5 on Friday {Catching Up! 9.1.17}

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Hi there! Can you believe it’s SEPTEMBER?! Honestly, where did the summer go?! While we didn’t do a lot of the things we normally do in the summer like lots of weekends on the Cape and trips up to Maine, as I look back, we had a really fun summer! We spent weekends in the city which was a nice change of pace, we went away for our anniversary, we went to a wedding in Maine, I ran the Falmouth Road Race, we did a TON of biking, we grilled a lot, I taught outside a lot… all in all, pretty awesome!

Today I wanted to catch up on some things of possible interest – enjoy!

1.Health Warrior Products – Did you know that I am a Health Warrior Ambassador?! It’s pretty cool, because I love their products! I’ve shared some sneak peeks in my Instagram stories, but wanted to share a little more here. So far, we have been enjoying the Pumpkin Seed Super Food bars and the Chia Mango bars – both are super tasty and full of great ingredients! If you’re interested in trying some, be sure to go to healthwarrior.com and use the code burpeestobubbly30 for 30% off your purchase! This code expires on September 30th, so make sure to order soon!

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2. Chin-ups – Have you ever wanted to learn how to do an unassisted chin-up? My girl Athena is hosting a FREE challenge called “Over The Bar Chin-Up Challenge” that is going to help you get there! She’s also asked other fitness professionals to give tips and advice and/or why we love them, so be sure to check it out to see what I had to say! You can get more information and sign up here.

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3.Favorite Summer Cocktail – If you’ve been following me on social media, then I’m sure you’ve seen lots of posts with an orange looking drink in it. If you don’t know what it is, it’s called an Aperol Spritz and I’m totally obsessed with them! I was first introduced to them in Italy and ever since I drink them anytime I can. We even bought Aperol at home to make them! They are the most refreshing drink for summer days or nights, but be careful- they are SUPER easy to drink 😉 If you want to make them on your own, all you need is Aperol, Prosecco and club soda, although we don’t use club soda anymore and it’s fine without. It’s 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol and 1 part club soda and garnish with an orange. You can thank me later 😉

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4. Books I’ve read – I just finished reading The Noticer, by Andy Andrews, which was a really awesome read. It’s all about perspective and how a simple change in perspective can shift your entire outlook on that situation and/or your life. It has stories/examples that I think can be applicable to so many people – definitely worth a read! I am now in the midst of reading The Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, which is about 2 families and how their lives are intertwined. It’s a super easy and quick read, and the author grabs you from the start so you don’t want to put it down!

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5. Seaport Sweat Extended! Seaport Sweat has been extended throughout the end of October, which is so great!! The crowds have been incredible the summer, so if you haven’t gotten to a class yet, grab a friend or coworker and get there – you won’t regret it! There are so many classes to choose from AND there’s the best DJ in town, the best views and a super fun area. More info and links to sign up for classes is here.

That does it for me today! I hope all of you have a really great long weekend! We are kicking ours off with going to see Lady Gaga at Fenway tonight and I’m SO excited. It’s not that I’m a totally crazy fan of hers, but I assume she puts on a hell of a show and I’ve always wanted to go to a concert at Fenway so I’m looking forward to it. Otherwise, we don’t have much planned besides some car shopping and relaxing 🙂

Questions for you: What have you been up to? Loving any products you want to share? Read any good books? Done any fun traveling? 

Wednesday Workout: 5 Exercise 20 Minute Bodyweight AMRAP

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Hey there! Two times blogging last week and this week – I’m on a roll! 😉 In all seriousness, I do WANT to blog more regularly about things with substance, but, as I’m sure a lot of you can relate to, it’s been a busy one and rather than taking the time to blog about it, I’d rather live it.

Another thing I’d rather do this summer? Workout outside! I’ve only gone to the gym during my lunch break when I’m at the office since I can jog there in 2 minutes and be in and out in 30. However, last week it was a beautiful day (and I was still sore from the race) so I opted to take my workout outside. I always have my resistance band and jump rope with me so I took those and created this 20 minute workout… and a 5 minute finisher!

