This Week: Workouts, New Job & Things I’m Looking Forward To {MIAMI!!!}

Good morning! I’m about to head out for my first day of work at my new job- eek!! On top of starting a new job, this week is a little crazy since the boy- let’s refer to him as RM from now on since those are his initials- and I are heading out to Miami for a little long weekend getaway on Friday. Have any of you ever been there? Where should we eat? What should we do? We aren’t looking for a hectic vaca- we really just want to chill out and- gasp- relax! What a thought, right?! It’s not necessarily the most convenient time to be going away with starting a new job and all, but this was planned well before the job thing happened so I’m just going with it 🙂

But, since I have 4 days until I’m on vaca, let’s focus on workouts. My workouts last week were a little all over the place, and the same will probably be the case this week.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Since I ran on my planned rest day last week, Monday ended up being a rest day, more or less. My sister and I went for a nice, long hour long walk all around Eastie- it was awesome!
  • Tuesday- I was able to go to a 10 am class at a nearby BSC since I wasn’t working . I was looking forward to it because I’ve heard the instructor is really good, but sadly, I was not a fan. I didn’t like the class at all, actually- the instructor had weird music with vulgar language and kept yelling things like “BURN FAT!!! BURN CALORIES!!! DON’T THINK ABOUT QUITTING- PUSH YOURSELVES”… and I just wasn’t a fan!
  • Wednesday- I went to the East Boston YMCA and ran for 20 minutes on the treadmill (also ran there, which was .6 miles), walked for 10 minutes and completed 2 circuit workouts (see below). It was a good workout even though I wasn’t feeling good (stupid allergies!). I also taught my UXF Burn class and tried to not do much of the workout since I had dinner plans with my sister after.

Complete 3 sets of 10 reps in set 1 and then the same for set 2:

Set 1:

BOSU Push-Ups

Opposite Knee to Elbow Plank

Standing Weighted Side Dips

Upright Rows

Set 2:

BOSU Squats

Standing Oblique Twists on BOSU

Underhand Grip Rows

Triceps Kickbacks

Thursday- I taught my SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing classes. In SHRED we did a format I haven’t done in a while: 5 minutes lower body exercises, 5 minutes cardio, 5 minutes upper body exercises, 5 minutes cardio, 5 minutes combined exercises and 5 minutes core. It was good- perhaps I’ll post it for you!

  • Friday- Since I had not been feeling well all week, I decided to rest on Friday. I did walk a ton- probably 3 miles, but nothing else. I got a massage which was wonderful!
  • Saturday-I taught my cardio kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA and I think it was a good one! Sad I won’t be there for 2 weeks now 😦
  • Sunday- I ended up running 6 (!!!) miles… with an 8:13 min/mile pace!! I planned on doing 3 or 4, but felt great and the weather was perfect so I kept going. I haven’t run more than 5 miles since the fall of 2008. I also did a little circuit halfway through my run consisting of: 10 reps and 4 rounds of push-ups, tricep dips, plank with opposite knee to elbow crunch, in & outs and side planks with hip drops (right and left). Solid way to round out a run!

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- To start my first day of work out on the right foot, I will get up and workout in the morning. If I’m sore from my run yesterday, I’ll do some light cardio and then just lift.
  • Tuesday- I would love to workout in the morning again so that I can have the afternoon off to get stuff done for my upcoming trip: pedicure, packing, etc.
  • Wednesday- I’ll head to the gym after work to teach my UXF Burn class. Hoping I won’t have an issue with traffic.
  • Thursday- I will teach SHRED and Kickboxing- I’m stressing about the traffic situation, though. I think my hours will end up being 7:30-4:30, but I’m not sure an hour is enough time to get from Wakefield to Central Square that late in the day. I may have to do a 7-4 shift or something those days. I’m not sure what my first week will be like, but they do know my teaching schedule so hopefully it won’t be a problem!
  • Friday- I may get up and do a little core work/stretching/yoga before we head to the airport (9:15 flight), otherwise it will be a rest day.
  • Saturday/Sunday/Monday- Not sure! I’d love to get a workout in- either a run on the beach or a quickie workout in our hotel room or the gym, but I’m not going to stress about it. I’m really going to focus on relaxing and going with the flow and if a workout isn’t something I feel like doing, I’m not going to stress about it or force it!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I’m not really sure if I’d say I’m looking forward to starting my new job (more nervous than anything!!), but I am looking forward to getting back on a schedule and seeing how things will be. Let’s face it, though, what I’m looking forward to the most is a little R&R weekend getaway to Miami! I’ve never been before and have heard mixed reviews (we chose Miami because it was the most affordable flight option), but for what we are looking to do: sun, beach, pool, drinks, dinners- it will probably be perfect!

