I promise, I am still doing my workouts!

I know I have not posted in a while but I have not really had anything to exciting to talk about. So I decided that I would get on and update everyone on my Turbo Fire progress.

Today, I start on my last 4 weeks of the program... so that means, I have made it 16 WEEKS! Since I have last posted, I do have a good friend, Ally, doing the workouts  with me 3-4 days of the week. So I only have to motivate myself 2-3 days a week! Also, I have purchased the Advanced DVD set. The Advanced set is 5 new workouts which really kick your butt.

The new workouts are:

Fire 60- This is the longest of the fire cardio classes. It contains 4 one minute fire drills and some more advanced moves. I must say though it was not as hard as I expected it to be after just watching the DVD.

HIIT 30- This high intensity interval training DVD has 10 1.25 minute cardio drills each with a one minute break in between. I thought this one was harder than the Fire 60 class because of all of the jumping and plyometric moves.

Upper 20- This strength training class focuses just on the upper part of your body and continues to challenge you with the resistance bands. It is hard esp for those like me who do not have an incredibly strong upper body.

Lower 20- All I can say is WOW! Also, as strength training class but focuses on the lower body by using a lower body resistance band (a band that has no handles that the ends are tied together to use around your ankles). I was sore after this class for a week!

Abs 10- I know it is only 10 minutes but it is a hard 10 minutes. No resistance bands are used in this class but you finish knowing and feeling where each of your ab muscles are.

All of these advanced classes push you farther than you thought you could go. Also, I am convinced that you get the ripped body in the last 2 months with the addition of these workouts.

Update: Since I have started I have lost 15 lbs. I would tell you how many inches but I lost my original inch measurements :( I promise I will keep you updated as I finish my last month... which happens to be a HIIT month!

-Caroline

It been a while.

I know it has been a while but I have not really had anything exciting going on:( However, my favorite season on the year is starting.... FOOTBALL SEASON! I am so excited to cheer on my Auburn Tigers this season. So excited that I started singing cheers and the fight song in the shower 3 weeks ago. In anticipation for the season opener tomorrow, I wanted to share some pictures of my favorite place on earth... Auburn, Al.

Tailgating with my 4 roomies and all of our boys.

Kristen, Jess and I at the AU vs South Carolina game last year.

Me and my favorite man, Aubie!

The team running on the field.

 Pre-game show. The band making the interlocking AU.

 A sea of orange! Looking at the student section.

WAR EAGLE! The eagle flying around the stadium before the game.

 Toomer's Corner after the SEC Championship 2010.

Toomer's Corner after the BCS National Championship 2011.

 

We will always be a house divided!

So happy 2011 football season! I say WAR EAGLE and Aaron says Go Cocks!

-Caroline

Turbo Fire Week 9

I have made it completely through the cardio month. I never thought it would be over! I am so happy that I stuck with it. Now I start a HIIT month again so there are fewer long cardio classes and days with 2 classes a day. I am so excited to get back to the drills of the HIIT classes! Here is my schedule for this week:

Monday- HIIT 15 + Sculpt 30

Tuesday- Fire 45 + Stretch 10

Wednesday- Rest

Thursday- HIIT 15 + Tone 30

Friday- Fire 55 EZ

Saturday- HIIT 20 + Sculpt 30

Sunday- Fire 30 + Stretch 10

Wish me luck on changing everything up again!

-Caroline

Turbo Fire Week 8

I finally made it through the 3 weeks of cardio. I did not write every week because all I had to say was... "IT WAS HARD!" This week is a much needed recovery week and then I start the HIIT 2 month. I will not think about that right now and just thank the Lord that I have a recovery week.

Recovery Week Schedule

Monday- Fire 45 EZ + Stretch 10

Tuesday- Fire 45 EZ + Stretch 10

Wednesday- Rest

Thursday- Core 20 + Stretch 40

Friday- Fire 30 + Stretch 10

Saturday- Fire 45 EZ + Stretch 10

Sunday- Core 20 + Stretch 40

I must say though... even though it is hard some days, it is so much fun esp when you start the warm up. I really am enjoying it and recommend it to any one who wants to start.

- Caroline

Turbo Fire Week 5 Complete!

Man this cardio month is going to KILL me! This week was so hard. I cannot figure out how best to do the Fire 30 class with the Sculpt and Tone classes. On Tuesday, I did the sculpt then then fire and on Thursday, I did the fire then the tone. Either way, whichever class was second did not get close to my full effort. I was so tried by the time the second class came because I went all out in the first class. Well good thing I have 2 more weeks to work on it. Also, it was hard for me to do some many long work outs- 55 mins x2, 30+3 x2, and a 45 min all in one week. My brain just does not stay interested that long. But I am pushing through and will hopefully report that I did better next week.

