Category: Miscellaneous

Social Media Overload: How to Manage Your Social Media Addiction

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With the latest social media addiction called Periscope, I have already seen the downside of how social media can cause some negative habits creep into my life, personally. I actually did “scope” about it on Monday. Oh the irony! But people said it helped them. And even just talking about it helped me immediately. So let me give you some pointers.

A quick word about Periscope: It’s basically Twitter with video but you have more than 140 characters to deliver your message. Think YouTube video with live comments. Or like a Google+ Hangout but only one person’s face is visible. Some say Persicope won’t last or that it’s not THAT big of a deal but I have heard differently. I can see firsthand how this will change the way we watch TV actually. Some TV shows, like home improvement and makeover shows, are starting to broadcast from Periscope. Yeah the video quality isn’t as great as your HD TV, but it’s LIVE. And we love LIVE content. It’s like we are right there with them. And we can TALK BACK to our “TV” this way! Very interactive and fun…and, yes, addictive.

But here are some things I’ve learned from just being a “Scopeaholic” after one week. And these tips can be applied to FB and Twitter as well.

1. Be selective with your following/friends. Good old Facebook gave us the gift of “unfriending” people but they also added that lovely feature, “Unfollow” and “Hide from timeline.” Ahhhhh, relief. We no longer have to see that friend of ours vent about the latest candidate running for office or Aunt Sally posting pictures of her latest crocheting project (Isn’t that what pinterest is for anyways?) or look at all our high school friends become engaged/married/pregnant/divorced. Best of all, we can unfollow that “guy who always posts every detail of his life.”  With Twitter, you can “Mute” people and “turn off Retweets.” That’s one of my favorite features. Some of my tweeps just RT all day and it really clogs up my timeline making it hard for me to seek out those that I really want to see.

As for Periscope, the big thing is “Sharing.” We are constantly bombarded with requests from our followers to “Watch this scope!” when the last thing we want to do is get back on our phone and sit through a boring broadcast just because the broadcaster told you to share it! Unfortunately, the only answer to this problem on Periscope is to turn off notifications all together. But I found the next best thing which brings me to point #2.

2. The Do Not Disturb Button is your friend. I don’t know what Android users have but iOS devices have this lovely feature that puts your phone essentially asleep. YAY! No more sound effects altering us that someone is “scoping.” Or someone replied to one of our status updates or some replied to one of our tweets. Relief! The downside is that now you won’t know when anyone calls or texts you until you check your phone. Bummer.

3. Schedule Your Social Media time. Put it in the calendar if you must. For someone like me who depends on a lot of the internet to drive my business and get me some new clients, I can’t afford to just deactivate all my accounts. One of the perks of cross-pollenating on all major social media networks is that I am highly accessible. So I have learned to schedule my scoping time. I also have my Tweets from my blog match up with my Facebook Personal Trainer page so no worries on having to double up on that. My “personal” Facebook page is a whole other story. It’s touch to schedule something like Facebook when that’s where I get a lot of my news. But, I resolved this problem by subscribing to The Skimm. They send out an early morning newsletter daily that literally is just the headlines and a few sentences so you can sound intelligent when someone asks you “Whats the latest news with Yemen?”

5. Stop Getting Sidetracked. I was noticing that during my short time of being addicted, that I neglected my usual morning routine. I had it down pat for practically 2 years and then this darn thing came along and I was totally thrown off my game! I have a usual routine that consists of reading the Daily Scripture Readings (oh there I go talking about my faith again, sorry) and thanking God for a list of things I’m grateful for and then I end with a prayer from St. Thomas Aquinas. Well…I forgot to do these things for just 2 days in a row and boy was I a mess. It would be like if you had gotten on a fitness kick for 2 years and then one day you woke up and the gym you used to go to every morning was replaced with a diner that served all your favorite foods. “Oh…well I can find another gym. Everyone needs to eat breakfast and it’s not so bad! Oh yummy, is that French toast?”

And how many of us check our phones first thing in the morning? How awful is that? Or what about the radio station we put on when we get in our car? The songs you listen to can definitely have an effect on your mood: “Damnit if I hear Sam Smith whine one more time about Staying with Me I’m gonna puke!”

