Tag: Running

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

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Phew! You guys- this past weekend was SO fun, but boy am I tired today. Although I like starting my Monday’s out by teaching my 6am class, I was thankful for the extra sleep this morning.

Although I had some good workouts last week, they were a bit on the shorter side… and I kind of liked it! I definitely miss teaching my Thursday double, but having 2+ hours of extra time after work is really quite nice. The thing is (and I know this is no surprise to all you fitness-crazed people like me), as long as you’re giving a workout your all, it doesn’t (and shouldn’t!) be an hour or two hour ordeal. Long gone are the days where I feel like I need to spend hours on various cardio machines at the gym, peddling away. Thank God!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Similar to most Monday’s when I teach: taught my 6am muscle class (which I’ve started to add in some cardio, too) and did 15 minutes on the stepper after class to catch up on my social media stuff 😉
  • Tuesday- I got up and ran a TOUGH 3 miles before the first day of our “All Hands” meeting. I also did my old walking/T riding commute into the city- I miss it, but don’t miss showing up to work sweating!

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  • Wednesday- I really didn’t feel like working out. I had gotten out of our meetings at 3 and then met up with RM for some shopping before heading home. The last thing I wanted to do was turn back around and head out to workout and teach. So much so that I made up random errands to run to eat time before my class started! It’s amazing, though- after a quick mile run on the treadmill before it was time to teach, I felt SO MUCH BETTER- so much energy and I was ready to go. Crazy how exercise can do that to you! I did most of my UXF Burn class with the members- it was a killer.
  • Thursday- I dilly-dallied and cut myself too short on time to get in the workout I wanted to do. Oh well- I ran a few quick miles and did 2 different sets of strength exercises: 4 exercises, 12 reps, 2 rounds. Done and done.
  • Friday- I ran 3.75 miles during lunch and finished with some core work. The weather was perfect for daytime running- sunny, but not too hot! I mentioned on Instagram, that I was really proud of how far I’ve come with running. Just a year or so ago my goal was to run 3.5 miles in 31 minutes… I’m crushing that time these days. I often forget to look at my accomplishments and be proud of myself; I’m always looking ahead at things I want to do, so it was nice to give myself a little pat on the back!

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  • Saturday- I taught my first class at my new gym, PUMPS, which is in Wakefield. It was a Chisel and Core class, but I just taught one of my SHRED workouts and it was perfect. I got really good feedback which is always a nice thing.

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  • Sunday- Rest day! I woke up and felt every muscle in my body from my workout on Saturday. It wasn’t a new workout, but for some reason it totally kicked my butt!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Tonight I am going to a class at B/Spoke indoor cycling studio with Caroline and my friend Meaghan. I haven’t been to an indoor cycling class in forever so I am really looking forward to it 🙂
  • Tuesday- I may go to a class at PUMPS after work or go to a class at Exhale Spa. I have a few free classes to use up before the end of August so my goal is to get to a class this week and next week.
  • Wednesday- Teaching UXF Burn and probably doing some cardio and core beforehand. I’m trying to incorporate more core work into my workouts as I’ve been slacking (and it shows!) lately.
  • Thursday- Same as Tuesday- either a class at PUMPS or Exhale… probably whatever I didn’t do on Tuesday.
  • Friday- Not sure! Maybe do a lunchtime run again, maybe rest.
  • Saturday- FINALLY back at the Oak Square YMCA for my kickboxing class- it’s been 3 weeks since I’ve last been there and I miss them!!!
  • Sunday- Either rest or some yoga or something light (only if I didn’t rest on Friday).

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I can’t wait to get together with Caroline and Meaghan- it’s so hard to fit everything in these days, that killing two birds with one stone (working out WITH friends) is a wonderful thing. I’m also looking forward to a normal week where I have time to make my lunches and do things after work. This weekend is my friend Kia’s engagement party in New Hampshire so that will definitely be a fun time. Sunday is RM’s nephew’s first birthday party, which will be a nice way to spend the afternoon. It’s nice being “around” for two weekends in a row!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Are your workouts shorter during the summer? What are you looking forward to this week?

