Workout
Weekend in Portland, Maine
Hey hey! I hope everyone had a fabulous Monday. If you missed my last post on a great upper body workout including videos of kettlebell swing and band assisted chin ups, check it out here!
Like I mentioned in that post, As of late, my workouts have consisted of big, compound movements. Movements that are the most effective and efficient and work the entire body. I am talking squats, dead lifts, chin ups, bench, and of course some plyos thrown in the mix. I cannot tell you how much stronger I feel throughout my entire body. When I do a set of push ups now, I feel my back being activated more than ever before and I can also notice a huge difference in my back; it is more defined and this is simply from toning down the volume of my training and completing more compound, ‘back to basics’ movements in the gym.
Of course, I love to dabble in new exercises/workouts and try out all sorts of ‘fitness’ type stuff but what I truly believe in the most to change your body significantly and see the most effective and efficient changes? stick to the basics people!
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Onto my fabulous weekend. This weekend my family had a little getaway to Portland, Maine in celebration of my Mothers Birthday! I have heard such amazing things about Portland, especially this time of year when it is not too cold yet, and the leaves are in the process of turning, I was so excited get away for the weekend as well as celebrate with my family for my Mothers Birthday!
My Father booked rooms at the most amazing hotel in Portland called The Inn by The Sea which is located in Cape Elizabeth on the Ocean in Portland.
(this is taken from the website, but these are the views we woke up to in the morning)
And this was my gear for the day. Check out my new leg warmers!! I am obsessed and may have to go back and get more colors. They are from American Apparel. I paired them with my black underarmour leggings and blue sneaks to be comfy and casual yet still cute!
Right when we arrived, we went straight into downtown Portland to explore. What a cute town!! There were people everywhere taking advantage of the touristy sites and warmer temperatures
We landed at the Portland Lobster Company. I was really excited because we had heard great reviews on this local hot spot
Me and my brothers Fiance, Becca. The atmosphere was so Maine. Orange picnic tables with live music and an outdoor bar made for the perfect casual scene! It was right on the harbor too we were surrounded by a nice breeze and smells of the ocean.
We got a shrimp cocktail in addition to our meal. The shrimps were amazingly plump, tender and so incredibly fresh. I topped mine with fresh lemon and pepper.
For my meal I got a garden salad with fresh lobster meat and avocado. It was served with a balsamic vinegrette. Now, before I give my review on the salad, I will say that this was my first time eating lobster. I know, I am from New England and yet I have never tried lobster. I grew up in Kosher household, so I never grew up eating shellfish. When my brother and I were around 13 or 14, we were able to eat basically whatever we wanted and for some reason, lobster always scared me. I came to LOVE shrimp and scallops and now, Oysters but for some reason, lobster still scared the living daylights out of me
Well I figured if I was going to try lobster, then Maine is the state to do it in! Afterall, they ARE known for their amazing lobsters. The salad was piled high with fresh meat.
After a little pepper, I took my first bite. It was good, but honestly? I am much more of a fan of shrimp and scallops. For some reason, lobster (in the words of me) “tastes like the sea” I love fish, don’t get me wrong but I guess lobster won’t be my first pick. I did eat the whole thing, and still enjoyed the salad but the company was even better!
After lunch, we went ahead and strolled the streets. We popped into some cute shops with all sorts of trinkets
I found this in a window and LOVED it. “Go forth and set the world on fire”
We also went into Vervacious (which was recommened via twitter) Vervacious is a local company that has the most unique, amazing spice blends, rubs and sauces including this one which was one of my favorites, Chocolate Balsamic. They had samples of all of their products, and I felt like a kid in a candy store! Another one of my favorite spices was “cinnamon salt” it sounds so simple, but there was something about it that was just so incredibly delicious.
My brother and I tried on some goofy hats in one of the shops. Pizza and Hamburger hats
And the happy couple in hamburger and hot dog hats!
After some relaxing time and a little workout in the BEAUTIFUL gym located inside of the hotel, we were off to dinner to Forestreet Forestreet is one of the best restaurants I think I have ever dined at. The menu changes daily depending on what they decide on making and what fresh, organic foods they have.
In 2002, Fore Street was named Number 16 in Gourmet Magazine’s Top Fifty Restaurants of the United States. In 2004, Chef-partner Sam Hayward was namedBest Chef: Northeast by the James Beard Foundation
The meal started off with a big bread basket with fresh sliced crusty bread from the Standard Baking Company (another local bread shop located underneath the restaurant)
I had some of the wheat which was doughy and seedy as well as some of the white which had a little more sourdough flavor and a crusty outside.
