Tag: Boston

Weekending: Girls night, Cape Weekend & Boston Sunday Funday

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Good morning! Although we ended up leaving the Cape early on Sunday due to crap weather, it was a really fun weekend! Here’s a picture recap- with some descriptions, because I love words! My girlfriends and I went to Brewers Fork in Charlestown on Thursday night for my friend Jessi’s birthday- if you’re looking for good pizza, I suggest checking it out. We all loved it!

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Sunset on the way home.. yes, we were on our way home before 8pm. We have officially gotten old because our weeknight get together events end early.

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Since I took a rest day on Thursday (more on that tomorrow), I went to the gym on Friday. I did an Jill Fit workout and felt it was appropriate for a #flexfriday post 😉

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Friday night, RM and I headed to the Cape for the weekend and stopped at the local Cotuit hang-out, the Kettle Ho for dinner. Mom- how about this pour of Kendall Jackson?
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Weekending: A Boston Summer Weekend

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It’s crazy to think that we spent all of last weekend in Boston. I can’t remember the last time we did that during the summer months and even though I had wished we were at the Cape since the weather was so gorgeous, it was so nice just being close to home and not having to deal with summer traffic! Here’s a picture-focused post with the weekend highlights- enjoy!

  • Making good use of time by going for a walk while waiting for my oil to get changed

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  • Beautiful sky on my way to dinner with some friends in the North End

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  • Saturday afternoon at the beach

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  • Dinner and margs at Tico in the Back Bay- absolutely delicious!

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  • To get some movement in on my rest day, I walked to church and then walked to Shaws and the liquor store- it was a heavy walk home!

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  • Delicious fruit salad that I whipped together before going to a pool party

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  • I could get used to this- absolutely gorgeous!

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  • Hazy, hot and humid during my morning 4 miler- so happy to have done it first thing!

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Questions for you: What did you do this weekend? Did you go anywhere or stay local? How did you survive the heat? Do you prefer the beach or pool? 

Studio Review: Cyc Fitness Boston

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Disclaimer: I was provided some free classes in exchange for this post. As always, these are my honest thoughts and opinions on the studio I’m reviewing.

Last week I had the opportunity to check out a new Boston indoor cycling studio, Cyc Fitness, which is located at 50 Park Plaza inside the David Barton gym. The gym itself is really easy to locate AND they validate your parking ticket at a near by garage so you only have to pay $7, which is a steal in Boston. I was able to bring my sister with me and we had no problem getting to the gym and checked in. Since Cyc is inside the David Barton gym, you have access to their locker room, which was beautiful and fully equipped with everything you’d need to get ready for the day or night after your workout. Checking out nice locker rooms is such a treat since the Y and BSC aren’t known for having fancy, well equipped ones 😉

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We got to the class in plenty of time to change our shoes and get set up on the bike. The room is set up in a horseshoe-like shape and it seemed as though it was really big. I was happy that our class was mostly full since I think it makes the class better when you can feed off of everyone’s energy. The bikes were pretty standard bikes, but we both mentioned how we loved the shoes- maybe it’s because they were brand new and therefore more cushiony? Who knows, but I’ll take it! Another difference was the weights. Unlike using a bar at Flywheel or small hand weights at Recycle, B/Spoke, etc., we used small sand bags which was kind of cool. With all the indoor cycling studios in Boston I’m happy when studios try and do something that sets them apart from all the others.

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Weekending: 4th of July

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Good morning! I am so excited to get back on track with normal eating, drinking and working out this week. Don’t get me wrong, I like to indulge and enjoy extra vinos, BBQ food and dessert, but it really doesn’t make me feel as good as I do when I eat my usual healthy way. With that said, this past weekend was filled with lots of good food, wine and company- hope you enjoy my recap!

Thursday-

I ended up not having to work on Thursday so I made good use of the day by cooking, blogging, working out and going to the beach. It was quite relaxing!

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Thursday night some of my girlfriends were getting together to celebrate Jessi’s birthday, which was yesterday. We met up at Ducali’s and enjoyed vino, salad and pizza- oh, and a big ol’ side of girl talk 😉 RM made fun of me for my festive outfit, but I liked it!

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We weren’t quite ready to end the night so we headed to Tavern in the Square across from the garden for one more drink.

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(photo credit: Lauren)

On Friday, RM and I headed up to Maine… along with the rest of the friggen state of Massachusetts it seemed! It literally took us 2 hours to get to Portsmouth from Boston, which is more than the time it normally takes to get all the way to my parents house! Of course, it was the most beautiful day, too. We decided to pull off in Portsmouth for lunch on the deck at the Oar House to wait out some of the traffic and get some sun and drinks.

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We ended up being there for almost 3 hours- oops!

Once we made it to Maine, we sat outside and chatted with my parents before having a dinner full of all sorts of random things including my dad’s fish chowder and pork pie, fresh trout from Lake Champlain, pizza on the grill using dad’s dough and sauce and my mom’s tomato and zucchini casserole. Although it was everything I wanted to eat, it may have been a little too many different things in one meal 😉

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Saturday morning, I got up and went for a 3 mile run before heading into town for the parade.

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Rm had never been to a parade, and was quite amused by the one we went to 😉

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Our family friends had a BBQ later in the day, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and it ended up sprinkling for the majority of the party 😦  While annoying, it didn’t ruin the fun, though! All the food was fantastic.

