It is 5 days again if you have been doing this a while, some of it is beginner level and all of it is do able. There are also 3 – 4 day starter out ideas if you have just found this.
In fact where I started was with Paula Baldwins daily dozen.
I did it every day to make myself move again.
If you feel like giving up, don’t!!!
Start with this ~ it doesn’t take that long to get yourself moving again.
I choose workouts that aren’t extreme but do able and fun so you can actually succeed.
The aim is for you to get fit and healthy and in the process you will become slimmer and achieve your fitness goals.
I was in a really bad shape when I started but have achieved a goal this month I never set out to do, just by listening to the experts and following their advice.
This month is inspired by a slimming Calendar entry.
18th April
Light exercise includes activities that do not cause you to break a sweat or produce shortness of breath. An example would be a leisurely walk or casual bike ride. Moderate exercise is exercise which causes you to break out in a light to moderate sweat or makes it difficult to carry on a long conversation. Good examples would be a brisk walk, hiking on a nature trail, performing chores around the house. Heavy exercise causes you to sweat profusely and makes it difficult to carry on a conversation of any length. Some examples would be running around a track, heavy manual labor, or heavy weightlifting.
Have to say I found Jessica Smith really hard in April, but started to get better at it as I went along.
It is like jogging or being on a treadmill.
I used to do treadmill 4 times a week or aerobics or a mixture so I need to push myself a bit at this point.
It is only us that can do that at the end of the day and the ultimate push comes from ourselves.
Going to move things around a bit this month.
I used to do more strength training at the gym so need to work out how to add more to the Zsa Zsa Gabor routine.
We did aerobics or treadmill, bike, rowing, stepmeister then went into the weight training section.
The more exercise I add, the more I realise this is who I am.
I’ve got body dismorphia and low seratonin, so exercise really helps my mind. The more I do the better I feel.
Even if you haven’t any problems, I guess it makes everyone feel better, hope by sharing what I do I’m contributing to women like me or introducing people to exercise and you are discovering how good it makes you feel.
Monday
Strength 1
You can do Zsa Zsa Gabor and Jane Fonda Lunges as well but this video contains strength exercises so it is a complete video you can use on its own.
Standing abs
This video has floor abs, but I’m still doing standing abs and the walk at home cooldown.
There is a chair routine at the end of the video that may suit your requirements better.
Tuesday
Summer Ready
Whole spa days
Spa Menu Ideas
Hydration Quench Rituals
I’ve started collecting together different Spa days to do at home, so will create a storage system and Home Spa timetable for you to use at home.
It might help for you to do a spring clean and re organisation of your Spa Products so you can access everything easily on spa days.
Pedicures
Are essential in summer for example, whereas not as essential in winter when we are wearing boots.
Cellulite and firming
These are a necessity if you are planning on a holiday somewhere warm and want to wear beachwear.
Manicures
Manicures are for all year round, but on Spa days you may want to introduce massage and so forth.
Facials
You may have to do these if you have a skin condition, but everyone can benefit from a facial.
First consider and evaluate your skin condition.
In todays fast pace beauty world you can end up getting drawn into the latest craze or promotion and not actually purchase anything that suits your skin type or problem area.
For instance you may have normal skin that just needs gentle cleansing, toning and moisturising.
On the other hand you may have ageing skin that would benefit from anti aging and youth elixirs. This is possibly the biggest promotional area in beauty sales; you need to step back a bit from the chaos here though and have a study so you find the right anti ageing product for you.
Ideally you would suit a regular professional facial, but this isn’t easily do able at the present time.
I’ve recently discovered my problem is dehydration from exercise.
Water is one of the magical cures for anti ageing and if nothing else you may find drinking more water and using hydrating products will help as a hydration elixir of youth. Not sure of the results as I have just discovered this concept, but it is helping my dry blemishy skin created from exercising and not hydrating myself enough; my own fault as all the experts tell us to hydrate!!!!
May Hydration Quench
Sensitive Skin
I also have sensitive skin so I have to be careful here also. If you have sensitive skin I collate together products that work on me so should help you too.
I’m not an expert on Spa days at all, but I think most women do treatments at home, it is just keeping on top of it all and finding time to fit it in to our busy schedules.
Time Management
One idea is to make a window in your diary and stick to it.
Another is to get up an hour early or do evening treatments.
Some weeks you could swap days around; as long as you have a day off between strength training.
Jotting it down in a diary or note pad can help immensely.
I find I stick to the monthly routine and occasionly switch things around a little bit, but sticking to a routine that is repeated every week helps me form a kind of ritual like the Spa Rituals in professional spas.
Spa Menus
Trying to get spa food into everyday life can be hard when you are in a family or live with other people and share mundane household chores and cooking and so forth.
Treating yourself to spa food on a spa day could be a way for you to try out new spa food and spa menus.
