Tag: Vegas

Wednesday Workout: Glutes & Back Workout

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Hey there! What a week it has been. Waking up to the news about the Vegas shooting was absolutely horrible. While these things always upset me and leave me feeling unsettled, for some reason this one hit a little harder than others. I don’t know if it’s because we were in Vegas earlier this year (and planning another trip out there) or if it’s because I love country music or if it was because it was so deadly, but it left me feeling absolutely devastated. I just can’t imagine that someone would do that, and why on earth he was able to legally buy that many guns and those types of guns. To anyone who may have been affected by this terrible act of violence, please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you.

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We all need more of this – LOVE. Less hate. Less violence. More love.

And to top it off, Tom Petty passed away. One of my favorite memories of our wedding was when our band played “American Girl” and RM grabbed me onto the dance floor and we danced our hearts out. To this day, I remember that moment so clearly ❤

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Working out has always been a good outlet for me when I’m feeling down (or happy!), so I wanted to share this workout that I did a few weeks ago. All you need is a set of dumbbells and an elevated surface. It’s focusing primarily on the glutes (& quads, of course) and the back, so I challenge you to go a little heavier than you normally would!

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In case you need any explanations or want to see what a move looks like, check out these videos:

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If you’re loving the tank I’m wearing (why wouldn’t you?! 😉 ), you can get one for yourself here.

That does it for me today! If you missed Seaport Sweat with me this week, you have THREE chances to sweat with me tomorrow at EBF FIDI! Hit me up if you want more information.

Have a great day, everyone!

Wednesday Workout: Vegas Workout #2

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If you’ve been following B2B for a while, you know that I love working out on vacation. I don’t workout because I feel like I have to, but more because it’s something I enjoy and it’s something that makes me feel good. Plus, it gives me energy for the day, especially if we may have had one too many cocktails the night before 😉 Going on vacation generally means you’re out of your routine a bit, whether that’s because of the food you’re eating, how you’re sleeping, what you have planned, etc., so for me, I like keeping a bit of consistency by trying to workout when I can since that’s something that’s so ingrained in my daily life when I’m not traveling.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- just because I workout on vacation doesn’t mean the intensity or duration is anything like it is when I’m back home, because vacation is a time to relax and get off schedule a bit. What it means is that I try to move how I can, when I can. It may mean a quickie 10 minute burst of something in the hotel room (if I don’t bring sneakers), it may mean a 2-3 mile jog, it may mean going to the hotel gym if it’s nice. In the case of the Wynn, the gym was SO nice that both RM and I went. But, we went under one condition: the workout couldn’t be more than 25 minutes. DONE! No problem there!

Since we had already walked over 10K steps by the time we made it to the gym, I decided that was enough steady-state cardio for me and therefore opted for a quickie 20 minute HIIT workout. I generally try and keep it to 5 or 6 exercises so I can really focus on power, speed & form (and “feel the burn”), which is not really as attainable when you include any more exercises than that in a short 20 minute timeframe (in my opinion). That said, I figured out what I wanted to do, got the necessary equipment and got to work. The gym was crowded so I found a small spot and made due with that!

 

And before I knew it, we were changed, sitting poolside, sipping the most delicious (albeit highly expensive) margaritas & soaking up the sun. Getting in movement doesn’t have to be hard. The act of working out doesn’t have to be hard (the workouts can be, though!!). Making the decision to do something good for yourself doesn’t have to be hard. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing thing. Could we have gone on vacation, not worked out or walked a lot, not chosen some healthier, veggie-filled meals & lighter drinks and gorged ourselves on all the indulgences that Vegas has to offer? Sure. But at the end of the day, living like that doesn’t make me feel good so I don’t see the point in doing it.

In case you missed the first workout in Vegas, you can find that here.

Question for you: What are your “go to” exercises when you’re short on time? 

 

Vegas Recap {Where we stayed, what we did, where we ate}

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Hi there! I’m back for a full recap of our Vegas vacation. If you missed my “What I Wore” recap, you can find that here.

For as long as I can remember, RM has always wanted to go to Vegas together. He’s been so many times, and just absolutely loves it there. I went once years ago with my girlfriends and had fun, but also think I was a little young to really appreciate all that Vegas has to offer (besides clubs open all night 😉 ). When we finally found relatively “cheap” flights for the both of us, we booked a last minute long weekend trip out there- totally uncharacteristic of us to be so spontaneous and book this type of trip 1.5 weeks ahead of the travel dates, but it ended up working out great and we had the best time- enjoy the recap!