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We ended the night making s’mores back at my parents house- perfect ending to a great day!

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On Sunday, we helped my dad in the garden. I’ll tell ya- manual labor is no joke! After, we headed up to the lake to go out on Sara and Tim’s boat… all of which I did not think to take a single picture of- #bloggerfail. But, it was a perfect afternoon- we’re so lucky to have friends who have boats and live on the lake!

All in all, it was a great couple of days and mini “vacation”. Just what I needed!

Questions for you: How was your 4th of July? Do you have any traditions for the 4th? Did you indulge on holiday eats and drinks?

Shaking Things Up w/New Balance {NBGNO recap}

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I know I sound like a broken record, but New Balance really does put on the BEST “girls night out” (NBGNO) events. To me, a GNO event that involves physical activity, followed by inspirational speakers and food & cocktails is a pretty awesome night. I love getting to surround myself with health and fitness loving people like myself while doing things we love (working out!), so I always jump at a chance to attend these events with New Balance reaches out to me.

Last week, the second NBGNO event of the season was held at the Boston New Balance location. It was hosted by local Boston Blogger Stephanie, who blogs over at I Train Therefore I Eat and New Balance brand ambassador Aly Raymer who is an indoor cycling instructor at B/Spoke.

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(Photo from the NBGNO gallery)

The topic for this NBGNO was one I’m really passionate about: shaking it up! Far too often I see people, day in and day out at the gym, pedaling along on the elliptical or running miles and miles on the treadmill or lifting those same 5lb weights, wondering why they aren’t seeing any changes. The thing is, if we only do the same things, we can only expect the same results, right? If we’re consistently lifting the same size weight, how are our muscles going to grow? If we are always running/ellipticalling at the same pace, how are we ever going to gain speed? We can really only expect to change if WE are activity changing things up. Shaking things up.

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I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a creature of habit in most aspects of my life. I don’t like change and it just doesn’t come naturally to me… expect at the gym or with regards to fitness. I get so bored if I do the same thing, day in and day out, which is why I always teach new things in my classes (even though most participants likely wouldn’t notice if I repeated things!) and am constantly trying new fitness studios in and around the Boston area. From running to spinning to weight lifting to zumba’ing to swimming, there are always ways to change things up and give your muscles a little shock, rather than them going into auto-pilot mode.

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Stephanie talked about how shaking up her workout routine was the best thing she could have done. She’s a lover of heavy lifting, but since she’s added in running and biking, she’s noticed a positive change in her body and her appreciation for its abilities. And, changing it up makes your workouts FUN because you’re not going to feel sick of whatever it is you’ve probably over-done.

For me, I’ve talked a lot about how I’ve changed up my workouts this year. I’ve started working out during lunch to free up my evenings. By doing this, I’ve drastically cut down on the time I’ve spent at the gym, but you know what? I love it! I’ve noticed some great changes- physically and mentally- because of my shortened workouts. I get in there, bust ass for 35-40 minutes and peace out. Since I know I’m short on time, I make every minute count. I’ve also been able to play around with different “toys” since the gym tends to be quieter when I go. I’m loving Kettlebells and TRX suspension and ball slams- my workouts are FUN and something I look forward to since they are always different. Another way I’m shaking it up? Lift Weights Faster 2– this program, created by the amazing Jen Sinkler, is fantastic. Every workout is different and challenging in its own way, and I love that the equipment needed, time required and formats are so varied. I plan on doing a full review of this training program soon, but in short- I LOVE it and have love how much it’s gotten me out of my comfort zone.

… Woops! That got a little longer than I had anticipated, but I’m just so passionate about changing things up that I get excited and can’t stop typing 😉 Before Stephanie and Aly spoke, we had a chance to run or spin. Unfortunately, I didn’t get there early enough to nab a spin bike, so a run it was! My friend Amanda joined m e and we had a blast running along the Charles and through Beacon Hill (ok, a blast with the exception of the Beacon Hill hills… those bad boys are no joke!). The weather was absolutely gorgeous so as long as I was outside I didn’t care what we were doing.

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My other friends are the event were able to spin and they said spinning in the common area in the Back Bay was SUPER cool and that Aly taught an incredible class. We all got a free class at B/spoke as part of the swag bags New Balance gave us, so I can’t wait to get back there. I love that studio!

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(Photo courtesy of the NGBNO gallery)

Per usual, the post workout snacks and drinks were awesome! Essentia water was available and smoothie samples from Thirst Juice Co were provided as well. I’m dying to get to Thirst Juice Co because everything I’ve tried from there has been so good! Luckily, there was a coupon in the swag bag so now I have no excuse not to go 🙂

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And, lastly, it was so fun getting to catch up with blogger and gym friends!

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Sarah & Stephanie

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Athena, Mary & Ashley

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(Photo courtesy of Athena)

If you haven’t checked out these events, I HIGHLY suggest doing so- they are always so fun and they’re free! what more could you ask for?! My other recaps can be found here:

My first New Balance Girls Night Out event
Wednesday Workout: NBGNO Event- How to Stay Fit While on the Road
2015’s First New Balance Girls Night Out (NBGNO) Event

Awesome job hosting, Stephanie and Aly- you girls ROCKED it!

Questions for you: Do you tend to shake it up often or are you a creature of habit? Have you been taking your workouts outside in this great weather? What’s your ideal girls night out?