I hope y'all are finding ways to exercise and feel better! I am!

-Caroline

Turbo Fire Weeks 5-7/ Review

So I have finished the first month of Turbo Fire. It was known as the HIIT month because There was and emphasis on the HIIT classes each week. I did do my measurements yesterday and I have up 2 inches total but down in the places you want to be down in (hips and waist). I have built us some muscle in the last month and love it.

A month perspective: The last month was hard but well worth it. I never thought I would work out 6 days a week and enjoy it or even look forward to it. I am excited to start the next month (Cardio month) today and think this month will be the worst. Everyday is a long class day (time wise) and I just hate trying to pay attention that long :) Since this is the cardio month, weeks 5-7 are the same so I am going to just put the schedule up once and continue with reviews.

Weeks 5-7 Schedule

Monday: Fire 55 EZ

Tuesday: Fire 30 and Sculpt 30

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Fire 30 and Tone 30

Friday: Fire 55 EZ

Saturday: Fire 45

Sunday Core 20 and Stretch 40

I really hope I can make it through 3 weeks of this! Wish me luck!

-Caroline

Forth of July Weekend... Finally!

Sorry I have been so slow lately. I have been busy and intend to fill you in with a blog post soon! So for the forth, we went to Wilmington, NC to see Aaron's family and visit with one of his friends that was in our wedding.

Our first stop was Aaron's Papa's house on Carolina beach. We got there on Saturday and stayed the night. We had lunch with Papa and Della (Papa' fiancee), visited Aaron's uncle Jerry, aunt Nancy and cousin Jordan, and had dinner with everyone. That night Aaron, Jordon, Nancy and I went to get some of the BEST doughnuts in the world from Brit's and to walk around the downtown area where they have a small carnival all summer long!

 The Carnival in downtown Carolina Beach

The Carnival in downtown Carolina Beach

We also went four wheeling on the beach at North End that morning. It was not on ATVs but in vehicles that have 4 wheel drive so you do not get stuck in the sand. People can drive, camp, and cookout on this beach. And being 4th of July weekend, it was PACKED.

 Carolina Beach Pier where people fish all day!

 Aaron with the pelican

Close up of the people camping on the beach. Look carefully for the tent cities they have built.

Perspective on how many people were there.

The next morning Aaron and I walked to the pier and took pictures. Then we went into Wilmington and saw everyone on his dad's side of the family and ate lunch and then visited some family friends. For dinner, we tried Red Robin for the first time! All I have to say is all you can eat SWEET POTATO FRIES! Love them! Then we picked up his friend Brian from the airport and drove an hour to his parent's house at Ocean Isle, NC. We stayed there Sunday and Monday night. Their house is right on the beach and it was great to watch fireworks, cookout and spend time with friends.

The Peterson house on Ocean Isle is right behind the big gray one with the double porches.

 Spent the 4th here.

Winning Bochi Ball!

On the way back home on Tuesday we stopped at Bass Pro Shop in Myrtle Beach (of course) and then ate lunch at Margaritaville.

 Margaritaville in Myrtle Beach

Margaritaville in Myrtle Beach

We had a great trip!

-Caroline

Turbo Fire Week 4/ Review

I made it through this crazy week with changing schedules to get every workout in. The only new class this week was the HIIT 25 class. This class pushed me passed what I thought was my limit. It was fun and did intervals just like the other HIIT classes but these intervals were about 80 seconds (almost a minute and a half) and there were more of them. I do love these classes because I feel like I can give so much energy and go all out for that minute and a half. Sense this was my last week with a new class, I will continue to post a weekly schedule and how I felt during this week but no class reviews.

Here is the schedule for week 4- the 1 month mark.

Monday- Fire 45 + Stretch 10

Tuesday- HIIT 20 + Stretch 10

Wednesday- Rest

Thursday- HIIT 20 + Sculpt 30

Friday- Fire 55 EZ

Saturday- Core 20 + Stretch 40

Sunday- Fire 45 + Stretch 10

So after this week I will retake measurements and let you know how it is going!

-Caroline

Turbo Fire Week/ Review

I promise I did not forget about updating you all on turbo fire. This week has been crazy because of the holiday. I got all of last week done but had to change this week's schedule around a little due to sunburned feet. (I will post about the 4th next).  I did learn this week that this work out regime is very portable but when you are working out in a new place, make sure you have enough room. I did accidentally kick a lamp shade but nothing was broken!

