Skip to main content

Become a Cathelete!

Its so ironic that me, quite possibly the biggest gym-rat ever, who would happily spend all day every day in a gym, working out, teaching classes and personal training, now can't stand gyms. Yep, you heard me.

I much prefer to workout in solitude now in my own home. I don't have to care about my appearance (hello no makeup, ratty spandex, and bed head!), and I don't have to worry about anyone getting in my way (I don't have any time or patience for that!), and I get have everything the way I like it (tv, music, temperature, etc.). I also don't need to waste time getting to and from some destination. I just stumble downstairs (it's 5am after all!) and shake of the sleepies with a good sweat.

Almost all my workouts start with a video of some kind. Most of my favorites are from Cathe. I've reviewed a bunch of them before and I've continued to add to my collection. Here are a few of the latest (and I may have ordered a few more recently, that haven't yet arrived!). Unlike the others I've gotten from her before, a few of these are adaptable to beginners.

Low Impact HiiT



This is definitely the most appropriate one for beginners, of all the Cathe DVDs I've tried. Its got 2 workouts under a half hour that are all low impact. It will still be hard for those with a low level of fitness, but the moves are simple and there is no STEP.

Cardio Supersets


This isn't a bad one if you are at a moderate fitness level. Its all low impact and the STEP component is optional.

Warm Up - 5:30
Cardio - 30:59
Stretch - 5:01
Total - 41:30
21:17 bonus step aerobic routine

I like this one when I want a solid but not too intense workout.

X10 


This one has 5 25-30 minute high intensity workouts. You can do 1 for a short workout, or combine them in one of the 12 premixes.

26:51 X10 Step
25:35 X10 Low Impact
26:38 X10 Hi/Lo
25:18 X10 Cardio Blast
29:32 X10 Fat Burning Circuit
Each workout includes;
Warm up - 7:55
Stretch - 5:18

Most of the workouts have some resistance exercises so its often about half high intensity cardio, and half resistance. I like that you can do so many different workout combinations with this DVD. Its too advanced for absolute beginners but definitely not as intense as some of her super duper tough ones.

Intensity:


This one definitely isn't for beginners. Its a high intensity (duh!) workout that has a bunch of premixes of various lengths:

  1. Maximum Intensity - 70:21
  2. Step Only - 36:30
  3. Step + HiiT (High) + Boot Camp - 59:09
  4. Step + HiiT (Low) + Boot Camp - 60:23
  5. Timesaver - Step + HiiT (High) - 46:26
  6. Timesaver - Step + HiiT (Low) - 47:40
  7. Timesaver - Step + Boot Camp - 49:13
  8. Timesaver - Double HiiT and Boot Camp - 45:44
  9. Timesaver - HiiT (Low) + Boot Camp - 35:49
When I have the time to the whole kit and kaboodle (70 mins) and I am looking for a hard core workout, I love this one.

My only complaint about these videos is that for the STEP work, Cathe will go right into multi-part routines instead of introducing each new move, one at a time. So if you are not good with STEP, or get frustrated easily, this will piss you off.

Honestly, I love my morning workouts. I feel so lucky to have the time, health, fitness and space to do them. They make me so happy. But you don't need to turn your basement into a gym to be able to get kick ass workouts at home. Honestly, if you have space to throw down a yoga mat (you don't even need the actual mat), then you have space to workout hard. Not even any equipment needed!

If these types of workouts aren't your thing, there are about a bazillion other workout DVDs and steaming services and apps out there.
If you struggle to get to the gym regularly, than quit! Get moving at home, because one of the keys to fitness is consistency. No workout or piece of equipment is effective if you don't do/use it!

Comments

  1. Nice information . good to share info. Please read the below to know more
    https://livehealthyday.com

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Japanese 7-Spice Kelp Noodles

I love trying new spices and seasonings, so I am very excited that the President's Choice Black Label line now has a bunch of new spice blends available.  My most recent find: Shichimi Togarashi, or Japanese 7-Spice blend. It's a combination of crushed red chili flakes, sea salt, Szechiuan peppercorns, black and white sesame seeds, poppy seeds, orange zest, wasabi powder and nori seaweed flakes. I make Japanese-inspired dishes all the time, but resort to the same old flavours most of the time: miso, soy, sesame, ginger and garlic.  I was so excited to be able to liven things up a bit. This dish is easy and tasty, although be warned that this seasoning packs punch.  I used 1 tsp, which ended up being too spicy for me, and I have a high tolerance for heat!  I recommend 1/4-1/2 tsp, or, if you don't like heat at all, make your own at home and omit the red chili flakes.  You'll get all the flavour without the heat. I served these noodles with a mix of seafood (

Blackfly Coolers: Product Review

Summer is over! Well, at least if you're a student. Officially it doesn't end for a few weeks, and it certainly still feels like summer. Yeah, I hate it. This f*cking hot, humid weather needs to end NOW! We made the most of our last weekend of the summer with our annual trip to the CNE on Friday, with a crowd of friends. It wasn't unbearably lot, thank goodness, and the girls and their friends had a blast on the rides.  Saturday I had to work, and Sunday was errand day. Monday we took the girls berry/apple/pear picking but didn't last long due to the heat. I organized the house to prepare for the construction workers starting back up yesterday, while Adam took the girls for a swim in our neighbourhood pool. Yesterday was the first day of school. Grade 2 and Grade 5. Yep, the girls are growing up.  We are fortunate that the girls don't have much anxiety about school, they are so much more confident than I ever was as a kid! But now, in the midst of our reno ch

How to Look Like a Celebrity

Okay, I know you're going to be interested in this post! I am sure virtually every woman in North America has wondered how Hollywood celebrities achieve such 'perfect' bodies.  Well, at CAN FIT PRO last week, one of Hollywood's top fitness trainers, Eric the Trainer , was there to tell us fitness professionals the secrets! Eric the Trainer, gave several presentations, and I caught the one on Celebrity Secrets, and it was most interesting!!!  I also found some of what he said rather disturbing. First off, he was very upfront about the fact that celebrities come to him for improve their appearance.  Not to improve their health or athletic performance.  To look their best.  He admitted that his approach then, is entirely dedicated to that end. Male and female celebrities are trained in completely different ways because Hollywood wants women to be lithe and thin and in his words, "look like they dropped out of heaven looking this way without every having ste