Tag: Cardio Kickboxing

Weekending: Local 149, drink maple. review, Quick Trip To Maine

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This past weekend was just what I needed: a good mix of some girl time, early nights, Maine and family time. The only thing missing was time with RM… whomp, whomp.

Friday night, the Shapleigh girls were supposed to have a girls night, but Rachel ended up being sick and couldn’t join 😦 Danielle and Amy and I still decided to go out, though, which was a nice way to unwind from the week. I’ve been DYING to get to Local 149 in Southie, so I was so happy when we decided to go there. I have to say, it totally lived up to my expectations! We started with wine and then ordered a number of apps- it wasn’t the healthiest meal I had all week, but it was damn good! I can’t wait to go back.

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Saturday I taught a great kickboxing class, but only one of my “front row” girls was there! Where were the rest of you girls??

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From there, I headed up to Maine. Mom and I met for lunch at Mill 67 which is a new restaurant built in an old mill building right on the water. I loved everything about it! The atmosphere, location, service, food and wine. We shared the Warm Kale Salad and Tomato and Basil Pizza.

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What I loved about the restaurant’s menu was that it was all locally made/grown and they offered gluten free options (even pizza dough… which we didn’t do because I wanted regular pizza). I can’t wait to go back.

Father’s Day was low key, but I think it was just what dad wanted. We went to church then picked up some fried seafood for him and sat on the patio. I hope he had a great weekend!

On my way back to MA, I stopped by my friend Caitlin’s house hoping to catch the tail end of her son Tucker’s 1st birthday party. Sadly, everyone was gone, but it was good to catch up with her- even though it was too short of a visit!

drink maple. Review
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A few weeks ago, I was contacted drink maple. to see if I wanted to try their product. When I read about it, I decided I would take them up on their offer! Here are some stats from their site:

maple. is pure maple water is a natural refreshing, hydrating water with a hint of maple flavor. It contains fortifying vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, antioxidants, prebiotics and is naturally low in calories. We tap maple. straight from the tree and bottle it with absolutely NOTHING added. It is the perfect way to hydrate and nourish your body the same way it nourishes the maple trees. DRINKmaple.

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After going to see Fed Up!, I’ve really tried to cut back on unnecessary sugars and be more away of labels and what’s in the food and drinks I’m putting into my body. Post workout, I’m always looking for something to help me rehydrate, but the normal drinks I turn to: Vitamin Water, Gatorade, Propel, etc., are filled with sugars and other ingredients that I can’t read or understand. The only thing in drink maple. is pure maple sap- love that!

So, after class on Saturday, I decided to check it out.

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The verdict? Initially, I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to, but after a few sips, it started to grow on me. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the flavor, but more that it was weird drinking a lightly flavored drink without fiz! I ended up saving half and putting it in the fridge at my parents and decided I like it better when it’s nice and cold, rather than cool like they suggested. I want to get my hands on some more of this because I really think it’s a great drink to have after a workout! Thanks for letting me try it out 🙂

Questions for you: What was the best part of your weekend? Have you been to Local 149 or Mill 67? What did you do for Father’s Day? Have you heard of drink maple.?

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

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Good morning! I’m here! On a Monday! I can’t believe I only posted TWICE last week. I wanted to post, I really did, but the time just wasn’t there. I really tried not to stress about it because at the end of the day, I blog for FUN, not because I have to or because it’s a job… I do it because I love it and if there are weeks when I can’t fit it all in, blogging sometimes just has to be the thing that goes to the back burner.  I’m happy to be back this week, though- I love sharing things with you!

Speaking of being busy… I totally “hit the brick wall” on Thursday night. I think between ending my job, starting a new one, going away… all while still teaching and working out and blogging… I just hit my limit. Changing jobs isn’t just hard because it’s a new schedule to get used to, it’s hard because it’s mentally and emotionally draining. So far, I’m totally loving my new job and the people I work with, but the days are long! I’m up at 6 or 6:30 every day to start work at 7 or 7:30- Thursday’s I leave the house at 6:30am and get home at 8pm- no wonder why I’m tired!

