Category: At-home workout

This Week: Workouts, Schedule & Things I’m Looking Forward To

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Hi there! It feels weird starting a “regular” week… one that requires me to go into the office. I went almost 4 days without wearing a stitch of makeup or getting out of my Lulu, and as awesome as that was, I am ready to be back on a regular schedule where I get up, get dressed, wear makeup and do the whole “commuting to work thing”.

I will say, though, that last week was the perfect week to work from home; the weather was frigid on Monday and it was rainy and gross on Tuesday and Wednesday. I wasn’t mad at all for staying inside alllll day. Even though it would’ve been easy to stay inside and do “at-home” workouts last week, I did force myself to get to the gym for social interaction and a little fresh air.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I was supposed to sub a kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC, but there was some confusion (I was subbing for a sub… confusing, I know) and as I started to introduce myself, the instructor walked in. I was bummed that I wasn’t able to teach (all day, I had been looking forward to my kickboxing workout because I had LOTS of energy to burn and knew my kickboxing class does the trick), but I decided to take the class with the hopes that I could get some new stuff. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too crazy about the style of class and my heart rate barely got up. Womp, womp. Normally, I would let this totally bum me out (“ugh, I can’t believe I just wasted an hour at the gym with a bad workout” types of thoughts), but I tried to put a positive spin on the situation and it really helped. Yeah, it wasn’t my best workout, BUT it was better than nothing and maybe it was a sign for me to slow it down for the day.
  • Tuesday- I didn’t want to leave the house at all, but I forced myself to get to the gym because I was really in the mood for a treadmill run. I ran 4 (slow-ish) miles and did about 30 minutes of strength and core work before calling it a day.

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This was my “I didn’t want to leave the house” face.

  • Wednesday- My UXF Burn class was cancelled for the holiday, but I had the opportunity to sub the 5:30 Sports Conditioning class. I pulled out an old workout and was happy that it was a good “butt-kicker”. As we were doing our bench pop-overs, I had the class think about their workout “mantra”, and suggested using Thanksgiving motivation: “I’m working out for ______ (pumpkin pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey, etc.),” which was kind of fun!
  • Thursday- I did my I’m Thankful” Workout, and was happy to see that others did it, too (via Facebook and Twitter)!

I'm thankful workout

  • Friday- Rest day! It had been a while since I had a full rest day, and since I was sore from Thursday’s workout, it was perfect timing. We did a little walking around Kennebunkport, but that’s about it!
  • Saturday- I taught kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA and had a special treat since my sister was there! My favorite part was at the end when everyone was literally GROANING during the ab section. They told me they had lots of Thanksgiving indulgences to work off, so I was really just catering to them 😉
  • Sunday- I went to my favorite Sunday strength class: “Y Pump”. After a cardio day on Saturday, I love Sunday’s as solely strength.

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I think for the first time in a while, I will head to the gym right after work! I’ll probably do a heavy cardio and abs day, with the anticipation of doing a primarily weights day on Tuesday.
  • Tuesday- Probably just weights!
  • Wednesday- The usual: cardio and teaching UXF Burn
  • Thursday- Teaching SHRED and Kickboxing… excited to be back for my double!
  • Friday- Probably a rest day since I’m teaching kickboxing on Saturday.
  • Saturday- Teaching kickboxing.
  • Sunday- It’s my sister’s birthday on Saturday, so pending on how I feel on Sunday will determine whether or not I’ll work out. I love my Sunday “Y Pump” class 🙂

Schedule

My schedule is wideeee open this week and I’m really looking forward to having my “regular” schedule back . My sister’s birthday is on Saturday, so the Shapleigh girls (and Jessi) are going to the Top of the Hub for cocktail hour and then dinner at Vlora on Friday night. I haven’t been to the Top of the Hub in a long time, and Mediterranean food is one of my favorites! Saturday Danielle and Amy are celebrating their birthdays at Scholar’s and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone! My friend Lauren’s Christmas party is on Saturday, too, so if I can get my act together, I’ll try to get there before going to the bar!

