Monday, June 4, 2012

Mon, Jun 4

930AM: I wake-up around 930AM and get out of bed by 10AM. I get ready to head down to the gym.

1030AM: I decide to do another crossfit work-out - today working on arms. I do the press work-out Alex and I did at Crossfit 513 in Cincy - 3,3,2,2,2,1,1,1,1 - building up to a peak of Press. Because there are only 5 lbs increments its hard to go up. I start with 20 lbs on the bar, add 5 lbs to each side and go up once more but am unable to go up further. In between, I do weighted lunges with 15 lbs dumbells. For my metcon, I do 50 russian KB swings (30 lbs) and 50 dumbell thrusters (15 lbs). Definitely felt good but hard!

1130AM: My mom wants to go back to the breakfast buffet. Remembering how bloated I felt afterward and how great I have been feeling, I decide to opt out of the buffet, despite my mom's urging. Instead, I opt to try the chilequiles - pulled chicken on top of corn tortilla (with avocado, and queso/crema, which I skipped). It was good but had way too much corn tortilla and not enough chicken. I make do an do eat about half of the corn tortilla. I have a few pieces of papaya off of my mom's plate. I'm super full after this meal.

5PM: After enjoying the beach, walking, playing in the ocean, reading and enjoying the breeze, we decide to walk into "town" - apparently, there are two shopping malls about 1 mile away. We shower and then head outside. .. We definitely didn't need to shower! The humidity is palpable and we end up literally soaked with sweat. My sunglasses wouldn't even stay on my face because I was sweating so much. Haha. We get to the first mall and walk around. It's gorgeous. Super high end. I buy a swim suit top (on sale) at this cool Colombian swim store and we get some snacks, too - I got pistachios and plaintain chips (I know I wasn't supposed to have them this week but I caved and got too hungry without many great snack options). We also stop at a Haagen-Dazs shop, which was fun - given that I worked on that brand last year. Unfortunately, my mom couldn't help herself and insisted on getting an ice cream cone.. . and then coaxed me into having some, saying she couldn't because she's diabetic. Oh brother. I have a bite. Waaaay too sweet. Very good but I'm definitely not craving anything that sweet. Then, we walk to the outdoor mall on the marina. It's so pretty it's breathtaking. We walk around it for a few hours, taking everything in and looking at different restaurants to have dinner at.

730PM: We settle on a seafood restaurant. Unbeknownst to us, it's attached to the acquarium! We are literally seated at a table on top of the dolphin tank and we get to watch as they swim about. It was super cool. Also part of the acquarium/restaurant, we get to see the shark tank. My mom and I both have grouper for dinner. It was beautifully presented. It was another big meal and a little heavier than I would have liked: though the grouper was made out of a red wine sauce which was relatively light, there was guacamole nestled under it and black refried beans. I've been trying to stay away from the beans but I finally cave - it really went with the fish. Good dish but definitely more rich than I needed. We also got a free drink with our meal - rather than margaritas, my mom and I opted for orange juice. Lots of sugar I know, but it was an indulgence! We walk the mile+ home - partially on the side walk - and partially on the beach. We walk through a few of the other hotels on the strip to see what they're like. Needless to say, my mom (who is a tough critic) LOVES Cancun! I must say, it is an AMAZING vacation spot.

1230PMish: I head to bed and look forward to another great night's sleep. =)
Sun, Jun 3

1030AM: I tossed and turned a lot last night, so I sleep in. .. I only think it's 1030AM because somehow our clock changed in the middle of the night?? I don't realize it's late until I make it down to the gym and realize it's an hour later than I thought!

1130AM: I decide to go on a run. I have half of a Larabar beforehand. One of my favorite movies, Thors is on - I'm obsessed with Chris Hemsworth (after my husband, of course). I jog for 50 minutes and cool down for another 30-40. I have a banana from the gym afterward.

2PM: We eat lunch by the pool again. This time super late. Our clocks are off because neither of us got a great night's sleep. I have two shrimp kabobs with veggies. Yum.

We lay by the ocean, my mom changes our room, and we decide to head into the hot tub before going in for the evening. It's such a nice night. My mom befriends a Brasilian couple and ends up talking to them for two hours! They are both cardiologists attending a conference here at the hotel. Very sweet couple. I am cranky and on my first day of my period so I just listen. I have nothing else to eat except the other half of my Lara bar all day.. . and a lot of water. By the time we get back to our rooms, it is after 830PM! We decide to order room service.

10PM: We eat close to 10PM - the latest dinner I've had in the longest time! I honestly wasn't that hungry and didn't really want to eat but my mom insisted. I got a hamburger and a side of greens with chipolte mayo, no bun. Once I ate it, I admit, it was good. Also was craving red meat since I got my period.

1AM: I didn't go to sleep until close to 1AM (I didn't want to go to bed right after I ate). .. BUT, our new room is overlooking the ocean (and not the pool) and it's super quiet. YAY! Finally a night of un-interrupted sleep. I'm so happy.

