I know most people hate Monday, but for me it's like a new beginning. I can forget about all the crap I ate this weekend and start fresh. I like the clean slate.

I'm going to change our routine, yet again. Have you read that e-mail that's circulating about Mommy ADD. I have that. I run around and never get anything done. Also, I get bored quick, so we have to change things a bit to keep me happy. Plus, it's good for your body and prevents plateaus.

Here's the new schedule
Monday - Cardio and lower body
Tuesday - Cardio and upper body
Wednesday - Cardio Intervals
Thursday - Lower body circuit
Friday - Upper Body
Saturday - Fun Cardio

So tomorrow is going to be upper body.
Start with 5- 20 minutes of cardio
Then do the following exercises.

Lat pull-down - 3 sets of 10 - 50-70 lbs or with a band
Seated Row - 3 sets of 14 - 40-60 lbs or band
Pushups - 2 sets of 10 - try to do regular, but if you have to drop to your knees
Tricep Dips - 3 sets of 12
Tricep Kickback - 2 sets of 12 - 10-15 pound dumbbells
Bicep Curl - 3 sets of 12 - 10-15 pounds - if you have a weight bench, do this on an incline
Hammer Curl - 2 sets of 14
Plank - Hold until you shake, repeat three times

Please try and increase the weight if you can. Make sure you're going really slow.
If you need exercise description check my website - www.camichecketts.com

I can't wait for Friday. I'm ready to sleep in until seven, make my honey change a few diapers, and go to Costa Vida instead of cooking dinner. Pathetic the things I dream about nowadays, isn't it?

Tomorrow is going to be great. We get to do a circuit workout. If you don't have a cardio machine try dancing, kickboxing, climbing stairs or walking around the house for the cardio sections.

- Warm-up for five minutes.
- Squats with overhead press - three minutes
- Jumping Jacks - thirty seconds
- Cardio - five minutes
- Walking lunges with bicep curl - three minutes
- Jump onto a step or bench, squat down and then step off - twenty times
- Cardio - five minutes
- Plie with tricep kickback - three minutes
- Step wide into a plie, jump together in center for two counts, repeat twenty times
- Cardio - five minutes
- Dead lift with a row - twenty times - on the last five row twice for each lift
- Cool-down for five minutes
- Don't forget to stretch

As always, don't do the jumps if they hurt or if you're worn out. If you're short on time, just do the weight segments one after another. For exercise descriptions, go to my website - http://www.camichecketts.com. It's on the links page.

Have a great weekend!

I'm having a rotten week with eating. I do good all day, then about ten o'clock I'm working on my computer and the dang ice cream magically appears on my desk and I snarf it down. I don't even feel guilty until the next morning!

Do any of you have food issues? I swear I'm mental about it. I do really good for a while and then I flip and eat ice cream every day for a week. I actually talk myself into eating treats. I'll say, "You worked out dang hard today and did laundry and you played with the boys..." The list goes on until I'm convinced that I've burned so many calories I'm going to wither away without some chocolate in my system.

If you're shaking your head saying, Yep. Cami's a mental case. I have two words for you - under thirty. If you're under thirty years old you haven't had sufficient time to develop food anxiety. Plus your stinking metabolism is still working in your favor so you can eat more than us old women.

Okay, that last paragraph might be a bit far-fetched, except for the metabolism crack. I am pretty proud of myself tonight. I'm eating whole wheat bread for my treat, ground from my very own wheat grinder. You didn't know I was Betty Crocker. I even made sugar cookies today and did not eat a crumb. I can hear you oohing. Don't be too impressed. The truth is, I don't like sugar cookies. Any treat without chocolate is wasted calories in my book.

Tomorrow is a long cardio workout. I'm going to try and run at least seven miles, but it's snowing here and if I have to be on a treadmill, I'll be lucky to crank out five.
As always, do something you love or at least can tolerate. if you only have fifteen minutes and you don't want to get too sweaty go on a walk or dance with your kiddos.

Have a great day. I'll post Friday's workout tomorrow afternoon and I'll try to limit the psycho-babble.