First up, a review of week 2:

Core 20: All I can say is WOW. This class contains a lot of your normal ab exercises but uses the resistance band to add extra resistance. My abs were sore for the next week! It was so worth it though.

Fire 45: This class is very similar to the to the Fire 30 class but with an extra "fire drill" and adds an extra 15 minutes. I did not do the "new to class" option on this because I get bored but doing it in real time, was not hard to pick up. I only get confused when I have to switch the movements from the right side of the body to the left.

HIIT 20: Same as the HIIT 15 class but intervals are every 55 seconds instead of the 30 seconds. I love these classes because the are quick and hard.

Sculpt 30: This is a full body strength workout with the resistance bands. It was sort of hard because she contorts herself in to some different positions to work lower and upper body in the same movement. You draw on your balance a lot and it was hard for me to balance after doing the HIIT 20. The Sculpt and HIIT 20 are done back-to-back.

That is all for the new classes that I added this week.

Week 3 Schedule:

Monday- July 4th- took the day off

Tuesday- Burnt feet and could not put on tennis shoes

Wednesday- Catch up- Fire 45 EZ + Stretch 10

Thursday- HIIT 15 + Tone 30

Friday- Fire 45 EZ + Stretch 10

Saturday- Core 20 + HIIT 25

Sunday- Fire 55 EZ

- Caroline

Anniversary Weekend and A Little More

Last weekend, Aaron and I celebrated our 1st anniversary! It was a great weekend that has seemed to go into this week. So here is how it went:

Friday- We went to Donnie and Chuck's to have dinner with them and Cindy, Jay, and Amanda. Also, we were there to cheer Carolina on to a victory and the finals of the CWS.

Saturday- We picked up our anniversary cake (the bakery made us a new one for our one year!) We had breakfast at a diner. Then came home and did nothing... no cleaning, no laundry, and no yard work. We went to Basil, a Thai restaurant downtown. I had the Chicken Pad Thai and Aaron had the fried soft shell crab. It was YUMMY! Then we can home and watched movies. Oh and I got Harry Potter 7 part 1 on DVD!

Our anniversary cake

Sunday- We (Aaron) did yard work and went to the pool. Then we laid around at night.

Monday- The start of the CWS finals. We went to Cindy and Jay's to eat and cheer the Gamecocks to a victory against Florida. Donnie, Chuck, Stephanie, and Amanda were there too!

Tuesday- Game 2 of the finals. We had everyone over to our house for dinner and to see the Gamecocks clench the title for the second year in a row!

So for those of you who do not know Aaron is a Carolina fan and I cheer for them if they are not playing Auburn. So CONGRATULATIONS Gamecocks! Way to go! And, since I am writing this blog and not Aaron, a big WAR EAGLE as well!

Turbo Fire Week 2/ Review

So I have completed my first week of Turbo Fire! I was a lot of fun. So one thing I forgot to mention last week was that the numbers in the class names are the length of time that each class is. So lets get into the week break down.

Fire 30- I did this one 3 times this week. The first 2 days, I did the "New in Class" option where she breaks down parts of the routines before you do them. By the third time, I could complete it without doing the "New in Class" option. The routine was so fun and goes by so fast. It is a lot of kickboxing moves and high energy with great music.

HIIT 15- This stands for High Intensity Interval Training. It was great but really intense. It is only a 15 min class but every 30 seconds you are going all out with a 30 second recovery.

Fire 55 EZ- This class is 55 mins and is full of kickboxing moves. It does have a "New in Class " option as well. The only thing is that it seems really long for an ADD girl like myself after doing 15 and 30 min classes all week. I think I will like it better when I can just do the class without the "New in Class" option.

Today, I have the Core 20 class. I have not done it yet but I have watched the DVD and I think it is going to be really intense for the back and abs. I will let you know how this one goes.

Finally, the Stretch 10 that is added on to most days it AWESOME! I have not felt sore all week and I think that is because you do the cool down with the class and then the extra 10 mins of stretching. This is not a yoga class it is just pure stretching for each muscle. I loved it!

Schedule for Week 2

Monday- Fire 45 class+ Stretch 10

Tuesday- HIIT 20 class + Stretch 10

Wednesday- Rest

Thursday- HIIT 15 class + Stretch 10

Friday- Fire 55 EZ class

Saturday- Core 20 class + Stretch 40

Sunday- Fire 45 class + Stretch 10

Have fun sweating this week! I know I will!

