Tag: bootcamp

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

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Hi there! I hope you all had a great weekend… a great long weekend for those of you who had yesterday off! I spent it in Maine and it was just what I needed after a big week of teaching. The past couple of weeks/month have been much lighter on the workout front- both in length and in teaching. And you know what? I’m ok with that! It was a hard adjustment to make- that whole slowing down thing is really hard for me- but after having a week where I taught 6 classes in 5 days, I’m reminded of just how physically and mentally demanding that type of schedule is. It’d be one thing if I didn’t have a full time job, but after an 8+ hour work day, teaching that many classes, for me, at this time, is just too much. I’m sure last week won’t be my last week of a big teaching schedule because I love subbing and sometimes it just works out like that, but it’s a good reminder that I made the right decision by dropping some classes!

I only have 3 “real” days this week since I had yesterday off and am taking Friday off for Sheila’s wedding, which normally is a good thing, but this week I feel like I have so much to cram in in such a short amount of time! I’m moving next weekend and have done zero packing- whoops! Oh well. It will all get done, and the beauty is that I’m just moving up to the second floor so I can move things up in small shifts! I think I’m going to take a break from working out next week (besides my teaching) so that I have ample time to move throughout the week.

But, let’s get to the workouts!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I taught my 6am Muscle Work class and then ran for 10 minutes on the treadmill. RM and I went for a walk later that evening, too.
  • Tuesday- I taught my first outdoor bootcamp in Wakefield! We had so much fun… or at least I had a lot of fun. There were 3 ladies and they rocked it- I can’t wait to throw new things at them this week!

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  • Wednesday– I ran 20 minutes before teaching, and doing, my UXF Burn class at Central Square. With the 90* temps, it was not the most enjoyable run, but I went out without my Garmin or Map My Run and just went for time. It was nice to not do anything but run! In class, I threw in some new core moves that I made up and was happy to see that they left me a little sore!

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  • Thursday- I subbed my old SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing classes at the Central Square BSC. I’d heard bad things about the guy who took over my classes (I’ve taken one of his classes and thought he was a total jerk, so I can’t say I’m surprised), and was sad to see that there were only 5 people for SHRED and 6 for Kickboxing. I hate hearing that the numbers have dropped so much 😦

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  • Friday- I rested besides a little walk to run errands.
  • Saturday- I taught my Saturday kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA. I was afraid it was going to be a very small class, but there ended up being about 20 people- not bad for Labor Day Weekend!

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  • Sunday- Another rest day, besides filming another set of cardio kickboxing videos– can’t wait to post them for you!

This Weeks Workouts

  • Monday- Yesterday we all were up early so I headed out for a 3 mile jog and finished up with a short strength circuit and some core work with my mom!
  • Tuesday- I’m teaching my outdoor bootcamp again- can’t wait!
  • Wednesday- I’m teaching UXF Burn at 6:30 at Central Square and will probably do some cardio beforehand.
  • Thursday- I’m not sure! Maybe a class at PUMPS, maybe kickboxing at Wellington, maybe my own workout?
  • Friday- I’ll workout before I head to the Cape in the morning. Probably kickboxing if I don’t do that on Thursday night. Or a running bootcamp workout.
  • Saturday- I would love to do something before Sheila’s wedding. She doesn’t think she will have time to join, but maybe some of my other friends will?
  • Sunday- Probably a rest day after the wedding festivities 😉

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I am SO excited for Sheila’s wedding!! Sheila is one of the funniest and fun people I know and I am positive her wedding will be nothing less than an absolute blast. And, when all my SMC girls get together, it’s never a bad thing! I’m also excited to see the boyfriend… we haven’t seen each other since last Tuesday, which is a really long time for us. I missed him!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Did you have Monday off?

