We ended our weekend from the lake cottage by meeting Matt and Kristi at one of my favorite restaurants in town.  The lake perch was better than any I’ve ever tasted, and there was this side dish of zucchini, tomatoes, and summer squash that was awesome.

We ate well over the weekend.  I tried several new recipes, and all of them turned out great.  Matt did the grilling – so the new chicken recipe I tried turned out to be over-the-top.  I am going to try to hang onto this recipe until I participate in Recipe Swap on the first Thursday of next month, hosted by Randi.

The lake lends itself to taking it easy.  I sit outside a lot, and while watching the kids swim and play on the sand beach, I catch up on some reading, writing (laptop), and look through cook books.  When I go inside, I might dabble in the kitchen a bit and get the night’s dinner recipes started, then go start a load of laundry before going back outside.

The only exercise I do while at the cottage is swimming.  I don’t undervalue the importance of swimming – especially aerobically – I can feel it in my lungs – it’s just that I probably don’t do enough of it to compensate for my normal routines while on the ranch.

I decided that this week that top on my priority list will be my exercise routines.  So this morning, after getting my husband off to work, I let the kids sleep, and I headed to our den – my personal exercise room.  I started with a ten minute workout for arms (I aim at doing arms every other day, just ten to 20 minutes on an average.)

. 

I made a phone call, and then came right back to the den to do some of my favorite exercises – Quick Callanetics by Callan Pinckney.  There are three of these videos – Hips And Behind (my favorite); Legs; and Stomach.  Each one takes 20 minutes long.  I usually alternate Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with them, but today, I had the need and the desire to do all three consecutively.

I first seen Callanetics in a movie rental store – it was at least 14 years ago.  I was thirty-six and pregnant with my son Joshua (13).  The jacket on the video made an outrageous claim that it would make you look younger after only about a dozen times of doing these exercises.  Yes, that is outrageous, but I thought, why would they put that on their jacket?  I can be so gullible.  I thought there might just be some truth to it, why not try it.

So I bought it, and throughout the pregnancy of a very large baby (11 lbs) I faithfully did the Callanetics for Legs, and the other; Callanetics for Hips and Behind.    I had decided that if I was going to be large all over for nine months, at least I could try to work on slimming my legs. 

  I was amazed. I did no other exercise except for these, and there was a definite before and after contrast.  After the pregnancy, I continued with these,  doing them at least once a week, as a priority over all other exercises – pilates, yoga, and all the rest of my video collection.  Everything else is considered the gravy in my exercise routines.  I put these at the top of my exercise priorities, and then I do others.

I will add this about Callanetics for Legs – when I first started taking English riding lessons four years ago, from the very first lesson, I felt no soreness afterwards.  This is positively amazing if you’ve ever went riding, especially when one tries to post.  I contribute this completely to Callanetics.

Confession – I have not been faithful with Quick Callanetics Stomach video.  I do it, but if I can do another one besides it, I have.  Why?  Because it’s hard.  But, I have been thinking about that a lot and decided that if I just became as dedicated to it as I have been the other two, my abs would probably not be in the condition their in.  I’ll let you know if it makes a difference….

July 25,  Wednesday

The Firm,  Jiggle Free Arms

I just got this dvd in the mail this week.  Here’s my review of it:

I don’t like it.  It combines cardio and sculpting (free weights for arms).

·         I don’t care for cardio – too much jumping.  I may need it, but I don’t like exercise that is juggling my body in an impact way.

·          This dvd reminds me of my jr. high gym class.  So therefore, I don’t like it just because of that.

·         The lead person in this dvd reminds me of my jr. high gym class instructor.  Another negative!

·         I hate the stair step concept.  It’s too confusing.

·         There are all kinds of plastic step exercise equipment out there that you can buy at the store.  The Firm has invented one that is original for their dvd.  I consider that another money marketing gimmick . 

·         The back ground music is annoying.

·         The cardio steps are confusing.  I like the exercise dvds that show you how to do steps in increments and slow it down to begin with, building in intensity and complexity.  The Firm does not do that.  It jumps in, leaving you confused and feeling very uncordinated and untalented.  I may very well be all of that and more,  but I appreciate the exercise routines that build my self concept instead of tearing it down!

