Category: Weekly Workouts

This Week: Workouts, Schedule, Things I Am Looking Forward To

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Hey there! Did you notice anything different today? Instead of my Monday “Weekly Workouts” post, I have decided to change it up a bit. I still want to post my workouts (to hold myself accountable and to hopefully provide motivation for you) and my teaching schedule, but I thought I’d make my Monday posts a little different by adding in my schedule/plans for the week and things I am looking forward to. I encourage you to comment and tell me what you’re looking forward to as well! Makes Monday seem a little better when we can think of the positive things we are excited about in the week ahead, right?!

Let’s get to it, shall we? Last week was probably the most physically intense week I have ever had. Even though I took it easy on Tuesday (did yoga at home), my workouts Monday-Thursday were pretty intense and my fitness-filled weekend consisting of 2 days at MANIA and the Spartan race were even more intense. I loved every second of it (well, except for the last session on Sunday at MANIA… I was so sore/tired/hungry and did not want to work out as hard as we did), but am definitely ready for a few days of rest this week!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I ran a mile and did a strength workout at the Sheraton gym in Chicago and then taught kickboxing. Way more of an intense day than I was planning for!

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  • Tuesday- I worked from home and had a million things to do after work (unpack, laundry, blogging, cooking dinner, etc.), so I just did a 45 minute at-home yoga workout. I started off with an On-Demand workout, but got bored after about 5 minutes so I just did my own practice. It felt great, but left me even more sore on Wednesday!

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  • Wednesday- I worked from home again (I was so tired from my previous week of travel, it was still really cold and I knew I had a big weekend of fitness events so I thought it would be best for me to take it easy during the week) and did my Work From Home workout 10 times through (that’s 100 reps of each exercise), did 15 minutes on the elliptical before class (had extra time) and taught a fun UXF Burn class.
  • Thursday- Taught SHRED and Kickboxing. SHRED had a good crowd, but Kickboxing was a little quiet. Womp!
  • Friday- Attended my first day of MANIA. I did a Kettlebell workout, R.I.P.P.E.D workout, Sports Conditioning Workout and a Boot Camp workout. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the end!

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  • Saturday- Ran the Fenway Spartan Sprint, which was amazinggggg. Omg I was so nervous, but ended up doing way better than I had thought I would do and had a blast doing it. I’ll do a full recap later this week (hopefully!).

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  • Sunday- I went back to MANIA for the last day of sessions. I took a stretching type of class first, followed by a Cardio, Cutz and Core class and ended with a Muscle Mashup class. Few. By the end, I was SO tired and sore (but was so glad I went because I learned so much from both classes!).

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday & Tuesday- Nothing! My body is so sore from last week that I know I need some serious rest. I can’t wait!
  • Wednesday- I’ll ease back into workout out with some light cardio before teaching UXF Burn
  • Thursday- Teaching SHRED and Kickboxing. I have some awesome new workout ideas for SHRED… I can’t wait to teach them!!!
  • Friday- Not sure.. maybe a rest day? I’ll see how I feel.
  • Saturday- Teaching kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA- Please come!
  • Sunday- I might workout in the morning pending on how I feel.

Schedule/Plans for the Week

I have a full week of work in the office (except for Friday when I WFH), which will be a change up from the past couple of weeks! I am going out to dinner in the city on Tuesday after work and I think that’s all I have planned this week besides my Pampered Chef party on Sunday.

Things I Am Looking Forward To

A quiet week!!! And some rest days. The month of November has been absolutely insane for me, so I am really excited to have a week where I’m just around with no plans. I’m also looking forward to going out for drinks and dinner in the city after work; I always see people doing this and get jealous because I never do! Lastly, I am happy to be hosting a Pampered Chef party on Sunday. I hope a lot of my girlfriends can come!

Your Turn! What was something fun you did over the weekend? What are you looking forward to this week?

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!

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?

