Category: Workout

How to stay fit when you’re stuck behind a desk all day

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If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then I’m sure you’ve seen the guest post that I wrote over at BostInno the other day. But- in case you missed it, I thought I would share it with you here, too. I’m sure a number of you are fellow “9-5’ers”, so hopefully some of these tips will help serve as a reminder of ways to stay active throughout the day.

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9-5 jobs. Whether we like it or not, this is the harsh reality that most of us face on a day to day basis. When you factor in your commute to and from work, sometimes an 8 hour work day turns into a 10 hour commitment, which can leave very little time for staying active and healthy. It’s all to easy to hit snooze in the morning and to say yes to after work drinks with friends or coworkers instead of workout, right? Over the years, I’ve learned how to manage working an 8-9 hour/day desk job AND stay fit. Want to get in on my secrets? Check it out:

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Put your workout in your calendar

If I write down my workout and make it part of my day, I am less likely to skip it. Every Monday, I post a Weekly Workout Log which helps me figure out what workouts I want to do for the week and hold me accountable for doing them. I get motivated by seeing my weekly workouts listed out in front of me.

Plan workout “dates” with friends

Working out with friends is not only fun, but it serves as motivation to get to the gym. Plan a date with a friend or a few friends to try out a new studio or a new class. Most gyms will offer you free guest passes or a free “first class”.

Stay active during the day

This may seem like a no-brainer, but I work with people who sometimes go HOURS without even standing up! I drink lots of water during the day, which serves 2 purposes: keeps me hydrated AND causes me to need to get up and go to the bathroom all the time. This is a great way to make sure you’re getting up and moving around every hour or so. Take the stairs when you can, walk during your lunch break, walk to someone’s office or cube instead of emailing them or calling them- all of these things help get you up and our of your chair. Every little bit counts!

Workout before work

If I know I have something going on or want to be ready in case after work plans evolve during the day (Thursday or Friday nights in the summer when outdoor cocktails are too hard to resist), I make sure to workout in the morning. I set my clothes out and mentally prepare for an early morning workout. It may not be easy to get out of bed, but I remind myself of how good I’ll feel after my workout is done, which helps. Remember: you never regret a workout!

Bribe yourself

Still having a hard time getting to the gym before or after work (or working out at home)? Bribe yourself with something to get you there and get a workout in. For instance, sometimes I tell myself that I can meet up with friends after my workout or that I can treat myself to a glass of wine when I get home if I spend 30 minutes at the gym. Sometimes even something as simple as signing up for a new class or buying a new workout top serves as enough motivation to get to the gym.

So, even though I, too, sit behind a computer most of the day, I am able to stay fit and active by doing some of the things I’ve listed above. Working out and committing to a healthy, active and fit lifestyle isn’t easy, but the more you do it, the easier it gets!

Questions for you: What’s something you do to stay active during the day? Are you a fan of making fitness dates? Do you workout before work, after work or during your lunch break?

Wednesday Workout: Body Weight Tabata Workout

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As I mentioned on Monday, I did a few Tabata workouts last week. One that I particularly liked was the body weight one that I did in my hotel room on Tuesday morning. There wasn’t a lot of space to workout, but the beauty of this workout is you don’t need a lot of room.

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If you’re new to tabata workouts, the idea is that you do 20 seconds “balls to the wall”, as I like to say, followed by 10 seconds of rest. You repeat this 8 times, for a total of 4 minutes. In a true tabata workout, you would do the same exercise for all 8 rounds, but for this one, I chose 2 different exercises per tabata to do in order to maximize my workout since I was limited on time. Side note: I usually jump around or jog in place during the 10 seconds to help bring my heart rate down; I don’t like going from crazy cardio or strength to nothing- I like to keep moving.

Body Weight Tabata Workout

As you can see, the exercises I did are very basic, but that’s the thing- if you’re giving them your all, you don’t need to do anything fancy.

If you have questions, let me know!

Have fun 🙂

Questions for you: Do you workout in your hotel when you travel? Do you like tabata workouts?