·         Half way through this new dvd, I realized I’d wasted my money.  I could see that I would most likely never use this dvd again. So I gave up trying to learn their confusing, fast paced steps during the cardio part.  But to get the cardio effect,  I invented my own routine by just moving with the music, using my arms and legs.  I liked my steps way better than theirs anyways!

·         As far as the sculpting part, that’s why I bought this dvd.  I have way better arm sculpting dvd’s and videos that concentrate ONLY on the arms, and that’s what I want when I plug in a dvd that’s for arms.  If I want cardio, I’ll plug that in on another day.

·         My arms did not feel that worn out when done with this exercise.  It did not do any original and unique arm techniques.

Total exercise time -  30 minutes

July 24, Tuesday

This one is new too. 

Tank  Top Arms, Bikini Belly, Boy Shorts Bottom

Tighten and Tone Your Whole Body In Just Minutes A Day

With Minna Liessig

What I LIKE about this dvd:

• ·         I like Minna Lessig.  I have most,  if not all of her exercise dvd/videos.  I like her personality and she is pleasant to listen to and exercise with for a regular amount of time.  That’s important! I do not want to spend time during my exercise routine with someone  that I find personally annoying. 
  ·         Minna is very feminine. When I’m all done with exercising and (hopefully) having toned muscles, I don’t want to look muscular and masculine.

• ·           Like the title implies, this dvd targets three different parts of the body.  You can just choose one and do them on different days if your short on time.  (ten minutes)

• ·         I felt as if I had a good workout when I was done.  I judge exercise time by how I feel when I am done.

• ·         Minna uses new techniques to target specific muscles.  I like this.  I appreciate someone that knows of something besides the standard exercises you get on almost all of the dvd’s available.  

• ·         Minna doesn’t use boring repititions.  Like Denise Austin, she may target the same muscle area but use a variety of exercises to zone in on that specific muscle group.

• ·         The choice of background music is o.k., it’s not annoying.  Minna seems to like the Spanish type of music. She’s used this same type on another dvd I have of hers. It works well with her routines.

• ·         She builds routines with small increments and doesn’t leave you feeling confused.

I did the entire exercise routine dvd and this took me one hour.

July 26, Thursday

Quick Callanetics -Hips and Behind   Total: 20 minutes

Quick Callanetics - Legs - Total: 20 minutes

Denise Austin BENCH Workout (free weights) - Total: 20 minutes

Tighter Assets, 10 Minute Abs with Tamilee  - Total: 10 minutes

Total for Thursday: One Hour and Ten Minutes 

Swimming on the weekends

July 18

Perfectly Fit Arms, Claudia Schiffer

I like this video, and then, I don’t like it. 

• ·         I like it because when I’m done, I’m exhausted and I feel as if I had a wonderful workout.

• ·         I don’t like it because it takes an investment of time.  It’s 40 minutes of a hard workout using free weights.

• ·         I tend to use this exercise routine only about once a month, sometimes less.  I have other ones I like more.  Lots of push-ups in this.  Good for you, but not fun!

• ·         Claudia, the beautiful super-model, and the interesting backgrounds make this at least not a boring exercise video!  Sometimes she’s out on a platform on a remote sand dune with the ocean in the background.  Other times, she’s on a roof-top in some crowded city.  And other times, she’s in a big room that looks like it’s in New York city with huge windows.  I hate to be bored so at least the constant moving of the visual effects keeps your mind off the hard work your doing while lifting weights.

I also did the video, Quick Callanetics Hips and Behind. I try to do this weekly.  I believe in this exercise routine.  It takes a small investment of time (20 minutes).  It works.

July  17

Denise Austin Hit The Spot Pilates For Leaner and Tighter Abs, Hips, Thighs, and Buns. 

I like this dvd because:

• ·         I like Denise Austin and almost all of her videos/dvds. 

• ·         I feel as if I’ve had a good workout when done.

• ·         She uses innovative and unique exercises that targets specific muscle groups.

