home sweet home

it really works!
resting? vacation? relaxing? it’s NOT just hype. i really do feel so much better after spending the past week just kicking back and going with the flow. i started to miss my usual routine just enough so that i am now feeling energized and ready to jump back in.

also, coming back on a friday night — therefore leaving 2 days for transitioning back into the real world?

best. idea. ever.

lifestyle report
over the past 7 days, i ran once (5 miles in the cincinnati hotel gym!). josh and i went on one ~45 minute hike that could be considered strenuous, but other than that we pretty much sat around soaking up rays/replenishing our vitamin D stores. and while enjoying this lazy restful change of pace, i threw caution to the wind and basically ate whatever i felt like.

just off the top of my head, this included:
♥ wine nearly every night, in varying quantities
♥ delicious cocktail hour treats:

♥ ice cream
♥ some amazing tiramisu
♥ numerous packages of free biscoffs (thank you delta!)
♥ french, italian, and creole dinners

after tiring of rich restaurant cuisine, josh and i did manage to cook up one healthy meal in our hotel kitchen:

don’t be fooled, though: i think chef joshua’s secret ingredient is butter.

now, i am not what one would consider a restrictive or even particularly disciplined eater at baseline. but i do tend to go for a more well-rounded repertoire of healthier items (at least most of the time) along with this sort of decadent fare.

i also tend to balance things out with a fair amount of physical activity — an equation that for me functions beautifully because i truly love running and the energy/mood boost that comes with a great workout.

since i know that some of those who read this might be interested, for the record, let me just state that relaxing on both of these fronts for a week was:

★ fun + enjoyable
★ rejuvenating
★ utterly without long-term consequence

as in, i did not gain any appreciable weight, my clothes fit the same, and i highly doubt that my arteries were able to calcify within that 7 day time window. i am sure i have lost some running/strength-training fitness, but i have come to believe that some ebb and flow in this respect is probably good for the body. at worst, it’s certainly reversible!

furthermore, i am just that more excited about getting back in the kitchen to take advantage of the summer splendor that awaits at the farmer’s market, and building back my strength/endurance/speed.

any of you ever take a health/fitness break? if not, why not? and if so, would you do it again? i would love to read your thoughts.

summer projects
in light of the above, i’ve decided to take on a couple of health/lifestyle-related projects, just for fun and inspiration!

part I: gina’s summer shape up

gina (who writes on her blog as the “fitnessista“) is leading a summer shape up this season that includes a balanced, 3-pronged approach: workouts focusing on speed, strength, and flexibility. i am choosing her plan because i think it will help me to get in more variety and because i love that she has links to all of her strength workout exercises so that i can go into the gym with a specific plan.

i do want to also work on getting back into running form, so i will modify her plans to include one longer run each week if and when my hip allows.

part II: clean eating cookthrough!

while i was initially thrilled to have my FREEDOM back in the kitchen, i’ve come full circle and have started to miss the days of my martha cookthrough! there was just something fun about working my way through a set list of recipes — i enjoyed things i never would have chosen to make if i were left to my own devices.

i had the current issue of clean eating with me on the trip and found my mouth watering at practically every page turn. there didn’t seem to be a single recipe that i wouldn’t want to make! so clearly,
a little project was born:

summer, bring it on!