Category: YMCA

Wednesday Workout: Pyramid Workout

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Hey there!! As I’ve mentioned, my posts will be light this week as I am still in the midst of settling into my new apartment, but I was able to put this workout post together for you since I know you all love Wednesday Workout posts, right?! 😉 I taught this last week and even though I forgot to go back DOWN the leg pyramid, it was still an awesome workout.

We worked our way up the pyramid, meaning we started with 10 reps then went to 20, then 30 and finally 40 reps. Before moving back down the pyramid, I had us hold a 60 second plank. In addition, I had us do 3 minute cardio blasts before each pyramid- a great way to get the heart rate up!

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Now, I realize that it looks like you’re going DOWN the pyramid first, but when I wrote it out with the 40 rep exercise at the top, it looked weird; my eyes looked immediately to the top exercise in a diagram, meaning it made me think I was starting with the 40 rep exercise, so I switched it. ANYWAY… clearly big issues 😉 I hope you get the idea of what I mean by this pyramid workout: 10, 20, 30, 40- 60 second plank- 40, 30, 20, 10. Makes sense, right?!

Once I get myself some weights for my new apartment, I look forward to doing this workout in my living room when I don’t want to go to the gym.

Speaking of gyms… Look what I came across during my evening jog:

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Love it!! The class schedule looks ok, but more than that I love that I’ve found a gym a 1/2 mile from my apartment. There’s also an awesome park with lots of great running trails- makes me so happy!

Let me know if you try this workout 🙂

Questions for you: Have you ever done a pyramid workout? What’s the gym closest to your apartment? Do you choose your gym by the location or the classes/equipment offered?

Weekly Workouts- A really great week of workouts

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Good morning! Phew! What a weekend:) Christy and Jamie’s wedding was an absolute BLAST- I’ll post a full recap later this week!

Last week was an awesome week of workouts. I got in some of my workouts in the morning, went to a UXF Burn training, subbed a class and did LOTS of dancing at the wedding. I was really happy for my long-overdue rest day yesterday 🙂

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I got up and ran 3.5 fairly speedy miles. I’m usually much slower when I run in the morning (10-20 seconds/mile slower), but on Monday I ran a 5K just 4 seconds slower than my 5K PR time. Weird, but I’ll take it! Per usual, after my run, I did some core strength.

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  • Tuesday- I got up to workout before work again- loved it! I did this workout, which seemed much harder than it did when I taught it. I think it’s because I’m never fully awake when I workout in the morning so I don’t have the energy I do when I workout after work.
  • Wednesday- I ran a nice 5K before teaching. The view of the Charles never gets old! Map My Run said I ran it in less than 26 minutes, but my watch said around 26:15, so I’m not sure if I PR’d or not. After I ran, I taught an awful UXF Burn class. I say awful because it was really not fun… the moves were hard and I was struggling! haha I hope I wasn’t the only one who felt that way 😉

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  • Thursday- I taught a fun SHRED workout (I’ll post it Wednesday!) and then kickboxing. We worked so hard in kickboxing- holy high intensity cardio class!
  • Friday- I went to a UXF Burn training- we are releasing a new format and I’m SO excited about it 🙂 We went through and did workouts of the original versions and then we did the new 3-2-1 format workout and core workout. Working out with instructors is SO different- we all push ourselves much more than we would normally. I was pretty sore on Saturday!

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  • Saturday- I subbed a SHRED class at the Central Square BSC. Before teaching, I did 30 minutes on the elliptical to loosen up my tight muscles. The class was SO FUN! So much energy. Loved it! My second workout of the day was most certainly dancing at Christy and Jamie’s wedding… you know it’s a good wedding when you start dancing BEFORE dinner is served 😉
  • Sunday- Rest day! I hadn’t taken a full rest day in 8 or 9 days which is really bad 😦

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I will have hopefully run by the time this post goes up! If I don’t get up to workout, I’ll do something after work.
  • Tuesday- I’m going to try and workout in the morning again. I want to start moving stuff to my new apartment this week so it would be nice to have a free night.
  • Wednesday- Probably a run then teaching UXF Burn. I am introducing the new format this week- can’t wait to see the faces of the members when I tell them to do 3 minutes of jump squats 😉
  • Thursday- The usual! SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing.
  • Friday- I think I’ll rest on Friday since I have to teach on Saturday and I’ll be moving all weekend… that will be a workout!
  • Saturday- It’s my Saturday to teach kickboxing at the Y! Can’t wait! My parents are coming down after to help me move… yuck!
  • Sunday- Moving!

