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Thirty Minute Arms & Abs Workout

Happy Wednesday friends!

Bo and I just finished enjoying our first sushi takeout dinner since he moved to Geneva! In New York City, sushi dinners complete with Friends on in the background was a party of our normal life. We probably ordered sushi at least 2-3 times per month. But, in Geneva it’s hard to find fresh, reasonably priced sushi. We discovered Sushi Shop recently and fell in love immediately. Their rolls are creative and bursting with unique flavors!

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Before leaving the office tonight I stopped by the gym for a quick but sweaty 30 minute workout. My goal was to focus on my arms and abs during today’s workout as I have a tempo run tomorrow morning. This workout was easy to follow and efficient but had my arms burning in no time! The workout is exactly 30 minutes long as the cardio/arm portion is 27 minutes and the ab portion is the final 3 minutes. You can choose your own cardio option, either do the same thing each set or something different. I did 1 minute on the rowing machine for a total of 9 minutes by the end of the workout. But, feel free to do mountain climbers, burpees, sprints, jumping jacks or your favorite cardio burst!

30 Minute Abs & Arms Workout

In case you have any questions about the exercises, here are links to each of them:

bicep curls – seated overhead press– chest press – hammer curls – tricep dips – upright rows– plank – Russian twist

Keep in mind, the goal is quality not quantity for the number of repetitions during each minute.  I hope you all enjoy this workout as much as I do!

Have a great rest of your week!

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ashleyd /

Every Workout Is A Personal Experience

For the past few months, I’ve seen a yoga class on my office gym’s class schedule. The description gave no details other than that three days per week there is an hour long yoga class offered downstairs. I asked a few co-workers and received very mixed or negative reviews. Many stated that it was merely okay. Until today I have let those reviews sway my decision and keep me from finding some solace during a busy workday by practicing my down dogs and flow series during lunch.

As my training schedule called for yoga today, I figured that I was far more likely to make it to the yoga class in our office than one outside the office based on my work schedule. This morning I threw my workout clothes in my purse and blocked off my lunch hour with a private “yoga” meeting. The knot in my shoulder and my sore legs were looking forward to the workout. In my mind however I dismissed the class. I managed my expectations by telling myself that it wouldn’t be a good class. The only way I convinced myself to leave my desk at 12:15 was by convincing myself that if nothing else, it would at least force me to spend an hour stretching and relaxing my mind.

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What I didn’t expect was to leave the class inspired and excited. The class was led by a very friendly teacher sporting an American amount of Lululemon (headband, tank, crops) who instructed us in English with a French accent. She walked around the room constantly, adjusting us and reminding us that this was our hour of the day. The two men and thirteen of us women spent the hour in silence save for our closing chant. There was no magical inversion moment or a pose that felt perfect. Instead it was an hour of peace as I found my center on the mat, focusing on nothing except my breath and my body’s responses as I moved through the flow.

Today’s yoga experience was a great reminder that every workout is a personal experience. There is no perfect class for anyone hence the reason there are so many options. I regret letting 8 months pass before I gave the yoga class a try. Now I am making it a personal goal to squeeze in at least one of the three weekly yoga classes.

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ashleyd /

35 Minute Sprint Boot Camp Workout

How is your week going?

This week flew by quickly this week thanks in part to David’s visit and some projects at work that are keeping me busy. Our evenings were relaxed while David was here, enjoying dinner out each night.

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I treated David to his first fondue experience in Switzerland at Bains des Paquis and last night we enjoyed delicious chicken at Restaurant Chez Ma Cousine. I was so excited to hear that his Lonely Planet guidebook even suggested Chez Ma Cuisine due to their tender and delicious chicken which is also one of the best dinner deals in Geneva!

fonduechez ma

I didn’t walk through the gym doors this evening until 7pm. I was tired and not in the best mood. My plan called for a 4-5 mile easy run but as soon as I realized my iPad was dead I knew there was no way I could make myself run on the treadmill. Instead of forcing myself to do something I didn’t want to do I hopped off and decided to do a boot camp workout instead. I love creating boot camp workouts as it takes my mind off the workout itself and only doing any single workout for a short duration helps keep the workout fun and ensure I push myself as hard as possible. The treadmill speed intervals did a great job keeping my heart rate up and challenging me while I mixed up the strength to ensure I was focusing on my total body versus just one specific area.

Gym Boot Camp Workout

What is your single most favorite strength or core training exercise? Mine is definitely side planks!

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