• ·         This dvd has seven target workouts.  Each one only takes ten minutes each.  You can choose and pick which ones you want to do.  I picked the first three segments that targeted the arms and abs  (upper body).  30 minutes total

Trail riding on Gretta with Rachel and Major

  Monday, July 2^nd,  was the day that I rushed so much, that all the muscles in my body got wired tight.  When I went to lay down that night, they ached so much I couldn’t sleep.  Maybe that counts as exercise?  It sure felt similar to a work out!

Tuesday, July 3^rd, I practiced something that I learned during equine lessons.  If  your horse senses that you are nervous, he will in return be nervous back.  Horses mirror your emotions.  So in order to keep from getting that muscle/wired effect that I had on Monday, I breathed deeply as if I was on my horse. I practiced this all day as I had another super-rush day.  It worked!  My muscles did not ache that night. 

Wednesday, July 4^th  I just relaxed and enjoyed the new cottage.  We did a lot of eating the next few days as I felt in a celebrating mood.  Lots of good food.  I did not do any formal exercise  for the rest of the week, outside of swimming in the lake.

Monday, July 9^th, Rachel and I went shopping in Shipshewana, Indiana, Amish territory.  We had an awesome time.  I buy all of my chicken and grass-fed ground beef from there.  There is no comparison in taste to the meat and chicken that I buy in my local supermarkets.   It is worth the effort to travel here and it is not that far away from the cottage. 

 When we got back to the cottage, we were busy trying to tidy the house and packing the car.  We didn’t get back to the farm until around 8:00 p.m.  We had pizza for dinner.

July 10^th, I had my day full of things that needed to be accomplished. Top on my priority list was exercise.  It may be the only exercise I get this week (outside of swimming), so I decided to give some time to this day’s work-out.

Quick Callanetics, Hips and Behind   (20 Minutes)

Claudia Schiffer, Perfectly Fit Arms  (40 minutes)

Hit The Spot Pilates, Denise Austin

This is a great dvd.  I love it.  You choose from seven target workouts, and each workout is only 10 minutes long.  But very effective!  I really felt I needed an ab exercise today, so I did workout  1 for the abs, workout 2 for the abs and waist line – two times in a row-   and workout 3 called the Ab Challenge.  All together the workout was 40 minutes.

Total:  1 hour and 40 minutes

That will most likely be all of my exercise time for the rest of the week as we are going back to the cottage on Wednesday night and during the day we have guitar and orthodontist appointments.

I don’t exercise because I am trying to lose weight. I exercise so that I will be healthy. If I go just a few days with out any exercise, my body begins to feel different.

I make this a priority in my day, although there are many days it doesn’t happen, anyways! But if I didn’t set out to make it a priority, it most likely wouldn’t happen any days

Tuesday

40 minutes

This is a good exercise. No boring repetitions. Denise keeps it moving so that your always doing something just a little bit different. There’s not to much that is strenuous in this exercise, but you will still feel as if you had a good work-out when done. It is mostly pilates based.

Monday

Hit the Spot-Totally Firm,

40 minutes

This was one among some of the first exercise videos I bought, over 7 years ago. The video itself was produced in 1997. Denise Austin exercises on a beach (probably Hawaii) with the ocean and mountains in the background.

I don’t particularly care for this vhs. Perhaps it is only because that when I got it many years ago, I had so few to choose from that I did this one over and over, so now, when I plug it in, I think, “Boring.” Or maybe it really is boring. I also prefer Denise’s older age-with-grace personality, that she displays in her newer videos/dvds. I love her pilates and yoga exercise routines.

Exercise - it's a dirty word for many. But...it's also a necessary evil in order to stay healthy!

I have found that the way to actually "like" exercise and to stay consistent is:

1. Find something you enjoy.   Walk, jog (I hate this choice!), swim, find a sport, go horsebackriding, play tennis, etc...

2.  Find something you can stay consistent with.

3. Find something you can afford (going to the gym, for many, is neither affordable in time or money)

4. Stay out of a rut.

This week: 

Sunday - very, very early...took an hour long horseback ride, at fast speed...by the time I finished, my muscles were quivering, down to my toes.