-Caroline

Turbo Fire Week 1

So I start Turbo Fire on Monday! I will put up the schedule for each new week and review the week I just finished. So no week to review yet but here is my first week's schedule:

Monday- Fire 30 class + Stretch 10

Tuesday- HIIT 15 class + Stretch 10

Wednesday- REST

Thursday- Fire 30 class + Stretch 10

Friday- Fire 55 EZ class

Saturday- Fire 30 class + Stretch 10

Sunday- Core 20 class + Stretch 40

I hope I can make it through. Oh and Megan... you can try it anytime!

-Caroline

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Father's Day Dad! I chose a pic with mom too because I did not put up a post for Mother's Day! So Happy Mother's Day for you too Mom!

-Caroline

Two words... TURBO FIRE!

I am so pumped because I just got my Turbo Fire DVDs in the mail. Turbo Fire is an at home workout that I saw an infomercial for. Y'all know I do not buy into those things easily. But this one is by Beach Body and looked like tons of fun so I ordered it. Now it is set up to be a 6 day a week program starting on Mondays so I am starting this Monday... June 20th. I am going to review the DVDs at the end of each week so y'all can know what I am doing and to keep myself accountable. I really can't wait... I have already watched 2 of the DVDs on the computer to prepare myself!

Ok, have a good weekend and get pumped for Monday, I am!

-Caroline

New Table Centerpiece

I have not had a centerpiece on my dining table since I moved into the house. I have always wanted vases or some sort of candle holders that I could put coffee beans in with vanilla scented candles. So I finally made them! (All the candles are vanilla but one is slightly off color because I am CHEAP!)Hope you like!

-Caroline

Pat and Carrie's Wedding

Our friends Pat and Carrie got married this past weekend (June 4th)! It was so pretty and elegant. The ceremony was at St. Mary's Catholic Church Downtown Charleston. The reception was at the Planter's Inn at Peninsula Grill. It is the private dining area at the Grill. It was a sit down dinner with 4 courses that were GREAT! Here are some pictures from the event!

The Front of St. Mary's Catholic Church

 The Planter's Inn at the Peninsula Grill outdoor dining area

 Aaron and I with the bride and groom

 Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Dempsey

Outdoor dining area decorated for the wedding

Casey, Ryan and I at T Bonz before the wedding... Aaron had to be there early because he was an usher.

It was a great day! Congrats Pat and Carrie!

-Caroline

The Month on May... in One Post!

I am so sorry! I have been very busy lately and only doing some things that are worth mentioning. However, during the month we did go to Darlington and we had a good Memorial Day celebration.

First, Darlington, AKA The Track to Tough to Tame or The Black Lady: Aaron goes every year on Mother's Day weekend to the track from Thursday thru Sunday. This year my dad and I met him up there for the race on Saturday. It was a lot of fun but I have decided that I would not be good at staying in the infield with this all weekend. Here are the pictures from Saturday.

 Looking at the track  from the deck on the bus.

 Raceway Sign

 Aaron and I on the deck on top of the bus.

 Yes the bus can seat/sleep 12 rednecks.

 Side view of the bus and deck.

 Front of the bus with deck.

 Aaron's sleeping quarters.

Entertainment area between the bus and the camper.

Memorial Day Festivities: We had a cook out on Memorial Day with our parents and friends. There was plenty of food, drink and games. Here are the pictures.

 First we had potato skins thanks to Charlie. As you can see everybody ate it before I could get a good picture.

 Dip options: Crab and Cream Cheese, Pimento Cheese, and Buffalo Chicken

 Desserts: Flag Cake and Mint Brownies

 Pina Colatas in the Margarator. Sadly the Margarator broke:(

 Chicken wings on the pool table.

Games: life size jenga and corn hole

And Pearl laid around

Well that was my month of May. I promise I will keep y'all more up to date for the month of June!

-Caroline

Outdoor Updates

We have finally got some changes in our front and back yards! In the front, we have our caladiums blooming. Some are from the bulbs we planted and some we had to buy new plants due to the amounts of water off the roof when it rains. Aaron is installing gutters as we speak to fix that problem. Here are pictures of my first home garden!

 This little guy on the right got stepped on and broken. He is making a valiant comeback though.

 I also planted white and green and purple and green kale.

 The one by the door only has one leaf (I think that is what you call it) but that is where we are having the rain issue. It is doing a lot better than the one on the other side... I think because it gets more sun.

 The one on the left has a little nub but I think I might have to plant the pretty one in the center there. I got an extra potted one just in case.

Next, we got a patio set for the back yard. It is a Better Homes and Gardens Bistro Set from Walmart. It was hard to find in stalk but well worth the effort.

 A close up of the chair and pillows.

The whole set with the charcoal grill.

- Caroline