So, with that said, I spent my weekend home in Maine to relax and recharge- it was perfect!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I took a rest day on Monday since we were flying back from Miami and I wanted to sleep instead of workout.
  • Tuesday- I ran 4 miles after work and then did a 20 minute core workout. Felt great.

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  • Wednesday- I ran 3.5 miles and then taught my UXF Burn class. I did most of the class with my members because I loved the workout I planned. I was SORE on Thursday.
  • Thursday- I taught fun superset workout with a new cardio format I stole from Athena, which everyone loved. Thanks, girl! My kickboxing class was small, but it was a good one!
  • Friday- I took another rest day on Friday. I was really sore from my workouts earlier in the week.
  • Saturday-  I taught my cardio kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA. The summer (smaller) crowds are the norm these days, but it’s ok- we still got in a good (and super, super sweaty) class!

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  • Sunday- It was such a beautiful day when I got up that I decided to go for a run. I just did a 20 minute run then did exercises like walking lunges and squats up and down the driveway, burpees, pushups and some standing ab exercises. Solid workout!

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I’m finally back to teach my Monday morning Muscle Work class. I’m excited to be back!
  • Tuesday- I will probably run after work and then do some core stuff.
  • Wednesday- I will NOT be teaching my UXF Burn class! I have a work bowling outing in the afternoon so Kate will be subbing… she knows to kick your butt like I do 😉 I’ll either workout before work or go to the gym during my lunch break.
  • Thursday- I’ll teach SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing
  • Friday- Rest day since I’m subbing both Saturday and Sunday
  • Saturday- I’m subbing the 10am SHRED class at the Central Square BSC- I hope my regulars from Wednesday and Thursday come 🙂
  • Sunday- I’m subbing the 9am UXF Burn class at the Allston BSC- hope to see some familiar faces there!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

Even though this week is another busy week, it’s all fun stuff! Monday night I am going to dinner with RM’s sister-in-law. She is just a year older than me and we get along really well, so it will be fun to catch up over some food and drinks. Wednesday is my company’s bowling outing, which will be fun because I’ll get to meet people and hang with all the people I already know. Friday night my plan is to swing by my friend Jen’s place for a drink on her porch and then Saturday RM and I will head up to Exeter, NH for a party at Christy and Jaime’s. On the way home, I’ll swing by Liz’s for a gym friends BBQ. Finally, my friend Jess is having her baby shower- Jack and Jill style- at the Shake Shack in Harvard Square on Sunday, which should be a blast. I’ve been looking forward to all of these things for a while!

Also! I wanted to give you a garden update! My dad was so sweet and make the trip down to my apartment last week to do the planting for me. Look how good it looks!

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He’s making me a map of what is planted, but I know he did kale, green beans, carrots, onions, peppers, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts.. and I think something else. I’m so lucky that he is a. so good at gardening and building stuff and b. he wants to do it for me. I’m seriously SO excited for everything to start growing this summer so we can have lots of fresh veggies to eat!

Questions for you: How were your workouts last week? What was your best one? What are you looking forward to this week?

This Week: Workouts, New Job & Things I’m Looking Forward To {MIAMI!!!}

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Good morning! I’m about to head out for my first day of work at my new job- eek!! On top of starting a new job, this week is a little crazy since the boy- let’s refer to him as RM from now on since those are his initials- and I are heading out to Miami for a little long weekend getaway on Friday. Have any of you ever been there? Where should we eat? What should we do? We aren’t looking for a hectic vaca- we really just want to chill out and- gasp- relax! What a thought, right?! It’s not necessarily the most convenient time to be going away with starting a new job and all, but this was planned well before the job thing happened so I’m just going with it 🙂

