All the feels {why i fight}

April 5, 2017Leave a comment

I am still feeling all the feels after the event/class I lead at the New Balance Global Flagship store in Brighton through my connection with MoveWith. If you remember, I wrote all about my first MoveWith experience here. Since then, I’ve taught two more, including the one last week.

Going into this event, I knew I wanted it to be just that: an event. Not just a workout, but rather an event where I could offer more than just a sweaty 45 minute session. When I spoke with the manager at the beautiful new New Balance Global Flagship store in Brighton, I knew that I would be able to achieve my “event” idea if I hosted the class there. It’s a big store so there would plenty of room for a big crowd, a DJ and product samples. I was hoping for 25-30 people, so I was totally blown away with the fact that 39 (!!!) signed up.

As the day got closer, I had a mix of of nerves and excitement because everything was really coming together. But, as soon as people started showing up, my nerves went away and all I felt was excitement. The fact that so many people showed up was so amazing. Some people I knew, but many I didn’t. Some people were friends from college, friends of friends, friends from the gym, friends from my office and friends/contacts I’ve made through blogging, and many from New Balance. But, what was so amazing was that everyone showed up smiling and ready to work. I couldn’t help but smile because of this- heck, even as we were halfway through the kickboxing aspect, people were STILL smiling!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- the fitness community in and around Boston is really wonderful. So many people make fitness a priority in their day to day and this shows by how many people an event like what I did last week can bring to it. These people- ranging in age, fitness levels, gender, likes and dislikes- all came together for a 45 minute fitness class, many of them likely not really knowing what to expect besides my short write-up in the event page on MoveWith.

And, while this can be a bit intimidating for instructors because we, also, have no idea what to expect in terms of what levels people will be at, it’s also something that gives me so much drive, energy and passion. It puts my teaching abilities to the test, gets me out of my comfort zone and really reminds me why I love to teach. As for many of us fitness instructors, we teach the same classes week to week and similarly, the same base group of members come to our classes week after week, so it gets to be familiar. It gets to be comfortable. Which is great, but it also doesn’t challenge us the way new classes and new groups of class participants do. I always feel like I leave these types of classes with a new perspective on teaching, and a new pep in my step.

So, I thank MoveWith, New Balance and everyone who came out last week for giving me so much happiness from the 45 minutes we were sweating together. Also, a huge thank you to DJ Sprino, who is THE BEST DJ in Boston, especially for fitness events, Purity Organics, DRINKmaple and Larabar. I’m already working on my next event there, and rumor has it, we’ll take Burpees to Bubbly quite literally 😉 Save the date for May 10th- more information, including a signup page, will be blasted soon!

Happy, Healthy, Fit Challenge: Recap & Winners

December 30, 2014December 29, 2014Leave a comment

For those of you who made it through the entire challenge- nice work!! If there’s one thing I learned throughout this process, it’s that challenges are hard to sustain for 3-4 weeks. I know that I lost a lot of my challenge mojo right around the 2 week mark, so if you can relate- know that you’re not alone! The thing though, is that I don’t care if you did 2 days, 2 weeks or 24 days- I was just happy to see you participating even a little bit! The goal of each challenge was to make you happier, healthier and fitter- whether by food choices, movement choices, good deeds, etc.- I wanted you to move through the craziest month of the year with some purpose and deliberate choices that made you more present in each and every day.

In my 2 week check in, I shared how I went about each challenge, which was a fun way for me to take a look back and in turn, get motivated for the final push. But, I think what I enjoyed most about the challenge was seeing YOUR check-ins. I know it can be challenging to take photos of everything and post on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, but seeing your creativity with the challenges and seeing you DO them and participate with me and the others was incredible. You guys pushed me to continue and give it my all, so I thank you for that.

I’m here today to share the “winners”, but I put that word in quotations because everyone who participated was really a winner. You took the time out of your busy schedule to do something to better yourselves or others and that is worth a big pat on the back! Although I asked you to check in and post on social media how you were going about each challenge so that I could see who was participating, even if you were holding yourself accountable with your own tracking sheet that’s totally fine. We are all motivated differently and that’s what is so fun!

But, with that said, I have to give a big shout out to Lauren Hudak and Courtney Iacocca- congrats, ladies! You are the winners of the challenge.

Lauren is my downstairs neighbor and I’m so fortunate that we have been able to become friends over the past year and a half. She has run a number of marathons (super fast, too!) and was afraid that this challenge would interfere with her training. After I explained that it wasn’t a fitness-only challenge, she decided to participate and throughout the 24 days challenge, she did not miss a single day and posted photos each day of her participating in the. What I loved about Lauren’s participating was that she often included co-workers and friends to take the stairs, go for a walk and bring lunch. Her posts and challenge executions (weird word to use, but had a writers block!) were so thoughtful and deliberate and even after long days at work, she would still make it a priority to move and release some stress.