What about if we check social media first thing in the morning? Ugh. Talk about setting the tone for the day, yikes! Don’t let what someone posted on FB interfere in your life and ruin your day. Don’t let a tweet you saw this morning bring you down. Of course, checking your phone first thing in the morning can also set your mood in a good way if you read or hear something uplifting. It all goes back to rule #1: Be careful who you follow.

Sidenote: I ended up creating a secondary Twitter account where I only follow positive tweeters. I check that more often and my day is immediately brightened. And no I will not reveal the name of my screen name. My little secret happy world, get your own. 😉

4. Is this a waste of your data? Before you comment, tweet, post, or scope, ask yourself if this is going to be a good use of your time. Pretty sad it has come to this right? But I always think, “Would this be something I would be able to say to someone’s face?” If you don’t have the guts to post something because you think it will offend someone or cause a conflict, and you’re legit concerned you could get fired or get reprimanded for it, by all means don’t post it.  But if you’re posting or sharing something to generate a discussion, I’m all for it! Educate, spread positivity, but try and keep it brief. Time is something we don’t get back and you don’t want to waste it by being on an electronic device all day.

Scope Safely, Tweet Wisely and Post Smart Everyone!

-Michelle

Put Down Your Phone and Pick Up A Book

MPiccolo2 Comments

A popular saying among fitness people and gym rats is, “Do you even lift?”  This is usually directed towards the male  population in a mocking tone to those boys who don’t take strength training too seriously.

But lately, I think the bigger question is, Do you even READ? Do you even do research? I’m not quite sure anyone does when it comes to working out. Why would they? Why would anyone when we have social media to instruct us on how to work out and eat and diet…and live. Right?

No..not so much. Books are still relevant, in my opinion. It’s still the best medium to get a message out there, and it’s especially useful for longevity. People need to refer, quickly, back to a resource. And what’s quicker than just flipping through a book? Yeah yeah, you could download a book to your electronic device but doesn’t anyone else just LOVE to hold a real book in their hands anymore? Plus, I LOVE to highlight in my books. And you can’t really do that on a Kindle. At least not the old fashioned way.

In an effort to get everyone back to reading the old fashioned way, and as way to keep myself from repeating myself a bazillion times on social media, I wanted to put together an easy way for my readers to see what I’m reading and what I recommend, especially when it comes to diet and fitness. Theres a ton of misleading information out there and I feel it’s important to share the relevant and well-researched information. Not just copying a workout you saw on YouTube. Let’s get back to really researching what works best and calling out those quick fix, hokey, quackery looking, scamming authors who just put out books to sell garbage and make a buck.

So without further ado, I present to you my Amazon.com Store! (I included an extra page at the top of my site as well as a link on the sidebar. And I’m including it here so you have no excuse not to give it a visit. What am I recommending?

Four categories:

Fitness Books

Diet and Healthy Living Books

Fitness Gear: All my favorite products that I own/use on myself and my clients

Miscellaneous Faith-Based Books: since my faith is huge part of who I am, I thought why not show you what I’ve been reading and what has changed my life

That’s it! Simple.

Also, if you missed my post about Periscope from last week, be sure to follow me if you are on Twitter (@fromfittofigure) and download the app. You will become quickly addicted, I promise! 🙂

 

-Michelle

 

The Kids are NOT OK

MPiccolo1 Comment

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“Deep breath. Don’t judge. You don’t know her. She’s not a client. You have no right to tell someone what to post online. You don’t have kids. You couldn’t possibly know the story behind this picture, if it’s fake or real. Don’t judge. Don’t judge. It’s just a kid…”

These are the thoughts going on right now in my mind. I don’t know who posted this. I believe it IS real and not photoshopped from the information I gathered from the original poster of this. *Updated to include that yes it IS real and it was posted by a father who promotes Herbalife. I saw pictures of his daughter and she indeed looks very fit.*

But, the fact that it was shared publicly makes me think I have the right to comment on it, right? Do I have the right to comment? Do any of us? I’m treading carefully here. This is no one I know personally. But it’s promoting a product I have no respect for. It’s using a child to do so and that makes me uncomfortable. When a regular person posts a photo like this on social media, I seriously question them. Do I have the right to do that? It’s on the internet. You put a picture of your child on the internet. It’s here forever, parent! I must first ask, okay WHY? She wanted to boast about her child’s transformation.