Sat, Jun 2

1030AM: Wake-up. I don't have a very restful night of sleep. I think it may be a combination of my obsession with the book 50 Shades of Gray (me and every other woman on the planet) - I caught another women a few chairs down from me on the beach reading it, as well! HAHAha I digress. The other reason is that our room, while gorgeous (we have a full view of both the ocean and the pool), we are directly above the lobby. And because our hotel is made of marble, everything echoes. And is quite loud. We may need to move rooms and sacrifice our view!

11AM: I check out the work-out room. While I liked doing yoga on the terrace yesterday, I was sweating up a storm! It's a really nice set-up and they have a barbell I can use for squats. It is one of those connected to a machine so I don't know how much it exactly weighs, but it will have to do. I do the same backsquat work-out we did not too long ago at Xfit MSP: 8-6-4 (with a tempo, 3 down, pause, up) and then back to 8 reps, no tempo. I work-up to putting 75 lbs on the bar and then go back to 65 lbs for my 8 reps. For my metcon, I do 21-15-9 - backsquat at 65 lbs on the bar + burpees. I finish under 7 minutes.

1230PM: We have lunch at the pool and I have seafood ceviche. They serve it with a bunch of tortilla chips but I manage to only have a few. It is fresh and very tasty. We spend the rest of the day laying on the beach.

730PM: For dinner, we are too lazy to shower. We go to the hotel's casual sports bar. I order the steak salad and ask for spinach instead of lettuce, with no cheese. I thoroughly confuse the poor staff! They brought the spinach on the side. They fix it for me and are really sweet about it. Unfortunately, the spinach was frozen, so its cooked, but it is still tasty.

12AM: I head to bed around midnight but can't sleep because of the noise. My mom and I decide that we will likely change rooms tomorrow!

Friday, June 1, 2012

Fri, Jun 1

8AM: I wake-up to a heavenly day. It's absolutely beautiful outside. Not a cloud in the sky. There's a nice breeze and you can smell the fresh salt water air. I'm so happy.

9AM: My mom and I chat in bed for awhile and then I get up to do some yoga on the balcony. I feel like I'm in Bikhram! I sweat so much but the sun feels good.

1030AM: My mom and I decide to try the breakfast buffet at the hotel. It's a bit pricey so we decide that this will be our breakfast and lunch. It's got a lot of random stuff in it but there are definitely some healthy choices, which I work to stick to: the omelette station (I get one with two eggs, spinach, peppers, and mushrooms), bacon, sausage, and sunflower seeds. I decide my "treat" today will be fruit, since it's part of the buffet and they have my favorite - papaya. It's amazing. Super ripe. They also have fresh squeezed OJ. I have a little but don't want to overdoes on sugar so I get the rest to go and save it. We ate a lot - I definitely wasn't hungry for the rest of the day!

6PM: We enjoy the day so much on the beach that we take our time getting back to our room. There is also a late afternoon thunderstorm so I read on our balcony while my mom talks to my dad over skype. We realize we are starting to get hungry!

8PM: There are two seafood restaurants across the street from our hotel - we decide to try the Crab house. It was really good. Super fresh seafood. We get a complimentary appetizer (calamari). Different than the US. Huge, very tender rings of calamari. For dinner, my mom has the gruper and I have the jumbo grilled shrimp. They give me simply a melted butter and garlic on the side. It's awesome. I also order a side of zucchini. Yummy! I'm full after dinner (I had 10 shrimp - my mom ate a couple) but I don't feel bloated. We walk around a little and run into some Brazilians.

1130PM: Head to bed and am looking forward to tomorrow on the beach. Today, I read 14 chapters straight of 50 shades of grey. (Larissa, I'm obsessed!)
Thurs, May 31

730AM: Mexico! I am determined to stay on track with paleo even while on vacation. As part of this, I wake up extra early to get in a 4+ mile run before my parents pick me up for my mom and my flight. It feels great to get out and run around the lake. Much nicer than the run I did over the weekend. I can still feel my rolled ankle from the Tough Mudder but I do think it's getting better.

945AM: I'm ready to leave! My parents are coming at 10AM so I don't have time for much breakfast so I have my last spoonful of almond butter for the week =) and I also have a banana.

12PM: We have plenty of time in the airport before our flight departs, so I stop at French Meadow and order their rachel sandwich but request it on top of spinach - simply turkey and sauerkraut on top of spinach, a side of more greens, and some tomato caper aioli on the side. I bring it on the plane and eat it around 1230PM. It's delicious and hits the spot. I think the lady sitting next to me is jealous.

5PM: We have a 2.5 hr layover in Charlotte, NC. I have a splitting headache but am so excited for my mom and my trip. I give myself a travel treat: one of my old staples, a tall decaf soy latte. It tastes so sweet when I first sip it. I'm not used to it anymore! A good sign. It doesn't help my headache go away. I take some advil. My mom and I grab some dinner at a BBQ place to take on the plane. It will be smelly but at the very least, a lot of protein!

630PM: We eat our dinner and have nice conversation with the Italian sitting next to me. We each have a pulled pork platter with turnip greens. Not terrible. . . but I do wish I knew what was in the BBQ sauce. I have a ton of greens. So much, in fact, I can't finish them. The platter also came with a fried pickle. I don't eat it. My mom takes a bite but I try to encourage her not to eat fried foods!

