In June 2010, the Lew Crew took its first Royal Caribbean cruise from Florida to Nassau, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas to celebrate Caroline's graduation from high school! Dad took full advantage of the exercise opportunities available on-board, while Caroline, Mom and I took full advantage of the pools, lounge chairs, shopping, poolside adult beverages (okay, I did the advantage-taking on this one), room service... and the list goes on. We had heard tales of friends and acquaintances who had gained as much as 10 pounds(!) during a week-long cruise after indulging in all-you-can-eat buffets, schmaltzy restaurants, gourmet shops, endless poolside alcohol, authentic island cuisine in ports of call, and so much more.
I probably gained a pound or two, admittedly, though we did not spend the entire cruise lazily, and all of my clothes still fit perfectly when we returned home.
I didn't have the courage to try this, but it made for such a cool photo.
We tried unsuccessfully to get Dad to enter this!
In one of our ports of call, we participated in a mini-America's Cup, for which I was selected as the team captain, and asked to give an impromptu inspirational speech halfway through, which I'd like to believe helped clench our victory (hence all of us signaling "number one")! We were each given a task to perform to compete against the other racing vessel. Thank goodness for my sense of adventure, my inner ear preventing me from seasickness, and my four years of passionate public speaking in ADPi to prep me for such a nerve-wracking (but thrilling) experience!
On the last night of the cruise, this man drunkenly stood on his chair and proclaimed his love for the Captain and Royal Caribbean. Folks, I'll loudly and proudly tell you, I wanted to join him. Until he took his shirt off and whirled it above his head... Instead:
This Spring Break, the Lew Crew is journeying out of the country for a trip south of the border: Mexico! Caroline's and my breaks finally aligned, so the stars must have, too. I guess it's because I joined the Private School Club, and she and Ian call it.
The point of my post is that the resort at which we're staying reportedly has a fantastic fitness facility, which all of us plan to use. I'll be in Week Six of my 5K training, so I can't afford to lose a week's momentum! I used to think that allowing myself to enjoy time away from the gym and exercise in different ways (e.g., running in the waves, taking a long walk in the sand, even walking a few miles around the city carrying shopping bags) wasn't beneficial to my health. I've learned that there are a million ways to exercise, and the vast majority of them do not occur inside a structured gym. I also learned that keeping up my momentum while on vacation and out of my normal routine is great for mentally regrouping, learning new strategies, and experimenting with new foods. Perhaps the healthiest benefit of all is spending QT with the best family anyone could possibly imagine!
So while I fully intend to sip fruity drinks, immerse myself in local cuisine and culture, and soak up the sun, I also plan to kick my own butt in the process!
P.S. Do you work out while you're on vacation, or do you give yourself some respite? Have you ever been to Mexico? If so, what tips or pointers do you have?
4 comments:
I don't work exercise into my schedule while on vacation, I only do it if time allows (i.e. I wake up earlier than everyone ALL THE TIME, so that's when it would happen.) But vacations are meant for taking a VACATION from "normal." So jealous of your trip! :)
You're absolutely right. My "normal" while on vacation has previously been sleeping until 10:00, eating all the wrong foods, and lying around for a week -- feeling badly about my body in the process. I feel like I'm finally on the right track with my eating habits and my exercise routine. I'm not going to beat myself up if gym workouts don't happen, but I don't want to slip back into my old self, either. I'm looking forward to this trip very much, and actually, I'm looking forward to trying out exercising in a foreign country while completely out of my element :) Thanks for the advice!
I think you'll find that by week 6, you won't be the same AK who is content with just sitting around. I've noticed I am more energetic than before and I'm up for doing adventurous things than just vegging on Netflix. PLEASE be careful in Mexico, I would be awfully upset if someone captured you and made your their gourmet chef (since you do health living cooking now). (But seriously. Be safe)
Thank you for your advice, Anonymous. As with travel in any foreign country, I plan to keep my wits about me. I've been advised about the dangers of Mexico, but I was also warned about creepers when I traveled to Canada and Italy. There's good and bad everywhere, and I'm one of those people who chooses to see the good in every situation (while acting responsibly)! I think you're right; even in week 3 of the program I'm noticing changes. I'm becoming increasingly more proud of the woman I have chosen to be.
Post a Comment