Monday, February 24, 2014

Flying off the Handle Bars….My First Flywheel Class

It’s been on my 2014 Goals List since January 1st- get my body back in shape- the fact I sometimes huff and puff up the stairs from the T probably says a lot. So when I had the opportunity to join a bloggers event at Flywheel Boston with fellow blogger Victoria from LostBostBlog, I’d figured no time like the present to jump back into the workout scene.



Flywheel is new to Boston, located right in the Prudential Center right next to Crazy Dough’s Pizza & P.F. Chang’s, (I’m assuming this was done intentionally, eat then burn off the calories). I’ve walked by the place many times always taking interest in finding out what ‘stadium cycling’ meant. I got to find out as soon I was in the door. It was a little chaotic in the waiting area as people were coming out of class and we were preparing for our class. When I went to check-in, the girl at the desk asked for my shoe size; I stood there for a few seconds wondering: 1. why is she asking me for my shoe size, are we bowling? 2. what’s my shoe size? I admit, I got rather anxious when I saw the shoes that we were actually going to be strapped on the bike, (I can only imagine myself getting dizzy or losing my balance and half falling over in front of everyone stuck on the bike), but I told myself just to take my time and do the best I can since it’s been so long since I’ve done any sort of workout.



I was able to find Victoria in the crowd and we found bikes on the top level in the corner, (which was awesome in the event I was to be called out for going to slow…luckily, it wasn’t like that at all!), strapped ourselves in and began pedaling. Our instructor was Rachele, who introduced and educated us as to what we would be expecting- a lot of sweating and a lot of ass-whooping- bring it on!


As soon as Rachele finished explaining our workout segment, the room went dark, the music stared blaring and it was time to get the wheels grinding and off we went. I kept myself at a steady pace almost the entire time, but I did push myself a few times- couldn’t help it with the music going and the TorqBoard showing the progress of everyone in attendance…I think my bike number showed up there once, but it made me want to push harder.

As the tempo was going faster, and I was sweating more and more, I started to realize that my arms probably weren’t going to get a workout today, as this was a spin class. Oh, no, I was very wrong. During the class, Rachele told us to reach down and grab one of these baton type sticks that weighed only about 2-4lbs, not too bad, until we started to spin and do small arm lifts at the same time…the kind that feel worse than bench pressing 300lbs, since we were hitting all the small muscles that usually go unnoticed when exercising.

We did the baton lifts for about 5 minutes then it was back to just spin for one last hard push and then a cool down. (Phew)! When all was said and done, I was a little wobbly at first, but found my footing and was able to walk out of the class feeling hot, very sweaty but really good. It was nice getting back on the saddle and working myself like I used to and I really want to keep feeling this way, so I’ll be continuing to work my body.  The only downside to spin in general, at least for me, was the fact there were no butt pads that would be the only thing I would request before a spin class, it can hurt after a while!



As we were packing up the leave, we were given a great swag bag and asked to enter our names in for a raffle drawing…good thing I did, because I won a 5 Class Card…needless to say, I’ll be back for more spin!



If you ever wanted to try a spin class, there really is no excuse not to try Flywheel as your first class is F-R-E-E! Yes, free, so give it a try, what do you have to lose but sweat and more to gain when you exercise! 

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Brunch Event at Oak Long Bar

Recently, I attended another great @blogandtweetbos brunch event at Oak Long Bar + Kitchen located in the Fairmont Copley Plaza in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay, (the same place I had my senior prom...12 years ago…).


I sat at a small table with three other women, Andrea, marketer for TJX Companies (Fashionista!),  Jessica, marketing for First Aid Beauty and Jennifer, marketer for Fairmont Copley Plaza & Oak Long Bar + Kitchen (very good person to know for reservations). We got to know each other better with lots of chatting and some delicious brunch cocktails: Presidential Bellini & Morning After.
Presidential Bellini & Morning After

As we were gabbing about our best finds at TJ Maxx & Marshalls and munching at our Pretzel Bread, we were suddenly silenced by what was bestowed upon our table; a magnificent plate of Charcuterie full of amazing cheeses, meats, olives, figs, and a really long baguette.


