Make sure you read my preview of the Mohegan SunWine Fest, an epic event that I’ll be attending this Sunday!
TGIF, friends! I finally get to do some cardio after work today a-la Group Step, and I can’t wait. Haven’t done cardio since Step on Sunday and I’m feeling pretty restless. Vent time…
This is me, needing to vent. And sorry about this pic, Lidia.
Already I’m having trouble with my classes starting back up for the semester. I go from work to class on Tuesdays/Thursdays and it’s a very long day, so I’ve taken those two days as rest days this week. I’m honestly not used to that - it’s been a struggle for me the last couple of years to take the rest days I should. Since my last semester ended I’ve honestly been doing SOMETHING (even if it’s just yoga) every single day, so now I’m breaking out of that trend and it’s feeling uncomfortable. I’m going to try to focus on my goals and tell myself that rest does a body good, but any words of wisdom or advice on getting used to a less intense workout schedule would be great! I could wake up at 5AM to hit the gym or be there until 8:30 or 9PM on Tuesday/Thursdays…but I honestly don’t want to. I’d rather hang with a friend after class, and I usually feel like crap working out before 7AM. I know that I could probably get used to it, but I don’t want to force anything - I’ve done that for too long in the past and I really think I should focus on the fitness that I find fun. So, what do you guys think? Any tips or mantras for me to keep in mind on days I don’t have time to work out?
Let’s get back to the food, shall we? I still haven’t finished recapping the restaurants I went to last month in Florida, and I don’t want you guys to miss out on the photos in this post, so without further ado…
Last month while on vacation in Florida, my dad, sister, grandma, and I enjoyed several tasty restaurants on the beach at lunchtime. One of those was Johnny Longboat’s, a place I’d been to before during spring break of my senior year, with my best friend Lidia.
Lidia and I at Johnny Longboat's last year, along with our sunburns.
Our meals were delicious then (I had mahi mahi with black beans and plantains, and Lidia had clams), so I suggested to my dad and sister, who hadn’t tried the place yet, that we should go there for lunch instead of another trip to Two Drunken Goats. I like to experience as much variety as I can while on vacation!
Lidia's clams, and a strawberry daiquiri, which she said made it a "grown-up lunch". Also, this is clearly before my camera upgrade.
Most of the restaurant is “open air”, except if you sit in the back. We sat in a nice portion that wasn’t quite on the deck, but pretty much made us feel like we were outside.
Dad and Hannah hanging out.
The decor was so fun and beachy. It reminded me a bit of Margaritaville, only more authentic.
I noticed this hilarious take on what my grandma likes to call “the rip-off machine” (AKA the claw machines – was anyone else completely obsessed with playing those as a kid?). This machine dispensed LOBSTERS instead of stuffed animals! And then they’d cook your hand-caught lobster! Seeing this tank reminded me of being little and going with my mom to Publix, back when we lived in Florida. I have many memories of grocery store trips, including trips to the bakery for my free kid’s cookie (another reason why Publix is the very best grocery store in the world).
Oops, went off on a bit of a tangent there, but that’s what Publix will do to you. Bethany knows what I’m talking about.
I decided to keep up with my salad-and-seafood lunch trend and get a Greek spinach salad. This time, my seafood topper of choice was the scallop, or shall I say, scallopS. They were grilled and EXCELLENT. This salad was even better than the one I had at Two Drunken Goats with the crabmeat. Crab is good and all, but once seafood gets grilled, it’s a whole other ball game in my opinion.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL!
Grannan kept it classy and had some chardonnay and oysters. I don’t think it’s ever really possible for oysters to have a pretty presentation, because I think ice is ugly. Is that weird?
My dad was so torn over what to order, but opted for the hot dog, which should have been labeled the foot-long hot dog. Holy! This was NOT your typical “8-inch-footlong-hotdog”.
My dad also said it was the best hot dog he’d ever had! And this is coming from a man who’d eaten one a week before on the streets of NYC!
Caught in the act.
No photo, but my sister got a spinach salad with steak and strawberries. It looked excellent, but she said it had way too many greens. She ate all the good stuff (AKA steak and fruit) and some spinach, but left a little pile behind. I on the other hand housed my salad.
Overall we really liked Johnny Longboat’s. In fact, I don’t think we’re sure which we liked more, that or Two Drunken Goats! Good thing we can always go to both 
Did anyone else have a fascination with the “rip-off” machine aka the claw machine?
Does anyone else think ice is ugly?
Have you ever struggled with taking rest days?
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Tags: beach, family, fitness, florida, hot dogs, johnny longboats, lunch, rest days, salads, seafood, singer island, venting
Taking rest days is never easy for me. I always feel like i should be doing something…but, you have to be rationale and remember how good it is for your body. And…think about the extra time you hve to do other things you like to do that you often put off for working out!
