Tag: Running

This Week: Workouts, split workouts and things I’m looking forward to

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Good morning and happy Monday. If you’re lucky enough to have today off, please don’t tell me… I’m very jealous. I don’t know if it’s because work has been a little stressful lately or what, but I feel like I’m in major need of a day off. Unfortunately, today is not that day for me- oh well!

Do you guys ever split your workouts up based on time? For instance, run in the morning and lift after work because you don’t have enough time to do your full workout in one sitting? I don’t generally do this, but I’m not opposed to it because I think that if you have certain goals you’re working to that requires you to be doing “X” amount of cardio and lifting in a day/week, sometimes it’s necessary to split up your workout to get it all done. I’ve heard of people splitting up their miles if they are training for a marathon so that they run 10 before work and 10 after since they don’t have enough time to do 20 at once.

Last week, I didn’t split up my workouts by doing part before work and part after, but I did split them up by days… does that count? I totally ate sh*t during the New Balance Girls Night Out run last week and tore up my knee quite a bit. While it was an external injury and not an internal one like a twist or anything, it was still rather painful on Thursday. I was so annoyed because otherwise, I felt physically ready for a tough workout; I didn’t feel like I needed rest. But, since my knee was swollen a little and it hurt to bend it because the skin was so raw, I physically knew I couldn’t do anything that required any bending. I ended up doing a 20 minute walk with 10 push-ups, slow mountain climbers & flutter kicks at the benches in the park as I approached them and then did a series of upper body and core super-sets back in my apartment. On Friday, I did the cardio I had wanted to do. Does this mean I didn’t “rest” as much as I’ve promised myself? Technically, yes, but since I worked entirely different things between the days and it was a circumstance where I didn’t feel like I needed extra rest, I think it’s ok. Thoughts?

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I did some push-ups and crunches during the day and then I went to a class at Flywheel. Christina was amazingggg and I left there feeling beat!
  • Tuesday- I went to the Lynnfield BSC for a quick strength session before teaching a stations workout at my bootcamp. We all agree class flew by- I’ll post the workout for you this week hopefully.

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  • Wednesday- I had a sub for my UXF Burn so I could finally attend one of the New Balance Girls Night Out events. So happy I did- it was such an awesome night! I ran with Sarah of Blonde Bostonian and we covered 4.6 miles. I totally wiped out at the end of the run. Woof.

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  • Thursday- As I mentioned above, I really wanted a tough workout on Thursday, but my bum knee had other plans. I did some upper body/core super sets and went for a walk.
  • Friday- My knee was still not great, but it wasn’t as swollen or painful as the day before so I headed to the BSC during my lunch break and ran 3 miles. As I mentioned on Instagram, I wasn’t sure if I needed retail therapy or a workout to help relieve some stress/anxiety and since spending money would probably just add to those two things, I chose the gym. I felt so much better after!

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  • Saturday- I finallyyyy taught my kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA. It was a smaller crowd, but it felt good to be back. I was SO SORE on Sunday from it… I don’t usually get sore from kickboxing, but I think since I hadn’t taught it in 3 weeks, my muscles weren’t used to it.
  • Sunday- RM and I went for a nice 40 minute walk since it was so beautiful out.

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I’m subbing the 6:30pm Cardio Kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC. If you’re around, come join me!
  • Tuesday- I’m teaching my bootcamp in Wakefield.
  • Wednesday- I’ll probably run before I teach UXF Burn at Central Square.
  • Thursday- I’m holding a bonus bootcamp since everyone wasn’t ready to be done on Tuesday.
  • Friday- Maybe a lunch break workout depending on how I’m feeling from the week. Otherwise, I’ll rest.
  • Saturday & Sunday- I’m going to the Cape for Oyster fest with RM and some of his family and friends, so I’m not sure what my workouts will look like, if anything.

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I’m excited to be teaching a lot this week- I only taught twice last week! I’m also excited to see my friend Tim who will be in town for work. Lastly, I can’t wait to head to the cape for a little weekend getaway filled with good food, good drinks and good people 🙂

Questions for you: Do you ever split your workout up based on time? If you have to cut your workout short, what do you usually skip out on? What was your best workout last week? What are you looking forward to this week?

