Boston Sports Club UFX & VBarre Giveaway

How is it almost Friday already??  This week flew by, which is great, but its been crazy busy too!  I’m still having Reach the Beach withdrawals, Brian turned the big 3-0 yesterday (!!), and we’re having a big birthday bash at the house this weekend that I am feeling very unprepared for. 

Well, I’m prepared but I just wish I had more time to get everything done!!

I also still have lots to share from the rest of my Reach the Beach experience, but first I have an AWESOME giveaway…unfortunately this is for the readers that live near a Boston Sports Club!

Boston Sports Clubs has recently started two new Small Group Training classes:  UFX and VBarre!

In addition to the regular classes offered to members of BSC, they also offer these small group training sessions where you pay an fee to take a specialized class for a session (usually 8 weeks).  These small group training classes are offered to members AND non-members. 

I took these descriptions from the BSC website:

VBarre

(source)

Vbarre transcends the typical ballet barre exercise class by blending ballet, Pilates and resistance training into a calorie-burning workout. The result is a lean and sculpted body in minimal time. Choreographed movements using a ballet barre, light weights and a glide board are set to motivating music. (source)

I’d imagine this is their version of the barre classes that have become so popular lately. 

The other class is UFX or Ultimate Fitness Experience!

What happens when you combine personal training with team motivation? You get in the best shape of your life with the UXF ultimate fitness experience. This eight session, cross-training workout blends strength training and cardio conditioning to improve your flexibility, agility, strength and endurance. Equipment such as TRX, kettlebells, ropes and bars are mixed with plyometric exercises to create a balanced circuit where you progress at your own pace. UXF is your one-stop shop for a total-body workout. (source)

This class has a lot of what sounds like aspects of Crossfit!  If I wasn’t already involved with Crossfit I’d definitely want to take this class!!  I bet its a butt kicker!

So now for the details!

I am giving away one package of VBarre sessions and two packages of UFX sessions!!! 

Here’s what you need to know:

UXF (Ultimate Fitness Experience)

Get in the best shape of your life with UXF – the Ultimate Fitness Experience. This comprehensive, body-changing workout combines strength training and cardio conditioning to improve your flexibility, agility, strength and endurance.

You’re challenged to achieve your personal best and progress at your own pace during eight sessions that span four weeks. Equipment such as TRX, kettlebells, ropes and bars are combined with plyometric exercises to create a well-balanced and varied circuit. UXF is your one-stop shop for a total-body workout.

Things to note about UXF:

• Location: UXF is offered at EVERY Boston Sports Club location – times and dates available upon request.
• Timing: The next session starts June 4th! This is a 4 week session that meets twice a week.  Usually a Mon/Wed, Tues/Thurs/ or Wed/Fri, and almost all locations offer sessions early in the morning before work, or in the evening after work! 
• Total Value: $199 MSRP per 8-session package
• What if I can’t attend all sessions?  No worries, you can drop in and out as you please.

Things to note about Vbarre:

Vbarre transcends the typical ballet barre exercise class by blending ballet, Pilates and resistance training into a calorie-burning workout. The result is a lean and sculpted body in minimal time. Choreographed movements using a ballet barre, light weights and a glide board are set to motivating music.

• Locations: ONLY BSC Downtown Crossing & BSC South End
• When: 8-week session, once a week (8 classes total). 
• Timing: The next session begins on July 9th
• Total Value: $149 MSRP per 8-session package
• What if I can’t attend all sessions? No worries, you can drop in and out as you please.

So just to reiterate:

• Giving away 3 packages:  2 are for UFX and 1 for VBarre
• you do NOT have to be a BSC member!
• UFX is offered at ALL BSC locations
• VBarre is ONLY offered at Downtown Crossing and the South End BSC locations. 

How to enter:

1. Leave me a comment telling me your favorite fitness class!
2. In that same comment specify whether you want to enter for UFX, VBarre, or either!
3. Tweet about the contest for an extra entry and then leave a separate comment telling me you did so. 

This contest is open until Wednesday May 30, 2012 at 9pm EST.