You can have it for lunch or between home facials.
As you experiment and try out different products you may start to find things you can easily introduce into your busy schedule.
For instance I discovered seaweed sheets last September and I now have 2 packets a week at the weekend with my moderate drinking.
I discovered tomato juice and seaweed when I was detoxing, but noticed the tomato juice wasn’t sea salt.
This has inspired me to find a seasalt tomato juice or hopefully one day in the future make my own tomato juice.
I’m hoping to start collating Spa day Menus for you as I would like to get more healthy with what I eat in general.
My nutrition knowledge isn’t very good so would like to learn more.
Wednesday
Boost Day
2nd day of strength training
Class 1
Love this video, have a copy of this.
Think this was the first Kathy Smith video I purchased off Amazon, after this I knew I could recreate a gym level fitness routine at home. Where I live the gym was good, but overpriced and boring, I found this to be better and fun.
Will have to do walk at home cooldown as still can’t get on the floor to cooldown. Might do the quick fit Cooldown after this.
The ab section is in this video.
Review
If you are struggling to get gym standard exercise or your fitness levels back up since covid gyms ~ this one is for you!!!
Remember finding this after leaving an overpriced gym and feeling complete relief that I could recreate a gym in my small home with just hand weights and a small space.
Sounds funny but even my hands were sweating after this workout.
If this looks too much now start with Zsa Zsa and keep going ~ you will get to this level, I started with Paula Baldwin every day, (in slimming Calendar April, just pin it to your chrome bookmark and scroll down everyday ~ May has just launched with more exercise options for you to try.)
Make yourself do defy gravity in October. Tamilee will change your belief in exercise and what you can achieve.
Remember the phrase, ‘zip up your abs!!!’
This was where I learnt about standing ab routines.
Highly recommend this video.
I would advise you wear cool clothes, cotton leggings or shorts as it gets really hot.
There are links to where to purchase cool workout clothes in Fashion calendar and I load up hauls of products you can get.
(Kathy points out it doesn’t matter what you look like at home either, which is true. I’m ordering loads of white shorts, which I don’t suit, but they will be cool and comfortable ~ the main thing is to get fit.
Also sometimes you find you suit things when your not expecting to suit them or something you thought you would suit and don’t comes in for exercising at home.)
Tried these shorts at the weekend and they are perfect for exercising at home with the matrix video.
Also purchased a new age type deodrant to try.
Took me a while to get you used to these, but eventually you realise you don’t sweat as much as you thought you did.
I keep normal deodrants also, but use new age/health store ones also.
The fragrance of this is gorgeous.
If you can’t get your head round health store deodrants but want to, try using them just for working out at home and see how you do, sweat doesn’t matter if you are working out at home either.
Or
Class 2
Something a bit different to help you get your 5 days of exercise in.
This video is brilliant if you want to start adding more to your Zsa Zsa Gabor routine.
I went on to do this one next and it does what it says in the title; gets your fitness levels up quick.
This counts as your strength training today if you choose this option.
You could just do these segments 5 times in one week if you wanted; do the strength segment 3 times a week with a rest from strength in between.
You can do the cardio and cooldown segments as much as you want.
Thursday
Yoga
3 different choices this month
Class 1
I can’t get on the floor, but feel ready to do this workout.
Put this here for people who are ready for floorwork and have space to do it.
I purchased a copy of Yoga for Dummies and highly recommend this video if you are ready to do floorwork.
Class 2
For the May Yoga I have chosen this video, Happy Yoga with Sarah Starr: Beginner Gentle Seated Chair Yoga (Ocean Twilight)
It works perfectly the day after The Matrix workout.
The setting is really beautiful if you are missing going to the seaside or on holiday.
This is just what I need this month as it addresses stress and helps with breathing.
It is beginner, but I’m still beginner level and works for me as you don’t have to get on the floor.
I’d rather build up gradually as I have found it works for me.
This is such a lovely refreshing idea, especially as it is Spring.
It also gives us energy.
There are more yoga videos on Collage Video ~ so worth browsing if you are looking for something different to me.
You can just do the Barbara Curry segments like last month or combine it with Sarah Starr at the end for a 1 hour yoga session.
(You might want to keep doing the face exercises and so forth.)
You can do yoga everyday if you want.
If this isn’t exactly what you want you can make a playlist and fine tune it to your needs.
Friday
3rd strength day
Zsa Zsa
Jane Fonda Lunges
Dance Class ~ more Salsascise!!!
This leads us into the 50’s party at the end of May.
While the specific term “salsa” wasn’t used until the 1960s, salsa music and dance styles, particularly mambo and its precursors, gained popularity in the 1950s, especially in New York City. The Palladium Ballroom in NYC became a hub for Latin music and dance, showcasing artists like Tito Puente and Celia Cruz, who helped solidify the foundations for what would later be known as salsa.
