Category Archives: workouts

Friday Faves {4/6/18}

Posted on April 6, 2018 | Comments Off on Friday Faves {4/6/18}

Hello Weekend!

This Friday is particularly fantastic because I’ll be in Barcelona when the post goes up!

Here are a few things I’m loving this week!

Leizl Jane’s 16 Minute HIIT Workout Ideas.  They are mostly do anywhere and also kind of obvious, but it’s a good reminder that a good workout doesn’t have to be long or involve lots of equipment.  I’ll have to do a powerwalk version for now!

New Classes at Mile High

My favorite “run club” has added a 45  minute strength class (with very small amounts of running) and I’m excited to check it out.  The running and meditation class also seems cool!

Fit-Spiration

Rachel Reaches is a really inspiring blog/journal about making changes and seeing results. I knew nothing about Beach Body before looking at her website, but I understand the appeal of working out at home yet having community support.

Fresh Mani

Mixing it up, I actually picked something with color, Ripe Guava!

Packing

I actually love packing! Almost as much as I hate unpacking!

I decided to go with my Tommy Hilfiger roller rather than my Lo and Sons bag, since I’ve found heavy bags on one side tend to bother my back. But the Lo and Sons is a great weekender bag!

Here’s what I’m bringing…

Workout and swim. I’m only bringing a few workout options since we aren’t staying in any hotels with a gym. Most of our activity will likely come from walking.

Tops, I brought a bunch of options (tanks, short and long sleeves) since it could be warm or cold, plus a couple of cardis.

Four dresses, two from Rent the Runway, one from Le Tote and one from Old Navy.  I’m most excited about the navy striped Rosie Pope! (The lighting in this room is terrible, we are changing it soon, but sorry for the dark photos!)

I’m always amazed at how much I can pack in this little suitcase, all you see above plus, 3 pairs of shoes, 2 cotton leggings, 1 pair jeans and the lulu allign tights, socks, bras, etc.

Plus some purses and jewelry! I rented the out of office “taco” bag! I’ve had the coach bag for years and never used it, but I wanted a small cross body for this trip, so I’ll try it out!

In my personal item, I’ll be bringing a few snacks, vitamins, make up, toiletries, chargers, books and a wrap.

Nom Nom Nom

While we are in Capri, I hope to eat at every place in this blog post. Yum!

Hopefully, I can share some highlights from my actual trip, not just my suitcase! Have a fabulous weekend.

Do you pack snacks for travel?  

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Weekend, Faves, Workouts

Posted on April 1, 2018 | Comments Off on Weekend, Faves, Workouts

The weekend is started early for me! I have the day Friday off and we headed to DC for the weekend to see both family and friends.

We stayed at the MGM National Harbor. I loved the cherry blossom themed lobby decor.  We stayed at this hotel once before. I really love the modern rooms and for a smallish casino hotel, they have some good restaurants!  But perhaps the best thing is that it’s a non-smoking casino. No stale, smokey smell anywhere!

Friday night we went into Old Town Alexandria for dinner at Magnolia’s on King.  Such a cute little downtown. I wish we had planned more time to walk around after dinner.

Saturday morning, we went to the hotel, which was really nice.  I also booked a massage at the spa for that afternoon.  I’ve been having a fair amount of back pain, mostly on days I do I lot of walking, so it felt like a necessity as much as an indulgence.

We enjoyed a light breakfast at the conservatory cafe.  I love that they serve La Columbe all over the hotel, it’s so much better than all other coffee IMO.

After lunch, we walked to the outlets. I got a pair of Sperry’s (my first) at famous footwear and a pair of sunglasses ($10!) at the JCrew outlet.

Then I headed to the spa for my massage.  It was a really nice spa but I didn’t spend a lot of time using the amenities since steam room and saunas are not advisable for pregos,  but I did enjoy every minute of my massage. I received a few spa finder gift cards for Christmas and my birthday, so I’ll probably try to get one massage a month for the new few months.

My sister met us at the hotel, where we hung out before meeting Frank’s family for dinner at Fish by Jose Andres.  It’s definitely worth checking out for the decor and the food!

After dinner we watched the NCAA final four men’s games before heading to the casino. It ended up being my latest night in a while, although anything past 10pm is late for me these days 🙂

This morning, we had breakfast at Frank’s grandmothers before going to church.  We caught an afternoon train back to the city, so we had a little time to get organized for the week ahead.

Pasta primevera is sort of our easter tradition, so I made a baked version with roasted vegetables.

