fusion for the past four months, 2x a week. There are a whole bunch of titles in the series and they all blend together for a full week of workouts if that's something you're after - there's Power Fusion, Grace & Gusto, Fusion Flow, Fat Burning Fusion and Barefoot Cardio. I can only vouch for PF and G&G so far.
All of her workouts feature a methodical mashup of yoga, pilates and dance - and you don't have to have any clue about any of these disciplines to get through them. She blends them together seamlessly. In fact, if you were thinking of getting into yoga or pilates and are more familiar with basic cardio routines, this series is probably a great bridge.
Overall, what I like about Ellen's approach: Her workouts move around a lot. There's little repetition - at least, what does repeat doesn't happen all at the same time - so, they're not monotonous. She explains things - the how and the why of every move. She lets you off easy and doesn't scream at you a la Jillian Michaels (so not my cup of tea - I prefer to yell, not to be yelled at). She works to build your total body fitness (explaining the "flow" mentioned in many titles). This helps you learn how to use your whole body, as opposed to merely targeting trouble spots in isolation. Oh, and the only piece of equipment you need is your body and a mat. Honestly, if you have a carpet, you don't even need a mat!
This 45 minute workout really flew by and I was surprised by how not wiped out I felt afterwards. Part of me wondered if it really had any affect at all.
Oh...it did. This one's definitely staying in the rotation. It works a lot of the same areas as the kettlebells, actually - with a lot less power and potential danger. I think my kettlebell is going to become a glorified dumbbell for my strength training days - or a doorstop. My lower back is going to be thrilled.
Ellen Barrett shared that odd bit of painfully obvious information with me yesterday afternoon during my first attempt at "Grace & Gusto". I laughed and likely even barked something snarky back.
Fast forward to today. Whadya know? My body has sides. And holy mother of moly do they hurt.
If you want a deceptively simple workout, try this one. As you've likely gleaned, I'm a big fan of Ellen Barrett's workouts. I started with her Crunch titles for about a year and have now moved on to her fusion studio series (a bunch of which are live - and that really ups the energy), starting with Power Fusion for the past four months, 2x a week. There are a whole bunch of titles in the series and they all blend together for a full week of workouts if that's something you're after - there's Power Fusion, Grace & Gusto, Fusion Flow, Fat Burning Fusion and Barefoot Cardio. I can only vouch for PF and G&G so far.
All of her workouts feature a methodical mashup of yoga, pilates and dance - and you don't have to have any clue about any of these disciplines to get through them. She blends them together seamlessly. In fact, if you were thinking of getting into yoga or pilates and are more familiar with basic cardio routines, this series is probably a great bridge.
Overall, what I like about Ellen's approach: Her workouts move around a lot. There's little repetition - at least, what does repeat doesn't happen all at the same time - so, they're not monotonous. She explains things - the how and the why of every move. She lets you off easy and doesn't scream at you a la Jillian Michaels (so not my cup of tea - I prefer to yell, not to be yelled at). She works to build your total body fitness (explaining the "flow" mentioned in many titles). This helps you learn how to use your whole body, as opposed to merely targeting trouble spots in isolation. Oh, and the only piece of equipment you need is your body and a mat. Honestly, if you have a carpet, you don't even need a mat!
This 45 minute workout really flew by and I was surprised by how not wiped out I felt afterwards. Part of me wondered if it really had any affect at all.
Oh...it did. This one's definitely staying in the rotation. It works a lot of the same areas as the kettlebells, actually - with a lot less power and potential danger. I think my kettlebell is going to become a glorified dumbbell for my strength training days - or a doorstop. My lower back is going to be thrilled.