This Week: Workouts, gearing up for lots of teaching & things I’m looking forward to

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Hi there! Can you believe this is the last week in August?? I seriously have no idea where the summer went, but to be honest, although I’m not ready for summer to be officially over, to have cooler weather and to lose some daylight hours, I am ready for fall. A slower schedule (hopefully), apple picking, pumpkin everything… you get the idea 🙂

I posted on Facebook last week that it was all about changing up workouts for me last week.

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When I was teaching a million classes a week, it was hard for me to try new things or change up what I was doing because I was on a tight schedule. However, now that I’ve lightened up my teaching schedule, I’m able to jump around and try new things. It didn’t hurt that I had 2 free classes at Exhale Spa before the end of the month 😉

My workouts, in addition to being different than usual, ended up being less intense, which came at a perfect time. Last week I was going through some stomach issues and a weird blurry eye/headache/sinus pressure thing, which made it really hard to workout (makes me so tired!). I’ve gotten them before, but never 3 in one week. Something weird is going on… hopefully it doesn’t happen this week because I’ve got a big week of teaching. RM is out of town so I took advantage of some subbing opportunities- never bad to make a little extra $$ 😉

Last Week’s Workouts

My workouts last week were on the lighter side, which is ok. It’s good to give your body a little break from the high intensity/impact workouts sometimes. I did a LOT of walking- both at lunch and after work since I went to 2 classes in the city, so that was a nice change of pace.

  • Monday- I still had a stomach ache when I woke up and was nervous about teaching my 6am class, but surprisingly enough, as soon as I started moving, I didn’t notice my stomach ache! There was just one girl in class but we had a killer workout!
  • Tuesday- I went to Exhale Spa for a Core Fusion Cardio class. I usually go to classes where Chrissy Snyder is teaching (because she’s amazing!), but she wasn’t teaching on Tuesday and that’s when I wanted to go so I went to a different instructor. She was good, but it wasn’t nearly as hard as Chrissy’s classes. Oh well!
  • Wednesday- My blurry eye thing was bad in the afternoon so I opted to go for a walk instead of run. I walked 20 minutes at lunch and power walked another 20 before teaching. I did about 50% of the class with my UXF Burn group- I hadn’t planned on doing any, but when I get in there and feel their energy, I can’t help myself!
  • Thursday- I walked 20 minutes at lunch and then went to Chrissy’s Core Fusion Yoga class at Exhale Spa after work. It was a great class- low impact but it had me shaking! Every time I go to yoga I’m reminded why I love it so much and why I should do it more often. Does it happen? not usually. sigh. haha

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  • Friday- I went to a Barry’s Bootcamp workout on the roof deck at the Revere Hotel. I thought it was a good workout, but it wasn’t as hard as I was thinking/hoping it would be! Still learned some good moves and got to workout with these beauties so I can’t complain!

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  • Saturday– Nothing 🙂 We walked the Marginal Way in Ogunquit but besides that, nothing.
  • Sunday– ANOTHER rest day! I don’t remember the last time I took 2 rest days in a row… it was actually nice. I’m teaching a lot this week so I figured it was best to rest. RM and I went on a 2 mile walk in the morning which was a nice way to wake up!

This Week’s Workouts

This is a big week of teaching and workouts for me! It’s funny how things tend to all happen at once- subbing, starting a new class, etc. That’s ok, though- having a big workout schedule before a long weekend is never a bad thing 😉

  • Monday- I’m subbing the 6am Muscle Work class and will do some cardio after.
  • Tuesday- My friend Christy’s sister-in-law, Kerri, asked if I was up for leading a bootcamp for her and her friends. Umm, yes! of course I was up for that! Tuesday is our first session and I am excited!
  • Wednesday- Probably some light cardio before teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- I’m subbing my old double! SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing- I’m so excited!!!
  • Friday- Rest day 🙂
  • Saturday- Teaching Cardio Kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA before heading to Maine for the long weekend.
  • Sunday- Not sure- maybe a walk with my mom and/or sister? maybe a bootcamp with them? maybe rest?

