Category: Five on Friday

Five on Friday {1.6.17}

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Good morning! Happy first week of 2017 🙂 Anyone else feel like it was a little tough getting back into the swing of things after the holidays? This week was one of those weeks where it made my brain hurt, lol. BUT, it’s Friday and my company party is tonight which I’m excited about! I also got us a room at the Boston Harbor Hotel (where the party is) as a way to celebrate 6 months of marriage. Can you believe it’s been that long?!

  • Planet Fitness January Deal- From January 1 through January 11, Planet Fitness is offering new memberships for a $1 enrollment fee and then $10 a month with no commitment, so if you’re looking for a new, but affordable gym option, you should check out Planet Fitness! Their new Watertown location is really awesome and I can’t believe you could go there for only $10 a month!
  • How to Stop Feeling Guilty– RM sent me this article which I found really interesting. I’m one who feels guilty about way too much. Catholic guilt, we joke. But, something I’m working on is letting go of some of that guilt (along with the need to strive for perfection) so this was a great read.
  • The Melting Broth- Dig Inn is introducing a new menu item this year called the  Melting Broth, which is similar in ingredient quality to the  market bowl, but with a homemade vegetarian broth made from no waste ingredients (those parts of the vegetables we tend to discard for no good reason – they’re full of vitamins). I absolutely love the sounds of this and can’t wait to go try one!

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  • New Spin Bike- As I’ve mentioned, over the holidays I bought a used Schwinn spin bike from The Handle-Bar spin studio and I have to say, we are both becoming pretty obsessed with it. For one, it’s SO EASY to get in a quick sweat sesh, and two, it doesn’t take up a lot of space and is so portable. We are looking to expand our at home gym options/equipment and this was the perfect way to start.

  • Kickboxing Bootcamp– You guys! Next Wednesday (1/11) I am hosting my FIRST MoveWith event at Janji on Newbury Street. It’s a 45 minute kickboxing bootcamp that starts at 6:30pm and I would absolutely LOVE it if some of you would attend if you’re able 🙂 If you’ve been to my kickboxing classes or Seaport Sweat classes, then you’ll know exactly what to expect- cardio kickboxing to start and then finishing with some traditional bootcamp exercises/circuits. I think it’s going to be a blast! Feel free to share with friends and click here to sign up!

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And that does it for me. Besides my company holiday party our weekend looks to be fairly low key which I am REALLY excited about. I feel like we’ve been on the go & traveling so much lately! I hope all of you have a great weekend- I’ll be back next week 🙂

Questions for you: How was your first week back to work/regular life? Have you been to Dig Inn before? Have you ever taken any MoveWith classes at Janji?

Five (but really only four) on Friday {12.9.16}

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Hey there & Happy Friday! I hope all of you are staying nice and warm today- it’s supposed to be quite the cold snap- brrr! I’m WFH today which worked out very nicely 😉 Speaking of work, the other day I was having a conversation with some coworkers in the kitchen and it hit me that Christmas is NEXT WEEKEND- how did that sneak up so fast?! I have a few gifts left to get this weekend for Christmas and for RM’s birthday (next Friday) so I feel mostly prepared on that front, but it’s still feels crazy that it’s so soon. Speaking of Christmas, let’s get into the Five on Friday’s for the week!

  • Christmas spirit- I’ve been having so much fun getting into the Christmas spirit this season. It started off with the Seaport tree lighting and continued on with getting our Christmas tree and decorating the apartment. I LOVEEEE having all of the lights and decorations up, and I must say, our tree is pretty darn perfect this year 🙂

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  • Beating the Holiday Hustle- My friend Athena is leading a really great “challenge” throughout the month of December, all about helping us “Beat the holiday hustle”. There’s no denying that the holidays, while so fun and wonderful, also bring about extra stress, commitments and general “hustle & bustle”, right? What I love about this challenge is how it urging us to look at ways to BEAT the holiday hustle. I was really proud of myself on Wednesday for beating the holiday hustle when I chose to skip out on an event I RSVP’d to, I didn’t do laundry or clean or anything else on my “should do” list, and instead I poured myself some wine, listened to Christmas music, wrapped presents, made a nice dinner and watched a sappy Hallmark Christmas movie. With everything I’ve had on my schedule lately, I feel like it allows very little time for nights like that, so I was especially appreciative of my decision to forgo my “plans” and instead refill my energy cup by slowing down and doing things that make me happy.

