Returning

I didn’t mentally take a break, nor did I fall off the wagon, or into the ditch of unhealthy practices, the daily six-pack, the midnight batches of capellini, or large plates of chicken vindaloo with rice. Actually I have, but not with any great abandon. They remain treats.

I left for London and Tuscany about six weeks ago and returned three weeks ago. My one week time in England included plenty of beer, wine and champagne. The food in England has improved immensely, no doubt a product of globalization and a desire not to leave good food to the French or Danish.

I did a few hotel room work outs. These were simple: squats and pushups until I couldn’t do them anymore. Then rest. Then do it again. I did one half hour run through the hills of Henfield, but most of my exercise was walking six hours a day. A calorie counter indicates that’s about 1000 calories a day. I wasn’t eating much more than I usually do, but that takes care of all the alcohol!

Italy was much the same. When in the cities I walked everywhere, while indulging in Gelato frequently. Some of my friends seek the finest gelato, and make it certain gelato purveyors pilgrimage sites. While in Florence, I participated in the madness, usually in the late evening, after having a thin crust pizza and a small “tuscan” cigar.

I spent ten days in a voice workshop in Umbria. We would begin the day with a movement class. The voice classes were highly participatory – there were few moments of merely sitting. In the afternoon we would swim in the salt water infinity pool. I did three light workouts. One was four hill sprints; another was eight sets of jump rope; and another was a more extensive set of hand stand pushups, lunges, jump squats, and regular pushups.

The food, including the pasta, was fresh, and the helpings modest, in smaller plates. What I may have consumed in pasta calorie wise, was probably balanced by completely switching from beer to wine; the wines I drink (dry) are about 40% the calories of the beers I drink (which tend to be very rich).

So in spite of eating to my heart’s content, without avoiding bread, cheese, or Pasta, the walking, the moving, the switching of beer to wine meant I returned and lost a pound. I was doing it mindlessly, as well, with just a change of context.

Advertisement