From the category archives:

Working Out

Weekday Success Round-Up!

by agirlandhermutt on May 4, 2012

Hi friends! I’m rolling into Friday with a smile on my face. I’ve had a successful and productive week which always makes me enjoy my weekends even more. I worked out. I made a few decent meals. I stuck to my meal plan. I made time to spend some quality time with The Mutt. Not too shabby for a 5 day span, right?

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1. Work out- This week I had a goal to try Piloxing again. I took it last weekend and was less than thrilled with it. However, my regular Zumba instructor added Piloxing to her list of classes that she teaches so I figured why the heck not. HOLY.PILOXING. This workout was…intense. This video will give you an idea of the basic moves of the class, but bump it up a few notches with a lot of jumping around and that is what my class Wednesday was like. You will notice that this video doesn’t have people wearing shoes. There is NO way you could get away without wearing shoes in my version of Piloxing.

After my piloxing class I had a massage scheduled which was great because I can’t imagine how much my arms and shoulders would have been screaming without it. As it was on Thursday I had a hard time brushing my hair.

Final verdict on Piloxing: Just like any other fitness class, the instructor is key to a great workout. The moves aren’t hard to follow at all! I liked the intensity of this class and could really feel myself working the entire time. I don’t necessarily think the weighted gloves that are in the video are needed. The punching was workout enough for me!

2. A few decent meals-You know the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Well that statement has never been truer for me. My meals were ALL tasty (and nutritious!), but wow…they look gross.

Taco Salad with Non-Refried Beans (Salad, 4 oz. ground turkey, 1 tbsp taco seasoning, greek yogurt & salsa verde dressing)

Zucchini noodles with Black Bean “Meatballs”(1 zucchini, 4 oz. Tone It Up black bean burgers, 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce, a couple of chopped black olives, a little nutritional yeast)

Chili on a Plate (1/2 cup black beans, 4 oz. ground turkey, 1 tbsp taco seasoning, 5 grape tomatoes, 1/2 jalapeno, diced red onion, a crapload of Mrs. Dash Herb & Garlic seasoning, a few shakes of chili powder…all stuffed and thrown over red and yellow bell peppers)

Stuffed Mini Peppers (2 mini bell peppers, 1 oz. turkey slices, 2 tbsp. roasted garlic hummus, 1/2 string cheese)

See what I mean?! Nothing was looking too pretty in my house, but everything tasted good going down my gullet.

3. Meal Plan- I have officially been following the Tone It Up Nutrition plan for 2 weeks. The first week was a kick-off with a 5 Day Slim Down. I lost 6 lbs but most important, I really learned some valuable lessons. For instance, dairy and I are BFF. I could easily eat my daily WW points in cheese. Unfortunately, my body just does not deal with it that well. I have NOT cut out dairy, but I have certainly cut back on it. I’m using the guidance from the TIU plan to help me make my meal plans and so far soooo good. I feel better, my skin is looking great (Big ups to Apple Cider Vinegar!), and I’m losing the pounds. I’ve had a few emails asking me to do a full review which I will do after a month or so with the plan. I’ll keep ya posted!

Here are my 2 fave workout videos from the TIU girls.

Sandcastle Workout: Legs & Core

SELF’s 8 Simple Sculptors from the magazine’s DROP 10 Challenge

4. Quality Time with the Mutt- I try to stretch and he plants himself right on my yoga mat. It doesn’t stop there though. He then just goes to town licking himself and me. Usually it goes in this order…lick the mat, lick the paws, lick the his stuff, lick my toes, I yell at him. Repeat. If that isn’t a relaxing stretch session, I don’t know what is.

Good thing he is so dang cute.

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Phew….so that was my random, but extremely productive week all wrapped up with a pretty bow. I hope you guys had a good week. Enjoy your weekend!

Have you ever tried workout videos from YouTube?

PS. I have a new button on the <—-left to follow me on Pinterest. Follow me. Its fun! I’m killin’ time left and right pinning.