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

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Good morning! How was your weekend? I was on the Cape with RM and some of his family (including two adorable little boys!) and although the weather was less than to be desired, we still had a great time. He and I grabbed a quick dinner at Jeveli’s in East Boston before making the trek to the Cape, which was smart because we avoided the 93 South daily traffic nightmare. The rest of the weekend was spent sleeping in (finally!), playing with the babes, drinking (lots of) wine, cooking and playing games- have you played Heads Up? SO FUN! I’ve mastered one of his mom’s ciambotta dishes, so I made that as well as some baked kale. Everything was so good and it was nice to be away from the grinds of the city for a little bit.

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Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- RM and I were still in Chicago, but we both got up for a little gym sesh first thing in the morning. I did 25 minutes on the elliptical before completing a little HIIT workout consisting of 15 exercises of 45 seconds on, 15 seconds rest. It was good!
  • Tuesday- I had all intentions of going to check out a class at a new-to-me gym, but since we got in really late on Monday night- errr Tuesday morning (1am style), I was exhausted and knew that if I wanted to food shop, cook dinner and get to bed at a reasonable hour, the workout had to go. I was very ok with that decision.
  • Wednesday- Since I wasn’t teaching my Thursday night double, I doubled up on Wednesday. The girl who teaches before me on Wednesdays teaches a killer class so it was fun to have my butt kicked. We did A LOT of burpees! I also taught my class after and did probably 75% of the workout.
  • Thursday- I went to a class at a new-to-me gym. It was actually a really good class- we did cardio (kickboxing!), weights and core work.

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  • Friday- I went for a 3.5 mile lunch time run and then did some core work (push-ups, planks, Russian Twists, Side Planks, etc.). I was happily surprised by how good the workout ended up being- all in a lunch break!

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  • Saturday- Mostly a rest day. RM’s sister-in-law wanted to workout with me so we ended up doing about 30 minutes of yoga/pilates/core work/squats in the living room. I was actually pretty sweaty by the time we finished!
  • Sunday- Initially it was going to be another rest day but by 12:30 I was getting antsy and starting to bug RM so he suggested that I go for a run, haha He’s always hell bent on making me rest so the fact that he was encouraging me to run was a nice change… I must have been really annoying 😉

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- By the time this post goes up I will have taught my Monday morning Muscle Work class and done some cardio. I know I always say this, but it’s so true: it sucks getting up but my Monday is so much better when I know my workout is done before 7:30!
  • Tuesday- We have an “all hands” meeting at the Boston Harbor Hotel on Tuesday and Wednesday so I’ll get up before that to get my workout in.
  • Wednesday- I might double up again, but I may just run before I teach UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- Not sure! Might go to that class that I went to last week again. We’ll see.
  • Friday- Probably a rest day.
  • Saturday- I’m subbing a class at the new-to-me gym that I’ve mentioned earlier in this post. It’s called Chisel, which I think is mostly a muscle class. I hope they like me!
  • Sunday- Not sure- maybe another rest day. My parents will be here so my mom may want to walk with me which would be fun.

New Gig

As I’ve mentioned, I may have a new little teaching gig. I know, I know. I just gave up my Thursday double because it was too much and here I am adding more on again. Don’t worry, though– nothing has been added to my schedule as a permanent class- I’m just on the sub list for now. The best part about the gym is it is literally at the end of the entrance for my new office, so it’s super convenient. It’s an all women’s gym called PUMPS and I love what I know about it so far. I have been to a number of classes and the instructors are great and the member base seems really dedicated. I’m excited about having a new place to workout and meet new people!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

This is a busy week, but I’m excited about it. I get to spend Tuesday and Wednesday at the Boston Harbor Hotel for a work conference with my entire company, which is a great way for me to meet more people. Tuesday night we are going on an Oddessey cruise around Boston Harbor, which is always a good time- I just hope we have good weather. On Thursday night, I am going to my sister’s apartment to make pizza and have wine. We haven’t seen each other in a MONTH, which is unheard of for us so I’m really looking forward to it! And, lastly, and what I’m most looking forward to is the fact that my parents are coming down on Saturday to spend the night! Mom and I are going to get pedicures during the day and then RM will come over and we are going to cook a nice dinner for my parents. I’m going to learn how to make his mom’s sauce- can’t wait for that!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? How many rest days did you take? Did your weekend plans get ruined because of the weather? What are you most looking forward to this week?