 

 

This Week: Workouts, Dallas Recap & Things I’m Looking Forward To

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Good morning! Happy Monday, everyone! How are you? I hope you had a great weekend! Did you see the weather for this week?? Looks like we are finally going to have some mild temps… yes!

As I mentioned last week, I was in Dallas for Monday-Wednesday. We stayed in Grapevine at the Gaylord Texan, wch was a gorgeous resort! It was a really good trip filled with lots of networking, lots of Mexican food, some drinking and the chance to catch up with my friend JP! We hadn’t hung out since November, so it was so good to see him!

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I also got in a good hotel room, body weight tabata workout as well as a killer biceps and back workout with my friend Tim. I was literally sore for 4 days- no joke.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I got up before my early flight and did a 30 minute tabata workout including weighted squats, weighted lunges, bicep curls, triceps extension and core work. It was good!
  • Tuesday- I got up and did a 30 minute body weight tabata workout (I guess I was loving tabata workouts last week..) and then Tim and I went to the gym in the afternoon for a 45 minute strength workout. I was able to do 1 unassisted pull-up, which I was happy about! We did 3 or 4 different back exercises and then 3 bicep exercises and finally I lead us through some core exercises. It was a great workout.
  • Wednesday- I had all intentions of waking up to workout before the morning session, but I was seriously SO tired. I didn’t get drunk or crazy, but I was up late Monday and Tuesday so it caught up to me on Wednesday. I squeezed in 15 minutes of core work before the day started.
  • Thursday- I taught SHRED and Kickboxing. I felt so lethargic in both classes- 3 days of eating and drinking like crap, on top of not sleeping enough doesn’t mesh well with me.
  • Friday- I got up and went to Flywheel for a morning class, but sadly, it wasn’t great. The room was less than half full, I was physically tired and I wasn’t a fan of the instructor. She was very sweet, but she didn’t have the natural energy/teaching style that I like to see in instructors. She seemed shy or maybe she was just new and nervous? I rarely say this, but I wish I had skipped it. Oh well, can’t win them all!

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  • Saturday- I went to a 2 Spartan Workout with a bunch of gym friends. I was pretty beat by the end!

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  • Sunday- I taught a 9am UXF Burn class at the Allston BSC. I didn’t want to do the workout, but I ended up doing most of it. I just get excited when I teach so it’s hard for me to not do any of the workout.

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I am teaching Muscle work at 6am today and then going to 5:30pm Pilates Remix class at Boston Body Pilates using my ClassPass. My membership is up this week and I still had a few passes left that I didn’t want to lose, I needed to double up today!
  • Tuesday– I am training Kerri at 7am and then I am going to a Pilates Tower class at Studio J after work. I’m excited to try it!
  • Wednesday- I’ll probably run on the treadmill before teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- Teaching SHRED and Kickboxing
  • Friday- Rest day 🙂
  • Saturday- Teaching kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA
  • Sunday- I am going to a blogger ride at SoulCycle which I am SO excited about!!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I’m excited to have a week where I don’t have a lot going on after work. It will be nice to have the flexibility and know I don’t have to pack for multiple events. I’m also looking forward to the weekend- SoulCycle AND a Red Sox game in the same day makes for a super fun Sunday 😉 A bunch of my college friends and significant others are going to a day game on Sunday… I just hope it’s relatively warm… and not raining!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Did you try anything new? What are you looking forward to this week? Have you been to SoulCycle?

Wednesday Workout: BOSU Partner Workout

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As I mentioned on Monday, I taught a really fun class in SHRED last Thursday. Since I thought it was so fun, I knew I had to share it with all of you! I know that there are a number of instructors who read, so hopefully you can try it in one of your classes, or at least take pieces from it to try. If you’re working out solo, no worries- the workout can be totally adaptable to that, too.

BOSU partner workout

As the directions state, if you’re doing this with a partner, partner “A” will do 12 reps of the strength move. While partner “A” is completing that, partner “B” will do the cardio move. You’ll do the cardio move until “A” finishes their part. After, you’ll switch and “B” will do the strength and “A” will do the cardio. When you’ve finished each exercise, you’ll do the core exercise, generally with a partner.