 

This Week: Workouts, toning it down & things I’m looking forward to

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Good morning and happy Monday! I think I’m still recovering from the weekend… Saturday and night ended up being a little too fun 😉 Before I get into the workouts, I wanted to say THANK YOU for all your kind words after my post last week where I talked about my workout addiction. It’s never easy being honest about that kind of stuff, but I really feel like I’m on a better track now. I noticed last week that I didn’t have the feeling like I normally do about working out as much and as hard as I can. It was a weird feeling to be more relaxed about my workouts and to understand that taking it down a notch won’t make me lose all of the hard work I’ve done, but in fact, it will likely aid in making those gains better. Giving my body rest will allow me to feel rested and energized during my workouts on non-rest days. I know it will take some time to get used to it, but my goal is to give myself TWO rest days a week. Sure, I can go for a walk or do some light yoga, but I want to be able to let my body relax and rest and hopefully have fewer injuries.

So, with that said, let’s talk about the workouts I did do!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- My knee was feeling better, but I still wanted to take it easy. I went to the gym and did 40 minutes of cardio followed by some upper body and core work. I also did push-ups and stability ball crunches throughout the day.

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  • Tuesday- Tuesday was the first intense workout I did in almost a week! I taught my bootcamp and holy moly I was sore for 3 days. To say we did a lot of lunges is an understatement 😉
  • Wednesday- I did 15 minutes on the elliptical before teaching UXF Burn. I didn’t do much of the workout because I was so sore from Tuesday.
  • Thursday- I decided to give running a try. I ended up doing 4 miles at a moderate pace. I went out with the mentality that I would just see how it felt and only go as far as I could while still feeling ok. The 4 miles flew by and I felt great. No pain during or after! And, look at these little 5 week old snuggle bugs that I met… I died a little.

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  • Friday- Rest, besides a 30 minute walk during lunch
  • Saturday- I had a pretty intense day of workouts thanks to the #BosFIT event. I’ll share more on that later, but I did 30 minutes of “Bags and Beats”, 30 minutes of BollyX, 30 minutes of spinning and 30 minutes of Barry’s Bootcamp. Yikes! It was awesome!

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  • Sunday- Another rest day! I wasn’t sore from Saturday, which was kind of surprising, but I knew I had worked my body pretty hard so I gave myself rest.

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I taught my 6am Muscle Work class and did some light cardio after.
  • Tuesday- Teaching my bootcamp
  • Wednesday- Maybe a run or some other cardio before teaching UXF Burn
  • Thursday- Not sure. I’d like to get to a class maybe?
  • Friday- I would love to get in a workout during lunch. RM and I are getting massages after work so I feel like working out before that is a good idea because they can massage my tight muscles.
  • Saturday & Sunday- These may be my rest days this week. RM and I are celebrating our 1 year first date anniversary (can’t believe it’s been that long!) and are supposed to go to the Cape early on Saturday so I think I’ll rest.

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I’m SO looking forward to spending the weekend with RM. Because of our schedules, we haven’t spent a weekend together since my dad’s birthday in mid-August. I miss our weekends together and this one is even more special since we are celebrating our anniversary.

Questions for you: How many rest days do you take a week? What was the best workout you had last week? What are you looking forward to this week?

This Week: Workouts, Preparing To Move & Things I’m Looking Forward To

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Good morning! Happy Monday! Although I love getting my workout in early on a Monday morning, I was thankful for the extra sleep this morning. After an incredible weekend celebrating Sheila and Bryan, to say I’m still recovering is an understatement. I can’t wait to recap the day, but until then, let’s get back on track this week!