RTB MA {relay recaps} Part 1

Where to begin... I never really jumped on board when everyone started calling everything "epic", but now I get it because that was seriously an EPIC adventure this weekend participating in the Massachusetts Reach the Beach Relay!!

I will remember this amazing weekend with these amazing women always!  

Need a refresher?  Here’s the list of ladies in our running order:

Team Off Balance

Gretchen – Honey I Shrunk the Gretchen
Jess – Fit Chick in the City
Melissa – Fitness NYC
Patricia – Run Foodie Run
Me!
Sarah – Sarah Fit
Tina - Carrots ‘n Cake
Monica – Run Eat Repeat
Theodora – Losing Weight in the City
Elizabeth – On Tap for Today
Anne – Fannetastic Food
Ashley – A Healthy, Happier Bear

There were also our unbelievably amazing drivers Nicole and Monica!!  They easily became part of the family this weekend too!!! 

I need to rewind a bit back to Thursday though. I left work early, made a quick stop at Whole Foods for some last minute provisions, and headed to the New Balance headquarters in Brighton to meet the team.

We quickly packed up the vans and headed north to Lawrence for a tour of the manufacturing facilities and the lab where they test all the shoes.

I used to work 5 minutes away from the New Balance in Lawrence for over 5 years and I never knew everything that actually took place here.
Some fun facts:

• NB created it's first shoe in 1982 with their 990, which is still their top shoe.
• This was also the first athletic shoe to break $100 and no one thought it would sell.
• Whoever said that is kicking themselves now though, because as of today their have been 14,000,000 pairs of the 990 sold!!!
• NB is also the only athletic shoe company that still manufactures shoes in the USA! 25% of their shoes are made in the county.

(material waiting to become shoes)

We were lucky enough to tour the manufacturing floor and actually see these 990's being made. I've never seen anything like this before. Its crazy to see the shoes go from pieces of materials all the way into sneakers!

A shoe is made about every 22.5 seconds!

 
After that tour we headed downstairs to visit the  Sports Research Lab.

There were a few desks, but also a treadmill, basketball hoop, lifting bar, and other equipment that made me thinks they don't have onto sit behind their computers all day.

 
We saw and tried out some of their technology that analyzes how you run, if you pronate, how your foot strikes the ground, and how they test their shoes against competitors.

I learned that I strike the ground on my mid foot, which it what I had thought. Apparently striking mid-food helps avoid injury. But we also talked about how being a heel striker is not necessarily a bad thing if you do it right. However most people don't do it right and that's why it has a bad rep.

One of the guys that worked down in the lab also was telling us his theory about how when other parts of the body are injured you keep them in a cast/sling/brace for the short term and then get them back to their natural range of motion.  However, if someone pronates, they get a corrective shoe and that’s that.  Basically saying that being an over-pronator may just be how some people naturally run and as long as their not in pain or injured, why correct it??  Interesting…

We then headed back to the vans, and headed to the Wachusett Village Inn, where we would be spending the night before the relay. 

We checked in, had a few minutes to relax and then we gathered by a campfire outside while we had our first interaction with the videographer.  We had a videographer with us the entire time, and not just filming…but he is creating 5 episodes for the Reach the Beach facebook page about our journey.  We talked about what we are nervous about, what our thoughts were going into the race, and our goals. 

When he first talked about creating “conflict” I started thinking Real World: Reach the Beach.  But in reality it was more our own conflicts with what we might struggle with over the course of the relay.

Then it was dinner time!

Maybe nachos aren’t the best pre-race dinner…oh well!  I also had a big salad, and a few bites of mac and cheese that was passed around the table.  I love people who share :)

Just like the HLS, Elizabeth was my roomie and partner in crime…sadly we weren’t in the same van but we kept in constant contact via the twitter machine.  

In fact…twitter + group texting = the most action my cell phone has seen in a 2-day period EVER.  If you’ve  never group texted…get on it.  Its life changing.

After breakfast Friday morning we all headed to Mt. Wachusett to register, go through orientation, and get ready to send Gretchen off on the first leg!!