Questions for you: What’s the best workout you did last week? Do you feel like your energy is lower in the morning? Have you made any new PR’s (personal records) lately?

Weekly Workouts: A heavy workout week

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Good morning, friends! How are you doing? Now that I have the keys to my new apartment, it’s been hard focusing on anything except for moving! My parents were planning to come down on the 16th and 17th, but I’m trying to figure out a way for them to potentially come down this Friday to at least move the big things in: my bed, dressers, couch, chair, table, etc.

Anyway! As my title suggest, this past week was a heavy week with regards to workouts. I COMPLETELY forgot that I agreed to sub Kate’s 5:30 Sports Conditioning class on Wednesday, so that was a big surprise when I finally made it back in the office after lots of travel and looked at my calendar and saw that! It all worked out, though and since it’s right before my normal class, it’s not really a big deal.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I ran 3 miles in the morning and did some core strengthening exercises since my muscles were pretty tired from Sunday’s BodyPump class. As much as I like my workouts in the evening better than in the morning because I have more energy and more time, it feels great that I am getting back into the “swing” of morning workouts.
  • Tuesday- I got up at the hotel in Atlanta and did 30 minutes on the elliptical, followed by 4 rounds of: 10 box jumps, 10 incline push ups, 10 squat and press and 10 stability ball leg lifts. Felt great!

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  • Wednesday- Realized I had to sub Kate’s class which was kind of a bummer since I really enjoy my Wednesday runs along the Charles before teaching UXF, but I still got a great workout in between teaching the two classes!

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(I taught a fun stations circuit in both classes. Multiple people told me they were sore on Thursday. Music to my ears!)

  • Thursday- Taught SHRED and then kickboxing. I made up the routine on the plane (on a napkin, mind you), and to my happy surprise, it came out just as well in person as it did in my head! That never happens 😉

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(I wore the most obnoxiously loud colored outfit to teach on Thursday… yikes!)

  • Friday- REST. After 6 consecutive days of workouts, and two of those being doubles, my body was calling for rest. I also had the day off from work which was icing on the cake. It felt weird, but surprisingly good, to not plan my day around my workout! I did do lots of walking around the mall, though.
  • Saturday- Taught the same kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA as I did in Thursday’s class at the BSC. Awesome energy in the class!!
  • Sunday- Danielle and I went for a nice walk/jog around Shapleigh, covering almost 2.75 miles. I did some ab work after and also did lots of different kinds of burpees. Hint: fun post coming up on Wednesday!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Even though I don’t have anything after work (I was supposed to do something with Jess but I decided that could wait) I wanted to get my workout done in the morning so I could have the evening to grocery shop, cook and start to pack!
  • Tuesday- Likely working out in the morning again because I want to start bringing stuff to my new apartment!
  • Wednesday- Probably a run along the Charles and then teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- SHRED and Kickboxing!
  • Friday- I have a 3 hour training for the latest UXF Burn release/format/abs… Last time I was trained on UXF Burn, we worked out like crazy people!! It’s so funny to workout with a group of fellow instructors because we all push ourselves way more than we would any other time 😉
  • Saturday- I am subbing a SHRED class at the Central Square BSC, so BSCers- COME GET YOUR SWEAT ON!!! 🙂 I’m thinking there will be a second workout of the day while dancing at Christy’s wedding 😉
  • Sunday- Rest!!! Maybe some moving, but mostly rest!

