Month: March 2013

Easter Recap

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Happy Easter, Burpees to Bubbly readers:) I cannot tell you how sad I was to leave Maine today… a 24 hour trip is just NOT enough!

Did the Easter bunny come to your house? He sure came to ours!

006Mom filled our baskets with some fun treats. I was especially excited about the Greek Yogurt cookbook; I can’t wait to make something from it!

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We all got decked out in our Easter outfits and headed to church. Prior to leaving, my dad came in the house and announced that Easter is so great for parents with 5-year-old girls because they get to see them all dressed in their white Easter dresses. Like, what?! What does that even mean? Haha. Danielle and I were not really sure how to take that, but once he saw us dressed in our non-white Easter dresses, he didn’t seem too disappointed. Random side note ended.

My mom got busy in the kitchen when we got home from church while my dad and sister dealt with insurance stuff and I created a cute “Easter” workout. Confession: I didn’t actually do the workout since today was my rest day, but I think it’s a good one!

Easter WorkoutIf nothing else, the Easter theme is enough to make me smile!

Brunch was absolutely delicious. We all agreed it was one of the best ones we could remember!

011Mimosas, ham, quiche, asparagus, ricotta & asparagus pinwheel (omg delicious. Definitely getting the recipe and making it asap… Mom kept saying how “blog worthy” it was) and delicious fruit! I was so happy that we had leftovers to bring back to MA with us:)

Since Easter usually falls right around my birthday (April 14th), we have started to celebrate my birthday and Easter at the same time. More presents for me! 😉 This year, though, my mom will be heading down to MA next weekend so she wanted to do my presents and cake then, but I did coax her into letting me open one!

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013A few weeks ago my mom had a “girls weekend” trip in North Conway, NH and she picked up both of these things there. The wine is from a local vinyard- I can’t WAIT to try it! And, the glass serving platter is beautiful.

And, with that, Easter and the weekend are over. Whomp, whomp:( Besides my normal teaching schedule, this week is quiet and I am so excited about that! Oh, and tomorrow starts Birthday Month AND the April Arms Challenge. April is going to be SO.MUCH.FUN!

Questions for you: How was your Easter? Did the Easter bunny bring you anything good? What does your week look like?

From MA to ME

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Greetings from my favorite state: Maine! As much as I love my life in Massachusetts, my heart will always be in my home state of Maine, so I love when I have the chance to break away from the fast-paced city life and slllooowww down and hang out in Maine with my parents.

Let’s catch up on Friday before we get to Saturday…

Last time I checked in with you, I was debating on what to do for a workout. I wasn’t feeling great and had had a couple of intense workouts earlier in the week. I thought about just walking or doing nothing, but when Athena suggested that I do the “Deck of Cards” workout (originated by Bob Harper- google it), I was totally peer pressured. I had wanted to do this workout for a while, so I figured that Friday was the best day to do it.

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Yeah, that face totally means “oh, wow. that was killer. #sweatybeastmode”. I picked cardio and core moves since I had just lifted on Thursday (and was teaching UXF later in the day where I knew I’d be doing about 50% of the strength exercises) and let me tell you, when I flipped multiple hearts followed by diamonds, or vice versa, I was cursing. The whole workout, including a 5 minute warm up, only took me about 30 minutes so it is great to do when you’re in a time crunch or traveling. (for those of you unfamiliar with the “deck of cards” workout, you pick and exercise to do for each suit in the deck. When you flip the cards over, that’s what you do for an exercise. Face cards= 10 reps, Aces= 11 reps).

Post workout, I decided that I just HAD to get to Lulu to get that tank that I had been dreaming about.

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Cute, right?! And, I ended up finding a really cute of low-rise (unheard of at Lulu) capri’s on sale for $29!! With my instructor discount, that’s basically free when it comes to Lulu:) Since I “saved” so much money and had extra time on my meter and before class, I treated myself to some frozen yogurt.

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YUM! Great fuel for teaching, right?! 😉 Class went great, though. Wasn’t a huge group, but considering it was Easter weekend I was happy with the turnout. Post class, I grabbed a couple of drinks- and nachos- with a friend and my sister. Yum, again!

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My sister and I called it a relatively early night since I knew I had to teach at 10am today and pack and be ready to head to Maine straight from teaching.

Onto today….

My day started out with an hour cardio kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA. For the new readers, I recently dropped my Saturday 9AM TBC class at the Allston BSC for an every-other Saturday Kickboxing class at 10AM at the YMCA.  This class makes my week! Even on Easter weekend, I had 31-32 people in class today and boy did we SWEAT! Perfect start to my weekend of extra glasses of vino (yes, that is possible…I am the “wuss” in my family”) and extra candy.

We had an extra long trip up to Maine due to a shopping stop in Kittery and ice cream stop in Sanford

015Avocado ice cream?! No, thanks! Plus, Shaw’s Ridge is wayyy better than Shain’s anyway (I worked and managed Shaw’s Ridge for 7 summers and had the privilege of working with the BEST group of girls everrrr, so I am biased, but the ice cream quality really is much better).