I liked this workout because it worked a little bit of everything: lower body, upper body, core and cardio. And I was done in 25 minutes – can’t beat that!

The way it works is you’ll do the first 5 exercise circuit as a 20 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible), and then you’ll do the 2 exercise circuit as your 5 minute finisher. If you do it outside, you can work on your tan, too 😉

 

5 Exercise 20 Minute AMRAP

Couple of notes:

  • Pendulum lunges: with these, a lunge forward and backwards on the same leg is 1 rep. Make sure that when you step forward, your front knee doesn’t go past your toes and when you step back, that your back knee is right under your hips.
  • Push-up with shoulder tap- make sure to keep your hips nice and quiet, ie: no rotating or lifting as you lift your hands. you can do the push-ups on your knees if that feels better.
  • If you don’t have a resistance band for the seated rows, you can do a superman pull by lying on your stomach, lifting your chest and legs off the ground and pulling your elbows behind you.
  • If you don’t have a jump rope, you can use an imaginary one!

I think that should do it, but if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me! This is a great, quickie workout to do while on the road, vacation or if you’re short on time – Enjoy!

Questions for you: What have you let slide from your normal routine this summer?

5 Ways to Get Fitness In Without Spending Hours In The Gym

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Good morning! I’m re-posting this post from a guest post blog that I wrote for my girl Sam  while she was recovering from brain surgery. Since I thought my readers over here at B2B might find it interesting and helpful, I thought it was worth a share!

If you’ve been following B2B for a while, you’re probably aware that a growing passion for me lately has been how to make fitness work for you and with your busy life. While magazines and some fitness trainers/professionals may tell you that you need to go to a gym, you need to do an hour of working out 5 times a week, etc., I realize that with a full time job, after work commitments, kids, spouses, friends, etc., that type of workout format is not always an option. Most of us don’t have the ability to do hour long workouts at a gym 3-5 times a week, right?

Here’s the thing: that’s OK! You don’t need to spend that much time at a gym in order for a workout to bee considered a workout. When I was younger and had essentially no commitments besides a 40 hour a week job and going out on the weekends, sure, I had ability to spend hours a day at the gym, but as I get older and have more things going on in my life, I just don’t have the need or want for that anymore. I want to be done my workouts in 45 minutes or less and I don’t want to have to rely on going to a gym in order to get my workout in.

There are so many ways you can still get fitness in even with a busy lifestyle, which is why I want to share my 5 favorite ways to get fitness in without spending hours in the gym.

