Tag: New Balance Girls Night Out

NBGNO: Strength is Beauty & Oak Square YMCA “Oaktoberfest” 5K Discount Code

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Good morning! TGIF, right?! This week has been hella busy- anyone else? I wanted to pop in with a few quick fitness related updates and events because, although I’ve got wedding planning on the brain, this IS a fitness blog 😉

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I’ve talked about the New Balance Girls Night Out events before, but in case you’re new to B2B, here are those recaps:

My first New Balance Girls Night Out event
NBGNO Event- How to stay fit while on the road
2015’s First NBGNO Event
Shaking Things Up w/NBGNO

Last week the theme of the NBGNO was “Strength is Beauty”, which is something that I am so passionate about! I have participated in a few challenges focusing on positive body image (#bikinirebellion was my all time favorite) and follow so many empowering, strong, fantastic women who embody all of the wonderful things behind the notion of “strength is beauty”. I love New Balance because they are all for empowering women and their NBGNO events and new “NB Women” line are just two ways they do this.

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This was the biggest NBGNO event ever and over 50 cities also participated in the same event, which is really cool! Per usual, the night had 2 workouts to choose from: a run or a bootcamp workout with Paula Fonseca in Copley Square. I usually end up doing the run, but this time I was able to take the class. We used only our own bodyweight and a band but Paula really challenged us with the format and exercises! I really thought she was a fantastic instructor and not only did she do a great job of motivating us and keeping the energy up, she was really good at showing various levels so that the workout was doable for everyone- a very important quality in an instructor! Besides the tough workout, working out IN Copley Square was a pretty cool experience! We did solo stuff at first and ended with partner work- here are some photos I got from the NBGNO website:

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Such a fun workout- thank you Paula!

After the workout, we headed in for some food and drinks (they always do such a great job with this!), but sadly I didn’t take any photos!

Fellow Boston Blogger, Sherri hosted the event again- she’s a pro at hosting! She talked about what “Strength is Beauty” means to her and that there are 2 parts: mental/emotion and the physical. What I loved most was that she didn’t talk about being “skinny” or “too muscular” and she didn’t put a label on any physical appearance. Rather, she talked about how GOOD it feels to be strong and to look in the mirror and appreciate all that your body can do for you. I’ve talked about it before, but all too often we tend to look at ourselves and pick out all of our “flaws” instead of looking at those same things as GOOD things that make you who you are. I am so happy that I have made the MENTAL switch with regards to body image and that I now rarely look at myself and pick out my “flaws”. Instead, I look and notice my muscles and my strong body- and I am so proud of that! You should check out Sherri’s post for more inspiration on strength is beauty: Strength is Beauty

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New Balance is hosting ANOTHER event next Thursday, October 18th and it’s a breast cancer awareness event which is going to be really powerful. You can register here, but hurry! These events fill up fast!

Oak Square YMCA “Oaktoberfest” 5K

I wanted to share another event with you: the Oak Square YMCA Oaktoberfest 5K. I haven’t been able to run this race for a few years, but it is such a great, local event. I HOPE to be able to run it this year, but we will be on the Cape for Oysterfest so it may not happen. If I get up and leave at 8 I should be fine to get back in time to run it- fingers crossed! BUT, even if I don’t run it, the YMCA has asked me to create a “Burpees to Bubbly” team and I would love to have you join it! You can sign up here, just make sure to choose the “adult individual entry or join a team” and join Burpees to Bubbly. What’s even better? If you use the code BRIGHTON you get $5 off your race entry fee 🙂 Hope you sign up!

Questions for you: When’s the last time you had a girls night out? Do they usually involve working out or just wine? What does “Strength is Beauty” mean to you? Do you like to run 5K’s?

