Getting Back on Track

We are just back from a two-week road trip, and I cannot lie, we spent a lot of downtime over the weekend recovering.  We had such a wonderful time seeing family and friends and enjoying beautiful scenery.  My usual routine of halfway-healthy eating and exercising regularly was severely compromised.  Excuse #1 on eating: One thing I really miss is Colorado Mexican cuisine which is heavy on green chilies.  So, I ate Mexican every chance I got.  Which was a lot.  Excuse #2 on exercise: I always workout, even when I’m on the road, and indeed, I packed several exercise outfits, but I did not work out once.  Nope, not once.  We did a little hiking and some walking, but the fact of the matter is that I could go up the most gentle incline, and I’d be sweating and gasping for breath.  I don’t think we were ever under 6,000 feet elevation, and most of the time we were over 8,000 feet.  I am truly now a flat-lander! I have spent some time in the mountains this summer, but it really takes several days to acclimate to those high altitudes, so I really just went easy on myself.  Now it’s back to reality which includes a little strenuous exercise and eliminating some chocolate and wine. Dang.

We traveled through six states in two weeks, and I won’t give a blow-by-blow, but here are a couple of highlights. We drove through the Four Corners area of Arizona which was so pretty with an end destination on Day 1 of Mesa Verde National Park.  I haven’t visited there since I was a child, so it was nice to see it again.  What stuck me most was how green Colorado is.  That is my home state and I cannot remember ever seeing it so green in August.  The late season snow storms and the rainy summer have made for the most lush spectacular scenery.  I kept thinking, “Colorado, you’re just showing off!”  That’s how I feel about New England in the Fall, by the way.  Day 2 we took the Durango Silverton Narrow Gage train.  We also drove the Million Dollar Highway to complete the trip, and again, the views were jaw-dropping.  The weather was perfect and we could not have asked for a better start to our vacation. Aspen, Snowmass, Vail and Colorado Springs were all spectacular. We ended our trip in Oklahoma, and more on that destination in another post.

My sister Monique had these adorable shirts made and we did a sisters picture. They read:

• I’m the oldest. I made the rules!
• I’m the middle.  I’m the reason we have rules!
• I’m the youngest.  The rules don’t apply to me!

It seems like a lot of people read tshirts, because we got a lot of comments and a lot of laughs.

Now back to exercise. My friend Cindy is a certified fitness expert and has done a lot of study and work on aging and exercise.  She shared a recent webinar on Aging and Exercise and I liked the reinforcement of activity and cognition.  Fitness instructors are now concentrating on teaching their aging clients moves that help them continue to focus, increase reaction time, decrease fall risks and being aware of their environment.  Many of my friends have had serious falls resulting in broken bones and surgery.  My friends are not circus performers on the high wire.  They are dog moms and walkers and nurses and office workers.  At least two of those accidents were caused by wearing flip flops (you know who you are!).  I don’t mean to be preachy here, but try to pay a little more attention (put down your phone when you’re walking, maybe?) to your surroundings and keep your body and minds active.

What I’m Reading

I am listening to an audio book mystery Booked to Die by John Dunning. It was published in 1992 so it’s really dated, but it’s the first in a series featuring a hard-boiled detective in Denver. It’s fun listening to the narrator talk about the places I know so well and can imagine so vividly.

Handling Sin by Michael Malone is the fiction book I’m reading on my sister’s recommendation. It’s a funny romp, but it’s pretty long, so I might not have a new book to share next week.

What I’m Eating

Ok, it’s still 189 degrees in Phoenix, so cooking is pretty low on my priority list. Luckily, I’ve found this great packaged salad from Costco. I add a chopped tomato, reduce the dressing and cut with added balsamic, discard the croutons, and I have the perfect meal. Sometimes I’ll add some pepitas for protein. I have had this tomato knife from Pampered Chef for well over 10 years and I use it every single day. I’ve even had it sharpened once. I see a Pure Komachi 2 Series Tomato/Cheese Knife” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener” aria-label=” (opens in a new tab)”>similar one for much less on Amazon. I can’t speak to it personally, but with over 1,700 good reviews, it can’t be too bad.

I’ll be keeping cool this week eating a lot of fruit and vegetables and drinking lots of water. I’ll also be getting hot and sweaty in the gym and being grateful every minute for this body that has supported me all these years.