Category: Workout

Scenes from NYC

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Hey everyone! Over the past weekend, I had the pleasure of going to NYC for a little birthday getaway weekend.  I’ve been to NYC on work many times, but, if you can believe it, this was my first time going for fun! I know, it’s crazy! I’m going to let my pictures do most of the talking… hope you enjoy!

Walking around Chelsea Market

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Times Square-

008(Outside of the Renaissance Hotel, which was right in the heart of Times Square- Love those Marriott points!. For a first time visitor to NYC, I was totally in heaven! One of the bars in the hotel had walls of windows overlooking the square. So many people. So many signs. So many things to see.)

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Dinner at Maialino

My friend Jess’s sister was so helpful in suggesting good, non-touristy restaurants in the city. And, even more helpful with securing a reservation at Maialino which was in the Gramercy Park Hotel. The food was absolutely delicious and it was pretty cool to have the Chef send out so many complimentary tastings! The best part of the night, though? The fact that Katie Couric walked in and literally sat at the table next to us. Yes, you read that correctly. Katie Couric was there. She was so pretty! I didn’t have the chance to get a picture or talk to her, but just seeing her was cool enough!

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(Fried artichokes and bread topped with whipped potatoes and cod)

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(Pasta dishes)

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(chocolate croissant bread pudding with hazelnut gelato. I died. So good.)

Jogging through Central Park

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(The coolest part about this run was that there was a race going on that was dedicated to BostonStrong. Very emotional feeling jogging with a bunch of New Yorkers all wearing BostonStrong shirts.)

Well, that about sums it up, or at least what I had pictures of, haha Sometimes I forget to take pictures or think it’s not worth taking a picture of another glass of wine or another plate of food or another scenery photo, but when I go to write up a post, I kick myself because I really wish I had taken those pictures!  I know some people would rather blog through words, but I tend to be someone who enjoys looking at pictures, so that is why I like to put a lot in my posts. Rant is over.

Questions for you:Are you a NYC fan? What is your favorite restaurant in NYC? How was your weekend? Any good eats or drinks to share?

Remember Me?

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Hey everyone! I am back! So sorry to ditch out for an extended amount of time, but let me tell you, it was needed. After the events that went on in Boston last week, and the fact that I was going to NYC for the weekend for another birthday celebration (I know. I’m out of control), I figured taking some time to step away from the computer, twitter, facebook, instagram, etc. and spend that time with friends and family was way more important (and SO necessary).

social media break

But, I am here now and have lots of recapping to do, that’s for darn sure!

035(Blogging during my lunch break. So happy to be back to healthy, non restaurant eats!)

Before I get too much into my recapping, let’s check in with last week’s workouts, shall we?

  • Monday- I was all amped up to get in a run before teaching Dynamax, but after hearing about the bombings, I felt numb and wanted nothing to do with the gym. I thought I had to teach and I ended up getting to the gym early, so I hopped on an elliptical and mindlessly peddled away as I watched the news unfold. I didn’t even break a sweat. My body was there, but my mind wasn’t. I felt foolish for being one of “those” people at the gym, and wanted to tell everyone I was only there because I had to teach. Luckily, only 3 members showed up and none of them felt like working out either, so we decided to part ways and pick up this week.
  • Tuesday– My parents were coming into the city to celebrate my birthday, so I got up and did a sweaty jump rope & body weight circuit workout. I was going to post the workout on Friday, but clearly that didn’t happen. I’ll post it this week- promise! I also did lots of walking with my parents!

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  • Wednesday- I ran a little over 2 miles outside through Cambridge (so scary to think about that!) before I taught UXF Burn. Classes were still a bit down, but I was happy to have some people show up.
  • Thursday- Taught my double at Central Square. We did a stations workout in TBC and a high cardio format in kickboxing. I didn’t even DO all of the workout in TBC, but I was seriously so sore on Friday. (I also want to say that looking back, it is so crazy to think that I was just doors away from the 7-11 robbery only a few hours before it happened. That hit really close to home.)
  • Friday- While we were in lockdown, my roommate and I got antsy and when I suggested that she do my Friday April Arms Challenge workout, she happily agreed. We did 3 rounds with 5 minutes of cardio in between each round. We also did some plank high fives that I learned from Jen. Loved these!

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  • Saturday- LOTS of walking in NYC!

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  • Sunday- We went jogging in Central Park which was the coolest thing everrrr. But, what made it even better was the fact that there was a BostonStrong race taking place as we got there! I got so emotional seeing everyone running to support Boston, my city.