This child’s body transformation. And she’s a little girl. A little girl!!! I should be happy for her right?!? Right?! But why does a picture like this make me sick to my stomach?

Here are my issues, and I’m trying very hard not to judge this person. I just feel like a I need to voice my concerns.

  • When you post a picture like this of your small young child, who is your audience? Clearly parents of other children who might need to lose weight? Okay. I can sort of see that.
  • Why is she wearing a bikini in the first photo and then showing off her abs in the after? What message does that send to kids? Nevermind the parents for a second here…the kids. The young girls who look at this. I don’t know any 6 or 7 year old girls so I can’t ask them. Maybe they would be unphased. Maybe they would say “So what?!” But what if a young girl or boy looks at this and thinks, “My belly looks more like that picture on the left. Is that bad?”
  • I’m trying to overlook that this is promoting a product. A product I have ZERO respect for as a company. Spare me the nutritional value in Herbalife products. I do not care. It’s a pyramid scheme. But let’s say it’s NOT a pyramid scheme. Let’s say it’s just a super healthy smoothie. Heck, let’s take it a step further and take Herbalife out of it. Pretend the parent replaces “Herbalife” with “healthy fruits and vegetables and a balanced diet.” Would that change my opinion? Actually no, honestly. I have a problem with the PICTURE itself.
  • Why? I want to know why you feel the need to post your child’s transformation. Why are you using her like this? What happens if she loses that six pack Mom, Dad? Because, as we know as adults, to be that lean forever is a pipe dream. I don’t care if this girl turns out to be a gymnast or a dancer or star athlete. She will not look like that forever. How will she deal with that knowing you boasted about how great she looks now???

I want to cry for this little girl and I don’t even know her.

All I can say is please, to whoever this mother is, please don’t do this again. Please let Zoey go on doing whatever it is that she’s doing and please don’t boast. Be proud of her and tell her. But don’t tell the whole world (that my not have been your intention, maybe you just wanted to share this with a few friends on Facebook and it sparked a firestorm) but please understand that Social media spreads like wildfire.  I’m sure you didn’t intend to harm her or instigate anything with this picture. You’re just sharing. I get that, trust me I get it.

But please, everyone, think before you share pictures of your child. Body image issues and childhood obesity are serious concerns. And young people are so impressionable. We have to be realistic when it comes to setting expectations for our children and their health and their abilities. Obtaining a six pack is a pipe dream for the AVERAGE ADULT. If children think it’s EASY to accomplish this by just drinking shakes, they will be very disappointed when they realize it is not that simple.

And what kind of picture does that paint?

 

Dear Ulcerative Colitis

MPiccolo1 Comment

As someone else who has UC, I commend this woman to speak out about this disease. I pray I never have to undergo surgery, but if I ever do, I want this woman’s bravery. So Bad Ass, indeed.

sam's avatarSo Bad Ass

Dear Ulcerative Colitis,

Well, what a journey we have been on!  Eleven years ago, you crept into my life with bleeding, diarrhoea and pain.  You were not a very welcome guest and so I ignored you.  You sat there in my guts getting angrier and angrier, your furious rage spurred you to make me so anaemic that I collapsed.  As I was taken into hospital in an ambulance with blue lights flashing, you were giggling to yourself, knowing that soon I would know your name and I would never be able to forget it.

We were introduced at the beginning of 2004, I knew nothing about you.  I googled you like a new girlfriend, trying to find out a little more.  The words blurred on the screen as tears filled my eyes when I read about the things you had done to others and what you could do to me…

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Strangers on the Track

MPiccolo3 Comments

Indoor%20Track%201I’ve been going to my local gym for over a year now and I’ve identified several people who are always there that I think are noteworthy. I’ve actually decided to give them names even though I have no idea what their real names are. Just thought it was cute and funny to do so. Here goes:

Harold and Harriet – the Old People

These are the older couple that always holds hands when walking the indoor track.  When it’s my turn or someone else’s turn to pass them on the right side, they stop holding hands and the man walks behind the woman until it’s “clear” to hold hands again and walk together.

