 Writing this chapter weighs heavily on me. Literally.
Since I road trip every year – and I always gain weight – I really tried to set myself up for success on this trip. I posted about getting Accountability Partners and actually conned…I mean “persuaded’ a few people to join me. I signed up for a FREE Silver Sneakers membership which provides FREE gym privileges for senior citizens all around the US, so I’d never have an excuse to miss a workout. I got my buddy and hiking guru from Taylor Made Hiking, John Taylor to help me get the right hiking shoes so I could hike comfortably anywhere. I got my America The Beautiful Pass so I could walk, hike and jog at some of the most gorgeous places on earth. And lastly, I made a plan to eat only healthy stuff like apples and protein bars while I was driving long distances. Despite my best laid plans, they all went out the car window the minute I hit the road. I ate like there was a meteor heading toward earth. I avoided exercise like it was a red headed step child wanting to borrow money. I made excuses to my Accountability Partners like “the dog ate my homework(out)” and “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday if I can eat a hamburger today”, etc. And every time someone offered me a glass of wine, a cold beer, a happy hour meal, a home baked pie, or my own personal dietary kryptonite - a “chip salad” (several different flavors of chips in a big bowl with a garnish of red Twizzlers) I said “Yessss!!!” so loud it rattled the windows. So as a consequence, I gained so much weight I started flashing cleavage with my man boobs in some of my photos. And trust me when I say, that wasn’t a good look for me. Fortunately, I was able to get back on track when I got home thanks to the awesome fitness coach Robin McIntire from Training With Passion. We each set some individual goals and then held each other’s feet to the fire with cash bets as incentives. Between the mutual support, the good natured ribbing about who would “win” the bet, and the fear of losing up to $100 a day, we finally found a combination that works. Today Robin is abs-olutely killing it on her goals, and I’m just glad to say that I no longer need a bra that lifts and separates. Closing thoughts: For me, the biggest single challenge I face when I travel is staying in shape. And I really can’t blame anyone or anything other than the fact that I simply go into “vacation mode”. So I need to come up with a real strategy before my next big trip. I know its possible because I interviewed and photographed the best built people in the world for many years at Muscle and Fitness and FLEX magazines and most of them traveled a lot. Now I just gotta figure out how to do what they do and make it stick. Update 2017: I am happy to report that I finally found a heavy weight solution and lost about 30 pounds prior to going On The Road Again. And thanks to my Accountability Partners, Eleni Tucker, Jarrod Daddis, Colin Shreffler, Sammy Glassman, Jodi Low, Lorrie Lievsay, Lonnie LoGreco, Tom Schirr, Bruce Stirling and Robin McIntire, I gained very little on my four month road trip and I am now back to my high school body weight. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories Comments are closed.
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