  1. Invest in a medium set of dumbbells and a resistance band so that you can workout at home. The beauty of at-home workouts is that you eliminate the time it takes you to get to the gym and back home. Granted, some exercise programs do require a gym if you need to use a barbell and heavy weights, but if you’re just training for life and to be strong, all you need is a few sets of weights and you an achieve that in the comforts of your own home. In the spring, summer and fall I like to take my workout to my back patio! If you need inspiration for at-home workouts, check out my page, my friend Lauren’s blog and my friend Athena’s blog – combined, we have HUNDREDS to choose from.
  2. Grab a friend and take a walk, but with a twist! Instead of just walking, add in 10 squats, 10 push-ups (inclined if you can!) and 10 triceps dips every 5-10 minutes. The beauty of working out with a friend is they hold you accountable to show up and get a workout in AND it’s more fun! Plus, you can kill two birds with one stone by getting in movement and catching up with a friend or friends. If you’re a runner, you can also do this with running instead. I have some run/walk bootcamp workouts here if you’re looking for some ideas. 11542058_911614432224807_7160125865652676253_n.jpg
  3. Pick your 4 or 5 favorite exercises and do 10 reps of each for 15-20 minutes (or however long you have). This is usually what I opt for when I’m short on time and/or don’t have motivation to workout. Rather than trying to psych myself up for a 45 minute class or gym workout, if I tell myself I just need to move for 15-20 minutes AND I get to do my favorite exercises, it’s a much easier way to get me moving. For me, this usually means squats, push-ups, burpees, lunges & sit-ups because it hits all the major body parts: legs, upper body, core & cardio. Another favorite is a countdown workout where I’ll do 50 jumping jacks, 40 high knees, 30 squats, 20 push-ups and 10 burpees. I’ll do that circuit as many times in 15-20 minutes as I can.
  4. Stairs! Stairs are one of my favorite ways to get movement in while getting to be outside. I love them because there are so many different ways to use them – you can walk up and down them, jog up and down them, hop up and down them, skip stairs, wide step, etc. I usually like to do a stair circuit and then a bodyweight circuit and repeat until my allotted time is up. Check out these posts for suggestions: San Francisco Stair Workout and Stair and Total Body Circuits. sf-stairs-3
  5. Find free outdoor fitness classes near where you live or work. I know that in the Boston area, there are TONS of free fitness classes happening on various days all over the city. The program with the biggest amount of free classes is called Seaport Sweat and I absolutely LOVE getting to teach two classes a week through it! You get to be outside, sweating with friends and it’s FREE – doesn’t get much better than that! If you’re not in the Boston area, I would suggest doing a quick google search because I’m sure there are similar types of free classes in other cities, too. 19417574_1470276819691896_8010372336496216580_o

There you have it! If you’re like me and don’t have the ability (or desire!) to spend hours a day in the gym but still want to be active, I hope you’ve found these suggestions for how this can be achieved helpful! Fitness doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment, expensive or something you dread. For it to stick and for it to be sustainable in your life, you need to find out what works for you, and if you’re finding that the gym is just not working for you because of the time and/or money commitment it requires, I hope you try some of my suggestions in this post.

Questions for you: What’s your favorite way to get in fitness or movement without going to the gym?

Doing things that scare you {Falmouth Road Race Recap}

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I’ve mentioned it in a few Instagram posts by now, but last weekend I ran the Falmouth Road Race. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s one of the most popular summer races in Massachusetts. I had never been, so I wasn’t sure why, but I knew I wanted to run it.

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Fast forward to last week when we were out to dinner with some friends, one of which has a family home in Falmouth and has run the race over 10 times by now. We were talking about the race and my urge to run it was even more real… even considering it was a short 4 days away.

If you know me, you know that when I get my mind on something, I can’t let it go, so when I saw someone selling their bib (shhh), I had to jump on it. Not only was it after I hit “send” on Venmo that I realized “Holy Sh*t! What did I just get myself into? I haven’t run much at all lately and haven’t run more than 4 miles in probably 3 years”.

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As I voiced this concern to people, everyone said “you’ll be fine! You’re so active and so fit. It’ll be easy!” While they were so kind to give me those words of encouragement, it wasn’t totally successful in quieting the negative words & thoughts in my head telling me it would be hard and that I would regret my decision to run a 7 mile race entirely untrained (in terms of running). I wasn’t afraid of not finishing, but moreso in what condition I’d finish in. Would I go out too fast and burn out too quickly? Would I cramp up? Would I have to stop a lot? What’s the slowest I thought I’d actually run it?

By the time Saturday night rolled around, I was a bundle of nerves, but luckily slept great. I woke up Sunday excited, but still very nervous! I got dressed, braided my hair, applied sunscreen, packed my throw away bag to hold my snacks & water and got ready to go. My friends Sheila and Amy drove me to the race bus pickup which was a good distraction and got me excited about it.

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I ended up getting to the race start over an hour and a half early, which left lots of alone time for me to continue to be nervous, lol. My sister texted me and when I told her I was nervous, she said that was so weird because I never get nervous. And she was right! Most of the time I feel confident about my abilities, but for some reason (likely because I didn’t traing), I felt SO nervous and scared! When I texted my concerns to my mom, she hit the nail on the head with her response and it helped to calm me down (funny how moms are always able to do that).

