Category: Weekly Workouts

Wednesday Workout: Hotel Gym Circuit

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Hi B2B readers! The gym at the Stowe Mountain Lodge was unbelievable! Not even just for a hotel, either! It was spacious and fully equipped with up-to-date machines and all sorts of “Monique-type toys” to incorporate into my workouts. I wanted to share with you what I did on Friday morning as it left me tired and sweaty! You’ll notice that the equipment I used can be found at most gyms and if you have the opportunity to go to the gym at an off-peak hour, you can totally set yourself up with a similar station somewhere!

Hotel Circuit Workout

Most of these moves are moves you’ve either done in my classes or seen on the blog, but if you have questions, just let me know! I did learn a new type of burpee that I can’t WAIT to scare show my UXF Burn members 😉

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday and hopefully I’ll see some of you tonight in class! I’ll keep you updated on Facebook to let you know whether or not I’ll be there!

Questions for you: Do you like to print out workouts you find on blogs and health/fitness sites and bring them to the gym with you for your own workouts? Or, are you more likely to stick to machine cardio and normal lifting if you’re on your own?

Weekly Workouts- Travel Edition

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Hi friends! How are you doing today? I am good, besides the fact I am not ready to get back on the road for another work trip. Luckily, this one is short and if all goes well with travel on Wednesday, I should be back for my 6:30 class at Central!

As all of you probably know, I was away for a work conference most of last week. The trip was a blast (I promise, I’ll recap everything later this week) and I am happy to report the fact that I got in a couple awesome workouts! I am hoping this week will be the same as I should have already gone running before this post gets published and will try to get in a workout Tuesday morning before a long day at our client’s office.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I went to the Wellington BSC and did my own UXF/CrossFit inspired workout consisting of a brief warm up and 4 rounds of: 500M row, 60 seconds ropes, 60 seconds kettlebell swings, 1-legged push-ups up and down the ladder, 60 seconds pike plank with feet in TRX straps. Felt great!

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  • Tuesday- I got up in did a jump rope and ab circuit and was sore the next day!

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  • Wednesday- My coworker, Tim, and I skipped the ice cream social at the conference and went to the gym. I let him run ME through a workout (I had to use every bit of my self-control to not take over the workout!) because I wanted to focus on isolated strength moves. We did back and biceps, which Tim lead and then I lead abs and then we went on a 2 mile crazy trail run. It.Was.Awesome. I’ll save most of the pictures for my VT recap, but here are a few:

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  • Thursday- Tim and I had planned on working out in the afternoon, but ended up going to Ben and Jerry’s. Sometimes you need an ice cream 🙂
  • Friday- Tim and I met at the gym before breakfast for a morning workout since we were hitting the road around 10:30. We did our separate workouts (I ran on the treadmill 1.5 miles to warm up and then did a circuit I’ll hopefully post on Wednesday), but joined together at the end to do abs. Tim loved what I ran us through which was fun! We used a medicine ball and did lots of Dynamax-esque throws. Loved it!

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  • Saturday- I taught the most sweaty kickboxing class ever. I know I say that all the time, but literally this was like nothing I have ever seen. I could barely see the mirror in front of me it was so coated in sweat! Members/friends agreed!

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  • Sunday- Rest. My back was feeling SUPER tight, as was my right quad so I decided to take it easy.

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- As I said earlier, I am hoping that by the time this post goes up, I will have gone for a run and maybe have done some strength stuff.
  • Tuesday- I will be in Toronto, Canada, but hope to get a workout in before work. I think it’s going to be a very long day, so I know a workout will help mentally, more than anything. If we don’t have to be to the client site too early, I’ll go to the hotel gym, but if we have to get there early, I’ll likely do a short workout in my room.
  • Wednesday- Hoping to make it back per my itinerary so I can teach my 6:30 UXF Burn class- I missed them last week!
  • Thursday- Teaching my Thursday double: SHRED followed by Kickboxing. Again, missed these guys last week so I am excited to be back!
  • Friday- I may workout at home, but I may use Friday as a rest day pending on how I feel.
  • Saturday- My friend, Lauren, and I are doing a Color Me Rad run in Brockton on Saturday morning. I’m nervous/excited!
  • Sunday- Again, pending on how my workouts went during the week will determine whether I work out or rest on Sunday.