I had planned on taking this week off from the gym, but between subbing, teaching and moving, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. Hopefully it will soon. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it on here before, but I’m moving upstairs to the second floor apartment in my building this weekend! I’m SO excited to be out of the “garden level” unit (aka, basement). It’s a 2 bedroom and my sister is going to move in with me for a few months until she and her friend get a place of their own. While I love living alone, it will be nice to have her live with me for a bit (plus, the help with rent is never a bad thing 😉 ). So, it’s an exciting week, but moves- even just upstairs- are never easy, so it will definitely be a long and tiring few weeks getting settled in!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I was home in Maine and ran 3 miles before doing the Shapleigh Corner Circuit.
  • Tuesday- I taught my second week of my outdoor bootcamp. It was SO humid… I literally looked like I had just gotten out of hot yoga!

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  • Wednesday- I ran 3 miles before teaching UXF Burn. It was a fun class!

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  • Thursday- After work I ran 4 miles and did some strength stuff in the outdoor gym at Piers Park. I did a full, unassisted pull-up! woohoo!

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  • Friday- I wasn’t feeling great, but knew I needed to get some fresh air so I walked a brisk 2 miles and did feel better! After, I did 25 reps of a bunch of different strength exercises before hitting the road to go to the Cape.
  • Saturday- I got up and ran 4 miles before the wedding festivities started. It was super overcast, super humid and misting a little… it was not very pleasant, but I did it! I also danced my butt off… literally! I haven’t danced that much in a LONG time. It was awesome!

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  • Sunday- Nothing. I hadn’t rested all week and my body was just sore and tired!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I’m subbing the 6:30 Cardio Kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC!
  • Tuesday- I’m teaching my bootcamp at 5:15.
  • Wednesday- I’ll do some cardio before teaching UXF Burn at 6:30. There’s a chance I may not teach, but it’s a very small chance. I’ll update my Facebook page when I figure it out!
  • Thursday- I’m taking the day off from the gym to move the bulk of my heavy stuff into my new place. RM is going away this weekend for a golf tournament on the Cape and therefore won’t be able to help over the weekend so I want to get the big stuff moved beforehand.
  • Friday- Not sure- I may go running or to the gym during my lunch break. I have to help my sister move her stuff that night so I don’t want to do anything TOO strenuous.
  • Saturday- I’ll be teaching the 10am Cardio Kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA. Hope the crowds are bigger now that summer is technically over.
  • Sunday- I’m not sure! Maybe a walk or jog with my sister?

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I think this week will definitely be stressful, but hopefully it goes smooth and we get settled quickly! I’m excited to see my parents again and have their help- my mom has always been the person who has made my bed when I move and has set up my kitchen, so it wouldn’t be the same if she wasn’t here to do that this time! RM asked if I wanted to go to the driving range at Granite Links, so if I get a sub on Wednesday it will be fun to do that with him!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Did you try anything new? What are you looking forward to this week? What’s a tip you have for a smooth move?

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

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Hi there! I hope you all had a great weekend… a great long weekend for those of you who had yesterday off! I spent it in Maine and it was just what I needed after a big week of teaching. The past couple of weeks/month have been much lighter on the workout front- both in length and in teaching. And you know what? I’m ok with that! It was a hard adjustment to make- that whole slowing down thing is really hard for me- but after having a week where I taught 6 classes in 5 days, I’m reminded of just how physically and mentally demanding that type of schedule is. It’d be one thing if I didn’t have a full time job, but after an 8+ hour work day, teaching that many classes, for me, at this time, is just too much. I’m sure last week won’t be my last week of a big teaching schedule because I love subbing and sometimes it just works out like that, but it’s a good reminder that I made the right decision by dropping some classes!

I only have 3 “real” days this week since I had yesterday off and am taking Friday off for Sheila’s wedding, which normally is a good thing, but this week I feel like I have so much to cram in in such a short amount of time! I’m moving next weekend and have done zero packing- whoops! Oh well. It will all get done, and the beauty is that I’m just moving up to the second floor so I can move things up in small shifts! I think I’m going to take a break from working out next week (besides my teaching) so that I have ample time to move throughout the week.