  • Warby Parker’s new line- I was recently inspired by Warby Parker to take a look at their new stylish sunglasses line, and in turn, I ended up signing up for their free at-home glasses try on program. I will share more about those later once I’ve had time to check them all out, but in the meantime I wanted to share some details and photos from their new line! I’m always jealous of people who are able to have multiple pairs of sunglesses- as a glasses wearer, that’s just not really a feasible option for me financially since prescription sunglasses can be really expensive. What I love about Warby Parker is that the glasses- both regular and sunglasses- are unique in their design-each pair I’ve seen has some little extra piece of detail that makes it stand out. I especially love the rose color and shape of the ones in the pictures below. If you’re in the need of new glasses or sunglasses and want to try something new, I suggest you check out Warby Parker’s Home Try-On program and pick out 5 styles to try at home for free!

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  • Air BNB– It’s so crazy that the first East Boston apartment that I rented- and where I met RM- is officially on Air BNB. RM had an interior decorator/shopper help with getting it ready to be rented- I think it came out amazing! If you know of anyone looking for an affordable, spacious, clean apartment to rent that’s close to the airport and just a short walk to the T (which gets you into downton Boston in just 2 stops!), please let me know or check it out on Air BNB for yourself! We are hoping this becomes a successful adventure, so any support from all you wonderful readers is so greatly appreciated 🙂

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And that does it for me today! I’m hosting my work book club tonight and I can’t wait to have the girls over. I’m making a nice roast chicken meal, which is perfect for a cold day like today! Tomorrow I’m going to the 9:30 bags & strength class at EBF (if anyone wants to join!!) and then finishing up my shopping. I hope whatever you do, you have a wonderful, “beat the holiday hustle” type of weekend!

Questions for you: What’s been up with you?! I feel so disconnected since I haven’t been blogging! What do you have going on this weekend? Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? Did you decorate? 

 

Five on Friday {11.30.16}

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Good morning and TGIF! This week seemed to go by slow, but I was in a great mood all week so I can’t complain :)I can’t believe that it’s DECEMBER- how did that happen?! But I’m excited about it- I can’t wait to get a tree, decorate the apartment, listen to Christmas music and all the other stuff that comes along with this season.

Which brings me to my first Five on Friday topic….

  • Light Up The Seaport– While the commons and Southie did their tree lightings last night, the Seaport opted to wait and do it tonight. I’m so excited to be there and see the tree be lit and then get drinks after.Gather, Aceituna Grill, The Envoy Hotel, Autograph Collection, Shake Shack, Kings America, & MiniLuxe will all be offering up delicious samples while Gather will also open up a remote bar on the side of District Hall! Plus, a pop-up concert by Andrew Smith Music!  If you’re around, grab your FREE ticket and join!
  • Metabolic Meltdown– My friend Lauren just launched her Metabolic Meltdown program, which is 49 workouts that can all be completed at home- and none are more than 30 minutes! What I love is that she breaks it down by bodyweight, total body with weights, lower body focused, upper body focused and core focused. The quick, but effective workouts are my jam these days, as I’ve mentioned before, so I’m totally loving it. I’ve only tried a handful, so I’m excited to try the rest of them. If you’re feeling tired with your workouts or feel like you’re not feeling/seeing changes, I’d suggest checking out her program. It’s especially perfect timing as we enter a busy season!

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  • Festive Recipes- I had bought a huge bag of fresh cranberries at Whole Foods before Thanksgiving, even though I absoutely did not need them. Sure, I was asked to make fresh cranberry sauce by my mom, but that didn’t require a 2 pound bag of cranberries 😉 This lead me to scouring the internet looking for other cranberry-based recipes. I decided on this Paleo Cranberry Bread and then this Cranberry Apple Crisp. Both came out so good!

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  • Friendsgiving & Thanksgiving- The weekend before Thanksgiving, my SMC friends hosted our 2nd annual Friendsgiving… this time with 3 little kiddos in the mix! We joked about how much times have changed since we graduated (nearly 10 years ago!!!). Per usual, we had such a great time- the food was awesome, the wine was flowing and nearly all of us were together and able to catch up. This has quickly become one of my favorite holiday events! Thanksgiving with my family was equally as nice, although a little quieter since there were fewer people! I couldn’t help but feel thankful!

