Category: Workout

Wednesday Workout: Hotel Gym Full Body Circuit

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I’m a big believer that just because you travel, doesn’t mean you have to give up your normal routine. Sure, things will be different- that’s a given- but when I travel I really try to stay on track with eating well and keeping active. Well, I guess this is more true when I travel for work because personal vacations should include indulgences and living off your normal schedule, right?! Last week I had to travel for work and since I was traveling alone, I was able to eat when, where and what I wanted and also go to the gym when it was right for my schedule- this was awesome!

I’ve been to a lot of hotel gyms- some are good some are not so good. Luckily, the gym at Le Joule had a pretty nice gym- full set of weights, cable machines, kettlebells and cardio equipment. I ended up working out twice in my very short stay because I enjoyed the gym so much (ok, and the shower in my room was amazing and I wanted to use it again…). The first day was a little cardio and then the full body circuit in this post. The second was a 5K run on the treadmill and some abs. All in all, I was really happy that I was able to get some physical activity in, especially since the flight was so long each way!

Hotel gym full body circuit
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Wednesday Workout: The “Back & Forth” Workout

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Last week, I decided to take my normal lunch break workout outside, rather than to the gym. Since I knew I was teaching cardio kickboxing the next day, I didn’t want to do anything too crazy, especially in terms of cardio, but I also knew the weather was so nice and I wanted to get some movement in, which is when I came up with this workout.

Well, this workout doesn’t exactly mimic the workout I did, but that’s only because I didn’t write anything down and have since forgotten the exact workout. However, I think what I have for you today is still a pretty good workout; I definitely plan on doing it the next time I do a lunch break workout outside.

The back & forth workout

I’m a big fan of traveling workouts because I like the idea of knowing that I have to go to X spot before finishing- it motivates me to move faster than I normally might otherwise. It’s also just a fun way do something different from the standard time or rep format. Here are some explanations for the exercises:

  • Frogger jump squats- Use your arms to help you get momentum as you leap forward, landing softly in a squat position. Repeat until you get to the end mark, and then do the same thing back to the starting line.
  • Inchworm Push-Ups- Start in a standing position and walk your hands out to a high plank. When you get in the high plank, do 1 push-up and then walk your feet up to meet your hands. Stand up tall and then repeat.
  • Bear Crawl- Begin in a table-top sort of position. Engage your core and lift your knees up from the ground. As you move forward, your right arm and left leg will be in sync. Try to stay as low as possible rather than sticking your butt in the air, in other words, keep hips and shoulders at the same height. (the 1:50ish mark in the video in this post will help)
  • Lunge w/oblique twist- Hold your arms out in front of you and step forward in a lunge. As you’re in the lunge position, rotate through the core so that your arms are twisting over the bent leg; if your right leg is forward, rotate to the right, feeling a nice stretch/twist throughout your core. Repeat there & back.
  • Crab walk- Start in a seated position with your hands on the ground & finger tips pointing towards your toes. Engage your core and lift yourself so that just your feet and hands are on the ground. Move like a crab to get to the end and back.
  • Frogger burpees- This is exactly like the frogger jump squat except rather than landing in a squat, you’ll land in a chest to ground burpee position.

Let me know if you have any questions- I hope you try this next time you’re looking for a way to get a workout in without actually going to the gym 🙂

Questions for you: Do you like to take your workouts outside?

Shaking Things Up w/New Balance {NBGNO recap}

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I know I sound like a broken record, but New Balance really does put on the BEST “girls night out” (NBGNO) events. To me, a GNO event that involves physical activity, followed by inspirational speakers and food & cocktails is a pretty awesome night. I love getting to surround myself with health and fitness loving people like myself while doing things we love (working out!), so I always jump at a chance to attend these events with New Balance reaches out to me.

Last week, the second NBGNO event of the season was held at the Boston New Balance location. It was hosted by local Boston Blogger Stephanie, who blogs over at I Train Therefore I Eat and New Balance brand ambassador Aly Raymer who is an indoor cycling instructor at B/Spoke.

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(Photo from the NBGNO gallery)

The topic for this NBGNO was one I’m really passionate about: shaking it up! Far too often I see people, day in and day out at the gym, pedaling along on the elliptical or running miles and miles on the treadmill or lifting those same 5lb weights, wondering why they aren’t seeing any changes. The thing is, if we only do the same things, we can only expect the same results, right? If we’re consistently lifting the same size weight, how are our muscles going to grow? If we are always running/ellipticalling at the same pace, how are we ever going to gain speed? We can really only expect to change if WE are activity changing things up. Shaking things up.

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I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a creature of habit in most aspects of my life. I don’t like change and it just doesn’t come naturally to me… expect at the gym or with regards to fitness. I get so bored if I do the same thing, day in and day out, which is why I always teach new things in my classes (even though most participants likely wouldn’t notice if I repeated things!) and am constantly trying new fitness studios in and around the Boston area. From running to spinning to weight lifting to zumba’ing to swimming, there are always ways to change things up and give your muscles a little shock, rather than them going into auto-pilot mode.

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Stephanie talked about how shaking up her workout routine was the best thing she could have done. She’s a lover of heavy lifting, but since she’s added in running and biking, she’s noticed a positive change in her body and her appreciation for its abilities. And, changing it up makes your workouts FUN because you’re not going to feel sick of whatever it is you’ve probably over-done.

