HEY FRIENDS! I'm taking this moment to explain where I have been the past couple months. Where do I begin?! I have been INSANELY busy recently. I've had a BIG job switch and didn't want to release it on the blog until it was official and the ball was rolling. As you may have noticed, I have switched over studios! I left Cyclebar and have gone on to teach full time at B/SPOKE Studios. B/SPOKE has three studios, including Boston, Wellesley and seasonally on Cape Cod! Luckily, I will be teaching on all three studios throughout the summer (keep a close eye on my schedule)! 

Cyclebar was awesome in every way, I just felt as though it was time for me to continue teaching in higher volumes and at multiple studios. At the beginning of April I began training to teach TRA/N and R/DE at B/SPOKE! This training was intense and definitely challenging. It pushed you to really dive into yourself, your knowledge of indoor cycling, and your knowledge of music. Coming out of training I feel so much stronger and feel as though I am able to really connect to teaching in a different way than I was before. Lucky for me, I had some of the best people training me and pushing me to be my best! 

Please join me on the journey of beginning at a new studio! Feel free to reach out with any questions at all! I would love to see all of your faces in my classes! 

HELLO YOU GUYS! So sorry about that little hiatus that I took during the month of February! Just going to take this time to catch you all up on what has been going down in my crazy life!

SO for starters, I have not had one day off in February. Correct. I have worked every single day. March 1st is going to be my first day off since January and I cannot wait! I did not purposely do this to myself, I actually didn't realize that I did this to myself at all, however I have learned some very valuable lessons. First of all, I have been preaching about self care recently. Well, I have to be better about practicing what I preach. My self care has definitely lacked this month, I feel as though I have fallen completely behind on taking care of my body and myself. Second, everyone needs a day off each week, NO.MATTER.WHAT. This is SO important. It is essential for re-grouping and collecting your thoughts. There were times where I was extremely stressed out and I had no idea why. 

In the meantime, I have finished up my coaching season with Wayland high school! This was my fourth year with that team, and they all did such an amazing job! The girls team was rebuilding this year, but worked their asses off and did not go down without a fight! The boys team went undefeated this year, winning sectionals and states in addition to their regular season. Both of the teams have been so supportive of bikes & buns, and are constantly reppin' the gear!! They are the best! 

In the indoor cycling world, Cyclebar Wellesley has been heating up! I have picked up a busy class schedule (check it out in the schedule section!!) and have been helping with some administrative things within the studio! Cyclebar Wellesley recently teamed up with Pressed Juicery, where people can order one of the three options of juice's that we have, before their class, and it will be waiting for them ready to go at the end of class! Also, if you know me, you know my love for a wide variety of music. This Saturday I am co-teaching a HIP-HOP ride with Abby Wilk! This is going to be the ride of the month! It's going to be absolutely amazing, and such a good time! Definitely will be explicit though! 

Other than that, I leave for a little adventure off to Nashville next week! I cannot wait! Any suggestions on where to go or what to do!? Please let me know!!! 

As we enter the last full week of January, I wanted to check in with myself and see if I was holding true to the resolutions I had set for myself. For the most part, I can honestly say I have been doing so much better with keeping up on my weekly yoga schedule and mixing in other workouts (other than the ones I teach). As for the traveling, you probably saw my last blog post and that I traveled up to Vermont for a weekend trip! That was awesome and so much fun. And to keep the traveling ball rolling, my friends and I just booked a trip to Nashville for the beginning of March! I have never been to Nashville, but I am SO excited! I LOVE LOVE LOVE country music and that whole atmosphere. Taking traveling one step at a time is great, because then you're always looking forward to the next trip you have planned.
       The only resolution I am really slacking on is the self care one. Self care is probably the most important one. As I finish up my last week at my full time job, I have planned out all of the self care tasks I am going to do next week when I finally have time to do them. I hate blaming things not getting done because of running out of time, but sometimes it just feels like there isn't enough time in the day to do everything you want to do. I feel as though for a lot of people, not only me, your own self care is the first thing to go out the window when you have a lot of things to do. I decided to really focus on the self care resolution this week, so I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from work last night and got some epsom salt, and a face mask. I finally had a moment to myself last night and took a nice epsom salt bath and gave myself a face mask. It felt amazing and is definitely something I am going to try to keep up with weekly.