So, there you have it!

Questions for you: What was your best workout last week? Have you ever done a “Color Run”? Is there anything I should be warned about?

Wednesday Workout: Tips for getting out of bed before work to workout

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Hey, friends! As I am away for work, and likely getting up before the conference starts to get my workout in, I thought it would be helpful for me to share my tips that help me get out of bed and not hit snooze. Even when we go to bed with the best intentions to workout before work or an event or trip the next day, it’s pretty common for our nice, comfy bed and good dreams to prevail, thus causing you to hit snooze and skip the workout. Trust me, I have been there many, many times, but at this point, there are a good handful of things I do to make this NOT happen.

Pick out your workout clothes the night before

Seems easy enough, right? For me, though, if I have my clothes laid out, it’s almost like they are looking at me, telling me NOT to skip my workout. Plus, saving those extra few minutes it might take to pick out something to wear while you’re still half asleep really does add up! For me, once I am up and out, I end up wishing I had more time to workout; therefore, if I don’t dilly-dally when I get out of bed figuring out what I am going to wear, looking for my head band or watch or socks, I have more time to work out! Sometimes, I even sleep with my running or workout socks ON, so that it’s one less thing to put on when I wake up!

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Plan your workout or running route the night before

Getting up with no idea what I want to do for a workout is the absolute worst! I have found that if I go to bed, thinking about what I am going to do when I wake up, it’s that much easier to get up and just do it. Whether it’s running, kickboxing, Nike Training Club, On Demand, Deck of Cards or any other type of workout, go to bed knowing exactly what one you’re going to do- have it written out if need be and place it right next to your clothes and shoes- is key.  Morning time is so precious to me, that I don’t want to waste any time figuring out what to do. I want to get up and just do it.

Bribe yourself

Sometimes if I tell myself that I can have a treat if I get up and workout before work, it makes a huge difference!  This could be something as simple as going to a coffee shop to get an iced coffee or buying lunch out. Just giving yourself some type of reward for committing to your morning workout really does help!

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Start Small

Your first morning workouts don’t have to be big or long. It’s a totally different workout for me when I workout in the morning vs. the night, but as I workout in the morning more often, it does become easier! Your body will get used to it and adapt better and better the more frequently you do it.  And as far as length, you don’t have to be out there for an hour doing something. Start small- say you’re going to run a mile and then stretch and do abs. Then the next time, do more. Pick 20-30 minute at-home workouts that will still leave you sweaty and feeling like you got a great workout in. My sister, for instance, works out before work about 3-4 days a week. It might just be a few mile run or a 10-15 minute On Demand video, but you know what? She is getting up and committing herself to SOMETHING, and that’s really what it’s all about. Something is better than nothing; ALWAYS.

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Remind yourself of how good you’ll feel AFTER your workout vs. how you’ll feel knowing you willingly skipped out

This is probably the number one thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. It’s really as simple as that: if I workout before work, I feel GREAT all day. Seriously, there is nothing better than knowing your workout is DONE throughout the whole day and knowing that you have the evening to do whatever you want. It’s like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders, right? When/if I simply skip out on a morning workout in favor of sleep, I feel awful all day and I’m so mad at myself. Yeah, it may suck to pull yourself out of bed an hour earlier than usual, but within 5 minutes, that feeling is usually gone. However, if you skip out, that feeling of regret stays allll day.

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Questions for you: Do you prefer working out in the morning or at night? What did I miss? What’s the number one thing that gets you out of bed in the morning to get a workout in?

Weekly Workouts: Totally Back At It

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Hey there! How was your weekend? I was so happy the sun came out yesterday, as it made for the perfect beach day!

This past week, I had a 5 day string of really awesome workouts. After having been sick and having been in Maine, it felt awesome to be back into the full swing of workouts! I am traveling for work this week (Stowe, VT from Tuesday- Friday) so my workouts will be TBD for most days, but it will be nice to mix it up again.

Last Week’s Workouts:

  • Monday: I went to The Studio Empower, which was a really nice change-up from my normal workouts! During my lunch break, Jess and I filed for our 2nd Mommy’s Moves video. Check it out here. Also, Jess’s newsletter is worth a glance, too!