Where We Stayed

RM did a bunch of research on places to stay, even though his favorite place has always been the Bellagio. We ended up staying at the Wynn, because, surprisingly enough, they had the best rates of all the hotels that we were looking at. While it’s a bit off the main hot spots of the strip (unlike the Bellagio  that’s right in the midst of everything), it was not so far like Mandalay Bay so it didn’t feel totally removed. We were also a super short walk to the Pilazzo and Venetian, which are also very popular hotels for gambling and restaurants.

The Wynn was an absolutely GORGEOUS hotel. The lobby, the employees,  the flowers, the art, the shopping, the food, the pool, the rooms… everything was really top notch. Our room, in particular, really wow’d us- it was incredibly spacious and well equipped with everything we could’ve wanted or needed. Waking up and getting to just press a button to open the curtains for the view of the strip was really cool (and convenient!).

My sister also surprised me with a bottle of bubbly as a late birthday gift, which was SO thoughtful! This made for a great poolside drink 😉

The main thing I was looking forward to on this trip (well, besides hanging with RM nonstop) was  soaking up some serious pool time. Luckily, the Wynn had multiple pools to choose from so this was easy! For the first day and a half we were at the “party” pool, which was wonderful for people watching. That pool was closed on our last day, which actually worked out well since we were looking for a quieter pool experience.

We also took advantage of the hotel’s gym, which was such a nice hotel gym- it had everything you’d want and we were both able to get in some quick sweat sesh’s before sitting by the pool. Fitness doesn’t have to be hard and it doesn’t have to be super time consuming, remember? 20 minutes and we were in and out!

Where/What We Ate

Food is always a big part of our travel. Before trips, we like to think about what types of food we want to eat when we are away: Italian, Steak, Sushi, Mexican, American, etc. Generally when it comes to food, we have a nice breakfast to start the day, we snack on something light for lunch and then go out to a nice dinner. Here were our choices during our trip:

  • Terrace Cafe– This was in the Wynn and we ate there multiple times since it was so good and convenient. Our first day we were starving so we had lunch there- we shared a wrap and the Super Food Salad which was so good that we ordered it another day for lunch, too. It was packed with organic quinoa, farro, baby kale, radishes, tomato, bell peppers, onions and an herb vinaigrette. We definitely plan on re-creating at home, and topping it with grilled chicken! We also had breakfast there every morning, usually consisting of eggs and either yogurt, fruit, pancakes or something similar. We always get one sweet and one savory dish when we go out to breakfast and then share them. They have fantastic eggs benedict options (using a turkey patty as the base or a crab cake as the base) which are worth checking out if that’s your thing.

  • La Cave– On our first night there, we got a bit of a late start (needed a nap!) so we opted to pop into La Cave, also in the Wynn, for a light dinner. We shared another great salad, chicken skewers & a flatbread. It was the perfect amount of food for us.

  • Nobu– This sushi restaurant came highly recommended by my cousin, and was also a “must visit again” for RM. Their first location is in the Hard Rock hotel, but they have a newer location at Cesar’s Palace. Unfortunately Cesar’s didn’t have any availability so we had to trek it to the Hard Rock. it was worth it, though- the sushi was absolutely delicious and the service was impeccable!

  • Delmonico Steak House– We both felt like steak on our last night so we went to Delmonico’s as it’s one of RM’s favorite Vegas steak houses. This was another phenomenal meal! We started with a terrific bottle of Barolo wine, oysters & a salad and then shared their signature Ribeye steak, corn puree & potatoes. Oh, and finished with the most delicious pecan pie 😉 Worth every penny!

I also wanted to share a little tip that helped us save money. Vegas is expensive- there’s just no way around it, but I also think our hotel was exceptionally expensive and when I got the bill for 2 margarita’s by the pool the first day ($32!!!), we realized we should try to find a way to cut back there a bit. During our walk down the strip we found a liquor store and grabbed some beers and mini wine’s and filled one of the bathroom sinks with ice and keeping the drinks on ice in our room. We would take a plastic bag with ice & drinks in it down to the pool and they never noticed or cared! At $9-$20 a drink, it saved us A LOT of money! The bubbly from my sister helped, too 😉

What We Did

We had grand plans of going to see a few shows and night clubs, but once we got there, we realized we didn’t want to be tied down to specific plans.  The Chainsmokers were playing at our hotels club/night lounge the night we got there, but the concierge said they wouldn’t actually get on until 2-2:30am… considering that was PST (3 hours behind) and that we had been up since 4am EST, we decided to forgo that idea. Instead, we went to the new(ish) Cosmopolitan hotel and had a drink at their Chandelier bar, gambled a little and went to their lounge bar which was really a fun scene. We spent a lot of time at the pool- having drinks, enjoying the music and some pretty awesome people watching. We walked a good portion of the strip one day which I enjoyed- the sites are so amazing, the hotels so grand, and you just see things there that you wouldn’t see back home. I learned how to play BlackJack and really enjoyed it (while we were winning!), but want to now learn how to play craps because that looked like so much fun.