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Shortly after she sent that I ended up seeing a picture on Insta of a friend I used to work with so I ended up meeting up with her and her friend which was exactly what I needed – distraction from being nervous and people to hang with!

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Before we knew it, it was time to start. We were already sweating, so I was happy that the race started a bit slower than I normally would. The crowds were huge so it was a struggle to navigate them throughout the first handful of miles. Looking back, this was a blessing in disguise because it forced me to run slower than normal, which I think was necessary in order for me to finish the race feeling as strong as I did, rather than coming out too fast and burning out halfway through.

The course was incredibly beautiful – lots of rolling hills, gorgeous homes, views of the water and amazing spectators. I couldn’t help but get super emotional as I was running – there’s something about races that do that for me!

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The miles ticked away and I continued to feel good. I was getting negative splits as the crowds dispersed a bit, but I knew to still take it easy since it was a longer race than I’ve run in a long time. Around miles 4-5.5 I started to get super antsy. It was just a long, straight, flat part of the course entirely in the sun and I just wanted to see RM and my friends. I knew they were just before the 6 mile mark so it seemed like those 2 miles DRAGGED on. I felt hot, tired and ready to be done, however, seeing RM and my friends helped give me the push I needed as I forged ahead to the last mile.

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By this point, my feet felt like hot sausages stuffed in my sneakers, I was getting a blister, felt dehydrated and started to cramp up a bit. I paused for a brief moment twice in that last mile as I prepared for the big hill at the end. Leading up to the hill, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it without walking, but I did it, slow step by slow step and getting to the top felt so great! Before I knew it, I was crossing the finish line and it’s hard to explain how amazing it felt.

I had done it. I had completed the 7 mile race. I felt good (all things considered). I was smiling. And I was so happy it was over, lol 😉

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As I continue to reflect on the race and the experience, I am so proud of myself for doing something that scared the sh*t out of me. I fought through all of the “I can’t’s” in my head and I proved to myself that I CAN. It was uncomfortable at times, but I am stronger for having done it – it truly is amazing what you can accomplish once you put your mind to it and give it a try.

I like to think of it this way: we can live our lives only doing things that make us feel safe or comfortable, or we can push through that and challenge ourselves by doing things that scare us a little or make us feel uncomfortable. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather live my life doing the latter- it’s a hell of a lot more exciting and when you realize you CAN do things you didn’t think you could, well, it’s the most incredible feeling.

Thank you to everyone for your kind words and to RM, Sheila and Amy for being so supportive while I was running!! Huge thank you to my friends at NB for inviting us to hangout at their after party, which was exactly what I needed! And thanks to Sheila’s parents for letting us stay at their Inn and then using their boat for the afternoon. It was a weekend I will never forget!

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Questions for you: Have you ever run the Falmouth Road Race? Do you like to run races? When’s the last time you pushed yourself out of your comfort zone?

 

Wednesday Workout: Two 10-Minute Upper Body Workouts

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Hi, friends! What a couple of weeks it has been! If you follow me on Instagram, you saw that I ran the Falmouth Road Race last weekend, very last minute at that! I have all intentions of writing up my race review (because it was amazing), but for now I’m going to share a workout that I did yesterday.

It’s only upper body because my poor hip and leggies are still pretty tight/sore from the run. Even though I’m physically in pretty good shape because I’m really active, I haven’t run much this summer, and haven’t run over 4 miles in probably 3 years. Which translates not being in running shape and therefore feeling the effects of it still!

But it’s all good. This workout is great because if you’re super short on time, you can do just one 10-minute AMRAP and call it a day. If you have more time, you can do both. And, if you want some cardio, go ahead and add in 3 rounds of 10 burpees, 10 jump squats, 10 plank jacks in between sets 😉

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I didn’t take videos because these are all fairly common exercises, but, as always, let me know if you have any questions!

I hope you all have a great rest of your day and week – I hope to be back sooner rather than later 🙂