After all the stares and ‘Oh My Gods’, we finally got into the good part and started eating all the delicious cheeses, meats and olives and finished just in time for our main brunch courses. I chose the Breakfast Mac n’ Cheese, a combination of hot mac n’ cheese, mixed in with even more cheese, bacon, croissant crumbles and a fried egg on top, absolutely delicious and very rich and filling.

We lost track and of time and realized that we were the last table to leave, but since we were clearly in no rush, Jennifer took us to see some of Boston’s cutest residents, Carly & Catie Copley, two black labs that you can actually take for walks if you’re a guest at Fairmont Copley Plaza.




By the end of the brunch event, I had met some great people, got a lot of  knowledge about TJ Maxx and where and how to find the best deals and another great restaurant/bar to add to the list of great places to come back to again. 

Friday, February 7, 2014

Cupcakes & Cocktails & Bloggers…Oh, My!

Recently I attended another awesome bloggers event hosted by @BlogandTweetBos. The theme was Cupcakes & Cocktails at the BCAE, (a place that I spend way too much time at, but it’s worth it, so many classes to learn about, so little time). The evening’s class was taught by Dustin Rennells, cupcake, cocktail and all things baking extraordinary. Having taken a few of Dustin’s classes before (Sugar & Spice Cookies and Harvest Cupcakes), I knew this was going to be a blogger’s event I couldn't miss!

The night’s objectives were simple, bake 3 different cupcakes, have 3 pairings of drinks and shots, take lots of pictures and have a great time. Dustin broke us into 3 different groups so that we all had a chance to help create one of the cupcakes- I was on the Sangria Cupcake with Compote Fruit Topping team, (which to my own opinion, the best tasting ones…naturally).

Getting ready to do some baking!!


The first cupcake made was the Spring Break Cupcakes with strawberry- butter frosting.  They were made with regular Duncan Hynes Lemon Surprise cake mix, Coconut Rum & water.  As they were baking in the oven, we had our first cocktail- Cake Frosting Shots, (a great way to start off my Friday…and I may have had more than 1…)!


Baking some Spring Break Cupcakes!
Good Tip of the night when adding batter to the pan- Twist & Flip!

Cake Frosting Shot!!
Amazingly Delicious!

Next up, was the Sangria Cupcake team. With a few simple ingredients including cocoa, butter & red wine, we were on our way to making a great batch of cupcakes. Of course, as we were mixing up the ingredients for our cupcakes, a few other girls were mixing up our next drink- Red Wine Spicy Sangria. Although it’s considered more of a summer drink, this sangria had some hint of winter spices including, cinnamon, apples and cloves, and paired great with the Sangria Cupcakes that would eventually have a fruit compote topping.

Sangria Cupcake time!

What better to go with Sangria Cupcakes than Sangria?!

Last, but most certainly not least, was the Brandied Peach Cupcakes with Tangy Brown Sugar *amazing* Frosting. This recipe had the most ingredients to mix in, including peaches, buttermilk and brandy. While I was helping out getting the cupcakes lined up and ready for frosting, the stove top was heating up for some delicious Apple Cider Hot Toddy, (my personal favorite drink of the night), which included Apple Cider, brown sugar cinnamon, and our choice of 3 different bourbons- I chose the Jack Daniels Maple, seemed most appropriate.

My favorite drink of the night-
Apple Cider Hot Toddy w/Jack Daniels Maple Bourbon 


By the end of the evening, we had dozens of cupcakes, frosted and ready for tasting and taking, delicious drinks and a few bloggers that I met for the first time. I’d say, it was another successful @BlogandTweetBos event with a great host at the BCAE. I hope I got your taste buds and sweet tooth wanting more, if so, you’re in luck! Dustin will be teaching another Cupcakes & Cocktails class again in the spring, as well as, many other baking classes that are sure to be a hit, so check out BCAE to find out more of these enjoyable classes!