ANNND! If you are a TIU gal and want to check-in with me on Twitter then check out my TIU twitter at @ErinTIU.

See ya Monday!

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On a Quest for Beer

by agirlandhermutt on April 30, 2012

Hello friends! Did you all have a lovely weekend? I’m always surprised at how quickly a weekend with no real plans becomes so busy. A few of my girlfriends were in Florida for a beach/girls weekend and I was feeling a bit down the beginning of Friday since I wasn’t with them. I wouldn’t say I wished rain on them, but I would say that I was wishing I was at the beach rather than keeping up with work and life in Boston. Fortunately, I was able to fit in a few moments of fun over the weekend. No it wasn’t as fun as a weekend at the beach, but lovely all the same.

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Saturday morning I woke up bright and early to pick up my buddy, Meg, to head out to a Zumba class. My regular Zumba instructor at the gym has opened up her own space on Saturday mornings only ($12/class) and I wanted to give it a try. Her classes never have less than 100 people in them and sometimes that much sweat all up on me is a little too much for me. This new space only holds about 60 so that means fewer people were booty poppin’ on my arm.

The class was just as hard as ever. We heated that place up so much that the windows fogged up. You can see by the woman in the top right that you really get your $$$ worth in this class.

Locals, if you want to check out Jill’s class it is Saturday morning at 9:30am in Waltham at the Acrobatic Academy on Main St. clip_image00161_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb[1]

After class we headed down to down the street to pay a visit to one of my fave Waltham restaurants, In A Pickle.

They are known for their ridiculous pancakes filled with candy. As delicious, and sugar coma inducing, as they sound I’ve never actually had these.

I went for something completely healthy and nutritious. Ha. Eggs in a Basket with cheddar cheese and jalapenos with a side of homefries. I managed to lose 6lbs last week but no worries…I gained it back with this breakfast.

Meg went for a slightly healthier option. I gave her a dirty look.

I spent the rest of the day doing some work, getting Korky all prettied up and catching up with household duties. At what age does that happen? I don’t remember having anything to do at my apartment when I was in my early 20s!

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Dinner was a night out with The Scientist. When we were in Vermont for my birthday in February we made a visit to a brewery called The Alchemist. They had the most perfect beer, Heady Topper. We brought a few cans home to drink and have been dreaming about it since then. Then The Scientist came across an article about Eastern Standard, a restaurant in Kenmore Sq, that had cans of our favorite elixar on hand. DATE NIGHT!

We split a bibb lettuce salad to start. I love when restaurants split the salad for you. We each got our own version on a little plate!

We also split the mussels. They were plump and cooked perfectly. I loved the addition of sundried tomatoes, but I wish the broth had a bit more flavor.

For my entrée I had the roasted chicken with red potatoes and mushrooms. The chicken was ENORMOUS! There was plenty to take home.

The Scientist went out of his normal choices and ordered the baked rigatoni with lamb sausage and topped with ricotta. The dish was huge and he had plenty to take home too.

We both sipped on the reason we went to Eastern Standard in the first place. Classy in a can. Delish!

Oh, and the best part of the night? You know, besides getting to spend some time with my love while eating a beautiful meal…my awesome new clutch! This bag is actually neon orange, or crossing guard orange as The Scientist calls it, and it is wonderful in every way possible.

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Sunday was spent getting ready for the week including meal planning and grocery shopping. Last week’s experiment with Tone It Up’s 5 Day Slim Down was quite successful (lost 6 lbs!), so I am hoping to keep up all the clean, green and lean eating this week.

Menu made, groceries bought, and it is time to get this week going!

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Have a great day friends! I’m getting together some of my favorite Cinco de Mayo recipes to share with you this week. FUN!

Do you have a fave drink, wine, beer that are only available at a few places?