Questions for you: Have you ever been to Miami? Any restaurant suggestions? How do you fit workouts in when you travel? What was the best workout you had last week? What are you looking forward to this week? I love to hear from you 🙂

This Week: Workouts, Big Decisions to Make & Things I’m Looking Forward To

Good morning! How was your weekend? Besides the weather on Saturday, mine was really great. My brain was pre-occupied with thoughts surrounding a big decision I need to make, but luckily I was surrounded by lots of support which helped to ease my mind a bit. While I think I am a pretty good decision maker in that I don’t think I’m overly indecisive, there are just some decisions that aren’t as easy to make as a dinner reservation, for instance. Needless to say, there was lots of list making, lots of weighing of the various pros and cons, lots of conversations and lots of going back and forth.

Even though I was mentally fried on Thursday and Friday and didn’t want to workout, my workouts helped clear my mind a bit- it was nice to have that time as time where I was thinking about the workout vs. other things. Anyone else turn to workouts in times of stress?

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I went to my office gym on Monday for a quick lunchtime workout. The workout was fast, efficient and left me sore for a few days. Success!
  • Tuesday- I ran 4 miles before work… at a faster pace then the morning run the week before!

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  • Wednesday- I ran 3 miles outside before teaching UXF Burn. It was my first outdoor run through Cambridge since last season and it was awesome! So many people had the same thought so it almost felt like I was running with people… almost…

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  • Thursday- I taught a SHRED class based off of the workout I did on Monday and then taught a kickboxing class I had taught a few weeks ago. I don’t like to repeat workouts in their entirety, but I just didn’t have the time or thought space left to make up a new one. I don’t think they noticed.
  • Friday- I did 10 minutes of random cardio exercises before doing 35 minutes of yoga. I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to shut off my thoughts and focus on my breathing, but luckily, that wasn’t the case. Although I did have thoughts come through, they didn’t interrupt my flow or focus on breathing. It was actually a really good yoga sesh!
  • Saturday- My sister and I went to a class at Flywheel. It was such a fun way to start our Saturday. Now that we don’t live together anymore, we try to get together on the weekends for a workout and lunch when we can. Our instructor was Ann, and I picked her class because I loved it the last time I went!
  • Sunday- Nothing! I did a few standing ab routines while I was cooking for my mom, but other than that I relaxed and sat in the sun and spent time with my family. It was great!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I am teaching my 6am Muscle Work class today and then I’ll stick around and do 20-30 minutes of cardio after.
  • Tuesday- I will probably run… maybe outside?
  • Wednesday- Maybe another run before teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- SHRED followed by Kickboxing
  • Friday- I am going to a surprise party with the boy after work, so I think I’ll try to get in a workout during the day. Nothing crazy, just a little something!
  • Saturday- I was supposed to teach my kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA, but I decided to switch with the other instructor so that I wouldn’t have to worry about teaching in the morning while at the party on Friday night. With that said, I’m not sure what I’ll end up doing. I’d love to get to a BodyPump class, but we will see what I end up doing (if anything).
  • Sunday- What I do Sunday will be dependent upon what I do the rest of the week. I have a few plans during the day and at night, so I may not even have time to do a workout (rather, I may not want to MAKE THE TIME to do a workout… and that’s ok!).

Things I’m Looking Forward To

Making a decision! I’m looking forward to not having to go back and forth between various options and just picking something! I’m also looking forward to having a fairly open schedule after work this week. It’s nice to be able to have time to do things that I may not have been able to get done over the weekend. Lastly, I’m excited to go to a surprise birthday party (even though I won’t know anyone there!)… I don’t go out-out like that very often anymore, so when there’s a special occasion that warrants it, I get excited 🙂

Questions for you: Are you a good decision maker? What do you do to relieve stress? What was your best workout last week?

This Week: Workouts, Schedule, Things I Am Looking Forward To

Hey there! Did you notice anything different today? Instead of my Monday “Weekly Workouts” post, I have decided to change it up a bit. I still want to post my workouts (to hold myself accountable and to hopefully provide motivation for you) and my teaching schedule, but I thought I’d make my Monday posts a little different by adding in my schedule/plans for the week and things I am looking forward to. I encourage you to comment and tell me what you’re looking forward to as well! Makes Monday seem a little better when we can think of the positive things we are excited about in the week ahead, right?!