Questions for you: Do you look forward to dancing when you go to weddings or parties? How many weddings have you gone to this summer? Fellow instructor friends- do you work out harder when you’re in a class with all instructors?

Have a wonderful week, friends!!!

Weekending: Kickboxing, Babysitting, Breakfasting, Beaching

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Good morning! I had a busy, but fun weekend this past weekend, anyone else? I feel like I’ve been in constant “go-go-go” mode for a few weeks now and I’ll be honest, I am ready for a little down time! This weekend, besides the Color Me Rad race on Saturday is pretty much wide open. It’s going to feel great to have TIME to get things done, or, to do absolutely nothing but hang out and relax! As I will be moving in a few weeks, I am sure there are lots of things for me to do around here!

On Friday, I dropped Tim off at the airport around 2:45. From there, since it was so hot, I headed to Starbucks to get some work done. It wasn’t at all what I wanted to do, but I didn’t have a choice:( Once I got to my apartment, I pretty much stayed in my air-conditioned bedroom since our apartment thermostat read 93 degrees. Yikes!

Saturday morning, I woke up mostly rested and mentally prepared myself to tackle the day! On the agenda, going to the bank, teaching kickboxing, grabbing lunch, babysitting and then stopping by Rachel and Dans’s for a BBQ. As I said yesterday, kickboxing was SWEATY! I think it’s because our body temps are abnormally high because of the crazy heat wave- does this make any sense? I got a kick out of the twitter messages post class:

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At least I wasn’t the only one:)

Babysitting was hot, but fun. Watching the kids play in the sprinkler was so fun- ah, to be a carefree kid again, just for a day, would be so great. I brought pizza dough and toppings since I thought it would be fun for us to make pizza together, instead of ordering out. The kids LOVED it. Trying to explain the concept of what we were doing and what it would “turn into” after we baked it was hilarious. Lila said it was the “best pizza she has ever eaten”… job well done 🙂

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Unfortunately, Rachel and Dan’s BBQ had ended, but it was nice to chat with them for a little while. I was ok with going home early as I knew I needed to get up and leave the house by 8:30am on Sunday to meet Meredith for breakfast in Portsmouth. Meredith moved to Australia about 8 months ago, so it was SO GOOD to finally see her and catch up. We joked, though, that there’s no way to catch up on that many months in an hour and a half breakfast. We did our very best! Meredith is literally the sweetest person I know and I am so happy that we are such good friends. She’s the best listener and just “gets” it (whatever “it” may be). Thanks for meeting up, Mere!! Miss you already!

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Since I was already north of Boston and the weather was nice (the heat wave seemed to have finally broke!!), I decided to hit up a beach that I might not normally go to. I had a million things on my “to-do” list, but when I looked at it, I realized that I really needed some quiet “me” time, so I decided to go to Plum Island in Newbury. The beach was really nice and luckily, it wasn’t too hot. I stayed for about 2 hours until I realized I was a. starving and b. nearly out of water. If hangry Monique is awful, hangry and thirsty Monique is a monster!

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On my way home, I stopped in Danvers at the Stop n Shop to grab a few groceries and lunch and made it back to my apartment early enough to have time to water my garden, blog, do laundry and get ready for dinner.

I went to dinner in Dorchester and was very surprised with how nice the restaurant was! When we walked in, the place looked dead, which generally makes me nervous, but as soon as we walked outside to the patio, we realized why the inside was empty: the back patio was awesome!! I was bummed when the server said they were out of the Miso Glazed Salmon, but when I took a bite of the Ahi Tuna Taco’s, I pretty much forgot about the salmon! I am so happy that the weather has cooled down a bit because outdoor dining in the summer is my favorite!

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(Pretty rainbow I saw when I was driving!)

All in all, it was a great, but busy weekend!

Questions for you: Do you like to make your own pizza? Favorite restaurant in Portsmouth? Do you feel like you sweat more in classes when it’s hot out even though they are indoors?

I want to wish my very dear friend, Sara, a very happy birthday!!!

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?