The Clank in the Night

As I lay in bed going over the course of the day, now behind me, trying to slow my heart and relax... my mind wanders to a clanking noise in the back of my mind. I found myself traveling back to the workout I had completed only hours earlier. The clanking noise in my mind does not relax me. It's more like excitement. Adrenaline rush if you will. It is the sound of metal on metal. The crash of released angst. The exploding muscle being coaxed and exhausted. It is the sound of completion and satisfaction. Set and match, conquered. To some it may be an overzealous "meathead" looking to turn heads, but to those who truly understand... it is the sound of victory. The gym's symphony. Work hard. Train hard. Push harder. This is what sings me to sleep and tears me out of bed in the early hours of the morning. This is the mind of an endorphined enthusiast.

Sweet Cinnamon Rolls and a Glorious Gold's Gym.

Our first destination is Birmingham, Alabama at my aunt and uncles with 3 brilliant little girls all under the age of 15. Needless to say it was hardly dull. More than I could handle more rightly fits it. After arriving late enough we stay up catching up as well. I was beat after my day starting at 4:58 a.m., workout, work and of course traveling. So the bed was what my entire being was craving. So, today I felt refreshed and started my day off right. Milk blended with BSN "Dessert " cinnamon roll protein. As I was mixing... the mouth-watering aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls consumed me. Man, I must be hungry- I thought. I even had my aunt wanting a shake until we both realized... it WAS freshly baking cinnamon rolls. Oh well. The shake still satisfied, especially since I willed myself against caving and having the real thing. Will power points- deposited. Cha-ching. Sitting around seemed to be the next thing on the agenda along with being entertained by my 13 year old cousin's masterful piano playing, making magnetic "mosaics" with my 6 year old cousin and making my gymnast cousin try a protein shake of which she was not a fan. Next in the day's plan was to find the nearest Gold's Gym. Oh the upcoming fitness establishments have quite the standard to meet. The competition is on. The lobby entrance area was stocked with an array of muscle powders and bars and drinks. They also had a rack of GG apparel. The only thing they were lacking was a shake bar. As I recieve directions from the less than peppy front desk keeper I am overwhelmed by the grandness of the facility. More like- got lost a few times. Even so, I attempted to keep my air of "gym junkie." The cardio equipment and track openly sat a floor above the spacious free weight floor and machines. They even had a "Womens' only" area. Up the stairs I ventured- onto more stairs: 25 brutal minutes on the rolling stair master and a mile run around the indoor track with open windows holding vast views of the mountainous Vestavia Hills area. It was exhilarating. A fantastic change from Mayberry's, let's call it (kindly) "quaint," gym. After my heart was good and pumping I headed for the weight floor to curl some 20's (lbs that is). Finding one's way around a foreign gym makes it very difficult to maintain a gym-goer composure. The machines and weights were more than adequate and the crowd was sparse (which is a good thing,  although I do like it when those of us with the same passion join together. It's the ones who socialize or take up unused space that I'd like to remove). I ended up needing a protein refuel, and after that I finished strong and called it a day. Time to pack back up and head to ATL! Cheers for the weekend. Healthy takes a back seat for a few days- until Monday. Hey, it works for me. My body needs the break. We all must find the plan that fits. Happy Friday:)

On Track Travels

Okay. So I've worked hard all week with little to no cheats in the week. Yay me. But here comes the challenge... vacation. Food, down time and sporadic scheduling usually including decadent dining. In my case- definitely including decadent dining. My mother is an all out Foodie and plans our trips to to a T. All of our destinations also happen to be in the south. One of which homes Paula Dean, the butter-slugger of the south. I was less than thrilled to learn this and vowed not to show an ounce of support to her famous/hazardous cooking. So, all of that to say- I will be keeping track of our travels. I am blogging this as a posted commitment to keep my fitness and nutrition in check even when faced with the obstacles of vacation lax. In order to prep myself for hours in the car with only quick stops for snackage... I packed a thorough cooler. By thorough I mean fully armed with the essentials: a week's worth of protein, N.O. explode/preworkout, vitamins and supplements. Also a hand-held emulsifier blender, a large bag of mixed nuts, two pre-made yogurt/Berry/PB/chia, two chicken breasts on a bed of lettuce annnnnd skinny waters. I. Am. Prepared.
So, set for obstacle numero uno: the "convenient " stop. Now on to the next obstacles that will attempt to knock me off my motivation wagon. Finding a gym to keep my routine a float and eating out. To keep myself on the ball I will be gym hopping and reporting back on each one and how well I am able to execute my burn session.  Lastly, eating out. This one hurdle can really shake up a dedicated plan in a quick minute. It's time to pull out the big guns- WILL POWER. Yep, I will be buidling that "muscle" as well. Truly- think of it as a muscle. Use it. Shape it. Master it. Don't let it master you! :) I'm yelling at myself as well. I will be reporting back on the art of choosing healthy options while traveling and tempted
Whew. I have my work cut out for me. Wish me luck and I will be back with updates along the way.