This week I’m traveling for work in White Plains, New York.
First, an awkward story. If you stick with reading my blog, you’ll learn that I love awkward moments. They just find me, so I definitely plan on incorporating them into Fitness & Feta.
I left on Tuesday morning with my boss. On Monday, my boss said he didn’t mind driving as long as I was aware that he likes to drive with the top down. Sure, no big deal. What I didn’t realize was that he meant he likes to drive his jeep with the top down, back down, and 2 back doors down. With no air conditioning. On a 97 record heat breaking day. By the time we reached Mystic, CT for a break, my entire back was sweating and my hair was all over the place. My boss and I didn’t speak one word for the entire last hour of the trip because I was focusing so hard on just breathing to make it without passing out. I also had to concentrate on my every movement because one wrong move and my cotton skirt was flying up. So not only did I have sweat dripping in places I didn’t even know I had, but I also had potential thigh exposure working against me. AND I got a sunburn down my left shoulder / arm from the sun beating down on us from that direction. If I had known all of this, I definitely would have volunteered the Camry instead.
It’s funny to think about today.
Anyways, my Renaissance Inn hotel room makes up for the drive from hell. It’s pretty much an entire apartment!
The week is going pretty well. We’ve had a couple easy days on site, and I’ve stuck to eating healthy and working out. Not always so easy to do on the road, especially when you are eating out for every meal on your company dollar!
Here’s what I’ve eaten so far:
On Tuesday, I had a yogurt before I left my house and a banana during my sweat fest on the car ride down. I did splurge and get a blueberry iced coffee (with skim milk and 1 splenda!) from Dunks to get me through the ride. The ice melted within 3 minutes though. We ate lunch at the hospital, so slim pickings. Hospital cafeteria food is just not that delicious. But I got a salad with spinach leaves, tomato, cucumber, dried cranberry, and carrots. And a cup of grapes on the side. After the hospital, I needed a little extra before working out, so I bought a Luna bar at the hotel “Market.”
Now I can never decide if these kind of bars are good for you or not. So I looked this one up. From the Luna website: “Each 1.69 oz (48g) LUNA Bar has around 180 calories with 9-10g protein and 3-5g fiber. It is high in calcium folic acid and iron, a good source of Vitamin D, and rich in antioxidants (vitamins A, C and E). Each bar has 3.5-6g fat and 9-14g sugar depending on the flavor.” These are one of my favorite bars to choose from, if I must!
After my workout, we went to a restaurant within walking distance to our hotel, called Blue Restaurant. I ordered the Summer Salad to start, which had spinach leaves, walnuts, grapes, watermelon, tomatoes, and feta. Delish! And for my entree I went with a pistachio salmon topped with swiss chard and a honey drizzle. I tried to leave the potato puree behind.
On the way home, I realized we were also within walking distance to the grocery store, so I went in to stalk up on some healthier options since I have the luxury of a refrigerator in my hotel room this week! I got a couple Chobani yogurts, raspberries, 2 peaches, 2 bananas, and 2 Sobe Life Waters. Sure beats snacking on all that packaged crap available in the hotel lobby or vending machines. I felt a little lame at how excited I got by this purchase, but the raspberries were a perfect little munchie for when I was up preparing for today on site.
Today I ate breakfast at the continental breakfast. I had a bowl of oatmeal and mixed in one of my Chobanis, because the yogurt gives the plain oatmeal a little extra flavor. And I also had some scrambled eggs. On site for lunch I had another salad for fear of the hot lunch line, had the rest of my raspberries and a peach for a snack before working out, and went for dinner at Legal Seafood. I ordered grilled scallops and shrimp, with 2 sides of brown rice and veggies. The menu at Legal had the calorie information next to every item on the menu, which I think some states have started mandating to promote healthier choices. I love it!
Definitely happy with my food choices! And working out hasn’t been too bad either. For me, I find it the hardest to exercise when I don’t have my regular schedule of classes available. When I’m not teaching a class, I’m taking a class somewhere, weather it be another class at the Y, yoga, kickboxing, or whatever I’ve stumbled upon in the area lately. But on the road it’s pretty impossible to fit a class into a busy travel schedule. So not only am I already not the best when it comes to hopping on a machine, but hotel exercise rooms are never that great. The last one I went to only had one little step machine and one medicine ball. This one is actually pretty decent because at least it has an elliptical!
On Tuesday I did 20 minutes on the elliptical, some bicep and tricep work interspersed with cardio intervals like jumping jacks and high knees, and a whole lot of abs. Today we took advantage of our $10 a day to a gym while on a road and ventured over to the nearby Planet Fitness where I did another 20 minutes on the elliptical, then a little bit of everything! Forward lunges, plie squats with lateral shoulder raises, squats twist ups with a leg raise (stolen from Jen!), glute presses, and a whole lot of ab work.
Off to bed. I’m hoping to make it back to Planet Fitness at 6am in the morning before we have to be on site, to round out my 3 days on the road. Then I can be back to classes again when I’m home!
Fitness & Feta 