While we were eating, we watched the NCAA Women’s Nortre Dame VS Mississippi State game. It was amazing! Definitely the best March Madness game I saw this tournament.

That was the weekend, but I thought I’d use this post to do a quick recap of my workout’s last week.   This week was much better than last on the sweat front, and it made me realize that I feel a million times better when I work out. Even if you hate working out, you’re not going to be mad about it after it’s over.  I’ve never heard anyone say they were pissed they worked out four hours ago.  Anyways, while I’m not one to have a regimented plan, looking at the week ahead and figuring out the best days to schedule a class or workout seems to help make sure I hit whatever my goals is that week.

Workouts!

Monday:  TIU Daily Moves (Can’t remember, but I think it was legs and booty!)

Tuesday: Orange Theory (Endurance Power Strength)

Wednesday: Orange Theory (Tornado)

Thursday: Xtend Barre

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Gym workout – 35 minutes easy elliptical plus a few back exercises.

Sunday: Rest

I didn’t have enough Friday Faves for a whole post this week, but here are a couple things I’m loving…

Clarissa Explains it All Explained?

This article gave me all the nostalgia feels. I’m not sure I totally buy why Sam had to come in the window, but Clarissa was my hero growing up and any reference is welcome.

Avocado Grower

I saw this avocado grower for $3 at Flying Tiger. I’m really curious as to if it would work! Flying Tiger is a pretty amazing place, so many interesting things for just a few dollars.

I’m in the third trimester!  I’m excited, but surprised by how quickly time has passed. I probably won’t be saying that a few months from now!

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Weekly Workout Wrap Up {3/25/18}

Posted on March 25, 2018 | Comments Off on Weekly Workout Wrap Up {3/25/18}

Well, not my best workout week.  I could make excuses about trouble sleeping or a number of other things, but really, I just didn’t make exercise a priority.  I usually take Mondays off, but when I skip Tuesday too, things tend to snowball.  Note to self: find some Monday or Tuesday motivation!

Monday: Nada

Tuesday: Nothing…ooops!

Wednesday:  Tone it Up Daily Moves: Full Body, plus some random bar exercises I did throughout the snow day.

Thursday:  Classpass Video: XtendBarre Cardio Express. 

Friday:  30 Minute Leg and Booty Toning Workout.  Courtney’s right, this work out is hard –thank goodness for the countdown clock! I took most of the modifications, but without, you could get some serious cardio in too.

Saturday:  No workout, but lots of walking.  My sister and I walked from my apartment to get our nails done to the Macy’s Flower Show to Bitch Sess in Times Square.  It’s was an 18,000+ step day.

 

So nowhere near 210 minutes, but I’ll refocus for the week ahead!

 

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Weekly Workout Recap {3/18/18}

Posted on March 20, 2018 | 1 comment

I hope everyone’s week is off to a great start. I’m a bit late recapping my week, but better late than never I guess.

Monday: Rest Day (I need to get better with motivation Monday!)

Tuesday: Tone It Up Daily Moves – it was a full bodyish day!  It usually takes me 20-25 minutes to get through these.

Wednesday: Xtend Barre

Thursday: Uplift Express – amazing class, I definitely recommend it for a good full body HIIT workout.  I was surprised to see that the 7:30pm class was waitlist only for a bit, kudos to people who can workout so late.  That is rarely me!

Friday: Orange Theory – Endurance. I went mostly with power walking, it’s amazing to me that I can hit the orange zone by walking with incline.  That said, I try to avoid the orange zone as much as possible.

Saturday: Mile High Run Club Dash 28.  I did run in this class, but walked all the recoveries.  I think I’ll stop running altogether sooner than later, as it seems to be a lot of impact on the body…and the bump. Mile High has a new Build strength class that does not have much running, so I may check that out soon.

Sunday: Rest.  For everyone who ran the NYC Half, you are serious rockstars.  It was a hard, hilly, cold course and you rocked it!  I enjoyed spectating in the morning, despite how cold it was.  I spent the rest of the day cleaning and cooking for a belated St. Patty’s Day dinner with Frank’s fam.

I’ve never made a “traditional” irish meal before, so it was fun to give it a try.

The menu included:

Irish Soda Bread Muffins from Skinny Taste. These were so easy to make and came out very well!

A traditional pub salad – which is what you see above based on my googling!  Cheddar and egg seem like important staples. I served this with a yogurt dressing.