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I am most excited about heading home to Maine this weekend for more than a 24 hour period. My sister is also going home, so it will be fun to just have the 4 of us since that hasn’t happened in-gosh- months and months! I foresee lots of laughs, lots of good food and lots of wine and I CAN.NOT.WAIT! I’m also excited for the first bootcamp session and going back to my Thursday night double 🙂

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? Has your summer gone by fast?

Wednesday Workout: Run the stairs!

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As I mentioned a little while ago, this summer I’m trying to take my workouts outside. Whether it’s just a run or a walk or a boot camp, it’s just a nice change of scenery to be outside rather than in a stuffy gym. On top of that, there are so many things that can keep your mind occupied while working out, which decreased the chances of becoming bored and quitting early 😉

These are some of my favorite parts of outdoor workouts:

  • People watching is awesome
  • You can work on your tan
  • Forces you to get creative
  • Fresh air
  • Pretty scenery
  • Hills and stairs help with training

Last week, the weather was so hot and humid that my plans for a long (for me) run went out the window shortly into the run. I did manage to do 3 miles, but they weren’t pretty. Since I still had some gas in the tank and was in a mood to push myself, I went to a nearby park and used various pieces of equipment (stairs and benches) there to help give me a butt kicking finisher workout! Note: if you don’t want to run first, I’d do the bootcamp part of the workout 3 or 4 times through for a full body workout.

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After doing 10 sets of these:

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(they’re steeper than they look!)

I felt like this:

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#sweatybeastmode

I’ve thought of some other creative ways to incorporate the stairs into my workout, so that makes me excited to get out there again. I did this on Monday:

  • 1 stair run, 10 burpees
  • 2 stair runs, 9 burpees
  • 3 stair runs, 8 burpees
  • etc. until you do 10 stair runs, but instead of doing 1 burpee, do 10 😉

So, the moral of this post is: go find a set of stairs and make them your b*tch! (ok, that was aggressive, but you know what I mean 😉 ).

Questions for you: Does anyone else get motivation to workout when they’re introduced to something new or figure out something new?? What’s your favorite outdoor piece of equipment?

 

 

 

This Week: Workouts, Announcements & Things I’m Looking Forward To (CHICAGO!)

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Good morning and happy Monday, friends! It feels weird not having started my day teaching my 6am Muscle Work class. I have to say, although it’s not necessarily fun getting up and to the gym that early, especially on a Monday morning, it sure makes for a much better day knowing my workout is done and over with and I can spend my evening relaxing, blog writing and cooking!

I’ve got lots going on this week, but think the most important thing to talk about first is a BIG (at least for me) change I made recently. It wasn’t an easy decision and although I wanted some consistency in my day to day, especially after my other big change, I felt like it was the right thing for me to do right now. It was something I needed to do, even though it was a really hard decision to make. You ask what that is?

I have decided to give up my teaching my Thursday night double.

I know- it kind of came out of nowhere after my one (err 5) too many little mental breakdowns I’ve had over the past couple of months. I just realized that something had to give, and although I didn’t want it to be my classes and teaching schedule, I realized that, ultimately, that was giving me the most stress and wearing me down the most. By the time Thursday afternoons came around and I realized I was going to have to gear up to teach my double after work, sheer dread came over me. And, it’s not like this happened once and a while. It started to be a weekly thing. I didn’t feel this way before any other class, so I can only attribute it to how much energy it takes for me to teach and DO a double, generally after an intense workout on Wednesday night, too.

Granted, by the time I finished my second cool down of the night and I knew it was time to go home I was fine, but I realized that I shouldn’t go into a workout or teaching a class dreading it. I- and my members- deserve more than that, so I decided that I needed to give up those classes to help free some time up in my schedule and hopefully allow some extra room for me to, dare I say it? RELAX. I can’t be entirely sure that will happen, but I will say it will be nice to be able to do things on Thursday nights, especially during the summer.