Courtney and I work together and I had the chance to get to know her when she participated in my bootcamp back in the fall. I remember her emailing me saying she wanted to just try one class and go from there since she wasn’t “good” at working out. Well, the day after our first class, she came into my office and paid for the full 4 weeks saying she loved it and felt so welcomed and able to do everything we were doing. This made me SO happy, so you can only imagine how happy I was when she decided to participate in my challenge. Courtney had to travel for a few days and still got in her workouts and other challenges. She tried a new yoga studio and has made it part of her routine to get there when she can. She tried new recipes and learned to grease the baking sheet better 😉 She paid it forward by giving her tow guy a Starbucks gift card. Courtney’s enthusiasm throughout the challenge was so awesome- congrats, friend!

To refresh your memory, the prizes are as follows:
New Balance has been gracious enough to donate 2 awesome gym bags! I don’t know about you, but I can NEVER have too many gym bags. This one looks like a great size, too!

**DRINKmaple has also agreed to provide each winner with a 2 pack of their Pure Maple Water drink. I was luck enough to get a chance to try a sample and I have to say I really enjoyed it! I’m not a big coconut water fan, so this was a great substitute.

**A caddy of 16 mixed larabar bars. Larabars have been a longtime favorite bar of mine- have you tried them? Most of the flavors are made up of only a few ingredients, which is key for me. When I look at ingredient labels of other bars, I’m always astounded at how many ingredients there are! A 16 pack should keep you happy for a while 😉

**Lastly- a customized workout and/or workout video from me! The workouts I post on my blog normally may not be what you’re looking for, so with this, you can tell me exactly what you like/don’t like/want to work on and I can go from there! I can even do a real time workout video for you to have and use.

SO, Lauren and Courtney, please email me at burpeestobubbly@gmail.com with your addresses and I will get your information over to the companies so they can ship you your goodies. Also, please include what type of workout you’d like me to create for you: video, HIIT, strength, core, full body, super sets, time workouts, stations, etc. Take a look at my workout page if you need some ideas on what you’re looking for!

Again, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who participated. I was so happy to see friends from college and the gym, as well as friends from the blog world participating- you ladies did awesome! And, if you’re interested in another challenge, let me know 🙂

Happy, Healthy, Fit: 2 week check-in & prize announcements

December 18, 2014December 16, 20143 Comments

Good morning! I wanted to pop in quickly to see how the Happy, Healthy, Fit Challenge was going for those of you who are participating. I know I tend to lose some steam after the initial “newness” of a challenge wears off, so in case anyone else is like me, hopefully we’ll all get amped up again to finish off the challenge with a bang! The biggest motivation thus far has been seeing YOUR check-ins, posts, pictures, emails, etc. The fact that I’ve got so many of you participating along with me is sometimes just what I need to check off a challenge for the day. Let’s recap!

Week 1

Push-up challenge– You guys. No matter how many push-ups I do, they never seem to get easier! With that said, this was tough!

Take the stairs– I may only be on the second floor, but I made a lot of trips up and down as I forced myself to use the bathroom on the first floor.

No Equipment Workout- I did this body weight workout and loved it!! Looks simple enough, but it kicked my butt!

Give a compliment- I complimented one of my associates on her sweater and complimented my downstairs neighbor for her involvement with charities and a Christmas toy drive.
Pay it forward- Ha! I was so nervous for this challenge. I’ve always thought it was cool to buy someone a coffee or a drink or pay their toll, but I had never done it… at least for a stranger! My first experience was a little rocky, as there were misunderstandings, but I was able to pay for the person behind me so it all worked out.

Full body workout- I went to the baby gym at the Exeter Inn and completed some running, walking and weight lifting.
Go through your clothes & donate- Well, the clothes may still be sitting in the back of my car, but I did go through my draws and closet on the day of the challenge! It always feels good to weed through some clothes and remove what I don’t wear anymore.

Week 2

Burpee challenge- Love this one, of course 😉 Rocked them out in the 6am hour after a run
Lower Body Workout– I did this booty burner workout. Gets me every time!
Bring your lunch to work- I packed it, although I ended up finishing at my client site early so I ate it at home. That counts, right?

15 minute HIIT workout– I did something similar to this HIIT workout

Morning yoga/stretching/foam rolling– This was such a nice way to start the day! I really should try to do it more often because not only is it great for my body, but my mind, too!

Donate– I kept thinking I would see a Salvation Army stand or get asked at a store, but sadly, it never happened. We did, though, donate from the back of a ketchup bottle, which was to support Veterans.
Try a new recipe– I didn’t get a chance to try a new recipe from a book, but I DID make these beauties- interested in me putting together a recipe?

Ok, SO! Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, who wants to know what the prizes are for the top 2 participants?? Here’s what goes into picking those people:

Active engagement on Social Media! It’s easiest for me to see you participating when you do this and it also creates a group atmosphere. You can do this by posting on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Remember to tag me (@Burpeestobubbly) and use the hashtag #happyhealthyfit !
If social media isn’t your thing, feel free to email me or comment on any post letting me know you’ve participated.
How many challenges you’ve completed- I have a tracking sheet that I’m updating based on check-ins, so, again, if I don’t know you’re participating, you won’t get proper recognition and credit 😦

And for the prizes….
New Balance has been gracious enough to donate 2 awesome gym bags! I don’t know about you, but I can NEVER have too many gym bags. This one looks like a great size, too!

