Month: September 2017

Thoughts On Food Judgement

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“Oh, wow. I didn’t think you would eat pizza!”

“You’re not going to sub out the french fries for a salad?”

“Of course you go for the salad first….”

“Wow. I didn’t think you would eat that!”

“You won’t like this – it’s definitely not healthy.”

“I bet you’ll work that off later today!”

….

Get my point? Can anyone else relate? I just want to put this out there: just because my side hustle is all about health and fitness doesn’t mean that it’s all there is to my life. I do not eat a strict salad with grilled chicken diet (although I do love a good salad with grilled chicken on it). I do not avoid fats, carbs, sugars, dairy, alcohol, etc. in their entirety. I do not let food define me, and I certainly do not “earn” my foods/drinks by doing extra in the gym.

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At this point in my life (and it wasn’t always this way), I feel as though I have a pretty healthy relationship with food. I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full (most of the time 😉 ). I try to eat a lot of fruits, veggies, lean proteins, healthy fats and carbs. I try to eat in a way that fuels me properly for my long days, workouts and teaching schedule. I try to eat in a way that makes me feel GOOD, rather than drag me down.

But does that mean that I do not choose french fries over a side salad, that I’ll pass on a night of pizza or wings or that I won’t suggest going out for ice cream? HELL NO.

Why? Because those things make me happy and those things have a time and a place in my life, too. And I see no need to cut them out entirely, but that doesn’t mean that I should be judged when I eat them or that it should be the topic of conversation. Similarly, if I choose to eat the “healthier” food option on any given day, I also do not want to be judged for that.

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Food is just food, but when we put labels on it in terms of “good” and “bad” it gives it more power than necessary.

So, while I tend to eat a lot of yogurt, fruit, veggies, nuts, salads, chicken, etc., it doesn’t mean that that’s all I eat or that I feel badly if I go out for pizza or wings. If it’s something I truly enjoy eating, then it is worth it to me and there’s no need for any sort of food guilt after I eat it.

At the end of the day, how I eat is my business and how you eat is your business. We don’t need to spend our time judging how other people are choosing to eat on any particular day, in any particular setting.

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Rant, over. Thanks for listening 😉 But seriously, I’d love to know how you feel about this – do you feel as though you get judged for how you eat? Do you find yourself apologizing for what you choose to eat or feel as though you have to explain yourself? Do you sometimes choose your food options based on who is around?

Five on Friday {9.8.17}

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Hey there! Happy Friday! I know it was a long weekend, meaning this was technically a short week, but does anyone else feel like it was a long one? Friday couldn’t come fast enough! I have some fun things to share with you today, so I hope you enjoy it!

  • Vegan Pesto – Roberto watched the documentary “What the health” and it has caused him to think about his diet and the amount of animal products he (we) consume. In an effort to try and reduce some of this (but definitely not eliminating entirely), he has made a few changes here and there. He found a recipe for Vegan Pesto and he made it the other night and it was incredible! We used Nutritional Yeast which actually did taste just like cheese, plus it has vitamins in it! We used some brown rice pasta and topped it with tomatoes and I added grilled chicken to mine. SO good!

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  • Booty By Brabants– There was a sale on BBB last week and I finally took the plunge and bought myself a pair. It seems as though EVERYONE is wearing them, so I had to see what the rave was all about. The verdict? I love them! While they feel a little snug going on, they are actually incredibly comfortable. I’ve seen them be a bit see through on some people, and while I initially didn’t think that was a problem for me, last night they did look a little see through when I squatted. Luckily, it’s dark in the room so I hope no one noticed 😉 Next time I will have to try out the thicker version of the pants (the Croco’s, I think).

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  • Get Sh*t Done – Erol and I have been connected through social media for years now, so when I saw his latest endeavor (I Digress Podcast) and the awesome tanks he was selling to go along with it, I just had to buy one. Get Sh*t Done is basically my life motto, lol. If you’re interested, reach out to him via Instagram! It was $20 + $3 shipping.