For me, I’ve talked a lot about how I’ve changed up my workouts this year. I’ve started working out during lunch to free up my evenings. By doing this, I’ve drastically cut down on the time I’ve spent at the gym, but you know what? I love it! I’ve noticed some great changes- physically and mentally- because of my shortened workouts. I get in there, bust ass for 35-40 minutes and peace out. Since I know I’m short on time, I make every minute count. I’ve also been able to play around with different “toys” since the gym tends to be quieter when I go. I’m loving Kettlebells and TRX suspension and ball slams- my workouts are FUN and something I look forward to since they are always different. Another way I’m shaking it up? Lift Weights Faster 2– this program, created by the amazing Jen Sinkler, is fantastic. Every workout is different and challenging in its own way, and I love that the equipment needed, time required and formats are so varied. I plan on doing a full review of this training program soon, but in short- I LOVE it and have love how much it’s gotten me out of my comfort zone.

… Woops! That got a little longer than I had anticipated, but I’m just so passionate about changing things up that I get excited and can’t stop typing 😉 Before Stephanie and Aly spoke, we had a chance to run or spin. Unfortunately, I didn’t get there early enough to nab a spin bike, so a run it was! My friend Amanda joined m e and we had a blast running along the Charles and through Beacon Hill (ok, a blast with the exception of the Beacon Hill hills… those bad boys are no joke!). The weather was absolutely gorgeous so as long as I was outside I didn’t care what we were doing.

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My other friends are the event were able to spin and they said spinning in the common area in the Back Bay was SUPER cool and that Aly taught an incredible class. We all got a free class at B/spoke as part of the swag bags New Balance gave us, so I can’t wait to get back there. I love that studio!

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(Photo courtesy of the NGBNO gallery)

Per usual, the post workout snacks and drinks were awesome! Essentia water was available and smoothie samples from Thirst Juice Co were provided as well. I’m dying to get to Thirst Juice Co because everything I’ve tried from there has been so good! Luckily, there was a coupon in the swag bag so now I have no excuse not to go 🙂

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And, lastly, it was so fun getting to catch up with blogger and gym friends!

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Sarah & Stephanie

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Athena, Mary & Ashley

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(Photo courtesy of Athena)

If you haven’t checked out these events, I HIGHLY suggest doing so- they are always so fun and they’re free! what more could you ask for?! My other recaps can be found here:

My first New Balance Girls Night Out event
Wednesday Workout: NBGNO Event- How to Stay Fit While on the Road
2015’s First New Balance Girls Night Out (NBGNO) Event

Awesome job hosting, Stephanie and Aly- you girls ROCKED it!

Questions for you: Do you tend to shake it up often or are you a creature of habit? Have you been taking your workouts outside in this great weather? What’s your ideal girls night out?

Wednesday Workout: Lower Body Resistance Band Workout

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Hi there and happy Wednesday! Last week I made a promise to you after posting my Upper Body Resistance Band Workout… that promise was to post a lower body resistance band workout, which is what I have for you today! As I’ve said probably a million times a lot, I love resistance bands because you can bring them anywhere since they take up very little space and don’t weigh anything. I will warn you, this one really burned my outer thighs/glutes/abductors, as you can clearly see in the video 😉

I’m not sure if you guys like the videos I post or not, but some day I’d love to film a REAL workout video, so I’m considering this my practice 🙂

And, if you’re at work and can’t listen to/watch YouTube videos or if you want to take something to the gym with you, here’s a printable version.

Lower body resistance band workout

What I love about these short, “add on” workouts is that they are perfect to, err, add on to whatever you’re doing for a workout that specific day. I hope you try this! If you do, don’t forget to tag me 😉

Questions for you: What’s your favorite lower body exercises you do with a resistance band? Favorite way to work your lower body?

Sometimes My Workouts Suck

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Happy Monday, friends! I hope you all had a great weekend- mine was really fun. Friday night I headed to Maine with some of my college friends as we all had a baby shower to go to on Saturday morning. My dad made us homemade pizza and ribs and triple berry pie… it was so fun hanging out at my parents house with everyone! On Saturday, we all headed back to MA and then RM and I got together with my Aunt and Cousin before heading to a Kentucky Derby party at our friends house in Brookline. I have zero photos to document any of this, but I promise you the food was delicious, the wine was flowing, and the 2 minutes of horse racing went by in the blink of an eye!

But, today’s post isn’t about my weekend- it’s about those workouts that just suck. You know what ones I’m talking about: mentally you’re not into it, physically nothing feels right, you feel slow and just want to quit early. I’ll admit- these sucky workouts don’t happen often for me, but the other Sunday I went for a run that was just terrible. Like utterly awful- everything about it! I managed to squeeze out 2 miles, but only because I forced myself to keep going since I made the effort to get changed and workout.

The reason why I wanted to talk to you about my sucky workout is to show you that we are all real. All of us health and fitness bloggers and fitness instructors and “oh my God I love working out so much!” people have those days where workouts just suck. But, if we don’t talk about it, you would likely have no idea because social media allows you to share just the good or bad moments you want to share, and 9 times out of 10 we all choose to post about positive, happy, good things rather than the negative stuff.  I mean, it’s much more encouraging and motivating to see us posting pictures of smiling faces and success stories, right?!

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So today, I’m being real with you: not all of my workouts are as great as I may portray on Instagram. Not all of my workouts come easily to me. I’m not GOOD at every workout I do. And while it’s so easy to let those “bad” days get to me mentally, these days I’m really working on trying to take a look at the situation and rather than beating myself up because of a bad workout, taking a look at things that could be contributing to a bad workout: am I tired? Sore? Rushed? Stressed? The day my run sucked was a day I probably should have just taken a rest day. I had worked out a lot that week and was sore from my kickboxing class the day before, but, since I was going to book club and knew I had time to workout before that, I forced myself to get out there for a run. Mile 1 clocked in at 9:34, which is a minute + slower than my normal miles. Mile 2 clocked in at 8:40, again, still slower than my normal mile pace. And that’s when I decided to call it quits. The run just wasn’t worth it, and while it was frustrating to just not be able to move how I wanted to, I was proud of myself for stopping early and just moving on.
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