I think it’s the coolest and cutest thing. No one else there does it, as far as I can tell. Just them. And they are adorable.

I always have my headphones in so I don’t hear if they talk about me as I speed past them. I have a feeling they might be thinking, “Why is she running so damn fast? Is there a fire?”

Once in a while they don’t hear/see me behind them and they are still holding hands as I’m coming up behind them. I’ve never had to say, “On your right!!” to them yet. I usually just start jogging LOUDER with my feet so they turn around and have this look on their face that says, “Oh Lord! Here comes that girl again!” And then Harriet probably says, “Move over Harold!”

I’m probably one of the youngest people on the track at the time of day that I go (mid afternoon before the teenagers take over) so it’s mostly stay at home Mom’s and old people. And then me.

Britney and Bobby – The “Too Cool for This Place” couple

But there’s also the annoying “Let’s pretend we own this track and disregard anyone else who is on it” people. And there’s a few of them.  I call them Britney and Bobby. They are the WORST. They are in their late teens, early 20’s and they just don’t give a damn.  They walk around like they own the track, walking extremely slowly,

If you have to yell, “On your right!” as you pass them by, they move over about an inch. They don’t hold hands. They just walk next to each other taking up the entire track. And they talk…and talk..and talk some more. In case you haven’t guessed, Britney and Bobby aren’t there to workout. They are there to socialize…with each other. Infuriating for people who are trying to get a little workout in.

Because of their lack of track courtesy and etiquette, they do force me to pay careful attention to whom I may literally run into as I jog past them. This is the only silver lining I can find with them. Most of the time, I secretly rejoice as they make their way to to the exits when they’re done with their leisurely stroll.

OCD Cindy – The Lap Counter/Obsessive Tracker

OCD Cindy is probably not obsessive compulsive, but she keeps track of everything, including the laps around the track. She holds a counter in her left hand clicking off each lap as she walks. (12 laps equals a mile). She also writes down a lot of stuff in a journal while she’s there. I assume it’s either her food or her laps in written form. Fascinating and also causes me to be curious. If OCD Cindy is walking the track as I come up the stairs to start walking, I want to walk just as long as she does.  This complete stranger pushes me to work harder even though she’s just walking.

So what’s the (life) lesson that we can learn from all these track stars?

– Slow down. But not too slow that you cause a problem.

– Be kind to others as they move past you, perhaps even a little faster than you. Let them go by.

– Be mindful of those around you. Smile, strike up a conversation, say hello.

– It’s not how fast you make your laps around. It’s more about how you feel at the end of your journey.

– Keep a count of how far your journey has taken you, adding a little bit more challenging to it each time.

– Don’t fault anyone for making your journey a little bit annoying. If they’re in your way, just move around them. Don’t let them bother you or get in your head.

– Keep running as long as you can, but know that you can always walk when the road gets rough and bumpy.

Look for those who can teach you something, not just about training and working out and being healthy, but about life in general. You can find them in the most unusual places, even at the gym.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a Taste…

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Ahh sorry, this post has nothing to do with food as the title so blatantly suggests.  I know, I know, I just continue to disappoint.

No, when I say “Just a Taste” I mean getting a taste of Personal Training. One of my very intelligent clients (hello Lisa!) suggested that just one complimentary consultation and workout is sometimes not enough to get someone to truly appreciate the benefits of having a personal trainer.

They need a little more..just a taste…right?

I tended to agree with Lisa. After all, training is a big investment for most people. Some might say it’s a luxury to have a Personal Trainer. Although I wouldn’t like to classify myself as being something only luxurious or lucky or well-to-do people have, I suppose it’s true that I’m not exactly cheap. I wouldn’t WANT to be seen as cheap!

When I think of cheap in terms of fat loss or nutrition, I think of Slim Fast or Raspberry Ketones or those body wraps. Ya know, garbage. And I am most definitely not garbage. At least I don’t think I am. I might smell like garbage sometimes when I don’t shower right after a workout. But I swear that’s only for a couple hours and it’s only when I know I’m not going anywhere in public afterwards.