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  • Planet Fitness 25 Year Anniversary Sale – Now that summer is nearly over, you may find yourself in the gym more often. If you cancelled your gym membership over the summer (I’ve talked to a bunch of people who did this), you might want to consider checking out Planet Fitness. As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, new members can join the Judgement Free Zone® for only 25 cents, then $10 a month, with no commitment. The offer kicks off in Massachusetts and New Hampshire on Sept. 5 and then nationally on Sept. 11, continuing through Sept. 13.
  • 2017 Hub on Wheels Citywide Bike Tour – On Sunday, September 17th, TD and the City of Boston will host the 2017 Hub on Wheels Citywide Bike Tour. This year’s ride will benefit pediatric cancer research at Boston Children’s Hospital. I’m so excited to be taking part in the event this year, and I wanted to share details with you in case you’re looking for a fun activity to do an great way to raise money to help fight kids cancer. The bike ride (10 or 40 miles, your choice!) will take you down a car-free Storrow Drive and all around Boston and its surrounding neighborhoods. What’s really cool about this event this year is that Hub on Wheels is proud to support Boston Children’s Hospital, with $5 of each $50 registration fee automatically going to support the efforts to find a cure for pediatric cancer. Riders may also consider becoming Hope Riders , fundraising before the big day with 100% of donations supporting kids cancer research at Boston Children’s Hospital. Check out any of the links above to get more information, or shoot me a comment. I would love to have some friends/familiar faces to ride with!

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That about does it for me! I  hope you all have a great Friday and a fantastic weekend. Hoping to pop in with a few good posts next week!

Questions for you: What was a highlight of your week? Did you get in any good workouts? Did you do anything different or fun? What’s on tap for the weekend?

The Biggest Misconception When It Comes to Teaching Fitness

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As I look back on summer, I realize that I taught a lot of classes. Some weeks I was teaching 6-8 classes a week, and sometimes 3 of those in 1 day. On top of an 8-9 hour “real” work day. And a workout of my own. It was exhausting at times, but I never really minded because teaching gives me so much energy and I always love getting to help people work towards their goals. That, and a lot of classes were outdoor classes so it was just nice to get to be outside!

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But, when people would ask what I was doing for the week and I would tell them that I was teaching X classes, 9 times out of 10, I would get this response:

“Wow! You get paid to workout- that’s so cool!”

And, while I used to fall more true to that statement because I would pretty much do the whole workout with the class when I first started teaching, over the years as I’ve grown and evolved as a fitness instructor, that statement is not really very true anymore.

Although I do jump around and demo exercises, I am not DOING the exercises. I am not getting in all the reps, lifting my heaviest or pushing myself the way I do when I do my own workout. In other words, I am not getting in MY workout.

Why? Because the class is not for me. It is not my time to workout. What the time is, though, is my chance to help others get in a workout. If I’m doing the whole workout with them, how can I see what everyone is doing? Or, how can I ensure I’m giving appropriate coaching cues or corrections? Sure, I do bits and pieces to show people how to correctly execute an exercise, showing modifications up or down, jumping around to get people pumped up or joining them for the last few reps or seconds to keep them pushing to the end, but I am not doing even 25-30% of the workout with them (unless it’s kickboxing – I tend to do more of the workout with them since it’s easier for them to follow along to the combinations).

So when people think that I’m working out a ton because I’m teaching 6-8 classes a week, it’s really not the case. In fact, I tend to get in fewer of my OWN workouts when I teach a lot because I have less time to get them in. If I’m working 8-9 hours and then need to drive (sometimes 45 minutes) to go teach for a few hours, the last thing I want to do is my own workout. True story. What ends up  happening is I do quickie 20 minute workouts. Is it ideal? Do they help me get closer to the fitness goals I have? No, not really. But it keeps me moving, it keeps me active and something is always better than nothing!

And today, what I do in the classes will likely be my “workout” since I have to work, train someone during lunch and then teach back to back classes after work. Sure, I could wake up at 5am to workout or workout after my last class, but I know neither of those things are in my best interest since it’s a long enough day as it is.

Wondering about a few other misconceptions about fitness instructors that come to mind to me?

