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| Photo op Road to Hana |
Last week was an off week, away from my studio, my workouts, my food, and everything that felt routine to me. I was more excited than stressed about it because I was going to Maui for the very first time in my life. Last week was my wedding anniversary and we planned our vacation time to celebrate in Hawaii. The “old” Darla would have worried about missing workouts, not being able to eat like I usually do, stressed about money if I took time off, and through all that nonsense not have been able to enjoy the moment. I am so glad to have shed that girl years ago, and now fast forwarded to what life and health is really about.
I was off routine and on VACATION, well-deserved, and off the clock. I literally took my watch off as soon as my work day prior to leaving for Maui was done. What a free and fun feeling to go, do, and be without restrictions. I think my clients were just as excited for me as I was, and that made me feel over-the-top GREAT.
Being off routine did not mean that I was not active, and in fact, hubby and I snorkeled for hours, hiked for hours which included climbing, walked and ran on the beach, played in the ocean, swam in the resort pool, and that became our gym for the week. I am definitely not one to lie in the sun for hours and for some reason, that makes me feel sick, but I do like to play in the water and outdoors so I got plenty of vitamin D. My favorite active part was snorkeling and swimming with huge turtles and checking out tropical fish. Talk about a workout! Swimming against an ocean current for a couple of hours until your lips are pickled from the salt is quite the tiring event. Top that off with the hike back to the resort, and I was ready for a shower, food and relaxation.
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| Don and I at the top of the falls, Seven Sacred Pools |
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| Mai tai at Feast LeLe |
We did have a plan, a budget, and we were pretty pleased with ourselves to stay under budget. The first stop off the airplane was to Costco where we stalked up on organics, yogurt, quinoa, nuts, veggie burgers, and tequila to stash in our room. Yes, I indulged in a few cocktails on vacation. We ate fairly healthy the entire trip and allowed for treats of our choosing as we were out. The Feast LeLe was our choice of Luau and the food was spectacular and surprisingly pretty healthy. The portions were such that I did not feel overly full, but very satisfied. I really enjoyed that we had a healthy food supply in our room, and made a quick dash there many times to eat between adventures. We dined out a couple of times without concern of what we were ordering, simply enjoying the tastes of the island to include dessert. We were so active each day, that I am sure the calorie consumption matched the activity calorie output…I came home weighing the same, and so did my husband. The best part was that we were not worrying about it in the first place.
It was great to be off routine and experience a tropical paradise gym setting, and to try foods that are not in my normal daily food intake. I do not consider vacation to be about food though, and constantly wanting the next meal to be here. I simply listened to my body as I usually do, and ate when I felt I should. My portions remained as I usually intake, but the indulgence was there with eating foods that I typically shy away from.
Being on vacation also provided my body and mind a rest from my every day work, workouts and environment. It was a beautiful place to recharge my mental and physical batteries. Moving my body in different ways like swimming in the ocean felt more like play than working out, and lying on a hammock listening to the ocean was relaxation that I have never experienced before this trip. Life is simply not healthy or balanced if the busyness of life does not allow time to appreciate such beauty, to take in a moment, dump the brain battery, and to just “be”. Off routine can be as simple as in your own backyard, nearby park, beach, or within a planned vacation. I have learned through the journey of my life how important it is to get off routine once in a while and to enjoy the ride.
MAUI MOTIVATION ADVENTURES
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| ALOHA!!! |
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Stay Healthy~ Darla
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