I love these girls!

Team Fast Food Nation:

Loved some of the costumes we saw!!

Gretchen getting ready to tackle the first leg…basically up Mt Wachusett!

And they’re off!   

I’m guessing by now you’ve read some of the other re-caps, and we were all trying not to do TOO many posts but there is just SO much to share.  I’m going to stop here for now, but I can’t WAIT to talk about the actual race!!! 

Mom’s Tea and Relay Week!

Another rainy day here in Boston, but at least we were gifted with a gorgeous weekend to celebrate Mother’s Day!

My Saturday morning started out with a beautiful run with Elizabeth! We did one of my favorite running routes in South Boston along the water.

It was a tad warm as far as ideal running conditions go, but I couldn’t complain…it was so nice to feel the warm sun!

We did about 5.5 miles.

That was probably my last run before the Reach the Beach Relay this Friday!!!  I seriously can NOT believe it’s here already and I’m getting SO pumped!  The total of my 3 legs is 15.5 miles.  I haven’t had too many long runs these days but I’m confident that I’ll be just fine :)

Came home, showered, came out of the shower to find this furball on the living room chair…where he is NOT allowed, and he knows it.  Sly little guy.

 

He made himself quite comfy. 

That afternoon was my mom and my annual Mother’s Day tea!

Mother’s Day 2009 – The Taj
Mother’s Day 2010 – Boston Harbor Hotel
Mother’s Day 2011 – L’Espalier

And for Mother’s Day 2012 we did a repeat and went to L’Espalier again! 

We’ve gone to most all of the high teas in Boston…years before I had the blog of course, and once at Christmas Time.  So I feel like we now can repeat our favorites or go to another city :)

Honestly though, what made me pick L’Espalier again is their cheese tray!

In addition to the usual tea sandwiches and pastries you can also order a sampling of 5 cheeses with their accompaniments.

One new aspect of the tea this year though was that they now employ Tea Sommelier Cynthia Gold!  I remember her from tea at the Park Plaza hotel and at the time she was the only Tea Sommelier around.  So it was a nice surprise to see her at L’Espalier.  

The presentation started with a waiter pouring hot water into a wine glass at each of our table settings.  Confusing at first.

But then Cynthia came over with a hand tied flowering tea satchel/pod.  We were instructed to drop it into the hot water. 

We were told it would slowly open and gradually release 3 different type of flowering teas.

It was quite fun to watch it change over the course of our tea service.

 

For my  first tea from the menu I ordered the L’Espalier Afternoon Blend – This signature tea consists of a blend of Darjeeling and three Sri Lankan Estate teas as well as two Chinese green teas lightly scented with jasmine, Italian oil of bergamot, and grapefruit peel.

I loved this blend!

Although I think my favorite of the day was the Chefs Blend my mom ordered later.

 

Tea Sandwiches

As good as they were I was pretty disappointed we were missing the warm ham and cheese sandwich that was on last year’s plate.  But the crab salad was a nice change and I’m always happy when there is NO egg salad ;)

Cheeses:

All were delicious except for the one on the far right.  It was a VERY strong blue cheese…clear your sinuses strong, and just not very pleasant to my mom and I.  Otherwise there was a mild creamy cheese made from a combo of goats, sheep, and cow’s milk; a soft goat blue, one in a gruyere style, another in the raclette family, and another sheep’s milk cheese I can’t remember. 

Accompaniments:

After the cheese and sandwiches were done it was Sweets time!

Very similar to last year, but delicious none the less.  At the top of that picture you can see the scones as well.  Served with Devonshire cream and jam.  I could just eat the scones and skip dessert entirely…so good. 

Delectable and Cute…

 

At this point we’re usually pretty full so we ended up bringing some leftovers home to Brian…lucky guy! 

Somehow missed a shot of mom and I :(  But did grab and outfit pic!

• Blue Dress – H&M
• Neon pink belt – Express
• Sandals – Nine West (via Macy’s)

Loved that it was warm enough for bare legs AND arms!!