We finally got home around 4pm and got back in the car with mom to head to our roommate’s mom’s house. My mom and Amy’s mom are best friends and when you take our mom and  my sister, Amy, Sara and Rachel, that makes up the “Shapleigh” girls. Rachel wasn’t there today, but we still had a blast!

EasterOk, how CUTE is Amy’s mom’s centerpiece?! I swear, that is the best use of peeps I have ever seen! I just love these girls so much!

025From L to R: my mom, Chris (Amy and Sara’s mom, me, Amy- our roommate-, Sara- Amy’s sister- Danielle- my sister)

As much as we would’ve loved to have stayed and had fun with them all night, dad was at home waiting for us to eat dinner. I told him I wanted crab cakes, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that he not only had the crab cakes ready for me when I got home, but also had chicken sausage sando’s, veal sando’s, and pea soup. I’m a lucky girl!

We also surprised mom with the coolest thing ever! Mom and dad live off of box wine (they drink A LOT of wine, so it makes more sense to buy by the box) and my sister and I found this “Purse Box Wine” that we knew she’d love.

wine purse

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As for the rest of the night, I’ll likely be in bed early since I’m exhausted! Church in the morning and then a delicious Easter spread!

Questions for you: What are you doing for Easter? Have anything you’re really excited about eating? Did you get in any good workouts this weekend in anticipation of candy indulgence?

’tis a Good Friday, Indeed!

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Hey there! Happy Friday:) Mine is especially happy since I have today off from work! The only downside is that I woke up feeling a little under the weather:( I’ve loaded up on meds and vitamin C, so hopefully I’ll kick this cold thing fast! It’s Easter weekend and I want to be ready to eat loads of candy! (ok, not loads, but you know what I mean).

Did you all like my post on C2 Pilates yesterday? I had lots of new hits on my site, so if any of you are new readers, welcome!

Let’s catch up, shall we?

On Wednesday, I mentioned that I was going to go for a run, and I did just that!

002Obviously this isn’t an “official” PR (personal record), but I’m definitely counting it as my PR! The weather was finally warm enough to run in just these and a long-sleeved top- loved it!

Yesterday was my first day teaching my Thursday double session at the Central Square BSC. It’s always a little tough taking over a class that has a lot of followers for a specific teacher, but I think it went ok! My kickboxing class, as always, was a blast, although I totally had a brain fart when leading on the left side. I am usually pretty good at remembering what we did on the right, but yesterday I couldn’t keep it straight! Luckily my loyal followers picked up my slack:) Needless to say, I left the gym physically exhausted and so sweaty003… and I totally loved it!

I scarfed down some leftovers when I got home and then promptly set up shop on the couch to watch Greys Anatomy! Charlie was my snuggle buddy for a little while.

004As for today… I’ve got lots of things I *want* to do, but I am trying to be easy going and not rush around like a crazy person to get everything done… “trying” being the key word:) So far I have done laundry and changed my sheets, had breakfast, foam rolled (hurts so bad… none of that “hurts to good” crap here. But I NEED to get better at this. Would love some tips on how to be better at it!!)

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and made some cupcakes for easter:)

easter cupcakes(I had to try a bite- cupcakes for breakfast? why not?!)

At my friend Jess’s baby shower, her sister had these adorable party favors for us

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008Since I had an open container of frosting (blogger confession: I LOVE LOVE LOVE frosting. Literally would- and have- eaten it by the spoonful), I decided today was the perfect time to make these cupcakes.

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They were so easy and they came out so cute. Definitely a great party favor (bridal shower, baby shower, birthday party, etc).

Once I publish this post, I plan on doing something physical… might go for a light jog or walk or do a deck of cards workout (google this- it’s a workout created by Bob Harper and Athena and Jen swear by it!). I also want to go to Lululemon to get this tank… I am obsessed.

Anndddd, that’s all I’ve got for now!

Questions for you: What’s on your agenda for today or the weekend? Do you foam roll? Have any good tips for me?

Have a wonderful day:)

Ps- I promise to have a workout for you this weekend:)

C2 Pilates

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Hi!! Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a complimentary barre class at C2 Pilates. Most of the other bloggers who were at the event were avid barre “goers,” so I felt a little out of place since I have only been to a couple of different classes, but as soon as CC started her introduction I felt totally at ease.  There is just something about Pilates/barre/yoga instructors that is so calming to me.  As a Type A “go-go-go” type of person, it is so refreshing to be around people who are calm and peaceful and seemingly not in a crazy rush like I always feel like I am.

C2 Pilates has locations in South Boston, Dedham and Connecticut and they offer many different types of classes including STOTT Pilates, BARRE, Zenga and Core conditioning.  What I really loved about CC’s introduction was that she said they design their classes so that they can be modified to accommodate ANY level of fitness, and, with this in mind, unlike most Barre classes, at C2 90% of the class is performed in the standing position.  CC said they designed the workout this way because these days, the vast majority of us spend a good part of the day sitting in the car or at a desk in the office, so they want people to spend time with them where they are NOT sitting.  I love this!

