Eating in Another Country

My Trip to Europe - 

I am getting a little anxiety about my upcoming trip!  I am going to travel for 18 days to Paris, London, Amsterdam, and hopefully Brussels.  

I am not very nervous about Paris, because I plan on walking everywhere and they serve such small portions.  I am still going to try to avoid wheat and cow cheese in most of my meals, but I do plan to have at least one of France's famous baguettes or pastries!

London I think will be easy because they seem to eat light and there should be lots of salads available.  Lots of tomato slices and egg whites I hope.

I have no idea what kind of food they eat in Holland???  I am thinking lamb maybe?...Anyone know?  I looked up a little on Google, and it worries me a lot.  Both websites say breakfast is usually a 'cheese sandwich and a cup of milk'...ummmmm the 3 things I don't want to eat.  Then lunch was usually break and cheese and maybe a pancake or crepe sort of thing....again all the foods I cant eat much of.  It sounds like they eat a lot of chicken and pork, so I might start to enjoy pork more :-/

One thing I think might be in my favor is that their animals (chickens, pigs, cows) are probably raised in a more natural way.  They are probably feed fewer hormones and chemicals, so hopefully the meat is cleaner in Europe then in the US.  I hope I hope I hope!!!

I will eat the local food obviously and just try to keep my portions small and limit my wheat and cow dairy at most meals so it will effect me less when I do eat it.

I am also worried about my coffee...they don't usually drink coffee 'to go', hahahaha...this was a problem in Italy too.  You might see me blogging from a coffee shop because I was forced to stay there.

Can You Read the Ingredients -

Do You Know What is in your favorite bar?  

I went just about a couple months without any processed foods, and in all honesty it is just not possible for me to live that way.  Now I eat ‘bars’ and some chips, but I am just careful about what is in them, especially ‘Nutrition’ Bars'.  Some of them have some very strange ingredients that I cant pronounce and cant figure out what they are.

I recently found a replacement breakfast at Starbucks (I used to eat the Spinach and Feta Wrap).  It is now a banana and a Kind Bar.  I am in love with these bars; they have the simplest ingredients ever!!!  They are also only 180 calories….a nutritionist once told me that snacks should be under 220 calories for a person with my build and energy output.  (In order to maintain where I was…about a 1600/ day calorie plan).

Kind Bar –

Mixed Nuts, (peanuts, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts), dried fruit (raisins, apricots, vegetable based glycerol, pectin, citrus fiber, citric acid, dates, honey, chicory fiber, Non GMO Glucose, puffed rice, flax seeds, soy lecithin

They also claim to be...

• All Natural
• Gluten & Wheat Free
• Low Glycemic Index
• Dairy Free
• Low Sodium
• No Sugar

These are all buzz-words, and I rarely trust the front of any package (marketing tricks), but the back of this item seems to match the front, so I feel good about them.  I still only eat them a couple times a week in an emergency, but they are fabulous for fast or in the car…or like yesterday, at the Airport.

Food at an Airport at 530am..,.

Trying to find something without Dairy or Wheat at an airport is impossible!  The cases are filled with sweat treats and sandwiches made of all simple carbs (aka, sugar).

The only places open are serving begals or sandwiches... Eventhough the airport is packed!  I did find oatmeal, but that is tricky to eat at the gate or with all your bags.  

I did anticipate this problem, so I have apple slices from home and I got a Kind Bar and black coffee.  

I realized on my last trip that there are only 2 items on the flight menu that I can eat as well... And they have been out of those items twice now.  One is Cashews and the other is a salad, I just have to pick around the cheese and weird meat cubes (I think they labeled it as chicken).  

Hopefully I will just sleep on this flight and hold out till an early lunch!   'Doing lunch' in LA is always a fun time with a million healthy fresh local options:). 

Core Class - My Humble Opinion

Core Workout Class

I went to a ‘Core Class’ at Columbia Athletic Club the other day with my husband.  It is just 25 minutes long, but the whole class is focused on core strength and abs. 

I was skeptical of course, because I am a firm believer in the idea that you can't ‘spot reduce’, but I wanted to try to give it a chance.   I feel like the people who go to this class are thinking it will give them a flat tummy or abs.  It will not!!!!  If your intention is to just engage your core as a focus then I suppose it is worth it as a suppliment to another workout...still not really sure.