Monday -  More horsebackriding- an hour long.  Good workout - I could feel it in my arms, and even my abs!

Tuesday - More horseback riding - 1 hour

Plus -

a mile long adventurous walk up a creek with an 8 and 10 year old - climbing two different beaver dams in order to keep going.

 Wednesday -

My horse trainer came this day.  Practiced in the round pen, for an hour long, English Riding, on my horse, Gretta.  A lot of posting practice.

Normally, my dd takes her turn, but  her cousin is here this week and she declined. I took her turn, and had another hour of English Riding, practicing my posting the entire time, on our horse, Lady.  Two hours total.

Thursday - 

Half my kids and my nieces that are with us this week, went to my older daughter's swimming pool. The house was quieter than usual.  What should I do with this time frame?  Less children means less disturbances, more choices, less demands of my time.  Should I clean the house?  Good idea - it's certainly needed!

However, I had made it a goal to increase my exercise time and to make it a priority, so I skipped the dusting, the vaccumming, and the mopping. 

 I went into my exercise room (this is really a multi-purpose room: fold out bed for company/ giant doll house for girls to play in/ balance bar, weight bench, assorted weights, exercise mat) and locked both doors. 

 I told the two boys still at home, that mommy was going to take time for herself and exercise, so please don't disturb unless necessary. 

Before exercising, I made sure the boys had eaten and had their tummy's full. I left chocolate milk and cups on a table in case they needed a drink.  I started a dishwasher load, threw in a new load of laundry, and tossed the wet stuff into the dryer.

I got my ice water, lit a candle (a habit of mine to "set the mood"), turned off the lights, and turned on the ceiling fan. 

I alternate exercise videos depending on what I feel I need the most. Weights, pilates, yoga, callanetics, and dance.  In the genre of dance, I have ballet, classical dance, jamaican, the following Afro-Brazilian, and also, the following hip-hop type of dance, being of the 90's era.  I guess I enjoy all the areas of dance because I am basically uncordinated, was always very poor in sports, and being able to keep in sync and timing that these type of  dvd/videos require, is a certain sense of accomplishment for me.

Today was what I call my "cultural experience".  The first video has bongo percussion drums and it's a lot of Brazilian/African based dance...you can almost imagine yourself in the jungles with the tribal commune celebrating a wedding.  Really!  Promise...you won't get bored doing this exercise.

Afro-Brazilian Cardio, (The Method)

From the jacket of the video:

"A true Afro-Braziliam workout that invigorates the heart, the body, and the spirit.  Let your body experience the energy of Afro-Brazilian moves to the uplifting beat of a live percussion band....low impact dance moves from Africa and Brazil..."

This exercise video is 50 minutes long.  The kids were being good, and I wanted to make up for lost time this past year, so, I took advantage of the quietness of the house and plugged in another video.

The following video is not a recommendation -

but it's my cultural experience day, remember?  Culturally, downtown in Chicago, in the 90's, "funk".    :)

David Gray's Funk Essentials

40 minutes

 I still had some energy left. The boys being preoccupied and playing nicely together, the girls and the cousins still gone swimming, I decided to go for it.  

And, for the record, I'm definitley not throwing this video out there as a recommendation, either!  And remember, I've locked both doors, not a soul knows what mommy is  doing in this room.  Having fun!

The All American Girls Dance Funk Workout

"Learn the Hip Hop, The Attitude Walk, The Wild Thing With the Latin Swing, Hangin' Out, Go-Go, Steppin'

Produced in 1991                        30 minutes long

The first week of summer has gone beautifully.  I let the kids sleep in a little bit extra every morning. I'm sure the kids are grateful to me for this, but I enjoy this time as much as they do.  The house is extra quiet and I take a few extra minutes to myself.

For the summer months, I had expressed the desire to get better at photography (learn more about my photography software, and my camera); and cook more, but at the beginning of this week I decided that the number one thing I want to do this summer is to ump the exercise time I give to myself each day. 

This must have been the Year of the Rut for me.  My cooking and my exercise became dull and routine.  On the plus side, I was keeping my house better than I ever have - I prioritized this and came up with some good routines.  My laundry actually stayed caught up.  I feel good about this past year in every area, but as I already mentioned, my cooking left a lot to be desired and my exercising was the bare minimum of effort. 