But, since I have 4 days until I’m on vaca, let’s focus on workouts. My workouts last week were a little all over the place, and the same will probably be the case this week.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Since I ran on my planned rest day last week, Monday ended up being a rest day, more or less. My sister and I went for a nice, long hour long walk all around Eastie- it was awesome!
  • Tuesday- I was able to go to a 10 am class at a nearby BSC since I wasn’t working . I was looking forward to it because I’ve heard the instructor is really good, but sadly, I was not a fan. I didn’t like the class at all, actually- the instructor had weird music with vulgar language and kept yelling things like “BURN FAT!!! BURN CALORIES!!! DON’T THINK ABOUT QUITTING- PUSH YOURSELVES”… and I just wasn’t a fan!
  • Wednesday- I went to the East Boston YMCA and ran for 20 minutes on the treadmill (also ran there, which was .6 miles), walked for 10 minutes and completed 2 circuit workouts (see below). It was a good workout even though I wasn’t feeling good (stupid allergies!). I also taught my UXF Burn class and tried to not do much of the workout since I had dinner plans with my sister after.

Complete 3 sets of 10 reps in set 1 and then the same for set 2:

Set 1:

BOSU Push-Ups

Opposite Knee to Elbow Plank

Standing Weighted Side Dips

Upright Rows

Set 2:

BOSU Squats

Standing Oblique Twists on BOSU

Underhand Grip Rows

Triceps Kickbacks

Thursday- I taught my SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing classes. In SHRED we did a format I haven’t done in a while: 5 minutes lower body exercises, 5 minutes cardio, 5 minutes upper body exercises, 5 minutes cardio, 5 minutes combined exercises and 5 minutes core. It was good- perhaps I’ll post it for you!

  • Friday- Since I had not been feeling well all week, I decided to rest on Friday. I did walk a ton- probably 3 miles, but nothing else. I got a massage which was wonderful!
  • Saturday-I taught my cardio kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA and I think it was a good one! Sad I won’t be there for 2 weeks now 😦
  • Sunday- I ended up running 6 (!!!) miles… with an 8:13 min/mile pace!! I planned on doing 3 or 4, but felt great and the weather was perfect so I kept going. I haven’t run more than 5 miles since the fall of 2008. I also did a little circuit halfway through my run consisting of: 10 reps and 4 rounds of push-ups, tricep dips, plank with opposite knee to elbow crunch, in & outs and side planks with hip drops (right and left). Solid way to round out a run!

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- To start my first day of work out on the right foot, I will get up and workout in the morning. If I’m sore from my run yesterday, I’ll do some light cardio and then just lift.
  • Tuesday- I would love to workout in the morning again so that I can have the afternoon off to get stuff done for my upcoming trip: pedicure, packing, etc.
  • Wednesday- I’ll head to the gym after work to teach my UXF Burn class. Hoping I won’t have an issue with traffic.
  • Thursday- I will teach SHRED and Kickboxing- I’m stressing about the traffic situation, though. I think my hours will end up being 7:30-4:30, but I’m not sure an hour is enough time to get from Wakefield to Central Square that late in the day. I may have to do a 7-4 shift or something those days. I’m not sure what my first week will be like, but they do know my teaching schedule so hopefully it won’t be a problem!
  • Friday- I may get up and do a little core work/stretching/yoga before we head to the airport (9:15 flight), otherwise it will be a rest day.
  • Saturday/Sunday/Monday- Not sure! I’d love to get a workout in- either a run on the beach or a quickie workout in our hotel room or the gym, but I’m not going to stress about it. I’m really going to focus on relaxing and going with the flow and if a workout isn’t something I feel like doing, I’m not going to stress about it or force it!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I’m not really sure if I’d say I’m looking forward to starting my new job (more nervous than anything!!), but I am looking forward to getting back on a schedule and seeing how things will be. Let’s face it, though, what I’m looking forward to the most is a little R&R weekend getaway to Miami! I’ve never been before and have heard mixed reviews (we chose Miami because it was the most affordable flight option), but for what we are looking to do: sun, beach, pool, drinks, dinners- it will probably be perfect!

Questions for you: Have you ever been to Miami? Any restaurant suggestions? How do you fit workouts in when you travel? What was the best workout you had last week? What are you looking forward to this week? I love to hear from you 🙂

This Week {A day late}: Workouts, week off and things I’m looking forward to

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Good morning! It feels weird posting my Monday post on a Tuesday, but I wanted to spend my day with family yesterday since I was only in Maine for a short period of time. I hope you all had a great day off (if you had one off). I’m feeling pretty fortunate this week as I have the WHOLE WEEK off. Technically, I guess it’s kind of like I’m unemployed since I’m not getting paid, but that’s ok… the new job is right around the corner now!

It’s funny, last week I had half of Wednesday off and all day Thursday and Friday and on Thursday, it wasn’t even noon before I felt bored and lonely. I have issues! The time off is good, though. I’m so busy all the time with work and teaching and blogging and being a girlfriend (<—- did you see that?! woahhh!) and a friend and a sister that I forget what free time feels like. After a few days, though, I get in my groove and appreciate it so much. A little downtime every once and a while is such a wonderful thing, and something I think most of us don’t do enough of. We have so many “obligations” that get in the way.

One fun thing about more time is that I have more flexibility with my workouts… and way more energy to do them. I was laughing last week after my Thursday double because I had so much more energy than normal. It’s not like I have a physical job during the day, but I think the fact of getting up and out of the house early, working all day and going straight to the gym just wipes me out!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I did another lunch break workout at the gym in my building. I’m so sad that I won’t have that luxury anymore 😦
  • Tuesday- I got up Tuesday morning and ran a 5K before work. I also did some core work… and something else, but I can’t remember what it was!
  • Wednesday- I actually went to a class! I know the instructor who teaches before me on Wednesday is intense so I figured I would check out her class before teaching my own. It was a really great class and totally challenged me. UXF Burn was also a fun class- we worked hard and did LOTS of burpees.
  • Thursday- I taught a stations circuit class in SHRED and then taught cardio kickboxing. It was great to have lots of energy to get me through both classes!
  • Friday- I got up and attempted a workout but didn’t get very far. Looking back, it was a dumb move. I was tired and sore and should have just slept or foam rolled, but instead I got up and tried to push myself until I realized: a. I didn’t have it in me and b. I was too sore. I knew I likely wouldn’t be working out on Sunday so I wanted to get something in on Friday, but since I did a double on Wednesday and Thursday, working out on Friday was not necessary. It’s all about quality over quantity, but stupidly, I had quantity over quality on the brain. Although I’m good at giving advice of listening to your body and not over doing it, I have a hard time following it myself. There are times when I just need to know a crappy workout isn’t the right choice. Oh well.
  • Saturday- I was finally back at the Oak Square YMCA for my cardio kickboxing class and it felt great! There was a pretty good crowd considering it was a holiday weekend.

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  • Sunday- I wasn’t planning on working out, but the boy and I were in the Twin Mountain area in NH and I was wide awake and bounding with energy (he was sleeping off the booze from the night before…) so I headed out for a 3 mile run and my standing ab workout. I feel like I just did that workout but yesterday my core, especially my obliques, was so sore!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- My sister and I went on a nice hour long walk throughout East Boston.
  • Tuesday- My plan today is to go to a 10am class at the Wellington BSC.
  • Wednesday- I’m going to dinner with my sister after teaching UXF Burn, so I will workout during the day at some point and just instruct in my class.
  • Thursday- Teaching my double: SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing
  • Friday- I bought a deal for a massage at Exhale Spa, so I would like to book a massage on Friday. Before the massage, I’d like to take a class- either a Core Fusion Cardio or maybe a yoga class?
  • Saturday- Teaching my second Saturday in a row at the Oak Square YMCA- yay!
  • Sunday- I will be in Maine (Zeke turns 1 on Saturday so I’ll be up there for the birthday party!) so I may go for a run or a walk.

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I’m looking forward to having time off! On top of that, time off with no real plans. It’s the weirdest feeling to know I don’t have to get ready for a week of work, packing lunches, planning out my days, etc. This week I hope to get caught up on lots of blog posts that I’ve wanted to write, as well as make other blog updates that I generally don’t have the time to make. I can’t wait to finally get a much needed massage- I shouldn’t push that to the back burner so often. Lastly, I’m excited to go to Zeke’s first birthday party on Saturday. I cannot believe he is already 1!!!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Do you ever go for quantity over quality when it comes to workouts? What are you looking forward to this week?

