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sylvanwitchMy apologies for being late in getting this up. We were returning home from vacation on Monday, and yesterday, we spent the day driving my BFF (and catsitter extraordinaire) back to her ancestral abode.
I hope everyone has had an excellent week and that you're making strides toward your individual fitness goals. As always, please share as much or as little as you'd like here.
Weight: I seem to have gained only about two pounds on vacation, which is awesome news because I typically gain at least five.
Exercise: We did a lot of walking, including two different hikes that had a LOT of stairs and/or steep inclines, and it was hot and very humid most days, so that exercise felt like a marathon. I also did yoga four times and lifted at least four times. The loft at the cabin we rented was a huge, airy, light-filled space perfect for morning yoga and for watching the natural world go by as I lifted.
Eating plan: The kitchen appliances in the cabin were extremely fancy and modern, and I wasn't comfortable using some of them; I managed, but I didn't do as much cooking as I'd expected to do, and I certainly didn't eat as many salads as I'd planned to make. I did eat some local fruit, but I also ate local baked goods, so... A couple of days, my snacking between meals/later at night was NOT good, and I indulged in too many sweets, but I wasn't as off-the-rails as I've been on past vacations, when I'd give myself permission to eat everything and all things. So, all in all, I think I balanced the indulgence with the healthy eating more than I usually do on vacation, and the heat helped to keep my appetite down, as well.
Hydration: I was good about this, largely because if I hadn't been, I think I'd have suffered heatstroke. It was seriously, uncomfortably hot and humid most days.
Meditation: Yes! In fact, I talked T. into meditating with me one day. I've started a new series on the same app I use for yoga. They're just quick little balancing/centering meditations, and I'm enjoying them.
Sleep: I have difficulty sleeping away from home, but given that caveat, I actually slept fairly well.
The week ahead: I'm going to lose those two vacation pounds by returning to my plants-based, whole foods diet and getting my usual exercise despite the temperatures spiking rapidly from today on. (I am so tired of the heat.)
Here's hoping the remaining days of this fitness week are good ones for you!
I hope everyone has had an excellent week and that you're making strides toward your individual fitness goals. As always, please share as much or as little as you'd like here.
Weight: I seem to have gained only about two pounds on vacation, which is awesome news because I typically gain at least five.
Exercise: We did a lot of walking, including two different hikes that had a LOT of stairs and/or steep inclines, and it was hot and very humid most days, so that exercise felt like a marathon. I also did yoga four times and lifted at least four times. The loft at the cabin we rented was a huge, airy, light-filled space perfect for morning yoga and for watching the natural world go by as I lifted.
Eating plan: The kitchen appliances in the cabin were extremely fancy and modern, and I wasn't comfortable using some of them; I managed, but I didn't do as much cooking as I'd expected to do, and I certainly didn't eat as many salads as I'd planned to make. I did eat some local fruit, but I also ate local baked goods, so... A couple of days, my snacking between meals/later at night was NOT good, and I indulged in too many sweets, but I wasn't as off-the-rails as I've been on past vacations, when I'd give myself permission to eat everything and all things. So, all in all, I think I balanced the indulgence with the healthy eating more than I usually do on vacation, and the heat helped to keep my appetite down, as well.
Hydration: I was good about this, largely because if I hadn't been, I think I'd have suffered heatstroke. It was seriously, uncomfortably hot and humid most days.
Meditation: Yes! In fact, I talked T. into meditating with me one day. I've started a new series on the same app I use for yoga. They're just quick little balancing/centering meditations, and I'm enjoying them.
Sleep: I have difficulty sleeping away from home, but given that caveat, I actually slept fairly well.
The week ahead: I'm going to lose those two vacation pounds by returning to my plants-based, whole foods diet and getting my usual exercise despite the temperatures spiking rapidly from today on. (I am so tired of the heat.)
Here's hoping the remaining days of this fitness week are good ones for you!
Well ...
