I always devote one weekend day (and sometimes both) to active rest, or “adventuring on the creature trail”, as my boys call it. (That’s a line from their fave show Wild Kratts.) Our boys are nuts about getting outside and looking for animals and creatures and dirt they seem to enjoy smearing all over themselves but especially in/on/into places that release said dirt the only after they climb back inside my car.
They love a rocky beach with tide pools full of trapped sea life the best and hiking second best. So a hike to a rocky beach with tide pools is the ultimate joy-filled day. And that’s exactly what we did 2 weekends ago. The hike itself was down a really steep cliff. We spent 3-4 hours messing around in the freezing tide pools and hiked back to the car. Everyone, including myself, was exhausted in the best way possible. We had some rough moments and a fair share of parental boredom, but in general it was lots of fun.
Last weekend we sent to the San Diego Zoo and walked all day long. Everyone had a blast except when we didn’t, which wasn’t all that much. Now that the boys are getting older I’m finding that things that seemed impossible just a year ago are very doable now.
Today we plan on another hike in Malibu Creek State Park. I think we’re headed towards some kind of water area where the boys can get wet, cold, and hideously filthy.
When we’re going to be out for the day I try to prep food to bring with me. I often like to make a green protein powder smoothie cause I can drink it in the car. And sometimes I’ll pack up veggies and eggs and nuts. If I totally mess up and I’m really in a pinch, I’ll grab a Quest Bar. But I like to avoid that when I can because of all the weird stuff in there.
We don’t eat out a lot, but when we do I try to make good choices. Sometimes I don’t manage to do that. Sometimes I go to a place just to have something I think is delicious and want to eat. But in general, I don’t really believe in “cheat days” for myself. I think you should just eat good food as much as you can and try not to beat yourself up when you give in to temptation or feel forced to eat something yuck out of politeness or necessity.
Here’s another marinated egg dinner we had tonight. I threw together the marinated eggs (recipe here), sautéed asparagus, crumbled up seaweed, and avocado. yum.
If you’re a parent who is the primary care giver for young children you know that there’s not a lot of sitting down involved. My life is like that, too. I’m busy and active and I think it’s a really important part of my personal fitness. It’s often not all about the gym or whatever you do for exercise. Lifestyle, nutrition, stress levels, etc. are just as important, if not more, than that those 45 minutes you spend sweating. It’s also a lot about priorities. What’s important to you? How do you arrange your life to allow for your optimal health?
There are so many things I’m still working on. I’m no expert in any field. I have set backs and frustrations and disappointments. Sometimes I get really down and stress out about how hard it all is. But I do love to exercise. I love to eat good food. I love to teach. I love my family. I love adventuring.
Thank you for asking so many questions about my life. I hope this week-long review answered some of them. If you have any additional questions or comments, LMK on my Facebook page.
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