All I need you to do now, is comment below or in some other form (twitter, instagram, facebook, email), telling me how many challenges you’ve completed up to this point- I’ll check back in at the end 🙂 Stay strong for the remainder of the challenge- we’ve only got a handful of days left!!

Color Me Rad 5K

August 2, 2013August 1, 20136 Comments

This past weekend, I ran the Color Me Rad race, which was held out in Brockton, MA. When I first signed up for the race, I didn’t really pay attention to details because if I had, I am not sure I would have signed up for a race out there! Brockton is certainly NOT Boston, but luckily, Lauren’s friend Amy offered to drive us. Since it had been a crazy busy week for me, I felt completely unprepared for the race for every aspect except for the actual running part. I am typically a very organized (Type A, for sure) person who has all the details and times and locations mapped out and planned for accordingly, but for this race I just didn’t have the time or energy to be on top of it. Many thanks to Lauren for picking up our race bibs and packets and to Amy for offering to drive!

Friday night I packed my bag, laid out my clothes and sneakers and set my alarm for 6:45 on Saturday morning. Thanks to some blog readers, I learned to wear my crapiest workout clothes (ie: no Lulu and definitely not my newest pair of running sneakers!) and bring a twel for the ride home. My roommate was gracious enough to give me a white tank as I wanted to ~~shamelessly~~ promote my blog decorate it with a “Burpees to Bubbly” note. For putting this together in the car en route to the race, I don’t think it came out half bad!

I deleted the photo by accident and only have a copy from Instagram, but I couldn’t copy and paste it, so click on this link to see it: Color Me Rad Shirt

We got to Brockton just around 8am, which was plenty of time before our 9am heat started. What do you do with extra time before a race? Take pictures, of course! 😉

It turns out that they were not very strict about runners starting in the specific heat they were assigned to, which was awesome for us since we were there and ready to go much before 9am. After pre-race necessities were completed (finding safety pins, going to the bathroom, taking pictures), we got in line to start with the 8:30 heat.

Not long after we started the race, we went through the first color station. This station was throwing powder color at us- look how crazy it is to see all the color floating in the air! Not gonna lie- I was a little weirded out by it!

I didn’t end up getting much color on me at this station, but it totally got me in the spirit of the color run theme of the race!

I can’t say that the course of the race was overly scenic or fun; we ran partly through the fair grounds and then around a huge parking lot which actually made for the most boring race course I’ve ever run on. Luckily, there were so many walkers/runners that I was able to do lots of people watching to keep me entertained! Even though the course wasn’t interesting, the race flew by! Before I knew it, we were rounding the last bend and were handed powder color packets to open as we crossed the finish line!

Post race, we had to take the obligatory “after” photos. I didn’t get overly covered in color, but I can’t say I was that mad about it! While we walked to our meeting spot, I checked out some of the vendors. I was pleasantly surprised with how many vendors made an appearance at the race! Naked Juice, Vita Coco, and larabar (just to name a few) were all there so me, being the hoarder that I can be when free stuff is given away, grabbed everything I could grab! 🙂

After we finished getting our swag, we walked back to the car, tried to remove whatever paint-covered clothing we could and headed back to Boston. I can’t speak for the other girls, but I had a hell of a time getting the color off my skin when I took a shower! I had to use an intense loofa and I am pretty sure I ended up scraping off the first couple layers of my skin in order to finally get the color to come off! No wonder why I got a little bit of a sunburn when I laid out by the pool later that day; I took off all my base tan skin layers! 😉

Overall, I thought this was a really fun race! It was the first race I’ve ever run where there wasn’t a timer set up! For me, being the Type A, numbers-focused person that I am, this was a foreign concept! Why would I run “for fun” rather than trying to get a new PR (personal record)?!

Well, I quickly realized that it was because this race WAS for fun and that I would look silly going out there and giving it my all. With that being said, I tried to soak it all in and enjoy the experience and I think I did a great job at that! I ran without focusing on my watch to track my speed, without my music to keep me going and without feeling like I had to keep pushing myself since the clock was running. And, you know what? It made for a very enjoyable race!! It was a nice change to go out there with a carefree running attitude and it was fun getting to run with friends! Many thanks to Lauren and Amy for doing the race with me- what’s the next adventure going to be?

Questions for you: Have you ever run a color run? What’s the best “fun run” you’ve ever done? Do you like tracking your time while running or do you prefer running for fun?

I want to sign up for a Spartan or Warrior Dash- has anyone done one of those??? Which would you suggest?

Burpees to Bubbly

Because good workouts deserve bubbly rewards!

Tag: Larabar

Happy, Healthy, Fit Challenge: Recap & Winners

Happy, Healthy, Fit: 2 week check-in & prize announcements

Color Me Rad 5K

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: