“Oh, but I’m not even a runner!”

February 2, 2016February 2, 20168 Comments

Last week I had the opportunity to check out the new treadmill gym in the North End called MyStryde, as well as some new New Balance gear. Without getting much into the class (I’m posting about it tomorrow!), I will say that it was very challenging. While I run at least once or twice a week (logging 3-4 miles each run normally), I’ve never considered myself a “runner”. Sure, I like to go out and run and don’t even mind running on the treadmill that much, but I’m always so quick to say “I’m not a runner” when I talk about running.

After class, though, a guy tapped me on the shoulder and goes “You’re really fast! I was trying to keep up with you the whole class, but could never quite catch up!” My reaction? “really? That’s funny because I’m not even a runner!”

And it got me to thinking, why are we so quick to dismiss a compliment? Why are we so quick to downplay whatever it is about ourselves that someone is complimenting? Why can’t we just smile and say “thank you” and accept the compliment, rather than make up excuses why it isn’t/we aren’t worth the compliment?Think about these exchanges:

“Wow I love that bag!”… “oh this bag? It’s SO old!”
“You’re a fast runner!”… “I’m not really that fast, I was just having a good day!”
“Your hair looks great today!”… “ugh no, I don’t like my hair! I wish I had hair like yours”
“That email you wrote was really well-written”… “Nah, I thought I jumbled my words and wasn’t as concise as I wanted to be”

… The list could go on and on. My guess is that all of you know exactly what I’m talking about, and the question for me today comes back to, Why is it so hard for us to just say thank you? Or to own your run or your bag or your hair or your outfit? Personally, I think it has to do with not wanting to seem “better” than others or not wanting to seem satisfied with where you are or what you’ve done. We love to complain about not having our sh*t together, right? We love to talk about how busy we are, how we suck at working out, how we hate our hair or our outfits. But what’s funny is when we say things like this, it usually results in someone continuing their praise or compliment, right? “oh I know! You are SO busy. I don’t know how you do it” or “No way. Your hair really does look great today” or “I always think your emails are really well written”.

Here’s another thought… I talked about this with RM and he had a slightly different take on the “why” behind compliment dismissals. He told me that this same topic was covered in a meditation course that he attended last year and that they talked about how, as minor as we think it is to shut down a compliment, it’s a negative behavior and that we could breed more general happiness in our lives by approaching these situations with more positivity: “Thank you! I really love this bag”. I just tried it and genuinely felt happier by accepting a pretend compliment than I did when I downplayed it.

At the end of the day- we are what we create and believe for ourselves. Want to be a runner? Be one! Love your hair? Tell people! Proud of a work accomplishment? Share the news. Accept compliments, love yourself and stop putting yourself down so much- I promise you’ll have a much brighter outlook on everything 🙂

I’d love to hear from you guys, though! What do you think is the reason why we dismiss compliments and naturally lead to this type of response? Why do you have a hard time accepting a compliment (if you do)?

Embracing another week of yoga

January 27, 2016January 27, 20163 Comments

Good morning! If you’re here for my weekly “Wednesday Workout” post- sorry! Changing things up a bit this week. With good reason, though: I’m embracing another week of yoga at Corepower yoga. I’ve had another free week to use before the end of January and seeing how the next couple of weeks are really busy with lots of teaching, I figured this was the perfect week to take a step back and focus on a gentler way to workout.

While yoga can be a challenging workout, it can also be taken down a notch and made into more of a restorative flow so it’s a great recovery type of activity… one I’m actively trying to do more of this year. With all the stress of wedding planning, teaching, etc., it’s so important for me to take time to take a step back and give my mind and body a little TLC, which is where yoga comes in.

So I guess that’s a long way of telling you that I don’t have a workout for you today because I haven’t done any sort of workout besides yoga since last Thursday, if you can believe it! I have to admit, so far I have totally enjoyed this break from my traditional workout schedule. I’ve always been a big fan of group exercise and class environments so the fact that all I have to do for yoga is change into my workout clothes and show up is awesome. No planning out a workout. No planning out a playlist. Just showing up. Which is sometimes the hardest part about working out, right?

The last time I did a week of yoga I shared some things that I learned throughout the classes I took. While some of those still reign true this time, one thing I noticed was that it was much easier to get back in the yoga groove since it hadn’t been as long between classes. Muscle memory continues to amaze me- we can go days, weeks or months without doing something and then when we get back into that thing, although it may not feel as good or easy as it did while you were frequently doing it, our bodies remember what to do. It’s pretty freaking awesome, if you ask me!