Catching up {Workouts and Life}

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As I read other healthy living blogs, I’m happy to see that I’m not the only one feeling like there just isn’t enough time in the day or week to accomplish everything on my to-do list. Sometimes blogging just has to take a back seat, and even though I sometimes feel guilty about it or stressed to get posts written, realizing it’s OK to take a break is so refreshing. Sarah wrote a post earlier this week that hit me hard. It was as if I was writing it myself! I’m finding myself in a recent job change, increasing love for fitness and teaching and no longer just being on my own. Being in a serious relationship and moving to that “we” thing is awesome, but it’s also a big change for someone who hasn’t had that in a longggg time. My normal blogging time and teaching time and “Monique” time is just not the same as it used to be and I wouldn’t change that for the world. As we grow up, our priorities change, right? It’s such an exciting time, but sometimes it can be a little stressful! Sarah’s post was a great reminder to not let myself get stressed out over these types of changes, but to embrace them and live life. Blogging will always be here, but random nights with the bf or friends of family won’t- it’s more important to DO those things, rather than sit at home, writing a post because it’ll “screw up my schedule” if I don’t.

And, with that, let’s catch up on some stuff!

Workouts- Last week

Last week was my last week teaching my Thursday night double, which was totally bittersweet! On top of that, RM and I headed to Chicago with some friends so my weekend workouts were a bit different than usual. Overall, though, it was a great week of workouts. We did SO MUCH WALKING when in Chicago. Our hotel was about a mile from all the action (just in the wrong part of the city), so getting to and from anywhere was at least a 2 mile walk.

    • Monday- After work, I ran 3.5 miles and then did the workout listed at the bottom of this workout post. I kinda died a little…

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    • Tuesday- I went to a BodyPump during work since I had a hair appointment after work. What is it about BodyPump that gets me every time?!
    • Wednesday- I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill before teaching (and doing most of) UXF Burn. I’m not sure what we did to get so dirty?

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    • Thursday- Last double:( In SHRED, we did 3 rounds of stations and then we did some across the floor cardio and partner ab stuff. We had a big group and everyone seemed to enjoy it! Kickboxing had it’s biggest crowd to date and we worked super hard!

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    • Friday- Nothing. We had an early flight so there was definitely no morning workout for me! We did do some walking, though.
    • Saturday- I got up and ran 4 miles, although I think my mapmyrun GPS wasn’t working because it was saying I was running all sub 8 minute miles… highly doubt that! After, I did some core work at the gym and then RM wanted to go for a walk so we went on about a 45 minute loop- we were walking so fast!

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    • Sunday- We had all intentions of going to the gym at the spa before our massages, but a late lunch got in the way of that. I did walk for about an hour in the morning while getting breakfast and Architecture tour tickets.

Catching Up- Life

The past couple of weeks have been so busy!! I feel like I’m on auto-pilot going from one thing to the next. Anyone else feel this way? I have a full recap of Chicago coming soon, but besides that, here are some things going on:

  • My garden is growing so much! Over the past couple of weeks I have picked kale and green beans, and both taste so fresh!

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  • I recently started reading The One and Only by Emily Griffin for a book club that my college friends and I started. It’s really just an excuse to get together to drink wine, but we decided to throw a book in the mix, too!

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  • I had to buy new Tom’s when walking around in Chicago and I’m actually happy about it because I’ve been meaning to buy a new pair for a while now. Love this blue!

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  • I’m heading to the Cape this weekend with RM and his brother, sister-in-law and their 1 year old son. I think the weather is supposed to be crappy… why can’t it be nice when I have time to go to the beach?!
  • My parents are coming next weekend for my mom’s birthday- any good meal suggestions?