It’s true that this week I have been able to spend more time with friends and family after my class! At 8pm I don’t wanna be working out…but going out for a glass of wine ain’t too bad! haha
I think rest days are super important for so many reasons. Not only does it let your body recover but I think it lets you mentally relax too. Life’s too short to live and die by the gym and working out every day. Enjoy those times with your friends after class. Get an extra glass of wine. You work out plenty to stay in shape so you might as well have some extra fun too
Thanks Madeline!! You speak wise words
Funny, I always wanted to play the rip-off machine, but my parents would never let me. I really didn’t understand. Remember a few years ago, when on the news it showed a 1 or 2 yr old who crawled up inside one of those things?! lol.
HAHA I didn’t see that! My parents would NEVER let me play or they’d only let me play once. My grandma was always a little more lenient. I won a couple times tho!
You could do some really quick tabata intervals at home before work or after you get home from class if you don’t want to take a rest day… I have recently started loving tabata when I don’t have much time to exercise! Also you can always do some planks, which at least for me makes me feel like I am at least doing something rather than just resting!
I did do a couple planks Tuesday night after class, haha! What are Tabata intervals? Wait, I think I’ll just go find out on your blog…:)
I actually don’t think I have posted about them yet unfortunately… but Tina of CNC and Gina of Fitnessista (haha, they rhyme) both write about them pretty often…basically it’s just like a very high intensity exercise for ~20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds. I did one the other day– 20 seconds sprint on treadmill, 10 seconds rest, x8, and then I took a 1 minute break and did it again. 9 minutes for an awesome workout!
Ya I hunted on your blog and didn’t see anything! But I love both Tina and Gina so I’ll check out their blogs to find info, thanks! Your example sounds tough.
def know what you mean about struggling with rest days. it’s something i’ve been working on too lately…but i’ve noticed that if i push myself really hard on the days that i do workout , and then really LISTEN to my body…it pretty much tells me when i need a rest day. i mean like totally zaps me of energy, makes my muscles ache and lets me know that a day of rest will do me good. and then when i go back after a rest day, i usually have a great workout! and then i know it did me good. while i can see why you’re struggling with two rest days close together like that, i’d still definitely continue to use one as a rest day. maybe you could fit in some late night yoga on one of the days some weeks so it doesn’t feel totally like a rest day….or something quick on your lunch break if you have one? or even 10 min when you wake up and 10 when you go to bed!
Good ideas, Lindsay! My lunch break isn’t really conducive to working out (my gym is too far away to fit a lunch break workout in and the weather right now isn’t ideal for outdoor workouts, plus we have no showers) but I am starting to think that some morning yoga might give me that peace of mind I am looking for. I think that next week I’m going to try doing morning yoga some days because I have something going on Wednesday after work so I can’t work out that day either – three days off in a row won’t fly! I’ll feel so restless!
And truth about having lots of energy after rest days, I always have a great fitness class after I take a day off. I’m so excited to Step it up today and I know I’ll be all over the place!
At a bar I went to in Virginia there was a grab machine for live lobsters!! I was SO close to actually winning one but at the last second the lobster did a flip maneuver and it escaped! I was pretty upset, I wanted that lobster!
Hahhah crafty lobsta!
Was it the new release for Step? Did you love it or hate it???!
Yes! I like it a lot actually, you??
I know your work/working out situation all too well. I really have no advice other than just to realize it won’t be this way forever. Keep up doing what you can do =)
True! I’ve been able to work out a lot during my semester break and this is just a new “life phase”
I used to have that issue with rest days, but I’ve learned tons about how unhealthy stress and just general unhappiness is. So maybe it would help to keep in mind that you’re actually making a healthy decision by deciding to enjoy time with friends. Building strong relationships, laughing, all that good stuff that we don’t consider a workout…is actually SO healthy for us!
Thanks that does help!!
You read my tweet. You know I have issues
omg I have SO much to say and simply wish I could give you a hug! first before I get into the “meat & potatoes” of my response…… gee that salad looks good. i looooove scallops and would totally go for that salad, too!
ok, so rest days?
i hated them. i had suuuuuuuch a struggle with them. just this fall i was having a hard time with them! i would go go go go go go go GO! never rest. but then i found livefit. i saw that taking two rest days EVEN THREE rest days was OK! jamie eason does it – why cant i? so i went with it. i told myself I HAD to follow the program – even rest days. AND I HAVE NEVER FELT BETTER! honest girl, dont feel the rest days. even the best of the best have rest days!
xoxo
i love you sooooooooooooo much babe. hope it helped <3
thanks so much meg! you are always so supportive and i so appreciate it. i knew you’d have good advice when i wrote this!
It is really hard for me to take a rest day, but when I started training for my marathon I realized just how important these days were for me!
And just how important they are to make time for the wine consumption! Hahaha
Girl, you better BELIEVE it’s tough for me to take rest days! I think for us active-minded ladies it’s especially hard too. We’re so used to go-go-going that it feels natural. I try to remind myself that rest builds muscle. We have to rest in order for our muscles to develop to their best capacity. That always helps me. Love you, lady!
P.S. – I know there will be a severe lack of rest on Saturday night.
Now that’s the kind of activity/lack of rest I can get behind! Hahaha thanks girly!