9PM: We arrive in Cancun and at our hotel the Mariott, Casa Magna. It's gorgeous. We have the most beautiful view of the ocean - and can walk right out of our hotel room and onto the white sand beach. I'm so excited!!!

12PM: We head to bed. Unfortunately, my mom loves to sleep with the TV on. I hate it. I come prepared, however, and have my eye mask, ear plugs, and rain app on my iphone ready. I get a decent night's sleep but wake up early with the sun and am in/out of sleep in the morning.

***Photos to come once I figure out how to get them off my phone w/o internet!***

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Wed, May 30

830AM: Alex gets up at 530AM to bike into work so I can have the car today. What a husband! I wake-up a few times as he is leaving. My watch alarm keeps going off at 715AM (set from being in Philly) and it's woken me up the past two days. I guess I had been sleeping through it? Must change it. I set my alarm for 830AM. I'm not ready to get up then. .. and I snooze until 9AM. I get super tired right before my period and I'm guessing that's what I'm feeling.

10AM: I get ready for my first meeting with one of the builders. He is late. Not a good sign. I grabbed a quick breakfast (Larabar) because I didn't think I would have time to eat. .. and now it's almost 1015AM and I'm still waiting! Two other builders to meet today in addition to this one.

1030AM: The one builder forgot about me (grrr) so we re-schedule for 230PM. I am annoyed but at least now I get to have a proper breakfast. I make eggs and throw some of my ground beef/onions mixture on top. I also have a bowl of blueberries and warm banana. Yum. Off to run errands. .. AKA do some last minute shopping for Mexico! =)



215PM: I'm about to heat up some more ground beef when the builder who stood me up in the morning shows up. He is 15 min early. Apparently, he's trying to make up for being late. Sigh. At the very least, we have an awesome convo.

330PM: I finally get a chance to have some lunch. I don't have a lot left in the house (since I'm going to be gone starting tomorrow, I didn't want to buy a ton of groceries) so I eat the last two of my applegate turkey slices and have the last of my ground beef. I also have a spoonful of almond butter. My first of the day!

5PM: Have an awesome convo with Meghan! She reassures me that I've been on the right path and that I can continue to keep on my diet plan throughout my vaca in Mexico. Her advice: stick to meats and vegetables. Be weary of beans and if I want a treat, choose carefully! I also decide that I'm going to cut out almond butter and plaintain chips for this upcoming week. Not planning to take them on vacation with me anyways! Will also just be very careful of the foods I choose in Mexico. No tortilla chips, or tortillas in general. I want to eat seafood whenever I can. Ceviche, here I come. =)

6PM: Xfit MSP. Work-out today is focused on single-leg squats (with dumbells @ 20 lbs). We also do a circuit with push-ups, sit-ups (with a medball), and goblet squats with a kettlebell (34 lbs).

8PM: As I mentioned, we've eaten through most of our groceries, x-Alex's tacos that he still has from last week! Which I can't really eat because he puts corn and beans in it. So we decide to pick up salads from one of our favorite take-out spots, yum. I get an olive oil based tuna salad. Super tasty. Alex gets a sampler with tuna salad, egg salad, and chicken salad. I love this tuna salad. Everything at this kitchen is also homemade, which is nice.

11PM: I head to bed. .. Tomorrow, Mexico!!
Tues, May 29

9AMish: I wake-up around 9AM, when I set my alarm but I stay in bed until 930AMish. Great night of sleep (about 9 hours or so) but given the weather (dreary and cool), I feel like I could sleep more!

10AM: I'm pretty hungry. I have some almond butter. OK, I admit - I'm addicted! At least I've limited myself to one spoonful (even though it's a big spoonful) per day.

1030AM: I make myself a breakfast sandwich with the grilled eggplant slices from yesterday as the "bread". I put a slice of turkey in it, some guac, and 1 over medium egg. Yum. I also warm up a banana with just a little bit of honey to carmelize it ever so slightly and have it on top of blueberries. A great breakfast! I cook with coconut oil for the first time and love it.



2PM: I'm not hungry until much later in the day. I'm running around getting ready for my Mexico trip(mani/pedis - yay), so I between appointments I stop again to have my fav coconut mussels for lunch. (Same as last Friday) This broth has a little less coconut milk and more lemongrass - still very tasty. The mussels are also a little bit smaller. .. but I can't really complain. I am in Minneapolis now!

530PM: Alex and I head to the 6PM crossfit. I'm hungry so I have a Larabar for energy.

6PM: Xfit MSP work-out. We work on the press: 3x 4-6 reps, working up to your peak of 4 (chin-ups while resting between lifts). I get to 58 lbs for 3. We then do 1 set of 15 reps - I use 43 lbs and make it through OK. Metcon is 60 wallballs (10 lbs for women), 800M run, 60 wallballs. I'm definitely out of breath when I'm done!

745PM: We get home around 715PM and sit down to dinner. Not a ton of prep but Alex is eating his favorite tacos and needs to heat up the rice. I have my favorite spinach and ground beef salad.


1030PM: We climb into bed but I chat with my friend Zoe so don't fall asleep until closer to 1130PM.