Staying Fit While Traveling

Walking, walking, walking

Those of you who know me well know that I love to workout.  In fact, I'm a bit obsessed with making sure that I exercise every day.  With a strong family history of heart disease and diabetes, it's not so much about achieving body perfection as it is about keeping my heart strong and maintaining a healthy body mass index so that I can prevent some of the issues that my family faces.  When I first found out about my trip to Mexico, one of my first worries was, "How am I going to be able to maintain my exercise schedule?"  In addition to that, I worried about not having any control over my diet while living abroad.  These two concerns played a big role in my pre-trip anxiety.  I knew that going on this trip was going to take me out of my routine and out of my comfort zone.  I wasn't sure quite how I would handle it.  I scoured the internet looking for gyms, yoga studios and fitness classes in Cuernavaca.  I kept coming up empty.  I did find one gym, but I really didn't like what I saw and it was very, very expensive for a one-week membership.  I decided that I would just wing it and try to go with the flow once I got there.

Most of my morning walk looked like this

One of the things I did before leaving the US was to email the school director asking for a home stay that was a decent walk away from school.  Knowing that I would have to walk to and from school each day (some days twice) assured me of at least a small amount of daily exercise.  They definitely honored my request by placing me in a hilly area exactly one mile from the school.  My first 100 steps each morning were up a steep incline.  Hello quads!  Most of my classmates were within 1/4 mile of the school so I considered myself lucky that I was placed at a such a distance.  

My Zumba teacher and classmates

Not only did I walk to and from school each day, but I also chose to walk to the city center in Cuernavaca (4 miles) at least 3 times a week.  When I met my exercise soulmate Lora at school one day, I was excited to learn that there was a daily Zumba class in her "neighborhood."  We made arrangements to go four times during our stay in Cuernavaca.  I walked 1.6 miles to her house before Zumba and 1.6 miles back home after Zumba.  Lots and lots of walking over cobbled and damaged sidewalks, up and down hills.  Lora and I chose Zumba over several other "cultural" opportunities that our classmates were doing, but it was worth it.  We got exercise and culture all in one place.  There's nothing like taking a Zumba class filled with Mexican women (of all ages).  No Zumba class here in the US can quite compare.  I'm certain my hips will never be able to move the way their hips did!  Yowza!

My travel mat and exercise bands

Yoga at Teotihuacán

The other type of exercise that I did while in Cuernavaca was yoga. I use an app on my iPad called YogaStudio. It is a fantastic app that you can use anywhere, even if you don't have internet.  There are beginner, intermediate and advanced classes of 15-60 minutes in length.  I got up early several mornings to get my yoga fix on my beautiful balcony.  It was challenging because I only took a travel mat, but at least it was something!

Rowing on the Chapultepec Lake

When Brian arrived to Mexico, we walked at least 5 miles a day, kayaked, climbed pyramids and only ate two meals a day.  There's no doubt we were burning more calories than we consumed during his stay in Mexico with me.

The best part for me about exercising in Mexico was that I didn't stress about it at all.  If I had to go somewhere, I walked.  Zumba was a social event that happened to revolve around a workout.  I did yoga because each morning was beautiful and I wanted to honor the peace and beauty of my surroundings.  For the first time in a long time, exercise was enjoyable and not just something else I had to fit into my day.  Exercising my body had a purpose and it felt great!

The second part of travel fitness that worried me was the concern about what I might be eating while on the trip.  I am usually pretty careful about my diet, but over recent months had found myself slowly slipping back into old patterns.  For me that meant eating desserts daily, having that 3rd glass of wine, snacking when I'm not hungry and way, way, way too many late night bowls of snack mix.  I also love to try new foods and have grown to love splurging on vacation.  The fear of no exercise plus eating whatever I wanted for 3 weeks consumed me in the days before the trip.  How on earth was I going to maintain my current fitness level given the circumstances?

Typical breakfast, but eventually I asked for "no hotdogs"

Typical mid-day meal

I've already discussed the exercise I had while in Mexico, but I feel that I must also speak about the food.  First, I didn't limit myself at all in Mexico.  I ate when I was hungry and I ate whatever was given to me.  That meant that breakfast was always fruit, white toast and eggs.  Some mornings, it was yogurt and honey with fruit.  I grabbed a banana or an apple to have during my morning break at school.  In the afternoon, I ate a very large meal with my family on most days.  Most of these meals included red meat, corn tortillas, rice and vegetables.  If we were on an excursion during meal time, I took a piece of fruit and a turkey and cheese sandwich.  There was no dinner on most nights.  Some families had a small meal, but not mine.  If I was hungry, I would pick up some trail mix or yogurt to eat.  

