Category: Girls Night

Weekending: Barcelona Tapas & Wine Bar, Fitfluential Ambassador news & Dealing with Disappointment

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Well hello there! It’s been a while since I’ve posted a “weekending” post, huh? Since I tried out a new restaurant and have some exciting news to share, I thought today was the perfect day to do it!

On Friday night, I went out to dinner and drinks at Barcelona Wine Bar in the South End with my friend Lindsay and her roommate. Both girls teach at Recycle Studio so it’s always fun to get together with them because we don’t have to feel bad about our conversations revolving around teaching and working out 😉

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Wednesday Workout: NBGNO Event- How to Stay Fit While on the Road

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Good morning! If you’ve been following B2B for a while, you know that I am a BIG fan of staying active while on the road. I don’t think I’ve ever gone away without my sneakers and workout clothes packed because it’s really important for me to find time to get in at least a little movement in while I’m away. I love the way it energizes me and helps me “earn my treats”, as I like to say. I’ve given tips to on how to stay healthy while on the road before and I’ve shared multiple hotel room workouts as a way to show you that working out and eating healthy/making healthy choices while traveling CAN happen.

So, why am I talking about this topic again? Well, the New Balance Girls Night Out (“NBGNO”) event I went to last week was all about staying healthy while on the road and how Westin Hotels make that so easy. A few years ago, New Balance and Westin teamed up to make workout while on the road very doable. I experienced this while staying at a Westin in Atlanta. I took advantage of their running map/route, as well as the gym.

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Not only does the Westin provide you with a running route, but they also have their “pack light, stay fit” program, which allows you to borrow workout clothes, socks and sneakers when you travel. They wash the clothes and shoe inserts between uses and they let you keep the socks.

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And, don’t worry- you won’t be wearing crappy old gear- look at this stuff! They always have the newest sneaker styles and current clothes.

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Pretty awesome looking stuff if you ask me!

Anyway… back to the event! Caroline and Sherri did a FANTASTIC job hosting the latest- and final- 2014 NBGNO.

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After their introduced themselves and kicked off the event, we had the choice to join the Westin Run Concierge and Caroline for a run around the city or stay with Sherri and Chris, a Westin trainer, for a bootcamp. Since I fell and scraped up my knee pretty badly during the last dark Boston run, I opted for the boot camp.

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I liked how Chris explained what we were doing, why we were doing it, how it was beneficial and right/wrong ways to do it. He was super knowledgeable and I’ve changed my form on some exercises because of his tips. We worked in a 40/20 format where we did an exercise for 40 seconds and rested for 20 seconds. We did 4 different exercises, mostly focusing on core and glutes and holy moly my glutes were sore for 3 days!

After we finished our workouts, we were able to have food, drinks (have I mentioned how much I love events that offer free wine?!) and mingle with other attendees. Shortly thereafter, Caroline and Sherri shared more about Westin’s “pack light, stay fit” program, as well as tips they follow for staying healthy while on the road. I love that they asked the audience what are some tricks we do to make sure we get a workout in. Here are some that were shared:

  • Put your workout clothes, shoes, iPod, headphones, asprin (in case you’ve been out late the night before…), etc. next to your bed so that when you get up, you see it and can get dressed and to the gym before you realize you’re even awake!
  • Workout in the morning so that the day doesn’t get away from you before you realize you haven’t worked out.
  • Bribe yourself- say if you get to the gym for 10 minutes, you can have a glass of wine. Bets are that you’ll stay for 10  minutes once you’re there!
  • Workout in your room if you don’t want to pack your sneakers. On top of offering workout gear, Westin also has a partnership with Holly Perkins and you can do one of her workouts on the TV. This way you can workout without even leaving your room.
  • Print out workouts from your favorite fitness blog or write down a workout the night before. If I have a workout planned, I’m more motivated to do it
  • Take advantage of where you are. New city? take your workout outside and go for a run or walk. This serves as not only a workout, but a tour, too!
  • Make it fun by asking friends/coworkers to join you. I’ve even lead a bootcamp on a bachelorette weekend! I threw it out there assuming everyone would laugh at me, but you know what? Everyone participated. I think part of the reason why people don’t workout while on vacation or a work trip is because they think there isn’t time or that there isn’t a gym. Once you show them that there IS time and that you don’t need a gym, they’re always really happy to join you and so happy afterwards!

