Lessons from the Road

One of the reasons I love to take road trips (besides the whole anti-flying thing) is that I think a lot. I think about myself and the world around me. I solve all my friends' problems, and I write delicious stories in my head. It's a great way to unwind.

On this trip, I once again did not come up with solutions to any of the world's pressing issues, but I did figure some things out:

• Despite knowing better, I'm really still hung up on the numbers on the scale. I've had my blood pressure medication reduced by half, I've lost 20 pounds and almost 20 inches, my resting heart rate is down to 72 (from 80), and I've dropped 1.5 clothing sizes. But for 500 miles, I obsessed about the fact that I'd only lost 10 pounds in the six weeks I've been working with the trainers. I don't know how to fix this, or even if it can be fixed, but I do know I don't like it.
• Something I have long suspected, but only verified with this trip, is that convenience stores and truck stops haven't caught the clue bus on healthy living. I stopped at six different stores on my trip, and other than a few bruised bananas, water, granola and energy bars (most the high-cal variety), and a few other items, there wasn't a healthy item in sight. Where are the individual 100-calorie snacks, low-fat yogurt, apples and oranges, and soy milk? These folks could make a fortune off of this stuff. (I feel a letter coming on.)
• McDonald's catches a lot of flak for their mostly-grotesque menu, but they saved my bacon on this trip. So to speak. Between the fruit & yogurt parfait (160 cal./2 g. fat) and the apples (35 cal./0 fat), I was able to have healthy breakfasts and snacks on the road. (We're not counting the "country breakfast" I had on Sunday, my free day.)
• Exercising on the road is a hit-and-miss prospect for folks like me. My first hotel didn't have an exercise room (boo LaQuinta!), but since I was in a first floor room, I did some tricep dips, some old-fashioned jumping jacks (trying to atone the lack of cardio), and some push-ups. The second hotel was connected to an athletic club, but I never made if over there. I got all dressed to go, but I just couldn't make myself do it. I factored in all the walking I'd been doing, threw in a few crunches, push-ups, and bridge lifts, and called it all exercise. The last hotel did have an exercise room (yaaay Holiday Inn Express), and I did some time on the treadmill and the bicycle.
• The aforementioned hit-and-miss exercise schedule will make you pay when you return. I did my first trainer session today, and I thought I would DIE. I have so far to go.

See? No major revelations or resolutions. Just random thoughts and observations.