I drank a lot of water each day.  When I went to a restaurant, I chose whatever I wanted to try and I ate heartily.  I found that on most days, I ate because I was starving and not because I was on some sort of a schedule.  Not having a refrigerator or microwave at my disposal made me more aware of my eating patterns.  It's amazing how much we eat when we aren't truly hungry in the US.  Knowing that it would be a hassle to ask for food or walk to the store to buy something made me really ask myself if I was hungry or bored before reaching for that snack.  

Posole

Ceviche

And yes, pizza!

So what's the bottom line?  Did I return feeling flabby and out of shape?  Actually, the opposite happened.  I felt better while on the trip than I usually do at home. I attribute this to having virtually no processed foods and eating my biggest meal in the middle of the day.  However, I wasn't sure what the scale would say given my diet of red meat, lots of cheese and endless corn tortillas.  Imagine my surprise when I stepped on the scale only to realize that I had LOST 8 POUNDS! I was shocked.  This was certainly not my goal in planning for fitness while traveling!  All of that worrying for nothing.  Three weeks in Mexico actually did this body some good.  It changed my eating patterns and helped me to focus on the benefits of exercising for enjoyment rather than obligation.  I am blessed to have a strong, healthy 42 year old body.  My trip to Mexico truly is the gift that keeps on giving!

Home at last!

Enjoying a cup of coffee in my new mug while catching up on things!

We arrived home about 1am to a house full of excited kids (except Ellie who decided she could wait to see me in the morning!).  It was great to be greeted by hugs, kisses and doggie licks from Cici!

I know that it's going to take me a long time to adjust to being home. My focus for the next few days is to unpack, spend time with my kids and reflect on my experience in Mexico. I do have more blog posts to write as I gather my thoughts and plan for a new year of teaching.  I am very appreciative of everyone who read my posts each day!  I hope that it inspired you to travel, to learn and to get out of your comfort zone.  I was not sure how I would react to this trip.  Now that I am home, I am certain that it was the right place and right time for me to go. It was hard to leave my family, but I learned a lot about myself in the process.  It was a blessing to have this trip paid for by both the Ohio Foreign Language Association and the Mason Schools Foundation. I am forever indebted to them for making this possible for me.  Hasta luego!

Final Days Abroad - Mexico City Days 4&5

The Stone of the Sun at the National Museum of Anthropology

Today will be a double post because I didn't want to take time away from Brian to write during our last two days in Mexico City.  We were busy, busy, busy and by the time we returned to our B&B each night, we were too exhausted to do anything but sleep.

A recap of Tuesday...the day started again with a glorious breakfast provided by the Red Tree House.  Did I say how much we love this place!  Today it was chicken and cheese enchiladas with salsa verde on top.  Of course, I started with hot coffee and fruit topped with plain yogurt.  Brian took advantage of the churros! You can see that he enjoyed them very much!

I was very excited for today's sightseeing because I was going to see some new places.  Most of the places I have been seeing with Brian, I had seen on previous trips to Mexico City.  Today, we ventured deep into Chapultepec Park, the largest urban park in Latin America.  Inside this park are an entire roster of museums, a full blown zoo, a castle, several lakes and a host of restaurants and other sights.  We narrowed our list down to the Chapultepec Castle, the Chapultepec Zoo, a kayak ride on the lake and a tour of the National Museum of Anthropology.  It was a full day! In addition, to make sure we got enough exercise, we walked both to and from the museum from our B&B which was about 45 minutes each way.  By the time we got home, we had either been on our feet or rowing in a boat for over 5 hours straight.  Ok, ok, we did stop to recharge our phones for 15 minutes at Starbucks, but you get the idea.  It was an exhausting, but wonderful day.  

I could have stayed here for days looking out at the mega metropolis!