Speaking of mom… she’s going to be spending a LOT of time in Seattle this summer and into the Fall!!  No one in my family has ever been so we’re no help but do any of you know any good places out there??  Restaurants?  Must-see sites?  Stores?  Bakeries ;)?? 

Hope you all had a great Mother’s Day!  Especially my friends (blog and “real life”) who celebrated their first Mother’s Day this year!!

Cheddar Dill Breakfast Quinoa & Brunch with the Girls

Don’t you love when you totally throw something completely random and new together in the kitchen and it ends up being a huge success!?

That’s what happened in this kitchen last weekend.

This time it was breakfast, and I love making breakfast on the weekends so it was fun coming up with something new and different.  If it bombed?  Oh well, it was the weekend and I could make something else :)

We had a container of leftover, cooked quinoa in the fridge.  There was a good amount of it, so I was hoping to incorporate it into breakfast!  I’ve seen various “breakfast quinoas” around the blog world…many times made similar to oatmeal (which I want to try), but I was more in the mood for something savory.

Plus some cheese and fresh herbs make anything better.

I give you…

Cheddar Dill Breakfast Quinoa
serves 2

• 1T olive oil
• 1/4 cup white or yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup cooked quinoa (really you can use as much as you want, obviously the texture will change as the ratio of quinoa to egg is altered).
• 3 eggs
• splash of milk (about 2T)
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 1T fresh chopped dill

In a non-stick skillet heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until just getting soft.  Add in quinoa, and continue to sauté for another 2-4 minutes. 

In a small bowl, crack in eggs and beat together with a fork.  Add milk and beat that into the eggs.  Pour eggs into quinoa mixture.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  After about 30 seconds, start to scramble mixture together.  Add in dill.  Continue to cook/scramble.  Once eggs are just about done to the point where you like your scramble eggs cooked, add in cheese.  Give another stir and remove from heat.

We had ours with some bacon and sides of yogurt with a sauce of cooked down berries (plus some lemon juice and maple syrup) and walnuts.

Iced latte

We both LOVED the quinoa!!  I think I liked the texture even more than regular scrambled eggs.  Plus the possibilities are endless for flavors…different cheeses, herbs, spices, veggies.  The beauty of breakfast egg dishes :)

Try this!!

Keeping with a breakfast theme…I’d also like to share some photos from a brunch I had at my place with a few of my girl friends.  You know how sometimes there are friends or groups of friends that you just don’t see as often as you’d like or used to see?  Well that was my problem.  So to solve it I just invited them over one Sunday morning for a quick and delightful brunch!

I was excited to do a “girly” table setting with some pink linens.

I love using baskets and trays to group my centerpieces

I actually was too busy prepping food and chatting that I forgot to snap some photos before we ate!!  But I grabbed a few after…much of the food is gone but you get the gist.

Smoked Salmon/Capers/Cream Cheese/Red Onion/Mini Whole Wheat Bagels.

This is an easy one.  No cooking involved and you can present it as nice and you want! 

One of my friends brought this zucchini bread…and now I need the recipe!  It was amazing!!

So moist and it created this awesome crust around the edges.

Bacon, fresh pineapple, a coffee cake brought by another friend

My favorite brunch dish to make for a group…French Toast Strata!

A delicious frittata…

• This one started with butter in the skillet, then lots of thinly sliced onions…caramelize.
• Once mostly caramelized, add in chopped zucchini.  Sauté for a couple more minutes.
• Then add eggs (think I used 6 eggs, beaten + some milk)
•   Add in chopped fresh thyme.  Then top with LOTS of goat cheese.
• Broil for a few minutes (be sure to use an oven safe skillet!  I love using cast iron), until set and just starting to brown.

More fruit!

Baskets also useful for condiments (salt, pepper, maple syrup) and cream and sugar for coffee.  

I like to use some of my real creamers/pitchers for cream and maple syrup.  It’s not much more effort and looks so nice!

Brunch was  a success.  Caught up with friends, and then we all still had the rest of the day to get our Sunday-type errands done :)

I heart breakfast food.