HOW ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR RESOLUTIONS?

         Per my last blog post, I stated that I wanted to travel more this year. I fortunately, started the year out strong by going to Vermont this past weekend. First of all, it may have been the coldest it gets up there and it was still an enjoyable weekend. Second of all, I have some tips and tricks and some inside info, that you might want to know if you happen to travel up to Stowe, VT. 

WHERE I STAYED:
I stayed at The Butler House, which is an Inn in the downtown part of Stowe. Each room in it is like your own apartment. It's recently renovated and beautifully done. I love staying here because it is conveniently located right in the center of downtown. It's perfect if you are looking to shop around or walk around, and it's only a quick 15 minute drive away from Mount Mansfield. In the summer, its a perfect place to stay too because it is right on the bike trail and river that both flow through Stowe.  Now, I am not biased, but the building is owned by my uncle, and my cousin is the Head Chef of the breakfast place located right under the apartments; The Butler's Pantry. This is the best breakfast done in Stowe. The menu caters to all breakfast options and everything tastes INCREDIBLE. 

Check out their reviews on trip advisor, yelp & facebook (see I'm not biased, everyone thinks its amazing!):
Trip Advisor (Ranked #1 For Restaurants in Stowe): here
YELP: here
Facebook: here

My boyfriend and I decided to go out and explore a little bit. We ended up at the TopNotch resort and then at the Stowe Mountain lodge (Pictured above). The mountain was freezing, but so beautiful. You forget how big it is until you're standing at the bottom of it, looking straight up at those trails going straight down. The TopNotch resort was lovely, and if it was a clearer day we would be able to look at the mountain from the restaurant. The Stowe Mountain Lodge, was beautiful located right on the mountain. It had a super cozy feel, with a giant fire place and wide open window opening up to the mountain. Plus, they had a hot chocolate bar, my heaven. 

It was such a nice break being able to get away for the weekend. If you want to head up to Stowe, VT feel free to reach out and ask any questions about what to do, where to stay, where to eat etc. 

​If you're looking for more info on the Butler house click here. 

P.S. my cousins got a puppy and I was in heaven. Her name is Nellie and she's the cutest little nugget. 

     Its about that time. That time where you look at a New Year like a blank slate, like a fresh start. I love the thought of new beginnings and new goals. There is one part about all this new-ness that I don't like. I don't think the new year should bring a "new you", I think it should stay the same you, but achieving those goals that you set. Maybe the new year brings a more complete you, but don't write off everything you have already worked towards. This is a great time to reflect on what you have already accomplished in life, take a deep breath, and then continue that forward momentum into the new year and set higher goals. 
    I am a very goal-oriented person and personally love setting goals to achieve. This year, along with some goals I set, I also wanted to add resolutions or rituals to add to my routine. For example, self-care. SELF-CARE is SO IMPORTANT and not something to be overlooked. My goal is to be overall better about taking care of my body and myself. How am I going to do this? I am going to commit and hold myself accountable. I beat myself up teaching multiple spin classes a week, so now I am going to vow to mix in at least two extra classes a week of cross-training. One class has to be a yoga class, and one class a different form of cardio than spin (boxing, kickboxing, running etc.). Another self-care goal is to take one epsom salt bath a week, and to get one massage a month. This goal can be tough because financially, massages can be hard to swing. However, I feel as though it is necessary for taking care of my body and will find a way to work it into my budget. With these self-care rituals, I will fall into a routine of taking better care of my body and it will have short and long term benefits. 
    Another resolution I am committing to is: traveling more. Traveling can mean just about going anywhere besides my bed. I find that I am exhausted a lot and tend to not want to leave my bed when I finally have a day off or time to myself. I want to use this time more wisely and take more day trips to surrounding places and explore more. I love new adventures, but I never have time to do anything. I am going to MAKE time (meaning cut out some naps and netflix), and take more trips to places that can be easily accessed from Boston, MA. This is easier said than done, but I'm starting out the new year strong and heading up to Stowe, VT for a 3 day weekend this coming weekend and I can't wait! 
    With that being said, take this new year and run head first into it. Get excited, have fun, plan a trip, go crazy! 