Rowing at Chapultepec Lake

This was a lot harder than it looked

Beautiful weather and a beautiful view from Chapultepec Castle

The view from Chapultepec Castle

Entrance to Chapultepec Castle

Mexico flag over Chapultepec Castle

Inside the castle

View from the castle

A view down the Paseo de la Reforma, the longest, widest street in CDMX

King of the Castle

Butterflies were everywhere at the top of the Castle

Chapultepec Castle

Chapultepec Castle

National Anthropology Museum - One of the finest in the world!

Rufino Tamayo Mural at the anthropology musem

Gorgeous architecture at the anthropology museum

To give an idea of perspective

Selfie at the musem

Wolf siesta at Chapultepec Zoo

Deer are unusual here so there's an exhibit for them!

A deer exhibit!

We had a bit of a interesting dinner on Tuesday evening.  We chose a small restaurant called El Estanquillo. We liked it because it was supposed to be known for it's cured meats and unusual appetizers using local, fresh ingredients.  When we arrived, we were the only people in the place.  Red flag number one!  Although we got there around 7pm which is not the typical dinner time in Mexico so we didn't worry too much at first. We decided to order some chile peppers with chorizo and cheese for an appetizer.  This was actually pretty good.  It was topped with a guayaba paste known as ate.  It was quite an interesting combination of flavors.  So far, so good.  Brian decided to go with a burger and I chose a shrimp burger.  We were told that they didn't have any burgers that night, but that Brian could get a spicy pulled pork sandwich instead.  He was disappointed, but agreed to go forward with the pork.  They brought Brian's sandwich and told me there was a problem with mine.  ???  I encouraged Brian to go ahead and eat while I waited, and waited and waited.  When my sandwich arrived, it was tasty.  They forgot to bring Brian his potato wedges so we had to wait again.  We were told that we could have a lime-mezcal torte on the house for the inconvenience.  We took them up on this offer and I have to say that the dessert was pretty good!  When the bill came, we were charged for the torte!  Ugh!  We settled up our bill without complaining, because we just wanted to get out of there! It wasn't an expensive dinner, but it was definitely not a relaxing, romantic last night in CDMX.  You win some, you lose some.  Watch out Yelp, here I come!

On Wednesday morning, we got up early to pack out bags.  Breakfast was unusual today.  We (I) tried huitlacoche which is basically a fungus that grows on corn.  It is considered a delicacy and many famous US chefs will pay handsomely to obtain it and put it on their menus in the states.  We got it for free!  It was sauteed and wrapped into an omelet with cheese and salsa roja.  I thought it was delicious! Brian wouldn't try it and opted for plain scrambled eggs instead.  Apparently, scientists have discovered that huitlacoche has a lot of nutrients and is actually healthier than corn or oats in terms of a breakfast food.  It has lysine and is also thought to reduce cholesterol similar to the effects of eating oats.  I might have to try and find some at Jungle Jims!

We only had a few hours before we had to leave for the airport, so we grabbed a metro bus and headed to the Monument of the Revolution. From 1910-1921, Mexico had a civil war.  This monument and the museum inside it are a tribute to the history and legacy of this war.  We found it to be very interesting.  What was even more interesting was the shantytown of peasants who have taken up residence at the base of the tower.  The police presence in this part of CDMX was heavy.  

Shantytown in front of the monument

                     

It was a beautiful day!  We walked all the way back to the hotel via Paseo de la Reforma. We bid goodbye to our gracious hosts at The Red Treehouse.  By 1pm, we were on our way to the airport.

Brian in front of the Red Tree House

Saying goodbye to our friendly concierge at the Red Tree House

Pyramids, Shrines and Art - Mexico City Day 2

                                     

Today we ventured to several places so that I could share with Brian what I feel are some of the coolest things about the Mexico City area.  First, however, we needed to fuel up for our long day.  Our B&B once again amazed us with a fresh and delicious breakfast.  Today, it was eggs with fresh salsa, beans and chips.  It was spicy!  Good thing I had some freshly squeezed orange juice and papaya to cool off my tongue!  Fortunately for us, the weather cooperated. It was an absolutely beautiful day here.  Many people think that Mexico City is tropical because it is south of the US, but it is not.  It is quite springlike here most of the year.  Our temperatures have ranged from 55-75.  I haven't been too hot even once in my time here.  I could definitely get used to this!