Finished product of the Sangria Cupcakes!!
All the goodies I got to take home!! Yum!


Monday, February 3, 2014

New Year, New Mobile…Same Great Mobile Monday Events! – January’s Recap

This past January, Mobile Monday Boston kicked off the New Year in style with its first event of the year co-hosted with Women in Wireless at District Hal in the Innovation District. The night centered on the expanding role of mobile marketing and advertising with a range of sponsored companies promoting their expertise on the subject, as well as, a panel of marketing professionals from across different industries, discussing how their companies use mobile marketing to their advantage.

Attendees of Mobile Monday!
Photo: Kevin Wyant
By the end of the successful night, attendees walked away with a better knowledge of the different options of mobile marketing, (including banner ads, in application advertising, rich media and video ad units, gaming strategies, to name a few),  answers to all the questions asked during the panel discussions, and of course, lots of great networking.

In case you missed January’s event, (we’ll let it slide this time but don’t let it happen again!), or if you forgot which companies were represented that night, here is a list of the companies and panel speakers that were in attendance.(more photos can be found on our Mobile Monday Boston Facebook page)

Co-Host

Women In Wireless – With over 7,000 members and over 8 chapters across the world, Women In Wireless is a leading non-profit organization that empowers and develops female leaders in mobile and digital media. There are a number of committees within Women in Wireless to join, including Business Development, Career Development, Marketing and more that you can join to expand you knowledge and networking.

Sponsors

WinterWyman – A leading recruitment firm headquartered in the Northeast for more than 40 years, WinterWyman has helped thousands of companies, from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups – identify, attract and recruit talented professionals.

Mobile Monday & Women in Wireless event @ District Hall
Photo: Kevin Wyant
Mobiquity - With locations around the world, Mobiquity is an innovative firm that simplifies mobile for hundreds of companies. They push the envelope of innovation to deliver the right solution to address business challenges or surface business opportunities by designing, building, deploying and managing mobile solutions that work for your business.

nanigans – Performance marketing platform that measures, predicts and optimizes ad spend for lifetime value across social and mobile by harnessing the power of predictive lifetime value to inform more intelligent and efficient media buying.

Fiksu – Mobile app marketing company that works with companies in providing top marketing for their apps by strategizing and planning complete campaigns, including identifying media sources that can deliver the best return, campaign execution throughout the app marketing lifecycle with extensive feedback and reports and analyze opportunities on new marketing to help capitalize on immediate market opportunities.

millennial media -  As the leading independent audience platform in digital advertising, millennial media has focused on delivering innovation and thought leadership in mobile advertising since 2006 by emphasizing on building a mobile foundation, the deliver best-in-class solutions for each business they represent.

Localytics – Leading the way in marketing and analytic platforms for mobile and web apps, Localytics collaborates with some of the most well-known brands, (Microsoft, The New York Times, eBay, etc.), and helping create an excellent experience for their customers, in return maximizing profitability, engagement, lifetime value and loyalty. Localytics provides analytics and marketing for more than 1 billion devices across more than 20,000 apps.

Celtra – With locations across the country and the world, Celtra provides a web based self-service platform for publishers, ad networks and media agencies for the creation of ad trafficking, tracking and optimization of media for mobile display advertising ads. Celtra’s ‘AdCreator’ allows marketing and advertising  companies to create, distribute and measure rich media ads across all major OS platforms and numerous mobile devices.

Speakers

Speaker Panelists discussing Mobile Marketing
Photo: Kevin Wyant
Jonathan Stephen, Head of Mobile & Emerging Technologies, JetBlue

Nick Bogovich, Executive Director, Mobile, GSN Games

Gabriella Buerman, Mobile Product Marketing Manager, Rue La La

Jonathan Tatlow, SVP of Connections Planning, Digitas