The South Boston location was very nice, but apparently it’s going to get even nicer as they recently signed to have downstairs space in addition to their 2nd floor space. I definitely plan on going back to see how everything turns out!

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I’d really love to try using one of those cool Pilates Reformer machines (I think that’s what they are called?)… I always see them and feel like they’d be such a good workout! We spent our time at the barre where we went through the traditional format of the Barre workout that CC and Caroline have designed. I stuck to 2lb. weights as I was not sure what to expect (and my shoulder is still bothering me).  I still “felt the burn” with the 2lb. weights, but I think I could go up to 3lbs.

009It was so funny lifting such small weights, but I can see how they help to create long, lean muscle vs. the type of muscle I have gained from lifting heavier weights. And, I’ll be honest- I totally sweat more than I thought I would! Between the breathing and the continuous movement, my heart rate was up and I could literally feel every muscle in my body!  One thing that I really liked about C2’s style of Barre class, is that they don’t believe in making you hold poses for 2, 3 or 4 minutes.  CC explained that when you’re holding a squat or lunge or other type of isometric contraction in that “burn” position for longer than “pleasantly uncomfortable,” you start to engage different muscles or  ligaments to keep you there, which is taking away from working the muscles you’re aiming to work (quads, for example).  I totally agree with this! Think about the last time you had to hold a squat for a decently long time… you start fidgeting and trying to take the pressure away from your quads, which leads to it going into your back or core or hip flexors… all places where you aren’t trying to work. Interesting concept when you really think about it.

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Anyway, I felt so great after that class! It is definitely a type of workout that I would like to add to my weekly schedule, I just wish it wasn’t so expensive:(

PinkBarre-

I wanted to take a minute to help promote a wonderful event that C2 is hosting on April 6th.

010PinkBarreI’ll let the cards and the website do the talking, but I will say that we actually did the PINKBARRE workout and I loved it. There are many areas where modifications can be made depending on what fitness level you are at, so there is no need to be intimidated or feel like you can’t keep up. I had no idea what I was doing but I just watched and listened and tried as best as I could to move my body in the way they were showing us to move them:) Unfortunately, April is a ridiculously busy month for me (birthday month!!) so I have plans all day and night on the 6th, but I would definitely be there if I could!

If you have any more questions, definitely shoot me an email @ burpeestobubbly@gmail.com and I’ll try my best to answer them, otherwise I’ll pass them onto CC and Carolyn and we will get back to you!

Questions for you: Do you take Barre classes? If so, where do you take them?

Wait. It’s only Wednesday?

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Don’t you hate it when you’re a day ahead?  It’s so disappointing when you realize you’re not as close to the weekend as you originally thought you were. Since I have Friday off, I guess today technically IS like my Thursday, so I guess it’s not so bad that I feel like it is Thursday today. I’ll take it!

I am working from home again today, so you bet I’ll be doing this workout:

WFH workout

I might do it every 60 minutes instead of every 30 minutes because I plan on going for a jog during my lunch break (I think it’s supposed to be around 50 degrees today! and sunny! woohoo!). Has anyone tried this? I made a coworker virtually do it with me on Monday. I would message him every half hour. He may or may not have called me a drill sergeant. I may or may not have loved it.

Speaking of being a drill sergeant… This email made my night!

emailPeople should know that when they send me emails/Facebook messages/texts like this, it only amps me up more! Watch out, Dynamaxers! Speaking of Dynamax, did you guys catch my guest post over at Fitness and Feta? If not, head over and check it out. If you are a new follower because of Athena’s blog, welcome! I am so happy you stopped by:)

This email actually made me feel so much better. As some of you may have seen on Facebook, I just couldn’t pull myself together on Monday once I got to the gym.

FB pull it together

I had worked from home during the day and I was all amped to get in a solid cardio sweat sesh prior to teaching, but between the traffic getting through Harvard Square, the parking nightmare at the YMCA and the fact that there were LINES for every piece of cardio equipment, I totally lost all motivation and wanted to go home and not work out. Now, if you know me, you know this RARELY happens to me. I really do love working out and know that even on the days I am not that excited about it “I’ll never regret a workout,” however on Monday, this wasn’t the case. I tried my best to pull it together for my Dynamaxers (I don’t think that is a word, but I’m going with it), but I still felt like I let people down with sub-par teaching. I know we can’t all be perfect all the time, but with my Type A personality, I WANT to be as close to perfect as I can all the time (I know, this makes zero sense, please tell me I am not the only one). Thankfully, Gregg’s email made me feel much better. Guess it was just another classic case of me being way too hard on myself. #storyofmylife

Phew… enough with the downer Debbie talk!

Did you all see the massive salad I had for lunch yesterday at Papagayo?

001As cool as this salad looked, I think it’s a little silly when restaurants make the “taco shell” so big! I had a few bites, but found the chips and salsa much more appealing.  Regardless, I do love me some Papagayo, just wish I could have enjoyed a marg!

What’s on the agenda for today/tonight? Any good workouts planned? Please share:)