2015’s First New Balance Girls Night Out (NBGNO) Event

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In case you’re new to the New Balance Girls Night Out (NBGNO) events, let me give a little background on them: New Balance hosts these “girls night out” events about once a month as a way to get women together for a night of fitness, inspiration, empowerment and healthy eats and clean drinks. They range in topics and I’ve been to the #Laceup365 one in honor of breast cancer awareness month and the “healthy while on the road” one featuring the Westin’s fitness programs. Those recaps are here:

My first New Balance Girls Night Out event
NBGNO Event- How to Stay Fit While on the Road

This most recent 2015 kickoff event was something I was really looking forward to, not only because of the theme of the event, but because my gym/blog/in real life friend, Athena, was the host/emcee! The theme of the night was “Body Breakthrough” and as I’ve had a lot of discussions with Athena on this and ones she’s been having over the past couple of years, I knew she would do an absolutely fantastic job leading the event and sharing her story.

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Added bonus of the night? A bunch of our gym friends came!

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Wednesday Workout: NBGNO Event- How to Stay Fit While on the Road

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Good morning! If you’ve been following B2B for a while, you know that I am a BIG fan of staying active while on the road. I don’t think I’ve ever gone away without my sneakers and workout clothes packed because it’s really important for me to find time to get in at least a little movement in while I’m away. I love the way it energizes me and helps me “earn my treats”, as I like to say. I’ve given tips to on how to stay healthy while on the road before and I’ve shared multiple hotel room workouts as a way to show you that working out and eating healthy/making healthy choices while traveling CAN happen.

So, why am I talking about this topic again? Well, the New Balance Girls Night Out (“NBGNO”) event I went to last week was all about staying healthy while on the road and how Westin Hotels make that so easy. A few years ago, New Balance and Westin teamed up to make workout while on the road very doable. I experienced this while staying at a Westin in Atlanta. I took advantage of their running map/route, as well as the gym.

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Not only does the Westin provide you with a running route, but they also have their “pack light, stay fit” program, which allows you to borrow workout clothes, socks and sneakers when you travel. They wash the clothes and shoe inserts between uses and they let you keep the socks.

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And, don’t worry- you won’t be wearing crappy old gear- look at this stuff! They always have the newest sneaker styles and current clothes.

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Pretty awesome looking stuff if you ask me!

Anyway… back to the event! Caroline and Sherri did a FANTASTIC job hosting the latest- and final- 2014 NBGNO.

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After their introduced themselves and kicked off the event, we had the choice to join the Westin Run Concierge and Caroline for a run around the city or stay with Sherri and Chris, a Westin trainer, for a bootcamp. Since I fell and scraped up my knee pretty badly during the last dark Boston run, I opted for the boot camp.

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I liked how Chris explained what we were doing, why we were doing it, how it was beneficial and right/wrong ways to do it. He was super knowledgeable and I’ve changed my form on some exercises because of his tips. We worked in a 40/20 format where we did an exercise for 40 seconds and rested for 20 seconds. We did 4 different exercises, mostly focusing on core and glutes and holy moly my glutes were sore for 3 days!

After we finished our workouts, we were able to have food, drinks (have I mentioned how much I love events that offer free wine?!) and mingle with other attendees. Shortly thereafter, Caroline and Sherri shared more about Westin’s “pack light, stay fit” program, as well as tips they follow for staying healthy while on the road. I love that they asked the audience what are some tricks we do to make sure we get a workout in. Here are some that were shared:

  • Put your workout clothes, shoes, iPod, headphones, asprin (in case you’ve been out late the night before…), etc. next to your bed so that when you get up, you see it and can get dressed and to the gym before you realize you’re even awake!
  • Workout in the morning so that the day doesn’t get away from you before you realize you haven’t worked out.
  • Bribe yourself- say if you get to the gym for 10 minutes, you can have a glass of wine. Bets are that you’ll stay for 10  minutes once you’re there!
  • Workout in your room if you don’t want to pack your sneakers. On top of offering workout gear, Westin also has a partnership with Holly Perkins and you can do one of her workouts on the TV. This way you can workout without even leaving your room.
  • Print out workouts from your favorite fitness blog or write down a workout the night before. If I have a workout planned, I’m more motivated to do it
  • Take advantage of where you are. New city? take your workout outside and go for a run or walk. This serves as not only a workout, but a tour, too!
  • Make it fun by asking friends/coworkers to join you. I’ve even lead a bootcamp on a bachelorette weekend! I threw it out there assuming everyone would laugh at me, but you know what? Everyone participated. I think part of the reason why people don’t workout while on vacation or a work trip is because they think there isn’t time or that there isn’t a gym. Once you show them that there IS time and that you don’t need a gym, they’re always really happy to join you and so happy afterwards!

