Tag: InterContinental

Weekending: A busy, but relaxing weekend {Tia’s, visitors, beach day, Bostonia, soaking up the sun}

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Hi there! How are you today? Anyone have this week off? I’m hoping to take Thursday off, which would be a nice addition to the long weekend!

If you’ve been reading B2B for a while, you’ve probably noticed how busy I’ve been- both during the week and on the weekends. This past weekend, although I had a lot of plans and did a lot, was relaxing on it’s own because I didn’t have multiple back to back plans that required me to hop around a lot. Besides Friday night, the rest of my weekend was totally mine for the taking, and it was the best feeling!!

Friday Night

My friend, Tim, was in town for a conference so we were able to align our schedules for Friday night. We tried to get a few more co-workers (former co-workers for me) to join us, but it didn’t work out. My sister ended up being around, so it was fun to have her join us! We started out at Tia’s because it’s the best place for after work drinks in the summer.

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I had zero intentions of going “out-out”, but between the weather, it being a Friday and being out with my sister and Tim, it ended up being a bit of an “out-out” night. Whoops! 😉 After Tia’s, we headed to Granary Tavern for a drink then to Warehouse for the last drinks. Although I woke up on Saturday feeling like I had had one too many wines, it was totally worth it!

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Saturday

After kickboxing on Saturday morning, I treated myself to a much-needed pedicure.

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Once I got home, I packed up and headed to meet my sister and her friends at a beach in Southie. I was expecting a bit of a sh*t-show beach scene with lots of loud, drunken people, but I was pleasantly surprised by how quiet and calm it was!

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After a brief nap, I agreed to a Bud Light Lime- I’m not a big beer drinker, and definitely not a Bud Light person, but there’s something about BLL’s that I just love so much! Perfect beach drink if you ask me 😉

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Saturday night was date night for RM and me. He had a gift card to Bostonia Public House, so we figured it was a perfect night to try it out. He parks at the Intercontinental Hotel and when we realized how nice it was outside, we decided to swing by their outdoor bar for a cocktail before dinner.

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We joked that it felt like we were back in Miami- I had been at the beach all day and he had been golfing and we were catching up over cocktails at a hotel bar. It was a fun “staycation” night!

Dinner at Bostonia was amazing!! We, of course, shared a few different things: Organic Baby Spinach Salad, Berber Spiced Pork Ribs, French Fries (I was craving them!) and the Scallops. They’ve got a whole Gluten Free menu which was a nice surprise!

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Everything was absolutely delicious! We both found ourselves continuously raving about the food with each bite! I don’t usually eat to being really full, but that night I left there with a very full, and very happy belly!

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Such a fun date-night! I loved being able to be out and about in the city!

Sunday

I ended up sleeping until 9, which is unheard of for me! It felt amazing 🙂 Once up, I did some yoga and core work before having a protein pancake breakfast with RM (gluten and dairy free).

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After breakfast, we went for a nice, 45 minute walk throughout Eastie. It’s a nice little thing we’ve been doing- we don’t need to be sitting on the couch all the time- a little extra is always a good thing 🙂

Later in the day we went to his brother and sister in law’s new condo to use the community pool and then had a delicious BBQ at his mom’s house. It was a perfect Sunday… and weekend, for that matter!

Questions for you: What did you do this weekend? Where’s your favorite summer bar in Boston? Have you been to Bostonia Public House?

Ps! My gym friend/in real life friend/blog friend, Athena got engaged over the weekend and I couldn’t be more happy for her and Tim! They are such a great couple:) congrats again, lady!!!

Birthday Week!

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Hey everyone! TGIF,right?! Remember how I said the week wasn’t going by slow? Yeah, I was so wrong. As soon as I wrote that, my weekly drastically slowed down and I felt a day ahead. But! Good news is that it is Friday! Birthday weekend officially kicks off at the end of the work day today. Woohoo!

Catching up…

Wednesday was a great workout day. Actually, the whole week has been awesome. I have been pleasantly sore all week, which hasn’t happened in a while so I must be doing different things this week that has “shocked” my body. Love that! Before class, I managed to run 3.25 miles. Nothing like being a sweaty beast before class even starts:)

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I taught UXF, but was able to incorporate some moves from Wednesday’s April Arms Challenge workout. I switched up the moves a little bit, but we got it all in!

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(Took this from Sunday’s 3-2-1 circuit. New favorite move!)

007(We just did side lunge and biceps curls, so I switched it to an isometric side lunge & 1-armed triceps extension. 30 seconds each side, 3 rounds)

008(Finishing off class with 3 rounds of 30 second wall sits & hammer curls, followed by 30 seconds of high knees)

The whole trip home (I have to get back on the T and then take a bus from Davis… really not that fun), I brainstormed what I could throw together for dinner. I am usually good at having enough leftovers from “Sunday Dinner” to get me through until Thursday, but not this week. I ended up throwing together a Caprese Omelette, which, even though it didn’t look that good, tasted delicious and was just what I wanted!

011Birthday’ing

Yesterday, my friend/coworker took me out for a birthday lunch at Miel which is the French restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel (remember when I went there for a massage?). French cuisine is my absolute favorite (I blame it on the sauce and cheese that accompany every meal!), so I was really excited about this lunch. JP got the French Onion Soup to start and he said it was delicious (I mean, how can it NOT be delicious when it looks that cheesy and gooey?!)

015I usually get the Cobb salad, but yesterday I splurged on the Croque Monsieur. Best.Decision.Ever.

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And, no birthday is complete without dessert, right?

019This was a flourless chocolate cake and it was to die for! I am usually not a huge fan of flourless things, but this was amazing! I was thankful that I was teaching a double after work! haha

As for today, I am not digging the gloomy weather! I just hope it’s nice for tomorrow since I am celebrating my birthday at the Brahmin and want to wear my birthday dress without freezing to death. Tonight is the first night I am NOT teaching, and, I just don’t really know what to do with myself! I am pretty sore from workouts this week, but since it’s mostly my lower half, I’ll be fine to do today’s A.A.C. workout… and maybe some light cardio? Who knows!

I’ll check back in soon! To all my other April Birthday Buddies, I hope you’re having a great month!

Questions for you: What is your favorite cuisine? What is your favorite restaurant? Any good workouts to share this week?

What a weekend!

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Hi everyone! Happy Sunday!

Today has been a wonderful day, but before I get to that, let’s catch up on yesterday.  Last night, I was finally able to babysit my favorite kiddos! I met their mom when we used to take yoga together every week (miss that!!) and for the past 3 or so years (might even be more), I have been able to babysit her kids every couple of months. Well, between work and teaching classes, my schedule hasn’t really allowed for much free “babysitting” time, so I am happy that we were able to coordinate last night. I got this from Lila and it totally melted my heart

004So sweet.

Long overdue…

I have been in dire need of a massage for SO long. Between teaching 5+ classes a week, commuting to work (carrying too many heavy bags), and an overall busy lifestyle, my body was screaming for some relaxation. I put a poll out on Facebook to get recommendations for good spas in the Boston area and my cousin and his wife both suggested the Intercontinental Hotel. I couldn’t be more thankful for that request!

Since I knew I had access to the hotel’s facilities all day, I headed over around 9:30 this morning so I could get in a workout prior to my 11am appointment.

008I started off with 32 minutes on the elliptical (my legs were TIGHT from my run yesterday) and then set up a circuit to run through. I swear, new gyms with fun “toys” make me way too happy.

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015If you have access to a box (or step with lots of risers), BOSU & Kettle’s (or a weight), you can totally do this!

For Time- Complete 4 rounds of the following circuit in as short amount of time as possible (while maintaining good form)

  • 10 Box Jumps
  • 10 Weighted Squats on the BOSU
  • 10 KB Swings (go heavy!)
  • 10 BOSU Burpees
  • 10 Russian Twists (use weight or a Dynamax ball)
  • 10 Plank Rotations

Let me know if you try it! I didn’t have time to finish 4 rounds, but if you push yourself and give this your all, you’ll definitely be huffing and puffing!

After my workout, I rinsed quickly and then slipped into the softest, most comfortable robe ever!

009My masseuse was wonderful. As soon as I walked in, she asked if I had any injuries or any areas of tension. My right shoulder has been bothering me lately; I think it’s overuse, which is so frustrating. I told her about this and she said she could see how my left shoulder was scrunched up and my right shoulder was looking more limp… I didn’t even notice this, but as soon as she brought it up, it totally made sense. Iris did a phenomenal job paying special attention to that shoulder and did lots of different things to increase the range of motion and rotation. She said that my left shoulder was actually more tight than my right because it was overcompensating for the right. I think it is SO interesting to learn about how muscles work and how one little thing can affect many other things.

Anyway! Iris gave me lots of tips and stretches to perform on my own with the hopes of nursing my shoulder back to normal in no time. When I go back (yes, WHEN… I definitely plan on going back in the next couple of months), I am going to ask for Iris again. She was wonderful!

IrisOh, there’s more! Not only was the workout & massage amazing, but the showers and products were to die for! I was a happy, happy girl… I smell so good now!

006My life is so hectic these days (brought on by myself, but still…), that I cannot tell you how nice it was to be in a serene “locker room” setting with nice products, soothing music… and no sweaty gym people:)

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To continue on with my “Mental & Physical Health Day,” I decided to splurge and grab lunch, too! Look at me… Really living on the edge now! My sister got me a gift certificate to Life Alive for Christmas and I have been dying to use it ever since.

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My friend Jess introduced me to this place after one of my classes in Central Square and I have been hooked ever since! I got the demi portion of The Adventurer and it was ahhh-mazing!!

018I mean, look at that thing! Corn, broccoli, beets, tofu, almonds, kale, quinoa & a dressing so good I think I could drink it (ok, maybe not DRINK it, but it was so good!). To finish it off, I grabbed a Paleo dessert.

016I have to say, I was pretty skeptical of these, but after one bite I was sold. These were delicious!

Phew! If you made it this far, THANK YOU! That was quite the wordy and picture heavy recap of the past 24 hours.

As for the rest of the day, I may take a walk while I think about what I want to use as my benchmark Dynamax workout since it’s beautiful out. Today has been such a great day… no rushing on my end, no stressing, good food & workout… and, best of all, total relaxation. Why don’t I do this more often?

Questions for you: When is the last time you had a “me” day where you pampered yourself? Favorite healthy food place? Let me know if you try the workout!