Let’s get to it, shall we? Last week was probably the most physically intense week I have ever had. Even though I took it easy on Tuesday (did yoga at home), my workouts Monday-Thursday were pretty intense and my fitness-filled weekend consisting of 2 days at MANIA and the Spartan race were even more intense. I loved every second of it (well, except for the last session on Sunday at MANIA… I was so sore/tired/hungry and did not want to work out as hard as we did), but am definitely ready for a few days of rest this week!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I ran a mile and did a strength workout at the Sheraton gym in Chicago and then taught kickboxing. Way more of an intense day than I was planning for!

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  • Tuesday- I worked from home and had a million things to do after work (unpack, laundry, blogging, cooking dinner, etc.), so I just did a 45 minute at-home yoga workout. I started off with an On-Demand workout, but got bored after about 5 minutes so I just did my own practice. It felt great, but left me even more sore on Wednesday!

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  • Wednesday- I worked from home again (I was so tired from my previous week of travel, it was still really cold and I knew I had a big weekend of fitness events so I thought it would be best for me to take it easy during the week) and did my Work From Home workout 10 times through (that’s 100 reps of each exercise), did 15 minutes on the elliptical before class (had extra time) and taught a fun UXF Burn class.
  • Thursday- Taught SHRED and Kickboxing. SHRED had a good crowd, but Kickboxing was a little quiet. Womp!
  • Friday- Attended my first day of MANIA. I did a Kettlebell workout, R.I.P.P.E.D workout, Sports Conditioning Workout and a Boot Camp workout. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the end!

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  • Saturday- Ran the Fenway Spartan Sprint, which was amazinggggg. Omg I was so nervous, but ended up doing way better than I had thought I would do and had a blast doing it. I’ll do a full recap later this week (hopefully!).

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  • Sunday- I went back to MANIA for the last day of sessions. I took a stretching type of class first, followed by a Cardio, Cutz and Core class and ended with a Muscle Mashup class. Few. By the end, I was SO tired and sore (but was so glad I went because I learned so much from both classes!).

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday & Tuesday- Nothing! My body is so sore from last week that I know I need some serious rest. I can’t wait!
  • Wednesday- I’ll ease back into workout out with some light cardio before teaching UXF Burn
  • Thursday- Teaching SHRED and Kickboxing. I have some awesome new workout ideas for SHRED… I can’t wait to teach them!!!
  • Friday- Not sure.. maybe a rest day? I’ll see how I feel.
  • Saturday- Teaching kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA- Please come!
  • Sunday- I might workout in the morning pending on how I feel.

Schedule/Plans for the Week

I have a full week of work in the office (except for Friday when I WFH), which will be a change up from the past couple of weeks! I am going out to dinner in the city on Tuesday after work and I think that’s all I have planned this week besides my Pampered Chef party on Sunday.

Things I Am Looking Forward To

A quiet week!!! And some rest days. The month of November has been absolutely insane for me, so I am really excited to have a week where I’m just around with no plans. I’m also looking forward to going out for drinks and dinner in the city after work; I always see people doing this and get jealous because I never do! Lastly, I am happy to be hosting a Pampered Chef party on Sunday. I hope a lot of my girlfriends can come!

Your Turn! What was something fun you did over the weekend? What are you looking forward to this week?

Weekly Workouts

Good morning, Burpees to Bubbly readers! I had the most wonderful weekend at home up in Maine with my mom and dad (Danielle was on vacation in Atlanta, Savanna and Charleston, so we definitely missed her!) and cannot believe it’s the start of a new week already! I will recap all of the fun things I did in Maine later, but for now, let’s talk about workouts, as that is always my favorite way to get “back on track” after a long weekend away from home.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I did 35 minutes on the elliptical and about 15 minutes of abs/upper body strength before teaching my last Dynamax class (tears. I loved that class so much, but it didn’t hit the minimum number of participants so they had to cancel it this session).

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  • Wednesday- I ran a 5K on the treadmill before teaching a pretty intense UXF class.

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  • Thursday- I had to get a sub for my SHRED class, but was able to make it to kickboxing. All the extra energy I had from not teaching a class beforehand caused me to teach a really hard class. I loved it!
  • Friday- This was my first COMPLETE (read: no abs, no arms, no yoga, no walking) rest day in far, far too long. I’ll admit, sometimes I forget to take rest days, especially when I don’t teach as much, so this is something I need to be mindful of in the next coming weeks as I will be teaching less classes.
  • Saturday- Two a day Saturday! I went to the Sanford/Springvale YMCA for their 9AM Cardio Cross Training class and 10:15AM Zumba class. Mom joined me for zumba and we had a blast! It was really fun being at a “new” (even though this was my gym for so long) gym for the morning. So many fun toys!