But, let’s get to the workouts!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I taught my 6am Muscle Work class and then ran for 10 minutes on the treadmill. RM and I went for a walk later that evening, too.
  • Tuesday- I taught my first outdoor bootcamp in Wakefield! We had so much fun… or at least I had a lot of fun. There were 3 ladies and they rocked it- I can’t wait to throw new things at them this week!

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  • Wednesday– I ran 20 minutes before teaching, and doing, my UXF Burn class at Central Square. With the 90* temps, it was not the most enjoyable run, but I went out without my Garmin or Map My Run and just went for time. It was nice to not do anything but run! In class, I threw in some new core moves that I made up and was happy to see that they left me a little sore!

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  • Thursday- I subbed my old SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing classes at the Central Square BSC. I’d heard bad things about the guy who took over my classes (I’ve taken one of his classes and thought he was a total jerk, so I can’t say I’m surprised), and was sad to see that there were only 5 people for SHRED and 6 for Kickboxing. I hate hearing that the numbers have dropped so much 😦

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  • Friday- I rested besides a little walk to run errands.
  • Saturday- I taught my Saturday kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA. I was afraid it was going to be a very small class, but there ended up being about 20 people- not bad for Labor Day Weekend!

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  • Sunday- Another rest day, besides filming another set of cardio kickboxing videos– can’t wait to post them for you!

This Weeks Workouts

  • Monday- Yesterday we all were up early so I headed out for a 3 mile jog and finished up with a short strength circuit and some core work with my mom!
  • Tuesday- I’m teaching my outdoor bootcamp again- can’t wait!
  • Wednesday- I’m teaching UXF Burn at 6:30 at Central Square and will probably do some cardio beforehand.
  • Thursday- I’m not sure! Maybe a class at PUMPS, maybe kickboxing at Wellington, maybe my own workout?
  • Friday- I’ll workout before I head to the Cape in the morning. Probably kickboxing if I don’t do that on Thursday night. Or a running bootcamp workout.
  • Saturday- I would love to do something before Sheila’s wedding. She doesn’t think she will have time to join, but maybe some of my other friends will?
  • Sunday- Probably a rest day after the wedding festivities 😉

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I am SO excited for Sheila’s wedding!! Sheila is one of the funniest and fun people I know and I am positive her wedding will be nothing less than an absolute blast. And, when all my SMC girls get together, it’s never a bad thing! I’m also excited to see the boyfriend… we haven’t seen each other since last Tuesday, which is a really long time for us. I missed him!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Did you have Monday off?

This Week: Workouts, B/Spoke Review & Things I’m Looking Forward To

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Good morning! Did you guys have a good weekend? Mine seemed extra long because it was kicked off by going to the Red Sox game on Thursday night, but I’m not complaining!

Last week was a pretty solid week of workouts- a good mix between at-home stuff, teaching and GOING to classes- one of my favorite things to do!

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A while ago, I was invited to take a class at a new indoor cycling studio in the financial district: B/Spoke. It’s been a LONGGG time since I’ve taken an indoor cycling class, so I was really excited to get back “in the saddle”, as they say. I reached out to my friends Athena and Caroline to see if they wanted to join. Sadly, Athena had wedding planning plans, but Caroline was still able to come so that was fun! I also invited my friend Megan to come since they offer a free first class.

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As soon as I walked in, I was greeted with smiling faces and asked my shoe size. I love that all these studios provide shoes- I hate wearing non-spin shoes on those bikes now that I’ve seen what it’s like to wear them. It really makes a huge difference in your ride! I was also given a free water- never a bad thing! They have elastics, ear plugs and gum- free of charge- as well.

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The studio is a little cramped in places, but they definitely made the best use of the space that they could by offering lots of locker space and a nice bathroom area. The showers were stocked with fancy shampoo, conditioner and body wash, they had towels to use and soap, q-tips, and other necessities to make getting showered and ready after class a breeze. The only thing I wish they had was more bathrooms, but it seems to be a common thing to only have a few of them at these types of studios. I guess I’m just used to big gym locker rooms.