What do you think? Do you guys follow any of these tips? Do you have any that you can share with us?

Again, big thank you to New Balance for giving me the chance to participate in such a fun event. And thanks for another awesome swag bag!

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Questions for you: Have you heard of Westin’s “Pack light, stay fit” program? How do you stay fit/active/healthy while on the road?

Sheila’s Nantucket Bachelorette Weekend

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Wow. What a fun weekend we had on Nantucket to celebrate Sheila! I had never been to Nantucket, so that made me even more excited for the weekend. We had originally gone back and forth on a few different ideas for the weekend, but I think everyone was very happy with ultimate outcome. Sheila found a great little house/cottage through Air B&B (I think? maybe it was Home Away?) which ended up being a super affordable option since a hotel and eating out at restaurants for every meal would’ve been really expensive! Big thanks to Amy and Jessi for all the planning and getting the food/booze/decorations.

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Friday morning, I got up and actually did my hair and put on my new dress- you know it’s a special occasion when I put time into how I look 😉

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I met up with Jessi and Lauren at the ferry terminal and we decided to kill some time by having cocktails- it’s never too early for a mimosa 😉 or wine on the ferry, for that matter!

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Once we docked in Nantucket, we headed to The Gazebo to meet up with a few friends who were already on the island. Apparently The Gazebo is famous for their mudslides so although I’m not generally a fan of those types of drinks, I had to try it. The verdict? I felt like I was drinking a grown up milk shake!

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After our drink, we headed back to the house where Amy, Nikia and Amanda had decorated it for Sheila’s arrival- it looked so good!

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They also stocked up the fridge and freezer with lots and LOTS of food and drinks. We laughed all weekend that we are clearly getting old if we only went through a quarter of a handle of vodka all weekend… we are definitely getting old.

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Once everyone was at the house, we popped some bubbly (obvi!), made a quick stop at the beach, had some snacks outside and grilled up a delicious dinner of chicken, steak, corn on the cob and rice. When we finished dinner, we played some games (Heads up! Have you played it? SO FUN!) and walked to the Chicken Box for some live band and dancing action.

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Since we all took it easy and got home around midnight, we all felt pretty good on Saturday… good enough for a bootcamp workout– my favorite!

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The rest of the day on Saturday was spent at the beach (with packed lunches and drinks!)- I can’t remember the last time I PLAYED in the water like we did that day- so so fun!

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We cleaned up in the afternoon and made our way to Cisco Brewers, which was probably one of my most favorite parts of the weekend. We were all decked out in our bachelorette getup and enjoy the delicious beers, interesting vodka drinks and even some wine! I loved that they had an outdoor band and so much area to hang around outside- it was the perfect way to spend the afternoon!

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Once the brewery started to slow down, we headed back to the house and Kia, Jessi and I got busy in the kitchen making homemade chicken parmesan… #butfirstletmetakeaselfie 😉

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We decided that Saturday night would be a real “night out”… and, we meant it! We even stayed until closing- something I haven’t done in a REALLY long time. We went to Nixs since we met the band at the brewery and they told us we “had to come”. I have to say, I’m pretty excited we met them because they were really good and we all had such a blast. Obviously my friend Kia and I were the first to start the dance party… some things never change 😉

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Sunday morning was a little bit of a slower start than Saturday, but after a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, fruit, yogurt and English muffins, we all perked up and got ready for the beach. I had to head back on Sunday because I couldn’t take more time off at work… whomp whomp. The rest of the girls stayed until Monday or Tuesday and based on the pics I saw, it looks like they kept going strong throughout the remainder of the weekend- I was impressed!

Phew! If you made it this far- thank you!! All in all, it was just an absolutely awesome weekend- everyone was in good spirits and we all just had a blast being together. I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends!!

Questions for you: Have you been to Nantucket? Have you been to any of the places we went to? Are you a dancer or an observer? Do you have any bachelorette parties to go to this summer?