I digress…

So in an effort to promote this taste of me (ew, please don’t taste me) I’m offering a Try Me Before You Buy Me type of promo.

Alas, it’s only for people who train with me in person so sorry to my online friends. However, as I have mentioned previously, I offer a variety of affordable packages for Online Training that you can read about here if you’d like to still train with me virtually.

So for my Cleveland friends, here’s a little deal for the month of January for newbies: Buy 2 Sessions get 1 FREE! 

A 3-bie if you will. Three-bie. Like Freebie, get it?

So if you’d like to purchase this awesome deal, click this link and then click the link in there where it says “Buy Now.”  (Sorry I’m not savvy enough to put the HTML code in here directly.  Deal with it.)

So 3 sessions PLUS you still get a complimentary consultation so technically, it’s like 4 sessions for the price of 2.  Like a Four-bie.  4-bie. Okay no, that wordplay doesn’t work so well, does it?

Anyways, if you’re still not convinced that training with me would be a totally life changing experience, just read some nifty reviews about me on Thumbtack or Trainerize. And of course, if you want more information, I’m always available via email at FromFitToFigure@gmail.com, I’m all over Twitter and Facebook. And YouTube.

I am everywhere.

You cannot escape me.

See you in 2015, slim!

 

A Personal Creed

MPiccolo2 Comments

I promise myself…

I will not use the color of my skin, my gender, my job, my level of education, or my abilities to exploit myself in any way for profit, for likes, for clicks, for jobs, or for promotion.

I will not blame others for my circumstances.

I will treat every stranger I meet with respect.

I will look everyone in the eye when speaking to them.

I will ask myself one question after I meet someone new for the first time: “What can this person teach me?” OR “How can I help this person?”

I will watch my language and my choice of words around my family and friends knowing how I speak can influence them, sometimes without even realizing it.

I understand that no human being is perfect, especially myself.

I will look for the good in every stranger I meet.

I think the word “respect” is not used enough and will show respect to every person I meet, regardless of their social status, their job, their appearance, their sexuality, their religion, their age or their gender.

I will donate my time when I am not able to donate money.

I will take full responsibility for my actions, even if I hurt someone because I made a poor decision.

I will forgive those who have done me harm or done my loved ones harm.

I will not use social media to spread false information; I will research the truth and the facts.

I understand life is precious.

I believe my actions speak louder more than my words ever could.

I will use my time on earth to live a positive life and not let others bring me down.

I will start everyday with a prayer for people who don’t pray.

I will never boast about any good deed I do.

I will say thank you when I am given a compliment.

I will listen more than speak.

I will stand up for myself to those who try to tear me down with words or actions.

I will not believe everything I see on TV, everything I see in print,  and everything I hear on the radio. I understand in this imperfect world that there are dishonest people and sometimes their voices are louder than the honest ones.

I will be honest in all things, even if the truth hurts myself or someone I love.

I will not judge those who are different than me. I will not assume what I don’t understand. I will not ignore what I wish I didn’t hear or see.

I will laugh and smile as often as I am able.

If I wake up everyday able to smile, even if I have lost the ability to speak, or walk, or hear, or see, I will do my best to fight to keep smiling as long as God gives me time.

I will encourage all young people to live their dream, no matter how many times they are told NO.

I will tell everyone who has a voice that although their voice might be small, they can make a big difference.

I understand positive and good and wonderful and joyful are not words that make headlines. But positive and good and wonderful and joyful events and people live in this world and do great things everyday. It’s just small number of people who insist on spreading negative and bad and evil.

I believe if violence can spread, that means the opposite action can happen. And that means there is more opportunity for GOOD to overcome the bad. And set the world right. And maybe one day the bad will be conquered and good will prevail.

I believe at the end of my life, I will think “I could have done more. I should have done more. I would have done more…”.

I know in my life now, I can do more. I should do more. And I will continue to do more.

I believe if everyone wrote their own personal creed, and lived it, there would be better days ahead.

Bread, Cheese…and Breaded Cheese: Dieting in Greece and Turkey

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I just got back from my trip to Turkey and Greece a few days ago.

I was gone for 12 days total but, as many people who travel for a living would probably agree, I felt like I was gone forever!