Even though I am ready to get back to lifting heavy weights and sweating not just because it’s 100+ degrees in the room, it’s been a welcomed week of lower intensity movement that both my mind and body really needed. It was also a nice reminder that it’s good to give ourselves a break every so often- whether it’s a break from working out or going out or working extra or whatever else you may have on your schedule that might be hard on your mind or body- sometimes we just need to slow the effff down and breathe. To shut down our thoughts or our to-do lists or work related tasks. To just be still and let our minds focus on breathing in and breathing out. It’s amazing how rejuvenating a simple act of breathing and slowing down can be for me!

Questions for you- When’s the last time you took a break from a normal activity in your life? Does the break happen easily or do you struggle with straying from your norm at the beginning? Have you done any workouts worth sharing with me for when I head back to the gym?

How Much Should We Be Listening To Our Doctors?

January 19, 2016January 18, 20168 Comments

I had a physical last week and I wanted to share a little piece of the visit with you. I’ll preface this post by saying that I haven’t done much research on the topic of nutrition and what we “should” eat, but I did see the documentary Fed Up! and have read a bunch of articles that RM has sent me since he is much more in tune with nutrition and things like that (he’s done a ridiculous amount of research on various diets like paleo, Whole30, SCD, bullet proof, etc.) so I feel like at this point I know a lot more about food and nutrition than I used to.

But, back to my visit. As most visits start out, we recapped my last visit. My doctor mentioned to me that my cholesterol was a little high and that I should get re-tested. And by a little high, I mean VERY little: they want you under 130 and mine was 131. She said that they don’t require you to do take an serious actions unless you’re over 190, so I had a long way to go (it’s also worth noting that the last time I got blood drawn for my cholesterol test it was 5pm after a full day of eating… they want you to test after fasting usually to get the most accurate results). Regardless, in typical Monique fashion, I got instantly nervous that I had high cholesterol and asked how I could fix it. She handed me a paper, titled “Heart Healthy Steps: Top Ten Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol”, but said not to worry too much since mine wasn’t that high.

When I got in the car (after another cholesterol test, mind you), my curiosity got the best of me so I started to read through the material. I didn’t get far, though, because after I read about how to reduce the saturated fat in my diet (which was the first tip in the document) I was appalled by the information they were giving me:

Avoid full-fat or “regular” cheese- instead, look for the terms “fat-free”, “reduced fat,” or “50% light” on the label.
Use non-fat, FIT milk, Simply Smart or low fat 1% milk and nonfat or lowfat yogurt (containing aspartame and fructose if watching carbs)
Avoid butter… it is NOT better than light tub margarine (without trans fats)
Avoid foods/desserts prepared with coconut or coconut milk

If you’re shaking your head as you read these, don’t worry- I was too. Actually, as I was typing them word for word from the sheet, I was chuckling to myself. There are so many things in just these 4 “tips” that go against all the research I’ve seen recently. If you watched Fed Up or if you have read any sort of food-related articles over the past few years, you’d know that picking “fat free” or anything low fat, reduced fat, margarine, etc. is probably not your best option. Sure, the fat count may be down, but what do you think they do to make them still taste good? They load them up with sugar and other artificial ingredients that your body doesn’t know how to accurately process. They may not have a high fat content, but low-fat isn’t the end all, be all to a healthy diet. There is so much more that goes into a well balanced diet, like eating lots of veggies, eating healthy fats like avocado and nuts and nut butters, eating lean proteins and eggs (yes, yolk and all!) and also treating yourself to pizza and wine every so often. 😉

But, I feel like your traditional doctors office “send home” material is not accounting for the times and how recent research has opened up a whole new way of looking at food and what we “should” and “should not” be eating. Rather than pushing us to lower our fat by seeking out “low fat” and “fat free”, maybe they should talk to us about what foods make up our diet and what our day to day looks like. Are we eating a good mix of veggies, healthy fats, protein, carbs, etc.? Are we moving consistently? Are we drinking lots of water? These are things I wish she would’ve asked me when I asked her how I could lower my cholesterol.

At the end of the day, most of the time we should be eating REAL food in its natural form because our bodies know how to process and digest that. While I appreciate my doctor trying to help me, I was so discouraged my what she gave me as a reference/resource. Even though I am by no means a health or nutrition expert, I’ve at least been exposed to enough at this point that I kind of know what foods I should be eating to properly fuel myself for my daily activity, which is a lot more than probably a lot of people who have likely asked her the same “how can I fix it” type of question I asked.

As RM always tells me- if you focus on eating a diet that primarily comes from the ground, you’re probably fueling yourself well. Does this mean we don’t eat packaged foods or have pizza or wings or cookies? Hell, no! If you’ve been reading B2B for a while I think it’s pretty safe to say I actively strive for an 80/20 balance: most of the time I eat lots of veggies, protein, grains, etc., but I also have no problem going out for pizza and wine or a burger and a beer. These help keep me balanced and help me practice #moderation365 as Jill Coleman so perfectly says. Eating full fat foods/drinks, eating lots of veggies & fruits, eating fish and chicken (and yes, I choose dark meat over the breast meat!), drinking wine and eating pizza are things that make me happy and make me feel good, so that’s what I focus on much more than reading the labels to see how much fat or how many calories something has. If I can pronounce all of the ingredients, I feel pretty good about what I am choosing to fuel my body with.