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  • Francesca update- Our little girl is growing like a weed! We can’t believe how much she’s grown since we got her. She was 1.9 pounds when we first brought her home, 2.10 pounds when she had her first vet appointment a month later and we will find out how big she is tomorrow when we go for her next checkup. While she can be a bit crazy (and scratch the crap out of anything she gets her paws near), she really is the absolute cutest thing ever!

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I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and do something festive to get you into the holiday spirit if you aren’t there already 🙂

Questions for you: What’s your favorite holiday tradition? Do you have any holiday/festive plans this weekend? How was your Thanksgiving?

Five on Friday {11.18.16}

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Good morning! I’ve been days ahead in this week so I”m very happy it’s FINALLY Friday- FriYAY for sure 🙂 I appreciate all of your kind responses to my post on Monday. I always like to hear what you have to say about topics like food, body image, self acceptance, etc. Do you guys like those types of posts? I like to make sure I’m posting things that interest both me AND you, so I’m all ears!

Let’s talk about some Friday things though!

  • Purity Organics– I received a wonderful package a few weeks ago from Purity Organics, which is an all natural, organic super juice/tea/coconut water company. I’m not always big on juices (I’d rather eat my fruits and veggies), but these juices are fantastic. They’re a blend of fruits, roots, veggies and spice and each one has such a unique flavor. Even though there’s more sugar in it than I like to drink, none of the sugar is added; it’s all from the fruits so I feel better about it. Plus, I only drink half at a time so as to not load up on a lot of sugar at once.

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  • Friendsgiving- Tomorrow is our second annual Friendsgiving with my college friends and I am SO excited. Unfortunately RM won’t be able to join me as he will be in Portland with his guy friends, but making it into a girls night for me isn’t the worst thing in the world 😉 Since my family doesn’t do a big Thanksgiving event it’s fun to do it with my friends.
  • Saying No- Wednesday just one of those days. Work was stressful, I was bummed because no one signed up or showed up for my 5K bootcamp and I was still battling a cold. I had made a prior commitment to go see Anna Kendrick in the city with some work friends, but by the time I finished my [solo] run, I just didn’t have it in me. I hate bailing and saying no, but I just knew it was something I had to do. These days, between working 9-10 hour days in the office then teaching 3 days in a row after work, I find myself not usually up for much else on those days (besides eating and sleeping 🙂 ), so in hindsight I shouldn’t have made the commitment but it sounded so fun! Luckily my work friends totally understood and I’ll say that once I said I wasn’t going I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. Going home was exactly what I needed/wanted and I’m thankful I listened to my gut and did just that.

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  • Book Club Books- Call me crazy, but I’m currently in two book clubs, haha One was started with my SMC girls and one was started with my work friends. For my work friends book club, we are currently reading Big Little Lies and so far I’m loving it! It’s a long book, but I’ve been flying through the pages. My other book club is reading Underground Railroad, which was on Oprah’s book list and I’m excited to start it! I was kind of annoyed, though, because I requested it from the library WEEKS ago, and it still didn’t become available so I had to buy it. Hopefully I’ll be able to share it with people after I read it! Do you have any suggestions for good book club books?

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  • Seaport Sweat Winter Series Updates- Unfortunately, due to the fact the runs (mine and the Friday noon one) were just not picking up, they decided to cancel them for the rest of the series. I was initially really bummed, and felt like I failed since I couldn’t get a solid commitment/group of runners each week, but it’s actually a bit of a blessing in disguise. I was teaching 3 days in a row after work, which is a lot! And it makes it hard to do anything else after work, whether something as simple as running errands or going to a class or meeting up with friends, I felt like I couldn’t do anything! So, as sad as I am that it wasn’t successful, after having a good group last night (9 people!), I’m hopeful that my Thursday night will continue to be a good crowd because that class is a BLAST to teach. Seriously! It turned my entire week around, so thank you to everyone who showed up 🙂

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And that does it for me- I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend- can’t believe it’s the last one before Thanksgiving!!