Although I’m thrilled to be home, I cannot wait for my next adventure. I’m already thinking Ireland or Prague…who knows! 🙂

In the meantime, I thought I would share some photos of the dishes we had while overseas. Granted, I didn’t take pictures of EVERYTHING I ate. But this is just a snapshot of the wonderful food we had the privilege of tasting while in these amazing countries.

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Pork Souvlaki with pita bread, potatoes, tomatoes, and tzatziki
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Greek Yogurt with honey and walnuts
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Our last buffett dinner in Athens – The pink stuff is a beet salad with some sort of delicious spread on it, the rest is pretty easy to identify.
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Seafood with garlic bread and rice and veggies – on the Greek Cruise
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Something delicious and chocolate. Who cares!? It was amazing.
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Our buffet breakfast in Assos, Greece.
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Su Boregi was a pastry with cheese that I had with my breakfast everyday while in Turkey. YUM
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Some sort of Mushroom Tart that all of us agreed was our favorite appetizer of the whole trip. Wish I could tell you what was in it.
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Rice pudding or bread pudding? I don’t know, just know that it was delicious.

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So how does one not go completely overboard? I have to admit I was a bit tired of all the RICHNESS of the food after the first 3 days. By the time we got on the cruise though, I was ready for more. 🙂

At the end of the trip I was just sampling bits of the desserts instead of eating one big serving of one of them. I opted for the lighter ones instead of the richer, thicker ones.

I drank wine once in a while but it didn’t agree with me while on the cruise. I also mixed types of drinks too often without thinking: Mai Tai, Beer, Wine…Yikes.

There was not one bad meal with the exception of a chicken kiev which was dry and I didn’t care for it. But other than that, all meals were delicious and tasty! I purposely tried foods that I would never normally have (except the greek yogurt but considering this was authentic GREEK yogurt, I considered that a necessary exception to the rule).

I also tried to adhere to some guidelines I made for myself but anyone can apply these to a situation when you’re options are just buffets and buffets of food:

1. Skip the bread as much as possible – I wasn’t as good with this at restaurants but I was very good with it at the buffets because there was just SO much of it available.

2. Pile on the protein as much as possible – Although I had scrambled eggs almost every morning with my breakfast and they were most likely doused in butter, I at least felt better about having it as opposed to the sausages or bacon. I also snagged yogurt as much as possible when it was available. For dinner I had my share of lamb and beef but the 3 nights on the cruise I had turkey (ironically I didn’t have turkey in Turkey, only in Greece) and fish. I was done with beef at that point.

3. Veggies and fruits aren’t just for decoration – I probably had more fruit than veggies I admit. But I had the most delicious dates and figs…YUM!!!! I had some steamed veggies with dinners but not as much with my lunches as I should have.

4. Hungry? Grab a Snickers – Yes I had a Snickers bar at a rest stop somewhere in Greece when there was nothing else available. My only other options were mini cookies and mini chocolate squares and pretzel sticks and mini pretzel sticks, etc. Carbs carbs and more carbs. Well, the least I could do was have some darn protein! I was actually craving a protein bar so instead of starving or just loading up on sticks, I opted for the Snickers and some almonds. Better than nothing!

5. Hydration is key – I already confessed to having my share of adult beverages but it wasn’t nearly as much as I could have had. Since you couldn’t drink the water there, you had no choice but to get bottled water as much as possible.

All in all, I gained about 3 or 4 pounds. I’m hoping it’ll be shed in a week as I get back to a normal eating plan.  I feel like I’m “detoxing” the breads and all that cheese out of my system currently. It felt good to get back in the gym the next day after I got home. I was sore the next day which tells you I wasn’t nearly lifting as heavy as I normally do. (most of the gyms didn’t have barbells, just free weights).

I think the lesson is that when you’re on vacation, you can still stay relatively true to your plan. My plan has been what I call “Freestyle” for months now. No real tracking or logging going on. I didn’t go completely overboard, in my eyes. I enjoyed myself and enjoyed the food that Turkey and Greece had to offer.

If you’re planning a trip or a vacation, keep some of those food tips in mind. Remember, don’t obsess over it – Live your life!