There was a 5 min ‘warm up’ to kind of stretch and get your muscles warm…there isn’t really time for much more then that so it was a good attempt, but sort of pointless in my opinion.

Then we did some floor work…

• ·      Legs lifted a few inches off the ground and fluttering the hands up and down similar to what they do in Pilates
• ·      Single leg V-Ups or Scissor Kicks kind of, again it was a little hard for me to figure out what these moves were really doing for me…but I tried to follow
• ·      Push up position…knees to opposite elbow – the only exercise that really felt like it was working me hard to the point of fatigue
  
• ·      Rest - Stretch
• ·      Into Circuit 2 which was very similar to circuit 1 it just was bicycles and plank rocks for 30 seconds or so each

Here is my frustration to classes like this…it is not actually doing anything.  Just movement camouflaged as a workout to try and convince its participants that they will see some kind of result.  I don’t even think that anyone would leave that class with a stronger core in any way and they certainly wont leave with a flat stomach or abs.

It is a shame, because I think that is one of the biggest problems with all these fitness ‘trends’…it is often just a way to pretend you are working out without actually having to workout. 

The best measure to a good workout is what do the people who are doing it look like and what does your trainer do for a workout?  If it isn’t that class or that particular workout, then it is time to save your money and your time and do what they are doing.

Our bodies are designed to do movements that simulate hunting and gathering and working for our food and shelter….so use your body that way.  ‘Athletic Ability’ has very little to do with it…balance, coordination, and endurance are all achievable skills.  Some have better natural abilities then others, however everyone has the ability to have it at some level if they are WILLING TO WORK FOR IT!!!

Favorite Meals at Restaurants

Favorite Places to Eat and Stay on Track - 

I work downtown Kirkland and I live in Juanita, so I have found a few restaurants with a favorite dish that I can get without getting too far off of my nutrition  and eating regiment.  Learning to eat out and modify what is on the menu is a really important skill and it will help you stay on track.

I was a little embarrassed at first to make so many adjustments to a menu item, however it is worth it and enough people start to demand healthy options then we can change an industry!

If there is one thing I hate more than anything it is 'restarting' something after loosing my way.  It is so much harder then just sticking to it.  My changes and choices are meant to be lifelong (not a diet), and I have to be able to eat out and enjoy myself...so it will only work if I can find a way to make adjustments.

Here is what I would recommend....

Hectors - 

1. Seared Tuna Bites
2. Salmon Salad (this has goat cheese and beats in it so it is super filling and colorful)
3. Hummus Platter - No Pita, Ask for Extra Veggies (cucumber, carrots, celery, tomatoes)

Milagro - (limit your chips and salsa intake...put some on a plate and ask the waitress to take the rest away)

1. Shrimp and Avocado Salad - dressing on the side and no avocado paste (it comes with way too much and everything looses its flavor)

Qdoba - (this is a really good one, because it is fast and inexpensive)

1. Naked Burrito - comes in a little bowl, no tortilla - I only get wild rice, sauteed veggies, black beans, just a little guacamole, pico de gallo, medium salsa)

Joeys - (I love this place, because I dont have to make any adjustments to the menu...there are several things I can order)

1. Spicey Edamame
2. Ahi Tuna Salad 

Brix - 

1. Hummus Platter (this is enough to share with 2 people or more) ask for all veggies
2. Beet Salad (add prawns)

Breakfast Favorite

My favorite breakfast is egg whites scrambled with fresh veggies and maybe left over shrimp or salmon from the night before.  

Today it was shrimp, green and yellow zucchini, onions, a couple baby red potatoes, and mushrooms.  A glass of orange juice of course and a BioSill pill for my hair and nails:). 

Went to Crossfit this morning, 7am class....ugh.  That is early for me:(. I made it tho, and it was a really good workout today, #noinjuries

Worked on my Clean and Split Jerk.  

Then the workout was....

12 wall balls (14#'s)

50 double Under jump rope

3 burpees

14 wall balls

40 double unders

6 burpees

16 wall balls

30 double unders

18 wall balls

9 burpees 

29 double unders 

21 wall balls

12 burpees