Arkansas: Day 1

This week I am in Jonesboro, Arkansas. It’s no Boulder.

Everything is flat and closes at 9pm. We lucked out with a direct flight this morning to Memphis and then drove an hour through trailor parks and flat fields until we got to Jonesboro. The flight and drive itself were fine, but I did have a pretty frantic morning. My cab was ten minutes late, we hit a crapload of traffic on the pike, and then the security line took me almost 45 minutes to get through. Stupid Delta. I thought I was going to miss my flight, even though I was more concerned that I wouldn’t have any time to get any snacks for the plane. Also, the flight was overbooked and if not for some kind person that was willing to switch their flight, I would have gotten left behind.

I calmed down once I was in the air and reading my new book, a loaner from Katrina. “I Was Told There’d Be Cake” by Sloane Crosley is hysterical. It’s a collection of short essays about random snippets from the author’s everyday life. It’s full of sarcasm, wit, and definitely awkward moments – so clearly I’m into it. I was actually almost mad when the plane landed because I was this close to finishing it. But not really.

As I was plowing through the airport this morning, I stopped at this little gourmet express store. I was seriously on auto-pilot as I grabbed a mango flavored Chobani (delicious but 2%, whoops), a pear, and a container of raw unsalted almonds for the plane and to have for the week. I ate the yogurt and some of the almonds. For lunch we stopped at this restaurant called Shorty Small’s. Seriously that was the name of it. Seemed like the only healthy thing on the menu was this grilled shrimp salad that I got. Even the other salads were topped with all sorts of fried options. The salad wasn’t too bad: shrimp, pineapple, mandarin oranges, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and parmesan cheese. I had to laugh though because the menu description literally said “Grilled Shrimp and Healthy Things Such As….” and then went on to name all the vegetables. Apparently people in Arkansas aren’t aware that bell peppers are considered a healthy thing!

We were checked into the hotel by 4pm so I had an hour to get settled and catch up on some things. Then it was workout time. Colleen and I did our research beforehand and found a local gym called The Trim Gym. Isn’t that the greatest name? We also researched the aerobic calendar and found a 5:30 Spin class. So we went. Not gonna lie, I was a little nervous because sometimes I can be a fitness snob when I try other instructor’s classes just because I want class to kick my ass. But my GOD did that instructor kill us! He taught a completely different style of spin from what I teach and am used to, which is a good thing to switch it up for my muscles. The bikes were different too because they actually had the RPM and wattage information right on the screen in front of you. And we did a TON of sprint intervals. I had a puddle of sweat on the floor under my bike when class was done. Since class was only 45 minutes, Colleen and I did some abs to finish up:

Abs #1: Sitting up, heels on the floor in front of you. Lean back until your stomach feels like it’s going to give (don’t go all the way down) and then sit back up. Do 2 sets of 8. Then hold the last one back, lift your feet off the floor and balance. Then do 10 side to side twists, right / left counting as 1, for the obliques.
Abs #2: Lying flat on the floor, arms by side and legs extended in front of you, sit up and bring arms up to reach toward the legs (they lift off the floor). Do 10 of those. Then 10 of right arm to left leg, and 10 of left arm to right leg.
Abs #3: 1 minute of plank. At 20 seconds, add a rolling to the front and back. At 40 seconds, lift each leg for 5 seconds. Hold the last 10 seconds.

It’s really nice to travel with someone who is just as obsessed with healthy living as you are.

For dinner, we went to a Japanese Steakhouse called Hiro. Seemed like the only non-chain option around here. We got edamame as an appetizer for the table. I ordered the Hibachi steak and scallops. My meal came with a salad, Hiro soup, vegetables, and fried rice. It was all really good except for the fried rice because it was slabbed with butter and disgusting. I guess that’s the southern way of things.

Like really? Look at that huge scoop of buttery disgustingess. Meh. I picked at it but definitely did not eat the whole thing.

Tomorrow is going to be an early workout sesh back at The Trim Gym, then a long day ahead at St. Bernard’s Medical Center. At least I’m home Wednesday this week though – right in time to sub for spin and teach on Thursday morning.

Where I really want to be though, is back down the Cape. It was such a fun and relaxing weekend. Aside from all the food I already described in “Sunday Morning Breakfast,” we also ate clam chowder and steamers at Osterville Fish Too, this little seafood joint next to Mill Way Beach where Tim and I spent a few hours yesterday afternoon. Kathy also made us some more chicken sandwiches and these little pizza things – french bread with tomato, brie cheese, and fresh basil on them! Delicious. Seriously she was an amazing host and we had a great time. I certainly did NOT go hungry!