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  • Sunday- I picked an April Arms Challenge Sunday circuit to do and did a couple of Ab Challenge workouts, too. No cardio, though- Saturday was LOTS of cardio!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- First Monday since September that I am NOT teaching Dynamax (more tears). I’m not sure what I will do tonight, but I am guessing I will probably go running and do some abs/arms.
  • Tuesday- I might go to kickboxing again, might go to another class, might do my own thing using the UXF “play ground” at the Wellington BSC.
  • Wednesday- Cardio and teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- teaching my two-a-day Thursday at the Central Square BSC! SHRED followed by Kickboxing. Can’t wait!
  • Friday- Likely a rest day, with the exception of some abs and arms (bathing suit season is coming!).
  • Saturday- Teaching Kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA- woohoo!! get ready… I may do what I taught last Thursday and you probably won’t like it 😉
  • Sunday- I will be spending the day at the Wellness by the Water Retreat with Athena and Ashley and I cannot wait! A full day of health, fitness and nutrition information and networking and blogging? yeah, pretty perfect day in my eyes!

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

Weekly Workouts

Hey, friends. Happy Monday! Unlike other weeks, I am actually OK with it being Monday today. For the first time in a really long time I had a weekend with virtually NO plans besides teaching kickboxing on Saturday morning… and boy let me tell you, that couldn’t have come at a more perfect time!

In case you missed my weekend posts (I still have Sunday to post about, but that will be later this week), here they are:

Scenes from Saturday
Run Through Cambridge, Lunch w/Mom & Dad, Gardening, Chicken Parm Burgers

Perfect mix of being productive, but also relaxing and enjoying having no “set” plans. By Sunday night, I was already getting bored, which is a sign that in the grand scheme of things, I’d rather be more busy than less busy, but weekends like this past weekend are great to “re-charge” the batteries.

Anyway, let’s get to the workouts, shall we?

  • Monday- Due to ridiculous amounts of traffic and some errands to run, I only had time for a 2.5 mile run before teaching Dynamax

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  • Tuesday- Tuesday’s are normally my rest days, but since the weather was beautiful, I was in the mood to workout (and, I wanted to have a glass of wine with dinner, so I bribed myself and said if I worked out, I could have a glass of wine!). I did a quickie 30 minute workout and felt great after! I am trying to cut back on cardio with the hopes of curing some pending injuries, so I combined some of Athena’s arm workouts and ab workouts, as well as my own lower body strength exercises to create a nice, sweaty 30 minute workout.
  • Wednesday- I ran 3 miles prior to teaching UXF Burn. Everyone loved the workout, so I’ll be sure to post it!

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  • Thursday- Taught my 3-2-1 Strength, Cardio, Core Workout and Cardio Kickboxing
  • Friday- I woke up and got in a quick 30 minute workout in before work, focusing on upper body and abs
  • Saturday- Taught Cardio Kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA!! 37 people, great music, high energy… awesome start to my day

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  • Sunday- Walked around the SOWA market and then did 30 mins of Athena’s January Ab challenge

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Something on my own and then teaching Dynamax
  • Tuesday- Not sure- might be a rest day, but might do an arms and abs workout similar to last week.
  • Wednesday- Cardio on my own and then teaching UXF Burn
  • Thursday-  I had to get a sub for my SHRED class since I have a conference call that I can’t miss:( I’ll be there to teach Cardio Kickboxing, though!
  • Friday- I’ll be home in Maine!!! I’ll probably do some type of workout at my parent’s house, but, if I take it as a rest day, it might be a good thing! I’ll work my biceps by getting drinks with my mom and her friends after work 😉
  • Saturday- Pending on how I am feeling, I might try to get to the Sanford/Springvale YMCA for a class, otherwise I’ll take it as a rest day
  • Sunday- Probably a nice, long walk with my mom for Mother’s Day

As you can see, this week’s workouts are potentially really light, but that’s OK. My body could surely use a break and since I don’t have to teach from Friday- Sunday, it would be a good time to rest. But, I really do love working out and being active, as does my mom, so I won’t be surprised if I do some light workouts!

Questions for you: What was your favorite workout last week? Do you find yourself needing a break sometimes?