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!

Transition Day

Ready for our Mexico City adventure!

After two glorious weeks in Cuernavaca, I made the journey back to the capital of Mexico to welcome my husband Brian for a short visit.  I got up early to take a last walk around Cuerna.  I got emotional when I realized that I might not be back for a long time. Cuernavaca is a quaint place with friendly people. I will miss my daily walks through town where I was greeted by friendly locals. While I know that I was recognized as a foreigner (the backpack and photo-taking was a big clue), I was never treated like an outsider.  There may be crime and poverty in Cuernavaca, but the people are the real beauty and I will miss that.

 

I'm going to miss being served this every morning!

I ate a quick healthy breakfast with my HM and mama before heading in a taxi to the bus station.  Fortunately, there were four of us traveling back to Mexico City together so it was a fun ride.  We left Cuernavaca around 11am and arrived in Mexico City at exactly 12:18pm.  Coincidentally, this was the exact same time that Brian's flight was landing!  We think we saw his plane land while pulling into the airport!  I knew that it would take him a while to get through immigration and customs so I grabbed a mint tea from Starbucks and waited patiently for him.  Traveler tip: Grab something cheap from Starbucks in large airports if you are unable to get free WIFI.  On your receipt, they will give you the username and password that you will need to get connected!

Brian came through the gates about 30 minutes after he landed.  What a lucky day for him! It took me over an hour to get through when I arrived two weeks ago!  We grabbed a taxi and left for our hotel. Things in Mexico City are much more expensive than Cuernavaca.  Our taxi ride to the hotel was around $18USD.  That may not sound like much, but I didn't pay more than $3-4USD in Cuernavaca.  

We arrived at our bed and breakfast, the Red Tree House, and were greeted personally by the owner and his staff.  The reviews of this little hotel are amazing and I have been looking forward to this part of the trip for months. So far, it has not let us down!  The Red Tree House is a very small, but spectacular place in the neighborhood known as Condesa.  Condesa is an upscale community with many cafes and restaurants.  We look forward to exploring it during our visit.

Once we dropped off our suitcases, we grabbed a metro bus (clean, fast and cheap) to go to San Angel for the Bazaar Sábado.  I came to this market last week with my group and thought it would be a fun place to bring Brian for some people-watching and eating. The bus ride was great, but when we got off, I made a wrong turn. We ended up walking for an hour around a new neighborhood.  We even found the local Walmart.  When we finally arrived at the Bazaar, we were starving!  We picked a clean taqueria and quickly ordered some food.  Brian got arrachera which is flank steak with tortillas.  I ordered my spicy caldo tlapeño with two cactus tacos.  We each had a Bohemia beer and some totopos (chips).  It hit the spot!  The bill was less than $20 for the two of us!  We then left the restaurant and explored the market for a little while.  Exhausted from a day of travel, we grabbed a taxi back to the hotel ($9 not cheap).

We rested for about an hour and then joined our hotel owners for their daily complimentary happy hour.  This is what sets this hotel apart from others.  All guests gather around for cold beer and excellent wine. My glass was never empty and Brian enjoyed several Mexican beers.  We met teachers from San Francisco and Texas. We also met an artist-in-residence from Austin.  We also chatted with a family who is here from Texas with their daugher who is competing on the US rowing team at an international competition in Xochimilco.  It was really interesting to hear everyone's story! This hotel only has 17 rooms so we will definitely get to know everyone before we leave.  

After happy hour, Brian and I decided to walk around our neighborhood to try and find something light to eat.  We struck out because we kept getting lost and weren't really sure what we wanted since we had eaten such a late lunch.  We loved the vibe in Condesa.  There were so many people out walking dogs and enjoying the community.  We met a couple walking 8 huskies, 4 of them off leash.  They were beautiful and my picture doesn't begin to capture what we saw.  We walked for about an hour and finally got some snacks from a 7 Eleven.  How romantic!

 It's a husky party!

We returned to our room about 10pm, completely exhausted.  I imagine we walked at least 5-6 miles (that's after my morning walk and Brian's day of walking through airports).  I wish I had taken a picture of us drinking soda and eating chips and trail mix out of bags in bed on our first night.  We were both sound asleep by 10:30pm.  

Sunday, the real adventure begins.  We are heading to the Centro Historico of Mexico City.  But first, we have to walk the Paseo de la Reforma to get there.  I hope he has his walking shoes...

 

The night view from our room.

