Running, baking, tea, chocolate…
Well have had a fab few days in Switzerland- have never been before and I love it! Lots of bircher muesli in the different hotels (last one had apple and plum in it). Italy is next on the list, not sure what there will be in store for me there.
I have been looking out eagerly for veggie options, and have started writing about being veggie abroad on holiday, so watch this space for my reccomendations!
Ciao!
Hello!
I have had a good few days so far, travelling through France and into Switzerland. It is so beautiful here; so many pretty towns, villages, chalets, mountains and valleys.
I have been doing lots of walking, and this morning had some totally delicious bircher muesli at the hotel this morning, which had fresh blackberries in it-mmmm. There was a bowl of hazelnuts which you could sprinkle on top too- fab!
Food is super expensive, which has resulted in several bread and cheese meals. I was surprised (after dinner on a walk) to see a hotel serving seitan! There is also plenty of tofu and things being served too, and loads of restaurants have vegetarian options highlighted which makes it much easier. We had a pizza the other day and even though I had read in the guidebook that pepperoni means peppers (eg vegetables) I was still a bit worried about ordering it, so went for the plain one!
More walking planned tomorrow, and plenty of fresh alpine air- I love a good holiday.
🙂
So this morning was my last run before holiday. After porridge (yes it worked yesterday so had it again today) I went out on a 3.7 mile run. It was very overcast and I got really hot, but there was a breeze, I had water with me and I felt pretty good, much better than yesterday. It’s funny how runs can be like that, one day really hard and the next day fine. It took me 36 minutes, so a minute quicker than the last time I did that route.
When I got home I had an apple and a cocoa orange Nak’d bar (sooooooo good) plus loads of water.
For lunch I am having a wholemeal pitta, half with dark chocolate PB and a banana all sliced up, and half with normal PB and banana, plus some cherries, and maybe some pecans. I had forgotten how good the combo and peanut butter and banana actually is! Yum! Trust me to redicover it right before I go away! Ah well something to look forward to on my return!
For dinner I have defrosted a quinoa lentil bake. I cant remember what I put in it when I made it, so it wll be a nice surprise! Will have that with some butternut squash and some beetroot- yum. Plus maybe a courgette side dish if I have more growing in the garden.
While I was running I was thinking about my holiday, and how to keep staying healthy whilst on holiday. So here are some of my tips:
Keep active! I love sightseeing holidays so spend a lot of the time walking around. Sometimes we have hired bikes to ride too. I am not much of a swimmer but if you like that then spend some time swimming.
Keep a note of what you eat! Either write it down, or really think about the meals you have eaten already. Think about what you would usually eat at home, and try to eat similar amounts. Portion sizes can be a lot more so don’t feel obliged to eat everything!
Beware of the buffet! If you have a buffet breakfast, then try to eat what you would normally eat for breakfast. Just because it is there does not mean you need to eat cereal, toast and a croissant. Maybe once every few days have a “treat” breakfast, but have sensible ones most days. I may have a little extra but this is usually because we would then have a banana and cereal bar for “lunch”, and then a normal dinner. The same applies if you eat out at a buffet restaurant in the evening- just because you have paid for it does not mean you have to eat it all!
Share snacks. Often we fancy an ice cream or cookie, but we will now get one and share it between us and this is normally plenty.
Be prepared! I like to take cereal bars with me, so if I feel hungry then I have that to hand instead of having to buy something less healthy from a shop/ café. Also if we stop in a supermarket then I would always buy some bananas to have later on.
Drink water! I used to always get diet coke as I got annoyed having to buy water when it is free out of the tap at home. But although fizzy drinks start off feeling refreshing, the artificial sweeteners can cause more sugar cravings, plus the fizzy drinks are bad for your bones and don’t hydrate you well. So have loads of water whenever you can.
See if you can swap! If your chosen item comes with chips, ask if you can have a salad instead (watch the dressings though!)- most places are happy to accommodate.
Think about where you are eating! Choose a local resturant over a fast food chain, try not to choose anywhere with a deep fat fryer!
Think about the food! When ordering in a resturant think about how active you have been that day, and how much you need to eat. I would not order a starter or dessert, just the main. Try to make sure it has lots of veggies in it, not too much cheese etc.
But most of all;
Have a lovely holiday! After all, we work all year so we can have a lovely few weeks getting away from it all. I am not going to feel guilty if I have a few extra bits here and there. I don’t want to go crazy, but a holiday is a bit of a treat and eating out means that meals will be heavier than usual, but it is only for a couple of weeks. I am going to do lots of walking, and I think a break from running will do me good so I will be raring to go once I return. So enjoy your holidays.
🙂
Any other tips for staying healthy while away?
Well, what have I missed?
After my early run on wednesday I had the busy day, got home from the cinema at 12.15- a bit of a late one! Inception was a really good film, very clever and thought provoking, but the air-con was broken in the screen and by the end it was baking in there!
Anyway, Thursday was normal (last body pump until after holiday), but I was so shattered after wednesday that I didn’t check emails or anything!
Friday was a bit sad, as it was the last day of term, and lots of the staff are leaving, so we went out for a few drinks after work. When I got home I picked another courgette from the garden (I had picked a few baby ones but this was the size of a big banana) and had them for tea. Roasted yellow and green courgette and red pepper looked so pretty,in a ciabatta loaf with basil and cream cheese, plus some corn and a big salad. Yum.
As you can see my garden is still very much exciting me!
Today I have been catching up with an old friend and her little boy. We went to a local farm park, and even saw a reindeer and some wallabies! I went to the shops on the way back, mainly to look for a suitcase (no joy) but I did see a new magazine, Vegetarian Living. Now it did have a free 9bar on it, which caught my eye, but it is packed with recipes and interesting looking articles so I decided to give it a go!
Off to bake something for sunday tea now.
🙂
Now I am not usually one for shopping. But today I went to a massive shopping centre with some of the girls from work. We needed to get presents for the Teaching assistants that work in our classes, plus leaving presents for people who are leaving. So I had a long day trapsing around the shops. At every paperchase I went into (and boy there were a lot) I kept seeing these cute little tuppaware pots. They are like russian dolls- 4 sizes all inside each other. Anyway I ended up treating myself- they will make lunch time fun! Although my friend did comment that they would be good for baby food. There is a little one which would be fab for a blob of nut butter! £7 is not bad for a treat seeing as my friends were getting expensive bags and shoes and things.
What do you like to treat yourself with? I used to love clothes shopping (back when I had more money to spend maybe!!)- now I get tired wandering around shops all day and get a bit bored. I would rather get a nice plant for my garden or some baking things, or running clothes! My three fave hobbies!!
Also I know some people have had trouble commenting on here, but now the teething problems are fixed so comment away!
🙂