A Recharge- Vacation in North Carolina

Last Thursday was my last day with the nonprofit I've worked for for over 2.5 years. The past week has been a time of reflection, thinking about the future, and hope for brighter employment to come. 

Luckily, all of this emo reflection took place on a very well-timed family vacation. Last week, my parents and I packed up to head to Lake Nantahala, NC, to meet most of my dad's side of the family for a week-long stay in the hills of Western North Carolina. 

I woke every morning, around 7am, to this sight

Lake Nantahala, in Topton, NC

and retired each evening after watching the sun set over Lake Nantahala

Sunset on Lake Nantahala

Each day, I was able to hike, kayak, walk, or swim

Myself and my mom and dad on the Forney Creek Trail, near Clingman's Dome

Hiked on the Appalachian Trail for the first time ever!

Tellico Gap

I saw amazing views

The view from the firetower at the top of Wesser Bald on the AT

 Got to spend much needed and well-appreciated time with my family

me and my dad at the top of Wesser Bald!

 Even got to see a few sights!

The Biltmore House in Asheville, NC

Gardens, of course, were involved

Gardens @ Biltmore

somehow snuck in a Farmers Market visit 

Western North Carolina Farmers Market in Asheville, NC

Check Great Smoky Mountains National Park off of my list!

What a nice Visitors Ctr!

 Highest point in the Smokies

Clingman's Dome- 6,642 ft.

Even fit in a (Historic) farm visit

 more mountain views

It was amazing to spend time for relaxation and just being. I was able to truly appreciate the muscles and fitness level I've cultivated over the last year. That's the true value of the nearly-30 lbs I've lost. It's not really the number on the scale, or even the # on the side of the weights I lift: 

My success was evident every day on my vacation. 

Kayaking for a hour without tiring. 

Hiking 13.4 miles in one afternoon on the Appalachian Trail and keeping up with my dad and my cousin, both inspirational outdoorsy-types. 

Spontaneous breaking into a trail run because I felt like running. 

Walking the Clingman's Dome trail like it was no big deal (it's a damn steep little trail to the top!) 

When people ask about my weight loss and my new "trim figure" (their words, not mine!), these are the accomplishments that truly indicate the lifestyle change I've achieved.
They are both the proof of and the reward for my hard work.

Post-Travel check-in: a Healthy Happy 5 year Anniversary trip!

We just returned from our Virginia vacation on Sunday, and it was amazing!! Don't have time for a long post here, but I did want to share a few thoughts and some pics. We had a GREAT time, and it was just what I was hoping for; Fun, active, lots of adventures, but a but of time to relax as well. 

As far as being prepped for clean eating/living on our trip, I consider it successful! When staying with our friends in Arlington, we made oatmeal + yogurt for breakfast each morning before we headed out to see sights. I had lots of snacks that helped to get us from meal to meal while out on the town. We visited two Farmers Markets, and when eating out at restaurants for lunch and dinner, I mostly had salads, lean proteins, etc. My splurges for the trip were scones and crepes for breakfast at the B n' B on Saturday and Sunday morning, as well as some greek Fro-Yo from Berry Berry on Saturday. Overall, what I ate gave me fuel to hike around all day, and feel good about my food choices all week!

I was able to get an intentional "workout" in every day except Wednesday (besides shlepping around DC):

Tuesday: Workout at gym before we left

Wed: Walked approx 4-5 miles around DC

Thurs: 1 mile treadmill run + 4-5 miles of DC shlepping

Friday: 2 mile treadmill run + 6-8 miles walking Monticello and Charlottesville

Saturday: 2-3 miles walking in Charlottesville + 5.6 mile hike in Shenandoah National Park trails

Sunday: 2.2 mile morning walk, 2-3 miles walked around Mt. Vernon & Olde Town in Alexandria

hubs and I about to visit the National Archives!

Awesome.

A thought-provoking conversation with TJ

Vegetables!! I basically make this face any time we were within 2 miles of a garden. :)

Grapes vines @ Monticello

City Market (Saturday) in Charlottesville

The Rotunda @ UVA (designed by Jefferson!)

Hiking in Shenandoah National Park (Jones Run 3.4 mile trail)

Turk Mountain Summit Trail in Shenandoah National Park- just beautiful.

An awesome trip- I'm glad to share more details of our adventure if you're thinking of planning a similar trip!

Prepping for a fun, healthy vacation!

Does following a clean eating/healthy lifestyle ever make you feel like a religious zealot?

Might sound like a silly question, but I've been feeling that way a lot lately! It can be trying sometimes, to be the one who is always turning down dinner rolls, breadsticks, or an after-dinner treat. It's all right- I don't mind being a weirdo, and I'm one of those people who likes to really entrench myself when I am passionate about something; I'm very passionate about healthy eating! I also know it can be easy for me to "fall off the wagon", so I'm just going to go ahead and strap myself on the damn wagon. :)

These thoughts have been floating around because of several recent and upcoming events- my birthday (it was May 8th!), celebrations with friend, and our upcoming Anniversary vacation! My hubs and I are headed to Washington DC and the surrounding area (Arlington, VA and Charlottesville, VA) for an almost-5 year wedding anniversary celebration. We've been looking forward to this trip ever since we planned it this past winter- a chance to travel together, relax, see sights, visit with a couple of close friends... gosh I can't wait!

In prepping for our trip last week, several panicked thoughts struck me-

What if I can't find anything to eat?! (Healthy, local/organic & fresh)

How will I exercise?!

Mike laughed at me when I asked him these things, and essentially said, "It's a vacation! We'll eat whatever we want and we'll relax!" While I will definitely be allowing myself more treats, and will try to be ok with not going to the gym every day, I will definitely NOT enjoy myself if I am feeling overly-full, or if I over-do it on the gluten, cheese, sodium, or sugar! That, combined with the fact that I now eat every 3-4 hours and get supa-cranky if I don't eat, is why I decided to plan ahead and pack a carry-on of snacks that will help fuel me throughout the week!


take a peak inside...
My Travel Food Bag:

• Good for shlepping around DC:
• Picky Bars
• Oranges
• Trail mix
• Annie's Snack Mix
• Kashi 7 Grain crackers
• Good for breakfast or a pre-dinner snack:

• Sweet Potatoes
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Dried Mangos
• Whole Foods 365 Instant Oatmeal packets
• Good for a lunch substitute
• Turkey "jerky" sticks
• Carrots
• Mini bell peppers

My Travel Fitness Plan:

I've already realized I need to come to terms with the fact that I will NOT be going to the gym every day. I will consider it lucky if I make it one day. But, we are active travelers. We will most be walking/metroing it everywhere, and lots of walking around to see sights. I'm going to get in two great workouts on Monday and Tuesday before we leave, and then plan for another weights session on Thursday. Other than that, my cardio will be coming from walking EVERYWHERE.

My workout plan for next week:
Mon- 4-6 mile run (my gym)
Tues- 1 hr weights (my gym)
Wed- lots of walking
Th- 1 of two Planet Fitness gyms in Arlington
Fri- Walking around Monticello!
Sat- Hike in Shenandoah National Park
Sun- Walking around Mt. Vernon!

I might try to get an early morning run or two in, through the neighborhood of my friends' home where we are staying for part of the trip, or possibly through the University of Virginia campus.. we'll see how that goes!

What do you think of my travel plans? 
Any tips or thoughts to share about your traveling-while-healthy experiences?