That's a Wrap - Cuernavaca Day 13

I officially completed my two week course on Cultural Competency in the Foreign Language Classroom today!  I truly have to say that I enjoyed each and every day of my classes at Cemanahuac Educational Community.  My Spanish language skills have blossomed and I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge from my new teacher friends from around the US.  I can't believe how fast the time has gone and I wish that I could stay longer here.  I'm just getting used to my routine.  I say good morning to the same people on my way to school each day. I'm an expert at trying to cross the street without getting hit by a bus.  I know where the ATM and supermarkets are.  I don't even bat an eye when I see a guard with a semi-automatic rifle watching me while I'm withdrawing money from my bank account. I have felt safe here and believe that Cuernavaca is a really great place to study Spanish and Mexican culture.  I really feel comfortable here and would love to come back.  The eternal springtime weather doesn't hurt either!

Tonight, we ventured to the Hacienda de Cortes Spa and Hotel for our final dinner.  Gorgeous doesn't begin to capture the beauty and essence of this historical treasure.  Once the sugar plantation of Hernan Cortes, this land and its buildings exist today as a lush tropical retreat for international travelers.  We took a tour of the grounds and then sat down to a very elegant dinner.  The pictures speak for themselves.  I enjoyed each and every thing I ordered tonight.  First, I enjoyed a glass of dry white wine. For some reason, when you ask them here what types of white wine they have, they simply give you the name of the vineyard, but not the type of the wine.  I asked if they had pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc and our waiter thought I was nuts.  I went with the vibe and chose a vino blanco from the list. It was probably a sauvignon blanc and it was fine with me.  Just a weird thing that we've noticed in several restaurants here.  For an appetizer, I had ceviche a la veracruzana. This is delicious raw seafood marinated in lime juice and then served in a cold tomato broth. It was fabulous!  We were served complimentary champagne mango cocktails which were "out of this world!" They came with chili and lime seasoning on the rim of the glass.  For my entree, I chose chicken breast stuffed with squash blossoms and cheese with green chili verde on top.  Again, quite fabulous!  There was no room for desserts, plus you know how I feel about Mexico and its inability to figure out desserts. We had a lovely "graduation" ceremony in one of the beautiful courtyard areas and then we ventured home amidst many hugs and tears.  It's amazing how close you can get in just a short period of time. Thanks to email and social media, I believe we will remain in close contact for many years to come.  Great, strong women!  What a blessing it has been to know them!  

                                       

               

                                          

                                         

                                   

                     

                                        

                       

                                     

                                             

                                         

                 

                      

                  

Now, I must try and stuff everything I brought with me back into my bags.  Plus, I have to add all the things that I've purchased so far.  It's not going to be easy.  I leave with my roommate around 9:00 tomorrow morning.  We will take the bus back to Mexico City where she will head in one direction for a day of sightseeing and I will wait at the airport for Brian to arrive.  

The next part of this adventure begins when I go from being student to teacher/tour guide.  I hope Brian is ready for what I have in store!

Hump Day - Cuernavaca Day 11

My evening mimosa with limes from the garden

The weather in Cuernavaca was beautiful today!  Another cool morning with sunshine all day.  The rains come at night. It really is a gorgeous climate and it's like this year round (minus the rain).  I dropped my laundry off at the laundromat on the way to school and then stopped at a bakery for a muffin and some pan dulce (sweet bread).  I have been staying away from most of the baked goods here, but today I had a craving for something different.  Mexico does not have a reputation for great desserts. Most of the baked items that I have tried are not very sweet (by my northern standards) and are fairly dry.  Today's pastries were no exception. They weren't horrible, but they also weren't like those you might get at Servatii's Bakery in Cincinnati. 

If only we could have papaya this ripe every morning back home.  Who would ever reach for pastries if this were offered daily!  The first time that I tried papaya was during my summer here in 1991.  I hated it.  I thought it had the strangest texture and just couldn't get used to the taste.  Now, I absolutely love it! I always try to buy ripe papayas in Cincinnati, but they are hard to find and are also fairly expensive. They NEVER look anything like this!

        

This is our kitchen. It's small and functional.  We sit outside to eat every meal.  People here don't need much. In our home, there are very few processed foods so there is no need for a large pantry to house boxes and packages of food.  We have been on a mostly "whole food" diet since we have been here.  Everything is made to order and is fresh.  I have noticed a big difference in how I feel based on the way I'm eating here.  The fat content is definitely higher and the calorie intake is dense, but I'm not snacking at all and I've cut out most of the processed convenience foods that we eat so often in the states.