I’d love to hear from you, though! What does your diet usually consist of? Have you changed your eating over the years as you learn more about nutrition and different foods? What are some key foods or products you like to include in your diet? Do you read labels when you shop? Do you prefer adhering to a strict “diet” or do you prefer to practice #moderation365 and take a more balanced approach?

Wellcoin Review: Earning money to live healthy

January 12, 2016January 12, 20166 Comments

Disclaimer: I am a Wellcoin Ambassador, but I was not paid to write this post. I just love the app and think you will, too!

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’m so excited to be a Wellcoin Ambassador. If you’re new to Wellcoin, let me give you a little background by saying that it’s a really awesome app that encourages healthy living. And no, this doesn’t just mean working out. Healthy living can mean something different to everyone and can vary by day and time. Remember when I wrote this post where I talked about all the different ways I can be healthy? Not all of them are healthy in the sense of “eating your greens and working out”, but they are healthy in the sense of being what your mind or body needs. Healthy is all about balance and sometimes that means working out and eating well, but other times it might mean skipping a workout in favor of having wine, snacks and girl time, which is precisely what this app rewards you for.

Wondering what they reward you with? Coins! And what do those coins get you? I’m so glad you asked! The coins get you all sorts of fun things, ranging from Whole Foods gift cards to classes at local fitness studios, to gift certificates to a local sporting good/fitness store to discounts at massage offices… the list goes on and on!

And, the best part is that there are so many ways to earn earn through the Wellcoin app! I’ve been using Wellcoin for about a month and I still feel like I’m just scratching the surface with regards to using all of the different coin categories.

Here are some examples of ways you can earn coins:

Working out (resistance training, fitness class, running, etc.)
Sleeping 7+ hours a night (verified by FitBit)
Counting your steps (verified by FitBit)
Eating a healthy breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner
Choosing a healthy beverage
Choosing an unhealthy beverage
Doing something fun
Clean the house
Going to a fundraiser
Yearly doctors appointments
Taking the stairs
Parking far away
Donating
Giving blood

See? I told you it was so easy to earn coins. I just realized that I am at over 14K, which means I should probably start cashing them in!

Another thing to note is that in order to earn max coins per category per day, you should make sure your account is public (and then share to facebook and/or twitter, which also gets you more coins!) so that other people can see it and “verify” it by “liking” or commenting on it. Plus, the more likes and comments you get, the more coins you get! Also, you can earn more points by linking various fitness tracking devices or studios that have a relationship with Wellcoin such as Fitbit, RunKeeper, Strava, Prana Power Yoga and Pure Barre (both studios are the Newton ones specifically). If you want to set up these connections, you just go to the “connect & track” tab.

Are you hooked yet? If so, you should definitely download the app and use the code burpeestobubbly which will get you 250 free coins right off the bat! Or, you can use this link and sign up on your computer (again, using the same code to get yourself free “sign up” coins). When you join, make sure to follow me so I can give you a re-follow and we can cheer each other on!

Questions for you: Do you do Wellcoin already? Do you use another app that rewards you for healthy living?

2015: A Year In Review

January 5, 2016January 3, 20164 Comments

Good morning! 2015 has officially come and gone and at this point we are in our first week of 2016- wow! I have to say, though, what a year 2015 was- from work accomplishments to blogger events to the biggest and best thing of the year- getting engaged- 2015 was one for the books. Here are some of my favorite/most memorable memories:

Ridiculous amounts of snow– which was fun at first, but got old reallll fast. I will say, though, I think I gained some upper body strength from all the shoveling. And, I will also say that I was happy for the upper body strength I had gained prior to the storms because it made my shoveling job much easier.

Ski trip to Sugarbush– I hadn’t been skiing in nearly 10 years, but I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to keep up with the guys (well, for the most part!)

Snowy Valentines Day- We decided to cancel our plans as soon as we figured out we would likely be snowed in. We ended up walking to Kelly’s Pub for dinner and it was perfect!

San Francisco with some of my college bests- OMG this was an amazing trip and break from the ridiculous winter back in Boston. We did so many things, but most of all it was just nice to be with a few good friends, drinking delicious wine and exploring an amazing city. Recaps are here, here, and here.

Mom & dad came to Boston– My sister gave them a hotel room for the night as their Christmas gift and we had a blast going to 75 Chestnut and then dancing at Whiskey Priest!

Kia’s Bachelorette party & wedding- These were back to back weekend events which were so fun! The bachelorette party was in North Conway and wedding up in Vermont. Loved celebrating these two!