What are some new years resolutions you have planned for yourself?

      This time of the year brings me back to the last two years when I was working retail, and it was absolutely insane going into work each day. I think about some of the people that came in and definitely let the weather and stress of the holidays get to them, and then I think about the people who were overly understanding and so kind. BE THE KIND AND UNDERSTANDING PERSON. It makes such a difference when you are understanding about what someone is going through. It is very hard to work in that environment, let alone work in that environment and have someone be a total jerk to you. This is the time of year to be thankful and cherish everything that we have. Next time you're in line at a Dunkin Donuts drive through, pay for the order behind you; next time you're frustrated about being in traffic, let a person out from a difficult turn; next time you're shopping at a hectic store, ask the worker how their day is going! It makes such a difference if you pay it forward, especially during this stressful time of the year.
     It is such an easy task to be kind to other people, and somehow that is the first thing people forget when they get stressed and caught up in their own lives. You never know what other people are going through so definitely give them a smile, and ask how they are doing. This is the season of giving. There is nothing that makes me more excited than giving my friends, family, and boyfriend gifts for the holiday! Giving is something I want to focus on everyday. Therefore, this is my promise to do 3 kind things a day to random strangers. Now, I'm not going to go out and buy dunkin donuts for the whole world, but I definitely will be more aware of this while I'm driving, (since I am a total masshole driver), shopping, or even interacting with people at work. Remember during this holiday season to pay it forward, be a kind human, and be understanding!!

         Recently, I had someone take my class again for the first time since the first class I've ever taught. They came up to me at the end of the class and told me how completely different my class was, how much more confident I was, and how my playlist flowed so well. This really opened my eyes up to how much I have evolved and changed since the very beginning. I am now six months into teaching. I used to get so INSANELY nervous before teaching every class. Now, I get SO excited and ready to go. I used to spend HOURS making each and every playlist, listening to it over and over making sure I had the counts down. Now, I am able to whip up a playlist in 30-45min and trust my knowledge of the music with only listening to it a couple times. I used to overthink every little thing I would say during class. Now, I just go for it and do the damn thing. I think what I realized was that I have really come into my own person as an instructor. My first class, I was a nervous reck. I knew what I was doing, but I had no idea what to expect. I had NEVER taught to a room full of people before. You eventually adjust and are able to be completely confident and yourself to that room full of people, and thats what makes it YOUR class. You connect to your class in a specific way and are able to make your students and clients feel a certain way about a workout.  Being an instructor is about forward motion and progression. I believe that I have come so far from where I began, but that I still have a long ways to go!  

         If you know me, you know that I am NOT a fan of the cold weather. I question why I STILL live in the northeast every winter. However, the winter inevitably comes and I am forced to deal with it. I find that the cold weather has a huge impact on my mood for the day. I find that I am more negative and unhappy on a day to day basis. Recently, I have started finding one thing everyday I am thankful for. This makes it a lot easier to deal with the negative energy that overcomes me. When you start focusing on the positive and the things that you love it makes it way easier to change your mood and views around.

          Everyone has something to be thankful for, and just like exercise, this is mind over matter. If you are having an awful day, this is when you need to find a reason to be happy more than ever. YES, sometimes it feels good to just complain and be unhappy about things, but when you complain to other people about the same things continuously, that ends up draining them. You are not aware about your complaining and negativity until you see the impact it has on those around you. Your positivity and light can make another persons day. When things are getting you down just look on the bright side, be happy, be thankful. 

        Piggybacking off of my last post, going into the holiday season can be tough. Its a total mind game between "treat yo'self" and "I want to stay on track." With the drinks flowing, desserts flying, and being surrounded by people you love, it can be really hard to say no. The truth is, you shouldn't have to say no! It's just about doing everything in moderation. It can also be hard keeping up on workouts, especially if you are traveling to see family. Truthfully, you don't need a full gym to get a good sweat in! Body weight workouts are totally do-able, or a quick 15 minutes of abs right when you wake up. ANYTHING is better than doing completely nothing. 
        The holidays are the best time of the year, there is no reason for you not to indulge and enjoy yourself. No one should ever feel any sort of guilt about the food they eat, or the workout they miss. DO NOT be too hard on yourself if you do cheat a little, trust yourself and your ability to get back into the swing of things after the holiday season! 

