I finished up my first full Boston weekend since my recent vacation and man it was just marvelous. I’m going home again this Saturday (for Penelope‘s first birthday party!) so to have a weekend with no events to work and just time to do what I enjoy, in the place I love, felt really great.
Marvelous is…this video. I don’t usually watch YouTube videos but this one is too spot-on not to share. Plus it features two of my favorite things, saying “yaaaaas” and #Hathahate.
I’m back in Boston after my Mexico vacation and brief birthday stint back home. Coming back from vacation to a place where I’ve only lived a month is lovely because though I miss the warmth of Cancun, I really didn’t mind returning! I’m still so excited to continue to explore Beantown and also felt anxious to get back to my job, which I’m still loving. It feels like forever since I thought out loud so I felt a link-up with Amanda was in order!
1. Getting out of the hotel gym and back to the BSC feels great! Without a Stairmaster or group fitness, it’s super hard for me to get motivated to work out. Thank goodness for Danielle Dee’s Monday night spin class! That hour was the cherry on top of my first day back in my routine. Especially when Danielle said, “Good job, sweetheart.” to me after class. Hearing that direct “go you” from a group fitness instructor makes SUCH a difference. And it made me feel motivated to follow up the class with some core work! Tuesday night I finally tried a class I’ve been meaning to check out, Burn. I’d taken Step a couple of times from the instructor and he is so funny! The class was a series of tons of different exercises – not a repeated circuit, but seriously just cardio and strength exercises that were never repeated. I liked that the material was kept fresh and though it wasn’t as cardio-heavy as spin, I still felt it was the perfect workout for what I was feeling that evening. Here’s an example of one of the moves we did – partner push-ups.
Thank you for your props in response to my Mexico/birthday themed Marvelous In My Monday post! I really appreciate it, especially after my less frequent blogging as of late. But I still have more to say about my 25th birthday, which was this past Saturday. When I wrote the MIMM post, I was on the airplane and it was my birthday afternoon. I was feelin’ good! However the evening presented new challenges. I overcame them, but my birthday weekend wasn’t completely the rosy picture that my last post painted.
Before boarding the plane though, I did make a new friend from Ohio. He wanted to pose with me as I showed off the gin & tonic sample I received IN THE AIRPORT. Gotta love the duty-free shop in Mexico.
I had birthday dinner plans at my favorite restaurant, J Gilbert’s, with my very close friend (and blog namer, I can’t not mention that) Rachel. It was my first time seeing her since my move to Boston and also my first time seeing her since she got engaged! We started the evening off right with our barrel-aged Manhattans (or as we like to call him, Mr. Manhattan).
Here I am, back after the longest blogging break I have ever taken, and another year older as well! This is my first blog post published since my vacation to Cancun and also my first as a 25 year old. But instead of separate birthday (it was this past Saturday 3/22) and vacation (it ended on my birthday) posts, I’m just going to roll them into one, because vacations and birthdays are BOTH marvelous.
Whether it’s been one week or one day, you can share your marvelous by linking up with Katie.
Marvelous was…waking up in Mexico on my birthday. Though that was the last day of our trip, I’m going to start with it because birthdays are always exciting. I’d planned to wake up before our flight back to CT and work out, but upon waking I decided to instead take advantage of my last moments of warmth and go walk on the beach. That in itself says a lot about my personal growth over the last year. I definitely had time to work out, and had plans to go out to eat that night too, but instead of doing so I really just wanted to soak up a little more sun, sand, and blue skies before boarding a plane to the land where spring will never seemingly come.
I am blogging today from Mexico and seriously planned for the last week to title this post “Marvelous Mexico”. But I have other stuff on my mind today because I woke up the morning of my departure with yet another illness. Seriously, I never used to get sick and this is the second time in two weeks. Has anyone else ever moved from the suburbs to the city and suddenly found themselves getting sick more often? Let’s hope this isn’t a continuing trend.
Whenever I go on vacation, I like to work out first thing in the morning so I can feel less guilty about the rest of the day just laying out in the sun, going outside my food/drink box a bit more, and being fairly inactive in general. Some people like to spend their vacations exploring their surroundings and doing outdoor activities. That’s fine, but to be honest I like to sit on my butt in the sun and go out to eat.
i just couldn’t not have a drink with the rest of my family to celebrate our arrival at the hotel, but it definitely knocked me out.
The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of PUMA.
Fitfluential has given me the opportunity to receive another set of PUMA fitness apparel (you can see my first PUMA campaign post here) as part of a campaign. Unfortunately the timing of shipments didn’t work out in my favor. I signed up for the campaign back when I was still living in CT, and by the time the Bubble XT Tribal sneakers arrived, I’d already moved out! I haven’t had a chance to try them yet, but wanted to get my post up, so I’ll just fill you guys in on the basic info that was sent to me: stylish design, light-weight cushion technology. And my info: PURPLE. That’s freaking awesome. Once I do get my hands on them (I’ll be home to grab them this weekend) I’ll be able to actually tell you all what I think. You can read another Fitfluential Ambassador’s review here – thanks Clare!