Things I’m looking forward to

As much as I love indulging on food and drinks, I am excited to get back to my regular eats and not drinking during the week schedule. I can’t wait to celebrate Danielle and Amy’s birthdays anddddd I think I am going to get my Christmas tree and decorate my apartment next weekend!!!

Questions for you: Do you have to force yourself to the gym when it’s gross weather? Have you ever been to the Top of the Hub? What are you looking forward to this week?

Thanksgiving in Maine {Recap}

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My family doesn’t really have a “tradition” for Thanksgiving, but I think that’s what makes it fun- every year we have the “what do you want to do this year for Thanksgiving?” conversation? I’ve spent Thanksgiving in Bath, England (studying abroad), Athens, Greece (visiting my sister when she was studying abroad), Quebec City (family trip) and Burlington, VT, to name a few. This may seem weird to some, but we love it! It makes Thanksgiving an adventure each year and as long as the 4 of us are together, it doesn’t really matter what we do. Our tradition is to not have a tradition.

This past year, we went back and forth, debating on whether to do Thanksgiving at my sister’s apartment in Somerville or to do Thanksgiving in Maine. In the end we decided to do it in Maine, and I couldn’t have been happier. I got home late on Wednesday night (taught a 5:30 class and then met up with friends at a bar not far from my parents’ house), but still, waking up to a snowy, Thanksgiving morning on Thursday was perfect! Not long after waking up, we all got very busy in the kitchen doing all the prep work for our meal. IMG_5892 IMG_5891 I made these Pumpkin Pecan Bars, which have been a hit every time I make them! IMG_5919

And this delicious Pumpkin Pudding:

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Once the prep work was done, I got busy doing this workout. Fitness instructors: do you ever make workouts and then do them, only to hate yourself for making pieces of it so hard? Yeah, the 5 minutes of cardio (3 times) in this was killer. But, it was an effective workout since I did feel quite sore yesterday! Good thing it was my rest day 😉

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The best way to hydrate after a good workout is by drinking bubbly, right?!

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Our meal was absolutely delicious and it was so fun prepping for it together! Here’s the spread of what we had!

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Is it just me, or is it really hard to keep “portion control” when you’re serving your Thanksgiving meal? Granted, I don’t ever eat everything I put on my plate (my eyes are always way bigger than my stomach), but I cannot help but fill my plate to the brim every.single.time

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SO good! Everything was unbelievable, but I am happy to say that I saved plenty of room for dessert (my Thanksgiving could consist of stuffing, mashed potatoes and pie… lots of pie). My dad canned his own pumpkin this year and made pumpkin pie with his own canned pumpkin, which is pretty cool if you ask me. Mom was quite skeptical about the pie, but I had faith in papa bear and he did not disappoint! I was REALLY impressed with how delicious and REAL his pie tasted. Nice work, dad!

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After we digested most of our meal, we headed over to our family friend’s house… for dessert… round 2.  Christine always makes the best desserts, so even though I was full, I had to have some more. On top of dessert, we got lots of Zeke snuggles! I cannot believe he is almost 6 months old and 20 pounds!!!

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Oh my goodness, I cannot even handle his cuteness!

Phew! That about covers our Thanksgiving. Even though it was a low-key day in that we didn’t have a huge family get-together, it was a perfect Thanksgiving. My life in Boston is so go-go-go, that when I come home, I appreciate just being home and with my family. I appreciate the slower-paced lifestyle and the ability to “recharge” my batteries.

I hope all of you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Questions for you: How did you spend your Thanksgiving? Do you have family traditions? Do you workout before you indulge in treats and drinks?

Weekly Workouts: Hotel Gyms & Preparing for Mania & Spartan

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Hi Friends! How are you doing? Did you enjoy Meredith’s guest post on Friday? It’s worth a read if you missed it!

I am still in Chicago, but heading back today. I’ve had a great week of travel, but I am reallllyy ready to be home. I’m ready to not have wine or beer at every meal and I am ready to not eat out. Does anyone else feel that way at the end of a vacation?