Weekly Workouts: A lighter/less intense week of workouts

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Happy Monday, friends. I feel like I was ripped off this past weekend since I lost half of my Sunday due to work travel. I’m currently in Ohio until late on Tuesday night. In all honesty, though, I’d rather lose half a Sunday instead of missing classes this week. I hated missing my classes last week… I haven’t taught since October 12th!!!

Since I was home in Maine for a workout as well as North Carolina for one and didn’t teach my Thursday double, I felt like my workouts weren’t as intense as they generally are. But, you know what? That’s ok! It’s good for you to give your body a rest from intense workout, after intense workout, after intense workout… and even though I know this, I am the first to admit that I don’t always do that. It’s almost nice when I have a schedule that forces me to slow down and not be able to follow my usual workout schedule.

With that said, let’s talk about the workouts!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I was home in Maine and I did Athena’s 10-12-15 Workout, which was a great way to start the day! I finally got some weights, so I was excited to use them! I did combos of high knees, butt kicks, jumping jacks and jump squats for the 2 minute cardio bursts. I did each circuit 3 times through!
  • Tuesday- I had a 2:30 flight, meaning I worked from home in the morning. Before I started work, I went for a 3.5 mile run and then did some abs and my Fall Into Fitness moves for Tuesday and Wednesday since I wasn’t sure I’d have access to weights at the hotel on Wednesday.

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  • Wednesday- I did a 30 minute hotel room, no weights workout before heading to our client site. It consisted of 5 minutes of cardio, 5 minutes of core and 5 minutes of strength and I repeated that 2 times. I’ll post it for you later… promise! 🙂

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  • Thursday- My work trip got cut short, so I could have taught my double on Thursday, but since I had already gotten a sub for both classes and had planned on going to my favorite instructor’s kickboxing class in Wellington, I decided to keep the subs and go with my original plan. During the day, I did some strength training since I usually do on Thursdays and then I went to kickboxing. It was… good… but not as good as I remembered and I left the gym really wishing I would’ve just taught my double instead 😦 I did get some new combo ideas, which was the point of me going, I just didn’t get the intense workout I was hoping for. Oh well!
  • Friday- I usually rest on Friday’s, but since my workouts hadn’t been overly intense and I felt physically ready to do something, I went for a 3 mile jog. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I ran fast for some odd reason.
  • Saturday- I went to the gym with the intention of going to BodyPump, but the class was absolutely packed and there were not enough bars and plates for everyone so, as an instructor, I felt like I should give up my equipment since I could do my own strength workout much more easily than someone who needs a class in order to work out. I did a full body strength workout and finished with my favorite: TRX abs! I also talked to a personal trainer about potentially doing some training sessions. We get a discount as an instructor and I feel like in order to take my lifting to the next level, I need someone instructing and pushing me to ensure I’m safe and lifting to my potential.

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New Lulu is always a sure motivator to get to the gym, right?! Or, any new workout clothes for that matter.

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  • Sunday- I wanted to go for a jog or walk because it was beautiful, but I slept until 9am (!!!!) and had to leave at 2 for the airport and had a million other things to do that took precedence over a workout. That’s ok, though. A rest day was probably a good idea! (I did do my seated rows for the Fall Into Fitness challenge!)

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Pending on what the hotel gym looks like and/or what time we need to be at the client site, I may go to the gym, or I may do kickboxing in my room or something else in my room.
  • Tuesday- Same thing as Monday 🙂
  • Wednesday- Cardio and then TEACHING!!! I’ve missed it so much, so members, just a heads up: I might be crazier than usual 😉
  • Thursday- Finally back to my Thursday double! I have a new format I want to teach in SHRED and then I’ll bring in some new combos to kickboxing, too.
  • Friday- I am not sure! If I feel like I need rest, I will, otherwise I’ll try to squeeze something in.
  • Saturday- Teaching kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA.
  • Sunday- rest? maybe? again, it will depend on how I feel.

Questions for you: Do you feel like you have a hard time finding or making time for a workout? Do you have home gym equipment?