Irish Beef Stew and Colcannon  both from Simply Recipes!

The beef stew had an amazingly rich broth, but I think Pioneer Woman’s Sunday stew is my favorite.  The colcannon was incredible though, I loved it. The kale and green onions gave it so much flavor and freshness.  Gena posted a great vegan colcannon recipe too!

Have a great night!

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Weekly Workout Recap

Posted on March 13, 2018 | Comments Off on Weekly Workout Recap

It was a super busy week and weekend, so most of my workouts had to be done in the morning, and at home to save time!

Monday – Tone It Up Daily Moves (Upper Body)

Tuesday – Tone It Up Daily Moves (Lower Body)

Wednesday – Sarah Fit 1st Trimester HIIT Workout (with modifications for 2nd trimester)

Thursday – Rest Day

Friday – Orange Theory – Strength Day. I ended up power walking at 10-12 % incline rather than running this class.

Saturday – Flywheel Power (45 minutes with no arms, I really look forward to the break that arms provide and knowing there is only 2 songs left, but scores are higher with no arms. I also love Sergei! His playlists are killing it lately.

Sunday – Unintentional rest day.  I wanted to do something, but we ended up having a packed schedule of errands and meet ups, so the day got away from us.  That’s why I always try to book my weekend workouts in advance.

Total minutes: 185. I missed my goal by 25 minutes.  I better set myself up for success by booking some classes and scheduling some workouts for this week before it’s too late.

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Weekly Workout Recap

Posted on March 4, 2018 | 1 comment

It’s been forever since I’ve done a weekly workout recap!  I’m hoping it will help me stay accountable! #fitness My goal is to do the recommended 30 minutes of activity a day or a total of 210 minutes a week. While my intensity has definitely dropped a bit over the last three weeks, working out still feels pretty great overall.

Monday:  Xtend Barre Stick.  Barre may be my favorite pregnancy workout. I’m hoping I can continue it until pretty close to the end.

Tuesday: Rest day. I did back to back lower body workouts over the weekend, and my legs definitely needed a day off.

Wednesday:  Tone It Up Best Arms and Love Your Booty workouts via youtube.

Thursday: Soul Cycle.  It’s been a while since I’ve done soul cycle, but for some reason I was really in the mood for it after work on Thursday. I forgot how hippie it can be and how perfectly choreographed the riders in the front and center are. They look like dancers on their bikes!

Friday: Orange Theory.  It was a power day, meaning shorter more intense intervals.  I really like changing it up, so it was one of my favorite classes in a while. I’m even starting to hate the rower slightly less these days.  I’m now doing a run/walk combo.  Rather than jog/run/sprint the base/push/all out paces, I walk/jog/run them.  There’s something about starting the day with Orange Theory that puts me in a great mood and ready to tackle anything. 7am workouts are my jam.

Saturday: Rest day.

Sunday: Flywheel. It was a good class with a new instructor! It takes my legs half the class to warm up, but the last 4-5 songs feel great. Also, happy 8th Anniversary Flywheel! I found my first review of Flywheel was way back in 2010!

Total minutes: 220. 

I should probably add in some yoga, stretching or foam rolling, as my muscles seem to stay sore longer

In other news, I’m sad the weekend is almost over! We had some nice dinners, got to see some friends and even crossed somethings off the to-do list.

We ordered a crib and dresser during a President’s Day sale and I’m so excited for it to arrive, so I can get a sense of spacing and move forward with the rest of the furniture and decor.  We also decided to rent a small storage unit for some of the office furniture, as well as the seasonal decor and clothing that currently takes up most of the closet space in the 2nd bedroom.

Other than that I’m looking forward to cooking some chicken cacciatore and spaghetti squash and watching the Oscars tonight.  The only film I’ve seen that was nominated for best pictures is Get Out, and I’ll be rooting for it!

If you are watching the Oscars tonight, what films are you excited about?

Also have you noticed that gyms/classes have started to get less crowded?

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New Ways to Work Out – In and Out of the Gym

Posted on February 28, 2018 | 3 comments

It’s amazing how much the fitness world and working out has changed in the last few years.  You can find boutique fitness studios in almost any suburb. Gyms have had to change their model and become more flexible to keep attracting members. I’d say that I do 20% of my workouts from my phone these days! I’m curious to see how things continue to evolve, and here are a few new(ish) fitness concepts that I think are pretty genius.