With that said, I tried to counteract the cocktails and restaurant food by getting in some solid workouts. The Westin I stayed in while I was in Dallas was great! It was big, there were lots of cardio machines and a good selection of weights. I got up before my training sessions on Wednesday and Thursday and took advantage of the gym. I headed to Chicago on Thursday night and met up with my sister at a hotel near the airport and was able to get in another hotel gym workout before heading into downtown Chicago.

I took the weekend off from any formal exercise. This wasn’t my intention, but it worked out for the best since this week is going to be an intense workout week between attending Mania on Friday and Sunday and doing the Fenway Spartan race on Saturday. I’m also subbing a class tonight, so resting on Saturday and Sunday (besides walking a lot!!) was a good thing.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I went to the gym after work and ran 4 miles on the treadmill. I ran it about 40 seconds faster last week than I did the week before! My muscles were sore from Sunday’s “Y Pump”, so a good run was perfect.

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  • Tuesday- I got up before work and did the 25 rep cardio & core I posted a few weeks ago. Before completing that, I did 10 minutes of random cardio in my apartment.
  • Wednesday- I ran 3 miles on the treadmill at the Westin and then completed some core and strength exercises.

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  • Thursday- I did 20 minutes on the stair stepper (I haven’t used that machine in SO long. I forgot how much it makes me sweat!) and then did a superset workout: upper, lower and core.

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  • Friday- I did 10 minutes on the bike and 20 on the elliptical and then did 2 rounds of my Got 20 Minutes? workout.

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  • Saturday- Lots of walking around Chicago! My feet hurt by the end of the day!
  • Sunday- More walking around Chicago… lots of walking again!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Subbing a kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC… pending that my flight isn’t delayed!
  • Tuesday- Not sure! Something quick after work I assume so that I can grocery shop after.
  • Wednesday- Cardio and teaching UXF Burn- I missed my members!!
  • Thursday- SHRED and Kickboxing… ready to be back at it!
  • Friday- Spending the day in Danvers at the Boston Mania fitness event. I signed up for a bunch of courses so I am excited to be in my “happy place” all day learning lots of new information about workouts!
  • Saturday- I am doing the Fenway Spartan Sprint… eek! I hope I am not too sore from Friday’s fitness events!
  • Sunday- I signed up for more courses at the Mania event, but I think I chose lectures and information sessions more so than fitness ones… I have a feeling I’ll be very sore on Sunday.

Questions for you: Are you ready to go home by the end of your vacation? Is anyone else attending the Boston Mania event?

PS- Thank you to all the Veteran’s who protect our country!

Wednesday Workout: 2 Hotel Room/At Home Workouts

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As you know, I have been on the road a bit lately, meaning my workouts have been on the road, too. Since I know a lot of you like when I post workouts that don’t involve weights/equipment and can be completed in the comforts of your own home, I thought I would share 2 of the workouts I’ve done in various hotel rooms over the past couple of weeks.

This one is a total body workout, incorporating cardio, core and strength exercises for a full body workout. Each exercise should be performed for 60 seconds, so if you want a fast workout, do it once, but if you’re looking for more, do 2-3 rounds of it. I did 2 rounds since I was short on time, but it still left me sweaty and tired!

Cardio, Core & Strength Hotel Room Circuit

Most of the moves are fairly standard, but the lunge and lift is a walking lunge and as you lift the back leg to step forward and lunge, work your glutes to lift the leg and get an extra booty burn.

Lunge & Lift

This next workout, though, was one of my more favorite “at home” (or, hotel room, in my case) workouts that I’ve done in a while and I definitely see myself doing this again soon. I liked that it was 25 reps rather than 60 seconds. For some reason, the moves seemed less daunting knowing I could count down the reps until I got to zero.

25 Rep Cardio & Core workout

The workout, including a 5 minute warm up, took me about 28 minutes to finish, but that’s because I was on it and didn’t take any extra rest. I literally jumped from the cardio to core moves with no delay, so if you take your time, it may take a little longer than that.