This Week {A day late… again…}: Workouts, back to a normal schedule and things I’m looking forward to

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Hey everyone! I feel like I haven’t popped in to say hi in a while- life has been a bit crazy lately, but it’s all good, fun and exciting stuff so I can’t really complain! Did you catch the awesome guest post from Tony that I posted on Friday? Here it is if you did- it’s worth a read: Guest Post: How To Prepare For A Triathlon.  I just got home from the most wonderful little weekend getaway with RM, so I can’t wait to catch you up on that. But first- the workouts. I ended up getting in 2 workouts while away, which I wasn’t planning on or expecting, but since RM wanted to sleep in and I was up, bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to go, getting in a quick workout was a great way to give me something to do while I let him sleep.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Since it was my first day of work at my new job, I got up and did my workout in the morning. I was really sore from my 6 mile run the day before, so I just did this HIIT scorcher from the Fitnessista before doing some strength circuits.
  • Tuesday- I got up to workout before work again so that I could get a pedicure after work. I ran a tough, sucky 3 miles (how is it that I had just ran SIX miles that felt great, yet last week my 3 mile run was like the death of me?!?!) and called it a day. I ended up walking for about 30 minutes during lunch which was a nice break!

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  • Wednesday- I ended up running 4 miles on the treadmill for National Running Day before I taught my UXF Burn class. Was a great day of workouts!

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  • Thursday- I taught SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing. I used a new format in SHRED that, in my head, was perfectly easy to understand, but when I went to teach it, the members were so confused and couldn’t remember what to do. I hate that! I set up 8 stations with various things at them: medicine balls, BOSU balls, stability balls, weights, towels, steps, etc. and then at each station I wrote down 3 exercises for the small groups to do. They did each for 60 seconds and then again for 30 seconds before moving on to the next station. I loved the workout, but unfortunately wasn’t able to do it all with them because it was a bigger group and they needed lots of assistance. That left me plenty of energy for my kickboxing class, though!
  • Friday- Rest day. We had a 9am flight and I had been up early every day so I decided to sleep instead of workout. Good decision on my part. We ended up doing a decent amount of walking between the airport and walking around Miami.
  • Saturday- I got up and ran a SWEATY 3 miles on the treadmill (and walked a half a mile) before completing a small circuit and some extra core work. Great way to start the day… and earn my poolside cocktails 😉 RM and I also went for a nice walk!

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  • Sunday- I woke up feeling surprisingly good after having drank a lot the day/night before, so I went to the gym for a quick workout. I did 10 minutes on the treadmill and then some supersets- I felt it yesterday!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I didn’t do anything yesterday. We wanted to get to the pool early and I was tired so I decided to sleep.
  • Tuesday- My plan today is to get a 3-4 mile run in after work and then some core exercises.
  • Wednesday- The usual: probably a run and then teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- Teaching SHRED and then Kickboxing.
  • Friday- I might rest on Friday pending on how I feel. My new work schedule is working from home on Mondays instead of Fridays so I’ll be at the office. I may try to get in a walk during lunch.
  • Saturday- I’ll be at the YMCA teaching my cardio kickboxing class!
  • Sunday- I’ll be up in Maine (again…) for Father’s Day so I’m sure I’ll get something in!

Getting Back on Schedule

Over the past 3+ weeks, my schedule has been, well, non-existent. Between ending my old job, taking a week+ for myself, starting a new job and then going to Miami, I’ve been all over the place and any sort of routine or schedule has been completely thrown to the wayside. I have to say, though, it’s been really nice! My weeks were so regimented: breakfast was the same, lunch and snacks were the same, I had the same stuff after work, etc. It’s been a good change to not be on a schedule and it’s given my body time to get off of all the normal things it eats and does. With that said, though, I’m ready to be back on some type of schedule- I’m ready to tone it down on the eating out and can’t wait to be making my lunches again and cooking up nice, healthy dinners!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I’m actually excited to be back in the office this week. I’m really enjoying my new job thus far and can’t wait to be in the full swing of it. I’m also looking forward to Friday night because the Shapleigh girls are having a night out! I bought a Groupon for the Brahmin a while ago so we are going to go for dinner and a few drinks. Lastly, even though I’ve been home to Maine so much lately, I am looking forward to spending Father’s Day with my dad and going to Tucker’s 1st birthday party! And, let’s face it- I love going to Maine!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Did you participate in National Running Day? What are you looking forward to this week? Do you find yourself eating the same thing day after day during the week?