I’ve got some other things brewing on the back burner with regards to some new teaching opportunities, but for now, I’m just going to enjoy having 2+ hours back to my Thursdays. My last class is THIS week and I’m dreading it already. I’m going to miss my members so much! I’ve grown the 5:30 SHRED class from 3 or 4 people to generally 16-20 people and I’ve grown my kickboxing class to an average of 16 people (and before me there was no kickboxing class, so I had to build that all on my own). These members come to my classes week after week, ready for any of the crazy (and, I mean that- I throw some weird stuff at them) things I think up and throw into the mix. We’ve grown to know each other as more than just the person standing next to you in class, so it’s going to be weird to not see them as much anymore. One of the members said he felt like I was dumping them, and it broke my heart a little! Luckily, I’ve decided to keep my Wednesday night UXF Burn class at that gym so at least I’ll still see most of them… they’re just going to have to get used to only 1 dose of me, not 3.

So, with that said. I’m hoping this change will help bring a better balance to my life. I’ve been juggling teaching an average of 5 classes a week, working 40 hours, commuting, writing this little blog, spending a lot of time with RM and friends and going away on the weekends that if I didn’t cut back somewhere, I was going to break. I’m sad to end this chapter but excited to have more time for my own workouts (maybe even start to consistently lift heavier) and try out other classes in the area.

OK, enough heavy talk… let’s get to the workouts!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I taught my 6am Muscle Work class, which did include cardio, and then did 15 minutes on the stair stepper again.
  • Tuesday- The heat and humidity were killer on Tuesday night so I ended up cutting my run at 3 miles and then doing a butt kicking bootcamp-style workout finisher. I’ll post it on Wednesday for you!
  • Wednesday- I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill before teaching (and doing most of) my SHRED class. It was a big class, likely because of the rainy weather, but I’ll take it! I even had a coworker come and there were 4 guys in the class!
  • Thursday- I taught SHRED and then Kickboxing… lots of members in both- we had fun!
  • Friday- Nothing. I went for a 15 minute walk during lunch but otherwise rested.
  • Saturday– After 2 weeks away from my Saturday kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA, I was back! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: that class is the best start of my weekend! We worked so hard and I love seeing the members push themselves each time I’m there.
  • Sunday- I got up and did 20 minutes of yoga and then 15 minutes of core and glute work at RM’s apartment before we went for a 45 min power walk. We went for another stroll after our afternoon meal at his moms, too.

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Not sure! I’d love to get in a workout during the day, but it may be an after work thing.
  • Tuesday- I have a hair appointment after work so I’ll either try to get to a muscle class during the day or do something before work.
  • Wednesday- Teaching UXF Burn and probably running beforehand.
  • Thursday- Teaching my LAST Thursday double *tears*. Dana requested stations during SHRED, so I may do that and some partner work at the end. Kickboxing requests? Maybe the booty burner?
  • Friday- I am going to Chicago for a long weekend and we have an early flight so my guess is that I won’t get up for a workout, especially after a Thursday night double!
  • Saturday-Monday- I’m not sure. Like I said, I’ll be in Chicago so I’m sure I’ll be doing lots of walking, but knowing me I’ll be getting some other workouts in as well 🙂

Things I’m Looking Forward To

So many things this week! My 2nd Stitch Fix is coming in today, so hopefully they gave me good stuff for Chicago. I’m also getting my hair cut, which is long overdue. Lastly, I’m going to Chicago for the weekend. A longggg time ago my friend Jessi asked if anyone wanted to go (she was going with her boyfriend and his friends) so my friend Lauren and I jumped at it and booked our stuff. Sadly, Lauren ended up not being able to go so I asked RM and he was game since it’s a city he’s never been to. I can’t wait to go back and do more exploring and hang out with my friend JP again! We are also having dinner at the top of the Sears tower and going to a Cubs game- I am SO excited!!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Boston friends- do you have suggestions for any new workouts in the city to try since I’m going to have more free time? Any suggestions on what to do while in Chicago during the summer? I was there in November (Boston>Dallas>Chicago, Chicago: Part1 {Shopping and Bar Hopping}, Chicago: Part 2 {The Bean, Navy Pier, Boat Tour, Brewery}, Chicago: Part 3 {Brunching, Architecture Tour, Homemade Dinner}), but I feel like there’s still a lot of stuff that I didn’t get to do!

