Tag: Cardio Kickboxing

Weekending Through Pictures

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What a weekend we had in Boston, right?! The weather was long awaited and it was so great to feel warmth and sunshine and be able to be outside without a jacket on! On top of that, it was part 1 of my birthday weekends and between massages on Friday and a hair cut and mani/pedi on Sunday, I was fully pampered! Enjoy the highlights:)

  • Friday night we had massages at Exhale Spa and then dinner at Ward 8 with my friend Jessi and her boyfriend.
  • Saturday I wore my new top from Lulu and taught a super sweaty kickboxing class.

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Weekending: The Gagnons Do Boston

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Good morning! How was your weekend? Mine, per usual, went way too quickly. I still have San Francisco to recap for you, but for now, let’s do a little weekend recap!

Friday night, RM and I headed into the city to have a sushi dinner at Douzo. It feels like it’s been ages since we had a Friday night date night, and since we aren’t eating meat on Fridays (Lent), it was a great excuse to get out and do a sushi date night. Per usual, the food was fantastic. We shared a few rolls and sashimi pieces and had their spicy garlic coated edamame which is absolutely delicious! Paired with a few glasses of rose and good conversation, it made for a great night!

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Oh, and tempura bananas and ice cream to finish the night? Perfection.

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Saturday morning started with my cardio kickboxing class which is always my favorite way to start the day! But what I was really excited about on Saturday was the fact that my parents were coming down for the night. My sister used her points and got them a night at the Renaissance, so she, her boyfriend, RM and I headed in around 6 to meet for a pre-dinner drink and then dinner at 75 on Liberty Wharf. Have you ever been there? It’s right on the water next to Jerry Remy’s and it’s a cute, tiny little restaurant with delicious food! We all loved our meals- everything from the steak tip salad to salmon to seafood stew to a burger and my Jambalaya, was just awesome.

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Post dinner, we headed over to Whiskey Priest because mom wanted to go dancing. I hadn’t been there in years, and it didn’t take long for me to realize why: it’s such a young crowd!! But, they had a great live band and we had so much fun dancing and meeting people. Guess that’s what happens when you bring your cute little mom to the bar 😉

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“I’m a guy magnet!”- Sue Gags herself. We did not know these guys, but she had guys and girls dancing with her all night!

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Even though I stayed out way later than I anticipated and drank more than I would’ve liked, it was seriously such a fun night. I’m so lucky to have parents who love coming to the city and going out and having fun.

Sunday morning had a very lazy start, which was perfect. And these healthy pancakes? The best RM has ever made!

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All in all, such a fun weekend! I was so sad last night when I knew it was coming to an end.

Questions for you: How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun? Where do you go dancing? Have you ever been to 75 on Liberty Wharf?

 

Weekending: Barcelona Tapas & Wine Bar, Fitfluential Ambassador news & Dealing with Disappointment

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Well hello there! It’s been a while since I’ve posted a “weekending” post, huh? Since I tried out a new restaurant and have some exciting news to share, I thought today was the perfect day to do it!

On Friday night, I went out to dinner and drinks at Barcelona Wine Bar in the South End with my friend Lindsay and her roommate. Both girls teach at Recycle Studio so it’s always fun to get together with them because we don’t have to feel bad about our conversations revolving around teaching and working out 😉

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Weekending: Taking time to relax

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As I’ve mentioned a number of times, this holiday season I promised myself that I would slow down, try to stress less and learn how to say “no”. So far, I’ve actually been much better at it than I thought I would be. As I was looking through my calendar earlier this season, I realized that this past weekend was seemingly clear. I had already decided not to run the Somerville Jingle Bell 5K I always run, and no other parties had been planned yet. As I was chatting with Athena, she suggested I mark the weekend as a “no plans weekend”. Sadly, as soon as I did that, two parties came up (sorry Mary and Steph!!)… obviously this would happen!

I have to say, I fully enjoyed this past weekend where I had no real plans. Sure, we had lots of things we ended up doing or wanted to do, but the beauty of it was we were able to do it on our own schedule and if we decided to change plans or stay in or do dinner, it was our choice. I highly suggest taking weekends like this if you’re feeling overwhelmed or just that you don’t have enough time for yourself. I went into this week feeling so refreshed and ready for a much busier week.

Here are some highlights from the weekend- enjoy!