Weekending: “Ladies Night”, Zeke’s 1st Birthday and Local Supplier Meet & Greet at Whole Foods

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You guys! This past weekend was busy, busy, busy…. but with all fun things so I can’t complain! I got a massage on Friday, which was a great way to end my “vacation” week and to kick off the weekend! After my massage, my friend Jess picked me up and we headed north for dinner in New Hampshire at Tortilla Flat with some of our other St. Michael’s friends. It may seem weird that we traveled all the way up there for dinner at a Mexican restaurant, but there was a Tortilla Flat near St. Mike’s and both Kia and Lauren worked there, which meant we went there… a lot… so  we had to check it out!

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Skinny Marg and a Combo Plate- nothing about Mexican food photographs well…

I have to share the cutest story from our dinner. There were 6 of us and all of a sudden a waitress brings over this little (5 or 6 year old) boy. Here’s how the situation went down:

Boy: Are you out for a ladies night?

Us: Yes, we are.

Boy: Well, you’ve come to the right place!

Us: Oh yeah? Why’s that?

Boy: Because I’m the ladies man!

So cute! We died laughing.

Luckily, it was an early night, which was good because I knew Saturday was going to be a big day. I cannot believe little Zeke is already ONE!!! It’s so crazy. Sara put on the most wonderful celebration- from the decorations to the food to the drinks to the company- everything was perfect! We lucked out with the weather, too. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves, but it was such a great day celebrating a very loved little boy!

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I mean, can you get any cuter than little Zeke in his 1 year old shirt with a bow-tie?!?! Love! Also love my Shapleigh girls and getting to spend an afternoon with them 🙂

Danielle and I headed back to MA early on Sunday since I had a blogger event to attend at Whole Foods.

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I’m always excited for blogger events, but I was especially excited about this one because I’ve been big into buying locally and organic and wanting to know where my food comes from. It was a small event, but there were a number of vendors with samples ranging from fish to prepared salads to cheeses and butters to muesli, pickels, salsa, ice cream and iced coffee. It was so great to chat with all of them to see how their products are made, where they are located and what makes them different than other similar items sold in grocery stores.

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I’m a big fan of good swag bags 😉 Some of my favorite things I tried were:

  • Cheeses and Sea Salt & Maple Butter from Vermont Creamery– I put some of this on my dad’s homemade bread it and it was absolutely amazing!!
  • Muesli from TuTu Muesli– I anticipate early working hours, which means I’ll need to bring breakfast on the road with me so I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes with the sample that I received from TuTu. I bought some Muesli from Bob’s Red Mills and will likely do “over night oats” with that.
  • Salsa from Nola’s Salsa– This stuff was absolutely delicious! There’s nothing better than fresh, homemade salsa and this totally fit the bill for that. The owner lived in Texas for a while and learned from the best. She only uses real ingredients and you can taste the difference. I can’t wait to open mine!
  • Ice cream from Tea-Rrific– Wow. This tea-based ice cream was SO good. They actually brew the tea when making the ice cream so you could taste the specific tea flavors in each one. My favorite was the Masala Chai and the Chamomile- Perfect little sweet treat!
  • Cold Brew coffee from Grady’s Cold Brew– I gave up coffee about a year ago, but when I heard the vendor explain how it’s made without brewing coffee. Grady’s Cold Brew has less caffeine, it’s less acidic (much easier to drink!) and is easier on digestion than regular coffee. There’s no added sugar and the ingredient list is short: water, coffee, chicory and spices. All he added was a little almond milk for me and it was perfect!

Big thanks to Jess and Whole Foods Charles River Plaza for hosting such a great event… and providing us with some amazing swag bags with the products we were able to learn about and try.

Questions for you: How often do you get together with your girlfriends? What was the best part of your weekend? Do you like to shop locally or buy organic products? Have you ever heard of the ones I listed above?