Sheila’s Nantucket Bachelorette Weekend

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Wow. What a fun weekend we had on Nantucket to celebrate Sheila! I had never been to Nantucket, so that made me even more excited for the weekend. We had originally gone back and forth on a few different ideas for the weekend, but I think everyone was very happy with ultimate outcome. Sheila found a great little house/cottage through Air B&B (I think? maybe it was Home Away?) which ended up being a super affordable option since a hotel and eating out at restaurants for every meal would’ve been really expensive! Big thanks to Amy and Jessi for all the planning and getting the food/booze/decorations.

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Friday morning, I got up and actually did my hair and put on my new dress- you know it’s a special occasion when I put time into how I look 😉

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I met up with Jessi and Lauren at the ferry terminal and we decided to kill some time by having cocktails- it’s never too early for a mimosa 😉 or wine on the ferry, for that matter!

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Once we docked in Nantucket, we headed to The Gazebo to meet up with a few friends who were already on the island. Apparently The Gazebo is famous for their mudslides so although I’m not generally a fan of those types of drinks, I had to try it. The verdict? I felt like I was drinking a grown up milk shake!

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After our drink, we headed back to the house where Amy, Nikia and Amanda had decorated it for Sheila’s arrival- it looked so good!

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They also stocked up the fridge and freezer with lots and LOTS of food and drinks. We laughed all weekend that we are clearly getting old if we only went through a quarter of a handle of vodka all weekend… we are definitely getting old.

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Once everyone was at the house, we popped some bubbly (obvi!), made a quick stop at the beach, had some snacks outside and grilled up a delicious dinner of chicken, steak, corn on the cob and rice. When we finished dinner, we played some games (Heads up! Have you played it? SO FUN!) and walked to the Chicken Box for some live band and dancing action.

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Since we all took it easy and got home around midnight, we all felt pretty good on Saturday… good enough for a bootcamp workout– my favorite!

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The rest of the day on Saturday was spent at the beach (with packed lunches and drinks!)- I can’t remember the last time I PLAYED in the water like we did that day- so so fun!

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We cleaned up in the afternoon and made our way to Cisco Brewers, which was probably one of my most favorite parts of the weekend. We were all decked out in our bachelorette getup and enjoy the delicious beers, interesting vodka drinks and even some wine! I loved that they had an outdoor band and so much area to hang around outside- it was the perfect way to spend the afternoon!

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Once the brewery started to slow down, we headed back to the house and Kia, Jessi and I got busy in the kitchen making homemade chicken parmesan… #butfirstletmetakeaselfie 😉

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We decided that Saturday night would be a real “night out”… and, we meant it! We even stayed until closing- something I haven’t done in a REALLY long time. We went to Nixs since we met the band at the brewery and they told us we “had to come”. I have to say, I’m pretty excited we met them because they were really good and we all had such a blast. Obviously my friend Kia and I were the first to start the dance party… some things never change 😉

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Sunday morning was a little bit of a slower start than Saturday, but after a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, fruit, yogurt and English muffins, we all perked up and got ready for the beach. I had to head back on Sunday because I couldn’t take more time off at work… whomp whomp. The rest of the girls stayed until Monday or Tuesday and based on the pics I saw, it looks like they kept going strong throughout the remainder of the weekend- I was impressed!

Phew! If you made it this far- thank you!! All in all, it was just an absolutely awesome weekend- everyone was in good spirits and we all just had a blast being together. I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends!!

Questions for you: Have you been to Nantucket? Have you been to any of the places we went to? Are you a dancer or an observer? Do you have any bachelorette parties to go to this summer?