Our kitchen is cleaned daily by our housekeeper, Esperanza.  She comes to help around the house every day (except weekends). It is very common to have a housekeeper in Cuernavaca.  Because wages are so low, it is quite affordable.  It is weird for me to sit down at a table and wait for someone to bring me a home-cooked meal. Today, we started with celery soup. Which was followed by meatballs and rice (no pictures because I was starving and ate it right up)!

After lunch, I walked to Zumba. They just love their Zumba here! It is not like Zumba in the states. This Zumba is crazy Zumba.  We move so quickly that I get dizzy.  It was my last class today because I won't be available the next two days. I'm sad because I have really loved this activity and will remember it fondly.  

These pictures were taken at the home where my teacher friend Mary Alice is staying.  She has an amazing host mama.  Yes, she has a pool and her own kitchen in her home!  Next time, I'm staying at this house!  We spent the evening having mimosas and botanas (little snacks) while speaking in Spanish, of course.  My favorite is the jicama with lime and salt on it. This is definitely going on my grocery list from now on!  It's amazing and fresh!

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My trip has been wonderful so far and it makes me sad to think of saying goodbye to these ladies on Saturday.  What a bond we have in just a short time!  They are strong, compassionate, smart teachers and I have been honored to be here with them.  

School, Pizza and Shopping - Cuernavaca Day 10

In spite of the huge amount of walking and Zumba-ing that I did yesterday, I still was not able to get a good night's sleep.  Last night, it was due to a terrible thunderstorm.  Each time the thunder clapped, I jumped out of my bed.  There is no air conditioning here. They don't need it. However, the windows and doors stay open most of the time.  My bed is next to a large floor-to-ceiling window and a full patio door.  It was a wicked, wicked night, but I survived!  If it weren't for the rain, the city wouldn't be so full of beautiful flowers every where you look. Rain here is good!

In school today, we focused again on the use of the preterine and subjunctive in sentences that don't follow the typical Spanish language rules.  We are having very challenging discussions that go way beyond anything I learned in college foreign language.  I'm excited to be at this level where I am truly analyzing the structure and use of the language.  Two weeks isn't enough to make me sound like a native, but I am definitely feeling confident in my ability to circumlocute in pretty much any situation that presents itself to me.  My vocabulary is very general still and I could benefit from more exposure to specific subjects such as medical Spanish, Spanish slang, etc.  Overall, I'm thrilled with my progress and find myself thinking in Spanish more often than not.  

After school, I walked to the town center to have lunch with my teacher friends at Marco Polo, a quaint Italian place.  I have had authentic Mexican meals for every meal since I have been here.  Today, I wanted something else so I had veggie pizza.  It was great! The restaurant served us warm bread with marinated vegetables (including peppers) before our meal.  I ate every bite of my lunch to the shock of my friends.  They warned me not to get used to my metabolism (they are a few years older) and told me my days of eating a whole pizza would soon end.  Not if I can help it!  After all, it was a pizza chica (small).

                      

We decided to visit the Morelos Museum of Popular Art after lunch.  Here are some photos of the unusual and colorful works of art found at this free public museum.

                                    

                            

                                                   

While my friends shopped, I stopped at Burger King (yes, they have Burger King here) to get a cold drink and use the Wifi.  The Wifi wasn't working so I spent a while just watching people.  My view of the Palacio de Cortés was really neat!  The hustle and bustle of a modern city juxtaposed with the castle of a 16th century conquistador.  Fascinating!

I'm planning a quiet night at my house.  There is homework to be done and some planning to do before Brian arrives on Saturday.  I don't particularly want beans, tortillas or cheese for "cena" tonight, so I stopped by the convenience store to get a yogurt and some trail mix for a snack.  

Tomorrow, I will go to Zumba for the last time. This has been one of the more entertaining (and exhausting) activities of my trip.  They don't Zumba here like they Zumba in the US.  It's a whole different ball game here.  Look for another post soon about staying in shape while traveling.  

Thank you for reading and for putting up with my strangely placed photos.  When I return home, I hope to edit my posts and rearrange photos.  I am using my iPad to do all of my uploading and writing.  Since Google and Apple don't alway work well together, there are limitations with how much I can edit on the road.  

Have a great evening!