Questions for you: When’s the last time you skipped workout for sleep? Have you had any garden-fresh veggies this summer? Do you read Emily Griffin books? Are you in a book club?

Wednesday Workout: Run the stairs!

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As I mentioned a little while ago, this summer I’m trying to take my workouts outside. Whether it’s just a run or a walk or a boot camp, it’s just a nice change of scenery to be outside rather than in a stuffy gym. On top of that, there are so many things that can keep your mind occupied while working out, which decreased the chances of becoming bored and quitting early 😉

These are some of my favorite parts of outdoor workouts:

  • People watching is awesome
  • You can work on your tan
  • Forces you to get creative
  • Fresh air
  • Pretty scenery
  • Hills and stairs help with training

Last week, the weather was so hot and humid that my plans for a long (for me) run went out the window shortly into the run. I did manage to do 3 miles, but they weren’t pretty. Since I still had some gas in the tank and was in a mood to push myself, I went to a nearby park and used various pieces of equipment (stairs and benches) there to help give me a butt kicking finisher workout! Note: if you don’t want to run first, I’d do the bootcamp part of the workout 3 or 4 times through for a full body workout.

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After doing 10 sets of these:

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(they’re steeper than they look!)

I felt like this:

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#sweatybeastmode

I’ve thought of some other creative ways to incorporate the stairs into my workout, so that makes me excited to get out there again. I did this on Monday:

  • 1 stair run, 10 burpees
  • 2 stair runs, 9 burpees
  • 3 stair runs, 8 burpees
  • etc. until you do 10 stair runs, but instead of doing 1 burpee, do 10 😉

So, the moral of this post is: go find a set of stairs and make them your b*tch! (ok, that was aggressive, but you know what I mean 😉 ).

Questions for you: Does anyone else get motivation to workout when they’re introduced to something new or figure out something new?? What’s your favorite outdoor piece of equipment?

 

 

 

This Week: Workouts, Announcements & Things I’m Looking Forward To (CHICAGO!)

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Good morning and happy Monday, friends! It feels weird not having started my day teaching my 6am Muscle Work class. I have to say, although it’s not necessarily fun getting up and to the gym that early, especially on a Monday morning, it sure makes for a much better day knowing my workout is done and over with and I can spend my evening relaxing, blog writing and cooking!

I’ve got lots going on this week, but think the most important thing to talk about first is a BIG (at least for me) change I made recently. It wasn’t an easy decision and although I wanted some consistency in my day to day, especially after my other big change, I felt like it was the right thing for me to do right now. It was something I needed to do, even though it was a really hard decision to make. You ask what that is?

I have decided to give up my teaching my Thursday night double.

I know- it kind of came out of nowhere after my one (err 5) too many little mental breakdowns I’ve had over the past couple of months. I just realized that something had to give, and although I didn’t want it to be my classes and teaching schedule, I realized that, ultimately, that was giving me the most stress and wearing me down the most. By the time Thursday afternoons came around and I realized I was going to have to gear up to teach my double after work, sheer dread came over me. And, it’s not like this happened once and a while. It started to be a weekly thing. I didn’t feel this way before any other class, so I can only attribute it to how much energy it takes for me to teach and DO a double, generally after an intense workout on Wednesday night, too.

Granted, by the time I finished my second cool down of the night and I knew it was time to go home I was fine, but I realized that I shouldn’t go into a workout or teaching a class dreading it. I- and my members- deserve more than that, so I decided that I needed to give up those classes to help free some time up in my schedule and hopefully allow some extra room for me to, dare I say it? RELAX. I can’t be entirely sure that will happen, but I will say it will be nice to be able to do things on Thursday nights, especially during the summer.