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  • Tuesday: I ran 30 minutes (3.34 miles) before work and then did some upper body strengthening since my legs had gotten quite the workout the day before.

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  • Wednesday: A fellow instructor asked me to sub her 5:30 Sports Conditioning class, so I ended up teaching a double. 3 people, between the two classes, said they almost threw up. Loved it!

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  • Thursday: 2nd double of the week! Numbers were a little low, which was a bummer since I was sill really amped up about being back!
  • Friday: I ran for 15 minutes on the treadmill before subbing my old SHRED class at the Allston BSC! Felt really great to be back 🙂
  • Saturday : Rest, besides walking around the city.
  • Sunday: I got up and did a 5 minute warm up (jogging in place, jumping jacks, high knees, squats, etc.) and then did 25 reps of lots of different moves (squats, lunges deadlifts, biceps curls, rows, skull crushers, leg lifts, etc.). After 3 or 4 moves, I would throw in 2 minutes of cardio. I was literally shocked at how sweaty I got!

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday: I will likely go to the gym after work and do cardio and weight training, big focus on the abs!
  • Tuesday: Pending on how hot it is, I’ll try to run outside before work. I am driving up to VT in the afternoon, so I want to get my workout done right away!
  • Wednesday/Thursday/Friday: I will be in Stowe, VT at a conference, but will absolutely be getting in some workouts! I’m traveling with Tim, who loves to workout, too, so it will be easier to make sure workouts happen! Likely runs outside and weights in the gym.
  • Saturday: Teaching kickboxing!! 🙂
  • Sunday: Pending on how my workouts went for the week will determine my Sunday workout, if any. I am traveling Mon-Wed of the following week, so I would like to get in solid workouts before that.

Questions for you: When it gets really hot, are you more likely to skip workouts? What days do you like to rest on? Did you try any new workouts last week?

Wednesday Workout: Strength to Core & Cardio Blast Workout

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Hey there! Happy hump day:) The first few days after a long weekend/mini vacation are always the hardest, right? The one thing I do like about the week back after some time off from my regular schedule, is my motivation to get back on track with workouts… anyone else feel this way? I taught this one 2 weeks ago in my UXF Burn class and everyone seemed to like it. Some of the moves may seem funny or confusing, but that’s just because you haven’t seen them on here! I try to keep things fun in class and one way I do that is bringing in “new” moves that hopefully most people haven’t done before!

Strength to core & cardio blast

Here are some notes on some of the “new” or “different moves:

1.A- Squat with heels on weights & holding a weight overhead: take 2 dumbbells and place them end to end on the ground. Place your heels on the hand grip area of the weights and point your toes together. Your knees will naturally also touch (or come close to touching) since they like to be in line with your toes! Squeeze your knees together as you squat low (you can also squeeze a small ball between your knees if you have one! Extra inner thigh work is never a bad thing.). While you’re doing this, hold 1 weight over your head for a nice, little shoulder burn! Here’s a picture of me doing this a while ago in a class I took:

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2.A- Push-ups with opposite arm and leg raise: Perform a regular push-up and when you come back up into your high plank starting position, find your core balance and extend your right arm and left leg out. Repeat on the other side. If you’re not comfortable with doing push-ups on your feet, you can do this on your knees and still get the full effect!

2.B- Plank with leg pulses: Start in a high plank, squeeze your right glute and lift up your right leg. Keep the tension and pulse that straight leg. Repeat on the other side.

3.B- In and out and up: We’ve done these a bunch of times in my classes. While seated, lean back a little and bring your knees into your chest, push them out to straight (about 6 inches from the ground), and then lift them up (coming almost into high boat position). Repeat!

4.B- Weighted V-Sits: One of my most favorite core moves at the moment! I love v-sits, but adding a weight to them is a nice change. Grab 1 weight and hold it with 2 hands over your head when your come up into your V.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if you give it a try; I like to know if you guys think it’s worth me posting these weekly workouts and if anyone actually does them!

Questions for you: Have you learned any new takes on old/standard moves? What are you currently loving for an exercise or cardio burst?