Google search
Review
Own a copy of this workout.
Really enjoy this workout!!!
You used to be able to purchase the outfits, but I think that has all gone now?
What I decided to do was the full workout, then add standing abs and the walk at home workout.
Found I was a lot better at it this time, maybe after doing salsasize in April.
standing abs
Saturday
Saturday Walk Club
A push for summer, if you are like me and are up for a push
(Have to say I thought this looked extreme when I started, but it isn’t ~ you just need to build up to it and let your body do it in its own time ~ interestingly it is functional fitness and you can do it at any age ~ brilliant!!!!)
or
or
You need a 30 minute routine to fit into your busy schedule, but want to get your 5 days in.
This is a handy, ‘go to routine’ to keep your 5 day commitment on days when you aren’t up for a challenge.
(in fact you can, ‘go to this’ anytime, during the May Challenge!!!)
I felt like doing a bit more last month, but not sure if I’ll manage 4 miles every weekend.
Ideally you will complete this months challenge and do 4 miles every saturday, but I’ve started to learn you have to look at how much you do in a month or year rather than focussing on daily goals.
If you do less one week it doesn’t matter as long as you keep going.
If you need a day off here or there that doesn’t matter either.
But if you are up for a push or challenge ~ ‘go for it!!!’
The push weeks, days or months are what moves us on in our goals and achievements.
May is a good month for a push month with view to possible heatwave days off in the summer.
Also I forget to take holidays off as the gym used to shut for holidays, but at home we don’t.
I have collated all the 1 mile walks if you are just starting out do 3 X 1 mile walks a week, then build up to 2 miles the month after, then the next month you will be an expert and be able to do 3 miles 3 X a week.
(it is called the September morning challenge, but it isn’t really – just click through to a different walk 3 X a week).
or Sue Grant all week or a combination with sue Grant
There are more routines in the May Fashion and Slimming Calendar so you may prefer them.
Also the videos offer different combinations and levels so you can compile a different routine from that.
(I don’t think it is too hard as I don’t like extreme exercise, but I’ve built my levels up from doing Zsa Zsa Gabor 3 times a week and a walk, so if you have just found this and it seems too much, just start with Zsa Zsa, then add a little bit more each month, (Zsa Zsa encourages you to add more exercise to her routine, such as a sport; Excellent workout ~ really helped me.)
This slimming calendar entry explains my thinking as I was learning how to exercise at home, hopefully it will help you if you are in a simialar situation to mine.
27 April
UNLESS YOUR AN ATHLETE OR GYMNAST, YOU DON’T NEED TO PUSH YOURSELF TOO HARD TO KEEP SLIM AND FIT. THE MAIN THING IS TO BE CONSISTENT. The problem at the minute is working out how much exercise you should do and at what point is it overtraining. Hopefully the experts will be back soon. I did too much last week, it has made me loose weight, but I hurt myself a bit and decided to always have a rest day if I have any pain. After a rest the next session is better anyway.
I do one boost day a week now where I push myself, then the rest is do able exercise ~ learnt that tip along the way, it works really well
Quote from The Slimming Ccalendar,)
The key to this, is goal planning; have goals in mind and just keep working towards them.
I’ve discovered another goal today so it has made me determined to do this.
Last month I struggled with Jessica Smith, walked some of it, but achieved more by the end of the month, also some days are better than others. Top fitness experts say that, so it is worth keeping going for the good days, results and overall yearly results.
I’m not a model or perfect, so I’m being realistic with my goals, what all the videos ultimately say is to do it for your health.
As I reached my weightloss goal, I’m now learning how to maintain, but realise I need to work on toning, firming and cellulite.
Even then I’m not sure you can get rid of all problem areas, (some of my areas are quite bad) I’m going to give it a good try though.
You can move the days around or repeat a day, whatever it takes to get those 5 days in or 3 days in if you are just starting out.
As long as you have one day off between strength
Enjoy your May Workout!!!!
Conclusion
Hope you have managed to get your exercise up to 5 days if it was your goal too.
Hope you are creating your own program if your goals are different to mine.
If you have just found this and are as confused and overwhelmed as I was, just browse the different videos and listen to the experts.
There is no rush so take your time and see what feels comfortable with you.
But when you are ready just get stuck in and go for it!!!!
I’m not an expert and can’t use the floor, but the videos on slimming calendar are made by experts for us to workout at home.
I don’t make any money out of this, any money goes through to vendors or talent and so forth.
I’m just bored, don’t work, needed something to do and wanted to get fit again after a chronological illness where I had to rest.
Even though I compile these workouts, we still have to be our guides at the moment and what suits me might not suit you.
Browse slimming calendar overflow if you want more choice.
Also consult your doctor if you are worried about starting exercise or trying out different levels of exercise. I’ve consulted my doctor loads during my journey back to fitness, gives you peace of mind!!!!
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