Date: Wednesday, 23 July 2025 07:54 pm (UTC)It's an exceptional county fair for food, only exceeded by state fairs we have seen. Most of the food booths were collected along a restaurant row that made it easy to see all the offerings before buying. There were boring fair options, pretty good fair options, and a good handful of excellent things mostly offered by local folks instead of chain food truck. So for instance, one place had covered a grill with onions, peppers, and Italian and Polish sausages. Another was doing smoothies with real fruit. It was nice to have options beyond junk.
Re: Well ...
Date: Wednesday, 23 July 2025 08:13 pm (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: Wednesday, 23 July 2025 08:26 pm (UTC)I've had that kind of experience. :(
When I was little, the offerings were often more diverse, although there are some things now that are more recent, like smoothies. I miss the ag booths where farmers would offer either free samples or cheap snacks made of fruit and vegetables. Few things cut the summer heat better than a cold cup of melon balls or cherry tomatoes. One of my current favorite foods is the chop salad from Naf Naf, which is literally just chopped cucumber and tomato with cilantro. It's a very cooling dish and would be perfect for fairs.
Something from my fantasy setting Terramagne is a rule that the first food truck at an event has to offer food accessible to the widest possible dietary range. It's often a Fair For All truck, which offers classic fair foods that are allergy-friendly. But there are also HKV trucks offering halal-kosher-vegan foods, and Lightshades with foods free of nightshade ingredients. And so on. Yes, my readers prompt me to fantasize about accessible food options at public events! :D
Re: Well ...
Date: Friday, 25 July 2025 06:03 pm (UTC)I love the Fair For All idea you've incorporated into your fantasy setting. If only that were a real-life thing! As a vegan, I find I can usually eat in large cities and their immediate suburbs and/or in big college/university towns. Rural America, on the other hand, is not always but often a real challenge. Ah, well. (This time of year, at least, I can usually get roasted corn on the cob and just ask them to hold the butter. Mmmmmmm!)
Re: Well ...
Date: Friday, 25 July 2025 09:15 pm (UTC)Yeah, I love melon. We made a watermelon smoothie earlier this summer. (Substitute your favorite plant-based yogurt for the cow yogurt; I'd use coconut, but cashew would also work.)
>> I love the Fair For All idea you've incorporated into your fantasy setting.<<
Here it is in "Tension and Release."
>> If only that were a real-life thing! <<
It could be if people choose to develop it. Certainly there would be a market for this or other versions supportive of special dietary needs. When I was little, I was the only person in our monkeysphere with food issues, not counting seniors whose bodies were breaking down; now almost everyone I know has things they can't eat safely. :/ We've either broken food, broken people, or both.
One of the most surprising and interesting things about Terramagne is how much of what makes it wonderful is actually replicable with extant resources instead of based on superpowers. So some of my readers like to replicate things. It can work. Heck, our favorite sandwich is a Hummus Buster that we always make from leftovers after eating at Naf Naf, and I copied that from a Syrian cook in T-America. (Falafel makes a vegan version.)
>> As a vegan, I find I can usually eat in large cities and their immediate suburbs and/or in big college/university towns. <<
That makes sense. Thank a hippie, it's where most of first vegetarian / vegan restaurants came from.
>> Rural America, on the other hand, is not always but often a real challenge. Ah, well.<<
Yeah. That's sad, because it's where produce is grown.
>> (This time of year, at least, I can usually get roasted corn on the cob and just ask them to hold the butter. Mmmmmmm!) <<
<3
Check for produce-themed fests. Just off the top of my head, around here there's a sweet corn festival, a strawberry festival, and an apple festival. If you can't find an event calendar for your locale online, check the nearest rest stop or tourist center, they'll have hardcopies. For produce fests in particular, look for an agriculture office -- they should have a list of events that highlight specific farm products. If you go to fairs, watch for displays there too. There was an Ag booth at the Edgar County Fair we just visited recently, who had wallpapered their background with posters about wildlife and different farm foods.
Huh, we could sure use a vegetarian / vegan food fair. Use the trick of making the most delicious and fragrant dishes you know, to hook new people. Our favorite lentil dal (from The Vegetarian Epicure) has a compelling aroma.
Re: Well ...
Date: Saturday, 26 July 2025 10:22 pm (UTC)