Bottom line, you can pretty much do anything you want in Vegas: shows, clubs, lounge bars, pools, pool parties, drinking, walking, eating well… limitless possibilities, which is just part of what makes the city so much fun.

Overall, the trip was so great- I was so proud of us for being spontaneous.

But the real question is… Where to next?!

Vegas Recap {What I Wore}

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Good morning! We are back from such a wonderfully fun/great little weekend getaway to Las Vegas (if you follow me on Insta, I’m sure this is old news to you by now 😉 ). Usually I do one vacation recap post, but since so many of you sent me messages (or told my husband!) that you loved my outfits, I thought I’d do a specific post just for that. I am by no means a “fashion blogger”, but I will say that I had a blast thinking about & putting together outfits for our trip. I just felt like Vegas required some sort of “WOW” factor with regards to my night time attire, and I definitely think I was successful in getting that with what I ultimately ended up wearing.

Also on that note, Vegas is a whole different animal- literally ANYTHING goes when it comes to clothing/shoes/accessories there. But that’s what made it so fun- these are outfits that I wouldn’t necessarily wear on a normal dinner date night out in Boston (although you could!), but they felt right in Vegas and it was fun to play “dress up” for a few nights. Some of the clothes is this season, some is last season, but I’ve tried to link to similar items below. Enjoy!

Night One: White Jumpsuit from Bebe. I got this last year, for my bachelorette party and since then I’ve really only felt it appropriate to wear two other times: in Italy & Vegas. I feel like it’s a huge statement outfit because it’s all white, so I can’t wear it often. I couldn’t find the exact link, but here are some similar ones you might like:

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Night Two: I have a thing for jumpsuits/rompers- no lie! I ended up finding this at Express… on sale… only one in the store AND it was my size. Match made in heaven! It couldn’t have fit better and it was so fun because I was able to wear funky shoes. I got these shoes at a small boutique in Brooklyn and look for any excuse to wear them. For the life of me I can’t find a link to the romper which is so annoying since I literally JUST bought it 😦

Night Three: Another score from Express. I got this crop top last year before we went to Italy on our honeymoon and was always looking for the right thing to wear it with. Since it’s a very cropped crop top, I knew I needed something that was high waisted. I found this midi length side zipper skirt at Express before we left (now on sale) and I think it worked out really well. I added the yellow shoes (Target, last year) for a pop of color. The weather was so dry in Vegas that I was able to wear my hair straight again.

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And there you have it! Dressing up can be really fun 🙂 if you guys like these types of posts, I can start putting more together (and coercing RM to take more & better photos to show off the clothing pieces!).

Questions for you: Do you like to dress up or do you prefer more casual clothes? 

Friday Things {4.21.17}

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Hey there! TGIF! It’s been so long since I’ve done a “Five on Friday” type of post, I barely remember what to do 😉 I have a recap of Kicking It at Fenway & my birthday coming, but for now, I wanted to share a few things of interest with you- enjoy!

  • SpotHero– This is a lifesaver parking app! Seriously. It allows you to pre-book a spot in a garage at a discounted rate. This is key for me for Thursdays when I teach at EBF since I’m there for longer than a street spot would allow. You set up your card in the app so that you don’t have to worry about paying later. If you use this link you get $5 off your first time using it.
  • Vegas- We booked a totally last minute trip to Vegas the other night. We leave on Friday the 28th, as in a week from today! SO crazy, but so fun. We are staying at the Wynn- any must try restaurants or must do things to do/shows to see?
  • Sweat, Shop, Snack Round 2– On Wednesday, May 10th at 6:30pm I am hosting my second event at the New Balance Flagship store in Brighton. Tickets are $12 and it includes a 45 minute kickboxing bootcamp class, a live DJ, 20% off the whole store, GoMacro protein bars, Hint Water ANDDDD Bubbly & Purity Organic Belinis! The last one was so much fun I just had to get another one on the books before my schedule fills up with Seaport Sweat classes this summer! Be sure to sign up here if you’re interested.

  • Seaport Sweat– Speaking of… Seaport Sweat starts back up in JUNE!!! and it’s going through the end of September. I’ll be there on Mondays and Tuesdays after work- more details to come, but checkout this for a teaser 🙂

That does it for me, today. This weekend will be a busy one getting ready for our trip and getting a dress and possibly shoes for my SIL’s wedding in two weeks. I’m heading back to Best Dressed- can’t wait to see what their spring selection is!

Whatever you do this weekend, I hope you find time to relax, move your body and laugh!