Ok, enough about the building and amenities, how about the class, right?! I actually loved it! The room was the right size- not too big, but big enough to fit a crowd of people.

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They keep the lights down low so you’re forced to just be in the moment and focus on your ride rather than looking around at everyone else. Caroline, Megan and I were front and center, which is where I generally like to be when I take classes, but not always when I’m in a spin class since that’s not my forte. However, I didn’t feel like a fool or like I couldn’t keep up in this class- maybe I didn’t push myself hard enough? I felt like I was working hard, but when we finished I felt like I could’ve done another ride. I was actually a little sad it was over. I must have definitely not pushed myself hard enough 😉

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The instructor was really great, though. She wasn’t annoying or boring- she was the perfect mix of bubbly energy and hard-core “push yourself” type of instructor. I’m fairly critical of instructors these days, and she passed the test for me. We chatted after and she was super sweet. I loved her choreography because we were hardly in the saddle, which is my least favorite place to be! We did lots of booty drops and oblique work and then the arms song left my delts screaming!

All in all, I really liked the class and would love to get back there. You really can’t pass up a free first class, so if you’re looking to check out someplace new, I suggest getting your bums over to B/Spoke. Take a class with Natalie- she was great!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I went to B/Spoke. Before I went, I filmed my 7 Minute Body Weight Upper Body Burner and did this workout from Pumps & Iron. Loved it!
  • Tuesday- I went to a Chisel class at my new gym. The instructor was awesome!!! I loved her energy and southern accent and it was overall just a great class. I used a lot of moves in UXF Burn on Wednesday.
  • Wednesday- I ran 3 miles on the treadmill before teaching UXF Burn. We worked hard… like really hard. Lots of back to back shoulder exercises and leg stuff and cardio. For the cardio blast, I took Nicole’s format from this post, but did a 5 minute AMRAP of the 4 different stages of a burpee and at the end just had them do 1 round of 10 reps of the 4 stages. They loved to hate it 😉 The crowd is definitely growing now that I don’t teach there on Thursdays anymore. And, now that I don’t teach on Thursdays anymore I have LOADS of energy when teaching my Wednesday class. No holding back anymore!

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  • Thursday- I was given tickets to the Sox game on Thursday night so I got up and did 30 minutes of kickboxing in my kitchen before going to work. I hadn’t done any kickboxing in 3 weeks- I was sore on Friday!
  • Friday- I went to the Lynnfield BSC during lunch and kicked my butt on the UXF turf- no cardio, but my heart rate was up the whole time!

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  • Saturday- I finally taught my kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA. I missed that crowd so much!
  • Sunday- Rest day 🙂

This Week’s Workouts

    • Monday- I taught my Muscle Work class at 6am today and did some cardio after.
    • Tuesday- I plan on going to a Core Fusion Cardio Exhale Spa. I have 2 free class coupons to use by the end of the month so I’d like to take advantage of it!
    • Wednesday- I’m either going to do a double or run before teaching UXF Burn.
    • Thursday- Not sure! Maybe the cardio/strength fusion class at PUMPS? Maybe kickboxing at Wellington? Who knows!
    • Friday- I’m going to a Barry’s Bootcamp workout/event at Revere Hotel with my gym friend Jen. I can’t wait!
    • Saturday- Probably rest day since RM and I are getting up early to head to Maine for my dad’s birthday (and a beach day).
    • Sunday- Not sure- maybe a jog or walk in Maine?

Things I’m Looking Forward To

What I’m most looking forward to this week is going home to Maine on Saturday- I haven’t been home since FATHER’S DAY, which is unheard of for me! My dad is turning 65 on Saturday so it worked out perfectly for us to get up there for a beach day and celebration for him. I’m also looking forward to having a quieter week and hopefully not drinking during the week. I know it’s summer and summer brings about reasons for social gatherings more so than during the winter months, but I’ve just realized how often I’m having a casual cocktail multiple nights a week at this point. I know it’s not a big deal, but I just like to have the week as a detox from drinking.

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Have you been to B/Spoke? What are you looking forward to this week? Do you drink during the week?