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  • Treating myself to a Chai Tea Latte at Starbucks thanks to a gift card that a sweet member gave me

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  • A pleasant car shopping experience at Acura. My lease is up in February so I’m in the market for something new!
  • A late lunch at Legal C Bar in Lynnfield

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  • Shopping around the M Street shops, getting some gifts and food shopping at Whole Foods.
  • A quiet night in, consisting of Christmas movies, wine & this delicious baked stuffed acorn squash.

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  • A lazy Sunday morning- breakfast, blogging & cleaning
  • More car shopping, another pleasant experience!
  • Sunday dinner at RM’s mother’s house. I was totally craving an authentic Italian meal (aka, I really wanted meatballs), so it worked out perfectly! I’m so lucky that I love his family and enjoy spending time with them.
  • Sunday night at my place. It was nice to meal prep and watch tv and be surrounded by my Christmas decorations!

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Questions for you: When’s the last time you said “no” in favor of relaxing and doing nothing? Do you often over-book yourself? What was the best part of your weekend?

This Week: Workouts, Countdown to Christmas & Things I’m Looking Forward To

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Good morning! Can you believe this is the last full week before Christmas!?! I literally cannot wrap my head around it. But, the good news is I’ve completed almost all of my Christmas shopping, which is half the battle, right? I plan on finishing up a few more things this week and then packing my car up so I don’t forget anything when I head to Maine.

I had some good workouts last week, however none really left me sore or “feeling it” the next day. Well, except for the workout I did in RM’s kitchen on Tuesday morning. I had to make the workout as quiet as possible and therefore eliminated most cardio, but whatever I did seemed to work!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I got up early and went to the gym on my own- a rarity, for sure! I ran 3 miles on the treadmill, completed my 1 minute of burpees and a few other upper body and core exercises. Although it’s never fun getting up and going to the gym at the 6am hour, I ALWAYS feel amazing after!

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  • Tuesday- I got up early (again) and worked out in RM’s kitchen, as it seemed as though that would be the quietest place. I did a lot of punches, squats, lunges, core work, etc. It’s amazing how versatile workouts can be. I didn’t want to do cardio and didn’t have any weights, yet I was still able to put together a workout that left me sweaty and sore the next days. The challenge on Tuesday was a lower body workout, so I did Booty Burner #2″ workout. Never fails to leave me shaky 😉
  • Wednesday- I only had time to run 2 miles before class, but I did most of my UXF Burn class as I liked the exercises I put together! The cardio blast between sets was killer.

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  • Thursday- I went to the gym near my office and completed a 15 minute HIIT workout before going to a total body conditioning class, which ended up being the same 45 seconds on, 15 seconds rest format that I did for my HIIT workout.

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  • Friday- Rest day, besides lots of walking. I also got up for some stretching which was a nice way to start the day.

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  • Saturday- I taught my cardio kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA. Per usual, it was a packed class with lots of energy! Thanks for coming, Mary 🙂
  • Sunday- Another rest day… cleaning was my source of active rest.

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I got some new lulu and was excited to try it out!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I’m subbing the 6:30pm cardio kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC. Happy to get some extra subbing in as I’m losing my UXF Burn class for 2 weeks due to the holidays 😦
  • Tuesday- I want to go to the morning Box 360 class at George Foreman’s boxing studio. Any fitness friends want to come? The challenge for Tuesday is to try a new workout class, so I figured this would be great.
  • Wednesday- A little cardio before teaching my UXF Burn class at the Central Square BSC. What should I teach?! Any new moves you’re loving?
  • Thursday- I think I have to do a day trip to Rhode Island for work, so I may try to get up early to get a little something in. Maybe rest. Maybe hit up a 6:30 cardio kickboxing class. We’ll see!
  • Friday- Today’s challenge is an upper body workout, so I’ll squeeze something in- maybe this 7 Minute Body Weight Upper Body Burner. I also have to go to a UXF Burn training for a few hours in the afternoon as they’re releasing a new format- can’t wait to see what it is.
  • Saturday- Teaching my last cardio kickboxing class of the year 😦 I can’t believe it! Come sweat with me and jam out to my Christmas playlist!
  • Sunday- Rest day, besides a core workout as part of my challenge.

Things I’m Looking Forward To

Although this week is busy with lots of parties, teaching and maybe another road trip for work, I’m totally in the Christmas spirit and am just excited! I also know that I have an extended vacation coming up shortly, so that’s helping me make the last final push of the holiday season.

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Are you trying out any classes this week?