POPin

For the first time in 15 years, I don’t have a gym membership. However, there are days, where I do wish I could just run to the gym and not have to worry about class schedules or bad weather. Enter PoPin.  This is an app that let’s you drop into local gyms and pay per minute.  So, if your workout is 18 minutes, that’s all you pay for!  Higher end gyms are priced higher per minute than others.  I have a few friends who use this and love it!  It’s a great way to try a “fancy” gym without an expensive membership. A lot of gyms are in the Flatiron area, but the number of participating locations is expanding.  In fact, New York Health and Racket is now on the app.  Totally optional, but if you use my referral code when downloading the app, I believe we each get $10. Code: melissag1824

Fit House

Fit House is a really interesting concept gym/boutique studio hybrid that lets you take unlimited barre, spinning, HIIT and yoga classes a for a monthly membership fee.  The concept aims to put all the popular boutique fitness classes under one roof, and they are apparently seeking out the best instructors in the city to entice members.  They currently have 1 location open in Soho and expect to open up to 15 more in the coming months.  They are currently offering a 2 week trial for $19.

Apps, instas and youtube workouts galore!

I’m sure this isn’t news to anyone, but working out from your phone is all the rage right now.  Over the last year, the number of workouts I’ve done over my phone has gone up tremendously.  Part of it is discovering the magic of instaworkouts, I love the Fitnessista, SarahFit and Kayle Itsines.  Having a workout reference right on my phone is especially helpful while I’m traveling and using hotel gyms. I find these workouts really allow me to focus my strength workouts on the road.

I’ve also been using the Classpass video feature for at home workouts. I find the 20 minute+ workouts tend to be a lot better than the 10 minute ones. I feel like I’m always flying the classpass flag, but anything that makes boutique workouts financial accessible is pretty awesome in my book.  As a company they’ve had a really interesting journey; if you’re into podcasts, the Success: How I Did It podcast on Classpass is a good one!

I just downloaded the Tone It Up Studio app this morning, so I can have access to the daily moves.  I’m going to hold off on paying for a membership, since I have a lot of other options right now.  That said, I hope they keep their older workouts up on youtube!

I’m always look for new fitness instas/apps to follow, so please share your favorites!

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Class Review: Pop Physique

Posted on February 14, 2018 | Comments Off on Class Review: Pop Physique

I discovered Pop Physique through classpass. It’s one of the closest studios to my apartment, and I love me a barre class, so I decided to give it a try.

The Studio:

It’s close to the Bowery Whole Foods that I frequent, so as I approached the studio, I immediately recognized the familiar “nice butt” sign outside the door. The cheeky spirit of the sign is reflected in the studio itself with two classrooms, one decked out in banana wallpaper and the other in cherry.  The staff at the front desk is really friendly and the studio is clean, modern and organized. There are plenty of lockers, changing rooms and bathrooms, although there are no showers.

The Bar Genre:

I’ve found that barre classes tend to fall into one of two categories:

Strength focused with lots of tiny, repetitive movements and lots of shaking and burn, I tend to put the Bar Method, Pure Barre, and now, Pop Physique in this camp.

or

Strength with a cardio slant and a mix of small and larger range movements for toning, in my book these are the Physique 57, Xtend and Core Fusions of the world.

The Workout:

I’ve taken three Pop Physique classes and I’ve gotten something out of each one.  My first and third classes were a killer workout with lots of burn.  My second class gave me the best stretch I had in ages. The arm and plank warm up section is killer, even with the lightest of weights!  The class progresses through upper and lower body with a series of pulses, isometric movements, squats, plies and bar classics like waterski and chair pose. Exercises are done standing in the middle of the room, at the barre, and on the floor on your mat. One thing I like is that you switch back and forth between arms, abs, legs and glutes quite a bit, it’s not just one section for each set. There are three good stretching breaks throughout the class, which I appreciate since I’m too lazy to stretch at home.  I also find the instructors to be very attentive to form and on top of corrections.

Overall:

While I’m partial to the more cardio-leaning bar classes, I enjoy Pop Physique and will continue to “pop in” on occasion.  If you are a Pure Barre or Bar Method devotee or are just looking for a challenging, low impact, full body toning workout, I think you’ll really like this studio.

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OMG – OTF Everest Signature Workout

Posted on January 30, 2018 | 2 comments

Whew, did anyone else happen to do the Everest at Orange Theory today?

Holy cow, that workout is insane!

As a relative newbie, I didn’t know why there was a collective groan when the instructor announced that we’d be doing the Everest workout.  This is apparently a signature OTF workout, another thing I was not aware existed.