Questions for you: How was your week? Do you like juicing or drinking smoothies? Do you do a friendsgiving event? Do you have an easy time saying no or do you try to fit everything in? Do you have any good book suggestions:? How do you feel about winter outdoor workouts? 

 

Five on Friday {11.10.16}

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Good morning! First off, thank you to all of our Veterans ❤ If you have today off because of Veteran’s Day, I’m jealous! But, I am working a shortish day so that I can catch a few afternoon sessions at the Boston MANIA event later today. I realized that my re-certification is due in March and I only have 7 or the 15 necessary re-cert credits so I’m hoping to get more this weekend! With that said, I have some fun things to share with you today so let’s get to it.

  • Planet Fitness in Watertown– Earlier this week I had the opportunity to check out the new Planet Fitness in Watertown, conveniently located a short 5 minute walk from out apartment! RM recently joined and he said it was really big and nice and he was right- the space is HUGE and they have lots of various pieces of equipment. While a lot of the equipment is machine based- both weights and cardio machines- I was happy to see that they had a whole functional training setup in the lower area of the gym. The locker room was also really nice and they have various other perks if you get the black card membership. However, if you just want a cheap gym with no extra frills, a $10/month membership will get you just that! Can’t really beat that right? If you’re in the area and are looking for a new gym, I suggest checking out PF and if you join between Nov 9th and Nov 16th, 100% of the $10 down payment will be donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and STOMP Out Bullying- a very, very good cause!

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  • Bastille Kitchen– Last Friday night RM and I had a date night at Bastille Kitchen in the Seaport/Fort Point area of the city. A coworker had told me it was good and she was right- everything we had was fantastic! We loved the atmosphere, the service, the menu options and the Beignets- yeah those were incredible! We started with the tuna tartar, had some Brandade Fritters and then the Braised Shortrib flatbread. I want to go back just so we can try more things!

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  • CastleArch Property Advisors– If you follow me on social media, you’ve probably seen that RM has officially launched the start of his new company. I couldn’t be more proud of him for taking this leap of faith and finally deciding to pursue a passion rather than staying in a corporate job just for the safety and security it brings. CastleArch Property Advisors is a brokerage and investment advisory services firm, focused on the sale and leasing of commercial and investment real estate. So, in lamens terms, he helps businesses find commercial real estate for their offices/businesses. I’ve never seen him work so hard to get it up and running, but I’ve also never seen him so happy- it’s an awesome thing to watch. We’d love your support by “liking” his page on Facebook and following him on Instagram and Twitter 🙂

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  • New Office– We FINALLY made it to Ikea to pick up stuff for my new office/at home gym area. While it’s still not completely finished yet, I’m SO HAPPY with how it’s come out so far. I love the cleanness of the white and yellow- it makes for such a calming work experience. We plan on getting a treadmill or spin bike and a few extra weights which will just add to my happiness in that room 🙂

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  • New Balance Cold Weather Gear- Remember how I was asking for suggestions on good cold weather gear? Well my friends over at New Balance ended up sending me some pretty amazing pieces to try out. I’m totally obsessed with everything! This NB Heat Hybrid Jacket is perfect for outdoor activities and running errands because it’s thin and not bulky, yet because of the Polartec® Alpha® material it’s very warm! Plus, I love the mint green color. They also sent me these Performane Merino Tights, which are going to be amazingggg for the cold teaching nights ahead.

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Lastly, I was able to participate in a focus group at their headquarters recently which was SUCH a cool experience. They had me try on lots of different outfits and then they’d ask me a bunch of questions about how I felt about the style, fit, colors, design, etc. It was really neat. As a thank you they gave us a M4M Seamless Cable Pullover, which is infused with the NB Heat Technology. The fabric is unbelievable and it really did help keep me warm during a chilly run the other day.

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Lastly, I fell in love with these amazing Newbury Intensity Tights and ended up buying them because I couldn’t put them down 😉 Overall I’m loving all of my new NB goodies- they are the best!

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And that does it for me! Don’t forget to enter my giveaway over on Instagram– I’m giving away FIVE free manicure coupons. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend 🙂

Questions for you:  What do you look for when joining a gym? Have you ever been to Bastille Kitchen? Do you have any restaurants we should try? Do you have a separate office in your home? Have you bought any new fitness gear lately?