I had a couple of new friends show up for my free training sessions at Summit Creek Fitness. Who wouldn't show up for free personal training, eh?
While working with them and the other ladies I had some thoughts.
#1 - Everyone is so different - body type, fitness level, genetics - Please don't compare yourself or push until you hurt yourself. It takes an invested effort to become physically fit. Someone who has been doing it for years or even months longer than you will be stronger. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Look at it as a motivator or goal for where you want to be, but don't hurt yourself to get there or quit because the results are slow.

#2 - The results are slow. It's frustrating for me to even think about this. The weight comes on gradually, it's going to come off gradually, but unfortunately it's a heck of a lot harder to take it off! Don't give up and don't feel bad if you don't meet your goals one day. It's the old turtle and rabbit race. Slow and steady will win every time.

#3 - If you're new, take it slow - meaning the reps and the progression, watch your form and only do what your body can handle. I include plyometrics (jumps) in a lot of my workouts. You don't have to do them. You don't have to do anything I say. Listen to your own body. I like to jump, some people hate it. If you hate it, don't do it. That sounds dumb, but really working out should not be torture and if it is you'd better find a different kind of exercise that you like or you're never going to stick with it for life. That said, sometimes you have to keep going and you'll learn to like the exercise. It's a delicate balance that you'll have to figure out for yourself. But if you've been say running for a year and every step is still torture, maybe you're not a runner. Not a big deal, try something else. Maybe you're a swimmer or soccer player or dancer.

#4 - Your body was meant to move. It should be fun. It should feel good. Keep it moving and you'll reap the rewards for life.

Okay. You weren't planning on a speech today. Sorry about that. Sometimes I have to blabber and you have to listen!

Tomorrow is lower body. It's going to be kind of simple. Warm-up for 5- 20 minutes, depending on time restraints. Then I'm going to list an exercise and two different options for the exercise. You'll do the first two sets with the basic, then step it up for set three and step it up again for set four. If you don't want to step it up, just do three sets of the basic or two and one step up. You get the idea.
Do fourteen reps on each set.

Squat - Two sets regular
Option 1 - Squat with a step - Take a wide step to the side. Sit down into a squat, step back together in center, repeat other side.
Option 2 - Squat Jumps - Sit down, then leap into the air

Lunges - Two sets regular
Option 1- Lunge with back foot on ball or bench
Option 2 - Lunge Jump - Step forward, bend down into lunge, jump and switch legs, lunge down, repeat

Plies - Two sets regular
Option 1 - Plie with calf raise
Option 2 - Plie with twinkle toes - legs wide, sit down, then jump together, touching toes in center

That's it. It's really pretty simple, but should be a good workout for you. Once again, don't do anything that hurts or you don't like. If you need more exercise descriptions, check my website - www.camichecketts.com - The strength training guide is on the links page.
Have a great workout.

I was ill this weekend. Horribly. I haven't worked out since Friday and I didn't even get to enjoy my free day for eating treats on Sunday. What a bummer. I feel robbed. I keep chomping on pears hoping to replace the need for a chocolate fix!

I'm excited to exercise tomorrow. I think I'll finally feel up to it. I'm going to begin, as usual, with twenty minutes of cardio. Tomorrow is upper body so we'll do the following exercises.

1 - Chest Press - 3 sets of 10
2 - Seated Row - 3 sets of 14
3 - Lat Pulldown- 3 sets of 12
4 - Bicep Curl - 3 sets of 12
5 - Outward Bicep Curl - 2 sets of 16
6 - Triceps Dip - 3 sets of 10
7 - Tricep Cable Pulldown - 3 sets of 12

You should be lifting heavy enough weights to make it hard to complete the last few reps of the last set. If you don't go to the gym, you will need a band to do the lat pulldown, seated row and the tricep pulldown. If you don't have a band, use hand weights and do a bent-over row and an overhead tricep extension.

If you're short on time, warm-up for a couple of minutes, then do one set of each exercise.

Have a great workout!