Pink and purple are my top two favorite colors, so I was psyched when I opened the clothing package (which arrived before I moved – phew!) and saw only those two colors. I love the mesh on the sides of the sports bra (which is called Gym-licious and that makes me cringe a bit) and wearing it with the Gym Loose Top was perfect because of the top’s open back. With a bra like that, I want to show it off! The top definitely felt a little cumbersome at times because of how flowing it is, but I enjoyed wearing it to spin classes.
Thank you guys so much for your support and understanding in response to Monday’s post! I feel like I’ll put less pressure on myself to blog when I don’t want to, now that I’ve put everything out in the open. And I’m just happy to know how excited everyone is for me as I continue on this new path in life.
I may have switched locations but my eating habits have not drastically changed...something I’m grateful for! It certainly eases the transition. The biggest difference is the fact that I’m making my own at-home food, as opposed to my mom handling it for me. Other than that I’m still packing salad lunches, eating my staples (bananas, plain Chobani, sugar-free chemical-filled Jello pudding cups, etc), and dining out. This seems to be an appropriate What I Ate Wednesday topic.
I’ve been having great success with my weekend food prep. The only weeknight I left myself cooking to do I got very stressed out, so I learned a lesson quickly. I have yet to order takeout, which is an accomplishment and one I need to keep up seeing as I still am going out to eat a few nights a week. I’ve learned how quickly different foods cook in my oven, made dishes I’ll repeat and dishes I’m not anxious to eat again, and both followed and created recipes. I’ve also learned that I need to make MORE food each weekend if I’m going to be using it not just for dinners, but lunch salad ingredients as well.
Oof, the whole spring ahead thing really did a number on me. I barely slept (exaggeration) the last couple of nights. All it takes is a missed hour or two and I am a zombie. I almost said “screw it” to my plan to straighten my hair this morning, but remembered my New Year’s Resolution and powered through. I’m glad I didn’t look out my window before making that decision, because if I had I almost definitely would have screamed “SCREW IT” when I saw that it was SNOWING. Hello weather, it’s called SPRING ahead. I shouldn’t be whining…five days until I board a plane for Mexico after all.
Tropical beverages time!
So in today’s post I’d like to address something that’s been in the back of my mind lately. I’ve only been at my new job for a week and a half, but as I anticipated, my relationship with blogging and its community has already changed. No worries…I am not putting a stop to this blog! But while chatting with Rachel yesterday over pedicures, I was inspired to write a post addressing the fact that the way I live out my life’s passions has changed. I started my blog after my last job (I was doing program management in the defense and space industry, for curious minds) was not giving me a chance to work with what I loved. After all, isn’t that what we all dream of? And then my blog really did end up leading me to a job where I can do what I love. It also happens to be a job that entails working longer hours.
I was provided a complimentary class for review purposes. Opinions of the experience are my own.
After mentioning I was looking for a gym in Boston (I’ve since joined Boston Sports Club), I was contacted by The Studio Empower and asked to come in and try out a class. Located in Newton, the studio features the Lagree Fitness method and its tricked-out version of the pilates reformer. Each class is 45 minutes long and entails total body conditioning.
That thing looks intimidating, and it sure scared me at first, but my instructor Mo was so helpful and a very patient guide. The little yellow and red knobs on the machine affect the amount of resistance for each exercise and she was sure to let the class know her suggestions. She corrected my form a few times so that I’d get the most out of each exercise. The class was full and I like how small each one is, because that ensures the instructor can make sure everyone is using proper form and getting the most possible out of the workout.
Hey guys! I continue to be extremely busy but am trying to find time to blog where I can. The good news is my cold is already almost gone and I hope it won’t turn into a month-long cough, which is how most of my colds end up. Now I haven’t done a check-in for awhile now on the goals that I set for myself back in January (also, searching for that post made me realize I’ve made a lot of goal–related posts, but am bad about following up on them). I’ve been having a stressful week so far, putting a lot of pressure on myself, doing a lot of future-tripping, and not getting enough sleep (not on purpose). So I think it’s time to re-visit the goals I need to focus on because to be honest, some have changed due to my recent move/job change, some are still out there, and some can take a back-seat for now.
1. My New Year’s Resolution: I’m still keeping this one and have definitely been slacking on it lately. Up until this past Sunday’s event my nails had been bare for a couple of weeks, I’d been wearing lots of sweatpants (actually the same pair, over and over…), and not making much effort to look very human. And it totally had an effect on my mood and body image. I’ve been spending time feeling bad about myself and not doing anything about it. It’s time to change that. My practically non-existent commute means I have plenty of time to get ready in the morning. Just because I’m going out for a quick walking errand doesn’t mean I can’t try to look semi-presentable. I will never ban sweatpants and Uggs completely, but they need to see less use!
I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!