  • That we always want to workout – while I do love working out, I don’t always want to do it!
  • That we always want to teach – again, while I love teaching so much, there are some days where I would just rather do my own workout or just go home to relax. But, once I get started, I’m always fine. The energy from the members helps push me when I need it!
  • That working out is easy for us – we get lots of practice doing things, and we aren’t going to teach something that we haven’t practiced so that’s why things look easier for us!
  • That we know everything when it comes to working out – I cringe when I see some trainers in the gym when it comes to how they’re training someone or how they’re demo’ing the exercises. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t do everything right, but I work really hard to practice those things to make sure that I am doing my best to teaching and demo correctly.
  • That we don’t need/want trainers – sometimes the last thing I want to do is create my OWN workout, so I love looking to other fitness professionals for workout suggestions.

I’d love to hear from you! What’s something you think of when you think of fitness instructors? Do you think any of the things I talked about in this post? 

5 on Friday {Catching Up! 9.1.17}

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Hi there! Can you believe it’s SEPTEMBER?! Honestly, where did the summer go?! While we didn’t do a lot of the things we normally do in the summer like lots of weekends on the Cape and trips up to Maine, as I look back, we had a really fun summer! We spent weekends in the city which was a nice change of pace, we went away for our anniversary, we went to a wedding in Maine, I ran the Falmouth Road Race, we did a TON of biking, we grilled a lot, I taught outside a lot… all in all, pretty awesome!

Today I wanted to catch up on some things of possible interest – enjoy!

1.Health Warrior Products – Did you know that I am a Health Warrior Ambassador?! It’s pretty cool, because I love their products! I’ve shared some sneak peeks in my Instagram stories, but wanted to share a little more here. So far, we have been enjoying the Pumpkin Seed Super Food bars and the Chia Mango bars – both are super tasty and full of great ingredients! If you’re interested in trying some, be sure to go to healthwarrior.com and use the code burpeestobubbly30 for 30% off your purchase! This code expires on September 30th, so make sure to order soon!

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2. Chin-ups – Have you ever wanted to learn how to do an unassisted chin-up? My girl Athena is hosting a FREE challenge called “Over The Bar Chin-Up Challenge” that is going to help you get there! She’s also asked other fitness professionals to give tips and advice and/or why we love them, so be sure to check it out to see what I had to say! You can get more information and sign up here.

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3.Favorite Summer Cocktail – If you’ve been following me on social media, then I’m sure you’ve seen lots of posts with an orange looking drink in it. If you don’t know what it is, it’s called an Aperol Spritz and I’m totally obsessed with them! I was first introduced to them in Italy and ever since I drink them anytime I can. We even bought Aperol at home to make them! They are the most refreshing drink for summer days or nights, but be careful- they are SUPER easy to drink 😉 If you want to make them on your own, all you need is Aperol, Prosecco and club soda, although we don’t use club soda anymore and it’s fine without. It’s 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol and 1 part club soda and garnish with an orange. You can thank me later 😉

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4. Books I’ve read – I just finished reading The Noticer, by Andy Andrews, which was a really awesome read. It’s all about perspective and how a simple change in perspective can shift your entire outlook on that situation and/or your life. It has stories/examples that I think can be applicable to so many people – definitely worth a read! I am now in the midst of reading The Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, which is about 2 families and how their lives are intertwined. It’s a super easy and quick read, and the author grabs you from the start so you don’t want to put it down!

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5. Seaport Sweat Extended! Seaport Sweat has been extended throughout the end of October, which is so great!! The crowds have been incredible the summer, so if you haven’t gotten to a class yet, grab a friend or coworker and get there – you won’t regret it! There are so many classes to choose from AND there’s the best DJ in town, the best views and a super fun area. More info and links to sign up for classes is here.

That does it for me today! I hope all of you have a really great long weekend! We are kicking ours off with going to see Lady Gaga at Fenway tonight and I’m SO excited. It’s not that I’m a totally crazy fan of hers, but I assume she puts on a hell of a show and I’ve always wanted to go to a concert at Fenway so I’m looking forward to it. Otherwise, we don’t have much planned besides some car shopping and relaxing 🙂

Questions for you: What have you been up to? Loving any products you want to share? Read any good books? Done any fun traveling?Â