What do you think? Do you guys follow any of these tips? Do you have any that you can share with us?

Again, big thank you to New Balance for giving me the chance to participate in such a fun event. And thanks for another awesome swag bag!

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Questions for you: Have you heard of Westin’s “Pack light, stay fit” program? How do you stay fit/active/healthy while on the road?

This Week: Workouts, Preparing for the Spartan Fenway Race & Things I’m Looking Forward To

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Good morning and happy Monday! I’m so happy that by the time this post goes up, my workout will be done. Last week was a big week of workouts and between Boston MANIA on Friday and teaching on Saturday, I’ve been REALLY sore and physically exhausted. It will be nice to have tonight off and I may even end up resting tomorrow, too, pending on how I feel. MANIA was so awesome- I can’t wait to recap it for you!

Want to know what’s not-so-awesome, though? The fact that we got our start time for the Fenway Spartan Sprint and we got placed in the 12:10 heat even though everyone on our team signed up for the 9:30am heat. Normally I wouldn’t be that upset about it, but RM had already invited me to go to a Bruins game with him and his co-workers and the game is at 1 so clearly I cannot do both. We’ve emailed to try and get into an earlier heat, but they said they are totally sold out. I really don’t want to skip the race all together because I paid around $120 for the ticket, so I’m planning on just going earlier- by myself- to race. I mean, they can’t deny me a spot if I’ve paid and they have to be able to squeeze me into an earlier heat…right?! A girl can hope….

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I did 15 minutes of cardio before subbing the cardio kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC.
  • Tuesday- I went to my second New Balance Girls Night Out event at the Westin Copley. This time, we had a choice to do a bootcamp or go for a run, and since my run in the dark the last time didn’t end so well, I opted for the bootcamp. It wasn’t the type of bootcamp you traditionally think of (no cardio), but I was very sore for the next few days since it was mostly glute/leg focused.

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  • Wednesday- I ran a 5K on the treadmill before teaching UXF Burn. We had a BIG crowd, including SIX guys- it was so fun!

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  • Thursday- Thursday’s have turned into my rest days and I’ve been enjoying having a day during the week where I don’t have to pack my gym bag and know I’m just going home after work. This past Thursday I was especially lazy- Danielle and I sat on the couch, watched tv and ordered pizza. it was awesome!
  • Friday- I did about 4 hours of working out at MANIA. I can’t wait to recap it for you guys- I learned SO MUCH and I got to workout with Chris Fretag, which was pretty cool.

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I had a sweat mark in the shape of a heart!

  • Saturday- Even though I was super sore, I was able to make it through my kickboxing class at the YMCA. We had a big crowd!
  • Sunday- Nothing! I was super sore when I got up so I was very happy it was a rest day. I did clean and RM and I went shopping, which was good because it helped release some lactic acid and alleviate some soreness.

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I will have taught my Muscle Work class and have done some cardio after by the time this goes up.
  • Tuesday- I’m not sure what I’m going to do for a workout. It likely depends on how sore I am. Maybe a bootcamp, maybe some light cardio, maybe some yoga?
  • Wednesday- Probably a run before teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday & Friday- I’m not what I’m going to do these days. I don’t think I’ll workout on Friday since I have the Spartan race (hopefully, anyway) on Saturday and want to have fresh legs for it. I’ll probably try to get to the gym during lunch on Thursday.
  • Saturday- HOPEFULLY running the Spartan race. I will be so upset if I can’t run it 😦
  • Sunday- Rest day!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

This is a fun week for me- my dad is coming down on Tuesday to pick my mom up at the airport so he asked if he could come visit me at work since it’s on the way. I’m excited to show him around and get to hang out for a bit- it’ll be a nice change from my usual lunch break 🙂 I’m also excited to go to the Bruins game on Saturday… I haven’t been yet this year!

Questions for you: What was your best workout last week? Have you run a Spartan Race? Do you think I’ll be able to sneak my way into an earlier heat? What are you looking forward to this week?