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This week’s workouts

  • Monday- I was still in NY, so we hit up the hotel gym in the morning. I had to do my April Arms Challenge workout and then did some other stuff. I also taught Dynamax when I got home and was happy that there was an even number of people in class so I didn’t have to really “do” the workout.
  • Tuesday (today)- Nothing besides my triceps workout for the April Arms Challenge. I need to get my life in order! Laundry, cooking, picking up, blogging, etc. Taking a break is nice, but catching up after the break is really not that fun (for me, at least).
  • Wednesday– Cardio & teaching UXF Burn
  • Thursday- Double time! TBC & Kickboxing
  • Friday– I will probably take Friday’s AAC workout and incorporate some cardio.  I might also rest if I end up signing up for a BostonStrong 5K in Southie this weekend (can’t find the link now!).
  • Saturday– Some type of at-home workout. Maybe deck of cards?! We are hosting Amy’s sister’s baby shower at our place on Saturday afternoon so I know we will be busy getting everything ready for that!
  • Sunday- Maybe a 5K, maybe a rest day.

Questions for you: How did you react to the events last week? Did it make you want to work out more to “escape”? or, did you lack motivation? 

I’ll be back with more regular blogging tomorrow! Have a wonderful Tuesday, friends:)

Last day of being 27

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Hey Burpees to Bubbly readers! Happy, happy Saturday to you! Have anything fun planned? I’ve got a busy day, but before I get to that, let’s catch up on yesterday! As most of you probably know, Friday’s are my “work from home” (WFH) days and after a full, busy week, it’s the best feeling to get home on Thursday after teaching a double and know I don’t have to pack a lunch or get up early to make the commute into the office. WFH on a Friday before my birthday is even better… treats and flowers and cards galore!

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When I finished my work day, I had plans of going to the gym near me since I am no longer teaching my Friday night UXF in Allston (so sad. I miss you guys!), but the weather was so gross that I decided to stay in and do an “at home” workout.  I was gchatting with Athena (but, let’s be honest, when are we NOT gchatting?!) and she said she was going to use the jump rope today. Ding, ding, ding! The light bulb went off and I decided that I could get a great workout done in the comforts of my own home. I can’t tell you how nice it was to have the option to go to the gym or to workout at home or to not do anything at all!

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So, I set up shop in the kitchen with my weights, jump rope and “Friday Five” Arms/cardio workout and got busy. I ended up doing about 60 minutes including warm up and cool down/foam rolling and time flew by!

  • 5 mins warm up (jogging in place, jumping jacks, squats, hamstring curls, knee lifts, etc)
  • 5 mins jumping rope (this is SO much harder when you use a real jump rope vs imaginary jump rope)- this round was tabata style with 20 seconds jumping, 10 seconds rest.
  • 15 minute Arm/Cardio/Core from April Arms Challenge (up the ladder)
  • 5 mins jumping rope (30 seconds jumping, 5 seconds rest)
  • 15 minutes down the ladder
  • 5 mins jumping rope (alternating leads and speed and direction)
  • 10 mins (abs, stretching, foam rolling)

60 minutes later, I was sweaty and tired and rope burned. Wait, what? You read that right, I clearly need work on my jump roping because I got whipped by the rope more time than I’d like to admit and boy did it hurt!

013After I showered, I headed out to the grocery store. On a cold, rainy, Friday night. REALLY not that fun, but it was dead and fully stocked, so I couldn’t really complain too much. As I was shopping, I thought about how great it would be if I could have a glass of wine. Wouldn’t that make grocery shopping so much better?

wine and groceriesI was so ready for wine by the time I got home that I poured myself a glass before I even took my jacket off! J.Lohr is one of my favorite wines- red and white. It’s delicious!

015I sipped as I put away all my groceries. It really made the process a lot more enjoyable, but then again, when doesn’t wine make things more enjoyable?

I was so in the mood for sushi last night, so I picked some up in my travels. It totally hit the spot! There is something about Chardonnay and Sushi. They go hand in hand in my book. Anyone else with me on this?

018Although I had somewhat wanted to go meet up with friends for dinner or drinks, the weather and knowing that I have lots of things on the agenda for today made me decide that staying in was more desirable than going out!

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Today’s agenda:

  • getting my BSC paycheck and going to the bank
  • tanning (yes, I tan occasionally…sorry if that offends anyone, but I want a nice glow for my birthday!)
  • teaching kickboxing
  • going to Jess’s first tasting
  • getting my hair highlighted and cut (!!!)
  • getting all done up in my birthday dress for birthday celebrations!!

A little serious talk…

So, today is my last day as a 27-year-old. It’s a little crazy to think about, but I am ready for 28. First off, I am a fan of even numbers, so right away 28 is better than 27, haha. Secondly, I am in a much better spot personally at this point than I was last year, so I am excited for what 28 will bring. I have a few things lined up (expanding and growing the blog, moving into my own place, etc- more on that later) for the next year and I hope you will all stick around with me as I share my journey. I have only been blogging for a few months, but I have had so much fun thus far and appreciate everyone who reads and follows me. You have no idea how much that means to me!