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Workout Review: Refine Method NYC

by agirlandhermutt on April 24, 2012

This is going to be a little different from reviews I have done in the past. There was no appetizers inhaled, fried pickles inspected, or entrees that I couldn’t live without. Instead this review will be filled with sweat and maybe a little tear near the end.

It is officially my first Workout Review! I might have a few more in the future (Piloxing, Zumba, etc.). These are just my own thoughts and experiences and are certainly not the thoughts of a fitness pro. You know, just in case you didn’t realize that.

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Workout Review: Refine Method NYC

When I first let Meg know I was coming to visit her in NYC she asked me what interesting boutique workout I was interested in trying. She is a BIG pilates fan, which I have tried, but we were both willing to try something new. Enter the Refine Method.

A new location in Union Square just opened and was offering a pilot program to get the studio started so we took advantage of their offer for a free class for first time Refine clients.

Refine was developed by former New York City Ballet dancer, Brynn Jinnett. It is a combination of cardio and resistance training. You work a variety of muscles all at the same time instead of just one muscle at a time. This is done through cardio movements, kettle balls, and a customized pulley system that offers resistance similar to free weights.

The studio is a lovely, but simple space. A large waiting area with a few lockers and changing areas. We took our shoes off and walked into the actual fitness area to be greeted by our instructor who just happened to be the owner, Brynn.

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Everyone there looked like a former (or current) ballet dancer except for myself and one gentleman. They all seemed to know each other too which I think says something about the consistent following the Refine is gathering.

We were directed to our stations and given a brief overview of how the class worked. I appreciated that Brynn acknowledged that we were newbies,but didn’t focus on speaking with just us. Points for not making me feel like I’m the only one who has never done Refine before!

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Then we got started. Right off the bat we started with jumping jacks. If there is one exercise that I hate it is jumping jacks. Right behind my hate of jumping jacks is jumping rope. I’ll give you one guess as to what move we did next? Ugh. It gets the heart rate up, but it makes me feel all floppy. I did them though and got through it.

The class is a series of circuits. Cardio, strength with kettle balls or your own body weight, and then another strength move that utilized the pulley system. Right off the bat I was reminded of my time with Jillian during the 30 Day Shred. Fortunately Brynn didn’t yell at me like Jillian does. Just like Jillian, there were no squats unless kettle balls were being utilized by the arms at the same time. I love the multi muscle approach!

Brynn guided us through the class, giving corrections where needed and encouraged us often. She had an assistant, or another teacher?, there as well that would demonstrate the move to do before we started. It was all fast paced and hard for any person to get bored at any point. Don’t worry. I tried and failed.

My only complaint is about the pulley system. I wish we used it more! I love lifting weights and was excited to give the pulleys a run for their money. In our first circuit we only used the pulleys as a place to put our hands as we did single leg lunges. The second time we used them was to do bicep curls. I was really hoping to use them more since it isn’t something you find in any other class or workout.
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At the end of the class I was sweaty, totally worn out and my butt muscles were screaming at me. Meg and I walked out totally pumped for the day and looking like a hot mess. Little did I know that the same afternoon I would be texting Meg that she might have to come home to help me off the toilet because my butt was so sore that I couldn’t pull myself off the seat. True story. Embarrassing, but true.

$$$- Working out at a boutique fitness center doesn’t come cheap. A drop-in class is $32 and they offer packages that range from monthly unlimited ($300/month) to 10 class packages ($304). No contracts or requirement to join though.

Final verdict: I love Refine Method! I felt like I got a complete total body workout. The class seemed challenging, but doable for a non-fitness pro like myself, but it also seemed to be a good workout for a few women there who were talking about their first marathon that is coming up. The class size is small enough for individual attention, but big enough that you don’t feel like you are on display the whole time. I plan on visiting again on my next trip to NYC and if I lived in the area I would definitely purchase a class package!

*Just a note…while this class was free for me, it is also free for any first time client. I was not asked to do this review and all opinions are my own. I am not a fitness professional. *

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Do you have any unique fitness classes in your area? Any suggestion on what I should try next?