I’ve got some other things brewing on the back burner with regards to some new teaching opportunities, but for now, I’m just going to enjoy having 2+ hours back to my Thursdays. My last class is THIS week and I’m dreading it already. I’m going to miss my members so much! I’ve grown the 5:30 SHRED class from 3 or 4 people to generally 16-20 people and I’ve grown my kickboxing class to an average of 16 people (and before me there was no kickboxing class, so I had to build that all on my own). These members come to my classes week after week, ready for any of the crazy (and, I mean that- I throw some weird stuff at them) things I think up and throw into the mix. We’ve grown to know each other as more than just the person standing next to you in class, so it’s going to be weird to not see them as much anymore. One of the members said he felt like I was dumping them, and it broke my heart a little! Luckily, I’ve decided to keep my Wednesday night UXF Burn class at that gym so at least I’ll still see most of them… they’re just going to have to get used to only 1 dose of me, not 3.

So, with that said. I’m hoping this change will help bring a better balance to my life. I’ve been juggling teaching an average of 5 classes a week, working 40 hours, commuting, writing this little blog, spending a lot of time with RM and friends and going away on the weekends that if I didn’t cut back somewhere, I was going to break. I’m sad to end this chapter but excited to have more time for my own workouts (maybe even start to consistently lift heavier) and try out other classes in the area.

OK, enough heavy talk… let’s get to the workouts!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I taught my 6am Muscle Work class, which did include cardio, and then did 15 minutes on the stair stepper again.
  • Tuesday- The heat and humidity were killer on Tuesday night so I ended up cutting my run at 3 miles and then doing a butt kicking bootcamp-style workout finisher. I’ll post it on Wednesday for you!
  • Wednesday- I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill before teaching (and doing most of) my SHRED class. It was a big class, likely because of the rainy weather, but I’ll take it! I even had a coworker come and there were 4 guys in the class!
  • Thursday- I taught SHRED and then Kickboxing… lots of members in both- we had fun!
  • Friday- Nothing. I went for a 15 minute walk during lunch but otherwise rested.
  • Saturday– After 2 weeks away from my Saturday kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA, I was back! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: that class is the best start of my weekend! We worked so hard and I love seeing the members push themselves each time I’m there.
  • Sunday- I got up and did 20 minutes of yoga and then 15 minutes of core and glute work at RM’s apartment before we went for a 45 min power walk. We went for another stroll after our afternoon meal at his moms, too.

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Not sure! I’d love to get in a workout during the day, but it may be an after work thing.
  • Tuesday- I have a hair appointment after work so I’ll either try to get to a muscle class during the day or do something before work.
  • Wednesday- Teaching UXF Burn and probably running beforehand.
  • Thursday- Teaching my LAST Thursday double *tears*. Dana requested stations during SHRED, so I may do that and some partner work at the end. Kickboxing requests? Maybe the booty burner?
  • Friday- I am going to Chicago for a long weekend and we have an early flight so my guess is that I won’t get up for a workout, especially after a Thursday night double!
  • Saturday-Monday- I’m not sure. Like I said, I’ll be in Chicago so I’m sure I’ll be doing lots of walking, but knowing me I’ll be getting some other workouts in as well 🙂

Things I’m Looking Forward To

So many things this week! My 2nd Stitch Fix is coming in today, so hopefully they gave me good stuff for Chicago. I’m also getting my hair cut, which is long overdue. Lastly, I’m going to Chicago for the weekend. A longggg time ago my friend Jessi asked if anyone wanted to go (she was going with her boyfriend and his friends) so my friend Lauren and I jumped at it and booked our stuff. Sadly, Lauren ended up not being able to go so I asked RM and he was game since it’s a city he’s never been to. I can’t wait to go back and do more exploring and hang out with my friend JP again! We are also having dinner at the top of the Sears tower and going to a Cubs game- I am SO excited!!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Boston friends- do you have suggestions for any new workouts in the city to try since I’m going to have more free time? Any suggestions on what to do while in Chicago during the summer? I was there in November (Boston>Dallas>Chicago, Chicago: Part1 {Shopping and Bar Hopping}, Chicago: Part 2 {The Bean, Navy Pier, Boat Tour, Brewery}, Chicago: Part 3 {Brunching, Architecture Tour, Homemade Dinner}), but I feel like there’s still a lot of stuff that I didn’t get to do!