However, if you want to take advantage of that 15 minute ab workout throughout the holidays here is a workout I recommend:

45 seconds on 15 seconds off
1. Crunches with legs at 90 degress
2. Crunches to the Right 
3. Crunches to the left
4. Leg lifts
5. Flutterkicks
6. Rowboats
-1 min. rest-
7. Hundreds (legs straight up in the air, shoulders off ground, arms pulse by your sides)
8. Jack knife (same body position as hundreds but arms reach up into tiny little crunches on each side of the legs)
9. Russian twists
10. Plank 
11. Plank with hip dips (plank on elbows, dipping your hips down to either side each touching the ground)
12. Hollow rock (hold yourself in a V-like position)
-1 minute stretch out your abs in cobra pose-

Other workouts I recommend looking into if you're looking for a gym or studio setting:
-Local boxing classes
-Local spin/indoor cycling classes
-Local gyms (1 day passes)

Feel free to contact me directly if you are looking for body-weight, at home, workouts and I would be more than happy to send a workout over to you! 

As the weather gets colder and the mornings get darker, you find that it's harder to get out of bed in the morning. It's also harder to keep yourself motivated to work out, harder to eat food that is good for you, and harder to find that extra energy in the day to complete a workout before or after a long work day. At the end of a long day, when it gets dark out so early and literally feels like midnight by the time your out of work, the last thing you want to do is go home and cook a good meal for yourself (especially when Chinese takeout is so readily available). HOWEVER, these are the times that you need to persevere through. It's all about getting into a routine. Set your workout schedule for the week at the beginning of the week, stick with it. Set your meals at the beginning of the week, plan ahead, stay on top of it.

The transition into winter is probably the hardest transition I face every year. Everyone is getting the flu or colds, the weather is so cold, and it's SO hard to get yourself out of bed in the morning when it's pitch dark out. Some things I find to make the transition easier is setting ONE alarm in the morning. If you set more than one, then you know you have the ability to hit snooze. When you set one alarm, you know you have to get up right in that moment. Also, make your alarm your current favorite song or something you won’t get sick of! Nothing wrong with waking up in a happy mood right off the bat.

In the summer it is so easy to keep up with workouts, whenever you feel like going for a run or a bike ride or anything it just seems so much easier. The sky stays light out much longer, the weather is warm, and you WANT to get up and off your couch. In the fall/winter, I find that I have to plan out my workouts ahead of time. Some things to make it easier: sign up for classes a week in advance, this way you already paid for them and feel as though you need to hold yourself accountable and go to them. If you're a runner and get frustrated with the increasingly colder weather, there are indoor classes that can definitely help you continue your running or even help cross-train. MyStryde, Barry's Bootcamp and Orange theory are all awesome substitutes. Spinning and Yoga classes are awesome for cross training too.
​ Go for a fall hike, the foliage is SO beautiful this time of year, and being so close to Vermont, New Hampshire, and even Western Mass, we are amongst some of the most beautiful hiking trails. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced hiker, there are trails ALL over of all different lengths and levels. You will be able to find whatever you are looking for.

As for sticking with healthy eating....this is the hardest advice for me to give. Mainly because I have trouble following my own advice. Here are a couple techniques I've found recently, that work for me. Every Sunday/Monday, I plan out my breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks for the week. Meaning, I type out a document of all the ingredients I need from the grocery store with the recipes attached. This way, when I get to the grocery store, I am focused on exactly what I need to get and don't waste my time (or tempt myself) going down the junk/comfort food isles . Of course there are days when I get to them and I'm not in the mood for what I planned. I try to work with myself and switch around days and plan accordingly when the time comes to eat.
However, I'm a big believer in not depriving yourself completely of sweets. One little sweet at the end of the day after dinner is totally acceptable. I love ice cream way to much to ever preach that you should not be eating sweets at all.


These are my techniques for staying in shape and keep the workouts going strong going into the fall/winter, what do you do to keep yourself motivated?