Here are links to some moves that are not as commonly used on the blog:
Plank with hip drop
Hitch Kick

I hope you like these- definitely let me know if you try one 🙂

Questions for you: What is your favorite “at home” workout format? Do you prefer at home workouts or workouts to do at the gym?

Weekly Workouts: Awesome on the road workouts & finally back at teaching!

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I have to say, it feels pretty darn good knowing that I don’t have to travel for work this week! I need to soak it in because next week I will be in Dallas from Tuesday-Thursday and then I am flying directly to Chicago for a long weekend getaway. This week/weekend is also a bit crazy, but all of the craziness is good stuff, so I can’t really complain 🙂

Last week, I was in Ohio for my workouts on Monday and Tuesday, but both workouts were strong and didn’t feel like “on the road” or hotel room workouts which is always a plus! I was really excited to get back to teaching, though, which I think was a little scary for my members 😉

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I often workout in my hotel room because it can save 10 minutes or more of my morning by eliminating the travel time to the gym and equipment set up time. I’m all about efficiency in the morning and sleeping for as long as possible, so extra sleep and a hotel room workout generally trump all else. With that said, I knew I would have more time on Monday morning to workout so I decided to head to the gym. I ran 3 miles on the treadmill and then completed a short strength circuit, including the Monday and Tuesday moves for the Fall Into Fitness challenge that I am participating in. Loved the Monkey Curls!

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  • Tuesday- I completed a 25 rep core and cardio workout that I will post for you this week. No equipment necessary and even with a warm up, I finished in 28 minutes. Win, win if you ask me!

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  • Wednesday- I was finally back in the gym!!! I ran a 5K on the treadmill before teaching a killer UXF Burn class. I did the usual format that my class enjoys (Face off, but staying in their own spots) and after the Strength & Core exercises, we did 10 burpee tuck jumps. By the end of class, we did 100 burpees!
  • Thursday- I taught SHRED and Kickboxing. Felt good to be back for my double.
  • Friday- I did not have a great day on Friday and when I have bad days I usually like to workout, but I knew I should rest since I was teaching kickboxing on Saturday, so I drank wine instead… while doing my Fall Into Fitness Bridge & Crunch move. Whoops.

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  • Saturday- I taught a fun kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA. There were 33 people in class and the energy was so high- I was in instructor heaven. Judging by Jen’s Facebook status, it was a good workout for them, too!

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  • Sunday- I decided I wanted to try the “Y Pump” at the East Boston YMCA. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I love BodyPump and have been working on increasing my strength workouts so since I was around yesterday morning, I decided to try it out (it was hard to not just go to the 11am BodyPump class at the Wellington, BSC, though, since I know what to expect there!). The class ended up being awesome! We did a lot of reps and I really struggled to finish a number of the sets. In addition to the bars, we also used a band, something I don’t do often. I was sore by the end of the day yesterday, so I’m sure that will continue today!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- To be honest, I am not sure! Since I did weights yesterday, I’ll probably focus more on cardio today. I hate that it’s getting colder and darker out after workout because I loved my Monday night runs!
  • Tuesday- Pending on whether or not I’m still sore from Sunday, I would like to do a lower or upper body strength workout. If I am still sore, I’ll do a core-focused workout.
  • Wednesday- The usual: cardio and then teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- Another usual: SHRED and Kickboxing. I may bring back a circuit/stations workout this week since it’s been a while since I’ve done that!
  • Friday- Rest day? I am babysitting after work and since I’m teaching on Saturday again, a rest day is perfect.
  • Saturday- Teaching kickboxing again at the Oak Square YMCA. Since I will be in Chicago next weekend, which was my weekend to teach, the other instructor was nice enough to switch with me so I wouldn’t miss out on a class. Thanks, Amy!
  • Sunday- I have a feeling this will be a rest day, too. My weekend is: babysitting Friday night, teaching Saturday morning, heading to ME for the afternoon and then heading back to MA for a gym friend’s party so I think by Sunday, I am going to be exhausted!

Questions for you: Do you like trying new classes at the gym or do you stick to the classes you know will be a good workout? What was your best workout last week?