My brother ordered this Foie grais, which I am not a fan of, but it was plated so beatifully with ribbons of balsamic glaze, I had to snap a picture
Another appetizer we got for the table was homemade pasta called “cavatelli” served with brussels sprouts, pumpkin seeds and fresh local cheese
Exotic mushroom and spinach salad
Honey crisp apple and hazelnut salad with arugula and mesclun greens
For my main entree I chose the pan roasted cod which was served with brussels sprouts and mushrooms in a light fish and butter sauce. This was honestly one of the best cod dishes I have ever had. It was sweet but spicy and the cod just flaked right when I touched it with a fork.
It was cooked perfectly and I loved that the top of the fish was a bit crispy due to the broiling.
After the meal was over and my family and I were just chatting, my brother and I started cracking up while reading some funny screenshots from damnyouautocorrect. Have you all checked out this website? If you need a pick me up…go there and just read some of the hilarious iphone autocorrect texts that people send in. We shared with my parents what it all meant and we all started reading them, while laughing hysterically.
Here is one that my mom nearly peed her pants reading
(source)Overall, this meal was incredible and if you have a chance to visit Portland Maine, I highly suggest you check out this restaurant for dinner. The food is fresh, the service is impeccable and you will not be dissapointed.
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The next morning, I woke up around 8:00 (we were meeting for breakfast at 9:30) I wanted to get in a little workout beforehand so when my alarm went off, I threw on my clothes and went right down to the hotel gym which was perfect! It consisted of
- 2 treadmills
- 2 ellipticals
- 2 bikes
- A full set of dumbbells
- bosu’s, stability balls, mats, exercise benches, aerobic step benches, medicine balls,
- water infused with orange and lemon slices! <--the best part!
For my workout, since I knew I didn’t have a lot of time, I kept the intensity high and focus ON. I acutally sometimes prefer when I don’t have a whole lot of time to workout because this forces me to make the workout a bit more efficient and intense. I always seem to have amazing workouts when I am short on time!
First I started with Treadmill incline sprints (1 min work, 1 min recovery)
|
Time
|
Incline
|
Speed
|
|
0-3
|
1.0
|
6.5
|
|
3-4
|
10
|
6.5
|
|
4-5
|
10
|
2.0
|
|
5-6
|
11
|
6.3
|
|
6-7
|
11
|
2.0
|
|
7-8
|
12
|
6.1
|
|
8-9
|
12
|
2.0
|
|
9-10
|
15
|
5.7
|
|
10-11
|
15
|
2.0
|
****I repeated minutes 3-11 one more time through and 1 minute cool down for a 20 min incline treadmill workout.
After my sprints, I grabbed some weights and did a couple of metabolic style circuits
Circuit 1 (45 seconds work, 15 seconds rest between exercises for a total of 5 minutes)
- DB Burpee deadlift
- Mountain Climbers
- Bench hop overs
- Push up with rotation
- 5 jump squats, 5 bodyweight squats, 5 pulse squats
***Repeated 2x through for a total of 10 minutes
Circuit 2 (45 seconds work, 15 seconds rest between exercises for a total of 5 minutes)
- Alternating DB shoulder press, standing. (17.5 lb DB)
- Floor jacks
- Bench jump squats (on aerobic step with 3 risers on each side)
- Plank hold alternating feet to ceiling
- Wall sit
***Repeated 1x through for a total of about 5 minutes
Breakfast was eaten out on the gorgeous patio overlooking the greenery and the ocean. It could not have been more perfect! I am acutally not a huge ‘lets go out for breakfast’ person. Sure, I do it and enjoy it sometimes, but breakfast is one of those meals where I would much rather cook it myself.
I never really was too fond on omelets and I really am not the type of person to have a crazy sweet, rich, heavy breakfast such as the maine blueberry pancakes or cinnamon french toast. I could lie here and say it sounded good, but honestly? It doesn’t. I would much rather have a healthy, hearty breakfast that will give me long lasting fuel for the remainder of the morning.
I ordered 3 egg whites scrambled (they came with fresh chives) and back in the room I heated up some oats and cinnamon that I brought with me. I topped the oatmeal with some fresh strawberries that we ordered and almond slivers (that I brought) It was just what I wanted!
And this guy kept an eye on us the entire meal!
So, my mom’s birthday? It was a success. She had the most amazing time, oh and did I mention she got an ipad…what a lucky gal. She deserves everything in the world though. My best friend, role model and best mom on the planet
Questions:
Do you ever have ‘getaways’ with your family and are you the type that loves every minute of closeness or are you the type that can’t wait until its over so you can have your own space?
When you are in a pinch, do you find that your workouts can be more effective?
