Vacation and Motivation are often a contradiction in terms.
Week Three of P90X got off to a rocky start. I was struck down by a migraine on Saturday that had me writhing on the couch with a bag of frozen peas on my head. Chest and Back? Not happening. Sunday I did a hard Insanity plyo workout as penance.
Having a few “rounds” at The Carousel Bar, Hotel Monteleone
Monday I got back on the program and did Chest and Back. This is one of my favorite workouts because it’s hard but doable. Pumping out those pushups makes you feel like a rock star, but I have to say, they never get any easier for me. Diamond pushups still happen on my knees. Dive bombers? The cracking and popping in my shoulders sounds like a spirited game of Yahtzee.
Tuesday, I was hoping to get in one more workout before vacation but ended up having to work late and then pack. The train for New Orleans was leaving at noon on Wednesday and I couldn’t wait to get on it. So did I work out Wednesday morning? Didn’t you hear the part about being on vacation?
We ended up not being able to take the train down because of flooding on the tracks. (Refund!) but when we finally hit the French Quarter, we proceeded to undo three months of working out in three days.
Ok, not really. I know the obesity stats tell a different story, but I hate the way Southern cuisine gets such a bad rap for being all deep-fried fat bombs. I’m a regular at Birmingham’s famous Pepper Place farmer’s market and at Freshfully, a market in Avondale (which Southern Living saluted as Birmingham’s Next Great Neighborhood), selling local, seasonal fruits & veggies, grass-fed meat, and farm eggs and cheese. Healthy eating is possible here.
Even Wonder Woman couldn’t resist a beignet from Cafe Du Monde.
But then there’s New Orleans … where all bets are off. I ascribe to the 80-20 rule of healthy eating. Clean and moderate 80% of the time, decadent and indulgent 20% of the time. New Orleans falls into the latter category. Etouffée, jambalaya, beignets, muffalettas – I had them all with no regrets. The bread pudding soufflé with whiskey crème anglaise at Commander’s Palace. That happened. The Potato Gnocchi with Blue Crab and Black Truffle from Restaurant August? It was featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate for a reason. Maybe all the walking I did in the French Quarter counteracted some of… I can’t even type that with a straight face.
I will, however, say that when I got home Saturday, I got busy P90X-orcising those New Orleans demons. Chest and Back that night, Insanity Plyo on Sunday. I’m pretty sure I sweated gin. Monday, I had to work till eleven on a new business pitch, but Tuesday I picked up where I left off with Arms and Shoulders (the “Glamour Muscles” as Tony calls them.) Wednesday, Fast and Furious Insanity because I was meeting a friend for dinner and then Legs and Back on Thursday. Insanity Plyo on Friday.
Not too bad, right? My white jeans still zip. The scale still defaults to that same number. However, a few days off makes getting started back painful, so consistency is what I’m aiming for from now on.
What about you? Is there a city that makes you abandon all your healthy habits? OR are you a disciplined no matter what the destination. Sound off below.