 

This Week: Workouts, increase in running mileage and things I’m looking forward to

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Good morning! What a gorgeous weekend we had, right?! It’s amazing what a good dose of Vitamin D, warm weather and outdoor cocktails can do for your (my) mood. Another thing good weather is for? Running outside. This past week, I amped up my running for some odd reason. I’m not one for running more than a couple of days in a week, but it felt good this week so I ended up running 4 days! It’s definitely not my favorite way to workout, but sometimes my regular workouts get boring and I need to change things up.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I taught my 6am Muscle Work class and then did 30 minutes on the elliptical after.
  • Tuesday- I ran 5 miles after work!!! I’ve been capping my runs at 4 miles lately and decided it was time to amp it up a bit. It wasn’t my fastest mile times, but it felt pretty good.

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  • Wednesday- I ran 3 miles along the Charles before teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- I taught SHRED (which left me SO sore) and then Cardio Kickboxing. I almost had a meltdown because I realized I forgot my socks and teaching for 2 hours sans socks would’ve been a really miserable experience. Luckily, a random (seemingly normal and hygienic) lady in the locker room volunteered an extra pair of clean socks to the cause- I was so thankful! She forgot her sports bra, but unfortunately I didn’t have anything to give her there.
  •  Friday- Friday’s are usually my rest days but since I wasn’t teaching on Saturday and was going to a surprise birthday party that night, I decided to workout. My plan was just to run 2 miles then do yoga, but I ended up running 3 miles and then doing about 20 minutes of yoga and my standing ab workout. I was sore before I worked out and even more sore after. Whoops!
  • Saturday- I did A LOT of manual work with my dad. He came down to start my garden for me and I lugged so many heavy bags of soil mixes and wood and shoveled so much- phew!

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  • Sunday- I went for another run- 4 miles this time- with and average of 8 min/mile, which is pretty fast for me. I also did some core work.

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- My plan is to do a strength workout during my lunch break since I won’t have access to the gym for much longer (more on that later!). I’m not going to do cardio today since last week was cardio heavy.
  • Tuesday- I have plans after work (going away party for work- again, more on that later!) so I’ll get up in the morning and probably run and do core work.
  • Wednesday- Running and then teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- Teaching SHRED and then cardio kickboxing.
  • Friday- Likely a rest day or yoga day. I don’t think I’ll have to work so that means I have plenty of time for something.
  • Saturday- I’ll finally be back at the Oak Square YMCA for my cardio kickboxing class- I missed you guys last week!
  • Sunday- Probably nothing. I think I’ll be in NH Saturday night and then heading to Maine on Sunday for Memorial Day weekend.

Increase in Running Mileage- how much is too much?

Last week I ran 15 miles, which is more than I’ve run in a long time. I get a little nervous about doing that much running in a week because I’m afraid of getting injured (and since I’m still teaching my regular fitness classes). I’m by no means a “runner” and have developed injuries in the past when I’ve run too much, but lately I’ve really been enjoying it. I think part of the reason is because I’ve had a lot on my mind and running is a good way to zone out and think about things. It’s also been fun to see how my speed changes depending on whether I run at night or in the morning and I’ve been pleased that, for the most part, my speed keeps increasing. I’m not sure how long I’ll keep at it, but for now I’m just soaking it all in.

Things I’m Looking Forward To

Phew. Lots of stuff this week! I’m looking forward to having some time off at the end of the week and celebrating with work people after work on Tuesday. I’m also looking forward to Memorial Day weekend. The boy and I are going to his Uncle’s birthday party/pig roast on Saturday and then we will head up to Maine on Sunday for a BBQ at my parents house (I think!). It will be nice to be around friends and family and really kick off the summer. I just hope the warm, sunny weather is here to stay 🙂

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Are you a “runner”? What’s your advice for increasing mileage and/or speed in a way that avoids getting injured and not overworking yourself? What are you looking forward to this week?