Weekly Workouts: Taking Advantage of the Warm Weather

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Hi there! For those of you who have today off… I am jealous! I stayed in Maine last night to have “Sunday Dinner” with my parents which was a nice treat. I figured that there wouldn’t be any traffic heading south this morning since a lot of people probably have today off.

I am hoping that last week was the last burst of warm/hot weather for a while. I’m ready for fall: sweaters, boots, jeans, no humidity… anyone else?

With that said, I did take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather last Monday and went for a nice, long(er… for me, at least) run, some of it along the ocean at Constitution beach in East Boston. I was introduced to this beach last weekend on my second tour of Eastie and I was pleasantly surprised with how nice it was- and the fact that it is only 5 minutes from my apartment.

Other than my long run, the rest of the week was par for the course in terms of workouts. I’ve been taking advantage of the gym at my office on days I want to just focus on weights. It’s not a great gym, but it has all the dumbbells I need, in addition to stability balls and mats- more than enough for me to get a sufficient weight session in. Plus, it’s always empty, which is key. I may love having the attention on me in most areas of my life, but when I’m at the gym working out (not when I’m teaching), I don’t want anyone looking at me, so an empty gym is perfect!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I ran 4.5 miles after work and then did my Monday Fall into Fitness moves, as well as Saturday’s and Sunday’s since I failed to do them on the day I was supposed to. Whoops.

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  • Tuesday- I did a full body strength workout that looked like this: 4 exercises, 12 reps each, 3 rounds, for upper, lower and abs. I left the gym surprisingly sweaty and very tired!

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  • Wednesday- I ran 3 miles on the treadmill before teaching UXF Burn. My classes have been much busier now that the weather is getting cooler!

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  • Thursday- I taught another timed circuit in SHRED followed by kickboxing.
  • Friday- Rest, besides my Fall Into Fitness move of the day and cleaning.
  • Saturday- Taught a super high energy kickboxing class. There were 30 people and everyone was ON IT and having fun and laughing and laughing at my jokes… It couldn’t have been a more perfect class 🙂
  • Sunday- Another rest day besides walking around while shopping and doing my plank for Fall Into Fitness!

This Week’s Workouts

I’m traveling on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, so my workouts will be a little different from normal. I was supposed to be gone on Thursday, too, so I got a sub for my double, but my trip got cut short so I will be around on Thursday. But, I’m keeping my sub because it will give me a chance to go to my favorite instructor’s kickboxing class to helpfully get some new material. I learned most of my teaching style from this instructor so I’m really excited to go to her class (even though I do feel guilty about missing my classes… I’m sorry!!).

  • Monday- I hope to get some type of full body workout in after work today. Ugh. Wish I had the day off!
  • Tuesday- My flight is at 2:30 so I will work from home in the morning. Before that, I will do something at home. Maybe something similar to this? Although I did FINALLY buy some weights this past weekend. I’m so happy to expand my at-home workout equipment.
  • Wednesday- Something at the hotel. We aren’t staying anywhere nice, so I’m assuming the gym isn’t very good, so it may be a hotel room workout. As long as I sweat, I don’t care what I do 🙂
  • Thursday- Since I already got a sub to teach my double, I’m going to head to the Wellington BSC and go to Katie’s kickboxing class. My members may not like having a sub, but they will like having fresh, new material 🙂
  • Friday- Not sure. Usually Friday is my rest day, but if my workouts were light during the week, I’ll probably do something. I won’t be able to do anything on Sunday since I fly out again for another work trip 😦
  • Saturday- Probably cardio and BodyPump since I don’t have to teach. I would LOVE to sub a class on Saturday if there was one available.
  • Sunday- Nothing. I am going to my friend’s party in NH on Saturday night and will likely spend the night, so I will have to get up early and head back since my flight is at 3ish on Sunday.

Questions for you: Did you take advantage of the warm weather last week? Instructor friends, have you ever gotten a sub for your class to go to another class?