Questions for you: What’s a special meal that you’ll splurge on every once in a while? Birthdays- love them or hate them? What’s been your favorite year thus far?

Birthday Week!

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Hey everyone! TGIF,right?! Remember how I said the week wasn’t going by slow? Yeah, I was so wrong. As soon as I wrote that, my weekly drastically slowed down and I felt a day ahead. But! Good news is that it is Friday! Birthday weekend officially kicks off at the end of the work day today. Woohoo!

Catching up…

Wednesday was a great workout day. Actually, the whole week has been awesome. I have been pleasantly sore all week, which hasn’t happened in a while so I must be doing different things this week that has “shocked” my body. Love that! Before class, I managed to run 3.25 miles. Nothing like being a sweaty beast before class even starts:)

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I taught UXF, but was able to incorporate some moves from Wednesday’s April Arms Challenge workout. I switched up the moves a little bit, but we got it all in!

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(Took this from Sunday’s 3-2-1 circuit. New favorite move!)

007(We just did side lunge and biceps curls, so I switched it to an isometric side lunge & 1-armed triceps extension. 30 seconds each side, 3 rounds)

008(Finishing off class with 3 rounds of 30 second wall sits & hammer curls, followed by 30 seconds of high knees)

The whole trip home (I have to get back on the T and then take a bus from Davis… really not that fun), I brainstormed what I could throw together for dinner. I am usually good at having enough leftovers from “Sunday Dinner” to get me through until Thursday, but not this week. I ended up throwing together a Caprese Omelette, which, even though it didn’t look that good, tasted delicious and was just what I wanted!

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Yesterday, my friend/coworker took me out for a birthday lunch at Miel which is the French restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel (remember when I went there for a massage?). French cuisine is my absolute favorite (I blame it on the sauce and cheese that accompany every meal!), so I was really excited about this lunch. JP got the French Onion Soup to start and he said it was delicious (I mean, how can it NOT be delicious when it looks that cheesy and gooey?!)

015I usually get the Cobb salad, but yesterday I splurged on the Croque Monsieur. Best.Decision.Ever.

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And, no birthday is complete without dessert, right?

019This was a flourless chocolate cake and it was to die for! I am usually not a huge fan of flourless things, but this was amazing! I was thankful that I was teaching a double after work! haha

As for today, I am not digging the gloomy weather! I just hope it’s nice for tomorrow since I am celebrating my birthday at the Brahmin and want to wear my birthday dress without freezing to death. Tonight is the first night I am NOT teaching, and, I just don’t really know what to do with myself! I am pretty sore from workouts this week, but since it’s mostly my lower half, I’ll be fine to do today’s A.A.C. workout… and maybe some light cardio? Who knows!

I’ll check back in soon! To all my other April Birthday Buddies, I hope you’re having a great month!

Questions for you: What is your favorite cuisine? What is your favorite restaurant? Any good workouts to share this week?

Up the Ladder Workout

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Hey everyone!  I wanted to share this “Up the Ladder” workout that I taught in one of my classes last week.  I have seen a bunch of different “ladder” workouts floating around the blog world lately, so I decided to take that idea and run with it, of course adding in my own flair.

Up the ladder workoutThe toe taps really get your heart rate up and then the step-up and row move is there to build strength, but also lower your heart rate.

Notes about counting:

-Each toe tap counts as one, so count 1-2-3-4 for the right foot tap, left foot tap, right foot then left foot… and so on

-Step up and row- step up with the right and then the left counts as 1 rep, so you’ll actually end up doing double rows (you can’t count each lead step up separately for the odd-numbered reps)

-Alternating lunges- right and left lunge= 1 rep, so only count on one leg (just like the step up and rows). Again, you’ll end up doing double the number of biceps curls in each rep set.

Feel free to modify up or down as you see fit! Also, if you’re just starting out, you can do reps in the following sequence: 2-4-6-8-10 which will help decrease the intensity of the workout.

Questions for you: Ladder workouts- love ’em or hate ’em? If you love them, do you have a favorite one you want to share?

Lovage Babyblends

I wanted to share a quick note about a company that my friend Jess just started in case there are any new moms reading my blog or anyone who knows any new moms.  Jess has just started her own organic baby food company, which is really, really exciting! She has worked incredibly hard over the past 6 months or so and everything is finally up and running, so I encourage you to head over to her site and check it out. She does home deliveries and has a few locations that she is selling her products at, so there are many options for you to be able to get some of the goods! Also, we have partnered up for her monthly news letter for a “Mommy’s Moves” workout which is SO fun. More to come on that later, though:)