If you don’t have a partner, you can still complete this workout, just do the cardio move for 45 seconds after completing 12 reps of the strength move. Replace the partner core work with exercises that don’t require a partner.

Here are some explanations of the moves:

  • Plank jacks- 1 person holds a forearm plank while the other person jumps over the planker’s legs. Switch halfway through.
  • Sit ups w/ball pass– if you don’t have a partner, you can do this against a wall
  • Push-Ups w/2 knees on BOSU- With the ball side down, place your hands on the outer edge of the black base of the BOSU and do 1 push-up. When you finish, bring your right knee into your chest and then your left knee. Repeat.
  • Back to Back ball pass- stand back to back with your partner, about a foot away from each other. While keeping your hips still and core tight, you twist right and left passing the ball around you to your partner. Switch directions halfway through.
  • Plank w/partner high-five- Get into a high plank a few feet from your partner. Alternate right and left high fives. This adds extra work for your core in order to keep you balanced and keep your hips from lifting.

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I think that should cover it! I did this twice through in class, with the second round going for 10 reps instead of 12.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Questions for you: Do you like partner workouts? What’s your favorite BOSU exercise?

Weekending: Quiet night in, Spring Wine Fest, Girls day out

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I love when I have weekends that are a mix of relaxation and fun events- they’re the best right? This past weekend was one of those weekends and it was just what I needed after a busy week, as well as what I needed to prepare for a busy week this week.

Friday night, I headed into the city after I finished work to go to Lindsay’s class at Recycle. I had never been to the studio on Newbury Street, but I was a huge fan!

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Working out on a Friday afternoon was a nice treat!

The rest of my Friday night included wine, a healthy dinner and serious couch lounging, which was exactly what I needed/wanted.

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Spring Wine Fest

A few months ago, my friend Jessi sent out an email telling us about a Spring Wine Fest that she has gone to for a number of years. The tickets at the time were only $19, so clearly that was a no-brainer on my part; sign me up! Drinking wine on a Saturday afternoon with my girlfriends (after teaching an awesome kickboxing class) is probably one of my favorite things do to.

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We had a blast walking around and trying lots of different wines from various wineries. Some of my favorites were Kim Crawford, Wild Horse, Estancia and Simi, although there were so many others that were great, too. I liked going during the day because even though it was still pretty busy (we basically would get a sample then drink it while waiting in another line), there was still room to move and mingle and hang out. They had lots of free food samples, which is key at a wine tasting event 😉

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The lighting in the Cyclorama was amazing- these photos came out so great! Doesn’t hurt that I have pretty friends, either 😉

After a few tastings we were feeling silly enough to jump over to the photo booth. I die a little every time I look at these pictures…

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Look at my head in that second one- it makes no sense!

Our tasting ended at 2:30, so we walked over to Gaslight for a much needed late lunch. I had a Bellini to start and then switched to wine after.

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My sister met us for lunch and she and I shared the Croque Madame and scrambled eggs with a Truffle Oil sauce. Holy yum!

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After lunch, our large group broke up and some went home and others went to The Playwright for a Boston Marathon fundraiser. I was so happy that my friend Meaghan was able to join us!

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Needless to say, after a day of drinking, I was happily home, fed and in bed by 9:30 😉

Sunday was a standard Sunday that consisted of laundry, grocery shopping, visiting my sister, packing and lots of blogging/workout planning. It’s always a little stressful right before I leave for a trip (even if it’s short) because I have to get my blog posts prepped for the time I’m going to be away and I have to make sure that I’m packed correctly (in other words, it takes time to pack smartly vs. just throwing stuff into a suitcase.). I have to say, though, one thing that was really nice was the fact that I didn’t need to cook a big meal or prep for the week. It’s sad how much easier my day felt without that task!

Here’s to a good week!

Questions for you: Do you like to workout on Fridays? What’s your ideal Saturday consist of? Have you ever been to the Wine Fest in the South End?