Birthday Celebrations part 1– wine fest & Cinquecento– 30 was a big birthday! And RM, my family and friends made me feel so special! The wine fest was awesome and dinner at Cinquecento was really delicious.

My first SoulCycle class and birthday lunch with my sister is also such a great memory! We had a blast and it was so nice of her to want to do that for my birthday.

Birthday Celebrations part 2- “surprise” party at Carrie Nation– RM wanted to throw me a real surprise party, but it wasn’t going to work out, so I knew about the date, but I didn’t know any details. He did an amazing job pulling everything off- such a lucky girl!

Italy– a fantastic nearly 2 week vacation. I want to go back! If you missed those posts, you can read them here, here, and here.

Window performance at Lululemon– I loved getting a chance to workout in the window at Lululemon! You can check out the workout here.

Participating in the #bikinirebellion challenge– I did a full recap here, but in short, this was an amazing challenge that really helped change the way I look at myself, working out, etc.

Running my own outdoor bootcamp- This was such a highlight of my year! I hope that it continues to grow throughout the years!

Lots of Cape Cod weekends– we were able to get down to the Cape a lot this past summer which was such a nice way to escape the city for a bit. So many beach days, Big Squeeze Beers & ice creams!

Vermont with my family– Now that my sister and I each have significant others, we don’t do things with just the two of us and our parents very often so it was nice getting a chance to get away and spend some quality time just the 4 of us… not to mention it was in one of my favorite cities and old stomping grounds!

Fitness photo shoot- Getting a chance to work with Janelle of Janelle Carmela Photography for a fitness photo shoot was a blast and I’m so happy with how the photos came out!

Our only summer wedding- Celebrating Meredith and Brandon up in Boothbay Harbor was such a fun way to spend a weekend away!

NBGNO events– I was lucky enough to attend a few NBGNO events this year and it’s always to great to be surrounded by so many empowering women and stories. If you’ve never made it to one of these events, it should absolutely be on your “must try” list for 2016!

Moving into a new apartment with RM– This was a big step for our relationship, but it couldn’t have been a more perfect move for us. As RM said best, it put a sense of calmness on our relationship.

Getting ENGAGED!!! Hands down this was the BEST, MOST AMAZING part of my 2015. RM literally made me the happiest girl alive when he asked me to marry him- it was such a special day and I seriously can’t wait to marry my handsome Italian!

Getting a new 5K PR- I hadn’t run a race in forever so I was a little nervous to run the Oak Square YMCA race, but I ended up getting quite a bit of a PR (23:30 I think was my time?) AND coming in 3rd for my age group.

Wedding Venue Hunting & Picking the Date/Venue While this was a very stressful time, finding The Wentworth was the best thing. We are so excited for July 4th!!

Getting out of my comfort zone in the gym– I’ve wrote about this a few times here and here), but meeting Meghan and trying out classes at her gym (Foster Fitness) has been such a wonderful part of my fitness journey. She’s pushed me in ways I absolutely needed pushing and I’ve gained so much confidence with regards to heavier lifting!

Book club-This has been something I totally look forward to every couple of months. I’ll admit that even though I love to read, these days my “spare” time is spent blogging, so having an excuse to put the computer down and pick up a book is the best. Plus, I love getting together with my girlfriends to drink wine and eat good food… and yes, we do talk about the book 😉

Friendsgiving- it was our first time doing a “friendsgiving”, but I really hope it’s not our last! I loved another excuse to do the whole Thanksgiving meal thing without the pressure of having to travel or split the holiday.

Thanksgiving in Boston– My sister and her roommate hosted Thanksgiving this year at their apartment in Dorchester so it was fun to be able to see both my family and RM’s family all in the same day without having to travel out of state!

Wedding Dress Shopping– This was probably the best part of planning our wedding! I thought I was not going to enjoy it, but it ended up being such a great experience and I wish I could do it again!

Birthday Celebrations & parties- Between my sister’s birthday, RM’s birthday and Jessi’s Christmas party, December was full of parties!

My amazing classes! My members show up every week, ready for whatever craziness I decide to throw at them and it couldn’t make me happier!

Cristmas & Christmas Eve- Having RM come up to Maine to join us for our annual Christmas Eve party was such a nice treat! We also had a nice dinner with his family on Christmas day.

Phew… did you make it this far? I realize that this list is long, but as I said, 2015 was a really great year! And with that, bring it on 2016!

Questions for you: What was the best part of your 2015? What are you looking forward to in 2016?

Burpees to Bubbly

Because good workouts deserve bubbly rewards!

Category: Uncategorized

“Oh, but I’m not even a runner!”

Embracing another week of yoga

How Much Should We Be Listening To Our Doctors?

Wellcoin Review: Earning money to live healthy

2015: A Year In Review

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