For our main adventure today, we headed toward the UNESCO World Heritage site known as Teotihuacan.  Most people simply know of this sight as "those huge pyramids outside of Mexico City."  This was an ancient meso-american city that at one point was home to more than 125,000 people.  The most distinguishing landmarks are the pyramid of the sun and the pyramid of the moon.  We climbed them both, plus a half a dozen other smaller pyramid-like structures.  Talk about high intensity training!  Between the altitude, the sun and the steps, we got an incredible workout today!  Here are some pictures that capture our time at Teotihuacan.  One of my favorites is of me taking part in a sun prayer at the top of the pyramid of the sun with a group of international travelers.  It was a precious moment with sun beating down on us as we asked God to heal us, warm us and strengthen us.  

We wanted to be efficient today so instead of taking public transportation, we hired a private driver named Ricardo to transport us from place to place.  For $85USD, we had door to door service all day long.  It was the best money we've spent here! After we had had enough at the pyramids, we went to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe which is located just outside the main downtown area.  Guadalupe is the patron saint of Mexico.  During the time of the Spanish conquest (1500s), there was a push to convert native people to Christianity.  It wasn't until the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to a peasant farmer named Juan Diego that the indigenous people of Mexico began to convert.  She is a BIG DEAL here in Mexico and around the world.  Millions of visitors travel to the Basilica each year, most specifically on her feast day which is December 12th.  There are several churches on the property, but the current worship sight is the modern building with the blue circus-like roof.  The entire sight was impressive and the grounds were immaculate.  We especially enjoyed seeing the original basilica which is now sinking into the ground.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  The highlight of the Basilica is the tilma (cloth) that was worn by Juan Diego that contains the image of Guadalupe on it. It hangs over the alter, but visitors can actually go beneath the altar and ride on people movers to take photos of it while masses are going on above.  It's a strange, but intriguing way of making sure that thousands of visitors per day are able to see the miraculous tilma without disrupting the business of the church.  I am really glad we spent time here as it was a place I had not visited in previous trips.

We asked our driver to drop us off at the Museo Soumaya in the trendy Polanco neighborhood.  This is the newest museum in Mexico City and is the gift of Carlos Slim to the city.  Carlos Slim is the wealthiest man in Mexico (think Donald Trump).  He opened this art museum about three years ago and it is not only open on Mondays (when all other museums are closed), but it is free to everyone.  We enjoyed walking through this modern museum and especially enjoyed  his Rodin sculpture exhibit on the top floor.  

We walked to a Starbucks after leaving the museum so that we could get a cold drink and recharge our phones.  The Starbucks that we found was in a very, high fashion mall that was guarded by men with machine guns.  We were severely underdressed for being in this mall. Apparently, the Polanco neighborhood is where the rich and famous eat, play and stay when they are in Mexico City.  

We grabbed a taxi to go back to the hotel for a rest.  I took the first nap of my trip and it felt awesome!  We didn't want to sleep through happy hour so we got up and, changed clothes and headed to the guest house for a cocktail.  The tilma at the Basilica wasn't the only miracle I witnessed today.  Note the jeans on Brian.  A true miracle indeed!

We perused tour books, talked to the hotel staff and read TripAdvisor reviews before deciding on La Capital for dinner.  It is a swanky restaurant that serves Mexican cuisine in an artistic way. Usually, reservations are needed, but on a Monday night, the place was not crowded at all.  I started with a mezcal mojito.  Whew! I had to sip slowly on this all night.  It was delicious, but very potent.  We then shared a cochinita pibil appetizer.  Pretty much spicy pulled pork with picked onions.  Note the fancy presentation.  Brian had a steak with potatoes and i enjoyed a delicious ceviche with shrimp, jicama (my new favorite) and mango.  We also shared a spicy pork torta (sandwich) that had avocado on it.  Brian actually ate it! We also shared the saratoga-style chips on the side.  Finally, even though we were pretty full, we decided that we couldn't pass up the chocolate chile dessert. This was basically a chocolate lava cake with sorbet, raspberry sauce and an edible hibiscus flower.  Yummy!  With tip, our total was $74USD which we thought was very reasonable compared to what we would have paid for this type of dinner at a major US city.  We are only eating one meal out a day, so we didn't mind splurging!  The memories we are creating are priceless!

We head to Chapultepec Park tomorrow to explore the natural side of Mexico City.