 

This Week: Workouts, Fitness Events & Things I’m Looking Forward To

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Good morning! How’s your Monday treating you so far? I’m gearing up for, yet another, big week. Lots of fitness events and teaching are going to keep me fairly busy, but you know what? There could be worse things 😉

Tuesday night, I’m able to participate in another New Balance Girls Night Out event, which I’m SO excited about. This time, there are 2 workout opportunities: a run and a bootcamp. Seeing as though it will be dark out and I don’t have great luck running in the dark, I think I’m going to opt for the bootcamp. Can’t wait to see some of my Boston blogging friends 🙂

The other fitness event I’m contemplating attending is MANIA. I went to 2 days last year and loved it, but considering I just got in an accident and will have some extra expenses based on that, I’m not sure it’s the best way to spend my money. I can only go on Friday, so I’m going to look at the schedule to see if there are courses that would interest and benefit me. I learned so much last year, so I have a feeling I’ll end up going. Any other instructors planning on going at all?

Last Week’s Workouts

I had some great workouts last week. I taught 4 classes, went to a class, ran outside for the first time in a LONG time (holy quads the day after) and generally felt pretty strong and excited to workout. The only day where I felt like I should have skipped the workout was Tuesday. By the end of the day I started feeling kind of crummy… stuffing, eyes hurt, super tired. Yes, I realize those are all signs that should have lead me to skip my workout, but it was a class I love going to and I figured I could just push through it. I did the class, but I could tell my energy levels weren’t there. Lesson learned! I’ve been much better about resting and listening to my body, but I’m clearly not entirely there yet- some day!

  • Monday- I taught my 6am Muscle Work class and then did 10 minutes of the stair stepper after. The class was a good mix of strength, cardio and core so I didn’t feel like I had to do much after… I really did those 10 minutes to catch up on my social media 😉
  • Tuesday- I went to my favorite instructor’s bootcamp at the Wellington BSC. Unfortunately, I didn’t think the class was anything special, but it was still nice to do a workout I wasn’t teaching!

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  • Wednesday- I ran a 5K before teaching UXF Burn. I incorporated some Halloween moves and it was a fun class!

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  • Thursday- Thursday was my rest day- I walked for 20 minutes during lunch and then walked to and from the T later that night to meet my friend, Liz, in the city for drink.
  • Friday- I worked from home on Friday since I had a dentist appointment in the morning so I was able to go for a run around my neighborhood. I ran 3 speedy (for me) miles and finished with a whole bunch of core, upper and lower body exercises. I was sore on Saturday from the run, oddly enough.

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  • Saturday- I subbed for the other instructor, Missy, since it was her birthday on Friday. There was a great crowd, including some of my “front row” and we worked super hard!
  • Sunday- Another rest day. I was actually pretty sore from Saturday!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I’m subbing the 6:30pm Cardio Kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC- if you’re in the area, come sweat with me.
  • Tuesday- I’ll do a bootcamp workout for the New Balance GNO event- can’t wait!
  • Wednesday- Probably a treadmill run before teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- Rest day
  • Friday- Probably going to MANIA, which means I’ll be doing about 3 hours of working out… maybe more… I’m not mad about it!
  • Saturday- It’s my regularly scheduled Saturday to teach at the Oak Square YMCA… I’m going to a wine fest later that day, so if you plan on coming, be prepared to help me earn all those wines 😉
  • Sunday- Rest day #2

Things I’m Looking Forward To

This is another fun week for sure- between subbing, the NBGNO event, MANIA and teaching my cardio kickboxing class, I get to be surrounded by other fitness loving people and that makes me really happy 🙂 I’m also excited for the wine fest on Saturday with a bunch of my girlfriends. We went in March and had a blast, so I’m sure this year will be no different. We have reservations at Stephi’s on Tremont after which is another thing I’m looking forward to. Lastly, I’m excited about a quiet Sunday with RM- we have a million recipes we want to try, including homemade yogurt, nut milk and nut butters, so hopefully we can tackle one of those!

Questions for you: What was your best workout from last week? What are you looking forward to this week?