I decided to head to rowers first and save Everest for the second half of class.  After a few minutes on the rower, the strength group started on the first of two power sets, both of which were very heavy on the arms.

Then it was time to face the treadmill for 23 minutes of incline work!  Here is the workout, which is killer whether you walk, jog or run!

THE EVEREST 
3-5 minute easy warm up
The goal for the first 21 minutes is to maintain your base pace, which is about a level 5 or 6 effort on a scale of 1 to 10. 
Minute/Incline:
1 – 2% incline
2 – 3% incline
3 – 4% incline
4 – 5% incline
5 – 6% incline
6 – 7% incline
7 – 8% incline
8 – 9% incline
9 – 10% incline
10- 11% incline
11 – 12% incline
12 – 13% incline
13 – 14 % incline
14 – 15% incline
15 – 14% incline
16 – 12% incline
17 – 10 % incline
18 – 8% incline
19 – 6% incline
20 – 4% incline
21 – 2% incline
22 – 1% incline at a 7-8 effort level 
23 – 1% incline at all out pace (9-10 effort level)
I walked about 70% of this and still felt like I got a killer workout. In fact, by the time I showered, waited in line at starbucks (despite placing a mobile order) and got to work, my legs were ready to collapse underneath me.  I’ve never been so happy to see my desk chair.  That said I felt like a million bucks.  Walkers high?
I’m excited to see what signature workout pops up next.  Apparently, February is going to have a lot of partner workouts, not sure how I feel about that…
If you’ve tried this workout (today or ever), let me know your thoughts!

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Orange Theory Fitness Review

Posted on January 17, 2018 | 4 comments

I’ve got to admit, it took me a while to try Orange Theory, but I have to say, I’ve fallen hard.  It’s been a while since I’ve been really into something, and it’s nice to be in that position again!  Long, long time readers may remember my obsession with Physique 57, OTF may be the HIIT equivalent for me.

What is Orange Theory Fitness (OTF)?

It’s a combination of high intensity cardio (running, rowing, biking and/or power walking) with focused strength training intervals.  The theory is that you get in the “orange zone” for at least 12 minutes at any point throughout the class you will burn calories for up to 36 hours after the class. You can wear a heart rate monitor during the class,and screens around the room will display which zone (black, gray, blue, green, orange or red) you are in.  The orange zone is around 84-92% of your maximum heart rate.

Every day is a different workout, but from my understanding, many studios across the country follow the same schedule.

What I Love:

-The class sizes are small enough that the instructors can pay attention to form and make corrections.  For example, my studio can accommodate up to 28 in one class (although it’s usually far less), whereas a Barry’s Bootcamp class could have almost 60.

– In theory there is a lot a variety, no class is exactly the same.

-The strength exercises are explained by the instructor and shown on a screen, so it’s easy to follow along

-It’s a HIIT workout and it is HARD! It’s a great combination of strength and cardio.

-They provide a lot of wipes throughout the class, so there is less sweat sharing than in some of the other studios I frequent.

-It has a community feel and supportive environment.

What I Don’t Love:

-It can be hard to know what the focus of the work out will be without calling the studio.  The last 8 classes I’ve attended have been endurance focused, meaning 30 minutes of running then 30 minutes of strength with some cardio. I like running, but I prefer it in smaller chunks once in a while. I love the tornado classes, but they seem to be few and far between.

That’s really my only complaint, I wish the scheduled showed the full list of workouts for the week or month. I do sometimes check out this rogue intel calendar, which is pretty accurate.

It’s expensive.  After your first free class, there aren’t many discount options. It’s a stretch for me to even have the smallest membership option, 4 classes a month, but I have to say I think it’s worth it so far.

The heart rate monitor is ridiculously expensive ($100). You can get almost the same stats through other sports watches, but you won’t see it on the screens around the room.

Results I’ve Noticed:

I’ve noticed that it’s helped my running.  Perhaps just because between this and Mile High, I’m running 2-3 times a week.

Without changing anything about my diet, I lost five pounds the same month I started Orange Theory. It’s not necessarily a direct result, but I do think it played a role. I definitely think HIIT is the fastest way to see results.

I’ve been able to bump up my weight progressively, and find myself wanting to finish each workout as strong as possible.  I think the community feel of the class, similar to crossfit, provides some healthy competition.  You also see your heart rate on the screen (if you wear their monitor), so it’s pretty easy to see if you are pushing yourself.

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