This was the first week I have sought to correct these downfalls.  For exercise, I have made the first hour in the morning, after my dh has left for work, dedicated to exercise.  I have a video/vhs library in which to choose from. I have been collecting these for over six years now.  I have quite the accumulation.  My collection has saved me the price of a gym fee. It's convenient, I don't have to get in a car to go somewhere. I can do it any time of the day I can fit it in.  I can choose the video/dvd I want to do according to how much time I have (10 min., 15min., 20 min., 30 min., 45 min., 60 min) and how much energy I have.  This has worked really well for me over the years. 

However, this past year, I have been picking the shorter routines consistently, and for the summer, I decided that for as much as possible, I would choose the longer ones and make it a priority in my day and in my schedule.  This is what I did this week:

 MONDAY

Denise Austin Pilates For Every Body

THE COMPLETE WORKOUT TO STRENGTHEN, LENGTHEN AND TONE YOUR BODY

I like this exercise video.  It's totally low impact (as Pilates is generally known to be). It's a good workout, leaving you feel strengthened, lengthened, and toned, just like the front jacket case advertises it. 

Tuesday:

Minna Lessig

Strength & Grace     Optimizer

45 minutes Blended Program    Yoga & Pilates Inspired

I  enjoy this exercise program, a lot.  It's enjoyable and fun, as well as getting a good 45 minutes of exercise!  Low impact.

Wednesday:

Minna Lessig

Emergency Workout

This is a 60 minute work out.  It's along the lines of aerobic exercising, but incorporates a lot of "salsa" type dancing.   What kind of dance is that?  I really don't know, being raised in a no-dance demoninational type family.  All of the routines, including what Minna calls the salsa, seems to be rather Spanish in nature. 

When I got done with this exercise (I haven't done this particular one in perhaps a year), I could feel every muscle in my body, the rest of the day.  That's a good feeling, actually.  I don't LOVE this video, but it's good for a change of pace, to burn extra calories, to tone up muscles I don't normally use, and do all of this without getting bored.

THURSDAY:

MUSCLE BALLET

STEPHANIE  HERMAN

Do you like classical music?   If you do, you might enjoy this exercise routine.  It's low impact, it's ballet in nature. Ballet dance in the form of exercise, put to the sound of very nice classical music.  Extremely relaxing, not hard to follow the routines, as some ballet exercise videos are (New York Ballet is very hard).  It is dated...Stephanie wears a 80's like aeorbic leotard outfit, but the music is timeless as well as the dance.  Nice change of pace.  It's 60 minutes long, a good part of this is just floor stretches and some exercise. 

I try to do a consistent exercise routine using videos or dvds in my home.  This works better for me than trying to make the time to get out of the house and go to a gym.  At any given moment in the day, I can step into my den, and begin to exercise.  I have my den set up as my own personal gym.  A VCR and DVD for the videos, a weight bench, various free weights (5 lbs. 8 lbs, 10 lbs), two mats, a gigantic freestanding mirror that sets on the floor, an exercise bar, a mini trapoline (stored), a big exercise ball for pilate type exercises, and numerous exercise videos for variation.  I have a regular routine that I try to tone each muscle group on different days.  If I go horsebackriding or do an 8 hour job of housecleaning on a given day, I count that as my exercise and don't do my videos.  I have found that by being consistent, even 10 minutes a day sometimes, goes a long, long, way. 

I keep records of which days I did what videos. This helps me in more ways than just being able to keep track of what muscle group has been exercised. By the sheer virtue of writing it down, week after week, it encourages me as I look back on what I accomplished after several months, or years.  It motivates me to keep it up. 

July 31, Monday

I want Those Arms!  with Tamilee

Segments 1 and 2    (30 minutes) 

Using 8 pound hand weights

Tighter Assets 10 Minutes Abs with Tamilee

August, 1, Tuesday

Quick Callanetics, Stomach   20 minutes

Quick Callanetics, Hips and Behind   20 minutes

Quick Callanetics, Legs   20 minutes